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“Because of our way of life, strength and power are highly coveted traits in shifter mates. All four of you reek of power. That will likely make you all very attractive to the other guests attending this evening’s celebrations.”
I frowned. “We are daemons though. How does that work?” I asked. Rhyalla shrugged.
“Are you not a half daemon? Cross breeding between magick folk, daemons, shifters, and humans is not unheard off. The heart wants what the heart wants.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. I wasn’t sure I was interested in dancing and flirting with strange shifters all night.
“I don’t know if that’s for me.” I said out loud, and she smiled at me patiently.
“You are of course within your right to refuse any who may approach you. You should still come to the bonfire though. There are not many daemons who can say they have attended a Yal'duun-kala. It is a one-of-a-kind experience.”
“Ok.” I nodded. “I will.” Two young shifters ran by laughing; their round faces and chubby fingers made me smile.
“Silly cubs,” Rhyalla grinned after them as they chased each other across a nearby stream. They reminded me of the tiny Rycon from the memory I had seen, and I suddenly felt sad.
“Why does Rycon hate K’yen so much? That’s the male you’re mating with, right?” I asked. Rhyalla pursed her lips.
“Rycon and K’yen used to be close friends,” Rhyalla watched the young cubs splash in the stream, her face falling.
“We all moved out of the rainforest when we were children, proudly following our father. We believed in his vision for what life could be like for us if we secured positions on The Board. Our father was extremely charismatic. He had built relations with shifters from all over the world. He had really made some headway and we were in negotiations with the magick folk when the Nightshades attacked.
“After that, Rycon was not the same. He was young, but there was a dark hatred in his heart that he could not overcome. As he grew older, he became obsessed with getting even with the magick folk. He wanted to hurt them, for what they had done to our leap.
“Rycon asked K’yen to help him in his mission to deliver vengeance in a planned attack against The Board. They were only thirteen at the time. K’yen refused and made it clear that he had different opinions on how the betrayal of the Nightshades should be handled. He asked Rycon to go with him to petition the Sorcerer General to put the Nightshade’s punishment to a vote to The Board.
“Rycon saw this as weakness and a betrayal from K’yen. I told him that I agreed with K’yen. If we attacked The Board, it would mean war between both the shifters and the magick folk. A war that would hurt both of us and do nothing to punish the Nightshades for murdering our parents. Rycon left shortly after that. We haven't seen him since. Until today.” She turned to me, and gave me a warm, sad smile.
“Regardless of the past, I am so grateful that Rycon is here, for my Yal'duun-kala. He is the only family I have left. I know that it was not your intention, and you came for different reasons, but I am indebted to you, Raven of The Origin. Thank you for bringing my brother home to me.”
My chest felt tight at her thanks. I decided I really liked Rhyalla.
“There is nothing to thank me for. You owe us nothing,” I said, putting my hand on her arm. “As you said, we did not intentionally come here for your Yal'duun-kala. But, if I had known, I would have dragged him here kicking and screaming. Whether he liked it or not.” I assured her, and her smile widened.
“I believe you,” she said.
40
After our tour, we approached the Yal'duun-kala pyre and arch, to find Kasha arguing with Rycon.
“Just fuck off, ok? You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t even know me.” Rycon was snapping at her over his shoulder as he stormed by.
“I do know you, asshole.” She was yelling as she chased him down. “You can cut the tough guy bullshit. If you think that’s all it takes to scare me off then you don’t know me.” She snapped right back at him.
Rycon spun around, putting his finger in her face. “You listen to me. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Back. The. Fuck. Off.” They were inches away from each other, both so angry their faces were white.
I was wondering how long it would be before one of them threw a punch, when someone I didn’t recognize came up to join us. He slipped his hands around Rhyalla’s waist and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“So, you found him?” Asked the male shifter, whom I could only assume was K’yen. Rhyalla sighed.
“Kind of. He had no idea we were being mated tomorrow. He came with some daemon friends,” she gestured to Kasha, and then to me. K’yen turned to me. We eyed each other, both equally curious of the other.
Looking at K’yen, it shocked me how similar he and Rycon were.
They both had raven black hair and olive skin. They both had the yellow cat-like eyes that I was beginning to realize were a dominant trait in panther shifters. They both had athletic builds and chiseled features. However, that was where the similarities ended.
Rycon was the quintessential embodiment of traits that I had come to associate with panther shifters. He was lean and angular. His loose, confident swagger permeated everything he did. There was a wildness to him, and his actions were largely driven by instinct.
Even now, arguing with Kasha in his motorcycle boots, shredded jeans, and bloody t-shirt; he felt unpredictable. He was dangerous and there was no way to know what he would do next.
