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I nodded. “But you slew Gonshu. You proved yourself.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you. We were a team,” she said, and then cast her gaze to the side for a moment. “I suppose it’s a good thing that you’re back. I’m sure that the thing you said to me was just a part of your confused mind. You probably didn’t know what you were saying.”
I turned my head and looked at her directly, meeting her gaze. “I meant it, Kara.”
“You did? But why? You’ve not shown me any kind of respect since I’ve been here.”
“I have, in my own way. You did not see it as respect. To be honest, I had to take my time understanding you. I was used to people acting a certain way with me, but you were different. You have always been different, and perhaps different is what this pride has needed. You have all the qualities an Alpha should have. You are strong, you have power, and you are never willing to quit.”
“I ran away before,” she said in a small voice. I shook my head.
“You should not let past mistakes define you. You ran because your parents told you to. You ran because you faced insurmountable odds. If you had stayed and fought, then the Night Fangs would have killed you. A warrior’s life is the most precious thing to him. It is not something that can be thrown away so easily. You kept yourself alive so that you can fight again. With Gonshu, you could have run away. You could have left me to die. You did not. These are the marks of a warrior, and the sooner you accept that the warrior spirit of the lions is in your blood the better.”
“Well, thank you,” she said, although she still seemed uncertain, “but I guess things are going to go back to normal now.”
“There is one thing I want to tell you. You saved my life. Not only did you drive Gonshu back into his lair, but you also carried me back to the tower. You fought against weariness and fatigue, and then you went into a new world to bring the antidote back to me. I owe you my life, Kara. I know that I offered you a deal in the jungle. But now, I want to tell you that I will give you what I promised without any expectation of anything in return. I shall lead my army against the Night Fangs, and we will gain revenge for your pride. You have the ability to take us there now. We can fight together, and we can slay them, and perhaps you can even find your parents.”
I could tell she was stunned by the look on her face. She gave a small nod and placed a hand on my heart.
“It means a lot that you should say that, Axanar. I will think about it,” she said. I could feel tiredness fighting to consume my mind once again, so I laid back and closed my eyes. Knowing that her presence was near me provided me with comfort though. I knew that, once we had taken care of the Night Fangs, she would want to stay in her own world. But after all I had seen of her and after she had saved my life it was the least I could do for her. There was no sense keeping her a prisoner here when she had done so much for me. Now it was time for me to do something for her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kara
I left Axanar with mixed feelings. To see him in such a weakened state was surprising after he had been so strong in every way, and to hear him speak in such a conciliatory manner was refreshing, but it made me think. I had been so adamant in wanting to leave, but now I had fought Gonshu and brought Axanar back to the pride and kissed Volkan… I was not sure what feelings I should listen to. I walked out of his room and almost immediately bumped into Volkan.
“How is he?” Volkan asked, pulling me aside and speaking to me in a low voice.
“He is awake, and he seems to be recovered, although he is weary.”
“That is good,” Volkan wore his relief all over his face. He then smiled at me. “Things are working out for the best.”
I nodded. “He also said something else… he said that if I wanted, he would lead the army to my world and fight the Night Fangs.”
“That is wonderful,” Volkan said. “We shall find the enemy and conquer them.”
“I could find my parents as well. I could find my way home,” I said. I waited a few moments for realization to creep into his face. His smile fell and his features became rigid.
“Oh,” he said.
“I’m sorry, Volkan. What happened last night… I really appreciate you being there to comfort me, but it’s just too much for me to think about right now. That kiss was what I needed in the moment, but I’m not even sure whether I’m going to be sticking around. I can’t let myself have these feelings. It’s too complicated. I need to think about home and my parents and… and I’m sorry.”
He held himself rigidly and he wore a mask that tried to hide his emotions, but I could see the hurt inside. He had been kind to me from the beginning, he had sat with me and trained me and comforted me when I needed it. He had been so many things to me, and so the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. There was something else as well though. It wasn’t just him that was on my mind. There was Axanar as well. They had both been my enemies when I came to this place, but slowly things had changed and now, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. But could I be with either of them when my parents were still out there and when I still had unfinished business with the Night Fangs? I didn’t think so, and so I had to walk away from him in that moment, even though it hurt.
It was strange really. I always thought that love and romance would be fun, carefree things, but I was beginning to realize that the deep connections you form with people can be forged by animosity. With Stevie things were casual and easy, but there was no fire. Volkan had spent time with me and showed me he cared. Axanar had challenged me to find the spark within myself. Both men had performed miracles in helping me become this new woman, a woman I would never have become if I hadn’t escaped to this place. I felt stronger than I ever had before. I felt as though I knew myself more intimately, and I was happy with the person I was becoming. But I was caught between two worlds. The lions here wanted to travel to other worlds and conquer them, while my home waited for me. Did I really want a life of warfare?
I wasn’t sure about that, but one thing I did know was that I wanted to get revenge on the Night Fangs. Once Axanar had recovered again, I would take him back to my home, and I would see that the Night Fangs paid for what they did.
*
I could taste the lust for revenge on my tongue as we stood near the doorway to the shrine. Axanar and Volkan flanked me, and other warriors were lined up behind us. Axanar had recovered to be back to his best. His lion strength was unmatched, and the antidote had worked to fight off the poison. I was dressed in my hunter’s outfit as well, weapons adorning my back. Axanar still had his sword, for I had brought it back with us from the great hunt. I glanced towards Volkan, but he kept his gaze from me. I was not sure whether he held enmity towards me in his heart after I had kissed him and then stopped myself from feeling anything more. His was a sensitive soul. I’m not even sure whether he had told Axanar. I wanted to wait until this matter was done with before I decided anything about my future.
I stood in front of the doorway and breathed deeply as I closed my eyes. I held my hands out again, thinking of home and the Night Fangs and everything that awaited me on the other side of this doorway. There were hushed gasps from around me as they witnessed this great feat, this feat that was the thing of miracles. I opened my eyes and I saw the place where all this had begun, the old shrine whose walls were covered in moss. We walked through, and I returned to my world.
I could immediately tell the difference between my world and Orestes. The air was stale, and the temperature was cooler. The lions marveled at the sight of this place. For everyone apart from Volkan, it was their first time in another world, and they were in awe. They whispered excitedly, and this time it was my turn to lead Axanar on a hunt.
“This way,” I said, and made my way back up through the caves and out to the side of the mountain. I stood atop the ridge and gazed out at the world, at the stars that had been strangers to me, but strangely I did not feel a sense of belonging here. I thought I would have been filled with emotion upon seeing it again, but instead I just felt empty.
