Prince of Fate (Lions of Pride Island Book 2) (5 page)

T
he next day
, one of Bee’s neighbor friends came over to take her shopping in a neighboring town, so it worked out well for Brenna to go for an outing with Cain and not feel guilty about it.

They took a long walk through the trees and then veered off in the opposite direction from the mountains and walked through the quiet, sparse forest of large trees with towering canopies. They came out the other side and looked out at a grassy knoll with a beautiful view of the ocean in the distance. They were above miles of rolling hills and valleys, and they could just make out the line of a sandy beach. They were pretty far inland, but due to their height, it felt like they could see the whole world in front of them.

Cain leaned back on his arms as he surveyed the beautiful scenery. Then he looked over at his mate—even more beautiful scenery.

Today, she was wearing a hot shirt. Well, it was actually fairly loose, tunic-length, with lace on the sleeves and hem, and jean capris below, with sandals on her feet. But his mate was hot in anything… so…

“What do we have for lunch?” she asked, looking over at him. Her hair was pulled back into a feminine ponytail that leaned slightly to one side, and a few curls were pulled out to frame her face prettily. Her lips were glossed with a reddish tint, her eyes framed by simple mascara.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, and he didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky to be here with her.

“Sandwiches,” he said, clearing his throat as he focused on the basket and began to unload it. He was supposed to be feeding his mate, not staring at her.

Brenna was so much more than a pretty face to him. She was a person he’d cared for who was willing to give him a second chance, and that amazed him.

He served her a plate, loading it with chips and fruit along with her sandwich, and handed it over with a glass of milk.

She ate thoughtfully, staring out at the ocean, and he just watched her, having to remind himself to even eat when all he wanted to do was gaze at his mate.

I’m becoming ridiculous,
he thought, shaking his head.

“So if we did mate, what would it look like?” she asked, looking at him as she set down the rest of her sandwich.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” he said. “I mean, obviously, you and Bee could come live at the palace.”

“And you?” she asked.

“I have a job. You could travel with me, though.”

She frowned. “You aren’t thinking you’ll still do that if we’re mated, right?”

“I thought you weren’t even sure you wanted me to mate you.” At the thought of giving up his racing, his stunts, his escape, he was uncomfortably prickly for some reason.

He took a deep breath and focused on the ocean, remembering this was a way of finding peace, too.

“What was that?” she asked, scooting closer, suspicious.

“What was what?”

“That little freak-out.” She pursed her lips. “You aren’t fooling anyone, Cain.”

He shrugged. “I guess I don’t see what I do as dangerous. It hadn’t occurred to me you’d want me to stop. Other guys like me have wives. They either stay home and see their husbands when they aren’t touring or come on tour if they want. It’s not a big deal.”

She shook her head. “It is to me.”

“Why?” he asked, feeling that uncomfortable nervousness again.

“Because when I see you doing that, you don’t look like the other guys. You don’t look… in control.” When he frowned, she corrected herself. “What I mean is you look like you’re lost. Like you’re desperate to escape, to do bigger and better. I’m worried one day you’ll do something that could kill you, and you won’t even care. As a lion, you’re durable, not invincible.”

“So what would you want me to do instead?” he asked bitterly. “Sit around and be a house cat?”

“What about what you wanted to do
before
you went into all that?” she asked. “When you were younger.”

“Be an astronaut?” he joked. “Isn’t that dangerous, too?”

“No,” she said. “You used to say you wanted to do what your dad did. That Axel would be the kind of king who worked things mostly from the palace, but as his brother, you could travel and check in on towns and make sure people were doing okay. That they felt connected to your family.”

He’d totally forgotten about that. It had been locked away with everything else when he lost his father.

He was quiet for a long moment. “I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think I’m that Cain anymore. I think that boy died in a fire.”

She winced at that. She’d probably heard through the grapevine that his dad had died in that huge fight so many summers ago, when there had been an attack on civilians and a wildfire set in a nearby forest. He and his father and brothers and uncles and cousins had been nearby, just in case, but the royal army had been cut off by the blaze, leaving him and his family no chance but to fight on their own.

Surrounded by flames.

He felt himself glaze over and leaned back on his hands again, feeling lost.

Then her hand was on his face, turning him toward her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I pushed you.”

“It’s fine.” He shrugged. “I’m sorry my biking has bothered you.”

“I just care about you; that’s all,” she said.

“If you care about me, can you understand I need to do it?”

“Then why aren’t you doing it now?” she asked. “If it’s so damn important, why aren’t you just jumping over things all the time?”

It was a good question. The past few days with her had been the most calm in a long time. He hadn’t felt that biting urge to get on a bike and do something reckless.

And maybe she was right. Maybe he did it for the wrong reasons. A lot of men did it because they seemed unable to comprehend the risks or care about it.

He did it for the opposite reason. He knew the risks, knew how much someone could fear it, and wanted to prove to himself he didn’t.

But he also wanted Brenna. He didn’t know what to do about it.

“You’d be taken care of,” he said. “You and Bee.”

“I don’t want to just be taken care of,” she stated. “If I mate, I want my mate’s heart.”

“You’d have it,” he vowed. “But I can’t just stop doing what I do with my life.”

“You can,” she said. “You just won’t.”

He shook his head. At least not for now. Just thinking about it made a hole open inside him that he felt he could fall into, screaming for all eternity.

He was safe when he did stunts. She didn’t have to worry. Hopefully, at some point, she’d realize that. And how much he needed to keep doing it.

She stood with a huff. “I’m taking a walk. I need to clear my head.” He watched her walk a few steps away, and then she disappeared with a thump and a scream.

He jumped to his feet. “Brenna?” he called out, running to where she’d disappeared.

He looked down to see she’d fallen into some sort of pit covered with fronds and dirt and was looking up at him angrily. “Whoops,” he said. “You hurt?”

She shook her head. “Just my pride.”

“Understandable,” he said, making her snort. He took a few steps around the trap, looking down at her in amusement.

“Get me out,” she ordered, standing and leaning against the wall. “Dammit, I thought all these old traps were gone.”

“What are they trying to trap, bears?”

“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t know. They were dug some time ago.”

“Hm,” he said, still in no rush to get her out. Not when she was looking at him with such cute, frustrated eyes.

“Cain…” she drawled.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I was supposed to leave you alone so you could clear your head.” He crouched by the side of the pit as she gave a little growl. His heart had nearly exploded when she’d screamed and disappeared, but now that he knew she was safe, he might as well have some fun with it.

“Cain,” she repeated, warning clear in her voice. “Get me out of here, now.”

He folded his arms and stood, cocking his hip. “Mmm. You told me not to do dangerous things. Then you walked into a pit. If I reach down, I risk doing a dangerous thing and falling in. Then you won’t mate me.”

“I won’t mate you at all if you leave me in this pit another second,” she spat at him, pacing.

He grinned. “I don’t know. Maybe I should leave you down there until you
do
agree to mate me.”

She rolled her eyes, and he laughed. Of course he was going to get her out. Saving her was his new favorite thing. He’d always looked after her when they’d played as kids, too. But it was extra fun to come to curvy, adult Brenna’s rescue.

“Am I going to get a gratitude kiss?” he asked, grinning.

She growled at him. “No. Of course not.”

“Why don’t you just shift, then?” he asked. “Your lion could get out easily.”

She snorted. “As if. I’m not used to shifting, and I’d have to shift back after… and be naked.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” He teased.

She sighed. “All right, one gratitude kiss.”

Score. Truthfully, he just enjoyed their banter. He reached down, took her hand, and easily lifted her out of the hole, helping her get onto the grass.

She let out a deep breath. “Thanks.”

He put out a cheek and pointed to it. “Go ahead.”

She sighed and gave him a kiss on the cheek that was softer and longer than he expected. When she pulled back, he glanced over to see her looking at him with want again.

Even after they’d fought, even when they were arguing or he was teasing her, there was just that incredible connection between them.

And hell, did he want her.

“Thanks for getting me out,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Even if you were an ass about it.”

He took her hands, pulled her to stand, and gave her a quick hug. “No problem. And want to know a secret? I’d have helped you even without a gratitude kiss.”

She scoffed. “I know.” Then she softened. “And thanks.”

He nodded, feeling awkward with the tension rising between them. Tension that always threatened to explode into something physical.

“I’ll try to think about what you said,” she conceded. “About what your job means to you. But I also hope you’ll think about what it feels like to see your mate doing something that could hurt them.”

“I won’t hurt myself,” he said.

“Can you promise that?” she asked.

“No,” he admitted, grabbing the basket and walking beside her as they headed back to the house. “I guess I can’t.”

“So yeah, just think about it.”

“Okay,” he said. “I will. Now, for the walk back, I want to talk about you. What do you see happening for us if we mate?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’d want a house of our own. And Bee nearby, or living with us if we have the right place. Wherever she’d be cared for.”

“And what about you?” he asked. “Your dreams. Your ambitions.”

She shrugged, but he saw a small light of something in her expression. She looked up at him, honey eyes sparkling. “I guess maybe I could go back to college?”

He frowned. Go back to college, surrounded by dudes? Away from him all the time? But he supposed he had no right to complain. “Do they have online classes?”

“Yes,” she said. “For graphic design. More expensive, though.”

“I’ve got that covered.” He dismissed her concerns with a shake of his head. “So graphic design, huh? You always were into art.”

“Yeah,” she said. “And I went to school for it. But when Ox got sick, I came home. And now…”

“Now you can’t leave.” He finished for her.

“I wouldn’t want to,” she said.

“It’s the same thing as far as love is concerned.” He realized he never wanted to leave her either. But what about when the need to escape his past surfaced? What about when the urge to face danger became stronger than the need to breathe?

They talked more about her art all the way back to the cottage, and by the time they got there, he was relaxed and happy again, all thoughts of stress and tension gone.

Despite all the complications between them, there was something so right. Something that felt like everything else would just fall into place as long as they were together.

But life experience had taught him that wasn’t always true.

Still, here with Brenna, listening to her talking about her art while showing him her bright smile, he wanted to believe it could work, at least for them.

Could he trust himself to keep moving forward with her and that things wouldn’t be ruined?

* * *

T
hey spent
the evening laughing together, went to their rooms for a nap, and then came back for dinner.

Around seven, they were wondering why Bee hadn’t called yet.

Brenna sort of thought they were both in trouble if the older woman didn’t return soon. The more time she spent with Cain, the more she was irrevocably in love with him, wanting things she knew she shouldn’t. Especially now that she knew he wasn’t going to give up his life of danger.

But then he’d made her laugh with the whole pit thing. Even when he was being an obnoxious idiot, he made her smile. Made her life light up. He asked her what she wanted and seemed interested in helping her get it.