Conri (4 page)

Sarai jolted awake, her heart hammering out an
unnatural rhythm. She glanced around the room as her eyes sleepily adjusted to an
onslaught of information. She was still in the King’s compound, she was in her
own room and she was alone. Her heart started to slow when a different pounding
resumed. Someone was banging on her door and that banging was what awakened
her.

She threw the covers back, went to the door and yanked
it open.
 

“
Rai
!”
She was almost nocked over as her friend threw her good arm around her and
hugged her tight.

“Good morning, why are you so
chipper
this early?”

Stella stepped back, color stabbing her cheeks. “I might
have had a really good time last night.”

“Stella!” Sarai hissed, pulled her friend into her
room and shut the door. “Have you forgotten about Link so quickly?”

Something passed over Stella’s face and she glanced
away; embarrassment, remorse, Sarai couldn’t really tell.

“Link and I were on the way out. I mean, it’s not that
I am not
sadden
by the loss- I am! But he and I were
having… trouble.” She glanced at Sarai and away again. Her next words were
whispered, “He was cheating on me.”

Sarai wanted to reach for her friend but didn’t, it
would be out of character for her. “Oh Stella, I am so sorry.”

Stella shook her head, squared her shoulders and
speared her friend with a wide smile. “Flynn… oh- well, let me tell you about
him… he is a tom cat!”

“I think he’s a Leopard
Stel
,”
Sarai said with a smile.

Stella opened her mouth to correct her and then
laughed. “Yes, yes he is. But what I mean is…”

“Oh I know what you mean.” Sarai said with a chuckle.
“I am glad you enjoyed his company.”

“I enjoyed it alright. I wasn’t sure if I was going to
be able to walk this morning.” Stella turned and looked around her room. “Your
room is bigger than mine.” When she turned back to Sarai she was smiling. “The
king must fancy you.” She wagged her eyebrows at Sarai.

Sarai rolled her eyes and went to her bathroom. “Let
me take a quick shower and we can go get breakfast.”

“I already
ate,
Flynn brought
me breakfast…in bed!” Stella
eep’d
like a child and
twirled around the room. “But I will accompany you to breakfast and we can
talk.”

*

Sarai showered as quickly as she could. She threw on a
fresh pair of underwear- underwear she had not the slightest idea of where they
had come from but had turned out to be her size. She towel dried her hair and
then wrapped the towel around her. As she stepped out of the bathroom she spoke
to her friend without looking up. Not making eye contact while half naked gave
her the false sense of modesty she needed.

“So you had a fantastic night then, do you plan on
making this a regular thing?”

Someone cleared their throat and it was decidable
male. She stiffened and slowly lifted her eyes. She stared in sapphire eyes
that watched her with a predatory edge.

“Your eyes,” she whispered, unable to hide the
trepidation. Conri’s eyes, normally a crystal blue were the color of the ocean
after a storm- cerulean, opaque and intense. He closed his eyes and took a deep
breath, when he opened them again they were almost normal; almost.

“My apologies.
Your comrade
let me in. She gave me a message. ‘You should consider taking a page from her
book’- I am not sure what it means.”

Sarai knew what her friend meant. She had been getting
out of the shower; she was now alone –with the Leopard king…. Yea Sarai knew
what her friend was suggesting. But what little detail her friend didn’t know
was- Sarai had never had a boyfriend before. In high school she was awkward and
dorky. In college she was so focused on school and getting the best grades she
didn’t have time to go to parties- let alone date. And by grad school all bets
were off if she wanted to be the best in the field. Long story short, Sarai had
never been with a man and she wasn’t about to throw herself at the Leopard King
because Stella thought it a grand idea.

“Thank you Conri, I am pretty sure I understand what
she meant. I will talk to her about it later.
Ummmm
,
what are you doing here?”

As if realizing the woman in front of him was only
half dressed he startled, his eyes going wide. He flipped around, giving Sarai
his back, and hung his head. “I did not mean to intrude. Your comrade failed to
tell me you were indisposed and by the time I realized it I was…” He trailed
off as he shook his head.

“It’s ok. I’ll just take my clothes into the bathroom
and change. But you still did not answer my question.”

“Right.
I was inquiring about
breakfast. Care to join me?”

Sarai grabbed a pair of jeans that had appeared out of
‘thin air’ like the under-garments, an undershirt and a heavy cashmere sweater,
all of which were miraculously her size, and headed to the bathroom, “That
sounds lovely. Give me just a moment.” She dressed in record time and hung the
towel over the bar in the shower. Should be dry by the time she needs a shower.

Conri escorted her to the dining hall and to her
surprise it was filled with men and some women, dressed in modern warrior
attire. When she and Conri entered the entire dining room stilled and then as a
group everyone stood. Startled by the movement Sarai hesitated, but then
stumbled, as Conri led her forward.

“Sit down,” Conri growled and the group settled with
small grumbles and snickers. Conri led her to a seat that was next to his- at
the head of the table. Stella waved and Sarai smiled warmly. There was a seat
open across from Stella and Sarai desperately wanted to sit there so they could
talk. But Sarai had a feeling that the King wanted her right where she was- the
first seat to his right.

No one so much as picked up a fork, spoon or cup.
Everyone waited in silence as the King was served his food. A moment later food
was placed before Sarai. She reached for her fork but stopped. Looking up at
the King, not sure what everyone else was waiting on.

“Eat.” He demanded. This new tone was so much
different than the one he had just used in her room. She was confused but
decided she would ask about it later. She clasped her hands under chin and
closed her eyes. She mumbled a quick thank you to the master of gifts and then
grabbed a fork.

Everyone was staring at her and she squirmed under
their scrutiny.

“Shall we give thanks for our meal as well my King?”
Someone at the other end of the table asked, Sarai couldn’t tell if they were
genuinely asking or if they were poking fun.

“Do whatever you please.” Conri was only looking at her,
watching as she brought the first forkful to her mouth. The moment the fork touched
her lips Conri dug in and after his first bite the rest of the group started
eating. By God were they all waiting on her? The thought made her nervous and
exhilarated. It was only a few tense moments until conversation started up
again. She watched the warriors banter and exchange conversation.

For some strange reason it felt homey, almost like
these people, in one week, had become her family. It was asinine to think she
could bond on such short notice but when Kellen waved and winked at her she
giggled. Conri made a noise that made her flinch but he quickly covered it up
with a throat clear.

“Sarai!”
Someone at the end
of the table hollered above the din of voices. No one paid any attention to the
speaker but Sarai looked at the woman with silver blond hair. She looked
younger than her, no way could she be older than twenty-one.

“Um, Yes?”

“My name is Leigha and I am new to the guards, a
huntress. It is nice to meet you finally.” She raised her glass to me.
Meet me- finally? Do what
? A few others
raised their glasses and Sarai noticed some of the more seasoned warriors
looked to the king for approval before following suit.

Sarai cleared her throat, set her fork down and raised
her glass to Leigha, “The pleasure is mine and may your hunt today be met with
good fortune.”

Sarai didn’t know what made her say it but she just
felt something stir inside her. Leigha beamed back at her and Flynn barked a
cheer. Everyone slammed their glasses down, the bottoms making a hard
thunk
before they all drank heavily. Sarai mimicked their
motions, albeit a little more gently.

“That was a kind blessing.” Conri whispered to her
after she set her drink down.

“Was it? Is it? I’m not really sure why I said it.”

“Because you are the proper female I thought you would
be- perhaps?”

Sarai raised her brows; she had no idea what he was
talking about. Well, she knew what the words meant, but what exactly was he
insinuating?

The rest of the meal went without hitch. By the end
Sarai was dragged away from the table because she tried to help clean up.

“We have servants for that.”

“You have servants?”

“The Omegas of the group.
They can raise their status through training and servitude. But until they do,
they remain our servants.”

“That seems harsh,” Sarai mumbled.

“That is pack life.”

“I thought only wolves lived in packs. As a matter of
fact, I thought leopards are solitary creatures?”

“Is that how you think of us, how you think of me- as
a creature?”

Sarai resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “No, Conri,
it was just the most applicable word at the time. I meant no disrespect.”

He was quiet for a time. “Usually, that is true, but
since we are as much human as we are ‘creatures’ we prefer to live in a group.”

“Fair enough.
So where are
you taking me today?”

Conri smiled mischievously and in inclined his head to
the direction he wanted to go.

Sarai’s eyes widened as she watched the two people in
front of her go at each other with relentless ferocity. The mat was bloody,
their bodies cutup like a thanksgiving turkey. Four short swords lay discarded
and forgotten at the corners of the mat as the two men went at each other with
fist and feet.

“What’s going on?”

“Training.”
Conri sounded
proud.

“Training?”
Sarai didn’t mean
to squeak but she was both shocked and appalled.

Conri glared at her, “Our enemies will not go easy on
us in the heat of battle. We heal faster than normal, by the end of the day
their wounds will be nothing but scratches. If they do not want to be cut, they
will need to learn to fight better. If they do not want to be beaten, they
should learn to punch harder. Everything means something Sarai.”

She didn’t look at him; instead she watched the two
men fight. The attacks looked brutal and Sarai couldn’t help but think that
just under one of those punches she would be lights out; probably for good.

“Are you judging them? Are you judging me?”

Sarai looked up at Conri, “No. I was just thinking-
”
 
She
looked back at
the fight. One of the men had gotten the upper hand and the loser was
conceding. The proctor pulled a black flag and threw it at the ground in front
of the failure. He tied the flag around his neck, glowering. “If I were to be
hit by just one of those punches, I would be road kill.”

Sarai glanced up just as Conri closed his mouth. But
what he was trying to hide, the flash of his fangs, she most certainly saw.
“That will not happen.” Conri responded coldly.

“Why does the victor get a green flag and the defeated
get a black one?”

“The defeated, as you so well said, is dead. He would
have been killed thus he wears black for his shame. The victor, also aptly put,
wears green for his triumph. All will know that he won a spar.” Sarai turned
when Conri put his hand on her shoulder. “Winning in a spar is just as crucial
as winning in a real batter. Every skill you master gives you another chance at
surviving.”

“Maybe someday I could learn? I mean obviously I will
not ever be as apt as your warriors, but I still need to learn to protect
myself.
Especially since I will have to go back into the real
world.”
Sarai wanted to react to what she saw in Conri’s eyes. It was
pain, sorrow and maybe a touch of fear. But she felt if she reacted she may
never see such gentleness again.

“Our fighting methods are not for the faint. You must
be on the track for a warrior to even take the classes. Well the advanced
classes at least. Everyone takes the basics. We can’t all rely on someone else
to protect us- but…”

“Then I will take the basics!” Sarai interrupted.
Conri chomped on his lower lip, his elongated k-nines flashing for a brief
moment before receding to normal teeth.

“We will discuss this later.”

“
Mi
’
Lord?”

Conri spun, “Yes Lilly?”

“Your daughter is requesting an audience.”

“Daughter!”
Sarai didn’t mean
to shout. Why hadn’t she known he had a daughter?

Conri looked at her. “Daughter is to strong a word.
She is the daughter of a once dear friend. Just before he was killed in battle
against the Reprobates he asked me to watch over his mate and cub. I have taken
them both into the fortress as family. But they are not my true family. The
female has since taken another mate. But when Hanna, the cub, needs something
big- the female always comes to me instead of her father.
If
you will excuse me.”

Conri walked away and Lily stepped next to Sarai.
“Does he not have a mate of his own?” Sarai did not know why she asked the
question. Hopefully curiosity doesn’t kill the cat.

“He did once.” Sarai looked at Lilly, her eyebrows
raised. “She died in the birthing chamber with their cub.” Lilly clapped her
hands together once and the sudden sound made Sarai jump. “I heard you are
interested in learning to spar?”

Sarai’s head spun with the subject change, “Um, yea-
yes. Yes I would like to learn to fight.”

Lilly’s smile was wicked. “The king will not like
this, so you must keep it quiet. But I can teach you. I was on the track to be
a warrior until…” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I was one of the best and
brightest at the time. I have retained a lot. I can teach you my technique and
it will serve you well.”

“Really?
You would really do
that for me?”

“Of course.
I already feel as
if we are sisters or at least destined to be sisters. But I will warn
you,
even if I go easy on you… it will be grueling.”

“I would expect no less.”

“Twice a week the King goes on the hunt with the
group. We will work on those days. But for this week, since Leigha is fresh out
of training he will accompany the group the entire week to ensure her safety. He
will supervise to make sure she can make kills without being harmed. So this
week, my new friend, we will work every day.” Lilly smiled wide and clapped her
hands again.

“May I ask a question that is really inappropriate?”

Lilly gave her a sly look, “You may ask all you want.
Whether I choose to answer….”

“Fair enough.
Um, how old are
you?”

Lilly barks a laugh. “That’s not inappropriate. I’m
thirty.”

“Thirty!”

Lilly’s smile widened. “I look so much younger don’t
I?” Sarai could only nod. “Good genetics I suppose.”
Or bad genetics
, Sarai thought to herself. She still hadn’t decided
how she was going to breach that subject. But Lilly looked like she was sixteen-tops.
To find out she was older than herself, floored Sarai. She smiled at her
friend.

“When do we start?”

*

The next two weeks were a blur. Training for two hours
with Lilly, breakfast and dinner with the King, reading in the library- she had
called her job to let them know she was taking
 
some personal time because she was stranded up
north- and then evenings spent with Stella and her new boyfriend Flynn, Core
and Kellen. She also called the local newspaper and put an ad in the paper for
sublet on her apartment. She knew it was a good location but was still
surprised that someone had responded within days. She wasn’t sure how long she
would be up here, but if mother nature was to be believed it could be all
winter.

“Straight! Read ‘
em
and
weap
!”

“Got me beat.” Flynn said.

“I knew I should have folded,” Core groaned.

“Two pair, Ace high- but that just means I’m still
beat.” Sarai conceded gracefully.

“Winner winner, come to papa…”

“Not so fast hot shot,” Stella laid her hand down one
at a time. “This looks like not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR of a
kind- BOOM!” Stella tossed her other cards down and reached for the pile, “Come
to mama.”

Kellen groaned and banged his head against the table.
“You
splittin
these winnings with me
mama?”
Flynn asked as he leaned over and planted a hard kiss on Stella’s
lips.

“You’re gonna have to pay for it.” The look Stella
gave Flynn made him shiver and Sarai look away out of propriety.

“How about you beauty,
wanna
give the loser a kiss to ease his pride?” Kellen wagged his brows at Sarai; she
shook her head and giggled.
 
Kellen
pretended to be wounded as Core scooped up the cards and started shuffling. As
he dealt the men, or males as Kellen had corrected her all night long, talked
about nothing and everything.

Stella eyed Sarai and glanced at Kellen. When the boys
weren’t looking she mouthed,
He likes
you- go for it
.

Sarai imperceptibly shook her head gently and picked
up her cards. “Burn and turn Core!”

On and on the night went. On occasion a loan Omega
would bring in a jug of something dark and frothy, the boys and Stella would
drink up while Sarai remained clear and lucid. By the time the night was over
Sarai walked away with all the winnings. And the only reason the game ended was
because after hours of heavy petting and stolen kisses Flynn had all but thrown
Stella onto the table. When they left Cort excused
himself
and Texas hold
em
just wasn’t as fun with two people.

“Well I guess Ill be on my way.” Sarai said as she
stood only moments after Core left.

“I. Agree.” Kellen said a little clipped and a lot
slurred. “May I escort you back to your room?”

“I think I might be safer by myself.”

“
Ohhh
no,
no
,
no,
nnnno
. If anyone found out that
escorting you back to your room fell to my lot and I didn’t?
Bad
news for this kitty.”
He hiccupped and laughed.

Sarai sighed and nodded. They walked the empty
corridors, passing by someone here or there. The more they walked the more
sober Kellen sounded. Sarai watched him closely as he told her stories about
his parents and his brother. How his brother had
been
 
a
fierce warrior once upon a time;
 
until one day he went out with a group and no
one came back. They lost two huntresses, one tracker and two senior warriors
that day; one of them being the best friend of Conri. Kellen said he was just a
pup at the time, his mother having lost two females between
he
and his brother.

By the time they reached Sarai’s room her head was
spinning. How this pack kept itself together through so much loss was beyond
her understanding. Maybe she would ask Conri one day. She opened her mouth to
say goodnight and found herself pushed against the wall, her arms locked by her
side and Kellen’s mouth on hers.

“Wow you’re a great kisser.” He said on a breath but
before Sarai could say stop his mouth was back on hers- swallowing her scream.