Chapter 1
Cara
“Cara Solari! What in the name of the Solar God are you doing?”
I unbury myself from beneath the servant girl’s dress long enough to flip off Kiki, my irritated keeper. “She’s a who, not a what, and her name is Marra.” I flash Kiki my best devious grin before ducking my head back under the skirts.
Marra shrieks, giggles, and moans as my tongue flits across her clit. The divine aroma of her sex combined with the pheromones in the air is enough to have me wishing I’d brought her back to my chambers instead of a tryst in the hallway of the servants’ quarters, but beggars can’t be choosers. I dive in with gusto, savoring the sweet elixir that is Marra while I still have the chance.
The sounds of bootheels reaches my ears even over Marra’s ecstasy. Not usually one to leave a girl hanging, I hurry to finish before Kiki stops me. The stuffy former nanny might be an older woman, and slender, but I have no doubt that she’d have more than enough strength to drag me away by my ankles without a moment’s hesitation.
Sure enough, just as Marra comes undone on my tongue two strong hands grab my shirt and yank, pulling me off my knees and dumping me unceremoniously on my back. I wipe my damp face with the back of a hand and grin up at Kiki, who has her hands on her hips and is wearing the most delightful scowl.
“You are betrothed to Corvin, young miss. You can’t be seen carrying on with servant girls young enough to be your daughter in the back halls of the palace. People will talk!”
I roll my eyes and right myself, winking at Marra. “She’s nineteen, Kiki—barely a decade my junior. I know child brides are common in this age, but even if I leaned that way, she’s too old to be my daughter. Maybe my younger sister. Cousin, even. Many times removed. Besides, people will talk regardless. At least let me give them something worth talking about.” Fixing Marra’s skirts for her, I pull her close for a breathless goodbye kiss before turning back to address Kiki. “And besides, it wasn’tmyidea to marry Corvin. The Elders devised that stupid plot, and if he dumps me when he finds out what I do with my spare time, the better for it.”
Sometimes being heir to the God of the Sun has drawbacks. The Elders’ noses being in my business, for instance, and their insistence that I adhere to traditions like marrying a man. If the fate of our tribes didn’t hinge on me ascending to the throne and assuming power, I could chase all the skirts I wanted without repercussions.
“Cara!” Kiki shoos Marra down the hall with one hand while gripping my shoulder with the other, preventing my escape. “Your spare time, as you call it, is not truly yours. How many times have I told you how important it is to keep up appearances, even when you think you’re alone?”
“Counting today? Three thousand, four hundred, and seventy-five.” It’s a random number, completely arbitrary, but one that probably isn’t too far off from the truth.
“And that’s three thousand, four hundred, seventy-four times too many. You should listen to your counselors and protectors, Cara, and heed our advice. One of these days, the fate of the tribes will rest on your shoulders, and they can’t be hidden beneath a servant’s skirt when that time comes.”
Yeah, yeah. As the most powerful of the shifter races, us wolf shifters have it good … but only so long as we remain the most powerful. The panthers roam just outside our borders, though, striking at the most inopportune moments.
No one knows why only the predatory animals spend most of their lives as humans, shifting back and forth from man to beast whenever they please. It’s a secret lost to the ages, I suppose. Regardless of the why, it’s a fact that forms the foundations of our society. The wolves, being pack animals, gravitate towards towns and cities and thrive in each other’s company. The panthers, our next closest rivals, have more solitary natures and thus struggle to form close enough bonds to achieve true power. They are at best a nuisance, though if not kept in check could topple our stance as the apex predators. Generations of tribal war have seen the wolves remain at the top of the food chain, but who knows how long that will last if we don’t have strong leadership?
I shrug off her hand and fix my long, dark hair, which has become a staticky mess after my little hallway escapade. “In all fairness, Kiki, my shoulders weren’t hidden. Just my head.”
Kiki throws up her hands with an exasperated groan and storms off. “I just can’t do anything with you!”
Well, Kiki’s gone, but so is my date. I suppose I should be grateful Kiki no longer occupies the nanny’s quarters adjoining mine. Imagine if she could barge in any time she wanted! I sigh and head for the bathhouse, eager to clean up. Marra’s not a squirter, but I got pretty sweaty during training earlier. I’d best take a bath before dinner.
Not two halls down I run into another pair of entangled lovers, and I stifle a laugh as they scramble to disengage when one spots me coming.
Both of the tall, dark-haired men redden at being caught. Hugh and Sym still gasp for breath when I reach them, and in his haste to stuff his cock back in his pants, Sym forgets to buckle his belt. I snatch the strap of leather by its buckle and whip it out of the belt loops, whirling it in the air as Sym dives for it.
“Oho! Look what we have here. No wonder Kiki found me! I thought you guys were going to stand guard for me.”
Sym finally catches the belt, and Hugh clears his throat. “Ahem. We were, uh … distracted.”
“Uh huh.” My lips curl up into a smirk, and I give Hugh a solid clap on the back. “Distracted by each other, hm? It’s a good thing Kiki wasn’t an assassin. You both would be out of a job if I’d been murdered.”
Hugh grins and winks. “And if young Marra had been an assassin?”
“Then I would have died a happy woman.”
Sym scowls at me. “When you and Corvin are wed, these antics won’t be tolerated. The Elders barely allow them as it is. You might as well resign yourself to your fate as the Suntouched Soul and give up these ridiculous pursuits.”
I cross my arms over my chest and return the glare. “And what about you two? Your predilections aren’t exactly mainstream. What would you do if one of you were thrust into the role of heir?”
“I’d assume the throne and picture Hugh every time I bedded my royal bride.”
I jam a finger in Sym’s face. “Bullshit. You’d sneak off with Hugh every chance you got, and don’t even try to deny it. The heart loves who it loves, and no amount of Elder scheming and plotting will change that. I’m not going to mold my love life to suit their ideals.”
Hugh slides an arm around Sym’s waist and kisses his cheek. “Speaking of love, is that how you feel about this week’s chase?”
