Chapter 34: Chapter Thirty-Four--
“All right.”
“Rumors have surfaced over the years, without proof of success of either theory. Some say a shifter can change a human, resulting in a hybrid of sorts.”
“Like a mutant?”
“A what?”
“Half and half, not all of anything.”
“Yes, that would be close. Other information suggested that by mating a human without changing them, the lifeforces are melded. The human would live for the duration of his or her mate’s life.”
“So, if none of this worked with a ‘predestined mate,’ again, what happens when the human dies, leaving the cat behind?”
“Depends on the sex of the cat.”
“Female?”
“She can move on, if she chooses,” he said quietly. “She may not want to, but she has the option.”
I waited for several minutes for him to continue. He didn’t.
“And if he’s male?”
“We should talk about something else.”
“I don’t think so,” I snapped, then instantly softened. “Just say it.”
He rolled onto his back, draping me over his chest. “I do not want this information to confuse our situation. I fear it will. Not fair to either of us.”
“Life isn’t fair, babe. Trust me, I get that better than most.”
“Yes, you do.” He held my hand over his heart and closed his eyes. “Under ordinary conditions, a male pledges himself to a female, he gives everything to her, as is our way. Once we mark them, and we are marked in return, the union is complete, the circle made. That if female tires of her male, moves on, or dies, he feels the loss on a spiritual level, as if a part of their soul is missing. In death, many have been known to follow their mates. But, if they pull out of the depression, they can continue on.” He swallowed thickly. “However, when the mate is predestined, the risks increase dramatically from the moment they meet, for the male. It is in her power, and her alone to decide his fate. Depending upon his rank within Clan, Royal, Alpha, Beta or Omega, the depth of connection will reflect that.”
“Okay. As Alpha, you get the almost top level, or whatever,” I said.
“I am also Royal.”
“Which means? No wait, we will get back to that. There’s something else you’re not telling me.”
“If the female turns from him, or if she doesn’t and dies, he is left utterly desolate, emotionally and physically impotent. A shell,” he rushed. “For eternity.”
“So, if I deny you, you’re absolutely screwed?”
“To answer your question, I am of Royal blood. The first family in any of the cat lines, jaguar, cougar, tiger, lion, so on, they are the beginning of the race. We have abilities no other possesses, such as shifting parts of ourselves, while leaving the majority in the other form. We are absolute, revered, protected. It is said that our blood carries the power and life of the individual line. That if all the Royals die, the immortality, or in some cases longevity if far enough removed, will taper off into true mortality.” He shook his head. “Which is contradictory. As royals cannot die. But I do not write the rules, I just follow them.”
Cannot die. As in, no suicide or heart attack option. Eternal. I would never lose him. The hunters couldn’t kill him. A truck couldn’t run him over, and he’d be lost.
Wow.
The concept, no matter how foreign, overshadowed all the other tidbits I’d learned. Tears spurn, but didn’t fall.
I hugged him tightly, wrapping myself around him. I might never let him go. He held onto me with the same desperation. His chest rose and fell, his heartbeat was rapidly uneven.
Carmen poked her head in. Kalvyn growled, and she disappeared.
“She isn’t a jaguar,” I said.
“No. She's a cougar. Half of my Clan aren’t my kind.”
“Is that normal?”
“No. I opened my house to other races, outcasts who wanted to live a better life than those who exist in caves or rainforests. Killing humans just for sport, abusing their own because they can.”
“Is that how your parents lived, before they cut their losses and ran?”
His brow furrowed in anger. “Yes. My father is a hard man to please. The only activity he enjoyed was his personal hunts. Once a year, he’d host a clan event. Months in advance, he would send his disciples out into the world to kidnap humans of all ages and keep them in cages. On the first full moon of the summer, he’d release them far up on Hell’s Gate and allow our people to slaughter them. He made a game out of it.”
I grimaced. “And your mom was okay with this?”
“She won every year.”
“Urg.”
“Exactly. Despite my many faults, I never approved of killing outside of necessity. I went along, because it was expected of me as the only Royal Colbane son. Around the time Lexi was born, I began to open my eyes. My parents were involved in many illegal human practices to enrich themselves in the life they’d accustomed themselves with. They endangered the Omegas to do their dirty work away for the clan and make them money. Our people were dying because of their greed. I looked at Lexi, and knew she’d never survive the brutality of our lives. Regardless of her means of birth. She was too innocent, too shy. Our mother quickly started to avoid the sweet toddler, forcing me to act, or once again, become an only child.”
I shuddered. “You mean…”