Page 74 of Red

If anything, Arie felt there was a sense of hope in the air.

Cyrus, being the most recognizable of their number among the populace, stepped forward and raised his hands to gain the attention of the crowd. “Good people of Old Wayfairer Citadel, long have we lived under the threatening hand of the Order. An Order that turned away from the edict of the Mother to protect her children. Instead of following the words of the reverent Lady Felicity Anwar, they established their own seer to hasten their own agenda. I am certain each of you has heard the rumor of the return of the Lady Anwar. It is no mere rumor, but truth! It is my privilege to introduce to you a lady I fight beside and honor: Lady Arie Anwar.”

All eyes turned on Arie as she stepped forward with her mates close behind her. She glanced over at Maddi who gave her a thumbs up from where she stood beside Cyrus. The pair had seemed quite close all morning and Arie suspected there was more going on than her cousin would admit to.

Taking a deep breath, Arie closed her eyes and searched within herself for that touch of the Mother with which she was now familiar. The minute she felt the presence surround her like a comfortable mantle, she opened her eyes and addressed the people.

“Children of the Mother, the Order has deceived us all for generations for their own perversions and greed. By her will, the Order, which she instituted through the first Lady Anwar, has fallen—never to be reclaimed. The Order was meant to precede the coming of the Ragoru, not outlast their presence or hunt them. The Ragoru are her children even as we are, and we were brought together to complete and strengthen each other. This is her will: we are to be one people together. Care for each other. Protect each other. Together we are strong. I, Arie Anwar, stand before you mated to a Ragoru triad and say to you it is as according to her design. There are too many women who know only loneliness just as there are triads who fail to find their mates. We are not meant to be separate from each other. We fulfill each other. This is the new world for which we were destined.”

A stunned silence settled over the crowd. Suddenly, a mature woman in a warrior’s vestments stepped forward. A wicked scar cut down the side of her cheek, pulled further by her frown.

“Do you mean to say that I might have a triad that would want me despite my scars?”

Kyx shifted forward to stand beside Arie. “I have no doubt there is a triad who would cherish you as you deserve.” He glanced at Cyrus and Maddi. “I have spoken to Cyrus of this at length, and we agree that it would be beneficial to open the Citadel to the Ragoru that our kind might mingle with yours to see where bonds might naturally develop. My triad intends to spread the word in the eastern lands. Not all Ragoru are worthy, just as there is fault too with men, but I can see good things coming from such unions. My mother was human, and the happiness of her love with my fathers is all I ever knew as a rog… as a child.”

The woman smiled and other women in the crowd turned to each other to talk excitedly amongst themselves. Even a few men looked intrigued at the prospects that such a future alliance between their kind could bring. Not everyone looked convinced or happy about it. Arie knew it would take some time to sway the more resistant members of the community after a lifetime of firmly held beliefs.

Turning away from the crowd, Arie approached her cousin and hugged her tightly before pulling away to look Maddi in the eyes. “Are you sure you want to stay here? If you come with us, we could probably help you find a nice triad of your own,” she offered with a suggestive grin.

Cyrus tensed, his chest puffing out with indignation, but Maddi set a restraining hand on his chest and laughed. She smiled up at him for a moment before she spoke. “No, cousin. My place is in the Citadel. There is much that needs to be done here, especially if we plan on welcoming Ragoru among our midst. I am needed. Besides, I have grown rather fond of Cyrus here. He has convinced me that he would be lost without my level of planning and strategy.”

The Guild Master laughed and rested his arm around her shoulder possessively. “All too true, my lady.”

Arie raised her brow. “And what will become of the Guild now? Surely you don’t plan to continue to rob residents blind.”

“Not at all. We have a new mission. We have elected to fracture into several task-oriented guilds. The Artisans Guild to bring some color to this depressingly pallid Citadel. The Guardsman Guild to protect the city. The Theatrical Guild to put some of the more thespian talents of our members to better use, and so on.” His smile softened. “What of you? Can we not entice you stay and help us rebuild?”

Arie exchanged a long look with her mates and shook her head. “My place… our place… is out there in our territory. We will continue to work from the other side to bring peace among us. There has been hostility toward humanity because of the deeds of the Order. Much needs to be settled among the Ragoru as well.”

Cyrus and Maddi nodded solemnly.

“The luck of the gods be with you, then,” Cyrus said.

“And don’t forget to call on us if you need us for any reason,” Maddi added. “You have done so much for the Citadel. We can never repay it.”

“Just keep looking after things here. That is more than enough,” Arie said. “Perhaps we will drop in to check on how you are doing.”

Rager rested a hand on her shoulder. “It is time, mate.”

Maddi sighed. “You have to go now, don’t you? It seems that we barely had any time to really get to know each other.”

Arie smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss against her cousin’s cheek. “I will see you again soon.”

Always impatient and impetuous, Arie wasn’t entirely surprised that Warol chose that moment to scoop her up in his arms without warning, so that she squealed with laughter, and darted through the crowd. The people gave a startled gasp as they parted for the Ragoru running among them, but it was quickly followed by delighted murmurs and laughter. She was sure that there were plenty within the audience who were unhappy with everything changing but she didn’t waste even a second thinking of them. It didn’t matter, not when the smiling faces that whipped by Arie’s vision, one after another, but all that she was truly captivated by was the smile in her mate’s yellow eyes.

“Are you stealing me or rescuing me?” she asked.

His teeth flashed in a predatory grin, just before he put on a burst of speed that took them outside the city gates. She wrapped her arms around him as tall flowers waved in the breeze and the wild grasses flashed by. A laugh burst from her lips as Kyx slid up beside them and blew her his facsimile of a kiss before darting past, taking the lead. But then her eyes found Rager, his large, muscled bulk taking up the rear at an easy clip, his blue eyes shining with love.

Arie flushed with the heat of their adoration, desire slicking her thighs. Her males had come for her—they protected her, killed for her, and loved her. And she had been parted from them for far too long. Scenting her desire, Warol growled with lust as she grinned up at him. She had a feeling he would make it to a cave in record time. As far as she was concerned, there was no great hurry. She would enjoy teasing her mates until they had a moment alone.

They had all their lives to love each other.

Epilogue

Arie stretched languidly on the fur pelt in front of their hearth. Summer had been a beautiful season full of new adventures. Spring had just ended when they arrived at the border of their territory, and as Kyx had predicted, his parents were there waiting. By that time, Arie had been beginning to grow round with her pregnancy and Emala had been overjoyed after she fussed for over an hour over the scars that were still minimally visible on Kyx. His fur had filled in over most of them as they’d traveled, but they were still noticeable if one looked close enough.

More than anything, Arie treasured her first view of their den, hidden away amid a briar of roses and various flowers that had grown in thick during her triads’ absence. Things were tight in the large den with the two families living together while the smaller second den was built in their territory, but Arie appreciated that time of closeness, especially when her labor pains came around midsummer. With Emala and her own mates at her side, she delivered a fat, healthy son with black and red brindled fur. Warol had barked out a laugh at the sight and proclaimed their rog to have the most poignant blessings of both worlds.

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