Page 103 of The Ranger

“No,” Markhel stated. “You must let us explain.”

Major cocked the weapon. “I don’t have to let you explain anything. You want my girl; you can’t have her. You willneverhave her!”

“You should listen to him,” Harrison stated. “In fact I think all of you should leave.”

“Harrison they’re telling the truth,” Colin tried again.

“I don’t care,” Harrison said. “I want him to leave!”

“Sadie,” Belle said.

Markhel heard the pleading sound in her voice and his heart went out to her. He knew this would be difficult, but he didn’t imagine it to be this difficult.

“Everyone… calm down…” Belle stammered. “We need to talk this out for Maida’s sake.”

Sadie shook her head. “No, there’s nothing to talk about. She’s not going with him.”

Belle’s jaw dropped. “So, it’s all right for my children to have to leave. To be gone for long stretches of time before we ever see them again. Knowing that one day we can’t see them anymore…”

“And that’s why Maida’s not going,” Sadie snapped.

“Stop it, all of you!”

All heads turned as Makama stepped into the middle of them. “My father told me all about you,” she said, pointing some of them out. “I’ve only been joined… that is, married to Vale for a month, maybe less. I didn’t find out I was half Muiraran or what Muirarans even were until a little over a month ago. I found out my mother, Cozette is full Muiraran.”

“Cozette?” Harrison breathed then looked at the others. “Our Cozette? What does she have to do with any of this?”

Makama looked him in the eyes. “Your brother Duncan is my father. He told me so much about you in the last couple of weeks, that I feel like I know you. Iwantto know you. It’s why I asked to come here and help with this. But you people aren’t who my dad talked about. If he saw you like this he’d… disown you.”

She looked at Harrison. “He said you can get uppity, and he was right. You need to chill, man.” She turned to Major. “And you, there’s no one better than Markhel to protect Maida, to love her, to take care of her. In their world, every Muiraran maiden in the land would kill to be his mate. He and his brother are practically royalty.”

The room went deathly still, and Markhel wondered what the men would do now. They stared at her, and he noticed Sadie slowly approaching. “It’s too much,” she said in a soft voice. “Is it any wonder we’re having trouble with this?”

“Yes, I can see that,” Makama said. “But Belle and Colin have been through this before. Twice. Vale’s brother is also married to a Muiraran. Trust me, I didn’t believe any of it at first either and neither did he. But we couldn’t deny what was going on in our hearts. We could not deny the Call.”

Honoria put a hand on Major’s shoulder. “We watched Maida singing this morning in the barn.”

“She what?” Major asked confused.

Honoria put a hand over the barrel of the rifle, lowering it. Markhel’s shoulders slumped a little in response. He didn’t relish being shot, even though he could self-heal.

“Major, I… I don’t like this. But if everything they told Mother and me is true, then Maida might suffer.”

“All the more reason to get them off this ranch,” Major spat. He raised the rifle again and aimed at Markhel’s head.

“Oh, stab me…” Melvale reached Markhel in a few strides, put a hand on his shoulder, and fluxed.

A wonderful warmth shot through him, and Markhel sighed as waves of peace and calm flowed through his body. Melvale had a knack for healing like the rest of their race. And of course, when using this ability, he fluxed. This in turn caused a chain reaction. Makama fluxed and Markhel fluxed as well.

He got to his feet. “Maida’s heart Called to me. She will Call again, and I must answer. Our bonding has already begun. If you disrupt it, or interfere, she will come to harm. Do you understand?”

Major gaped at him, and he didn’t wonder if he was going to shoot him anyway. “This is… is…”

“Bloody unbelievable,” Harrison said, eyes wide. “But we can’t deny what we’re seeing, can we?”

Colin slapped a hand on his shoulder. “Believe it, brother. And accept it. We did. And our sons are happier than ever.”

“Happy?” Harrison squeaked.

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