Page 42 of Dante's Circle Reborn

“Good. Now, back to your story. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s given me a little bit of time to figure out what I need to say next.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “The curse was broken later when the wizard family died out, but the resentment is still strong within the jaguar clans. I’m friends with a wizard now. He’s one of Dante’s friends, as well. I don’t have the anger like some do, but it’s taken time. The curses that came from the wizards meant that children past the age of two had to be strong enough to survive any ailment that came at them. During that time, many illnesses came all at once to test the child. My family was strong enough, but only barely. My youngest sister will always be frail because of what she suffered.”

“That’s horrible.” Tears filled Poppy’s silver eyes, and he wiped away the single drop that fell down her cheek.

“It is. One of the worst curses I’ve ever heard of, and yet we don’t let anyone outside of the realm know what happened to us in the past. They can’t know we were ever weak.” He still wasn’t sure he agreed with that, but it wasn’t his place. Not anymore. He was of the lions now.

“So, you fought them? This clan that did this?”

“We all did. It was one of the worst battles and wars in the history of our histories. And one that isn’t written down in the books. Because if it were, the atrocities that came from both sides would destroy the realm in every way possible. Its foundation shaken to the core.”

“What happened?” she whispered.

“We went against the wizard and their clan, and we lost.” Jonah looked down at his hands, fisting them in front of him on his lap. “We lost. They used magic along with teeth and claws, and I lost my leg in the process. It was ripped from me, and the magic in the air sealed the wound shut. The limb couldn’t grow back. I couldn’t heal completely. I was lucky I didn’t die like so many others did.”

“Jonah. I…I’m so sorry.”

He nodded, not knowing how to take the comfort she offered. He’d been closed-off for so long, other than with the family he’d chosen to protect, that he wasn’t good at this. “I barely survived. A quick-thinking healer saved my life. Yet they weren’t able to save the lives of those closest to me.”

She froze. “What do you mean?”

He swallowed hard as bile filled his throat. “While some of our enemies fought us on the battlefield, others went to our homes, our villages, and they burned them to the ground. Our strongest fighters were on the battlefield, and we left some behind to protect the innocent, but it wasn’t enough.” He let out a shuddering breath. “My mother and my sisters were murdered, as were my wife and my unborn child.”

Pain seared him at the memory, and his hands shook. Poppy’s glamour was once again gone, her silver eyes wide.

“Your wife? Your…child?”

“Everyone’s gone. We were newly married, but not mated.” He was firm in his voice, hoping she would understand. “She was not my other half, not my mate like what you could be. But she was mywife, and I loved her. And I was going to be a father.” His voice cracked.

“My God, Jonah…how could they do that? How could they take her from you?”

“I couldn’t understand then, and I still don’t. The jaguars who fought alongside me and survived took out the other clan. I wasn’t even able to avenge their deaths until I could be healed. And by then, the others had already taken care of it for me. We won the war eventually, but it took so much that I’m not even sure it counts for anything.”

“Jonah, I’m so sorry.” Her hands were on his face then, slowly rubbing his temples, moving down his cheeks. No tears fell—he didn’t cry anymore. He didn’t need to. He had already grieved, wept, and raged. He was whole, but just barely. He wasn’t sure what he had left for Poppy, as he’d always thought he’d be alone forever. However, an instant recognition of souls had changed that.

“I have a family now. One I’ve made, not one of blood.”

“The lions,” she said, her tone understanding.”

“Malik and Eliana and Penelope. They’re my family now, they’re the ones that helped to save me.”

“I’m so sorry you went through that. It’s not fair that our worlds have to be so violent, so evil. And it doesn’t seem like I can find peace regardless of where I go. There’s so much heartache, so much pain.”

“There is. I left the jaguars and went to the lions because of Malik. I went back to the jaguars when I had nothing left, and then met Malik centuries later duringanotherwar. He was helping the jaguars as a young cub on the brink of adulthood during his roam—a time when most cats leave their realms to search and gain an understanding for the meaning of time and life. I never had that, as I was too busy fighting in wars. Malik, however, survived the battles. And then I was able to, too. He wassoyoung, not even a full adult yet at the time. I was far older than him.”

“So, you were more like a father?” She understood so much for a woman who had been on the run and hidden for so long.

“A little. The lions took me in, and I worked for them in other ways than on a battlefield. Now, I’m more part of the family than I was before. And I do not mind that at all.” He paused. “I think that, no matter what realm you find yourself in, thatany of usfind ourselves in, we have to look for the goodness, for that laughing child or the man that saves another. For the woman who does the same. I thought I lost everything on that battlefield, and not just a part of myself. Everything. But I only had to look up and wander until I met Malik. And now, I’ve met you.”

She was silent for long enough that he was afraid he’d said too much. His history was awash in blood and heartache, and he didn’t know how to change who he was. He wasn’t sure he could.

Or if he wanted to.

“What are we doing, Jonah?”

He shook his head. “Getting to know one another. I don’t want to rush this. I’ve never rushed anything in my life. And I’m not about to start now with this.”

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