Page 29 of Finding my Shifter Soulmate

My concentration only grows stronger as the power of the stone intensifies. When I place my hands on both the idol and the wall, I strengthen my connection to the spirits of the island.

The land responds with greater intensity. Vines creep around my feet like they're holding me in place. The magic weaves through my brain with growing strength. Then the idols stops sparkling, going dark as if the power it held completely leaves. Finally, I know my task is finished, and I fall to the floor, too weak to stand.

A gentle hand reaches out for me, comforting me. To my shock, it's not Gede, but Rama who pulls me close, his strong arms going around my back to hold me steady. That's when it hits me. I've achieved something important.

I have saved his life and his soul.

As soon as Rama touches me, the cavern lights up again, glowing a warm golden color, and that's when I realize there's one last part to the ceremony. I want to turn around to look at Gede, but it's like something holds me in place, urging me forward. I obey, my trust in the gods unwavering. They haven't led me astray yet, and I'm hopeful.

"Rama," I say, unsure how to proceed, "I know I'm not a shifter. And I'll never become one. I don't even want to be one. But, please," I beg, wanting to set things right, "I need to do this. Your ancestors are waiting. They're telling me that this is the last thing I must do to ensure the safety of the island. I just feel it. Gede knows it, too, even if he can't see it."

When I glance to my side, sure enough, Gede is standing a few paces away, watching the scene intently. He offers me a curt nod, as if encouraging me to take the risk and go for it. Gede accepts whatever happens next. I draw comfort from that as well, from knowing that he trusts me completely.

A huge number of shifters have gathered outside the cave, and they wait silently. Many small rustling noises indicate their heightened anxiety, but they stay still, surely hoping I can work whatever miracle is needed. Or whatever it is that I'm supposed to do. I gaze out at all of them staring. I cannot disappoint. I return my gaze to Rama. He cocks an eyebrow at me, as if not quite sure what to do next.

So I lead the way.

I'm not brave, not at all. I'm terrified to take this next step. But the power of the necklace pours through me, into the earth, and gives me the boost I need to do the right thing.

Reaching my hand up to cup his cheek, I get his attention. "Rama, I'm really sorry about everything that's happened to you. You didn't choose to turn out this way. I understand pain, and I understand feeling misunderstood. But this land will no longer abide by your ways. If you can't commit to change, then you must leave."

Rama tilts his chin up, considering. This isn't the stubborn tiger warrior I've come to know. There's no resentment, just quiet acceptance. The statue and the necklace have healed him, allowing him to see clearly once again.

But he still seems uncertain, and I step back to give him the space he needs to make this choice. He blinks at me before he morphs again, changing to the striped coat of the tiger. Whenall four paws hit the ground, then he takes off, shooting into the brush like a bright blur. He keeps going, chasing something into the wilderness.

Chapter Twenty – Gede

I have no idea what we've all just witnessed, but I can feel the change in the air. Sabrina has single handedly eradicated a curse that none of us even knew haunted the island. A curse that bred discontent and pain among the tigers. If I had suspected it existed, I would've dealt with it much sooner.

However, one look at the queen before me tells me all I need to know. No one else was supposed to handle it. The gods and the land have appointed Sabrina as a force of change. She saved the tigers. She helped my shifters when no one else could. And she did all of this without blinking an eye, with no magical learning whatsoever.

Sabrina, my mate, is undoubtedly the most miraculous creature to step foot on Bali. No, even more than that. In all of existence. She's a woman of legend.

"What did you see in him?" I asked. "What made him what he is?"

"What he was," she corrects. "He's changed. You all have, in some way. Did you not feel it?"

"I felt it," I confess. "It was strange, like a fog that's been cleared." I think about it some more, searching for answers as I watch her. "It almost feels like you removed his pain. Which doesn't make sense. I mean, I've heard of emotional blockages, of course, but that's hardly anything. You can't remove someone's emotions like a root canal. It's unnatural."

She shakes her head, and I have to guess this sort of thing would sound completely alien to her, as well. "I really wish you'dheard the voices and seen what I saw. It's like the ancestors spoke right to me. Right to my mind."

"And what did they tell you about Rama?" the Komodo asks, stepping forward. "We need to know. We have a right, given everything he's put us through."

"Yes," I agree. "And the question still stands. What made him turn out the way he did?"

"Unsurprisingly, Rama's past speaks a lot to his twisted personality. He lost his parents young, when he was a cub. He watched them die in the most horrific way. They were skinned alive by hunters, and that trauma stuck with him. The curse latched onto that pain and bred something evil. The ancestors tried to turn that anguish away from him, but he ignored them, feeding on the resentment. When you keep listening to darkness like that for so long, it keeps evolving into something frightening. And powerful."

The more she talks about it, the more convinced I am that Sabrina is, in fact, channeling something most of us don't understand. She didn't have that much knowledge on hand. It's impossible that she learned it all in the matter of a week. No, the only explanation is that the gods provided the information and made it available to her.

"But he's gone now, right?" one of the hornbills asks. The whole group nods with him. "Away from us?"

"I can only promise that he will no longer act as he did."

As she says it, there's a break in the bushes, and a line of tigers files out, with Rama at the head. Gone is the haunted look, replaced by humility. "I left to gather my collective," he explains. "Or, what remains of it. Sabrina, they wish to honor you. Theywished to pay their respects." Rama gestures to the group at his side. Each tiger bears a gift, a bow, and a basket of food.

"Gifts?" Gede observes, taken aback. "No tiger has offered gifts for as long as I can remember."

"Times are different," Rama replies, bowing his head once more. "And we will do what we can to make things better between all of our tribes."

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