Kian (War Cats Book 5)

  Kian

  War Cats, Book 5

  Grace Brennan

  Contents

  Other books by Grace Brennan

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Coming Soon

  Other books by Grace Brennan

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  KIAN

  Copyright 2018 © Grace Brennan

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to, or downloaded from file sharing sites or distributed in any other way via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of Grace Brennan.

  Cover Design: Tracie Douglas of Dark Water Covers

  Other books by Grace Brennan

  War Cats

  Zane

  Karis

  Jameson

  Vynn

  Rocky River Fighters

  Heart of a Fighter

  Fighting for Keeps

  Fight Song

  Fighting to Win

  Bear Claw Shifters

  Starry Night Sky

  One Sunny Day

  Misty Autumn Morning

  Red Moon Shifters

  Unexpected Mates

  Temporary Mates

  Forever Mates

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  Chapter One

  Jessica Matthews picked up the hand mirror, bracing herself with a deep breath before holding it up. She looked into it over her shoulder, eyes narrowing as she stared at the strange mark tattooed onto her back. Situated dead center in the middle of her shoulder blades, the capital DB was done in a strange, shimmery metallic black ink, the letters swirly, with the B ending in a tail that ran underneath both letters.

  Normally, she never thought of it. The tattoo had always been there, for as long as she could remember. She didn’t know how she got it, or why the mark was inked into her skin, or even what it meant. Her memories before coming to Durga Valley were hazy at best, and she’d been there since she was ten.

  But that wasn’t the strangest part of it. She’d been thinking of it more and more lately, but she dismissed it at first. Another tribe member, Ashley, saw the tattoo and remarked on it, so she thought that was why it was on her mind more.

  And then it began feeling like it was itching. A maddening, near constant itch that got worse as time went on. Weird as it was, it was when she found the nerve to speak up, telling her alpha and tribe members to leave Ashley alone and not bother her with questions, that she first felt it itch. Weird because she was a submissive tiger—a rarity for her kind. She never spoke up. Ever. Over anything.

  The itch had only become worse in the past couple months, though. At times, it was bad enough that she thought if she could take a knife and cut the tattoo off her skin, she would. It was one of those bad times—

  Freezing, her eyes narrowed more as she peered closer into the mirror. Had the tattoo just… moved? Surely not. That was impossible. Tattoos didn’t move. Maybe the constant itching was making her lose her mind.

  Wait. There it went again. The tail looked like it flicked down, away from the letters. She waited, watching to see if it would do it again, but although the ink made the tattoo appear to dance, the tail didn’t move again.

  Shaken, she placed the hand mirror back onto the table, turning to look at her face in the full-length mirror. Her brown eyes were wide, the expression in them a cross between shock and disbelief, and her lips were parted with surprise.

  Shaking her head, she turned away quickly from her reflection, moving to put her shirt on. It was just a plain t-shirt, but she felt a little daring as she pulled it over her head. She’d worn saris for so long, and then once the rules changed, she adapted a little, going with a blouse and a long skirt. But nothing as casual as a t-shirt. It felt different, for sure.

  She’d love to wear jeans one day, but she’d probably keel over in shock if she ever managed to make herself wear a pair. She was dying to, though.

  Smoothing the shirt down, she walked to her bedroom door and opened it, heading out into the palace in search of breakfast. The tattoo started itching between her shoulder blades again, and her brow furrowed as she shrugged her shoulders, trying to lessen the sensation.

  She didn’t want to feel the sensation of her tat or think about the weird way it moved. Hell, maybe it hadn’t moved at all, and she was just losing her mind. She didn’t feel like she was going insane, but that seemed like a much more logical explanation than tattoos that took on a life of their own.

  Still looking at her feet, she rounded the corner and promptly ran into a brick wall. A brick wall with arms that immediately reached for her. As big hands wrapped around her arms to keep her from falling, her heart sighed at the contact, and she knew instantly who it was. Kian.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, Jessica. I was deep in thought and wasn’t paying attention. You’re all right?”

  Nodding her head, she risked a quick peek up at him before looking back down. Her submissiveness coupled with his natural dominance made it hard for her to look at him sometimes.

  Which was a darned shame, really. Kian was gorgeous. She’d always thought so, even when she was ten, first arriving at the War Cats tribe and meeting the then thirteen-year-old prince and future alpha. And he’d only grown more handsome as they got older.

  He was tall, taller than anyone else in the tribe. He towered over her, with her head only coming up to his shoulder. He had the deep caramel colored skin of his people, his line pure with the descendants from India. Powerfully built, his frame was huge, his muscles testing the seams of his t-shirt.

  His black hair was shaved on the sides and long on the top, and he had a black goatee that enhanced his features. His eyes were a warm, inviting dark brown. He’d always had a warmth in his eyes that others in the tribe lacked. Very few of the tribe members, especially the nobility, had eyes as kind as Kian’s.

  All that combined made for one heck of a package. He looked, to her, like she imagined a sexy Jafar would—only nice and not evil.

  “Are you okay? You look preoccupied. I hope you’re not overly worried about this Drako person and the threat against us. You have to know I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Thank goodne
ss he couldn’t read minds. She didn’t want him knowing how attracted she was to him. But this was a subject she didn’t want to think about, let alone talk about.

  “It’s always in the back of my mind,” she said softly. “But mostly because I’ve been trying to figure out how I know that name. I wish I could remember. I want to help catch him before he does irreparable damage.”

  Irreparable damage like hurt Kian, or worse. She wasn’t worried about him for herself so much. But Kian… it would kill her if something happened to him. Her tiger, hiding in her body from Kian’s dominance, whimpered at the thought, and Jessica understood. She felt the same way.

  “Don’t worry about remembering, Jessica. We’ve got the Enforcers on this, and between them and us, we’ll figure it out and stop him. I promise.”

  Her lips tightened, an unusual spark of ire shooting through her. She hated how everyone walked on eggshells around her, how they spoke gently, their tone telling her not to worry her pretty little head over things.

  She was being unfair, she knew. Because she was a submissive tiger, and shy on top of that, people treated her more gently than they did others. She understood why they did it, and she was grateful that they thought enough of her feelings to do so, but sometimes she just wanted to be treated like everyone else.

  Especially by Kian, even though that was the worst idea in the universe.

  The spark of ire grew hotter as she thought about it, and the tattoo began itching more fiercely. It was foreign to her—the way she was getting upset, the way the itch felt like it was moving. She thought if she looked in the mirror right now, the tail would be flicking.

  Lord, maybe she was losing her mind. What sane person just casually thought of their tattoo moving, like it was something normal, and not something impossible?

  She glanced up quickly, needing contact with the most real and calm person she knew. Meeting his gaze for a moment, she let the warmth in his dark brown eyes seep into her before looking back at her feet. She was surprised she was able to meet his eyes for even that long, but she couldn’t deny the calming effect it had on her.

  “Jessica—your eyes—what was that?”

  Kian’s voice was mystified, unsure in a way she hadn’t heard before, and she frowned as she risked a look back up. “What do you mean?”

  Shaking his head, he searched her eyes for as long as she was able to hold his gaze. “Nothing. I guess it was nothing. I think you were making your way to the breakfast nook, and you should eat. I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got a meeting with some of the warriors.”

  Her head was already lowered, but she bowed it further, watching as his feet walked around her. Waiting a moment, she looked up, glancing behind her to watch as he walked away. Lord, his powerful form was enough to make her weak in the knees, and she couldn’t help watching him until he was out of sight.

  Her tiger surfaced as Kian’s dominance faded, becoming stronger inside her with every passing moment. Mate, she whispered mournfully inside her.

  Jessica knew exactly how her cat felt. She knew she couldn’t have Kian, but it didn’t stop the pain in her chest every time she saw him walk away.

  Maybe once the situation with Drako was resolved, she’d finally get up the nerve to leave Durga. It wasn’t technically her tribe. She was treated as nobility, because she was, but not there. She wasn’t a true War Cat.

  Squaring her shoulders with resolve, she nodded to herself as she went in search of breakfast. The thought of leaving, of being on her own, terrified her. But not as much as spending the rest of her life there, feeling this crippling sadness and pain every time she saw Kian. And she was positive he didn’t know they were mates. The longer she stayed, the greater the chances were his tiger would tell him. And she couldn’t have that, because she could never be what he needed.

  Yes. It was time, once Drako was stopped, to finally leave the War Cats.

  Kian Mannan quickened his steps while still trying to appear calm and unhurried. He could tell Jessica was still watching him—he could feel her gaze burning into him like a physical touch. Turning a corner, he slowed as the sensation faded, stopping to lean against the wall.

  She could barely make herself meet his gaze when they spoke, but she watched him often. He knew, because he could feel it, even if he wasn’t looking or never saw her in a room.

  He always knew she was there, though. Her presence brought his body to life, his skin tightening and tingling.

  Maybe that was because she was his mate. He didn’t know. He wanted to ask one of the mated pairs in Durga, but he didn’t want to arouse suspicion. If he asked, they’d wonder why he was asking, and he didn’t want to go there. He couldn’t go there, no matter how much he longed to. And he did long to.

  He wanted to claim Jessica more than he’d ever wanted anything. The yearning he felt to do just that was so strong sometimes that it took his breath.

  As much as he, and his tiger, wanted to, he just couldn’t. And it hurt down deep in his soul. But she, and her safety, were more important than anything. He just couldn’t risk claiming her when he had a huge target on his back because of who he was. Because of the changes he’d made to the War Cats’ rules.

  Even though it meant sacrificing his happiness, his heart, his Jessica—maybe even forever—he still couldn’t bring himself to regret it. This tribe was in his soul. It was who he was, even though he’d tried to run from his destiny. And coming back as Alpha and changing the rules, giving his people a chance at a better life, was far too important. If he had to sacrifice his future for them to have a shot at theirs, he’d do it.

  It might be different if he thought Jessica knew what they were to each other, but from his observations, it didn’t look like she did. His own happiness was something he could forgo for his people, but Jessica’s—no way. He didn’t think he was physically capable of denying her that.

  He wasn’t a fool. Her tiger might not have told her they were mates yet, but she would eventually. He just hoped he’d have the tribe in better control by then. Things were going far better than he’d ever imagined they could. Sure, they’d had some unrest, some plots, some people up to no good. But it hadn’t been an all-out insurrection like he’d half expected it to be.

  It was still just a little too dangerous to have a mate. Especially with this Drako person running around, convincing tribe members to do his dirty work for him. Kian frowned as he walked toward his study. No one had ever heard that name before—except for Jessica, although she didn’t remember where she knew it from—but whoever he was, he’d convinced Ben, a former member of the tribe, to attack them.

  Ben had gone after Kian first, putting an asp in the palace. Venomous snakes weren’t usually a problem for shifters. They had accelerated healing, and it would kick in and take out the venom before it could do damage. But for whatever reason, it incapacitated his tiger, and he was unable to fight back against it. He’d almost died from an asp bite once when he was a kid.

  Then the son of a bitch had tried to kidnap Jessica. That was the part none of them understood. Why her? She was one of the noble families, yeah, but she wasn’t truly a War Cat. No one knew who her real tribe was, since Kabir, his father, had taken that information to the grave with him. But none of them could understand what kidnapping her would gain anyone.

  For sure, the War Cats would fight to get her back. She might not have been born one of them, but they’d taken her in like she was in a way that was unprecedented. And it had to be common knowledge that Kian would pay a king’s ransom to get her back.

  But Jess was a submissive tiger. She walked with her head down and said little. She never rocked the boat or pushed buttons. Why she’d even be on anyone’s radar, especially someone who wasn’t from Durga, was a complete mystery.

  There was no denying that he’d go to war for her, though. The tribe wasn’t named the War Cats for nothing. They were trained warriors, and there were many things that could be said about them, but being cowards or backing down
wasn’t one of them. Maybe it would have been an effective tool to use if war was what they wanted, but why Jessica? It felt deliberate, but he didn’t understand why she’d be the one Drako chose.

  He wished they’d had a chance to question Ben. But Ashley, Vynn’s mate, had gotten a good look at him. And when he realized it, he tried to kill her. That had sealed his fate. Vynn killed him before they had the chance to question him. Hell, they would have thought Ben was acting on his own, except as he lay dying, he mentioned that Drako was coming for Jessica, Kian, and the rest of the tribe.

  Another thing to add to his confusion. Why did he specifically mention her name? If their aim was to incite the tribe to war, kidnapping any of them would achieve that goal. It was all just part of the mystery, and the longer they went without solving it, the more pissed off Kian became. It made him feel like a subpar alpha, but he wasn’t really trying so hard to figure it out because of the threat against the tribe, or even himself. He reasoned the guilt away by telling himself the tribe could take care of itself, so he didn’t need to worry overly much. But he knew as the alpha, he absolutely should be worrying.

  The truth was, he was trying so hard to figure it out because he couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Jessica. Because he needed, more than anything, to keep her safe. He knew since she was his mate, there was nothing inherently wrong with that. That was what mates were supposed to do. But he wasn’t just an ordinary shifter. He was Alpha. War Cat royalty. He hated the title, but he was their king. He wasn’t allowed the luxury of thinking about only himself and his mate. Everything he did had to be done with his tribe in mind.