Karis Read online

  Just her? Hardly. Otherwise, he agreed with the rest of what she was saying, but damned if he’d show it. “They’re just beginning the battle training for their animals. They need time.”

  She snorted. “I’ve had zero training, and yet I did just fine when I went up against Frederick.”

  Yet another good point made. “Is there a reason you’re bothering me when I have work to do, squirt?”

  “Squirt? You haven’t called me that since I was thirteen, and I don’t appreciate you doing it now.”

  “Fine. Just tell me what you want.”

  Some of the irritation left her bright blue eyes as she studied his. “I want you to teach me.”

  “Teach you what?” he said with a frown.

  “Train me to fight. I want to be a warrior.”

  Chapter Two

  Arya tried to appear calm and self-assured as Karis stared at her, but inside she was a bundle of nerves. This meant everything to her. It was her dream. And the man in front of her had the power to make or break it.

  He towered over her, and maybe his size should have been enough to give her second thoughts, but it didn’t. It just made her more determined. She was small, but she could do this. She’d beaten Frederick, after all. Sure, he was past his prime, but he was still strong and knew how to fight. But she’d done it. All those years of watching the warriors train, studying their every move, had paid off. She’d known, instinctively, what to do.

  If she could do it once, she could do it again. She knew she could. She just had to convince Karis of that. He was still staring at her silently, his light gray eyes surprised. She thought maybe his tiger was near the surface, because they were even lighter than usual. When he was in tiger form, they were nearly white. Which was unnerving, because he was a white tiger like she was.

  In human form, his eyes were a nice contrast to his black hair. It was short on the sides and longer on top, and he had short sideburns that transitioned into designer looking stubble on his strong jaw. It also made his striking features all the more pronounced. He had a strong nose set atop lips that had just a hint of fullness to them.

  Really, he was a gorgeous man. That face paired with that enormous body made for a package that was pretty visually stimulating. He was taller than most in Durga, at least a few inches over six feet, and packed with muscle. Not the overly done physique some of the men here strived for, hitting the gym everyday on top of what their tigers and professions gave them naturally. But he had the muscles a man got from hard work and manual labor. Natural, not the steroid look.

  A shiver of heat danced up her spine as something inside her stirred, waking up. What the in the world was that? Eyebrows twitching, it was a moment before she realized what it was she felt.

  Desire.

  She seriously just felt desire for Karis. What alternate universe had she fallen into? She’d known him basically her whole life. And while she always recognized how attractive he was on some level, she’d never been attracted to him. Well, that wasn’t entirely the truth. It’d just never been like this.

  “Excuse me?” he said, snapping her out of her thoughts, and it took her a moment to remember what they were discussing.

  “I want to learn. I’ve always wanted to learn. You’re not dumb, Karis, so I’m sure you know that by now. And when I talked to Alpha earlier, he said all positions in the tribe were open to women. That means I can be a warrior.”

  “I find it hard to believe Kian would say you could be a warrior.”

  “You can ask him for yourself. He’s headed this way,” she said with a nod to where their new alpha was walking toward them.

  Kian gave them a nod and a smile, but she noticed his eyes were wary as he looked at Karis. “Arya. Karis.”

  “Did you really tell her she could be a warrior, Kian? Are you daft?”

  She glared at Karis. “I’d be better at it than those two yahoos who ran right into each other in the middle of a match when they caught sight of me.”

  Kian laughed, but it died quickly when Karis cut him a look. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yes, well. She might have a point with that.”

  Karis growled deep in his throat. “They’re just starting their training. Now answer the damn question.”

  “I’m not sure you should be talking to your alpha that way,” she said with a frown at Karis that he didn’t even noticed, too busy glaring at Kian to look her way.

  “I said all positions in the tribe are open to women now. If we want equality all around, we can’t pick and choose which aspects are equal. That being said, I told her she could train as long as it was you training her, and only with your agreement.”

  “I’m not giving it. Discussion over.”

  Mouth open, she watched as he spun on his heel and marched back toward the warrior’s lodge. Eyes narrowing, she started to follow him, but stopped when Kian touched her arm.

  “Give it time. Let him digest this. I’ve never given any hint that I was going to allow it, so it came out of nowhere. I’ll talk to him later.”

  Blowing out a breath, she nodded as she watched Karis stalk inside the warrior lodge. A lodge she’d never been inside, but desperately wanted to enter. “I want this, Kian. Badly. And I know I can do it.”

  “I think you can, too. Don’t look so surprised. Equality or not, I would have said no if I didn’t think you could handle it.”

  “Thanks, Alpha. That means a lot to me.” And it really did. Having someone other than her father think she could do it, her alpha no less, meant more than she’d imagined it could.

  “It’s just the truth. Your father came to see me about your house. There’s an empty one next to Karis’ and he wants me to put you there.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Doesn’t he live in a warrior ranked home? I can’t imagine anyone in the tribe would be happy with a single woman moving in there, let alone any of the warriors.”

  “He does, but he doesn’t live in the head warrior home. He always said it was too much for a single man. His home is situated on the outskirts of the neighborhood, which means yours, while next door, isn’t technically part of it.”

  “I imagine Karis won’t be thrilled about that either,” she replied, a smile curling her lips.

  Kian laughed. “You don’t look too bothered by that.”

  “Doesn’t bother me at all.”

  “If you agree, then these are yours,” he said, holding his hand out, something shiny dangling from his fingers.

  Her breath caught as she opened her hand and he dropped the keys in her palm. House keys. Not just any house keys, but keys to her own house. Her smile trembled as she looked back up at Kian. “Thank you, Alpha.”

  “It’s what should have been all along. I hope you’ll be happy there, Arya.”

  Fingering the keys, she watched as he nodded to her and walked away. Despite the whispers and taunts she’d faced by going out without a sari, today had been the best day ever. Independence, freedom, maybe even getting to realize her dream of warrior training—life didn’t get any better than this.

  It can, and one day, it will, her tiger said, as happy with the day’s events as Arya was.

  I can’t imagine it, she replied as she turned to walk home.

  So much had changed within the village in just a short time. A few weeks ago, they’d been repressed and suffocating under Kian’s father and the old ways. The tribe was almost primitive with its thinking. The gates had always been locked tightly and guarded, no one allowed to enter and only men of higher ranks allowed to leave. There’d been an endless list of rules that everyone had to follow, and the only ones who benefitted from those rules had been the old Alpha and the elders, each one corrupt and black hearted to his soul.

  Each shifter was ranked, and all the higher-ranking members were made so simply on virtue of what they brought the old alpha. The only exceptions were royalty and warrior rankings, and only because Kabir, Kian’s father, couldn’t touch those laws.

  Those who weren’t p
hysically perfect, who were less than pleasing to the eye, or had a scar or blemish, were labeled Other. They were mocked, ridiculed, taunted, physically abused, and forced to be unpaid servants to the high-ranking members. Their lives were harsh and full of heartache and pain.

  Men had all the power while women had none. Men could do what they wanted, within the rules of the tribe, of course. Women had an even longer list of rules. They were forced to wear only saris, weren’t allowed to move out of their parents’ homes until and unless they mated. And even with mating, they rarely had a choice in the matter. If a male wanted them, that was it. They had no say, which was why Arya and some of the other women hid when a male was looking for a mate. Those mating inspections were to be avoided at all costs.

  They weren’t allowed to have jobs, unless they were past the prime mating years, and then if they wanted, they could be placed in households to be servants. But even then, they weren’t allowed to keep their pay. It went to their fathers. Some who were skilled in certain things could have tasks, like sewing, but like being a servant, their pay went to either their father or mate. And they had to defer to their mate, if they had one, in all things. They had no say in their own household.

  Then Kabir died and Kian came home to take his place. And now it was all different. He demolished the ranks with the common tigers, only leaving the ranks for the warriors and royalty in place. The label of Other was removed, and the gates were opened. Now people could come and go as they pleased. And women were made equal to men, able to be their own person and make their own decisions.

  Arya wasn’t stupid. As elated as she was by the changes, as elated as she knew others had to be, it would still take time for them to be accepted. Durga Valley had been suffocating under the weight of the old Alpha’s evilness, and now they were all, men and women alike, free.

  But this was how her people had lived their whole lives. How it had been for many generations. Kian’s father had just been the last in a long line of oppressive, corrupt alphas. How Kian had turned out so good was beyond her. But the thing was, when they lived a certain way their whole lives, even if it was a horrible way to live, it was still familiar. It was what they knew. They didn’t know how to live free.

  Yes, change would take time. And although there were those like her father and Karis who wanted change, there were those who would be resisting. Who would be plotting to kill off Kian, and Zane, who was next in line, so they could take their places and turn the tribe back to their old ways. The village was a more dangerous place to live than ever before.

  And yet despite that, Arya’s smile was wide and hopeful as she walked home, ignoring the whispers and laughs that followed her. The changes Kian made were the ones she’d dreamed about her whole life. Everything she’d ever wanted was right there in front of her, begging her to take it.

  She wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass her by, even if others were. Even if they mocked her forever. She didn’t care and felt sorry for those who were too stubborn or scared to take what they wanted. She was strong enough to go after everything her heart desired.

  She was woman, hear her roar.

  “Karis, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Karis spotted Mikhail before he’d finished the question. He was sitting on Karis’ front porch steps, but he stood up as he drew near.

  “Of course, Mikhail. Come on inside.”

  He led the way inside, relieved that Mikhail was coming to him instead of the other way around. Because he knew what he wanted to talk to him about. He’d clearly caught wind of Arya’s plans, and wanted to be reassured that Karis wouldn’t go along with them. It should have gone without saying, but at least he didn’t have to be the one to bring it up.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked as they walked into the living room.

  “No, thanks. But if you need to get something, go ahead. I know you just gone done with work.”

  “I’m fine. What did you want to talk about?”

  They took seats across from each other, and he looked at Mikhail expectantly. He was trying to let him bring it up on his own, but Mikhail was rubbing his hands together, looking like he didn’t know where to start. Karis had just made up his mind to speak when he began.

  “I know you were never a supporter of the old ways, that you’re firmly for the changes Kian is making. That being said, I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this. You see, I knew Arya would go full tilt with the new changes. She’s headstrong, smart, and sure of herself. She knows what she wants, and she was so stifled before. It was hard for a father to see. She has dreams, and knowing she could never reach for those was hard to watch.”

  “Mikhail—”

  He held up a hand. “I knew the day the new changes went into effect that she’d begin chasing those dreams down. And I know she’s always wanted to be a warrior. She never came out and said it, but I could see it in her eyes when she watched you all train. She’s there nearly every day. You don’t do that unless you want something that’s there.”

  Karis frowned, uneasiness in his gut as Mikhail paused again. The way he said he wasn’t sure how Karis would feel about this was niggling at his mind. He was absolutely in favor of the new changes, so for Mikhail to add that last part was worrisome. He looked up as the other man started speaking again.

  “I talked to Kian first thing this morning, because I figured she’d ask if she could train. And I told him if he was okay with it, so was I. I just had one request. I don’t want her trained by anyone except you.”

  Stunned, Karis stared at him as his mind struggled to keep up. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting to happen. He’d been positive Mikhail would ask him not to train her.

  “Are you sure?” he asked slowly, still trying to switch gears. “She could get hurt. She’s delicate, fragile. Surely if she wants to have a job, she could learn to sew or something.”

  Mikhail threw his head back with a laugh. “Don’t let Arya hear you say something like that. And it’s clear that while you might be for the changes, you’re still putting women in what you think is their place.”

  He fought the urge to squirm uncomfortably. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I just meant something less dangerous.”

  “My daughter wants what she wants, Karis. And she wants to train. She’ll find a way to do it, whether we agree or not. Me asking you to be the one who does it is my way of minimizing the danger to her. I know you’ll be able to keep her safe, while still teaching her effectively. And you and I both know the way she embraces the changes Kian’s made won’t go over well with a lot of the tribe. I think it’s prudent to teach her how to defend herself if the need arises.”

  That was an argument he couldn’t refute. She might just be an easy target because she wasn’t hesitating to put the rule changes into effect. What his old mentor and friend wasn’t realizing was just how much Arya was affecting him lately.

  In the last year or so, especially the last couple of months, he’d started seeing her in a new light. He’d always known, on an abstract level, that she was a beautiful girl. But now, he was noticing it in a way he wasn’t at all comfortable with. He was twelve years older than her. And despite there being a little more than the same age span between himself and her father, he was his closest friend.

  And Karis would be a dead man if Mikhail knew he was thinking about his daughter in that light.

  “What about Jameson? He’s a good warrior, and one of our best trainers.”

  He wanted to recall the words as soon as they left his lips. The thought of Jameson wrapped around Arya as he taught her to grapple was enough to make Karis want to kill him, and besides Mikhail, that was his closest friend. Fuck.

  “As much as I respect Jameson, it has to be you. You’re the only one I trust with my daughter’s safety, Karis.”

  Double fuck. Because he couldn’t refuse Mikhail in this. He’d been more of a father to him than his own could ever have dreamt of being. He owed him. He just needed to
get his mind and body’s reaction to her under control, and fast.

  “All right, Mikhail. I’ll train her. We can start with archery the day after tomorrow.”

  Mikhail grinned, relief in his eyes. “Thank you, Karis. I appreciate this a lot. And no instruction is necessary for that. I’m the one who taught you, remember? I’ve been taking her out for lessons since she was six. She’s better than I am, even, and could probably teach you a thing or two.”

  Shit. There went dragging those lessons out before he started the next phase. The one he was sure would kill him. “Okay. Hand to hand combat it is.”

  “Excellent. One more thing, then I’ll leave you to relax and enjoy your night. Kian has given her a house, and it’s the empty one next to you. We’ll be moving her in tomorrow morning. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an eye out. Just make sure she’s safe. She’ll be the first woman to live in a home without a father or mate, and it might make her an easy target. If you see anything suspicious, please don’t hesitate to help.”

  Fuuuuuck. So not only did he have to train her when he was struggling to control his wayward thoughts and body, but she was going to be sleeping in the house next to him. Without a buffer. Without a chaperone.

  He was going to lose his fucking mind, and he had a feeling it wouldn’t take long.

  Chapter Three

  Arya walked out of her new home, waving as her parents drove back to their house. She was all moved in, though it hadn’t taken much. The house had come completely furnished, which was a good thing, since she owned nothing other than her personal effects. Her parents insisted she take her bed, though, and she was grateful for that. She hadn’t relished the idea of sleeping on a stranger’s mattress.

  The house was a little dusty and musty from being unoccupied for so long, but it was nothing opening the windows and a little elbow grease couldn’t fix. And it was hers. Hers. She’d have been happy with a rundown shack as long as it was her own, but this was one of the nicer homes in Durga Valley, so she couldn’t be happier.