Prince of Fate (Lions of Pride Island Book 2) Read online

  Axel’s displeasure was palpable during the long silence and then in the terse tone that followed. “You’ve only been there one afternoon and you’ve already broken something? Pray tell.”

  Cain grinned bashfully. “A door…”

  “What?” Axel nearly shouted on the other end. “How and why did you do that? You’re supposed to be winning the girl, not breaking into her house.”

  “It was necessary,” Cain muttered. “Anyway, is the contractor available or not? She has some people after her, and we need a good door and a lock. Especially since Bee’s still here, and if I take Brenna out, I want to make sure she’s safe.”

  Axel was quiet for a moment. “And how is Ox?”

  “Dead,” Cain said flatly.

  “Ah.”

  Cain was the closest to Brenna, having been the nearest to her when they used to visit as kids. Ox, short for Oxford, and Bee had worked for the royal family for a number of years before retiring. Brenna was their adopted daughter, their grandchild, whose parents had died young in a car accident just after she’d been born.

  Cain’s dad had enjoyed going out to see Ox and Bee to make sure they were doing well, and Cain and his brothers spent a good deal of time with the older man, learning how to do things like live off the land and chop firewood.

  Cain missed him.

  “How long ago?” Axel asked.

  “Not long,” Cain replied, feeling guilty that he hadn’t been back to see Ox. Still, being here was hard, full of unpleasant memories due to the fact that this place had always been associated with his father. And after he’d died, the way he’d died, subconsciously, Cain always had a dark spot in his mind when he thought of returning.

  Even if he still remembered Brenna as one of his best childhood friends. Even if he often wondered how she was growing up. Even if he wondered if the camaraderie they’d enjoyed as children would somehow blossom into something more…

  Well, it kind of had. Hate. She hated him.

  He scratched his head, not exactly understanding that. Didn’t she realize this was a painful place for him? And as for coming back for her, his mate wasn’t his to choose. He didn’t really think he was fit for a mate anyway, but he owed his family, at least taking a shot at it.

  When the Oracle had whispered in his ear that Brenna was the one, he’d been more than willing to explore what might happen.

  Even if it meant facing everything and coming back here.

  “You there?” Axel asked. “How are you doing?” He actually sounded worried about Cain now.

  Axel was forced to take over as a father figure early on, and as a result, he’d always been overprotective and worried… and kind of a nag. But he’d done his best, and when it came down to it, he really did care about his brothers.

  But heaven help whoever was destined to mate that finicky dude.

  “I’m doing okay,” Cain said flatly.

  “And how is Brenna?”

  “She’s fine,” Cain said, feeling jealousy flare, wondering if any of his brothers had also harbored crushes on his sweet, curvy potential mate.

  “No need to be curt,” Axel said smoothly. “I’m just trying to get an idea of how much of a chance we have of pulling this off.”

  “I’m not going to push her,” Cain stated. “Not just for the family to keep the throne.”

  “You know what’s at stake.” Axel reminded him. “What our enemies want for the world.”

  “Right,” Cain said. “And I’m still not putting any of that over what Brenna wants. I know I’m not exactly a dream of a mate, so it has to be her decision.”

  “At least try to compromise a little for her if you need to, will you?”

  Cain sighed. “All right. Of course. Now, will you send a contractor?”

  “Yes,” Axel said tersely.

  “I want you to send over a bunch of precooked meals from the freezer as well. From the chef.”

  “Fine,” Axel said. “Anything else, princess?”

  “Hey, I gotta eat.” But really, he just wanted to make sure Bee and Brenna were cared for and had plenty to eat while he was here disrupting their routine. The less Brenna had to cook, the more he could spend time with her.

  “You said someone was after her,” Axel said. “You figure out who?”

  “Seems like someone who’s been after her since before the Oracle named her. So not another rival, at least not yet.”

  “Keep an eye out,” Axel said.

  “I will. And stop worrying.”

  “Never,” Axel vowed.

  “You’re going to work yourself into an early grave,” Cain said.

  Axel was silent at that, and Cain knew there was no pressing it further. “All right, take care, dude. I’ll keep you updated.”

  “I’ll send the contractor over now,” he said. “But I’m not calling the castle guy; I know a guy in the area. And I’ll also send over food. It’ll be there in just a few hours.”

  “Thanks,” Cain said, hanging up the phone and turning just in time to see Brenna walking out toward him, arms folded across her chest.

  She was even more gorgeous out here in the sunlight. Dark hair falling out of a bun into unruly waves, tawny, light-brown skin and light-brown eyes that glowed a golden hue, almost orange in the sun. Like cider.

  She had long, dark lashes, a cute snub nose, and a heart-shaped face with a strong chin that jutted out when she was being stubborn. Plus, lush, full lips that pouted naturally at the bottom and curved at the top. Her habit of worrying her lower lip was already driving him crazy.

  “Bee is downstairs,” she said. “Be nice, okay?”

  “When am I ever not nice to Bee?” Cain asked.

  “I just mean she kind of has no verbal filter and might say things you don’t like.”

  “That’s Bee,” he mused with a smile, sensing his mate’s nearness, examining the curves of her body. Rounded. Soft. Generous. Perfect to fit inside the circle of his arms.

  “Yes, but as she’s gotten older…” Brenna hesitated, looking back at the house.

  “Got it,” he said. “I’ll be careful.” He folded his arms and observed their surroundings. “It’s even more beautiful than I remember.”

  She just looked at him like she didn’t know what to say.

  He loved the privacy of this little estate. The cottage and old outbuildings. The trees surrounding them with high, lush foliage and the mountains rising in the distance. These parts of the island were his favorite.

  They called to the adventurous side in him.

  “Let’s go inside and talk to Bee,” he said, putting out an arm for her, which she didn’t take. He dropped it, staying good natured. He understood she was wary of him. He’d have to give her time to figure things out. Space, too. But he wasn’t going to stop trying. Not that easily, anyway. Not until they were at least friends again.

  “Cain!” Bee screamed, running forward as Brenna had known she would to hug Cain tight against her generous chest.

  Brenna had Bee’s figure, fairly short and rounded. Womanly, she supposed.

  Cain just gave Brenna a grin as Bee finally released him from her death grip and held him at arm’s length to study him.

  Despite her age, Bee was still full-blooded lion-shifter and had ample strength left. Her curly hair was gray now and often pulled up into a clip. She had deep-brown skin and dark, flashing eyes that seemed to perceive everything.

  They flashed with disapproval as she worked her way down Cain’s appearance, taking in the long, roguish hair, the piercing twinkling in one ear, the worn leather clothes, and the motorcycle boots.

  “Why, Cain, you’ve turned into a rake!”

  “Bee, no one says that,” Brenna said, putting a hand up to her face, trying to hide a smile as Cain cocked his head.

  “A rascal. A no-good.” Bee continued.

  “She reads a lot of Regency romance,” Brenna explained. “A rake is a… playboy.”

  “Ah,” Cain said, looking like he didn
’t know whether to be offended or amused.

  Bee reached up, swiping at the piercing, but Cain was able to avoid her and leaned back with a laugh.

  “Take that out right now,” she ordered. “You won’t be suitable for our Brenna with that thing in your ear.”

  Cain grinned and looked over at Brenna, then smiled down at Bee, who was trying to reach for the earring despite being impossibly short. “Who says I’m here for that?”

  Bee stepped back with arms folded over her sewing apron. “Well, of course you are. What other reason would a handsome, strapping young man be coming to my cottage?” Her eyes narrowed shrewdly on Brenna. “Cain is so handsome now, isn’t he?”

  Brenna resisted the urge to roll her eyes simply because of the smirk the giant lion prince wasn’t making any effort to hide as he waited for her response. “Yes, fine. He’s handsome. But that’s not enough.”

  “You’re welcome to stay a while,” Bee offered. “It’s been so long since you’ve visited.”

  Brenna saw Cain wince uncomfortably, just for a microsecond, and then he was pleasant again. Like a single frame snuck into a film so you’re not even sure you saw what you thought you did.

  Did he actually feel guilty for not coming back? Maybe there was more to him than she’d thought. More than televised events of him risking his life in front of millions of fans.

  But she wasn’t sure.

  “That’s nice of you,” Cain said, eyeing Brenna while answering Bee. He took Bee’s hands and gave them a squeeze. “I was hoping to stay a few days. You see, Brenna’s been chosen by the Oracle, and—”

  Bee’s eyes widened, and she looked over at Brenna. “You don’t say?”

  Brenna let out a snarl and strode over to Cain, grabbing him by the wrist and tugging him toward the door. Even his wrist was large, hard as steel, not giving at all as she tugged on him.

  “What is this Oracle business?” Bee asked as Brenna tried unsuccessfully to maneuver Cain to the doorway.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Brenna said.

  “It means she has to mate me or the country falls,” Cain explained sardonically, clearly enjoying the discomfort he was causing Brenna.

  Bee gasped and put a hand over her chest. “My goodness. You two must have a lot to talk about.”

  Brenna glared at him. “Come outside with me. Right. Now.”

  Bee bit her lip and glanced between them. But Brenna got the idea the older woman was trying to hide her amusement.

  “Fine.” Cain relented. But first he walked over to Bee, scooped her up in his arms and gave her a big hug. “It’s so good to see you, Bee.”

  “It’s good to see you, too,” Bee said gruffly as she was set back down. “Now just take out that damn jewelry.”

  Cain just laughed and followed Brenna out into the sunlight. He shut the broken door behind him as best he could.

  Brenna glared at him as she stood with arms folded and one hip sexily cocked.

  She walked up to him and gave him a punch, right in the arm.

  “Ouch,” he said, rubbing the area as she pulled her hand back, which stung slightly from striking his hard muscle. Dammit. “What was that for?”

  She shook out her hand. “You think this is so funny, don’t you? You just want to come back here and mess up my life and with Bee’s head.”

  His expression darkened, and he took a step forward. “I don’t want to mess with anyone. I want to protect you from what’s coming, and I wanted to say hi to Bee because she’s someone I really loved.”

  “And now?”

  “Still love her,” Cain declared.

  “Even though you’ve been gone?”

  “Love doesn’t die with distance,” he said, staring at her meaningfully with those gorgeous, striking green eyes.

  She felt her core go liquid and steadied herself by spreading her feet into a firmer stance as she glared at him.

  “Well, it doesn’t flourish.”

  He nodded. “I’m not trying to mess anything up, okay?” he said. “Did I tell you someone is coming soon to fix the door?”

  “Great,” she said flatly.

  “Aren’t you going to thank me?” he asked. The wind lifted his golden hair, making it glisten in the sunlight. It was unfair for any man to have hair like that. Like something out of a commercial, despite its careless cut.

  “Thank you?” she asked defiantly. “Why would I thank you for fixing a door you broke?”

  “I did it to save you,” he said, matter-of-fact.

  “Oh, and the doorknob didn’t work?”

  “It was an emergency,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes so the green deepened to the shade of a dark forest.

  She took a step forward, emboldened. “But you didn’t know that, did you?” She jabbed him in the chest, wincing again at how firm it was.

  “Maybe you should stop jabbing me,” he said. “It seems to be deleterious to your health.”

  “Oh, deleterious is it?” she asked. “That’s a big word for someone who spends his time throwing himself off high things.”

  He grinned. “I like throwing myself off high things.”

  “And I like having a door that’s not broken,” she spat, trying to walk past him.

  He caught her around the waist and spun her back in front of him, keeping her at arm’s length as she struggled slightly against his iron grip.

  But she had no chance. He was strong as well, a lion, and had his big hands planted on either side of her hips.

  “Let me go,” she said. “I’m going inside. I just wanted to tell you to cut the Oracle talk in front of Bee. I don’t want you to upset her.”

  “I’m sure she knows how the system works,” he said.

  “Right, but most of us don’t really think about it much, you know?” she said. “It doesn’t affect us most of the time. I would rather she could have believed you just came back on your own.”

  Tears bit at her eyes, and she chewed her lower lip, unwilling to let them fall.

  He reached up and caught a droplet, wiping it away as his handsome face went serious. “I would have come back on my own. I was just being honest with Bee. I thought it’d be comforting because she was already trying to set us up.”

  “You just liked how mad I was getting,” she said angrily, looking away from him, hating how much her body liked his touch, how she felt she was pleasantly on fire wherever he was holding her.

  “I do like getting any reaction out of you,” he said. “I always did.”

  “True.”

  “But you know it’s different now. We were just kids then. Just platonic friends. And obviously, with me coming back here and the attraction between us…”

  “You mean the Oracle sending you back here,” she said sarcastically.

  “That, too,” he said. “But you know me. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.”

  “You would for your family or your friends,” she said.

  “That’s true, but since you’re one of my friends, I’m not going to let you get hurt either. I’m not going to force this on you, Brenna. I’m just going to be the best I can and hope that’s enough.”

  She felt a little guilty. He was right. They weren’t kids anymore. This was a different situation entirely. She should just forgive and forget.

  But she wasn’t going to do that just yet. She still needed to find out who he was now.

  “I’m relieved you aren’t just going to push and push for the sake of your family,” she said. “But there is still a lot of pressure on me. I wish you wouldn’t talk about the Oracle.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her in. He looked down. “I promise I would have come back.”

  “Okay, okay,” she grumbled, wanting to get away from him and the treacherous reaction of her own body to his closeness. She pulled back, and he released her immediately, staring intently.

  “So what now?” she asked stubbornly. “We just stay together in that cottage?”

  “For now,
we wait for the guy to fix the door and for the grocery delivery.”

  “Grocery delivery? We have food.”

  “I wanted to make sure you and Bee had food and didn’t have to cook while I was here.” He patted his firm abs. “After all, I eat a lot.”

  That was probably true.

  “Also, if you’re busy cooking, that leaves you less time to fall in love with me.”

  And there was that cocky grin again.

  “Ugh!” she growled, storming past him. But she wasn’t really angry that he was doing nice things for her or even flirting with her. She was just angry with herself, because he’d only been back in her life for two hours, and she was already forgetting her hesitation.

  “Hey, I looked pretty cool rescuing you, right?” he called after her. “Does that give me points?”

  She sent him a hard glare over her shoulder and then stormed into the house with him hot on her heels. But as she walked into the cottage, she couldn’t help the grin that came to her face at his silly words.

  He had been pretty cool coming to the rescue. Maybe a few points, then.

  But not nearly enough yet.

  The next day, Cain woke with a headache, confused about where he was. His legs hung over the edge of the too-small bed he’d slept on, and light was streaming through parted curtains, through which he could see tall trees and nature all around him.

  He pushed his hands through his hair, using his fingers to comb out the knots.

  Brenna’s sparkling eyes came back to him, angry, flashing, aroused.

  He grinned.

  He was at Brenna’s place. He’d come back to that part of the island, and he was doing just fine there so far.

  Not even one bad memory yet.

  He stood and tugged on a tee shirt to go with his thick flannel pajama pants and headed down the stairs, stretching as he went.

  Bee was in the kitchen, and she looked over at him shrewdly as he came in, her eyes glowing in approval as she noted he’d taken out his piercing.

  Last night he’d been busy making sure the door was done right and the groceries fit in the fridge and freezer. After that, Brenna had disappeared to her room, and Cain had decided to go to bed early. He always took his piercing out at night, but this morning, he hadn’t thought to put it back in again.