King of Prey: (A Bird Shifter Novel) by Mandy M. Roth Page A

of a harem. She’s part of a harem you’ve been with!”
    The woman gasped.
    Kabril sat up straight on the bed. “My sweet Rayna, I have disbanded the harem. They are no more. You are the only woman for me. Ask her.”  
    Rayna blinked up at him. “You have got to be kidding me.”  
    “I do not jest,” he said, his chest puffing out. “I disbanded the harem upon your arrival here. They no longer service the men of the castle in the same way they once had. This pleases you, yes? Sachin said I should give each of the women within the harem a large sum of money and send them elsewhere.”  
    “I like Sachin more than you at the moment.” She looked up and shook her head. “Waking up and finding myself in my boring country house would be great right about now. Really, I’m full up on winged macho men. I’d like to go back to simple, sexy bird doctors. Ones who may be odd at times but don’t have stacked blondes showing up to feed them grapes.”
    “Set the tray down and leave us,” Kabril said. “Someone will come with enough money to see to your family’s needs for many cycles. Your service is no longer required. I thank you.”
    The woman did as she was instructed.
    Rayna rubbed the back of her neck and let out a soft laugh. “Am I crazy? Be honest.”
    “Rayna, your sanity is not in question.” He ran his fingers down the back of her arm, making a shiver ripple through her. When he reached her hand, Kabril laced his fingers through hers, the move intimate. He brought their joined hands to his lips and planted a chaste kiss on hers. “What I wish to know is if you can accept me as I am.”
    “You’re not a vet, are you?” she asked, already knowing the answer but needing to hear the truth from him.
    “To your people, I know more of birds and animals than they could ever hope to.” Kabril lifted her hand and spread her fingers wide, kissing the tip of each one. “But, alas, I am not.”
    “And you’re not just foreign, are you?” she asked.
    He licked his lower lip. “Yes and no. I am not from your realm. And you are no longer within your realm either. You are now here, in mine.”  
    “Where is here?” She wanted to yell at him for lying to her, but the feel of his full lips trailing over her skin was too distracting.
    “Accipitridae . The realm of the bird shifters.”
    She paused. It was all a lot to soak in. “It was all real?”
    “It was.” He made his way up her arm, slow and steady. When he reached her shoulder, Kabril nipped lightly at her skin, catching the strap of the gown she wore. He dragged it down before returning to kiss his way up her shoulder, towards her neck.

Chapter Twenty-Three

    Kabril knew Rayna needed her rest, but the taste of her skin was too tempting to resist. He thought she’d shriek in fear of him after he learned she knew he was not human. Once the castle doctors had informed him she would indeed recover, Kabril had set out to learn what had happened from the sources. By the time Kabril reached Humbert, Sachin had already beaten the man within inches of his life. Kabril didn’t question Sachin on the matter. If his friend felt the need to take such measures, they were clearly called for.
    Lazar was slow to recover and in his fevered state revealed snippets of the conversation he’d held with Rayna. Kabril had wanted to be the one to tell Rayna all his secrets, not have her learn by way of kidnapping at the hands of his enemy. The minute Lazar regained full consciousness he would be tortured for his role in the attack on Rayna. There was little point in inflicting pain on a man who was not aware of the goings-on around him.
    Pushing thoughts of torture from his head, Kabril concentrated on the bounty before him. His mate. His soon-to-be wife. Rayna stared at him with questioning eyes and he wanted to kiss the doubt from them. He’d sensed her unease with the serving wench and didn’t need to search far inside himself for the reasons behind her mood.