Mitch ran a hand through his hair. “You two were trained as Royal Guard by your parents, right?” At their nods, Mitch went on. “Did that include taking the oath?”
Paul stood and his expression became rock hard. “I took the oath when I was ten.”
Maribeth stood and moved to her brother’s side, facing Mitch and Gina. “I was fourteen when I took it. We may not live in the mainstream of tiger shifters, but we live true to the code and have taken the oath.”
Despite her tendencies to sleep around, Maribeth was a wicked fighter and a very smart cookie. She had degrees in molecular biology and earth science. Sometimes, Gina thought the Miller kids had spent a lot more time in school than they otherwise would have simply to stay nearby while Gina was in college and then later, in med school. Of course, none of the Millers would ever admit it.
Mitch gave the brother and sister a hard look as if evaluating them, then he seemed to come to a decision. “We are alike, you and I. We both live by the code and have taken the oath. We know what that means. I would die to keep Gina and her family safe. I would have died trying to protect the Nyx, but for Gina’s help.” The Millers nodded, clearly in full agreement tinged with respect. “The thing is…” Here Mitch hesitated and a bit of troubled chagrin entered his expression. “Something changed. Yesterday when I shifted fully for the first time since coming here, I wasn’t as I always have been.”
Paul’s eyes narrowed, intrigued concern on his face. Maribeth’s expression was a little harder to read, but her flirtation had ended, for which Gina was grateful. It was all business now. Professional. Gina could handle professional—and the tigress within approved.
“What happened up at the circle?” Paul asked finally.
Mitch didn’t seem to want to say it, though it was clear what he’d been leading up to. Gina took his hand in hers, looking up to meet his gaze. “Mitch’s beautiful golden fur…is now white.”
Stunned silence filled the room while Gina held Mitch’s gaze, trying to communicate her pride and confidence in him with a single look. She’d never seen him seem so unsure, even when he’d been close to death. He’d faced his demise with a calm acceptance and bravery she admired, but this simple—earth shattering—change from golden to white had him stymied.
“For real?” Paul finally asked in an awed tone. “Can that even happen?”
“According to my dad, it’s happened a few times before, in the distant past. And it had the clear blessing of the Lady. That’s the power surge your mom felt from the circle. The Lady’s Light engulfed him,” Gina said, remembering the amazing moment the day before. “It was so beautiful. So powerful.”
“What does it mean?” Maribeth whispered.
“It means—” Mitch seemed to recover from his momentary uncertainty, “—I’m probably going to be taking on Gina’s uncle in a challenge fight. And to do that, I’m going to need to sharpen my skills. Are you up for a little sparring, Paul? Maybe later this afternoon?”
Paul frowned and really looked at Mitch, giving him an assessing once-over. Paul was bulkier, but Mitch was taller. Gina knew how ferociously Paul fought and thought he would be more than a challenge for Mitch—which both worried her and spurred her competitive streak. Her tigress purred inwardly, looking forward to seeing which male would prevail in the matchup.
“It would be my honor to help you prepare. We have a barn we use as a dojo down by the main house. Gina can show you where it is or I can send up one of my brothers to guide you down. Is that acceptable?”
Mitch shot her a questioning look that she answered with a nod. He then turned back to Paul. “We’ll come down around three, if that’s a good time for you?”
Paul agreed readily, and it was Maribeth who brought up the subject that hung in the air between them all. “Does this mean your father is going to take back his throne?” she asked Gina.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. My father is coming for lunch, so hopefully he’ll make his intentions clearer then. But whatever the goal, one thing is for sure. The status quo is about to change in a big way.”
Chapter Six
The Miller siblings took their leave a short time later, leaving Gina and Mitch alone for a while. They finished breakfast and then Mitch settled down with the book again. He wanted to finish it before the king showed up for lunch.
Mitch had dined with royalty before. He wasn’t nervous about sharing a meal with the exiled king. He was more concerned that the man was Gina’s father. He wasn’t sure what the exiled king thought of Mitch sharing the cabin with his daughter. Mitch’s intentions were sincere, but his mind was all screwed up. Since the change from golden to white, he hadn’t had much time to consider his place in the universe. What had he become? What was his role now? What was his destiny?