"Kiera," Sam's face and voice cut through her troubled thoughts, and like the sun breaking through the clouds, his face appeared before her view. His face shone to her, his eyes sparkled like emeralds in the light of the day.
"Are you feeling alright?"
She smiled at his genuinely worried expression, nodding her head that was covered partially by the hood of her cloak. They were walking down a hidden pathway in between the buildings of a less wealthy part of the capital. Despite this, the area was unexpectedly secure and calm.
"We won't be bothered here." Sam had chosen the location, taking her through the hidden pathway that led into a bigger shaded area full of trees. "This park is mostly frequented by middle-class families and their children. We should take off our hoods though, as to not arouse suspicion."
She agreed and then took off her hood, exposing her dark-colored hair while she watched the prince expose his own face and hair, except his true hair color was obstructed by the brown-colored wig he wore.
"Should we have a sit down at one of the benches?" She shook her head and continued walking.
"Unless you are tired, I want to walk while we talk." She knew she would be uncomfortable staying in one spot while she talked to him. There were various ways her body showed her anxiety and she did not want Sam to see her in that way.
"I know you wish to answer my questions," he kept up with her, walking closely beside her so that their shoulders brushed together. They did not hold hands, but just the act of their shoulders brushing gave her the same warmth. "And I appreciate that, but if you are forcing yourself to speak-"
Kiera cut him short, turning her head sharply to the side.
"No," she stopped in her tracks, "I feel that I owe you an explanation."
"The monster we encountered in Farrington, I assume you already know the type of monster it was." The prince nodded and that propelled her to speak more. "Yes, it's true, the Barghest is a monster native to the Forest." She eyed him, closely monitoring his face. When she didn't see anything on his face, she continued, "We were not the culprits behind the attack."
"I believe you." She was relieved by his words. "You were the one to stop the monster in the first place. It makes no sense for your people to be behind the attack."
"Thank you, for believing in us."
"The one I believe in is you." She felt warmth spread from where Sam touched her cheek tenderly.
"But are you sure you can speak freely about this?"
She knew what he meant. He was asking her if King William would be angered with her for talking about the monster, but there was no reason for Sam to be worried as her King had told her the choice to confide in the prince was up to her. Their amorous exchange three days ago fully opened her eyes to her desire to be with him. For that, she needed to let him into her world.
"Don't worry," she placed a hand on his arm, "I have been allowed to speak with you over this matter."
"Why?"
The question took her by surprise. His eyes studied her face, seeking the reason through her features.
"What do you mean why?" She removed her hand from his arm.
"I mean why does your King place such trust in me when I'm not even one of his people."
She blinked her azure eyes, finally understanding the question he was asking. It dawned on her that she never properly explained one of the laws of the Beast people.
"You will be." She got over her embarrassment and forced the words out of her mouth. "If we become Mated, it will be the same as if you have pledged loyalty to the Beast people. As such you will be bound to the same laws as we are."
"The same laws? What laws are those?" There was a look of consternation that he showed. She detested the look she had caused by not divulging the information to him before. "Kiera?"
"The Law of the Beasts," she said, her eyes sliding away from looking at him, it might as well be an admission of guilt, "and others."
He did not speak after a while, and while the silence between them grew, she kept her eyes away from his face. She looked around them, at the one other family that was walking the park grounds. A small child and his mother and father. The father was a massive giant compared to the tiny figure of the mother. Standing next to the tiny toddler, he was as tall as a bear, with broad shoulders that did not fit the normal cotton clothing that he wore.
Finally, she broke their silence. She tightly balled up her fists by her side.
"That is only if we become Mates. You won't be subjected to our laws if we don't."
"I am not giving up on pursuing you just because I will become subject to the same laws as you."
"Maybe you should." When she thought about the laws, she closed her eyes.
How could she forget? Either she would stay with him in Solomon, or she would have to bring Sam with her, pushing him into a harsh and unforgiving environment for a human. What about the children they might have? Would she be able to protect them all? Before that, would he want to give up his royal name to become a commoner? Would he be happy with that?
"What are you talking about?" Kiera hated the way he looked at her with dread, shaking his head at her words, as if already knowing what Kiera was thinking about. "We spoke about this before, remember? We are not giving up on us, we will work out a way."
As he reached for her, to take her hand, Kiera took a step back.
"Forgive me, Sam. I should have told you this beforehand. I don't know why I forgot," she scoffed. Maybe she wanted to deny reality for a while.
"Once we complete the Mating ritual we will be bound together for all of eternity. Because you are human, the laws stipulate that either I live amongst humans, unable to take my Beast form ever again, or you will reside in the Forest, never to return back to your home."
"You," realization of what she meant was written clearly on his face as the gravity of the situation seeped into his ears, "you mean to say you could never transform again?"
She nodded. "The grand council has the ability to seal away my Beast, preventing me from transforming. It is to ensure that I cannot reveal our people's secrets."
"Why did you not tell me this? Kiera I-"
"I don't mind." She looked at him, gazing up into his bright eyes that she loves so much. "The promise of having my Mate next to my side for the rest of my life is more than a fair exchange."
"That does not seem like a fair exchange to me." There was a fire behind his emerald irises. Anger radiated from those two jeweled eyes.
"That is the law. It has always been this way, and it has done its job of protecting our secret hidden quite well in the past."
"That's utter nonsense. All it does is create a barrier between people."
"Enough. Even Bryan had to," when the name of her first Captain escaped her lips, a picture of the man appeared in her mind. She had wondered why the image of the family walking through the park caught her eye. Now she knew why she had watched them with interest.
"Bryan." She repeated the name and turned her head in the direction of the young couple with their child.
The brown-haired man towered over his family. Kiera never thought she could ever see such a look of contentment within his clear-colored eyes as he played with the small child in his arms. Her eyes naturally went over to the young woman next to him. It had been a couple of years but she still remembered her loveliness.
A petite woman with long straight hair of flaxen hue. From her small nose to her slender arms and legs, she was practically the same, except for the flaxen-haired baby she took from the man's arms. Her smile had never changed.
Following her line of sight, Sam had also taken notice of the family.
"Isn't that your first Captain?"
"Yes indeed," she could not look away from the scene. Her heart felt as if it was swelling up. She was happy for her captain.
"I was going to say that even my captain had to let go of his Mate." She did not want to call out Byran, afraid to ruin the atmosphere with his family.
"But now, I see that he never did."