King's Throne (23 page)

When they arrived, Mitch met them outside in the hallway—away from the residual taint of the mage who had lived in the rooms behind him. He held the box out before him and silently opened the lid.

Candis gasped and grabbed Gina’s arm for support. Frederick moved forward a step, tears in his eyes at the dazzling light coming from within the box.

“It’s the missing part of young Fridrik’s pelt. I recognize his scent and his magic. He was a truly dazzling white.” The old king’s voice cracked as he took the box into his hands and cradled it to his chest.

“I believe this is what was keeping Gisli white. The true white tiger pelt was used to mask Gisli’s blotchy brown. That is why the mage took it from your son in the first place,” Mitch said with regret. “I’m sorry, but at least now your son can be at peace in the next realm.”

Frederick bowed his head, tears rolling unheeded down his face as he turned to his wife and daughter. They huddled around him, arms linked around his shoulders, supporting each other in their moment of renewed grief.

At length, the old king and queen moved off down the hall and Gina came to Mitch’s side
and walked with him. They wouldn’t wait. It was time to free the remaining part of Fridrick. They walked, people joining the silent procession as they went through the twisting halls and chambers of the stronghold. Whispers spread the word of what was occurring and the mood was somber and respectful.

Everyone who was able turned out to support the white tigers as they walked toward the sacred mountain. They went as far as they dared
. The darkness of the night was lit by the light of a trillion stars and the welcoming red glow of the fissure in the earth that was their destination.

Of them all, only Mitch and Fredrick could withstand the heat of the earth at the mouth of the fissure. They left Gina and Candis some yards behind them, clinging to each other. The two men were protected from the searing heat by the Lady’s magic,
Her chosen warriors.

Frederick opened the box and handed it to Mitch. He held it, acting as servant to the father who had lost his son much too soon. Without words, Frederick lifted the small patch of sparkling
-white fur out of the box and held it aloft.

“I return him to you, Mother Goddess. Please be kind to my son. He was a brave and heroic warrior who gave his life for his sister and Clan.” The old king’s voice rang through the night, touching all who heard it.

Mitch remained silent, his heart breaking for the old king and the women who sobbed behind him. He felt the need to offer comfort.

“He is surely with the Goddess,” Mitch said in a quiet voice, meant for the king alone.

The old king nodded tightly, bowing his head as he watched the last little sparkling bit of his son. He held the patch of fur over the fissure in the earth and Mitch could clearly see the pool of magma below. They were standing over a crack in the earth on the side of the Grim. The Lady’s sacred mountain. And Mitch could feel Her presence.

“Lady bless him,” the old king whispered, releasing the small patch of fur to the fire below.

Mitch tried to watch the pelt as it combusted on the magma, but it caught fire with a blinding white light that erupted out of the fissure to take form on the other side of the crack in the earth, lighting the night sky with its radiance. When he could see again, he realized the light had taken the form of a young man. A young white tiger. Somehow, he could see both images superimposed on the manifestation. Was it a ghost? A spirit? Mitch didn’t know, but it smiled at them.

“Do not grieve for me, father. I will come again.” Young Fridrik’s face was calm and full of the eagerness of youth and the knowledge of the ancients. “I will come again. Sooner than you think. My work here is not yet done.”

The sound of his voice was touched with the Lady’s blessed chimes. He was a spirit—or maybe an avatar. Mitch didn’t know, but the young tiger’s words concerned him. It almost worried him that the Goddess was not yet done with them. But then again, who was he to question the will of the Lady?

Young Fridrik sent a smile toward his mother and sister. “Tell them both that I love them. I will always love them
, and though I died to this existence, I will be back. The Lady I serve wills it.”

“Are you all right, my son? Are you safe? Are you happy?” the old king asked.

Fridrik looked at his father and smiled again. It was a beatific smile that Mitch would remember for the rest of his days.

“I am blessed. All those things and more,
Father. I am a Knight of the Light. I serve the Lady and Her Light in every realm.”

The old king fell to his knees, his gaze on his son who glowed from within. Tears ran down his face.

“I’m so proud of you, my boy. So very proud and full of love. I am only sorry I will never get to know the man you would have become.”

“Not in this realm, perhaps
—” glowing Fridrik tilted his head, “—but never say never. There are many realms beyond this one and I have been promised that if we all work very hard, we may yet be reunited in another time and place. For now, I leave you knowing that I am well and missing you, though my existence is not without purpose. My purpose in the mortal realm was to save my sister. Now I serve the Lady and She guides my purpose.”

Mitch could see the spirit was beginning to fade. Unless he was mistaken, Fridrik would be gone soon. The old king seemed to realize it as well.

“Then you are truly blessed. Be well, my son. I love you.” Tears ran unchecked down the old king’s face.

“I love you too,
Father. Tell Mom and Gina…and the little one.” He looked at Mitch when he said the last and then he was gone. Only the light of the stars shone where he had been.

“Little one?” Mitch repeated, but the old king was too stunned to hear. Mitch helped Frederick to his feet and rejoined the women. They and all their people had witnessed a miracle on the mountain that night. It would take some time to process.

Some weeks later, the day of the ceremony dawned bright and clear. The mountain was quiet, but Mitch was pretty sure it would have a few rumbles to add to the celebration planned for that night. The ceremony would take place on the side of the volcano, but the party was being held in the village. The exact location of the stronghold would remain a secret known only to the most trusted friends and members of the tiger Clan.

The village had a big hall that had been decorated by the local people and accommodations had been set aside for a larger roster of guests than Mitch had expected. Apparently, all the big-cat shifter Clans had sent either their monarchs or representatives. It was turning out to be quite a little conclave, though they hadn’t planned it that way.

In fact, it was bigger than a conclave. It actually had the makings of a shifter summit. The Lords of the North American
were
Tribes had come with their mate, Allie, who was also a priestess of the Lady. The Eurozone Lords had also come—a set of Alpha twins who were as yet unmated. The Russian Federation
were
had sent a highly ranked representative and other Tribes, Packs and Clans from around the world had either sent a representative or a gift, or both.

They were already comparing notes on recent unrest and
Venifucus
attacks. Mitch was even considering letting some of their new allies have a crack at the prisoners still being held in the stronghold, but that would come later. For now, they had a mating to celebrate.

Mitch knew Gina was a little overwhelmed by all the attention. Truth be told, he was a little intimidated himself. But having Cade and Ellie here in the stronghold helped considerably. They, along with Ria and a few of her Royal Guards Mitch had served with, were considered trustworthy enough to be allowed to stay at the stronghold. He actually enjoyed showing them around
his
domain, though it would take a lot of getting used to, being the landlord of a hidden, icy lair.

Ellie was a great help to Gina, Mitch knew. And when he finally saw Ellie with Cade, he thought he understood how the little human had completely stolen his best friend’s heart. Ellie had a kind soul
, and with his new instincts for magic, he could see the goodness shining in her eyes. She may be human, but she was definitely mate material in every sense of the word. She would protect her mate and her friends to her last breath and she was very protective of Gina, of which Mitch heartily approved.

Mitch’s first meeting with Ria monarch-to-monarch felt odd, to say the least. Luckily, Ria put him at ease almost immediately, launching herself into his arms with a huge grin. She was like a little sister to him and he was touched by the happy smile on her pretty face. She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a big hug. Right there, the ice was broken and they were able to move on, comparing notes on the states of their respective Clans. Already they had a tentative agreement on working together to retake complete ownership of Phelix Corporation.

The two couples, plus Gina’s folks, Ria and some of her Guard spent the day together, working out details of an even closer relationship between the two Clans. Mitch took the opportunity to have the
pantera
Guard work out with his tigers. They sparred in human form and in their fur, taking over the largest chamber in the stronghold for their fighting practice.

Cade threw Mitch one of the towels as they finished up their workout. Cade was the only one who didn’t seem to be treating Mitch differently now that he was white instead of gold, and he valued his friend’s easy acceptance of the change.

“You have such pretty fur now, I’m almost afraid to damage that field of sparkly white,” Cade groused as they headed toward the hallway together.

“You suck at stealth in this part of the world, buddy,” Mitch teased back. “All that black sticks out like a sore thumb against the snow and ice.

“But I bet I’d still be better than you at night crawling, even up here in Frozen Ass, Iceland, whitey.”

“I guess we’ll have to see about that.”

“Maybe we will,” Cade countered with a calculating grin.

“Yeah, but not tonight. Tonight’s my mating night.”

Mitch looked forward to spending part of the night partying with his friends and getting to know the dignitaries who had come to witness their mating. The rest of the night he intended to spend balls deep in his mate, showing her again and again just how much he loved her.

“Yeah, we have to party with the other shifters and make nice for the dignitaries. I’m actually kind of impressed by how many different Clans showed up to pay their respects. You done good, buddy. I think you may have the start of one hell of an alliance if you can get even half the groups these guys represent on board.”

“You think?”

“Hell
, yeah,” Cade answered seriously. “Ria’s age works against her. That and the fact that she’s not mated. They’d pay more attention to her if she at least had a mate.” Cade’s gaze grew troubled.

Cade truly cared for the Nyx. She was more than just a queen to him
. She was part of his family. Few people realized that if something happened to her, Cade would be in line for the
pantera
throne.

Mitch had never been in a position before to help Ria politically, but now that he was…

“You know she’s got my full support. I’ll make that clear to anybody who’ll listen if you think it’ll help.”

Cade grinned. “I wasn’t going to ask, but since you volunteered…” Cade laughed outright as they walked through the halls of the stronghold.

“You’re the only guy I’d let get away with that manipulative shit, but hell, I love Ria like a kid sister. Now that I can actually help her cause—which I still find hard to believe—I’ll do what I can. You panthers are sneaky sons of bitches. Why couldn’t you just come out and ask?”

“Now where would be the fun in that?” Cade quipped.

It was a mark of the strength of their friendship that Cade could still tweak him like this. Mitch knew Cade and his powers of persuasion well enough to know that if he’d really wanted to manipulate Mitch—or anybody, for that matter—he could have easily done so without ever letting him realize it. Mitch had seen the sly
pantera
in action many times before and respected his skill.

Having settled the matter, the men split up, each heading for their own suite of rooms. Showers were in order and then they had to get ready for the party that night.

The bedchamber he and Gina had been sharing was empty when he got there. The women of the Clan had taken her off earlier that morning and kept them separate all day. He’d see her again at the ceremony. For now, he was on his own. Well, he and his Guards were on their own. Harry and Paul were silent shadows that followed him pretty much everywhere he went—even inside the stronghold.

Eventually
, he hoped such precautions could be dropped. At least here, on tiger ground among the Clan. But for now, they had to play it safe. Mitch was too new to power to take anything for granted. Especially when there had been so many selfish bastards hiding in plain sight within the Clan itself.

Gisli’s poisonous ways had filtered through the ranks until the weaker members of the group had become as dishonest as he was. Mitch was changing all that, but it was a slow process. He’d rounded up the worst of the thieves, but there were probably lesser offenders still out there. Only time would tell if they planned to reform or move into the spots left open by their
predecessors’ downfall.