Raider is out on Amazon! If you all like my novels and would like to support me and my writing I would appreciate it if you thought about purchasing it on Amazon, it helps me out a lot. Also, can we give Darkcurs3 a round of applause for getting it done so quickly? He did a pretty awesome job if you ask me. The link to it is in the Author's note above, and thank you in advance.

Also please check out Farseer, as of this post it is 6 chapters long and over 109 pages, and we are just getting started lol.

Markious.

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Lira was sitting down at the table in the cafe with the rest of her group that had come to the city, with the exception of Aaron and Tilly that was, even with the strange looks they had shot Lira’s way they had enough sense to realize this was something that needed to be handled by them first without outside intervention or interruption. Lira’s hands shook as she raised the small container of coffee to her lips, she was not really a drinker of the foul liquid, finding it too bitter for her tastes, but in this case, Leon had insisted and had gotten her a cup of it black to calm her nerves. She unthinkingly crossed her legs and as she did she felt the strange sensation of the fur on fur and the odd way they now had an extra joint like that of a large cat of prey.

“I look like a freak,” she mumbled into her coffee, wanting to close her eyes to the world and disappear.

“No, you do not,” Leon responded, he was sitting across the table looking intently at her.

“I don't even have a coherent theme to my changes,” she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice, “I mean look at me, I am like some sort of cat down below,” she froze, a terrifying though springing into her mind, with a single hand under the table she slid her fingers down her skirt and felt between her legs, sighing with relief when she found no more fur there than the small patch of silver hair she kept carefully groomed. She pulled her hand out and picked up her lost train of thought. “And some sort of demon up here,” she ran her finger along the forward swept part of her horns. The sharp black horns started at her temples and swept forwards, so they protruded at curved angles on either side of her eyes. “I look like a freak.”

“You look like a Dryad,” Gwenice said with a smile.

“She looks like a Satyr.” Leon said looking at her, “She looks like Riya, and Nara, and herself,” he looked at her, “Fitting seeing as she is all three.” Lira breathed in a shaky breath her hand starting to tremble more as she brought the cup up to her lips and took a long drink. “Seeing you like this-” he trailed off, at a loss for how to explain his feelings.

“It's like seeing an old friend.” Krya supplied, and he nodded at that.

“Something like that yes,” he smiled.

“So, you both lived past lives together?” Gwenice asked she had a look of incredulity on her face.

“Is that so hard to believe?” Krya asked, turning away from lira, whom she had been studying most intently and looking back at Gwenice who was seated at the cafe table on her right side. “Familiars are souls that are lost between lives, called to a caster and bound, and using that caster’s magic they form bodies, if his soul has a strong connection with hers, like they have gone through life together multiple times, or maybe some other tie between the two of them is it at all strange to think that when she called he would answer?” she looked over at Gwenice, “If the familiars are souls then that means they had past lives, and if they did then wouldnt other people.”

“But that would mean that there are no new souls, every child born would simply be an old soul reused.” Gwenice said, her face contorted, “It seems wrong for some old wrinkly man to become some little girl or something like that.”

“That is only one theory,” Krya said, her mask cracking slightly to allow the small rais of her lips in the corner at the example Gwenice had presented.

“Please,” Lira’s hand shook as she reached across the table and grasped Leon’s in her own, she squeezed him like she was afraid that if she let go he would vanish.”Please, Leon, tell me,” her voice shook much like her hand held in his grasp. “Please, tell me everything.”

Leon sighed looking at the distraught woman in front of him. “It is a long story,” he said softly.

“I need to know-”

“I don’t know everything,” he sighed, “Like you, I am still remembering, every now and again I'll see something, a flower, a particular color shade and it will jog the memories,” he looked at her deep into her golden eyes. “I also believe that it is the natural way our minds keep us from being overwhelmed, look at how hard it is for you right now, and you only saw a brief glimpse of one of your past lives, I don't think you would be able to take it all in if you remembered everything.”

“Perhaps then it would be better if you only discuss what she remembers,” Krya said, her hand reached out and grabbed Lira’s unoccupied hand, “We are here and we can help her cope,” she said softly.

“So, tell us, what did you see?” Fluffy asked, she had been sitting at the table quietly, not even eating the food in front of her, she was too interested in the story unfolding around her.

“I was some sort of tribal Chief's daughter, I was to be married to a human male who was a king’s nephew to seal an alliance...”

***

Riya sat in her Cham, it was a traditional bridal tent that they had set up for her and her soon to be husband in the courtyard, consisting of an octagonal structure with its center open to the elements where a fire pit could be dug. Her long curl of blond hair was currently being strung through with charms and hemp ropes in the traditional Satyr tradition by one of the women that had accompanied her here from her home. She looked down at the folded cloth in front of her, it was the clothing they expected her to wear, but she was not going to put on that much cloth, how was she supposed to be able to move in so much fabric? No, she was going to wear her own Husri that her mother had worn for her bonding and her sister had worn for hers. It was much like what she had been wearing earlier but the cut of the skirt was higher, allowing for the man to take her more easily during the ceremony. She looked again at the chains, there was one that connected to an iron collar and one for each wrist. She looked at them with trepidation, if what Brandt had said was true then she would be submitting herself to her future mate.

Did she trust this human she had just met?

Brandt was the name of her future mate, but was this Brandt the same Brandt she had met that morning? She had inquired and there was a one in five chance that that was her mate, seeing as there were five Brandts in the castle alone.

One in five.

Dare she hope that the man she had met was her mate? He was much more pleasant than any other human she had met, and while she couldn’t say she was attracted to him she could see that he knew what he was doing with that weapon of his, his dance and movement was elegant and entrancing, and his honesty was handsome even if he himself was not. Every other human had either been afraid of her or disgusted with her.

She dare not hope if she was wrong and it was someone else she would be disappointed. But as she looked at the collar of metal she was to put on she found herself hopeful nonetheless, despite her resolve not to be. Closing her eyes Riya took a deep breath and decided to trust the human, he said she should wear the collar so she would and she hoped he would make it so she was not scorned. The metal felt cold on her skin and the click of the latch made her stomach drop.

“Mihura Riya, we need to get you in the Husri, the ceremony is in fifteen minutes.” The Satyr that had been dressing her hair said, she looked at Riya with a sympathetic look in her eyes, Riya looked away, she didn’t want the other woman’s pity, she was the Mihura, the princess, and she was about to become a woman on in her 16th year of life.

Standing she allowed the woman to remove her current Husri, the fabric fell down over her form leaving her standing naked in front of a mirror. She had seen the human women, they all had such large chests that she was surprised they didn’t fall forward. She looked down at her own, which were tiny mounds that barely rose from her chest and were topped with dark brown nipples. So small in comparison, would her mate be displeased? And she looked down at her legs, the fur started about halfway down the thigh, and besides the bed of golden curls in between her legs they were the only part of her lower body that had any fur on them. Where her legs too long? Her tail swished back and forth in nervous jerking movements. And she shook her head, thinking about it wouldn’t change a thing, it was time. With a nod to the waiting Satyr woman, she allowed the skirt to be wrapped around her lower region, and the rathmu tunic to be pulled down over her head, hiding the breasts she was now sure were much too small. The tunic was then rolled up and tucked so that her belly was exposed, small straps held the folded section in place.

The chains were pulled loose to rest over the Husri and she looked at herself one last time, now wearing her mother’s blue Husri. Despite her determinations she started shaking, causing the chains to dance and sway. Closing her eyes she slowed her breath, she could do this, her people were counting on her, she would do this.

“Mihura Riya, it is time.” The voice made her jump, but she dutifully turned and walked with the woman out the Cham and towards the building they had told her she was to be married to Brandt Iru.

The large doors opened and she found herself surrounded by a sea of faces. On the left side of the hall were her people, and on the right, there was her mate’s, it would seem as though there was no intermingling, that was not a good sign. As she entered, several humans pulled in a shocked breath, they were looking at her chains, and more than a few had a mean smile on their face. With a reddening face, she walked down the long aisle alone, the sole object of everyone’s attention. She definitely heard the whispers and the snickers.

Everyone’s eyes shifted to the door as once again they opened, and a man walked in, he was wearing a cloak that covered his entire form, making it impossible to see who he was. She held her breath as he swept the cloak off. She nearly lept for joy when she found the man under the cloak was the same red haired blue eyed man she had talked to this morning.

It would seem the gods had seen fit to smile on her.

The shocked intake of breaths this time, however, caused her to look at him again, she found that her eyes like everyone else’s in the building rested on the collar of iron around his neck and forearms. His chains unlike hers were not new, but rather old and quite rusted, scratched and pocked, these old manacles looked like they had seen some use if there scarred surface was anything to judge by. He walked forward, a jingle of chains with every step, tall and proud he came up to her and his eyes widened as he recognized her. Standing opposite her he flashed a genuine smile.

“Hello, predator.” He whispered.

“Hello, Flatface.” She purred back at him, she looked at the chains he was bound in, he had said that they were worn to have one party submit everything to the other, so did this mean he was submitting everything to her as she was to him? If so then he had taken the insult his people had meant and turned it into something almost romantic. She looked him up and down, he was wearing much the same he had been this morning, only these were newer looking nicer.

A priest stepped forward, he started the vows, but she found that she couldn’t follow along with the man, he was rambling on too long, praying to each and every one of the five human gods. It took almost an hour before he announced to them that they were now bonded. With startling speed he leaned down and pressed his lips against her own she leaned into his lips, his tongue reaching out to coax her own out of her mouth, the two dancing tongues met, his soft and plump, hers scratchy and thin. After a kiss that felt surprisingly good, they separated and he started looking into her eyes.

She started shifting, waiting for him to take her.

He made no move to do so.

“What are you waiting for?” she hissed at him. He looked surprised at her, and more than a little confused. It was at this point she realized they must not do this at bondings of his people, so she explained quickly. “You must claim me now, if you take too long it will say you are displeased with the mate and the bonding.”

“Claim?”

“You know, claim.” She said in a small voice her cheeks dying red and she found she could no longer look him in those disturbing eyes of his. His eyes widened in understanding and shock.

” Here in front of everyone?” he choked out of his voice.

“Not the full thing, you just need to enter me.” She said softly, shifting the skirt of her Husri to the side for easy access for him. He looked down and took in a deep breath, and closing his eyes he began unlacing the britches he had on, it took longer than she wanted, but soon his manhood was free. Several women gasped in shock as they realized what was about to happen, hands flew up to cover children’s eyes and the priest started sputtering in protest. She ignored it all, focusing on the piece of him that was about to enter her. At least this part of him was no different from other males she had seen at other bondings, though perhaps he was a little too big. She raised her leg and put it on the side of his hip, and with only slightly shaking hands guided him to her entrance. She had oiled herself up, but she remembered how her sister had cried out in pain, she had told Riya that it only hurt the first time. He looked at her and she nodded, with a single movement he thrust inside her. She rested her hands on his shoulder using him to keep balance.

Her head flew back, her teeth clenched, as he ruptured her maidenhead, blood leaked down her leg, and with a small trimmer she looked back at him and smiled. “I am fine,” she said to the unasked question in his eyes, rising on her pads she slid him out of her and kneeled down and licked the blood, her blood off of him, she licked every surface of his manhood and even placed the tip of it in her mouth before pulling his pants back up and lacing them for him and stood, slightly shaky in the knees. He stood there, and she once again realized this was all new to him, ”You need to clean me up as I did you.” She said, and even as his eyebrow rose he went down on one knee his head disappearing in between her legs hidden by the skirt about her hips. She pulled in a breath when his tongue ran its course following the path of the blood from her inner thigh back up to its source, he then used his fingers to spread her and cleaned her with his tongue. Pulling his head back after the task was down he rose, and on his cheek was a spot of her blood, with a thumb she wiped it, causing it to smear, and brought her thumb to his lip, pushing the bloody appendage into his mouth. He held her eyes he dutifully cleaned the thumb of blood. “Thank you.” She whispered.

“For what?” he asked, and she pulled on the chain that was around his neck. “Ah, this, I was not going to allow anyone to insult my wife.” He said softly. “This is nothing,” he shrugged, “What now predator?”

“I hope you are prepared flatface, it is time for the Haruki, the hunt.” She wanted to help him, but there was nothing to do, the animal was already consecrated, it had to be used in the hunt, all she could do was pray that the gods once again smiled on her, and her new mate could catch and kill the animal.

***

“We are definitely not doing that kind of wedding,” Krya said firmly as Lira stopped recalling her past life.

“Well, it sounds like fun to me!” Fluffy said, “But none of us would bleed properly, that and I doubt Leon here would simply stop at entering.” She laughed.

“I doubt you would let him,” Gwenice noted dryly, looking over at the wolf woman, who simply smiled and winked at her.

“That was our second life,” Leon said, drawing them back to the topic at hand. “Political marriage, one of the few that actually worked out well,” he said his eyes had been locked with her own as she had told what she remembered.

“Children?” she asked softly, she needed to know, she had never told him the longing she had for children, seeing as she would never have any in this life, not with him, seeing as he was a familiar, and she would never have any other man, of this she was sure.

“None, Human and Satyr are incompatible,” he smiled sadly at her, “In fact, that is a common thread among all of our lives, for one reason or another we never have children.”

Gwenice’s ears perked up at this, they had never had children. The realisation hit her that she could be the answer to that, she was after all a dryad, she reproduced magically, meaning anything that had magic in it could be mated with. Slowly she looked over at Leon who was sitting there holding Lira’s hand, helping her work through the difficult time she was going through.

He would make a good father, she nodded her head as the thought occurred to her, she had seen him with her sister Eva. she looked at him, deep into him and came to a decision, she would pursue him, she would become part of his grove. The decision came extremely easy for her, she was surprised at the weight it lifted off of her, a burden she had felt for almost fifty years evaporating, lifting leaving her lighter.

And then she realized what she would have to do.

The issue was that if Gwenice had a child with him, would it not sadden Lira more? After all they were the ones who traveled through multiple lives hand in hand, never once having children. So she couldn't just have it with him, she would need to have it with Lira as well. Then there was Fluffy and Krya, there was no way they would mate with another male, meaning they would never have children either. She sighed as she realized what her mother must have realized when she had agreed to send her here.

She hid her head in her arms as she placed it on the table, realizing that if she wanted to become part of this family, to be with Leon, to quench this forest fire he had set in her, she would need to bond with four people. Three parents were not unheard of, but five? She moaned slightly, knowing what she was going to do.

“Are you alright?” Leon asked her, she didn't look up simply waving him off.

“Don’t talk to me right now,” she groaned, wishing she had not made up her mind, but knowing that once she had she would never go back on it...