The Cat Shifter (Book 1 of Shifter Series)

Chapter 71- Brody's POV

Poa giggled nervously and shook her head while her cheeks turned red as if she knew what I was thinking. "Unfortunately, I am not able to say what I mean, Young Alpha and Your Majesty," she said and smiled while she bowed her head apologetically. She looked at Ronan before she looked at me, growing serious. "I shouldn't have said it like that, so I do have to apologize and ask that you can forgive me."

I bit back a tired sigh while I moved a hand through my hair and shook my head, pressing my lips into a thin line. "It's fine," I said, deciding that it was not safe for me to push her for more information, especially since I still had my mate passed out by my side. "Can you go ahead and help my mate, please?"

I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, growing serious. "I need her, and she has been passed out for quite a while, and I don't know i-"

"I know," Poa said and smiled, tucking her head closer to her chest while she interrupted me. She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, growing serious. "Go ahead and put one hand over the stone but don't touch it. I don't think she has given you permission to do so, correct?" She raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for me to answer her question.

"She didn't," I said and shook my head, and my heart ached a little because a part of me wanted to be in control of the stone, but I knew that I couldn't for her safety and the safety of the clans that looked up to her. "I think she wants to wait until everything is taken care of before she does anything and give me access to it."

Poa nodded and set her jaw. Worry flashed through her eyes while she looked at her mate before she looked at me with something in her eyes that I didn't understand and wasn't sure if I wanted to know or not.

"We'll make sure that no one can take it from her, Poa," Stephen said with a shake of his head. He set his jaw and cleared his throat while he shifted on his feet, pressing his lips into a thin line.

Annoyance and anger flashed through his eyes while he tucked his head closer to his chest. "That includes my father and her uncle. They do not deserve to be High King and take her position."

Poa bit back a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded before she turned her attention back to me and offered me a tight smile. "Then go ahead and put your hand over the gem. Young Alpha," she said and bowed her head. "After that I want you to close your eyes and focus on your bond with her."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and slowly nodded with my heart racing hard and fast in my chest and leaping into my throat so that it was harder for me to speak. I did what I was told to do and placed my hand over the gem, making sure not to touch before I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

Oh, Goddess, please let this work, I silently prayed while I bit the inside of my lip.

I took a deep breath before I released it with a small whoosh, focusing on my bond and hers.

"Good," Poa said, her voice sounding distant, even though I knew that she was right beside me. "Keep focusing on that bond between the two of you. If you feel pricks or whatever, do not move and ignore it. You have to stay still for this to work." She paused and cleared her throat while she shifted on her feet. "Is that understood?"

"Yes," I replied, my voice sounding different in my ears for some reason. "I understand, Poa."

"Good, now for the rest of you, close your eyes and focus on what you can of the High Queen. Do not try to come near us, or you could either injure us or kill us if you do so."

Stephen stirred ever so slightly as if he wasn't expecting that response from her. "P-"

"Hush, Stephen," Poa said, softly interrupting him. "I am doing this. I know that you don't want me to do this, but it is something that I have to do, not only for their kingdom but the other kingdoms as well."

"Then we will not interrupt you and let you work, Your Highness," Carver said, bowing his head ever so slightly while he interrupted Stephen from saying something else. "Won't we, Young Prince?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he set his jaw and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Stephen sighed and nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Ok," he said, relenting. "We will do what we are told to do." He paused and cleared his throat while he tucked his head closer to his chest. "But can you at least promise me that you will not die, please?" His voice cracked when he asked that, and my heart ached because that was what I was feeling, especially with how long Kat was like this.

Poa bit back a small smile and bowed her head with a small chuckle. "No promises at all, Stephen," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "No promises at all."

She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, growing serious. "Now, hush and let me concentrate because we are running out of time, and I did not want to be the cause of her death when it could have been prevented."

After a while and after she collected herself, Poa took a deep breath and released it with a small whoosh. She started to sing, chant, or do something of that nature while she placed her hands over both me and my mate.

There were no words in her singing while she did this, and her voice was soft, light and made me feel complete and warm.

Something started to glow around us, a bright white light that I could see from behind my eyelids and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood at attention. Magic filled the air around us and Amity took a deep breath in as if she was experiencing this far greater than me and my crew.

Witches were more attuned with magic anyway, especially if they came from a source like Cats and now Foxes...

Poa kept doing her thing above us, her voice becoming distant and muffled over the sound of my beating heart and labored breathing, even though I didn't feel exhausted or anything like that.

And after she finished the last tune of whatever melody that she was singing she tapped both of our heads, and something went pop! that pushed us all back and away from her, breaking whatever connection that was placed between us.

I was flung backward to the ground hard and landed with a soft oomph. I opened my eyes and quickly stood just as my mate sat up with a gasp, staring straight ahead with nothing in her eyes.

Oh no...

Goddess, help us...