Page 61 of Spirit Trials (The Spirit Kingdoms #1)

Rysden grabs his sword and flings open the door. I follow behind him with a knife in hand as we race for the stairs. He takes the stairs faster than me and beats me to the bottom. Lox is already running out the front door. “What is it?” Rysden demands.

“Don’t know,” Lox calls out over his shoulder. Rysden and I follow a moment later and come to a dead stop.

“What in the—” Lox starts.

I take in the scene in an instant. Kinsley is deathly pale, standing in front of a jaguar—a fully corporal, real jaguar. “Please help me,” she calls out in a whisper. Neither Rysden nor Lox move, but I push past them.

“Farrah, wait,” Rysden tries to catch me, but I evade him.

I keep my eye on the jag as I approach my friend.

It doesn’t look aggressive; it just tracks us with its eyes.

I take a second to admire the gorgeous creature with its black rosettes and tawny fur.

Its bright green eyes track me, and I resist the urge to shiver.

Solace and Shade round the barn and come towards me, keeping an eye on the jaguar.

Shade walks beside Solace, keeping himself between her and the jag.

I make it to Kinsley's side, and Rysden appears beside me. The wolves settle on either side of us. The jaguar doesn’t move, but I can see the keenness in its eyes.

Rysden puts a hand on my waist, but I’m not worried.

There’s something about this jaguar that reminds me of Solace.

“Kinsley.” I reach out and take her hand.

She squeezes mine fiercely. “Have you tried talking to it?”

“What? Are you out of your mind?” Her voice is a high screech.

I keep my voice low and calm. “Just try.”

“Um, okay. Uh, hi? I’m Kinsley.” There’s silence, and I hold my breath. When she staggers backwards, I put my arm out to brace her. “Ohhhhhh,” she breathes.

I grin because I know exactly what’s going on. “Would somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Lox asks impatiently.

My grin widens. “Kinsley just met her spirit jag, which happens to be fully corporal.” She turns to me, panic in her eyes. “It’s okay,” I assure her.

“But how?” Lox asks what we’re all thinking.

Kinsley turns back to the jag and stares at her and then turns back to us. “She said...” she swallows hard. “It’s because I didn’t finish the trial. So, it took longer for her to find me.”

I can’t help it; I turn to see how Harper’s taking all this. She meets my eyes but doesn’t say anything. I turn back to Kinsley. “Congratulations.” I frown. “Are you okay?”

Her face pales even more. “I think I’m going to be sick.” Then she throws up all over my feet.

“Ew, thank you.”

“Sorry,” she whispers, wiping her mouth. I wrap my arm around her. “It’s okay; it’s a lot to take in.” I face Rysden. “What happens next?”

He looks between the jag and my friend and palms the back of his head. “I’ll contact Kal.”

“Oh, good heavens, no. Please, no,” Kinsley says in a panic.

I face Kinsley. “Breathe.”

“Please don’t let him,” she pleads.

Rysden steps up next to me and wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me close. I relish in his nearness and strength as we face Kinsley. “Kal’s a good man, Kinsley . He won’t rush you into anything. Let’s at least talk to him and go from there.” Rysden’s voice is low and calm.

Suddenly, a new voice enters the mix. “Can somebody please tell me why Jespar has been going crazy to get here? And why is there a jaguar here?”

Kinsley’s wide, panicked eyes meet mine; and I take in the Jaguar King over her shoulder.

He looks a little...unsettled. His jag suddenly lets loose a deep, raspy sound that sets my nerves on edge.

The male jag approaches the female slowly.

I watch in shock as it drops to the ground and rolls before nipping at Kinsley’s female.

The female takes a step back, evading him.

He approaches her again, but she takes another step back.

As fascinated as I am, I turn my focus back to Kaldar, who’s staring over at us with his arms across his chest.

“That’s Jespar’s mate,” Kaldar says. I don’t make a smart comeback, even though I want to because we’ve all already pieced that together. “Who is she bonded to?”

Kinsley still hasn’t faced the Jaguar King. Her wide eyes meet mine. No! Before I can say anything, Kinsley shouts, “Harper! Over there!”

I meet Rysden’s eyes and grin. This is going to be so much fun!