The Pridelands5: Khalid's Challenge by Jade Buchanan

The Pridelands 5: Khalid's Challenge
by Jade Buchanan
cover art by Reneé George
ISBN (13): 978-1-59596-846-3
Genre(s): Paranormal, Sci-Fi
Theme(s): Gay and Lesbian
Series: The Pridelands
Length: Novella

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1009

Blurb:

Their past haunts them, their future together remains tantalizingly out of reach…
Once upon a time, Khalid Steinsson and Pran Devan were deeply in love. They were planning their future and planning a commitment ceremony to each other. The unthinkable happened and the two were torn apart. Both men have changed. Pran carries his fiery anger as a shield against everything around him. Khalid carries his pain hidden underneath layers of icy cool restraint. It will take something monumental to either bring them back together, or tear them apart forever.

Excerpt:

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“Get out of my way, you half-breed bastard.” Pran’s words were harsh, almost indistinguishable because of the throaty growl that accompanied them.
Khalid rumbled, just barely resisting throwing Pran up against the wall. He didn’t have time for this. Baring his fangs, he watched Pran stomp away from him, itching to go after him and teach him some control.
It was almost laughable. Every time he was close to the Tigris man, his control was lost entirely. He felt like a cub again, unsure, his emotions running freely. It was all he could do to hide himself away until he was back to normal. He’d never thought he’d be placed in this position again.
For the past fifteen years Khalid had gained a reputation for being cold and calculating. Shrewd. He didn’t let his emotions control him. He could always be counted on to provide a level head, to look at things in a way that others missed.
He wondered sometimes if he would have ended up the same had he stayed on Himalay instead of moving off planet. Who would he be now? It didn’t matter, though, so there was no point dwelling on the idea. He was who he was. He would not change that because some Tigris was bent out of shape.
He still didn’t understand what Pran was doing here anyway. Fifteen years ago, they had parted in a way guaranteed to harbor resentments.
“Khalid?”
Khalid turned to the left, spying the lithe figure of his sister. Rabi’a lifted her hand, brushing back her thick chin-length hair. The strands parted briefly, the striped locks shining in the ship’s light.
“Attika.”
“Will you be all right?”
He sighed, propping his shoulder against the wall of the narrow corridor.
“Talk to me, Binnodara. Let me help you.” Rabi’a walked closer, her brown and beige tail curling to wrap around his wrist.
Khalid dredged up a smile for her, thumping his own tail along the wall. Inhaling, he let his breath out in a shuddering sigh.
“Is this about going home?” His sister’s voice lowered, her concern evident.
“No.” His ears twitched. “Maybe.”
“Khalid.”
“I don’t know what to do. So much has changed in the past few months. I don’t know what I want anymore.”
“Okay. Are you no longer happy with your brother’s pride?”
Khalid considered her question. “I don’t know where I belong anymore,” he breathed. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault. It just was.
She nodded in understanding. “The past fifteen years have seen you becoming one with your Leo family, first under your father and then Durai. This is good, is it not?”
For many years now he had been a member of his brother’s pride, following and protecting Durai as he traveled amongst the stars, learning as much as possible about the other planets and people in the universe. He loved his life. He had always felt welcomed by his Leo brothers and sister. So why was he full of unrest now? Was it just because of the presence of Pran?
“I love Durai. I always will. He is my Binnodara, just as Jai is.”
Rabi’a nodded. “It cannot be easy balancing two such different families.”
“Do you think I neglected you and Jai?” He had never considered it before, but seeing his younger brother on Earth had made him come to some realizations lately. He had left everything behind on Himalay, including his sister and brother. He barely contacted his mother and the man who had raised him as his son.
He rubbed his wrist, feeling the scars that lay there, a constant reminder of who he now was. And who he wasn’t.

http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1009