Those of my mate.
Chapter 20- Charick
I held my mate.
I held her as she tearfully told me of Adtovar’s sacrifice and sobbed with regret and worry.
I held her through her reunion with Emmy.
I held her as we watched Nansar led away for interrogation, finally arrested for his many crimes.
I held her as Duke Ako bade me, Willa, Khaion, and Emmy to accompany him to observe Nansar’s questioning, while he set Pearl and Jutuk to check out the kitchens to make sure Nansar hadn’t tried to poison him again.
I held her tighter as we made our way through the catacombs in the lower levels of the citadel heading toward the dungeons.
Moisture slicked the dark stone walls and floor, causing my boots to squeak as I walked. Chains hung from the walls, clinking softly as they swayed in the warm, stale puffs of air rising from the heated caverns below. It was colder than I expected, especially knowing that the tunnels under the citadel housed numerous hot springs. While few occupied the cells, the air was humid and thick with the scents of blood and decay. This was not a place for the faint of heart, yet Willa strode purposefully at my side, head held high.
We came to a stop outside Nansar’s cell. He sat chained to a wooden chair, stripped of his royal finery and clad only in dirtyleather pants. His long platinum hair tangled about his head, and deep purple blood dripped from his broken nose… courtesy of my mate.
Duke Ako and the Alliance Prime entered the cell, flanked by two guards, leaving Khaion and me, along with our mates, to linger outside as witness to the proceedings. A long wooden bench sat opposite the cell, worn but sturdy. Khaion seated himself on one end, settling Emmy beside him and drawing her close while I sat on the other end, pulling Willa onto my lap. We’d been apart too long for me to let her out of my grasp just yet.
“I was so worried about you,” Willa whispered, letting her head drop onto my shoulder.
“I am sorry, my heart,” I murmured, letting my lips play over her hairline. “I will never forgive myself for not being at your side, but dealing with the Kerzak took much longer than I anticipated.”
A faint tremble ran through her body. “Was it a bloody battle?”
“It wasn’t a battle at all,” I issued a low chuckle, noticing how the Alliance Prime’s shoulders tensed as she heard the noise. “The Alliance requested that we deal with the Kerzak without bloodshed, if possible. That’s what took so long.”
“I thought the Kerzak were all kinds of vicious and bloodthirsty.” Willa’s deep blue eyes found mine and held.
“Some are, especially those that follow Ambassador Yaard. But since discovering that royal prince Alokar and his sister Vienda survived their parent’s massacre, we were able to enter negotiations with the Kerzak planetary council. Once we made the council aware of Yaard’s crimes, they declared him a criminal and stripped him of his title and wealth.”
“What about the Kerzak ship Nansar claimed was in orbit?”
“I wondered about that too,” I mused. “We found no ship. It is unknown if Yaard turned away when he heard of our negotiations with the council or whether he never intended to show up in the first place.”
Willa slid her arms around my waist, clinging, her face buried in my chest. “I had all these awful ideas of you engaged in battle with the Kerzak.” She shuddered again, deeper this time. “After what happened to Adtovar… I can’t lose you.”
Her voice broke and unshed sobs shook her shoulders. The moment when sadness completely overtook her was too much for me to bear. I cupped her face in my hands, kissing her gently. “I’m here, my heart.” I kissed her again, just a brush of my lips to comfort and reassure her. “Adtovar will be fine. Hakkar is the best healer in the universe.”
“So is Agnes.” Her faint smile was everything.
“Pay attention,” Khaion scolded in a hiss, but when my gaze found him, he wore a smile, as did his mate Emmy.
Still, I did as he bade, turning my attention to the cell where the Alliance Prime settled in a chair opposite Nansar while Duke Ako paced at her side.
“The Alliance accuses you, Nansar of Ajaxiun, of conspiracy to commit slavery, murder, and treachery. How do you plead?”
“Fuck you.” Nansar hissed, splitting a wad of blood at the Prime’s white shoes.
Willa jumped at his words and stifled a moan. “I guess he picked that up from me. I certainly said it to him enough.”
The Prime cast a glance at her purple-spattered shoes, giving no more than a raised brow in response.
“Is that your only response to the charges laid against you?”
“Fucking human lover.”
