In five thousand years, he had never given her reason to fear him. He had destroyed cities, toppled empires, ordered the deaths of countless people, but he had never done anything to make her afraid of him. He'd never even raised his voice to her in anger or thrown things against the walls, the way he did when not in her presence. He had done everything in his power to make her feel safe with him.
What could possibly have happened to put that look of dread in her eyes?
"I cannot take your hand," he said quietly, abandoning the demanding tone. "I cannot hold you, cannot comfort you, cannotdo any of the things I wish I could do to reassure you. All I have is my voice and my word. So, I give you my word. Whatever you tell me, whatever happened, I will listen, try to understand, and not allow anger between us. Whatever it is that frightens you, we can work it out."
Her eyes searched his face. "You might hate me after."
The words hit him hard. "You know that I could never hate you. I love you, Areana. Haven't I proven it to you countless times in countless ways?"
"You have." New tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. "But you don't know what I've done, and you might feel differently after I tell you."
"I jumped off a cliff for you, Areana, and I would do it again without hesitation. Whatever you've done, you are still my truelove mate. The only person in this world who matters to me." He held her gaze, willing her to believe him. "Nothing you could tell me would change that."
Silent tears were sliding down her cheeks, and he ached to wipe them away.
"Tell me," he said. "Please. The not-knowing is worse than anything you could possibly say."
Areana took a shaky breath.
"I need to get you more ice first," she said. "Your lips are cracking."
"My lips are fine."
"They're not. Just let me?—"
She walked away before he could protest, and he heard her fill the cup with fresh ice chips from a container.
Areana needed time to gather her thoughts, or perhaps to summon courage, or maybe she was just delaying the inevitable for a few more seconds.
When she returned, she sat on the edge of his bed, the position allowing him to see her face.
She fed him ice, small spoonfuls that he accepted more for her benefit than his own. It was something she could do for him, some small way to care for him when she couldn't fix the larger damage, and he understood the need.
When the cup was empty, she set it aside.
"Areana." He let all the love he had for her pour into her name. "My love, my one and only. Nothing you say or do can ever break our bond or my love for you. Don't be afraid."
5
AREANA
Navuh's reassurance eased some of Areana's fear, but not all of it. He was going to be furious with her, but now she at least had a glimmer of hope that he would forgive her deception.
He was watching her with such trust, such absolute faith that nothing she could say would change his love for her, and she prayed to the merciful Fates that he was right.
"It started with Tula," she said. "She's pregnant."
Navuh's expression didn't change, but she saw something flicker in his eyes, a confirmation of a suspicion instead of the surprise she'd expected. He must have guessed what Tula's moods had been about. Areana had hoped that his lack of interest in the harem ladies would shield Tula from his assessing eyes, but she should have known that not much escaped her mate.
Well, except for the deception that she'd been running for over two years. If he'd been aware of her communications with Annani and had said nothing, she would have to reassess everything she'd believed about her mate.
"Tony's child," Navuh offered, probably as a way to encourage her on.
"Yes." Areana smoothed her hand over her gown. "Tula was terrified, and rightfully so. She didn't want her son to be taken away from her or her daughter doomed to life as a human. "
Navuh's forehead furrowed, not in confusion, but in anger. "All the harem ladies knew they were expected to produce sons for me. In exchange, they were provided with whatever they wished for and lived in luxury, pampered and spoiled. Nothing in this life is free, and Tula has always been the ungrateful sort. If she weren't dear to you, I would have gotten rid of her a long time ago."
Areana cringed, imagining what Navuh had meant by getting rid of Tula. But then she hadn't expected any other response from him.
