That hadn't occurred to her, but it was possible. "I doubt he would be able to keep up a pretense for long. You're not the reclusive kind of leader. People are used to seeing you."
"Perhaps he's waiting for me to return." His eyes focused on her again, sharp and calculating despite the drugs in his system. "My empire might not be lost yet. There are pieces still on the board, and the game is far from over."
He was probably deluding himself, but it was always good to have hope. It would help him heal. The question was what he thought of her now that he knew the truth.
"Are you angry at me?"
"I should be furious."
Areana's heart stopped. "Should be?"
"I am furious. Make no mistake about that. You went behind my back and conspired with my enemy." His eyes burned into hers. "If anyone else had done those things, I would have had them executed slowly and painfully."
She couldn't breathe.
"But you are not anyone else." His voice dropped lower. "You are my mate. My partner. The only person in this world whose betrayal could truly wound me." He paused. "But you were willing to die with me the same way I was willing to die with you. We are nothing without each other, and what you did was not meant to hurt me. You did it for love. For Tula."
"Navuh, I'm?—"
"I'm not saying I forgive you," he interrupted her. "But I understand why you did it." He let out a breath. "And I cannot hate you for loving our sons and even Tula. I know she is like a daughter to you."
The tears came faster now, streaming down her face. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his, mindful of his injuries, needing the contact more than she needed air.
"I love you," she whispered. "I'm sorry for the secrets. I'm sorry for the lies. But I'm not sorry for what I did. I can't be sorry for that."
"I know." His voice was resigned. "And that's what makes this so complicated."
They stayed like that for a long moment, forehead to forehead, breathing the same air. Two mates bound by love and separated by countless choices that could never be undone.
Finally, Areana pulled back. "What happens now?"
"Now?" A ghost of a smile crossed Navuh's face—the calculating smile she knew so well, the one that meant he was already ten moves ahead of everyone else. "Now I rest. I heal. And I wait for Annani to come to me."
"What makes you think she will?"
"Because I have something she wants and I can bargain with." His smile widened, and for a moment, despite the paralysis and the captivity and the end of his empire, he looked like the powerful immortal Areana had always known. "If she's reasonable and willing to negotiate, I'll tell her what I can help her with, and then, my love, we'll see who truly holds the power in this situation."
6
KIAN
Friday evening dinners were a tradition that Kian looked forward to despite the chaos that inevitably ensued when so many family members gathered in one place.
Tonight was no exception.
Allegra squirmed in his lap, her chubby fingers reaching for the crystal goblet just beyond her grasp. His daughter had developed an uncanny ability to identify the most dangerous or expensive object in any room and make a beeline for it.
"No, sweetheart." Kian gently redirected her hand toward her own cup. "That's Daddy's glass."
Allegra's face scrunched in displeasure, a prelude to the wail that would surely follow, but Syssi swooped in with a piece of bread, and the crisis was averted.
"She has your stubbornness," Syssi murmured, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"She hasyourcuriosity," Kian countered. "I was a perfectly well-behaved child."
"Right." Amanda snorted from across the table, where she was attempting to keep Evie from flinging mashed potatoes at Dalhu.
At fifteen months, Evie had developed impressive aim and had lost the timidity that characterized her at a younger age. She was proof that not all kids retained the same predictable character over time, and some were little chameleons, frequently changing and keeping their parents on their toes.
