She was magnificent, even more so than she had been as a girl, and he hated her even more for that.
Shock registered on her face as she took in his appearance, and he stifled the impulse to turn his face away from her so she wouldn't see him like that.
He wasn't the male she remembered.
That Navuh had been young and burning with ambition, but still quite naive compared to who he was today. He'd still believed in the concept of good prevailing over evil. Life had taught him that evil was much more powerful and had much better chances of winning because it didn't play fair. It lied, manipulated, coerced, extorted, and slaughtered indiscriminately to sow fear in the hearts of the meek and supposedly righteous.
He'd made his peace with evil a long time ago, and he had worn it with pride, but now he was broken, confined to a hospital bed, and unable to move anything below his neck.
No matter. He would heal, and he would be strong and handsome again.
Kian was with Annani, but unlike his mother, he held no trace of pity in his hard eyes, and instead of the one guard he'd had with him before, there were now two.
"Hello, Navuh," she said, breaking the silence that had stretched between them for far too long.
"Did you come to gloat?" he asked.
Her initial shock faded, replaced by the haughty expression he remembered so well. "Unlike you, I do not revel in the suffering of others," she said, her voice carrying that particular cadence he remembered from the few interactions they'd had. It was formal, precise, and tinged with an accent that belonged to another era.
"How noble of you." He let sarcasm color his words.
"Do not misunderstand. I am not distraught over the fate that befell you, and I am glad that you are finally in the clan's hands and no longer able to engineer our demise, but I do not take pleasure in your pain."
"I believe you," he said. "And I admit that I would not have enjoyed seeing you broken either. What fun is there in sparring with an opponent who has been defeated by fate and not my own doing?"
Annani laughed, the sound bright and unexpected in the sterile room. "You are far from defeated, Navuh. Your body may be broken, but you still have your mind, and that has always been your most lethal weapon."
"Diabolical," he corrected. "Isn't that what you meant to say?"
"Do not put words into my mouth, Navuh." Her blue-green eyes held his without flinching. "What I meant was that I would never make the mistake of underestimating you."
Navuh felt his lips curve into a smile despite his efforts to keep a severe expression. "Thank you for the compliment."
Kian crossed the room and pulled out the single chair in the room that Areana used when she got tired of sitting on the bed. He held it for his mother as she sat down.
The change in elevation and position forced Navuh to turn his head to keep her in view. It was uncomfortable, the muscles in his neck protesting the sustained effort, but he needed the exercise. Every small movement brought him closer to recovery.
"I assume you did not come simply to exchange pleasantries," he said. "Are you ready to negotiate?"
Annani folded her hands in her lap, a posture of composed patience that reminded him of her mother. She and Nai had looked exactly like that when he and his father had arrived at the palace to negotiate with Ahn, with Annani playing the innocent princess and obedient daughter while maneuvering everybody like pieces on a game board.
"You keep telling everyone that you have something valuable to offer me, and you are not willing to disclose what it is to anyone but me. So here I am. State your offer."
"I appreciate your directness, but before I tell you what I have, I need to know what you want from me, and what you are prepared to offer in return."
Annani glanced at Kian, who was leaning against the wall right behind her with his arms crossed over his chest and his expression thunderous. A silent communication passed between them, and then Kian nodded and turned to him.
"Here's how this works, Navuh," Kian said. "You're my prisoner. You have no rights, no leverage, and no bargaining power. The only reason you're in this clinic and not in our catacombs is because of Areana and my mother's love for her sister. Don't mistake that for weakness."
"I won't," Navuh said. "But you wouldn't be here if you thought I had nothing of value to offer."
"If you cooperate and provide valuable information," Kian continued as if he hadn't spoken, "we'll let you live instead of putting you in stasis, and if your information proves useful enough to take down the Brotherhood and eliminate that threat forever, we'll make your confinement very comfortable."
"Define comfortable."
"A proper residence instead of a cell in our dungeon and the freedom to move within controlled boundaries. You and Areana will be able to enjoy the company of your sons and grandson, which will make your mate very happy."
The mention of his sons sent a complicated surge of emotion through Navuh's chest, mostly rage over their betrayal but also regret over what could have been but would never be. He suppressed it ruthlessly. He could not afford sentiment, not now, not when so much hung in the balance.
