She was crying now, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, her composure finally cracking under the weight of emotions she'd clearly been suppressing for days.
Annani gathered her sister into her arms, murmuring soothing words that Kian didn't care to hear. He stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do with his hands, unsure what to say that wouldn't make things worse.
The truth was that he didn't understand Areana's distress, not completely anyway. He knew how difficult it was to lie to his truelove mate, and when he'd been forced to do it, it had eaten at him from the inside. But Areana had probably been lying to Navuh throughout their relationship, not for personal gain but to protect those under her care.
The male was a monster, perhaps not in his treatment of Areana, but certainly in his treatment of everyone else. Why was she suddenly feeling so guilty over something she'd been doing for years?
Because this time she'd actually enjoyed herself and had a little fun?
But he kept these thoughts to himself. He had no desire to be on the receiving end of another of his mother's glares.
With a sigh, he walked over to one of the armchairs, sat down, and motioned for the brothers to sit down as well. This visit wasn't going to end until Annani decided it was over, so even though he was eager to return to the village, he had no choice but to wait patiently.
Pulling out his phone, he started scrolling through emails, but his eyes glazed over the correspondence and his mind circled back to Navuh.
If Annani was right and he was exaggerating his demands as an opening gambit, what did he actually expect to achieve? What was Navuh after? What would he settle for?
And what was this mysterious thing he claimed to have, the something he'd claimed was priceless to Annani?
When Areana went to prepare tea, he caught his mother's eye and tilted his head toward the door, signaling that he wanted to leave.
"After the tea," Annani said.
He nodded.
The minutes dragged on until the tea was consumed, more pleasantries had been exchanged, and finally they were out the door and on their way to the parking garage.
As they walked toward the SUV, Anandur fell in step with him.
"Your aunt's got some serious guilt issues going on there," he murmured.
Kian nodded but didn't respond.
The drive back was quiet, the silence filled only by the hum of the engine and the muted sounds of traffic. Kian stared out the window without actually looking at anything, his thoughts a tangled mess of frustration and uncertainty.
"There's nothing more I can offer him," he said to no one in particular. "He wants freedom, and I can't give him that. I won't give him that. So let him keep his precious secret. Let him rot in that clinic until his body heals and then we'll move him to the dungeon apartment and that will be the end of it."
"We need information on the island," Anandur said. "And he won't disclose it without leverage." He looked at Annani through the rearview mirror, but she pretended not to notice.
"The island can go to hell for all I care," Kian said. "We've gotten everyone we care about out of there. What happens to Navuh's empire is no longer our concern."
"Twenty-five thousand rabid warriors let loose is a problem." Brundar offered his rare opinion.
Kian shrugged. "Without Navuh to direct them, they'll probably tear each other apart fighting over who gets to be in charge. The problem will solve itself."
28
ESAG
The doorbell rang while Esag was sitting on the couch with Tula, her feet in his lap, and his fingers massaging her arches.
"Are you expecting anyone?" he asked.
Tula shook her head. "No. But it might be one of the harem ladies." She chuckled. "We really need to come up with a different group name for them. Maybe the library club?"
He set her feet aside. "While you ponder that, I'll see who it is and what they want."
When he opened the door, he found Tony standing on the doorstep with a woman Esag vaguely recognized—a redhead with curly hair and bright green eyes and a friendly smile.
