That loss made you forget that such a thing ever existed in the first place.
She never in a million years would have hoped for Alexander’s interference in this matter. Life had taught her to be pragmatic.
Something as innocuous as a prince riding to a damsel’s rescue was as far out of reach as the sky was for a frog stuck at the bottom of a well.
“What is the meaning of this?” Yukina demanded as Selene experienced the unsettling sensation of butterflies in her stomach. Something she’d thought she was much too jaded to ever entertain.
It took a moment to understand Kira’s expression, the pinched, almost combative look that made her seem as bristly as a porcupine.
Kira was worried, Selene realized with a soft amazement.
She shouldn’t be. She’d given Selene a gift beyond measure by convincing Alexander to come. Selene had always thought she was done with that fleeting emotion called hope. Kira had shown her she wasn’t.
What a lovely discovery after all this time.
Alexander spared Selene the briefest of glances as he entered. Kira shadowed him, keeping to the edges of the room. As if by doing so, she could keep her presence unobtrusive.
Unlikely, but Selene appreciated the attempt.
“Would anyone care to explain why the Tuann abducted a Haldeel citizen from one of our planets?” Alexander asked, coming to a stop beside Selene.
He reached down, dragging a chair out from the table with a loud squeal before lowering his body into it.
Though tall, Alexander’s frame was leaner than either of the two men across from Selene, his well-tailored clothes hiding the dangerous man he could be. They made him seem harmless. Not giving a hint as to the true power that lay under them.
“I’d consider your next words carefully if you don’t want a war,” Alexander advised when Yukina simply stared.
Graydon reached for a bowl of fruit, snagging one of the blue spheres and popping it into his mouth.
“She is Tuann,” Yukina finally said.
“She is a Haldeel citizen. As such, not even your emperor can remove her from our borders against her will.”
Alexander placed a token on the table before pushing the button at its center. An image with Selene’s face was projected into the air, along with a full set of papers proclaiming her citizenship of a Haldeel planet.
Yukina studied them for half a second. “They’re legitimate.”
“I know.” The smile that touched Alexander’s face was sharp and faintly mocking. “Why do you think I’m here?”
“Why weren’t the Tuann informed that one of our people had applied for citizenship?” Yukina asked.
“You’re our allies; not our masters. Do you think the Haldeel are required to keep you apprised of our own affairs?”
The skin around Yukina’s eyes tightened. She didn’t like that question, and it was easy to see why. Alexander’s argument had the advantage of being legally foolproof. The Tuann would be hard-pressed to come up with a counter that would allow them to take Selene without her permission.
If she wanted, Selene could take the hand Alexander was offering and walk out of here free and clear. The Tuann wouldn’t be able to touch her. Their enemies, on the other hand, wouldn’t be so easily dissuaded.
They were the ones the forty-three were most concerned with.
The wisest choice would be to take the exit Alexander procured and disappear. It would take time, but she could establish another home for herself and the children Kira had rescued. She would have peace in her life. Far from the threat of danger.
Nothing would change. Particularly not her.
As if from a distance, Selene heard herself speak up. “I’ll go.”
Kira straightened from the wall.
A balloon built in Selene’s chest. “I’ll go with them. I’ll accompany the Tuann to their home world.”
