Annani had shared her theory with her sister during their secret conversations, and Areana might have shared it with Navuh. She hadn't done it while they were still on the island and she hadbeen hiding her communication with Annani, but now that it was no longer a secret, she could have told him about the once-a-week calls and everything they had discussed.
Perhaps that was why he had waited until now to dangle this in front of her. He had just recently discovered that she harbored hope that Khiann was alive.
Kian stepped forward, positioning himself between her and Navuh, his body radiating fury. "Areana must have told you about my mother's theory, and you're using it to your advantage."
Kian seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion as she had.
"I assure you, my dear nephew, that my knowledge of Khiann's whereabouts does not come from your mother's theories. If she knew where he was, she would have found him already. I'm the only one who knows where he's buried."
"Without proof, your words are meaningless," Kian said.
Navuh pinned him with a hard stare. "I don't need to prove anything. I don't expect you to free me before you find your mother's mate. But I will accept Annani's word that once I tell you where he is and you retrieve him, she will set me free." Navuh settled against his pillows, the picture of calm. "Take your time. Discuss it amongst yourselves. Regrettably, I'm not going anywhere."
He sounded so reasonable, which only made Annani angrier. He had known for five thousand years where Khiann was and had deprived her of the company of her love.
He had done so while knowing what it meant to have a truelove mate, so he knew the pain she had been living with for millennia, and he had reveled in it.
His cruelty knew no bounds.
Without bothering to say another word to him, Annani turned around and headed for the door, her legs moving automatically while her mind was a raging storm.
She was aware of Kian following her out of the room and the brothers stepping out and closing the door behind them.
They made it to the corridor before Annani's legs gave out, and she would have fallen if Kian hadn't caught her. His arms wrapped around her, steadying her, and she leaned into him for a moment. me
"I was right." The words came out as a whisper, trembling with emotion she could not contain. "Khiann is alive. He is in stasis. The witnesses lied."
"Navuh is a master manipulator," Kian said. "He must have learned about your theory from Areana. Now that it's no longer a secret that the two of you were communicating, Areana has no reason to hide what you told her from her mate." Annani shook her head. "But he doesn't expect to be set free until after we find Khiann."
"He might be buying himself time or just playing games. I don't know what he hopes to achieve, but it doesn't make any sense for him to know where Khiann is."
Annani pulled back.
Kian was right to be skeptical, and she should be skeptical too. But what if he was telling the truth?
"Let us ask Areana, then," Annani declared.
Kian nodded and offered her his arm.
When they reached the penthouse, Areana opened the door before they had a chance to ring the bell, and as she took in Annani's state, her expression shifted from welcome to alarm.
"What happened?" She reached for Annani's hands, drawing her inside. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Perhaps I have," Annani said. "Or perhaps I am about to."
She allowed Areana to guide her to the seating area.
"Navuh made an offer," Kian said flatly. "He claims to know where Khiann is. Claims he is alive and in stasis, and that he's the only one who knows the location."
Areana paled. "He knows what?"
"He's demanding his freedom in exchange for the information." Kian's eyes were fixed on her. "Did you tell him about Mother's theory that Mortdh hadn't killed Khiann and that the witnesses lied?"
Areana's hand flew to her throat. "I did not. I swear to the Fates that I didn't tell him."
"Why not?" Annani asked. "I never explicitly forbade you from telling him. It just did not occur to me that it might give him ideas."
"But I didn't tell him," Areana insisted. "It just never came up."
