“He was in the med bay, Chief,” one of the men with Granelt said. “It seems he had an injury.” The man glanced at me and then away.
Ah, that explained it.
“An injury my dvarra inflicted,” Braxis declared in a booming voice. “Is that right, Granelt?”
“Dvarra?” Granelt asked in shock.
“I have given her that title before. Do not act surprised to hear it now.”
“No, you've said that you were forcing her toactas a mvarra would,” Granelt argued. “We believed it was to punish her but now you're implying that this is real? That you have made her your woman in truth?”
“I have made my intentions to mate her clear from the start.”
“You made your intentions to rape and subjugate her clear,” Granelt countered. “We believed that we'd get a piece of her too. I truly didn't think you'd mind me taking my vengeance a little early.”
“She is mine!” Braxis roared.
“When did you claim her?” Granelt roared back. “You never told us that she was yours. We helped you steal her from Malik because we all want vengeance for our brothers and ourselves. You told us that you'd give us that vengeance. We allied with a fucking Triari to get it! You vowed to us that we would have our justice and when we were satisfied, we'd use her to bargain with Lucifer and return home. But now, she's your dvarra?”
Braxis hesitated. “I thought I was clear. Mating her will force Lucifer to bargain with us. He will not be able to ignore a man who shares a mvarra with his son.”
The room went quiet. I went cold. So, even Braxis' seduction had been about revenge. I should have known better than to let the words of his pet witch trick me. He was playing me all along, trying to make me complacent enough to mate him. Then he'd use that bond to force my father-in-law to allow him and his men to return to Hell. Maybe he'd even win a few more concessions. My chest went tight and my throat constricted on a sob that I refused to release. Why did his betrayal hurt so much? It wasn't even a real betrayal. In fact, he'd been doing the exact same thing that I had—using lust and love to win himself a ticket home.
I had known that Braxis was trying to seduce me for his own purposes. I just hadn't realized what those purposes were. Or rather, I'd forgotten. The last time he'd abducted me, Braxis had tried to use me as a hostage to ensure that the Reaksarians got what they wanted. He had even said that he would take me as his mate. So, again, why did the truth of his actions wound me? I suppose that I'd wanted to believe the fairy tale. I wanted him to be Prince Charming instead of the dragon. If he truly was a good man, I would have had a better chance of getting home myself. But no, Braxis was the dragon after all and that meant that I was only meat for the beast.
“She is cut off from her magic, her lovers, and her home,” Braxis went on. “You can have your vengeance without becoming rapists.”
I blinked. Weren't those my words?
“And what if that's not good enough?” Granelt shot back. He glared at me and then at Braxis. “She killed my best friend. I watched him die, frothing at the mouth like a rabid animal. I think I deserve to avenge him personally.”
“You will not touch her!” Braxis snarled, lowering his face to Granelt's.
“She's gotten to you,” Granelt surmised in a shocked tone. “Youwantto mate her. You don't want her hurt.”
“She has begged for forgiveness,” Braxis declared as he straightened. “In light of her repentance, I've decided that taking her as my mvarra will be justice enough. If you don't agree, you are free to challenge me.”
The other warriors muttered and shifted uneasily. Granelt shrunk an inch or two and his tan lost some of its color.
“Well?” Braxis demanded. “What will it be, Granelt? Do you accept my decision or do you challenge it?”
“I thought we were in this together,” Granelt said sadly.
“We are.” Braxis stepped forward. “You are like a brother to me, Granelt. I want you to have your justice—I want it for all of us. But I forced the truth from Amara with the Silver Tongue and she wasn't lying to me when she expressed her remorse over her actions. It swayed me, yes.” Braxis looked at the other men to ask, “Would any of you be unmoved by a woman honestly begging for your forgiveness?” He turned and swept a hand toward me. “Look at her. She is powerless. Conquered. Under our control. Does your vengeance truly demand her rape by all of us? Is that the kind of men you are?”
I watched Braxis' men warily. They suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“And do you think that I could take her as my mvarra after allowing all of you to have her?” Braxis went on. “You need to trust me, Brothers. Have I not always supported you? Have I not fought for our freedom? Do not start doubting me now. Queen Amaranthine will still be punished, just not as you expected. She is a royal prisoner and if we want to get back to Hell, we must treat her with some respect. All of you know that. Now, who's with me?”
The men shouted Braxis' name confidently—all but Granelt, who turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I was quiet all the way back to the suite. Braxis had me by the hand, leading me. He kept shooting me side glances that I refused to meet. When we were finally behind a closed door, he let go of my hand and faced me.
“I had to say those things, Amara.”
“Yes, of course,” I whispered.
