He slowly inclined his head. “I would haveyou no other way.”
She glanced away. “You’re just saying whatyou think I want to hear.”
His jaw tightened. “Do you call me aliar?”
“No.” Kara sighed. “I don’tknow what to think.” She ran a punishing hand through herfire-berryhair. “Theonly thing I have to go on is the autocratic tendencies I’vewitnessed in warriors who visited Galis. That and the relationshipbetween Dari and Gio.”
Isar took yet another step towards Kara.This time she did not cringe in fear. ‘Twas a start. A small onemayhap, yet still a start.
“’Tis true that Dari andGio were raised with expectations of how life would be, but I wasnot. I was sold into bondage and raised as a slave.”
“I know,” Kara saidquietly.
“What you don’t know isthat ‘twas only the strongest of wenches who survived in captivity.Leastways, sometimes even strength was not enough.”
She searched his gaze. “What are you tryingto say?” she murmured.
“That I have always admiredfierceness in a woman. That I do not feel threatened by yourcapabilities, but intrigued by them.” He took another step towardsher. “That a slave who becomes a High Lord and then a King has noexpectations as to how his Sacred Mate should think and feel. Heonly knows that he needs her by his side to becomplete.”
“Isar…”
“We can carve out our ownlife together, Kara. We needs not base our holy union on theexpectations of others.”
Silence.
“Leastways, there is onepart of destiny I cannot spare you from.”
One of her eyebrows rose warily. “What doyou mean?”
“The formalities.” Shegasped as he summoned off her clothing and it fell to the floor.She made to move, but could not run. Her body had literally beenstunned into submission. He took off his bridal necklace and slowlywalked towards her. “The claiming.”
* * * * *
Meanwhile, on Khan-Gor…
Jana F’al Vader, nee Jana Q’ana Tal, neededto find shelter. The pains were coming upon her regularly now. Sheknew naught of what species the child would be—a fact thatfrightened her as much as the harsh, wintry elements that were hersurroundings—yet was she certain a child was indeed coming.
Her mind was splintering.She could feel it as surely as she could feel the harsh laborpains. Leastways, she had no time to mentally regroup for shelterwas of the essence. Nay, she would not breach theRahon this horribleplanet at the far end of nowhere; she would die in her bed fursback in Trek Mi Q’an. She hated Yorin for stealing her away fromGalis as much as she hated the crazed species his blood had forcedher to become.
She was cold, tired, and broken, yet therewas naught in this life that could move her to shape-shift intothat hideous form that would protect her from the icy terrain. Shewas frightened of what she had become, terrified of the things shewas now capable of.
A glint of red light emitting fromKhan-Gor’s four blood moons shone down in the nick of time. Janaimmediately espied the icy cavern and took off running towards it.Another pain hit. She doubled over and did her best not to cryout.
When the pain had passed, she broughtherself up fully and made her way into the nearly hidden cave. Muchto her surprise and delight, whilst the outside of it was puresilver ice, the inside of the hideout was warm and inviting.
Jana sighed. She would never understand theway of it on Khan-Gor. She could but pray to the goddess that hersire would come for her and she’d never be obliged to figure it allout.
Please,papa, she begged, sending out a wave ofemotion,please find me.
Chapter Three
Kara felt her naked body upon the raisedbed. She did everything in her power to awaken, but it was anexercise in futility. Groggy, and not altogether certain what hadhappened, she fought to open her eyelashes. The strangestsleepiness stole over her again, robbing her of any will to move.She moaned a little, but couldn’t seem to open her eyes.
“Isar,” she murmured. Hereyes still closed, she wet her lips. Her dreams felt fevered. Shecouldn’t remember where she was or how she’d gotten here, but inher dreams at least, her warlord had returned to her. “Isar, helpme.”
Silence.
“’Twill be allright,nee’ka.”
