“He does. I think he knows that. He just can’t bring himself to get close to anyone these days.”
“Understandable,” she replied, her melancholy apparent.
“Anyway, Aiden has been brutal in the way he handles the people here. He makes laws and rules that keep them from prospering financially. All housing additions have to be approved by the Council, and they rarely allow anything to pass because it doesn’t suit Aiden’s agenda. He won’t let certain businesses open if they compete with one of those owned by himself or his cronies, so there is no competition for the high prices they charge. Cross him, and you get exiled or tossed in a dark hole, never to be seen again. That’s just the tip of the iceberg known as Aiden.”
“Wow. I had no idea,” she said, setting her wine glass down.
“Refill?” he asked, already reaching for the bottle to top up his own.
“Yes, please,” she replied.
Connor poured them each a glass of wine as they set about finishing their meal between conversations about some of Aiden’s antics in the village. Emily seemed shocked that he had gotten by with his behavior for so long.
“Why has no one challenged him?’
“I think it’s a mix of things. There has been peace for so long, no matter what the cost, that no one wants to break it. Plus, failure to take him down would end badly for their families. They are afraid that if they take him on and lose, their loved ones will suffer at his hands.”
“That is truly awful,” she replied.
“Yes, to put it mildly,” he told her.
Finishing up their meal, they did the dishes together before settling back onto the sofa to watch a movie. It felt incredibly comforting and wonderful to have Emily there with him, and before either realized it, they had fallen asleep together. It had been a perfect evening, in Connor’s opinion. Just having her with him seemed to be the response to a prayer he hadn’t even been aware he had needed answered.
***END OF PREVIEW***
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Journey to India (Exiled Dragons Book 7) Page 60
