“You can do that?”
Galena leered at her new shalla.
Lexi smiled. “Of course you can. Good to know. We might need to use that someday. Right now, we gotta go.” She wiggled her fingers more urgently.
“Is someone hurt?”
“No. Although, Eryx did tell me he thought he heard Ian speak to him telepathically.” She shook her head as though to get herself back on track. “But that’s beside the point. Eryx says it’s important.”
“He heard what?”
“Focus.” Lexi stooped, tugged Galena upright, and gathered her tools. “I’ll get these and you put your little baby plants wherever they need to go.”
Galena stilled Lexi with a grip at her shoulder. “After everything you’ve said to me, and all the encouragement to stand up for myself, you expect me to go hightailing it over there on a whim?”
Lexi’s mouth twitched and she brushed a dirt clump off the spade’s tip. “I’m pretty sure it’s not a whim.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She looked away and scowled. “I don’t think I’m supposed to say.”
“If you’re not—”
Lexi held up her hands. “Girl, don’t make this harder on me than it is. Remember that honeymoon thing? If you keep digging, my allotted marital bliss period will get the kibosh. Grill me later if you want, but for right now, let’s get this show on the road.”
Damn but she wished she had Lexi’s emotional radar detector. She dusted off her hands and grabbed the fragile seedlings. “Fine. I’ll get these put up and we’ll go.”
She stashed the tray in the mini greenhouse off to one side of the garden, and swept the tools from Lexi and into their rightful places with her mind. She brushed the dirt from her knees as she tottered for the door. “I’ll finish with these when I get back.”
Lexi didn’t budge.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Frowning, Lexi scrutinized Galena’s appearance. “Don’t you want to change first? I mean, the leggings look comfy and the black’s a good choice for dirt, but maybe something a little more…” She made a shooing gesture and wrinkled her nose. “I dunno. Clean and pretty?”
Galena stomped inside. The cottage’s shade wrapped her sun-warmed shoulders in a cool kiss. “If Eryx wants me he can deal with me as is.”
Lexi hurried past her, angling for the front door before Galena could get there. “Nope.” She leaned against the door, arms crossed. “I’m pretty sure we need a wardrobe change. Gotta trust me on this one.”
“Lexi, what’s going on?”
“Honestly?” Lexi screwed her mouth up in a quirky pucker. “I’m not a hundred percent sure. Let’s just say I have a hunch and you’ll thank me later.”
Galena let out a weary exhale. Praise the Great One, she needed a break. Three hours in the sun and soil wasn’t nearly enough to ground her, not with all the current weirdness in her life. “Fine.” She spun for her bedroom. “But if I end up changing for another lecture, you’ll be the first one with a laxative in their soup.”
She showered and changed quickly, Lexi jumping in and insisting on a sapphire velvet gown tucked near the back of her closet. The sleeves were long with ends that billowed out in a dramatic flair, and a broad platinum belt accented her hips before dipping in a sultry line at the center. “Kind of a bit much, don’t you think?”
Lexi smirked and jaunted out the bedroom door. “I think it’s perfect. Now, let’s get a move on.”
Jagger fell in behind them the minute they took to the air, Lexi’s somo a far more discreet shadow than Ludan’s brooding presence when it came to Eryx.
They landed at the main castle door and the guards on either side pulled the front doors wide.
“Lexi.” Galena hurried to catch up with her shalla’s long strides. “Lexi, wait. You can’t expect me to walk in there without telling me what’s going on.”
Lexi paused outside the closed receiving room. She checked Galena’s appearance, smoothing her hands along Galena’s fitted sleeves. “You look great. Just take long, slow breaths and you’ll be fine.” She opened the doors and strode toward the thrones at the far end of the room where Eryx waited, abandoning Galena at the entrance.
So much for answers.
Everyone remotely close to her or her family was there. Graylin, Orla, and Ludan on one side of the hall, Ramsay and Jillian on the other, and Eryx and Lexi on their thrones front and center. Jagger sauntered in behind her and stood beside Ramsay.
“What is this? Some kind of intervention?” She glared at Lexi, betrayal simmering under her skin.
Lexi smacked Eryx on the arm and frowned up at him. “Now would be a good time to talk. She’s one of the few female friends I have and she can slip me laxatives when I’m not looking.”
Eryx grinned and waved her forward. “Relax, Galena. A formal request has been made, one that required your presence. Old-school rules demand I honor the appeal for attendance.” He covered Lexi’s hand where it rested on the armrest. “What it’s about, I don’t yet know.” He nodded at Ludan who promptly ambled toward the entrance.
“You sure you don’t want to clue me in?” If Galena’s soft mental message startled Lexi, she didn’t show it.
“If I knew for sure, I’d be tempted.” She rolled her lips inward and snuck a peek at Eryx. “As it is, I’m afraid I might be reading it wrong.”
Footsteps sounded behind her, more than one tread.
Galena turned and her heart stuttered. She pressed the heel of her hand against her chest and rubbed. Like that might somehow force it back into its normal rhythm. “Reese.”
God, he looked good. She’d left him this morning in well-worn leather pants and little else, but now he was decked out in full court regalia. The leather pants were similar, yet of the finest quality and fitted to hug his thighs and grip-worthy butt. The drast wasn’t like the one Eryx’s warriors wore, but tinted to a pale yellow gold that accented the tawny streaks in his hair.
Loose. His hair was loose and everyone in her family was present. Puzzle pieces shifted and clicked into place, while panic shoved to the forefront of her mind. Surely he wasn’t here for her.
“You’ve got our attention, Reese.”
Galena spun to face Eryx just as he motioned Reese forward. “My sister doesn’t lose her temper often, but when she does it gets nasty.” One side of his mouth curled in a smile that said he remembered the lash of her earlier outburst all too well. “I suggest you share what’s on your mind before she passes go.”
* * * *
Reese fought for breath, air barely skimming past his tight throat. If he’d been nervous before, he was scared shitless now. Bad enough the room was big enough to fit the whole damned council. The cathedral ceiling reached at least three stories and was made of onyx planks that echoed Eryx’s deep voice around the room like an omniscient being.
Lots of people stood waiting. Some he knew, some he didn’t. Every one of them stared him down, Galena in particular. Even from twenty feet away he felt her pull. Her fiery hair was still braided and her sultry curves were hugged in bold blue velvet. Potential disaster or not, she was worth the risk he was about to take.
One breath at a time, step by step, he’d make it through this. He strode forward and pushed his shoulders back. The crimson rugs absorbed his footfalls, leaving only the blood roaring in his ears. If he could face the council and bare his deepest secrets, he could stand before Galena’s brothers and ask for what he wanted.
Ramsay shifted from one foot to the other at the bottom of the dais, either impatient or pissed off.
Galena followed his progress, smoothing the fabric along her hips.
Maybe this was too much. Too soon.
He kept walking.
Eryx stared him down, hard and impassive. The council garb of loose silk tank and pants would have made most men look soft, almost feminine. On him it was intimidating, and the crown only made
it worse.
Surely this was right. After watching Galena this morning, and the way she owned what burned between them, it had to be.
Fan-fucking-tastic words. Too bad they didn’t do something to slow the jackrabbit action behind his breastbone.
Reese kneeled at the four steps leading to the dais and lowered his head. “You honor me with your audience.”
A whisper drifted at his left. The rustle of the fabric issued from somewhere behind him.
“My father was the last to receive a request for private audience.” Eryx paused, still not giving Reese leave to stand. “Do you accept the price?”
Indebted service without question for the rest of his life might be too large a sum for some men, but for a chance to be with Galena, the cost was paltry. He opened his mouth.
“What price?” Galena moved at his right.
Reese started to lift his head, but caught himself before he could break protocol.
“The question wasn’t for you, Galena.” Eryx’s voice was all malran, harsh and commanding. “Answer the question, Reese.”
“Gladly,” Reese said.
Quiet settled on the room, the lack of sound having a unique amplification all its own.
“Rise.”
Reese lifted his head.
Eryx glared from his perch, his torso angled forward and ready to pounce. The malress sat calm beside him, her hand atop her mate’s on the armrest, and a gleam in her eye.
Eryx eased back in his chair and let out a slow, resigned breath. “Talk.”
Every word, every thought he’d rehearsed through the day, vanished.
From the corner of his eye, the malress tilted her head, considering. Or was it encouraging?
“I’ve found my mate,” he said before he could overanalyze any further.
Galena gasped behind him.
Someone outside his line of sight muttered. Probably Ramsay.
The malress beamed a powerful smile.
Eryx’s demeanor didn’t budge. “Indeed.” He glanced at Galena and scooped the malress’ hand into his, running his thumb along her knuckles in an absent back and forth swipe. “And?”
Reese swallowed, desperate to unhinge his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Of course the malran wouldn’t make this easy. If the roles were reversed and it was his sister waiting in the wings he wouldn’t either.
Every scrap of emotion he’d waded through the past many days surfaced as he spoke, leaving his voice grated. “Galena deserves the formality of this rite. I know you and your brother have no cause to trust me. I can only vow I’ve learned from my mistakes and demonstrate it’s true through my actions going forward. But I ask you to support whatever decision she makes and know, if she chooses a life with me, I will honor her life and her trust until The Great One takes me.”
Eryx stared him down. Even the affectionate stroke for his mate ceased. No one whispered. No one moved. If his mind hadn’t felt so paralyzed, his senses so tuned and ready for fight or flight, he’d have prayed. Even begged if that’s what it took to break the silence.
“You’ve got balls to come here.” Eryx’s voice rumbled through the quiet. Some of the tension in his frame eased. “Whether or not I like or agree with Galena’s decisions, my love and support is unconditional.” Eryx looked at Ramsay. “I think I’m safe in saying that goes for every person gathered in this room.” He squeezed the malress’ hand and nodded at Reese. “Make your request.”
* * * *
Galena tried to swallow. Praise the Great One, what she wouldn’t give for a time out. Just a handful of minutes she could freeze-frame long enough to catch her breath and untangle her thoughts. She’d been ready to face her family with her decision, and step into her feelings with Reese, but this?
Reese strode toward her, slow, but confident. He lowered his voice. “I told you I wouldn’t push. I know this flies in the face of that promise, and if you need more time, I’ll wait. But denying what I want from you is a falsehood I want no part in. I want it known, to you and to your family, my intent. My resolve.”
“You might want to take a nice long breath, girlfriend.” Lexi’s voice in Galena’s head might have had a playful irony, but her outward expression stayed locked in regal impassiveness. “You look like you’re ready to beat feet out the doors. I thought you wanted this.”
“I wanted to feel alive,” Galena answered, her throat closing in as sure as a hand curled around it. “To feel beautiful and cherished, even sexual. This is—”
“Huge. Mind- and life-altering.” If anyone knew what it was like to walk that emotional gauntlet, it would be Lexi.
Reese offered his hand.
Memories of the way Reese had touched her rushed to greet her, the rasp of his warm fingers against her skin and the scrape of his calloused palms as he swept them down her hips. The burned as fierce and vibrant as the moment they’d happened.
“Let me show you my heart,” he said. “Take my hand and come with me to face our futures as one.”
Galena’s mind zigzagged in all directions. Seconds trudged past like hours. If anyone would understand, maybe help her find a way to sidestep this issue and save Reese’s pride in the process it would be Lexi. “I’m not like you. I can’t jump in headfirst like you did with Eryx. I need time. Practice.” That last little bit trailed off, a lack of conviction even she couldn’t miss.
“Is that what you need? Or is that what you’re used to?” Compassion and challenge shone on Lexi’s face, not at all the sisters-in-arms Galena had hoped for. “Seems to me you’ve got a man who’s strong enough to let you set the pace, but willing to take you further than you yourself even know you can go.” Her gaze slid to Reese. “But then if being cherished and appreciated for who you are at your core for the rest of your life doesn’t appeal…”
Reese waited, hand outstretched. Tension radiated from him and his emerald eyes darkened with doubt. Slowly, his fingers curled inward to form a loose fist and he lowered his hand. “I understand.” His voice cracked and he coughed around it. “When you’re ready, I’ll come for you again.”
With two quick steps back, he faced Eryx and Lexi, and dropped to one knee, lowering his head. “My debt is yours, my Malran.” He rose without leave from Eryx and turned for the door, his head lifted strong and proud.
Ramsay took a hesitant step forward.
Orla and Graylin leveled worried stares at her from across the room.
He was leaving. A handful of steps away from the door, taking the air from her lungs with him. All because she couldn’t muster a tenth of the courage he’d shown in coming here. Let alone promising The Great One only knew what to her brother.
“Stop!” She threw the doors closed with a shove from her mind, scantly missing Reese in the process. Her shout’s echo hung above them.
Reese fisted his hands, still facing the door.
“Please, stop.” Her feet moved her forward, not a conscious action so much as an impulsive need. She took his hand, smoothing the tight grip between her own. “Ask me again.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Galena.” Eryx’s voice grumbled from his throne.
“Why the hell not?” Lexi said.
God, Galena loved her new shalla. “I don’t care how it’s supposed to work,” Galena said to Reese. There might be secret protocols and rituals, but this was between them. Between her and the man who’d faced so much in her honor. “I’m afraid, but not of you. Not of what’s between us. The emotions are just—”
“Staggering,” he answered.
She pressed a kiss to his palm. She closed her eyes and focused on the brush of his fingers against her cheek. “Ask me again.”
He pulled his hand free and let it fall to his side, his face pensive. When he stepped away, her heart lurched. “If my malran would allow—”
“He absolutely will allow.” Lexi leveled a killer smile at Eryx, one that promised all manner of indulgence if she got her way. She c
urled one hand around his arm and stroked his bicep with the other. “We’re total suckers for romance, right dear?”
Eryx ducked his head so only Lexi could see his face, and a flush spread across Lexi’s cheeks. Lifting his head, Eryx pegged Reese with a haggard look. “Ask.”
Reese offered his hand, a possessive glint in his eyes that kindled a slow burn across her own cheeks. “Two hearts with one future. Will you come with me?”
A future and a family. With Reese. Flutters rippled through her and her throat clogged so thick she could hardly breathe. She placed her hand in his. “Anywhere.”
Chapter 22
Reese tucked Galena tighter in the circle of his arms, the damp night cool around them as they flew. Stars and fat energy streams streaked overhead. Flowers and the crisp, clean bite of foliage scented the air. He’d been braced for disappointment. Had suffered an emotional anvil to the heart when Galena had failed to take his hand. But now, here he was, in a perfect moment surrounded by the quiet darkness of a newly fallen night.
He toyed with the metal bead holding Galena’s braid in place. Customarily she’d have worn it down had she expected him, but his choosing the most ancient of rituals, stating his desire and laying his request before her in front of her family, hadn’t allowed for her knowing. Not without risking Eryx’s denial of Reese’s petition.
“You’re quiet.” He brushed her ear with his lips. The lotus flower scent she favored clung to her hair and escaped wisps from her braid tickled his nose. “Regrets?”
“More confused than anything.” She glanced over her shoulder, startled. “With Eryx, not us.”
He couldn’t blame her. The malran left him just as confused, booting him from the castle one day, only to give his blessing a few days later. Though something told him the malress had served as his advocate. If ever he proved such was the case, he’d gladly offer his new queen whatever she asked. Galena was worth any effort. “Want to talk about it?”
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