“How much are you going to let Zahirris soak me for this time?” she asked snidely. Anan’s openly disparaging question caused several Council members to glare at the woman.
Milossa and the rest of the Council looked at each other, seeming to confer silently.
“Well now,” Lady Matthew Sorai commented as he sat back in his chair. “We had decided on only half of your current worth, distributed evenly, but perhaps your attitude needs a little adjusting.”
“The Council will deliberate for five minutes,” Milossa stated. They stood and fell into small groups that slowly interchanged. Shiloh walked over to Lucretia, who was stuck keeping a watchful eye on Anan.
“Why didn’t she keep her mouth shut?” Shiloh whispered, not wanting to interrupt the Council’s deliberations.
“Because some people are too stupid to live,” Lucretia answered as she leaned down to rub the ears of one of her new pups.
Keith shook his head, amazed at the woman’s apparent lack of common sense. “Wow, she keeps this up, and they’ll bankrupt her.” The others in the group nodded.
“The Council is tired of having to correct her behavior,” Lucretia said softly. “If this doesn’t teach her to behave reasonably within society, they will take far more extreme measures.”
Five minutes later, the Council members retook their seats.
“The suggestion is that since Mistress Nyirej seems displeased with losing only half of her financial worth, she shall be fined two-thirds instead. Is this acceptable to the entire Council?” Milossa asked, looking at her fellow Council members for confirmation. Every single one agreed, their gazes on Anan, as if daring her to say anything. “Very well. The total reparations will now be in the amount of two thirds of your worth, Anan. You will be escorted to the bank where you will have a cashier’s check made out for the appropriate amount. The check will then be delivered to my office this afternoon by you and your escort. Any attempt to avoid full, honest payment will mean you lose the lot. Is this understood?”
“It is.” Rage flowed off Anan to such a degree that Shiloh had to repress a shiver.
“You may sit until we are done with our business. Then Lady Lucretia and Lady Ertrai will accompany you to your bank.”
Milossa turned back to Shiloh, clearly dismissing the woman and anything to do with her. “Lord Shiloh Zahirris, the Council has deliberated on certain needs of your Clan since you were last before us. We have come to a decision.
“Your Clan requires an Artris. The few remaining eligible females finally asked the Council to choose a new Artris, the best thing, I suppose, since it appears that none of them believe your Clan is worth risking life or limb to care for it.” Milossa shot a glance toward a group of three females that sat with the rest of his tiny Clan. They gave angry, arrogant looks back. But Shiloh agreed with Milossa. If any of them had been willing to accept the risk of being Artris, and not just sought the privilege of it, they would have stepped up by now. “It has been decided that you are best suited to that position.” Milossa’s calm statement was met with nods from the Council.
Disbelieving, Shiloh stared at her for a moment, swaying on his feet. He locked his knees to keep from falling on his ass in front of everyone. “Why me?”
His question was echoed by outraged exclamations by his kinswomen.
“Because you are willing to learn, and willing to work, both of which will be needed. You are willing to make difficult decisions for the sake of others, even when those decisions are not in your best interest. This has been demonstrated already by your short tenure at your estate. None of your cousins have all of these qualities. You do. As of this day, you are Lady Zahirris, Artris of your Clan, with all privileges, rights, and responsibilities. While the Council are aware you have a male gender preference, it does not preclude you from attempting to have children. As long as your heir is genetically yours, it doesn’t matter how you manage it.” She grinned with wicked glee. “At least your options these days are less distasteful than they used to be. All of your children, and grandchildren, will retain the Zahirris name after marriage regardless of gender.”
“You were asked to choose between us!” one woman protested, standing up. Her name was Gaili, if Shiloh recalled correctly.
“Each of you have had ample time to claim your Clan’s Matriarchy, Mistress Gaili,” Milossa answered sharply.
“In fact,” Kelia added, “when I came to you, Ruth, and then Orlie, to seek someone to speak on Lord Shiloh’s behalf, as any female in his Clan could have, each of you stated it was not your problem to deal with. You chose asking the Council to decide for your Clan, not out of concern for the well-being of family members who might be distressed by infighting, but because none of you were willing to work for it, or fight for it.”
“In more plain terms, you didn’t choose this course out of civility and to help preserve the few remaining members of your Clan, but out of sheer laziness,” Richard, Lady Jonai concluded with disgust.
“But you forgot that when the Council is asked to decide succession, the Council is obliged to look at the remaining members of the ruling bloodline of a Clan first, even if all that remains is male. Lord Ewan cannot be considered due to his ill-health. That leaves Lord Shiloh,” Milossa said.
Shiloh blinked, too stunned to think for a moment. “What of my Senka?”
“You will need to take charge of your father’s inheritance and see to his needs. The properties will remain in his name. He is not to be deprived of his inheritance. However, we are agreed he doesn’t have the wherewithal to manage it. This task will be yours. We recognize you are untrained for this task, so you will be given all appropriate help,” Milossa told him. “Lucretia has volunteered her services to enable you to visit each property easily and quickly. Regent Lady Larrestes and Lady Dana Xeltrai have offered their assistance in teaching you to manage your new responsibilities. Fortunately none of the other Zahirris clan properties have suffered as your birthright has, so you should have little trouble with them. Whatever their failings as kinswomen, they are not poor managers of your Clan’s properties, and we do recommend that you retain them in their current positions.”
“We will discuss your father’s condition privately, Lady Zahirris,” Kelia told him. “I will visit Ewan with you today so that you can be assured of his well-being and the necessity of this step.”
“Tomorrow, there will be a feast in your honor to celebrate your becoming Artris.” And with that, Milossa called the meeting to an end.
Shiloh was stunned by everything, and Killian had to help support him as several of his new fellows surrounded him.
Chapter 15
The following night, Shiloh found himself in the midst of an island party he wasn’t of a mood to enjoy. The Tii-su felt Ewan had suffered a breakdown and, when added to his lifelong depression, this meant he simply could not manage things for himself. Along with the fact that he blamed his son for pretty much everything that had gone wrong in his life, his bitterness and dislike had crystallized into an intense hatred of his son. The Tii-su were unsure if they would be able to help him out of that. Apparently he’d fixated on his hatred of his son to the point that he had begun to allow the clan properties to suffer, which was why Shiloh had been given the handling of Ewan’s estate.
The confrontation with Ewan directly after the Council meeting had been angry and painful. Milossa, Kelia, and Killian had accompanied him, for which he was grateful. Ewan’s accusations about Shiloh’s taking everything away from him, including his home, were painful but helped prove to Shiloh the necessity of both his guardianship and his father’s treatment. The irrational male refused to leave the Zahirris house, but Shiloh was willing to tacitly cede it to him, much to Milossa’s approval. At Kelia’s suggestion, Ewan was confined to the clan residence on Rimalia. If he wished to leave Zahirris House, he could not just go to another clan property and take up residence without Shiloh’s permission. Shiloh didn’t want his father sneaking away elsewhere and
wreaking havoc. Plus, it would ensure the man received the treatment he needed.
Milossa had turned over the reparations check, which ended up being for a little over two million dollars, later that same afternoon. The sizable amount meant each of them—including Lorretta, since she, too, had been affected by Anan—would receive roughly twelve grand in US dollars.
Last night, when everyone else in the Larrestes House had gone to bed—including those who had come with Shiloh—Killian had quietly led Shiloh to his bedroom and held him close while they talked. Then, and only then, Shiloh had his own mental breakdown, crying over all of it: his father’s rejection and hatred; having to work so hard to pretend everything was okay when he felt isolated in the first place; and the knowledge that as Artris, that isolation would get worse.
Killian’s heart ached, knowing his bubbly Sprite was slowly being destroyed by his circumstances. The carefree, happy person who’d worked so hard to come back out after Anan’s and Ewan’s behavior, was slowly disappearing again.
Killian asked Shiloh to call upon Celie again, and Shiloh promised he would, not wanting to fall into the depression that had so consumed him the first few weeks he’d known Killian. Then Killian had tucked him under the covers, and held him close, calming him, kissing him every time Shiloh awoke from nightmares.
Pretty much everyone on the island had watched Anan’s punishment this morning. She had been given one hundred lashes, delivered—as was custom—by a woman drawn by lot from the crowd. Then the Tii-su came and took her away for treatment of her wounds. Shiloh had found it difficult to watch, but he did it. What stunned him more than the violence of her punishment was the level of animosity the crowd held for her. Sanctuary was sacrosanct, if one was stupid enough to break it, one paid a very high price indeed, since it existed to protect all in need of it, no matter rank or position.
Now there was a big party going on, and all he wanted to do was go home with Killian and for them to lock themselves in Killian’s bedroom, never to come out. He didn’t want the party and he didn’t want to be Artris. Shiloh understood that becoming Artris was an honor; he was honored so many of the Council thought so highly of him. On the other hand, he didn’t want the responsibility. He just wanted to make a home for himself on his own little estate and live his life out in peace, hopefully with Killian.
Jaden unsteadily walked up to Shiloh where he sat on the outskirts of the party, looking shell-shocked. Shiloh shook off his self-pity and grabbed the boy, drawing him into his lap, and hugging him.
“What’s the matter, Jaden?” he asked softly, as he grabbed a young male who paused by them, looking shocked by the emotions Jaden broadcast, and ordered him to get Killian and Araminta. The young male nodded and hurried off. Shiloh was horrified by the level of pain and despair he felt coming off Jaden. What could possibly have happened?
The people around them began to quiet as they became aware of Jaden’s anguish, offering silent support while Shiloh projected calming, loving thoughts.
Jaden buried his head in Shiloh’s neck, crying, and he cuddled Jaden close, rubbing his back and making soothing noises. “Shh, little one, it’ll be okay…”
Jaden just shook his head and cried harder.
Killian finally made his way through the crowd, followed closely by Araminta, who already had tears running down her face in reaction to Jaden’s distress. She joined her brother in Shiloh’s lap, wrapping herself around the still sobbing boy.
Killian knelt in front of them all, caging the children, since Shiloh’s lap wasn’t really big enough for both. “What’s the matter, Jaden?” Killian asked softly.
“He found his Miisen tonight, and he rejected Jaden,” Araminta answered fearfully.
“Oh, Deity,” both men breathed, staring at each other. Shiloh winced as he heard Killian call for Kelia, psionically screaming for the woman. The crowd, which had drawn close, moved back, instinctively making space just before Kelia, Lucretia, and a few other Sennrojai and Tii-su appeared in their midst. With Killian’s nod of permission, Kelia touched Jaden gently, seeing everything that happened.
Shiloh studied the crowd watching them; it wasn’t prurient interest, it was genuine concern, but still, perhaps it was best to go somewhere private. Lucretia seemed to agree with his thought and the next thing he knew, he was sitting on the couch in Killian’s den.
Finally Jaden spoke, his voice listless. “He said we weren’t lifemates, that I was sick and twisted to say something like that. He said he didn’t ever want to see me again, to stay away from him.”
“Who was it, love?” Killian asked gently. He still held all three of them. Lucretia and Kelia sat nearby broadcasting a sense of support and acceptance. Rejecting a Miisen bond like that could have serious consequences, including driving both mates insane. Jaden hadn’t fought it, but his mate was apparently trying to.
“Jimmy Masrei, from Shiloh’s estate,” Jaden said, hiccupping softly.
“Deity help that boy.” Shiloh knew the male; his parents were tenants. Jimmy was a good, decent young man, at fifteen, but he’d been raised to hate a great many things normally accepted by Rimalians. He did not have his majority, however, because of serious developmental issues that amounted to mild retardation. His parents were the worst kind of evangelicals, the fanatical kind that gave the good, decent ones a bad name. There had actually been requests from several tenants to kick the elder Masrei off the estate, but Shiloh hadn’t had time to figure out how to do that and also help Jimmy who, being unmarried and not considered an adult, would have to go with them if they left.
Kelia looked at Lucretia, who nodded; Shiloh assumed they’d spoken psionically.
Suddenly, Jimmy appeared in the room. Kelia caught him when he would have bolted, holding him gently but firmly. “Oh no, boy, we need to sort this out.”
“He isn’t my Miisen, no way, no how,” Jimmy said, tears streaking his face. He flinched as Jaden cried out in pain at those words.
Jaden’s agony at the rejection knifed through Shiloh, so strong they all flinched. The emotion even overwhelmed Shiloh’s painstakingly maintained shields. He felt someone else shield him, for which he was grateful. This could turn into a disaster.
“Jimmy, why do you say that?” Kelia asked carefully. He struggled in her hold, but she restrained him easily.
“H-he’s a m-male, my Lady,” he answered softly, stuttering in his distress. Jimmy’s gaze seemed drawn to Jaden, who hid in the sheltering arms of his siblings and Shiloh, his whole body shaking. “Ma says she’s found a good woman for me to marry.”
Surprised, Shiloh raised an eyebrow; this was the first he’d heard of a betrothal. As the owner of the estate, Shiloh should have been informed of any coming marriage, since he would either have to provide the new couple with lodgings or find a new tenant to replace Jimmy.
Lucretia stepped over to Jimmy and tipped his chin up, so he had to look in her eyes. “Gender has nothing to do with lifemates, James. Nor does having a Miisen prevent you from marrying another. Have you not been taught this?”
“Ma said that the girl she’s marrying me to is my Miisen. That she’ll make sure I stay on the right path, since I’m too stupid…” Jimmy wasn’t struggling in Kelia’s hold anymore; he just stood there, a defeated slant to his shoulders.
Shiloh sighed. This was why he hadn’t evicted Cheryl and Arnold Masrei yet. He’d hoped to alter the boy’s low opinion of himself with the help of several others on the estate. The Masrei were tenants Anan had brought onto the estate four months before Shiloh asked for Sanctuary, and because Ewan had said she could do what she wanted, Shiloh and the others were kind of stuck with them. It wasn’t that they were bad workers, because they weren’t, but they preached near constantly about how pretty much everything, up to and maybe including breathing, was a mortal sin. Being told they were going to burn in hell because they didn’t fear God’s wrath enough was galling for people who believed in a loving, permissive Deity.
The adults
looked at each other. How the hell were they going to solve this?
Jimmy flinched again as Jaden still sobbed hysterically. Shiloh and Killian weren’t really that sensitive unless they touched someone, but some things were too powerful not to be aware of. They, along with the two Sennrojai, could feel Jimmy’s struggle between everything he’d been taught and the fact he could feel Jaden’s pain, and newborn self-hatred at knowing he was the cause of it.
Jimmy broke free and reached for Jaden. The others moved enough to let him, but Jaden recoiled this time, trying to hide behind Shiloh, Killian, and Araminta.
Jimmy fell to his knees, hanging his head. “Please, Jaden?” he begged softly.
“No, you’ll hurt me…” Jaden drew himself up into a ball. They could feel him psionically retreat within himself as well, trying to make himself numb to protect himself against such unbearable pain.
Kelia psionically grabbed Jaden, not allowing him to withdraw too far into his own mind. Oh, no, Jaden. You can’t break the bond unless you’re willing to kill the both of you. I know you hurt so much you want nothing more than to die, but do you want James’ death?
Jaden wailed and screamed both vocally and psionically, as Jimmy screamed with him. Kelia and Lucretia held onto both of them as more Tii-su entered. They too, joined in, preventing Jaden’s incoherent wish to die from coming to pass. The two lifemates were slowly moved to the center of the group, with Shiloh, Killian, and Araminta holding them, the Tii-su surrounding the small family. Killian and Shiloh refused to let go of either Jaden or Jimmy, both talking to them, repeating over and over that this could be worked out, that they didn’t have to face this alone.
Gradually the psionic storm quieted, Jaden no longer seeking death to alleviate the pain of Jimmy’s rejection, along with Jimmy’s guilt, fear, and confusion calming enough for his own death wish to fade. Jaden still wouldn’t allow Jimmy to touch him, though, and Jimmy didn’t try very hard, clearly feeling he deserved to be rejected, in turn. And Jimmy had withdrawn within himself, although not as far as Jaden had tried to go.
Killian Page 13
