Consort (Beyond Ontariese 6) (19 page)

“
And who has your
daughter?”

Ametto passed his hand over his bald
scalp and shook his head. “I’d rather not say, Sire. She will sense
that I’ve betrayed her.”

It might work to his advantage to
leave Ametto’s cover in place, so he allowed the evasion—for now.
“Do you know where the child is being held?”

A cruel smile parted Ametto’s lips.
“This wouldn’t be a problem if I did.”

Good point. “Is this woman working for
Eagin or are they partners in this?”

“
I’m not sure. She doesn’t
trust him, but they seem to be working toward similar
goals.”

“
The throne of San Adrin?”
Ametto didn’t respond and Indric didn’t push him. Enough had been
revealed for Indric to have a pretty good idea of what he was
facing. He hadn’t doubted Eagin’s involvement. In fact, he would
have been floored if his half-brother hadn’t been involved. And
there were only a handful of women with enough power to attract
Eagin’s notice. “I will figure out who the woman is on my own, but
I expect you to keep me informed of any new
developments.”

“
Of course, Sire.” He
released one last shuddering breath then squared his shoulders. “I
was supposed to kill Fahdeal. My tormentor will not be happy, but
she will have no choice but to accept the outcome. If I fail her
again, she will use my daughter to punish me.”

“
Then I suppose we’ll have
to kill Fahdeal, so she’ll have no reason to doubt your
loyalty.”

“
Sire?”

He seemed genuinely shocked and
Indric laughed. “I have a few more options than the average man. If
you had trusted me from the beginning, your daughter would likely
be in your arms right now
.”

Indric walked into his private dining
room later that night and Cinarra’s heart lodged in her throat. He
hadn’t changed his clothes since she’d seen him on the rooftop,
which was a pretty good indicator that the rest of his day had been
as hectic as the morning.

“
You look exhausted,” she
hadn’t meant to speak the thought, but she wasn’t sure what else to
say.

His gaze swept over her bare shoulders
and the dipping neckline that seemed unavoidable with Bilarrian
fashions. “And you look…tasty.” He seemed to struggle for the
perfect word. “Did Krysta make it to the spaceport without
incident?”

Well, that depended if he considered
Betaul joining her on the trip to Ontariese an incident or not.
Indric obviously needed some time to decompress, so she decided to
postpone the revelation until a bit later in the meal. “I really
enjoyed seeing her. Thanks for arranging the visit. It was
sweet.”

Rather than reply, he made an
impatient sound and told the servers to begin. The first course had
been cleared before either of them spoke again. He attacked each
dish with surprising aggression, wielding his fork like a miniature
spear. He had no reason to be angry with her, unless he’d found out
about Betaul, but he still seemed reluctant to speak.

“
One of my stylists
mentioned a trade agreement with the Rodytes. Is that what has you
so distracted?”

“
You really want to hear
about a trade agreement that’s being negotiated on my
behalf?”

Wow, he really was in a mood. Then she
realized the question hadn’t been sarcastic. He really was
surprised by her interest. “Yes. I’d love to hear about your day.
Unless it’s the last thing you want to think about, of course. Then
you can explain cometball tournament rules to me. My stylists were
chattering about that as well.”

He paused for a long sip of wine then
began to relax as he recounted the various events of his afternoon.
“Huko, the Rodyte ambassador, is being needlessly
difficult.”

“
Isn’t that his job?” She
smiled, hoping to further lighten his mood.

“
It is, but he enjoys it
just a little too much.”

“
And this young
administrator,” she paused as she struggled to remember his
name.

“
Bakar,” Indric
supplied.

“
Would it make more sense
to replace him with someone who’s dealt with Rodytes
before?”

“
No. Bakar is smart and
tenacious. I have confidence that he’ll pull this off.”

“
Then why are you still
worrying about it?”

A smile teased the corners of his
mouth and he pushed his plate aside. “Damn good question.” One of
the servers hurried away with the empty plate and Indric crooked
his finger. “Come here.”

She quickly washed down her last bite
with a drink of wine then rounded the table and stood at his side.
He scooted back from the table and pulled her onto his lap, burying
his face in her neck. “My days never seemed so long before, but now
I know you’re waiting for me.”

Leaning close to his ear, she
whispered, “Ever heard of a nooner?”

He chuckled and kissed his way up her
neck to nip her earlobe. “Minx.” After a quick yet thorough kiss,
he sat back in his chair and said, “Betaul was right. Ametto was
responsible for the attack.”

She was so shocked by his casual
statement that she had to look away. “I didn’t think you believed
him.”

“
I didn’t, but he planted
the seed of doubt and everything that happened in the dungeon
reinforced Betaul’s claim.”

“
You have a dungeon?” It
was a ridiculous evasion, but she had no idea how to tell him what
she’d done without infuriating him. He hadn’t blown her off. He’d
been understandably skeptical, but took Betaul’s claim into
consideration as he questioned Fahdeal. Shit!

Apparently her antics didn’t fool him.
He turned her face back around and asked, “What’s the matter? I
thought this would please you.”

“
It does, but…”

“
But what? Ametto knows
he’s caught and he’s agreed to help draw the others
out.”

“
Others? There is more than
one person involved?” More pointless questions. She was such a
coward. She just needed to tell him.

He cupped her chin and tilted her head
back, staring deep into her eyes. “You’re white as a sheet. What’s
the matter?”

“
I didn’t think you were
taking the threat seriously so I…” He remained silent, but his gaze
demanded a full explanation. “I let Krysta take Betaul to Ontariese
with her.”

“
Betaul is on his way to
Ontariese right now?” he sounded more disbelieving than angry. Was
that a good sign? “Where is Prince Dravon?”

“
Lord Drakkin took him
home.”

His fingers dug into her waist as he
lifted her off his lap and set her on her feet. He pushed back his
chair and stood. Each movement was precise and restrained. She’d
never seen him so close to losing control.

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t
realize—”

He cut her off with an infuriated
snarl. “You didn’t trust me to protect those in my care. Worse, you
made me look incompetent in the eyes of my mentor.”

“
That wasn’t my intention.
I was just trying to protect Betaul.”

“
As was I.” Without another
word he flashed out of sight, leaving her alone in the dining
room.

* * * * *

Indric felt himself losing control and
flashed to his bedroom. The last thing he wanted was to frighten
Cinarra. He’d fought too hard, brought her along gradually so she’d
accept him as a man before he revealed the power available to a
Bilarrian king. She might have lived on this planet for the past
nine season cycles, but she had only a rudimentary understanding of
Bilarrian ways.

Wind whipped around his body, tossing
about the contents of his room like a miniature tornado. Fueled by
his emotions, the storm spun faster. He channeled his anger and
frustration into the swirling currents and lightning arched from
his fingertips. The blinding pulses zigzagged through the room and
danced along every metal surface, sizzling with energy. Rather than
resisting the storm’s raw power, he embraced it, encouraged it to
flow through him and invigorate him. The San Adrin honored Air and
he was the physical manifestation of San Adrin’s internal spirit,
the mortal vessel through which Air flowed.

And Cinarra didn’t trust
him.

A crack of thunder punctuated the
realization and Indric closed his eyes. Calm. He must find balance
within the storm. He pictured Cinarra’s lovely face, the warmth of
her silver-blue eyes. He absorbed the energy and focused on the
tenderness and joy he’d known since she entered his life. She was
brave and noble, protective and fierce whenever she felt Betaul was
threatened.

The storm began to abate as his
thoughts overshadowed his emotions. Betaul had been attacked
because of Indric’s half-brother, with the assistance of people he
had handpicked for Betaul’s protection. And then Cinarra had been
the target of a similar attack on the rooftop of his palace. Was
her mistrust really so surprising?

He drew the final churning wisps back
into his body, allowing the crackling energy to soothe him.
Cinarra’s doubt might be understandable, but they could not build a
future without trust. And he wanted a long and happy future with
Cinarra.

Which meant she had to learn to trust
him.

As if summoned by his troubled
thoughts, someone tapped on his bedroom door. He knew it was her,
felt the hunger in his body escalate in response to her nearness.
He released controlled bursts of Air and returned his room to
order. He didn’t want her thinking he’d thrown a temper tantrum,
even if that was more or less what had happened. Once the room was
restored, he straightened his tunic and released the lock with a
mental command. He paused for another moment to make sure his
expression was calm and then pulled the door open.

Her dress was simple by Bilarrian
standards, but it suited her. The rich blue material created an
intriguing contrast to her pale gold hair and light blue eyes.
Keeping her on the other side of the doorway, he let his gaze bore
into hers. “Do you understand my frustration?” He wasn’t willing to
soften his attitude tonight. They needed to be able to work through
disagreements not just want each other enough to pretend the
conflict didn’t exist.

“
Of course I understand,
but do you see why I did what I did?”

“
Yes.” He grasped the frame
with both hands, spanning the doorway. “You don’t trust me.” She
sighed, the fullness of her breasts swelling farther into view for
one tantalizing moment. He was chastising her. How could he allow
himself to be distracted by her cleavage? Didn’t he have more
control over his lust than that? He pulled his gaze back to her
face and stubbornly kept it there.

“
You didn’t give me any
indication that you’d taken Betaul’s warning seriously.”

“
Did I make it clear that
I’d heard him?”

“
Yes, but—”

“
Then I took him seriously.
I take everything I hear, see or sense seriously. Too many people
depend on me to approach life any other way.” He lowered his arms
but didn’t budge from the doorway.

“
As long as Ametto had
access to Betaul, I wasn’t comfortable with the
arrangement.”

“
And, of course, you told
me this, gave me the opportunity to make adjustments or at least
allay your fears.”

Regret sparked in her wide blue eyes
before she smoothed her expression and glanced away. “I didn’t and
that wasn’t fair.”

No matter how hard he tried, he
couldn’t stay angry with her. The urge to pull her into his arms
and reassure her was almost overwhelming. Her life had been sadness
and loss, degradation and rage. He didn’t want to waste one moment
of their future entertaining anger or pride.

He touched her arm and waited until
she looked at him again. “Twice now Ametto was present when someone
I love was attacked. I had every intention of reassigning him even
before I compelled him to confess. Contrary to what you obviously
believe, I do take your safety seriously.”

“
You compelled him to
confess?” Her brows drew together and a shiver shook her bare
shoulders.

Lowering his arm, he tried to keep the
irritation out of his voice. “It seemed more humane than
torture.”

She crossed her arms, rubbing her
hands up and down. “I’m sure what you did was necessary, but I
don’t have to like it.”

“
Very true.” She’d been on
the receiving end of coercion and pain. It was doubtful she’d ever
be comfortable with the darker side of life.

“
What did Ametto tell
you?”

“
Fahdeal, the guard from
the rooftop, was working for Eagin. Fahdeal disabled a section of
the security shield so Eagin’s thug could move into position.
Ametto found the shooter and took care of him, but Ametto also
wanted to expose Fahdeal as a traitor. There was no concrete
evidence, so he compelled Fahdeal to attack you. You were never in
any real danger. Ametto would have stopped him before he reached
you.”

“
Does Ametto often ‘take
care’ of problems for you?”