Consort (Beyond Ontariese 6) (25 page)

“
I hadn’t thought of that.
Does that mean you don’t want to do this again until after we’re
married?” She laughed and joy rolled through him.

“
No, it means I want to
arrange the ceremony as soon as possible.”

“
You’ll get no argument
from me.”

He ran his hands up and down her back
as she snuggled against his chest. “Drakkin said you’re the keeper
of my soul.”

She raised her head from his shoulder
and looked at him. “What does that mean and why would he know what
I am when we were still working things out the last time you saw
him?”

“
Who can explain how
Drakkin knows anything. I stopped trying to figure him out a long
time ago. Anyway, soul keeping is a practice that was abandoned
centuries ago and even then I was never convinced it actually
happened.”

“
But what would it mean if
I was the keeper of your soul?”

“
When warriors were about
to go into battle, they would spend the last few hours in the arms
of the one they loved. If they were fortunate enough to share the
same sort of bond we just formed, the warrior would pour his soul
into the body of his life mate. This was supposed to make him
ferocious and fearless during the battle because all of his
tenderness and restraint was at home with his wife.”

“
What happened if the
warrior was killed during the battle?”

“
His body would die, but
his soul would live on within the body of his life
mate.”

Her brows drew together and she
pressed her teeth into her lower lip. “The wife would be stuck with
her disembodied husband nagging away in the back of her mind? That
doesn’t sound very romantic.”

Indric laughed, finding her candid
reaction delightfully refreshing. “As I said, I never believed it
was a literal practice, more like a myth or fable. I met a woman
once who claimed she carried the soul of her fallen mate. According
to her, she didn’t hear his voice or specific thoughts, but she
said she could sense his love and encouragement whenever she was
lonely or sad.”

“
Now that’s sweet.” She
wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Do you think
Drakkin is right? Do you trust me enough to let me be the keeper of
your soul?”

“
I do.”

“
And I would be honored to
keep your soul safe as you rode into battle. Still, I’m glad you’re
a king, not a warrior.” She smiled then grew still. “The link is
anchored, isn’t it? I can feel it even now.”

“
It’s still really fragile,
but I think it will hold.”

“
Is there a way we can
reinforce it?”

It was his turn to grin. “The more we
use the connection, the stronger it grows.” He clasped her to his
chest and folded his legs beneath him then carefully laid her back
across the bed. “Use the link to show me which you like better.
This.” He pulled nearly out then thrust in fast and hard several
times. “Or this?” He moved with long, slow strokes, emphasizing
every millimeter of their joining.

She wrapped her legs around his
waist and mischief twinkled in her eyes. “Now, what was the first
choice again?
”

Cinarra stood between Indric and
Krysta in the lavish ballroom at Hotel Frontine. Charlotte stood on
a small platform at one end of the oblong room, Tal beside her.
Both looked particularly dashing in their evening
finery.

The chairman of the Ontarian Joint
Council raised his glass and said, “To High Queen Charlotte, the
most relentless negotiator I have ever had the privilege to know.
May your next twenty years be as productive as your
last.”

The crowd erupted in happy cheers and
Charlotte paused to kiss her life mate before taking a sip from her
glass.

“
I don’t think she’s ever
looked more beautiful,” Krysta said once the den from the toast
subsided.

“
Or happier.” Raising her
glass to her lips as tears swam in her eyes, Cinarra was still
struggling to accept that all this was real. The last time she’d
been in the same physical vicinity as this many people she knew and
loved, they had been standing on the shores of rainbow falls,
deciding how to protect Seth, or rather Betaul. Until he was fully
trained and able to make his own decisions, he would remain
Betaul.

“
Are you all right?” Indric
slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close against his
side. “You look a little spooked.”

“
Overwhelmed, yes. But how
could I be frightened with you by my side?”

He kissed her cheek and squeezed her
gently. “Dance with me.”

He had a habit of issuing directives
rather than asking questions, but she wouldn’t be as attracted to
him if he were any less assertive. She took his outstretched hand
and he led her out onto the dance floor.

Her disappointment at waking up alone
had been immediately softened when she found the gift he’d left for
her. A midnight-blue ball gown overlaid with silver lace. She’d
never seen anything so exquisite in her life. The card he’d tucked
inside the massive box told her that he would see her at the ball
and confessed that Terez had helped him pick out the
gown.

“
You look absolutely
amazing.” He swept her into a swirling series of turns that left
her breathless. Then he leaned down and whispered, “What are you
wearing under the gown?”

She laughed, unable to contain her
joy. After decades of fear and degradation, loneliness and
compromise, her life was falling into place. “If you’re very good
tonight, I’ll show you.”

“
Show me now and I promise
I’ll be
very
good
tonight.” His throaty tone took her playfulness and made it sound
sexy. Cinarra smiled at Trey as he spun past with Krysta, and
Indric pulled her closer. “Have I lost your interest
already?”

She smacked his thick upper arm. “Are
you really that insecure?”

“
You know I trust you
implicitly.” All playfulness faded from his tone and his
expression. “But Bilarrians are very possessive.”

“
I’m not your possession;
I’m your fiancée.” He acknowledged the distinction with a nod, so
she softened her attitude. “But I will never give you a reason to
doubt me.”

He bent and kissed her, a brief tender
brushing of lips that promised far more to come once the party was
over. “How long do we have to stay?” He whispered the question
against her lips right before he raised his head.

She laughed. “We’ve been here less
than an hour. They haven’t even opened the buffet rooms
yet.”

“
If you’re hungry, I’ll be
glad to feed you.”

She ignored the double entendre and
smiled. “We can’t leave until I’ve had a chance to catch up with
Saebin and Lyrik, Drakkin and Aria, and Charlotte and
Tal.”

“
You just spent the better
part of a week with Charlotte and Tal,” he objected. “The others I
will allow.”

“
You’ll ‘allow’?” She
rocked to the balls of her feet so she could reach his ear. “This
is a ballroom, not a bedroom. I’ll speak with whomever I
choose.”

He inclined his head, though his gaze
smoldered. “An unfortunate choice of words.”

The song ended and they wove their way
through the crowd, Cinarra stopping to chat as she encountered
people she knew. She spotted Aria, resplendent in a lavender ball
gown. “Aria.” She gave Drakkin’s mate a firm hug, then stepped back
to admire her shimmering gown. “You look lovely. I’m surprised
Drakkin let you out of his sight.”

“
I’m not sure what he’s
doing. He’s being very secretive tonight.”

“
Tonight?” Cinarra laughed.
“Is he ever not secretive?”

“
Yes. He still tries from
time to time.” Her smile was gentle and her eyes perfectly matched
the color of her dress. “But he knows better than to try and keep
secrets from me.”

“
Have you seen Saebin?
Charlotte told me she was coming.”

Aria looked around for a moment before
she said, “She’s here. I saw her earlier. She’s wearing an ice-blue
gown. I hardly recognized her without her armor.”

Another couple drew Aria’s attention,
so Cinarra continued across the room.

“
Is that her?” Indric
pointed to a slender woman in a pale blue gown.

“
Could be. Her hair’s the
right color.”

Overlord Lyrik, unmistakable in his
dress uniform, moved up beside the elegant blonde, confirming her
identification.

Indric spoke with the overlord as
Cinarra chatted with her daughter. As with Krysta and Charlotte,
Cinarra had spent endless hours communicating telepathically with
Saebin, but this was the first time they’d been in the same room in
many years.

“
Are you enjoying the
party?” Cinarra asked.

Saebin rolled her eyes. “This dress is
uncomfortable, the room is a logistical nightmare, and Lyrik made
me leave my weapons at home. I’d rather be sparing.”

Cinarra laughed. Saebin was a warrior
to the marrow of her bones. “Well, you look amazing.”

“
I feel naked.” She nodded
toward Indric. “Why is he so antsy? He hasn’t stopped scanning the
crowd since you arrived.”

“
I’m not sure. He keeps
telling me nothing’s wrong, but he’s definitely on
edge.”

“
There’s E’Lanna and Echo.”
Saebin pointed to Charlotte’s twin daughters who were causing quite
a stir in their matching gowns.

“
Oh they look so
beautiful.” Cinarra tapped Indric on the arm and said, “I’m going
to go say hello to the twins.”

“
Go on. I’ll join you in a
moment.”

Before she could ask where he was
going or what was bothering him, he headed for the tables set up at
the opposite end of the ballroom. Annoyed yet worried, Cinarra made
her way to her nieces and hugged each one in turn. They had been on
the Day Moon participating in a self-defense class, or so Charlotte
claimed, during Cinarra’s visit, so this was a special
treat.

“
Do you dress alike so no
one can tell you apart when you misbehave?”

“
We dress alike because
Mother begs us to and thinks it’s adorable, even though we aren’t
children anymore and find it rather demeaning.”

Not sure if her feisty niece would
appreciate the humor, Cinarra fought back a laugh. But the
outspoken comment alleviated the need for guesswork. This was
definitely Echo. “Well, I think you look lovely.”

“
Thank you, Aunt Cinarra.”
E’Lanna said when Echo just rolled her eyes.

Cinarra moved aside as the twins were
surrounded by a throng of admirers. E’Lanna basked in the attention
while Echo kept eyeing the nearest exit. She hadn’t spent much time
with the twins, but Charlotte had warned her that their appearance
was the only thing about them that was similar. Their personalities
and temperaments were nearly opposite.

It only took a few minutes of watching
the spectacle for Cinarra to grow restless. She looked around,
starting her visual search in the direction Indric had departed. He
was nowhere near the tables, but she spotted him by one of the
doorways leading into the hotel lobby. He was talking with Ametto
and looked none too happy with what the guard was telling
him.

She wove her way through the crush,
but Indric saw her coming and ended the conversation. Ametto
slipped out the door. What the hell was going on?

“
What’s the matter?” she
asked before Indric could plaster on a false smile. “I saw you
talking to Ametto. Are you looking for someone?”

“
I thought I saw Eagin
earlier, but I haven’t been able to find him again.” He looked
beyond her, clearly upset by the possibility.

“
He’s your half-brother.
Can’t you sense him?” Tension knotted her belly. Would Eagin be so
bold as to make trouble in such a public place?

“
Our connection has always
been weak and he’s been blocking me ever since Father’s death. With
this many people all crowded into one space, it’s nearly impossible
to tell if he’s here or not.”

“
You said something about
setting a trap for Ametto’s employer. Is that still going to
happen?” He’d also told her that the less she knew about it the
easier it would be to pull off, but this only required a yes-or-no
answer.

“
I’m not sure. Ametto was
told that nothing was happening tonight, but he doesn’t believe
her. He’s been watching for her, but he can’t cover all the doors
at once. He’s afraid she’s on to him and is feeding him false
information.”

“
And his daughter is still
in her control?” He nodded. “So we have to be ready for
anything?”

“
Basically.”

“
Maybe we should just go.
I’ve spoken with everyone I was hoping to see anyway.”

Tension radiated from him with every
move, every gesture, yet he said, “No. I refuse to let this ruin
our evening. I know you’ve really been looking forward to this.
Let’s dance again. I promise I’ll let it go.”