Chapter 5
In the luxury of the east wing, the cold, ancient bones of the fortress seemed a world away.
Here, warmth reigned.
An enormous bed of dark wood dominated the room, its frame carved with ancestral symbols and its posts wrapped in silken drapes that shimmered like liquid gold. Yet nothing in the room compared to her.
Leena sat beside the hearth with one hand resting gently upon the curve of her swollen belly, the firelight painting her skin in soft amber. With the prophecy-laced pregnancy at full term, she looked almost ethereal.
The child within her was the clan’s hope. The promised heir. The future.
Her dark hair spilled over one shoulder in a cascade of soft waves, and her eyes held the kind of quiet strength capable of silencing rooms. Sule stood across from her, half in shadow, watching.
She still took his breath away.
Even now.
Especially now.
Leena traced slow, soothing circles over the curve of her belly, a soft smile playing upon her lips. She had not asked for this destiny, but in Sule, she had found something she had not even known she needed: love, safety, and a bond deeper than prophecy.
The firelight danced across her features, illuminating the quiet power in her eyes and the calm that steadied a fortress built upon blood.
Sule moved closer, unable to ignore the weight gathering inside his chest. He knelt beside her and rested one hand atop hers, both of them cradling the life growing within her—their child, their legacy.
His thumb moved in slow, reverent circles across her taut skin, pausing when a faint kick stirred beneath his palm.
It grounded him and reminded him what all of this was for.
“You are well, my love?” he asked, his voice low and reserved, carrying the softness he used only for her.
Leena’s eyes met his, warm despite the weariness tugging at their corners.
“Just tired,” she murmured. “He’s been kicking all day. I think he’s as eager to meet you as you are to meet him.”
Sule chuckled, the deep sound settling into her bones. “Eager is good. He’ll need that fire when he’s born.”
His fingers continued tracing calm circles over her stomach, but beneath the tenderness, his mind churned with thoughts of Rhen, the female, and the blood bond threatening the delicate balance they had all fought to protect.
He exhaled sharply and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. His thumb lingered against her jaw, a grounding touch amid the storm building inside him.
“Leena…”
His voice changed, and she felt it immediately. Her smile faltered.
“What is it?” she asked, straightening with quiet instinct as her hand moved protectively over her belly.
Sule hesitated for only a moment before speaking with the weight of a male carrying an entire kingdom.
“Rhen turned a human tonight,” he said. “He brought her here broken and bleeding from a wreck. He believes she was cloaked with magic and that the entire thing was a setup. He brought the bait here.”
Leena’s eyes widened with shock before softening with something deeper.
She knew Rhen—not merely the blade or the storm, but the male beneath them both.
“Rhen wouldn’t have done it without reason,” she said, her voice even but filled with conviction. “You know him. He’s loyal to you, to the clan, and to me. If he gave her his blood, there is more to it.”
Sule’s jaw tightened. “He didn’t think, Leena. He acted on impulse. It was reckless and dangerous. We’ve worked too hard to keep this place safe for you and the baby, and now there is a stranger in our home, tied to a bond we cannot control. I can’t simply overlook that.”
Leena shook her head slowly, sadness flickering through her expression, but never weakness.
“I won’t believe he did it without reason,” she said quietly. “Rhen hides behind rage and violence, but he feels more than he allows anyone to see. If he turned her, something inside him must have shifted. Perhaps it is something he isn’t ready to face.”
Sule stared at her for a long moment before reluctantly looking away and dragging one hand through his hair.
He hated how often she was right.
“Still, he’s a fucking idiot,” Sule muttered, his voice low. “But you’re right. Rhen’s loyalty runs deeper than his damned pride.”
Leena’s lips curved into a soft smile as she threaded her fingers through his.
Sule’s expression softened when he looked at her, and he squeezed her hand gently.
Her heart held more compassion than he could ever express, extending even to those who made themselves difficult to love.
In moments such as this, Sule was reminded of how fortunate he was.
“I’ll spend eternity trying to deserve you,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “But I’m damn glad you’re mine.”
Leena’s eyes shimmered as she leaned closer and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.
“We’re in this together, Sule. You, me, the baby…and Rhen. He’ll find his way.”
Sule nodded, although tension remained tightly coiled within his chest. Wrapping one arm around her, he drew her against him and spread his hand protectively over her belly.
“I trust him,” he said quietly, the words sharpened by caution. “But if anyone, Rhen included, puts you or our child at risk, I’ll end them.”
Leena smiled faintly and rested her head against his shoulder.
“I know. That’s why you’re king.”
Sule pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, anchoring them within the moment as the full weight of leadership, legacy, and blood settled over his shoulders once more. Rhen’s recklessness, the prophecy, and the fractures spreading beneath the clan’s surface all hung in the balance.
For now, however, she was safe.
That was enough.
Leena shifted in her chair with a soft grunt, pressing one hand to the small of her back. The weight of the child settled heavily against her spine, and with a wince, she braced herself before rising slowly.
Pain lanced through her belly, sharp and sudden. She stilled and inhaled tightly through her teeth.
Sule was beside her in an instant, his hands bracing her arms with steady certainty.
“Leena?” he murmured, concern flooding his voice. “You should be resting.”
Leena offered him a defiant smile despite the discomfort.
“Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed.” She dismissed the pain with a small wave of her hand. “Please, Sule, don’t start fussing. I’m fine. It’s only the baby—nothing I haven’t already felt this week.”
His hand remained against her back, his thumb drawing circles along her spine, but his gaze stayed fixed upon her face, the deep furrow between his brows carved by worry.
“You’re too stubborn for your own good, woman,” he muttered, although there was nothing but love in his tone.
“You worry too much,” she replied warmly.
She reached up and brushed her thumb gently over his lower lip before her attention shifted toward the door. Her posture changed, becoming resolute.
“I need to speak to Rhen.”
Sule’s expression hardened as the king within him rose immediately to the surface.
“You are not going near that room alone. The female is transitioning, the tether is unstable, and heretic magic is inside the wards.”
“You know Rhen would never hurt me.”
“That is not the point.” Sule’s voice dropped. “I trust him with your life. I do not trust what is happening inside him, and I sure as hell do not trust whatever magic followed that female through our gates.”
Leena held his gaze.
“Then walk me there.”
His brow lowered. “And stay.”
“No.”
The word was gentle but absolute.
Sule’s jaw tightened.
“Leena—”
“I need to speak to him alone.”
“He is volatile.”
“He is always volatile.”
“This is different.”
“I know.” She moved closer and placed her palm over his heart. “That is precisely why I need you to leave us alone. If you stand over his shoulder as king, he will hear an interrogation. If Dax or Cole enters, he will hear a challenge. He may actually speak to me.”
Sule looked down at her, frustration and fear sharpening every line of his face.
“You cannot make this safe merely because you are not afraid of him.”
“I’m not trying to make it safe. I’m trying to stop him from turning the tether into another weapon he can use against himself.”
His expression remained unyielding.
Leena softened her voice.
“Escort me to the door. Speak to Mary and make certain Veya is stable enough for me to enter. Then go to the council meeting before the others tear one another apart.”
“You expect me to leave you in there with him?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“You know he will not harm me.”
“That does not mean I have to like it.”
“You rarely like it when I’m right.”
A reluctant breath escaped him, although it carried no amusement.
Leena rose onto her toes and kissed him softly.
“I will send for you if anything changes.”
“If she wakes—”
“I leave.”
“If the magic shifts—”
“I leave.”
“If Rhen loses control—”
“He won’t.”
Sule’s eyes narrowed.
Leena amended, “And if he does, I leave.”
He stared at her for a long moment before offering his arm.
“I’ll take you to the door.”
“That was the plan.”
“And I decide whether it is safe enough for you to enter.”
Leena’s mouth curved faintly.
“You may decide whatever you like.”
“Woman.”
She slipped her hand through the crook of his arm.
Together, they left the warmth of their private chamber and entered the colder corridors beyond the inner wards.
Every instinct in Sule urged him to turn her around and lock the doors behind them, but Leena was her own woman—strong-willed, resilient, and fearless.
It was one of the many reasons he loved her, even when that fearlessness led them directly toward the Charon’s door.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered.
“Not tonight,” Leena replied. “Tonight, you’re escorting me.”