9. Annani
ANNANI
A nnani did not give Navuh the satisfaction of a backward glance. She walked out of the clinic with her spine straight and her face composed, and she did not let the mask slip even though he had managed to rattle her.
Kian fell into step with her. "You know he is full of shit, right?"
"I do, but I would appreciate it if you did not use that kind of language with me."
"Oh, Mother. I'm allowed from time to time, especially when it is so apt."
She could not stifle the smile. "It is apt, I have to admit.
He was bluffing. He has no idea what state Khiann was in, but that does not change the fact that neither do we, and I am worried.
I just want him to arrive at the village and for Bridget to open his case and confirm that he is alive. That all of them are."
She would not know which of the chests contained Khiann until the resurrection was well underway.
At least she had gotten to enjoy the satisfaction of watching Navuh's face when Kian had told him that from now on Areana was going to take care of him.
The truth was that it surprised Annani that Navuh had taken this tidbit harder than the news confirming the loss of his leverage and the serious blows the clan had dealt to his island.
He was such a selfish and prideful male.
He could not stomach his mate tending to his private needs and sharing in all the indignities his broken body demanded.
If it were anyone other than Navuh, Annani would have been moved. She would have understood and tried to find a more dignified solution, but this was the least of what he deserved, and Areana would not mind once she felt confident in her new duties.
There should be no shame between truelove mates, not about basic things like bodily functions.
If it were Khiann, and Annani had been entrusted with his care, she would have done it with love no matter how undignified he thought it was.
"You seem pleased," Kian said. "Was the gloating satisfying?"
"It was," Annani admitted. "It is beneath me, but I am pleased nonetheless. He is a vile male who has inflicted unimaginable suffering on countless people, not just on me, so I am entitled to feel gratification at seeing him squirm."
"Indeed. Are we going back to Areana?"
"Of course."
"We don't have to. The Guardians can take care of everything."
They reached the elevator, and as Magnus summoned it, the doors opened immediately. It seemed that no one had called it during the time they were in the clinic.
"I want to speak with Areana again," Annani said as she entered the cabin. "She seemed a little flabbergasted when we left her. I may savor Navuh's reaction, but I do not want my sister to feel as if we are throwing her to the wolves."
Kian chuckled. "Just one wolf. Her despicable mate."
That vile male had held Khiann for five thousand years, making her suffer needlessly. Perhaps he had learned something after all. Perhaps he had been curious and had peeked inside those chests, and the fact that he had not bothered to look again meant that they had perished?
It would be so like Navuh to keep corpses as bargaining chips. He did not need Khiann to be alive in stasis. He only needed her to believe he was, and she did.
"Mother." Kian placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do not let him get to you."
"I am trying."
The elevator reached the penthouse level, and as they filed out, Kian stopped and turned to her. "What's going on in your head?"
Annani remained quiet for a moment, and then she decided that she could not keep it bottled up inside her or she would explode.
"If you were in Navuh's shoes, you would have checked the contents of the chests.
I know I would have, even if I did not care about those inside.
Curiosity alone would have made me look, and if I considered them an asset, I would have wanted to verify that the asset remained in good condition.
Navuh must have checked the chests from time to time, and if he did not, it means that there was no reason for him to do so because he knew they were dead. "
"You shouldn't take anything he said to heart because all he wanted to do was hurt you."
"I know." She let out a breath. "Do you think he looked inside the chests to check that they were still alive?"
"I'm pretty sure he would have done that after pulling them out of the flooded harem.
He would have been worried about the water getting in and activating the resurrection process.
He would have checked, verified that they were still alive, and then buried them again.
Think about it. He buried them in an enclosure that had climate controls perfectly calibrated to preserve bodies in stasis and sand to prevent moisture from getting inside the chests.
Do you think he would have gone to all that trouble if he thought he was storing dead skeletons? "
Kian's argument held merit, and it eased her mind somewhat, but not completely. The seed of doubt Navuh had planted was still there. Nothing could remove it until she had confirmation from Bridget that all five males were still alive.
"I know you are right," she said. "I believe you are right."
"But?"
"But he held Khiann for five thousand years, and I cannot be certain of what he knew or what he did. That was his objective. To plant a seed of doubt and have it take root. I do not think I can get rid of it until Khiann opens his eyes."
Kian reached out and took her hand. "Whatever Navuh knew or did not know, he's going to pay for toying with your emotions.
I thought of the dungeon apartment as a temporary solution, but now I'm not in a rush to find him and Areana better accommodations, especially since you want to leave her the use of the penthouse.
He can rot in that dungeon till the end of time as far as I'm concerned. "