Chapter 17 Areana
AREANA
Navuh was already awake beside Areana, his dark eyes studying her face with that intensity that still, even after five thousand years, made her breath catch.
"Good morning, my love," he murmured, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Good morning." She leaned into his touch, letting herself savor this moment of peace before everything between them changed.
Because it would change.
Today, she would set in motion events that might destroy the trust between them and damage their bond irreparably. He would still love her, the bond ensured that he had no choice, but he would scorn her, resent her, distance himself from her, and she couldn't bear the thought of that.
But she had no choice.
Navuh's fingers traced the line of her jaw, and she saw the softness in his expression that he showed to no one else. This was the man she'd chosen, the one the Fates had bound her to. Not the warlord who ruled with an iron fist, not the immortal who inspired terror in his enemies, but her mate.
Her Navuh.
The man whose trust in her would shatter when he discovered her betrayal. Her heart ached for him. She was his island of tranquility, the only person in the world he trusted, the only person in the world who loved him for who he was and not what he could do for her.
It was physically painful for her to do anything that would hurt him, but some things couldn't be avoided, some loyalties could not be ignored, even for the love of her life.
She had to help Tula.
"You're troubled." He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. "What's on your mind?"
Areana's pulse quickened, but she kept her expression serene. Five thousand years of practice and immunity to compulsion made lying to Navuh possible, though never easy. "Just another restless night with strange dreams that had my heart racing."
"About?"
"Nothing coherent. You know how dreams are—fragments that make no sense when you try to explain them." She smiled and pressed a kiss to his palm. "I'm fine. I just need some tea and breakfast to wake up and shake off the last vestiges of that dream."
He studied her for another moment, and she wondered if he could sense her deception.
Truelove mates could read each other in ways that transcended words, especially those who had been together for so long.
He could pick up on the subtlest shifts in her emotions and energy.
But Areana had learned long ago that truths and lies formed a complicated tapestry that even she sometimes couldn't untangle.
"Then come." Navuh rose from the bed, magnificent in his nakedness, and held out his hand. "Let's have breakfast on the balcony."
Areana arched a brow. "In the nude?"
That got a laugh out of him. "No, not in the nude. Your ladies and the servants would be scandalized to see us in all of our naked glory."
She took his hand, allowing him to pull her up, and wrapped herself in a pink silk robe while he donned loose silk pajama pants, black of course, with silver embroidery that she'd stitched herself.
Areana loved seeing him wearing the items she'd embroidered. He was proud to wear her handiwork as if he were wearing her mark, and she loved him for it.
The balcony overlooked the interior courtyard of the harem, located on the second level and bordering her ladies' suites.
Navuh hadn't spared any expense when creating the illusion of being above ground, including the artificial sky overhead, but without the heat and humidity of the tropical island.
He'd done it all for her, and it was perfect, but it was still a very comfortable, very thoughtfully executed cage.
She loaded a tray with what the servants had served on their regular breakfast table while they slept. Fresh fruit, warm bread, soft cheeses, olives, honey, and tea. Navuh's preferences ran toward simple food in the mornings, and Areana had long ago adopted his tastes.
She carried the tray to the balcony and poured tea for both of them.
"The restoration is progressing well." Navuh accepted his cup and sat on his chair.
He gestured toward the courtyard below, where workers were assembling materials next to the fountain.
It had sustained minor damage during the earthquake that had preceded the flooding, and Navuh insisted on renovating the fountain even though the hairline cracks were barely visible to immortal eyes.
"The fountain is fine, Navuh. You should have left it alone."
He shook his head. "Water is insidious. Those tiny cracks would have eventually widened, and then the repairs needed would have been much more extensive." He smiled and reached for her hand. "I prefer to nip trouble in the bud before it has a chance to flourish."
"That's because you are wise, my love." Areana selected a piece of melon, though she had no appetite. "The constant construction noise is annoying, and it's coming from all over the island. The ladies have been patient, but I know they'll be relieved when it finally stops."
"Have there been complaints?"
She shrugged. "Not really. They know it's necessary."
Navuh nodded. "They should thank the Fates for the staff's quick response. It could have been much worse."
As the spiritual leader of the Brotherhood, it was strange to hear Navuh invoke the Fates, but he only did that when he was with her. With his warriors he invoked Mortdh, his father, the powerful god whom they all worshiped and whom he had hated with every fiber of his being.
"The Fates were merciful." Areana covered their conjoined hands with her other one. "You also acted quickly. They are thankful to you."
The truth was more complicated. Navuh had ordered the doors sealed, which would have trapped anyone still below to drown.
It was Elias who'd saved the servants and children, making heroic runs into the flooding structure while water rose around him.
But praising Navuh's actions was reflexive for her now, a habit born of experience.
The better he felt about himself and his so-called good deeds, the easier it was for her to temper his cruelty.
"The enhancement program is back on track," Navuh said, changing subjects with the abruptness that characterized most of their conversations. His mind was always working, almost feverish. "Petrov's suggested modifications to Zhao's formula are promising."
Areana's stomach tightened. The enhanced soldiers were an abomination, their minds fractured and merged into something that resembled the mind of an ant colony, or a beehive. They'd lost what little humanity they'd possessed to begin with.
She hadn't seen them, but it was enough to hear Navuh's description to imagine what they looked like. Zombies, like in the movies, with vacant eyes and cruel expressions.
"Do you like Doctor Petrov?" she asked, to keep him talking.
Navuh loved talking about his projects as long as he believed she wouldn't be too horrified by what he did. She knew he was keeping most of it from her.
He chuckled. "The man is as mad as a hatter, but brilliant.
" Navuh took a bite of bread with honey.
"He drinks vodka like water and talks to himself in Russian, thinking that no one can understand him, but his approach to consciousness as a quantum field is revolutionary.
If he succeeds in creating stable enhancements, I'll have an army unlike anything the world has ever seen. "
Areana set her teacup down carefully. "Do stable enhancements mean the current soldiers can be rehabilitated?"
"No." Navuh's expression was cold now. Her mate was gone, and in his place, the warlord sat across from her on the balcony.
"Those remaining from the previous experiment are beyond saving.
Their neural pathways have been irreparably altered.
I'm also bringing back to the island those who have been stationed abroad so Petrov will have a larger group to study and understand exactly what went wrong so he can prevent it in the next batch. "
"Next batch." The words tasted like bile.
"I know you don't like the idea of them after what they did, but I assure you that the next group will not have the same flaws.
They will be easy to control and incapable of acting independently.
My orders will be followed to the letter.
I told Petrov that those are the overriding factors.
If he can't do that, he shouldn't bother with creating more of them. "
Areana nodded. "Good. That alleviates most of my concerns. I hated the idea of monsters roaming the island and posing a threat to the people I love."
The predatory smile he rewarded her with stirred something feminine inside of her that was overriding all of her concerns and urging her to drag him back to bed. "I hope you count me among those people you love."
"You are number one." She rose and leaned over the table to plant a kiss on his lips. "Always and forever." She hoped he would remember her words when she betrayed him.
And just like that, her arousal was gone, and anxiety churned in her stomach once again.
"That's good to know," Navuh said.
Areana sat back down and picked another piece of melon. "When will the mad doctor know if he can do that?"
"Petrov estimates four months for a working prototype," Navuh said.
"If everything works the way I want, full-scale production can start immediately after that.
The training will, of course, take longer.
" Navuh's expression grew distant. "It took eighteen months to get the current batch to operational level, and many died in the process.
I hope we don't have as many casualties this time around.
These immortal warriors are not easy to produce at scale. "