Chapter 17 Areana #2
She hated it when he talked about the breeding program like a manufacturing facility, ignoring the fact that his so-called producers were dormant women who were being whored out against their will.
At least now Navuh wasn't pairing them with the abusive brutes he used to bring to the island to father his immortal army.
Recently, he'd been bringing in scientists and experts in various fields in the hopes of producing smarter soldiers.
There were enough perverts among those, she was sure of that, but she still hoped the Dormants were having a slightly easier job servicing these kinds of men.
"The Brotherhood will be unstoppable," Navuh continued. "Enhanced soldiers with all the benefits of increased strength and shared tactical awareness, but with none of the instability that plagued Zhao's subjects. The possibilities of what I can do with them are endless."
Areana nodded, making appropriate sounds of agreement while her mind spun. An army of enhanced warriors would be devastating.
Navuh's world would be one of soldiers and subjugation. No one would be free.
Talking him out of it wasn't happening, though. She'd tried, multiple times, during the creation of the first batch, and she'd hoped that after the rebellion he would finally abandon the project, but she should have known better.
Navuh didn't give up easily. In fact, he never gave up.
"You're quiet." Navuh refilled his teacup. "Does the enhancement program still trouble you?"
"I worry about the cost," she said carefully. "Zhao's experiments resulted in so many dead immortals and the loss of good soldiers, and the rebellion nearly destroyed the island. I'm afraid that Petrov's better and more obedient version will turn out worse and more difficult to control."
"If that happens, we'll learn from that failure too." Navuh's tone was matter-of-fact, as if discussing crop yields. "Progress requires sacrifice, my love. You know this."
She did know it. She'd watched him make those calculations for five thousand years, weighing costs and benefits without a shred of emotion.
Sometimes she could moderate his choices, convince him to show mercy when that mercy didn't cost him anything or didn't serve his long-term interests.
But other times, all she could do was be a witness to his cruelty and live with it.
Like now.
All she could do was save some and be content with that.
In about two hours, she would call Annani and ask for her help extracting Tula, Tony, Tamira, and Elias. Four people out of the thousands Navuh ruled.
It was such a small rebellion, such a tiny act of defiance.
But it was all she could do, and even that would cost her more than she could bear.
"You look troubled again." Navuh set down his teacup. "I can feel it, Areana. What are you hiding from me?"
The truelove mate bond pulsed between them, that ineffable connection that linked their souls.
He was right.
She couldn't hide her emotional state from him entirely, only mask the specifics. She needed to give him something true, something that would satisfy his concern without revealing the real source of her stress and anxiety.
"I've been thinking about the ladies," she said, which was true enough. "Particularly Tula. She's been out of sorts lately. She's nervous, withdrawn, and she's not sleeping well. I think she was traumatized more than she's admitting."
Mentioning Tula was a calculated risk, but if Navuh's men were to report anything suspicious about Tula's behavior, Areana would have established a narrative. Tula was troubled. Tula needed special attention. Nothing to investigate, just a woman dealing with trauma.
Navuh frowned. "I thought Tamira was the one who was most scared among the ladies. Tula acted like her usual fierce self."
Areana nodded. "Delayed response, I suppose. Some people freeze while others fight but then recover quickly. Others fight while suppressing their fear, only to fall apart later."
"Would you like me to bring a therapist to the harem?" he asked.
And sentence another human to a life of bondage? No way.
"That won't be necessary. The ladies and I have weathered many storms. We will help each other weather this one as well."
"Perhaps another beach excursion will lift her spirits. You said they all enjoyed that very much and wanted more visits." Navuh's concern was genuine, if paternalistic. He didn't love the harem ladies, but he valued them as possessions worth maintaining.
"That would be nice, thank you."
Navuh studied her for a long moment, and Areana held his gaze steadily. Let him see her concern for Tula, her desire to help. Both were absolutely true, even if he would see the help she planned as betrayal.
"You have such a tender heart," he said finally, reaching across to clasp her hand. "It's one of the things I love most about you. You care for everyone under your protection, even when they don't deserve it."
"They're my responsibility," Areana said. "And you've given me the authority to manage the harem as I see fit. I take that trust seriously."
"I know you do." He raised her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "You're the only one I trust completely. The only one who's never betrayed me, never schemed against me. You're my anchor, Areana. The one stable constant in my life."
The words were like a knife to her heart.
Guilt crashed over her in waves so powerful she nearly gasped.
Her mate, the one she'd chosen and who'd chosen her, declaring his absolute faith in her loyalty to him, and in a couple of hours, she would shatter that faith by arranging the escape of four people from his island.
"I love you," she said. "Never doubt that my heart belongs to you."
He smiled, that rare unguarded smile he showed only to her. "And I love you, my sweet, beautiful goddess."
He tilted her face up, studying her with that penetrating gaze that seemed to see straight through to her soul, and for a terrifying moment, she thought he knew. Thought he could read her intentions written in her eyes.
Then he kissed her, deep and possessive, claiming her as his. When he pulled back, his expression was soft again.
"I'll see you at dinner," he said.
Areana watched him dress, transforming from her lover into the warlord, with his hair brushed back and his expression hardened into the mask he wore for everyone except her.
This was Lord Navuh, master of the island, head of the Brotherhood. Ruthless, calculating, feared.
And she loved him anyway, Fates help her.