Chapter 15 #3
Then the Sánge Prime held out his hand to his left, just beyond Lothas’s line of sight, and the golden-gloved hand of a woman settled gently into it.
The woman he drew to his side drew a collective gasp from all five Yesu.
That she wasn’t Sánge was instantly obvious from her porcelain-perfect skin.
Lothas was the most traveled of all of his people, his position taking him far and wide on behalf of King Derrik, and though he found them to be unique and even exotic, he rarely found women beyond his own species to be beautiful.
He supposed this woman was the exception, because she could easily have been Yesu with her familiar coloring.
She was small and delicate, a tad too thin perhaps for his tastes.
However, she was still quite dazzling in a high-waisted gown that seemed to be made of pure gold.
It gleamed and sparkled as its skirts swished around her hips and ankles, a graceful, short train of gold lace trailing behind her.
He appreciated her intricately dressed hair, its deep red color unique.
She wore a simple circlet of gold wire in her hair, possibly a mark of her station.
The Prima of Jeth. She looked every inch the queen she was, and there was a moment when Prime and Prima’s gazes met, a long heartbeat of obvious bonding and devotion snapping between them, and then they moved forward into the parlor.
“Pretentious, murdering slut!”
The exclamation shattered the moment into millions of terrible pieces, and even as Lothas turned in fury to address Knar’s horrifying outburst, he noticed in his peripheral vision that Prime Reule drew his bride close to his side in protection, almost as though he’d expected this unruly behavior.
Lothas reached out in just enough time to slam a hand open-palmed into the chest of the wildly advancing Middle King, halting him in his tracks as he tried, of all things, to lunge for the Prima.
Even if Lothas hadn’t stopped him, Knar never would have made it.
Out of nowhere, two sturdy-looking Sánge, one light-haired and one dark, stood between their leaders and the contingent of guests.
“Lothas, you fool! Don’t you see? That’s her! Posing as a queen, for the love of the gods! You murderess bitch! You’ll pay for what you’ve done!”
“Knar! Shut up!”
Lothas’s bellow right in Knar’s face had the Middle King drawing back sharply at last. “How dare you speak to me in such a way! You’re here at Derrik’s command and for my benefit. This is your duty! You were sent to bring my son’s murderer to justice, and there she stands!”
Knar swung a meaty finger up to point in the Prima’s direction. It drew Lothas’s attention to the royal couple just in time to see the threatening storm of fury building in the Prime’s narrowed eyes. Feeling the situation rapidly declining out of all control, Lothas turned furiously on Knar.
“I think it would be wise for you to recall that we’re guests in this keep.
That our men are separated in the city. That we’re here strictly by the good graces of the man who stands holding the woman you’re insulting!
Look in their eyes, Knar,” he said through gritted teeth, “and tell me how long you think we’ll live if you keep up this tactic. ”
Knar did as instructed and swallowed visibly in apprehension as he took in the united front of the Sánge warriors, who had increased by two once again.
One was the guard from the gate, a hard, callused man with eyes dark enough to be pure ebony; the other a sleek, streamlined fellow who had the glint of a killer in his eyes and hid deceptive power in a lanky frame.
Lothas shoved Knar back hard, letting the other bewildered men catch him and keep him on his feet.
The warrior was barely shy of committing an act of treason and beating the Middle King idiot to a pulp.
He couldn’t care less if the man fell on his ass.
Lothas quickly turned to his hosts and their contingent of protectors, holding his hands palms out well above his waist and the dagger situated there.
“It seems, Prime Reule, that we have either a misunderstanding or a terrible coincidence. I’m not inclined to solve the issue with violence, and pray you’re not either. ”
“You, I believe,” Reule noted, his voice barely outside of a growl as he contained his anger impressively well.
Had their roles been reversed, Lothas didn’t think he’d be so fair to a group entering his home and calling his wife a whore and killer.
“This one, however”—Reule pointed back to Knar as rudely as he’d pointed to the Prima—“I’d sooner serve up to the asylum for midmeal than trust.”
Lothas frowned. He’d heard the Sánge were literally a bloodthirsty species, but hearing these words from the ruler himself gave him a chill.
“I can see how you’d feel that way. Knar has acted rashly, with insult and lack of finesse, but in all fairness I must ask the Prima if she is indeed the woman we search for.
She has the coloring of my people and it seems odd … ”
“What is her name?”
The men fell silent as the lone woman in the room finally spoke up. She held herself with proud posture and sophistication, chin level to the floor, head high and confident, and she spoke with a soft, modulated tone.
And with the accent of the Yesu.
She was addressing her accuser, stepping a little farther forward before her mate stopped her with a hard hand clamped on her waist. She was a brave little thing, but it was wise for the Prime to restrain her protectively, although he was fairly certain Knar would do nothing to harm her when they were so obviously surrounded by her allies.
“What’s the name of this girl you seek?” she demanded again.
Knar looked as if he wanted to lunge at her, at the very least spit in her face, rather than respond to her request.
“Sylva,” he hissed at last, “and you well know it!”
“Sylva,” she whispered, her hand reaching down to her waist where her husband’s hand lay. She clutched his fingers tellingly. She was afraid, but Lothas couldn’t tell whether her fear came from guilt or the accusation itself.
“Gentlemen,” the Prime of Jeth said, stepping in front of his wife in an aggressive stance.
“I’ve arranged for a banquet to welcome you.
I believe this is a matter best discussed over bread and wine.
With civility and decorum,” Reule stressed harshly.
It was clear he would tolerate no more slander against his mate.
Especially not at his table as he hosted them.
“You’re a fair and generous man, Prime Reule,” Lothas said graciously, inclining his head. “I’m certain this is a matter easily cleared up with intelligent conversation and deduction.”
“Very good. My attendant Drago will see you to your rooms on the topmost floor of the keep. You’ll understand if I restrict you to that floor until we’ve had a chance to settle this matter at dinner.
” It wasn’t a question, merely a notification.
Again, Lothas didn’t blame him. The Prime gestured to the dignified man who had admitted them earlier.
“Drago, see their every comfort is attended. Come, my beloved,” Prime Reule said in a significantly softened tone as he lifted her hand to his lips in affection.
The kiss was warm, lasting a heartbeat longer than necessary, and it was so intimate that the Second Commander knew without a doubt this was no act.
The woman was the Prime’s in every sense of the word.
That cherished kiss told it all, both carnal and heartbound, and Lothas knew he was going to have a fight on his hands.
Unfortunately, he suspected Reule was going to be more reasonable than Knar would ever be, so it wasn’t the Sánge Prime he was worried about.