Chapter 13 #2
“Pleased to meet you.” I held out my hand for him to shake.
Instead, he took it and turned my knuckles up to him.
A strange feeling went through me as his lips brushed them—my first physical contact with my father in my entire life.
He seemed to pause for a moment, and my breath caught.
Did he notice the resemblance? Did he suspect, as Isana did?
“Your fingers are calloused,” he said, releasing my hand as he straightened. “Much like someone who wields weapons on a regular basis. I think I remember reading that you are an enforcer?”
“I am,” I said, straightening my shoulders. I would not be ashamed that my fingers weren’t manicured and that my hands were not butter soft. I’d earned my calluses, and I wore them with pride the way a human might wear scars. “Seven years now.”
“That sounds like a thrilling profession.” Haman said.
He held my gaze a moment longer, a thoughtful expression in his eyes, then turned back to Iannis.
“I wanted to congratulate you not just on your engagement, but also on becoming Chief Mage of Canalo. I remember Solantha well from my time there, nearly thirty years ago.”
Iannis and Haman launched into a conversation about Solantha, the Federation, and general politics, and I forced myself to stand there, smiling and nodding politely, and acting as though I hadn’t just met my father for the first time.
How the hell could Iannis be so calm and unruffled, knowing who this man was?
Luckily, Haman didn’t notice the resemblance between us, either because he couldn’t look past my shifter features, or because he was thick-headed.
Judging by the intelligence in his eyes, and the acumen with which he discussed various topics with Iannis, I suspected the former.
“Darling,” I said after a while, placing my hand on Iannis’s shoulder. “I’m starting to get a little tired. I think I’m going to find somewhere to sit and rest for a bit.”
“Of course.” Iannis squeezed my hand, understanding in his eyes. “I will come find you as soon as I am done here.”
I bid Haman a good evening, then slipped through the crowd, away from his too-curious gaze.
My skin prickled, and I didn’t relax until I’d made my way into a secluded corner of the room.
I snagged a glass of water and a small plate of refreshments, then made myself comfortable on one of the small couches in the corner and ate.
The food, plus the lack of stares my way, finally calmed me down, and I settled back against the cushions, content to wait here in relative privacy.
“Miss Baine.” I nearly dropped my glass at the sound of a female, Castalian-accented voice to my left. Schooling my expression, I turned to see Isana standing a few feet away, a hesitant smile on her face. “I hoped I might run into you here.”
“Miss ar’Rhea.” Reluctantly, I stood to greet her, and offered her my hand. “I received your letter not very long ago.”
“Oh, good. I was wondering if it had made its way to you before you embarked on your journey to Garai.” Isana shook my hand, then settled onto the couch next to me.
She wore beautiful green robes embroidered with pink-and-gold flowers.
They flattered her curvy figure, which resembled my own, though not quite as fleshed out yet as she was still a teenager.
“Have you given much thought to what I wrote?”
“No,” I lied, thankful that she did not have my shifter nose. “I’m afraid I can’t figure out how we might be related. I didn’t know my father very well, but I am almost certain he was Northian.”
“I see,” Isana said with a smile, but I could tell that she didn’t really believe me. “It is curious though, that the resemblance between us is so strong.”
“Yes, well, we could share a very distant ancestor,” I suggested, doing my best to play it off even though I was well aware of how much we looked alike. “After all, we all share common ancestors from hundreds of thousands of years back, don’t we?”
“That’s true,” Isana said dubiously. Nope, she definitely didn’t believe me, and the mixture of curiosity and fear I scented from her left me with a bad feeling.
Would she tell her father about her suspicions?
Had she done so already? Disappointment surged in my chest, and I fought to keep the emotion from showing on my features.
From her letter, Isana had sounded like a sister I might enjoy knowing, but now that we’d met, I wasn’t so certain of that anymore.
I couldn’t trust her—that was for damn sure.
“Sunaya.” Iannis materialized out of nowhere at my elbow. He offered his arm to me, and then nodded politely at Isana. “I am sorry to interrupt, but it is time we left. We have had a very long journey.”
“Of course.” Isana rose. “Good night, Lord Iannis, Miss Baine. I do hope we can speak more tomorrow, at the funeral.”
“That was fucking close,” I said as Iannis whisked me out of the hall and into the night. I took in a deep lungful of the cool night air, grateful for it—I was far too overheated after being in that crush of a reception, and not to mention that tension-filled conversation with Isana.
“Indeed,” Iannis agreed, and a guard escorted us back to our pavilion.
We remained silent until we were back inside, the doors closed firmly behind us.
“But I would not worry too much. Though Haman seemed curious about you, I did not sense any ill will toward you. If he does suspect, I do not believe that he will be eager to out your relationship. He is no fool, and he stands to lose more than he would gain from such a revelation.” He headed toward his bedroom, and I followed.
“I guess so,” I said, shoving a hand through my hair. My curls tumbled free, and the gold chain slid to the carpet. “But Isana definitely suspects. What if she makes a big deal about it?” Nervous again, I began pacing back and forth in front of the bed.
“Hush now.” Iannis securely locked the door to his room, then snagged me by the sash around my waist and pulled me into his arms. “We will deal with Isana when the time comes. For now…” His eyes darkened, his voice turning sensual, and he slid his hands slowly down my sides.
“I suggest we focus on a different topic.”
“That’s a little difficult, considering that I can’t think about anything else,” I said, but my breath caught as he tugged off my sash, and my robes began to slide open.
“Oh, I believe we’ll be able to solve that problem shortly,” Iannis said, cupping the back of my head.
He pulled my mouth against his, and all thoughts flew straight out of my head as his tongue slid inside to stroke mine.
My own hands tugged at his clothes, and desire surged through me as my fingers met bare skin and hard muscle.
When he carried me to the bed, our lips still locked and our clothes in a forgotten puddle on the hardwood floor, I knew that by the time he was done with me tonight, I would be too exhausted and satisfied to worry about anything at all.