He grips my hips and pulls me close. So close, I feel his desperation, his need to forget his past. It’s the same need I have. To forget the pain. The loss. The agony of losing Mother and my little sister.
If only it was easy to forget.
ChapterThirty-Seven
“Sol.” Hector takes my hand and leads me through the wide, ornate hallway in the palace the following day. “Do you remember when I told you I needed you to be on my side?”
I nod, remembering that moment when we first arrived in Karra.
“Well, it has never been truer than right now.” He pauses outside a thick door with intricate carvings of serpents and warriors. The dark, polished wood is complemented by a solid brass handle shaped like a hissing snake.
Nerves tighten in my throat. “What do you mean?”
“The Karra council wants to meet you.”
I stiffen as I think about what that could mean.
“They need to seeusas a united front, or they will never accept you.”
But I don’t want or need the Bloodstone’s acceptance.
Something about the desperation in Hector’s eyes keeps me from speaking those words.
“Is that important to you?”
He shifts to pull me against him. “Yes.”
I nod several times, trying to garner the strength to continue, to walk through that door and to pretend I’m happy to be their chieftain’s wife.
There’s a definite distinction between being Hector’s wife and being the wife of their chieftain. The roles aren’t the same. Or maybe they are precisely the same, and I have lied to myself the last few days.
“There’s something else,” he says after a moment. “I want you to have a voice in a way my mother never did. You’re not just my wife. You’re important, and I want the council to understand that.”
“But I’m not from their tribe.” The truth bursts from me. “They will not want me.”
He trails his hands down my arm. “You’re my beautiful Kyanite wife, and they will accept you.”
They won’t.
“I will do this for you.”
A smile spreads across Hector’s mouth as he nods and pushes open the door. We step through together.
The council members sit at a long wooden table with their eyes fixed on us as we enter. Hector leads the way, his hand tightly threaded with mine. Light floods in from the tall windows and shines across the polished marble floors. The room is spacious and grand, with pillars lining the walls.
Tension thickens the air as the council members stare at us, their expressions unreadable.
Kheldar stands and offers a smile. The rest of the members of the Karra council stand and bow their heads in respect. I recognize a few familiar faces among the council: Luc, Cenric, Aston, and Gray.
“Now that we have all gathered…” Kheldar begins, “…I will turn this meeting over to Hector.”
Hector leads me to the seat next to the head of the table. As I sit, he takes his place and leans back in his chair.
“Thank you, Kheldar.” The council sits as Hector speaks again. “Every single one of you were selected by me. You all have a vital role to play. Kheldar…” he looks at his brother, “…you have done precisely what I requested. Thank you.”
Kheldar nods.
As Hector keeps eye contact with his council, he leans closer to me and captures my hand. “Sol is here to give us a different perspective. We are all men. We don’t know what women need. Sol will give each Bloodstone woman a voice. They will come to her, and she will determine how to help them.”
