Candra’s quiet question should have caused his gut to twist with uncertainty and doubt, but the answer crystallizing in his mind allayed it all.
“My own.”
And he wanted Imhara there beside him, to finish the journey they’d begun together the day he’d woken chained in her bed. For one aching moment, the thought of never seeing her again tore at him. If he stayed that’s exactly the path his future would take.
Rassan’s earlier warning echoed in his mind. Your heart already knows what it wants. The Na’Chi had been right.
The truth had been there all along.
His heart missed a beat, then swelled until it pressed hard against his chest. He couldn’t let Imhara leave without him.
He loved her.
It’d just taken him until now to realize it.
“My allegiance lies with the Old Ways. With Na Kaal.”
And he was impatient to find her and tell her.
Their path certainly hadn’t been smooth or even, and Arek doubted it ever would be for long, but that was half the adventure. Yet doubt speared through him at declaring his intentions before discussing his decision with her. He just hoped Imhara agreed to have him.
Kalan smiled and shared a look with Candra and Annika. “If that’s your decision, then I have a favor to ask of you.”
Arek gave a short nod.
Kalan’s deep green gaze locked with his. “As Chosen, as a Light Blade, and as your friend, you have my oath that I’ll fight hard for this truce between your new people and us. We won’t survive this war very long without their help.
“I want you to remind Imhara that our paths are interwoven, that she can’t give up on her dream or the legacy her parents left her. We need each other. We need the Old Ways.” He gestured to the three of them. “Tell her she has our support. It’s just going to take time.”
“A couple of razed towns and this Council will regret its decision,” Candra muttered, dissatisfaction coloring her tone. “Arek, you can also tell Imhara she can expect a few of my healers to accompany her back to Kaal territory. Her people have knowledge we need now more than ever.”
Arek frowned. “You’d defy the Council’s decision?”
Candra snorted. “What part of Kalan’s speech mentioned restricting the Guilds, or anyone for that matter, from wandering back and forth across our common border?” The older woman gave him a sly grin. “There’s more than one way to achieve our goal, young Light Blade.”
Arek stared at the Master Healer in astonishment, then grunted. He looked to Kalan and found his friend with a similar smirk shaping his mouth.
“You planned this?” A half question, half accusation.
“When the Council vote went against the truce,” Kalan admitted.
Annika smiled. “Your decision saves us the trouble of finding someone to go with Imhara and her people.”
Candra’s soft chuckling jerked his head in her direction.
“Ah, the Lady works in miraculous ways, doesn’t She?” She slapped her wrinkled hand on the edge of the table, her smile stretching wide. “After years avoiding the arena, welcome to the world of politics, my boy.”
Arek shared a confused frown with his friends. “What are you talking about?”
Her chuckling turned to outright laughter. “You’re now our first Na’Reish diplomat.”
* * *
“I hope you haven’t packed my armband.”
Imhara spun around, a hand to her chest, cursing as her sudden movement knocked her pack off the bed and to the floor, spilling its contents across the rug.
Arek hovered in the doorway to his bedroom. So preoccupied with her thoughts, she’d never even heard him enter the apartment or approach the room. The way he leaned against the frame, arms folded, one long leg crossed over the other, his breeches molding tight to his thighs set her pulse tripping.
Gone was the anger she’d felt in him in the Council chamber. He seemed remarkably relaxed, considering how volatile his temper could be. Even his scent lacked the residual heat of a person calming down. Instead a soft smile curved his lips and something deep and warm flickered in his twilight gaze.
“The armband?” She frowned.
He stepped into the room and knelt to help her pick up her strewn belongings. As he handed them to her, she repacked the bag.
“Is it here?” he asked.
Imhara flipped open one of the side pouches and handed him the gold band. “Why would you want it?”
Arek’s visage became contemplative as his long fingers smoothed over the Kaal emblem etched into metal. “That first day in the library, when I delivered k’sa to you and Yur, I remember Rassan handing me this band to wear. At the time I saw it as a mark of your ownership, of submitting. A negative experience. How wrong I was.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m coming with you tomorrow when you leave for home.” His announcement made her gasp. He gave her a small smile. “After the Blade Council’s decision I realized my future was with you, not them. I renounced my service as a Light Blade warrior. My blade and allegiance are yours if you want them.”
Imhara felt her jaw loosen. He’d chosen her over service to the Lady?
“Arek, no!” She shook her head. “You can’t break your oath to Her. Why would you do that? I have nothing to offer you.” She choked back a strangled half laugh. “Nothing except isolation and persecution from an enemy who will hunt us until we’re dead.”
“You offer me much more than that, Imhara Kaal.” The skin around his eyes tightened. “I have a life because of you, and a future, two things I’d like to share with you.”
He flicked the edge with his nail, and the metal rang out with a pure sound. The corners of his mouth turned upward just a fraction.
“This armband. I’d like to have a second one made, and two smaller, thinner ones.” His fingers curved to demonstrate the circumference he wanted, then they closed on her upper arms. “That seems about the right size. I’d like you to have the smaller ones. Do you think that could be arranged?”
Imhara’s skin heated where his fingers touched her. “Arek, wearing two bands holds a special meaning in our Clan.”
“Yes, only mated couples wear them.” His twilight gaze lifted and locked with hers. “I’m aware of the traditional significance. Wearing two bands, placed on my arms by the woman I love seems much more fitting than being chained to her bed, don’t you think?”
Her heart lurched in her chest, and a rush of heat suffused her entire body. The pack slipped from her nerveless fingers and the items scattered once more across the floor.
“You love me?”
Jaw flexing, Arek gave a single nod. “I do.”
He wet his lips, the action definitely a nervous one. His scent confirmed it.
“Sere Jirri and all those other Na’Reishi were fools for wanting to change you and make you something you’re not.” He placed the armband in her hand and wrapped her fingers around them. “I’d be honored if you’d consider my petition to be your mate. And I’d be blessed by the Lady if you loved me in return.”
Imhara replayed his words in her head, and her heart swelled with an indescribable warmth and joy. With every hard beat, she let it fill her.
“Arek, without a truce, my Clan stands alone.” She closed her eyes, feeling the sting of tears in her throat. “You can’t want a future like that.”
“You don’t stand alone.” Arek’s hand cupped the back of her head, and she felt his lips brush her forehead in a fleeting caress. “The Blade Council may have declined your petition, but Kalan won’t give up. He gave me his oath to fight for us. You’ve made friends here, Imhara, and they’ll be joining us when we leave here tomorrow.”
His face was blurred as she stared at him through stinging eyes. “Who?”
“Some of Candra’s healers. It’s a start. War might be inevitable but, Lady willing, the Old Ways will survive.” Yet again Arek brought her strength and hope. The calloused pad of a finger brushed across h
er cheek. “You’re crying tears of happiness, right? I mightn’t be able to read your scent, but I know that’s a smile on your face. So is it my proposal or the news that Kalan supports us that has you so overjoyed?”
His fingers threaded through her hair. Uncertainty tightened the lines on his face as he waited for her to answer him.
“Both.” She placed her palms on his stubbled cheeks; her thumbs stroked the lines of worry away from under his eyes. “Although I have to admit, your proposal took me by surprise.”
“Well, I was working on a limited time frame—you’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Yes.” Imhara placed the armband in his hands. “I accept your petition, Arek Barial.”
“Thank the Lady for that.” The light that flared in his gaze matched the heat in her heart. His lips slanted over hers, and the low sound of need welling in his throat filled her with pleasure.
“I never thought I’d say these words to anyone.” Her soul sang at being finally able to share her heart with him. “I love you, Arek.”
His long, drawn-out sigh of relief belied the gleam of heat in his eyes.
“I’ll never tire of hearing them,” he assured her. “Practice on me all you like.” He grinned. “Now I made you a promise that night at the House of Ilahn.” His leg stretched out and he nudged the door closed with his boot. “It’s a good thing we have all night, as I intend to keep it.”
Imhara laughed softly as Arek’s head dipped and he kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around him and sent a prayer heavenward.
Lady bless this union forevermore.
Words she’d repeat during their mating ceremony as they exchanged armbands.
Their next journey—of making a life together as mates—would begin on that day.
And she looked forward to it with all of her heart.
* * *
Click here for more books by this author
Berkley Sensation titles by Kylie Griffin
The Light Blade Series
VENGEANCE BORN
ALLIANCE FORGED
ALLEGIANCE SWORN
Allegiance Sworn (A NOVEL OF THE LIGHT BLADE) Page 37