Chapter 10
Damen set Reyna on her feet and pulled up his pants. Reyna ran her fingers through her hair, but it probably didn’t do much good. Did she look as different on the outside as she felt on the inside?
She wiped the saliva off her face with her thumb when she caught Damen regarding her. “Are you okay?”
He bent down and kissed her again. He squeezed her breast through her shirt. “Come to my room later tonight.”
“Your room?”
“We can spend the night together.”
“I don’t even know where it is.”
“Go down the passage where your male friends and that boy are staying. My room is the last door on the right-hand side.”
“Why don’t you come to my room?”
“It’s right next to your sister’s room.”
“That didn’t bother you earlier.”
“I thought you might like to come to my room instead.”
She studied him. “If I came to your room, wouldn’t that mean I was....”
“You were what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe among your people, me coming to your room means something I don’t know about.”
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “Are you trying to ask if coming to my room would make you mine in the eyes of my Clan?”
She passed her hand across her forehead. “Yes, that’s what I’m trying to ask.”
“Would you have a problem with that, if that’s what it meant? Would you stay away from my room if you knew that’s what it meant?”
She thought it over. “I’m not sure. I guess I would have to know up front that it meant that before I could decide.”
“Then yes, if you came to my room, it would mean you were mine in the eyes of my Clan and the rest of Kratak. Now will you come to my room?”
“If I don’t come, will you come to my room? Will you turn your back on me if I don’t make myself yours completely?”
“You’ve already made yourself mine completely. Why are you holding back?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was something your parents said to me.”
“What did they say?”
“They said they wanted you to marry someone from Kratak who would seal your connection with another Clan. They don’t want you getting involved with someone who is only going to leave at the end of the year.”
“Do you take any notice of what my parents say?”
“I have to. We’re on a diplomatic mission here.”
His eyes popped open. “A diplomatic mission? That sounds like confirmation of everything my father has been saying about the Allies, that this scientific research study is just a pretext to open the door to the Allies establishing themselves on our planet. Is that what you’re saying?”
“I’m saying this mission is politically sensitive, even if it is a scientific research study. I can’t exactly flout your parents’ wishes without causing unwanted consequences down the line.”
“And what about my wishes? If I want to make you mine, shouldn’t that come into consideration?”
“What does making me yours mean, when I’m going to leave at the end of the year? How can I give myself to you under those circumstances?”
“Being mine doesn’t have to mean staying here for the rest of your life. You can make yourself mine in the time you’re here and then leave.”
“How does that work? Does that mean I turn my back on every other man? Does that mean you keep me all to yourself and I never look at another man?”
“What man do you want to look at? Whitney?”
“Of course not. Whitney is in the past for me. I just want to make it clear what we’re talking about.”
“If you’re mine, it doesn’t mean you turn your back on every other man. If you want another man, I should be the first one to know about it. Don’t you agree?”
“I agree. That’s exactly why I had to explain my connection with you to Whitney before we went any further. Now I’ve done that, so I’m free to concentrate on you.”
“Very well. So, we establish that consideration. If you’re going to be mine, it simply means you give yourself to me without reservation, without holding back or doubting.”
“I’ve already done that.”
“Then come to my room tonight.”
She started to turn away. “I’ll think about it.”
“What is there to think about? Just come.”
She kissed him one more time. “Maybe I will. I’ll see you later.”
He stood still and watched her walk away. She didn’t relax until she turned another winding and left him out of sight. She paused long enough to listen to his footsteps receding toward the hall. Then she walked on toward her own room.
She didn’t know why she went that way. She had no intention of going back to her room. For some reason, that room didn’t appeal to her at all. It might be beautiful, but she didn’t see herself spending any time there except to sleep. Why did it repulse her when she had the memory of her first encounter with Damen there?
She had nowhere else to go, and she hadn’t even started on her genealogical study of the Harkniss Clan. She should approach Fay and Rowan for more information, but she hesitated. Why? They already expressed their disapproval of her relationship with Damen. Far from backing off that relationship, this last encounter with him outside Callan and Haya’s room only complicated it further.
Did she really intend to go to his room tonight? Even if he hadn’t told her the truth about the Kratak custom of claiming her as his own in his own room, she would have understood that implicitly. She would cross a Rubicon going to his room, and she could never go back.
What would happen to her then? What would she be if she was fully and truly his? What would a relationship like that do to her team and its mission? She could face disciplinary action from the Allied Command. At the moment, Rose was her commander. By rights, Rose would have to discipline her.
Rose would never discipline her own sister, but that begged the question. If Rose didn’t do it, someone else would. Sleeping with one of her own subjects in the course of a military operation was the most unprofessional behavior she could think of. If anyone else did that, she would recommend the most stringent punishment possible. She could get kicked out of the service for fucking Damen twice.
She dragged her feet when she got near her room, but standing at the end of the passage looking out, she beheld Asya Assan at the window. Asya leaned out to watch the sun set behind the mountain. The dragon turned on his nest and flexed his wings to beat the air. The sun disappeared and darkness settled over the land. The dragon sat down, curled his long tail around himself, and tucked his head under his wing for the night.
Asya stepped back from the window with a sigh. She smiled when she saw Reyna approach.
Reyna took a close look at Asya’s head. No trace of her injury remained. “Are you all right, Asya?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for finding me on the rocks.”
“You already thanked me. You don’t have to do it again every time we meet.”
Asya laughed. That was the first lighthearted laugh Reyna heard in this place. It played on the stone walls like a mountain stream trickling over a rocky waterfall. Asya gazed through the window. “Aren’t the mountains beautiful in the sunset? I love sunrise and sunset the best of any time of the day.”
“I’m worried about that dragon. Is he dangerous?”
“He’s harmless. You have nothing to worry about from him.”
“That’s what your father said. He said the dragon was trying to help you when you fell.”
“He must have heard you calling and came to see what the problem was. He may have thought you were trying to hurt me, or that you moving me would hurt me. Maybe that’s why he wanted to stop you.”
“That’s exactly what you father said.”
“He’s a truly caring person. He would never try to hurt me.”
“Of course, he wouldn’t. He’s your own father.”
Asya smiled and shook her head, but she didn’t answer.
Reyna looked across the valley to the dragon’s mountain. “I think I saw you up on that mountain earlier. Were you up there this afternoon?”
“Yes, I was. I go up there all the time. It helps me clear my thoughts.”
“I saw you up there with a man. Who was he?”
“That’s my uncle Rahni. I go up there to talk to him when I have something on my mind.”
“Aren’t you worried about the dragon?”
“I just told you he’s not dangerous.”
“Does your uncle Rahni live up there with the dragon? Why hasn’t he come around the Keep since we’ve been here? Does he disagree with your father for letting the team come to Kratak?”
“He always lives in the mountains. He doesn’t like living in the Keep. He’s different. He prefers to live alone.”
“With the dragon?”
“Exactly.”
Reyna frowned. “I don’t understand this, but I guess it’s just one of many things I don’t understand about your world.”
“You’ll learn.”
“Maybe you can help me.”
“I’ll help you any way I can. What can I do?”
“Could you tell me something about your father?”
“Anything.”
“What kind of man is he? Is he very harsh and cruel?”
Asya gasped. “My father? Of course not. He’s the kindest, gentlest person I know.”
“Maybe he’s different to you because you’re his daughter.”
“No, he’s kind and gentle to everyone. He’s considerate to a fault. He’s polite and generous, no matter what.”
“What about to your mother? Is he considerate to a fault with her?”
“I’ll tell you something, and then you can tell me if he’s considerate to a fault with her. She gets lonely and bored, so he calls gatherings so she can see her relatives in the other Keeps. He travels all over the country to invite as many other Clans as will come, and he travels back to his own Keep to get his parents to host gatherings in Assan Keep. He’s done it many times before. Anything she wants or even thinks about, he works to get it for her. Her happiness is his most urgent priority.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“I’ve seen them together every day my whole life. He waits on her hand and foot. Some of the other men think she takes advantage of him, that he serves her more than he should and she should serve him back more often.”
“What do you think?”
“I suppose I’ll know more about these things when I get married. I don’t claim to understand it now.”
Reyna went to the window. Asya’s version of her parents’ marriage deviated so radically from Haya’s, she didn’t know who to believe. If Callan cared so much about his wife’s happiness, why didn’t he let her at least visit her old flame, just to settle her mind? He worked so hard calling gatherings to entertain her, but he banned his own brother from attending them so Haya wouldn’t see him.
Asya waited for her to say something. “Is there anything else you want to ask me?”
“Do you know all your relatives in Clan Assan?”
“Of course.”
“What about your uncle Warku? Have you met him before?”
“Of course. I’ve seen him at every gathering between our Clans.” Reyna’s eyes flew open. “You have?”
“Of course. No one is excluded from the gatherings. That’s the whole point of gathering, so relatives can spend time together. Do you know he’s really funny? He always tells jokes and stories to entertain the children. He lets the youngest child sit on his lap. That used to be me, but it can never be me anymore. I’m too big now. Those are happy memories”
Now Reyna really didn’t understand. Someone here was weaving a web of lies, but why? What reason could Haya have to lie about Callan’s behavior when she really did see Warku at the gatherings? Why did she concoct this ruse about getting Reyna to visit him?
Asya broke in on her thoughts. “We usually come together in the hall during the evenings. Why don’t you come with me? Your friends will probably be there. You can talk about your work.”
Reyna followed her back down the passage. “I’m afraid I haven’t gotten any work done today.”
“It’s your first day. You should ask my grandmother about our family. She knows more than anyone about all the related Clans.”
“I was hoping to ask her. I just got...you know.... distracted by other things.”