Page 44 of Cheating Fate

“Come in!” I called out.

To my shock, the General, Lhor, and Uncle Ghan walked into the room. This time, Zhara fully straightened into a sitting position at the edge of the bed. It wasn’t guilt at being caught in bed with me that had prompted that reaction. Instead, a defiant and protective glimmer shone in her eyes as she warily observed her fathers and uncle approaching.

“Zhara, would you give us a moment with him?” Uncle Ghan asked, although it was more of a command.

My mate instantly stiffened and placed her hand on my chest as if to shield me from them.

“He’s still healing,” she said, her voice thick with tension.

“We won’t harm him,” Lhor said with a slightly amused tone. “We just want to talk.”

“You can talk with me here,” she countered.

I caressed her arm in a soothing fashion. “It’s okay, Zhara. If they start roughing me up, I’ll scream for help,” I said in an effort to lighten the atmosphere.

She opened her mouth to argue but her dad interrupted her.

“It’s okay,” Khel said. “She can stay as he will tell her the content of our conversation as soon as it’s over. But not a word from you, young lady.”

Her face reflected the shock and surprise I felt. While she clearly did not appreciate being told to remain quiet, she wisely took the win and gave him a stiff nod. The General then turned his attention towards me. I braced for what would follow.

“So what would you like to hear first? The good or the bad news?” Khel asked.

“The bad news,” I replied without hesitation.

Khel and Lhor snorted. For a reason I couldn’t explain, that struck me as being somewhat positive.

“You disobeyed direct orders. You incited others to insubordination. You recklessly went into danger with no clear plan or exit strategy. Because of that, you sustained grievous injuries and even died, which caused others to also get harmed in order to save you,” Ghan said in a stern voice. “Each of these infractions should get you court martialed.”

When listed that way, it certainly didn’t look good. Under different circumstances, I would have flinched at each of those factual accusations. Instead, I lifted my chin with a hint of defiance.

Zhara tensed next to me. She was visibly battling the urge to interject. I grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze though my gaze never strayed from Ghan’s.

“Technically, this is all true. But I resigned,” I countered.

“It doesn’t work that way,” Khel said dismissively.

“But I was right,” I argued in an obvious tone.

“It doesn’t matter. You could have been wrong,” the General replied. “The other Braxians followed you to what could have been their deaths. As a leader, you have a responsibility to protect the lives of those under your command.”

“They needed to be there!” I exclaimed. “Without them, this rescue never would have succeeded.”

“But did you know that it would succeed with them?” Lhor challenged.

I pinched my lips then reluctantly shook my head. “No.”

“So you gambled with their lives for what you needed… what you wanted,” Khel said sternly, which had my mate clenching her teeth.

I gently caressed the back of her hand with my thumb in the hopes of appeasing her a little.

“This had nothing to do with what I wanted, and everything to do with what I knew,” I retorted firmly. “Without our intervention, I knew beyond any doubt that they would have all died.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you took a gamble,” Ghan insisted.

“Of course, I did!” I exclaimed, throwing one hand up with exasperation. “What was I supposed to do? Let her die? I will always go to Zhara’s aid, no matter the cost. Wouldn’t you do the same if it was your mate?”

She squeezed my hand and looked at me with such love that the anger that had started growing inside me instantly deflated.