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It could not be allowed to be taken away.
A door opened behind him. He swiveled to face the king, who entered the room alone. His surprise must have shown on his face for Idas shot him a pointed look, his hawkish face amused. “You came by yourself, Nikandros. I am assuming you are interested in having a frank discussion.”
“Yes.”
Idas waved him into a chair and sat down. “Allow me to express my condolences once again for your brother’s death. It was difficult to do so with so many others in our last meeting.”
Nik lifted a brow. “Kostas couldn’t have said that to me personally?”
The king’s eyes flickered. “My son has taken Athamos’s death badly. They were rivals, yes, but their history is long, filled with a mutual respect that went very deep as you know.”
“Was it a woman that provoked their disagreement?” He couldn’t prevent himself from asking the question that wouldn’t leave his head.
Idas shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that question. Perhaps in time, we will both learn the answer.”
He got the sense the old man was telling the truth. Idas rested a speculative gaze on Nik. “Congratulations on your match to the beautiful American. The star-studded engagement party is tonight, is it not? A message to the world, perhaps, Nikandros? That you have the international community behind you?”
“But we do,” Nik said smoothly. “The world will not sit by and watch you do this.”
The king sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “The international community seems to have a different opinion on territories with historic ties to one other. Particularly when segments of the population would prefer a return to the old boundaries. It tends to view them as local issues. Problem spots they don’t want to get their hands dirty with.”
“Not Akathinia. It is a former colonial jewel. Internationally loved. It would be seen as outrageous.”
“Outrageous is something I’m comfortable with.”
Nik’s fingers bit into his thighs. “We don’t need the world’s help, Idas. We have the strength to make this a very bloody and costly war should you choose to take a wrong step.”
“How?” the king derided. “Your military forces are nothing compared to ours.”
“You have old information. Your spies should do better reconnaissance.”
The king regarded him skeptically. Nik sat forward. “It’s common knowledge Carnelia is struggling. Thus your need for Akathinia’s rich tourism and resource base. That will never happen, but we are open to the idea of expanding trade talks with you. Lending you some of our natural resource expertise so you can further develop your own base. But this,” he stressed, “is contingent on your ceasing your rhetoric in the media. On your agreement to respect Akathinia’s sovereignty as we pursue discussions.”
A play of emotion crossed the king’s face. Greed, another hefty dose of skepticism and...interest. “It’s an intriguing proposition.”
“New sources of income are the answer, Idas.” Nik drilled his point home. “Not an unpopular war.”
A silence followed. “We will need some time to consider it.”
“You will have it. If you give me your word you will not act militarily upon Akathinia during the time of these negotiations.”
The king stood up and walked to the French doors. When he turned around after a lengthy silence, Nik knew he had won.
They shook hands. Nik walked out of the palace into the bright sunshine and on to the waiting helicopter. He wasn’t stupid enough to think the threat of Idas had been neutralized. But it was a start. A very real success he could take to his critics, to the people, and move forward with.
He drew in a breath as the sleek black bird rose straight into the air. For the first time in weeks he felt as if he could breathe.
The palace, surrounded by the mountainous Carnelian countryside, faded to a mere blip on the ground as the helicopter rose high in the sky. He sat back in his seat and turned his thoughts to his fiancée. His other persistent problem he couldn’t seem to fix. She should have been neutralized as an issue when she’d agreed to marry him. When his heir had been secured. Instead her insistence she hadn’t planned her pregnancy, her demand he trust her was an impasse they couldn’t seem to get past.
He agreed it was out of character for her to have done it. For the vastly independent Sofi´a he’d known in New York to get pregnant to keep a man. Nor was she acting like a woman who’d gotten everything she’d wanted. She was acting the opposite—as if she was the trapped one. Which made him wonder if it had simply been an error in judgment on her part. An impulse she regretted. Sofi´a reaching for the money and security she’d never had. Perhaps she hadn’t even realized what she’d been doing?
