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“Vintor, let’s not do this again,” I said in a tired voice.
His anger immediately flared once more. “Why am I never good enough for you? You have no one. I’m ready to put the world at your feet. With this new job, I will make enough to give you everything you have ever wanted. Yet still you deny me!”
“Me being alone, and you possibly making a good salary do not justify me settling,” I said, making no effort to hide my annoyance at having that tired old conversation again.
“Settling? SETTLING?!” he shouted, his face reddening with anger.
I flinched at my poorly chosen words. Even with someone less sensitive than he was, my wording would have been deemed offensive.
“What I mean is that you’re not in love with me, and I’m not in love with you,” I clarified in an appeasing tone. “Both of us would be settling if we chose to become a couple. The truth is, you only want me because you hate being denied. Had I given in to you, you would have discarded me a long time ago and moved on to a new challenge. But I deserve more, and so do you.”
While my response partially mollified him, Vintor would never accept no for an answer. He straightened, bunching his muscles and puffing up his chest to make himself appear more impressive.
“When they shut down this shelter and you have nowhere to go, I’ll be there. Just don’t wait until it’s too late,” he said in an arrogant tone before turning around and leaving.
I stared at his broad, receding back, feeling both discouraged and defeated.
Chapter 3
Keran
The guards filed out of the compound with what looked like an endless string of hover carts carrying all of Dana’s belongings to the shuttle. Lips pursed, she observed their every movement with her usual haughty expression. The whole time, our nanny Neyti stood but a couple of meters away, my infant son Argos cradled in her left arm, and my oldest Kratos hanging on to her skirt with still unsteady toddler legs.
Not once did Dana spare our sons a single glance.
In many ways, it was a blessing that they were too young to fully understand what was happening—not that they had formed any true bond of affection with their mother. Today she would part with her children, and she couldn’t have cared less. In fact, I believed she was relieved.
“Well, the last couple of years have been… interesting,” Dana said, staring at me with a calculating look in her dark-brown eyes.
“They have,” I concurred in a non committal fashion.
Dana pinched her lips further, annoyed that I didn’t expand or go down the path she had hoped. Considering I’d likely never see her again, I should make an effort to be nicer. But that female rubbed me the wrong way and pissing her off gave me an ungodly amount of satisfaction.
“I hope you carefully thought things through,” she said, giving me a pointed glance. “I have many wedding prospects lined up,” she added, as if I needed clarification as to her underlying meaning.
“Believe me, Dana, I did,” I replied with a bit of amusement that she would think her statement would unnerve me or stir any type of jealousy from me. “I’m glad to hear that things are looking up for you as there was never any hope for us. I don’t love you anymore than you love me. In fact, you can barely stand me,” I said, swallowing back the fact that I absolutely despised her.
“What does it matter? Whatever feelings I may or may not have towards you never seemed to bother you before. They sure didn’t keep you from my bed,” Dana challenged.
Neyti flinched, quickly schooling her features into a neutral expression. I snorted, once more stunned by her total lack of class. Tilting my head to the side, I smiled, which immediately had her narrowing her eyes at me. Dana knew this expression well and that it heralded me saying something irreverent and provocative to rile her up.
“Of course not. I’m Braxian. We’re always horny,” I said as if it was self-evident—which it was. “You know how to expertly ride a cock, and you sure seemed to enjoy riding mine. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement. You gave me the heirs I needed, you got properly pleasured, and are regaining your freedom with a substantial dowry that will see you well-taken care of for the rest of your days. I’m sure this great wealth will have even more suitors banging down your father’s door for you.”
Dana scoffed, each of my comments finding their mark, then she turned on her heels to leave.
“Won’t you say goodbye to your sons?” I called out before she could reach the ramp of the shuttle. “I also do not recall seeing any visitation schedules from you.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I renounce my rights to these boys. My future husband will prefer not to be reminded that another man’s seed quickened my womb. My duty here is done. You have your sons, and I have my dowry. Like you said, this was a mutually beneficial agreement.”
The oddest mix of relief and utter contempt swelled within me. Like Dana, my mother had merely been my father’s concubine for the sole purpose of giving him heirs. There had been no love between them, but she had been a mother to my brother and me. After she had fulfilled her duty, Mother had returned to her clan’s compound as Dana was doing now, but she had kept in touch with us. She would come visit, and we would occasionally go spend a few days with her people.
I watched Dana enter the shuttle and remained there until it took off, as if to reassure myself that she was truly gone for good. The discreet clicking sound of heels behind me announced Mercy approaching.
“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” Mercy said as she came to a stop next to me.
“Hear, hear,” Neyti mumbled under her breath.
I chuckled, my gaze flicking towards the nanny—whose disgusted and contemptuous expression had me chuckling further—before giving my stepmother a sideways glance. The hard glint in her eyes confirmed she had delayed coming here until Dana was gone to avoid giving her the tongue lashing she undoubtedly itched to unleash on her.
