AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nausea rolled through Kymri. She nodded, not daring to look at Jori.
“Your Majesty—” Odson’s voice was low.
“Those are her orders.” The queen’s words cut through his growl. “Dismissed.”
Kymri and Jori shifted to leave, but Odson didn’t move. “Your Majesty.” His low voice pulled everyone’s attention. “Initiate him.”
Kymri gasped, as did several others, all attention suddenly on the queen.
“No.”
“He’d be vulnerable if we’re attacked.”
“No.”
Odson’s jaw tightened, his fists curling in to stop the stream of curses she could sense he held back.
Kymri spared a glance in Jori’s direction. His expression was unreadable, his posture incredibly tense.
“Dismissed.”
No one waited to be told a third time.
Out in the hall, Kolina approached Kymri, “Before you leave, I will meet with all of you.”
Kymri nodded.
Odson cast Kolina a glance.
“Timing, Odson,” Kolina said.
The older man snarled and stalked away.
Kymri studied her mother’s face and dropped her voice, “Do you think she’ll do it?”
Kolina’s eyes followed Odson as he and Jori disappeared down the corridor. “Maybe.”
Excitement spiked in Kymri, but she tried to keep it under control. “Don’t get too excited daughter. He has to prove himself unswervingly loyal before she’ll ever consider initiating him, especially here. Otherwise, there’d have to be a major disaster that would make her desperate enough to put herself at such a high risk.”
“He wouldn’t harm her.”
“No, I don’t think he would. Not willingly. That’s the key, isn’t it? He didn’t willingly lead those three males here either, did he?”
“How could he have known?”
“There’s too much he doesn’t know. But he knows just enough to be dangerous to us and to himself.” She sighed and reached out a hand to Kymri, letting her fingers gently squeeze her arm. Kymri had never seen her look so weary. “If he’s not as you think—if you have any sense—he may betray us, you will have to silence him. Go to Black River, make contact with the continental intelligence officers, and find out what you can about our enemies. Come back to us, have your child, and return to duty if that is your wish. I will help raise the youngling. If Jori’s smart, he’ll return to his life and forget about us.”
“And what of the attackers? Odson is right about his vulnerability if they go after him. If he can shift, he can defend himself. He can help us defend our island.”
“Would he?”
“Why wouldn’t he?” she countered.
“Say he did. Then what? A large male on this island of females. What makes you think he wouldn’t just exert dominance for himself?”
“That’s not who he is.”
“And you know this? In the short amount of time you’ve been with him, you’ve had these long in-depth conversations between rounds of mating?”
