Raphael stood up, looking between them. “What does he mean you can stop this?”
“Naga Law and none of your business. It’s a dangerous move, something Cassius and I were about to go talk about.” I was even more against it now than I was when I told Cassius that Raphael was eligible. I had seen the look in Ardghal’s eyes. He wasn’t the type of man to give up.
“We’ll take this to my office then,” Cassius said, waving me to follow him.
“Wait, I really think I should know—”
I turned on Raphael and put my hand on his chest, stopping him from coming any closer.
“It’s naga business, of which I am one of the de facto rulers. You can know if I want you to know, and it’s very possible it wouldn’t work, which is why it’s my last resort. I have just under an hour to figure out other options. You’ll give me that,” I said evenly, trying to ignore the furious ache in my fangs. Being healed must have over-activated my venom glands because they felt full and tight like I needed to milk them again. Touching Raphael, though, feeling the broad, hard planes of his chest, feeling the insanely warm natural body temperature he was…I wanted to bite him now more than I had before, even with the thousand questions swirling around him.
I pulled my hand away before my mind could wander too much.
“We’ll be right back,” I promised. “This is just something I don’t share with outsiders. I’m sorry.”
“What would it entail? This protection thing you might be able to do?”
“Everything,” I said softly, turning away. I walked out, letting Cassius follow me. Once we were in his office, he locked the door, and I fell into my favorite chair.
“Why, Kaliya? Why won’t you do it now?”
“Mygi wants him back so badly that they’re willing to kill for it. They’re willing to justify to the Tribunal the torture they put him through for years. They have enough political sway, I know I won’t be able to get them completely shut down. We’ll be lucky if they walk away with a slap on the wrist.”
“I understand all those things, which makes naga protection over him even more im—”
“Dangerous. It makes it more dangerous,” I said, looking up at him as he passed me. “Cassius…what do you think Mygi will do when they find out some unknown supernatural species can breed with nagas? That’s groundbreaking. My own people might even be okay with him going into that lab again, to find out if we can make more of him to…”
“Oh, Kaliya,” Cassius whispered, sitting down slowly. “You’re being paranoid—”
“I know Adhar. He’s not a bad man, but he’s a desperate one. He’ll want Raphael picked apart and studied because maybe it’ll find him the mate he’s never had. As far as we’ve always known, nagas can breed with other nagas or humans. Humans are harder to have children with than a pure naga pairing. What would that mean for Raphael? He presents human, smells human, looks human…until he isn’t. This rocks the foundation of my species to the core, and I can’t trust my own kind with him.” I looked away, feeling the weight of rule on my shoulders, a rare problem, one I avoided with a passion. This was my call to make, and I was going to do the best I could with it, even if it meant setting back the nagas by potentially decades. “I have to keep this from them, so I have the chance to find answers without outside help I disagree with. I have to do this on my own.”
“Not on your own. If we can find a way to protect him, I’ll lead a formal investigation into what he is. I’ll feed you information to do with what you will, even if it means fighting battles you shouldn’t.”
“You just said I was being paranoid. Now, you’re deciding to help.”
“I told you I would support whatever decision you made, and I’m doing that. You don’t trust Mygi, the Tribunal, or the other nagas with Raphael. That means he’s going to stay with you or me because I know you trust me.”
“I do.”
“Then we’re going to work this out. Let’s look through the Laws and see if we can find some protection for him.”
“Mygi is trying to make it sound like what they did to him doesn’t matter,” I said softly as Cassius floated a book to me. I flipped it open and sighed.