today.”
Commander Oslo glanced back at her after taking a few steps. “I agree…just not with your familiar present.”
Kiera was not ready to give up on this meeting just yet. Why was the Commander so concerned about Coco? And what was that force he gave off? Ending this meeting prematurely surely would not provide her with any answers. She turned to Coco and pulled her a few yards away from Xander so they could speak quietly. “I didn’t expect his reaction to you, dear.”
Coco smirked. “I’m not surprised by him. I’m only curious about you.” She leaned forward and whispered, “What did you feel when you touched him?”
“I…I am not sure.”
“I sense lust, darling. Desire. That’s a first for you.”
“Please. It was nothing of the sort.”
“Then what was it?”
“I do not know. Listen. Let us set that question aside for now. For the sake of this meeting, will you wait outside?”
“Absolutely not,” she answered, raising her voice. “How dare he start this discussion by dictating who can and cannot be present? This is exactly what the Chancellor was—”
Kiera squeezed Coco’s elbow to calm her down. “Please, dear. We don’t have much time before the first storm. Go on. I will be all right.”
Shaking her head, Coco gave Xander a look of disdain, grumbling under her breath as she headed for the front door.
“Shall we begin?” Xander asked, taking a seat again.
“Yes, Commander.” Kiera pulled out her chair and sat, more anxious than when she first arrived. So far, he was living up to all the rumors. And what on earth was going through her mind and body now that she had touched him?
“I cannot believe how strong that familiar’s magic is. She has left the room, and I can still feel it.”
Kiera pressed her lips together in a straight line and shook her head. “It is not her magic you feel. It is mine. That is how familiars serve their witch companions.”
“So, she carries your abilities?”
“In a sense. She is a vessel, of sorts. An anchor so that my abilities do not overpower me.”
He raised one eyebrow. “So are you stronger than the Chancellor, then?”
“Not at all. His casting spells are far superior to mine.”
“Yet you are the Chosen. You are stronger.”
“My magic is…different.”
He shrugged. “All right. Whatever you say. It’s interesting to finally meet you in person. I wondered what the strongest witch around looked like. You are something of a surprise to me,” he said in a tone so deep, the rumble of his voice reverberated through her.
She shook off her reaction. “Surprised? How do you mean?”
“You are a lot…smaller than I expected.”
Kiera scowled. What did he expect, an big, broad Amazon princess? She placed her hands on the tabletop and leaned forward. “And even in your Kodiak bear form, you are outsized by the destroyers, yet you and your troops can defeat them. Should I be surprised too?”
She smiled inwardly when the smug smile on his face disappeared.
“I think you’ll find that many of your preconceived notions about my soldiers and me are false.”
“If you truly believed that, you would never demand the removal of my familiar the way you did.”
Xander nodded thoughtfully. “Possibly. So, as my time is limited, let’s get to the real reason we’re here, Kiera.” The way he said her name—slowly, deliberately, with each letter lingering at the tip of his tongue—made it sound like music. It was as though she was hearing her own name for the first time. Her heart raced, and none of her thoughts made sense, especially while his eyes raked over her as though she was exposed.
“Yes. The reason we’re here…” she started evenly.
“Is to victimize more of the town’s young men by turning them into the Chancellor’s slaves.”
Kiera reared back in her chair. “Slaves? How could you call yourselves slaves? You all are heroes.”
“My troops are slaves.” His tone was flat, deadly serious. “If you don’t already see that with your own eyes, you are more naïve than I expected.”
“Funny, but the rest of them believe you are warriors. Champions of our people and our way of life. Without you, the destroyers would have wiped us out. You and your men have kept us safe for almost nine years.”
He scoffed. “That sounds like the second half of old man Minassus’ annual Winter speech. I take it you have fallen for his trickery, but that never surprises me.”
“What are you talking about?”
He shook his head. “For a powerful witch, you are remarkably gullible. Look at the way we are