something you don’t want to be called. If there’s anything I’ve learned as a submissive male, there is power in it, and sometimes, that power is just holding a boundary, a line you don’t want crossed. If someone cares about you, they won’t cross it, even if they want to. If they do, you know they don’t respect or care about you.”
“I like it,” she said, looking up with a small smile, her amethyst eyes glittering with a moment of happiness. “Lily is nice.”
“Wonderful.” Rain wanted to build a rapport with this female. His immediate instinct was that she was a threat faded as his mind caught up to his heart. He almost felt sorry for her, but not in a pitiful way. He related. Being a submissive Andinna meant having to trust the more dominant ones. She had trusted Leria to do what was in the best interest of the probably only living ahren in the world. Leria had proven herself unworthy of that trust in Rain’s mind. Leria had offered her up on a platter.
That was what made him feel bad.
It also pissed him off.
Rain didn’t question her more. Her body language told him everything he needed to know and probably more than she would have liked. The way she clung to his arm. The way she looked down at her feet as they walked. The way she shook when she heard noise back in the village.
“I’m sorry this happened,” he whispered, finally knowing something needed to be said as his home came into view.
“Me too,” she replied, not looking up this time. “Seanev didn’t even tell me he was going to introduce me to…His Majesty. I was hoping I could just find work when I got here and ignore the situation completely. I should have known Seanev would do what Leria asked him to do, and she thinks ahead. She would have known I would try to hide from it.”
“She’s a mativa. She’s supposed to be smart,” Rain said, trying to hide the acid he wanted to spit in that fucking bitch’s face. “This is my home…with Alchan. You can call him Alchan, by the way, and I’m Rain.”
“I know your name,” she said softly. “It was in the proclamation.”
“Of course, it was,” Rain mumbled, groaning. “You know, I fell for this idiot male, and I knew it was going to be a lot to become his Consort, but I didn’t really grasp the entirety of it.”
She laughed softly. “Then you didn’t think things through very well.”
“I know,” he said, giving an exaggerated sigh. “Come inside. I’ll sit you down with a cool drink, and you can have a moment of quiet before Alchan descends on us in a tornado of fury.”
“He is going to be mad?” Her eyes went big and the fear…Rain could have choked on the fear.
“Not at you. He might show you he is angry, but Alchan doesn’t take his fury out on those weaker than him.” Not often, anyway. I’ll stop him from doing anything stupid. He’s going to be so fucking pissed.
She didn’t seem to believe Rain, but he was able to get her settled with a drink at the dining table. He threw a log onto the fire to keep the home comfortable, then went back outside, waiting for his lover.
It was a long wait, but when Alchan arrived, his amber eyes blazed with fury.
“I would have caught up sooner, but I had to deal with Mave and Seanev getting pissy with each other. I’ll probably need to deal with them again before the day is out,” he snapped, heading for the door. Rain stepped in the way, keeping his lover outside. He watched Alchan work through what he had done, looking over him at the door. “She’s in there, isn’t she?”
“She’s enjoying a quiet moment after a stressful event,” Rain explained. “And we’re going to talk before you really meet her.”
“You’ve spoken to her already,” Alchan said, a statement of truth. “What did she have to say?”
“Leria sent her here, but she doesn’t want to be here. She doesn’t like what Leria has done, but she has absolutely no backbone to really do anything about it. She was hoping to hide in the village and work, but then Seanev outed her in the middle of the village with the entire community watching.”
“Fuck,” Alchan snapped, turning away. “I can’t believe Leria did this. No warning, not even a hint. Just send the bedru king an ahren and let the pieces