Absolution (Delroi Prophecy Book 4) (8 page)

“It’s done,” she said.

Zola pulled her weapon and shot him
three times in the chest. She turned, gave Kaje the location, and requested to
see it later.

“We’ll secure it for you,” the Steward
said.

Zola turned to her mother. “Where are
you headed?”

He didn’t know Zola well enough to
judge her current state of mind, but he felt his
der’lan’s
concern.

“Bring
her home with us,”
he said.

“The house in the Keep’s city. Do you
want…”

She didn’t complete the invitation and
the hesitation in her voice, the expectation of rejection, made his stomach hurt.
When Zola nodded, he exhaled a sigh of relief. As they walked to the shuttle,
Jarek moved to intercept them.

“My
der’lan
,” the healer said. “I go where she goes.”

He approved of Jarek’s insistence. His
daughter needed a strong protector, a warrior with the strength to allow her to
be herself and take care of her when it was necessary. And by the time they
reached the house he’d decided Zola definitely needed the care. She was
withdrawn but he could feel a growing numbness. She needed to vent all that repressed
emotion and would only share her vulnerability to her mate. He showed them to
their suite. Zola went inside without a word, leaving Jarek to deal with the
niceties.

“I’ll bring her some clean clothes,”
Anna Leigh said.

Jarek shook his head. “I’ll have my
mother send something from the Keep. Don’t be surprised if she shows up
herself.”

“That’s fine,” Xan said. “I haven’t
seen Lady Rona in years. It would be nice to catch up.”

Next to him Anna Leigh stiffened and
he wondered if he’d said something wrong. He set his hand on the small of her
back and led her down the hall to their suite. Inside she wandered through the
rooms while he went to the bar and poured them each a glass of
gazzi
. She returned, picked up the
glass, and went to sit down on the sofa. He was certain he’d said something to
upset her but didn’t have a clue what.

“It’s a nice house,” she said in a
smooth, emotionless voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He growled. “No lies, sweetheart,
remember?”

She blinked, bit the corner of her lip
and looked away a moment before meeting his gaze again.

“I didn’t expect to meet any of your
former lovers so quickly.”

He stilled, unsure how to proceed. He
hadn’t tried to keep anything in his history from her but they hadn’t discussed
that part of their pasts.

“It was a long time ago,” he said
cautiously. “We were friends. There was nothing more to it than that.”

“But it would nice to catch up?” she
asked much too sweetly.

He had the impression of being
swallowed up by a sandstorm. Its fury would wrap around him and spit out
nothing but bones if he wasn’t careful.

“She will be Zola’s mother-in-law.
Even if that wasn’t the case, she’s the high priestess. She will be a part of
Zola’s life either way.”

He couldn’t read her expression and
she kept her thoughts hidden. His frustration grew. “
You
are my
der’lan
.
Nothing, no one, can ever compare to you.”

“How many others will I be expected to
welcome into my life?”

He heard it now, the jealousy, but it
took him off guard. He knew she’d had lovers and hadn’t questioned that.
Though, thank the gods he’d never meet one of them face to face. And then he
understood. He took her glass and set it aside, then gently cupped her face.

“There is only you, my
der’lan
. My heart and soul are yours. I
have never loved another,” he whispered, staring into her eyes, watching as her
widened.

He hadn’t dared speak of love before. Had
used his takeover of the clan to draw her closer. Hoped she would come to see
it for herself. He was a pragmatic and calculating warrior. He should have
seen, should have known, she needed a different kind of assurance from him
despite her protests to the contrary. He pulled her to feet, determined to show
her
exactly
what she was to him, but
the door chimes rang before he could get her into the bedroom.

“One of the guards downstairs can
handle it,” he said, seeing that vulnerable look in her eyes again.

It was gone in an instant and she
shook her head. “No. You’re right. She’s part of Zola’s life. And the clan
would suffer if I don’t get over it.”

He glared at her. “This has nothing to
do with the clan. This is about my
der’lan’s
comfort.”

Surprise burst through his mind and
then she smiled. “Everything affects the clan, darlin’. I promise I’ll be nice
to your ex-girlfriend.”

“She’s not--it wasn’t like that. It
isn’t
like that on Delroi.”

She shrugged and walked ahead of him
through the door. He caught up with her at the top of the stairs, could see
Lady Rona waiting in the foyer and watching them with a curious gaze. Grabbing
Anna Leigh’s hand, he pulled her close before she could descend. He wanted to
skip this meeting. Wanted to take his mate back to their bed and sink to the hilt
inside her.

“Later,” she promised softly.

“No one has ever had the ability to
make me lose control or forget my responsibilities.”

“And I do?”

He nodded.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He felt his smile deep in his chest.
“I’m not.”

She laughed, as he’d hoped she would,
pressing her lips against his in a kiss that was in no way satisfying, before
pulling free of his arms and going down the steps. He was so stunned by her
sudden change of mood he just watched. She stopped halfway down and turned back
to him with an arched eyebrow.

“Aren’t
you coming?”

Her tart tone hit him right in the
groin. He gave her a slow sexy smile he hadn’t known he was capable of a few
weeks ago.

“You
promised me later,”
he whispered into her mind, adding an
image of her restrained spread eagled to their bed and at the mercy of whatever
pleasure he chose to give her.

“I’ll
retaliate,”
she warned softly.

“You
can try.”

She gave him a considering look, then
shook her head.
“I wouldn’t like that.
I’ll get my revenge in some other way.”

It took him a second to realize she
was teasing him. He let her feel his triumph at getting her to deal with him on
a deeper level than she had yet and was rewarded with a startled, almost panicked
look. She covered it and hurried down to the foyer quickly. He was right behind
her, put his hand on her lower back and stepped close as he met Rona’s curious
gaze.

“Lord Bana,” she said in the clear,
confidant tone he remembered.

He refused to recall anything else.
Anna Leigh appeared serene at his side but he could feel her tension.

“High Priestess,” he greeted her.
“Allow me to introduce my
der’lan
,
Anna Leigh. This is Lady Rona Idis of the Keep and the high priestess of the
goddess cult.”

Rona’s lips twitched. “So formal, my
lord.” She turned a questioning look on Anna Leigh. “Is that necessary? It may
not be official yet, but we are family.”

*

Anna Leigh felt the nervousness in her
chest unclench. No, that wasn’t true. It was fear. Fear that Xan might want
someone else. That someone else might have a prior claim and resent her for the
bond he’d formed between them. She felt none of that from either Xan or Rona,
only a fondness and mutual respect between old friends.

“I don’t think it’s necessary, no,”
she said, hoping this woman who knew her daughter could give her insight into
the woman Zola was here. “Would you like a glass of
gazzi
?”

“Yes, thank you.” She held up the bag.
“I should give this to my son first though.”

Xan directed her and she disappeared
from view for a couple of minutes. When she returned, they followed her mate
into a light airy solarium that looked out over the sea. Two small sofas face
each other with a table between them. Xan poured while she and Rona sat and looked
each other over. She felt his unease. He was in unfamiliar waters and didn’t
have any idea what he was supposed to do. She let him suffer a minute before
taking pity and sending him a wave of reassurance. He joined them, setting the
glasses on the table. He didn’t sit until both women had had a sip. She
wondered if that was some kind of point of protocol she was unaware of.

“Once
two warriors have shared a drink they’ve indicated they are not enemies.”

“Neither
of us are warriors.”

She felt a huff of amusement in her
mind.
“Yes you are.”

“So you’re Zola’s mother,” Rona said,
putting her guard up.

“I am.”

Rona just looked at her. “I see where
her stubborn streak comes from.”

Unable to deny that, she shrugged.
“It’s a family trait.”

“Comes in handy dealing with Delroi warriors,”
Rona said dryly.

Anna Leigh laughed. She hadn’t had to
pit her will against Xan’s yet but she had a feeling that day was coming. “Giving
Jarek hell is she?”

For some reason that made her feel
much better about her daughter’s choice. Rona grinned. “I’m sure they’ll work
it out soon,” she said.

“So she works for you?”

She should have spent more time with
Siana and Eva on ship. Found out exactly how this goddess cult worked. Rona
gave her a considering look.

“Her focus is on Tel right now. Once
that is dealt with we’ll discuss what she wants to do.”

“What are the options?”

Rona’s gaze hardened, moved to Xan,
and Anna Leigh knew whatever she said it wouldn’t be the whole truth. With a
noncommittal shrug, her expression cleared to polite blandness.

“Since she’s Jarek’s
der’lan
and will stay in the Keep, I
imagine she’ll assist with the novice’s training.”

She stood. “I really should be getting
back to the temple. There’s a great deal still left to finish before the
celebration begins.”

Anna Leigh and Xan walked her to the
door, then returned to their suite.

“So what does a priestess do? And why
was she so cagey about discussing it?”

“That’s something southern warriors
spend a great deal of time speculating over,” he said in a dry tone. “They
often are hired as companions for females, but they’re really bodyguards.”

He sighed. “That’s what I should have
done for Xiri.”

She met his gaze, saw the lingering
regret. “You could do that now.”

“No, Goran has taken care of it.”

She’d wondered why Xiri hadn’t accompanied
them to the Keep. Was a little surprised after her abduction that Xan trusted
her to Goran’s care, though the couple planned to join them in a few days. He
gave her a wicked smile that made her toes curl and her belly flip-flop.

“Oh, I’m not worried. Newly mated
warriors rarely let their
der’lan’s
out of sight.”

She got the feeling he wasn’t talking
about his cousin and her mate. The gleam in his eyes made her alternately melt
and freeze. Lascivious. So damned hungry. He took a step closer and she backed
up. Kept backing up as he stalked until she realized he’d herded her right
where he wanted her. The bedroom. She didn’t dodge when he reached for her.
Didn’t protest when he slowly stripped her, then himself, and stretched out on
the bed next to her.

“I made you a promise,” he said.

His voice was soft, his eyes filled
with a lazy heat that made her hold her breath as the images of that promise
filled her mind again. Her silence was all the consent he needed and before she
knew it she was cuffed to the four corners of the bed. He stood and looked down
at her.

“So beautiful, love, spread out and
waiting for me,” he whispered.

He settled between her legs. His cock
was hard, hot, but he didn’t thrust into her. He brushed kisses over her cheeks
before moving to her throat, which remained unmarked. They’d been so busy they
hadn’t had time to schedule with a tattoo artist. He sucked sensitive skin
between his teeth.

“My
mark will go here. My sweet, powerful, beautiful der’lan.”

She felt his control fracture a moment
before he shored it up. He licked and nipped his way down her body, stopping to
torture her nipples with teasing gentle licks.

“Xan.
I need more.”

“Mmm.
And I need everything. Give me everything, sweetheart, and I’ll give you what
you need.”

The last of her resistance to the
bond. The small piece of herself she held back, that she’d thought was too
broken, too wasted to ever give again. Her heart. He slid down her body and bit
her inner thigh.