Chapter Seven

KEYARA

~Dammit~, thought Keyara. ~He knows. How does he know?~

~No, he couldn’t,~ she tried to convince herself. He’s just being…polite?How did his touch on her face feel so good? She couldn’t think.

She turned her head to dislodge his hand. He didn’t fight her, letting it drop to his side while continuing to stare at her intently.

“I’m sure, my lord,” she said firmly.

“Well, Keyara,” he said. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

His voice was smooth and deep. Key found herself leaning into him, wanting to be closer, a strange pull coming from the man in front of her.

She shook her head and stepped back. Whether he knew the truth about her or not, she needed to keep her distance.

“L-likewise, my lord.” She looked up at his emerald eyes.

She suddenly forgot all sense of propriety again. “I’m sorry, but why are you here?”

He laughed. It was a pleasant sound, and the amusement that lit up his face somehow made him even more handsome.

“I’m here to discuss trade routes.” He smiled at her.

She almost rolled her eyes. “I mean why are you ~here~? Skipping the meeting. Talking to me. I’m nobody.”

“Hmm,” he said softly. “We will have to see about that.”

The intensity of his voice made her stomach flutter with nervousness.

~Shit~. He definitely knew. She needed to get away from here. “I’m sorry, my lord, but I must return to the kitchen. There is much to do.”

She started to turn away, trying to make her escape.

“Wait! Keyara!” He reached out to her but seemed to catch himself, letting his hand drop again.

She turned back to him, surprised by his reaction. She raised her eyebrows in question.

“Meet me tonight, please, during dinner?” he asked.

“What?” Keyara was stunned by the request. “Why?”

“I have…an offer. Of sorts. For you. But it will require some…explanation,” he said carefully.

He seemed nervous. Key frowned at him.

“King Pershing would not like it,” she murmured.

“Oh, to hell with Pershing!” Ash spat. He took a deep breath and spoke again in a calmer voice, almost pleading with her. “Please, meet me here in the courtyard tonight during dinner.”

Key stepped back in surprise. Why was this so important to him? If he knew who she was, why wouldn’t he just reveal her to Pershing? She would be banished, at best. At worst, killed.

She had no idea how she would sneak away during dinner.

“Please, Keyara,” he said fervently, and placed a hand on her cheek.

For such a huge man his touch was exceedingly gentle. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, unable to resist the feeling his touch gave her.

“Do you feel that?” he said quietly.

Key opened her eyes in surprise to find him studying her face earnestly. She nodded, wondering how he knew how his touch made her feel.

“Do you want to know why?” he continued.

She nodded again, lost in his eyes.

“Then please, meet me tonight.”

“All right,” she agreed quietly.

The feeling he caused wasn’t all of it, she told herself. She had to find out what he knew.

His face lit up in a huge smile at her acquiescence.

“I have to go,” she whispered, and reluctantly broke away from his touch, heading back toward the kitchen.

ASH

He followed a few steps behind her, breathing in her scent as she walked.

He hoped he could come up with the right words before they met tonight to explain what he was and about the mate bond.

It helped she could feel it so strongly already; it would be easier to convince her, perhaps. He couldn’t exactly show her his wolf while they were in the castle.

“Girl!” he heard Pershing call out sharply.

He caught up to her and saw Pershing leaning out of the meeting room door, beckoning Keyara to come inside. His wolf grumbled at the tone he used toward his mate, but Ash fought down the protective instinct.

~Just a few hours longer,~ he thought.

Pershing looked at Ash in surprise. He was surely wondering what the two of them were doing together.

They both entered the meeting room. Ash returned to his seat and caught Luca’s eye. His beta seemed pleased.

Lord Jonas had an odd expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed in thought, and they kept jumping between Ash, seated in the chair across from him, and Keyara, who had gone to stand against the wall with his father.

Her eyes were downcast, and her hands were clasped in front of her.

“Yes, my lord?” she said to him, awaiting his command.

“You will return to Kodia with these men,” he responded shortly.

“What?!”

Both Ash and Keyara spoke at the same time.

He turned toward Luca. ~“What’s going on?”~

Luca stood and spoke to Ash. “While you were out getting some air, my lord, I was discussing our desperate need of a new kitchen maid. As it turns out, King Pershing had more than he needs.”

~“What did you do?”~

Luca suddenly looked apprehensive. ~“She’s your mate. This makes taking her with us easy.”~

Ash growled. Everyone in the room turned to stare at him. He fought down his wolf.

Luca continued out loud, “So we negotiated for her. She works for us now.”

~“I thought this would help,”~ Luca said defensively. ~“And I told you I didn’t know what to discuss with him!”~

Ash sighed. This was not how he wanted this to go. He couldn’t really blame Luca. It was the same tactic they had used to claim his mate from the kingdom of Saphine last year.

The difference was Jill had had enough time to be marked and aware of the ruse before they did so.

“So you ~bought~ me?” Keyara spat out to Luca.

“No!” assured Ash at the same moment Luca replied, “Yes.”

She turned to face him. “I am not for sale!” Keyara said angrily.

“How dare you speak to a king that way, girl!” Pershing backhanded her across the face.

Ash flew out of his chair with inhuman speed, his eyes solid black. His furious growl echoed through the room, and his hand tightened on Pershing’s neck.

Everyone in the room was frozen in shock, his own men most of all. No one had ever exposed them in such a way, especially not their alpha.

He looked frantically at Keyara with her hand clutched to the side of her face. A bruise was already starting to form. His eyes were still black, and his fury was barely contained.

She stared back at him, unafraid. Her steady gaze reached him through his haze of rage.

He realized he was still holding Pershing by the throat. He dimly registered Jonas shouting at him from behind, trying to get Ash to let go of his father. He closed his eyes. ~Get control~, he thought.

When he opened them again, they were back to their normal green, and his wolf was contained. Keyara’s blue eyes still studied him from her position on the floor.

Ash cleared his throat. He let go of Pershing, who coughed and sputtered.

“You shouldn’t treat people that way,” he said simply, hearing the absurdity of his words as they left his mouth.

He knew it was a weak attempt at an explanation.