Her nostrils flared, anger still simmering there. More tears spilled. Their salty scent overpowered his senses and gave him an itchy sense of urgency.
“Do you believe me?”
She sniffed, looking stonily past him.
“Leora.” He made his voice a little darker, more forbidding. “You do understand why I did not allow it in this planet rotation?”
Her throat worked to swallow and failed.
“Look at me and tell me why.” He added a sharpness to his tone now, praying he had enough of her trust, that they were bonded enough she’d respond to his displeasure.
She did. Her eyes dragged slowly to his face, lips twisted in a bitter line. “Because I’m still being punished?”
He gave a single nod.
More tears spilled. “I hate you.”
He reached through the bars and swiped a tear with his thumb. “I do know how much it means to you. You still suffer the loss of her, even though she’s been found. You wish to know her.”
At this, Leora burst into honest, heartbroken tears. And it vecking ruined him to see her that way. He spun the cage until the door faced him and commanded it open, plucking her out, holding her cradled to his chest.
“I do understand, little one. I will take care of you.”
To his relief, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her wet face against it, her back shaking with her tears.
“I lost her. And I still haven’t found her.”
He stroked her beautiful waves. “I know you haven’t, sweet female. I know you haven’t.” He settled on the sleepdisk and rocked her gently. “But you will.”
“You promise,” she whispered, confirming.
“Yes, I promise.”
“What if the prince forbids it?”
Some old hardened rock inside him shuddered a bit at the question. That place in him he’d had to petrify in order to go on living with himself after he’d left Zandia with the young prince instead of his own family. Would he choose honor over love again?
But that was foolish—he wasn’t in love with Leora. Except his heart said something different.
“I would persuade him,” he said softly into her hair. “If Lamira didn’t first.”
She lifted her head, her red eyes scanning his face, measuring him. She appeared to have another question, but she closed her lips and settled her cheek against his chest, as if choosing not to ask it.
Chapter Four
When Leora emerged clean and fresh from the washtube the following morning, she found Seke had returned to his chamber.
“Are you ready to apologize to Zander? Show you have accepted your punishment and training?”
Her jaw dropped. A heaviness pressed against her chest.
Was he serious? Every time she thought she might understand Seke, might forgive his high-handedness, even be able to surrender to him as her master, he did or said something that made her want to kick him in the teeth again.
She’d been furious—vecking furious he’d kept her from speaking with Lily earlier, and having Rok demand to know whether they were slaves or not had been humiliating. Clearly, he didn’t think they should be.
She agreed. If Zander loved her daughter enough to mate her, he had to treat her as an equal and free both Lamira and Leora from slavery, at least in Zandian eyes. Obviously, they’d never be free under Ocretion law.
“Do you want to see your daughters?”