A Kiss of Fire (A Kiss of Magic #2)(57)

“If it will make it any better,” she said with a spark of humor in her eyes, “I shall endeavor to give birth a little more quickly.”

“I will not have it. You will not spend every day between now and then feeling the pressure of time upon you,” Dendri said, scolding.

“There is nothing you can do to change that,” she said with a grimace. “I already know the problem and nothing you say will change my perception of time and the situation. Not unless Ariana showed up alive and well this very moment and put an end to all of our worries about her.”

Dendri frowned. “This does not please me.”

“I will do my best not to worry too much,” Yasra said gently, reaching out to stroke her husband’s cheek as he squatted down near her chair.

Mason stood up from his own seat across the room and paced over to the couple.

“I can see nothing will change your mid. I will not insult you by offering you more money than god. I know you are already a very wealthy man. But you will be well compensated as soon as you are able to go. I will expect you to be at my doorstep within 48 hours after the birth of your child. I hope you will not keep me waiting. Yasra, I am sorry to take him from you so soon after your labors, but this is a crucial and critical matter.”

“I am well aware of that,” she assured him. “And I do not mind.” At her husband’s dubious expression, she assured him, “I do not. We will be fine. We will be waiting for you here for when you return.”

“Very well then. I will see you soon. Yasra, have a safe birth. I wish you and your child good health.”

“Thank you, Triumvir Hittite.”

“I have told you often to call me Mason,” he scolded her.

“Thank you, Mason,” she corrected herself.

Mason nodded to her then left out of the door.

Amused, Dendri looked at his wife. “And yet he still calls me Adiron and I call him Hittite,” he said.

“Well he can’t call us both Adiron. And since I have taken your name, that is his only other option. Besides, you are not nearly as warm and endearing as I am.”

“Oh no?”

“No. Now, come with me,” she said, getting to her feet. “If I could lose you for a month at any given moment, I want to make the best of my time with you.”

“What did you have in mind?” he asked with a wolfish grin.

“First, a nice hot bath. Then…”

“Then?”

“Then we’ll see,” she said, a sparkle in her eyes.





Chapter Sixteen


Sin wore away at her defenses.

The next day he took her for another tour of the countryside that was now Kilt. It began to snow while they were out, but they kept each other warm in the saddle of Sin’s stallion. When they returned he brought her back to his mother’s salon where she was given books and stitching, whichever she pleased, to entertain herself. Later that afternoon he brought her into his study and they poured over the ledgers together. She was impressed that he trusted her figures when she needed scratch paper to do her tallying, whereas he kept it all in his head. He didn’t keep her just doing the tariff tallies. He made certain she had a look at every government run account Kilt had. He was exposing himself completely to her, trusting her in a way she would never have trusted anyone. Was he truly that confident that she would never see her home country again?

She wasn’t sure.

They were alone together only when they were in his study doing the ledgers, and even then he left the door ajar where anyone could see in as they passed. And there was a lot of traffic in these halls, she noticed. Mothers and children. Servants. Ambassadors and diplomats. They all seemed to have free reign over the temple. However, no one ever came into Sin’s study. It was clear it was out of bounds to others.

That night, at dinner, she took control of the conversation, refusing to let Raj Vich get a word in edgewise. Whenever he went to speak, she would jump in over him and say something, anything, to turn the conversation away from him or his opinions. At one point she saw Sin lift his napkin to his lips and heard him smother a chuckle under an affected cough. Vich’s frustration at this tactic became more and more clear at the meal wore on.

“Well you know what I think—“, Vich interrupted the conversation loudly.

“Oh yes. I'm sure I do,” Ariana cut him off once again. “You are going to say that the government should not be simply handing out supplies to the people. That it will bankrupt the crown. But I agree with Raja Sin on this matter. And investment today will pay off in the long run and the crown will be the richer for it.”

The courtiers all sent murmurs of agreement up the table.

“But I—“, Vich began again.

“Oh of course. There should be some repayment. Perhaps in seed or returned crop. Yes, that is very wise. I am glad your brother has already thought of that and made arrangements accordingly.”

“Indeed I have,” Sin said amicably. “We stake each farmer land and seed, and they then owe the crown a portion of crop or proceeds of crop in a yearly tithe until the startup costs have been repaid. The money we invest today will not only come back to us in repaid debt, but the economy will be fortified with working farms and domestic grains…rather than imports.”

“A very wise thing to do,” Ariana said. “Perhaps Sarens should do the same and encourage settlement in the wilderness. It is a hard life, just as it is here, but there are enterprising souls who will want to make their fortunes that way. Especially nons.”