A Kiss of Fire (A Kiss of Magic #2)(90)

The first people she saw was Jutsin and Mason. Both men were facing the entrance she had come in by. The entire Kiltian delegation was between them, their backs to her entrance. Her gaze swept over the heights and shoulders of the delegation and in an instant she knew he wasn’t there.

Her disappointment was crushing. So much so she could barely breathe as Jutsin caught sight of her.

“Ah. Here she is,” he said, moving through the delegates and reaching to take her hand. The Kiltians all turned and she saw their faces. She recognized every single one of them. Most notably was Lindo. The enigmatic Jadoc shaman was never far from Sin’s side and she took heart in that fact. If he was there, then Sin was not too far away. Or, she realized, that was what she hoped.

“Triumvir Colla,” Lindo greeted her with a very respectful bow of his head and shoulders. It was such a formal greeting, as though those weeks in Kilt had never happened for her.

But they had happened.

“Lindo,” she returned the greeting. She had never discovered what his formal title was.

“Envoy Lindo,” he supplied for her. He did not smile, but his eyes were light with kindness and sympathy.

“Envoy, what brings you here to us?” she asked. Please let it be that he wants me still. Even though there is no hope for it, let it be that he wants me.

“I come with a formal request from Raja Sin.” Here Lindo hesitated as he shifted his glance between all three triumvirs. “He wishes to pay court to Triumvir Colla publicly and properly.”

He did want her! Oh the relief of it went so deep. So deep that she couldn’t ignore the feelings.

“I say, that’s preposterous!” Jutsin exploded. “After what he’s done? To come in here and ask to pay court to the woman he kidnapped and dragged off halfway across the continent?”

“Raja Sin abducted the triumvir in the custom of our people. Now he wishes to court the triumvir in the custom of her people.”

“And if she refuses?” Mason asked darkly.

“I have been asked not to leave here without her consent. I will be here for quite some time then I imagine.”

Mason scoffed. “The nerve of the man. Still trying to bully us. Well it won’t work. This time he isn’t getting what he wants. It would serve no purpose in any event. The purpose of a courting is with the intention of marriage in the end. Such a joining would be impossible.”

“Why?” Ariana asked softly.

All of the men turned to her, questioning looks on their faces.

“Ariana, surely you’re not considering—”, Jutsin began.

“Why does he want to pay court? Does he give you his reasons?” she asked.

Lindo let one corner of his lips curl up. “I would not presume to know the heart of the raja. However, I think he has made it very clear what his feelings are for you. He only wishes to pay you respects until such time as you come to feel the same for him.”

“Of all the unmitigated gall of the man!” Jutsin cried.

“My master merely knows his own heart and is unafraid to declare it and pursue his desires. Can you say the same, my lady?”

She could not. All she did know was that she wanted to see him again. More than anything. But Mason was right. There would be no ultimate solution for them if they embarked on a formal courting.

She realized then that she didn’t care. Once again he was bullying her, flaunting his desires in her face and demanding she acknowledge them. But this time she did not find them offensive. She found them charming. She found them to be so endearingly Sin.

“Is he here?” she asked breathlessly. “In Capitol City?”

“He is here,” Lindo confirmed.

“Tell him I accept his suit.”

“What?” Mason and Jutsin exploded in unison.

“Are you out of your mind?” Mason asked. “The people will never accept—“

“I don’t give a damn about the people!” she cried, shocking herself as well as her fellow triumvirs. “I am tired of doing what the people demand of me! They have been my keepers for much too long. It is time I do something for my own pleasure and peace of mind. Envoy Lindo, return to your master and tell him I accept his suit wholeheartedly. With all the enthusiasm I can muster. Jutsin, you can make the formal announcement to the papers. We should see the fallout from this as quickly as possible. The sooner the idea is out among the people the sooner they will get used to it. Meanwhile, we will house your delegation in the guest quarters, Envoy Lindo. I will not have you in the city where you might become victims to hostile sentiment.”

“Thank you, Triumvir. That is most generous of you. I will go to my master at once and we will return to you shortly.”

Lindo bowed again, turned on his heel, and led the delegates out of the parlor. The capitol guards would see them out the rest of the way.

“And now you would put him up in the residence? Without consulting us?”

“Why should I consult you, Mason?” she asked. “It is no more than what we offer to every visiting leader of a nation. Why should we make an exception for the leader of Kilt?”

“Because he kidnapped you, Ariana!”

“You heard what he said. He was simply following the traditions of his culture. He meant no offense by it. I was treated with dignity and honor at all times. I was forced to do nothing that caused me great grievance.”