A Kiss of Fire (A Kiss of Magic #2)(97)

Her co-rulers surprised her, however, by taking the news seemingly in stride.

“Do you mean to give up your place as triumvir?” Mason asked, his tone slow and serious.

“I…I was hoping it might be possible for me to somehow maintain my role as triumvir in spite of being so far away.”

“That does not seem practical,” Mason persisted. “It takes a week and a half to trade messages by fast horse. We cannot wait so long to act on many occasions.”

“I have faith that on most matters you and Jutsin will be more than capable of ruling without me. I trust your judgment in all things. However, on matters of great import that do not require a quick response…I would have my say.”

“Ariana, you are trying to hold on to your place here and trying to hold on to Sin at the same time. That is not possible,” Jutsin said. “We need a third who can be here, who can help us make decisions quickly. If you go with Sin you will be helping him rule his people. You cannot rule both countries. It is not possible for anyone to manage such a feat.”

“But…but my loyalties would lie here,” she said anxiously.

“Your loyalties should lie with your husband and his people. But we will take comfort in the fact that you would never forget us. That we would always remain friends.”

Tears leapt to Ariana’s eyes. “But if I leave, who will you choose for your third? I will still own property and the third largest army of all Saren. I will not ever give up my holdings. They will eventually go to one of my children.”

“Normally we would choose your immediate heir to take your place, but we all know Gretha is not a good choice. So we will find the leader of the fourth largest army in Saren lands and we will offer him or her the position of triumvir.”

“You mean Kinsella Apin,” Ariana said. She had already suspected this was a possibility and had researched just who the most likely person would be to replace her. But she had so wanted to maintain her rule. Now that she was realizing she had to give it all up, there was a hole left in her heart and her chest ached.

“Do you know her?” Jutsin asked.

“I know of her,” Ariana said.

“I know her,” Mason said. “She is a woman of great substance. She is a cunning woman and knows how to command a great deal of men. She was a great leader of our forces during the war. She knows how to wield power and does so equitably. Yes…she is a good choice.”

A part of Ariana was saddened by how easily she could be replaced.

“But she will never hold a candle to you,” Mason said.

Arian felt her heart tumble over in her chest. The gruff Mason was not one to hand out compliments lightly, so she took his words very much to heart. It made her feel marginally better.

“So that’s it then? You’ll simply leave us?” Jutsin said, a frown on his lips and sadness in his eyes.

“There is nothing simple about it,” Ariana assured him, moving over to him and combing affectionate fingers through his hair. She brushed her fingertips along his square jaw. “But I must follow my heart.”

“And what assurances have we that he will treat you well?” Jutsin asked.

“I have faith in him. He is not the barbarian we all mistook him for. He was merely a man acting desperately for the desperate situation of his people. I hope one day everyone will be able to understand and forgive him for that.”

“That is asking a great deal of people,” Mason said.

“I know. And I don’t expect it to happen overnight. But perhaps this marriage will go a long way to repairing that.”

“Now you say marriage…but I know for a fact that you won’t be considered married to him until you’ve produced an heir. I won’t have you disrespected or made to be some sort of baby producer.”

“Producing children are a part of any marriage,” Sin said. “I will take as many or as few as she wishes to give me. And though she may not be considered my wife in the eyes of my culture until she has given me a son, she will forever be a wife to my heart and no others will come in her wake. You have my word on this. She will become my raji one day, I have all the faith in the world in that.”

“Perhaps sooner than expected,” Ariana said, a pink blush diffusing across her cheeks.

Sin paled before her very eyes. He reached out and steadied himself against the back of one of the chairs surrounding the table.

“What are you saying?” he demanded hoarsely. “Are you breeding?”

She wrinkled her nose. “You make it sound like a horse.”

“But we’ve been…” He hesitated and looked at Jutsin and Mason. “But we’ve been making love.”

“Yes. That’s how I got this way,” Ariana said, amusement tinging her voice.

“Yes but…we’ve been…” Again he glanced at the two men in the room who were looking on with avid interest. “Quite vigorous,” he said on an exhale. “Is that not dangerous?”

Ariana burst out in a fit of giggles. He frowned in consternation. “I do not think this is funny,” he said with pique. “This is the health and well-being of you and my child we are discussing.”

Ariana tried to be appear somber, but she failed miserably. “Of course,” she agreed. “But it will not hurt the child to be,” –this time she glanced at Jutsin and Mason—“vigorous.”