Zaxe wrapped his arm around Jamaeh and pulled her against him, not just because he needed her there, but to better protect her if tensions escalated. “This is Jamaeh Jerman. Jamaeh, this is my sister, Sass.”
“Sister?” The skepticism in her voice made him want to grin. Sass was slender, her skin pale. She couldn’t look more different.
“By choice,” he reminded her.
Jamaeh held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.” She glanced at the big man beside Sass and quickly released her.
Sass patted her husband’s chest. “Don’t mind Spear. He likes being mysterious.” The big man said nothing as he panned the crowd. Zaxe had no doubt he’d already noted the positions of all the guards and anyone else he deemed a threat. Spear was an elite Gravasian assassin.
Then Delphi pushed by them and put her arms around Zaxe. “Are you really okay?”
Warmth spread through him. He bent down and kissed the top of his sister’s head. “I’m fine. You should meet our relatives.”
She gave a snort. “Not sure I want to, but I do want to meet this lady.”
Jamaeh stared curiously at his sister. “Jamaeh, this is Delphi and her husband Ivar el Gravaso.”
“You must be very special to have caught Zaxe’s attention.” Delphi tilted her head to one side and studied her.
She shook her head. “I’ll leave you to your family reunion.”
“No.” Keeping his hand wrapped around hers, he tugged her along as they approached Lomar and his entourage. “This is our murderous uncle, Lomar, and his useless son, Samar.” Jamaeh was digging her short nails into his skin. Warning him to watch himself? Likely, but there was no need to pull any punches now that he had backup.
“I am Lomar Zaxurus, ruler of the Northern Territory. Greetings to the princes of Gravas. Welcome to Zaxus.”
“Huh.” Delphi put her hands on her hips and glared. “No welcome for me. Just for my husband. Don’t think much of women around here, do they?” The crowd stirred, some muttering in anger, others uncomfortable with the spotlight being shone on their society.
“It is customary to address the males in a group first. Greetings, niece. This is my son, your cousin, Samar.” The younger man stepped forward and gave a short bow. His bravado had vanished, leaving him uncertain.
Ivar nodded at both. “Greetings from my father, King Agman of Gravas. My wife has been most concerned about her brother and his welcome here. I assured her he could take care of himself, but you understand how women are. They worry.” That earned him a solid elbow in the ribs from Delphi.
Lomar frowned at her. Samar’s jaw dropped. Ivar rubbed his side and continued. “My lovely wife remembers little from her early years, so I decided to do some research.”
That was news to Zaxe. As a former long-range scout for Gravas, Ivar was used to uncovering secrets. “I’ve cultivated contacts across the galaxy. It’s amazing what you can uncover if you have the right resources.”
Lomar was sweating heavily, his breathing labored. “It is hot in the afternoon sun. We should retire to the palace for food and drink.”
Ivar kept talking over him, his voice carrying easily. “I found a member of the assassin squad still alive.” He put his arm around Delphi’s shoulders and met Zaxe’s eyes. “Seems he was paid by a man who told him where and when his targets would be.”
“That has nothing to do with me.” Lomar signaled to the guards and began to stalk off. A woman began to wail in grief, many picking up the chant. Men made angry gestures, held back only by the presence of Lomar’s guards.
The confirmation was like a blast to the solar plexus, without a battlesuit. It was one thing to suspect, another to have solid proof. And if Ivar said it was true, it was. Gravasians were meticulous about such things. All the blood drained from his face, leaving him lightheaded. The voices around him became one loud noise. A buzzing rang in his ears.
“Lean on me.” Jamaeh had her arm around him, taking some of his weight. Her face was tight with concern.
“I was right.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
The past was gone, unable to be rewritten. The future was right in front of him. Reality snapped back into place. “Stay with me.” It would be easy to lose her in this crowd if fighting broke out.
“As long as you need me,” she promised.
That would be forever. Jamaeh was as vital to him as air. She was his heart, one he’d thought damaged beyond repair.
“Lomar Zaxurus.” Zaxe’s voice cracked like a whip. “You are guilty of crimes against my family. Come and face justice.” This was going to be done here and now. The guards neither stopped Zaxe nor protected Lomar. In the last few seconds, his power had vanished. It was one thing for Zaxe to accuse him. Quite another for a prince of Gravas.
The crowd herded Lomar and Samar back to the circle, closing ranks and giving them no other option.
Bitterness coated Zaxe’s tongue. “I told you what had happened. I fought all comers, even when the challenge was stacked against me, even when Lomar cheated.” The only sound was a braying mulkey in the distance. “I showed you the mark of my birth, told you my name. Still, you believed Lomar over me. But one word from an outsider and you suddenly believe.”
Jamaeh’s hand on his back was the only thing grounding him. He wanted to scoop her up and take her away from all this. “You deserve a leader like Lomar.”
Unease rippled through the crowd. “You are Dagmar’s son. You are Navar Zaxurus, our leader,” someone shouted. The roar grew loud, but petered out when they got no reaction from him.
“They will never accept you,” Lomar told him, a mercenary gleam in his eyes. He’d thought he’d won, thought he’d walk away from here alive. No matter what happened, Zaxe would have justice for his parents.
“You must stay,” an elderly man called out.
“Must I? If I did, would you accept the woman I choose as mine?” He locked his arm around Jamaeh, hating the tension that quivered through her. She stood proud and pale, her unique hair and eyes marking her as different. “I will have no other.”
She sagged against him, her mouth slack and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. He lowered his voice. “I will have no other,” he whispered, this time for her ears only. With that, he kissed her, claiming her in front of all of Badwa.
She stiffened in his arms. Had he made a mistake? Had she meant it when she’d said she’d loved him? His stomach dropped and he loosened his grip. Before he could release her, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back with a passion that almost brought him to his knees. Bodies aligned, he crushed her against him.
“You might want to keep that for later.” The deep male voice held only the slightest hint of amusement. When he managed to pull his lips from Jamaeh’s, Spear tilted his head toward Lomar, whose face was red with anger.
Jamaeh made a sound of embarrassment and found something interesting on the ground to stare at.
It was time to end this. “I will give you the choice to die honorably in combat.” It was more than his uncle deserved, but it would help quell the anger of those in the crowd who supported Lomar.
“I am an old man. Where is the fairness in that?”