Belle stiffened when Freya hugged her.
“We’re not getting married.”
“What?” Freya pulled back while I closed my eyes and muttered a low curse.
“I agreed to stay and have my child here if we can make my government give up their claim, but I haven’t agreed to marry Mason.”
“Huh.” Freya tilted her head. “Well, that makes things even more interesting. I can’t wait to see my father’s reaction to that decision.” Linking her arm under Belle’s elbow, Freya led her out of the room with a warning, “Don’t be scared if Magni and Khan get loud. They often shit pine trees when they don’t get their way. I blame it on the fact that they were raised by a tyrant and treated like royals all their lives. According to my mother, Magni has mellowed out a lot since she first met him, but he’s still rude and crude if you ask me.”
“Hey, don’t talk shit about my father. He’s a good guy.”
Freya rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say Magni wasn’t a good guy, but you can’t deny that he can be intimidating when he gets angry.”
“I’m not scared of him.”
“That’s because you’re as huge and strong as him, but for the rest of us, having Uncle Magni stare down at us and curl his lip with a growl is intimidating.”
Belle nodded. “Yes, I’ve noticed, which is why I want to talk to Pearl first. She seems to be the most rational person in this place and she’s not afraid of him or anyone, it seems.”
My lip twitched. “You’ve got that right. Aunt Pearl is as badass as they come, but just so you know, she always has her own agenda and just like her daughter she’ll get what she wants and make you believe it was what you wanted all along.”
“You make me and Mom sound manipulative,” Freya protested as we walked from the library toward the grand foyer.
“You are something starting with M.”
Freya kept her arm under Belle’s and looked back at me with a smile. “Ah, you mean masterful.”
“That’s right. You’re masterful at being meddlesome.”
CHAPTER 22
Strategy Meeting
Mason
Just as Belle had hoped, Pearl readily took on the role as her ally and stood by her side when we went to tell Khan and Magni the news. They were with Jonah when we arrived, and their reaction wasn’t as violent as Belle had feared. I could have told her that much since they’d had time to prepare for this outcome.
It was frustrating to me that Belle didn’t lean on me for support, but hopefully in time she would learn to trust me.
Sitting in his chair, Khan leaned back with his elbows on the armrest and his fingers forming a triangle in front of him. “Now that we know Belle is pregnant, I’ll inform the French that she’s marrying Mason and staying here.”
Belle and I exchanged a glance, but none of us corrected Khan. She clearly wasn’t interested in fighting that battle right now, and I was hoping to change her mind and make her want to marry me.
Jonah, who stood by the window next to Freya, said what we were all thinking: “The Europeans will demand that she’s returned.”
“And we’ll tell them to fuck off,” Khan replied.
“Khan!” Pearl said in a reproachful tone and walked around the large desk to place a hand on his shoulder.
Looking up at her, he groaned. “Obviously, I’ll use different words.”
“If you humiliate them, they’ll run to the Motherlands and complain.”
Magni, who stood on the side of Khan’s large desk, squared his shoulders and furrowed his eyebrows. “So, let them. We’re not controlled by the Motherlands.”
Pearl kept her voice calm. “True, but if the Council takes the side of the French, we could face sanctions. We’ll most likely be banned from the summits and worst case they’ll shut down the Couples Matching Program. They’ve done that before.”
Magni scrunched up his face and sat down on the edge of Khan’s desk looking at Jonah. “You wouldn’t do that, would you? If anything, you should fucking sanction the French for refusing their citizens basic human rights.”
Jonah was wearing a long white shirt and white pants, which made him look relaxed compared to Khan, who always wore formal clothing during the day.
While they discussed it, I wondered why Belle would prefer someone like Jonah over me. At no point had Jonah shown any signs that someone had told him, and I sure as hell would never let him know that my woman had said she was attracted to him. Fuck, just thinking about it made me flex my jaw. Jonah was married to my sister Mila and for a Motlander he was sensible and fit, but at that moment I found it hard to look at him.
“Striking a deal is the better option. State your claim and offer something in return,” Jonah suggested.
“What? This isn’t the medieval days where you could offer two cows and buy a wife for your son,” Magni muttered.
His comment made me look toward Belle, who pressed her lips together, but Pearl took up where Jonah left off. “How about we talk to Victor about their most urgent needs? Our country is rich in natural resources that we could trade with. Or maybe medical supplies or drone technology would be a suitable exchange for Belle’s freedom.”
Belle frowned as we all watched her.
“How do you feel about that?”
It took her a second to understand that I’d spoken to her.
“Ehm, that’s fine with me. I just…” Her hand went to her stomach. “I would love to keep my baby.”
We were all affected by Belle’s few words. Magni swallowed hard and Freya took Belle’s hand while I placed an arm around her shoulder and repeated my promise to her.
“I won’t let anyone take our child from us.”
Khan pointed to Jonah. “We’ll go with my solution of sending our delegation to negotiate with the French. In the meanwhile, you’ll go back to the Council and inform them that we’re having trouble with the Europeans. Tell them we offered sanctuary to a woman who fell in love with my nephew. It’s important they learn that Belle is scared shitless that her child will be ripped from her arms. I want you to use that exact word so every soft heart in the council understands how fucking evil the French are. Ripped, Jonah, ripped.”
Jonah rubbed his forehead and looked to Belle. “Is that how you feel?”
She thought for a second and I guessed that she was considering objecting to Khan’s words that she fell in love with me, but to my relief she chose not to deny it. “I think…” Belle wasn’t used to talking with so many paying close attention to her words. She trailed off and tried again. “I think it’s because I’ve made friends outside of Europe. You’ve all shown me other ways of living and it makes me want something that isn’t allowed back home. I don’t want you to think France is a bad place to live because it’s not. I have friends and colleagues that I care deeply about…” Her hand stayed on her belly. “But the thought of not being able to hold my child or get to know her makes me want to cry.”
Jonah’s voice was soft with sympathy when he tilted his head and spoke. “Belle, dear, I’m the proud father of three children and the thought of not being able to see Hope, Faith, and Zen makes me cold inside. I agree with Freya that letting the delegation travel to France will show a powerful signal of respect. Since I know the Prime Minister personally, I’ll come along and offer my support.” Jonah’s expression hardened a little when he looked at me. “All I’m asking is that we all do our best to turn this into a win-win situation and leave the Europeans with an acceptable outcome as well.”