That she understood. She’d been there as far back as she could remember – not really caring whether or not she made it through the day or the mission. And he was right. Now that she had Dancer, it made things much more complicated. Made her want to hold on when she’d already relegated herself to letting go.
Suddenly, the door behind them opened. Sumi turned to find a full unit of Andarion soldiers there.
Syn put himself between her and Dancer and them. “What’s going on?”
“Stand down, Doctor. We’re here for the woman.”
“She’s a patient of mine.”
He disregarded Syn entirely. “She’s under arrest.”
Sumi’s stomach shrank as she took a step back. “For what?”
They didn’t answer as they pushed past Syn and seized her, then hauled her from the room.
CHAPTER 24
His blood begging for vengeance, Hauk forced himself to kneel before his queen in the center of her small, makeshift office that had been set up for her onboard the ship, even though what he really wanted to do was take the sword from across his back and use it to cut her head from her body…
Mother of Nykyrian or not.
But he knew the eight guards standing between him and her would kill him before he could take more than a single angry step in her direction. He was good, but they were loaded for Andarion and would be as motivated to murder him as he was to execute his queen for arresting Sumi.
Cairistiona sat on the opposite side of a large desk, staring at him with an expression he couldn’t even begin to read. Her long black hair was coiled in intricate braids around her impeccably beautiful face as she watched him with suspicious white-and-red eyes. In her youth, before her affair with Nykyrian’s father, she had risen to the rank of prime commander for the Andarion armada.
Her lineage had always been one of the fairest skinned of all Andarions and her blood contained the only warriors who could give the War Hauks a run for their ferocity in battle. It was why his grandmother had sought to unite their blood after all these centuries. She firmly believed that they would birth legendary warriors who would guard Andaria for eternity.
And like his family, Cairistiona’s wasn’t known for its forgiveness or tolerance. Some of the worst blood feuds marring Andarion history had come from her lineage.
She ran her tongue over her right fang speculatively before she finally spoke. “Interesting… the last time I had a War Hauk kneeling before me, it was your father confessing how he’d dishonored me and broke his pledge to my lineage. Have you any idea how embarrassing that was for me?”
He glanced down to the burn scar on his arm as he remembered all the times he’d knelt before Dariana and had his pledge coldly and painfully refused in front of their families. “Yes, Majesty. I do, and I apologize deeply for any slight my parents have ever caused you.”
Tilting her head, she drummed her claws against the desk as she continued to watch him. He had no way of knowing what thoughts were going through her mind… if she intended to punish him for his parents’ transgression against her. As queen, she had full rank and privilege to do with him whatever she wanted. All Andarions were viewed as property and servants to their royal house, which was another thing that made his father’s actions against Cairistiona so egregious.
And it might have a lot to do with why she’d refused to have Nykyrian present at this meeting.
She stopped drumming her claws. “Rise, Dancer of the Warring Blood Clan of Hauk, son of Endine and Ferral, and tell me why you’ve so brashly requested this audience.”
Hauk stood slowly and made sure to keep his gaze averted from his queen. He might be best friends with her son, but it wasn’t his place to look their queen in the eye. “I’ve come to beg our most sovereign crown to allow me to take the place of the human woman you hold, Sumi Antaxas. Whatever her crimes, I offer my life for hers and will gladly accept her punishment in her stead.” His request was normally something a husband did for his wife, a father for his son, or a brother for a sister.
She narrowed her gaze on him. “And why would you beg me for the life of a human?”
He had to bite back his sarcasm that she’d disdain the human race so, especially given the fact that her sons were half human. Swallowing hard, he knew only one answer might sway the queen into granting his request for leniency. “She is my life, Majesty. I would not see her harmed.”
Cairistiona rose and moved to stand before him. She took his chin in her hand. “Look at me.”
He glanced at her eyes and then away.
“You’re stralen?” she asked in a shocked tone.
He nodded.
She dropped her hand from his face. “For this human?”
“Yes, Majesty.”
Sighing heavily, she paced around him. “We have a bit of a problem, War Hauk. It is your own family that called for her arrest.”
That stunned him. While he’d figured they would be a problem once he landed, he hadn’t anticipated them acting this fast. “Excuse me, Majesty?”
Cairistiona inclined her head to him. “I am well aware that the human female endangered the well-being of my granddaughter. I also know that she saved Princess Thia’s life and guarded her with her own. At the behest of my granddaughter, I forgave the human for those actions against the crown. But it was the insistence of your mother and your pledged that I had to arrest her for endangering the lives of you and your nephew… the last of your most sacred blood clan.”
He went cold with those words. “As the last of my blood clan, Majesty, I forgive her. She saved our lives, too. She doesn’t deserve to be punished for risking her life to save ours. But if it is to be, then please allow me to take Sumi’s place. I will gladly accept whatever punishment they demand of her.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”
His heart stopped beating as fear invaded every part of his being. Andarion justice was swift and extremely brutal. Rarely did an Andarion survive it.
A human, even one as strong and resourceful as Sumi, would never make it through.
Cairistiona shook her head sadly. “Had it been any family save yours, I could have delayed my actions.”
But because they were second only to the royal house, she was required to act and give them the justice they demanded.
Immediately.
“Your mother was insistent that the human give up her life for her crimes against your family. I had no choice.”
Absolute horror filled him and in that moment, he hated Syn for keeping him unconscious. Had he been awake at the time Sumi was arrested, he could have stopped this.
Six hours later…
“I will gladly die for her, Majesty.”
“It’s too late for that, War Hauk,” she said sadly. “The human Sumi Antaxas no longer exists.”
Tears filled his eyes as he felt like someone had just kicked his teeth in. How could Sumi be gone so fast?
Damn you to hell, Syn!
He would kill that Ritadarion bastard first. And then he’d kill the rest of them for not protecting the one thing he’d asked them to. For decades, he’d put his life and limb on the line for all of them. Had never once hesitated to protect them, no matter the personal cost to himself. He’d never before asked them for anything. Ever.
And they’d paid him back by allowing his woman to be killed while he lay helpless to stop it.
Never had anything hurt like this betrayal…
Against the law and tradition, he met Cairistiona’s gaze as a single tear fled down his cheek. He couldn’t breathe or think. All he wanted was to die, too.