Page 42 of Own to Obtain

Shaya frowned. She hadn’t heard those words before. She shook her head, indicating she didn’t understand, but Kardos simply smiled.

A tentative knock on the door caught his attention and Shaya turned out, enjoying the bliss lingering between them while he spoke to the intruder.

When the door closed again, Kardos pulled away from her a little. “It’s time to go.”

Shaya lifted her head. “Kardos, I need to tell you something.”

He stilled, his eyes on her.

“The portal—”

Kardos placed a finger on her lips. “We will deal with that as soon as we can,” he said. “But our people first.”

“You are not worried about it?”

“No. I told you that now you are in my arms I’ll never let you go. You will never go anywhere without me now, Shaya. We will deal with whatever deal you made, or whomever you spoke to organize that portal. I’m sure the emperor and the king will be interested in hearing all about it, but in the meantime, our people need our help. And you still have much to learn.” He paused. “Just tell me one thing. Will our bond return?”

Shaya nodded. “It is still there. The feeling will come back to us eventually.”

Kardos exhaled and she could almost feel the relief radiating from him. “Good. Then that is all I need to know.

CHAPTER NINE

KARDOS

“I hope you will consider an alliance, High Chief Kardos.”

Kardos eyed the emperor, who stood with his arms around his Omega as if unwilling to have her unattached to him while she stood so near another Alpha. Kardos could relate. “That will require discussion,” he said curtly. “From my understanding, you have access to hundreds of Omegas. If your grandfather was truly trained by Tribe Nyek, you’d know that my people need Omegas to survive. You cannot expect any kind of alliance if you are hoarding them.”

“I am not ‘hoarding’ anyone,” Emperor Drocco said stiffly. “But we can discuss it.” He gestured to two identical women standing nearby. “These are my Talent-crafters. They can create a portal to take you back to the Southern Lands with the help of your Omega’s sister.”

“It’s not possible to create a portal directly there, only nearby,” Shaya’s sister explained. “I can create a bridge to take you onto the island like I did before.”

Kardos tightened his hold on Shaya as she stepped closer, her focus on the Omega in his arms.

“Be well, Shaya,” she said softly, a smile on her face. “I trust your Alpha will keep you alive, but you better let me know you are well.”

Shaya nodded. “I will. But the portal—”

“I will visit the woman in white and see what she can do. Don’t worry about that.”

Shaya smiled. “Thank you.”

Kardos held still as her sister leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, resisting the urge to pull her away. As much as he wanted no one near her, he had to tolerate her sister. Not only was she Shaya’s only family other than him, but it was Shaya’s love for her sister that had led her to him—he couldn’t ignore the power of the love she had for her.

“Please speak to Elion,” Shaya said softly. “For me. Please.”

Her sister’s expression changed as she straightened, but she nodded then turned her attention to Kardos. “Are you ready, High Chief Kardos?”

Kardos glanced around to see his warriors waiting, their stance suggesting they were ready to return home. “Yes.”

While the Talent-crafters began to weave their magic, Kardos fixed Shaya so her chest was pressed to his, his arms secured behind her back and hooked under her ass. He’d wrapped his furs around her so she had some protection but it wasn’t ideal. “It’s important that you listen to me very carefully once we get the Southern Lands, Shaya,” he murmured into her ear. “It will be very difficult to even see and there will be danger all around us. Keep your arms locked around my neck.”

Shaya looked up at him, her eyes wide as she nodded.

“You don’t need to worry,” he added. “I will never let you go. But you must be vigilant.”

“Yes.” Shaya hesitated, her eyes flickering down.

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