Page 104 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
Communicating with her sister and their sons was a different matter, and if Navuh ever found out, it would push him over the edge he had been teetering over for thousands of years.
It was such a monumental effort to prevent him from falling over into complete madness, and sometimes Areana felt like she was losing the battle, but she had to keep trying even though it was exhausting.
Navuh was extremely powerful, and the amount of damage he could inflict on the world if she wasn't there to hold him afloat was staggering and terrifying.
Still, the ability to talk to Annani, Kalugal, and on occasion Lokan, was her lifeline, and she couldn't give it up even given the tremendous risk involved.
The problem was that she had to be close to the cliff for the communicator to work, and if they were relocated to somewhere else on the island, somewhere far from the cliff where the device couldn't reach its hidden amplifier, she wouldn't be able to maintain contact. The thought of losing that lifeline, that single thread connecting her to the outside world, made her throat constrict and tears prickle the backs of her eyes, but she couldn't allow herself to show the emotional turmoil that she couldn't explain even by the disaster that they had barely managed to avert.
Areana was so grateful to the young shaman who had saved many who otherwise might not have made it, and to the Fates who had sent him to them.
She offered them a silent prayer of gratitude.
Navuh did not like it when she prayed to the Fates, so she never did that in his presence, praying in silence instead. Despite his love and devotion for her, it was not a good idea to butt heads with her mate, especially not in public, but after witnessing what the guards had come back with, she was tempted to give him a piece of her mind.
He had implied that they had been sent to help rescue people, and instead they had rescued things, emerging with his salvaged treasures.
Ten immortal warriors, strong enough to carry multiple humans to safety, had been sent to retrieve possessions instead. What could possibly be so important that it warranted prioritizing over lives?
In their five millennia together, she and Navuh had made their peace with keeping secrets from each other. It was the only way their relationship could function—him with his endless schemes for power, her with her small acts of mercy and rebellion. But why hide treasures beneath the harem without telling her? Did he think she would steal them? Tell someone about them?
The bitter irony almost made her laugh. Tell whom? No one left the harem alive. Even Carol, Lokan's brave mate who'd risked everything to try to rescue her and helped her establish communication with Annani, was believed dead. They had staged a suicide, Carol supposedly jumping off the cliff because of a broken heart, and Navuh had believed it.
Anger would serve no purpose now, though, and Areana forced herself to look away from the guards and their burdens. Instead, she turned her mind to gratitude, thanking the merciful Fates for granting them so much grace in this disaster.
Ninety-eight servants and twenty-two children were all alive and accounted for. Her ladies, shaken but unharmed. It was miraculous that in such chaos, with water rising and panic spreading, everyone had made it out.
She watched the guards loading the retrieved chests into waiting trucks, treating them with more consideration than the humans who stood shivering in the rain. The ladies remained under the tarp with as many children as they could shelter, but they were all soaked through as well.
The servants didn't even have that.
And yet, the treasure chests took priority.
Finally, three black SUVs arrived. The drivers emerged, each holding several umbrellas. They passed through the gates of the double fences surrounding the harem and headed toward the two tarps sheltering their lord and the ladies.
As one of the drivers offered an umbrella to Elias and Tamira, Navuh shook his head. "The shaman can travel with the servants."
"If it is not too much trouble, my lord, Elias should ride with us," Areana said. "He saved so many people, and I feel like rewarding him with a hot cup of tea."
Navuh turned to her, eyebrow raised. "My mansion doesn't have enough bedrooms to host him. He will have to stay with the others."
She had forgotten about the need to keep up appearances. Outside the harem, Elias couldn't share Tamira's bed. The ladies were supposed to be Navuh's concubines.
Areana smiled sweetly. "After I treat him to a warm meal and a change of clothes, he can be taken to where the other servants will be staying. Unless we can find him a bed in the servants' quarters."
Navuh nodded. "We can worry about accommodations later. Right now, he can ride with us and receive the royal treatment for saving so many lives."
"Can Tony come with us as well?" she asked. "You know how amusing I find him."
Navuh's jaw tightened, but he gave a dismissive wave. "As you wish. But he can't stay with us either."
They would have to figure out a solution for the two males, but she had a feeling they wouldn't be allowed to stay in Navuh's home. This would start rumors that her mate had worked very hard to avoid.
When Navuh turned to her personal staff who were huddled around them, Areana knew what was coming before he opened his mouth.
"Listen carefully," he said, his voice carrying that particular quality that meant he was using his gift. "You will speak to no one about the harem and what transpires within its walls. Privacy will be maintained."
Areana watched as the compulsion took hold. She could see it in the subtle relaxation of shoulders, the slight glazing of eyes.
