I didn’t hear it, my focus was in that room, but outside a light rain started to fall.
When he spoke again, the pain came back, tenfold.
“What I do know is that you are far more powerful than I suspected. You have bewitched me with your beauty. You have manipulated me through months of deception. You have tricked me with your skilful mouth and body to siring a child on you, you, a creature unknown. A changeling.”
That hurt so much, I couldn’t stop myself from whispering,
“Lahn, baby, please listen to me.”
He jerked his chin up. “You will be heard but I will warn you, Circe, this will be your only opportunity to be heard so you had better make whatever you say convincing.” I stared at him when he finished by commanding, “And you will not speak your soft names to me when you do it.”
I swallowed as I took that hit and my mind reeled.
He was the king of a primitive, savage horde and what I had to say to him would not go over well, I knew this. I knew. Hell, if I told someone in my world what was going on they’d think I was crazy and be justified in that belief.
But I had no choice. And I knew, looking at him, I should have told him well before now, of my own accord, not as his command. I didn’t know if that would have gone down better but I should have tried.
“I am not of this world,” I whispered my admission.
“I am aware of that, Circe,” he replied swiftly then asked, “Do you take this shape from another?” When I blinked at his question he clarified, “What is your true form?”
I shook my head and held out my hands. “I don’t take this shape.
This is me. This has always been me.”
His jaw went hard and his stare started glittering.
He didn’t believe me.
I sallied forth. “I… I woke up in the pen with the other women of the Hunt. I went to bed at home, in Seattle –”
“Seattle is a nation that does not exist, my queen,” Lahn bit off.
“Do you not think when you told me this was your homeland that I would not confer with those who had travelled widely? None of them have heard of this Seattle.”
“It exists in my world,” I replied.
“That, ” he spat, “I will believe.”
“Lahn –”
“Get on with it, Circe,” he demanded impatiently.
“I… okay,” I shook my head. “My world is different. Much different. It –”
“It has things called hormones,” he interrupted to say, “and germs.
And they do what you did to Bohtan’s son to stop people choking.
They do not allow their women to drink wine when pregnant. They sew the flesh of wounds together, before and after bathing it in spirit. They have a place called ‘Mexico’. They say ‘freaking out’ to explain just about any emotion as long as it comes with shock or fear. They treat slaves like family. Their queens walk freely amongst their people; they do not hold themselves aloof as all queens should.”
Wow. He’d really paid attention.
Lahn kept speaking. “You have given me many indications you are not of this world and I’ve been so drunk on your xaxsah, so bewitched by the spirit shining in your eyes, I ignored every one.”
“That isn’t how it was,” I said softly.
“No?” he asked on a brow raise.
“No,” I shook my head and lifted my hand. “Lahn… I… this place is very strange to me too but I… well, I endured, I got over it, I
adapted and I…” I hesitated, swallowed and whispered, “I fell in love with you.”
The energy in the room went brutal, so brutal it pounded against my flesh.
“Do not ever speak those words to me again unless you wish to feel the back of my hand,” he growled.
I stared at the wrath burning in his eyes.
He meant it.
Oh God.
Was this happening?
I kept staring into his furious, stony, beautiful face.
It was happening.
