Page 83 of Dark Chains: First Link
It hadn't been his failing that had led to his sons betraying him. It had been the Fates steering things so they would meet their fated mates.
It eased some of the resentment he'd been carrying.
Made the tightness in his chest loosen.
Areana reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his, and the contact was real, and it was love, and it was also the hand of a woman who had chosen a side that was not his.
Every story she brought back to his room, every name she dropped, every celebration she described with shining eyes, was a declaration. She was telling him, in the only way she could without saying it outright, that she had found her place, and her place was not with him.
She had switched sides.
They reached his room. Gertrude locked the wheels and pulled back the blanket. She lifted him from the chair and placed him back on the bed with the same efficient strength that had transferred him in the other direction, and the mattress received him like a familiar and hated embrace.
Areana kissed his forehead. "I'll stay for a while."
"As you wish."
32
LOSHAM
When the resort was functioning as intended, the hotel suite that served as Losham's temporary office had been reserved for the most discriminating guests to the island. Princes and ministers had stayed in those luxury rooms, enjoyed the marble floors, the expansive windows, and the French doors that led to a balcony that spanned the entire top floor of the hotel. But the magnificent ocean view topped the rich architectural details and luxurious furnishings, and Losham caught himself looking out the window instead of preparing for the upcoming meeting.
The dining table that Losham had repurposed as his desk dominated the main room and was littered with reports, blueprints, and the remnants of three cups of coffee that Rami hadn't cleared yet.
"Rami!" He called toward the bedroom that his assistant had repurposed as his work area. "The meeting is in less than ten minutes, and I need this table cleared."
Rami rushed out of the bedroom. "Apologies, my lord. I got distracted by the project you assigned to me."
"That's okay. Just do what I've asked for."
"Of course, my lord." Rami collected the papers and the cups, stashed them wherever, and returned with a cloth to wipe down the table.
When the knock sounded on the door, Rami ushered the three inside and then retreated. "I'll be in the other room if you need me."
That meant he would be standing behind the closed bedroom door with his ear pressed to the wood, listening to every word.
"Thank you, Rami," Losham said before turning to his brothers. "Good morning. Please take a seat."
Kolhood pulled out a chair across from Losham and sat. He didn't return the greeting. Hocken and Hazok took their seats on either side, forming a triangle that faced Losham like a tribunal.
"We need to talk about our father," Kolhood said.
Losham had been expecting that assertion because it came up in every meeting in one form or another.
"What specifically would you like to talk about?"
"I want proof that he's alive."
Losham had been providing the same answers each time, but the repetition didn't dull the blade. If anything, it sharpened it, because each time Kolhood asked, he upped the ante.
"Our father is still recuperating in his private apartment in the harem, and as you well know, no immortals are allowed to enterthe harem compound. There are no phones either. This is how our father wants things to be."
"Then send a human." Kolhood crossed his arms over his chest. "A human with a phone."
Losham hadn't thought of that option, and he desperately needed an excuse for why that wasn't possible.
"You know that once a human enters the harem, they don't come out unless it's in a casket. Not my rules. Father's."
