Page 36 of Dark Destiny: The Fates' Bargain

The structure they exited into was made almost entirely of glass, a pavilion one of the Guardians had called it, and through its transparent walls she could see the village. It was green, though a less vibrant green than that of the island, but everything was so meticulously maintained that it looked like an illustration.

Two people were waiting for them inside the pavilion, a man and a woman.

The woman was lovely, with honey-blond hair, warm blue eyes, and a kind smile. The man beside her was tall and broad-shouldered and so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at him. He seemed uncomfortable, as if someone had talked him into coming to greet them but he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Welcome," the man said, in the old tongue. "I'm Kian, and this is my wife, Syssi." He switched to English. "Welcome to our community. From now on, this is your home. You are safe, all your needs are covered, and nothing is expected from you other than following the basic rules of our community, which will be explained later. You can take as long as you want to settle in and decide what you want to do with the rest of your lives."

Yamanu translated, laboring over it, the words coming out bent and simplified, and the women around her were frowning as they tried to reconstruct the meaning.

Sullha stepped forward. "I can translate," she offered in English, and felt every eye in the pavilion turn to her.

Kian's eyebrows rose slightly. "You speak English?"

"I read it better than I speak it. But yes."

"Please," Yamanu said. "I appreciate the help."

As she translated, she studied Kian, this man Yaaf had told her about, the one who had given Yaaf only a single letter of his name while they'd communicated on the phone, and now she had a face to attach to it.

She'd pictured someone colder, more severe, someone who radiated power. That certain arrogance that powerful men wrapped themselves in, an air of superiority. Kian wore his power like a burden rather than a birthright, and she wondered whether he was usually uncomfortable around women or just around a group of freed breeders.

Men looked down on women in their situation even though they were the ones who had put them in a cage and forced them to breed. They were the victims, but they were treated as if they were somehow responsible for the circumstances of their birth, or what they had been conscripted into.

Not Kian, though. His discomfort was something else that she would have to figure out later.

"Thank you," Syssi said when Sullha was done translating. "We have refreshments ready for you in the café and a surprise."

Sullha didn't like surprises, and neither did the other women, judging by their tense expressions when she translated, but they all nodded and smiled to show their gratitude.

"It's a very short walk." Syssi started toward the sliding doors. "You can see the café from here."

They followed her and her husband out of the pavilion and into the beautiful village that smelled of freshly cut grass and coffee. The square opened up before them, with its glittering ponds, trees whose branches swayed in the gentle breeze, and a playground with bright climbing structures and swings. The place that Syssi called the café was an outdoor dining area with tables set out under umbrellas, and next to it was a two-story building with large glass windows overlooking the village square.

Everything was too perfect to be real, and Sullha committed every detail to memory so she could tell Yaaf about it when she had the chance.

The ache that followed that thought caught her off guard. She wished Yaaf was there to share with her the first sight of thevillage, the warm welcome, and to hold her hand when the surprise was revealed in case it was something unpleasant.

"Mama, look!" Tomek tugged at her hand hard enough to pull her off balance. "A playground! Can I go play?"

"Not right now, sweetheart."

"But, Mama! Look! There are kids there!"

"I know, sweetie, but we just got here, and we are invited to have lunch in this beautiful dining area. The playground is not going anywhere, and it will still be right there after we get settled in."

Mentioning lunch was the right thing to do because Tomek's attention immediately switched to the café.

"I'm hungry."

"Well, we part here," Bowen said.

Sullha felt the panic surge. Bowen was her only thread leading to Yaaf. He knew how to reach him, he could answer her questions, and now he was leaving with the other Guardians who had accompanied them from Safe Harbor.

"You're leaving now?" she asked.

He must have seen the panic in her eyes because his expression softened and he put his large hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going far. I live here, remember? I'm just going home to my mate who is missing me terribly." He glanced at Tomek, then back to her. "I'll come find you after I get some sleep and you've been assigned lodging. I'll bring my mate, Margaret, to say hello."

The panic loosened its grip, not completely, but it became manageable.