The Kraken King, Part 7 by Meljean Brook Read Free Book Online Page A

way or another. Do you?”
    â€œNo.” The only thing in this tower that mattered was Zenobia.
    â€œThen how much time do we have?”
    Not enough. “A skyrunner will be at the embassy in three hours.”
    It wouldn’t be as fast as a lantern fish balloon, but was the fastest airship that could travel over land.
    â€œWhy from the embassy? Why not just board the skyrunner here?”
    â€œI thought you’d prefer to stay with your friend. You’d be alone here.”
    Abruptly she shot a look at him over her shoulder. Her emerald gaze searched his before she caught her lower lip between her teeth and averted her face again.
    Ariq frowned. Hadn’t she expected to stay? He couldn’t take her with him.
    But he said nothing, waiting until she entered their chambers and kicked off her wooden sandals. His wife would know when he was angry. She didn’t make it as obvious. He had to read it in the
thunk
of her left sandal against the entry wall and the stiffness of her shoulders. Not just angry, though. Hurt, too. She still didn’t look at him and didn’t lead him to the bed, where he’d hoped to spend these remaining hours. She stalked across the chambers and out onto the balcony, instead.
    Chest tight, he followed her. He was fighting two battles—and today, he had to abandon the war for her heart until he saw her again. Her walls had begun to crumble. But if he left while she was angry and hurt, no doubt she would rebuild those defenses stronger and higher while he was gone.
    Arms crossed beneath her breasts, she stared out over the sea. “You told me that you wouldn’t leave me behind.”
    That wasn’t the promise he’d made. “I wouldn’t leave you behind in the hands of my enemies,” he said. “I will leave you behind if it means you’ll be safe. I’ve hired more guards to watch over you at the embassy. You won’t be taken from there again.”
    Her eyes closed. Voice thick, she said, “You also told me that we would make important decisions together.”
    â€œWe will. But this time there is no decision to make.”
    â€œAnd you just decided
that
? Without consulting me, you determined that there is no other option?”
    He had. So they’d both gone about this badly. “And without consulting me, you decided that you
would
go.”
    He saw her realize the truth of that. On a shuddering breath, she glanced at him.
    â€œShould we take our clothes off and argue about it, then?”
    Once, Ariq would have thought there was nothing he wanted more than Zenobia naked against him. “I’d rather sort this out first.”
    She nodded and looked out over the water again. “I know why you don’t want me to go. Tatsukawa and Ghazan Bator attempted to use me to force you into giving up the Skybreaker. Now you think the silence from Krakentown means that they’ve targeted either your brother or your town in a second attempt to force you. And you won’t leave me behind in your enemies’ hands . . . yet if I go, you might be throwing me into their hands, and this time they probably wouldn’t just lock me away on an ironship. They’d threaten worse. Then what would you do?”
    Give them the machine. And she’d outlined his reasons exactly. His sensible, practical wife. So why did she still want to go?
    But Ariq knew that, too, because he loved her ferocity and her loyalty. “And you won’t abandon the Coopers.”
    Her eyes suddenly swam with glittering tears. “You’re going to help your people. But Mara and Cooper are
mine
.”
    â€œAnd you are mine. So trust that I won’t abandon them, either.”
    Trust, though it was the hardest thing for her to do. He watched the uncertainty and indecision string her emotions as taut as a bow, tears slipping over her cheeks before she hid her face in her hands.
    Heart aching, he gently gathered