Page 119 of Bound
Chapter 42
Amoret
Despite all my efforts, I do not see Gage for several days. And even Nisha and Lilah have not seen him.
I try not to let it settle on my heart, but the distance is vast and painful.
Branwen, however, requires more than a little of my focus. As he heals, he and the others begin the trial to decide Ruin’s ultimate fate. A trial that Bran believes has been delayed long enough.
But with Jarrah’s betrayal, I am now the fourth seat.
The fourth vote in deciding if a man will live or die.
And no matter how many times I tell Branwen that my vote is biased, he will not hear it.
“But, brother—”
He motions me into silence with a curt slice of his hand. “Enough, Amoret.” His tone is firm. “I know your feelings on this. That is why you have taken Jarrah’s place.”
I stare at him.
With a sigh, he turns in his chair to see me better. “You have been around Master Wade more than any of us. You have observed the way he carries himself, how he commands his team. How he treats his friends.” Bran’s eyes glint in the low lights of the long dining room we are using to hold the trial. “I need that point of view to be fair in my decision. Just. Do you understand?”
Nibbling at my lip, I give an uncertain nod.
“The final decision will be mine,” he tells me, his tone gentling. “But I have always welcomed your counsel, sister. Allow me to lean on it for a little longer.”
I bow my head and fix my gaze on my hands. “Of course, brother mine.”
He shifts beside me as the double doors at the end of the room open.
Renvi and Cusnu break from the sideboard loaded with human liquors to rejoin us at the table.
Vish and Ivo hold the doors wide as Ruin walks inside, Lilah close at his side.
Branwen does not remark as Tanner, Nisha, Caine, and Horan slip inside, too. I peer past them, hoping for a familiar fall of snowy white hair.
My eyes meet Nisha’s and she gives a small shake of her head.
It takes all my effort not to sag in my seat.
At the back of the party, Markus Alport walks inside with a pretty, blond woman on his arm. She is as curvaceous as Lilah, with bright blue eyes and an almost innocent face. The others shift to take their seats and my eyes lock on the woman’s rounded belly.
A pang of longing rips into me. The longing for my stomach to expand with a wee one. Perhaps a boy with white hair like his father. Or a girl with golden hair and emerald eyes.
I scrub hastily at my face and straighten my shoulders.
It is a foolish thing to think about under such dire circumstances.
Ruin sits in the chair across from us and Lilah stands at his back, one small hand on his shoulder. He leans into her, covering her hand with his own.
Branwen watches it all without a trace of emotion on his face. “I would say thank you for joining us, Captain Wade.”
Ruin’s lips curve in a rueful grin. “But I had no choice, right?”
Bran inclines his head. “To be sure the circumstances are lacking, but I hope to make things swift and efficient.”
Ruin nods.
