Page 46 of Dark Island: Rescue
Kian glared at him. "One more clown for Anandur's club."
"We need something that would provide cover for an extraction," Jade said. "We could trigger explosions on another part of the island to divert everyone's attention from the harem. We can drop a couple of paragliders on the ground for Tula and her partner, and they can paraglide to a boat we will have parked some distance away from the island." She turned to Phinas. "What's the range of those things?"
Phinas pursed his lips. "They can glide all the way tothis island if they know what they are doing and the air current is favorable."
Kian rubbed his temples. The possibilities were multiplying faster than he could properly evaluate them. And all of this assumed Tula was actually pregnant and wanted to leave.
"The problem is delivering the equipment. There is a difference between delivering a tiny communication device with a drone the size of a dragonfly, and two massive gliders."
Kalugal returned to smoothing his hand over his goatee, something he usually did when deep thinking. "We can't deliver the paraglider, but we can deliver instructions on how to build them. It shouldn't be too difficult, even with limited resources. All they need is a durable synthetic fabric that resists tearing for the wing and high-strength synthetic fibers." The spark in his eyes indicated that he was getting excited by his own idea. "That way, no one could be blamed other than the people who escaped."
Kian shook his head. "They would be shot out of the air before they made it fifty yards from the island."
Kalugal deflated. "Right. I forgot about that."
17
AREANA
Navuh was already awake beside Areana, his dark eyes studying her face with that intensity that still, even after five thousand years, made her breath catch.
"Good morning, my love," he murmured, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Good morning." She leaned into his touch, letting herself savor this moment of peace before everything between them changed.
Because it would change.
Today, she would set in motion events that might destroy the trust between them and damage their bond irreparably. He would still love her, the bond ensured that he had no choice, but he would scorn her, resent her, distance himself from her, and she couldn't bear the thought of that.
But she had no choice.
Navuh's fingers traced the line of her jaw, and she saw the softness in his expression that he showed to no oneelse. This was the man she'd chosen, the one the Fates had bound her to. Not the warlord who ruled with an iron fist, not the immortal who inspired terror in his enemies, but her mate.
Her Navuh.
The man whose trust in her would shatter when he discovered her betrayal. Her heart ached for him. She was his island of tranquility, the only person in the world he trusted, the only person in the world who loved him for who he was and not what he could do for her.
It was physically painful for her to do anything that would hurt him, but some things couldn't be avoided, some loyalties could not be ignored, even for the love of her life.
She had to help Tula.
"You're troubled." He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. "What's on your mind?"
Areana's pulse quickened, but she kept her expression serene. Five thousand years of practice and immunity to compulsion made lying to Navuh possible, though never easy. "Just another restless night with strange dreams that had my heart racing."
"About?"
"Nothing coherent. You know how dreams are—fragments that make no sense when you try to explain them." She smiled and pressed a kiss to his palm. "I'm fine. I just need some tea and breakfast to wake up and shake off the last vestiges of that dream."
He studied her for another moment, and she wondered if he could sense her deception. Truelove mates could read each other in ways that transcendedwords, especially those who had been together for so long. He could pick up on the subtlest shifts in her emotions and energy. But Areana had learned long ago that truths and lies formed a complicated tapestry that even she sometimes couldn't untangle.
"Then come." Navuh rose from the bed, magnificent in his nakedness, and held out his hand. "Let's have breakfast on the balcony."
Areana arched a brow. "In the nude?"
That got a laugh out of him. "No, not in the nude. Your ladies and the servants would be scandalized to see us in all of our naked glory."
She took his hand, allowing him to pull her up, and wrapped herself in a pink silk robe while he donned loose silk pajama pants, black of course, with silver embroidery that she'd stitched herself.
