Page 98 of Bruised MC Bear
Shaking her head, Coco gave Xander a look of disdain, grumbling under her breath as she headed for the front door.
“Shall we begin?” Xander asked, taking a seat again.
“Yes, Commander.” Kiera pulled out her chair and sat, more anxious than when she first arrived. So far, he was living up to all the rumors. And what on earth was going through her mind and body now that she had touched him?
“I cannot believe how strong that familiar’s magic is. She has left the room, and I can still feel it.”
Kiera pressed her lips together in a straight line and shook her head. “It is not her magic you feel. It is mine. That is how familiars serve their witch companions.”
“So, she carries your abilities?”
“In a sense. She is a vessel, of sorts. An anchor so that my abilities do not overpower me.”
He raised one eyebrow. “You are stronger than the Regent?”
“Not at all. His casting spells are far superior to mine.”
“Yet you are the Chosen. You are stronger.”
“My magic is…different.”
He shrugged. “All right. Whatever you say. It’s interesting to finally meet you in person. I wondered what the strongest witch of the Sector looked like. You are something of a surprise to me,” he said in a tone so deep, the rumble of his voice reverberated through her.
She shook off her reaction. “Surprised? How do you mean?”
“You are a lot…smaller than I expected.”
Kiera scowled. What did he expect, an Amazon princess? She placed her hands on the tabletop and leaned forward. “And even in your polar bear form, you are outsized by the ravagers, yet you and your troops can defeat them. Should I be surprised too?”
She smiled inwardly when the smug smile on his face disappeared.
“I think you’ll find that many of your preconceived notions about my soldiers and me are false.”
“If you truly believed that, you would never demand the removal of my familiar the way you did.”
Xander nodded thoughtfully. “Possibly. So, as my time is limited, let’s get to the real reason we’re here, Kiera.” The way he said her name—slowly, deliberately, with each letter lingering at the tip of his tongue—made it sound like music. It was as though she was hearing her own name for the first time. Her heart raced, and none of her thoughts made sense, especially while his eyes raked over her as though she was exposed.
“Yes. The reason we’re here…” she started evenly.
“Is to victimize more of the town’s young men by turning them into the Regent’s slaves.”
Kiera reared back in her chair. “Slaves? How could you call yourselves slaves? You all are heroes.”
“My troops are slaves.” His tone was flat, deadly serious. “If you don’t already see that with your own eyes, you are more naïve than I expected.”
“Funny, but the rest of Sector Two believe you are warriors. Champions of our people and our way of life. Without you, the Ravagers would have wiped us out. You and your men have kept us safe for almost nine years.”
He scoffed. “That sounds like the second half of old man Minassus’ annual Winter speech. I take it you have fallen for his trickery, but that never surprises me.”
“What are you talking about?”
He shook his head. “For a powerful witch, you are remarkably gullible. Look at the way we are treated. Witches, humans, my shifter kin. We have no free will. Look at you. You’re the Chosen. It sounds like an honor, but do you know what happened to the last eight witches to be called by that moniker?”
“Of course I know. All the Chosen fulfilled their destiny and now live in honor in the fortress Chamber of the Sacred, accessible only to the Regent.”
Xander laughed so hard, Kiera thought he would fall out of his chair. “You believe that?” He tilted his head to the side, squinting his eyes as he seemed to study her. “My God. You really believe.”
“If you know so much, what do you think happened to them?”
