Stiller woke abruptly at the noise, and sat up slowly, staying mute as he ran his fingers through his purple hair. Gently, he placed a caring hand on Jax’s feet, merely observing us in the quiet.

As one, both Plumas nodded. They had truly listened to me.

It was at that moment…that I learned to respect a Mian. No questions. Just action.

I tried not to let the surprise show on my features, even if I may have squirmed a bit on the cushion. I lowered my eyelids to half-mast, and watched what their next move would be.

It was the right one.

Without another word, Pluma Creo tapped his finger on the halo-screen.

The litigator I had first seen, the first Mian I had ever seen in person, appeared on screen. He was wearing his black robe once more, the one with a symbol of Triaz, rather than the west, where his tattooed mark indicated he was from. It was interesting to know that these Plumas had said they trusted him, since he wasn’t originally from their land. His piercing blue eyes took in the two Plumas in front of the screen, and further into the room, peering directly at me, then Jax, and last Stiller. His gaze swung back to the Plumas, and speaking evenly, he stated, “Plumas, I see you have what Pluma Kreob and Pluma Wazra are seeking. I’ll put you through directly.” With a regal bow of his head, he pressed a button.

The view promptly altered to Malik and Leo, where they sat side-by-side.

My chest instantly ached, a tightening that had tears threatening to burn my eyes.

I missed them. I knew that much to be true when their piercing silver, and golden, eyes darted past Pluma Creo and Pluma Moir, landing directly on me. Their reaction was physical. Their tense shoulders grew even more rigid, the coolness to their eyes fell even more hollow, and while Malik’s hands fisted on top of the table, Leo’s lips thinned so much lines could be seen bracketing his mouth.

Yes…I missed them.

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But it still didn’t mean I wanted to run back to them with open arms.

“Braita…” Malik sat forward, his silver gaze darting over my face. “Are you all right?”

“She is well taken care of, Pluma Wazra,” Pluma Moir stated with frost coating his tone, his interruption making sure I kept my word and didn’t speak. “Though, I do find it curious that she was not all right under your care – enough for her to risk her life to escape in search of Mr. Waterston.”

Leo fixed the Plumas with a ruthless glare. “What occurred between our Soul and ourselves is none of your concern.” His gaze flicked back toward me, holding my empty stare. His words were instantly light, intimate, ignoring everyone else. “Braita…we want you to come home. We can work this out. If you would just listen to us–”

“Silence,” Pluma Creo growled so low I almost missed it, cutting off Leo’s heartfelt words. “Ms. Valorn is under our care right now. She may be your Soul, but she is ours for the time being.” I tried not to flinch at the menace I heard in the undertones of his voice, a true predator peeking out that he had not shown me before. “Until we find out what the hell is going on – and we mean the truth – we will not allow a female to be harmed. As is our law.”

Fuck Mother Joyal. I should have brushed up on their damned laws.

Still, I kept my silence, trying to keep all emotions from my features…even while I gripped the cushion I sat on with a white knuckled grip and my heart beat so heavily it pounded in my ears, almost deafening me. I would not allow my Vaq to see how much their deception had harmed me.

Malik jerked from his chair, and leaned over the table on fist hands. “You would dare to keep her from us?”

“Yes,” Pluma Moir answered evenly, not cowed by the death in Malik’s eyes. Both his white brows lifted. “She ran from the two of you.”

Pluma Creo tilted his head, and tapped his lips, before snapping his fingers in the air. “Oh, yes. This seems to be important as well.” His lips curved into a brutal smile. It was a grin of the heartless, a whole different side to this Pluma…the botanist in his free time. “Ms. Valorn doesn’t want to return to you. Whatever has happened, we need to know before we even consider bringing her back to you – for whatever slight chance of reconciliation there might be.”

The hush on my Vaq’s end was unnerving. The way they stared at the Plumas guarding me. The silence in their gaze as they glanced at Jax’s still sleeping form, his head like dead weight on my lap. The assessing nature of Stiller sitting near me with a hand on Jax’s feet. Then the quiet contemplation as their gazes returned to the Plumas who were wordlessly waiting for their response.

Leo gradually lifted his hand, and rested it on Malik’s shoulder, slowly pulling him back down to sit on his chair. He cracked his neck both ways, then steepled his hands on the table, and put the coldest of smiles on his face, glancing between the Plumas watching them. “And here I thought we would be squabbling over that piece of land you’ve always wanted.”

Pluma Moir shrugged one shoulder. “If we return her to you, we do expect the piece of property directly north of Center to become the land of the east.”

Leo chuckled quietly. “I wouldn’t assume any less.” His gaze flicked back to me, holding my hardened eyes for a long moment, before he cleared his throat and focused on the Plumas once more. He crossed his arms and leaned back on his seat. “We want our Soul. We’ll explain.”

I sucked in a breath, ready to stop them from speaking so openly, but Jax’s hand on my knee squeezed suddenly. I didn’t glance down at my not-so-much-sleeping best friend. I held my tongue though. I didn’t speak when I wished to. Perhaps…it was for the best if I ever wanted these Plumas to release me.

Not peering in my direction, Malik stated in the calmest tone, “Braita walked in on Leo and me having sex.” He scratched his chin absently in the dead silence. “She didn’t know that we were intimate, and that we cared for each other in such a way. We believe it not only came as a shock to her, but that she felt betrayed. It was worse than what most Harems worry about when their Vaq are romantically involved – their anxiety of being left behind.” He leaned his head back, swallowing heavily, and stared at the ceiling. “Her expression when she found us…”

Leo sighed heavily and uncrossed his arms, rubbing his face roughly, the first crack in his collected composure. “The three of us were just beginning our relationship. She has fragile ideals of what should be, and what should not be. Malik and I didn’t want to overload her, so we kept our relationship a secret. For the exact reason why most Vaq lie about it to their Harem until they believe they trust them enough not to leave them.” He ran his fingers through his golden hair, appearing tired. “We now know that we should have been more forthright and not deceived her – even if we were doing it out of protection for her delicate sensibilities.”




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