His
attitude practically screamed his belief that he could talk her out her of that emotion.
That arrogant confidence only made her even more determined to stay furious with
him.
40
Lisia’s Journey
“What I‟m angry about hasn‟t changed. I still don‟t like the fact that I‟ve been
pushed into the position of your Lady when I haven‟t agreed to anything.” She kept her
voice low so it wouldn‟t carry far.
“You‟ve already given your promise. The position is yours. There‟s nothing wrong
with you taking it before you assume the role formally as my mated wife.” He sounded
too cheerful.
When he reached over and patted her on the hand she tensed. He could have meant
it as a soothing gesture, but to her it seemed like the condescending pat someone would
give an annoying child. She took a deep breath and tried for calm. Screaming and
jumping up from the table wouldn‟t solve anything. She had to calm down and think.
Only if she managed to find a way out of that promise she‟d made would she have a
chance of getting off this world unmarried.
“So you say, but I haven‟t seen any proof of this law. As far as I know, you could
have made the whole thing up that night.” She put down her fork and folded her arms
across her chest. As much as she‟d like that to be true, he wouldn‟t leave an opportunity
for her to wriggle through.
“Are you saying that I‟m lying to you?” A growl rumbled in his voice.
She blinked. Realizing she‟d unintentionally questioned his honor, she silently
cursed. Now, she had to calm him down and think of a way to say it that didn‟t make
him a liar.
“I wasn‟t saying you were lying. What I don‟t know is if this law you mention is
actually a law or just a custom. Customs aren‟t as binding as a law.” She licked her lips.
“It‟s no custom. It‟s a written law. You can look it up tomorrow.” His narrowed
eyes hadn‟t softened a bit.
“Not tonight?” she asked. She couldn‟t resist pressing the issue.
“I don‟t think seeing the actual law will change the way you feel.” He gave her an
assessing stare before returning to his meal.
He was right. Seeing the law in print wouldn‟t change her mind or how she felt
about that “promise”. She‟d still try to find a way out of it. She‟d had some slim hopes
that it was some kind of unwritten custom, but that had been erased.
41
Rebecca Airies
Chapter Six
They made it through the rest of the meal without any more arguments or
misunderstandings. She breathed a sigh of relief and left the table. Luckily, he didn‟t
follow her. He went to talk with Arik and a few of the other men.
She talked with a few of the other women until she began to get tired. Bidding them
good night, she headed for the door to the Shi’an ‟s section. She slipped through the door
and into the hallway with a sigh. She was relieved to get out of there without another
confrontation with Jarritt.
He seemed determined to make her think of him as much as possible. She saw him
at almost every meal. The only reason it wasn‟t every meal was because he‟d been busy
during a few of those. Skipping out of the marrohl again hadn‟t been an option. He‟d
always met her in the hallway in the mornings. She wondered sometimes if he‟d put an
alarm on her door so he‟d know when she was leaving. She hadn‟t been able to find any
indication he had, but the way he was always there did make her wonder.
The door behind her opened and Jarritt walked into the hallway just as she reached
her door. She pushed the button to open her door, but looked back over her shoulder at
him. Smiling he continued walking down the hallway. He seemed to be in a good
mood.
“Trying to slip out on me? We still have things to talk about, liana .” He didn‟t hurry
but his long stride carried him down the hallway before she could get into her room
and shut the door.
“I‟m not trying to slip out on you. I‟m just