“I will think on the matter,” he assured the older male, bowed his head, and left the cave of the Elders.
Njkall followed him out. “I thought that went quite well.”
“They’re certainly more open to the idea now than they were before I left,” he said absently. “What were they talking about in there? About social interaction?”
“After you left, we began to visit Port Eyeja more frequently. I even arranged for a few members of the tribe to attend some social events in town.” Njkall looked at him, then sighed. “It is not perhaps my place to tell you this, but I do not believe that she will tell you, and you have the right to know. Zemma attended one of those gatherings, and she became involved with Chotgor.”
“What?!” His innocent young sister and the notorious slave trader? His claws extended. “Why would she do that?”
“I believe her original intention was to seek information about you.”
A crashing wave of guilt dulled his anger. He had been so determined to protect her that he had never considered the possibility that she would be concerned about him.
“There is more, and you’re going to like it even less,” Njkall warned.
“Tell me,” he growled.
“Your sister went to Chotgor of her own free will, but once she was with him, she found it difficult to leave. I sent in a…specialist, and he both eliminated Chotgor and arranged for her to escape.”
Escape? The situation had gone from bad to worse. Not to mention that someone else had already taken care of the bastard before Baralt could avenge his sister.
“Why has she not told me?”
“Perhaps because she thinks that you will think less of her.”
“Never.”
“I believe you, but she may not. And, Baralt, you cannot force her to talk about what happened. She may wish to tell you eventually or she may not. But it is her decision.”
“I understand. I think perhaps she has spoken to my mate.” Speaking of Isabel reminded him of Lamjal’s suggestion, and he reluctantly let the subject of Zemma drop and focused on the joining ceremony instead.
“Do you agree with Lamjal that Isabel and I should have a formal ceremony?”
Njkall shrugged. “I do not think it is necessary—you two are clearly mated—but I agree that it might help to formalize her position in the tribe.” He looked oddly thoughtful. “Her presence here has already brought hope to the young males. They are not as accepting as you and your brother.”
“Accepting? Us? We rebelled against everything.”
“Your rebellion was actually quite mild,” Njkall assured him. “They are restless, and I am afraid that will soon result in trouble unless we can give them the option of a more expansive future. Although, they would have to give up the hope of fatherhood.”
He frowned at the other male. “Why is that?”
“Because we could not breed with another race, of course.”
“I think your knowledge of the Empire is still somewhat limited. Cross-species mating is quite common.”
The normally calm Njkall looked as shocked as Baralt had ever seen him. “Does that mean that you and Isabel—”
“No. Both of us had taken precautions against it before we met.” But the idea filled him with fierce longing. They had not discussed what would happen when the precautions came to an end, but he hoped he would be able to persuade her to consider a child. In the meantime, he decided to focus on the joining ceremony instead.
There was only one tiny problem: Isabel had to agree to acknowledge him as her mate.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Izzie did her best not to pace anxiously after Baralt left for his meeting with the Elders. After the successful paxha hunt and the feast the night before, she was less concerned about being thrown out of the caves, but she worried that the Elders would upset him. Couldn’t they see how much the death of his brother had devastated him?
“You are trying to wear a hole in the floor again.” Zemma leaned against the entrance to the living space and smiled at her.
“I know. I-I just want them to understand what a good person he is and how much he cares.”
“I wish I could assure you that they would, but they can be unpredictable.” Zemma sighed. “Instead of pacing, why don’t you come and talk to me while I work?”
“Work?” Why did that surprise her?
“You don’t need to look so shocked. I’ve been supporting myself for a while now.”
“I’m sorry, I should have known better. What do you do?”
“I make jewelry. Come see my workroom.” Zemma led the way into a small room filled with neatly labeled boxes. She offered one to Izzie, and she gasped in delight at the array of sparkling stones.
“These are gorgeous. Where did you get them?”
“In the lower caves. Of course, they don’t start out like that.” Zemma showed her a rough stone and explained how she would cut and polish it to create one of the gems. She also showed Izzie one of the finished pieces—a delicate necklace with tiny sparkling stones scattered in a dark mesh.
“It reminds me of the glow crystals.”
“Exactly. I was trying to capture that image.”
“It’s exquisite. People must be willing to pay a fortune for your work.” The happiness left Zemma’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“I had started to expand into Port Eyeja—just a few pieces here and there, but business was starting to grow. That’s why Njkall let me go to the party where I met Chotgor. But that’s all over now. Another thing he ruined.”
“Does it have to be over?” she asked gently. “If they are considering going back to the port?”
“If they allow anyone to return, it will be males only. They will never let me return. For my own good,” Zemma added bitterly.
“You’re not a prisoner. I told you before that if it’s what you want, Baralt will make it happen.”
“Not if he
