He slipped something small from his pocket and then handed it to Adelina. She opened the simple box while Varan stared out at the crashing waves. She nearly dropped it when she saw what was inside.
“This is for your official request for my hand?” she clarified, voice quavering with an emotion she couldn’t yet decipher.
“It is,” Varan said.
The diamond nestled in the box was already shaped into an emerald cut, a brilliant shape that enhanced the beauty. It had to be at least four carats and shone with an inner fire. The sun caught the facets and it glittered, casting rainbows on the balcony. No doubt Raena would gush over such an opulent declaration. Adelina had no idea how many offers for her hand had been officially made. How long would her sister wait before deciding on a husband?
He turned to look at her then and leaned against the railing. That roguish mask was gone and his face was deadly serious. “I wanted to show you the diamond before I gave it to Raena with my official documents to request the union. I wanted to see what you thought on the whole matter before doing something that could drastically change both of our lives.”
Adelina didn’t know what to say. That he wanted to give her a choice at all made her respect him even more. She used the tips of her nails to pick the diamond up from the velvet and when she held it up to the sun it simply burst into light and flame and rainbows. It was utterly flawless and would look beautiful as a ring, however the setting was designed.
Carefully she put it back into the velvet and closed the box. When she handed it back to him those emerald eyes watched her like a hawk. Adelina sighed and rested her forearms against the railing and leaned into the morning breeze, closing her eyes as she contemplated her next words.
“If you are Nadyah’s mate I won’t marry you.”
Varan jerked at the words, as though she’d slapped him.
“And if I’m yours?” he demanded.
She looked at him, seeing the small bit of beard growth on his jaw and how his emerald-green eyes practically glowed in contrast to his tanned skin. “If you are not Nadyah’s mate, then I wouldn’t have Ian scan your DNA against mine. My…parents turned off the gene that would activate when triggered by intercourse with a mate. You could be my mate, but that bond wouldn’t flare to life and therefore I see no reason why I should torture myself with knowledge that does me no good.”
Varan’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You can’t be mated?”
She shook her head and then turned so her body faced his with only a small bit of space between them. “Not right now. I could reactivate the gene if I wished. But as Raena will be the one to choose who I marry I don’t think it would be prudent. I don’t want to scan every male just to know who is or isn’t. What if my mate is someone she does not choose for me? I don’t want to go into a union knowing that, wondering who is and where they are.”
Finally his face softened, a bit of understanding flickering in his eyes. “Could you…tell me about how this happened? If I’m to deliver a diamond for your hand, I’d like to get to know the real you better, not Lina whom I adore, but the real Adelina.”
Varan’s long fingers fiddled with the box and she sighed, wishing she could look at the gem once more. He smiled as if he knew her thoughts and he slid the box to her. Varan tapped the top of it. “I know you well enough, Lina, to know how much you adore shiny things.”
She smiled ruefully and picked up the box again. Adelina left it in the velvet this time and turned it ever so slightly to see how the sun made it shine. “My mother and Elara are mated,” she said, watching how the small reflections of light colored her skin and Varan’s. “They wanted a child of their own, and my father assisted. The doctors did the rest; including deactivating the mate gene and ensuring I looked like a true Draga.”
“Is that why your scent is…strange?”
She nodded and saw how the diamond was so clear and brilliant it was nearly blue. “Apparently my scent is jasmine, the lowest of the dominance spectrum because of the mixed genes, but I can move up and down the spectrum like a courtesan. I wonder if my dominance will ever settle if I’m mated one day.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ll never know.”
Those green eyes of his saw everything. “So you don’t know if Nash is your mate?”
She flinched at the mention of his name. Goddess how she missed him. Hopefully she would see him soon. “Nadyah acquired his DNA, but no. I did not have Ian scan it. We did scan against each other. I am not Nadyah’s mate.” Adelina was quiet for a moment as she considered how much to tell Varan. If he was to be her husband one day… “I think she’s upset I am not and I’m not sure how to fix that.”
His finger tapped her nose and she blinked. “You cannot fix everything for everyone, Lina. Nadyah loves you. Of course she is sad you are not her mate. Someone else is though and I’m sure it will all work out in time.”
Adelina leaned into his shoulder, drawing comfort from his familiarity. They’d known each other so long. “Perhaps she will find them soon. I apologize for everything though; this isn’t how I would have done things with a marriage.” She shrugged and stared out towards the ocean.
Adelina wanted a love match, but she did have feelings for the thief. “I wanted to wait for Nash, I told him I would try to hold Raena back…but I feel like a coward running towards a safe union. I thought Raena might consider marrying me to the Neprijat, but to actually do it? I just wish I had word from Nash,” she murmured, staring out at the ocean. There was nothing but the official reports they’d received. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
Varan sighed and shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. I promised my friend to keep you safe. Nash knew you might need my help, and I almost failed. It’s haunted me since I watched the Neprijat enjoy your beauty like you were a delectable dessert.”
The way he studied her made Adelina nervous, but she kept her eyes on the ocean.
“I did finally receive a report from one of my spies who managed to survive the attack on Seprilles,” Varan told her.
Adelina whipped her head around and stared in disbelief. It was a miracle his informant had survived at all; the reports coming in were gruesome. “And?” she breathed.
“Nash held off the Neprijat and managed to keep the outposts from being destroyed. Once he secured the border he met up with another ship, and then disappeared.” Varan winced. Adelina knew he hated telling her, but she’d expected it.
“Disappeared as in became invisible, or crossed the border?”