Desire in His Blood

“But—”

“Out!” Father roared.

I blinked back the tears, breathing through my stinging nose. I felt Mira’s hand on my arm as Piper skulked from the office, slamming the door behind her, rattling a vase on the bookshelf.

“Are you okay?” Mira asked. When I met her eyes, I saw she was biting her lip. “She didn’t mean it, Gem. You know that. She’ll feel terrible once she realizes what she’s said. But you know how she gets.”

No, she meant it. She meant every word, I thought. But I touched Mira’s hand, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, and said, “I know.”

Relief swam through her gaze. She didn’t like it when we fought. It always put her in a tough position, being between us all the time.

“Gemma,” my father said, the clink of ice filling the quiet office when he lifted his glass. There was an apology in his eyes, but I still spied something else. Something…hopeful. “I’ll tell her she can’t keep the plates, all right?”

But it wasn’t even about those damn plates anymore, was it?

“What did you need to see me for?” I asked him, impatient to return to my room. I didn’t think I could do any work tonight after all. I was drained. All I wanted was to sleep, to put this horrendous day behind me.

Father swirled the whiskey in his glass and then drained it down. “Mr. Cross called me.”

I stiffened.

“He said he made you a match,” he said, beaming. His dark, straight brows rose over his warm brown eyes. “A wealthy match. And that you told him you would think about it.”

“What?” Mira breathed, and I sensed her turning to me with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything, Gem?”

So…this was the source of his excitement.

“Did he say anything else to you?” I prompted, a little confused by my father’s measured exuberance. The Kylorr had been allies of the Pe’jians during the war. The Pe’jians that my father had fought against for the United Alliance.

“Something about a matchmaking fee when the marriage happens, but he assured me the suitor would pay it,” Father said, shrugging. He stood, walking over to the bar cart, lifting a crystal decanter from it. “He assured me the suitor would pay for everything.”

The words had been loaded with something unspoken. I shot a look at Mira, but she didn’t appear to notice.

“I haven’t accepted yet,” I reminded him, licking my dry lips. “I know very little about him, and I’d like to have some assurances before I—”

He whirled, a small portion of whiskey sloshing from the decanter, splattering onto the wood floor. Father didn’t appear to notice.

“You will marry him, Gemma. It—it would solve everything. And once your sisters marry into wealthy families, the estate will be secure! Hell, they don’t even have to be wealthy families, if this man is as rich as Mr. Cross says. They could marry whomever they choose. Love matches—isn’t that what you want for them? But you will all be secure. Just as your mother wanted.”

My spine shot straighter. “And what about the caverns? The workers?”

Father waved his hand like my words were nothing but a small nuisance. Like I hadn’t given everything to the business for the last five years, all to keep our heads above water.

“I’ll manage it just fine.”

A tiny bloom of fury lit up in my chest. “You don’t know how to run the business. Not anymore. You didn’t even pay the workers last month when I entrusted you to do it.”

Father scowled. “Was it that damn Killup that said that?” he asked. “Look, I told them that I would invest their wages and get them double back in three months. None of them protested.”

“My gods, there are laws in place for a reason. You can’t do that. Our workers depend on their pay. They have families to care for, and they don’t need to be roped into your ‘investments.’”

“Oh, Father, tell me you didn’t,” Mira said, biting her lip. She was likely thinking of Sorj.

Father’s temper was rising. I could feel it. He didn’t like to be cornered. And, much like Piper, he lashed out when he felt threatened.

He poured a hefty glass of whiskey, and the decanter landed on the bar cart with a sharp clatter. His cheeks were reddening quickly, but I knew it was more from his anger than the liquor.

“If I didn’t have you girls to care for, I could run the caverns easily,” he said, completely ignoring the situation at hand. “And I will. It will give me something to do when I know that all of you are settled and married.”

I bit my tongue so hard that I tasted blood. The metallic taste only made me think of other, more horrible things. Nausea pooled in my belly.

“You will marry this man, Gemma,” my father said, walking back to his desk, his words a sharp bark. “Tell Mr. Cross that you will accept the match. You might not see the blessing in it now, but you will thank me later.”

How had he turned this around? How had he turned my decision around so that I would need to thank him? Especially considering we were in this mess because of him. A mess that my sisters didn’t even know about because he’d begged me, with tears in his eyes, not to tell them.

“The ‘man’ is a Kylorr.”

My father froze, the ice clinking with the sudden stop. Mira’s breath whistled in. The hand she had on my arm squeezed, her fingernails pressing deep.

“But I’m guessing Mr. Cross didn’t tell you that,” I finished. Another possibility nearly stole my breath. “Or maybe you didn’t care to ask.”

His hand shook, but I spied the shame mingled with his disbelief.

“So, what do you think of it now, Father? Would you still have me marry him, knowing what my future would hold?”

Would you have me marry him to settle all your debts? To save this house, where Mother died? To purchase more whiskey so you can drink yourself to an early grave? To feather this coffin of a place with more golden, glittering things that you don’t need?

I couldn’t help the terrible thoughts.

Truthfully, I had already made up my mind on the matter. There was no choice. That had long been taken from me.

But I wanted to hear him say it.

I needed to hear him say it.

“Father, you ca

Father’s brown eyes never left mine, however. He and my mother were night and day in appearance. He was a large, barrel-chested man, with thick salt-and-pepper hair, almond-shaped eyes, and round, ruddy cheeks.

My mother had been willowy and slender, with fine blond hair as smooth as silk, wide green eyes, and a honeyed complexion from her afternoon swims. A great beauty from a wealthy family, who had fallen in love with a gri

Rye Hara and Sophie Crest. Lord and Lady Hara of the Collis, they had become.

Lord Rye Hara of the Collis looked me straight in the eyes, and he said, “You will marry the Kylorr, Gemma.”

Mira’s hand spasmed on my arm. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her gaping at Father.

“And you will save us all,” he grated softly.

He tilted his whiskey up to his lips and drained it in one gulp. The empty glass clattered onto the surface of his desk when he was finished. Then he turned his back to me, looking out the window toward the lake. I wondered if he still imagined Mother there, when it was su

I barely heard Mira’s sharp protests. I barely heard what Father said to her in turn.

I was the eldest daughter. Before today, I had been of no real value to him. I was past marrying age, after all, and everyone knew it was marriages that exchanged wealth between families. Until today, he had pla