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"A word, Ambassador," he said quietly, drawing him aside to a recessed alcove where they wouldn't be overheard by the guards.

He bristled at the presumption, unused to taking orders from anyone but Kyrana or his warrior captains. “If this is about—“

K’Nar gripped his arm with surprising strength for one of his slight build. "Be careful," he hissed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Is that a threat?" Zexx demanded, tensing beneath his touch.

His fingers tightened. "It's a warning. Be more careful than you have been." His gaze bored into his with an intensity that belied his mild appearance. "Both your lives depend on it."

The words hit him like a blow to the chest. There it was—confirmation of what he had already suspected. Their secret wasn't so secret after all.

"How long have you known?" he asked, not bothering to deny his implication.

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Since the night of the reception. Maybe longer. Perhaps from the moment you arrived." Then his expression sobered. "But I'm not the only one with eyes, Ambassador. And not all who watch are as discreet—or as loyal to the chancellor—as I am."

Zexx studied him, searching for any hint of deception or ulterior motive. His empathic abilities, growing stronger by the day, detected only sincerity and a deep concern for Linnea's wellbeing.

"Why tell me this?" he asked. "Why not report what you know to the council?"

K’Nar glanced up the ramp where Linnea had disappeared with her advisors. "Because I serve the chancellor, not the council. Because I've known her since she was a junior member fighting to be heard in a room full of males who dismissed her. Because I've never seen her as alive as she's been since you arrived." He released his arm. "And because I believe the peace between our peoples is our only hope for survival. I believe in resisting those who would break the peace."

The pointed words stunned Zexx into silence. Was the unassuming adjunct one of the closely placed allies the Cresteks in the alley had meant? Before he could ask, a guard strode past them and K’Nar stepped away, putting appropriate distance between them.

"You should join them.” Zexx jerked his head up, knowing he could not ask questions now. "She needs allies in that room."

K’Nar nodded, but before turning to go, he whispered, "Be vigilant, Ambassador. The walls have ears, and not all of them belong to friends." With that cryptic warning, he hurried after his chancellor.

Zexx remained in the alcove for several moments, processing everything that had happened. The encounter with the resistance members in the alley. Linnea finding him despite the vastness of the city. K’Nar's unexpected alliance. And now, Linnea closeted with the very men who plotted her downfall.

If K’Nar was right, and he believed he was, he and Linnea had been playing with fire and were about to get badly burned.

ChapterThirty-One

She slumped into her chair the moment her advisors left, pressing her fingertips against her temples where a headache throbbed with increasing intensity. The day's events had worn her down to raw nerves—the fight with Zexx, the panicked search through the city, the tense walk back to the tower, and now the interminable meeting with Vellen and Taal.

The last rays of sunlight filtered through the high windows, stippling golden patterns across the stone floor that belied the icy dread pooling in her stomach. For over an hour, her advisors had spoken in increasingly urgent tones about the danger Zexx posed—not just to the peace, but to her position as chancellor.

"His very presence inflames tensions," Vellen had insisted, his usually placid face flushed with apparent concern. "The common people see him as a symbol of our weakness, of our capitulation to barbarians who spent generations raiding our borders."

Taal had nodded gravely, adding, "The council is growing restless. There are whispers, Chancellor, about the ambassador’s presence here. Whispers that could become shouts if not addressed quickly."

The memory of their words made her blood boil anew. The veiled threats had grown less veiled as the meeting progressed, culminating in Taal's parting statement: "We cannot shield you from the consequences if you continue on this path, Chancellor. Send the Dothvek back to the sands where he belongs."

Her fingers curled into fists atop her desk. If Zexx was right—and in her heart, she knew he was—these men were not warning her but threatening her. Setting the stage for her removal if she didn't comply with their demands.

Yet was there truth in their warnings, regardless of their motives? Her people did have a long history of hatred toward the Dothveks. The peace was new, fragile, a seedling that could be trampled by the first strong wind of public opinion. While the females at the reception had found Zexx appealing, their desire alone couldn't protect him if the citizenry turned against his presence—or against her for harboring him.

Could she risk everything—the peace, her position, the stability of their city—for the sake of her feelings for one man?

The door to her office swung open without the customary knock, interrupting her spiral of anxious thoughts. She straightened, prepared to snap that she had not approved any further meetings, assuming K’Nar had returned with yet another crisis demanding her attention.

Instead, Zexx filled the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking view of the corridor beyond. The sight of him sent a flutter through her chest that had nothing to do with surprise.

"Zexx," she breathed, rising to her feet. "I didn't expect—"

He closed the door behind him with one hand, his eyes never leaving hers as he crossed the room in long strides. The intensity in his gaze made her words falter and die in her throat.

"I need to apologize," she said quickly, suddenly nervous that he had come to confront her about her earlier outburst. "What I said before—accusing you of manipulating me—it was unforgivable. I was afraid and I lashed out, but that's no excuse. I understand if you're still angry with me, and you have every right to be--"