Goddess’s Choice Page 2

  With the wrong male on the throne, the gods’ way of life would change for the worse, and with them that of everyone else, immortals and humans alike.

  Still, even if she was wrong about Mortdh, and he turned out to be a decent ruler, love should have been more important than political alliances—her father’s love for her to start with, and then her love for her future mate, and his for her.

  Mortdh, who had many immortal concubines and dozens of children, cared nothing for Annani. He had not bothered to come see her even once.

  She could have settled for a mate that was not her truelove, but not an indifferent one who saw her only as a means to an end.

  With a sigh and a deep longing in her heart, Annani looked at Khiann.

  If only he had shown the slightest interest in her, she could have entertained the illusion of him being the one fate had intended for her.

  2

  Khiann

  “Greetings, my lord.” Khiann’s father bowed low. “May I present my son and business partner, Khiann.”

  Dipping his head even lower than his father, Khiann managed to deliver the words he had rehearsed before coming in a surprisingly steady voice. “It is a great honor to be allowed an audience, my lord.” He watched with horror as a single drop of sweat detached from his forehead, landing on the stone floor with a loud plop.

  Ahn pretended not to notice. “Welcome, please be seated.” The ruler waved a magnanimous hand at the two chairs below his dais.

  “It is a pleasure to see you all grown up, Khiann, and helping your father in his endeavors,” Nai said in her melodious voice. “Navohn must be very proud of you.”

  He bowed again. “Thank you, my lady.”

  Why in damnation was he sweating so profusely?

  It was not hot in the throne room, nor was it humid. As with all of the gods’ abodes, the walls were made from thick stone and there were no windows to admit the outside heat or the glaring sun. Nevertheless, his breathing felt stifled.

  It was all in his head. There was no shortage of air and it was not stagnant. The diagonal shafts that were carved into the stone provided adequate air circulation, cooling it as it passed through cubits of rock before entering the great hall.

  Imagining the air flow helped him breathe easier, but his brain was still not functioning properly—the words exchanged between Ahn and his father not coalescing into anything coherent.

  He had spent hours preparing for his first official meeting with the leader of the gods as his father’s business partner, rehearsing everything from his words of greeting to how deep he was going to bow, but apparently, all that preparation had done little to calm his shaky nerves.

  If it were up to him, Khiann would have waited a few more years, but his father, who was inordinately proud of his achievements, had insisted that it was time for him to meet their leaders in his official capacity, and not only as Navohn and Yaeni’s son.

  Ever since Khiann had finished his schooling he had been apprenticed to his father, the only god who’d turned to commerce and left politics and the governing of humans and immortals to the other gods.

  Did Ahn approve of his father’s decision?

  Or did the ruler share the disparaging opinion of the other gods in regards to Navohn’s chosen occupation?

  Upon reflection, that was the main reason for Khiann’s nervousness. He would have a hard time controlling his temper if Ahn’s attitude toward his father was as disrespectful as that of some of the other gods.

  The move that had made their family rich beyond measure, had at the same time lowered their status in the eyes of their peers. Commerce was held in higher regard than manufacturing, and manufacturing was held in higher regard than farming, but all three were considered occupations unbecoming of gods.

  The gods were not supposed to do work of any kind. They were supposed to rule.

  Except for the few who served as Ahn’s assistants, the other gods were each in charge of one of the city-states. Those in committed relationships split their time between the neighboring cities they each ruled.

  Their seemingly parasitic way of life didn’t bother Khiann. In exchange for the goods and the free labor and the worship they were getting, the gods provided leadership and guidance to the humans and immortals they were in charge of, ensuring peace between the city-states.

  Without their leadership, the humans, and perhaps even the immortals, would have instigated endless wars over territories and resources.

  Humans were a violent species, prone to irrational behavior. The gods were essential for their social stability and their prosperity.

  Not that the gods had always been peaceful. Khiann’s father had told him some of their people’s history, and it had not been pretty. Maybe that was the reason for omitting it from the school curriculum. The new generation of gods was taught that they were a benevolent people, seeking only to improve the lives of others.

  Sometimes Khiann wished his father had not told him the truth. He had been much happier believing in the moral superiority of his people. His only hope was that they had evolved, leaving their bloody past behind them for good and committing to the utopia they had created in their new home.

  The question was how long it would last.

  Fortunately, gods lived very long lives, which meant their history was measured in tens of thousands of years, as opposed to mere centuries for humans.

  “I am heading out east in eleven days, my lord,” Khiann’s father said. “The journey should take about seventeen days and the trade two or three. I should be back in about forty-eight days.” He clapped Khiann’s back. “My son is in charge while I am gone, and he can take care of supplying the local goods.”

  Ahn regarded Khiann with a smile. “How are you enjoying working for your father?”

  Khiann bowed. “I enjoy it very much, my lord. I find commerce exhilarating.” If Ahn harbored hopes that Khiann was vying for a leadership position in a new city-state, he was going to be disappointed.

  The human population was proliferating, and the new generation of pure-blooded gods, who numbered only twenty-three members, were each expected to take leadership of a new city-state at some point. But Khiann wanted nothing of the sort. He wanted to travel, to take caravans to distant lands and encounter new people, then bring back goods no one had ever seen before, and stories no one had ever heard before.

  Tedium and boredom were the bane of the gods’ never-ending existence. Khiann saw himself as the deliverer of the antidote to that malady. At least for himself. Staying cooped up in a temple built in his honor and living off human offerings was not his idea of a good life.

  Ahn sighed. “Ah, to be so young and free. To travel, to see the world. I understand your fascination with trade. But one day you may wish to do something more meaningful.”

  Was that a barb intended to belittle his father’s choice?

  Hiding his grimace, Khiann bowed again, sitting down as soon as Ahn returned his attention to Navohn.

  As the two droned on about this and that, he glanced around the throne room, admiring the various artifacts displayed on pedestals or hanging on the walls, many of which had been gifts from his father that he had brought from his travels.

  Apparently, Ahn put a high value on them. Or was it Nai’s work?

  The goddess did not talk much, but on the rare occasion that she did, everyone listened because every word counted. Despite her humble origins, Nai was smart, stately, and refined, just as one would expect from the ruler’s mate.

  It was a mystery how those two created a child like Annani—the little hellion.

  A smile lifted his lips as he was reminded of her. On the days they had had school together, he used to watch her, her antics and theatrics a source of endless entertainment.

  Naturally, he had kept his fascination with the princess a secret, pretending he wasn’t paying attention. Hopefully, that was the impression that he had left. To even think of her was disrespectful of her status, not to mention th
at it was grossly inappropriate to have indecent thoughts about someone so young.

  Annani was pure fire. Red flaming hair, eyes blazing with intelligence and mischief, and a giant personality to match. A powerhouse contained in a tiny yet stunning package.

  She was hailed as the most beautiful goddess of them all, and it was the honest truth, but her beauty was so much more than skin deep.

  Shining like the sun, cheerful, confident, but never condescending, and always into one prank or another but none malicious.

  The girl was all heart.

  No wonder every human, immortal, and god was in love with her.

  Khiann had been taken by her even when she was a young girl, but he had done his best to avoid her in school. It was wrong for a thirteen-year-old boy in the grips of puberty to even notice an innocent eleven-year-old girl.

  His infatuation had only deepened as he had watched her grow and blossom. At the same time, though, he had done some growing up himself and had realized the sad truth that Annani was an impossible dream.

  The princess could never be his. Even if she were not promised to Mortdh, the second most powerful god after Ahn, Khiann would have never been considered a suitable match for her. Not by Annani nor her parents.

  Her mate would one day rule by her side, and as a merchant’s son, Khiann was neither qualified nor suitable for the position.

  3

  Annani

  I am moving up front, Annani signed with her fingers, then untied the belt holding the sack with her tablet and handed it to Gulan.

  Taking the thing with trembling hands, Gulan held it to her chest and crossed her arms over the treasure. The girl hated it when Annani forced her to become an accomplice in her many little transgressions, like holding on to a priceless tablet that should have never left Ekin’s study. But that was exactly why Annani wanted Gulan to hold on to it. The thing was safer in her arms than on the chair or the floor where one of the guards could accidentally step on it.

  Leaving the protection of the partition, Annani slid into her designated chair behind her mother. Nai glanced back and nodded her approval, mistakenly assuming that Annani was finally showing real interest in court proceedings.

  Annani nodded back and smiled, waiting for her mother to turn away before daring to take a peek at Khiann. She had not seen him in so long. Had he changed much? Had his shoulders become even wider?

  Fates, she had spent so many nights fantasizing about Khiann that she was almost afraid the reality of him would disappoint.

  Not that it was likely. Khiann had been such a handsome boy, and the last time she had seen him he had taken her breath away. At nineteen, he was a fully grown man and probably so gorgeous and manly that it would be painful to look at him and not be able to touch him.

  The thought of the many females, immortal and human, that he must have bedded by now made her irrationally jealous whenever it flitted through her head. Unlike her, Khiann was free to do as he pleased. He was not her intended, or anyone else’s, and even if he were, he would not have been expected to remain chaste like a human maiden.

  Gods lived by different rules.

  Except for Annani, who was promised before reaching the age of consent and therefore had no chance of fooling around before joining her intended, which in her case was not going to happen anytime soon, nor did she want it to. Mortdh was in no hurry to mate her. After all, her ascent to the throne was thousands of years into the future, and until then, he had no interest in her.

  It was so unfair. She had needs like any other goddess of age, but the only way she could slake them was with her own hand while thinking about a certain handsome young god. The same one who was still pretending not to notice her, same as he had done in school.

  With one big difference.

  Since the last time the two of them had interacted, Annani had learned to see past people’s pretenses.

  The throne room was saturated with the scent of burning incense, a precaution all gods and immortals employed when entertaining guests to mask the scent of their emotions from others of their kind.

  Scenting Khiann’s reaction to her was not possible.

  But after years of sitting behind the partition and observing people who were trying to hide this or that, Annani had learned to decipher the subtler cues. Like Khiann’s breathing becoming more labored, or the rigid set of his incredible shoulders that had indeed grown wider since the last time she had seen him.

  He was not indifferent to her. Maybe he had never been.

  Interesting.

  Further testing was needed.

  Tilting her body sideways to peer at him from behind her mother’s back, Annani lowered her eyes and smiled coyly.

  As his eyes shot to her for a brief moment, Khiann’s breath hitched, but he quickly averted his gaze and returned his focus to Ahn.

  Annani frowned. His reaction or lack thereof was bordering on rude. He had not acknowledged her presence with even the slightest of nods.

  Why was he acting this way?

  She was of age. He was allowed to look as much as he wanted. It was not an offense. As a god, he even had the right to ask her father’s permission to court her. After all, she was not mated yet, and a woman was allowed to change her mind, even when she was promised to someone.

  He obviously found her desirable, and he could no longer think of her as too young. Was it because she was promised to another?

  It still was not an offense to try and win her heart. Their law stated that any woman, even a lowly human, was free to choose her mate—her wishes superseding any and all prior promises and agreements made on her behalf.

  That was why most engagements were kept short.

  As long as she and vile Mortdh were not married, she could choose someone else, and no one could do a thing about it. At least in theory. In real life, familial and economic considerations often dictated paths that were not paved with love.

  Most matings among gods were prearranged, and only a handful were true-love matches—rare and coveted pairings the Fates bestowed upon the few lucky ones.

  Perhaps Khiann was hers?

  Annani did not know him well enough to claim to love him, but she desired him and was quite certain that he desired her back. It was a start, and she wanted a chance to find out if there were more.

  Even a tiny chance of finding her true-love match was worth pursuing, and justified taking big risks.

  Annani smiled again even though Khiann was not looking. Perhaps he could feel her smile and turn toward her. But he did not. Sitting all rigid and tensed, his shoulders so tight his muscles must have hurt, Khiann did not let his gaze veer away from Ahn for a moment.

  Perhaps they were discussing something really important? She listened for a few minutes.

  “Your in-house armed escort is not enough this time, Navohn. There are rumors of increased activity by the bandit tribes along the trade routes. I am willing to fortify your caravan’s security with additional force.”

  “It would be much appreciated, my lord. I will gladly pay for the service.”

  “A discount on the palace supplies would suffice.”

  “You are most generous, my lord.”

  Boring.

  They were not discussing anything that required Khiann’s full attention. Bandits attacking caravans was not news to anyone.

  Then again, as a merchant’s son, Khiann probably traveled with the caravans.

  Suddenly, all that talk about extra protection on the way gained utmost importance to her.

  The thought of Khiann getting attacked by bandits sent a shudder down Annani’s spine.

  She should talk with her father and have him double the escort he was offering Navohn. A god was not as invincible as they had the human population believe. A sword could sever a god’s head just as easily as a human’s.

  It was wrong of Navohn to drag his son along on his acquisition expeditions. Instead of exposing Khiann to the dangers of the road, he should have insisted that his s
on was assigned the leadership of a city-state, and like most other gods spend his days safe behind the walls of his temple, worshiped and adored by the humans under his rule.

  And just like that the final piece of the puzzle that was Khiann fell into place.

  There could have been another reason for his refusal to acknowledge her. As a merchant, he might have considered himself unworthy of her.

  Fates, how she hated politics.

  Khiann was a god, and it did not matter what his or his father’s occupation was. Not to her. And if it mattered to her parents, she would let them know exactly what she thought of their snobbery.

  Her father kept reiterating how important it was not to judge people by their status or financial standing, but to pay attention to their intelligence and integrity instead. Ahn could not contradict his own words without losing her respect.

  But as long as Khiann refused to even look at her, all of that was irrelevant.

  Discreetly, Annani moved her chair sideways, so she was no longer hidden behind her mother, and crossed her legs, letting her dress ride up a little and show her shapely calves.

  When that did not help, she changed positions again, hoping the rustle of fabric would attract Khiann’s attention.

  This time he could not help himself and cast her a quick glance, which she caught and held on to.

  Transfixed, Khiann’s eyes remained trapped in her hold, and a moment later they started to glow.

  Yes!

  He was attracted to her. A male’s eyes could not lie. The glow betrayed what he had been so desperately trying to hide.

  The problem was that they were not alone, and her parents might notice his response.

  Annani smiled her most charming smile and lifted two fingers to her eyes, signaling him to lower his.

  He caught her meaning immediately and dipped his head, pretending to brush specks of dust from his tunic.

  Smart man, but a stubborn one.

  Khiann would never take the first step no matter how many signals and interested looks she cast his way. As her mother liked to say, males were too obtuse to interpret signals and needed to be told in plain language what to do.