long carved table, and behind it sat seven men, which left five spaces empty. These must have been the council of elders that Logan had mentioned. Not one among them was old, at least not to her eyes, but they did all bear an air of maturity, and compared to the other couple dozen prime males in the room, they seemed perhaps a tad deflated. No, not deflated. Just not as physically imposing.
It was work not to squirm under the many sets of eyes that seemed intent on assessing her, but she managed, concentrating on keeping her stride long and unhurried. She didn’t need to appear to be as nervous as she felt.
She curled closer to Logan’s side, thankful for his rock-steady presence. He squeezed her arm closer to his body, his thumb continuing to stroke the back of her hand reassuringly.
“You have nothing to fear as long as I’m nearby,” he said softly.
She wished his words brought something more than the gratefulness she felt. Logan was a good man. He was the one she should be attracted to.
But I’m not. Nope, only one man seemed to have the ability to turn her brain to mush.
Silence stretched, making their walk down the aisle seem longer than it should have been. It was the right thing, coming here. She’d obviously needed to get away from Roland and whatever it was that he did to make her so scatterbrained. Here she could get some answers. These men were God’s warriors. They’d help her…though if they didn’t stop staring at her, she was going to scream.
“Which one is your father?” she asked, leaning in close to whisper the words. Logan had said only a handful of men, and a couple of the elders, would be able to respond to his request for this late night—or early morning, as the case may be—session, but there were at least twenty men here, plus seven elders, none of which had a familial resemblance to Logan.
“None. He was detained but will be joining us as soon as possible.”
“And the other four empty chairs?” Karissa wondered if at some point the vast hall had been filled with Paladin. If so, then the glaring empty space was a real testament to the losing battle they were facing and the toll it had taken on them.
“Three elders are not available at this time, and the last seat is currently…unfilled.”
Karissa looked up at him sharply. The pained tone in his voice made her believe there was something special about that unfilled seat, but his face gave nothing away.
Poker face. Get one of your own, Karissa. Because right now, you’re an open book.
She schooled her face into impassiveness, turning her attention forward once more.
Finally, after what seemed an eon, they reached the front rows. As they passed, the curious gazes followed until she stood at the front before the long table, with seven sets of eyes studying her unabashedly and two dozen sets boring into her from behind.
These men needed to get a life if the sight of a woman in their midst was cause for such unwavering attention.
One of the elders sitting in the middle of the table, next to the other empty seat, cleared his throat. “Logan, Son of Logan, despite the fact that you have offered little explanation, we have granted your request to bring an outsider into our midst. Now it is time to divulge the reasoning behind this break from protocol and tradition.”
Ah, maybe that was it then. The attention wasn’t because she was female, but because she didn’t know the secret handshake to the club.
“Forgive me, Gerar. I thought it best to present Miss Donovan before the whole council.”
“And why is that?”
“She needs our protection. Ganelon’s fiends have taken an unwholesome interest in her,” Logan said, his body still, but his words filled with power and conviction. “They not only attacked her home, killing her grandfather, but continued to chase her through the city. Even now they search for her.”
Gerar shifted in his seat, as if this news made him uncomfortable. Well good. Being wanted by
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