Back in the room, Jolthar looked at both women with calm assessment. They were both staring at him now, waiting for him to choose or mediate or somehow solve their conflict.
"If you both want me," he said slowly, "then you need to do as I tell you."
The room fell silent.
Both Cleora and Raayani looked at him with surprise. It wasn't often that Jolthar asserted direct authority over either of them—they were both powerful women used to being in control of their own lives.
But there was something in his tone, in the directness of his statement, that made them both pause.
"What do you mean?" Cleora asked carefully.
"I mean exactly what I said. You're both fighting over me like I'm some prize to be won. That stops now. If you want to be with me, if you want my attention and affection, then you accept that I won't be divided by your arguments. You'll both get what you need, but on my terms, not through competition with each other."
