Guardian (11 page)

I forced myself to laugh. “Your mind is soft, elf. I’ve never clapped eyes on you before.” I stopped and turned to him. “Do you know how you can be sure of that?”

He grinned. “I’ll indulge you. Inform me…please.”

“It’s very simple. You’re still standing. And you aren’t holding your crotch in pain.”

I turned away to the sound of male laughter. Entering the large doors where I’d seen Ian disappear, it took me a moment to adjust my vision to the change in light. I heard Ian’s plight before I saw it.

“Hurry!” Faerydae’s voice, sounding much more alarmed than I’d have expected given the cool reception I’d witnessed beyond the waterfall, shrieked through the space. I hurried forward, seeing Ian, on the far side of the huge entry hall, writhing on the floor. Faerydae knelt beside him, bending over his jerking form.

Faerydae looked up at a pair of servants who were rushing forward to help. “He just fell down and started twitching. He’s obviously in much pain.” The servants tried to grab Ian under the arms but he jerked away from them, attempting to sit up. He didn’t get very far.

As I came near, I was relieved to see Ian stop writhing and finally manage to sit up. He glared at me and I widened my eyes at him in silent apology. Then his handsome face swung beyond me and I turned.

Aubrie stood in the doorway, the bright light of the sun forming a haloed silhouette around his tall form, with its impossibly broad shoulders and wide-spaced stance. My gaze flew to his face and found what I had feared I’d see there.

A knowing look had transformed his features. He smiled and gave me a small nod. Then he turned away and disappeared back out into the light.

I closed my eyes in horror. This was
not
good. I’d given Aubrie a weapon I was sure he’d use. A means to defeat Ian. And I still didn’t know what his relationship to Ian was. Or whether he was on the side of good or bad.

I forced myself to turn around and face Ian. He was standing and his face clearly showed his anger. “He knows.”

I took a deep breath and nodded.

Ian swore. “We’ll discuss this later. And you’d better have a fix.”

Faerydae looked from him to me, her pretty blue eyes narrowed in speculation. “Would you and the spirit like a moment alone, my pet?”

My eyes widened,
My pet? What the hell?

Ian shook his head. “Our business can wait. I need to speak with you now. And…” He turned to glare at me. “Unfortunately she’ll have to come along.”

They turned away from me and left me to follow them through the largest set of doors off the great hall. I tried not to slunk along, though I felt like the villain in the affair.

The room we entered was smaller than the great hall, but that didn’t mean a thing. It was a huge room, but the upholstered divans, heavy brocade wall hangings, and velvet drapes framing dozens of floor to ceiling windows made the room feel almost cozy. Under our feet, the thickest carpet I’d ever encountered cushioned our footsteps into silence.

Faerydae headed directly for a crystal decanter across the room, pouring two healthy drinks into two beautiful, crystal glasses. I skulked by the door, branded as the unwelcome one.

The Elvin queen sat down behind a huge, ivory desk and sipped daintily from her glass. “What have you discovered?”

Ian lowered himself into a chair nearby. I noticed his glass was nearly empty already.

Tough day apparently.

“Their plans continue. Aubrie is right in the middle of it.”

I moved closer so I could hear them better.

Ian continued. “They’d rigged a vote to overtake Tana before I arrived.”

The queen’s pretty blue eyes widened, her narrow shoulders tightening visibly, “They passed a usurpation decree?”

Ian shook his head. “I made them recall it.”

Faerydae softened back into her chair, her face too completely emotionless. She was obviously hiding something.

“Aubrie wants to move forward with the attack, believing it is the first step in taking the Council.”

“Tell me again why I cannot have Aubrie put to death?”

“He is but the head of the fish. He has many followers, not all of which are known to us. Their first task upon his death will be to sneak up on you and remove your head while you sleep.”

She sighed. “There is that.” She flipped a hand at him. “Go on.”

“I reminded them that, with such a bold move, the Council would be forewarned.”

“And did they understand that reasoning?”

He shrugged. “Some did. Some…did not. I believe I hold them by a sprite’s hair. They have watchers everywhere I go and they have already attempted to kill me a few times.”

“And the Council?”

Ian glanced at me. “They obviously know something is going on.”

Faerydae’s jeweled gaze slid to me, coldly assessing. “Yes. They are forewarned somehow.” She turned back to Ian. “We could extinguish the Monad.”

I jerked, unaccustomed to someone discussing my murder in front of me, and glared at her.

Ian shook his head. “We cannot.”

Faerydae frowned. “Why not?”

He looked at me and I realized that the potion tying him to me was probably the only thing keeping me alive. “Because we cannot.”

And obviously he didn’t want her to know about it.

Ian stood. “For now we must put all our energies into keeping Aubrie and his followers in line. The Council must not learn that they plot against them. It is not ruled by rational gods, Dae. Their punishment would not be selective. You know that as well as I. If the Council discovers the plot they will annihilate the Wood, and every creature in it will die, innocent or not.”

Faerydae twirled one elegant fingertip around the edge of her glass, making it sing softly. “Idiots. They endanger all in their lust for power. Why can they not grasp the depth of the Council’s power?”

“Or Tana’s.” Ian added.

Faerydae favored him with a sharp glance. “I won’t pretend to rue their plans against Tana.”

Ian shrugged.

“But I understand her better than they. She will not go down easily. Many will die.”

My eyes widened.

Ian suddenly sat up from his slouch. “Many
will
die? Do you plot to oust her?”

Faerydae fixed a soft gaze on him, a gentle smile on her lips. She shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “Plots and conspiracies are a way of life in the Wood, my pet. You know this. It means nothing.”

I wasn’t fooled by her nonchalant manner. Neither, apparently was Ian. “No games, Dae. You cannot think you’ll best her.”

The beautiful elf laughed. “Not without quite a battle. Do not worry, my pet, I’m not quite ready to take her on. But some day…”

Ian shook his head. Make sure you warn me well in advance. I plan to initiate an extended stay in Olympus when you do.”

The crystalline laugh skittered across my senses again. I shivered under its effects. Curious, I used my inner sight to view her aura. What I saw there was startling. Power, thick and vibrant, swirled around her. She was an extremely potent elf, most likely as powerful as the faery queen. And I was certain Tana’s dominance in the Wood piqued her. Ian’s next words didn’t help.

“She’s favored by the gods, Dae.”

The elf’s beautiful face darkened in anger. Her aura deepened with it, bringing visible sparks into the air around her. “The gods are fools!” The room darkened as light faded from the sky outside the castle. Lightening sliced the air and thunder roared.

Voices exploded outside the windows, calling out with sudden urgency and pitched high in startled surprise as fat drops of rain fell suddenly from the sky. My chest heaved under the clogging weight of Faerydae’s power and I longed to walk over to one of the long windows and pull it open, sucking in the fresh lightness of the outside air.

I was looking at one pissed off elf queen. And knowing that one of her favorites was enmeshed in the plot against the Council, I had to wonder. Was she as innocent of the plotting as she would have Ian believe.

Somehow I doubted that she was.

Chapter Seven

A Taste of ambrosia

I
an and I were given a room in the castle for the night. I walked through the enormous sitting area, through wall-length double doors, into the place where we would sleep.

“There’s only one bed.”

Ian came up behind me. Very close. So close I could smell his unique masculine scent and feel the heat rolling off his body. “Yup. That’s one bed.” He turned away, completely missing my point, or ignoring it.

“You can sleep on the divan.”

He snorted. “Yeah, right.” He was standing at one of the room’s many floor to ceiling windows with a frown on his handsome face. Somehow I didn’t think it was because of our sleeping situation.

“Okay, then
I’ll
sleep on the divan.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “If that makes you happy.” But his voice told me he was only half listening.

I walked over to the window and looked out. The room where Faerydae had put us was high in a turret at the back of the castle. The window we stood before provided a beautiful view of the ocean in the near distance, just over a narrow ridge of rock that bounded the castle grounds on one side. The wide, sparkling strip of blue was dotted with ships. I knew Faerydae sold her Elvin wares around the world, in the human as well as the magical realms. “What’s the matter?”

He glanced at me. “I’m not sure. I feel as if someone watches us.”

I peered around a moment longer and then turned away. “I’m sure someone is watching us. It seems you have enemies everywhere you go.” And, stuck to him as I was, I was inheriting his enemies.

After another moment he turned away from the window, but he pulled all of the drapes closed. I walked over to a large table that held a basket of fruit, some of which I didn’t recognize, and a decanter of something in a pretty amber color.

I poured myself and Ian a glass and walked over to hand his to him. I sat down on the divan, grimacing as my butt nearly pinged off its hard surface.

I would have to make sure
he
was the one who slept on the divan.

“We need to get rid of the binding charm you’ve placed on me.”

My gaze jerked to his. I shook my head. “Not happenin’, Elfaery.”

His eyes narrowed. “Very funny.”

I grinned at him. “It’s better than half breed isn’t it?”

He just shook his head. “If you don’t remove the bind Aubrie will use it against me.”

I sipped the amber liquid. It was very sweet, with a small tang. I licked my lips. “Mmm, what is this?”

Ian looked at his glass and set it down. “Ambrosia.”

I took another sip. “I like.”

“Take it easy on that stuff. It tastes like nectar but it’s extremely potent.”

I took another sip. “I can handle it.”

Ian’s brown eyes took on a speculative glint but he didn’t respond. He walked over and sat down beside me on the divan. “You do know how to remove the bind don’t you?”

I blinked. “Huh?” I took another sip. “Mmm. Dat’s good.”

Ian grabbed my hand before I could slug back another mouthful of the ambrosia. “The bind you put on me…we need to remove it. The sooner the better now that Aubrie knows about it. You
can
remove it right?”

I grinned at him. He was very pretty. “Of course not.”

“Damn!”

“You’re pretty.”

His gaze jerked up and he grinned. “That didn’t take long.”

I blinked. “What didn’t?” He was
damned
pretty. Suddenly I wanted a little taste. My gaze focused on his lips. They were full, and looked very soft. Maybe just one little nibble. I leaned closer, my eyes fixed on his mouth. I lost my balance and fell forward, catching myself with a hand on his leg before I landed face first in his crotch.

Ian gasped. “I’d prefer you not use that particular part of my body as a crutch.”

I looked down and blinked. My hand was cupping the pretty bulge at the juncture of his muscular thighs. “Oops!”

I started giggling.

But I didn’t remove the hand.

Finally Ian pulled my hand away from his family treasury. “I told you to go slow with that stuff.”

“I am going slow. I only wanted a taste.”

He frowned at me. “Maybe we should put you to bed for a while.”

I purred, waggling my eyebrows at him. “Oh yeah. Let’s go to bed. I want a taste.”

He shook his head and stood, pulling the glass out of my hand.

I held on so hard he nearly had to break the glass to pry it out of my fingers.

He set the pretty crystal, which was nearly empty, on the floor and, before I knew what he was planning, scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder.

“Whee!!!” I screamed, laughing. “A shoulder ride.” My head bounced as Ian carried me away. I didn’t know where I was going and didn’t really care. Those firm round things under my nose were pretty too. I wondered how they’d feel.