by Lisa Daniels
Itzel gasped, then took a deep breath. “You think that because he was your predecessor.”
“I say that because that was my previous incarnation.”
Itzel’s wry smile slid off her face. “That’s not funny.”
Darius stepped forward, his hand sliding down her back. “I regretted not telling you that I loved you before dying. I thought there would be plenty of time. But when I was born again, you were already with Caspian.”
Itzel’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish. She placed a hand over her mouth, but found she couldn't pull away from Darius.
He continued to murmur in her ear, “I stayed near you as much as possible, knowing that I couldn’t make up for what I had done. That I couldn’t win you back because you had moved on. What was I going to do? Try to convince you to leave Caspian for someone who never promised you anything? How would that have been any different? I hated everything that I had once been because none of it mattered. Too late, I realized what did matter.”
“Why are you doing this?” Itzel felt torn. She wanted to believe it was Phineas, but she had known him just as well as she had known Darius. They were nothing alike.
“There is only ever one albino. He is always me. It seems despite my wanting to let you live your life, I still managed to win you over again.”
Itzel leaned her forehead against his chest, unable to pull away. “What makes you think that?”
“When I entered the room, you were the one dying on the floor. But I knew that I had left you behind. It was their illusion, one that was meant to make you see the person you loved most dying on the floor to cause you to act emotionally.”
Itzel’s heart skipped a beat. She had already told Darius that she had seen him on the floor, so he must be trying to trick her into believing… But you do love him, idiot.
Itzel wrapped her arms around him. “You made me admit it so that you could use it against me.”
“Absolutely. I plan to use it against you, every day for as long as you live.” He placed a finger under her chin. “I told you this for days after the fire, but I don’t think you ever heard me. I love you, Itzel. I have always loved you.”
A tear trickled down her face. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I thought that you had moved on, and I didn’t want to hurt you again.” He brushed away the tear that rolled down her cheek.
“So it wasn’t a dream?”
Darius looked confused. “What wasn’t a dream?”
“We actually made love afterward?”
His eyes went wide, “You thought that was a dream?”
Itzel giggled, putting a fist up to her mouth. “It didn’t seem real. The only person who knew where to touch me like that was Phineas, but it was you. So, I felt certain that I had just imagined it.”
Darius looked at her for a few moments, a blank expression on his face. “Uh. Well, there is only one way to prove that you didn’t dream that up.” He lifted her off her feet. Itzel began to protest, but soon found that she had no desire to put up a real fight—and she was not about to make him think that he was wrong about the way she felt. Turning his face to hers, she gently kissed his lips. “I love you too, my little Darius. Wait,” something occurred to her as Darius carried her to a cabin, “does this mean I’m not older than you?”
“Technically, you are. At least biologically. Spiritually, you are just a child compared to me.”
Itzel’s laugh rang through the halls as Darius closed the door to his cabin.
He carefully placed her on the bed and lay down beside her, his lips brushing against hers.
“I do have a few more questions,” she said between kisses.
Darius gave her a look of disbelief. “At a time like this?”
“Do you already know if Rosaline and Ignacio end up together? Did you know when we made the wager?”
“Ah,” Darius bit his lip in a way that very much reminded her of Phineas. “How about this? I will smile at you every day for the rest of your life, and you go with me on the next mission. And every mission.”
Itzel nuzzled against him. “Okay. I can agree to that. But can you tell me what happens?”
“It’s a surprise,” he smiled at her, his dimples showing in the moonlight.
“It will pale compared to what you told me today.”
“Well, of course.” He kissed her neck.
“Ah,” her body shuddered under his teasing. Trying to keep her focus, she managed to ask, “Who else knows that you reincarnate?”
“Just Orion and Heaven.”
Itzel pulled back, “Who’s Heaven?”
“It’s a surprise,” he placed his forehead on hers, “but I think that any remaining questions can wait. Unless you want to ask me if I love you. I will never get tired of telling you how much I love you.” His lips moved down her shoulder as his hands began to carefully tear her dress.
Rosaline’s Assassin
Panthers of Brigantia
Book
By: Lisa Daniels
Chapter 1
Well-Intentioned Eavesdropping
Rosaline smiled as she removed her gloves. Most of her life had been relatively calm and predictable, and she had grown to believe that it should stay that way. However, having gotten to leave three times in the last year, the druid was finding that leaving wasn’t quite as uncomfortable as she had remembered it on previous occasions.
Perhaps I am seeing things differently because of Ignacio. He is more talkative and engaged with me when we go out. No one else has ever treated me like that. Then again, everyone else is so much older than I am that they may view me as a child as well. The idea that she and Ignacio had something in common had never struck her before, but Rosaline found that the idea was not distasteful.
She snuck a look at the two assassins as they talked about something that had happened a few months ago. Orion looked as pleasant as ever, his perfect facial features reminding her very much of her father. At least with the druids, Orion always seemed more like a father figure than an assassin. Rosaline herself had certainly looked at him that way after her own father had died. He appeared to have a particularly proud look in his eye as he watched Ignacio, though.
Ignacio was nothing like the other assassins, at least not when he was visiting. He was lively and his emotions did not seem to be calculated, but more genuine. The way he treated everyone was far less flirtatious or muted, and when he was around, Rosaline felt that the world took on a slightly different appearance. Of course, he was considerably younger than her, too. She might be one of the youngest druids, but he was the youngest assassin—and given his age, he really should have still been in training. But Rosaline had seen him, had monitored him as he progressed through the training, and no one could disagree that his skills and assessments were anything less than masterful. When he was away for long stretches of time, she began to forget about the more endearing side of him because he was a completely different creature when passing judgment. Then he would come home, and she would find herself looking for him to experience more of his unique perspective. She had expected being an assassin to change him—it had changed so many others, she had heard. But at least when he was here, Rosaline could still see the same young cub who was eager to experience life.
And a small part of her was jealous.
Rosaline realized that she was staring at Ignacio as a cold voice called out to them. “Orion. Ignacio. Glad to see you made it back alright. I hear it didn’t go quite as smoothly as expected.” The voice did not convey the emotions it claimed to feel, but no one expected Darius to express any emotions. He was there, somewhere, in the shadows where no one else could see him, not without the ability to see into the darkness.
With a smile, Rosaline turned to head to her chambers. For someone who almost never left, Darius managed to know almost as much about what occurred in the outside world as the most accomplished assassins. She had no idea how he knew, though. No one expected an as
sassin to be an open book, but Darius was more like a bound and locked book. Rosaline had never seen him before, and didn't know many people who had. For an assassin, he was incredibly unusual. All of the rest of them were more than happy to go out and complete tasks, and they tended to be the center of attention with their lively personalities. Darius was something else entirely. Still, his presence in their home made everyone feel more at ease. The idea of him leaving would probably make a lot of the druids revolt.
Rosaline couldn’t help but laugh a little at the idea because it was so outrageous.
“Rosaline,” a voice called out from behind her.
She turned, her expression changing from one of amusement to one of surprise. “Yes, Ignacio?”
“You did great out there. I dare say you didn’t need us at all.”
Orion’s eyebrows went up and his eyes shifted to a corner of the room, no doubt where Darius was. Rosaline gave them a couple of seconds to respond before she said, “Of course I needed you for that trip.” Her smile widened, “It seems strange that you wouldn't notice that I got lost anytime I was left alone for a few seconds.”
Ignacio’s smile slipped a little, “That was totally my fault. I shouldn’t have left you.”
Orion stepped between them, “Just say thank you, Ignacio.” His eyes were on his strange weapon as he cleaned it.
“But I—”
The cold voice from the shadows spoke up, “Very kind of you to say, Rosaline, but your attempts are pointless at the moment. If you will please excuse us.”
The sound of footsteps walking away was the only indication that he was leaving—and Rosaline knew that Darius was intentionally allowing his footsteps to echo to indicate his departure. No assassin was as undetectable in the place as he was, so anytime he could be heard, it was because he wanted to be heard. As Darius moved further away, Orion slid his weapon into a sheath on his back and followed, not once turning to look at her. Ignacio gave her a shy smile, “Thank you, Rosaline.” With that, he hurried after the other two assassins.
Rosaline smiled after them, “It was my pleasure.” With a quick intake of breath, she was about to head toward her chambers when something about the encounter struck her as being wrong.
Why didn’t they just leave in the first place? Darius was going to talk about the mission until Ignacio called out to me. That seems odd.
Her beautiful brow creased into a few worry lines under her light arctic-blue hair. Rosaline brushed her bangs out of her face and pushed the strands behind her ear. She had her hair styled into a pixie cut, thinking that a change would be nice, but it had proven to be far more annoying than she had expected. At least with long hair, she could pull it out of her face with relative ease. Her long fingers scratched the back of her head as she pondered whether she should get back to work in her room or if she should give in to her curiosity. Being exposed to the outside world was definitely dangerous for someone like her. Rosaline was a priestess who had taken the vows that would prepare her for becoming a high priestess. Her mother had always pushed her in that direction, wanting her daughter to succeed where she had not. A part of Rosaline had always been apprehensive about the idea—it had been her mother’s dream, not her own. Her mother had lacked the intellect and talent to accomplish anything more than the priestess role, so she had desperately wanted her daughter to attain the level of a high priestess. There was certainly a need for new blood among the high priestesses. Rosaline had loved her mother, but the idea of reaching the upper echelons had never really appealed to her. Everyone else seemed to think it was perfect for her, though. By the time she had matured, no one had shown any interest in her at all as a material creature, not even Caspian, which had stung. Not that she would admit it.
Rosaline could still remember the discussion she had with the assassin when she was less certain of her path. She had pulled him aside a few months before she was to take her vows, perhaps hoping that he would talk her out of it. Or maybe he would show her another way.
“Caspian, do you think that I… will become a high priestess?” The doubts raged in her mind as Rosaline looked into the eyes of the famous assassin. She had heard how he never missed an opportunity to explore a woman who presented herself so willingly.
His startling green eyes had not even flinched as she looked down, and he placed his hands on her shoulders and murmured, “I could not imagine a better path for you.”
She could not see any desire in his eyes or any doubt about what he was saying. Any tension or hope that the encounter might turn into something more were dashed, and she looked down at the ground, not wanting him to see how unhappy those words made her.
His voice was gentle as he asked, “Was that not the right thing to say?”
Her head shot up, the smile firmly fixed on her face, the smile that had gotten her through so much. “Of course it was. It was exactly what I should have expected you to say. Thank you, Caspian.” She picked his hands up from her shoulders and pushed them back to his chest. “Probably best not to have you touching me. As slim as the chance may be, someone could get the wrong idea. Wish me luck.” With that, she turned and quickly walked away.
“I wish you the best, Rosaline. May it bring you the happiness you seek.” Caspian’s voice sounded a little off, but Rosaline wasn’t going to turn and look. This was her path, everyone seemed to believe it. Caspian had seduced almost every other druid she had known, slept with nearly every magic-using mark he met, and flirted with everyone else.
Clearly there is something lacking in me. No one can look at me and see anything but a high priestess who gives herself to the needs of the many at the cost of herself. There is something wrong with me that I don’t see it. It doesn’t matter if I have doubts, no one else does. I need to set the doubts aside and work toward the goals I’m given.
Rosaline never cursed the path that she had walked, she just never felt the calling the way her mother had. Was following through with someone else’s dream enough? The last time she had seen her mother was the day Rosaline had taken her vows. Since then, access to her was restricted, and only the druids who were in either political or spiritual power could talk with her. Rosaline had missed her mother, but not as much as she had expected. What bothered Rosaline was the lingering doubt.
Could adding someone so full of uncertainty help establish the balance that was needed? Several of the high priestesses were too old to continue—they should have faded long ago. There just weren’t enough women to replace them. No one else had been willing and qualified in a long time. Rosaline was one of the few in the last 500 years who had shown promise of making it beyond being a priestess, so it seemed like the logical thing to do. But she was so much younger than the others, and she had far less life experience, having been prepared for the path almost since she had shown a superior intellect and unique abilities.
Standing in the hall and listening to the silence after the assassins had left, Rosaline couldn’t stop herself from questioning where her life was headed. But does that make it the right thing? Do I actually want to spend my life that way? Locked in a room forever keeping the balance? I am not certain that my actions were even right for this mission. At some point I was not even in control of myself. Could that possibly be good for a high priestess? To know that she cannot always control herself?
Over the years that uncertainty had been far less pronounced, but it was still there in the back of her mind. As she stood there, considering how Darius had taken the other two assassins away in such a bizarre manner, Rosaline found herself unable to stave off her own curiosity. Looking in the direction of her chamber, she shook her head, then quickly moved in the opposite direction.
Rosaline held her head up, ensuring that she looked like she was going somewhere with a purpose. To her relief, the assassins had gone into a small courtyard area for guests near a reading room. Picking a book up from the shelf, she sat down in a chair near the window so that she could hear what they were saying.
“Lo
ok, Ignacio, you have been doing more than just what was required, but I am not certain that going to Ishtar is a good idea. That would be dangerous even for Orion to do right now.” The voice was Darius’s, and his tone had emotion in it.
Uncertainty and concern. Can he feel emotions? Rosaline found herself analyzing everything as her eyes skimmed over the page. She immediately pushed that idea to the back of her mind because there was something far more important going on outside the walls.
“I’m not sure that it is a good time for you to be heading to that country. Even you must be aware of what is happening in Ishtar now.” Orion spoke next, and there was no doubt from the way that he spoke that he had expected something like this.
“Of course I have heard. No matter how much you try to keep me in the dark, I am aware of what is happening in Ishtar.”
“I don’t think you are aware.” Darius sounded more like himself, and his reply was almost biting. Rosaline smiled. It was a good thing that Darius was there—he would never let Ignacio go to Ishtar. The idea of anyone going into that gods forsaken country was monstrous. Ever since the champions started to distance themselves from Ishtar, the druids and assassins had made a point to avoid the country as much as possible, with only the rare judgment being made for magic users who had gone too far. That had proven to be even more distressing as it quickly became obvious that the majority of the seers over the last few years were either being influenced by the Unwashed or were completely under their control.
Nearly everyone in Marlyon knew that the Unwashed had taken it over. Not Ignacio, though. He would be completely unprepared, and at his age, it could have cost him his life. As the only new assassin in several hundred years, he wasn’t someone that they could afford to lose.
“I am neither a child nor a fool, Darius. Everyone may be keeping secrets about what is going on, but I no longer have to rely on druids or assassins for information.”