We sat in silence as we finished eating. Several people walked by saying hello or nodding, but no one stopped or asked to join us. I smiled and replied politely to everyone. I hadn’t received this much attention with Kellen around. Was it his presence that kept them away? Or were they breaking out of their shell? I’d have to test my theory later.
“I have several things for you when you have a few minutes,” my breakfast companion said. “The palace has its own internet connection and network you can use, but we need to set up your account. I also have a smartphone programmed for you.”
“I have time now, actually,” I said. “But I have a question first that’s going to seem very rude and embarrassing for me.”
“Okay?”
“I don’t remember your name.”
He laughed, then wiped his hand on his napkin and held it out to me. “I’m Brian.”
I shook his hand and smiled. “Thank you, Brian. I might have you make a list of the other council members for me as well. I’m terrible with names.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s go to my office and set up your stuff.” He stood, piling all his dishes on the tray he’d used earlier, then adding mine to it as well. We stopped at the nearest trash receptacle before leaving the dining hall.
I followed him across the courtyard and down another corridor on the opposite side. I tried to remember the layout as I went, but doubted I would. I’d never learn my way around if I didn’t spend more time exploring. Another thing to add to my list.
Brian’s office was just as meticulous as his meal. White built-in cabinetry lined two walls from the hardwood floors to the ceiling, and a long counter supported by more cabinets covered the third wall. The countertop was empty with the exception of a large laptop strategically placed over a small cut-out in the cabinets. A rolling chair was pushed all the way in, leaving the center of the room completely open. Every cabinet had a label, and I was pretty sure nothing would be out of place.
Brian opened a door on the top right side labeled ‘laptops.’ Imagine that. I smiled as he put a slim laptop on the counter. The computer even had a label with my name on it. I couldn’t imagine what this guy’s house looked like. He pulled open a drawer, retrieving a smartphone also with my name stuck across the box.
I leaned against the counter while he did cool stuff with my new electronics that I didn’t understand. “Just make it so I can find the internet really easy,” I said after he explained all the apps on my laptop. “I’m not very tech savvy.”
He programmed my phone and handed me both. “If you ever have questions or stuff stops working, just come see me,” he said. “Also, putting on my council member hat, we’d like you to keep your phone with you at all times. It has a tracker in it. Just in case something should happen to you, we’d like to be able to find you.”
My good humor faded. At least he told me. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to take it when I leave the palace.”
“Great!” He made a sweeping motion with his hand as if he threw his hat away. “Thanks for not getting mad about it. It’s for your safety and our sanity.”
I waved away the concern, acting like it meant nothing even if I didn’t like it. Because I wouldn’t be taking his phone with me when I left with Logan.
“Last but not least, let’s make a list of people you should know,” Brian said.
“That would be amazing!” I exclaimed.
As soon as I walked out of Brian’s office with my new toys, the heavy-set woman from the council greeted me. We just went over the damn list that was now in my pocket. Hettie, I hoped her name was Hettie.
“Magister, I’m so glad I found you,” she said between ragged breaths.
“Alisandra, please.” I requested. “You can walk with me to my rooms to drop off the new toys Brian graciously set up for me.” I gave her my best smile.
“Thank you, Alisandra.”
I waited for her to move forward, hoping to set my pace with hers. She obliged, and we strolled back across the courtyard towards my private stairwell. Two guards stood sentry at the door. They hadn’t been there before, and I narrowed my eyes at them. They shifted nervously, but I decided now was not the time to address their presence. Kellen likely put them there.
The guard on the left opened the door for me, sparing a glance at Hettie.
“Hettie and I will be back down in a few minutes,” I said, glancing at my new friend to see if I got her name wrong.
“If it’s all the same to you, Magis…. Alisandra, I’d rather not make a trip up those steps,” she said.
I felt guilty for not having considered the winding steps that left me out of breath. I turned to her, my face blushing.
“Forgive me,” I said. “I don’t want to climb these steps, so I shouldn’t expect anyone else to be excited about it. Maybe we can have an elevator installed.”
“That would be splendid.”
“I’ll be right back.” As soon as I rounded the first bend, out of sight of the people below, I raced up the stairs. The double wooden doors at the top made me stop and not just because they were closed. Spirit’s symbol seemed to call to me. I brushed the wings with my fingertips before opening the doors and putting my stuff on the low table next to the sofa.
A few minutes later, I rejoined Hettie at the bottom of the steps.
“That was quick,” she squeaked.
“Well, I just dropped my stuff and ran back down,” I said, pretending to gasp for breath. How was I not sucking wind? Too many times up and down the damn steps. “So, what did you want to chat about?”
“Oh, we got our invitation to the party,” she said, a smile spreading across her round face. A glimmer of pride twinkled in her blue eyes. “His Highness insisted on this Saturday, and somehow, we managed to get everything together in time to make it happen.”
She stopped in the middle of the courtyard, beaming at me. That explained the question I hadn’t asked Thomas last night.
“Wow! I’m impressed,” I said, pretending like I hadn’t already received my invitation. “I can’t imagine how much work went into making that happen so quickly. How many people do you expect to be there?”
“At least five hundred,” she replied, rubbing her hands together. “You wouldn’t believe the volunteers we had from the other mage families. Everyone is so excited to make this happen. And we couldn’t have done it without you.”
She bounced on the balls of her feet and squeezed her hands together. I could almost feel the hug struggling to be contained. Her enthusiasm was almost contagious.
“It sounds to me like we couldn’t do it without you.” I smiled and offered her my open arms. She engulfed me in a tight embrace, and I heard her sniffle.
“My daughter has been helping with decorations,” she continued, releasing me from her smothering hug, but still clinging to my arm. She led me across the courtyard again and pulled me into a large room a few doors down from Brian’s office. “She’s still looking for a partner. I think she found hers with one of the volunteers from China.”
Hettie squeezed my arm and stopped between a tall stack of boxes and folding tables lined up in rows with matching chairs. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me. I don’t care where her partner comes from as long as I don’t lose her.” Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. “We’ve never known the fear of losing our children to the madness until your mother took over. She refused to let us visit the other families. You’ve given us a beautiful gift.”
She wrapped me in another quick hug and sniffled again. I struggled to hold back my own tears. Hettie had no idea the gift she gave me with her own story. She and Brian filled an empty spot in my heart. Maybe being Magister wasn’t all bad. The satisfaction of seeing their happy faces was worth it.
“Anyway, I wanted to show you what we’re contributing. King William won’t care, but some of his court will expect you to know.” She pointed out the rows of tables and chairs, along with boxes of tablecloths, napkins, decorations, and tons of other s
tuff I was not remembering. I should’ve brought a notebook to write it all down.
“So we’re basically doing set up and decorations,” I said, trying not to make it a question.
“You got it,” she replied. “King William’s court is providing beverages. Everything you can possibly imagine, I’m sure.” She led me back the way we came. “The other families are providing food. Everyone will be demonstrating their own cultural music and dance.”
I was astounded. “And you guys set all this up in less than a week?”
“Seems kind of crazy, doesn’t it?” Her smile grew. I wasn’t sure how, but it did. “We had so many people willing to give their time. And the woman coordinating from King William’s court is amazing.” She paused and pressed her hands together again. “Well, I’ve taken enough of your time.” She tugged on the hem of her blouse, and her face flushed. I wasn’t sure how much more emotion I could take, but I smiled and waited for her. “I had severe reservations about you when Kellen first told us of his plan. I’m glad I was wrong. You’re exactly what we needed.”
My face burned with embarrassment. “I’m not so sure about that,” I mumbled. “But I’ll do my best, and I’ll depend on the council way more than I should.”
“That’s why we’re here.” She waved her hands towards the door. “I’m sure you have a ton of stuff to do. Don’t let me monopolize anymore of your time.”
“Thank you, Hettie,” I said. She gave me another big smile and headed back into the rows of boxes.
I once again entered the courtyard in a whirl of emotions, the sun now beating down from its midday position. Had I really spent all morning with only two people? Obviously. Where to next? I wanted to talk to Logan. I missed him, probably too much. Maybe he could help me prioritize which emotion needed to be first. Happiness, relief, fear, anxiety. There were too many to sort through on my own.
However, the two guards standing at my door reminded me I needed information from them. They both wore the same outfit: black cargo pants, black t-shirts that hugged their muscular frames, and black leather boots. The only difference was the patch on their shoulder. The man on the right wore fire’s symbol and the man on the left wore earth. That made it easy.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” I said as I approached.
They nodded and eyed me warily.
“Will you always have the pleasure of wearing out your boots on my steps or does it get passed around?” I asked.
They looked at each other and shrugged.
“A detail of six has been assigned to you, Magister,” earth guy replied.
“I see,” I said, tapping my finger on my chin as if I really needed to think about it. “I assume my fiancé arranged this?”
Their eyes widened but only for a moment. “Kellen is in charge of security, ma’am.”
“Then, yes.” That was easy. News would spread like wildfire about our engagement without having to make any official announcement, which would be uncomfortable. “Who is allowed in our quarters?”
“You and Kellen,” fire guy answered. “And any guests who accompany you.”
Interesting. Did that mean I had to escort Logan? Not a chance. I’d just open the door and let him zip by unnoticed. Could I also zip by? I needed to test it.
“And can guests be unaccompanied?” I pressed.
“Absolutely not,” fire guy replied. “They will remain here while one of us announces them.”
“Excellent.” I smiled at their obvious relief. “I don’t suppose you could warn me when Kellen arrives?” I asked, leaning closer and lowering my voice. “I’m rearranging his furniture and he probably won’t like it.”
Fire guy snorted and smoothed the smile from his face. “I can try, ma’am, but he’ll know something’s up if one of us runs up the steps as soon as we see him.”
“You’re probably right.” I shrugged. “Hopefully, I get it done before he returns.” Halfway through the door, I stopped. “I’ll come up with a special code or knock or something.” I winked at them and continued up the steps, not missing their smiles as I turned.
As soon as I heard the door close, I raced up the steps. When I reached the top, I ran back down, then sprinted up again. Still not tired. What the hell? Not that I wanted to complain, but changes weren’t always good. My body didn’t feel any different, but something was.
I pulled both wooden doors and left them open and welcoming, then crossed the room to the tall windows. After a few tugs, they raised on their sashes, allowing a cool breeze to waft across the space. I turned in a slow circle. We needed a reading nook, with a big fluffy chair that would swallow me whole. Possibly even a writing desk and more light.
I picked up my new tablet and phone and went into the bedroom. It had a desk, but Kellen’s stuff stretched out across it. The phone Logan gave me sat on the bedside table, plugged into its charger. I picked it up and unlocked the screen. Nothing. Was he waiting for me to initiate a conversation? It’d only been a day. I couldn’t expect him to text me every hour giving me updates about where he was. Besides, I hadn’t sent anything to him, so I could hardly be mad about not hearing from him. Was he mad because I didn’t text and tell him good night?
I huffed and tapped on the keypad.
AJ: You aren’t in trouble, are you?
Logan: Did you download a surveillance camera on my phone?
I smiled. He’d texted back immediately. Maybe I was just overthinking things.
AJ: You know better
He was well aware of my technology allergy, but I imagined he had my favorite goofy grin on his face with his reply. He knew how to make me smile.
Logan: I miss you
A lump swelled in my throat. Did he have to go there already?
AJ: No you don’t. You just miss my stupid comments and my knack for getting us in trouble.
Logan: Oh definitely
I plopped down on the bed and leaned back against my pillow. I really did miss his constant company.
AJ: Can you call me?
My phone rang a few seconds later. “How’s my vampire?” I asked as soon as the call connected.
“Better now,” he replied.
“Don’t lie. You’re grateful you don’t have to carry me around like a sack of potatoes.”
“Well, maybe that.” His chuckle made me smile. “Any news about your other favorite vampire?”
“Wow, can we not talk about work already?” My bottom lip pushed out and trembled. Don’t be a crybaby, AJ, I thought. Not now. You were smiling two seconds ago.
“Let’s get work out of the way, then I’ll cheer you up.”
“If you insist,” I mumbled. I repeated our late-night conversation with Thomas along with all my theories. He listened with the patience I’d taken for granted. God, I missed him.
“I’ll see what Jonathan knows about Braden’s plans,” Logan said after several moments of silence. “I don’t like you being there, especially when I can’t go with you, but I agree. You need to be at that party.”
“Be careful, Logan. Braden’s not stupid. He’ll use you against me.”
“I know, princess. I’m good at being careful.”
I wasn’t, and my vampire knew it, even though he wouldn’t say it out loud. For the next twenty minutes we talked about plans for training with hand-to-hand combat using my vampire skills. Then his promise to take me for a drive in the Mustang. Then the conversation devolved into sexual innuendos and hints at our next night together.
Kellen’s brown sugar and cinnamon drifting on the constant breeze warned me of his imminent arrival.
“I gotta go,” I said reluctantly.
“Be careful, princess.”
“You too.”
My phone went silent as my partner entered the room with a puzzled look on his face.
“Welcome home,” I said, swinging my legs off the bed and stretching.
“Thank you,” Kellen muttered. “Have you been here all day?”
I pushed past him, carryin
g my laptop with me.
“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to,” I replied.
His boots clomped across the floor behind me. I dropped into one the sofas and opened my laptop. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to antagonize him, but I did. Maybe because of my babysitters downstairs or the role he brilliantly pushed me into once again.
“Touché. You want a drink?” He moved to the bar, retrieving a short glass from the cabinet. I expected it to be full of whiskey in two seconds.
“Nope, I’m good.” I opened my internet explorer and typed in office furniture. All kinds of stuff popped up on my screen, and I started scrolling through it.
“You created quite the stir this morning,” he said, walking towards me with his glass of amber liquid.
“I did? That seems unlikely. I only spoke to Brian when he gave me my laptop and phone.” I held up my toy for him to see. “Then Hettie, whom I really like. She gave me the scoop on Saturday’s party.”
“You didn’t speak to anyone else?” he asked, sitting down across from me.
I tried not to smile. Had my guards already spread the news? It seemed unlikely, but not impossible.
“Nope, just the babysitters downstairs,” I replied. “I needed to know who was allowed in our space.”
“They aren’t babysitters, AJ,” Kellen hissed. “They’re there for our protection. No one should be up here but us.”
“Of course. So what’s got your panties in a bunch?” I waved a hand at him, knowing I was fueling the fire.
He downed half the whiskey in his cup and glared at me. “Half the palace is talking about our engagement, and the other half will know by sunset. I thought we would announce it together.”
“I didn’t announce anything,” I said, not looking up from my scrolling list of desks. “I told you who I talked to this morning. Are you sure you didn’t mention it to someone?”
I glanced up, looking at him through my lashes. He studied the whiskey in his glass.
“I did, but I also swore him to secrecy, explaining the importance of it coming from us and not rumors.”
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