by Devi Mara
Abby made a sudden move and its attention was split between the two of them. Edric took a step closer to it, determined to keep its focus on him. The urbat’s lips pulled back from its teeth a second before it turned and leapt at Abby. He did not have time to think past keeping it from reaching her.
Its bulk slammed into him hard enough to jar his bones and cause his teeth to clack together. He wrapped his arms around the creature as they fell, shoving his dagger between its ribs. It let out a loud roar and seized his shoulder in its powerful jaws. He felt something crunch.
Abby was yelling, but he could not make out her words past the sound of the urbat’s snarls and growls. It pulled back from him and looked in Abby’s direction. Abby yelled something belligerent and it growled low in its chest, stepping over him to move toward her. She continued to scream at it, nonsense insults and wordless noises.
It worked to distract it. Edric rolled onto his stomach and slashed at its back legs with his dagger. It let out a furious snarl and turned on him, again. No amount of yelling was going to distract it when it shoved him to the ground with a clawed paw on his injured shoulder. He stabbed at it wildly, blinded with the pain.
A blur moved past his left side and the weight was gone in an instant. Blood blurred his vision, but he thought he saw Abby drawing her bow. The urbat roared in pain off to his left, but he was too weak to move. Abby yelled something that sounded hateful and he raised his eyes to look at her. She was glaring to the left of him with a murderous look in her eyes.
She drew the bow and paused. A fierce smile crossed her face, as she let it fly. He heard the arrow hit its target and the urbat let out a weak keen before falling silent. Abby let her arms drop to her sides, the bow tumbling to the ground. She seemed to sense his gaze, as she jerked her head around to stare at him.
Her face contorted into a pained grimace and she stumbled toward him, falling to her knees with her thighs pressed to his side. Her hands fluttered over his torso like frightened birds, clearly afraid of touching him for fear of causing him pain, but when she spoke her voice was steady.
“Where are you hurt?”
He blinked hard, trying to focus on her face. “Shoulders, ribs, left arm.”
She nodded. “First aid kit?”
“Side compartment of your quiver,” he said, wincing when he tried to lift his head.
“Lay still, Edric.” Abby murmured, as she dug through her bag. She quickly pulled out the medical kit and flipped open the lid. “Which one’s the sanitizer?”
He coughed and rasped, “Blue bottle.”
Without hesitation, she popped open the bottle and dumped a healthy portion on his shoulder. It felt like molten lava. He jerked violently, clamping his mouth closed to hold in a pained yell. He caught Abby’s expression from the corner of his eye. She had gone pale.
“Why didn’t you tell me-” she broke off, scowling to herself.
She pulled a cloth from the kit and began to wipe it around the wounds, careful to avoid the torn skin. He shuddered, as he felt his body start to heal, the muscles slowly drawing together. He had to warn her before she noticed.
“Abby.” He was not surprised to hear his voice was already stronger than moments ago.
She glanced up at him, a worried frown on her face. “Am I hurting you?” She looked back down at him. “Stupid question. Of course, I am.”
“Abby, I’m fine.”
Her hands were shaking as she continued to gently clean the blood from his skin, but she let out a humorless laugh. “You’re not fine, Edric.”
For one breathless moment, he thought she would cry. “Abby…”
“I thought-I thought you were-” She swallowed hard and met his gaze. “I don’t know what I would do if…”
He needed to hear her finished that thought. He needed it like he needed his next breath, but she simply stared at him. He felt his ribs knit together enough for him to chance moving. He slowly pushed himself upright with his good arm.
“What are you-” She watched him with wide eyes, as he sat up and braced his back against a tree. “How are you doing that?”
He clenched his left hand and rotated his arm. He was not sure what to make of her tone, but from the narrowed eyed look she was giving him, he felt an explanation was needed.
“Do you remember what Konani told you about the culinary staff I sent to your government?” He winced when a sudden movement pulled the newly healed skin of his left bicep. He saw her nod hesitantly.
“Yes. She said Ghadrikan food has regenerative…Oh.” She looked him over. “So, you’re healing already?”
“I have eaten a traditional Ghadrikan diet since birth. The effects are very strong.”
She nodded and looked away. “Oh. That’s good. I’m glad you’re okay.” He could sense her distancing herself from him.
“I’m sorry I worried you,” he said carefully.
She nodded vaguely. “The president would be unhappy with me if you got hurt while I was here.”
He mentally winced. He had thought she was concerned about him. When he focused back on her face, she was watching him closely.
“When you feel up to it, we should get back.”
She waited for him to nod, before she rose to her feet and walked over to retrieve the bow she had dropped. She spent an inordinately long time looking over the weapon for damage.
“Abby?”
She turned her head toward him, but did not meet his gaze. “Yes?”
“I should have told you.”
She shook her head, but did not answer. He watched her until he was able to move without pain. She was looking down and his need to know her thoughts was almost overwhelming. He started to call out to her and paused. She glanced at him.
“Ready?”
She was quiet all the way back to the enlil, only speaking to thank him when he helped her into the small craft. They sat together in silence, her clearly lost in her own thoughts and making no move to speak to him. He was not sure how to fix the situation. When the ship landed, he helped her out of the enlil and led her into the palace.
He knew better than to try and touch her. They were just outside the throne room, when she whirled to face him.
“I thought you were going to die.”
He froze. “It was a possibility, but not likely.”
She made a frustrated sound and he turned to face her.
“I was more concerned about your safety.”
She shook her head, frowning. “I was worried about you. Really worried.” Her voice dropped so low he had to lean in to hear her. “More worried than I should have been.”
“Why?” he asked.
She looked at him. “What?”
“Why more than you should have been?” At her blank stare, he continued, “Because you are here in a professional capacity?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“I make no habit of risking my life for members of a foreign government.”
What looked like hope mixed with her confusion. “Okay…”
“Never once did I consider my own welfare over yours. I was…worried for you. Far more than myself.” He took a step closer to her. “Far more than I should have been.”
As he watched, the thunderclouds cleared from her expression and her lips turned up into a small smile.
“More than you should have been?” He was sure he did not imagine the pleased note in her voice.
He returned her smile. “Far more.”
Chapter Seven
The Cold Sky
“The weak in courage is strong in cunning.”
-William Blake
The living room was completely bare where she had been expecting to find a wreck of epic proportions. Abby wandered further into her apartment only to find the entire first floor had been cleaned out. While they were not her possessions, she still felt a little adrift at finding everything simply gone. A harsh knock on the door drew her back to the front of the apartment.
Agent Jackson
stood in the doorway, letting himself in without permission. The small annoyance she felt at that faded in light of her empty home.
“Where is everything?”
His face gave nothing away, staying locked in his usual blank expression. “You are being moved.”
Like she was furniture. She scowled. “Why?”
“Security.” He glanced around. “Come with me.”
She was left with no choice as the electricity in the apartment shut off seconds later, leaving her in darkness. She grumbled under her breath, but headed for the light pouring in the open door. Jackson stood just beyond the door, waiting to pull the door closed behind her. She watched him snap a padlock on the doorknob.
“You will be living with Ms. Johnson until other arrangements can be made.”
He rapped on Candace’s door before she had a chance to argue. She stood silently as he explained the situation, watching the other woman’s face for any sign of discontent. Candace did not look at all surprised. When Agent Jackson finished his spiel, she simply stepped aside and gestured for Abby to come in.
Abby noticed, she did not extend the invitation to the agent. With a ‘goodnight’ holding the bare minimum of politeness, Candace shut the front door firmly. Abby grinned, even as she looked around. She noticed the couch was made up with a sheet and pillow and glanced at the other woman.
Candace’s brown eyes met her gaze for a moment. “I assumed this would happen. Go on.” She motioned toward the sofa.
The couch turned out to be remarkably comfortable. She would almost say it was more comfortable than the bed the agents had placed in her apartment. She shook her head at herself. Not that the apartment was ever hers. A handful of days certainly did not make it home.
After a few hours of sleep on Candace’s couch, she woke up to the smell of coffee wafting from the kitchen. She wandered toward it, still half asleep, to find Candace already dressed in a smart pantsuit and sitting at the small dining room table. She glanced up and gave her a quick once over.
“Coffee’s over there.” She went back to eating her toast.
Abby followed the smell of freshly ground coffee to the counter by the refrigerator. She filled the provided mug nearly to the rim, before adding a healthy dollop of cream and sugar. She smiled as the first sip passed her lips.
“Dunkin’ Donuts,” Candace said by way of explanation.
Abby nodded and sat across from her. “Do you always get up so early?”
Candace raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”
Abby yawned and took a larger sip of coffee. “I hope you have a lot of this.”
Candace gave her an amused look and continued to eat her toast. “There’s cereal and toast in the cabinet. Juice and milk in the fridge.”
Abby rose and helped herself to a large bowl of strawberry oatmeal, making pleased noises as she took her first bite. She looked up in time to see Candace hiding a smile behind her own coffee mug.
“Agent Jackson called.”
Abby paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth. “And?”
Candace took a sip of her black coffee and watched her silently.
“What does he want, now?” Abby asked, not trying to hide her exasperation.
The other woman’s lips twitched. “You are playing babysitter.”
Abby’s heart started beating faster. “To Ed-the prince?”
“No.”
The excitement drained out of her. “Oh. Who then?”
“Someone named Lord Caern.” Candace’s nonchalant words did not match her intense gaze.
Abby frowned. “Do you know him?”
Candace took a sip of her coffee and shook her head. “No.”
Abby was not sure why, but she knew the dark-skinned woman was hiding something. She put it out of her mind, as she considered the new assignment. Having met Caern, she had no interest in spending any length of time alone with him. She pushed her remaining oatmeal around with her spoon.
“Eat it before it congeals,” Candace said.
Abby sighed. “I don’t know what my job is, anymore.”
Candace huffed in amusement.
The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they finished their breakfast. Too soon, Candace stood from the table and placed her dishes in the dishwasher. She gave Abby an expectant look. Abby glanced at the clock and sighed. The early mornings would kill her long before her job got the chance.
She followed Candace’s example with her breakfast dishes and went over to retrieve her clothes and makeup from the closet.
“Twenty minutes,” Candace said as Abby swept past.
She locked herself in the bathroom and all but threw herself into the shower, scrubbing quickly and stumbling out a few minutes later. As she dumped her makeup onto the counter, she glanced at herself. There were dark circles under her gray eyes and her skin was even paler than usual. She plucked the concealer from the mound of makeup.
When she finished, she had five minutes to get dressed and downstairs. She gave her hair up as a lost cause and threw it into a quick french braid. Hopping on one foot, she struggled into her pantyhose and tugged the pencil skirt into place. She was still slipping into her suit jacket, as she headed down the stairs.
Candace shook her head but did not comment, other than to tell her the car had arrived to take them to work. Abby dutiful followed her out of the apartment to the black sedan parked outside. She was not surprised to see Agent Jackson waiting outside when they pulled up outside the White House.
He gave Candace a dismissive glance and gestured for Abby to follow him. She did not have to wait long before he started in on her.
“Report,” he said, as soon as they entered his office.
She slowly sank into the chair across from his desk. “What do you want to know?”
“Weapons, military capabilities, population.”
She fought to keep her face blank. “I went hunting. It wasn’t a show and tell scenario.”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed. “Watch your tone, Miss Ashley.”
“Sorry, sir,” she replied, not meaning a word of it.
He ignored her apology and settled behind his desk, pining her with a hard stare. “What weapons did you use?”
“Weapon,” she corrected. “A bow.”
“Functional?”
She could not hold back her smile. “Very.”
“Tell me about the infrastructure.”
She paused. “I only saw the capital.”
“I am aware of that.” He leaned forward over his desk to crowd her. “I asked you a question.”
“Pyramids made of clay stronger than diamonds. Small antigravity aircrafts.” She noticed Jackson’s eyes narrow at the mention of the technology and could not banish the feeling she was betraying Edric.
“Anything else?”
Her mind immediately went Edric’s miraculous healing. She shook her head. “Not that I can think of, sir.”
He stared at her for a few seconds and she was sure he suspected her. She did not dare look away. After a moment, he broke eye contact to look down at his desk. She watched him flip open a plain manila folder and begin to read. He seemed to forget her presence, until she made to stand.
“I didn’t say you could go.”
She stiffened at the words. “I thought-“
“It would be best if you tried not to think too much, Miss Ashley,” he interrupted without looking at her.
Fuming, she sat back down and stared at him expectantly. After five minutes, he deigned to acknowledge her.
“Lord Caern is interested in learning more about humanity. You will be attending to him while he is here.”
She bristled. No, she would not. “With all due respect-“
“I suggest you do not finish that sentence, human,” a voice spoke from behind her.
She jerked her head around to look at the figure standing in the doorway. Caern was as imposing as the first time she saw him. He wore a blood red, floor length robe belted with what looked l
ike the hide of some unfortunate animal. With his dusky green coloring it should have looked ridiculous, but it only seemed to bring out the black of his eyes and the white of his fangs.
Abby fought the urge to cringe away from him, when he casually strolled across the room to stand beside her chair. His presence seemed like a physical weight, crushing her into the seat. Her eyes drifted up to his face to see him looking at Agent Jackson.
She took advantage of his inattention to look him over closely. The hand closest to her held six fingers, the bones prominent and ending in curved claws. She swallowed hard. In opposition to his bony hands, his arms were thickly muscled and gave the impression he could do a great deal of damage.
“Miss Ashley.”
She turned her head to look at the agent. “Sir?”
His eyes flicked to Caern. “Lord Caern would like to see the city.”
No way. She stared at him incredulously. “How…”
She was no expert in human nature, but she was pretty sure people were going to panic if they saw a green guy walking down the street. She cleared her throat.
“Sir, I’m not sure that-”
Agent Jackson gestured sharply for her to be silent. “Lord Caern is capable of blending in with the population.”
She started to argue, when she noticed something strange from the corner of her eye. She slowly turned her head to see the skin of Caern’s hand smoothing out and lightening to tan. The claws thinned and shrank until they appeared like normal fingernails.
Her eyes rose up his arm to see his face. It was stranger’s face, but appeared human. His eyes had turned a pleasant sky blue. She hated it. She had to look away to keep from scowling up at him. Jackson expected her to take an obviously hostile person into the capital city disguised as a human. She ground her teeth.
“You may go,” Agent Jackson said, clearly dismissing her.
She stood without looking at either of them and stalked from the room. At that moment, she honestly could not care less about giving Caern a tour. She hoped he was not following her. Almost the second she had that thought, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She whirled around.