by Dannika Dark
“I understand.”
“You need to. Don’t accept this if you’re going to share information on a whim and breach our trust; it’s a very serious matter. This includes your Ghuardian and especially Logan. A personal relationship brings expectations of honesty, but this does not fall within those lines. There are repercussions for deception that go beyond termination of employment. You are young and impulsive and I will help you with this. I do not want to see someone with such potential throw it away.”
“How much of this was your decision?”
“None. I work on the Council but I have no control over who they assign to me,” he added, giving me an impish grin. “You are a very suspicious person by nature. Do learn to trust, Silver. Suspicion can be a valuable trait, but too much of it can increase paranoia and ruin relationships.” Novis uncrossed his legs and patted his thigh. “I’ve made the offer but I cannot force your decision; do you have any questions you want to ask before you consider your answer?”
I tugged at my hair, braiding the tips. “What would I be doing?”
“Whatever is required.”
“Which is what? Cooking? Gardening? Clipping your toenails?”
Novis was amused. “An apprentice has a number of duties, but you are not a maid. You would be part of investigative matters, deliver messages, and I would consult your opinion. There are a number of situations where I require a representative to speak in my place. What I ask may not always be easy—it could even be dangerous. That is why a personal apprentice is assigned a private guard so there will be no further need for Justus to escort you in public. I take the safety of all my people seriously. A position working for a Council member gives you inside knowledge that some would want to acquire. Justus is forbidden to interfere in any decisions involving official business. He may not like it, but he is loyal to the Mageri and will abide by it.”
After some consideration, Logan would just have to accept it. We agreed to be honest, but if loyalty was part of the job requirements, then my obligations would be to Novis.
“Are you sure about this?”
Novis offered a broad smile and the natural light within his eyes glimmered like ripples of sunlight. “It’s not a choice for me; the choice is yours.”
“I’m not saying I’ll be insubordinate, but Justus will even tell you that he struggles with my stubbornness. I don’t like being controlled and when I start feeling that way, I react.”
It was only fair to warn him that I wasn’t the best team player, even if I really wanted this.
“I have no desire to control you, so put your mind at ease. My job is to mentor you. Your honesty is commendable; many would lie and say they’d do everything that was asked of them. I’m guessing you are not defiant without reason, but your heart is in the right place most of the time, even if your head is not.”
He really did know how to say the right thing.
My insides were roaring like the cheering section of a football stadium.
Novis cleared his throat. “We select the most loyal and trusted humans to bring in as a Mage, and that’s a control we’ve had for only the past two hundred years or so. This is how the Mageri contains the population, not all of it is up to the Creators. It’s not uncommon for a Creator to have never met his progeny, and they are selected by the Mageri. If you’ve read our history books, then you’re aware of the necessity that was behind a Creator building up his progeny in ancient times. We were without laws, territories, and Creators had the ability like few others to build an army of guards.”
“I’m well-versed in our history, thanks to Justus. It makes sense that a Creator wouldn’t want to have more progeny; what would be the point? We live in a modern society and it’s too much additional responsibility.” I shrugged.
“Exactly. Now a Learner is seen as a burden and they must be cared for like children. However, there are still battles raging and lives lost. We must replenish our losses with new blood. That is the way of politics these days, and it gives the Mageri a direct hand in who is selected, whereas before they had none. They groom the new ones to abide by our laws. You… you’re so different because you were not chosen. You have a streak of rebellion and the spirit of humanity. Perhaps the Mageri feels they can smooth that out, or maybe they’re willing to change with the times. Who knows?”
“I respect the fact we have laws, Novis, but I don’t always agree with them. They exist only to serve the Mageri, not to protect the lives involved. When the Council forced me to return with Samil, I was terrified about what kind of world I was giving myself up to if my own people wouldn’t protect me. What kind of leaders would send me home with the man who hurt me simply because he had a right to claim me? How was that protecting my rights? Justus is an obedient Mage and had to follow your orders, but he wasn’t right with it. The Mageri is forward in so many ways, but backward in others.”
“In our defense, we didn’t know all the facts.”
“You didn’t ask, even after accusations were made and the resistance was obvious. I’m not saying laws are bad, Novis, only that they should be there to protect the people.”
“Laws provide structure among the Breed, but yes, some are outdated. What is that old saying… Paris wasn’t changed in a day?”
“Rome wasn’t built,” I corrected.
He chuckled. “I was never very good remembering idioms. Many things to discuss. Many things to learn. Would you like time to consider the offer?”
“Not really,” I said with a soft smile. “Novis, I accept.”
“Splendid!” He clapped his hands together. “I’ll contact the Mageri with your answer and send out the invitations.”
“Is this a party?”
He stood up and straightened his shirt. “Formalities. We’ll have a small gathering and I’ll make the announcement to your Ghuardian once the Mageri is notified.”
“Should I dress up?” Mischief hooked the corner of my mouth into a dangerous grin.
“You’ll find that I have a sense of humor and my judgment is not as impaired as Justus’s to such things. You are very young and run high on your emotions, but I do trust you will make a sound decision on this.”
“Understood.”
“Until then, let’s keep this between us. Your first test of secrecy—this is your mission, should you choose to accept it.”
I tucked my hands in the pockets of my jeans as we walked to the door. “Do you think I could leave the property for a little while? Logan wants to see me. I know we’re under protection, but I’m safe with him. I’d ask Justus, but that’s going to be a waste of breath. Since you have seniority…”
“Is this my first test as your employer?” He smirked and stretched out his long arms. “Of course you may. Your personal affairs are none of mine. You may be a child among your own kind, but you are a grown woman. I trust you are safe with the Chitah,” he said. “You should protect yourself as much as possible, but you cannot shelter yourself from living life.”
“Thanks for understanding. What do I call you now?”
Titles were common, as by custom I was still to address Justus as Ghuardian.
“Call me Novis.”
Chapter 21
Justus had a few loose ends to tie up with the new house, so he dropped me off at Logan’s for a few hours. The Ducati was still parked out front and Justus decided to pick it up later. What I really wanted was a quiet evening, but Logan had other plans.
The bike made familiar turns up the stretch of highway and I gripped his waist.
“Where are we going?”
Wherever it was, we were poorly dressed for the unexpected cool front; meteorologists were predicting an early winter. Cognito had unusual weather and I often wondered if the tremendous energy from the Breed worked as a weather magnet. Nevertheless, my blue cotton shirt was not cutting it. When the bike rolled up a private road, I slapped his shoulders as we cut through a crowd of tall Chitahs.
“Logan, why are we at the Gathering? I don�
�t want you doing anything stupid like confronting Tarek.”
The bike swerved around a branch and eased to a stop by the curb. Logan kicked off the engine and shifted around—his hair pulled tight at the nape of his neck. The color in his eyes melted like honey and sunlight, and my fingers wanted to graze along the contours of his face just as much as they wanted to slap it.
“I make good on my promises, Little Raven. You asked me to claim you in every way and that’s what I intend to do. This is the last night of the Gathering and we’re about to shake things up.”
“When did I—”
“In the shower,” he finished.
My mind went blank. “Logan! I was sexed up and barely conscious.” Ignoring me, he took my hand and all but dragged me toward the main entrance.
“Wait, stop for a minute!”
He tilted around with a twinkle in his eye.
“If you do this, what does it mean?” I tugged at my hand to reclaim it but Logan kept a firm grip. “Are you going to fight him?”
“No,” he quickly answered. “Little Wolf told me what you said. I won’t challenge Tarek if it means losing my position with you.”
“Finn shouldn’t have said anything; that’s something you were supposed to figure out for yourself.”
“I’ll tell the elders the truth. They’ll either believe me or not, but I will not keep this a secret any longer.” I swam in relief knowing that Logan would expose Tarek’s lies.
Logan’s nostrils flared as he took in a breath of air, then his jaw slackened and eyes hooded. Something changed in his expression that made my heart beat faster. He moved closer and the heat of his body insisted that I bridge the gap between us. The heel of my shoe scraped on the concrete and I looked up at him.
“I still intend to claim you, Little Raven.” He cupped the back of my neck with a gentle touch and planted his insistent lips on my mouth. A current raced through my hands for a moment and dissipated. I touched the fresh stubble on his face—soft and coarse all at the same time. My kiss wandered down and I nipped his chin with my teeth. I liked doing that because it provoked him to growl. Logan traced his fingers over the soft flesh of my neck and I gasped, trying to catch my breath. He was usually so firm with his hands and feeling them barely touch my skin made me want him so much more.
“Expose him, Logan. If that’s what it takes to break his claim, then do it. But don’t use me for your own personal revenge.”
His eyes sought understanding as they fell over me adoringly. Very tall people were slowing their pace and dropping stares as our bodies twined and his long arms snaked around my waist. I wasn’t a Chitah, and that made it controversial.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked apprehensively.
A brilliant pattern erupted across his warm skin. It was striking and more pronounced than I’d ever seen it before. We were drawing a crowd in front of the entrance and they circled us with curiosity drawn on their faces.
“People are looking at us, Logan.”
A breeze lifted a tendril of my hair and it floated in front of my face. He captured it and held it between his fingers, admiring the black mixed with chocolate undertones. “It’s time for me to come clean about something I should have told you a long time ago.”
The butterflies in my stomach were lining up on the tarmac, preparing for takeoff.
“Do you want to know the truth of why I didn’t give you over to Nero when I came for you that night?”
“Because he questioned your word as a Chitah, and you’re a prideful, stubborn man, Mr. Cross.”
My smile waned when his voice deepened. “No. That’s what I led you to believe.”
Logan shifted his stance and suddenly I felt swallowed up by his height and presence.
“When I stood outside of your door in my raincoat, I had every intention of delivering you and holding to my agreement with Nero. I could smell your fear and uncertainty, which would have made it easy to force you to comply. I should have taken you immediately, but I extended the visit for a reason. Do you know why?”
Spectators circled around us, but I was oblivious. Was this public display part of his plan? I watched him with skeptical eyes as he loomed over me. His expression was unreadable and I was so rattled by his gradual admission that I tried to push him away.
“Ask me why.” His grip tightened around my waist, fingers digging into my jeans. “It’s time that you learn the truth about me.”
“Is this part of the show?” I whispered.
”Well, well. So generous of you to have delivered my girl. I’ve been missing every inch of her,” Tarek shouted exuberantly.
Logan’s arm hooked around my waist and he forced me behind him. It was unnecessary since a physical confrontation at the Gathering was forbidden.
Tarek strutted down the sidewalk with a round, pink bubble pressed to his lips. He snapped the gum and winked at me with his cutting eyes. The crowd parted, allowing him to enter the circle. He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt with a symbol on the front I didn’t recognize.
“Bring the elders!” Logan demanded.
A few men hustled off and speculative glances surrounded us.
“You think the elders are going to help you?” Tarek reached in his pocket and unwrapped another piece of gum, tossing the paper on the pavement. He raked Logan over with arrogant superiority and when he saw me, he punched out his tongue seductively and blew another bubble. Logan’s body stretched into hard muscle beneath his black shirt.
“Logan Cross, is this where you intend to hold your challenge?” Tarek asked, spreading out his arms dramatically. “Always had to be a showman.”
“I am not challenging you,” Logan replied indifferently. That caught Tarek by surprise and he studied Logan with extreme measure.
Murmurs increased behind us and three older men approached. They were seasoned with peppered hair and weathered faces. These men were old enough to have witnessed the rise of the great pyramids. It took hundreds of years for a Chitah to age five years once they reached adulthood, so I could only imagine how ancient these men were. They lined up on our right and both Tarek and Logan faced them, bowing respectively.
The bearded one spoke first. “I thought we settled this matter.”
Logan submissively lowered his eyes. “Respectfully, I ask for a moment of your time.”
My arms involuntarily wrapped around his waist—something I didn’t notice until he placed his hand over mine. Here I was—a Mage—surrounded by men I knew to be my natural enemy.
Tarek stalked forward. “He has nothing for you—nothing but lies. I have claim on this female and he’s infringing upon my rights—my territory. We’ll be leaving.”
One more step and Logan might have lunged, but an elder raised his hand. “We will allow him to speak his piece so that we may return to the ceremonies. Tarek, you are silenced.”
Tarek folded his heavy arms and angrily slid his jaw back and forth.
“With all due respect,” Logan began, “you’ve made an error in your decision. Tarek holds no claim to this female because he has already met his kindred spirit.” Eyes widened among the elders as they darted between Tarek and Logan. “Years ago—while it was not done officially—Tarek privately claimed a female as his kindred spirit. Her name was Katrina, and she denied his claim and chose me.”
I held my breath. Pieces of his past were fitting together in a most dramatic turn of events. His woman was pregnant and murdered by a Mage—the reason Logan went on a homicidal rampage—but I never knew the full story because the subject matter was too delicate. It broke him once, and there was no need to test those breaks again. But she was Tarek’s intended?
The next part he all but roared out. “And he forced himself on her once she was mine!”
I let go of him and stepped back. His voice ripped through the night and tore open a hole, deep and wide, opening a river of pain and silence as the elders twitched their noses and picked up the scent of truth.
“As you remember, Seth, Katrina was murdered. Tarek’s motive tonight is personal and I beseech you to revoke his courtship rights.”
“Can I speak now?” Tarek asked, spitting out his gum. “Is the word of a male with a soiled reputation all that is needed to deny me what is rightfully mine to pursue? While Cross may be of a high-ranking family, it’s no secret to anyone here what kind of work he does.”
“Did,” I corrected.
“Silver is not yours,” Logan growled in a low, threatening voice. It lifted every hair on my arms and sent a chill down my spine. He was one of the most intimidating men I’d ever met, and the ferocity in his tone made one of the elders flinch.
“She will be,” Tarek spoke in a soft and self-assured voice.
“Not if I challenge you.”
I squeezed Logan’s arm as a reminder.
“So go on then, Logan Cross. Challenge me. Or are you weak and afraid?”
“Afraid like you were with claiming Katrina?” Logan lifted his chin proudly. “You had your opportunity, but you were ashamed to let anyone know she was your intended. Ashamed because she did not come from wealth or status, ashamed because she was not good enough for you.”
“That’s a lie!” he bellowed.
“Go tell it to her gravestone,” Logan hissed.
Tarek pointed an angry finger and stalked forward. “She was mine, and you stole her from me. You were jealous of my position and family and couldn’t stand to see me have it all, so you had to steal my life mate? What nobility!”