by Jasmine Walt
My jaw clenched at that, and I had to force myself to relax. Yeah, so maybe I was doing little more than shuffling papers over here, but I was definitely more than a piece of ass to Iannis.
“More than” would imply that the two of you are sleeping together, a voice in my head reminded me.
I sighed. I needed to get off this train of thought before I drove myself crazy with it. Ever since we’d kissed back in the mountains I kept expecting something more to happen between Iannis and I. Each time we were alone together we seemed to be teetering on the edge of something, yet it never went anywhere. What was he thinking? Was he regretting the kiss? Had he brushed it off as something that had happened while he was under the influence of magic? Did he want more? I couldn’t figure it out, and worse, I still couldn’t figure out exactly what I wanted. Yes, I was attracted to him, and yes, my body wanted him, but my mind kept telling me it was a bad idea.
“Did you hear about the Minister’s decision to resign?” a mage two tables to my left asked. “I couldn’t believe my ears when I got the news this morning.”
“Quite shocking,” the mage sitting across from him agreed with a solemn nod. “Perhaps he’s older than we realized. Who do you think is going to replace him?”
“I’ve heard that Lord Cedris ar’Tarea is being considered.”
“The Chief Mage of Rhodea?” The other mage sounded incredulous. “That’s one of the smallest states in the Federation! Surely you’re joking.”
“Not at all,” the first mage said. “He seems to have very strong connections with the Minister’s office, and his record, from what I’ve been told, is impeccable. I hear he has a very strong chance.”
“That’s ridiculous. If his record is impeccable, it’s only because he doesn’t have enough things to do to get him into any kind of trouble.”
The conversation quickly devolved into an argument, and I tuned them out, seeking out other bits of conversation. To my surprise, Lord Cedris came up quite a few times in conversation as a popular candidate. I wondered if he really was as well connected to the Minister’s office as some seemed to think, or if perhaps the Benefactor had a hand in increasing his popularity. I would have to ask Iannis about it when I saw him next.
“Excuse me,” a man said, drawing my attention away from the buzz of conversation. “Are you Miss Sernan?”
I looked up from my cup of tea – I’d switched from coffee after cup number three – to see a tall mage standing just in front of my table, dressed in dark, silver-embroidered robes that were a cut above what the other mages in the coffee shop were wearing. He had jaw-length, curly black hair, a square jaw, and a complexion like coffee-tinted cream. I went still as I noticed that his bottle-green eyes were the exact same shade as mine, and a chill went through me – I’d never met someone with my exact eye-coloring before.
Come on, Sunaya. It could just be a coincidence.
Maybe, but I didn’t like coincidences. I couldn’t quite reconcile his youthful face with the fuzzy image of my father that I’d conjured in my head, but this guy had the same curly black hair that I did, too. I tensed as I searched his green eyes for any sign of recognition, but there was none.
“Yes, I am Narina Sernan,” I finally said. “Who are you?”
“Oh, forgive me. My name is Coman ar’Daghir.” Without asking, he pulled out the chair opposite me and sat his bony ass down in it. “I’ve been curious to meet you ever since I heard that you were part of Lord Iannis’s entourage. I’ve accompanied my own Chief Mage to the Convention for at least a decade now, and I don’t believe I’ve ever met you.”
“This is my first Convention,” I told him, picking up my cup and taking a sip of my tea. “I’m one of several assistants who work in Lord Iannis’s office, and the one he usually takes along with him was unable to make it this year.”
“Is it true that your airship crash-landed in aboriginal territory?” Coman asked curiously. “And that you were taken prisoner by the Resistance?”
“It is.” I narrowed my eyes, trying to guess at what he wanted. He was the first to come out and directly ask about that, even though I knew the others had to be thinking about it.
“That must have been terrifying. Were you tortured for information?’
“I would rather not speak of it, if it’s all the same to you,” I said, thinning my lips. I set down my teacup, and I didn’t have to pretend to feel as if he’d rubbed my fur the wrong way. If this guy really was my father, he sure didn’t seem to know it. Shouldn’t he be having some inkling that I was his daughter? I mean, supposedly he’d put a spell on me so my illegal magic would remain hidden. Surely that meant he cared somewhat.
Or maybe he’s just not your father and you’re reading too much into this.
“Oh forgive me, I didn’t mean any offense,” Coman tried to assure me. “It’s just that so many people are avoiding the obvious question. And by that I mean, why was Lord Iannis’s ship attacked in the first place?”
“I imagine it was to stop him from reaching the Convention,” I allowed cautiously, curious to see where he was taking this. “But as to why exactly, I’m afraid I don’t know.”
“I see.” Coman looked momentarily disappointed, but he rallied quickly. “I don’t suppose you have any idea who Lord Iannis is planning to vote for to replace the Minister?”
“I haven’t seen him since we heard the news this morning,” I admitted. “He was troubled to hear about the Minister’s rapidly declining health, and I imagine he’ll think deeply on this matter before he makes any kind of decision. Last I knew, he was planning to secure an appointment to see the sick Minister for himself.”
“Well if he does I would love to hear about it, as none of us have any idea where the Minister is.” Coman shrugged, then checked the timepiece on his wrist. “In any case, I must be going now. Pleasure meeting you, Miss Sernan.”
I watched Coman go, trying to discern if there was anything else about him that would prove he was related to me. But he was a man, of course, so any genetic similarities beyond our facial features would be hard to determine. I certainly didn’t have his broad shoulders or the extra six inches of height. He turned the corner and disappeared from my sight, and I committed his name to memory. I would do some digging into this guy and see if I could unearth anything that would give me answers.
The afternoon wore on, and I sat there for several more hours pretending to do administrative work while I listened to the conversations around me. Interestingly, Iannis’s name also popped up a number of times, confirming the Finance Secretary’s theory that Iannis was a possible contender for the position. Following Coman’s lead, several more mages came by and struck up conversations with me, slyly trying to discern which way Iannis was planning to vote. I evaded, playing the vapid bimbo secretary as best I could while also pretending to be a mage. The mages weren’t fooled, though – from the snippets of conversation I caught when they thought I couldn’t hear, they figured I must know something as Iannis’s mistress.
To be fair, there was a kind of logic to that – I knew from my work as an Enforcer that men tended to tell all kinds of things to the courtesans they spent time with, and those women could be a wealth of information if given the right incentive. But then again, Iannis was notoriously tight-lipped when he didn’t want to talk about something – I doubted I would get anything out of him even if I was sleeping with him.
Checking my watch, I noticed that it was getting close to five o’clock, and with nothing interesting to overhear for the last half hour, I packed up and headed out. I had a ball to get ready for, and the dress I’d bought for it was calling my name back at the hotel.
24
I was sitting in front of the vanity mirror in my room, doing my makeup, when I heard the front door open. My heart sped up a little as I caught a whiff of Iannis’s scent, and I had to force myself to sit in the chair and finish what I was doing so I didn’t rush out there with only half of my lips painted red.
“Sunaya?” Iannis rapped on my door. “Are you decent?”
“As decent as I’m ever going to be,” I called back as I finished putting on my lipstick. I put the small tube down on the vanity counter, then pursed my lips as I considered the various clips and pins scattered across the countertop. I wanted to fix my hair in some kind of fancy up-do, but hairstyling wasn’t my strong suit. Made me wish I was the kind of person who had a maid, or someone who specialized in this kind of stuff.
The door swung open, and I turned in my chair to face Iannis as he entered. He opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but stopped short when he saw me sitting at the vanity in my finery.
“Well, this is new,” he murmured appreciatively. “Stand up and let me see you properly.”
The husky note in his voice sent a thrill through me, and I rose to my feet without even thinking about it. A faint blush rose to my cheeks as Iannis studied me from head to toe, his violet eyes drinking in my form with a kind of intensity I’d only experienced from him a handful of times. I’d chosen a red satin dress for the occasion, with a corset-style off-the-shoulder bodice and a tulle skirt that flared out from my waist. Tiny crystals were scattered throughout the fabric of the skirt, and also in the tulle that overlaid my breasts and sleeves.
“I see that you’ve done a decent job of spending my money today,” Iannis said softly as he crossed the room to me. His lifted a hand, and a shiver of longing passed through me as his fingers traced my bare collarbone. “Although perhaps you could use a bit more practice, since I don’t see any jewelry on you.”
“I haven’t had a chance to put it on yet,” I responded, my voice slightly strained. The serapha charm was tucked into my bra since I couldn’t openly display it, so I’d bought a crystal necklace and matching earrings that were still sitting in their boxes on my vanity. “Or do my hair yet, as you can see.”
“Leave your hair.” His fingers moved to my curly locks, which were still slightly damp from the shower. “I like it the way it is.” He wrapped a curl around his finger and rubbed the pad of his thumb against it, instantly reminding me of the time he’d cornered me in the living area of his suite. That had been the same day he’d announced to the Mages Guild that he was making me his apprentice, and I’d been pissed as hell that not only had he not bothered to consult with me beforehand, but he was still refusing to give any serious attention to the silver murders. In response to my insults, he’d backed me up against the bookshelf and half-threatened, half-teased me, and just like then, a spark of heat lit in my lower belly as he toyed with my hair, the heat of his hand brushing against the curve of my cheek.
“I don’t understand.” I stepped back, the spark of heat quickly turning to anger. “Why do you keep doing this?”
Iannis’s hand abruptly dropped back down to his side. “Doing what?”
“Leading me on,” I snapped. “You get this look in your eyes like you want to fuck me, and it scares the shit out of me. And then after you get close, you change your mind and we act like nothing happened.” Closing the distance, I fisted my hand in the front of Iannis’s robe and dragged him forward, feeling a perverse amount of satisfaction as his eyes widened. I bet the bastard had never been manhandled in his life. “I fucking kissed you, Iannis. I pressed my naked body up against your chest and you liked it. Are we going to keep pretending that didn’t happen?”
Iannis’s eyes sparked dangerously, and the air between us thickened with power as he leaned in close. “Do you really want to go down this route?” he asked softly, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose in response to the menace in his tone.
“We’re already on the path, so I don’t see why not,” I snarled, fed up. “I think it’s about time you put up, or shut up.”
“And just what do you expect me to do, Sunaya?” Iannis’s hand clamped around my wrist, fingers tightening painfully, but he didn’t remove my grip from his clothing. “Shall I sweep you up into my arms and carry you up the hill and into my palace, in full view of the other mages? Just how do you think it will look if the Chief Mage of Canalo breaks the rules and starts sleeping with his apprentice?”
“I know the rules as well as you do,” I growled. “Which is why I don’t understand why you’re leading me on like this when you know better.”
Iannis’s jaw clenched. “I’m a man, and I have needs just like anyone else. Despite whatever differences we may have, and all the reasons why I should pretend you are no more attractive than a plucked chicken, you are a beautiful woman, and when you look like this…” His other hand curled around my waist, fingers sinking into the satiny fabric. “How can you expect me not to want you?”
“What, so you’re telling me you’re just a man who can’t control his desires?” I snapped, not sure if I should be pleased or offended.
“I am controlling my desires,” Iannis growled. “That’s why I haven’t stripped this dress off you and tossed you onto the bed yet. Or any of the other times I’ve wanted to.”
“Yet?” My breath quickened at the idea, and my eyes involuntarily flickered to the bed behind him.
Iannis’s eyes darkened. “This discussion is over,” he said tightly, stepping back.
“No, it isn’t!” I tightened my grip on his robe and dragged him back. “You don’t get to say things like that and just walk away!”
“I can do whatever I want.” Iannis’s voice simmered with barely suppressed fury. “I’m your Master, and the Chief Mage of your state of residency, Miss Baine. I believe that makes you my subject, not the other way around.”
He grabbed my wrist again, and I yelped as a shock of energy bit into my skin, forcing me to let go. Iannis whirled around, his robes swirling around his ankles, and I shook with rage, my claws biting into my palms and dripping blood onto the carpet.
“So I guess you won’t care, then, when I go into heat next week and find someone else to warm my bed?” I spat, unable to resist one last parting shot.
To my surprise, Iannis froze in the doorway. “What?”
“You heard me,” I bit out. “Next week.”
Iannis turned slowly, his eyes hard, but I noticed his face had paled a little. “Explain.”
I arched a brow, keeping my expression flat, but inside I was pleased I’d actually snagged his attention. “I would have thought you mages knew everything about us shifters, seeing as how you created us.”
“I’m afraid that particular event happened before my time,” Iannis said tightly, folding his arms across his chest. “So you’ll have to enlighten me as to why you absolutely must have a male in your bed next week.”
I sighed, sitting down on my vanity chair again as some of the fight abruptly went out of me. “Twice a year, shifter females go into heat in a fashion vaguely similar to what animals do, although thankfully not the same because otherwise we’d be forced to birth cubs constantly. You’ll forgive me if I don’t understand the exact science behind it, but we have a fertility cycle that culminates into ovulation every six months, and during that one week we’re completely consumed by the need to have sex. We become off-the-charts horny, and if we don’t have a male to help us release the tension we go bat-shit crazy and we can’t focus on anything else. Think of it as a drug addict suffering without his fix, except that it only happens twice a year. And we have really nasty tempers and lethal claws and fangs.”
“That last part is certainly true.” Iannis sighed heavily as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “I had heard of this phenomenon in shifters, but I hadn’t realized it was quite so…intense. It must be terrible having to deal with this.” He actually sounded a little appalled.
“Well, in a way it is, but the sex is pretty damn good.” He scowled at that, and I couldn’t help but smirking a little. “But since you’re not available, I guess you’ll never find out.”
Iannis clenched his jaw as he surged to his feet, and I watched in fascination as he began pacing back and forth in front of the bed. Part of me couldn’t believe I was
actually saying these things. But as I’d told Iannis, we were already going down this route, so I figured I might as well go all the way. Was talking about this really going to make the situation any worse at this point?
“This wasn’t supposed to happen this way,” he muttered.
My brows shot up. “Which way was this supposed to happen?” I asked, intrigued at the idea that there was actually a plan in his mind.
“I thought…” Iannis hesitated. “I thought that when your apprenticeship was over and the mage community had no choice but to recognize you as mage, that I could approach you as something more than a mentee. I thought that I would have time.” His eyes lifted to mine, and there was such distress shimmering in their iridescent depths that for a moment I actually felt bad for him. “I failed to consider your own constraints and limitations.”
“Wait a minute.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’ve been planning to pursue me this entire time?”
“I wouldn’t say the entire time,” Iannis said dryly. “But as we’ve spent more time together…I couldn’t help but ponder it. You’re quite unlike anyone I’ve met, and your…outlook on life has pushed me to see things in ways that I might not have otherwise. I am intrigued by what we might accomplish together.”
I grinned a little at that. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I might think the great Lord Iannis is admitting that I’ve helped him become a better Chief Mage.”
Iannis smiled a little. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
I laughed at the absurdity of the statement. “We’ve gone a couple years ahead of ourselves with this conversation,” I said, shaking my head. “I mean seriously, just how long is it going to be before my apprenticeship with you is done, anyway?’