“You didn’t see them come out, but then how did they bring the Blue with them?
Alan frowned and shook his head. “They must have gotten by us somehow.”
“What did the men who went in look like?” I asked in a strangled voice.
Alan looked down at me, then at Roral behind me. “Two had brown hair, one was like his,” he replied pointing to Cael’s dark brown hair behind me. “The other was a coppery color tipped in green, while the third had hair white as snow.” The others made startled exclamations and scrambled after me as I leapt to my feet and ran for the door, my hair trailing behind me like a streamer.
Chapter 20
Amras was standing in the hall chatting with Aerandir and Cursed, and all three of them looked alarmed as I burst through the door and ran down the hall toward my room. That I was naked and had four naked men and one clothed one in hot pursuit, while I had a distressed look on my face, caused more than a huge problem. Cursed and Amras placed themselves in the men’s path and everyone started yelling at once while I slipped into my room and moved to the picture hanging on the wall.
Of the original ten men, there were only nine left. Stela and Talon now stood behind and to the side of Gareth and Jace. Dane, Marcus, Arrin, and Bryce could be easily identified, their faces having moved from shadow into clarity. In the background the Green was farthest from me, and slightly in front of him was the Brown. The White and Copper were closer in proximity, however they appeared to be leaning away and both had their backs to me. I stared at the picture and realized Cursed and Amras had entered the room and were standing behind me. Dane had joined them, as had Marcus, and they had shut the door on the commotion in the hall.
“Valentine has my White and Copper. Alan’s men saw them go into his mansion last week and they have not come back out,” I told them in an anguished voice. “Last night he kidnapped Bodark.” Dane reached out to touch the portrait, his fingers brushing the spot where my Blue had stood, a space which was now empty. “We have to do something,” I breathed and Marcus wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest, while the others glanced amongst themselves and looked angry.
Out in the hall something struck the wall. It made a sound that reverberated in the room through the closed door. “What the...” Dane muttered and turned to glance at the door with a concerned look on his face. The others looked alarmed and I pulled away from Marcus and would have moved to the door, except Cursed was suddenly in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest and a disapproving look upon his face.
“What?” I demanded distractedly.
“My Lady… you are not dressed,” he informed me with a look that indicated I would not be going anywhere until I was. “And though I enjoy you thus, I do not think it a good idea to wander the halls unclothed.”
“Especially since we have a visitor,” Amras added and I turned to look at him in surprise.
“Who is here?” I demanded and watched in dismay as Dane handed me my dress with a censoring look. I gritted my teeth, grabbed it and yanked it over my head.
“You would know better than we, as he ran from the cavern behind you,” Dane offered. I frowned and glanced at the door just as something struck it. “Along with several naked guards,” he added while Marcus crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
“I can’t deal with any of this now!” I muttered and dashed to the door, only to have Amras reach for the handle before I could.
“You will remain here. This will only take a moment,” he replied then pressed his shoulder against the door while I stared up at him in surprise. The door shuddered again and through the wood I could hear sounds of a struggle and perhaps fists striking flesh.
“They had better not be doing what I think they are doing!” I growled and crossed my own arms then quickly dropped them again, remembering that was not a good idea if I wished to be taken seriously.
“They are doing precisely what you think they are, and have every right to be doing it. And you will not interfere,” Cursed remarked.
“He came to warn me!” I cried angrily. “You can’t punish him for that!”
“We are not punishing him. And you are not thinking clearly if you believe he came merely to warn you. I can assure you this has not been his reason for visiting the caverns daily,” Amras added while I stared at him in surprise and wondered how he could know that. Amras frowned down at me and remarked, “I have stood guard at the door while you… worked through your anger.”
“You were listening?”
“How else was I to guard you but to listen?”
“But the guards were…with me,” I told him, ending my comment rather lamely as my eyes slid off his and down to about the middle of his chest.
“Hmmm,” he remarked in an offended voice. “I believe they were otherwise occupied at the time.” My eyes jerked back up to his then widened in surprise as his aura turned a nasty yellowish-green. Amras was jealous. I pulled my eyes from him and glanced at Cursed who was also… not very pleased with me.
“I assume I no longer need to baby sit Lord Camthalon?” he replied in a sarcastic voice while I chewed my lip and finally shook my head.
“No… I guess that won’t be necessary anymore,” I replied in a small voice. My eyes moved to Dane, who simply looked annoyed.
“An ye’ve added two more Drakes or so I’ve been told. An here I was thinking ye would nae be getting around the rules but ye did it anyway, didna’ ye!”
Great! They were all angry with me. Even Marcus looked disapproving, though of the four at least his aura hadn’t changed to yellowish-green. No, his was more a brown sliding toward dark red. Apparently he was just working himself up to being angry, whereas the others had moved straight to full discord and jealousy.
“What was I supposed to do?” I asked quietly. “They ganged up on me and…”
Amras made a rude noise and shook his head. “They manipulated you, Princess. And you allowed them to.”
“You weren’t there! And no one said I wasn’t supposed to!” I told him angrily. “How was I to know it would make you all mad at me?”
Amras’ nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. “For what reason would it not?” he asked me in a low voice that fairly vibrated with anger.
“For the reason that it never has before,” I replied in confusion.
Amras leaned forward and placed his face mere inches from mine and angrily articulated each word slowly. “Define before.”
I leaned back and flicked my eyes to Dane and Marcus, and pointed a finger at the two of them mutely.
“Are Drakes… and have declared,” he replied, his voice sounding like he was instructing a mentally handicapped person.
“Fine. What about Cursed and Tdem?” I demanded, and he shook his head slowly and pointed his own index finger briefly at Cursed.
“Was here first… and none of us had a choice with Tdem, who even you must remember, declared.” So it was only other Elves that bothered him and I had not known it might. Had not even considered it. My thoughts only seemed to make him angrier and I turned to Cursed, unable to meet his eyes.
“And this is why you are mad at me also?”
“In part,” he replied and waited until I glanced up at him to finish. “I would thank you to remember who you are and what you represent,” he remarked while I stared back at him, even more confused than I had been over Amras’ comment. He frowned and added, “Your clothing, My Lady. Had you not removed it before the guards we would not be having this conversation. And I do not care for the fact that you exposed yourself to my… atar,” he gritted out and his black eyes flashed dangerously while Amras and Dane stared at him in shock.
“What is that?” Marcus asked.
“Father… his father,” Dane muttered while Marcus’ eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline.
I pulled air in through my nose and stared up at him in surprise. “They have all seen me naked… many times,” I told him. “Why is this any different than any other time?
”
Cursed flashed Amras a pained expression and it looked like he’d like to wring my neck but was manfully restraining himself. “That is different,” he replied as calmly as his upset would allow, which was hardly calm at all.
I frowned and glanced at Dane, who was rubbing his temple with a finger as if in pain. “Lass,” he breathed, “Tis one thing to be beneath one of us and another to be flaunting yerself.”
“I did not flaunt myself!” I cried angrily.
“Did ye nae?” he growled, slowly lowering his hand and giving me a look clearly indicating he did not believe me, not in the slightest.
I gritted my teeth and felt my blood pressure start to boil at their unfair accusations. “For your information,” and I turned to glare at Cursed, “I told them not once but three times to remain outside the cavern on this side of the door! I did not invite them to join me and I did not want them near me to begin with. Even when I pulled myself from the water my first words were…’go away’!”
“Excuse me, Princess, but since when have you ever had a problem achieving your own will in these matters?” Cursed snapped back at me. I narrowed my eyes and reached out to stab him in the chest with my forefinger as I replied. “Since they informed me that YOU told them I was not to be let out of their sight because it would only encourage me to behave badly!” I nearly yelled back at him while he looked at me with disbelief covering his face.
“I said no such thing,” he told me coldly and I frowned and stared back at him in dismay.
“You did, they said you did.”
“Truly? Are you certain?” he replied and lifted an eyebrow, then tilted his head to stare down at me.
“Lira said they were told not to let me out of their sight. And when I asked who had told him that, he said…”
“Yes?” Cursed purred in a nasty tone. My cheeks flamed and I wrapped my arms around my waist and dropped my gaze to the floor in shock.
“He said… the Prince had told him because he didn’t trust me not to put myself in a situation where I might behave badly,” I muttered feeling like a fool.
“And does this sound like something I would have said, My Lady?” he remarked sarcastically.
“No…” I admitted. “Which is why it made me so very angry,” I added softly. I turned away and walked to one of the chairs in my room and sat on the edge dejectedly. “What a fool I am,” I breathed my voice full of self-recriminations. “Everything has changed.”
Amras growled and Dane made a rude noise. “Of what do you speak, Princess?”
I dropped my face into my hands and sat there in silence for several seconds. “Do you know the definition of politics?” I asked softly, and when there was no answer I responded. “It is process by which groups of people make decisions. Political power is the ability to impose one’s will upon another even when faced with opposition. And it appears we are no longer a family. We are a Court.” I rose from the chair and walked back to the door. I didn’t look at Amras as I simply said, “I am sorry I was a fool for allowing myself to be used. Open the door Amras. I am done being manipulated for today.”
He hesitated a moment then reached for the handle. The door opened, revealing Gareth and Jace standing over Alan, who looked like he’d seen better days. My eyes flicked over the rest of the men congregated in the hall and I glanced back at Gareth and calmly stated. “If you are done now, I’d very much like to speak to the Alpha of the local Werejaguars in private.” Then I turned to Kit and held out my hand palm up. “I command you to produce the contract, now,” and his eyebrows shot up at the look on my face. He hesitated a second or two then snapped his fingers, and I closed my hand on the envelope, then turned to Alan and indicated that he should get up. “We can use the study,” I told him, then stopped suddenly when Lira and Roral fell in behind me. I turned to them slowly, and the look on my face was not pleasant. “You are relieved from duty today and I suggest you spend the time considering your actions. Lord Aerandir will guard the door… from outside, in the hall,” I told them angrily while the blood drained from their faces.
“Lexi?” Jace called and I turned to him slowly.
“Yes?”
“Are you… are you alright?” he asked, his voice sounding confused.
“No Jace, I am not,” I told him in a matter of fact voice. “Alan, if you wish this meeting, get up now, or leave,” and I moved down the hall. Behind me Alan and Aerandir followed. At the door I hesitated and waited for one of them to open it for me. When Gareth’s arm came around me I stiffened and ignored him, stepping through the doorway and continuing on down the hall. At the Library I stopped in the open doorway and turned to him calmly. “What do you think you are doing?” I asked as I motioned Alan past me into the room and continued to block Gareth.
“I believe I will join you,” he replied and crossed his arms over his chest.
“For what reason would you think I need you to join this meeting?”
“It is not a matter of needing,” he replied, while I nodded and took a deep breath and turned to Alan. “Alan, do you intend to harm me in any way?” I asked. He glanced at me sharply and raised both eyebrows. He had moved to one of the wingback chairs and was clearly waiting for me to join him before seating himself.
“No Lexi, I merely wished to speak with you. Harming you is not something I would ever do.”
I turned back to Gareth and raised an eyebrow. “You see. We merely wish to converse, so you will not be needed,” I informed him then reached behind me for the door knob while he stared down at me, his face shifting from annoyance to anger.
“Nevertheless I will join you. It was not a request.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared up at him, my own anger spilling over onto my face and body. I raised both shields and informed him tightly, “Gareth… I am already angry… please do not make me more so. You have made your point today… twice. I suggest you step back and leave before I do something we both will regret.” And with that I grabbed the door and literally slammed it in his face. I stood there for several seconds. When I realized he was not going to open it, I turned and moved to one of the chairs while Alan watched me cautiously.
After I carefully seated myself on a chair, I glanced up at Alan and took several calming breathes. “Shift,” I commanded and watched as he reached for his shirt buttons and slowly undid them. As he removed his garments, he draped them over the chair. His eyes held mine as he slid out of his pants and stood naked before me. Alan’s skin was a light brown, indicative of his Spanish heritage and he was well made, not overly muscular but certainly he took very good care of himself and had an athlete’s body. I watched curiously as his skin flowed and became orange and black spotted fur. His transformation was smooth and did not appear to distress him any. I suppose being an Alpha allowed for certain benefits. He blinked up at me from his same dark brown eyes and seated himself upon the rug wrapping his tail about his front feet. I opened the envelope, pulled out the two page document, and began reading. When I reached the second page, he shifted and calmly pulled his clothing back on, then seated himself in the chair opposite me, waiting patiently for me to finish.
When I was done, I glanced up at him satisfied to see that his injuries had healed in the shift process. “You realize that I have Marcus?” I asked and he steepled his fingers and placed them against his lips, then nodded once.
“I sense that you have also… made an alliance,” he told me calmly and I reached for my neck and ran my fingers over the still healing puncture wounds.
“How?”
He stared back at me in silence for several seconds then finally replied, “Before you blocked your mind from mine, I felt memories that could not be your own. May I take this to mean you have already come to some agreement with… Blake? I know he was looking for assurances of the Drake’s support. I assumed your men would not allow you to provide them,” he replied calmly. His eyes were shuttered, his emotions firmly concealed behind a polite façade.
“You
assumed correctly. However my men do not make every decision for me, much as they would enjoy doing so,” I told him and left it at that. He did not need to know everything. And I was not comfortable admitting that I had run to Claudius for help. That information was best left private for now. I glanced down at the paper in my lap and informed him. “If Blake is successful, he has assured us there will be a status quo and that he would release Marcus. As I already have Marcus I assume that offer would then extend to the White and Copper, which Valentine apparently now has control over. I do not believe I would need to trade favors for Bodark’s release. Do you agree?”
“Should Blake somehow manage to free us all of Valentine, I believe he will release Bodark, if it is still possible,” he replied and I felt my blood turn to ice in my veins.
“You said that Margie was in the hospital? Will she be alright? Are they happy?” I asked then smiled slightly when he nodded. “Margie brought me here to the Salty Dog one night after work. I had never been to a dance club before. And I believe she felt somewhat sorry for me,” I told him in a musing voice.
Alan looked like he was having a hard time believing me but wasn’t about to argue, so I held out my arm and shifted it, starting at my wrist and moving quickly up my arm, across my chest and down the other arm. The areas I shifted turned to Dragon scales for just an instant. The effect was like doing the wave across my skin. “I can shift to more than just Dragon,” I told him with a tired smile. “This is my natural body, but it is not the one I’ve presented to others since I was a small child.” I added by way of explanation. “Some days I look in the mirror and still have to force myself not to shimmer. It seems odd to look like this and it has required some getting used to.”
“I see,” he replied then asked, “This other body… can I assume it was less attractive?”
“Jace has assured me it was ugly, although I prefer to refer to it as my Plain Jane. Which was not ugly… merely non-descript in almost every way.”
“And now…” he replied and held out his hands palm up. “I could see where it might take some getting used to. It must be difficult to go from never being noticed to never being left alone. Not to mention the politics,” he added with a sly smile.
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