“No,” Jelena answered for him. Quick, immediate, without so much as a glance at it. That knife in his gut twisted a little more.
Chapter Nine
DRAKE AND Jelena walked the rest of the way to her parents’ house in silence and at a much quicker pace. He’d lost interest in sightseeing anyway. His mind strayed to the pendant.
Not merely lovers, but entwined mind, body, and soul.
That’s what happened when a Bellarissian man bonded with a woman. Sometimes it happened spontaneously, because his soul recognized his other half, like it had with Morgan and his wife.
But for the rest, it was the ultimate gift of love, the ultimate trust. It gave her power over him. Gods help the man that chose wrongly; it could make his life a living hell.
Could he trust a woman that much?
Could he trust Jelena that much?
He sighed, shaking his head. That zap Enola gave him must have fried his brain. He was an assignment to her, nothing more. He never would be. He’d be insane to set himself up to fall again.
They stopped in front of a large white marble house with an overhang supported by carved pillars. Compared to Jelena’s little fairytale cottage, this placed looked cold, unwelcoming.
Jelena stared at the large red door and took a deep breath. She had the urge to squeeze his hand for encouragement. She settled for looking at him.
He nodded.
Before they reached the front stairs, the door opened. “Oh, Jelena, there you are!”
“Oh, no,” she whispered, watching her sister follow her mother out the door. She swallowed a groan of frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Drake asked.
“If this has anything to do with marriage, I’m going to scream,” she muttered.
He glanced at her then turned his wary gaze to the two approaching women.
“I’d begun to think that perhaps you’ve become too important to visit your mother.” Her mother hugged her.
“I told Ergo we’d come. This is Drake, my ward.” She turned to Drake, automatically switching to Basic. For a fleeting second, she saw something in his eyes, something like pain. “Drake, this is Suvana, my mother, and my sister Luna.”
Drake nodded, his stoic mask firmly in place.
Her mother turned her head toward Drake and her welcoming smile froze. Her eyes widened then gave him a slight nod.
“They don’t speak much Basic. Do you mind if we use Nargesh?”
He shrugged.
She sighed. He wasn’t going to make it easy for her either. “What was so important that you had to summon me before I’ve even had a chance to see Master Haward?”
“Cordan came by this morning. He seemed more than a bit out of sorts.” She turned her gaze to Drake. “Now I see why.”
Jelena’s stomach clenched. Drake tensed beside her.
Her mother studied his face. “The rumors are true. Your ward is Enola’s grandson. I see the resemblance.”
Basha! She’d wanted to tell him herself, after he had time to adjust to the knowledge that he was one of them. Learning that he had a living relative nearby couldn’t be something he was ready for.
“Why have you returned? To bring more shame to you’re grandmother’s heart?”
“Mother!”
“I apologize. That was extremely rude.” Her expression wasn’t the slightest bit apologetic.
Drake stared at her, saying nothing.
“And so is conversing on the front steps. Please, come inside.” Mother turned and walked toward the open door.
“I’m sorry,” Jelena whispered. “I didn’t know this would happen. Maybe you’d like to wait for me in the garden.”
“Jelena, bring your ward,” Mother called from the door.
“Yes, Mother.” She gave him an apologetic look and led him inside. She noticed that he limped a little as she showed him into her mother’s parlor.
Cursing herself for being so thoughtless, she directed him into a comfortable chair then approached her mother, determined to get this visit over with.
Mother wasted little time. She approached Jelena with a hopeful expression on her face and a pendant box in her hands. “I knew you’d want to see what Cordan brought you, so I sent Ergo just as soon as he’d left.”
“Just as soon as he left?” Jelena glanced at Drake. “That means he went from my house straight to you.” He accused her of sleeping with her ward then approached her family with a betrothal gift. That made sense.
Mother opened the box and held it out to her. “Look at it. It’s even more beautiful than the last one.”
Jelena shook her head. “Send it back.”
Luna released a disgusted snort. “It’s twice as expensive as the last one. You can’t expect to hold out for something more. This is the fourth one.”
“I don’t care how expensive it is.”
“But, Jelena, you know your father and I think Cordan would make you a perfect husband. You must know he cares deeply for you.”
This subject always made Jelena very uncomfortable. In front of Drake, it was unbearable. “Any chance you’re not following this?” She asked him in Basic.
He shook his head. His expression was bland, almost uninterested, but inside he was laughing at her. She just knew it.
“Just try it on. Once you see how beautiful it looks on you—”
Jelena shook her head, cutting her mother off. Just touching the pendant could be considered accepting his suit. She wouldn’t be trapped that way.
“We just want to see you settled and happy. If not with Cordan, then…” Luna turned her interested gaze toward Drake.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Mother waved her away. “Danon is still suffering from the mistake he made with that woman. Jelena will not follow in his footsteps.”
“That woman was the love of his life.” Luna loved her husband dearly, and it colored her opinion on everything, especially her siblings’ love interests.
“He should never have gotten involved with his ward. Jelena is smarter than that.”
Jelena glanced at Drake out the corner of her eye, noting the whiteness of his knuckles. “We don’t need to go this route, Mother.”
“It’s well past the time you were wed. Your sister is three years your junior, and she’s been wedded for more than a year.”
And her married status made her think she was older and wiser! Jelena sighed. “Send the pendant back, Mother.”
“You can’t put him off forever. He may tire of waiting and approach someone else.”
“Let him.” She turned to Drake. “Are you ready to leave?”
The grin he gave her as he stood made her pause. What was that about? He’d probably tell her if she asked, but she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer. She strode to the door, knowing he’d follow.
“Jelena—”
“No, Mother.” She turned to face her. “We’re through discussing this. I will not be bullied into marrying Cordan. Not by him, and not by you.”
“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” She glared at Drake.
“I refused three pendants before I met him.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Goodbye, Mother.” Jelena opened the door.
The master of the Executioners stood before her.
Her mouth dropped open in shock before she reigned in her sudden lack of manners and bowed her head in respect.
He’s a five! No wonder the council acceded to his command without complaint—they were afraid of him too.
Before last night, she’d only seen him once and his hooded robe had shielded most of his face. He wore that robe now, but his eyes were clearly visible.
Mother stepped forward, hands clutched together. “Master Kedar, you honor our home with your visit.”
He didn’t acknowledge her greeting, his gaze locking on Drake. “I have come to collect my student.”
That was unheard of! A master never came to a student. Drake had no idea the honor he just rece
ived. “But he’s not ready. He still needs another day or two to recover from his injuries.”
Drake stared into the master’s eyes, his expression blank, and said nothing.
The master harrumphed, and they were gone.
“No!” she whispered. He’s not ready! Ali’ra, if he had a few days more to rest, he might have stood a chance. But now?
“You didn’t tell me he’d been chosen for the Executioners.” Her mother’s shocked whisper held just a little too much awe.
“Would it have made a difference in the way you treated him?” After the insults he’d suffered, she wasn’t about to tell her mother the real reason Master Kedar was training him. She prayed the master would go easy on him. She didn’t want to see him hurt again.
As she strode out the door, her sister’s hushed words came through loud and clear. “Think of it, Mother. A level five, trained by Master Kedar himself. Think of the honor he could bring to our household….”
Jelena sighed, shaking her head. She knew blessed well her sister didn’t care a palaple about honor. Luna wanted to see her happily married, one way or another.
She had other things to worry about right now, like seeing to it that Drake lived long enough to fall in love again. For that she needed help. It was time to visit the Master of the Guardians.
JELENA PORTED to the steps outside the Guardian Temple. She’d never be so rude as to port directly into a temple, especially the temple of Anesma, the goddess of Destiny and patron goddess of Guardians.
She walked quickly through the public worship bethel, knowing she would not find Master Haward there, nor was he within the Guardians’ private bethel. She knelt and said a quick prayer of reverence to the goddess then strode into the sanctuary housing the offices and the residences of the Master and the Oracle keepers.
She found Master Haward in the meeting room, his gray head bent over the assignment scrolls.
“Master, may I speak with you?”
“Jelena, I’d heard you had returned, and not alone.”
“Yes, Master.” She bowed her head. In dealing with Drake, she’d broken nearly every rule the Guardians had. Bringing him here had not only broken a rule, it had broken a law.
“Of all my Guardians, you were the one whom I could always count on to get the job done, quickly, efficiently, and by the rules. That is, until now.”
“Master, I—”
He held up his hand. “You wouldn’t have brought him here unless you had no other choice.” Only kindness and understanding showed in his sapphire eyes as he gestured toward a chair she gratefully slid onto. “Tell me what happened.”
She told him everything, from the first problem with the camouflage spell to the ambush. She left nothing out, not even her conflicting feelings about Drake. She’d been under the master’s guidance for twelve years, since the age of sixteen. He’d become a second father to her, and just as important.
“I told Drake once that he was too close to his contract, that it had become too personal for him to see the danger he put himself in. I think the same applies to me. I should never have been offered this assignment. My heart is too involved.”
“I think you are wrong. I think the goddess chose you to protect him because you took him into your heart all those years ago, before you discovered his past.” His fingers closed over her hand and squeezed gently. “Do you think Cordan would treat him fairly? Do you think he would risk his life to save a man he knew had killed others?”
No, Cordan had made his opinion very clear. He wanted her to abandon Drake to the council. He’d do it himself if Drake were his ward. “I’ve never been in a situation like this before. I don’t know what to do.”
He circled his hand over the crystal imbedded into the table in front of him, sounding the tone distinctive of the Guardians. He’d called a gathering. In moments, every available Guardian, including Cordan, ported to the temple. At least thirty of them gathered around the large table.
“Jelena, you’ve returned!” Her closest friends among the Guardians crowded around her. She smiled as Barrett, a shaggy brown-haired bear of a man, gave her a bear of a hug.
“Who was that tall, dark and gorgeous thing I saw you disappear into the jewelry shop with?” Verena asked, giving her a cheeky grin that made her emerald eyes sparkle.
“You mean I’ve got more competition than I thought?” Gardell gave her an outraged look then followed it with a noisy kiss on the cheek. He reminded her very much of Galen in looks and temperament, on a smaller scale of course.
“There is no competition,” Cordan said, slipping his arm around her waist. Her anger flared. He must have seen it in her eyes, because he eased away.
“He’s my ward.”
A murmur circled the table until every voice fell silent and every eye stared in her direction.
“I didn’t know what else to do. He was dying, and this was the safest place I could think of.”
“You should have left him to die,” Cordan muttered.
Jelena glared at him. How could her parents think him a suitable husband when he wasn’t a suitable human?
“You shouldn’t have brought an assassin into our city.”
“I think you’d better explain that remark, Cordan.” Gardell’s voice was low, ominous. He was her brother Danon’s best friend, and like her brother, he had always been very protective of her.
“Surely you’ve all heard of the Magician?”
“I have. He took the Federation’s vilest, most dangerous criminals and instilled in them a code of ethics,” Gardell said. “He and his Guild started the war against the Jotnar long before the Bellarissians joined in.”
“He hunts people and kills them!” Cordan’s face reddened.
“Much the same as the Executioners do,” Barrett said.
Cordan gasped. “How can you liken what he does to the Executioners? They deliver divine justice.”
“He and his people eliminated the threat to more than one of my wards,” Gardell said.
“And mine,” Verena said.
The words echoed throughout the room, surprising her. It seemed the only other person faulting Drake for his past was herself. The thought didn’t sit well, no matter how justified her feelings were. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, and likely a stain on her soul.
“Where is your ward now, Jelena?” Barrett asked.
She hesitated for only a second. “With Master Kedar.”
Voices rose around the table with her announcement. Gardell nodded. “Enough said.”
“I don’t believe this.” Cordan threw his hands in the air.
“Enough!” The room immediately quieted, all eyes turning to Master Haward. “The threat to Jelena’s ward could very well be a threat to us all.”
“How?” Barret asked.
“She’s Udaro,” Jelena said.
“Where there’s one Udaro, there’s usually more,” Gardell said.
“What does she want with him?” Barrett asked.
“Besides the obvious?” Verena grinned, drawing a few snickers from both female and male Guardians.
Jelena smiled at Verena then met Barrett’s gaze. “I don’t know. But they do have a history.”
“And he survived?” Barrett asked.
She nodded.
“He can’t leave here until we know what they’re planning,” Gardell said.
“That won’t be a problem,” Cordan muttered, drawing a glare.
“We could snoop around. See what we can find. The Sentinels will help.”
“The council won’t approve,” Cordan protested.
Garrett glared at him. “What does the council have to do with her ward?”
“He’s a five,” Jelena said. “Not just any five, but a mixed blood. My teacher’s grandson.”
“Miranda’s son?” Barrett asked.
Jelena nodded, surprised he’d said her name aloud.
“I remember him. Friendly boy, very intelligent. Looked a lot like his mama. But he was a f
our, not a five.”
“You’re right. He was,” Gardell said. “There’s more to her death than we were led to believe.”
“What do you mean?” Jelena asked.
“The stories said that Miranda had been so heartbroken over the loss of her child that she took her own life.” Barrett’s tone was solemn.
Jelena gasped. “The transference.” It was the only way he could have gone from a four to a five.
Barrett nodded. “He disappeared after she died, not before.”
“We’re forgetting the matter at hand,” Gardell interrupted. “Why wouldn’t the council want us to protect him from the Udaro?”
“They want him destroyed,” Jelena said.
“The council is afraid of anyone with more power than they have,” Barrett said. Mumbles of agreement circulated the table.
“That’s no reason to kill one of our own.”
“He’s not one of our own!” Cordan glared at Gardell.
“The hell he isn’t. His mother was one of us. That makes him one of us, whether you like it or not.”
“She should bow to the council’s wishes. It’s not our place—”
Barrett slammed his palm on the table. “We gave an oath, an oath sworn on our souls, to protect our wards with our lives. If you don’t believe in it you are not one of us.”
One by one they stood. If they turned their backs on him, his career as a Guardian was over.
Cordan paled and jerked to his feet. “The council—”
“The council does not supercede the gods’ will,” Master Haward said. He hadn’t raised his voice, but he was clearly heard.
“As you say.” Cordan nodded, bowing his head.
“Good. Let’s stop this bickering. We have a lot to discuss.”
A great weight lifted from Jelena’s chest. She wouldn’t have to fight the council or the viper alone.
Gardell leaned close. “I hope your ward is as good as I’ve heard,” he whispered. “Master Kedar is tough.”
KEDAR PORTED them into the center of a sand-filled training arena. Men were paired off, sparring with various hand weapons. They stopped and stared at him. Four men approached and slowly circled him—two twirling padded staffs.
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