by Monica Burns
"Look at the loops."
She turned her head to watch as he peered at the small, narrow openings placed sporadically around the lower half of the tower. Excitement fluttered through her as she watched his puzzlement change to awed amazement.
"They fashioned the loops in the shape of the Sicari symbol," he said in hushed tones.
"I'm rusty on medieval architecture, but I think these towers are late fourteenth century, which proves there were Sicari here in Languedoc then, and earlier if you consider how long it would take to build a tower like that one. So my vision makes sense. A Sicari Lord did help bring the Cathars into this region." She nodded at the tower again then grinned. "Tell me I'm brilliant."
"You're brilliant, amore mia."
He captured her mouth in a hard kiss. The caress sent fire streaking through her as she reached up to cup his face in the palm of her hand. When he drew back, she murmured a protest. His soft laugh brushed across her face like a warm breeze.
"This isn't exactly the best of spots for lovemaking, inamorata ."
"I think you're right." She looked around their surroundings before leaning forward to press her mouth against his ear. "But I do know where there's a nice, soft bed we can use."
"Do you?" He chuckled, but she heard the way his breath got trapped in his throat.
He got to his feet and the warmth of his fingers engulfed her hand as he pulled her upright. Remembering her knapsack, she scooped up the canvas bag and furtively checked to ensure the notebook was safe. To date, she'd been careful to keep it out of sight, but eventually she knew she was going to have to tell him she'd brought it with her. And he wouldn't be happy about it. He'd think she was looking for the Tyet of Isis, and he'd be right. The problem was he'd been pretty clear that he had no intention of continuing his search for the artifact.
The damn thing had caused him too much heartache, he'd said. If she had needed further proof that he loved her, his determination to give up his quest for the Sicari artifact would have convinced her.
But she knew the Tyet of Isis was important, not just to him, but to the Sicari as well. And she was certain that if they found the artifact, then maybe they'd find the person who'd murdered her parents and Charlie and had tried to kill her. Mike Granby might have ordered their deaths, but he hadn't committed the actual act. In truth, she really didn't think Mike had been as powerful as he'd made himself out to be that night.
And she wanted to know who this Monsignor was. Where did he fit in the overall scheme of things. Despite Mike's threat to report the Praetorians to the mysterious man, Mike had been executed so ruthlessly it made her wonder if the Monsignor hadn't ordered the Praetorians to get rid of Mike along with the rest of them. She was fairly sure Ares had already considered the same thing because she'd overheard him discussing the matter with Lysander the morning they'd left for France.
No, somehow, she'd find a way to make Ares understand she wanted to be his partner in locating the Tyet of Isis. God knows, she didn't have any other work prospects opening up for her in the near future. She winced. Even though she would never regret giving up her old life for Ares, she would still miss it.
Looking for the artifact was a way of compensating for that loss. So she needed to proceed cautiously if she wanted to convince him it had been her idea from the start. And it had been. Originally, Atia had been emphatic in her refusal to let Emma come to France, but all of that had changed when Ares had proposed coming here to Rennes le Chateau for their honeymoon. At that point, the Prima Consul had eagerly given her access to the electronic historical archives. Of course, Ares would automatically assume his godmother had planned the whole thing. That required special handling, too. She didn't want him blaming Atia for something Emma herself had instigated.
It took them several minutes to make safe ground with Ares acting the protective knight the entire time they slipped and skidded their way down the steep trail covered with loose rock. When they were on solid footing again, she tucked her arm in his and urged him down the wide footpath that led back to the car. Her head dipped down to rest on his shoulder as they walked.
"Happy?" he asked softly. She didn't raise her head, but pressed her body deeper into his.
"Very much. You?"
"Yes." His quiet response made her heart swell with joy as a warm silence filled the air between them. They were halfway to the SUV they'd left in the meadow when Ares cleared his throat.
"Of course, I think I'd be a lot happier if I had a wife who didn't hide things from me." The matter-of-fact statement made her stop in her tracks. She jerked away from him and looked up to meet the wry assessment in his gaze. Since she wasn't sure what or how much he knew, she shook her head.
"What am I hiding from you?" Her response made him arch his eyebrow as a dubious expression crossed his face.
"For starters, how you got access to the Sicari archives, and second, what you were looking for in the archives at four in the morning."
Busted. She'd been certain he was asleep. Had that damn software tune at start-up jarred him awake? She bit her lip as she averted her gaze from his probing look. Wait a minute. She'd shut down the computer when she finished. He'd spied on her.
"I don't believe it. You were spying on me."
"Merda, it isn't hard to spy on someone when they don't shut off a laptop," he snapped. "I lifted the top, and the first thing that came up was the archives log-in screen, and the log-off time said four a.m."
"Damn," she muttered.
"Well?" The single word was a command, not a request.
"You're not going to like it."
"I'm certain of that."
"You know how you tell me not to interfere in Sicari matters?" She watched as his features clouded over with irritation. "I was looking for some information."
"What kind of information?" His dark blue eyes grew stormy as he pinned her with his gaze.
"The Tyet of Isis," she burst out before rushing on with her explanation. "I think I might have an idea where it is, and--"
"Fotte," he exclaimed with a violence that startled her.
He turned and headed down the hill at a fierce stride without her. Where the hell was he going? As he disappeared around the bend in the trail, she darted after him. Damn the man, it wasn't like she'd plan on doing something without him. She'd had every intention of letting him in on the whole thing, just not quite yet.
"Ares, wait."
She charged after him, her boots pounding against the rocky dirt. As she rounded the bend in the trail, she saw him stride out of the trees into the meadow where they'd parked the Mercedes. By the time she reached the meadowland, he was already at the SUV.
She winced as she saw him slam his fist into the side of the vehicle then pace the ground. That didn't bode well for their discussion. Even though she'd forgiven him for sealing their blood bond without her consent, she knew his conscience hadn't totally freed him of his guilt. It was an issue that had danced between them ever since that night in the Council chambers. Knowing his sense of honor, she was certain he would always carry that burden inside him, even if he didn't show it.
But she'd be damned if she'd let the past get in the way of their happiness. They couldn't go back to change any of it, and even if they could, she wasn't sure she'd do anything different, other than listen to him. She understood how hard it was to deal with the guilt. She'd come to grips with her new skill fairly easily, but it was the life she'd taken that was always there in the back of her head.
Although she knew it had been in self-defense, her actions still haunted her. But the one thing she was certain of was that if Ares hadn't sealed the bond between them, she wouldn't be here now. Wouldn't be here to love him and be loved by him. And she wouldn't trade that for anything else in the world.
When she reached the Mercedes, he was still pacing the grass like a caged tiger ready to tear anyone apart who came near. She wanted to say something, but she decided the best thing to do was wait until he was ready to talk. With a grunt of di
sgust, he jerked the passenger side of the SUV open.
"Get in, now." His tone made her heave a sigh, but she did as he ordered.
The door slammed shut, and he stalked around the front of the vehicle and slid into the driver's seat. He sat for a minute, hands clutching the wheel until his knuckles were white from his death grip.
"Ares--"
"Did Atia put you up to this?" he said in an icy tone.
"No. I went to her."
He nodded sharply then started the car. Anger weighed down the silence between them, but he didn't do a thing to remedy the situation. He was furious and he didn't want to say something he'd regret. Instead, he just drove. Driving meant he couldn't throttle her.
Merda, where the hell had she gotten the idea that he'd even consider looking for the Tyet of Isis again, let alone allowing her to help. The thought of putting her in another situation like the one he had almost a month ago horrified him. The vehicle squealed as he took a curve too fast, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her clutch at the handle above her window.
"Are you trying to kill us?" she snapped.
More guilt swept through him. Christus. Here he was worried about putting her in danger, and he was doing just that. He adjusted the speed of the SUV as they continued toward the entrance of the Sicari estate. It seemed to take the security guards at the front gate forever to check the car. It was standard procedure at every Order property, but at the moment, he wasn't exactly fond of the rules.
He didn't look at her, but he could sense Emma's tension. She was going to be difficult about this. He knew it. And he wasn't sure he bought his wife's assurances that Atia hadn't been involved in getting Emma to look for the Tyet of Isis. His godmother had been just a little too conciliatory when she'd accepted his decision not to search for the artifact anymore. He should have known the woman would find a way to pull him back into the net.
When they were free to proceed, he threw the car into gear and breezed through the second checkpoint with only a brief word to the guard. As they squealed to a halt at the front door of the chateau, he cleared his throat then turned toward her, his hand braced on the back of her seat.
"I love you, Emma, but I meant it when I told you I'm done looking for the Tyet of Isis."
"I know that's what you said, but--"
"Deus damno id, why do you refuse to listen to me?" He lunged out of the car. She followed suit.
"Do you want to know why I don't listen to you?" she shouted as he walked into the house. She scurried after him. "Because you're a pigheaded Sicari warrior who continues to think he has to prove his love for me by giving up parts of himself, and the Tyet of Isis is a part of you."
Fotte, the woman was relentless. He stopped inside the large foyer at the foot of the stairs and turned to face her. "I'm not trying to prove anything. Just let it go, carissima. I have. There are others who can search for it."
"I can't let it go because I know how important it is to you." She pressed her fingers to his mouth when he started to protest. "No matter how much you deny it."
"And you have the audacity to call me stubborn," he groused. "You aren't going to give up, are you?"
"I love you, Ares, but I want to help you find the Tyet of Isis. Searching for the artifact will give me something useful to do."
"Emma . . ." He heard the indecision in his voice, and she pounced.
"Can you look me in the eye and say you don't care if the Praetorians find the Tyet of Isis first?" She had him there, and she knew it from the gleam in her eye. "I didn't think so. We can help each other, and we can beat those bastards at their own game."
She stepped forward and pressed her palms against his chest. He immediately caught her hands up in his and clasped them tight against him.
"Christus, it's too dangerous, Emma."
"It's always been dangerous. What's so different now?"
"In case you've forgotten, there's a rogue Sicari out there who tried to kill you that first night. We haven't been able to find out anything about the son of a bitch--where he is or where he came from. Not to mention the Praetorians now know you have your father's notebook. Hell, it was probably a risk going off the compound today."
"And if we do nothing, will that stop them from coming after me?" Her logic made him frown and she shook her head. "No, it won't. For the past five years, I've wondered if someone was eventually going to come after me. But I lived with my fear. I didn't hide because of it. I refused to let my fear control me. Don't ask me to surrender to it now."
"I'm not asking you to surrender to anything. I just don't want anything to happen to you," he rasped with a shake of his head. "I almost lost you once before, amore mia. I don't think I could go through that again."
A knot swelled in his throat as he remembered a blade flashing in the moonlight as it descended toward Emma. The image flooded him with pain and regret. He'd failed her that night, and he'd do his damnedest not to let it happen again. He leaned into her, his forehead coming to rest against hers. She pulled his hands to her lips and kissed each of his fingers.
"Has it occurred to you," she murmured, "that I'll feel the same fear when you go out on assignment? Don't you think I'll worry about you coming home safe to me?"
"I'm a trained Sicari warrior. I know how to take care of myself."
"As I recall, you needed stitches in your chest and shoulder the night we first met," she snapped. "So your training doesn't do a whole lot to reassure me."
"Those were unusual circumstances--" Her incredulous expression made him grimace. "Okay, so maybe it wasn't that unusual."
"You're also forgetting, il mio signore, that your wife is quite capable of protecting herself."
A slight smile touched his lips when she referred to him as my lord. It indicated a measure of submission on her part, not something she gave easily.
"You're a babe in the woods when it comes to using your ability, dolce mia."
He kissed her fingertips and avoided her gaze. It was impossible to miss the deep note of regret in his voice, and he knew she heard it, too. She caressed his cheek as an earnest expression swept over her face.
"I've come to terms with my Sicari ability, Ares. It's a part of me, and I wouldn't change that even if I could, because we belong to each other. But don't shut me out. Don't try to shield me from the dark side of your life. And we both know the Tyet of Isis is a part of that darkness."
"You make it sound so simple, carissima. The minute I agree to your request, I've placed you in danger." He shook his head.
"For God's sake, don't you see, I'm always going to be in danger. Nothing you do can change that." She shoved her imprisoned hand into his chest in a gesture of frustration. "Let me be your partner. Let me help you find the Tyet of Isis."
He stiffened at her words. Why was she hounding him to renew his search for the Tyet of Isis, let alone asking to join him in the fun? The woman didn't have any idea how dangerous it was. He grimaced as he ran his hand across the top of his head and down to his neck. No, she knew, she just didn't seem to care that it might end her life a lot sooner than she thought. The notion chilled him.
Although he'd found it difficult to forgive himself for sealing their bond without her permission, he'd managed to reconcile his guilt for that transgression. But it hadn't unshackled him from the knowledge that he'd failed to keep her safe. He'd taken her into a dangerous situation and almost gotten her killed. He should have tied her up and threatened her with bodily harm before agreeing to take her into that house. If he renewed the search for the Tyet of Isis and let her help, he'd be repeating his mistakes. Her gaze narrowed at him as if she wasn't sure what to say next. Whatever she saw on his face helped her make a decision.
"Atia told me what the artifact was and what it might contain." Her words stunned him, and before he could think clearly, he'd opened his mouth.
"How in the hell would she know what it is?"
"When she gave me access to the archives, she said the artifact's secret,
like a lot of other information, had been passed down from one Prima Consul to the next. Over time, key pieces of the story have become distorted or lost. But the one thing she's certain of is that the artifact is a small box engraved with carvings of the Tyet of Isis symbol."
"And what's in the box that the Prima Consul believes is so important?" he bit out.
"She isn't completely sure, but she thinks it has something to do with how the Sicari and the Praetorians got their abilities. If the Praetorians get to it first, then they might be able to use it against the Sicari."
The explanation made sense, but Atia always had an agenda. And he didn't like the fact that his godmother was willing to put Emma at risk to find the artifact. The memory of that night in her father's study slipped into his thoughts again, and he shook his head.
"No. I can't, inamorato."
