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April 7 - April 9, 2024
Then there were the Sitian spies sneaking into Ixia. They were harder to find as they used magic to hide. The use of magic was outlawed in Ixia, and it was up to Valek to hunt down the magicians and deal with them. Up to him because he was the only person in Ixia immune to magic.
he had no love for the monarchy. Quite the opposite. His role in the Commander’s takeover fifteen years ago had been to assassinate the King and his family.
To appease his boss, Valek had issued a challenge to everyone in Ixia. If any person could beat Valek in a fight, they would become his second.
“He has a big mouth, but can he fight without?” Valek asked.
Her smile transformed her face. He’d thought her beautiful before, but now… Valek’s heart stuttered to a stop. Then an unfamiliar emotion shocked his heart back into motion with its intensity. It took him a long moment to name it. Jealousy. Margg’s words from earlier sounded in his mind. Are you insane? Perhaps. Because nothing else explained his illogical reaction.
Rand always befriended the food tasters. Which always ended badly.
“What if she falls in love with you? And you fall for her, and you want to get married?” “That’s not going to happen.” The Commander turned serious. “Why not?” “I’m already married.” “You are?” “Yes.” “To whom?” “You.” Which meant he was married to his job and to Ixia as well. They were a package deal. Ambrose pretended to be shocked. “I had no idea.” “Clearly, or we wouldn’t have separate apartments.”
Now Yelena exchanged a look with the Commander. Valek suspected he’d missed something important. Perhaps this dessert didn’t have the same effect on him. He’d have to keep a closer eye on them to see if this Criollo was addictive.
Ohhhhh its magic isnt it
Glad i remember nothing from this series lol
Valek shifted to get a better view. Yelena stripped the big Cheketo leaves. Why would she expose her position? Confused, he watched. As the reason for her actions became clear, his heart confirmed what the confusing emotions he’d been experiencing since the night of the fire festival meant. Confirmed what he’d been pushing away and denying. Confirmed that there was someone else besides the Commander that he would gladly die for. That a world without Yelena would be a world not worth living in. That he’d fallen in love with her.
Whenever he spotted her through the leaves, a wide smile always lit her face. Good for her. It made him happy to see her enjoying the exercise.
Valek eased closer. Yelena sat in the middle of the clearing, rooting through her backpack. Not only alive, but she also appeared unharmed. The power of his relief knocked him to his knees. It took him a moment to regain his composure and another dozen heartbeats to suppress the overwhelming desire to run to her, sweep her into his arms, hug her tight, and never let her go. He huffed a laugh over what he imagined would be her response. A slap to the face if he was lucky, a kick to the groin if he wasn’t.
Great. Now she thought he killed babies.
Valek jogged away, but, once he was out of sight, he just couldn’t go further until he knew Yelena was safe.
Yelena had gone to bed. She’d left a few lanterns burning. The soft yellow glow illuminated the cleared space around her end of the couch. Her books and notes were stacked on the end table. His had been pushed into a corner. Instead of annoyance, a warmth spread like the whisky had earlier. She’d carved out a space for herself not only in his living room, but in his heart.
But the thought of leaving Yelena for an extended time made him physically ill. He realized he’d been enjoying her company in the evenings far too much. Which was a surprise since it was all rather…domestic. They chatted about their day. Yelena discussed the progress on her research, and she asked him questions about fighting and self-defense. He sought her advice on a few personnel problems and minor investigations. How had that become the highlight of his day? This love stuff was strange.
What was the point of being the most feared man in Ixia if no one recognized him? Perhaps Valek should wear a name tag.
“Smart. In this business, trusting is a weakness.” Valek agreed with that sentiment. Yet, it didn’t quite work in real life. You had to trust some people, or you couldn’t call it living.
He’d been wrong about her and he wanted to fix that mistake, to show he trusted her, believed in her. “Yelena.” She halted in the threshold, looking back over her shoulder. “You once said I wasn’t ready to believe your reason for killing Reyad. I’ll believe you now.” “But I’m not ready to tell you,” she said and left.
Yelena turned her attention to him. “I was attacked.” “By who?” He’d kill them.
“Who?” Valek repeated. “Nix, a guard in Parffet’s unit. Said he worked for Brazell and warned me to stop training.” “I’ll kill him.”
“He’s probably long gone by now. I’ll send someone to the barracks.” Because he didn’t trust himself not to kill the man on sight.
“But it looks like he can walk?” Valek gave her a tight smile. “Not for long.”
Good enough? Or should I kill him?” He hoped she’d chose that option because he’d happily kill Nix for her.
Valek whispered in her ear. His lips lightly brushed her cheek and a spike of heat hit him dead center. She smelled like lavender. He moved back before he did something incredibly stupid, like press a kiss to her temple.
If she planned to strangle him, he doubted he could stop her because he’d frozen in complete shock. She kneaded the tight muscles along his back and neck, and he realized she was giving him a massage. He relaxed and enjoyed it. It’d probably never happen again. “What would you do,” she asked, “if suddenly the world was perfect, and you had no one to spy on?” “I’d be bored,” Valek said. Unless you were with me, love.
He studied her expression and saw the horror fill her gaze as she figured it out. She would be the first person executed under the new regime. Nodding, he said, “Right. Brazell.” And I won’t let him harm you, love. Valek would switch out the puzzle pieces tomorrow night and name a new successor. After all, if the Commander was dead no one would know. And if he was caught and hung as a traitor, it’d still be worth it to save Yelena.
“Rest,” he ordered. He turned to leave. “Valek,” she said. “Why didn’t you kill Mogkan?” He longed to tell her the truth. Because I love you. But that wouldn’t be wise. “A tactical maneuver. Mogkan would have killed you before I could finish him. You’re the key to too many puzzles. I need you.”
She crinkled her brow. “What do you want, Valek?” she demanded. “Do you want me to give up trying? Be content with this poisoned life?” “Do you really want to know?” Valek asked with intensity. Do you want to know I’ve fallen in love with you? Or would that scare you more than dying from Butterfly’s Dust? He stood and walked over to her.
“I want you…” Too much. “Not as an unwilling servant, but as a loyal staff member. You’re intelligent, quick-thinking, and becoming a decent fighter. I want you to be as dedicated as I am at keeping the Commander safe. Yes, it’s a dangerous job, but, on the other hand, one miscalculated somersault on the tightrope could break your neck. That’s what I want. Will you be able to give it to me?” Valek met her gaze, seeking an answer. “Besides, where would you go? You belong here.” With me, love.
“What have I earned from you, Valek? Loyalty? Respect? Trust?” You have my heart. But that wasn’t what she needed to hear. “You have my attention. But give me what I want, and you can have everything.” He promised.
She met his gaze, then turned and left his office. She needed time. He knew that. He’d give her all the time she needed. Deep inside, he sensed that it’d be worth the wait. That, if…no, when she committed and trusted him, revealing her true self, she’d knock him off his feet.
Her eyes flew open. “Valek! My love! My love!” Taking her hand in his, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Shhh. It’s okay. You were perfect. You saved us.”
Ari sobered and looked at Yelena. “However, I’d rather stop others from causing harm than be a scout, regardless of the drudgery.” He met Valek’s gaze. “Most of her ravings were nonsense words, but not all. It’s a good thing Reyad is dead, or I’d have to request leave to go kill him.” Valek was tempted to ask for details, but he’d rather wait until she trusted him enough to share her story.
Ari’s comments confirmed Valek’s guess that Ari and Janco were a package deal. “What about Janco? Would he be able to handle the grind?” “Janco only has two speeds: in motion or asleep. But I’m working on him.” “You are the voice of reason. Why do you put up with him? He’d drive most people crazy.” “That’s all part of his charm,” Ari joked. “Despite his tendency to act like a distracted puppy, I wouldn’t want anyone else guarding my back. Janco would do anything for a friend, and he sees the fun side of life. I tend to forget that there is a fun side.” “There is?” Valek asked in mock surprise.
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She explained that she had inadvertently told Rand about Valek’s undercover surveillance of Star’s operation. It was the last thing he needed to hear. “It’s your fault,” she said, correctly reading his expression. “I was defending you!” He didn’t quite know how to respond. Nothing like this had ever happened before. “In protecting my honor, you exposed months of work. I should be flattered?” “You should,” she said with full conviction.
“Magic surrounds the world like a blanket. Magicians have the ability to tap into the magic. They draw thin threads from this blanket and use it to light a fire, or move an object, or read a person’s thoughts, or heal, or any number of different things. Some magicians can only do one thing, others two or more. The master-level magicians can do everything. Unfortunately, magic is invisible, so you might not even know a magician is targeting you.”
“Magic sucks.” Trust Janco to sum things up so succinctly.
Valek cleaned the tarnish off the silver until it glinted in the lantern light. Then he threaded it through the hole in the butterfly. Cupping the necklace in his hand, he laid down and finally fell asleep.
“Wait, Yelena, there’s one more thing.” Valek summoned the courage. Would she reject his gift? “I want you to have this.” He showed her the butterfly pendant and necklace, then, without waiting for a response, he looped the necklace around her neck. “When I carved this statue, I was thinking about you. Delicate in appearance, but with a strength unnoticed at first glance.” His gaze met hers. Please be safe, love.
Fierce, determined, dangerous. No wonder her soul called to his.
“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” He waited for more bad news. “I love you.” Valek wrapped her in his arms as tears welled. Despite the danger waiting for them, today had been a true gift. “My love has been yours since the fire festival. If those goons had killed you, I knew then that I would never be the same. I didn’t want or expect this. But I couldn’t resist you.”
Valek handed Yelena her knife. She’d saved his life. Bowing, he said, “My love, for you.”
