Chapter 1 #2
“That’s one way to put it,” he agreed, closing the distance between us with long, determined strides.
The heat spread lower as he pressed me up against the wall, cupping the sides of my face with his long-fingered hands.
“I missed you,” he growled, feathering kisses over my cheeks, my nose, and my jaw.
I grabbed his head and yanked his mouth to mine, hungry for more.
He smelled of sweat and man and magic, and I greedily inhaled his scent in as I kissed him like a woman starved.
My fingers twined in his long, dark red hair, the strands sliding against my skin like silk, and his hard body pressed tightly against mine as he kissed me back just as fiercely.
My hands roamed over his naked skin, sliding down the plates of muscle layered over his broad back, then molding around his finely toned ass.
The muscles flexed in my hands as he growled something in Loranian, and I gasped as his body heat flowed over my suddenly naked skin.
“You’ve been holding out on me with that trick,” I gasped as he picked me up and carried me to the bed.
“Of course,” he said roughly, covering my body with his own. His eyes gleamed with wicked intent as he leaned in to nip my earlobe. “I’ve got to maintain the upper hand between us somehow.”
He fused his mouth to mine, driving the pithy comment I was about to make straight out of my mind with his talented tongue and teeth.
There was no more talking after that. Our lovemaking was fast and furious, a voracious clash of passion and will as we sought release and completion with one another.
There was biting, hair pulling, and maybe a few claw marks.
But best of all was the savage satisfaction when we finally reached the edge, when I watched Iannis throw back his head and roar his pleasure as I found mine as well.
I had given him that. Me and no one else. Iannis ar’Sannin, Chief Mage of Canalo, was mine. And soon enough, we would be legally and magically bound unto death.
“So much for dressing up for dinner,” I teased, stroking a hand down his sweaty back. His muscles were sleek, smooth, and completely relaxed as he lay atop me, his head nestled in the crook of my shoulder, his warm breath tickling my skin. “I think you ripped my dress.”
“That’s all right,” Iannis said, turning his cheek so he could press a kiss against my neck. “We’ll just dine naked.”
I chuckled. A few months ago, I never could have imagined dining with the Chief Mage clothed, never mind naked. “I have a feeling we won’t get much eating done if we do that,” I said, running my fingers through his hair.
He lifted his head to look down at me with those gorgeous violet eyes.
“I believe I’ve proved myself capable of doing more than one thing at a time,” he said, a languorous smile coming to his full lips.
He reached between our bodies as he lowered his mouth to mine, clearly intending to give me a demonstration.
The scent of steak and potatoes drifted in, and a different kind of hunger came roaring back. “Let’s switch gears for a sec,” I said, swatting his hand away so I could sit up. “Our food’s arriving.”
Despite Iannis’s earlier suggestion, he tossed a robe in my direction, then put on one himself and went out in the living-room area of his suite.
I waited until the server left, then joined him at the small dining table.
Starving now, I attacked my plate of food with the same single-minded devotion that I’d just showed in Iannis’s bed, and didn’t speak again until I’d cleared my second plate.
“Mmm,” I said, sitting back in my chair and resting a hand over my belly. “That was delicious. So, what did you and the Minister talk about while you were in Dara?”
Iannis swallowed his bite of asparagus. “There were various matters of state to discuss, but the main reason he wanted to see me so urgently was the Resistance, as you no doubt have already guessed.” He gave me a small smile.
“Yeah, I remember Director Chen said he wanted to discuss ‘the Garaian matter’ with you,” I said. “Was he referring to the lab at Leniang Port? Or the gun running, for that matter?”
“Indeed. It turns out that the Minister was already aware of the facility, and had sent out a mission to destroy it several weeks ago. But the operatives, two men and a woman, have not reported back, and the Minister is beginning to worry that something may have happened to them. Not that he cares so much about them as individuals,” he added dryly.
“It’s more that if their mission was discovered, it might affect our trade with Garai. ”
“I see.” I ran my tongue along my upper teeth. I already knew the Minister was a coldhearted bastard, so his motives didn’t surprise me. “Is he suggesting that we go and handle it personally?”
“That possibility was discussed, but it would draw too much attention for an official of my status to travel to Garai,” Iannis said ruefully.
“I have no legitimate business in Garai to use as a cover. Besides, the Minister is debating whether it is worth sending another mission—after all, we cannot afford to simply throw our men away.”
“Whether it’s worth it?” I exclaimed, indignant.
“Of course it’s worth it! He’ll just have to figure out what went wrong and find a way around it.
We definitely can’t tolerate that facility remaining open for long—the Resistance is funneling their guns through there, not to mention those awful diseases. ”
“I agree, but, ultimately, it is the Minister’s decision,” Iannis said, though it didn’t sound like he meant it, at least not entirely. After all, Iannis, Fenris, and I could think of some way to deal with the problem if the Minister refused to act.
“Is that really all you discussed?” I asked. “You were gone for a few days.”
“No, we discussed many tedious subjects like upcoming legislation, and, of course, rounding up the remaining Resistance units,” Iannis said dismissively.
It was clear he didn’t intend on giving me all the details.
“And what of you, Sunaya? Has everything been going well in my absence? How are your Loranian lessons with Fenris coming along?”
“Well enough,” I muttered, even as my mood turned sour at the very thought. I hated the lessons, mostly because Loranian was so damn hard to learn. I took a deep breath. “I received a letter the other day, from Isana ar’Rhea of Castalis.”
“What?” Iannis’s head jerked upward, and our gazes clashed.
There was a short pause, fraught with tension, and then those violet eyes narrowed.
“You appear to be fully aware of that name’s significance,” he said at last. “I take it that, against my advice, you have been digging into your family history?”
“Yes,” I said, squaring my shoulders. I wasn’t going to let Iannis make me feel guilty about this.
“I enlisted Janta’s help, and I found out that Haman ar’Rhea is not only my father, but also the High Mage of Castalis.
” I gave him a dry look. “I also learned their line is directly descended from Resinah. Guess that makes me pretty special.”
“Indeed.” Iannis sighed, looking resigned. “I suppose you have a right to this knowledge, though I doubt it will do you much good right now. I hope that your investigation is not what drew Ms. ar’Rhea’s attention to you.”
“No, as a matter of fact, it wasn’t.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Apparently, Isana saw my face in the paper and noticed a resemblance. She wants to come to the wedding, probably to see if we really do have a connection.”
Iannis pressed his lips together. “Please show me the letter. I would like to read it myself.”
I went back to my room to retrieve it, trying not to be annoyed.
After all, I knew Iannis would react this way.
When I came back, he was sitting on the couch, his face turned toward the empty fireplace.
I handed him the letter, then sat down on the opposite side and waited for him to finish reading it.
Once he was done, he folded it up, then stared into the empty grate for a long moment.
“Well?” I demanded, unable to stand the silence any longer. “What’s going through your head?”
Iannis turned his head toward me slowly, his eyes hard. “It could be that this girl—your half-sister—has an unusually enlightened attitude toward shifters, but I suspect that this letter was not young Isana’s idea at all. More likely, it was dictated to her by one of her parents.”
“Her parents?” I recoiled at that thought. “You mean it’s possible that my father told her to write that?” But why?
“Yes, or even worse, her grandfather, the former High Mage of Castalis.” Worry entered Iannis’s gaze, and he reached for my hand, squeezing it hard.
“Haman’s father-in-law is utterly ruthless, as he amply demonstrated during the century he was High Mage himself.
He may have stepped down officially, but I suspect he is still more powerful than Haman.
If he knew or suspected that you were related to his daughter’s family, he would go to whatever lengths he deemed necessary to remove you as a threat.
You may not know this, but Castalians are strongly prejudiced against shifters, and Haman’s entire family would be considered disgraced if your existence were discovered. ”
“Yeah, Janta told me about how one of the previous High Mages drove all the shifters out of their borders.” My lip curled in a sneer. “If that’s how they still feel about shifters, then I don’t want anything to do with them anyway.”
“Good,” Iannis said firmly, covering my hand with his own.
“So long as that’s your attitude, you should be perfectly safe.
I strongly recommend you avoid contact with them if at all possible.
As for Isana’s letter, you should write back that the resemblance is simply a coincidence.
Sometimes a lie is necessary to save everyone untold trouble. Including Isana herself.”
“And what about her request to attend our wedding?” I asked. Was it really wise to snub a member of the ruling family of another country?
“Tell her she is welcome to visit if she likes, but that things are still in an uproar because of our recent troubles with the Resistance, and that it would be safer if she waited until things had calmed down. That should dissuade her.”
“True,” I said, biting my lip. I’d be dissuaded too, if the country I was planning to visit turned out to be dealing with a huge rebel problem.
Would we ever be free of the Resistance?
I wondered, staring out the window. Or were we forever going to be dealing with them, like a persistent illness that we just couldn’t shake?