Chapter 12 #2
I bit my lip at that, but before I could ponder Iannis’s words much more, Garrett appeared. “Lunch is about to be served, and the Minister has been asking for you,” he said stiffly. He didn’t seem pleased to be playing messenger, and I hid another smirk.
“We’ll be right there,” Iannis said, but he did not budge.
He and Garrett stared at each other for a long moment, and I held my breath as tension crackled in the air.
Nearly a minute passed before Garrett broke the staring contest, settling for shooting a resentful look over his shoulder as he left us.
“I’m wondering when he’s going to outright challenge you do a duel,” I said once he was out of earshot.
“He wouldn’t dare risk the Ministers wrath by doing so, not when his position is still so new.
” Iannis’s hands settled on my shoulders, and he turned me to face him.
My breath caught at his simmering gaze, which was not filled with anger, but lust. Desire surged low in my belly, and I clutched at his arms as he kissed me hungrily.
His tongue swept against mine, deep, sure strokes that made my knees weak, and I cursed the sleeping cabins for their thin walls.
“I am growing tired of our unceasing company,” he murmured against my mouth, pulling away slightly.
“A deserted island would be nice right about now,” I agreed, and he gave me a crooked grin.
I considered kissing that gorgeous mouth again, but footsteps sounded, and we reluctantly broke apart.
We did have to answer the Minister’s summons, even if I was hungry for something other than food at the moment.
As we sat down to dinner, I noticed with some dismay that the portions had been calculated for mage appetites.
Resigning myself to the prospect of snacking from our private supplies later on, I ate slowly so I could stretch out the food as much as I could.
However, as soon as I’d cleaned my plate, a server appeared at my elbow with another platter piled high with various meats and fish.
“Compliments of Captain Zhou, miss,” he said, setting it down in front of me.
I raised my glass in thanks to Captain Zhou, who was sitting at another table, then tucked into my meal with gusto. Director Chen’s eyes fixed on me, and after a couple of minutes, I finally glanced up at her with a scowl.
“What? Am I being rude somehow?” Sure, I was eating a little fast, but I wasn’t making weird noises or spraying my food everywhere.
“No, of course not,” she assured me. “I am simply wondering if the Captain is sweet on you.”
“Nah.” Huffing out a laugh, I set my fork down.
“He just knows that we shifters need more food than most. I’ve gotta say, I’m really impressed by Garaian hospitality so far.
I’ll miss this kind of generosity when we return home.
” I caught Captain Zhou’s eye, and he grinned at the compliment, raising his wineglass to me.
“Hey,” I said to Zhou after dinner as we filed out of the dining hall. “I could use some exercise. What do you say to a bout of unarmed combat?”
He gave me a once over, taking in my leather and weapons, then glanced toward Iannis, who was just ahead. “Will your lover have a problem with that?”
“Sunaya is her own woman,” Iannis said, looking over his shoulders at us. The expression in his eyes suggested he wasn’t particularly thrilled about the idea of watching me fight another man. “But if it’s all the same, I will observe during the match.”
I met Zhou in the large cabin Iannis and I used for our magic lessons, thankful that, for once, I’d be getting some physical exercise.
Iannis took up a spot against the back wall, out of the way but still close enough to interfere should he feel it necessary.
I really hoped he didn’t—I understood his protective instincts, but I didn’t want a shining knight coming to my rescue.
I wanted a brawl.
“I don’t usually fight females,” Zhou warned as he stripped off his outerwear. Beneath, he wore a sleeveless undershirt that showed off his broad shoulders and the thick, corded muscles in his arms. “I won’t use my full strength on you.”
“Then you’re dead,” I said flatly, placing my leather jacket on a nearby table. We’d cleared a space in the center of the room, pushing the sparse furniture against the walls. “Because I won’t hold back.”
Zhou smirked a little as he watched me lay my weapons on the table. “Without your weapons, you’re no match for me.”
Refusing to let him rile me, I met him in the center of our makeshift ring.
We locked eyes as we bowed, and I refused to break the gaze as we both sank into fighting stances.
Zhou’s stance was much looser than mine, leaving his broad chest and throat exposed, and I bit back a grin.
He’d never be able to get past my tighter stance, and he was a walking target.
“Begin,” Iannis said, and I shot forward, already swinging.
But Zhou was much faster than I’d anticipated, and before my fist could connect, he was already behind me.
I whirled around, and he swept out his foot, knocking me to the ground.
I landed on my ass with a hiss, then rolled backward and onto my feet, avoiding his kick and just barely managing to stay inside the ring.
Snarling, I sprang at him sideways and scissored my legs around his hips and knees, sending him slamming to the ground before he could turn.
“Got you!” I crowed, grabbing his legs. But before I could get them into a lock, he twisted out of my grip.
Next thing I knew, he was on top of me, driving the breath out of my lungs as he dropped his full weight on my chest. I bucked hard, trying to get him off, but he grabbed my wrist and slid his arm beneath mine, then locked his hands and pulled.
“Okay, okay!” I cried as pain shot up my arm, smacking at his thigh with my free hand. “I give.”
Smirking, Zhou got to his feet, then helped me to mine. “You fought well,” he said as I gulped in air. “But you’ve a long way to go if you think to best me in unarmed combat.”
We fought twice more, and even though I managed to get him into a lock during one of the bouts, he still beat me easily.
By the time we’d finished, I was sweaty and breathless, sore and tired, and my pride was a little bruised.
But I was nevertheless satisfied, and we parted on amiable terms before Iannis and I returned to our room.
“Is that enough to tide you over for the rest of the trip?” Iannis asked, sounding a little amused as I flopped onto the bed. “Or are you still in need of more ‘exercise’?”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “I’m not going to let you take me down a peg,” I told him as he sat down on the bed next to me.
“So what if he kicked my ass? It was still a good workout.” Yeah, so I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t won a single match.
But I couldn’t really complain—the guy had forty years of experience on me, and a good deal more muscle.
If he hadn’t been a shifter, I might have been able to beat him, but shifter males were stronger than females.
“Of course,” Iannis said. He pressed a kiss to my sweaty brow, then made a face. “Now why don’t we get you cleaned up?”
Despite the awe-inspiring views, the delicious food, and the magic lessons, I was getting antsy at the ridiculously long time it was taking to get to Bilai.
The last leg of our trip we spent aboard an oversized airship.
Its golden silk canvas was half covered with white swathes of the same fabric, to signify that we were in mourning.
Weighed down as we were, our airship was among the last to arrive, but the Imperial protocol official who received us did not betray the slightest irritation at the delay—he was all smiles, a true professional.
He didn’t even react at the sight of my shifter eyes.
“Please follow me,” he said, and we fell in behind him with the Minister up front and the servants behind us. The Imperial Palace was not far from the open space in which we’d landed, and I gazed around curiously, wondering what exotic sights we were about to behold.
“Try to look bored,” Iannis advised me in mindspeak. “We come from a great country too.”
I schooled my expression, forcing my wandering eyes straight ahead. Iannis was right—if I acted overawed, I would appear provincial, even if I had never visited an emperor’s palace before. You’re a descendant of Resinah, I reminded myself, lifting my chin.
As it turned out, the Imperial Palace was not a single structure, as I’d imagined from the name, but a small city set within high walls, consisting of over a dozen buildings of various sizes.
Even its spacious halls, however, were not big enough to hold all the heads of state and their parties invited to this shindig.
So the Garaians had custom-built another small city on what was normally an empty space used for parades and exercises by the imperial guard.
Each delegation was assigned its own pavilion, made of beautifully carved wood, and each one different, incorporating elements from the guests’ home countries. It was ridiculously impressive.
“How did they manage to build all this in just a few weeks?” I asked as we approached our own lodgings. The Northian pavilion was decorated by a frieze featuring grizzlies, condors, wolves, and buffalo, and the door was inlaid with semi-precious stones forming a map of our Federation.
“Garaians are very good at organizing,” Iannis explained as we inspected our adjoining rooms. They were not overly large, but comfortably furnished with colorful silk hangings, and the canopied beds with a multitude of soft pillows looked most inviting.
“I imagine they did the planning and some of the work beforehand, since the late Emperor was ailing and senile for some time.”
A pretty Garaian woman rushed in and bowed deeply. “Lord, Lady, the Empress’s reception will begin in two hours—may I help you get ready?” From her tone, that was not nearly long enough to prepare. We had arrived in the nick of time.
“I can manage,” Iannis said, “but you’d best use her help, Sunaya.” He spoke to the servant in Garaian, and I swallowed a little as she advanced on me in a purposeful manner. Steeling my shoulders, I allowed her to guide me into a chair, then held still as she began to work her magic on me.
After all, there was a good chance I might run into my father in two hours. And if I did, I at least wanted to do it in style.