Authors: Emma Raveling
"I really have things I need to do. But I'll attend the dinner at the Governing House tomorrow."
His eyes narrowed. "You sure?"
"I'll personally escort your niece," I promised. "And Marcella will have her chance to bemoan the state of my life."
Satisfied, he nodded in acknowledgment at a few recruits. "At least it'll be entertaining. Did you see the way she took on Rhian?"
Shaking his head, he mumbled something about family resemblances and entered the Training Center. I slowly headed out to the Academy parking lot, immersing myself in the bustling activity of the campus.
Every day, I watched and listened. To the whispers of the air and murmurings of the elements. To the soothing cadences of Bach and the actions and intentions of those around me.
In observing, examining, and thinking, I reminded myself that I was still here. That I hadn't succumbed to the darkness.
That I was still alive.
Yet after all this time, I couldn't recall anyone looking at me quite like the way she did in Pelletier's office. Rhian's request for gardinel security hadn't gone over very well.
A reluctant smile tugged at my lips as I remembered the stormy expression, stubbornly tilted chin, and heated cheeks. In that moment, I'd caught a glimpse of what was true within her. The unadulterated life that blazed as bright as her aura.
The
sondaleur
certainly prized her independence. It was a feeling I understood, even envied a little.
That heated spark of challenge in her eyes only deepened my curiosity and I wondered what else lay hidden behind that armor of hers.
FOUR
The door opened.
Since I heard Pelletier's report and the whispers buzzing through campus, I'd expected the worst. But seeing her was still like a punch to the ribs.
Her complexion was pale, hair disheveled as if she'd been running her fingers through it. A trace of moisture remained on the curve of her cheek and glistening drops clung to dark lashes.
Anger flared through my veins. I could just imagine what they said to her.
"Let's go."
Determination glinted in her eyes, her expression daring me to mention any of it.
I knew she rarely, if ever, trusted others. According to Nexa, it was an inevitable consequence of possessing Empath.
But I suddenly had the urge to hold her. Not to offer comfort, but quiet privacy. A way of giving safe haven for her to let down that armor, even if it was just for a moment.
Uncomfortable at the odd thought, I gave a rough nod and walked ahead. She kept pace beside me in silence.
Ewan and Garreth waited in the parking lot with the other two ondines coming tonight.
Chloe nervously tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Kendra —"
She gave an exaggerated groan. "Let's just get this torture session over with. Spending time with grandma is not exactly what I'm in the mood for."
Garreth slid behind the wheel and Ewan joined him up front. Kendra slipped into the back row of the SUV and I settled next to her. It was the closest we'd been since the drive to Haverleau in my car.
Her scent swept over my senses like a heated caress and my body instinctively responded, aware of how near she was.
Aware in a way I shouldn't be.
I shifted and glanced out the window. Maybe Gabe was right and I needed time off. I should head home for a few weeks and visit Dax.
But going home meant dealing with my father and I wanted to put that off as long as possible.
"Are you going as prince or gardinel?"
Startled, I glanced at her. "The Governor invited me as a guest."
"So that means you're Prince Belicoux tonight. Any reason why you didn't tell me about the prince part when we first met, Your Highness?"
That form of address sounded wrong coming from her. "I met you while performing a job as a gardinel. Not as a prince."
She made a sound of irritation. I couldn't blame her - what kind of answer was that?
"Hey, when you came to get me…" She hesitated. "Did you think I was this
sondaleur
person?"
The car fell silent. Ewan shifted and I caught Garreth's eyes in the rearview mirror. From the doubt in her tone, it was clear she'd just found out about it.
"I believed you were. But I wasn't sure until we met." I remembered her in that alley. "Now I know you are."
"Did my mom believe it?" Her voice wavered slightly. "When she contacted you to arrange for me to come here, did she believe I was the
sondaleur
?"
Somehow I was always the one to share what Naida kept from her. And each time, I felt like the biggest ass in the world.
"Yes, she did."
Without another word, she turned to the window. I couldn't see her expression. Only her hands, clenched into fists on her lap.
She remained silent for the rest of the ride and with each passing minute my concern grew. In one day, she'd been bombarded with information that not only altered the course of her future, but also changed everything she knew about her past.
It was too much for anyone to handle all at once.
The SUV came to a stop in the courtyard and she reached for the door.
I touched her arm. "Are you okay?"
"Sure, gardinel."
She was doing it again as if she could push me away with her flippant tone. But I now saw her eyes, expressive and utterly incapable of lying. Pain, fear, and resentment blazed.
Uneasy, I followed her into the Governing House. This dinner with the Governor and other Redavi didn't seem like such a great idea.
A familiar figure crossed the massive marble foyer.
"Evening, Augustin."
The handsome demillir flashed his trademark smile. "Nice to see you again, Prince Belicoux."
"Are you joining us?"
"No. I need to get some work done in the library tonight."
Bright periwinkle eyes briefly lingered on Kendra. Nothing in his expression gave away the fact that he'd spent several hours discussing her today.
After a few minutes of conversation, Augustin headed down the east corridor and I led the ondines to the private dining room located at the back. Introductions were quickly made and we settled around the long, mahogany table.
The Governor's strategizing led to this dinner. Pelletier had assigned Aubrey as tutor based on Rhian's request. It was likely that she and Chloe would then befriend Kendra first.
Oliver and Miriam Moreaux were allies and highly respected Council members. Henry and Lydia Rossay were influential among the opposition. How Rhian handled the return of her Rogue granddaughter in front of them was important.
"You were human?" Kendra finally lifted her eyes and focused on Gabe.
He nodded. "One hundred percent born and raised."
"Gabe was in Special Forces." Marcella beamed. "We met while I was vacationing in Okinawa, Japan. He was attending a special meeting at the military base."
"Once Gabe became a demillir, his military training was an asset to the chevaliers," I explained. "He soon became Head Chevalier."
Surprise followed by a look of shrewd calculation crossed her face.
"How was your first day, Kendra?" Marcella asked warmly. "Have you been able to adjust?"
"It was fine." A deliberately bland response. "I've changed schools a lot so I'm used to being the new girl."
Lydia Rossay gave a haughty sniff. "I'm sure an elemental school is vastly different from human ones. The adjustment must be quite difficult for you. From what I've heard, you don't even understand some of our basic moral codes."
"Aunt Lydia—"
"Don't interrupt me, dear." She dismissed Aubrey with barely a glance.
Kendra's face tightened, her anger sharpening to a blade edge.
"I'm sorry your poor mother didn't have a chance to educate you so that you could be better prepared for Haverleau life." Lydia remained oblivious to the thickening tension in the air. "But making offensive statements in public does not make you look good."
I concentrated on keeping my expression blank. Her statement indicated a bigger problem. Gossip had already reached the Redavi. They could use what happened in that classroom as an excuse to weaken or dismiss our claim that she was the
sondaleur
.
Kendra's eyes narrowed. Her fork was dangerously starting to look like a weapon. "I was just expressing my opinion."
"That may be." Rhian finally spoke up. "But sometimes it is wiser to hold off on expressing an opinion when you don't have all the facts yet."
The harsh rawness of her laughter scraped against my skin. "I didn't realize stating an opinion was against the law in Haverleau, Governor. But I forgot. You locked my mother up in a psych ward because she expressed her own opinion, didn't you?"
It wasn't my place to intervene, no matter how much I wanted to. This was a family affair.
"That wasn't what —" Marcella began.
"No. I will not dignify that with an answer. Your undisciplined behavior is unfortunate." The command in Rhian's voice was absolute. "But you have just arrived back to Haverleau,
sondaleur
."
Oliver's eyes widened slightly and Lydia's mouth parted in shock. Good. By publicly addressing Kendra with that title, Rhian established it as fact. It would be difficult for others to openly oppose the Governor on the issue.
"I suggest you start understanding the responsibility you have toward your fellow ondines and the Irisavie name."
It was always the same in our world. Imposed societal roles constrained us while war demanded continual sacrifice.
I held Kendra's gaze, understanding the turmoil swirling in their depths.
A part of me, the gardinel that trained for years to watch and protect, wanted to defend her. Keep everyone away so she could continue free and unfettered like the way she danced back in that San Aurelio club.
But this wasn't about being a gardinel. This was about being Crown Prince and achieving certain necessary objectives. Elementals needed to accept her as
sondaleur
.
She
needed to accept it.
Her eyes finally dropped and tension leached out of her body. When she looked up at Rhian, the storm in her expression had faded and she gave an abrupt nod.
Oliver deftly changed the subject and the mood lightened. Marcella gave a tiny sigh, her brow furrowed with worry.
To ask so much of Kendra…were we doing the right thing?
I couldn't afford to think that way. My job was to focus on the bigger picture and do whatever was needed to help elementals.
This was business and politics as usual. Nothing personal.
Then why did I have the troubling sense that with her it wasn't so simple?
FIVE
Humans packed the streets of downtown Lyondale, eager to enjoy the mild spring weather. It made our task more difficult. We needed to move quickly without attracting undue attention.
Fear and anger combined into a hard knot in my stomach. If Ewan hadn't checked on her before curfew, we wouldn't have realized she'd left.
Three Redavi ondines shouldn't be out here alone. Especially the
sondaleur
.
"This is the fifth place, Your Highness," Garreth murmured. "Are you sure —"
"I'm sure."
She'd seethed with barely repressed frustration at dinner the other night. All that pent-up energy needed a release. She was at a club. I was almost certain of it.
I remembered the Aquidae who targeted her in San Aurelio and the jagged edges of tension intensified.
We had to find her before they did.
Dozens of humans waited outside Club Axis, the newest addition to the city's nightlife. We walked past the line snaking around the block.
"Hey."
The bouncer moved, barring the door with his body. Muscular build, roughly the same height as me. Critical eyes slid over us, lingering a bit longer on Garreth's scuffed boots. His face pinched with judgment.
"You guys on the list?" He nodded at the clipboard in his hand. "If not, there's the line."
A low, menacing growl rumbled from Garreth's chest. I concentrated on keeping my furious impatience in check.
We didn't have time for this human's self-important bullshit.
I tossed a few bills on his precious clipboard. "We just want to have a good time."
The bouncer held my gaze for a moment. I raised my brow, painfully aware of every second that passed.
Unfortunately, causing a scene by shoving him aside wasn't an option.
He glanced at the line behind us. The weight of attention, mostly from human females, pressed against my back. Despite his disapproval, we made the club look good.
Come on. You know it's part of your job.
He finally reached that conclusion. With a smooth movement that showed it wasn't his first time, he slid the cash into his jacket pocket.
"Enjoy your night." His toothy smile reminded me of an alligator.
We stepped through the iron doors. Garreth swore and Ewan winced from the sensory assault. Adrian shook his head as if trying to clear it.
Music thrashed, the dissonant vibrations grinding against my bones. The heavy odor of alcohol, sweat, and assorted colognes and perfumes clogged the air. Flashes of red, purple, and blue strobe lights pulsed.
But none of it bothered me. Because I'd caught the faintest trace of jasmine.
At the far wall. Three auras. One blazing purer and brighter than the others.
Eyes scoured the immediate vicinity, assessing every person and examining every dark corner.
No Aquidae. No threat.
My attention shifted back to their booth.
Chloe and Aubrey were enthusiastically getting to know two human males. University students.
Kendra led a third one to the dance floor. The slight tilt of her walk meant that blade of hers was probably in a thigh sheath. There was no where else to keep it under that dress.
The coil of tension spiraled deeper in my gut and for a moment, I forgot to breathe.
Her cool eyes glittered through the crush of undulating bodies.
A darker edge gleamed in their depths tonight.