“You felt that?”
“Yep.” She squared her shoulders. “And okay, fine. If you have to kiss her, you have to kiss her. And believe me, I do not envy you. That’s taking one for the team a little far. I mean, I think I’d rather endure the stabbing myself instead of having to kiss her.”
He nearly choked on a laugh. “This is not funny, Jane.”
“I know.” But she’d much rather he laugh than worry over her reaction. “As long as you survive, I’m good with the plan. Please tell me you’ll be able to hurt her once you absorb her powers.”
“Yes.” Absolute determination radiated from him. “I will.”
“Then I guess sticking your tongue down the devil’s throat has a nice enough payoff.” She punched him in the arm. “Good luck, tiger.”
He laughed again, this time far less strained. “Thank you. Now. Will you please stay here?”
“Nope, sorry. I may not possess any magic of my own, but Laila still assumes I’m Odette. You might need me. Therefore, I’m sticking to your side as if I’ve been glued there.”
A moment passed in silence, then another. Finally he pinched the bridge of his nose. “All right. You may come with me. If things do not progress as I hope, you are to run to Elden, and search out the prince Dayn. Trust no one else. Tell him you belong to me. Tell him you are my betrothed.”
How sad he suddenly sounded. At the thought of losing her? “And he’ll believe me?” Not that she would leave. She wouldn’t, not for any reason. They would be together.
“I’ve marked you, so yes. Yes, he will. He is a blood drinker, like me.”
When he turned away, she grabbed his arm. A puny move but one that worked all the same. “You found your brother?”
“Not yet. I have a feeling you will succeed where I have failed.”
Again, he went to leave. Again, she held on to him. “So you are a prince?”
“Yes,” he repeated. “The crown prince, destined to rule all of Elden.”
This time, he remained in place, awaiting her response. She released him and shrugged. “That explains a lot.”
He blinked down at her. “That’s all you have to say on the subject?”
“Yeah.” He was royalty. So what? Everyone had a flaw.
She bent down, grabbed the strap of her pack and hefted the heavy thing onto her shoulder. The cord dug into her muscle, but she didn’t allow herself to wince. Nicolai would take the burden upon himself, and he needed his hands free.
“Just don’t expect me to be all humble and obey your every whim. That’s not going to happen. So are we doing this or what?”
His lashes fused, hiding his irises, as he leaned down, wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, softly, sweetly, a tender lover expressing his gratitude. For what? she wondered, then she forgot the question. Her lips tingled. Their tongues met briefly, and she tasted him. Wanted more. Always, she wanted more.
He straightened and sighed. “I do not want her magic affecting you, Jane. If I fail and she turns on you—”
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I might be a vampire so I don’t give a shit. I’ll heal.”
His brow knitted with confusion and anger. “No one will be breaking your bones.”
She patted his cheek. “I believe I’ve already told you that I’m going with you and that’s final. Stop trying to talk me out of it.”
Maybe he could feel her determination. Maybe he hated the thought of being apart as much as she did. Either way, his hands left her and he nodded. “Stubborn baggage.”
“I’ll take that to mean delightful female.”
“You’d be right.” He twined their fingers and ushered her outside, into the night. The moon was hidden behind thick, dark clouds, the air cool and moist. A storm must be brewing.
There was a campfire crackling a few feet away, casting golden rays and heat, but no guards around it. Actually, there was no sign of life anywhere. Not even in front of Laila’s tent. Jane knew men patrolled the perimeter, however. She could hear their hearts beating. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
“Something’s off,” Jane said.
“I know,” Nicolai replied, his voice flat.
“She should have guards in front of her tent. Why did she send them away?”
“She must be expecting me.”
Could they never catch a break? “We should leave. Come back another day. If she knows who you are, she’ll attack.”
“Oh, yes, she will.” His voice was still flat, but resolve gave it a dangerous edge. “We may be giving her too much credit. She may not know, may only suspect. Either way, she dies tonight.”
He spoke like a man who knew he didn’t have a lot of time. Jane recalled his need to return to Elden. A physical need that was slowly killing him, he’d said. Perhaps that was the case here.
So, when he strode the short distance and swept inside the tent without pause, Jane made no protests. Lanterns were still lit, and her eyes adjusted instantly. Unlike earlier, no slaves danced in the center.
To her consternation, Laila was not asleep on her bed. She still lounged on her chaise, sipping from a goblet. Waiting.
“Finally,” she said casually. She stroked the timepiece hanging around her neck. A timepiece that had not been there earlier. “And now I have my answers.”
“About?” Nicolai shoved Jane behind him.
She placed her hands on his back, felt the muscles knot.
Fury colored Laila’s expression for a split second before she smoothed her features. “You’ll stay where you are, slave. And believe me, you won’t be able to move from one location to another with only a thought, so don’t even try.”
Had she used her magic to root him in place? Jane moved beside him—and yes, that was exactly what Laila’d done, she realized as her own feet became as heavy as boulders. Laila hadn’t moved, hadn’t even blinked, yet somehow she’d used her magic.
Dread blasted through her, little bombs that spread their poison quickly. “Mother will be very disappointed in you,” she said.
“Will she?” Laila smiled, shifting her attention to Jane. “Or will she be proud of me for destroying an imposter?”
Breathe, just breathe.
“Earlier, when I had that human female killed, I felt your upset and disgust. I wondered why. That is not something my sister ever felt. Then, I felt someone digging through my powers. I wondered who, but I didn’t cast a spell to stop—or hurt—the person, because I also wondered what they wanted. Imagine my surprise when they—he—chose my magic mirror.”
She wouldn’t ask. Couldn’t. Not yet.
“Then, imagine my further surprise when my very loyal slave ceased to desire me. The same way another slave of mine ceased to desire me.”
“Nicolai never desired you,” Jane spat.
Laila shrugged, unconcerned. “He never desired you, either. In fact, I think he was relieved when I took over his care. Then, suddenly, you return from the grave, and he can’t tear his eyes away from you. He yearns for you, abducts you. Not to use you as a shield, but because he can’t bear to be away from you. Something was wrong, and I knew it. Now, I know what that something is.”
“And just what do you know?” Nicolai asked as calmly as if they were having Sunday brunch and discussing the next day’s forecast.
Jane looked up at him. He’d dropped the mask. There was his dark hair, his silver eyes. His wide shoulders, his muscles stretching the fabric of his dark blue robe. A beautiful man she would protect with her own life.
“The woman beside you is not my sister,” Laila said. “Her name is Jane, correct?”
Breathe. “I am Odette. You can’t prove otherwise.”
“Really? Well, perhaps you are right.” Anger laced the princess’s tone, the words as sharp as daggers. “Once, I could look through the eyes of others. Now that ability has been taken from me. No matter, though. I remembered how Nicolai used to talk to someone inside his cell. A woman. Jane. No one else could see her. We assumed him insane.” She laughed smugly, and even her humor sliced. “But your name is Jane, I would bet, and you are human.”
Jane could feel the fury pulsing off of Nicolai. “Perhaps you’re the insane one.”
Laila unfolded from the chair and stood. Her gaze swung to Nicolai. “Oh, no, you don’t, slave. As you can tell, I’ve cast a spell to prevent you from stealing any more of my powers. While the two of you…frolicked, I fortified my magic.” Had he tried?
“Except,” he said with a smile of his own, all white and lethal, “any powers you use are mine to use, as well. That, you cannot prevent from happening.”
“No, you can’t…” Laila screeched. She’d tried to step toward them, but her foot had stopped midair.
“Yes, I can. Holding you in place doesn’t harm you physically, and, in fact, saves you from my claws. So you should be happy. Your protective spell is working.”
“Release me, or I will scream for the guards.”
He arched a brow, taunting her. “And you think they’ll believe you concerning Odette? They won’t, and we both know it. Your only chance is to release her. Do it, and we’ll talk. You and I. Alone.”
“Right. Because I’m a fool.”
“Well…” Jane said.
Laila scowled at her, but continued. “Vow that you won’t try to kill me or use the powers that I use, and I’ll consider it.”
Nicolai opened his mouth to reply, probably to agree, but Jane stopped him. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t care what the two of you decide.” And as soon as she was able, she was taking a crash course in Magic 101. She wanted to know the rules. What a witch could and couldn’t do. She wanted to know how to stop them. How to defeat them.
“How about this, Nicolai,” Laila said, smiling again. “We’ll find out what kind of damage I can do to your Jane without ever taking a step.”