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“Well, Warrior, what the f**k do you want?”
He prepared to get his ass kicked as he said, “I believe ascender Wells may be a Guardian of Ascension.”
She rolled her eyes and spoke in a voice that had idiot written all over it. “What the hell are you talking about? Or have you forgotten that guardians are both male and warriors, neither of which ascender Wells professes to be.”
Kerrick nodded. “She has dreamed of herself as a guardian, which is a primary indication that she should be granted a special dispensation.” He dipped his chin. “Consider. If you granted her guardian status, then COPASS would be honor-bound to bestow on her the rights of guardianship.”
Endelle’s brow puckered. “The rights of guardianship, which means Alison would have full protection from personal attack. Goddammit, Kerrick, you might actually have something here.” She shoved her hands into her long black hair at the temples. She blew the air from her cheeks and shook her head.
“What does this mean?” Alison asked.
“When COPASS was created at the turn of the twentieth century, one of the rules we put into place and to which Greaves agreed was that all private property held by either party could not be attacked. All the Guardians of Ascension as well as Greaves’s generals have this same right. We don’t attack their estates and they leave ours alone. In addition, the rule extends to personal attack. We stay away from them and except for conflicts at a Borderland or on Mortal Earth they stay the hell away from us. Any attack on a guardian, apart from conflict at a Borderland or on Mortal Earth, must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Even Greaves doesn’t cross this line.”
“So wherever I am, on Second,” she said, “I would be safe?”
“As safe as is possible in this world and a thousand times safer than without the designation.”
Alison drew in a quick breath. She turned to Kerrick and sent, Then I have a chance, our daughter has a chance.
Kerrick nodded. He even smiled. Exactly, he sent.
“Well,” Endelle cried. “I have to say, Warrior Kerrick, that this is a goddamn brilliant strategy. Fucking brilliant. I congratulate you and I will see to this. COPASS owes me because of the attack on the palace and the Commander can just stick his dick in a meat grinder! Hah!”
Kerrick recoiled at the imagery, and more than one warrior hissed. On the other hand, for all the trouble Greaves had caused … well …
* * *
As hope soared, Alison trembled. She saw in Kerrick’s eyes a determination that had not been there before. She wanted to leave the rec room with him right now, and tell him of her change of heart, but there was still one more matter to be settled.
She turned to Her Supremeness. “Madame Endelle. Will you rescind my orders to train as a Militia Warrior?”
“And what would you suggest, ascender? With guardian status you could still serve as a Militia Warrior, since you’d be safe from attacks at the barracks.”
Alison met Endelle’s gaze. She saw the striated brown eyes and she had experienced the woman’s compassion. For nine thousand years, Endelle had carried her burden of authority and command alone. The woman needed a lot of help. She also needed to work on her anger management skills. Mostly, however, she thought it likely Endelle could use a friend.
Though she felt certain that the suggestion she was about to let fly was akin to inviting a scorpion to ride around on her shoulder, she said, “If it would please you, I would serve as your assistant.” Oh, God, had the words really left her mouth? She had a powerful prescience she would regret this most profoundly in the coming days, weeks, months, years, hell, decades … oh, God.
A slow smile spread over Endelle’s face as though she had also read Alison’s thoughts. Of course she had. Endelle said, “I think the punishment in this case fits the crime. I’ll let your CO know she can get back to business as usual while you, my lovely ascender, can show up to my f**king office tomorrow at eight AM sharp.” She glanced past her to Kerrick and looked him up and down, a lascivious light in her eyes. “If you can even walk by then.”
Alison kept the blush from her cheeks, but just barely. She had very much entered a new world, of warriors and vampires, of the ascended and flight-ready, of violence, profanity, and all sorts of sideways references to sex. Time to embrace it all, so she shrugged then said, “When was walking a significant problem on Second anyway?”
At that, the warriors burst out laughing.
Endelle nodded. “Well, well. There might be hope for you yet.” She lifted an arm then vanished.
The Cave remained silent for a long moment after she left.
Finally, Zacharius offered the most pertinent comment. “Was she wearing snakeskin?”
The myth of the breh-hedden
Alive in the hearts of lovers
Behold what is most precious
—Collected Poems, Beatrice of Fourth
Chapter 24
Kerrick took a deep breath and drew his wings back into his wing-locks. He knew one thing as he leveled his gaze on Alison—he’d be taking her to bed and completing the goddamn breh-hedden … tonight.
He was about to suggest they depart when Thorne caught his arm.
The leader of the Warriors of the Blood looked him square in the eye, nodded, and even managed a rough smile. “So this is it, man.”
Kerrick returned the smile. “Yeah.” He doubted his voice could get lower.
Thorne punched him in the arm then laughed. “We won’t be needing you tonight, just so you know.”
Kerrick started to protest since he could always join up later, but Thorne split his resonance. “No,” he stated in his I’m-the-fucking-boss voice, the one he rarely used, especially with Kerrick. “See you tomorrow.”
For some reason, Kerrick’s throat seized. He was headed down a new path, and Thorne would go to the Blood and Bite for one last drink before Central started burning his ear with death vamp movement. He didn’t know what possessed him, but he grabbed Thorne in a hard embrace and Thorne responded, holding on tight.
“You lucky sonofabitch,” Thorne shot over his ear.
Kerrick’s throat tightened up a little more and his eyes burned.
Christ.
Of course the moment ended about as fast as it began. Kerrick released him. Both men started clearing throats and nodding their heads in quick flurries.
Thorne’s gravel voice rattled the air between them. “You want a lift back to Scottsdale Two?”
Alison drew near, sliding her arm around Kerrick’s waist. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed.
