Page 4 of Birthright

Doran stood. “I hate to leave you at this time, my niece, but I have an urgent meeting to attend. Manus and Bevin will attend to you. They’ll begin your training and answer all your questions.” She shot Manus a stern look. “After you’ve had some time to rest. Bevin will also begin to help you learn your spells. You are starting very late, so I hope you are up to the accelerated teachings. I will be back in a few days. If you need me in the meantime, Manus can get in contact with me.”

I nodded acceptance because I had no other real response. I wished it all were a drug-induced hallucination, but I was awake, and this was as real and as solid as the stone walls of the room.

Hogan returned with barbecued pork and a diet soda. My favorite. I stuttered a weak, “Thank you,” to the Gnome. Hogan winked, and his unimaginably long blue eyelashes sparkled in the candlelight.

Manus took the plate to the small table. “Hogan is pledged to you, Keena, but you must watch the Gnomes. They have a strange sense of humor, and it tends to show up at inappropriate times.”

The food smelled divine from across the room, and my stomach grumbled. I got out from under the covers and realized for the first time that I was dressed in a silk gown that was very low cut on the top and very high cut at the bottom, showing most of my thighs. It was a deep golden color that worked well with my skin tone and it fit like a glove. Though the garment was beautiful, I felt uncomfortable in front of the audience. My face obviously read my discomfort.

“We have different sensibilities about nudity here, Keena. You will have to adjust to that as well. We value our bodies as a great gift. They are part of our magic and hold no shame among our kind. Some of the species you are going to meet would be insulted by your shyness.” Hogan, I noticed, looked truly disappointed. His little face was actually cute with his tuft of blue hair falling in his eyes as he pouted. “Hogan is also responsible for your wardrobe. I assure you, everything he chooses will be flattering and in the proper fashion for the occasion.”

Hogan was still looking at the ground and standing very rigid. It occurred to me that I had hurt his feelings and, even given the unusual circumstances, I didn’t want to offend anyone.

“It’s beautiful, Hogan, thank you. But…do you think I could have a robe?” His head popped up, the mohawk quivering from the quick movement, and a smile full of too many tiny, sharp teeth covered half his adorable face.

I had just given a compliment to a Gnome for a sexy nightgown. Shaking my head, I decided that I needed the food before I fainted.

He mumbled a few words I couldn’t really hear, and a robe that perfectly matched my nightgown appeared at my feet. He lifted it to me. Whoa.

“I’ll prepare your bath,” he said with a wink, bowing and backing into an adjoining room.

CHAPTER 2

Manus fell on me hard, knocking my last dagger from my hand as he pinned me to the mat with his body, the steel of his own blade cold against my neck. He was only slightly taller than I was, but his weight was heavier than I would have suspected from his appearance. He was tight and compact in his human form, much like he was as a cat.

“Shit.” I pushed on his chest, trying to dislodge the Shifter. “You get me with that move every time.” I was covered in sweat and breathing hard from the long workout. I’d been able to get one dagger from him today, but he had still completely disarmed me. Again.

Even so, after only a few weeks, battle training was coming along well, which was more than could be said for my spells. Bevin was growing increasingly irritated with me. Yesterday, when I tried to use an easy spell to block a book she threw at me, I misspoke the incantation, letting the book conk me on the head. A late surge of misdirected power then sent the book flying at her face. She got up and circled the room, muttering as she paced. Her bun floundered from side to side, punctuating her ire. After two rounds, she left me with a glare. That was the end of the lesson.

“You’re doing fine, Keena.” Manus had been working on my fighting skills. I had always been better at sports than the delicate stuff. I had little grace. But who’d have thought I was a natural fighter? As I lay on the floor, the strangeness of this new life washed over me again. I’d seen and done too many weird things in the castle not to believe it all for truth, yet there were still moments that made me question my own sanity.

Manus took in a breath. “You’re not insane, Keena. It’s all real. You’re doing great,” he said as he helped me to my feet, reading my mind once again. He was used to reciting this speech and was always patient in reassuring me.

“I wish my magic skills were as good as my right hook. Bevin’s about to give up on me, you know,” I complained as Manus ushered me back to my chambers. Hogan hurried along in front of us, grumbling about yet another tear in the black leather vest he’d fashioned for my workouts. The Gnome opened the door to my rooms and stopped short, making me bump into his back as he ducked, more than bowed, to the people in the room.

In front of Hogan was an amazingly tall, willowy woman with hair so blond it was almost white. She was draped in a dress that was the liquid blue of a tropical lagoon. The dramatic satin affair was made in a Victorian style with white braids and tiny golden ribbons at the bodice. Her skin was creamy, her eyes sparked a blazing blue I had never seen before, and her facial features were delicate and full of confidence. She didn’t smile as she looked up from the stumbling Gnome to me.

Manus put his hand on my lower back to ease me forward. Following his urging, after I caught my balance, I moved into the room, laying my blades and the shields on the table, one at a time, using the familiar actions to give me time to recover from being surprised.

“So,” she said in a tone that could only have been interpreted as disgust. “You’re Keena.” She didn’t look impressed as she circled around me, looking me over as if I were some ugly stain on her new white carpet. She stopped to face me and two men moved up close behind her. Until they moved, I hadn’t even realized they were there. That wasn’t very smart on my part. Manus would be so disappointed if he knew. We’d spent a good amount of time working on opening my senses to my surroundings and I missed two men in my own room. Bad.

The taller of the two looked like a stereotypical Vampire from the movies. I’d learned they were real, but somehow I hadn’t pictured the beings Bevin and Manus spoke of with such reverence and respect looking like this guy. Hollywood didn’t get many things right about the Kith, but they nailed it with this Vamp. Slicked-back hair and a black velvet cape draped over a crisp white shirt gave him a comical look. But his height and the fact that he was looking down his long, narrow nose at me with a cold sneer took away from the ridiculous effect of his attire. His dislike of me was very evident.

I shifted my attention to the other man. A young blond whose face was boyish, but the rest of him proved he was a man. His naked, perfect chest was clean shaven, and his stomach sported a fabulous six-pack, which was displayed nicely above a tight pair of tan leather pants. From the stretch of leather in the front of those pants, it was easy to guess what his particular talent was.

The group looked me over as if I were somehow substandard. I felt suddenly self-conscious in my sweaty and torn black leathers. I unconsciously tried to straighten my hair. Manus pushed past me into the room and made a halfhearted bow.

“Feldema, you’ve come to meet your sister. How…nice of you.” I noticed he didn’t use a title. Everyone else I had met in the last few weeks had held some sort of title, and first introductions were always formal. His intentional dismissal of her title showed a great amount of disrespect.

“May I present Keena, Priestess of the Wild.” He then turned to me and bowed deeply, swinging his arm under his chest. I didn’t like what was going on or the feeling that I was being left out of something important.

“Manus, you insult me again, and I’ll make your face green for a month.” Her voice was light, but her cold blue eyes said she meant it. I hadn’t seen anything like that in my spell books yet, so I wasn’t sure if she could really do it. Looking at her cold features and callous eyes, I had little doubt that she had the temperament to do it, if not the spell.

I felt a small tingle of her power calling to mine. Not much, just enough to test me. I had to fight the urge to answer her call and struggled to hold back my burgeoning powers. If she wasn’t showing me all of hers, I wasn’t showing her mine at all.

She turned to me, silent for a moment, taking another scathing look up and down. “You still have no real power, or I’d feel it. You realize you have mere months.” It was a statement, so very matter-of-fact. I had no idea what she was talking about, but there was no way I was going to let her know that. She went on, “I’ve looked forward to this, sister. I had heard of your arrival, and I have to say, I was a little worried.” She smirked and looked back to the Vamp, flinging her white-blond hair. “Misplaced concern.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I watched her and tried to keep my face from showing my growing confusion.