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“I’m not poor,” he told her. “Yes, House Phel has a long way to go to reach the wealth of the High Houses, but I can afford to outfit my lady wife according to her station and beauty.”
Nic narrowed her eyes at him. “Then your finances are better than Elal spies uncovered.”
He allowed a mirthless smile. “As you’ve noted, I have ways of concealing information from even prying Elal spirits.”
“You continue to surprise me, Lord Phel.” This time, when she said it, she didn’t spit his title like an epithet. She sounded respectful, possibly impressed. “But the rest of me is hardly presentable.”
“A quick errand, then we can come back and follow your schedule of hot baths, naps, and meals.”
“You laugh, but you’ll see. It will do you good.”
“I am not laughing,” he assured her, and offered his arm. “Shall we, Lady Phel?”
Her lips pursed, poised with a tart reply, but she withheld it, and allowed him to escort her out of the room.
~17~
It had beena day full of turbulent emotions, and she had drunk rather too much wine for an empty stomach. Both of those factors had to account for the almost giddy pleasure of strolling with Gabriel in the—quite chilly—pelting rain, and her lack of ability to put two thoughts together.
She just really had no idea what to make of him. The wizard was a fascinating contrast of ruthless certainty and soft sentimentality. She saw how appalled he’d been at Jan’s firm use of Daniel. And this nonsense of not bonding her unless she was willing. Why couldn’t he be a normal wizard and take the decision out of her hands? She’d already practically begged him to do it. At this rate, she’d be forced to admit her feelings, that she loved him with all the irrevocable and desperate intensity of the most melodramatic familiar in the cheesiest tragic romance. Another pitiful Lyndella, pining for Sylus to make her whole.
She’d hoped to preserve her pride by nobly submitting to being bonded, but no. The man justhadto have her willing—and he had no idea just how willing she was.
It was lowering to find that she barely cared about controlling her own life anymore. Everything in her longed to belong to him. Her familiar nature had kicked in hard, overriding all of her notions of living without him. If he tried to take her back to House Elal, he’d probably find her running down the road after him like an abandoned puppy.
That would be the final humiliation, following this seemingly endless string of them. Having Jan sneer at her and savor his superiority had been an especially stinging cut. One day she’d be used to it. Maybe.
“This is the place,” Gabriel said, stirring her from her increasingly dour thoughts.
She glanced at the sign.Iblis Locksmiths.Gabriel was taking her to get the cursed collar removed. Swallowing hard, she forced back the tears that stung her eyes.
“I found this place earlier, and the locksmith says he can release the collar,” Gabriel said, tilting his head to see her face, no doubt wondering at her sudden emotion. “I was under the impression that any Iblis wizard could do the work, but we can look for another.”
She took refuge in being arch. “The place is a bit shabby, but it will do, I suppose.”
His lips quirked in a half smile, not fooled by her attitude in the least. He knew how badly she wanted out of that collar, and he’d gone to the trouble of scouting for an Iblis wizard to do it.What about the care and feeding of familiars?His question echoed around her head. That had been the problem with Gabriel from the beginning. He was far too kind to her—and she had no defense against it.
He held the door for her, and she entered the shop. The Iblis wizard briefly looked up from a workbench littered with the parts of a disassembled safe, the door hanging crookedly open. “No unescorted familiars allowed,” he barked, returning his attention to his project. “Narlis—get rid of her.”
A woman old enough to be the locksmith’s grandmother, wearing a fancy metal collar, stood up from her stool in the corner. “Master, there is a wizard with her.”
The Iblis wizard glanced up in irritation, frowning at Gabriel. “Ah, it’s you. I expected you sooner.”
“We stopped for lunch,” Gabriel replied smoothly, ushering Nic forward with a hand on her back.
“Well?” the Iblis wizard demanded. “I can’t remove a collar I can’t see or touch.”
Nic reached to unfasten the cloak, but Gabriel was there first. “Allow me,” he murmured with a warm smile, deftly triggering the magical fastenings. He draped the cloak over his arm, and Nic began unwinding the cloth she’d wrapped around the hunters’ collar. The Iblis wizard came around his bench, studying the ugly thing.
“I see.” He nodded knowingly at his fellow wizard. “You can’t go with this kind of low-quality metal. See how it’s messed up her pretty skin? And it’s too heavy for her frame—the weight has bruised her collarbones. One that’s properly fitted won’t do that. You only use one like this to punish her. That’s fair enough, as it’s not easy to keep the young ones in line. Not like my Narlis here.” He jerked a thumb at the older woman, sitting on her hard stool in silence. “She’s too decrepit to refuse anything, though it’s not like she’s got much juice in her, regardless.”
“Are you able to remove the collar?” Gabriel asked tonelessly, as if bored, but the garrulous wizard was getting on his nerves. Nic could hear it in his voice, see his horrified compassion in the way he gazed at the wizard’s familiar.
“Oh, sure. You just need to pick out a replacement. For a familiar this pretty, you want a collar of gold, like Narlis is wearing there.” He noted Gabriel’s brooch. “Or silver. I can make you a lovely silver collar for her, exactly sized, with your house design.” He peered at the crest. “What house are you, anyway?”
“House Phel,” Gabriel replied coolly. “Just remove the collar. I don’t need another.”
“Phel?” He scratched his chin. “I’ve never heard of House Phel. Is it new?”
