AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, she’s here now,” she said. “Try not to embarrass yourself, won’t you? How did the meeting with the Changelings go?”
“As well as expected. They made me make an unbreakable pledge.”
Emana hissed through her teeth.
“They’re sly,” she said. “I’ll give them that.”
“They use our strengths against us,” I said. “How do you beat an enemy like that?”
“By using their strengths against them,” Emana said simply. “And do what they don’t expect.”
I glanced at the open door. She needed to be more careful. You never knew who might be listening. She was more outspoken than me and inherited more than a filament of Qale’s temper.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. We’d both suffered enough loss already. We didn’t need more.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” I said. “Be careful.”
“I’m not the one setting themselves up for a big fall,” Emana said. “Just make sure to step carefully.”
I smiled at her and watched as she left the room.
Just what was I doing with Sirena? Both Zes and Emana recognized it was a risky step to take. So why didn’t I think the same?
Because she’s gorgeous and she reminds you of her.
I shook my head. They were right. I was wrong to bring her here. The next time I saw her, I would tell her I would find somewhere for her to work, somewhere that paid, and would allow her to save for a return flight to Earth. It might take years but it was better than being a slave.
Niik bolted to his feet and barked. That was unusual. He never usually had the energy. Unless someone new and unknown to him was approaching?
Sirena stood outside the study with her palms raised, a gesture of surrender.
“Don’t worry, he won’t bite,” I said.
Easy to say that, I thought. Every owner said the same thing, and some did bite. I tutted at Niik and stamped my foot. He immediately stopped barking, whined, and sat beside my foot. Despite appearances, he was well trained.
Sirena peered around the door but didn’t enter.
“It’s okay,” I said. “It’s safe.”
She kept a close eye on Niik as she edged around the doorframe. This was it, I decided. I was going to tell her my little story about finding her new work and somewhere else to stay— she couldn’t very well stay at the castle, could she?
Could she?
Those were the words that should have come from my mouth, but they weren’t the ones I used.
“Would you like to go for a walk?” I said.
Zes clicked his fingers the moment I left the castle. The guards on duty snapped to attention and trailed us, Zes taking point. Meanwhile, the guards who’d left their posts were replaced with another pair.
Zes was nothing if not well organized. In his personal life, he was a mess and barely managed to get himself out of bed in the morning, but when it came to my—or my family’s—protection, he was the sharpest guard in the empire.
We crossed the wide-open courtyard that housed the training yard. We used it to train new guard recruits. They practiced with simple wooden or blunted weapons and were provided with all the armor they needed. The tools were housed in the castle’s newest building—the weapon’s center at the heart of the courtyard.
Sirena wore faded blue pants the translator informed me were called ‘jeans.’ They were tight and hugged her shapely legs. She wore a white t-shirt that showed off her bare shoulders and trim waist.
Only one word could adequately sum her up.
Wow.
