Night Study (13 page)

Leif suppressed a sigh over the old argument. “The good uses outweigh the bad, Father. You know that.” No matter how many examples Leif and Yelena cited of the drug helping others, their father clung to his guilt like a child clung to a security blanket.

They entered the house.

Esau paused and drew in a deep breath. “It doesn’t quite smell like the jungle. What’s that sweet odor?”

“White coal to keep it hot.”

“Genius!” Esau walked among the plants, naming them aloud.

The Curare vine with its emerald heart-shaped leaves twisted through the greenery. Underneath the bushy canopy, the Theobroma trees grew. Their thin, brownish-gray trunks blended in, along with their long oval leaves. Tiny white flowers clung to the bark. Once pollinated, these blooms would produce pods filled with beans that would be dried, fermented and roasted, transforming them into Theobroma.

“Nice to see some medicinal ones in here.” Esau crawled through the brush with his nose close to the ground.

Memories of accompanying his father on one of his jungle expeditions flashed. Hiking through the underbrush, sweating in the humid air, climbing trees, collecting samples, Leif had trailed after his indefatigable father, who questioned him on the uses and names of every bit of greenery they encountered. And Leif had done nothing but complain of being hot and tired while scratching numerous bug bites. What a brat.

Leif had his father to thank for his knowledge of healing recipes. Those teas and poultices had saved lives and helped others. But he wouldn’t tell his father that everyone called Esau’s most prized and useful discovery “wet-dog tea.”

It didn’t take Esau long to find the crossbred plants in the hothouse.

“Odd. Very odd,” Esau muttered. He broke off a leaf, sniffed the sap and nibbled on the end.

“Do you know what plants they combined? What they were trying to do?” Leif asked.

“Not yet. It’s going to take a while.”

“Then I’ll see to the horses and fetch you some food.”

“Yes...yes...fine.” Esau scratched the stem with a fingernail and peered at the wound.

Leaving his father to his investigation, Leif groomed the horses, filled their water and grain buckets and checked the tack for wear. When he returned with a tray of fruit and meats, Esau sat cross-legged in the middle of the house. He stared in shock at the branch in his hands.

Leif rushed to his side. “What’s the matter?”

“This.” His father held it up.

“What about it?”

“It’s a cross between the Curare vine and the Theobroma tree.”

It took a moment for it to sink in. “You mean—”

“These people are trying to create Theobroma-resistant Curare!”

10

YELENA

S
hocked into silence, I stared at Valek’s bleeding chest. His question bounced around my mind, searching for a place to settle. The deep cut resembled a heart—one half carved by the Commander and the other by Valek, creating a symbol of his love for me. Valek had chosen me over the Commander. A warm sensation swept through my body, turning my insides to goo.

“Yelena?” A hitch cracked his voice. He remained on his knees, waiting for my answer.

Valek’s face had paled to bone white. I’d never seen him so vulnerable.

Sliding from my chair, I knelt in front of him. I took his knife—still wet with his blood—from his hand and sliced my tunic open. Then I pressed the tip into the flesh in the center of my chest. Pain buzzed like an annoying fly. I ignored it as I carved a fist-sized heart shape directly over my thumping heart and between my breasts. “Yes, Valek. I will marry you.”

His tight expression transformed as joy sparked in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close as his lips found mine. Red-hot spikes of sensation shot down to my toes. My muscles shivered and my skin caught fire. The need to run my hands over his lean, powerful body pulsated over every inch of my being.

Far too soon he stopped. Before I could protest at the interruption, he pressed his chest to mine. My wound burned with the contact and with the sting of his blood mixing with mine.

“Till death. I do swear, love.” Valek whispered in my ear.

“Beyond death. My vow to you,” I said.

He drew back to meet my gaze. “So we shall be. Forever united.”

“We shall be,” I agreed.

This time his kiss vibrated to the very core of my soul. Our pledge solidified our connection, creating an unbreakable bond.

“Clothes...off...” I said between kisses.

The speed of our disrobement took what little breath I had away. But then breathing no longer mattered. My senses filled with the intoxicating smell, feel and touch of Valek as he lowered my shoulders to the floor. Nothing in life compared to being linked with him. Together we were one.

* * *

Movement roused me, then cold air hitting parts of my body that should not be exposed to cold air. I groaned in protest.

Valek pushed up to one elbow. “Sorry, love. But I need...”

“To what?” I untangled my legs from his. The cut on my chest throbbed. For the first time in my life, I savored the pain. It meant so much.

“...to tell you—”

“What happened with the Commander?” No doubt the meeting went horribly wrong. When he’d arrived, I’d feared the worst. He appeared so devastated. I had never seen him like that, not even when the Commander had signed the order for my execution and extended the document to Valek.

“Yes.”

I waited for more, but he stared off into the distance as if searching for a good place to start.

“Why did the Commander feel it necessary to remind you of your oath?” I asked, helping him along.

“He cited a number of reasons, but it pretty much boils down to the fact that Owen’s his guest and he wanted to ensure I didn’t assassinate him, Tyen and Rika while they are here.”

“Oh.” So many thoughts jammed into my head. The first,
we were all dead
, summed up the fear and panic that dominated. Owen must have taken control of the Commander’s mind. Ixia and Sitia were both in huge trouble and...
We were all dead
. That one was hard to move past.

“Yelena, I want you to leave this afternoon. Return to Sitia where it’s safer. I’ll message when it’s over.”

“No. We just exchanged vows and mixed our blood. Leaving you now would be the same as cutting myself in half. We’ll figure this out together. We always do. Remember? No doubts.”

He struggled to find a reply. I used his own words, so in order for him to dispute me, he would have to discredit his own logic.

“Don’t look so smug. What about Reema?” Valek asked.

That was easy. “We’ll send her home with an armed escort. I’m sure Opal and Devlen miss her.”

His shoulders sagged. “If anything happens...”

I hugged him. “We’re stronger together. And shall always be.” The last part set a joyful thrill spinning around my heart.

He leaned back. “We need to keep that quiet for now. And I’m sure your family will want a celebration.”

“Yes, they will be disappointed if we didn’t.”

“After this mess with Owen is finished, we’ll arrange a big wedding and get married again.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I wish figuring out what to do about Owen was as easy.”

I considered. “He won’t do anything overt. At least not yet. He’s a guest for now. We need to determine if he has control of the Commander’s mind. And then learn what he is plotting and stop him before he moves.”

“We can discuss how to go about it this afternoon with Ari and Janco.”

“And Maren?”

He frowned. “It depends on if she knew about Owen’s bargain with the Commander.”

“What about Onora?”

“I still haven’t decided if I can trust her.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Then you need to know a few things about her history.”

Valek filled me in as we washed and bandaged our cuts. I searched for a clean tunic and finished dressing.

“So the man...this Captain Timmer, who abused her, is in the dungeon and she doesn’t know?” I asked.

“Not yet. I haven’t had time to tell her.”

“And what do you expect her to do once she knows?”

“Kill him.”

“I don’t think she will.”

“Why not? You killed the man who raped and tortured you. I took great satisfaction in assassinating the King and the men who murdered my brothers.”

“I killed Reyad to stop him from abusing others. But I still didn’t feel better inside. I had to rediscover my sense of self-worth and had to stop thinking of myself as a victim.”

Valek rested his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Then you’re the best one to talk to her. Let me know when I can trust her.”

“Just like that?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t have my magic. What if I get it wrong?”

“You won’t.”

* * *

When I arrived at Valek’s office for the afternoon meeting, I paused at the threshold. A few unexpected people sat around his conference table. At least Valek had taken the time to clear it off. The clutter hadn’t gone far. Tall piles of books and files wobbled on the floor nearby.

Valek and Maren stood by his desk near the back wall. By their intense expressions and whispered conversation, I guessed he was having his heart-to-heart with her about her involvement with Owen.

Janco waved me over, appearing rather energetic for having had less sleep than I. Sitting between Janco and Onora, I glanced across the table. Another man I didn’t recognize sat opposite me. Almost as broad as Ari, he studied me with interest gleaming in his light brown eyes.

I elbowed Janco in the ribs.

“Ouch. What... Oh. Yelena, this is Sergeant Grunt. Grunt, this is Liaison Yelena, the Soulfinder and Valek’s heart mate. You do
not
want to mess with her.”

Stretching my hand toward him, I said, “Just ignore him. We find that’s best for all concerned.” We shook hands. “What is your real name?”

“Sergeant Gerik, sir.”

The
sir
was a nice touch. I turned to Janco. “Where’s Ari?”

“He’s—”

“Aunt Yelena!” Reema raced into the room.

I stood in time to get knocked back into my seat by her flying hug. “I’ve missed you, too.” She clutched me tight. “Can’t...breathe.”

Releasing me, she laughed. “That’s my necklace-snake move. I clamp on and squeeze until the person passes out. Do you like it?”

“It’s very effective.”

She beamed.

“Did you invent it or—”

“Lacole taught me. She said since I’m small, my best defense in hand to hand is to clamp on and not let go.”

“Death by hug. I love it,” Janco said.

“Which explains why no one wants to date you,” Onora muttered.

Stopping Janco’s outraged retort, I asked Reema, “Lacole? Hand to hand?”

“Lieutenant Lacole. She and Ari are teaching me how to fight.”

“Oh?” I tried to keep my tone neutral, but Janco sensed my concern.

“Hey, Ari. You’re in big trouble,” he called.

Ari strode into the room. His aimed his scowl at Reema. “Didn’t I tell you not to run ahead of me? And to keep in sight?”

She shrugged. “You were too slow.”

“I’m not racing through the castle’s halls. You need to stay with me.”

Reema failed to appear chastised. “Can I take Kiki for a ride?” she asked me.

“We can go for a ride later. And you can tell me all about what you’ve been doing here for the last month.” I glanced at Ari.

“I was following orders,” Ari said in his defense. He sat next to Gerik.

“Thanks a lot, Ari. Now I’m in trouble,” Valek said as he reached the table.

Maren scraped her chair on the floor as she plopped down, joining us. She had pulled her long blond hair into a ponytail. Her pale complexion stood out against her black adviser’s uniform. Nodding at me, she said, “Hiya, Puker. Long time no see. You look soft.”

I grinned. “Those are fighting words.”

“I certainly hope so. I haven’t had a decent bo fight in ages.”

“I missed you, too.”

Her deep laugh rolled around the room.

“Reema,” a woman called from the doorway. “Are you ready?”

“Lacole!” With a quick goodbye, Reema rushed from the room. “Can we do more knife fighting today?”

I glared at Ari and he pointed to Valek, who closed the door after Reema.

“We’ll discuss this later,” I said to them both.

“That’s never good.” Janco rubbed his hands together. “Can’t wait.”

Valek returned and stood at the head of the oval table. I guessed he’d changed his mind about Onora and Maren. He filled Ari, Maren and Gerik in on what had happened in Sitia with Owen. Then he broke the news about Owen and the others being a guest of the Commander’s.

Copying Valek, I studied their expressions closely. Onora kept her face neutral. Janco and Ari appeared to be ready to commit murder. Gerik seemed more concerned than Maren, who relaxed in her chair as if this wasn’t news to her.

“At least we know where they are,” Janco said. “When do we ambush them?”

“We don’t,” Valek said, then explained about the Commander’s orders.

“That’s...that’s...” Janco was at a loss for words.

“Bad?” Ari supplied.

Janco shook his head. “Beyond bad. Catastrophic. We can’t follow
that
order. Owen may have hexed the Commander.”

“The order will be obeyed. We will leave Owen alone.” Valek’s tone left no room for discussion. “Maren, tell everyone what you told me earlier.”

Maren leaned forward. “When I worked in the Curare factory in Lapeer, the Boss... Owen had been working on a secret project with someone they called the Master Gardener. I tried to uncover information. But Owen suspected I’d been sent by the Commander to oversee the production, so it was difficult. During the chaos of shutting down the factory and loading my wagon with all the remaining stock of Curare, I overheard him tell one of his men to gather all the Harman saplings.”

Everyone turned to me expectantly.

“I’ve no idea what a Harman tree is used for. My father might. Did you catch the Master Gardener’s name or see who it is?” I asked Maren, thinking this person may have been the one to crossbreed those plants in the hothouse.