You Are Mine (37 page)

I feel I must warn you.
Councilman Daniel and I have heard a growing number of rumors
concerning you and the Chancellor. I'm afraid they aren't
good.

I hate to be blunt, but
feel I must. There is a hefty price on his life. Please be
cautious.

Your friend,

Annabelle

The coldness seeps clear to my heart
with icy sharpness.

I don't know how long I sit staring,
unseeing at the note. Finally, I grip it to my chest and run to
find Zade. He's not in the study, nor the library, nor the sitting
room. Am I already too late?

Where are all the servants? There has
to be someone I can ask. Yet no one is in sight. I rush to the
kitchen. There's always someone there. When I clang into the room,
it is full of activity, Phyllis in the midst of it all. I want to
scream at her again, but it won't do any good.

“
Does anyone know where
Chancellor Zade is?” I ask.

“
I do,” Phyllis
says.

I round on her, the words flaming from
my mouth like hexes. “Don't speak. You've already done enough
damage.”

Everyone stops working and stares at
us. My stomach twists with regret at sounding so harsh, but the
words are too true to take back.

A servant I don't recognize says, “I
believe he's shooting.”

Of course. We've spent so much time
there I should have guessed. As I run out of the room I yell,
“Thank you.”

Finding him seems to go quicker now
that I know where he is. If something had already happened, the
servants would know, wouldn't they? When he comes into sight, I
slow. Relief replacing some of my worry, but not enough of
it.

He's practicing like he always does,
casting a spell that looks like some sort of bird and then shooting
it. His movements are sure and smooth. Every time he hits the spell
it dissolves. I feel as if I could watch him all day. But as I come
closer, his face doesn't match his confident moves. He's frowning,
brows creasing together. When he spots me, he schools his features
so well, I almost believe I never saw him uncertain.

“
You know,” he
says.

“
Why didn't you say
something?”

“
How did you find
out?”

“
Annabelle.” I wave the
note at him. “You didn't answer my question.”

“
May I?” He holds out his
hand.

I give him the note, my fear replaced
by confusion at his calm manner. He reads it over before throwing
it in the air. An orange and red spell crackles from him, turning
the note to ashes.

“
It's true then,” I
say.

“
It is.” He sighs. “Does
it do any good for you to know?”

None. “How soon?”

“
No idea. Most likely
before the wedding.”

Before the wedding? That's only two
days away. My stomach churns. “Maybe we can do something to stop
it.”

“
We can't.” He slams his
gun down on a tree stump. “You've grown up with this life, you
should know it better than me. Soon I'll be dead and you'll be back
with your Father.”

“
They didn't succeed
before, maybe they won't succeed now.”

“
Don't be stupid. They've
set the price so high on my head, even those who already have a
good sum of money will be after me.”

His brutal response makes me stumble
back.

“
I'm sorry. I didn't mean
it. I'm just so
—
” He picks his gun back up and
shoots another spelled bird. Before dissolving like the others, it
looks exactly like a dove except for the red light surrounding it.
“There's nothing to be done about it.”

“
There has to be
something.” While trying to think of a solution, another thought
comes to me. “If Father knows you're breaking the law, why isn't he
taking it to the council?”

“
He gets all my money and
possessions if I'm dead. If he goes through legal channels, he'll
only get some. And he cares a lot about his reputation. I've
sullied it enough by being your owner, doubt he wants to add
traitor to my bad qualities list.”

He releases another bird, this one
even redder than before. The shot echoes through the air followed
by silence.

“
You don't have to worry
about Katherine. She'll be taken care of.”

But what about him? Someone has to
take care of him, too. I want to go to him and wrap my arms around
him, but that's not the answer. Touching him won't save his
life.

I remember Katherine once offering to
help me escape. “We could run away.”

“
They're watching too
closely for that to work. It'll only bring my death sooner and
yours along with it.”

He storms off in the direction of the
house.

I grip my arms around myself. I've
killed him and put myself back under Father's ownership. I should
have quietly accepted the life I was given instead of striving for
more. Because of my inability to be a good Chardonian woman, I've
lost more than I ever thought I could.

Chapter
Thirty-Seven

G
uests have been arriving all morning. The ball is in a few
hours, our wedding tomorrow, and Zade's still alive. Not a single
attempt has been made on his life. At least none that I know of.
It's left me more on edge than if someone had tried. Without an
attempt made yet, they must have a sure plan. One that can only end
with their success and Zade's death.

I'm exhausted from greeting everyone
and wishing life was back to the way it was before there were
threats on Zade's life. Once those staying overnight arrive,
they'll have time to get acquainted with their rooms, and ready.
Everyone else will arrive later, in time for the ball.

Zade sends the latest guests off with
a servant. The way he acts, it's impossible to tell he knows death
is coming. My heart aches watching him. I want to do something
more, but there's nothing I can do.

The front door opens yet again. The
Grand Chancellor and his son are followed by two women, both with
heavy face paint.

The footman announces them. “The Grand
Chancellor with his wife and his son Nathaniel with his
fiancee.”

The Grand Chancellor sweeps to a stop.
“Thank you for the invitation. I'm sure it will prove an
interesting occasion.”

The fiancee watches the interaction,
cowering away from them. The wife grabs her arm and yanks her
forward. The Grand Chancellor scowls and zaps a fuchsia spell at
the girl. She bites her lips, but doesn't call out. I want to kick
all but the fiancee out of the house. The way she's being treated
makes me want to protect her. Of course that won't
happen.

“
We do hope you'll be
pleased with everything we have planned.”

“
We shall see,” the Grand
Chancellor says.

Zade motions to the next servant. “We
have a set of rooms for you on the bottom floor. I hope you'll find
them to your liking.”

The Grand Chancellor raises his brows,
but doesn't say a word as the servant leads them away. Once they
are out of sight, it feels as if I can breathe again. My tension
eases until Cynthia and Bethany join us.

“
I thought we wouldn't be
seeing you girls until it was time to dress.” Mostly, I want them
away from the danger as much as possible.

“
I saw Father and the
carriage arrive,” Cynthia says. “We were hoping we could join you
in greeting them.”

“
Certainly,” Zade
says.

Cynthia eagerly stands to the side.
More sedately, Bethany also joins.

“
Are you well?” I ask
her.

“
Fine. I'm anxious to see
mother and hear how the little ones are doing.”

But not Father. How will it be back
under his ownership? I suppose I won't stay long. He's sure to have
someone like Thomas already waiting for me. I suppress a shiver and
focus on Bethany. “You can stay by me. I'm sure mother will be
happy to see you.”

She nods, but doesn't say anything.
The door opens and the footman says, “Presenting Councilman
Stephen.”

Zade puts his arm around me. The
warmth of him envelops me. I'm grateful he's not as angry with me
as he was yesterday, though perhaps he should be. Still, I take
what comfort I can. I lean closer as Father enters, mother close
behind.

When they reach us, Zade says,
“Councilman, glad you could make it. I trust the journey was
good.”

“
Fine ride out in the
countryside.” Father eyes Zade's arm around me. “Making the most of
your goods I see. Nothing too untoward I hope.”

Zade's arm tightens around me. “Only
what you see.” With his free hand, he motions to my
sisters.

Mother takes a step closer and gives a
small grin. She's pregnant again. Not that she's showing yet, but
the darkness and lines under her eyes give it away. Another sister
for sure. At least she looks happy.

“
Thank you for allowing
the services of your daughters,” Zade says. “They've been very
helpful.”

“
Of course.” Father gives
a sneering smile. “We wanted to make sure you had the proper help.
I'd hate for your first public event to be
disappointing.”

“
Little chance of that.
They're fine girls.”

“
Good enough for a little
entertainment planning, anyhow. It's sure to be a night to
remember. When I
—
” he stops, his face growing
red. “Cynthia, what are you wearing?”

I scan Cynthia's dress. It's a two
piece Katherine designed, one more bold than I've seen. The colors
are similar, but different enough that it's easier to tell it's not
a simple dress. And those colors. Shades of jade hovering on being
too bright. What's she doing wearing it now? Why couldn't I have
realized before and saved us from the coming turmoil?

She straightens her back. “A new
dress. Do you like it?”

“
Is that a two piece?” His
voice lowers to a growl. “Are you wearing tarnished
clothes?”

Cynthia's lower lip
trembles. “I
—
It...”

Leaving the safety of Zade's arm, I
step forward. “It's just a little something I told her to wear for
greeting guests before the ball, Father.”

Zade joins me as Father says, “You
told your sister to wear tarnished clothes?”

Not today. Not ever, really. Why did
she have to be so anxious to show it off? “It's just a trifle,
Father.”

His fist flies. Before I realize
what's happened, Zade extends his own arm, blocking the punishment.
Father waves his hand. If he can't hit me, he'll hex me. I reach in
my pocket and take hold of the gun, but I can't shoot him just for
hexing me.

Zade steps in front on me with a
turquoise spell, effectively shielding me and part of Cynthia.
Bethany huddles closer to us. I keep a firm hold of the gun, just
in case. I don't know what I'll do with it, but it makes me feel
better.

“
May I remind you,
Councilman, that Serena is no longer yours to punish.”

Though I can't see him, Father's
response sends chills through me. “That will soon
change.”

Will Father be the one to kill him?
Right here? My hand aches from grasping the gun hidden within my
pocket.

“
You don't have as much
power as you think.”

“
Perhaps. But I may have
more than you think.”

The hall is quiet. I grip the gun
tighter. Can I really use it if need be? Against Father?

“
I hope you find your
rooms adequate.”

“
Doubtful.” Father smirks.
“Cynthia, gather your things. You'll be staying with your
mother.”

Her head lowers and she moves toward
the stairs.

Father adds, “Next time I see you
Cynthia, it had better be in something suitable for a Councilman's
daughter.”

Father mutters after a servant. Mother
spares us a glance, her lips pinched together, and follows him.
Once they're out of ear shot, I face Zade.

“
Why didn't you do
something?”

“
What can I do? I'm in
enough trouble as it is and she belongs to your Father.”

“
She shouldn't belong to
anyone.” Tears prick my eyes. I let out an angry huff.

Zade watches me, his face
drawn.

“
Don't worry,” Cynthia
says. “It's my own fault. Thank you for trying to help, but I
should have known better. I've been here so long, I'd almost
forgotten how things are.”

She heads up the stairs. Bethany calls
after her, “I'll help.”

“
I can help, as well,” I
say, climbing the stairs after her.

“
Wait, Serena.” Zade pulls
me to a stop. “We need to talk.”

I look at Cynthia and Bethany. There's
nothing more I can do for her that Bethany can't do better. Maybe
Zade has a thought on how to help. Or maybe it's something to do
with his death. “If you think we need to. I'll see you two
later.”