You Are Mine (41 page)

I don't have time to stop and think.
Something digs into my leg. I roll over, jump to my feet, and rub
the new bruise, wondering what to do next. The bruise is covered by
a bulge on my leg. My gun.

My legs shake as I pull myself to a
standing position. I reach my hand in my pocket.

“
What are you doing?”
someone asks.

The owner of the voice is
behind me a bit, to the right. The Grand Chancellor's son,
Nathaniel
and his
intended. Why is he so close? Another anxious to see Zade die?
Ignoring him, I pull out my gun.

The crack in the dome surrounding Zade
is widening, right above his face. If I was next to it, I could
slide my hand through and touch him. He's sweating under the blue
light. Someone from the crowd behind me shoots a burgundy spell.
The crack widens. Suddenly, the room plunges into darkness, save
for the lights of the dueling spells.

It can't wait any longer, a hex is
going to get through. My hands shake as I lift the gun. They're
shaking too much. I'm going to miss.

I point the gun at the hooded figure
closest to me. I take a breath and hold it. I squeeze the trigger.
The gun recoils in my hand. A crack sounds through the room. I
missed.

Except the gun is still spelled to
show where the bullet went. The tan light nicks the warlock's arm.
He drops his hands, weakening the light attacking Zade. His hand
darts out of his robe and touches his arm, it comes away darkened
with liquid. He whirls toward me, bloody fingers stretched out
toward me.

I haven't saved Zade, only caused us
both to die.

The other robed figures hesitate.
Maybe it will be enough to give Zade a chance, even if I'm losing
mine. I wish I could see their faces. Know who's trying to destroy
us. I aim at all of them one-by-one, starting with the figure
facing me, quickly firing until I've used my other five
bullets.

None of them hit an attacker, but it
distracts them. Their spell weakens as they look for the commotion.
The crack in Zade's shield shrinks, though he looks weaker than
before. A bright green hex goes flying toward him and slips through
the crack, slamming into his leg. My chest tightens as Zade lets
out a growling yell.

Out of nowhere, a yellow spell zips
from beside me, toward the attackers. Nathaniel stands next to me,
hand extended. His fiancee stands by his side. They're going to
help? A cry comes from the crowd. I look up just in time to see a
black-tinged, crimson spell flung at me. I flinch.

A whimper from the side. Nathaniel’s
fiancee is on the floor. He crouches over her. One of the attackers
moves toward us. Without a thought, I yell and leap for
him.

He stops, but I don't. I force all my
momentum into slamming my gun on his head. It hammers into him. We
fall to the floor, his hood opening in the process. Father. I just
hit Father.

For a moment, I can't move. He's
unconscious. How many times has he done something similar to me?
Deal with him later. I roll onto my back. He stays
motionless.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see
another attacker racing toward me. I turn to hit him or trip him or
throw my gun at him. Anything, though it'll be too late. Before I
can decide which to do, an aqua spell blasts into him from
behind.

He searches for his foe. Zade's free,
already casting another spell toward him, the other hooded figures
are gone. The last one runs for the door, casting a tan wall behind
him.

Zade saved me. Green spells fly from
him, but hit the fleeing warlock's wall without doing a thing.
Others from the crowd move to help, but it's too late. The
attackers are gone.

Zade follows, but he's limping so bad
there's no chance he'll catch up to them. He needs to come back
here where it's safe and someone could look at his leg. Before I
can go after him, Chadwick does. His servant should be able to
bring him back. I search for Waverly, but don't see her on the
floor where they left her. Did someone move her? Is she still
alive?

A crowd of people have gathered around
the fallen girl. Father is still beside me, several warlocks
guarding him. I'd rather help the girl than deal with him. I heave
myself off the ground and move toward her.

The crowd parts, not wanting to be by
the girl with the gun, I suppose. Nathaniel is on the floor next to
her. I kneel by him.

“
How is she?”

He shakes his head.

I reach for her. Her skin is cold. Her
chest isn't moving. Dead. She died because I stood up for
Zade.

Why did they have to do this? I glance
behind me, where I left Father. He's stirring, but Councilman
Daniel, along with other warlocks, still stand guard. That will be
sufficient, for now. I focus back on Nathaniel.

“
I'm sorry I couldn't do
more.”

“
Don't be. You're not the
problem here. Someone else is.”

“
What is the meaning of
this?” The Grand Chancellor shouts from above us, his white hair
glowing under the lights, but his dark beard making the bottom half
of his face seem too disappear. I swallow and stand.

He says, “I'm enjoying the gardens for
a moment and someone kills my son's intended? Who has done
this?”

The crowd parts away from me. Someone
turns the electric lights on. The Grand Chancellor stares at me.
Realizing I still hold the gun, I shove it back in my pocket and
bite my lip. Can he tell she didn't die from being shot? Will he
use it as an excuse to tarnish my newly freed state?

Then I realize he's not looking at me,
but past me. I turn. The crowd didn't part to show me, they parted
to show Father standing with his hood pulled back, a bruise forming
on his head beneath strands of white hair. A bruise I
caused.

“
You're a part of this,
Councilman Stephen?”

Father looks at me a moment. An
expression crosses his face I don't recognize. He gives his
attention to the Grand Chancellor. “I am.”

“
Why have you destroyed my
son's possession?”

Possession? She was a person. Someone
must have cared for her more than as a plaything.

Father puts his palms together in
front of his chest. “I didn't mean to. We were only trying to get
rid of the Envadi. Ever since coming here he's caused trouble. My
reputation and daughter have suffered because of him.”

The Grand Chancellor's voice is low.
“This is because of Chancellor Zade?”

Councilman Daniel is close by. I catch
his eye hoping he will defend Zade. My doing it would make things
worse, but if he did it, it may help. Hope fills me as he steps
forward.

“
Grand Chancellor, if I
may. There have been rumors that there's a price on Chancellor
Zade's life. He's done nothing to break our laws. In fact, I think
tonight has made it clear he's gone out of his way to follow our
laws even if he wants things done a little differently.”

Just then Zade limps forward, pale
with dark circles under his eyes, Chadwick behind him. “We lost
them.”

Please don't take this out on him. I
want to go to him, but my presence would only make this
worse.

“
Lost who?” The Grand
Chancellor says.

“
The rest of the warlocks
that attacked me.” Zade's voice is strained, like just talking is
an effort.

“
How many were
there?”

“
Seven, counting
Councilman Stephen.”

The Grand Chancellor says, much too
calmly, “Who are they, Stephen?”

Father clamps his mouth
together.

“
Did they kill my son's
possession because they were here for a bounty on Chancellor Zade's
life?”

Still, Father refuses to
answer.

“
If that's the way you
want it. Anyone found even discussing the price on Chancellor Zade
will meet the fate I'm about to deal you. None shall break our
laws. Councilman Stephen, you are stripped of your title and
holdings. Your things will go to Chancellor Zade since he is the
closest living warlock.”

My breath catches in my throat. If my
family has to have an owner, none would be better than Zade. It
can't be true.

“
I believe, sir,” Zade
interrupts, “that the closest free family member is
Serena.”

The Grand Chancellor's
mouth shrinks into a tight line. Did he just say what I think he
did? Am I
—
? Could I
—
? Will I not only get to be
with my sisters, but take care of them? Protect them? Or will the
Grand Chancellor keep them from me?

Councilman Daniel steps forward. “If
the law from earlier holds, then he's right. She has all the rights
of a warlock. Everything would go to Serena.”

Another man from somewhere in the
crowd hollers, “It's true.”

“
Can they do that?”
someone nearby says.

Everyone waits for the Grand
Chancellor. My chest tightens. My sisters and mother. I might
actually be in charge of them. My hand forms a ball and I put it to
my mouth. Silently, I will him to uphold the earlier
law.

He scans the crowd,
pausing longer on those who gather around Zade. His lips turn down
slightly. “It is as you say. The law stands. All of Councilman
Stephen's holdings go to
—
” he waves his hand at me. He
turns to his son and dead future daughter-in-law. “Someone clean
this mess up.”

He storms from the room. I'm stunned
into disbelief.

Those gathered begin talking. Several
men help Nathaniel with his dead bride. Zade motions more servants
over to help and talks with him.

Suddenly, Waverly is at my side. “Too
bad I got knocked out when the fighting was just getting
started.”

“
Waverly, you're all
right.” I'm more relieved at her safety than I expect. I may want
her far enough away that Zade can't be in love with her still, but
apparently I don't want her harmed.

“
Course I am.” She rubs
her temple. “Except for a headache.”

“
A little headache never
got you down.” Zade limps the rest of the way to us and gives her
arm a squeeze. “Glad you're okay.”

She gives him a smile. “You, too. I
was afraid they had you.”

“
Not me.”

“
You're hurt though,” I
say. “Let me look at your leg.”

“
I'll be fine. Chadwick
will help me with it in a minute.”

Waverly purses her lips like she wants
to say something but doesn't.

“
Perhaps he should look it
over right now.” Because Zade truly doesn't look well.

“
In a moment. I'm more
drained than anything else.” He takes my hand. “I'm glad you're not
injured. When I saw you fly off the balcony, I thought you were
going to die or be seriously hurt.”

I glance at the floor. “I couldn't let
them kill you without doing something.”

“
Those shooting lessons I
gave you were worth it.”

“
I think it did more
damage when I used it to knock out
—
” I'm not ready to think about
him yet, “someone out. But when I jumped from the balcony, before I
crashed to the floor something stopped me. A spell. Do you know who
cast it? Was it Councilman Daniel?”

“
Don't know. I didn't
see.”

“
Is there a way to
discover who it was?” I say. “I'd like to thank them.”

“
Just a moment, I'll see
if I can find out.” An almost invisible pale purple light comes
from him.

“
Thank you for helping
him,” Waverly says.

So she can marry her love, the spy. At
least I'll be with my sisters now. And I won't have to worry over
their punishments. “Of course.”

“
I can't say exactly who
it was,” Zade says, not looking at me, “but I can tell you one
thing.”

“
What?”

“
It came from that corner
by the red flowers.”

“
Well, whoever it was, I'm
grateful to them. I suppose we should help the guests get
settled.”

And once they're settled, I'll try to
figure out what it means to be free, to have responsibility over my
mother and sisters, and that Zade is still alive. The price on his
head maybe not be completely gone, but hopefully close enough. I
move to help, a bounce in my soaked feet.

Chapter
Forty-One

C
urled up on the floor of the study, I stare out the picture
window. Though it's been three months since the ball, it still
feels like a dream. The sun is bright outside, warming the room. I
keep waiting for someone to come in and punish me for something.
But no one will. Not even my perpetually gloveless state is
commented on.

With father locked away, no one is
punished in this house. No one will ever punish my sisters again
while they're under my protection. And I have what I wanted. My
freedom. Except it still feels like something is missing. Something
achingly big.