Immortal Coil (36 page)

“Lady.
Lady.
Duck!”
The Jester snorted, clutching
Zenobia’s
calf, and ran his mangled hands up her leg.

She shoved him away, knocking him over. Bile burned her throat.

“Is that any way to treat a lover?”

She glared at Regis. The Prince took a step back. His guards, a few paces behind him, shifted and dropped their hands to their sword hilts.

“You know, my Lord, I’m saving myself for you.” She rose from the bench, glided over, and pressed her body against him. “The Jester is a thing, a tool for your entertainment.”

Nero strode around the corner, his gaze catching
Zenobia’s
. He paused in place for just a heartbeat but his expression remained unreadable.

Zenobia
brushed her lips against
Regis’s
jowly cheek, fighting to keep her lunch down. “He’s a prison for a foolish drake I fucked once. I’m moving on to more interesting men.”

“And she’ll eat you alive, my Prince,” Nero said, flashing
her a
hint of teeth. “Are you sure you’re a green drake? You’re looking a lot like a black widow at the moment.”

Zenobia
eased away from Regis, trailing a hand down the rolls of
Regis’s
neck. “Don’t be jealous, Nero. Not everyone can be king.”

“No, not everyone can.” Something dark flickered across Nero’s gaze and for a heartbeat she feared he knew her plans, knew she was creating a human mage strike force to take the throne during the final feast of the
pahar
. But if that were so, why hadn’t Regis arrested her? Why hadn’t he imprisoned her as he had
Xanthic
?

“The temple, my Lord.”
Nero gestured down the hall.

The Jester rolled on the floor like a dog with an itchy back.
“The temple!
The temple!”

Zenobia
forced back a sneer. “I’ll see you in Council, my Lord. ’
Til
then, my Prince.”

“Doyen
Zenobia
.”
Regis reached for her hand, dropping a sloppy kiss on the back of it, then turned and strutted down the hall, the Jester
cartwheeling
after him.

Nero acknowledged her with a slight nod.

“Still afraid of the humans?” she asked.

“Diligence is not fear.” He smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Interesting.
Perhaps the rumors were true that he wasn’t as much of a Traditionalist as he made himself out to be. She’d push more of his buttons, but that might draw unwanted attention. She’d wait until she was Queen. Then she’d do more than push buttons.

She flashed a hint of teeth. If there was anyone on the Council she might be attracted to, it was Nero. He wasn’t quite as cunning as her, but he showed promise.
“Until Council, then, Doyen Nero.”

“
Zenobia
.”
He turned to follow Regis around the corner.

She watched him go and continued staring down the empty hall at the plain granite walls that curved up to the ceiling in a seamless arch. It wasn’t a private hall with restricted access. It connected to too many parts of Court for that. But it wasn’t a heavily used thoroughfare, either. She fought the urge to hug herself against the sudden chill of emptiness within her. No, she wasn’t empty, no matter what she felt in this moment. Her purpose filled her.

A whisper of air fluttered through her hair and she turned to see who’d gated into the hall behind her. It was
Kijani
, his face set in his usual grim expression. Without prompting, he spoke his power word and jerked his hand in his focused gesture, activating his earth magic ability to shield their conversation from magically prying eyes and ears.

“Report.”

“We’re on schedule and everyone remains stable... for the moment.”

Excellent.
With luck her soldiers’ sanity would hold until the coup and she wouldn’t have to imprison anyone else. When she had the medallion everything would be fine. Although with the Handmaiden missing and no indication when she’d return, the medallion was useless. Of course, that didn’t mean she should give up on the medallion. Eventually the Handmaiden would be back. It had happened before, and there was nothing to indicate that this situation would be different, regardless of the fact that her men’s attack in the rebirth chamber must have pissed her off.

“I still want the medallion.”

“I’ve got a team on it.”

“Make sure it’s heavy with human mages. We need to keep Hunter guessing for as long as possible.”

“Yes, Doyen.”
Kijani
pursed his lips and his gaze dipped to the floor.

“Oh for goodness sake.
What is it?”

“
Howel’s
new body has already connected to the earth’s magic and has lightning.”

“What a pleasant surprise.” That was the best news she’d heard all day. Lightning was powerful and the more of her strike force wielding it, the better. “His original vessel didn’t have earth magic, did it?”

“No, Doyen.”

The odds weren’t good that
Howel
would be able to activate another human’s earth magic before the coup, and while two soldiers were better than one, it would take the human too much time to learn how to use his magic, particularly while under
Laoch’s
mind spell. “
Howel
has certainly proven his worth to our cause. He should be rewarded. Kill his current human and give him the empty vessel back.”

“Yes, Doyen.”

It involved more body-hopping but would ensure her strike force was as powerful and sane as possible.
Howel
would hop back to his original vessel,
Kijani
would kill the human mage, and
Howel
would hop back into the unoccupied vessel, heal it, and have lightning.
And really.
It was just a human. They were tools to be used as dragons pleased. That was the true order of things, the way it should have been from the beginning. Dragons were predators and human were cattle.

Hunter brushed a finger along
Anaea’s
temple into her hair. It really was closer to the pixie cut she’d had in the dream and not what he remembered from when he’d first met her. She sighed in her sleep and he drew his hand back. He didn’t want to wake her. She was completely at peace. He could sense it. Her emotions and thoughts weren’t nearly as strong within him as when they’d shared a body, or when they’d made love, but she was still there, a sensual, warm presence. And she’d known exactly what she’d wanted. She’d had no reservations.

He shouldn’t have feared that her desire to be with him was induced by shock. Of course, their new connection helped to ease any doubts. It was surprising, but then, he’d only body-shared once before and so briefly that he had no idea what the consequences really were. This was a fabulous aftereffect. Unlike what they were facing if Regis found out about her.
Especially if she had a bit of real sorcerer in her.

The phone rang. Hunter grabbed it before it could ring again and wake
Anaea
. He could sense her drifting closer to consciousness and wasn’t ready for that, wasn’t ready for her to carry the weight of her world so soon.

“Yeah,” he said into the cordless receiver as he slipped from the bed and padded into the living room.

“You really need to work on your phone etiquette, you know,” Grey said.

“I’ll take lessons when this is done.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Maybe I will.”

Grey snorted. “A few days in a woman’s body and...”

Silence filled the line and Hunter swallowed a groan. Grey was likely jumping to conclusions and was going to be right.

“It’s not the body but the woman,” Grey said.

“Are you calling just to bother me, or have you actually found something?”

“What do you think I am?”

“You’re—”

“Don’t answer that. This day has been difficult enough. Word is that Nero stays at his house just outside of
Newgate
during the
pahar
. But he’ll leave after the final feast tonight.”

That would make sense. If Nero was planning something, easy access back to Court would be useful, particularly if those working for him didn’t have the strength to open a gate outside of the city or even have the ability at all.

“I think Nero and I should have a talk.”

“Have fun,” Grey said.

“You don’t get off that easily.” He didn’t want to drag Grey out of Court, but he needed someone to keep an eye on
Anaea
—he’d at least learned something from the last time. Besides, all Grey had to do was stay in the suite until Hunter returned.

“Whatever you want, the answer is no.”

“You were willing to come to town for
Anaea
.”

“That’s when I thought something horrible had happened to you.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What do you
mean,
you thought something horrible had happened?” What the hell had happened while he was trapped in
Anaea’s
head?

“
Nothing,
and I’m not going to talk about it. What do you want?”

“Hang out in the hotel with
Anaea
while I talk with Nero.”

“
Anaea’s
a big girl. She can look after herself.”

That was what Hunter was worried about. “It’ll be good for you to get out and see the twenty-first century.”

“It’s not an emergency.” Grey sounded pained. “You’re fine.
Anaea’s
fine. The world is right again.”

Hunter hadn’t thought Grey’s dislike of the human realm had turned into a fear. But considering how bad it had turned out the last time he’d gated over for any duration it didn’t surprise Hunter. “I’ll set up the movie channel for you. You won’t have to leave the suite.”

“I’ve got movie channels aplenty in my lair.”

Hunter stared at the painting above the desk.
Vast, clear sky.
He yearned to be there, even if for a moment, a heartbeat. Dreams weren’t enough. Did Grey yearn for the same thing? He hadn’t even seen sky since that awful night in 1946.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Hunter held his breath, waiting for Grey to say something.

Nothing.

“I need you to keep an eye on
Anaea
and you know I can’t bring her back to Court.”

“Hunter, I—”

“You know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to.”

Grey groaned. “I know. I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thanks.”

“Mother of All, both of you seriously
owe
me.”

Hunter ran a hand over his smooth head. “Well, you can’t hide at Court for the rest of your life.”

“Don’t start.”

“You’re right, I know. I owe you.”

* * *

Anaea
stretched, savoring the feel of her body’s slide against the sheets. She felt whole, complete, and amazed. She wasn’t broken anymore. Of course, she’d never really been broken. She was truly blessed for finding someone who thought
she—
all of her—was beautiful. Her final days didn’t have to be empty anymore and she was sure as hell going to spend them with Hunter. Yes, he wasn’t really human. But for her remaining three months it didn’t really matter.

It was crazy. She’d never believed in love at first sight, and perhaps this wasn’t exactly ‘first sight.’ But she knew, deep within her, they were meant to be together. Hunter’s presence simmered within her.
Wild, feral, magical.
She didn’t know how much she believed in destiny, but she did know she was connected to Hunter in a more intimate way than she’d ever been with anyone before.

They still had the problem of someone trying to kill him... and her. Without a doubt he would shut her out, do what he felt he needed to do without her, but she wasn’t going to let him. Even with her fleeting sense of what dragons were, she knew the female of the species was just as formidable as the male. That woman,
Capri
, and certainly
Zenobia
were both powerful. She and Hunter would work this out together, whether he liked it or not.

She concentrated on Hunter’s presence within her. He was in the sitting room thinking about something, but she couldn’t tell what. She still couldn’t read his thoughts unless he wanted her to. He was likely trying to figure out how to stop whoever was after them without getting her involved. It was actually flattering that he cared so much for her he wanted to fight her battles. She really wanted to talk about their next move, but she could tell by his mood that now wasn’t the time.
Perhaps after a shower.

Perhaps she could entice him to join her.