Page 118 of The Study of Poisons
“My payment to find and kill Ambrose was significant. I ambushed him, expecting to have my knife in his heart before he could draw breath to cry out. But he blocked the blow, and I found myself fighting for my life, and losing.” And he still couldn’t beat Ambrose.
“Instead of killing me, though, Ambrose carved a C on my chest with my own knife. The same weapon, by the way, that I later used to kill the King.” The revenge on the King had been a highlight of his life. “Then Ambrose declared himself my Commander and announced that I now worked for him and no one else. I agreed, and I promised him that if he got me close enough to kill the King, I would be loyal to him forever.” And he planned to keep his oath and figure out a way to save Ambrose from Brazell and Mogkan.
“My first assignment was to kill the person who had paid me to assassinate Ambrose. Throughout these years, I’ve watched him achieve his goals with a single-minded determination and without excess violence and pain. He hasn’t been corrupted by power or greed. He’s consistent and loyal to his people. And there’s been no one in this world that I care for more. Until now.”
The words had just tumbled from his mouth unchecked. But the truth of that statement hit Valek like a sword thrust to his heart. It took all his courage to continue. “Yelena, you’ve driven me crazy. You’ve caused me considerable trouble and I’ve contemplated ending your life twice since I’ve known you.” At least.
“But you’ve slipped under my skin, invaded my blood and seized my heart.” He braced for her rejection, for her horror, for her to pull away and tell him to go to hell.
“That sounds more like a poison than a person,” she said instead. Her voice shook.
“Exactly,” Valek said. “You have poisoned me.” And only she held the antidote. No one else would ever be enough.
Desperately needing to see her expression, Valek rolled her over. She stared at him in wonder with lips parted. No longer having the strength to resist, he kissed her. Prepared to pull away the second she protested, Valek marveled when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with equal passion.
Joy and desire burned through him, but he let Yelena set the pace, set the limits. He’d hoped for a kiss and received so much more. She gave him her trust, her soul, and her body. He would love and cherish her forever.
CHAPTER22
Despite the fact they were hiding in a dank dungeon cell, Valek would have been content to remain there with Yelena in his arms. But the Commander was under Brazell and Mogkan’s spell and Valek needed to rescue him.
“Let’s go.” He stood and pulled Yelena to her feet.
“Where?” she asked.
“The Commander’s room, so we can take him back to the castle with us.” Valek ran his fingers through his hair, dislodging straw. Then he brushed the dirt from his sneak suit.
“Won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“As soon as you touch him, Mogkan will know.” She explained how the Criollo helped Mogkan become magically linked to the Commander. The dessert relaxed a person’s mental defenses, opening their minds to magical influences. For someone with a strong personality like the Commander, Criollo helped Mogkan gain control of his mind.
“How do we break the bond?” Valek asked.
She gazed at him with a serious expression and took a deep breath. Valek braced for…he wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t going to be good.
“There are two ways to break the bond,” she said. “Kill Mogkan or block his power supply. Since we found the source of his increased magic—those poor people—that would probably be the best way. I learned all this from Fourth Magician Irys Jewelrose. She’s nearby and we talked. It’s how I knew to search for either the diamonds or the wagon wheel design.”
Yelena held up a hand, stopping the thousand questions bubbling up his throat. “Irys came after me at the Fire Festival because she sensed my uncontrolled magic. She planned to assassinate me, but when I played the fugitive, it gave her a chance to talk to me instead of killing me. I promised to find a way to escape to Sitia before I flamed out and wrecked the blanket of power.”
She gave Valek a wry smile. “When she came to the castle last week, she told me I’d stabilized my magic, and she taught me how to block my mental defenses from other magicians. She offered to help me escape, but I…didn’t want to leave Ixia until we figured out what was wrong with the Commander and stopped Mogkan and Brazell. Irys said she’d help us.” Yelena finished her explanation. She chewed on her knuckle while she waited for his response.
Valek’s thoughts spun. He was impressed Yelena had kept her secret about her magic from him even though they shared an apartment. Irys’s interest in Yelena now made sense and answered all the questions he had about their prior encounters. Happy Yelena wasn’t a spy warred with a deep sadness. If she lived through the Commander’s rescue, she couldn’t remain in Ixia. They’d be parted unless Valek found a way to convince the Commander to allow her to stay. But that was a problem to solve later.
Right now, they needed to break Mogkan’s hold on the Commander. A master magician was willing to help them. Too bad she was the same woman who promised to stay out of Ixia.
“Do you trust her?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” He waited for more bad news.
“I love you.”
Valek wrapped her in his arms as tears welled. Despite the danger waiting for them, today had been a true gift. “My love has been yours since the fire festival. If those goons had killed you, I knew then that I would never be the same. I didn’t want or expect this. But I couldn’t resist you.”
She pressed against him, and he savored the moment. Unfortunately, time was critical.
