The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 2 Blood Honor and Dreams (10 page)

“I’m saying I will probably be poor company
and I’d rather not ruin your night,” she replied with a halfhearted
smile.

“Mmm, there is a possibility that rather than
ruin my night I could improve yours.” He spoke quietly, his breath
warm on her neck, and she felt her skin tingle in response. “I can
take your mind off of everything,” he promised and kissed her neck
gently.

“Are we going to get a bar show, Finn, or are
you going to go home?” Valor asked playfully and Finn shoved him
lightly in response.

“I’m going to go home. Sorry you don’t get to
see more of my beautiful wife than you already have Val,” Finn
replied, drawing chuckles from a few in the crowd.

“Well, as sad as that is, at least I don’t
have to see more of you in the process. Off with you then and put a
smile back on her face, she looks so depressed,” Valor responded
with a grin and took the half full glass from Finn’s hand. With a
wink he downed the drink and sat the empty glass on the bar
motioning for the bartender to pour him another.

“Lush,” Finn said with a chuckle and nodded
farewell to the crowd. Keeping his arm wrapped tightly around Jala,
he guided them both toward the door. “I’m sorry you are having such
a miserable night,” he offered as they stepped out into the cool
night air.

“It’s nothing you did. It was just seeing all
of that suffering and then …” She trailed off, unsure why she had
even started to mention it.

“And then what?” he asked, glancing both ways
down the street before starting their walk back to the Academy. “I
don’t see Marrow do you?” he asked while she was still
contemplating if she should tell him about Hemlock. She didn’t like
the idea of keeping secrets from him but she was sure it would just
upset him.

“He is on the roof, don’t ask me how he got
up there but he is,” she said absently waving in the direction of
the Bendazzi.

Looking up, Finn nodded a greeting to Marrow
who sat quietly watching them and glanced at her again. “And then
what?” he prompted again.

Sighing, she linked her fingers with his and
rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. “And then Hemlock
sat down at my table and asked me for a reason he shouldn’t kill
me,” she said quietly and felt his fingers squeeze tighter on her
hand.

“I didn’t see anyone at your table all night.
I kept looking over there, hoping you would join me. If I had known
he was there, I wouldn’t have left you alone. I’m sorry,” he said
and squeezed her hand again. “What did you tell him?” he asked
after a moment’s pause.

She gave a bitter chuckle and shrugged
lightly. “I told him if he waited to kill me I’d be worth more
money,” she said dryly.

“Uhh, hmm, really?” Finn said, pausing
between each sound, and shook his head. “Not the reason I would
have given but I’m sure it was a first for him. Most tend to plead
for their lives, I would guess.”

“I don’t think I’m exactly the pleading sort,
at least not for that,” she replied.

“You won’t plead for your own life? That’s
generally the number one thing most would beg for. What would you
plead for then?” he asked.

“Yours. He asked me for a reason to not kill
you as well. And he wanted me to give you a message, though I
really don’t want to. I don’t want to keep secrets from you either,
though, so I’m still tossing the decision around in my mind. To
tell or not to tell.”

“You have to tell now. You mentioned it. You
can’t just say something like that and then not tell,” Finn pointed
out practically. “It’s cruel and you aren’t cruel, so spill
it.”

She cleared her throat and sighed again.
“Tell him that he shouldn’t leave his wife alone, there is no
telling who might decide to keep her company.” She repeated the
words as perfectly as she could and waited for Finn’s response. His
mood had darkened. She could feel it through their link but he
remained silent. “I think he was trying to anger you and it has
apparently worked,” she said after the silence had stretched for
several minutes.

“Not at you. Not at him. At myself. He is
right, I shouldn’t have left you alone at that table,” Finn said at
last. “I know how many enemies we have in this city. I should have
stayed by you.”

“I don’t need your constant supervision,
Finn. I don’t expect you to stay by me at every moment. I was
perfectly fine drinking alone tonight. As I said, I’m not the best
of company right now,” she said in what she hoped was a soothing
voice.

Her gaze flicked to an alley as Marrow
dropped down and paced over to walk by them. His thick white coat
stood out against the shadows and his yellow eyes seemed to gleam.
Running her hand through his fur she smiled faintly at the
Bendazzi. “Did you have a good nap?” she asked quietly.

I didn’t nap. I followed the bastard in
the cloak. He went back into Merro to a transport stone and
activated a rune near its bottom. One that is very well hidden
,
Marrow informed her smugly.

“Did he notice?” she asked in a bit of
shock.

Marrow growled low at the question and looked
up at her with a feline glare.
Of course he didn’t notice. I’m a
Bendazzi. I am a master of stealth
, he grumbled.

“He followed him when he left. He says he
used a portal stone in our district,” she whispered to Finn.

Looking down at the Bendazzi, Finn seemed to
consider the news and shook his head. “We store that information
for later. It will just create more problems if we get nosy now,”
he decided and nodded to Marrow with respect. “Takes talent to
follow a man like him and not get caught.”

“Today has been a whirlwind. I don’t really
know if I could consider it good or bad. I think I just want to
stop considering it all for a while,” Jala said with a sigh as they
made their way through the Academy gardens.

Finn stopped at the stairs to their hall and
gave her another kiss. “It will all work out. I promise you. Seeing
how bad things are there shouldn’t depress you. It should show you
what to do next. We can fix it, but it will take time. As for the
rest of it, don’t worry so much.” He spoke gently and wrapped his
arms around her again, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“How can you promise something like that? You
don’t know it will all work out,” she whispered into his shirt.

“I do too. It will work out because you want
it to so badly. Both you and I are determined people. When we want
something we get it,” he reassured her and slowly pulled his arms
back. “Right now I want to be in our room and see my wife smile.”
Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs and held the door open
for her and Marrow.

At the sound of the door opening, Wisp poked
her head out from her own door. “I was hoping it was you two. I
have some good news for you, Jala. I found a couple of healers that
are willing to work in the Merro district,” Wisp said happily,
stepping from her room into the hall. She took a moment and
surveyed the two of them and cocked her head to one side with a
concerned look. “What’s wrong Jala? You look upset.”

“We rode through the entire Merro district
today. It was horrible,” Jala said quietly and moved over to Wisp
giving her a light hug. “Thank you so much for looking for the
healers. They are desperately needed there,” she added as she
released the Fae and stepped back rubbing her face. Finn brushed
his hand against her back and nodded to Wisp and continued past
them toward their room.

“It was no trouble at all. I knew who to talk
to about it. We can go meet them tomorrow after classes if you
like,” Wisp offered.

“I’d like that a lot, actually,” Jala said
somewhat distracted as she watched Finn close the door to their
room behind him. She turned back to Wisp the moment the door
latched and leaned closer. “He is going to duel Kithkanon. I don’t
know how to talk him out of it. Any ideas?” she whispered
quickly.

“What?” Wisp hissed back and glanced over
Jala’s shoulder at the closed door. “Why?” she asked, looking back
at Jala with even more concern written on her delicate face.

“Cassia hired Kithkanon and he had a scene
with Cassia today and now …” she let her voice trail off. There was
so much she could add that she wasn’t sure where to start
explaining.

“That little bitch,” Wisp growled and looked
as though she wanted to find Cassia just to strangle her. “Don’t
worry hon. He will win, Finn always wins,” Wisp said and Jala could
tell she was forcing herself to sound reassuring.

“So there is no way to talk him out of it? Is
that what you are telling me?” Jala asked with a sigh.

Sadly, Wisp shook her head. “Not if he said
he was going to. There isn’t much talking Finn out of things,” she
said shrugging at Jala.

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Jala said, her
voice filled with resignation. Leaning over she gave Wisp another
quick hug and turned for her room. She paused just before the door
and looked back at Wisp. “I have training with Sovann and Neph
tomorrow. Can we go to meet the healers right after school in the
afternoon? I should have time then,” she asked.

“You have too much to do Jala. Yes that would
be fine,” Wisp said shaking her head slightly. “You are going to go
mad within a year at this pace.”

“I doubt it,” Jala replied with a faint smile
and pushed the door open quietly. Marrow brushed past her silently
and headed for his customary spot in the corner. She closed the
door softly behind her and turned to look at Finn.

He was standing half-dressed by their bed,
carefully folding his shirt and had a smirk on his face. “Dirty,
asking Wisp for help,” he said with a faint chuckle.

“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” she
mumbled and began to remove her jewelry.

“Did you think the door being closed would
prevent it?” He asked sounding amused.

“Yes, actually. Most people can’t hear
whispers through closed doors. What were you doing, pressing your
ear to the door?” She rolled her eyes at him and pulled the pins
from her hair. Yawning, she ran her fingers through the curls and
opened her eyes to find Finn leaning against the bedpost watching
her. “What?” she asked, lowering her arms slowly and raising an
eyebrow at him.

“Just admiring,” he said quietly and then
slowly shook his head. “I don’t have to lean against the door to
hear things. Neph is reading aloud right now, Wisp is singing
quietly and Jail is getting ready to leave his room,”

The sound of a door closing outside in the
hall drew her attention as he finished speaking and she slowly
turned back to look at him in shock. “You heard all of that?” she
asked quietly.

“When I focus I can. I don’t focus all of the
time or I would go deaf in bars,” he explained and crossed the room
to her. With nimble fingers he began to unlace her dress.

“Then you know I don’t want you to duel,” she
whispered.

“And Wisp just warned you that you wouldn’t
be able to talk me out of it,” he replied, leaning close to kiss
her on the neck.

“Don’t you remember Death nodding to you at
the council meeting and you said you would have to be extra careful
in your next duel and this is your next duel.” She spoke quickly,
the words pouring forth in a flood as she tried to ignore his lips
working their way slowly down her shoulder.

“Mmm hmmm,” he mumbled, never slowing in his
progress with the dress or the kisses.

“But Finn, I really don’t want you to fight
him,” she pressed, as her dress dropped to the floor.

He traced his hands up her body slowly and
lifted his face to hers. “I have too much riding on this now, Jala,
I can’t forfeit on the bets I’ve made. I would lose what I have bet
and that isn’t an option,” he said firmly before picking her up by
the hips and setting her gently on the edge of the table behind
her.

“It’s just money, Finn. I can’t lose you over
money,” she whispered, leaning back on one arm and wrapping her
other arm around his neck.

“It’s more than money,” he said quietly as he
unlaced his pants. “Leave it alone Jala, you won’t talk me out of
it,” he warned as he slid a hand up her thigh and leaned in to kiss
her again. Mercilessly he continued with his lips and hands until
all conversation dwindled from her mind and there was nothing in
her thoughts but him.

Sanctuary

Morning sunlight filtered in through the
windows. Jala’s eyes flickered open slowly and she turned her head
to look at the empty side of the bed. As usual, Finn had left
silently for his morning exercise. Fighting back a yawn, Jala sat
up, slowly arching her back to stretch. She could see Marrow
sprawled on his side near the wall. His chest still rose and fell,
deep with the rhythms of sleep. Standing slowly, she moved to the
mirror and picked up her brush. With an incoherent grumble, she
began combing out the night’s tangles and then paused, looking
slowly down at a folded letter lying on the corner of the
nightstand. It hadn’t been there a minute before. She was sure of
it. She glanced around the room once. Her gaze paused on Marrow’s
still sleeping form and then slowly picked up the letter, turning
it over in her hands. Her name was scrawled on the back in elegant
script.

“I didn’t think you were ever going to wake
up,” a child’s voice said beside her.

Startled, Jala jumped back with a squeak and
frantically searched the room. She heard Marrow growl low in his
throat and glanced back to see him scanning the room.

“Are you going to read the letter?” The voice
came again from a different corner.

“Who are you?” Jala asked cautiously, her
gaze flicking back to Marrow once more.

I see nothing. I sense nothing. There is
no scent at all
, Marrow’s voice rumbled in her mind, irritation
thick in his tone.