Amanda Bonilla - Shaedes of Gray - A Shaede Assassin Novel

I can’t say I wanted to go with him on his scouting expedition, but it did sting a little that Raif didn’t ask. I shrugged and nodded. “I can take care of myself.”

His chest moved with silent laughter. “That was obvious the first time I laid eyes on you. Xander won’t be back this morning. They’ll have him under lock and key until it’s time to leave. This may be an attempt to keep him from attending the Summit, or it may just be a coincidence. Are you rested?”

“Rested enough.”

“We have a long day. You can use Xander’s bathroom to clean up,” he said, looking at my blood-spattered attire. “A change of clothes is on its way up for you. I’ll have it left on the bed.”

“What’s on the agenda?” I didn’t think Raif had a day of embroidery planned.

“Today is the Summit. Delegates from all of the ruling bodies will be in attendance. It’s more or less a gathering of political blowhards.”

I laughed. “Not much different from human politicians, I gather.”

“True.” Raif smiled. “It’s a clearing of the air, I guess you could say. They come together once every three months, and Xander’s going to use the opportunity to rally support, in the event our troubles with Azriel escalate into all-out war. It’s best to line up our allies now, while we have the chance. And he wants you in his entourage.”

Great . The fun times kept rolling. “How long do I have to get ready?”

“Thirty minutes,” Raif said with a smile in his eyes. “Is that long enough?”

I answered with my first real smile of the day. “I’ll be ready in fifteen.”

Chapter 18

Achange of clothes had been left on the bed, waiting for me, when I got out of the shower. Raif spared me the embarrassment of making me wear one of his Lord of the Rings outfits. Instead, he’d left a black ensemble draped across the coverlet of Xander’s bed.

I left Xander’s suite and met Raif at the foot of the stairs in the foyer. Again, he stood at Xander’s right side, something I’d only just noticed, whispering in his brother’s ear. A collective murmur ran through the small crowd as I stepped from the final stair. I got the impression I’d been the topic of conversation—the Lyhtan slayer, something new and exciting to discuss. I was greeted with plenty of approving nods and even a couple of smiles. However, the expression that made me take pause came from a pair of violet eyes.

Anya stood toward the rear of the entourage, her eyes narrowed into hateful slits. If looks could kill, I’d have been dead a million times over. I flashed my most winsome smile. She turned, her long braid whipping out behind her like a huge length of rope, and headed straight for the door.

I paid Anya’s display little attention, and instead, focused on the King of Shaedes. Xander stood a few feet away, looking over the heads of his advisers at me with a fixed and serious expression. He didn’t look like his cocky, carefree self. The weight of a kingdom sat atop his shoulders, and I could tell it was a heavy weight to bear. His drawn face looked too tired for having slept through the night. The sparkle was gone from his eyes, which now appeared dull and lifeless.

Several cars waited at the front of the house, and the king’s entourage moved as a collective hive through the door. I took up a place at Xander’s left shoulder, trailing behind him, hyperaware of my surroundings.

Something caused a traffic jam in the flow of moving bodies, and another murmur ran through the crowd. A few words reached my ears, such as wish and Jinn , and I said a few of my favorite curse words under my breath.

“Who is he?” Someone demanded from the front of the queue.

“He is my bodyguard’s . . . bodyguard.” Xander said in an exasperated tone.

Raif turned to me, a deadly expression planted on his face. I was in deep shit for this one. I shrugged; it was the only thing I could think of doing. I’d told Tyler to stay put, but I guess without the words I wish to precede the order, the command carried little weight.

The crowd parted, and Tyler stopped just to the side of the king, giving him a clear view of me. Without making eye contact, he bowed slightly in Xander’s direction. But he locked his gaze with mine.

“You were in trouble this morning.” It was more of a statement than a question.

I kept a stoic countenance. “Tyler.” His name came out sounding a little strange because my teeth were clenched. “This is business. You remember business , right?”

“Your safety is my business ,” he said. “You remember that, right?”

A thousand acts of violence against Ty flashed through my mind. Embarrassed to the point of nausea, I wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Heat rose to my cheeks, and a wave of anxiety—or was that excitement?—rippled through me. If he was this protective of me at the mere notion of trouble, I could only imagine how he’d behave if I were truly in danger. “Tyler, I’m fine. If I were in any real trouble, you’d be the first to know.” I did nothing to correct the hard line of my lips. Exciting alpha-male moment aside, I was still pissed, or, more to the point, embarrassed , and I wanted him to be one hundred percent aware of it. “I have one more place to be today, and we’re going to be late. We’ll talk about this later.”

Tyler smiled, a knowing expression, like he’d put me in checkmate. “It just so happens I’m representing my delegation at the PNT Summit as well. Mind if I ride along?”

Oh, great.

He turned his head in Xander’s direction but didn’t bother to look away from me. The king shared a silent exchange with Raif and sighed. He stepped through the parted crowd and climbed into his car.

I shouldered my way past Ty and ducked my head into the backseat of a sleek, black limo along with Raif and Xander. Before I could close the door behind me, Tyler jumped in and slid beside me, to make an already uncomfortable moment unbearable. He and I faced Raif and Xander, and not a single one of us spoke.

The king glowered at Tyler, and it should have burned a hole right through him. Raif seemed merely amused, while I opted to stare out the window and watch as we negotiated traffic. I’d been utterly embarrassed, and I didn’t think I could look any of them in the eye again. The car rolled along the city streets, while its company sat brooding. I was having an internal argument with no end in sight.

I didn’t know if I loved Tyler. At the moment, I didn’t even know if I liked him. Aside from his constant proclamation of I’m yours , I had no clue whatsoever to his true feelings. What the hell was that supposed to mean anyway? I’m yours . My what? My slave, my guardian angel, my own personal pain in the ass? Of course he cared about me. You don’t just give your life over to someone that you’re not particularly fond of. But what was this between us? I knew about as much about tender feelings as I did about my own Shaede nature. Would I even recognize love if it slapped me in the face?

“Darian, did you hear me?” Raif asked.

Shaken from my thoughts, I looked at Raif. “Sorry. What did you say?”

Tyler snickered beside me. I wanted to punch him in the face.

“I will sit beside the king and you will be posted at his left shoulder. Most of the representatives present will have security personnel, and they’ll be standing, like you. In the past, you would have been referred to as a shield bearer. It’s a formality for the most part, a long-standing one, and not usually performed by a king’s champion. But after this morning’s near miss, I think it’s better to be safe than sorry by having a formidable warrior stand at Xander’s back.”