Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)(13)

“Oh, so you want a fight now, do you?” A devilish grin curved his lips, my only warning. He flicked his hands, and my eyes nearly popped out of my skull as a towering wave of water rushed toward me out of thin air. I tried to dodge it, but it was way too big, and I slipped on a puddle just as it crashed into me.

“Oww!” I cried, slapping at the ground as I hit the floorboards hard. Or, at least, I tried to say oww, but water filled my mouth, choking off my words. I sputtered and gasped, trying to catch my breath as rivulets ran down my body and into the floorboards.

“Are you all right?” Iannis was suddenly next to me, kneeling on the wet ground as he gathered me into his arms. “I didn’t consider the slippery floorboards.”

“I’m fine,” I managed, my throat a little raw from coughing up water. Clinging to him, I looked into his face, noticing the droplets of water clinging to each of his long, dark lashes. Even with his hair plastered to his head, and his features taut with worry, he was beautiful.

“I’m fine,” I repeated, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

He pulled me tighter against him as his lips found mine, and I sighed as I allowed myself to melt into his strong embrace. It felt so good to be able to let my guard down, to be able to show my feelings openly, and even better, to have them returned. Just weeks ago, Iannis and I had tiptoed around each other, and now we kissed and touched every chance we got.

His big hand slid up my blouse, and I moaned a little as his thumb brushed over my nipple. “Is this part of the lesson?” I murmured against his mouth.

“A different lesson,” he admitted, nibbling at my earlobe, “but one I can always make time for.”

I giggled as he rolled me onto my back, and there was no more talking for quite some time after that.





6





After our ‘lesson’ was done, Iannis and I adjourned to his suite, where we had an early dinner with Fenris. Iannis was going to be busy all evening, but he wanted to update us about what was going on in the Mages Guild, and I was more than amenable to that.

“I’ve had dinner in Iannis’s rooms more times than I can count, but never with another person,” Fenris remarked as he cut up the seasoned chicken breast on his plate. “It’s a pleasant change of pace.”

I grinned a little. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to be the only thing that changes around here, now that we’re engaged.” I squeezed Iannis’s leg from underneath the table, away from Fenris’s watchful gaze. He didn’t react outwardly, but his leg tensed ever so slightly beneath my hand, indicating his surprise. Obviously, he wasn’t at all used to being groped around other people.

Fenris chuckled. “Are you kidding? Things have already changed drastically. Or haven’t you noticed the bounce in Iannis’s step as he walks the halls these days?”

“There is no ‘bounce’ in my step, Fenris,” Iannis said mildly as he forked up some green beans. But his eyes flashed in annoyance, and Fenris and I snickered. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, let’s get on to business. You may have noticed, Sunaya, that I’ve been getting a lot of calls from the Minister lately.”

“I certainly have.” I’d been wondering about it, too, but had held my tongue, figuring Iannis would tell me about it sooner or later.

“Well—and this is not to blame you, Sunaya—but when I left to retrieve you from that remote little island, I had to cancel my participation in an important mission for the task force the Minister formed after we’d rescued him.”

“You mean the one that is supposed to shut down any ongoing operations of the Resistance?” I sat up straighter. “What mission did you miss?”

Iannis waved the question away. “It no longer matters. But now the Minister has another mission for me, and I cannot refuse again. He wants me to personally smoke out some secret Resistance stronghold.”

“Where is it?” Fenris wanted to know.

“The Minister refused to divulge that information over the phone. He wants to brief me in person, and he is expecting me tomorrow night.” Iannis turned his gaze toward me. “You will be coming along.”

I frowned. “For the meeting?”

“Not just the meeting, but the mission itself. We will be leaving for the stronghold as soon as we are briefed. The minister expects me to personally lead an assault on the remaining Resistance forces in the area. Your shifter and enforcer experience will come in handy, and it will be educational for you, especially if you plan to specialize in combat magic. Consider it part of your practical training.”

“But I can’t go.”

Iannis’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“I can’t go,” I repeated, feeling both angry and horrible at once for saying it. I wanted to go on this mission, of course—it was an honor to be included, and, besides, I wanted to take down the Resistance. “I’ve got to go after Annia and Elnos.”

“You think they’re in trouble?” Fenris asked, sounding concerned.

I sighed. “There’s no way of knowing, since it’s so hard to communicate with them. But I have a bad feeling about this, and I think they’re going to need me soon. I’ve got to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

“Sunaya, I understand your concern, and your desire to help your friends, but going off alone on a rescue mission is absolutely out of the question,” Iannis said sternly. “You’re my apprentice, and now my fiancée as well—you can’t simply go gallivanting off as you please.”