Taken by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #8)(6)

“You’re right,” I said, smiling at the tender look in his eyes. “There is a lot to look forward to, and a lot right now to be thankful for. It’s a good thing I have you around to remind me of that.”

“Indeed.” Iannis shifted, then pulled me on top of him. “I don’t know about you,” he said against my mouth, his hands sliding up my skirts, “but I can think of much better ways than mere conversation to spend the remainder of our carriage ride.”

Laughing, I kissed him, and let all my thoughts drift away. I had said I wanted more alone time with Iannis, and with no one around to disturb us for another hour, I wasn’t about to squander it.





3





By the time we made it back to Solantha Palace, it was close to two in the morning. Exhausted from the day’s activities and our passionate lovemaking in the carriage, Iannis and I headed straight for bed, but we were waylaid halfway to his suite by Director Chen.

“I’m sorry to disturb you at this late hour,” Chen said, a dismayed expression on her usually placid face, “but we’ve received an urgent missive from the Minister.”

“So urgent that it could not wait until morning?” Iannis asked with a frown.

Chen pulled a folded-up letter from her sleeve. “See for yourself,” she said, handing it to him.

Iannis unfolded the single sheet, and I peeked over his shoulder. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grumbled, a headache pounding at my temples with each line that I read. The Minister had decided that he wanted to hold the Convention in Solantha this year, during the week immediately before the wedding, since nearly all the Chief Mages were coming here anyway.

Iannis groaned. “We’ve only a few weeks left before the wedding. He wants us to start preparing for a Convention now, on top of everything? Has he lost his mind?”

Chen shook her head. “The Minister is clearly thinking of no one but himself,” she said, crossing her arms. “Yes, this might be more convenient for the other Chief Mages and save them a trip to Dara, but it is going to be a nightmare for those of us who have to organize the event with such a short deadline.”

“No fucking kidding.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, already feeling overwhelmed. “That means it’s not just the Chief Mages coming into town—they’re all going to drag their entourages with them, plus all the officials and media VIPs and lobbyists and all the other crap that comes along with the Convention.”

“We might have been able to handle such an influx before the quake,” Iannis said tersely, “but many of our hotels are still being rebuilt, and Solantha Palace does not have a meeting room large enough to safely hold the entire Convention.”

That was an understatement. My shoulders knotted with tension at the thought of all these strangers descending upon what I was beginning to think of as my home. “We may have to hire cruisers again to accommodate everyone,” Director Chen said. “Seeing as how we have very little time to make the preparations, I thought you and I should go over the logistics before we retire.”

“As much as I would rather rest, I’m afraid I agree with you.” Iannis sighed, then put an arm around my shoulders and kissed me. “Go to bed, Sunaya. I’ll join you in a little while.”

“All right.” I kissed him back, resisting the urge to protest. I knew Iannis liked this even less than I did, but with only eight weeks until the new Convention date, there was no choice. I had a feeling that what little free time we had was about to evaporate completely.

Disheartened, I trudged off to bed alone, hoping that Iannis wouldn’t take too long. As I lay in the big platform bed, staring up at the ceiling, I tried to fall asleep. But despite my exhaustion, thoughts about the upcoming Convention plagued me. I knew from my experience in Garai that delegates were prissy and demanding—the Chief Mages and the other guests would fuss if they weren’t given “appropriate” accommodations and service, or if any one of them seemed to get preferential treatment, as if Solantha Palace was some fucking hotel instead of Canalo’s seat of power. I wondered what they would think if they were locked up in a tower room, as I had been when I’d first arrived here.

Oh, how far you’ve come, Sunaya, I thought to myself as I rolled over. I’d gone from sleeping in a dingy apartment in Maintown to the Chief Mage’s apartments. I certainly had no right to complain about anything, even if said Chief Mage couldn’t share the bed right now. In a few short weeks, this would officially become my bed too, and I could move my stuff from my suite down the hall to his.

“I just wish the Minister hadn’t given us all this extra trouble,” I grumbled out loud.

“Trouble!” my ether parrot squawked, materializing on Iannis’s pillow. I laughed a little as he cocked his glowing head at me, and reached out to stroke his ethereal feathers. As usual, my fingers passed straight through them, but he leaned into my touch a little, almost as if he could feel it.

“Do you think I’m being crazy, Trouble?” I asked him. “Is it just pre-wedding jitters, or is this normal?”

“Crazy!” Trouble cawed back, and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, that’s just what I wanted to hear.” I flopped back down.

“Hear, hear!” Trouble hopped onto my chest and peered down at me. “Want to hear!”