You Are Mine (Mine #1)(48)
“Get off me!” I buck and kick, trying to get free.
A slap stings my face. “Where's the Envadi?” What? Why do they want him? “Where is he?”
The door opens.
“Help!” I yell and struggle to get my hands free.
A crack. The pressure is gone from me. I flip back to my hands and knees and crawl away.
“Light a lamp!” A female voice. Waverly?
Whack! A green spell zaps toward her. She twists away and it crashes on the wall behind her.
I rush to my night stand and light the lamp.
A man in black has his hands wrapped around Waverly's throat. She reaches up, trying to pry his fingers off her. No luck.
If I do nothing, she's going to suffocate. I jump onto his back, hitting him with everything I've got. Immediately, he releases her and casts a maroon spell at me. I drop to the ground before it hits.
A teal and pink spell hurtles toward the attacker. Where'd that come from? Does the attacker have help? I look around for more intruders.
Chancellor Zade stands just inside my room. “What are you doing here?”
Without hesitating, the attacker flashes an orange spell out the window and bolts after it. The Chancellor darts after him, but stops at the window. He throws several spells from the window and then shoots one through my door.
“Are you both well?”
I'm trembling, but don't think I'm injured. “I'm well. Waverly?”
She coughs. I fill a glass of water and bring it to her. Dark bruises are already forming on her neck. She croaks out, “I'm all right. Or will be.”
He crosses to her, puts a hand on her throat, and emits a faint blue light with streaks of red. When he takes his hand away, the marks are gone.
“Thank you.” Her voice back to normal.
His mouth thins. He comes to me. “Do you want me to heal you, too?”
I put a hand to my cheek. “It's nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
Very. I don't want magic cast on me ever again if I can help it. “Yes.”
“What happened?” Chancellor Zade asks.
Next to his presence I feel as helpless as I did a moment ago while being attacked. I shiver and Waverly wraps a blanket around me.
“I woke to a noise and rang for help. Waverly came before anything really happened. He asked where you were.”
His face hardens. “Speak of this to no one. I'll put extra guards and wards around the house. Let me know if you have any more problems, but you shouldn't.”
With that he leaves the room. What's going on? Does he expect there to be more problems?
Wavely's pale. “Did you need anything else?”
“No, I'll be fine.”
She nods. “Ring if that changes.”
She helps me into bed, tucking the blankets tight around me. After she leaves, I stare at the window. Why is someone trying to attack the Chancellor? Is it because he's not acting eager to marry me? The kiss was supposed to fix that. I toss and turn, fear chasing away any hint of sleep.
Chapter Twenty
A knock sounds at my door, and Waverly enters, carrying a tray. I leave the window seat to sit at the table.
“Are you all right this morning?” She sets the tray down and pours some chocolate.
There's no sign left of the struggle last night on either of us or the room. Inside myself though, the same couldn't be said. I'm exhausted from jumping at every noise I heard last night. “Shaken.”
“Me, too. If truth be told. I didn't sleep very well after that.”
“Me either. Do you know any more about why it happened?”
“Only what Zade has told me.” She looks at the tray. “Have some chocolate, maybe that'll help.”
I take a biscuit and a cup. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Warm milk soothed me, but I figured this would work better for you.” She fixes a crease in my already made bed. “A note was sent for you. Someone named Katherine will be by to see you this morning.”
“Good, I was hoping to see her soon.”
After I've eaten and dressed, Cynthia enters wearing a dark teal gown with matching metal bracelets and necklace, and helps herself to the last biscuit. Part of me wants to tell her what happened last night. But I don't want to scare her and Chancellor Zade said not to tell anyone.
“I've heard your famous seamstress is going to join us. Is it true?” Cynthia's eyes are bright.
“It is.”
“Oh, goody! Do you know when she's going to arrive?”
“She should be here about now,” Waverly says. “Would you like me to send her in if she is?”
“Please do,” I say.
Waverly leaves and a few minutes later returns with Katherine who's laden with packages. While setting them on the bed, she says, “You're not wearing the dress. Didn't you like it?”
“Come sit,” I say, some of my stress from the previous evening grows lighter at seeing her. “Have some chocolate.”
“Chocolate?” She hurries to get a cup. “Thank you, but is this your way of not talking about the dress? It's fine if you hate it.”
“No, I just remembered you like chocolate. The dress I love. I wore it yesterday. I was just telling my new servant, Waverly, about it.” I gesture to Waverly. “The Chancellor's family sent her to me from Envado. I'm already learning new things from her. She's wonderful.” And she risked her life for mine last night. I motion to my sister. “And this is Cynthia, the eldest of my sisters.”