You Are Mine (Mine #1)(70)
Whirling around, I face him. “Will you take me to a meeting with you?”
He jumps to his feet. “You want me to take you to a meeting?”
Though he's a several feet from me, he still towers above me. I cower back. “It was just a thought.”
“Sorry.” He sits back down and rubs the back of his neck. “You want to go to a council meeting?”
“I, um—is there a law against it?” I wish I had access to the laws and not just the Woman's Canon.
For a moment he's quiet. “There's usually only the council and servants, but no. I don't think there's a law against it.”
I step forward. In my mind, I keep the image of Katherine taking one step outside of safety and dying. Nothing that bad will happen to me just from asking. But so much could happen to her. I can be strong enough.
“Maybe you could take me. Make it a show of dominance for the council.”
“No.”
The sharp reply silences me. If I persist, he may break his promise and a fist or hex will fly my way. Except, this is Zade. Not my Father or another warlock. He's only ever encouraged me. I have to believe he's different and if he's not, I want to know it now.
“Why not?”
He looks me straight in the eye. “I don't want you there.”
The reply stings. “Because women are supposed to be silent child bearers.”
His head lowers to his hands. “That's not it. There are things you don't understand.”
“Right.” He still thinks of me as just a woman, even if he doesn't punish me like he should. I'm sick of being just a woman.
He shakes his head before raising it. “Not like that. Just–just let me think about it, all right?”
The answer is so stunning, it takes me a moment to reply. “Yes, of course.” I back away from him. If he wants to think, I'll give him space to do so. “I'll leave you to it.”
Before I can depart, he says, “Don't forget, you're delivering invites with me.”
“I won't.”
I hasten from the salmon spell, feeling nothing as I step though it. Zade sits within its confines, lost in thought. I want to do this. For Katherine. For the other tarnished. If I can't free myself from a warlock's control, I can at least try to help others. But even that depends on what my owner allows.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Delivering invites drags on longer than I expected. It starts at the Grand Chancellor's house. His son, Nathaniel, greets us and accepts the invitation. We don't stay long before moving on to Chancellor Ryan's house.
He's nothing like Zade. Arrogant to the point of thinking we delivered his invitation before anyone else's, even the Grand Chancellor's. I guess being only one of two Chancellors could make a person think they're above everyone, but he pushes the limits. At least none of the other councilmen we visited are as arrogant. We visit several more before heading home. After another long carriage ride this morning, we're ready to deliver more.
I stare at the next door, belonging to a house not far from my Father's where we just came from. No one came to greet us. We had to leave the invitation with the footman. I haven't even seen my littlest sister yet. Does she look more like mother or Father? What will her fate be?
After that disappointment, I was hoping we could be done, but I suppose we do need to deliver as many as we can. I brush one of Katherine's best dresses free of wrinkles and try to prepare myself for another forced conversation. At least they haven't lasted very long. Yet.
“You're doing fine,” Zade says.
Though his confidence in me heartening, I shake my head. Before I can respond, the door opens.
Like before, Zade steps forward and says the line Bethany quietly suggested. “We've brought an invitation for the household.”
“Please, come in.” The thin footman moves aside and motions us inside.
The hall is elegant. Stone tile lines the floor. White walls reach far above even Zade's head, with windows at the top. We enter and the footman closes the door behind us. The morning sun warming us from the many windows, it's a pleasant temperature. Much better than the fall air.
“Please wait and I'll see who's available.”
Once he's gone, I whisper, “It feels good in here.”
“It's spelled to feel the perfect temperature,” Zade says.
“They can do that?”
He nods. “The same spell is on our house, too.”
That explains a lot. “This is nice.”
“Yes. Councilman Daniel is level headed. Hopefully his wife is the same.”
The footman returns. “Follow me.”
He leads us to a nearby sitting room. There are more windows, lighting the golden colors of the room. Matching golden sofas and chairs are clustered together throughout. A woman waits in the middle, by the closest set. “Welcome to our home.”
This is the first time we've been greeted by a woman. It's usually just been a warlock, sometimes a wife in the background. She's much shorter than me and a pudge of a woman. The tattoo above her collar bone is a triangle with v's cut out of each corner, ringed by interlacing triangles. Simple, but unique. Her brown eyes are full of life.