any more.” I fiddled with the tips of my hair as Zack and Jenks came downstairs, the pixy looking as if he belonged on the elf’s shoulder as they shared a shortbread cookie. Zack appeared tired, as he had skipped his noon nap, but not as fatigued at Trent. “I think the baku is ready to make its move. We’re going to try to contact it.” I hesitated. “Today.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Ivy said, and Jenks, now sitting on one of Trent’s orchids, snorted. A few feet away, Zack collapsed into a chair and dragged Buddy up with him, tags jingling.
“Not as much as waiting until one of us falls asleep.” I eyed Trent’s stiff resolve as his stance with Quen became decidedly aggressive. He was still in his slacks and dress shirt, pegging my meter with that loosened tie about his neck. “We should be able to. I mean, if the elves created it, they had to communicate with it somehow without being eaten alive. Zack says that Landon talked to it while meditating.”
Zack gave me a thumbs-up, but I didn’t feel any better. “We’re hoping to find a way to contain it,” I said. “It as much as said it could be done the last time I pushed it out of my mind.”
Ivy was silent, the quick staccato of her tapping pen obvious. “I can be there in forty minutes,” she said, and Jenks waved his hands dramatically, clearly wanting her to stay out of it. I agreed. Ivy didn’t do well with possession, and that was what it would be if things got out of hand.
“I’m not going to pretend to love a woman that I don’t,” Trent said loudly, drawing my attention. “I don’t care how many votes it gets me in the enclave.”
“Your father knew the strength of the enclave,” Quen said calmly, his silhouette tall and dark as he stood before the gigantic fireplace, but his hands were clenched, and I swear I saw magic leaking from between his fingers.
Temper fraying dangerously, Trent lifted his chin. “Yes? Well, I know the strength of love.”
“Ah, Quen is here to spot us,” I said as I held the phone closer, hoping Ivy wasn’t hearing this. They were arguing over Ellasbeth. Or me, rather. “And Jenks.”
Trent turned as if to go, jerking to an annoyed halt when Quen took his arm. “Your father wouldn’t have shirked his duties,” Quen said, and Trent yanked from his grip.
“My father married a woman he despised. He was never happy, and because of it, she was never happy,” Trent said, and I winced. Jenks flew to me, trailing an unhappy orange dust.
“Okay,” Ivy said, her easy acceptance telling me she could hear everything and wanted no part of it. “It sounds as if you have enough help. Call me when you’re done so I can sleep today, but if you need me, I’m there.”
“Don’t chip your fang. We’ve got this,” Jenks said from my shoulder.
“Your father created an empire that those weaker than you are destroying,” Quen said stiffly. “If you allow a closer tie to Ellasbeth, you will regain votes. It’s that simple.”
“No,” Trent said, and when he tried to leave again, Quen drew him back.
“It will ensure your Sa’han status,” Quen said softly, his angry voice laced with an old pain. “One word from you and the danger Landon represents will be gone. One word and the lawsuits will stop. One word and the sabotage and corporate takeovers will end. This is what your father made, Trent. This is what he gave you. He made you a prince, and your stubbornness is making you a pauper.”
For a heartbeat, Trent said nothing. “I would rather have had his love.” Turning, Trent strode away, and the static from his leashed magic pulled the magazines from a nearby table to the floor behind him.
My eyes widened and Buddy slunk away to hide under a chair. “Uh, I gotta go,” I said.
“Call me when you’re done,” Ivy reminded me, and I nodded, eyes on Trent as he stood at the window and stared at nothing. His hair was floating, and he ran a hand to smooth it.
“Will do,” I said, then hung up.
“Huh.” Jenks took to the air. “The little cookie maker has a temper after all.”
“Give him a break,” I said. “His kids are locked in a safe room.”
“That would put thorns in my jockstrap, too, but you’re fooling yourself if you think that’s what’s bothering him.” Wings humming, he flew to Trent,