council?”
“Surely you did not think our world has survived without advisors,” he laughed, waving the hankie as he did so. “You will meet the council soon enough. Our oldest living creatures consist of the council, and they are rarely considerate in their decisions. If they want to behead you, they will. But, without the king’s okay -- and since Lucian and Talon are the rulers right now, I doubt he would go along with any of it -- they cannot touch you.
“When you meet with them, you must not speak directly to any of them. It is the greatest insult you could ever show them, and even Talon won’t be able to help you if you do such a grave misdoing. I am wondering why you are even welcomed to this world,” he commented slowly, stroking the hankie like he would a cat. Her chest tightened, offended. He shot her a look and laughed softly. “Not like that. I’m just saying that you and Talon are so different, and you have no becoming qualities besides your beauty. I cannot sense anything other than human within you.”
Jamie thought back to the men in black, when she was just a kid. Her mother taking her away, trying to hide her from things. That near miss when everything had fallen around her. As she mulled over what he had said, she couldn’t help the errant, horrible thought that she had used to force out of her mind.
It was too painful. To dangerous. It was something she had never thought about, as bad as things had gotten.
He had said that she would die the next day if she knew anything about Talon.
What would it matter if she died a second time?
“I must warn you, Jamie. The witches...they are after Talon. They want him dead, but more than anything they want him to suffer. They are going to use you to do it.”
Her blood froze in her veins, becoming icy as fear coursed through her. “How do I know when I’ve...seen a witch?” she asked, hands turning numb.
“You will know. Their eyes are soulless. Centuries of being connected to the earth, living the horrors and damage that had come to it, has made them heartless and emotionless. They have as much warmth as a serial killer.”
“And they are...after Talon. Why?” she demanded.
“You might want to ask him about an ‘Amena’,” he said, standing to his feet and putting the hanky in his back pocket with a grace it seemed only he could perfect.
“Why? I have more questions...”
“I have introduced you into our world. Talon will do the rest for you. If you need anything from me, you may ask Talon or Lucian for my cell.
With that, he left the room in a whisper of sound. Jamie stared at the empty space, not even surprised. Jamie leaned into the chair, mind whirling.
“Jamie?”
The voice had her startling, jerking to her feet. Talon was in the doorway, watching her and waiting. She cleared her throat awkwardly, then wiped her hands on her pants.
She was going to ask him about this “Amena” person as soon as they were alone.
Chapter 13
Everything that happened after the meeting was pretty much a blur to Jamie. The second they left the room, Talon was bombarded with people and she was pushed to the back.
That was how it was for the next week.
Talon got so caught up with calls and papers and meetings, that it seemed like there was no time for her. She was left in her room, bored off her ass and so brain dead she almost forgot about asking about Amena. When he came back to their room, he was so tired that the second he sat down in the chair to take off his shoes, he passed straight out.
Resolute, she would get up and drag him to the bed, all the while thinking that this was so much more different than it had been with Chris. When she had had to drag his drunk body to the couch, her skin hadn’t gotten hotter with just the touch. But while she took Talon? She swore the room was a sauna and she wanted nothing but to strip him naked and wake him up with her hands...or her mouth...or her body.
For the most part, she felt like a pervert. But she shrugged it off and took her time caring for him. It was normally midnight by the time he got to their room, and she was so bored that she couldn’t sleep.