Page 86 of Obsidian Prince

“She saved your life. I just got her here so she could.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “Sir, I’ve been an ass, and I owe you, Pete, and most of your unit an apology.”

“Yes, you do.” He looked up at the remaining EMT’s and said, “Give me the room, please. I need to discuss something you don’t have clearance for.”

The emergency medical people left with a few final admonishments to get a follow-up from one of the doctors at Womack. Alexander assured them that he would have Doctor Nudd give him a thorough check-up.

His own people continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

When the EMTs were gone, Zoe cleared her throat. “I kept thinking Others had to be different in the head because they were different in other ways. Kept saying it, even, to my best friend, Pete. He never said anything except that I was wrong. I realized some of your people were Others, but I figured you had them on a short leash.”

Alexander snorted.

“Yeah.” She made a wry expression. “I get how stupid that was. But I’ve been following where you lead for years. When you turned out to be Other, and Pete, too, it was like you’d both lied straight to my face. I felt betrayed. I made it all about me, like you and Pete somehow became Others just to mock me…I kind of lost it.”

Alexander held a hand up to stop her. “Do you still want a transfer?”

“No, sir. I’ll understand if you put it through anyway, but…no, sir. I don’t want it.”

He nodded. “I’ll take care of it. Get back to work, Sergeant. Your leave is cancelled.”

Zoe grinned and saluted. “Yes, sir.”

Liliana smiled where she sat on the window ledge, a fresh breeze on her face. Her injured leg was tucked against her chest, the other leg dangling over eight stories of air. Her safety line was firmly attached to the concrete wall beside her. Her first mother nodded approval in her fourth vision.I won’t forget Mut. I promise.

The eighth-floor perch felt oddly comfortable. She was practically raised on a trapeze. Her second mother loved to nap on the high branches of trees, sometimes with Liliana right beside her. Her father had been their anchor, the one whose strong hands always caught Liliana when she flew.

Liliana swallowed a lump in her throat.

I have fallen in love, Mut, Mamae, Pater. I wish you could meet him.

She hadn’t known how completely Alexander owned her heart until she almost lost him. Now that she loved him and knew it, she was in a vulnerable position. Alexander did not love her back. His trust touched her, but it was not what she wanted from him.

Pete’s advice to her had been to give the relationship time and have patience.

She wrinkled her nose. She loved Alexander now. Her patience was not infinite, and they had almost abruptly run out of time today.

Nudd showed up at some point. He reported to Alexander that Rizki was in custody and switched out the wadded shirt on Liliana’s leg for a clean bandage.

Slowly, the chaos in the room died down to a single guard on the door.

Alexander ordered the last of the many people to get back to their regular jobs. He no longer needed any more medical attention or an extra protection detail. He even sent away Lieutenant Runningwolf to get some rest. His broken fingers were splinted thanks to Doctor Nudd so the bones would knit correctly.

When the only one remaining was Alexander, he came to the window. Liliana realized that even from this height at the edge of Fort Liberty looking out, every bit of land she saw was his. The Fae prince’s influence had been spreading more and more. Soon, all of Fayetteville and much of the Fae of central North Carolina would owe allegiance to the man she loved. “That land is all yours.”

His strong hand brushed her hair back, exposing one of her open second eyes. “You didn’t give a damn about that when you climbed up here to fight an assassin for me with a bullet hole in your leg.”

“I didn’t want you to die.”

Alexander’s arm went around her back. His other arm, with the heavy iron bracelet scooped under her knees. “Let’s go home.”

“I would like to go to my home.” She snuggled comfortably in his arms, savoring the warm, strong, very much alive man with his turned earth and gun oil scent.

“Then that’s where we’ll go.”

“You seem to be carrying me a lot lately.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest muscle, covered only by a thin t-shirt spattered with spots of his blood. “I like it.”

“So do I.” A small smile played at the corners of his lips. That warm yellow contentment he’d had when her venom took away his pain shaded his aura.

He carried her down eight flights of steps, stepping over a thick shattered cinderblock wall at some point. His steps were steady. He didn’t show any sign of strain.

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