Page 29 of Blood Bearon
“It’s true,” he told her, and when she looked into his eyes, even here in the deep of night, Rachel found herself not only being sucked into them, butbelieving him.
“You’re a bodyguard?” she questioned, not able to shake her doubts entirely.
“To the head of the, um, company,” he said, drawing himself up in the first display of self-pride she could remember him showing.
“That sounds pretty important.”
Khove frowned. “You don’t believe me.”
Rachel shook her head. “No, no, it’s not that. You actually showed pride in yourself there, which is a first. Usually you’re actually somewhat humble.”
“You find that odd?”
She shrugged. “Usually, someone with your skill and expertise is not quite so…reserved.”
“I try,” Khove said with a smile. “But then, what was the confusion in your voice for?”
Rachel looked away, unsure if she should ask the question or not.Just ask it. What else are you going to do while you wait?
“Rache—”
“Why do you always say the wordcompanywith such a funny twist?” she blurted before he could prompt her. “Like it’s not a word you would usually use?”
Khove fell silent, looking straight ahead, his eyes fixed on something only he could see. Not the monitor or gravel-covered roof in front of them, but something else. The pause stretched on and on, the only interruption to the silence the quiet rumble as a car passed by on the street below.
She was about to repeat her question when he opened his mouth first and started to speak, the words coming slowly. Rachel listened intently, recognizing that whatever his answer was, this was a subject of great importance to him.
“It’s because we don’t actually think of ourselves as a company,” he said slowly, obviously choosing his words with care. “It’s much more like a family. We think of ourselves as a House.”
“A house?” she echoed. “I don’t get it.”
“Not house.House,” he said, stressing the word. “Capital H. House Ursa.”
“House Ursa,” she repeated slowly, trying to wrap her head around it. “Wait. Like an aristocrat? Nobility? That old-timey sort of stuff?”
Khove nodded.
A gust of wind whipped across the roof, forcing her deeper into her layers of blankets and winter clothing. Next to her, Khove barely twitched, the only sign he felt anything the rise and fall of his eyelids as they lowered to near slits until the wind died back down.
“House Ursa,” she repeated, trying to understand. Did such things truly exist in the world anymore? There was the British Monarchy and their various branches and the like, and a few other countries across the sea had it as well. But that was it, wasn’t it? Nobody else still worked like that. Or so she thought.
“Yes,” Khove admitted to her unspoken question. “We’re kind of old fashioned like that. I know it’s weird and unusual, but it works, and that’s really what matters.”
“Hence theQueentitle you called the woman on the phone,” she said slowly, piecing it together. “Okay, it sounds crazy, but I mean, if I choose to believe you, then it makes sense, though I can’t fathomwhyso many people would agree to such an archaic scheme…for a company.”
She didn’t phrase it as a question, but Khove could tell she was asking nonetheless. Was it really an official company?
The big man stayed silent, stoic against the wind as it swirled up some of the bits of snow that remaining atop the roof. Most of it had melted, but here and there pockets remained, and now they were pelted with it. Rachel blocked her face with an arm. Khove just closed his eyes, and brushed off the remnants once it calmed again. They’d been dealing with this for two hours now, both of them used to it, though she was starting to feel the cold seep into her bones. Hopefully, something would happen, and soon. The monitor still showed no signs of life moving near their building, but neither had anyone else radioed in at their sites. So far, everything was quiet.
Rachel didn’t believe for a second it was going to last.
“Who do you protect the Queen from, then?”
Khove’s head twisted slightly to look down at her.
“You said you were a bodyguard, right? Your training seems…excessive, for that sort of security role.”
This time, the giant grinned. “Maybe. Maybe not,” he admitted. “She has enemies. People who think they can harm her.” There was a pause. “People who think they can usurp her power. People who try to kill her. People like Korred.”
