Page 16 of Untraceable
Bailey looked at him and spots of colour came to her cheeks as she made eye contact with him. That was one heady flirt that the ogre-born had mastered.
Val looked at the peacekeeper and her boss, and she snickered. Bailey muttered, “Shut up, Val.”
Val chuckled and was surrounded by the peacekeepers as two carried boxes full of pastries, and one stared at her as if he was aroused and afraid at the same time. She really hoped he wasn’t driving.
They passed the peacekeeper offices, and Val looked around. “Aren’t we going there for interrogation?”
Her driver shook his head. The other two were in the back of the SUV, comparing creampuffs. “No, the one who has questions is at the palace.”
“Oh, shit.” She swallowed nervously.
“Don’t worry. He just has a few questions. Nothing invasive.”
“Oh.”
They went through the checkpoint at the gate, and she felt her palms sweating, and the inside of her thighs throbbed. It wasn’t sexy; she was just abraded. It was the one thing she could pinpoint as a takeaway from the previous night. Her inner thighs were pink. It was why she had opted for the skirt. The day in her uniform had been irritating.
When they got to a parking area, she was encouraged to leave the seat, and it only took a little prying for them to get her hand off the door. They surrounded her walked her up the steps and into the temple-like interior. Statues of foxes were at the edge of every stairway and watched over all open spaces.
She saw the entry to the main court and was steered past it. She whispered, “Where are we going?”
“The king’s study. He said the questions he needs to ask you are not for public consumption.”
“Oh. Great.”
They walked through the shadows of pillars, and then two hulking guardsmen gave the king’s location away. At their approach, the stone giant on the left knocked gently at the door, and it was opened as they stepped up to it. The officer who was handling her eased her into the office and pulled the door shut behind her.
She turned slowly around, and she folded her hands against her thighs and curtsied low. She locked in position and kept her head down.
“That is surprising. You don’t appear to be one who stands on protocol, Heyval.”
He got out of his seat and walked to her, touching her shoulder. “You may rise, necromancer.”
She looked at him grimly and slowly straightened. “I thought I was being clever, hiding here.”
“You were. It worked. I have had hunters looking for you for a decade, and all I needed to do was send them for a cream tart.”
She looked at him. “What did you need to know, Your Majesty?”
He smiled. “How long will I live?”
“As long as you would have.” She held up her hands with her fingers slightly bent and touching. She pulled them apart, and then as she spoke, she eased them back together. “When the energy of your life ran out and life and death became separate, I just bridged the gap with my own energy and held your life force in place until your body could reclaim it.”
“We both know it is not that simple.”
“Fine. I forced your life and your beast back into you and strapped my energy around you to hold it in place until your body and soul could come back together. It took about a year, and then you were clear of my influence.”
He turned and walked back to sit behind his desk. “Sit.”
She walked to the chair across from him and sat. “Your Majesty, you are looking better than the last time I saw you.”
He snorted. “I had been blown up by an asshole who took out half the heads of state because he was playing with a toy.”
She shrugged. “People have died in many stupider ways.”
“Hm. Why did you wait until I was awake to put my arm and leg back on?”
“I gave you a boost. Like jumper cables. It got your body healing itself immediately. That helped you get your circulation back. I would never have done it if the rescue crew had not been in visual range.”
