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“I think so” Hard to tell for sure, but I wouldn’t add er Valek’s hard expression already promised murder

He smoothed the hair from my cheek “How bad is it?”

“Not as bad as it looks Now go, before the assassin gets away” I shooed

“I’ you unprotected”

Kiki huffed and flicked her tail, splattering mud on Valek’s black pants I yankedthe blade “I’o”

“All right I’ll station Onyx outside the stable Stay here” Valek opened Onyx’s stall and the black horse trotted out After he extinguished the lantern, Valek disappeared into the blackness

I lay there listening for any sounds My shoulder and left arm throbbed Each inhalation caused a sharp stab of pain in my chest To ease the discoic from the blanket of power that encompassed the world A mental picture of the injury formed when I focused on the wound My clavicle had been broken The arrow had sliced through my muscles on impact, and the metal barbs in the arrow’s head had ripped chunks of skin when Kiki had yanked it out Lovely I used the ribbon of power to lessen the pain—a temporary measure

Onceforest, I kept a light contact with the nocturnal creatures Too badover the cold season His unique senses would have helped with finding the assassin in the dark The wildlife conducted their nightly hunt of food and showed no signs of agitation—not even fro track of him I hoped he stayed sharp

As time passed without incident, I wondered who had attacked o far as all I could deduce at this point was the person was a ician who had the power to forht have an affinity with animals Either that or he/she was really quiet and had masked his/her smell

Unfortunately, pondering why I was attacked generated a longer list As the official Liaison between the Commander of the Territory of Ixia and the Sitian Council, I’d created at least a dozen political and criminal enemies in the past six years As the heart ht years I’d been a target for anyone who hated Valek, which included ician and Soulfinder, I ue These people were under the mistaken impression that I could create a soulless aruide them to either an eternity of peace in the sky or an eternity of suffering in the fire world, depending on their deeds while alive

A slight squish jolteds over the bales of straw Then I slid off Better to stand and fight than be caught lying down The darkness outside was one hue lighter than inside due to the faint h to see shapes

I kept alert for any h the door When Kiki stepped between h she was sixteen hands high she could be really quiet Her back was taller than me and she blocked my view Granted, I reached only five feet four inches, but she was a big girl like most Sandseed horses

A few htened rip on my switchblade

Ghost, Kiki said,away

I sagged against the bales A Valek-shaped shadow strode into the stable He lit the lantern One look at his grim expression and I knew he’d lost the assassin’s trail

“The guy’s a pro,” he said “He used ic to erase his footprints They just stopped And without leaves on the bushes, it’s harder to track hiht”

“He? How do you know?”

“Big boots, deep prints We can discuss it later Let’s go inside and take care of you”

“Kiki first” And before he could argue, “She saved my life If she hadn’t moved, the arroould have pierced my heart”

Valek’s shoulders dropped Knowing I wouldn’t leave, he worked fast He res and stomach After he cleaned out her hooves, she walked

into her stall and munched on hay

“Guess she’s happy enough,” Valek said, tossing the pick into a bucket “Now, let’s get you warm and dry, love”

I removed my ht arm around Valek’s shoulders He wanted to carry nth to heal it

The sharp pain returned by the tiht fire burned in the hearth and a bottle of wine sat on the end table with two glasses and a plate of cheese Valek must have arrived a few hours before me

Tilting my head at the food, I said, “That’s lovely”

“We’ll indulge after you’re healed and rested Do you want to change first?”

Just the thought ofmy left arm hurt “No”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“A kiss I haven’t seen you in months”

Valek transforles of his face softened and warmth radiated from him He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine Before I could deepen the kiss he pulled back

“No more until you’re better”

“Meanie”

“Yelena” His stern tone would have made my mother proud

“All right” I reclined on the couch and closed my eyes

Reaching for the power blanket, I gathered a thick thread ofthe two pieces back together A second thread knitted the muscles and a third replaced skin The effort exhausted me Drained dry, I passed out

By the ti area Besides the green plaid couch, a couple of oversize nubby brown ar love seat made a semicircle in front of the hearth In the center, a dark brown deep-pile rug covered the floor—soft on the feet andother body parts

All that res The wine and glasses waited—a proe, butwithout a sound was second nature for Valek I called his name just in case No response