Ari nodded and stood; his blond curls bounced with the motion. “We will be happy to escort you to your quarters.”

A gamut of emotions flowed over my former companions’ faces as they followed Ari from the room. Leif barely contained his fury, Tauno looked worried and Moon Man appeared thoughtful.

Janco brought up the rear of the procession. He flashed me an inviting smirk. “Training yard, four o’clock.”

“You need more lessons?”

“You wish.”

My smile faded when the door closed. Valek remained on the far side of the table, his face serious. I felt awkward and uncertain.

“Is it that bad?” I asked.

“It’s a situation I’ve never encountered before. I’m worried.”

“About Ixia?”

“About you, love.”

“Me?”

“I’ve always been amazed at how you can draw unwanted attention and ire from powerful people. This time, though, you managed to get a whole country upset. If I was the Commander, I would wait out the political strife in Sitia and then offer you to the victors in trade for Ixia being left alone.”

“Good thing you’re not the Commander.”

“Yes. And we should leave Ixia before the Commander figures it out. What were you planning?”

I tried to look innocent. “Me? You’re the one with the plan.”

“And the adviser uniform you had Dilana size for you? You weren’t thinking of sneaking off to Sitia without me, were you?”

Another betrayal. “Did she tell you?”

“I had ripped a hole in my favorite pants. When I dropped them off, she asked me to deliver your uniform and gifted me with a leer. I would guess the servants were already betting how soon one of them would spot us together.” He sighed. “If only intelligence information worked through my corps as efficiently as gossip flowed through the servants, then my problems would be minimal.”

In one fluid motion, Valek stood. He walked over to me, his smooth stride graceful as a panther. Powerful energy coiled in his body. He leaned on my chair’s arms, bringing his face inches from mine. His black hair hung to his shoulders; his expression was lethal. “I’ll ask you again. Your plans include me, correct?”

I slumped deeper into my chair.

“Yelena?” His voice warned.

“You said you had never encountered this situation before. It’s an unknown. I don’t want to risk…”

“What?”

“Risk losing you. With your immunity I can’t heal you!”

“I’m willing to take the chance.”

“But I’m not willing to let you.”

“Sorry, love, that’s not your decision. It’s mine.”

I grumbled. Events had spiraled out of my control. Again. I just spun in circles and never gained any ground.

“Okay, I promise not to go to Sitia without you.” Which didn’t include my meeting tonight with Porter.

“Thank you.” Valek brushed his lips on my cheek. A tingle sizzled up my spine.

“What about your plan?” I tried to stay on topic, but I lost my motivation once Valek’s musky smell enveloped me.

“This is my plan.”

He moved closer and kissed me. Warmth spread throughout my body. The panic clutching my throat eased. I pushed away my worries and focused on Valek, wrapping my arms around him. But the feel of his muscles through his shirt wasn’t enough. I yanked at it, wanting to touch his skin, wanting to wear his skin.

He pulled away, straightening. “In the war room, love? What if someone comes in?”

I stood and removed his shirt. “Then they’ll have a good story to tell.”

“Good?” He adopted the pretense of being offended.

“Prove me wrong.”

His eyes lit with the challenge.

Valek and I ended up underneath the war room’s round table. Lying together, I felt safe for the first time in weeks. We discussed the events in Sitia.

“I could hardly move within the Citadel,” Valek said. “The air was so thick with magic I felt like I swam in syrup.”

“But you weren’t detected.”

Valek’s immunity to magic remained a powerful weapon. Without it, I couldn’t have defeated Ferde.

“No. Although it was only a matter of time. With that many—what do you call them?—Warpers, my presence would have eventually caused a noticeable dead zone.”

I considered how fast things had changed in the Citadel. Twenty-two days ago Moon Man had speculated the Daviians had eight Warpers, but once he realized they were performing Kirakawa we knew the actual number of Warpers could be much higher, depending on how many victims they had used. And how far along in the ritual they were. Plus only a victim with magical powers could make a Warper.

If they had been preparing for this offensive for a while, then who were the victims? They wouldn’t have used clan members and the Sandseed Clan would have noticed if a couple of their Story Weavers went missing. So would the other clans. Unable to deduce an answer, I put the question to Valek.

“They’re probably targeting the homeless. Who would miss a few beggars in a big city? No one.”

“What about the need for magicians?”

“The first year after a magician reaches adolescence is a difficult and vulnerable year. Half the people don’t even realize they can access the power source, and the other half don’t have a clue how to use it. The Warpers could be hunting the streets, looking for someone in that precarious situation.”