Amy's Advantage (35 page)

“Amy, this is Arsyal. She’s a healer who specializes in
situations involving telepathy.”

A cool hand rested on Amy’s forearm and then slid down to
hold her wrist. “Other than a headache that’s likely to last for a couple of
days, how are you feeling?” Arsyal asked.

“Like I’ve been run over by a bulldozer.”

There was a short pause and then Jordyn said quietly, “Like
a Turpibos rolled over her.”

“Ah,” the healer said. “Well, that’s not good, but you are
doing much better. This is the first time you’ve been able to maintain
consciousness for longer than a couple of seconds.”

Amy raised an eyebrow at Jordyn. “Turpibos?”

“A large, ugly animal that looks like a cross between a
camel and a hippopotamus, but the size of an elephant.”

Arsyal stepped closer. “Amy, I need you to look at me and
try to relax as much as possible. Try not to think of anything specific. I’m
going to brush against your mind, but it shouldn’t hurt. It will only take a
moment.”

Nervously, Amy glanced at Jordyn, who nodded once in
reassurance, before gazing obediently into the warm hazel eyes of the healer.
Though aware of Arsyal’s touch on her mind, it was so soft and careful that it
didn’t bother her. Much.

Arsyal straightened. “Thank you. Do you remember everything
that happened in the park?”

Amy started to nod, but thought better of it when a needle
prick of pain struck through her left eye. Closing both eyes, she pressed her
shoulders into the mattress and shifted into a more comfortable position. “I
remember it, but I don’t know what was really going on or how she was doing
what she was doing.” When neither the healer nor Jordyn spoke, she opened her
eyes to find Arsyal looking at Jordyn questioningly.

Jordyn glanced at Amy and then gave his permission to continue
with a slight inclination of his head.

“Elder Aemylen has some powerful telepathic abilities that,
apparently,” Arsyal said, “no one knew about. Basically, from what I can tell,
she alternated between a mental technique that more or less crushes your
thoughts with a technique that floods your mind’s pain receptors. That type of
attack could affect your emotions, your body, even your memories.”

“Is Chloe okay? She didn’t—” Amy turned to look at Jordyn
and immediately hissed when a sharp pain sliced up her neck.

“No.” Jordyn’s deep solid voice stilled her panic
immediately. He lifted his hand to touch her, thought better of it and dropped
it back to his side. “Aemylen didn’t hurt her.”

With a frown, he brushed a fingertip under her eyes. “We’ll
talk later. Now you need to rest.”

Arsyal held out the glass she’d carried into the room.
“Drink this. It will help you sleep and heal. It will also make that headache
go away.”

The sweet liquid tasted similar to honey and warmed as it
slid down her throat. “Like drinking sunshine,” she murmured, lowering the cup.

Smiling, Arsyal took the cup from her. “You should be ready
to see your daughter in the morning. I’ll check on you again after you wake up,
but there will be someone with you who can reach me if you need anything before
then. Okay?”

When Amy nodded, Arsyal patted her hand, nodded to Jordyn
and left.

The drink worked quickly. The warm, sparkly feeling spread
quickly throughout her body. It took some effort to turn her head and look at
Jordyn. “Do I have to give a statement or something?” she asked.

“No. Between what you’ve told me and the information Arsyal
gathered while she was working on your mind, we have everything we need for
now.”

Amy tried to frown, but felt too relaxed to put the effort
into it. “She worked on my mind? Like brain surgery?”

“Yes, but less invasive. No cutting involved.”

“I think you need to explain that to me a little bet—” She
cut herself off with a yawn.

“Later. We’ll talk later.”

She blinked her eyes. “That’s a good idea. I seem to be
fading fast.” After another big yawn, she snuggled under the lightweight
blanket that had been spread over her and quit fighting the battle to keep her
eyes open. It was nice to have oblivion lapping at her in the form of a warm
ocean wave rather than sucking her into a cold black hole.

Rolling her head to the side where Jordyn had been standing,
she tried to open her eyes one last time, but failed. “Jordyn?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

He didn’t answer, but gently combed his fingers through her
hair. With a sigh, she turned her head so her cheek rested in his hand.

“Will you be here in the morning?” she whispered.

Jordyn didn’t answer and she fell asleep before she could
ask again.

Chapter Twenty-One

Jordyn stood in the shade of the entry arch and watched Amy
and Aurora meander through the lower garden of the central palace compound. The
days he’d been gone had been better to her than to him. Her hair was pulled up,
but about half a dozen strands had come loose and curled around her face and
neck, silky spirals lying softly on her ivory skin.

The dress she had chosen for the warm afternoon was a simple
shift with a wide skirt in a deep green color that made her look as beautiful
as a summer daydream. Sleeveless, the dress left her arms bare and he could see
the healing bruises just above her elbows. Though it was obvious the marks
would not be permanent, anger still shafted through him that someone—
anyone
—would
put their hands on her.

Amy turned and bent to look more closely at a grouping of
flowers, revealing the open back of her dress. The material had been cut away
down to her waist except for crisscrossed lacings that ended between her
shoulder blades, tied in a bow. It was a simple sundress, but it stirred inside
him emotions that were anything but simple.

Just looking at her brought light back into the dark world
he’d been living in for so long. He stepped out of the shadows and walked
toward them.

Amy had just lifted her head in a laugh when she spotted
him. Immediately her laughter stopped and her face went blank. “What are you
doing here?” Amy asked.

“I said we’d talk.”

Amy’s mouth dropped open in shock. A few blustering,
incomprehensible syllables made their way out of her mouth before she could get
it shut. She quit trying to speak, threw her hands up in the air and let them
drop down on her thighs, making a soft slapping noise against her skin through
the thin material of her sundress. “God, never mind.”

She turned back to Aurora. “Sorry about that. What were you
saying?”

Aurora’s dark eyes widened as she glanced from Amy to
Jordyn. “Umm…”

“Oh for heaven’s sake. Ignore him. He’ll go away. He always
does.”

“Uh huh.” Aurora sighed and then started flapping her hand
in front of her face. “I think I need to go lay down. The heat is starting to
get to me in my delicate situation.”

An unladylike snort came from Amy. Aurora looked offended.
“I am delicate and I
am
in the middle of a situation I don’t want to be
in, so I’m playing the pregnant card.” She shrugged. “So sue me.”

Amy narrowed her eyes at her sister, but Aurora smiled.
“Talk to the man. What can it hurt?”

With a warning glance at Jordyn, Aurora left the garden, but
Amy didn’t turn to look at him. Instead, she kept her back to him and crossed
her arms, unaware how her stance emphasized the gorgeous curve of her hips.

He waited, allowing her temper to dissipate some. He hoped.
Her shoulders rose and fell in a sharp, impatient breath. Still, he patiently
held himself in silence until she was ready to turn around.

Abruptly, she threw her arms in the air. “What? What do you
want?”

“Are you going to turn around?”

Her arms crossed again. “I don’t need to see you to talk to
you.”

He sighed and stepped closer. “There are things I need to
explain to you.” Gently, he touched her shoulder. The woman jumped straight up
and yelped. Actually yelped. On the plus side, she had spun around and was now
facing him. But the frightened expression she wore, of a cornered animal,
didn’t exactly reassure him.

She shook her head and another curl came loose, this one
falling across her right eye. “You don’t have to explain anything. Everything
is fine. We had a good time and then went our separate ways like we planned
from the start. You were perfectly clear that was how the whole thing would go
and I appreciate that there were no surprises. It’s all good. So how’s your
mission going?” Her strained smile looked as believable as a plastic doll’s.

“Fine,” he said warily.

With a sharp nod of her head, she said, “Good to hear. Okay
then, have a nice day.” Smile still in place, she stepped around him.

“Wait,” he said.

“Why? There’s really nothing left to say. We both kept our
promises. I promised not to regret what we did and you promised it would be
nothing
but
sex. Are you
purposefully
trying to make me regret
all the great sex we had, because it sure seems like it.”

She started for the exit again, then stopped suddenly and
spun around again, expertly channeling the world’s angriest summer sprite in
history as she came at him in a flurry of swirling material, swinging curls and
flashing eyes. “No. You know what? I do regret it. I regret trusting you,
falling in love with you and the sex.”

Slamming to a stop inches from him, she clapped her hands
back on her hips and lifted her chin defiantly. “Are you happy now? I regret
the sex. Especially the sex. Every damn minute of it. I was even starting to
feel guilty about taking advantage of you in the hotel room.”

Jordyn frowned. “Taking advantage of me? What?”

One hand came off her hip to gesture in a broad circle. “You
know, throwing myself at you like I did. Insisting that you sleep with me.”

“Amy, stop. Please. I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to
do.” His voice turned low and intimate. “And it was much more than just sex.”

Amy’s eyes narrowed. She leaned in with fury in her deep
green eyes. “Don’t you dare use that tone with me,” she commanded, poking him
sharply in the chest with her index finger. “You can’t come back here and
expect me to welcome you back with open arms when you can’t even be bothered to
say goodbye.”

Automatically, he wrapped his hand around hers to keep her
finger from boring into his chest. The feel of her small hand in his once again
threatened to rock his foundation right out from under him and made it hard to
concentrate on what he needed to say. “Goodbye?” he asked, trying to pull his
mind back on track.

“Yes, goodbye. Twice you left without giving me the common
courtesy of a simple goodbye.” She yanked her hand out of his. “That’s just
rude.”

“Once was a timing issue with the portal and the second
time, you were unconscious.”

“Excuses, excuses,” she said, throwing her hands up again as
she turned her back on him and started walking away. “Whatever. It’s over. Nice
to see you. Have a good life.”

For a moment, Jordyn’s thoughts spiraled down into the
endless dark void her words
it’s over
hollowed out in his heart. Then he
got angry. “It’s not over.”

Amy halted her march across the garden to turn to him. “Of
course it’s over. You made sure of that before it even began.” Suddenly her
eyes widened as she threw her shoulders back. “If you think I’m going to be one
of your regular booty calls between missions,” she announced with high
indignation, “you can fucking forget that.”

“A booty call?” The woman could jump to conclusions that
twisted the entire direction of his intent and made it difficult to get to the
point. Plus, when she was looking at him with defiance and determination in
those Ilyrian sea-green eyes that had captured his heart and were now
threatening to tear it in two because of the tears rimming the lower lashes,
she made it almost impossible not to just pull her into his arms and hold her
close. He decided reasoning and explaining could wait.

With a few quick steps, he caught up to her, pulled her
around to face him and wrapped her in his arms.

Amy’s entire body went stiff with shock. “What are you
doing?”

For a long moment, he didn’t answer. Closing his eyes, he
breathed deeply and savored the flawless fit of her body against his. Her skin
was warm under the thin material of her dress and smelled of sunlight and hope.
“You’re not a booty call, Amy.”

Soft curves settled against him as she let out a tremulous
breath. “So what am I?”

Reluctantly, he loosened his arms and stepped back. “I need
to explain some things to you.” He took her hand. “Is Chloe okay without you
for awhile?”

“Yes. She just went down for a nap at Aurora’s place.
Connyn’s mother sent over a nanny to help and she was watching her while Aurora
and I went for a walk. Personally, I think his mother is crazy ready for her
granddaughter to be born already. Dear god, you wouldn’t believe the baby
clothes and toys that woman has already sent over.”

Jordyn smiled as he recognized Amy’s nervous ramble. She
caught herself and switched her focus to the open balconies that circled the
large courtyard park. Several were occupied and the guards that had been
assigned to her had kept their distance, but had kept her in their sights at
all times. Something he had personally commanded in very specific terms to not
only the two presently hovering close, but to the entire assigned squad after
her attack. He made it clear that the soldier who allowed her out of his sight
would answer directly to him.

“So you have time for us to talk?” he asked.

Amy glanced over her shoulder at the two guards who, though
they were staying as unobtrusive as possible, were still near at hand. “Maybe
we should go somewhere a little more private,” she suggested.

He forced himself not to smile. After all the yelling she’d
just done about sex,
now
the woman wanted privacy.

Leading the way to the rooms that had been set aside for
Chloe and her, Amy was more nervous than she would have thought she could
possibly be if she ever saw Jordyn again. However, she really didn’t think
she’d ever see him again, so she hadn’t been worried about it. The sandals she
wore slapped against the stone floor as she crossed a connecting atrium that
led from the garden and toward a spiraling staircase on the other side that led
up two stories to the large landing preceding her living quarters.

She didn’t miss Jordyn’s silent assessment of the soldier
who stood guard. As had become habitual, she stood back as the guard greeted
her and opened the door. One of her two shadowing guards stepped around Jordyn
and her to check the rooms before they entered. At one point in her life, she’d
have been annoyed at such extreme measures, but that was before she’d had her
brain nearly squeezed to death by a crazed telepath.

The inspection completed, the
guard exited and nodded in permission for her to enter. Her guard offered a silent
acknowledgment to Jordyn in deference to his rank as he passed.

“Can I get you something to
drink?” she asked after closing the door behind Jordyn. Even to her own ears,
her voice sounded stilted and prim.

“No, I’m fine.”

Now that she was no longer pressed
up against him and the walk back to her rooms had given her time to calm her
racing heart, she felt unsure and awkward. She gestured to the seating
arrangement in the main room. “Would you like to sit down? Are you sure I can’t
get you something to drink? Are you hungry? I can—”

Jordyn held up his hand. “No,
I’m fine. And I’d rather stand.”

“Okay.” Skittish as a newborn
colt, Amy made her way around the outside perimeter of her living area and sat
in the middle of her couch, facing him. Perched on the edge of the cushion, she
smoothed her skirt over her knees and then interlocked her fingers together in
her lap to keep her hands from fidgeting nervously. She straightened her
shoulders and looked up at him.

Immediately she realized her
mistake in lifting her eyes to his, skimming over his body on the way up. Dear
god, the man was just so incredibly
male.
Even under a layer of clothes,
his muscles, so strong and sinewy, were clearly defined and the memories of
being intimately pressed against them loosed a flush of heat across her chest.

She swallowed and concentrated
on focusing on his eyes, their silvery gray depths starkly revealing a bleak
determination.

“First,” he began, “Elder
Aemylen was the telepath who had connected to Chloe as Nyrya, but Chloe is
safe. Elder Aemylen is dead.”

Amy’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh my god! She was executed? I hadn’t heard that.”

Jordyn shook his head. “No. She
was to be questioned by Amdyn. She had an ability we haven’t seen outside a
Royal lineage for generations. However, Amdyn’s ability surpasses hers and
there would have been no secret she would have been able to withhold.”

Amy shifted uneasily. “Amdyn can do to people what she did
to me?”

Jordyn’s nod gave her the distinct impression that Amdyn
could do much more.

“However, it appears Elder Aemylen committed suicide before
she could be questioned.” His expression lost some of its fierceness as he
said, “That’s why I left last time. To bring Amdyn back to interrogate her. We
hadn’t been able to reach him through Shyrana. But before we were able to get
back, Shyrana was able to connect with our homeworld again and received news
that she was dead.”

“If she was dead, why would you come back?”

“I’m not back permanently.”

The small bubble of expectation that had been rising inside
of Amy turned to lead. “Oh. I see.”

“But I will be. Which is why I want to get things settled
with you.”

Amy felt lightheaded as hope spun in dizzy circles with
dread inside her. “Okay,” she said, snapping her mouth closed before her
nervous habit of blurting out stupid stuff could kick in.

“You need to know why a relationship between us is still a
bad idea.”

“I already know.” Amy let out a breath, falling in on
herself as she sank against the back of the sofa, the lead ball of hope denied
sinking hard into the pit of her stomach. “I’m a Mystic, I could do better,
etcetera.”

Suddenly, anger at the whole situation broke through her
lassitude. Jerking off the couch, she said, “That’s the best you can do? Are
you trying to convince me now so when you return permanently to Ilyria, you can
be sure I won’t stalk you or something? Do you get some sort of twisted
pleasure out of knowing I love you while you tell me I can never have you?”