Assassin's Honor (52 page)

           
"You're brilliant, amore mia."

           
He captured her mouth in a hard kiss. The caress sent fire streaking through her as she reached up to cup his face in the palm of her hand. When he drew back, she murmured a protest. His soft laugh brushed across her face like a warm breeze.

           
"This isn't exactly the best of spots for lovemaking,
inamorata ."

           
"I think you're right." She looked around their surroundings before leaning forward to press her mouth against his ear. "But I do know where there's a nice, soft bed we can use."

           
"Do you?" He chuckled, but she heard the way his breath got trapped in his throat.

           
He got to his feet and the warmth of his fingers engulfed her hand as he pulled her upright. Remembering her knapsack, she scooped up the canvas bag and furtively checked to ensure the notebook was safe. To date, she'd been careful to keep it out of sight, but eventually she knew she was going to have to tell him she'd brought it with her. And he wouldn't be happy about it. He'd think she was looking for the Tyet of Isis, and he'd be right. The problem was he'd been pretty clear that he had no intention of continuing his search for the artifact.

           
The damn thing had caused him too much heartache, he'd said. If she had needed further proof that he loved her, his determination to give up his quest for the Sicari artifact would have convinced her.

           
But she knew the Tyet of Isis was important, not just to him, but to the Sicari as well. And she was certain that if they found the artifact, then maybe they'd find the person who'd murdered her parents and Charlie and had tried to kill her. Mike Granby might have ordered their deaths, but he hadn't committed the actual act. In truth, she really didn't think Mike had been as powerful as he'd made himself out to be that night.

           
And she wanted to know who this Monsignor was. Where did he fit in the overall scheme of
things.
Despite Mike's threat to report the Praetorians to the mysterious man, Mike had been executed so ruthlessly it made her wonder if the Monsignor hadn't ordered the Praetorians to get rid of Mike along with the rest of them. She was fairly sure Ares had already considered the same thing because she'd overheard him discussing the matter with Lysander the morning they'd left for France.

           
No, somehow, she'd find a way to make Ares understand she wanted to be his partner in locating the Tyet of Isis. God knows, she didn't have any other work prospects opening up for her in the near future. She winced. Even though she would never regret giving up her old life for Ares, she would still miss it.

           
Looking for the artifact was a way of compensating for that loss. So she needed to proceed cautiously if she wanted to convince him it had been her idea from the start. And it had been. Originally, Atia had been emphatic in her refusal to let Emma come to France, but all of that had changed when Ares had proposed coming here to Rennes le Chateau for their honeymoon. At that point, the Prima Consul had eagerly given her access to the electronic historical archives. Of course, Ares would automatically assume his godmother had planned the whole thing. That required special handling, too. She didn't want him blaming Atia for something Emma herself had instigated.

           
It took them several minutes to make safe ground with Ares acting the protective knight the entire time they slipped and skidded their way down the steep trail covered with loose rock. When they were on solid footing again, she tucked her arm in his and urged him down the wide footpath that led back to the car. Her head dipped down to rest on his shoulder as they walked.

           
"Happy?" he asked softly. She didn't raise her head, but pressed her body deeper into his.

           
"Very much.
You?"

           
"Yes." His quiet response made her heart swell with joy as a warm silence filled the air between them. They were halfway to the SUV they'd left in the meadow when Ares cleared his throat.

           
"Of course, I think I'd be a lot happier if I had a wife who didn't hide things from me." The matter-of-fact statement made her stop in her tracks. She jerked away from him and looked up to meet the wry assessment in his gaze. Since she wasn't sure what or how much he knew, she shook her head.

           
"What am I hiding from you?" Her response made him arch his eyebrow as a dubious expression crossed his face.

           
"For starters, how you got access to the Sicari archives, and second, what you were looking for in the archives at four in the morning."

           
Busted.
She'd been certain he was asleep. Had that damn software tune at start-up jarred him awake? She bit her lip as she averted her gaze from his probing look. Wait a minute. She'd shut down the computer when she finished. He'd spied on her.

           
"I don't believe it. You were spying on me."

           
"Merda, it isn't hard to spy on someone when they don't shut off a laptop," he snapped. "I lifted the top, and the first thing that came up was the archives log-in screen, and the log-off time said four a.m."

           
"Damn," she muttered.

           
"Well?" The single word was a command, not a request.

           
"You're not going to like it."

           
"I'm certain of that."

           
"You know how you tell me not to interfere in Sicari matters?" She watched as his features clouded over with irritation. "I was looking for some information."

           
"What kind of information?" His dark blue eyes grew stormy as he pinned her with his gaze.

           
"The Tyet of Isis," she burst out before rushing on with her explanation. "I think I might have an idea where it is, and--"

           
"Fotte," he exclaimed with a violence that startled her.

           
He turned and headed down the hill at a fierce stride without her. Where the hell was he going? As he disappeared around the bend in the trail, she darted after him. Damn the man, it wasn't like she'd plan on doing something without him. She'd had every intention of letting him in on the whole thing, just not quite yet.

           
"Ares, wait."

           
She charged after him, her boots pounding against the rocky dirt. As she rounded the bend in the trail, she saw him stride out of the trees into the meadow where they'd parked the Mercedes. By the time she reached the meadowland, he was already at the SUV.

           
She winced as she saw him slam his fist into the side of the vehicle then pace the ground. That didn't bode well for their discussion. Even though she'd forgiven him for sealing their blood bond without her consent, she knew his conscience hadn't totally freed him of his guilt. It was an issue that had danced between them ever since that night in the Council chambers. Knowing his sense of honor, she was certain he would always carry that burden inside him, even if he didn't show it.

           
But she'd be damned if she'd let the past get in the way of their happiness. They couldn't go back to change any of it, and even if they could, she wasn't sure she'd do anything different, other than listen to him. She understood how hard it was to deal with the guilt. She'd come to grips with her new skill fairly easily, but it was the life she'd taken that was always there in the back of her head.

           
Although she knew it had been in self-defense, her actions still haunted her. But the one thing she was certain of was that if Ares hadn't sealed the bond between them, she wouldn't be here now. Wouldn't be here to love him and be loved by him. And she wouldn't trade that for anything else in the world.

           
When she reached the Mercedes, he was still pacing the grass like a caged tiger ready to tear anyone apart who came near. She wanted to say something, but she decided the best thing to do was wait until he was ready to talk. With a grunt of disgust, he jerked the passenger side of the SUV open.

           
"Get in, now." His tone made her heave a sigh, but she did as he ordered.

           
The door slammed shut, and he stalked around the front of the vehicle and slid into the driver's seat. He sat for a minute, hands clutching the wheel until his knuckles were white from his death grip.

           
"Ares--"

           
"Did Atia put you up to this?" he said in an icy tone.

           
"No. I went to her."

           
He nodded sharply then started the car. Anger weighed down the silence between them, but he didn't do a thing to remedy the situation. He was furious and he didn't want to say something he'd regret. Instead, he just drove. Driving meant he couldn't throttle her.

           
Merda, where the hell had she gotten the idea that he'd even consider looking for the Tyet of Isis again, let alone allowing her to help.
The thought of putting her in another situation like the one he had almost a month ago horrified him. The vehicle squealed as he took a curve too fast, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her clutch at the handle above her window.

           
"Are you trying to kill us?" she snapped.

           
More guilt swept through him.
Christus.
Here he was worried about putting her in danger, and he was doing just that. He adjusted the speed of the SUV as they continued toward the entrance of the Sicari estate. It seemed to take the security guards at the front gate forever to check the car. It was standard procedure at every Order property, but at the moment, he wasn't exactly fond of the rules.

           
He didn't look at her, but he could sense Emma's tension. She was going to be difficult about this. He knew it. And he wasn't sure he bought his wife's assurances that Atia hadn't been involved in getting Emma to look for the Tyet of Isis. His godmother had been just a little too conciliatory when she'd accepted his decision not to search for the artifact anymore. He should have known the woman would find a way to pull him back into the net.

           
When they were free to proceed, he threw the car into gear and breezed through the second checkpoint with only a brief word to the guard. As they squealed to a halt at the front door of the chateau, he cleared his throat then turned toward her, his hand braced on the back of her seat.

           
"I love you, Emma, but I meant it when I told you I'm done looking for the Tyet of Isis."

           
"I know that's what you said, but--"

           
"Deus damno id, why do you refuse to listen to me?"
He lunged out of the car. She followed suit.

           
"Do you want to know why I don't listen to you?" she shouted as he walked into the house. She scurried after him. "Because you're a pigheaded Sicari warrior who continues to think he has to prove his love for me by giving up parts of himself, and the Tyet of Isis is a part of you."

           
Fotte, the woman was relentless. He stopped inside the large foyer at the foot of the stairs and turned to face her. "I'm not trying to prove anything. Just let it go, carissima. I have. There are others who can search for it."

           
"I can't let it go because I know how important it is to you." She pressed her fingers to his mouth when he started to protest. "No matter how much you deny it."

           
"And you have the audacity to call me stubborn," he groused. "You aren't going to give up, are you?"

           
"I love you, Ares, but I want to help you find the Tyet of Isis. Searching for the artifact will give me something useful to do."

           
"Emma . . ." He heard the indecision in his voice, and she pounced.

           
"Can you look me in the eye and say you don't care if the Praetorians find the Tyet of Isis first?" She had him there, and she knew it from the gleam in her eye. "I didn't think so. We can help each other, and we can beat those bastards at their own game."

           
She stepped forward and pressed her palms against his chest. He immediately caught her hands up in his and clasped them tight against him.

           
"Christus, it's too dangerous, Emma."

           
"It's always been dangerous. What's so different now?"

           
"In case you've forgotten, there's a rogue Sicari out there who tried to kill you that first night. We haven't been able to find out anything about the son of a bitch--where he is or where he came from. Not to mention the Praetorians now know you have your father's notebook. Hell, it was probably a risk going off the compound today."