Page 32

Kian stared steely at Ashburn and was about to shove him back when Lucienne put her fingers on Kian’s arm. “I’m fine,” she gasped. “It’s just a bad headache.” She waved the men back to their former positions.

Lucienne gazed back at Ashburn. The look of horror in her eyes dimmed; empathy and fascination took its place.

A look of gratitude washed over Ashburn’s eyes.

He appreciates that I’m not afraid of him even though I’ve just glimpsed what is inside him.

I won’t go back. I can’t. The voices will swallow me.

Lucienne shivered at what she had confronted—a sea of cacophonous human thoughts and voices—an army of all the dead and the living since the dawn of the human race.

Jed used to say, “All powers come with a price.”

What price was Ashburn paying?

Clement and Peder turned their gazes from Lucienne’s face to Ashburn’s, then looked away with apprehension and sorrow.

In the depth of their minds, they were still afraid their son might have brought back the ancient evil from Hell Gate.

To a degree , Lucienne thought, it’s not too far from the truth .

Lucienne pressed her temples, her head still throbbing in pain. Over everyone’s concerned looks, she explained, “I had a migraine this morning. I forgot to take my medication.”

“I’ll make the herbal tea for headaches,” Clement said.

“Thank you, Mrs. Fury, but please don’t make a fuss,” Lucienne said. “My men carry my medicines.” She turned in the warriors’ direction and called. “Orlando, give me one of your pills.”

“Queen Lucienne?” Orlando moved forward looking momentarily confused.

“The one you pop into your mouth every now and then.” Irritated, Lucienne snapped her fingers.

“Oh, pardon me.” Orlando pulled out a pack of mints from his pocket, opened the box, and offered them to Lucienne. “For your headache, Your Majesty.”

Lucienne picked one mint tablet and inserted it into her mouth. “Orlando, you’re efficient. You’ll be rewarded.”

“I look forward to it, Your Majesty.” Orlando bowed and withdrew back to the shadows.

Kian returned to his seat, his hard eyes staying on Ashburn.

A half-smile sparkled in Ashburn’s eyes. He didn’t move away from Lucienne. She didn’t order him away either. They both seemed to like the cozy closeness between them.

Violet stepped in and put her hand on Ashburn’s arm. “Ash, I need to go. Walk me home?”

Before Ashburn could nod yes, Lucienne chimed in, “One of my warriors will walk you home, Violet. I need to borrow Ashburn a little longer, if you don’t mind.”

“I mind,” Violet growled.

“Violet!” Clement said. “Ash will stay to tend to Queen Lucienne.”

“No one has consulted me,” Ashburn sighed, “or asked what I want.”

“Well, I want to know what you want,” Lucienne said.

“Then make it quick, Queen Lucienne,” Ashburn said. “After that, I need to get Violet home.”

“I promise it won’t be long,” Lucienne said, turning her head toward the door. “Duncan,” she called.

Duncan hurried in and placed a suitcase on the wooden table before his mistress. Lucienne pushed a button on the handle. The open suitcase revealed Ashburn’s interface. “This belongs to you.” She lifted it from the case.

Ashburn took the interface, examining it.

“She broke it!” said Violet, turning to Lucienne with loathing. “I told you not to take it. Just because you’re the queen doesn’t mean you can take whatever you want.”

“Violet, do you always have to be so rude?” Clement said. “My husband and I wanted Queen Lucienne to have that toy.”

“Learn some manners, peasant girl!” Kian warned. “I can throw you out this moment.”

“No one throws her out. This is my house,” said Ashburn coldly. “And she isn’t just some peasant girl.”

“Ash!” Clement reproached.

Violet grinned. Before she could open her mouth to gloat, Ashburn put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “It’s just a game inside,” he said. “If it’s broken, then it’s broken. No big deal. Queen Lucienne’s team took it to try to find me.”

Very smooth, Lucienne thought.

“But Ash—” Violet protested.

“I’m sorry we can’t fix your Picture Box,” Lucienne said. “My team couldn’t access it, but—”

Ashburn moved his fingers across the middle piece of the crystal, and it burst back to life. The diamond and gold city, guarded by a race of half-beast, half-god creatures shimmered on the interface. “It’s fine,” he said. “Your team didn’t break it.”

Lucienne stared at the virtual city with widened eyes. “What is the game about? ”

Sending her a cautious glance, Ashburn clicked off the screen. The interface faded to black. “A lost city I found but can’t enter yet.”

He was baiting her. Lucienne felt dust in her mouth.

Everything she wanted to find out was at her fingertips, and yet out of her reach.

If Ashburn wanted to play games, she needed to be sure to checkmate him first. She pushed a second button on the handle of the suitcase, and another platform slid open, exposing a glass interface.

“I have a similar toy for you.” She turned on the interface, opened the World Wide Web, and showed Ashburn a war video game Vladimir liked to play.

As his eyes turned dark silver—she’d learned how the color of his eyes shifted according to his mood—she knew he was intrigued.

Lucienne decided to tease him just a little more.

Just as Ashburn eagerly engaged himself in the game, she manipulated the screen to switch for a split second to a nude Playboy cover girl.

She watched Ashburn’s vampire-pale face go red with embarrassment.

The natives didn’t have outsiders’ vice.

They didn’t even know what porn was. Fighting a smile, Lucienne then selected a movie channel and let an epic battle scene play on.

Ashburn was unable to pull his eyes away from the screen.

For a moment, he seemed to be in a trance, as if his mind were inside the firewalls.

More than anything, Lucienne wanted to pry into his mind one more time, despite the horrendous prospect of being assaulted by an army of massive voices.

Just then, the redhead cut in between them, incredibly fast for a girl without any training.

Ashburn was trembling, his entranced eyes paling to the color of ice.

“Are you all right, Ash?” Violet called. “Is the witch — is the queen’s machine hurting you?”

“Violet!” Clement reprimanded.

“My son’s probably hungry,” Peder said. “Have you eaten since you came home, Ash?”

“Let’s go to the kitchen, Ash.” Violet tried to pull Ashburn away. “I’ll fix you something to eat. ”

“I’ll make lamb stew,” Clement said. “Ash will rest here.” She headed to the kitchen.

“Malicious code, Trojan horse,” Ashburn said.

Can he really see through the firewall of the computer? Lucienne watched Ashburn with an amazed look.

“What’s that?” Peder blinked.

“A virus inside the machine,” Ashburn said.

Peder paled.

“It only hurts machines,” Ashburn added.

“Oh, that’s good then,” Peder said as color returned to his face.

Kian’s Eidolon vibrated loudly. He took a look. “The king’s coming.”

“And the whole town,” Ashburn added.

Clement stopped in her tracks. Her lips started shivering. Peder’s teeth clattered.

“Mr. and Mrs. Fury, I’ll handle the king. Don’t worry about a thing,” Lucienne said and then turned to Violet. “You might want to stay in Ashburn’s basement.”

“I’ll not do your bidding,” Violet said. “I’m not your maid.”

“You’re not qualified to be my maid,” Lucienne said.

“But the last thing the Fury family wants right now is you adding more drama. You’re not even wearing your own clothes.

The prince, who has proved he has a vivid imagination, will surely create another situation for Ashburn.

Would you like to add unnecessary complications? ”

“I know what you’re after,” Violet said. “I’m not that easy to get rid of!”

She thinks I’m after Ashburn. Lucienne looked amused before a hopeless pang perched on her heart. If she knew I can’t have intimacy with any man, and I might never be able to, she wouldn’t be so nervous and defensive.

Ashburn watched Lucienne. He’d caught a flicker of pain in her eyes. Lucienne looked away.

“Violet, you must leave before stirring more trouble for us,” said Clement.

“I’m not the one who stirs trouble,” Violet said. “Besides, Ash needs me.”

“I hate to ask you to go, Violet,” Ashburn said, “but it’s the best for now. I’ll tell you everything later. Have some cake in the basement.”

Violet stormed off after tossing Lucienne a dirty look.

Lucienne turned back to the group. “My machine bird found Ashburn on the other side of the mountains. He was half buried under the snow. When we found him, he was unconscious. My medical team used the gods’ holy water to bring him back, and in the process healed his legs.

That’s the story we’re going to stick to. ”

Clement and Peder nodded gratefully.

Lucienne focused on Ashburn.

“I have no objections.” Ashburn gave a small shrug.

“All set then,” Lucienne said.

As Kian spoke into the radio to his men, shouts from the natives carried into the house. Torches cast shadows that chased each other across the windows. It looked as if the whole town was about to set siege to the Fury house.

Lucienne shared a quick look with Kian, and he gave her a nod. “We have seven men outside, four on the rooftops. We’ll shoot if the natives attempt to burn down the house.”

“No one burns down my house!” Ashburn’s eyes narrowed to slits, cold as the never-melting ice.

The front door exploded. Two of the king’s guards charged in, followed by King Henry, Queen Isis, and Prince Felix. Six guards brought up the rear, armed with hunting daggers.

Clement and Peder bowed to their king. Ashburn bowed slightly with a blank expression. The king’s eyes bulged at the standing Ashburn, who towered over all of them. The queen gasped, and Prince Felix fumed.