Heir to the Shadows

permit.
    He gently rapped her nose. "Do you know what else you are?"
    "What?"
    "A very tired little witch."
    She started to laugh and had to stifle a yawn. "Since daylight is so draining for Mephis, we did most of our wandering after sunset, but I didn't want to waste the daytime sleeping, so . . ." She yawned again.
    "You did get some sleep, didn't you?"
    "Mephis made me take naps," she grumbled. "He said it was the only way he'd get any rest. I didn't think demons needed to rest."
    It was better not to answer that.
    She was half-asleep by the time he guided her to her room. As he removed her shoes and socks, she assured him she was still awake enough to get ready for bed by herself and he didn't need to fuss. She was sound asleep before he reached her bedroom door.
    He, on the other hand, was wide-awake and restless.
    Letting himself out one of the Hall's back doors, Saetan wandered across the carefully trimmed lawn, down a short flight of wide stone steps, and followed the paths into the wilder gardens. Leaves whispered in the light breeze. A rabbit hopped across the path a body length in front of him, watchful but not terribly concerned.
    "You should be more wary, fluffball," Saetan said softly. "You or some other member of your family has been eating Mrs. Beale's young beans. If you cross her path, you're going to end up the main dish one of these nights."
    The rabbit swiveled its ears before disappearing under a fire bush.
    Saetan brushed his fingers against the orange-red leaves. The fire bush was full of swollen buds almost ready to bloom. Soon it would be covered with yellow flowers, like flames rising above hot embers.
    He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. There was still a desk full of paperwork waiting for him.
    Comfortably protected from the cool summer night, his hands warm in the sweater's deep pockets, Saetan strolled back to the Hall. Just as he was climbing the stone steps below the lawn, he stopped, listened.
    Beyond the wild gardens was the north woods.
    He shook his head and resumed walking. "Damn dog."

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    1 / Kaeleer
     
    Luthvian studied her reflection. The new dress hugged her trim figure but still didn't look deliberately provocative. Maybe letting her hair flow down her back looked too youthful. Maybe she should have done something about that white streak that made her look older.
    Well, she was youthful, a little over 2,200 years old. And that white streak had been there since she was a small child, a reminder of her father's fists. Besides, Saetan would know if she tried to conceal it, and she certainly wasn't dressing up for him. She just wanted that daughter of his to recognize the caliber of witch who had agreed to train her.
    With a last nervous glance at her dress, Luthvian went downstairs.
    He was punctual, as usual.
    Roxie pulled the door open at the first knock.
    Luthvian wasn't sure if Roxie's alacrity was curiosity about the daughter or her desire to prove to the other girls that she had the skill to flirt with a dark-Jeweled Warlord Prince. Either way, it saved Luthvian from opening the door herself.
    The daughter was a very satisfying surprise. She hadn't realized Saetan had adopted his little darling, but there wasn't a drop of Hayllian blood in the girl—and there was certainly none of his. Immature and lacking in social skills, Luthvian decided as she watched the brief greetings at the door. So what had possessed Saetan to give the girl his protection and care?
    Then the girl turned toward Luthvian and smiled shyly, but the smile didn't reach those sapphire eyes. And there was no shyness in those eyes. They were filled with wariness and suppressed anger.
    "Lady Luthvian," Saetan said as he approached her, "this is my daughter, Jaenelle Angelline."
    "Sister," Jaenelle said, extending both hands in formal greeting.
    Luthvian didn't like this assumption of equality, but she'd straighten that out privately, away from Saetan's protective presence. For now she returned the greeting and turned to Saetan. "Make yourself comfortable, High Lord." She tipped her chin toward the parlor.
    "Perhaps you'd like a cup of tea, High Lord?" Roxie said, brushing against Saetan as she passed.
    This wasn't the time or place to correct the ninny's ideas about Guardians, especially this Guardian, but it did surprise her when Saetan thanked Roxie for the offer and retreated into the parlor.
    "You know," Roxie said, eyeing Jaenelle and smiling too brightly, "no one would