~3~
Nic’s head stilldidn’t feel right, but she put herself to drafting the nondisclosure agreements, making sure she had one to pair with each of the contracts she’d drafted.She also made a note to buy a copying gremlin from House Xerograf.The things could be a terrible pest if not well-bonded, making copies of everything in sight, then balking entirely for days on end, but the expense for a good one would be worth the trade for her time.
She included signature lines for the familiars as well, should the wizard be bonded to one, as it had become rather frighteningly clear what a risk the familiars posed to House Phel’s secrecy and security.Naturally, the Convocation expected that wizards would control their familiars and prevent them from acting—or passing along information—without the wizard’s knowledge, but how much of that was true in reality?Until Nic had noted the way Laryn observed everything that passed with glittering intensity, it hadn’t occurred to her that the woman could, and likely happily would, betray Nic, given half the chance.Familiars were so often in the background, so often ignored and forgotten, that they made perfect spies.
Foolish of her not to consider that before.Fortunately, thanks to Asa’s quick wits, they’d caught the problem in time.She hoped.And with Gabriel’s magical seal on the nondisclosure, Laryn not only wasn’t allowed to pass along information, she should be physically unable to do so.
Nic really wanted everyone they’d brought into House Phel to sign one of the NDAs immediately.They all already knew too much about her and Gabriel’s unusual bonding.Still, nothing would seal the proctor’s mouth—short of the woman’s death, and Nic wasn’t going to putthatidea into Gabriel’s head, if it wasn’t there already.
As she worked at her desk, she half listened as Asa instructed Gabriel on the finer points of evoking alternate form from one’s familiar.They’d all decided—even Nic—that Nic was in no condition to transform again that night, so Asa limited himself to repeating the lectures he’d received in the advanced wizardry practicums at Convocation Academy, and to a single demonstration with Laryn.
Laryn’s alternate form, it turned out, was a small falcon.Nic rather envied the other familiar for that.She’d wanted wings, yes, but it would be far more convenient to have a winged form that was less… conspicuous.She wasn’t sure if her fuzzy thinking came from being in alternate form, full stop, as Asa had indicated, or whether the phoenix’s mind wasn’t somehowverydifferent.Nic rather thought it was the latter, but she obviously had no basis for comparison.So far, Laryn was the only familiar in House Phel who had taken alternate form, and she didn’t see them having a cozy chat between familiars.
If only Quinn had taken her alternate form, but she hadn’t and likely wouldn’t.Being her sister’s familiar made their relationship necessarily nonsexual.Besides, for a glassmaking duo like them, alternate form wasn’t a priority.Still, Nic wondered if Quinn wasn’t wistful about it, as having an alternate form was one of the few perks of being a familiar.
Finished with enough nondisclosures to cover their current group, plus a few extra—it would be good to have Gabriel’s parents sign them, too, though she doubted she’d get any of them to agree to that—she began her letter to Alise.
Dear Alise,
I hope you will forgive…
And there she stopped.The empty space glared at her accusingly.
Would it be tacky to include a bullet-pointed list of all the transgressions Nic hoped Alise would forgive?Starting with their childhood and all the innumerable ways Nic had been overbearing to her little sister, so certain of her golden future as the head of House Elal.Looking back, she cringed at her own behavior.How could she even begin to make that up to Alise?As she stared at those brief lines, the conspicuously empty space after that innocuous word, “forgive,” the letter began to seem like a gargantuan task.She dropped her aching head into her hands.
“Ready for dinner?”Gabriel asked.
Startled, she looked up to find him standing on the other side of the desk.Asa and Laryn were gone.She groaned, folding her arms and collapsing onto them.“I cannot face formal dinner with all those people.”
“Surely that’s my line.”Gabriel sounded amused, though not unsympathetic.He came around behind her, brushing soothing hands over the back of her neck, bared by her short haircut, digging his thumbs into the tense ligaments at the base of her skull.“You could probably claim feeling unwell and skip it.No one would blame you.”
For a brief, giddy moment, she considered that option.She could go take a hot bath and read her new book that she’d barely had time to get into, and go to bed early.Then Maman’s voice scolded her sternly about her duties as Lady Phel.“No.”She sighed and sat up, her groan turning to a purr as Gabriel slid his arms around her in a loose embrace, his lips nuzzling her temple.“I should be by your side, particularly in these early days, especially with all that happened this afternoon.”
“Pity,” he murmured, kissing her ear.“I was going to take the excuse to stay with you.”
She laughed throatily, not at all surprised.In fact, knowing Gabriel would try to avoid dinner if she wasn’t there was a large part of the reason she knew she had to go.“I should check on the progress of dinner.I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late.”The overcast sky outside the windows had darkened to full night.It had been an incredibly long day, and she was still wearing the gown she’d worn to assist Gabriel with the levee repair.She probably looked terrible.“But I also need to clean up and change for dinner.”
“You go change,” he told her, “and I’ll check on dinner.”
She raised a brow at the offer.“Are you sure?”
He raised a mirroring brow.“I can terrorize staff just as well as you can.”
Laughing, she acknowledged that truth, accepting his hand to get up from the chair.“I won’t be long.”
He drew her to him, lips brushing over hers in a light kiss that quickly heated.Firmly setting her away from him, he shook his head.“Just don’t take too long, or I’ll have to come find you, and we’ll no doubt end up in bed.”
She put the back of her hand to her forehead and sagged dramatically.“On second thought, I think maybe Idon’tfeel well enough to attend dinner.Maybe you need to carry me up to bed.”Nic secretly relished it when Gabriel carried her, his easy strength so deliciously compelling.
Gabriel laughed and waggled a finger at her.“None of your tricks, familiar.I’m wise to your seductions.”
A susurrous of need thrilled through her at him calling her that.“Seductions don’t require a bed, wizard,” she purred, swaying toward him and reaching to undo his pants.Perhaps she’d kneel and…
He stepped back, deftly evading her.“Later,” he promised.
“It wouldn’t take long,” she protested.
“Maybe we can share that bath,” he said over his shoulder as he strode for the library doors, casting her a wicked grin.