The Charmer by Autumn Dawn Page B

deliberately misled her a bit—Jayems
would never let Rihlia go, regardless, but he knew if he said as
much he might have closed her mind to everything he’d told her. At
least this way they had the chance of winning her as a powerful
ally in the battle for Rihlia’s heart. If she chose, Jasmine could
single-handedly win half the war, and he wasn’t going to be
squeamish about using her to do so.
    He looked again at Jayems and Rihlia. More
than one heart hung in the balance.
     
    Jasmine couldn’t sleep for a long time that
night. She kept analyzing every nuance of her conversation with
Keilor that afternoon. Everything kept coming back to his eyes, and
the way he’d looked when he’d said that Wiley’s family wanted her.
Earnest. Sincere. But what was best for Wiley? Was she
running away because she thought they’d abandoned her?
    With an annoyed grunt, she tossed off the
covers and got dressed. She really shouldn’t have taken that nap
earlier in the afternoon, but there was no help for it now.
    She opened her door and immediately the two
Haunt turned to look at her. She gave them both a rather sick
smile. She still wasn’t used to having werewolves guarding her
door. “Can’t sleep,” she explained apologetically. She must be
crazy to want to wander around in the dark with these two. “Um, is
there any reason I can’t take a walk out here?” When they glanced
at each other but made no move to stop her, she eased out of her
room and shut the door.
    To the left were Wiley and Jayems’ rooms. To
the right, the great unknown. She chose the right. In no particular
hurry, she meandered at a thoughtful pace down the well-lit stone
hall, aimlessly watching the patterns on the parquet flooring. Her
guard trailed behind, allowing her privacy. There was something to
be said for silence, she decided.
    She’d only been walking along for a couple of
minutes when she was startled into looking up. Another silent Haunt
with the same insignia she’d noticed on Keilor and Jayems blocked
her path, and he seemed to have business with her. Uneasy, she
looked to her own guards, only to see them salute the newcomer with
a fist over their hearts and a slight bow. They gave her a slight
nod as well and then returned the way they’d come. Bewildered, she
considered the Haunt in front of her. A replacement?
    Deciding to test her theory, she took a step
forward as if she intended to go around him and he fell into step
with her. Relieved, she continued with her walk, gradually relaxing
as he did nothing but accompany her. Her steps slowed and she
settled back into an aimless meander.
    The hallway opened up unto the head of a
broad staircase leading to an inner courtyard, and she stared in
awe at the view of the triple moons and scattered stars. Slowly she
sank down to absorb the view. The evening breeze caressed her
cheek, pleasant with the scent of flowers. Her guard settled
unobtrusively against the wall.
    After a time, curiosity got to her. “You guys
don’t talk much, do you?” she said softly, loathe to break the
serenity of the night. To her surprise, the Haunt answered her in
the sign language she’d seen the guards use. When she continued to
watch him, he repeated himself slowly, fingers to chest, an
inclination of his head and then fingers to lips.
    “You do talk?” she guessed, intrigued. Hm.
This could be fun. Maybe these guys weren’t too bad after all. She
eyed him and decided to accord him a healthy respect, just in
case.
    She gestured to the stair just above her, but
he didn’t move. Frowning, she chewed the inside of her bottom lip.
“You’re on duty?” He inclined his head again and she relaxed,
leaning back against the wall and hugging her knees. Touching the
spot over her heart, she asked, “The patch, is it an indication of
rank?” One nod. “Are you higher ranking than the last guy?”
Yes.
    Well now, this wasn’t so bad. As long as she
asked yes or no questions, they’d get along just fine.