One Thousand Kisses by Jody Wallace Page A

election.”
    Embor wanted to throw something. Break something. Detonate something. “Damn and blast! There has to be a way to get those deviant Torvals out. Of. My. Court. I’ll blackmail them, pretend I can prove what they did.”
    “You can’t lower yourself to that level.”
    He didn’t care what level he was on, as long as it protected Anisette and the Realm. “We’ll raid their villa, and you can trace the magic use.”
    Gangee shook his head. “We can’t get a warrant without evidence, and by then it might be too late.” Though Primaries could direct the Commission to perform certain trials, everyone’s power had checks and balances.
    “I shouldn’t need a warrant to safeguard my bondmate.” His anger spiking, he resurrected the memory of the mineral springs lapping near his crotch to cool himself. If he weren’t sleep-deprived, he wouldn’t have so much trouble controlling his destructive side.
    When Embor indicated Gangee could speak, the man said, “There’s one more thing.”
    “No.” Embor frowned so hard his eyebrows ached. “I deny any more complications.”
    “There’s one more thing,” Gangee repeated. “It’s significant.”
    Embor closed his eyes as flames raced through his veins. He was too sapped to stop it. The air in Gangee’s office heated. He needed to tame the fire or bottles would explode.
    The memory of a cold swim wouldn’t be enough.
    Using a trick he’d learned from his physical trainer, Embor dropped to the ground between the door and table and began to do push-ups. He shoved against the ground, rising and falling, until the temperature in the room dropped and the blaze in his bloodstream flickered into smoke. Until the burn of anger was replaced by the burn of exertion.
    It took some time.
    Finally, he heaved himself into a sitting position and glared up at Gangee. “Now you may speak.”
    “Is there anything you need to tell me?” Gangee asked. “You mentioned you were working on side projects instead of sleeping.”
    “Last night was tiring, for obvious reasons.” He’d skipped the energy pill this morning, pleased he hadn’t needed it. “Do continue.”
    Gangee’s thin features revealed his doubt, but he did as Embor asked. “You and the Torvals wouldn’t be the only individuals the truthseekers would scrutinize. Anisette was with Jake and Talista during the time period the amnesia spell was used.”
    “You think it was Jake?” Gangee knew a bit of what Jake was capable of, but not all. Nor could Embor share Jake’s developments, because it was Embor who’d helped expand them.
    “I think, with Anisette unable to provide details, we can’t pin it on the Torvals. The last thing we want is the truthseekers looking into Jake.”
    Whether the Commission became involved or not, Embor knew what had to be done. What would be done. Warran had hurt Anisette, and he would pay. Embor’s conviction in murky situations had helped him and Skythia make correct decisions for the Realm time and again. Except for five years ago, a blip in the grand scheme, he had no reason to distrust his instincts.
    “We’ll keep the truthseekers away from Jake.” Embor dragged himself to his feet, feeling older than his one hundred and fifty years. Whatever extra rest he’d managed last night was gone. “But we know the truth, Gangee. That son of a hag Warran did something to the princess and tried to cover it up. I won’t rest until I find out what it was and how he got his hands on spirit magic.”

Chapter Six
     
    The black cat showed up during human studies, causing a commotion. He stared at Ani until she excused herself from the classroom. Whispers dogged her footsteps as she and the cat departed.
    “How did she attract a cat?”
    “She’s lucky. Did you hear? She and the Primary…”
    That comment nearly halted her. She and the Primary? Had they been seen? Possibly. The garden, the hallway, the mineral springs, and topping it off, this morning. They’d