Free Demon Bound by Meljean Brook Page A

the strongest point.”
    He studied her for a long time, she thought. Turning it all over in his mind, looking for answers. “And you’ve been finding these since—When did you finish your training?”
    â€œNineteen hundred and eighty-eight.”
    â€œOver twenty years ago? Then why doesn’t anyone know about this?”
    â€œAnyone? Or you?” Alice watched acknowledgment touch his expression, and continued, “There are some who know. Anyone who has cared to ask me, or who has come across the photographs in the Archives—”
    â€œThese are in the library?” he said mournfully, as if already grieving over the two decades he’d not known of their existence.
    â€œPerhaps if you’d ventured into the corner I usually inhabit, you’d have come across them.”
    Unexpectedly, he grinned. “Well, now that you don’t freak me out, maybe I will. You’ve been working on them alone all this time?”
    She shook her head. “Only since the Ascension. Before that, I had a team of novices to assist me.”
    â€œOh,” he said, and winced. “Yeah. Sorry.”
    If her spine had been rigid before, now it became a steel bar. She’d forgotten about the stories the novices told. One was that she’d helped a few of her students to “Ascend” with her blade, but vanished the bodies.
    What the novices said didn’t matter—much of it had probably arisen out of their boredom in the years after the Ascension and before they’d moved to San Francisco. It was the truth the stories were rooted in that had her turning away from him.
    Of all the mentors who remained in Caelum after the Ascension, only Alice had lost every student. She was the only one who hadn’t inspired a single novice to stay, to fight—to live.
    And she didn’t want to see his sympathy, or his pity.
    â€œHey,” he called.
    Short of breaking into a run, Alice couldn’t prevent him from moving in front of her. She stopped, her lips set in a firm line.
    He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, but instead of appearing cowed when his shoulders hunched, he only seemed taller. “Look, I know you want me gone.”
    Her response was a lift of her brows.
    That must have amused him. His appealing smile returned. “I’ve just been waiting for you to sic Nefertari on me.”
    She should have. “Is that how you intended to leave? You wanted her to frighten you?”
    â€œNope. Just to see if you’d do it. I hoped you would.”
    â€œI’m sorry I disappointed you, then.”
    â€œI’ll bet.” He laughed to himself again, closing his eyes as if to contain it. After a moment, he opened them. “I’ll be looking through the stuff you have in the library.”
    â€œI assumed as much, yes. You don’t need my permission—”
    â€œI’m going to bother you.” His gaze didn’t leave hers. “You’ve got twenty years on it already, and I’ll have questions.”
    He also had both knowledge and curiosity. If that continued, there might be someone to carry on the research when— if —she no longer could.
    Her fingers were clenched painfully tight, but she managed to perform a cool nod. “Very well. If, of course, it doesn’t interfere with your training.”
    â€œI’ll convince Drifter that it’ll be a good experience for me.”
    Considering that Jake was the youngest Guardian in the field—and that he’d been made active long before the typical century of training had been completed—Ethan was likely more concerned that Jake mastered his weapons and Gift.
    â€œI doubt that he’ll be so easy to convince.”
    â€œNo, he will be.” Jake shrugged and looked over her head, his gaze moving keenly along her walls—already anticipating the opportunity to dig deeper into their mysteries, she supposed. “You’re