Sheltered by Jen Colly

Author:Jen Colly [Colly, Jen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-07-11T10:18:05+00:00

Chapter 15

Balinese

Dulcina dropped out of Spirit high in the arena overlooking the sands below. Though she was much too far away to see the fight clearly, from here she could watch every seat, and had a broader scope of the arena floor. She’d come early to the execution.

Her family would want her with them, perched high in the royal box, but being on display wasn’t her thing. Well, yes it was. Dulcina tipped her head back and ruffled her short black curls. Wearing her favorite low-rise cargo pants, a Bowie knife on her hip, and tank top tight enough to show off every bra-less curve, she was a sight not to be missed. Truly, she loved the attention. It was being a royal that wasn’t her thing.

Apparently, Jovan had no interest in sitting inside the royal box either. He sat a few rows down, his eyes focused on the sands, hands joined beneath his chin.

She slipped back into Spirit long enough to drop down to Jovan’s side, returning to flesh and blood less than two feet from him. He never flinched. Jovan had become adept at keeping tabs on his surroundings, the subtle changes most people missed. He also had the ability to blend with the night, morph into the shadows, his movements so quiet you’d swear he was only the whisper of the wind at your back. Jovan was like her.

Jovan said nothing, made no gesture of acknowledgement, and she sat with him in silence as the people slowly gathered into the arena seating. She liked watching them scurry around in their own little world. What would these people think if they knew how closely the Stalkers above in Paris kept tabs on not just the demons and their pattern of movements throughout the city, but each vampire city within France? Would they feel safer? Or controlled?

In Paris, the Guardians within the centralized city of Talvane worked with the Stalkers, their unified goal to regulate and minimize exposure of the human population to both demons and vampires. Talvane was pleased to have a partner in the effort, though she was sure the more remote cities such as Galbraith and Balinese might see the watchful eye of the Stalker Lord as an intrusion. As a woman who enjoyed her personal space and freedom, she could understand why this would unsettle some. Which was precisely why they didn’t know.

The seating had slowly filled, but when the prison doors opened and the Guardians, Titus and Graydon, brought the demon— the one Dulcina had stabbed—to the center of the arena and shackled it in place, she understood why the crowd was sparse. This execution would be unlike what Cat had once brought to this arena, and the lack of spectators proved it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.

Dulcina didn’t particularly care if the demon died by her hand or not. Dead was dead, and the new High Justice was more than capable. Caradoc might be soft spoken, patient, and kind outside the arena, but within these walls he was a different man.

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