H.D. started barking, and G.G. glanced around sharply, surprised to see that they were outside. H.D. was only barking at asquirrel that had dared to come near his patch of grass, but it made G.G. realize that he really did walk around oblivious.He’d been so lost in thought, he’d followed the dog downstairs and outside without paying any attention to anything aroundhim. He could have passed half a dozen Enforcers in the stairwell and out here without noticing. He needed to start payingattention to his surroundings. Ildaria’s life may depend on it.
Eleven
Ildaria stretched happily and yawned as she woke up, her body arching and twisting under the covers. She’d slept well, andthe dreams she’d shared with G.G. had left her feeling lovely, as if all was right with the world. She’d had other dreamsafterward, but not shared dreams and not one had included sex. Still, they’d been nice dreams, most of them featuring herabuela telling her she loved and was proud of her. Ildaria had no idea what the psychology behind that was. Perhaps in hersubconscious she was forgiving herself for never seeing her abuela again after the day she’d fled Señorita Ana’s home. Thatwas something that had always bothered her. She’d tried several times over the two years after that fateful day to approachher, but always there had been at least one Enforcer watching her abuela’s home, and following her everywhere she went.
The last time Ildaria had tried, she’d arrived to see Juan outside, talking to several of the neighbors. She hadn’t been able to hear what they were saying, but she’d spotted a friend of her abuela’s standing, weeping, amongst the gathering and had read her mind. The woman had been visiting when Ildaria’s abuela had suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed to the floor. She’d run for help, but by the time she returned with the local healer, there was nothing he could do. Ildaria’s abuela was dead. Juan was now telling them that he would take care of her burial and everything else.
Ildaria had stumbled away, heart both broken and guilt laden. Her abuela had died alone. The logical side of her brain hadassured her that it wasn’t her fault, but the emotional side had berated her for failing her abuela, the woman who had championedand raised her. Ildaria had wanted to attend the funeral, but Juan was there with Señorita Ana and her fiancé who had surelybeen her husband by then. There had also been about a dozen Enforcers in attendance. She’d had to watch the proceedings froma distance, unable to see her abuela one last time to say goodbye. She’d simply watched hollow-eyed as a beautiful and surelyexpensive wood coffin had been lowered into the ground.
Ildaria had stayed until long after most of the others had left, but while the guests, and even the Enforcers had left, Juan had remained behind alone, watching silently as they filled her grave with dirt. Most of the time he’d stood unmoving, but every once in a while he’d glanced around as if expecting someone. Her, she’d supposed, but sure it was a trap, she hadn’t dared approach. The man had been furious to the point of hatred that night in the alley, and that had been before she’d maimed him. And he’d hunted her for two years at that point, his men seeming everywhere all the time. A man did not expend that kind of energy and manpower without very deep feelings. She was sure he wasn’t doing it because he wished to welcome her to the immortal fold, and was terrified of what retribution he’d demand if he caught her.
Ildaria’s largest fear was that he’d have her executed. Señorita Ana had made it very clear that each immortal could turnonly one, and saved it to turn a life mate should they be mortal. While Juan hadn’t intentionally turned her, his blood waswhat had brought on the turn. Did that mean he couldn’t turn a life mate should he meet one? Unless he killed her?
Or perhaps he’d already turned his one and she was one too many. He had been mated and had children, but his life mate wasapparently dead, although Ildaria didn’t know the story behind it. She did know that Señorita Ana had said should an immortalturn a second mortal, the immortal that had turned them would be executed. But she was quite sure as head of the Council,Juan could dictate that she be executed instead. He hadn’t turned her deliberately after all.
Survival had seemed a perfectly good excuse to put off trying to see her abuela until another time while the woman had still lived, but once her abuela was dead Ildaria had berated herself for not trying harder. She should have risked death and walked straight up to her and told her everything, or as much as she could before she was dragged away and set on fire. She should have . . . done something. Or so she’d berated herself for decades afterward. The mental self-flagellation had ended eventually, but the guilt had remained, clinging to her like cobwebs.
Now though, Ildaria felt she was willing
