“I win.”
“That’s dirty, Joclyn.” I stepped away from him, not liking the look that he was giving me. “I am not sure if I can accept that as a win.”
“You better!” I snapped, “It had all the elements of a successful attack, plus surprise, and a play on emotions, just like you said. Although why it worked on you, I will never know.”
“I’m your protector, Siln?. I am hard-wired not to hurt you.” He released the barrier and put the room back to normal with one swipe of his hand. But I stayed still, my brain clicking together.
“My protector?” I asked, rephrasing the words. “What do you mean, My Protector?”
Ilyan stopped and turned to face me, his hand dragging heavily through his hair again. “I protect everyone, Joclyn. You included.”
I stared at him, he had said it before and I took it to mean just that, but this time his inflection was different. Something was off in the way he said it, like it was a job he took pride in. It didn’t mean wandering around and saving people to him. He was still dragging his hand through his hair, making it obvious he was keeping something from me.
“Get a better poker face, Ilyan. What aren’t you telling me?” Ilyan smiled at me before returning from the kitchen, a small box in his hands.
“Jakmile pochopíte v?echno, a m??e p?ijmout to, co vám ?eknu, pak, a nejen jim ?eknu vám v?echno, má lásko. Ale ani o vte?inu d?íve.” I glared at him. He knew my Czech consisted of ‘pass the leaves’ and ‘where is the bathroom’.
“Understand? Accept what? Love what? What did you say, Ilyan? You know I don’t understand most of what you said. My Czech is not very good.” He smiled at me and placed the small box in my hands.
“Exactly.”
I jerked the box away from him angrily, I hated cryptic answers. Ilyan was full of them.
“I made those for you, for Prague, but wear them tonight. They will look nice in the city. I am going to go get you something besides pajama pants to wear. Stay inside.” He smiled at me once before leaving, the door locking behind him.
I looked down to the folded brown paper bag, a small pink ribbon tied around the top. It never ended well when a man made anything for a woman to wear, and the thought of what could be inside this package worried me.
I slipped the bow from the paper and tipped the bag, letting the contents fall out into my hands.
The most intricate red leather shoes rolled onto my palms. I could tell right away they would fit. The toes of the shoes were folded into a fan shape that gave the impression of a blossoming rose. A tiny pearl was nestled in the middle of each one. Surrounding the sole of the shoe was a five part leather braid that circled seamlessly around. I couldn’t find the beginning or the end. The stitching around the sole and around the top was small and intricate, each one done with precision. I stared at the shoes in awe. That these could be made by a person, let alone Ilyan, was impossible. I lay the sturdy shoes on the floor and slipped my bare feet into them. They were beautiful.
Of course, I recognized them as what he had been working on while I lay dying months before. While he had been nursing me, healing me, he had also been working on these shoes. Even then, he didn’t think I was going to die.
I hadn’t thought about it in three months, but now I couldn’t help but wonder what Ilyan’s backup plan could have been. I now knew he had something else in mind if joining Ryland in the T?uha hadn’t cured me. Something deep inside told me these shoes were meant for that, not for a night on the town.
Six
It took a minute after Ilyan had left for reality to click in. Ilyan was getting me clothes, and I was going to get to leave. Of course, this would mean being around people again – something I really wasn’t fond of – but I would be outside my current prison and that was all that mattered.
I bounced on my toes and took the few steps to retrieve Ilyan’s cell phone from the kitchen counter. I flipped the phone open and speed dialed three to call Wyn. As the phone rang, I paced the floor in anticipation. It was surprising how soft the shoes were. The leather clung to my feet with the few steps I took. I could tell I was going to love them.
“Hello?” She sounded groggy. Odd, it was only nine at night in Prague right now.
“Wyn!” I almost screamed, my excitement exploding out of me. “I get to leave!”
It didn’t even take her a moment for what I had said to sink in. She squealed and repeated it, presumably to Talon who was always nearby.
“When are you leaving? Are you coming home? Please tell me you are coming right home,” she rattled on, Talon chuckling in the background.