Dark Princess: Shadows (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance #89)

18. Drova

18

DROVA

A s Drova opened the door for Magnus, her eyes immediately zeroed in on the earpieces he wore. She'd expected that he would come prepared, and in a way, it was better than him coming in with a gun holstered at his hip, but for some reason it still hurt to see every adult who walked through that door wearing earpieces, including her mother.

"Hello, Drova." Magnus offered her his hand.

"Hello." She shook it reluctantly. "Please, come in."

Since moving into the village, she'd been forced to learn what the immortals considered basic manners, mostly thanks to Phinas, who'd made a point of educating her in Western etiquette.

Behind him walked her former minions, Parker, Lisa, and Cheryl. All three were wearing backpacks as if they were on their way to school, but it was the weekend, so maybe they were planning a joint study session in the café later.

"Hi," Parker murmured.

Cheryl and Lisa only nodded in her direction, both looking very uncomfortable to be there.

Magnus walked over to the dining table and pulled out a chair. "Please, sit down." He motioned to Drova.

Having no choice but to comply, she did as he commanded and watched as the three teenagers sat across from her while Magnus positioned himself at the head of the table.

"Before we begin," he said, looking into Drova's eyes. "I just want to make some things clear. Parker and the girls are not wearing filtering earpieces, and they were nervous about coming here today, but I assured them that you will not try anything because you won't like the consequences." He smiled, but it was a cold smile. "House arrest is not the worst punishment we can mete out. If you try to compel anyone, you will find yourself in a small cell in the keep's dungeon."

The implied threat sent an involuntary shiver down Drova's spine, but she kept her face impassive. "I'm not going to compel anyone," she replied, her tone just shy of insolent as she swept her gaze over the three teenagers. "You have nothing to be afraid of." She added a chilly, threatening smile.

Magnus shook his head. "You'd better change your attitude and fast, Drova. I don't have patience for your games."

"What games?" She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's time to apologize, and you'd better make it sound sincere."

Drova gritted her teeth, the words sticking in her throat. But the thought of being stuck in a tiny cell in the keep's dungeon spurred her on. "I'm sorry," she managed, the words coming out stilted and insincere. "I shouldn't have compelled you to do those things."

Magnus nodded his approval. "That will do, but you need to apologize to each person you harmed by name."

Drova stifled the urge to roll her eyes. The faster she did what he wanted, the sooner this charade would be over, and they would leave her alone.

"Parker." She looked the boy in the eyes. "I'm sorry I made you steal things for me."

"And break things," Parker added.

She nodded. "And break things."

"Apology accepted, but I also want you to give me your vow that you will never compel me again."

As long as he wasn't demanding that she never compel anyone else, Drova was willing to do it. "I vow to never compel you again."

She had never vowed to do or not do anything before, but she'd always imagined a magical thunderclap would accompany the vow, the Mother of All Life putting her stamp of approval on it.

Of course, nothing like that happened, but Drova still felt the weight of her promise. Parker would never have to worry about her compelling him to do anything.

"Thank you." He smiled at her.

She was forced to repeat the same ritual with Cheryl and Lisa, and once it was done, everyone seemed to calm down, even Magnus.

Drova turned to the boy. "Tell me the truth, Parker, have you never used your abilities on the humans at your school? It must be so tempting, having all that power and not using it."

There was no chance he would admit it in front of his father, but she enjoyed needling him.

"Never," Parker said firmly. "Thralling and compulsion are forbidden unless it's to save a life or keep our existence secret from humans. We don't abuse our powers. When I want to practice my ability, I ask Lisa and Cheryl's permission first."

Well, that was a neat loophole. Maybe she could hone her ability in a similar way. Except Cheryl and Lisa trusted Parker, while no one was going to trust her after the stunt she'd pulled.

Still, she wasn't sure she believed Parker's avowed innocence.

"You expect me to believe that no one ever bends the rules a little?" She looked at Magnus this time. "There's no way to enforce compliance, and you can't expect a rule that can't be enforced to be followed."

"It's true that we can't find out about every infringement," Magnus said. "But it's a matter of character, Drova. Good people don't go around thralling and compelling others to gain an unfair advantage."

"Bullshit," Drova chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm a faster runner than any human or immortal. Should I not use my speed because it gives me an 'unfair advantage'? Where do you draw the line?"

"There's a big difference between natural physical abilities and manipulating someone's free will," Magnus countered. "One is a gift you were born with, the other is a violation of another person's autonomy. Nevertheless, I would not advise running competitions with humans even if you could win great rewards. The risk of exposure is not worth it."

Had he just said great rewards?

"What kind of rewards?" Drova asked.

Magnus laughed. "Competitive sports reward winners with monetary prizes and opportunities to promote sports apparel for financial reward, but as I said, don't even think about it. The money is not worth your life, and this is what you could be forfeiting if you expose yourself."

"What if she wins only by a little?" Lisa asked. "And wears makeup to hide her alien features?"

Magnus shook his head. "Forget I ever said anything about it. No immortals or Kra-ell can compete in human sports, and that's the end of this discussion. I have other commitments to attend to today." He turned to his son. "Parker, why don't you tell Drova what you've decided to ask from her as compensation for the harm she has inflicted on you?"

Drova tensed.

With a glint in his eye, Parker leaned down, reached into his backpack, and pulled out four thick books. "The condensed history of the universe from the beginning of time." He slammed one book on the table. " Humans ." He slammed another on top of the first. " 21st Century Science ." He put it on top of the second. " Greatest Philosophers of All Time ." He put it on top of the stack. "I want you to read these cover to cover. You have two months, and then I'll test you on what you've learned. If you don't pass with flying colors, I'll give you another two months and test you again, and so on, until you pass."

Drova felt her heart sink. Reading? Studying? It was almost the worst punishment he could have devised for her. She hated books, and she hated sitting on her ass. She was a warrior, and her time was best spent sparring and practicing her moves. "You've got to be kidding me," she groaned.

Parker's smile widened. "My mom's penalties for my bad behavior were always educational. I hated it, but when I got older, I realized how smart her approach was. Instead of diminishing you, this punishment will force your betterment."

Before Drova could protest further, Lisa and Cheryl pulled out more books from their backpacks, and her eyes widened in horror as she took in the growing stack on her dining table. At least Lisa's books seemed thinner—a small mercy.

"My contribution to your education is the greatest works in literature," Cheryl said. "I will give you six months to finish them all, and I suggest that you take notes because my test will be exhaustive. I will check your knowledge of the smallest details."

Lisa grinned. "Mine are math workbooks. You are to complete one every two months and bring it to me to check."

Drova hated math even more than all the other subjects.

"This is insane," she sputtered. "There are enough words in these books to fill years of schooling!"

The three teenagers laughed, the sound grating on Drova's nerves.

"That's the whole point," Cheryl said.

"Don't worry," Parker added in an infuriatingly patronizing tone. "You can call me anytime you have trouble understanding something. I'd be happy to tutor you for a fee, of course. I'm sure your mother would gladly pay me for helping you with your education."

Drova felt her cheeks burn with humiliation. The idea of needing help from a fourteen-year-old boy was humiliating. Or was he fifteen? Did it matter?

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll read your books, and I'm sure I won't need any help. The fact that I hate studying doesn't mean that I can't do it." She leaned toward Parker. "Let's see either one of you in the training ring able to follow my most basic moves."

Parker's eyes started glowing. "Challenge accepted. I'll help you with your studies, and in exchange, you will train me."

Magnus cleared his throat. "Perhaps once you get your own earpieces. Until then, your visits with Drova will have to be supervised."

"For how long?" Drova asked.

He gave her a sad smile. "I don't know. You will have to earn back our trust, but frankly, I don't know how you will be able to do that nor how long it will take."