Page 70 of Dark Princess Emerging

Not that he pretended to be her father or asked her to call him Dad or anything. But he was there when she needed him, and he was a pleasant presence in their house, which Drova couldn't even say about her own mother.

As they passed the administration building, the front door opened, and Kian emerged.

"Good afternoon." He fell into step beside them.

"Good afternoon," Jade said.

Drova dipped her head. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"Don't thank me yet," Kian replied. "This meeting is just a brainstorming session to see how your unique talents can be utilized for the new types of missions we have in mind. There aremany factors that need to be considered, and your natural ability is just one of them."

Drova had no problem reading between the lines.

They could use her compulsion ability, maybe even her fighting skills, but she hadn't trained with the Guardians, and she was considered unreliable.

It was a huge surprise that Kian had even thought of her for those new missions, whatever they might be. They would want to assess her ability to follow orders without question.

As they entered the pavilion and her mother called up the elevator, Drova's heartbeat accelerated.

This was where she belonged, not buried in books. She was a warrior, like her mother, like all their people. She just needed the chance to prove it.

41

PETER

Peter leaned against one of the desks in the classroom that Onegus had chosen for this interview, trying to find a diplomatic way to tell Kian that he was out of his mind.

Drova? On his team? The same Drova who had used her compulsion ability to manipulate others for her own amusement, who was wearing a location cuff because they had to restrict her movement so she couldn't compel anyone else?

Furthermore, ever since becoming the victim of Emmett's compulsion, Peter had preferred to stay away from compellers. He'd made his peace with Emmett, but that didn't mean that he liked spending time with the guy.

He watched as the young Kra-ell sat ramrod straight in her chair, dressed in tactical-style black clothing that made her look like she was cosplaying as a Guardian.

There was a hardness to her and a determination that showed potential, but she had only recently turned seventeen, which was too young to even enter the Guardian training program, let alone go on missions.

"Let's be clear about what we're discussing," he said carefully, making sure that he sounded measured and respectful. "You want me to consider adding an untrained seventeen-year-old to a team that's going after some of the vilest predators on Earth?"

Kian met his gaze steadily. "Her ability to compel immortals could be invaluable if we encounter Doomers."

"If," Peter emphasized. "And that's assuming she can control her ability under pressure and direct it at the enemy instead of targeting her teammates. Assuming she can follow orders. Assuming she has the maturity to handle what we're going to encounter and not fall apart." He shook his head. "That's a lot of assumptions to risk Guardian lives on."

Jade shifted in her chair but remained silent.

Peter could read the conflict in her expression—pride in her daughter's potential being acknowledged by Kian and Onegus warring with concern for her safety.

Onegus, who had been quietly observing from where he was leaning against another desk, folded his arms over his chest. "Drova's compulsion ability is stronger than Toven's. If properly directed, it could be an indispensable asset. I understand your reservations but try to imagine for a moment that you could take Toven with you on every mission. Wouldn't you be thrilled to have such a weapon in your arsenal? We couldn't have taken Igor's compound down without him."

It was probably not smart to contradict the chief, but as a newly minted Head Guardian, Peter was allowed more leeway than the rest of the rank and file. "I agree that Toven was invaluable to that mission, but his role was to infiltrate and gather information. He wasn't needed for the actual attack onthe compound. Compulsion, unless it can be used as a blanket over the enemy, is not a good tactical weapon."

Kian shook his head. "You forget that the Kra-ell are resistant to all types of mind manipulation, which was why Toven's compulsion was useless in the attack on the compound. But if those were Doomers, he would have been a great help. Except for the rare immune, whoever heard Toven's voice would have been compelled to obey his commands."

Peter would have liked to forget how it felt to be the victim of compulsion, and he would have preferred not to work with the vile power if he didn't have to.

"We're going on our first mission Tuesday night. I can't risk taking an inexperienced girl."

He was getting married on Sunday, and he planned on taking Monday off to celebrate with his bride. He didn't have time to train a greenhorn.

A knock at the door signaled Pavel's arrival. Peter had asked the young Kra-ell to join the discussion because he was assigned to the backup team of the first Avenger mission, and he knew Drova well.