by Ella M. Lee
“I arrived last night,” Nicolas said.
His tone was calm, but he seemed very on edge compared to how he’d sounded earlier with me.
The new voice was now right at my shoulder. I could feel the imposing male presence and his stifling magic, different from Nicolas to my senses. Darker, slithering and sleazy, an unpredictable kind of dangerous.
“I thought you were staying in Vienna for a few weeks?” the newcomer said.
“I thought so too,” Nicolas said. “But, you know, assassination attempts are a bitch.”
He jutted his chin at me and shrugged. I met his gaze in a panic, wishing he hadn’t drawn attention to me.
The man moved around the table to see my face. I glanced at him for half a second, remembering Nicolas’s warning to me from earlier. He looked older than Nicolas or me, with sharp features and blond hair like a lion’s mane. He had the profile of a movie star, but there was an undercurrent of malice to him that worried me. His wide-set piercing green eyes studied me intently.
I hadn’t realized Water magic could appear so murky and shadowy. Nicolas’s magic was bright and sparkling in my vision, but this man’s magic could almost be called dense or opaque. There was less subtle shifting within it, less to see when you looked at it, as though it hid much within its layers.
Whatever alarm bells I felt didn’t seem to bother Nicolas at all.
He was mostly relaxed, leaning back in his chair, studying Green Eyes with slight impatience. I would have said Nicolas looked indifferent, but there was a certain poise about his posture that told me he was ready to move instantly. He waited for the other man to speak.
“You’re alive, at least,” Green Eyes said, not necessarily in a tone of happiness, “and it looks like the prize was worth it?”
In a gesture that chilled me to the core, he reached out and ran a finger down my bare arm. My breath caught. I knew better than to recoil, but everything in me screamed to fight or run. I hated having to sit still, frightened and trapped. I wanted to reach out and break his fingers, but I would be dead if I did that. Instead, I gave a single pleading look to Nicolas under my lashes.
Nicolas didn’t move, didn’t so much as even tense at what I would have considered a massive overreach, but his voice was like iron when he said, “Come now, no touching.”
Green Eyes paused, his finger still barely lingering on the skin of my inner arm. Every single muscle in me screamed to move, and I didn’t think I could stand sitting still much longer.
“Are you looking to sell?” he asked. “I can think of some ways to make use of this one.”
Sell what? Me?
I began trembling. I wanted to tell myself that it was part of the role I had been told to play, but that wouldn’t be honest. Green Eyes seemed pleased by my distress, and his fingertip pressed into my skin a little harder. I waited for Nicolas’s answer, not at all confident that he wouldn’t take the opportunity to get rid of me.
“Do I need to repeat myself?” Nicolas asked, brow raised, his voice a shade darker. “And no—she’s mine.”
Green Eyes withdrew his hand and took a step back. My errant sigh of relief brought a sharp glance from Nicolas, but he said nothing. I had never been happier in my life than I was at this moment, hearing that he wasn’t going to sell me to this man.
When had my standards become so low?
“Ah, well.” Green Eyes seemed unconcerned. “Were you planning on calling the meeting now that you’re back?”
“Perhaps. I’ve barely had a moment alone to think,” Nicolas said, sitting straighter.
In one graceful motion, Nicolas stood. He was as tall as Green Eyes, positioned very close to him. The movement initially seemed standoffish, but then he cocked his head casually and lazily. When he spoke, his tone was as calm as ever.
“You know, I think you’re right. Thank you, Derek, for giving me a purpose while I’m home.”
Home? This was his home? I supposed that wasn’t surprising, but Water had several large clan houses around the world, and it had been impossible for me to gauge why he had taken me to this particular one.
Derek stepped back. His tight smile did not reach his eyes. If he was annoyed that Nicolas answered his thoughts, he didn’t show it. “Well… you know how to find me. I’ll be waiting in anticipation of the next council meeting.”
He turned and walked away without another word, and I followed him covertly with my eyes. Nicolas sat down once again.
Well, that was mysterious.
Water had some sort of council, and Nicolas and Derek were both on it. We didn’t have any such thing as a council in Flame, and I didn’t know much about Water’s internal clan structure.
“Sorry about Derek,” Nicolas drawled, watching his retreating form. “He’s the type who has no regard for other people’s property.”
Property. That’s what I was. Captured. Mortal. Slave.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. When my trembling had stopped, I reached out to take up my abandoned spoon.
Nicolas caught my hand, setting it back down on the table. I froze. Slowly, he traced his fingers up my arm, watching me. His touch was possessive. I met his eyes with mine, panicked. I wanted to pull away, but I knew it would be a stupid idea.
Suddenly, I heard his voice in my head.
I’m sorry. This is the only way I can speak to you, but I have to make it look good. People are watching.
I tensed, startled. He continued to stroke my arm, making small circles with his fingertips, his touch languid and idling. With his left hand, he began eating again, appearing completely unconcerned. So his gifts also allowed him to speak to me, mind to mind, via touch.
Nicolas was full of surprises.
Calm down, Fiona, he went on, his voice perfectly clear in my head. There are worse people than me here. Derek is one of them. Honestly, he’s a real prick. His very existence bothers me.
And he… I began, hoping this communication went both ways or hoping he was paying attention to my thoughts. He wants you to sell me to him?
Don’t worry, that most certainly won’t be happening. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Nicolas’s whispered laughter filled my head. You wouldn’t last a week with him. I won’t tell you the things I’ve seen in his mind, but let’s say he’s not interested in keeping slaves healthy and alive.
And you are? I thought, barely breathing.
I know you have zero proof of this so far, but I’m not a monster, he replied, his tone acidic. I would be well within my rights to kill you slowly, after a long bout of pain and suffering, for what you did. But I’m not going to. Hell, I could make a lot of money selling you to Derek or someone even worse. But I’m not going to. If I were you, I’d be thanking whatever god you worship that luck was on your side. I am practically the best you could do here.
I flinched. Sorry, I thought weakly.
Nicolas’s eyes went to mine for just a moment, and his expression softened. His tone, when he went on, was gentler.
I know I’ve done nothing to earn your trust, he said, but you can rest easier. For the moment, nothing bad is going to happen. I won’t harm you while our deal is in place, and I have no intention of letting Derek even so much as touch you again.
What’s to stop him from just… just… taking me? I asked, shuddering.
There are rules, Nicolas said. He’s a commander, I’m a commander. Our clan frowns on internal disputes. Anyone here would be risking their standing to disrupt the operations of any other member. Derek would also be risking his life going up against me. Taking you would anger me. He doesn’t want to deal with that, and rightly so.
You’re stronger? I asked.
Yes, he said. I also have several advantages over him. You are safe with me.
Until the second I step out of line, and then I’m dead, I reminded him.
He withdrew his fingers from their musings on my skin and again looked past me. I turned, forgetting
my part, to see a gorgeous woman sidling toward us. She was tall and lean, with chestnut hair and dark eyes, wearing a dark-blue coat that nearly touched the floor. Her gaze was fixed on Nicolas. I spun back to face him, studying his darkening expression.
“Si-Yi, nei hou,” he said, greeting her in Chinese, and I wondered if he had said her name for my benefit.
“Nei hou,” she replied, her tone affectionate. “What do you have here?”
I didn’t look up as she moved to stand very close to Nicolas. I knew better. She seemed like the type who would not look kindly on the Auspex’s slave defying him.
“A little something I picked up in Vienna,” he said. It took effort not to smile at his subtle joke.
“Yes, I read what happened. So unfortunate. But now you are dumpster diving in Flame?” she asked, inspecting me with a sharp laugh. “I expected better of you, Nico.”
Christ, what a bitch. Only the most insecure women needed to put down those beneath them, and I was most certainly beneath her right now—beaten, captive, and honestly not nearly as lovely.
It was interesting to see how she cozied up to Nicolas, how she so brazenly spoke of his life and decisions. She didn’t fear him in the slightest, and her warm expression told me there was probably history between them. He hadn’t moved, though. He hadn’t even so much as leaned into her, looked her up and down, or given the slightest hint of interest.
“Ah, but this one truly is a lovely change of pace,” he said, shrugging.
His eyes went to mine for a moment, and I caught his word choice and emphasis—lovely. The same word I had used in my head just a moment ago.
Was that a subtle compliment from Nicolas? A tease? A bit of cruel and sarcastic taunting? Or was he merely demonstrating that he could keep track of many things at once?
“My condolences for what happened,” Si-Yi said. “Although you don’t seem terribly affected.”
She was standing mostly behind him, and I didn’t think she caught the tightening of his jaw or the slight darkening of his eyes. He didn’t appreciate her belittling his feelings, and I didn’t blame him. I would have been pissed if I had received such a callous remark.
“My lieutenant is dead,” Nicolas said flatly. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me roughly toward him, half out of my seat. I was startled and tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron. He loosened the ties on his magic so that it filled the area around us. “I intend to make this one pay for it.”
Stay still, he said, his voice a soft touch in my mind. Breathe, lamb.
I tried to obey, my breaths coming in rough heaves as I glared across the table at him, my fear and annoyance not entirely an act. After another moment of staring me down, he threw me back, and I landed in my chair with a thud. I rubbed my wrist and then laid my palms flat on the table, willing my body to stop shaking. Under my lashes, I could see Si-Yi watching me.
“Looks like you’ve already done a number on her,” she said.
I recalled my face in the mirror. Nicolas had healed my broken nose, but he had left the bruising. He also hadn’t touched the marks on my neck and arms. I had initially thought he simply didn’t care, but his true intentions were dawning on me. It looked like he had done this to me himself, perhaps out of anger and revenge. My bruises preserved his reputation without the need for him to lay a hand on me.
How clever and strangely compassionate. There were clearly layers to Nicolas, and part of our game would be figuring them out.
“There’s a lot more I could do,” Nicolas said, his tone sinister. “You know how creative I am.”
Despite his assurances that he wasn’t going to harm me, his words worried me. They sounded more genuine than I would have liked. Was he a crazy, cruel, unhinged commander whose moods could change on a dime or the world’s best actor? I had known him for mere hours and had no way to tell the difference yet.
In a very possessive and imposing gesture, Si-Yi trailed her fingers across his cheek. “Nico, I’m glad you’re home. Maybe we can spend some time together later, when you’ve taken care of… that.” She waved her hand at me.
I bristled, but neither of them seemed to notice. Nicolas’s whole body was tense. Si-Yi may have interpreted his reaction as pleasure or excitement, but he seemed rather uncomfortable to me. Regardless, he managed to smile impersonally at her, polite but noncommittal.
“I’m off,” she said. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she merely eyed me warily instead. “Ciao.”
Her parting smile to Nicolas was dazzling. Once she had turned away, I brought my head up to watch her go. She owned every inch of her stride, leaving a sparkling wake of magic behind her. People made way for her. I suppose it made sense that the magicians with whom a powerful and dangerous commander would associate would also be powerful and dangerous.
Nicolas, I noticed, merely studied her dispassionately. He didn’t seem impressed by her affection. I was starting to believe his calm demeanor was entirely natural. Nothing had truly ruffled him yet—not my needling or Derek’s annoying prodding or Si-Yi’s obvious attempts to garner his attention.
That scene had been an education. Was his life always so busy and tense?
I was startled by Nicolas’s soft laugh. He cast his eyes upward in a god-help-me gesture. I was amused and heartened; he seemed to agree that lunch had been stressful and absurd.
Can we get the fuck out of here? I thought.
I knew I didn’t have any control over the situation, but I was hoping I had earned some goodwill from him. I thought I had done a good job so far. If I were dealing with anyone else, I would have said they owed me for being so calm and collected. Nicolas nodded, perhaps in acknowledgment, and beckoned to me. I suppressed a sigh of relief as I reached for my bag.
Chapter 5
I followed Nicolas as he left the table, keeping my eyes down. We took a roundabout way back to the elevators that brought us closer to the library. He stopped to examine his phone for a minute, allowing me a chance to look in.
The library was a large glassed-off section of the floor with massive shelves, long desks, and views out the large windows of the mountains beyond. People were working, reading, and conferring softly.
When I had become a Flame Clan candidate, I had studied magic in their libraries and worked there in my spare time. This one was nothing like my clan house’s Flame library, which was underground and cozy. This library looked impressive, but my library had been homey, with plush couches and soft lighting. I felt a sharp pang of sadness remembering nights spent there with Violet, trying to wrap our heads around the complexities of magic.
I hurried to catch up as Nicolas started toward the elevators. We went down to floor thirty-six. Nicolas took my arm, which allowed him to bring me through the shield between the elevator door and this floor.
Interesting. The whole place must be important to him to be so well-protected.
We walked down the long hall and stopped at a door near the end, closer to the stairwell.
“My apartment,” he said, ushering me in before him with a hand on my lower back that made me flinch.
It was huge and light and airy, with the same large floor-to-ceiling windows as the rest of the building. Double the size or more of the apartment I had previously seen, it was positively gorgeous and a little imposing.
The living room setup—two couches and several chairs—was arranged around a stately grand piano by the windows, closed and covered at the moment. The floor was a lovely dark hardwood, the furniture in black and gray, and impressive art was displayed on all of the walls. Everything was modern and elegant and obviously expensive.
“Where were we before?” I asked, confused. My eyes were still on the piano, wondering if he played.
He ignored the spoken question. “Yes, I play occasionally.”
I suppressed my annoyance; it wasn’t worth trying to pry more information out of him. I needed to pick my battles carefully, and this wasn’t one I cared enough about.
“Have a seat.” He gestured to the wide leather couch nearest the door. He took the chair across from it, leaning forward and rubbing his face with his palms. I watched him, unsure of what, if anything, I should do.
“I have to say,” he said, looking up at me, “I am impressed. You did exactly what I told you to do. Maybe you can learn.”
“Of course I did. You frightened me,” I said.
“I did? Good. I’m glad to have done such a convincing job,” he said.
“Did you really mean what you said out there? That you have some creative ways to torture me? That you will make me pay for your lieutenant’s death?”
“Shouldn’t I?” he asked. “You killed him.”
I thought of the short, dark-haired man I had fought in Vienna, who had kept me on my toes by shifting forms between human and anaconda. It had taken all I had to finish him off, and I had only managed because he slipped up. A breath later, Nicolas had slammed my face into the table, and I blacked out.
I tried to think of something to say. I was sorry—
“Save your breath,” he said, his expression hard. “Your apologies mean very little to me.”
I looked past him, focusing on the pale walls of the apartment, the unfamiliar view out the windows, the antique-looking vases on spindly pedestals. Trying to find anything that could distract me.
“I hate killing,” I said.
“Me too,” he said, his tone dark.
I looked at him, surprised. “Then why are you a high-ranking commander in one of the most violent clans?”
“I like power,” he said. “Power comes at great cost. You have gotten a glimpse of how I choose to pay for it.”
“So you’re saying you’re different than others? You’re not like Derek or Si-Yi?” I asked, still trying to get a read on him.
“Si-Yi isn’t a commander, but no, I’m not like them.”
This bit of information piqued my interest. “She’s not?”
“No, simply very hopeful that I’ll take her as a lieutenant and fast-track her to commander. She thinks she can manipulate and fuck her way there. Ambition at its finest.” His smile was very amused.