Cast Into Shadow

by Angela Colsin

  The tension of the past ten days vanished in an instant, and the way she regarded him without the mask of his talisman only amplified the sensation. She seemed so pleased to see his true face, stroking his cheek in a manner that proved she'd thought about him since their separation just as often as he'd thought of her.

  Of course, he still wanted to ask why she'd left Satorala so abruptly, particularly after their last night together. But that could wait, and with the pent up longing of the past two weeks driving him on, he focused solely on kissing her.

  Their embrace was filled with aggressive sensuality that had the couple sinking to their knees. Making the carnal display even more enjoyable were her sweet moans, and he couldn't get enough, slipping his palms down over her ass to grip in a tight squeeze.

  The sudden Mmm! Kivsey let in response had his shaft as hard as it would ever get, and when she turned her head and started nibbling his neck to follow a path to his pointed ear, he knew for certain that coming to Terra was the best decision he'd ever made.

  “Gods, I've needed you, love,” he groaned lowly, turning his mouth to her ear to ask, “but why did you leave Satorala without a word?”

  Breathlessly, she stopped kissing him to whisper, “I didn't have the chance to say goodbye. I went for a walk that morning, and the guards showed up outside your home and demanded I go to the Council Chamber. Then Arias teleported me and left before I could send a message. But I … I mean … ”

  Seeing her hesitation, he prodded, “What's wrong?”

  Lifting her head back to lock her gaze on his, she finally admitted, “I was scared, too. Everything happened so suddenly, and I just didn't know if staying was a good idea. I kept wondering how we'd get along, and if I was even ready for the kind of commitment you were talking about.”

  It was hard to know how to respond to that. The instincts driving him to her were so strong he almost asked how she could ever question the draw between them. But she was speaking of her perspective ten days ago while clutching herself against him and kissing him as if she'd accepted the idea of bonding.

  So he asked instead, “What about now?”

  Her eyes heavy-lidded, she finally smiled. “The thought of being with you has it's merits, but I'm still scared. I never expected to find a mate, Mikail, and … something's happened since I left Satorala.”

  “What?”

  Exhaling loudly, she lowered her gaze and whispered, “I think I've started bonding with you, too.”

  “You do?” he asked disbelievingly, his heart thumping a hard beat.

  She slowly nodded. “I've been dreaming of you, and I almost feel like we're … connected. I felt the same way the last night we were together. I'm just not sure what to do about it.”

  Though this news was certainly a welcome development in his opinion, she sounded reluctant to trust herself, or at least, trust her feelings—and that's when it finally came together.

  For all intents and purposes, Kivsey was human. She'd been raised with human values and the expectation of living a human life. So finding a mate had never been a serious prospect for her, meaning this was new territory, and how could he expect her to embrace their bonding with the same readiness as a Dok'aal, or even an elf?

  The answer was simple; he couldn't. His mate was human, and if he couldn't accept that, or bridge the gap, then he wasn't fit for her—and it was certainly his responsibility in this case to build the bridge.

  He was the one who'd always anticipated having a mate in his life, meaning he had to show her just how good things would be if she accepted their connection.

  And he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

  So, lifting a hand to press two fingers beneath her chin, he raised it until she was looking into his eyes before explaining, “The only thing you need to do is give me a chance, Kivsey, and I promise we'll find a way to make it work.”

  As if he'd just said precisely what she needed to hear, a bright smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Of course I'll give you a chance, Mikail. I mean, you did leave heaven to find me.”

  It took a moment to figure out what she was talking about, but he soon recalled their tour of Satorala, and their talk of how Satora may have left Divinity to be with Peros. He'd admitted to finding it difficult to imagine loving someone so much—and compared to Terra, Satorala could definitely be described as heaven.

  The thought made him grin in admitting, “And I feel more at home now than I have in weeks.”

  Questionably, her smile faded. “You know I don't want you to leave home though, right?”

  “We'll discuss that later,” Mikail returned plainly. “Right now, I'm too relieved to be with you again to care.”

  Kivsey snorted. “I can understand that much. So … I guess we're officially giving this bonding thing a try, huh?”

  “We are,” he confirmed with a smile, and the idea of it brought a random curiosity to mind. “Should I start calling you Jennifer now?”

  “Oh please, no,” she groaned. “My mother's the only person who calls me Jennifer anymore, and it sounds weird coming from anyone else.”

  His grin grew bigger, though it didn't last long before they leaned in simultaneously to seal their new relationship with a kiss—and gods, she was so receptive he had to remind himself that now wasn't quite the time to seduce her into something more.

  Instead, they needed to discuss what they'd heard at Foxy's—and imparting his knowledge became critical when Kivsey announced her desire to leave the sanctuary of the Spire and go home.

  She didn't know it yet, but her life could be in immediate danger.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  ♦

  Now that her burn was healed and her tank top was as clean as it would get without detergent, Kivsey was keen to leave the Spire—and Mikail was the biggest reason why.

  But it wasn't a simple matter of eagerness to show him her home just as he'd shown her Satorala. It wasn't even a matter of knowing they could be on the road to the kind of relationship many people wanted, but not everyone found.

  After all, she'd entertained that possibility ever since her departure from Ithelyon. But until Mikail showed up and promised to find a way to make it work if she only gave him a chance, she couldn't decide if bonding was a good thing or not.

  And now, she knew it was a great thing.

  His reluctance to make demands, or push her into something just because he instinctively knew she was his mate made all the difference. Truth be told, it melted her heart in a way she hadn't expected, and couldn't ignore. There were no doubts that in his eyes, they were already mates, and as such, taking anything slowly would be pointless.

  But he obviously cared about her comfort, and took her needs seriously, which relieved her too much for words to express.

  Still, she could show him her appreciation, and got started the moment their kiss broke.

  As they stood from their position on the floor, she stated, “Let me get my shirt from the bathroom so we can teleport to Charlotte. That's where I live, and if you're up for it, I'll show you the sights.”

  Pulling the towel from her wet hair, she started for the bathroom just as Mikail replied, “Wait, Kivsey. I don't think it's safe for you to leave the Spire.”

  Confused, she looked back to see a serious expression on his face, prompting the question, “Why?”

  “Because Gyles saw you, and we can't be sure he won't tell his companion everything he knows.”

  Shrugging casually, she pointed out, “He doesn't know much. Maybe my name, if he remembers it.”

  “That's enough to make him dangerous,” Mikail returned, “and I think you should stay in a safe place like this until we know more.”

  Finally turning to face him, she asked, “Why? Do you know something about his companion?”

  “Not specifically, but he did mention a title I heard a number of times during my stay in Perosia.”

  “A title?”

  “Yes. He said The Master wants to send a m
essage,” Mikail explained. “I don't know precisely what he meant, but if my guess is right, this could be about Empress Dalia.”

  The mention of the new Perosian Empress caught Kivsey's complete attention, and she didn't hesitate to request more information. “What makes you say that?”

  “It's actually a simple matter. Lia made no secrets of her intentions to institute several changes in the empire even before her coronation, and there was opposition. But the biggest threat to her plans was an assassin guild that has no name. People simply refer to them as the nameless assassins.”

  Putting two and two together, Kivsey suggested, “And The Master is the leader?”

  Mikail nodded in confirmation. “No one knows who he is precisely, or even if it's only one person. But when Rothario was on the throne, he gave the nameless assassins free reign to stand above the law and conduct their business however they saw fit in return for performing tasks he wanted done in secret. So when the demon at Foxy's mentioned The Master, and spoke of changes that weren't to their liking, I knew he was from that guild.”

  Walking toward Kivsey, Mikail took her upper arms in a gentle, but firm hold, and related seriously, “So if Gyles recognized you, and they believe you're a threat to their plans, they could try to have you killed.”

  All things considered, that was a legitimate concern, and his description certainly fit the conversation they'd overheard. However, staying put in the Spire wasn't the greatest idea for a number of reasons.

  First, sitting in one place would only allow them to find her faster, and though violence wasn't allowed within a Spire, a trained assassin could devise some method of killing her while they weren't actually located within the building. They could send some unwitting worker with poison, or even attack her outright under the belief that their own sacrifice was a worthwhile exchange for her silence.

  But the biggest reason she refused to sit around in hiding was one she explained to Mikail with the utmost confidence.

  Lifting her hands to take his, she squeezed them reassuringly and stated, “I'm not just going to sit here and hope this passes, Mikail.”

  “Why not? This Spire is a safe haven.”

  Turning to go to the bathroom where she'd left her tank top, Kivsey explained, “Yes, but that doesn't mean they won't come after me anyway, and besides, if one of them attacked a human in Terra, especially one who works for The Bastion, do you have any idea how The Crucible would react?”

  Kneeling at the tub, she grabbed her tank top from the water and glanced back to see a thoughtful expression on Mikail's face, suggesting he had a good idea what their response would be.

  “Is there any way to alert them?”

  Wringing the water from her top, she nodded. “Yes, and I'll do it as soon as we're in Charlotte. Until then, we'll just have to be careful.”

  He growled as if that wasn't enough, mentioning, “I still don't like the idea of allowing you to leave here. I know The Crucible is powerful, but would they really be able to track a trained assassin? Especially a Perosian.”

  “You'd be surprised,” she returned, examining her top to realize that though it was still mildly stained, it was generally clean. So she tugged the damp garment over her head while considering the situation.

  The Crucible's biggest priority was protecting humans from supernatural danger and preventing them from learning the truth. So a Perosian assassin would have a much harder time if Kivsey was surrounded by unwitting humans who could easily witness something peculiar.

  The thought gave her an idea which she suggested in turning to face Mikail.

  “We could stay at my mom's home for a few days.”

  “How would that help?”

  “Well, first of all, my mom knows about the supernatural, but she has absolutely no interest in it, and the majority of her friends are all unwitting humans. She's also throwing a dinner party this weekend, which means the house will be filled with visitors. So a demon assassin would have a hard time getting away with anything unless they risked angering The Crucible.”

  Kivsey didn't relish the thought of staying at her mother's home on a normal day, much less did she want danger following her there. But she couldn't ignore the fact that the chances of an attack were far less likely to occur in a household filled with unwitting humans than at her apartment where she'd be alone with Mikail.

  Additionally, The Crucible would keep watch once informed of the problems, and Mikail must've thought the same thing because he sighed, but finally conceded.

  “Very well. We'll stay there, but I'm not letting you out of my sight for a moment.”

  His protectiveness split her lips in a grin as she walked over to slip her arms around his sides, craning her head to hold his gaze in asking playfully, “After these two weeks apart, you think I want out of it?”

  Groaning, he returned her embrace, dazing her with the heat in his crimson eyes as he murmured, “I should hope not, because I'll be watching even when you think I'm not.”

  All things considered, that was comforting. He was a trained fighter, and while Kivsey didn't want to put the burden of protection on his shoulders, knowing he was near offered a sense of security she couldn't get anywhere else—even from The Crucible.

  So it would certainly be nice to have him around, though she couldn't quite offer a positive answer when he asked slightly off topic, “So, do you think your mother will like me?”

  Grumbling, she admitted, “Not at all. I love my mother, but she's extremely picky, and particularly closed minded about anything supernatural. She doesn't even approve of my job, and she's always trying to hook me up with some bachelor she thinks is suitable.”

  Mikail growled possessively, his hold tightening in asking, “Would she disapprove of your relationship with a Dok'aal?”

  “For certain, and I don't need her approval, but I'm not looking forward to spending the weekend listening to her complain.”

  Understandingly, Mikail suggested, “Then I'll wear the mask and we'll tell her I'm just … what?”

  His question came when Kivsey shook her head. “I don't wanna lie about what you are.”

  “It's not as if you'd do so out of shame,” he pointed out, “and I'd rather not spend my time hearing disparaging comments designed to drive you away from me, either.”

  That was a good point, and the thought of lying to her mother was distasteful, but Joan didn't need to know the truth. In fact, if assassins were on the lookout, it would be better to keep her as uninformed as possible.

  So she suggested, “Okay, we'll tell her what you are, but say you're just a close friend who saved my life, and leave it at that.”

  He had no trouble accepting by giving her a quick kiss, then rested his forehead to hers, even while suggesting, “Then I suppose we should inform The Crucible now.”

  She smiled, just as content to stay put as he seemed to be—or even better, make use of the bed. Such thoughts were nearly impossible to ignore with the way his big body was pressed to hers, though it also brought to mind a concern she had to address before they went anywhere.

  “Wait, you don't happen to have any contraceptives, do you? Because I'm not risking an unplanned pregnancy whenever things get personal between us again.”

  Her eyes opened to see him smiling at her turn of phrase in lifting his head. “I don't, actually. Would the Mystic Market sell any?”

  “They usually do,” she related, “and even if they're out, we can order some from one of the vendors.”

  “Order? How long will that take?”

  “I'm not sure,” she admitted, giving a playful look. “Why? You're not in a hurry are you?”

  A smirk graced his lips. “Let's just say the past two weeks have taught me a great deal about patience.”

  The statement sounded like a setup, prompting the question, “And?”

  “And I don't particularly like it,” he started, “but where it concerns you, it's worth it. Besides, for as eager as I am to have you, rushing into sex
isn't appealing.”

  “No?”

  With the utmost confidence, he replied, “No. There's a thrill in making your partner ache with anticipation.” Leaning in closer, a surge of desire tingled through her body when he added seductively, “And when the time comes, love, you're going to be aching for me badly.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  ♦

  Mikail wasn't convinced that reporting Kivsey's endangerment to The Crucible had done any good.

  After teleporting to the Charlotte Spire, they first visited the Mystic Market for two sterility potions that would prevent any unplanned pregnancies from occurring, only to learn an order had to be placed. But for as annoying as another wait would be, the mage vendor claimed it would take three to five days before the potions were ready, which wasn't as soon as he would've liked, but was better than expected.

  So the couple left in quick time, and next visited the The Crucible's office to submit a notice about the assassins. There, a secretary recorded the message without offering any confirmation that someone would be looking into the matters at hand, and Kivsey didn't seem intent on asking questions.

  So Mikail did, though his mate merely replied that they'd hear something soon enough, suggesting she had full confidence in the organization's abilities.

  The plain response wasn't satisfactory, but he tried to remember that she'd worked for one of their agencies for years now, and possessed insight into the way they functioned that he lacked. So he put his faith in his mate, and started the process of acquiring her truck from The Bastion Compound outside of town by catching a cab there.

  And their journey was incredibly distracting.

  Not only was he intrigued by the way vehicles worked, he also couldn't stop staring at the various sights of the city in passing. By the time they were in Kivsey's truck, he'd started asking every question that came to mind, so intrigued watching her operate the gears and steer the wheel he decided he didn't only need to know how to drive, he wanted to learn.