by Lindsay Nall
“Leaf and I… alright yeah we’ve shared a bed more times than I’d like to admit…” Including those times on the road not too long ago.
“I don’t need to know if you slept with him.” His jaw had that set to it again, the one that told her he was mad but trying not to be.
“I wasn’t going to say whether I had or had not.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, did that mean she had? “I was going to say he’s my best friend and you’re going to have to deal with it.” He turned on her then, his mouth open to say something snarky about her statement but the moment he faced her she kissed him.
“You, madam, do not fight fair.” He growled when she pulled away. She gave a shrug and a smirk as she stood but the second she was on her feet Nyght grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over onto the bed.
“I don’t fight fair huh?” She muttered glaring at him from the flat of her back. It brought back memories of when she had first started training and all that time they had spent together. It made her smile at how they had wanted to protect each other even then. Nyght’s actions made her brain come screeching back to the present when he nipped at the side of her neck. His body pressed against hers in a way that made it very obvious that he was a man and she was a woman and if they continued in the fashion they were this night would end very differently than she had planned. Was this something that should happen right now? Should they be going down this avenue so shortly after coming back together?
“Your mind is elsewhere.” His voice was throatier than usual as he whispered in her ear, almost strained.
“I was just thinking…” He put his head against her shoulder with a sigh.
“Mari, you’re going to kill me.” He rolled over to lay next to her still in the mindset of the activities they had started but she had halted again. Damn her brain and her incessant need to analyze everything. Why couldn’t she just enjoy things as they happened? Rolling towards him she straddled his hips and did a little shimmy to let him know he was not dying tonight. The look on his face was a new strain as she bent down to nip at his earlobe. Grabbing her waist with both hands he held her in place to keep her from moving her hips anymore making her lean back to look down at him. His jaw was clenched, his eyes closed and he seemed to only be breathing through his nose in deep breaths.
“Sorry, maybe I should go.”
“Don’t. You. Dare. Move.” His voice was clipped coming out through clenched teeth.
“You look like you’re in pain.” He nodded. “Then I should move.”
“Please don’t.” Huh? It was like a lightbulb went on over her head, she was such an idiot sometimes.
“Oh, I’m…oh…” She stayed perfectly still waiting for him to make the first move afraid to even breathe. Slowly his hands seemed to relax around her waist, his breathing steadying before he opened his eyes. “Sorry.” She couldn’t help the blush that had crept up her face at the look he gave her.
“Should I even try to continue these activities or is your mind going to go on holiday again?” She thought about it for a few seconds trying to clear every other thought from her head than those of her and him and that moment. He sat up slowly so he could meet her face to face unsure of the look she was carrying at that moment but scared that she was about to say something that would make the world drop out from underneath him again.
“I want to…” She moved a little making him glare at her out of the tops of his eyes.
“But?”
“No but. Just that.” He let out a growl. “Alright, alright I don’t fight fair.” She held up her hands but couldn’t help smiling at him.
“Neither do I.” He flipped her over pinning her to the bed with her hands over her head, claiming her mouth with his. As their tongues twined around each other in a winner take all match his hands explored her body quickly removing her jacket and shirt to throw into a nearby corner along with his own.
He was warm pressed against her, warm but gentle in every way he touched her, in every stroke and kiss she could feel just how much he cared about her. Everything was perfect.
“Hey, Nyght we’re gonna whoah!” The door to Nyght’s room was thrown open allowing Vander, Reagan, and Marinique to all see the current state of undress the two were in. “I’ve gotta learn to knock, Marinique, no! I know that look!” Mari looked over Nyght’s shoulder at the three men in the doorway, one of which wore a look she knew too well.
“Your uncles going to try and kill me isn’t he?”
“I would suggest running right now.” And he did, he bolted for the nearest window managing to throw his shirt back at Mari to cover up with before jumping out of it. Marinique followed in suit.
“Uncle! Crap!” She ran to the window just in time to see Nyght dodge two of her uncles’ knives. “He really is trying to kill him.”
“If we had known you two were…” She held up a hand to cut Vander’s statement off. The damage was done. All she could hope to do was catch her Uncle before he did any serious harm to Nyght. A scream and a crash from downstairs told them that the two had made it back inside the Inn. Spinning on her heel she ran for the door and down the stairs as fast as she could with Vander and Reagan right behind her. Once they hit the main tavern of the Inn she froze. Three of her uncles’ knives were in the wall to her right, the barmaids were both hiding behind the counter with looks of terror and in the middle of the room, Marinique stood with three more knives in his hand ready to throw.
“She’s a grown woman! It’s not your place!”
“She is my niece and you will treat her as such!” Marinique threw one of the knives making Nyght duck. It hit the wall next to the others. “I should have known better than to let her out of my sight while you were around.” He threw the second knife coming close enough to leave a small cut and faint line of blood on Nyght’s shoulder.
“Dammit, uncle!” Mari ran into the middle of the room to stand in front of Nyght just as Marinique released his last knife.
“Mari!” Nyght and Marinique both yelled when the knife hit home sticking out of her upper arm but to both of their surprise, she didn’t move, didn’t even flinch at the wound.
“I am done with your childish antics. I’ve grown up. Take note and do the same.” The fury in her eyes was something he had never seen before and Marinique found himself stuttering.
“Someone has to protect your honor…”
“Then go talk to Leaf.” Turning she held a hand to Nyght, who took it though he wasn’t happy at what he had found out about her and Tadum’s history and helped him to his feet.
“So you did sleep with him…” The look on Marinique’s face was calculated as if he were trying to figure out a way to punish Tadum.
“Yes, I did, long before I even met you! You didn’t show up until after my parents were dead and now you expect to be some kind of father figure in my life?!” He shrank visibly at the anger in her voice. “I never asked you to protect me, I am a full-grown woman and what I do, not to mention who I do it with is my own business.”
“Mari…” She held up a hand.
“When you grow up, then, and only then, will I accept your apology.” Letting go of Nyght’s hand she went upstairs without another word to any of the four men.
“What the hell just happened?” Reagan asked leaning towards Vander who just shrugged not taking his eyes from the two men in the middle of the room. They both stood there watching after the woman who had disappeared up the stairs for a long time.
“Marinique,” Nyght whispered drawing the other man’s attention. “You might not like it but I am in love with her and unlike Tadum I’m not leaving her.” It was a low blow and if Tadum ever found out he said it he’d probably try to kill him but it was the truth. Even after all she had gone through to try and leave him because she thought it was what was best he still found her and came back to her.
“Take care of her.” With those four words, Marinique left the Inn.
Seventeen
Nygh
t had to knock on Mari’s door four times before she finally said he could come in. He expected her to be tending to her wound but instead, he found her standing at the window watching the streets below.
“He left… that idiot.” He came to stand beside her leery of the knife still stuck in her arm. How had she paid it no attention? “He’ll come back when he’s done licking his wounds.” She shrugged but winced. Looking at her arm it was like she was seeing the knife for the first time.
“Adrenaline wearing off?” Nyght asked as she poked the area around the knife and her eyes welled up with tears. She nodded letting a few of the tears loose to run down her face. He steered her to the chair in the corner leaving for a moment to grab the basin of water.
“He ruined your shirt…” She whispered as he unbuttoned the shirt and pulled it off of her good arm. Assessing the damage to her arm and finding that the wound wasn’t serious he gave the knife a quick yank and used the rest of the shirt to stop the bleeding. “Owe!”
“What did you expect?” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Your fractures already healing it.” He whispered removing the shirt from her completely to look over the faint scarring that was slowly fading. “You should be completely fine in a few minutes.” Dipping the clean part of the shirt in the basin of water he cleaned the blood from her arm then went about putting the basin back and throwing the shirt away. Good thing he had another one in his bag.
“I’m sorry.” What was she apologizing for? “I’m sorry about my uncle, and for everything I’ve put you through and finding out about Leaf and…” It was like a dam broke in her mind reminding her of every time she had done him wrong. Calmly Nyght kneeled in front of her taking her hands in his as she had done to him earlier.
“Stop.” It wasn’t a command but a request, a softly spoken request that she obliged to. “Can we forget about what happened at headquarters and please for the love of all can we forget about Tadum for a while.” A snort of laughter escaped her at that one.
“Jealous?”
“Only that he met you first.” Leaning forward she pressed her forehead to his with a grin.
“You’re jealous.”
“He was your first, why wouldn’t I be?” A thought formed in the back of her mind at his statement making her worry about saying anything about Tadum and all of a sudden very aware that she was sitting there without a shirt on.
“You haven’t…with anyone?” He leaned back so fast she fell forwards into his lap. “Ouch.” Leaning back she sat on her heels and glared at him.
“Of course I have I just don’t want to think about you and Tadum…how would you feel if you knew the last woman I slept with?”
“The last woman? How many have there been?” A memory tugged on her brain, the beautiful woman that had been in his room the morning after the romance festival, how stupid could she be? Of course there had been more than one, everyone said he’d been a hound dog before she came along… now she just felt awkward. “The romance festival.” Shaking her head she stood and went for the bed where her bag was so she could put on a shirt. If she could she would have put on every piece of clothing in that bag so she didn’t feel so exposed.
“Mari?” Her movements had become calm, too calm as if she was weighing something back and forth in her mind and with the mention of the romance festival, a memory came to him too. Not only of the woman who had been dropping off his jacket from being cleaned but the look on Mari’s face when she had seen her and the things Kemi had said the night before.
“It’s late. We’ll meet up in the morning to discuss our plans.” She was trying to get him to leave but he wasn’t having it, she was not going to shut him out again.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing I’m just tired.”
“That excuse may work on your two-bit uncle but you should know better than to try and use it with me. You think the woman dropping off my wash was a lover…”
“Dropping off your…” He had stood to face her but not come any closer. His arms crossed over his chest and that look on his face that told her she was reading too much into things. “I’m an idiot… but everyone says you were a hound dog chasing after every pretty girl and…” She stopped talking when he shook his head.
“I will admit I had a phase, just as any young red-blooded man does but of all the skirts I chased do you want to know how many I caught?” She didn’t but she had started this conversation. He held up two fingers then returned to his arm-crossed stance as she breathed a sigh of obvious relief. “How many did you think there were!?”
“I don’t know…” She picked at her fingernails.
“Mari.”
“At least half a dozen or so I guess, I mean with the way everyone talked about how you were…”
“Great you think I’m some kind of floozy!” The laughter had burbled up past her lips before she could get a handle on it and within a few seconds she was giggling madly at the look on his face. “And now you’re laughing at me again.” Tact was not something she had inherited but as her fit subsided and she approached a now seething Nyght she seemed to find some from somewhere.
“I do not think you’re a floozy.” She coughed to hide her giggle at the word. “I just figured, does it matter what I figured?”
“You thought I slept with someone when I was already in love with you.” That made her sober up quickly. “Don’t act like you didn’t know, after everything that was said the night before, everything Kemi had said about the two of us.” She nodded ending the statement. “You thought because I was hurting I found another woman?”
“No, well maybe. I didn’t know what to think so I thought the worst and just moved on.”
“You have this terrible habit of assuming things.”
“You’re the one who kept thinking I was in a relationship with every male in my life!” He opened his mouth to give a retort but couldn’t find one. “Uh-huh, that’s what I thought.”
“How do we keep ending up in inane arguments like this?”
“I think I’d rather think of it as a heated discussion.”
“Heated huh?” Pulling her to him she gasped at the movement but curled around him in a way that only she could.
“You can’t honestly be thinking about what I think you’re thinking about.” She whispered letting her fingers play along the planes and muscles in his back. With running around half-naked and getting stabbed she had to wonder how in the world he could be thinking about anything but sleep right now.
“Well, you did say I was a hound dog.” Placing both hands flat on his chest she pushed away from him to give him a good level glare but he just scooped her up and carried her over to the bed.
“Nyght…”
“I’m just tucking you in, you’re exhausted.” She was, she hadn’t even realized how much this day had weighed on her until now.
“Stay with me.” It was a simple request and as he laid there an hour later listening to her soft breathing he wondered if it was the best thing. Maybe being interrupted when they were had been for the best. Something about her seemed to calm his demon half, he seldom heard the whispers when she was around but he had to worry about getting so physically and emotionally wrapped up in her. Would he be able to keep his demon half-hidden? What if he couldn’t and she saw that side he fought so hard to hide? What if when it emerged it hurt her? Was that a chance he was willing to take?
In the morning everyone but Mari was surprised to see that Marinique had not returned from the night before.
“I told you he’ll come back once he’s done licking his wounds.” She shrugged taking a bite of eggs. Reagan and Nyght both believed her but Vander had realized quickly that the man he had feared all of these years was deathly afraid of this woman.
“So what is our plan now?” Reagan asked around a mouthful of blueberry jam, the town's most famous export, and a muffin.
“We’re going back to headquarters,” Nyght whispered not flinching when everyone turned a curiou
s eye on him. Something was bothering him but Mari couldn’t put her finger on it to save her life. She knew his demon half kept him from sleeping very long and wondered if in those nighttime hours he had realized something that wasn’t sitting well. “We need to look over old Deus logs and that’s the only place to do so.” At a continued curious glance from Vander and Reagan and a reassuring look from Mari, he explained about her dreams and the thought they both had shared.
“I thought only Deus members could even look at the logs and you…” Vander stopped talking at the look Mari shot him.
“That’s a bridge we will cross when we get home. For now, finish breakfast and we’ll head back to Ipsburg to catch the train.” She sounded sure as if she had found her resolve but on the inside, she was a nervous wreck. What had Nyght so distracted?
As they made the short trek from Hidell to Ipsburg Mari tried to hang back hoping Nyght would join her so they could talk. It took a few hours but finally he dropped back far enough to ask why she had been walking back so far.
“I was hoping you’d join me and tell me what’s going on in that brain of yours.” He cast a glance at her out of the corner of his eye but continued to walk. “Don’t give me that look.”
“It’s been years since my demon side has surfaced.” That made her ears perk, what did his demon side have to do with anything? Had it threatened to surface when her uncle had attacked him last night? “Something about you, it calms the whispers I used to hear all of the time.” Whispers? “Anytime there was an opening to do something horrible it used to whisper in my ear but since you’ve been around I’ve rarely heard it.”
“Did you hear it last night?” He shook his head. “Then what has you thinking about all of this?”
“I just worry…” A tint had started in his cheeks making her wonder just where this conversation was going. “What we started last night, I just have to wonder if it was for the best that we were interrupted.” She stopped then pulling him to a stop next to her.