shaede assassin 05 - shadows at midnight
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When I got back to The Pit, there was no sign of mister Tall, Dark, and Foreboding. There was, however, a somberness in the air that hadn’t been there when I’d left. And considering our impending suicide mission, it made me more than a little nervous.
Xander’s scent still clung to the shirt I held in my hand. The soft, almost silky fabric slid through my fingers as I twisted it nervously in my grip. Everything the Shaede King owned was high-end, apparently even his t-shirts. I tried not to think about all of the things that had happened between us as I stalked toward the bar. Shifted my focus from the what ifs and coulda beens as I took a seat next to Tyler. Refused to think about anything that might crumble my emotional resolve. I needed to be a stone-cold bitch to get him out of there. Padma’s cruelty had to be met with cold indifference. I couldn’t allow myself to feel an ounce of sympathy or guilt over what had brought us to this point. This was a job. Period.
“Where’s the witch?” I asked without preamble.
“Um, right here.”
I turned to find Pamela sitting at Tyler’s right shoulder. I’d been so preoccupied looking for the mystery man when I came in that I hadn’t even noticed her sitting there. A tingle danced along my spine as our gazes met. For a human, she had an interesting energy signature. Power rippled from her in a gentle vibration. Sure she was human, but she was nowhere near mundane. I decided to forego pleasantries. Pretending that her presence didn’t spike my anxiety wasn’t going to help me get through this any better. Simply being in the same room with her threatened to send me back into that moment when I’d adopted the façade of Kade’s dead mate. And that would only lead me down a road of memories I’d tried damned hard to leave behind.
“Cool.” Cool? Really? My conversation skills hadn’t improved much over the years. “Let’s do this, then. The faster we can pinpoint Xander’s location, the better.”
Ty and Levi exchanged a tense look. I couldn’t help but wonder what had gone down while I was retrieving Xander’s shirt.
“Are you ready, Pam?” Levi didn’t seem too concerned about expediency, but instead was looking out for his girl. It was sweet. I was willing to bet that with all of the broken hearts he left in his wake, there was a support group somewhere for Levi’s exes.
“Yep. All I need is quiet place so I can focus.”
Good luck finding that here. It would have been better to do this at my place and I still wasn’t sure why Ty had put the kibosh on that.
“I can make the back office soundproof,” Tyler responded. “Will that work for you?”
His preoccupied tone sent a trickle of dread into my bloodstream.
“It’ll be fine,” Levi assured us.
Invisible insects traveled the length of my spine as Pamela watched me from the corner of her eye. Her anxiety was almost palpable, souring the air with a pungent tang. It seemed as though she didn’t want to be here any more than we wanted her here. I didn’t like the reminder, no matter how innocent her part had been, in the debacle that had landed me in Kade’s possession and at his mercy. And he’d had none.
Worrying over my ordeal with the long dead Cambion and the subsequent aftermath wasn’t going to get Xander back, though. What was done was done and there was no use living in the past. That chapter of my life was closed. It was time to let the wounds scar and move on.
Ty made himself at home at the desk in the back office and Levi plopped down on the old worn couch beside Pamela. I closed the door behind me and a shimmer of color passed over Ty’s gaze as the sound from the bar beyond the doorway muted as the latch slid into place. The act took no effort whatsoever. If I hadn’t noticed Ty’s gaze, I wouldn’t have known he’d used an ounce of his magic to silence the room.
I cleared my mind of any troubling thoughts and leaned against the desk beside him. He reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers against my hip, sending a pleasant shiver over my flesh. I gave him a soft smile and in turn, he studied me, his own expression contemplative.
“Do you have a map?” Pamela asked quietly from the couch. “And I’ll need something that belongs to the person you’re trying to find.”
Tyler reached for his back pocket and unfolded a map of Goblin Valley State Park, smoothing it out on the desk’s surface. Pamela reached into a black pouch and produced a pendulum attached to a long silver chain that looked a lot like the key to O Anel. Her stone was a quartz crystal however, whereas mine was an emerald. I reached up and feathered my fingers over my bare throat. If Padma ever discovered the true purpose of what she’d stolen from me, we’d be fucked. Just one more reason to get back to her nasty rat hole of a lair and put the bitch down.
Pamela took the t-shirt from my hands and wrapped her pendulum in the soft fabric. She held it firmly in her grasp and allowed her eyes to drift shut as she murmured something under her breath. The meditative moment lasted for several minutes and not a single one of us spoke. No point in disrupting her concentration. We had one shot to make this work because with or without a map, we were leaving for Goblin Valley tomorrow.
Pamela’s eyes drifted open and she swayed on her feet. Levi reached out to steady her but she held out a staying hand. “I’m okay,” she said. “Natural energy gets me wired, that’s all.”
I moved out of her way as she stepped up to the desk and plucked a black Sharpie out of a pen holder and handed it to Ty. He popped the cap and waited patiently.
The foreign sensation of magick tingled over my skin as she drew the pendulum from the confines of Xander’s t-shirt. Her power signature was faint, barely enough to register on my radar, but it was potent enough to cause the crystal at the end of the silver chain to glow with a faint white light. Pamela began to chant once again, whispered words that asked for the guidance of her goddesses, the gift of foresight, the ability to find that which had been lost. The entire ritual had a certain poetic beauty to it. The cadence of Pamela’s words lulled me into an almost hypnotic state as I stared at the map, rapt.
She dangled the pendulum over the map. It remained still in her grasp for the barest of moments before it began to sway back and forth. Slowly, she moved the pendulum over the surface of the map, careful to keep it from making contact with the paper. It swayed back and forth, back and forth in a seemingly endless rhythm that further captivated my attention. Pamela’s whispered incantation was the only sound as we waited in the hopes that she’d be able to pinpoint Xander’s location.
Soon, the pendulum no longer swung to and fro but adopted a quick, circular pattern. “There.” Pamela indicated a spot on the map and Tyler circled it with the Sharpie. She continued to move the pendulum over the map and it resumed its back and forth sway. It didn’t circle again.
“I can’t get much more accurate than that,” Pamela said. She gathered up the pendulum and held it in her palm. “I’d say that’s maybe a five mile radius. Give or take. We’re lucky we got that much. Something’s definitely blocking his energy signature. I can barely track it.”
“It’s enough,” Ty replied. He folded up the map and stuffed it in his back pocket.
“Here.” Pamela put the pendulum back in the pouch and handed it to me. “Take this with you. It’s bonded to his essence, it should glow when you get closer to him.”
Tentative as I was to have any item manipulated by magick in close proximity with my body, I figured we needed any leg up we could get. “Thanks. I’ll get it back to you soon.”
“Whenever,” she said with a smile. “It’s the least I can do…” Pamela’s words trailed off. Yeah, I didn’t want to talk about it either.
“I appreciate the help,” I said as I stuffed the pouch in my pocket.
“Good luck.”
Levi showed Pamela out and returned a couple of seconds later. Ty and I sat in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I stood to leave and glanced over at Ty. “Ready?”
“Right behind you,” he said without making eye contact. “I need to talk to Levi for a second.”
I didn’t think I had it in me to overcome too many more obstacles.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Raif met us in the driveway, a bevy of armed guards at each shoulder. I still wasn’t used to seeing him being protected. It was usually Raif who did the protecting. His cold blue gaze landed on Ty and he stiffened beside me. I twined my fingers with his. Raif could be as shitty as he wanted, it wasn’t going to change the fact that Ty was along for the ride.
“Return without my brother and I’ll gut you, Jinn.”
“Well, good morning to you, too,” I quipped. If anything, we needed to get Xander back to relieve some of the pressure that had turned my best friend into a royal pain in the ass. “Is my team ready to roll?” At least I had a good excuse for being curt. Pamela had managed to pinpoint Xander’s location to within a five mile radius within Goblin Valley. But if we didn’t get our asses in gear and mobilize, that intel wasn’t going to be worth shit.
“You bet your ass I’m ready.” Asher emerged from the front door decked out in tactical gear and ready to rumble. My cheeks ached with the wide smile that grew on my face when I saw him. It had been a little over a month, but I’d missed the little shit. “The slackers will be out in a sec. I’m antsy to crack some skulls Darian.” He rushed at me and swept me up in a giant bear hug. “Please tell me that you brought the daggers.”
He meant the bloodthirsty, nearly sentient Fae daggers that Xander had given me a few months ago. Priceless in battle and useless to anyone who tried to yield them except Xander or me. I’d vowed to leave them in their box because they turned me into a virtually mindless killing machine and controlling the power they contained was damned near impossible. “You bet your ass I brought them,” I replied as Asher set me back on my feet. I was wary but I wasn’t stupid. I needed every leg up I could get.
I gave him a playful shove against his shoulder and he flashed me a lopsided grin. “Glad to see you still in one piece.” His expression grew serious as he regarded me. “Heads are going to roll, Darian.”
That they would.
Beside Asher, Raif stood stoic. Fatigue lined his face and darkened his clear blue eyes that were narrowed in Tyler’s direction. It was bad enough that Xander had a vendetta against him, I didn’t need Raif to hold a grudge as well. Asher picked up on the tension and left me to greet Tyler. I turned toward Raif and took a deep breath. “Stop it. You know none of this is his fault.”
He cocked a haughty brow. “Don’t I?”
“I don’t like you as king,” I whispered close to his ear. “You’re too much like your brother.”
His gaze softened for the barest of moments and his lips quirked at the corners. “Then bring him home,” Raif said. “And relieve me of the burden.”
My heart clenched in my chest. “That’s the plan.”
The front door opened and the four remaining members of my team poured out. The last time I’d worked with this group of Shaedes, we’d been protecting Anya from Kade. I had to admit, I missed the camaraderie and was excited to be working with them again. Decked out like Asher with heavy packs strapped to their backs, they were as fierce as I remembered. The anxiety that swirled in my stomach was replaced with a thrill I hadn’t felt in a long damned time. A battle lust that I needed in order to survive returning to that dark, horrible prison.
“Take care, Darian.” Raif gripped my arm and pulled me close. “Remember, fear is what keeps a warrior alive in battle.”
It was as true as the first time he’d told me that. But he’d never gone toe to toe with Padma before. At least, I didn’t think he had. “Rakshasa feed off of fear,” I replied. “In this instance, I think fear might just kill me.”
“Padma’s arrogance is her weakness,” Raif murmured. His grip tightened on my arm, his worry and tension vibrating through me. “As is her lack of fear. Make her afraid, Darian, and you will bring her to her knees.”
The woman ate the flesh from her enemies’ bones, drank their blood like it was an aged merlot. “What could she possibly be afraid of?”
“That which she cannot control,” Raif said in response to my doubtful expression.
Cryptic, but not entirely unhelpful. “Any suggestions on how I can get that upper hand in a place where the only magic that works is hers?”
“You’re capable, Darian.” His gaze flitted toward Tyler. “And not entirely without protection. You have an inner strength unlike any I’ve ever known. Don’t doubt that, and you’ll be successful.”
His unwavering faith in me caused a lump the size of an ostrich egg to form in my throat. Damn him. “I don’t feel very strong.”
“You are an assassin. A Guardian of the faery realm. You are death, Darian. Show your enemies what it means to dishonor you.”
A better pep-talk, I’d never heard. “I’ll be back before you know it.” Raif released my arm and I took a step back. “Hold down the fort, okay?”
He gave me a rueful smile. “That, I can do.”
“Alright gang, let’s get the hell out of here.” Time was wasting and I wanted to hit Goblin Valley before I lost my pluck.
“So, where are we going and how are we getting there?” Julian led the way down the driveway toward where Ash and Tyler waited. Louella, Myles, and Liam followed, each one of their faces marked with serious expressions. The rescue of a king was no small matter. If they failed, they’d have to answer to Raif. Not an exciting prospect.
“We’re going to Goblin Valley. Utah. And we’re traveling by Jinn.”
Ty flashed a superior smile and Ash’s eyes lit up. “Awesome,” he said as he bounced on the balls of his feet.
Talk about no fear. Nothing fazed Asher and I was damned glad Raif had let him come along. “I’m warning you all right now, nothing about this mission is going to be pleasant. I’ve seen what we’re up against firsthand. You can’t trust anything you see or feel. You’re going to be tested. If any of you feel like you’re not ready for this, stay behind and protect Raif.”
“We’re ready.” Myles puffed out his chest and his jaw flexed. He raked a hand through the strands of his bright red hair. “No one’s staying behind.”
The rest of the group nodded and I let out a quick gust of breath. “Good. Time to go.”
We gathered around Tyler and I turned toward Raif. He raised his hand in parting, his sapphire gaze as fierce as I’d ever seen it. Don’t come back without him, it said.
“I’ll see you soon, Raif.” I hoped that in my tone he knew that I wouldn’t fail him. Or Xander. I forced my eyes from my friend and focused on Ty. “Ready?”
He answered with an arrogant grin. “Just say the words.”
“I wish for you to take me, Louella, Myles, Ash, Liam, and Julian to Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. Within the five mile radius of Xander Peck’s location.” Detailed enough for a wish? I guess I’d find out in a second.
Ty winked. “Your wish is my command.”
Damn. That cheesy genie spiel got me every time.
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Asher and the others toppled to the red dusty ground as we popped out of thin air and into what looked to be the surface of Mars. Their breaths came in heavy gasps and they stumbled as they rose to stand. I didn’t suffer from any sort of disorientation and neither did Ty. Maybe my ring protected me from it, or my experience of traveling to and from the Faery realm of O’Anel prepared me for it. Either way, we waited as the rest of our group righted their spinning worlds and I took stock of our surroundings.
Goblin Valley. The perfect place for the Queen of Ghouls to build a nest.
The landscape was painted in desert reds and the greens and grays of sage brush in various stages of growth. The rays of the sun radiated around
us and I let my head fall back for a brief moment as I reveled in that delicious heat. In the distance, a large rock formation loomed and three pilings sat atop it resembling otherworldly sentinels.
“Creepy, right?”
I turned toward the sound of Ty’s voice. “That’s an understatement.” I could see where the place got its name, though. The valley was dotted with more of the strange rock formations, like clumps of hard clay that had been worn and shaped over years of water flow and erosion. Squat creatures that populated the hard desert soil—goblins protecting the secrets hidden below the ground.
When I was through with this place, it would have one less secret to keep.
“Are they going to be okay?” I jutted my chin in the team’s direction and Ty gave a quiet laugh.
“Yeah. Just give them a few more minutes. We need to check the map and form a game plan anyway.”
So far, my game plan had been to storm the fortress, rescue the king, kill that bitch Padma, and get the hell out of Dodge. I hadn’t thought much about how that was going to happen. I expected Ty would be briefing everyone on what to expect in the labyrinth of tunnels below us and my stomach knotted up as I recalled the horrors that had visited me in that dank, dark place.
I leaned back on one of the rock formations, only half-surprised that it didn’t spring to life and launch into a tirade at the disrespect I’d shown it. This place gave me a serious case of the creeps. The rest of the team had begun to come around and only Liam seemed to still be having trouble with his equilibrium. Ash stretched his arms up high above his head and then his neck from one shoulder to the other.
“That was badass,” he remarked. “But it’s definitely not going to be my preferred mode of travel.”
“Agreed.” Julian spat onto the dirt before shaking out his arms like they were a couple of limp noodles. “Not the most comfortable way to get from point A to B.”
“We’re here, and that’s all that matters. Xander is somewhere within a five-mile radius of where we’re standing. He’s underground. Hidden in a series of tunnels. I can tell you what we’ll be up against once we get there, but Tyler knows what to expect on the way.”