shaede assassin 05 - shadows at midnight

by amanda bonilla

  “Don’t touch me! I want Alexander!”

  Anya’s panicked shriek echoed through the house to interrupt our argument. Xander turned and rushed from the room, leaving me ramrod straight and fuming. I squeezed my eyes shut and took several cleansing breaths before heading after him to see what all of the commotion was about. Anya stood in the foyer, one hand clutched tight over her belly, the other braced on her knee. A pained expression marred her usually calm face and she gritted her teeth through panted breaths.

  “My water broke!” she gasped as gripped onto Xander’s shirt. “Please, Xander. I don’t want to do this alone.”

  I’d never heard Anya speak with such vulnerability. Xander responded in hushed tones, his fluent Russian smooth and rhythmic, poetry as it left his lips. Beside them, Asher looked absolutely appalled. He must have tried to help Anya before she called for Xander. The shocked discomfort on his face would have been comical if not for the very urgent pain that Anya currently experienced.

  “Asher, get the car.” In an instant, he became the regal king, self-possessed and decisive. Ash didn’t even flinch. He sprang into action and took off toward the back of the house and the laundry room door that led to the garage.

  “He can’t drive you.” Someone needed to stay here and keep an eye on Raif. As the acting king, it would be stupid to leave him here without the best of his soldiers protecting him. “He should stay here with Raif. I can drive.”

  God Darian, what are you thinking? I’m sure the last thing Anya had on her birth plan was to have me within a mile of her or her child. I’d go crazy sitting here worrying about Tyler, my apartment, and the things that Xander had said to me, though. I needed a crisis I could manage. Late night traffic was within the parameters of my control. To a certain extent, at least.

  A few seconds later, the front door swung wide. “You stay here with Raif,” I said to Ash. “I can handle this.” Xander was already helping Anya out the door and she seemed too preoccupied with labor pains to give a single shit who drove her. I headed out behind them but paused in the doorway and leaned in close to Asher’s ear. “Tell Raif he might not have to feel the weight of Xander’s crown for much longer.” Ash gave me a questioning look but I didn’t have time to elaborate. “And send a few bodies to the clinic at Pioneer Square. Saben could have eyes on the house.” It was safe to assume that if Raif was planning to take Saben out that the self-proclaimed ruler was planning the same. Neither Raif or Xander would be safe until Saben was dead.

  “Gotcha.”

  A surge of adrenaline dumped into my system as I ran for the car. I didn’t realize how much I needed this. To deal with a crisis that wasn’t mine for starters. And fast-paced action. A situation that didn’t allow for any forethought. This is where I thrived. True, this was unlike any situation I’d ever dealt with, but it was nice to tackle an emergency that might just end happily. And goddamn it, one of us deserved to be happy.

  Xander phoned the doctor while I negotiated the narrow streets of Capitol Hill. Jesus, how did anyone drive in this part of Seattle and retain their sanity? The town car might as well have been a freaking bus. I cringed with every parked car we passed on the street, sure that I was going to take off a few rearview mirrors before we hit a marginally wider street.

  Anya let out a low, keening cry and I caught sight of Xander through the mirror as he put his forehead to hers. “Breathe through the pain. Don’t fight it.” He breathed along with her, helped her to focus on riding through the contractions instead of resisting them.

  I forced my gaze to the road and centered my own focus on the traffic. I raced through a yellow light and damned near hit an over-eager pedestrian. Damn it, didn’t anyone ever stay home in this city? It was almost ten o’clock at night for shit’s sake. “Hang tight,” I said as I hung a sharp right. “We’re almost there.”

  Parking posed another problem. I swear to whatever gods were out there, Seattle had to be the worst city in the world for parking. I’d never noticed it before, but I’d also never had to deal with it. Especially in an emergency. I pulled up to the old building that served as a supernatural clinic and hospital. The place had been glamoured to deflect human interest and protect everyone inside.

  “This is your stop, Anya.” I caught Xander’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’ll park and meet you inside.” Until Asher sent reinforcements, I could protect Xander so he could help Anya. At least here, I could be of some actual use.

  As I pulled back out onto the street I tried to ignore the sudden quiet and the way it pressed down on me. I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts, to rehash everything that had happened tonight and the things that Xander had told me. My own jumbled feelings churned inside of me like an angry sea. Who was I really mad at? Xander for his admission? Ty for his deception? Or me, for my own damned weakness and vulnerability.

  Did it matter? Either way, I was the one who ended up hurt. Hurt and homeless. Shit. I wondered, as I found a parking spot a couple of blocks away from the clinic, where in the hell I was going to stay until I found a new place. Ty’s? Xander’s? Hell, the more I thought about it, the better a room at the Holiday Inn was beginning to sound.

  Or maybe the Four Seasons. Someplace with a spa. I could definitely use a break.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “Hey. You okay? Raif said you took Anya to the hospital?”

  “She’s in labor.” I held my cell tight against my ear. The tenor of my conversation with Tyler was far too calm for having stood in the ruins of my building with him only a few hours ago. “I volunteered to keep an eye on the situation here until Ash sends reinforcements. My brain needed something to do. Otherwise I’d be over-thinking myself to death right now.”

  “I understand,” Ty said. “But we need to talk.”

  Boy, did we. We had so much to hash out that I didn’t even know where to start. It had been one hell of a day and it wasn’t even close to being over yet. “Yeah, I know. What did you tell the cops and the fire department?”

  “Faulty gas line,” he said. “I made sure that there was indisputable evidence.”

  Of course he did. Omnipotence could be pretty damned handy, huh? I tried not to let any bitterness seep into my tone. “Are any of my things salvageable?”

  “No.” Ty spoke so softly I barely heard him. “I’m sorry, Darian.”

  “Yeah, well.” A lump rose in my throat and I swallowed it down. “I was due for a change anyway.”

  “When you’re done there, wish yourself to my place. I don’t want you traveling alone or on foot for a while.”

  “Does it really matter?” God, I was tired. “The Synod can get to me no matter where I am or how I get from point A to point B.”

  Silence stretched between us. “We’ll talk when you get here. I love you.”

  I let out a slow sigh. “I love you too.”

  Despite Ty’s warning, I did a patrol of the block. I didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. No assassins waiting to take Xander out the second he poked his head out of the building, no big black clouds of doom waiting to swoop down on me. Then again, there’d been no precursor to the explosion in my building. No warning sign, no inkling of a presence other than Ty and me. Just, kaboom! In the blink of an eye, everything I owned had been obliterated. When they came at me again, I doubted I would walk away from the attack.

  I headed back into the building and gave the receptionist a wan smile. How in the hell long did it take to deliver a baby, anyway? It had already been three hours. All I wanted to do was fall into bed and leave real life in my wake until sunrise. I wondered how the receptionist handled the night shift. I would have been bored out of my freaking mind.

  “Don’t get too antsy,” she said with a grin. She tucked her hair behind one of her slightly pointy ears. Fae. “It could be ten or twelve hours, or more. That baby will come when it’s ready and not a minute sooner.”

  If the baby had Anya’s disposition, I supposed I could expect to be here for another
day at least. Where in the hell were my reinforcements anyway? I didn’t need anything else to worry about and the fact that Ash hadn’t sent anyone to relieve me from my post made me wonder if something had happened. Maybe the Synod had their sights on more than just Ty and me. Hell, for all I knew, they planned to take out anyone I might have interacted with.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocked and dialed Raif. By the fourth ring, my nerves were frayed to the point of snapping. “Darian. Is everything okay?”

  I blew out a frustrated breath. “What the hell took you so long to answer?” I practically shrieked. “Jesus, Raif. I thought you’d been blown to smithereens.”

  “What?”

  I held out my phone and strangled it. Ah! “I’m worried as fuck, Raif. My building was just blown to kingdom come. You and Xander have targets on your back, the entire world has gone to shit, and you took four rings to answer your damned phone!”

  “It’s two o’clock in the morning, Darian,” Raif grumped. “I wasn’t exactly waiting with bated breath for it to ring.”

  I let out a measured breath that helped to release a bit of the tension that gathered in my muscles. I stretched my neck from side to side, then chin to shoulder, until it popped. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Ash said he’d send a few bodies to keep an eye on everyone down here and no one’s shown up yet. I got concerned and thought I’d better check in.”

  “No one’s there yet?” The thinly veiled alarm in Raif’s voice punched straight through my chest. “Asher sent your relief over an hour ago.”

  In full dark it would have taken a Shaede a matter of minutes to ride the shadows from Capitol Hill to Pioneer Square. “Who’d he send?”

  “I’m not sure,” Raif said. “Seasoned warriors, I’m sure though. I’ll check with Asher, see who he sent and try to check in with them. Call me in the meantime if they show up. And Darian,” Raif said. “Best to stay on guard.”

  No shit. Like my entire night hadn’t been one life or death situation after the other. “I will. Call when you know something.”

  I decided against another patrol of the block. I might have been cocky, but I wasn’t stupid. With Ash’s detachment MIA and no backup, I’d be easy prey for anyone who had a mind to take me out. Instead, I checked the clinic from front to back and back to front. No one questioned me—I was there with the Shaede King after all—and after my third pass of the entire building, I was antsy as hell and wondering why Raif hadn’t called me back. My phone rang right as I took it from my pocket to dial. Thank god. “Hey,” I answered. “What’d you find out?”

  “Attacked by a small group of Lyhtans on their way there,” Raif said, disgusted. “As though we don’t have enough to worry about.”

  No shit. The praying mantis looking creatures had a long standing vendetta against all Shaedes that went back to their actual creation. An unprovoked attack wasn’t exactly a surprise. Totally inconvenient, though. “Was anyone hurt?”

  “Superficial wounds,” Raif replied. “Nothing more. But I’m sorry to say it’ll be another hour or so before I can get anyone else over there.”

  “It’s fine.” It’s not like I was looking forward to having it out with Tyler. Or dealing with my destroyed building. “I can hang around for as long as you need me.”

  Xander’s words about my fierce protectiveness for the people in my lives haunted me. He was right. I’d gone so long without anyone that now, I did whatever it took to hold on to those who’d stuck around. Even if that meant putting my own life on hold.

  “I’ll get someone over there as soon as I can. Any update on Anya?”

  “No,” I remarked sourly. “I swear, that baby is taking its sweet time.”

  “First babies always take longer,” Raif said with a chuckle. “Try not to take it personally.”

  Ha. Ha. “Yeah, well, either way, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Thank you Darian.” Raif’s tone softened and warmth bloomed in my chest. “As always, I’m proud to have you as a friend.”

  Damn it. Just when I thought I’d be able to keep my emotions in check, Raif goes and gets all mushy. “Yeah, well. Whatever. Bye.”

  I hung up before I’d be tempted to break down and sob like a thirteen-year-old girl. I wanted things to go back to normal. Well, as normal as my life could be. I wanted to hang out and train with Raif and Ash. Work for Xander and settle back into our antagonistic friendship. I wanted to be able to go home and find Ty waiting in my living room with his easy smile and open arms. Shit, I wanted to simply live in relative peace without having to look over my shoulder every five minutes or worry about who might want to kill me next.

  I paced the confines of the waiting room for another half-hour. Walked the hallways of the building and double-checked the security. Played a few rounds of Candy Crush on my phone. Anything to keep my mind from obsessing over the things I didn’t want to think about. Any and all distractions were welcome. Including a baby’s cry.

  The sound was faint at first and then grew stronger. It carried on for another fifteen minutes or so before quieting. My curiosity got the better of me and I wandered down the hallway toward Anya’s room. With each step placed, I grew unsure. Anya wasn’t exactly fond of me; I didn’t want to butt in where I certainly wasn’t wanted. But still… I couldn’t help myself as I crossed the distance to the end of the corridor. Through the large square pane of glass in the door, I caught a glimpse of Xander.

  He stood next to Anya’s bed with a tiny, swaddled bundle cradled in his arms. He swayed back and forth, his expression rapt as he bent low and spoke in hushed tones to Anya’s baby. I almost wished I could hear what he said. I’d never seen Xander so at peace, so gentle, so…happy. With the palm of his large hand, he brushed the baby’s head and smiled. The sight of him caused my heart to clench and my stomach twisted into a knot. I edged further toward the glass until Anya came into view. Exhaustion darkened the circles under her eyes but she looked happy. Her violet eyes shone with tender emotion as she watched Xander cuddle and coo at her child.

  Once again my cell played the tune of Darth Vader’s theme song that I’d assigned to Raif and Xander looked up. I turned away and pressed my body tight against the wall. I didn’t want him to know that I was there, watching. A voyeur to a very private moment. I hustled down the hallway and answered my phone when I was out of earshot.

  “Hello?”

  “Darian. What’s wrong? You sound upset.”

  When my heartbeat and racing breath slowed to the point I could talk in full sentences I said, “I’m fine. You just caught me off guard. Everything okay?”

  “You should expect Louella and Liam in ten minutes. Asher didn’t want to leave the house so unprotected,” Raif let out a chuff of laughter, “but I insisted.”

  “Good.” I needed to get the hell out of here before I unraveled completely. “For what it’s worth, I agree with Ash. You shouldn’t be unprotected until everything with Saben is settled.”

  “He’ll be taken care of soon enough,” Raif said gravely. I actually pitied Saben. The stupid bastard. Didn’t he know that no one crossed Raif and lived to brag about it? “How are things there?”

  “Fine.” Emotion clogged my throat and I swallowed it down. “Nothing to report.”

  “I’m sure after the night you’ve had, you’re more than ready for a little rest. But I’d appreciate it if you checked in. I know I seem to have a lot on my plate right now, but don’t keep me out of the loop.”

  “I won’t.” God, I needed to get off the phone before I lost it completely. “I’ll call tomorrow. Promise.”

  “Good night, Darian,” Raif said. He paused and then amended, “Or should I say, good morning?”

  “You’ve got that right,” I said. “Later Raif.”

  I ended the call and turned to look down the long hallway toward the room where Xander cuddled Anya’s baby. I’d told her to give him something to care about. I guess she’d come through after all.

  #

  I did
n’t waste any time wishing myself the hell out of there after Louella and Liam showed up. Seeing Xander with Anya like that shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did and I wasn’t sure if it was the peaceful happiness of his demeanor that hurt or the fact that seeing him with Anya’s baby made me wonder if I’d ever have that in my own life.

  Jinn weren’t born. They just sort of…poof! manifested out of thin air. Could they even procreate? For that matter, could I? I wasn’t exactly a normal supernatural creature either. Ty and I had been together countless times over the past couple of years and I’d never once even considered that I might be pregnant. After Xander had painted a picture of such domestic bliss, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was that something I wanted? Was it even possible?

  Ty came out of the bedroom the second I popped into this living room. Travel by genie was efficient, that was for sure. “What’s wrong?”

  I guess my maudlin mood had carried over into my expression. “You mean besides the fact that someone tried to blow us up and I’m officially homeless?”

  “You’re not homeless,” Ty chided. “This is your home.”

  I appreciated the sentiment but the amount of time I’d spent here since I’d known Ty hardly qualified his upscale penthouse as “home.” I didn’t want to argue that this couldn’t possibly be my “home” because not a single one of my earthly possessions was here. It couldn’t be “home” because I hadn’t made more than a handful of memories here. And that any place, be it castle or cracker box, couldn’t be my “home” unless there were at least a couple of boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios in the cupboard.

  “What if I told you I wanted a baby?”

  Ty’s brow furrowed. “A baby.”

  “Yeah. What if I told you that I wanted to be a soccer mom? Bake cookies, volunteer in classrooms, throw theme birthday parties and shit. What if I told you I wanted to be a wife and a mom and wear colorful clothes and drive a minivan and do mom things? What if I told you—” I swallowed. “What if I said I wanted to marry you and be your wife and just have a normal life?”