Lost to the Gray: A Shaede Assassin Novella (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse)

by amanda bonilla

  “I can pay,” Levi said as he produced a generous wad of bills from his pocket. “I’m not looking for a freebie or anything, I just—”

  “Hang on, Levi.” I motioned to the chair at my desk so he’d quit fidgeting and sit down. I hadn’t seen him this on edge in a long time. Whatever trouble he was in, it was serious. “Are you asking for what I think you’re asking for?”

  Levi slumped down in the chair and hung his head between his shoulders. “Yeah,” he said. “I am.”

  First things first. “I’m assuming Merrick knows nothing about this?” Levi’s dad and I went way back. I owed him, big time, and I’d promised to keep an eye on his adopted son. In fact, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Merrick. Or Levi.

  Levi’s head snapped up. “No. And I want it kept that way.”

  Fair enough. Levi was a grown man, after all. I had to respect his wishes to keep his father out of this. “Okay, fine. But I have to know what’s going on. You know how I operate, Levi. No one dies unless they deserve it.”

  My thoughts involuntarily drifted back to Darian. One of the things I admired most about her was how fiercely she protected the people she cared about, whether or not she went about it the right way. At her core, she believed that innocents should be protected, and evil eradicated. We dealt in dark business, but even so, death wasn’t something to take lightly. Only those who truly deserved it met their ends at our hands. If Levi was in trouble, there’s no one I’d trust more to keep him safe. But I couldn’t reach out to her. Not for a job, not for anything. Damn it.

  I glanced over at the clock on the far wall. Almost two o’clock. “Go close up, get everyone out the door, and put on some coffee. Then we’ll talk, all right?”

  Levi stood from the chair as if in a daze. He nodded his head slowly. “Yeah, okay.”

  As the door closed behind him, I considered picking up the phone and calling his father, but thought better of it. Merrick would skin me alive if anything happened to his son because I’d failed to tell him about any potential danger. Lucky for me, I planned on eliminating any threats before that could happen.

  * * *

  At just after two, I emerged from my office to find the bar completely empty. It’d be a good eight hours before the cleaning staff showed up, so I took a stool at the bar and accepted the mug of coffee that Levi poured for me. I sat patiently, waiting until he was ready to talk. He didn’t make eye contact, just sort of stared off into space for a while as he took a sip from his own mug. The silence passed between us comfortably, each of us lost in our own thoughts for a bit.

  “I really fucked up this time.” Levi’s voice broke with emotion, echoing in the empty space. “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, man. And if I don’t do something about it, I’m as good as dead.”

  Levi slouched against the bar, collecting his thoughts. My brain raced a mile a minute as I went through a mental catalog of all my contractors. Who could I trust? Who would be the best match for the job? That was easy: Darian. Plain sp;rian. Pand simple. Too bad, that wasn’t going to happen. Calm down, Ty. Wait until you know what you’re up against first. Then make a decision. “Levi,” I started, “whatever you’re into here, is it illegal?”

  Levi gave a derisive snort. “No. Jesus, I wish it was as easy as that. I could get myself out of that kind of jam. This doesn’t have to do with human business or human laws, Ty.”

  Which meant that whatever Levi was caught up in definitely fell under the category of supernatural. At least it helped to narrow down my choice of contractor. “Faction?” I asked.

  “Demon,” Levi answered, almost a question. “I think.”

  Whoa. Levi knew everything about our world. For him to be in doubt threw up a huge red flag. “What do you mean, you think?”

  “I mean, I’m not sure. A couple of nights ago, I got this call about a guy trying to move some sort of artifact. My contact said that he wasn’t having any luck because all of the black market dealers thought it was worthless. So, of course, I’m thinking it has to be some sort of supernatural relic. A human wouldn’t know the value, but obviously the thief did.”

  Levi’s eyes sparked with excitement. I’d seen that look from him a million times. He was a real life Indiana Jones, only he didn’t bother with anything as mundane as human history or trinkets. Which is why I worried about him. Like a house cat brought up in a family of lions, Levi had become a little too comfortable in the company of violent, wild things. And make no mistake, supernatural beings were both violent and wild.

  “So I take it you agreed to meet with the fence?” I couldn’t picture Levi turning down the opportunity to get his hands on some new esoteric item.

  “Yeah.” He sighed. “And I wish to hell I hadn’t. I met the fence at the Aurora Bridge. I figured it would be the safest bet. Neutral ground and all.”

  I nodded in agreement. To most humans, the statue of the Freemont Troll that resided beneath the Aurora Bridge was nothing more than a great piece of art and a tourist attraction. But for the supernatural community, it was well-known as neutral ground, a place where the abilities of nonhumans became moot. A meeting place where both parties were assured their safety. Levi had been smart to choose that location as a meeting place. It’s probably the only thing that saved his ass.

  “Anyway, I should have known something was up when the fence didn’t show up on time. I don’t trust people who can’t keep to a schedule. I was about to call it a night when the guy finally showed up.”

  “A demon?” I asked.

  “Nah,” Levi said dismissively. “Human. I’m pretty sure he was a front for the real seller. He was twitchy as fuck, and for a second, I thought he was just some meth-head trying to sell something he’d lifted for a fix. But he wasn’t on anything as far as I could tell, and he looked scared shitless. When I asked to see the merchandise, he told me that I couldn’t see it until I agreed to buy it. He played it up, told me it was a one-of-kind item and this was a once-only opportunity. Take it or leave it. No second chances. Damn it, Ty, I know better than to fall for that sort of bullshit line. But my curiosity got the better of me. I bought it, agreed to take possession of it. Sight unseen, no questions asked.”

  The hollow, frightened look on Levi’s face set my nervesp wet my n on edge. “What was it?” I asked.

  “A death marker,” Levi replied in a shaky whisper. “I bought someone’s life debt, Ty. I’m so, so fucked.”

  I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. Shit. To say he was fucked was an understatement. How could Levi make such a ridiculously rookie mistake? I could see the fear reflected in his eyes and I wasn’t about to berate him for something that he’d obviously been beating himself up over for days. Damn it. How was I going to get him out of this mess? “You realize that it’s going to be tough to find out who holds the marker, right?”

  “Yeah,” Levi replied, deflated. “But you understand why I don’t want my dad to know, right? You’re the only person I know who has a chance of helping me get clear of this.”

  “Can I see it?” Maybe I’d be able to tell where it came from. Or at the very least, I hoped the marker had some sort of symbol etched into it that would identify the faction of the individual who owned it.

  Levi pulled what looked like a poker chip from his pocket and set it on the bar. The black onyx disk glowed with a gray, otherworldly light that pulsed like a heartbeat. Levi’s heartbeat. As soon as he’d taken ownership of the marker and made physical contact, the disk had tied itself to him. Only after Levi was dead would the marker become dormant. I didn’t dare touch it. There was no telling what sort of magic had been used to create it. Messing with the disk could trigger anything from a beacon to a defensive spell, and I wasn’t about to compound Levi’s troubles. “No identifying symbols,” I remarked, more than a little put out.

  “Believe me,” Levi said, “I’ve been over this thing with a microscope. I couldn’t find a goddamned thing. I have no clue where it came from or who owns it.�
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  For a human, Levi was incredibly well informed. The kid soaked up information like a sponge. When he was a boy, he used to spend hours in his father’s library, reading everything he could get his hands on. He knew more about the different supernatural factions than I did. And that was saying a lot. The fact that he couldn’t discern the origin of the marker was disconcerting, but it wasn’t a crisis—yet. “You know I can’t put anyone on this job until we find out where it came from, right?”

  “I know,” Levi murmured. “I was hoping you could help me out there too. Maybe see if you could stir up any leads?”

  “You know I will.” It looked like I’d be hanging around Seattle for a little longer than I’d hoped. There was no way in hell I’d leave while Levi was in trouble. The owner of the marker could collect at any time. Or worse, use it as leverage and blackmail Levi into something that would make him wish he was dead. Either way, I wasn’t going to let it happen. “If we work together, combine our resources, we’ll find out where this came from. Then, you’ll get my best professional. For free.”

  “So, you’ll put Darian on the job, right?”

  Okay, so maybe Levi would get my second-best professional. Damn, I so didn’t want to respond. But the hope in his tone demanded a straight answer. “Not Darian. But don’t worry, Levi, you know I wouldn’t send someone out who wasn’t competent.”

  “I get it,” Levi said as he stuffed the marker back into his pocket. “You don’t want to risk her getting hurt. I wouldn’t either.”

  Again, not a topic I wanted to discuss with him. “It’s not that. It’s just that I’m giving her some . . .” What? A time out? A chance to think about what she wanted? “Space. She’s been through a lot and she needs a break.” Not exactly the truth, but not a lie either. “I said you’ll get the best and I meant it. You’ll get me.”

  “Damn.” Levi’s tone sobered. “Thanks, man. Really. I get it about Darian, though. She’s special. And I know she means a lot to you. I’d never risk the life of someone I loved. For anyone or anything. I think . . .”

  Levi’s words struck a chord. I thought back to how I’d handled Darian in the past. The jobs I’d delegated to her, the way I tried to control her life like some sort of deranged backseat driver. Had I pushed her away? Had I smothered her to the point that she’d gone in search of Raif’s daughter, so determined to live her life her way that she’d chosen a madman’s help over mine?

  “. . . and I’ll call you if I find anything out. Does that work?”

  “What?” I’d become so engrossed in my own thoughts I’d completely missed what Levi was saying. I owed it to him to keep my focus. “Sorry, you sort of lost me there.”

  Levi gave a wan laugh. “Yeah, I figured. You had that do-not-disturb look on your face. I was saying that I’m going to check with a friend of mine tomorrow, see if she can detect any specific spells or magic that the marker might be imbued with.”

  “Good idea,” I said. “I’ll start doing research on my end as well.”

  “Should we meet up at your place tomorrow?”

  I hadn’t planned on going back to my apartment. It wouldn’t make much of a statement if I went back home after making such a show of leaving. “No, let’s meet here. I’ll be working out of the office for a while, best to play this close.”

  “Gotcha. Well, I guess I’ll go home and crash for a bit. I’m wiped. But I gotta say, I feel a lot better now that I’ve told someone about this, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” Confession. Good for the soul. I could use some of that right about now. “Go ahead and get out of here. I’ll lock up.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m sure. See you tomorrow.”

  Levi smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. I doubted he’d truly relax until all of this was over. Which made two of us. “Later, man.”

  When the door closed behind him, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at the display for a couple of minutes. I scrolled through the contacts and stopped when I got to Darian’s number. I touched the screen and her picture popped up to fill the display. A stealth shot, as she never would have posed. From the bed, I’d caught her profile perfectly as she looked out at the city from one of the windows that lined the walls of her apartment. It was one of those rare moments where she’d let her guard down, and her delicate beauty took my breath away. Her hair curled wildly around her bare shoulders and her cheeks were still flushed with passion. I traced the screen with my finger, as the pain of leaving her welled up fresh.

  I could only hope that by leaving her, I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my existence. I’d left the door wide open for thas, open fot arrogant prick, Xander, to swoop in and console her. And the gods knew that fucker wouldn’t waste a second of his royal time getting his hooks into her. Darian wouldn’t fall for his over-the-top-alpha-male bullshit, though, would she? She had to know that I still loved her. Sure, I was angry. And, okay, yeah, I needed some time away. If I didn’t find balance in my relationship with Darian, we’d self-destruct. Space was the best thing for both of us right now. But she’d wait for me, right? I had to believe that when all of this was over, we’d be stronger for it. Our love would be stronger for it.

  Deep down

  , though, I knew I was playing with fire.

  Chapter 3

  I spent a sleepless night on the office couch. After I took care of Levi’s situation, I planned on purchasing a futon, something new and a hell of lot more comfortable. From the hours of three a.m. on, I worried over two things: first, utilizing my extensive list of resources in search of someone both discreet and well-informed on the matter of death markers. And second, deciding how I’d eliminate the mark once I found out who was holding Levi’s debt. My overactive brain notwithstanding, it was impossible to get comfortable on the couch. I was exhausted.

  As the morning crew vacuumed, put clean glasses away, and wiped down tables, I brewed another pot of coffee. Even magical beings like me needed to recharge, and this morning there wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to get the job done. Truth be told, I still felt raw and emotionally drained. The past three and a half months had kicked my ass. Worry nearly ate me alive. Helplessness eroded my mind. Powerlessness drove me to a state of madness. And it all came at the hands of a woman who claimed to love me. A wish is absolute. What she did to me—wishing for me to stay in Seattle until she came back—was as good as a prison sentence. In solitary confinement. Without food. Water. Companionship. For life.

  Of course, I wasn’t relegated to only the space surrounding my living room couch or anything, but what Darian didn’t understand was that our souls are tied together. When she left, she took a part of my essence, my very being with her. Even surrounded by people, I felt isolated. I ate, drank, slept, but still, I hungered. For her. I was starved for her. What drove me over the edge, though, was the fact that Darian truly needed me out of her hair. That her desire to go out without protection—without me—was so strong that I had no choice but to grant her wish.

  I looked down at the cup in my palm, the once hot coffee now cold with a thin layer of ice coating the surface. Icicles hung from the handle and bottom of the cup like stalactites, and I set it in the sink, too agitated to control the physical effect of my emotions. Iced coffee wasn’t really my thing. A couple of deep breaths helped to settle me down, but the calm was short-lived. My skin prickled with sensation, and a static energy clung to the air around me.

  Darian was making a wish.

  And just like that, the sensation vanished. Her wish couldn’t be granted. Needs versus wants. Curiosity ate at me as I wondered what she could have possibly wished for. Had she asked for me? Had she wished that I’d come home? Gods, I wanted to believe it. But the wish hadn’t been granted, so whatever she’d wanted, she didn’t actually need. What could she have wanted so badly that she couldn’t have?

  No longer in the mood for coffee, I

  * * *

  Jinn rules dictate that my magic c
ould only be used to protect my Charge, which left me . . . at a slight disadvantage in the event this situation with Levi got out of control. Levi didn’t need to worry about that, though. I’d just need a little help to get this done. Backup. After several hours of research, I’d managed to narrow my list of contacts down to a few names. A couple of them I used as contractors as well, so I’d be killing two birds with one stone. One name jumped out at me from the scant list. I was wary to reach out; this particular professional made me nervous. The more I thought about it, the more I knew that this assassin was the one for the job. I tried to avoid Reapers at all cost. This one could be useful, though. The only problem was Kaii didn’t talk on the phone. Ever. In fact, I had no idea if Kaii was male or female, only Fae. For some reason, Kaii’s identity was a heavily guarded secret, one I wasn’t even allowed to be privy to.

  Any contact had to be made by text. I fired off a quick message filling Kaii in on the details: that I needed someone with extensive knowledge of death markers, someone who could identify one particularly, and an efficient assassin who could eliminate a target without muss or fuss. I added that I’d pay a bonus for expediency. Ultimately, I would’ve rather had Darian for the job. She could become incorporeal no matter the time of day. The stealth factor was a huge bonus when stalking prey. Not an option, Ty. Get your head clear, man.

  The answer came a few seconds later when my phone vibrated across the desk. Fastest response time ever. Thank the gods.

  Employment terms: 500k wired to my private account. 20% bonus if closed out within the week. No guarantees on the muss or the fuss. Send pic of marker.

  Well, the cost was a little higher than I would have liked. Not to mention the extra hundred grand I’d have to pony up if the Fae assassin managed to get the job done in a timely manner. In the end, it was worth it. I would have paid ten times that to help Levi out. Luckily, I could afford Kaii’s price. I fired off another quick text agreeing to the terms. Once Levi showed up for the day, I’d send a pic of the marker. Finally, I felt like we were gaining ground rather than just spinning our wheels.