“Updating your Facebook status?” Levi asked as he closed the office door behind him. “O-M-G, just bought the cutest new jeans!”
“You’re pretty damn chipper for a guy with a price on his head,” I remarked as he flopped down on the couch. Though he’d been joking around, I could tell Levi was still stressing out. He looked about fifteen years older than his meager twenty-six, and his shoulders slumped like he carried the weight of the world atop them. “I need a pic of your marker.”
semes, seLevi dug the disk out of his pocket and set it down on my desk. I snapped off a few pictures from different angles and texted them to Kaii. “You find anything out? Because I’ve got nothing.”
I didn’t want to get his hopes up, but I thought he could use something positive to focus on. “Maybe. It’s too soon to tell, but I offered up a twenty percent bonus for expediency. Money has a tendency to motivate people where other leverage fails.”
“Don’t I know it,” Levi murmured absently. He picked the marker up from my desk, tossed it in the air and caught it, flipping it down on top of his hand and gave me a rueful look. “What do you think? Heads I live, tails . . .”
“Don’t talk that way,” I said. “There’s nothing to chance.”
“Jesus, Ty.” Levi stuffed the marker back in his pocket and sighed. “I haven’t slept in days. I keep worrying that someone will stop by, or I’ll get a call from whoever owns this damn thing. This marker could make me someone’s slave. They could make me do anything! Kill, steal, torture . . . I wouldn’t have a choice. Well, I guess I could choose to die rather than be blackmailed, but death isn’t all that appealing. I’m . . . I’m scared, Tyler. I’m not ready to check out yet, you know?”
I looked Levi dead in the eye. “I’m getting you out of this. Period.”
My cell buzzed and Levi went dead silent. Seriously, Kaii was exceeding all of my expectations. Must have really wanted that bonus money. The text was short and to the point.
Have lead. Will send word.
I smiled at Levi, my confidence in the situation ratcheting up with each new text. It was a damn good thing too. The sensation of a wish being made fired my senses, and again the request went unanswered. What in the hell was she asking for? Darian wasn’t in danger, I knew that much. It truly hurt that now, after months of my practically begging her to use her wishes constructively, she was reaching out to me. Kaii’s bonus would be well worth it. I needed to get out of town ASAP, before I lost my fucking mind.
“You okay, man?” Levi asked, waving his hand in front of my face. “You sort of checked out there for a second.”
“What? Yeah, no worries. Hey, why don’t you take tonight off? I’ll call Windy in to bartend.”
Levi shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m not about to sit around my apartment all night worrying about this shit. Work is the only thing keeping my mind clear.”
I could relate. Time to dwell on the situation only made things worse. I wasn’t exactly anxious to spend any amount of time alone either. “All right,” I said, keeping my tone light, “get to work then.”
“Thanks, Ty,” Levi said as he headed out toward the bar. “I owe you, you know.”
“No, you don’t,” I said. “You’re my friend, Levi. Friends don’t owe debts.”
Once our bro-moment was over, I left Levi to work and I stretched out on the couch, determined to get a few minutes’ sleep. It went against our rules to use magic for our own benefit, but damn it, the couch was killing my back. No one would notice a minor adjustment, so I allowed my magic to gather, swirling within me like a building storm. Power settled in my stomach, a cold knot of eneked knot orgy looking for an escape. I let the magic course through my veins, and a chill shook me from head to toe. Slowly, so as to not arouse suspicion, I let the magic trickle out of me, shifting my focus toward a singular thought. Usually, the use of magic was quick and reflexive. But those were sanctioned acts—magic that served the purpose of the Charge.
The cushions expanded slightly, not enough for a hell of a lot of comfort, but it got rid of the spring poking into my hip. Selfish magic. But not powerful enough to alert the Synod. My magic—just like all Jinn—was monitored by our ruling body. A council comprised of six Jinn, bastards with too much power in my opinion, who could make my life a living hell if they sensed I had violated any of our rules. I’d been known to break more than a few rules in my long life, and the bastards hadn’t caught me yet. If they ever found out what I’d done . . . let’s just say I’d be in way over my head. I didn’t regret my actions, though. Just as I relived the memory of that night, I knew I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
* * *
Almost midnight.
I’d taken my fifth lap around the building’s rooftop and I was still fidgety as hell. What was wrong with me? I was as nervous as . . . shit, I was so nervous I didn’t even have anything to compare it to. I hadn’t had to live through those awkward teenage years. Is this what guys felt like on their first date? Only, this wasn’t a date. This was business. But gods, I’d been thinking about Darian for weeks. I couldn’t get her out of my head. The fact that our bond would be sealed in a matter of minutes made my stomach do a three-sixty. Waiting had been the only option, and it damned near killed me.
I fiddled with the ring in my pocket, blindly tracing my thumb over the image I’d engraved into the silver. Would she accept it? I could barely get her to shake my hand; I could only imagine what her reaction was going to be when I handed a piece of jewelry over and asked her to wear it. Jesus, Ty, it’s not like you’re asking her to marry you or anything. Chill out. No, I wasn’t asking her to marry me. The gravity of my acts tonight was a thousand times more serious than some rinky-dink ceremony in front of a priest. Without preamble or fanfare, I would give myself to her. More of me than I’d ever given anyone. And Darian wouldn’t even realize what I’d done.
“Well, I’m here. Let’s get this over with so I can go to bed.”
Her voice cut through the silence, as warm and sensual as the summer night air. I kept my back to her, afraid that if I turned around and looked into those hard green eyes that I’d turn into the same blathering idiot who’d hired her a few weeks ago. I wasn’t some virginal pup, I’ve had my share of women, but gods, she made all of them disappear in her wake. “If I didn’t know any better,” I said, “I’d think you asked to meet up here so you could get me alone.”
Her eyes lightened, crinkling ever so slightly at the corners, and her mouth twitched as if she wanted to smile. That guarded attitude of hers took over, though, and the hard expression that masked her emotions so well settled on her face. “I don’t mix business with pleasure, Tyler.”
So she’d told me several times already. We’d spoken on the phone at least twice a week since our first meeting. I used any excuse I could think of to cont pnk of ttact her. Hell, I’d gone out looking for a lowly bastard for her to kill just so I’d have an excuse to meet with her. “You know, there’s this thing called a wire transfer,” I remarked as I handed her an envelope of cash, her fee for completing her first job. “Maybe you ought to look into opening a bank account? I mean, what are you going to do, stuff that money in your mattress for safekeeping?”
She raised a brow, and though I had a feeling she was going for snarky, her expression warmed me. Gods, how I wanted to peel off those layers of black clothes to reveal every inch of her pale skin. “I never said I didn’t have the means to accept a wire transfer. I don’t trust you, plain and simple. And until I do, I’m not giving you anything that you can use to track me.”
Guarded. Suspicious. Damaged. Gods, she was so, so damaged. “So I guess you won’t be inviting me over to your place anytime soon?”
“Not a chance.”
Crash and burn. “Since we’re having trust issues, you’ll be getting fifty percent of your fee now, and fifty percent when the job’s done for your next few assignments.”
She scowled, and Christ, it was all I could do to keep from tackling
her right there on the roof and kissing her senseless. My pulse thrummed faster with excitement when she acted all tough and annoyed, and how sick was that? “Fine. But once we’ve established that I’m consistent in getting jobs done—damned efficiently, I might add—I get one hundred percent of my fee up front, no questions asked. Got it?”
“We’ll see,” I said, delighting in the fact that I could rile her. She rose to challenges so easily, I wondered what would happen if I dared her to get naked. . . . “There’s a bonus in the envelope as well. The client was impressed with your work and was thankful you were able to recover the locket the mark had stolen. Apparently it belonged to the client’s daughter. The bastard kept the locket as a souvenir after he raped her. I hope you gave him exactly what he had coming to him.”
A dark shadow snaked from her feet like an agitated viper, and I pretended not to notice. “Trust me,” she said, her tone dark. “I did.”
Though I knew her supernatural attributes made her more than capable, I couldn’t help but worry. Supernatural creatures inhabited every corner of the planet. Hell, she was standing in the presence of someone who had centuries on her. Darian didn’t have a clue. I’d gleaned enough from her memories to know that she’d been fooled into believing she was alone in the world. And that it would behoove her to keep her existence secret. I wanted to tell her the truth so badly that the words burned in my chest, fighting for a way out. But I couldn’t. I refused to drop that hammer until she was ready to accept the truth. I could protect her in her ignorance far better than I could with her out in the open. I’d give her easy jobs, human marks, and allow her to continue to live in anonymity. When I’d gained her trust, then I’d tell her the truth, and I’d help her deal with it. Until then, I’d make sure she was well protected.
“Call me when something else comes up,” she said, and turned to leave.
“I’m not quite done with you.” Not even close. “Before you go, I have something for you.” Again, that bemused half-smile tried to shine through in her expression. My chest swelled at the thought of how radiant she’d be mes she’if she let that joy shine through.
Darian’s brow shot up on her forehead. “What?”
“Relax,” I laughed. “It’s not a big deal.” Yes, it was. It was a huge deal. I pulled the ring out of my pocket, the bonding urge rising up inside of me to a fevered pitch. She turned back toward me and took a few steps closer as she inspected the shining silver object pinched between my thumb and finger like an animal sniffing for danger. Another step closer. Another. And one more until we were close enough to touch.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice quiet. Suspicious. Always so damned suspicious.
“Just a ring,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t betray the air of nonchalance I was trying to achieve. Her eyes met mine, and I couldn’t breathe. Gods, she was just too damned beautiful.
“A ring,” Darian said, flatly.
“All of my employees wear one,” I countered with a shrug. “Think of it as an ID tag. If a job goes south, the ring will identify you even if dental records can’t.” I gauged her reaction, not an ounce of fear. Foolish girl. “And if anyone happens to give you a hard time?” I shrugged a shoulder, again going for a relaxed stance. “One look at that ring, and no one will dare cross you.”
“No one would dare cross me now,” Darian said, all tough and serious. If I didn’t act, she’d leave before I could make the bond—and there was no way in hell I’d survive another week. I’d already waited it out too long, and my body was feeling the strain big time.
“Look, I know you’re tough shit, but just take it. It’s not like I’m asking you to go steady or anything, just solidifying our business agreement. Some employers hand out W-4s, I hand out rings.”
Darian cracked a grin and for a moment all I could do was stare. My heart leaped up into my goddamned throat and I didn’t waste a second, reaching out to take her hand. Touch wasn’t necessary for a binding, but I wanted my skin on hers. The need to feel the softness of her consumed me. I’d been so careful to stay under the radar, infusing the ring with small amounts of magic over the course of a few weeks so as not to arouse suspicion. But now, in the moment of binding, all bets were off. This was sanctioned magic, and I could finally open the floodgates.
The rush was unparalleled. Every particle of my being sparked to life, the essence of my soul leaching from my body as it sought her out. A chill shook me as the power within me rose up like a tidal wave, and then, the cold that had become almost unbearable, ebbed and mutated, pulsing through me in a warm glow as my soul joined with Darian’s. She couldn’t even feel it; she had no clue how profound this moment was. I felt it for both of us, and the intensity of the bond was like no other before it.
Under the cover of the binding magic, I infused the silver ring with one last burst of power as I slipped it on her thumb. I might as well have signed my own death warrant with that ring, but knowing she’d have prot
ection that exceeded anything I could offer her made my treachery worth the risk.
Chapter 4
I wanted to stay in that memory for a while longer, to relive that moment when my soul bound ite reself to Darian’s. But my goddamned cell wouldn’t stop buzzing, a reminder that I’d lost focus once again.
Fuck.
The text from Kaii was hopeful, though: Need 2 meet. When & where?
The answer was easy: right here, right fucking now. I’d conducted business at The Pit before; no one paid any attention to who slipped in and out of the office. That was the beauty of using the bar as a front, an overabundance of activity mixed with the alcohol necessary to make people a little less observant.
I’d never met with Kaii for longer than it took to swap wire transfer numbers for information on a mark. Would I finally get to hear the voice and see the face of the mysterious Fae assassin, or would we just trade notes like middle school students? I guessed it didn’t matter. I’d swap info on notebook paper if that’s what it took to free Levi of the death marker. Failure wasn’t an option. If I had to, I was prepared to bring Merrick in on it, but calling Levi’s father was a last resort.
After an agonizing hour of pacing around my office, a knock came at the door. Without so much as an invite, Kaii strolled into the office, the Fae’s face covered, as usual, by a white balaclava. Reapers were considered outcasts, even by the Fae. Centuries ago, certain members of the Unseelie Court had been found to possess the rare ability to steal souls from unsuspecting prey. They’d been dubbed “Reapers,” but the less politically correct term was soul swallower. They kept to themselves mostly, living in isolation far from the human—and supernatural—populous. Kaii was a rare exception.
I had to admit, the Reaper’s presence was damn unsettling and only in part because I had no idea as to the assassin’s looks or gender. Tall, willowy, Kaii had a very androgynous body type for a Fae. Eyes as yellow as canary diamonds and fringed with dark lashes sparkled from behind the white hood. Since most Fae creatures were fair of face, I couldn’t discern anything about Kaii other than the fact that the Reaper’s very nature made it deadly. Not the sort of creature you want on your bad side. Without so much as a glance, Kaii walked right past me, set a file folder down on my desk, and settled down onto the couch. The Fae’s relaxed posture was a clear indicator that the information contained in that folder was pure gold.
Silence descended when I sat down at the desk, and not a comfortable silence by any means. Reapers weren’t the sort of creatures to let one’s guard down around. Even Jinn—or perhaps, especially Jinn—had reason to fear them. This particular Reaper wasn’t here for me, though, and so I focused on the file, looking over the elaborate script of Kaii’s handwriting, notes scrawled at odd angles coupled with the pictures of the marker I’d sent. Funny how the absence of any identifying marks could be the biggest identifier of all.
According to Kaii’s notes, the marker belonged to a faction of Raksasha ghouls known as the Black Death. It explained the u
se of the simple black disk, I supposed. According to Kaii’s intel, Raksasha weren’t exactly commonplace to Seattle—or the U.S. —so finding the one who held Levi’s marker would be easy. The names of a few clubs had been scrawled in the margins of one of the papers. I recognized a few of them: Seven, Atlas, The War Room. All three were known to be exclusive to or at least frequented by supernaturals.
“I take it the recon is on me?” I asked. Kaii simply nodded. I guessed I couldn’t expect the Fae to do all of the work. “Fine. Any clue whr b Any clo I’m looking for besides a random ghoul?”
Kaii sighed and pointed at the file folder, as if chiding me for not finishing my homework. From what I could tell from the notes, the marker was connected to an underground gambling ring. The markers related specifically to a sort of supernatural Russian roulette, and the game traveled around the world, never stopping in the same city for too long—which complicated the hell out things because it put me under an even more serious time crunch. When the game moved on, the markers were collected, meaning that as soon as the operation pulled out of town, Levi was toast.
“Once I ID the target, I’m going to need you to work fast,” I said as I reorganized the papers in the file. “Will that be a problem for you?”
A shake of Kaii’s head was all the answer I was going to get.
“It could be as soon as tomorrow night. Be ready.”
Kaii stood and gave a solemn nod of his . . . or her . . . head. And just like the Fae had entered, Kaii left my office without a single word spoken. It was damned creepy.
I wasn’t thrilled about doing recon. I didn’t want to chance running into Darian anywhere. Sort of takes the wind out of a guy’s sails when he makes a statement with a dramatic exit and then doesn’t actually go anywhere. Three clubs. I could cover that in a night, but would I find the action I was looking for? Plus, I wasn’t exactly a low-profile member of Seattle’s supernatural scene. Suspicions would be raised if I traipsed around the city’s hot spots looking for trouble. It was too late to get into any illegal games tonight, but I was pretty sure I could get in on tomorrow night’s action. I had the serious cash necessary for a big buy-in, and nothing was bigger than a game where the stakes were the gambler’s life.
Lost to the Gray: A Shaede Assassin Novella (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse) Page 3