by Alisha Basso
“Let me go! I want to leave!”
“Stop struggling. We’re not through talking.” There was nothing but calm in his voice. He walked to the desk and slammed me down into the cushy chair.
“Stay away from Haven’s End. It’s no place for a witch. It’s no place for you.”
My chin lifted. I’d had enough for one night of people telling me what to do. “I can go where I please when I please. This is still a free world.”
He narrowed his eyes and slapped his hands on the arm rests, pushing the chair until it came up against the wall, jostling me against the leather. Then he leaned forward, his eyes a blaze of cinnamon fire.
“I’ve often said, free will is a bitch. He grinned without mirth. “Don’t you argue with me, Ms. Starbuck.” His voice was a wisp of sound, but the power there was like a shock reverberating through me.
I tried to kick him in the groin, but he twisted at the last moment.
He leaned forward and said, “Word on the street is your friend was buying dust and the FDA was on her tail. Maybe they took care of her.”
I shook my head. The FDA wouldn’t have sent some assassin mage. They would have taken her to interrogation and then the dungeon, and that’s the last anyone would have heard of her. “No. The FDA didn’t kill her.”
“You sound very sure.”
“I am,” I said, my stomach in knots.
His potent gaze bored into mine. “Why aren’t you letting the OS take care of this?”
“Someone is messing with the OS.”
“And you’re still investigating? That’s either extremely foolish or extremely noble and courageous.” He looked away. “There’s also some other information that’s being bandied about.”
“About Olivia?”
“Yes. It’s said a mage in the Order of the Third Eye offed her.”
“What?” Shock slammed through me like a blast of the dragon currents. “Are you sure about the Order?”
The breeze from the river washed over me like a slap in the face. “I am sure. The information is sound.”
I took a deep breath. “A name, please.”
With smooth grace, he stepped away, but watched me closely. “If I give you this name, will you stay out of Haven’s End? I don’t need the FDA running to your rescue again.”
I didn’t have any interest in returning to Haven’s End. The matter of where I would get my own illegal dust wasn’t settled, but I wasn’t going to get it from an undead vamp. That was for sure. I would have to work it out later. Right now, I had plenty to deal with at my apartment. “Yes, unless it can’t be helped.”
“I suppose that’s as good as I’m going to get tonight,” he muttered, the soft skin of his throat looking so smooth in the dim light.
“Who…” My thought went sideways and I lost what I was going to say, then finally I managed to retrieve it. “Why did you help us?”
“Because powerful people ask questions when an FDA agent and a witch are bitten and drained in Haven’s End. I don’t want a war with the fae since they viciously protect their own. Styx is a piece-of-shit undead, but he knows how to move product. And, you. You’re a very…interesting witch.”
The intense russet eyes turned inward for a moment. Then he looked up, met my eyes. “Even speaking the name of the mage you’re looking for is extremely dangerous. He’s using magic which is forbidden and very, very old. And I don’t think he knows what he’s doing. Your Twin Cities are in grave danger.”
A chill went down my spine. “That only makes me want the name more. It’s the only clue I have to Olivia’s death.”
“Cole Bleak.” He rattled off an address. “Be careful, Ms. Starbuck, he is reckless and fanatical. He’s left bodies in his wake, but my confidence is in you.” His eyes went over me like he saw something in me which made him sure of the words he’d just spoken.
“I think he’s tried to kill me already.”
“Why don’t you let it go, then? Is Olivia worth dying for?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
With a sigh he released my hands. “Remember what I said about Haven’s End.”
Shoulders easing, I pushed off the back of the chair and stood. “This better be good information.”
He straightened to his full height. “It’s accurate information,” he said. His eyes captured mine again…and then I was standing in front of my apartment door with Talon’s sword in my hand.
I looked around, but the man was nowhere to be found. I realized I hadn’t even learned his name.
I rushed into the apartment. “Nock.”
“Finally!” he snapped, materializing right in front of me, so I had to pull up to keep from running into him.
“Worried?” I asked.
“No, I just don’t want to break in another stupid human,” he said, but his mocking sarcasm was weak.
“Okay, calm down. I’m fine.”
“I went back there after I dropped off that asshole, and you were gone! I thought the undead bastard had dragged you off and drained you,” he whined.
I rubbed my hand over his silky head for comfort, remembering he’d just lost Olivia, too. “You couldn’t find me?”
“No, that’s why I thought you were dead! Tweek’s balls, was someone blocking me? I thought it was the undead vamp.”
“Actually, it wasn’t. Where is Talon?”
“Oh, it’s Talon now?” His brows rose and he looked worried again. “What exactly happened out there? I thought you were just going for information.” He stared at me and then said, “Is that a sword? What—”
“Things didn’t go exactly as planned.” I cut him off, rubbing at my temple, worried about the fae who had saved my life.
“No shit, Captain Obvious!”
Impatient to check on my fae rescuer, I said, softly, “The sword belongs to Talon.” I hefted it, my arm getting tired. “Where is he?”
“In your bed. I didn’t know where else to put him.” I started walking and he hopped and skipped beside me. “Lily, he’s going to need…” I stopped and looked at Nock and he met my eyes. “That fae is going to die. Two vamp bites! One is enough to push his magic to the breaking point. What are you going to do?”
When a fae was bitten by a vampire, their sexual urges become so overwhelming they had to have sex or self-destruct. A lot of sex. Until their blood is cleansed of the vampire saliva toxins.
That was the job of the Otherworlder Security Elite Squad, the Turners. Four fae—two males, two females, and one of them was legendary—Rekt Angelfire. I’d never met him, but it was said his hair was pure white and that he was an empath of the highest order. These special OS wardens all used their magic and their bodies to restore just-bitten humans.
When fae first came to the Earth plane, they were worshipped for their beauty. It had been such a chaotic time in the world. Fae on the whole were beings of light, but it was a misnomer. They wielded great power and deserved everyone’s respect and commendation. The FDA, as their ruling body, had taken the escalating chaos in hand just before things spiraled totally out of control. Rules were set and punishments meted out by them. And it was all because of fairy dust.
Dust had been integrated into our society so tightly by then that we couldn’t do without it, or without the fae. Lucky for us, they were as interested as we were in living in harmony. Talon had only been doing his job. He might be a sarcastic bad boy, but he had the good of our society in mind as well. He was an agent who upheld the law. I couldn’t fault him for that.
Fear pressed on my chest. I rushed off to my room and found Talon still bleeding from the neck. In spite of my fears I trembled with longing. His six-foot-two body was still in the black leather which fit him like a second skin, his taut, beautifully defined muscles gloved to utter perfection, his deep, crazy Crayola red hair spread across my pillow. I suddenly wanted to wrap myself up in it.
I watched him writhing on the mattress, his gorgeous green eyes closed, pain and ecstasy on his face. I
remembered how he had stepped between me and the vamp without hesitation. He had literally saved my life. I wouldn’t have survived one bite, let alone two.
But he was an FDA agent! OMG! This could end up being a lose-lose situation.
No, it would just be sex, I told myself. I had always wondered what it would be like to have sex with a fae, but I wasn’t keen on getting wrapped up in a male who, once he fell in love, mated for life. His very, very long life. That whole being-responsible-for-someone-withering-until-they-died thing didn’t quite work for me.
But…he had saved my life. I could do this. I would do this.
“Should we get a shaman healer?”
“That’s not going to help him. He needs more than healing.” I got turned on just thinking about touching his skin.
“We’re royally gnarled. Talon Sunstrike is going to lock us up and throw away the key,” Nock said, looking at the suffering fae with concerned eyes.
“Shit. Let me think. Go get some towels. The fae have amazing regenerative magic. I’ll try to get him to heal himself.”
“Oh, that’s such a good idea.” Nock rolled his eyes. “Are you starting to believe in fairy tales?”
I glared at him. “I’m about to kick some tail. Does that count?”
“You have to catch me first,” he said a militant cast to his mouth.
“I’m not in the mood, Nock. Do you have a better idea? Spill it then.”
He shuffled his feet. “No.”
“Then move it, shorty.”
He grumbled but left the room.
I turned my attention back to the bed and who was in it. Fantasies aside, there was no way I could get involved with Talon Sunstrike. I was guilty by association. I had been creating food which contained pure fairy dust, a violation which wouldn’t just put me in a cell, it would get me dead. Very, very dead. I was also in possession of pure royal fairy dust. Which would get me tortured, then dead. Break take it!
I could feel a growing pressure in the room, and I returned my attention to Talon. He was breathing hard and, as I approached, his magic poured over me and I was instantly aroused. Everything tingled, my skin, my breasts, my groin.
I had to take a deep breath, and it caused his magic to explode on my tongue like honey, sweet and delicious. I could only imagine what his mouth would taste like. His meadow scent was stronger and I saw he was hard. His hands kept brushing over himself like he was trying to give himself relief.
He might not be turning, but the vamp saliva was driving him into a sexual frenzy. He looked like he was in excruciating pain.
Nock brought back the stuff I needed.
“I’m going to need privacy for this. Why don’t you go and find out everything you can about Cole Bleak.”
“What did you just say?”
“Cole Bleak.”
His exasperated incomprehension was real. “Are you speaking gibberish on purpose? I don’t understand—”
“Break take it! He’s put a spell on his name.” I said absently. “Never mind. I’ll have to handle this after I deal with Talon.”
His little boy eyes widened. “You got the name of the mage?” Nock said both in wonder and fear.
“Yes, Olivia’s murderer, I think. I’ll have to explain everything to you later.”
“That mage! The one who attacked…”
“Nock!”
“Right, sorry. You want me to leave you alone with the fae? Lily, the vamp saliva. It’s making him—”
“I know what it’s doing to him.”
“Maybe we better get in touch with the OS. He could die from this.”
“I know. Just go.”
“Oh, Tweek’s tiny little knickers!” His eyes grew big again and his jaw dropped. He stared at me as though I had just sprouted wings and started standing on my head. “You’re going to—” He looked at Talon and back at me.
“I think I am,” I said simply, shivering at the thought of what I was about to do. “He saved my life, twice.”
His eyes narrowed and went sly. “Don’t give me that. I saw the way you were looking at him. You already wanted to sleep with him, didn’t you?” His accusing voice was also full of censure.
“He can hear you,” I hissed, looking over my shoulder at Talon, but he still had his eyes closed, and I allowed the beauty of him to wash over me again. I remembered how he’d stood between me and death without hesitation.
“Awww, he’s out of it,” Nock said. Disgusted he waved his hand.
Jaw clenched, I didn’t answer him. I didn’t want to look at my own motivations too closely. Did I have a freaking death wish or what? “I’m not answering that. Now get out of here.”
As soon as Nock disappeared, I knew he wouldn’t materialize back into my room, since he wasn’t allowed to pop into my bedroom willy-nilly, in case I was naked. That was the rule. He also understood what I had to do.
Talon was panting and shaking, his body in constant motion as he thrashed on my bed, lost in the sexual thrall of the saliva. When I approached, his eyes popped open. As soon as he saw me, he moaned, his tri-colored eyes sizzling over me like molten green fire.
“Lily, please,” he begged me. His voice resonated like a tolling bell and the vibrations tingled over me like electrified fingers. He was losing control of his magic—his voice glamour was already gone. He looked at me with such need it twisted me up.
Okay, take a deep breath, I told myself. I breathed deep, and the air was tinged with the smell of…the renewing Earth…the sweet scent of new life, so tantalizing, and it turned me on. All the way on. More on than I have ever been. I moved closer, compelled to touch him, compelled to feel his hot skin beneath my hands.
I trembled when I willed myself to stop.
“We have to be clear about this right from the outset. This is just sex. Only sex. Nothing more, no commitments, no long term. Do you agree?”
I needed to make a banner out of those words and hang it prominently in my mind, as well as his. It wasn’t like this was going to be a hardship, and there was no time to get an OS warden here, anyway…plus I would be in a shitload of trouble if I did, and I suspected he would, too.
He’d gone into Haven’s End without backup. I had to wonder why. Regardless of his actions, I had to help. He’d saved my life. And, if I was being honest with myself, I’d wanted him from the moment we met. It was an impossible situation. But he was aware of the very same realities. His eyes roamed over me again, and his attraction magic intensified. I felt it in my core, and the smell of spring heightened.
“This…is…not…going…to work,” he said. “OS….”
“No time. You won’t survive,” I said.
He captured my gaze. “You and me, little witch, melding? You understand I can’t hold back,” he sounded eager and my heart skipped. “My magic is slipping out of my control. This could be dangerous to you. An OS Turner is trained—”
“We both know getting the OS involved would be a mistake and cause us both problems. I’m willing to take that risk, Talon. I don’t believe you’ll hurt me.” I didn’t know him. But if I had to guess, I’d bet Agent Talon Sunstrike adjusted the law to suit him and his mission. That he crossed over the line. Often.
I had to concentrate hard to register what he was actually saying. His voice…whew. It was captivating, mesmerizing, and I kept losing my train of thought. I was perspiring, my breaths speeding up as his words wrapped around me in a melodious net. I closed my eyes so I could focus.
“Oh, no,” his eyes roamed over me, “Pain isn’t what I want to do with you right now. Using my first name...” He groaned, softly. “The power in that is potent, Lily.”
His sounds were like a sensual caress. I had heard about what it was like to be with a fae. And the other reason I’d never sought it out was because it scared the living hell out of me. “Since we’re about to get naked together, I think, in this case, it’s permissible.”
He tossed his head, his hips twisting. He threw his hands over his hea
d and gripped the headboard. “You don’t know what I’m capable of,” he said through clenched teeth, the look on his face more of pain then pleasure. “You are doing this of your own free will. I need to know that, Lily. That I’m not coercing you in any way, even if it means my life.”
I took a deep breath, just so I could taste the honey of him again. “No, there’s no coercion. I’m giving you this to save your life. I couldn’t...let…you…die”
He looked at me, his features contorted with the need for relief. For a moment he shimmered and I caught my breath, His eyes? Had they merged into a gloriously luminescent green? Or were my own eyes playing tricks?
His harsh breathing was the only sound in the room. “If you think this can only be sex, it isn’t going to work.”
“It has to. I won’t accept the alternative.”
“Sex is an act, but it won’t release the pressure.”
“What are you saying?”
“I can feel your barriers. You have to drop them.”
“No,” I said abruptly backing up, immediately gathering my defences tightly around me.
“Then leave or take me somewhere I can’t destroy anything. I didn’t save you so you’d die from my magic imploding.”
“No.” I swallowed a surge of denial. The sense of loss rushed over me, but it only made my barriers stronger. “You want me to trust you?”
His voice threaded with his acceptance of his death, he said, “You have to let your barriers down. Otherwise, we can’t meld and my magic will be trapped. So, there is no choice but to trust me in this.”
A hard pull of angst washed over me. I trembled with the thought of trusting the one person on this planet who could make my life a living hell, my enemy by default. All because of Olivia, the only person besides Nock whom I had loved in my short remembered life.
“I won’t force you, Lily. You have to do this of your own free will. To do otherwise would be against so many of my people’s laws. Those laws are there to protect those who are weaker than we are. We take it seriously.”