Crave the Darkness: A Shaede Assassin Novel

by amanda bonilla

  “Darian.”

  Ty’s brow furrowed, and he cocked his head as if he’d heard it too.

  “Darian! Can you hear me or what?”

  I came back to the present, the spell broken. I tore my gaze from Tyler’s, reached up, and shoved the earpiece deeper into my ear. “I’m here.”

  “I’ve got Asher,” Myles said. “I’m circling back around the block to pick you up.”

  “You’re going to leave?” Tyler asked as I slid out of the booth and slung my katana over my back. “Just like that?”

  “Yeah.” I felt the lump rising back up my throat. “I am. Like I said, you don’t owe me any explanations, Ty. I hurt you. You moved on. End of story.”

  The screech of tires outside signaled my ride was here. And not a moment too soon. My composure was torn to shreds and if I didn’t get the hell away from Tyler, I wouldn’t be able to stop the flow of tears.

  “Darian,” Tyler called out, and I turned. God, he was beautiful. Another piece of my heart splintered off as I watched him shift in his seat and turn to face me. “Gods, you’re stubborn. Quit making assumptions and”—he paused, as if looking for the right words—“we need to have a proper conversation.” I looked around, expecting to have an audience, but the café’s patrons were still oblivious to our presence. Ty gave an exasperated sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. “Look, would you please just answer your phone the next time I call?”

  He didn’t say “if.” He said “the next time.” A tiny ray of hope eased the pain in my chest, and my lips turned up slightly in a wan smile. “Yeah,” I said. “I will.”

  I headed for the door, and the bell above it chimed as I pushed it open and stepped out into the cooling, late afternoon air. I took a deep cleansing breath. And then another. I shook out my arms and dangled my fingers loose from my hands, letting all of the tension drain out. “Let’s go,” I said to Myles after the car pulled up and I settled into the passenger seat. I didn’t look at Asher. He sat in the back, quiet as a fucking church mouse. “You and I are going to have a nice, long talk, Ash. So don’t even try to sneak off on me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He almost sounded amused.

  He wouldn’t be for long.

  Chapter 16

  Seeing Tyler had me riled. Dealing with Asher’s bullshit had me flat-out pissed. I knew he would be a handful when I’d insisted he be a member of my team. Hell, I was a handful myself. But damn it, I was in charge, and he needed to realize that now or go back to doing whatever it was he’d done before Raif had organized this task force. I shouldn’t have to deal with him. Not when I had an envelope full of information waiting in my room.

  “You want to tell me what the hell that was all about?” I massaged my temples. Nothing short of an entire bottle of Excedrin was going to get rid of this tension headache.

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” The feral gleam had returned to Asher’s eyes, the calculating gaze of a predator. “You’re upset I was doing my job?”

  “That’s the thing.” I pulled out a chair at Xander’s council table, drummed my fingers on the polished surface. “I don’t think you were doing your job.”

  Asher snorted.

  “This is the second time you’ve disappeared in the thick of bullshit only to show up right in the middle of where you don’t belong. You might think that stealth act of yours is cute, but I don’t.”

  “Really?” Asher leaned back in his chair, looking a little too at ease. “I’d think someone like you would find it pretty damn impressive.”

  “I don’t have time for this shit. You want to be a part of this team or not?”

  Asher studied my face, the amusement gone from his. When he wanted to, the kid could look downright fierce. “I’ve got your back,” he said, his tone as serious as his expression. “In fact, I’ve had it. Twice. Are you saying you don’t find that useful?”

  “You’re not supposed to have my back,” I snapped. “You’re supposed to have Anya’s. I can take care of myself.”

  “I never said you couldn’t. I thought we were a team. Team members watch out for each other. They step in when one of their own is about to get his ass handed to them.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight right now.” I stabbed my finger down on the table for emphasis. “No one was about to hand me anything.”

  A corner of his mouth twitched. “Understood. There won’t be any more problems.”

  Somehow that didn’t do much to assuage my concerns. Asher was careful with his words, not denying or admitting anything. He didn’t offer up any information either, such as where he’d been today when I was looking for him. He didn’t seem to mind keeping secrets.

  “Where were you? You weren’t at your post. You didn’t answer me when I tried to check in. Were you ignoring me?”

  “I was securing the premises.” His response was too offhand for me. “We had no way of knowing if there was anyone already inside the building. He could have had a partner—hell, he could have had a handful of guys inside. I checked every exam room, personally. Who knows, maybe something interfered with our communications? I didn’t hear you.”

  I quirked a brow.

  “Come on, Darian. I’m not making excuses like Myles. I’m not saying my earpiece malfunctioned or any shit like that. I’m just saying there might be a logical explanation for why I didn’t hear you. It’s not like I was hiding out or anything. I was doing my job.”

  “Your job is to follow my orders.”

  Asher looked me dead in the eye. “Which I did.”

  I had a tendency to keep my fair share of secrets, but I hated it when someone kept secrets from me. I never said I wasn’t a hypocrite. Asher was hiding something. I just didn’t know what. Yet.

  “How far did you chase the bastard?”

  Asher leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Not far. You’re right about one thing, though. He isn’t Fae.”

  I relaxed in my chair, my previous anger nearly forgotten, anxious to hear what Asher had to say. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, for starters, he squeezed right through an iron gate when I was chasing him. Fae and iron don’t mix. And he disappeared into thin air. He could have gone invisible, but I doubt it. If he were a Sylph or any sort of air creature, I’d have been able to feel, you know, wind or at the very least a breeze. He just vanished. One second he was there, and the next—gone.”

  “I agree with you there.” The first time I’d met the angel his energy had shimmered in the air like heat rising off of desert sand and then—nothing. He’d simply vanished. As for the iron, well, Ty was allergic to iron as well. So it wasn’t just the Fae who were susceptible. Although where Ty could tolerate iron to a certain point, direct contact would have debilitated any Fae right on the spot. I’d have known if he were a Sylph. I knew what a Sylph’s energy felt like. The angel’s was familiar, and yet not.

  Asher looked uneasy for a moment, but he hid the emotion behind a mask of passivity. “There’s something else.”

  No shit. Wasn’t there always? “What?”

  “I don’t think he was running away, exactly. More like, he was drawing me away.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I think, too.” I wanted to hold on to my anger at Asher, mainly because it kept my mind off of Tyler. But the more he talked, the more I realized I didn’t want to be mad at him. I wanted Asher to be for me what Raif was to Xander—a second in command, I guess. A right-hand man I could count on and a ready ear when I needed to talk my way through something. Like right now. “He could have made a run on the clinic. I mean, he’d blown the goddamned windows out. What was keeping him from walking right in?”

  “Could have been the protective spells,” Asher ventured.

  “Maybe. I don’t know much about faerie magic, do you?”

  Asher shook his head. “Not enough to be useful.”

  “I know a Sidhe I could ask.”

  “No shit?” Asher’s tone teetered between astonished and impr
essed. A little too put on. I dismissed it; I had bigger things to worry about than flattery.

  “What else did you notice? Was he alone? Or did it feel like he was coordinating with someone.”

  “I think he’s alone. At least, I didn’t see anyone else, and it didn’t seem like he was looking for anyone. I told you, I searched every room of the clinic and didn’t find a thing.”

  Of course, if he was fleeing, he wouldn’t exactly be looking for his cronies. My guess was it was all part of his game—whatever the hell that was. “Alone or not, he’s dangerous. If you hadn’t taken off after him like you did, we might have had a chance to catch him.”

  Asher slumped in his seat. “So we’re back to this again?”

  “Yeah, I guess we are. Damn it, I thought I’d made it clear on day one. This guy is mine. Your job is protecting Anya.”

  Behind the youth of Asher’s face was a wisdom that unsettled me. His expression wasn’t outright mocking, but his eyes had an “aren’t you a cute little thing, thinking you’re a tough girl” quality. Let me just say, I didn’t really care for it.

  “Like I said,” Asher shrugged, “there won’t be any more problems.”

  Again, I got the feeling he wasn’t being completely forthright, or more to the point, that he was simply placating me. “Did you get a good look at him?” I wanted to get this over with. I had an envelope full of goodies to peruse.

  “Good enough to know he’s different.”

  That was an understatement. Rays of sunshine might as well have filtered through the clouds to bathe him in heavenly light. Anya’s stalker was too inhumanly beautiful to be anything other than an angel, though his devilish intent belied his ethereal good looks.

  “Way different,” I agreed. “Scary different. I need you to get your shit together, Ash. You’re the best backup I’ve got, and Anya needs someone like you watching out for her.”

  “What?” Asher’s face once again took on the guise of youthful innocence. “You don’t want Myles as your wingman?”

  I laughed and the air seemed lighter. “He’s something, isn’t he?”

  “He’s a brawler for sure. You want someone to pick a fight for no good reason, call Myles. He’s your boy.”

  “Noted.” Not that I’d need him to push anyone around like that. But there was something to be said for muscle. And Myles filled an enforcer’s boots to a T. I could think of more than a few high rollers in the organized crime circuit who’d pay through the nose for someone like Myles. If he got to be too much of a problem, maybe I’d lend him out to Ty for a while, have him show Marcus how a lackey was supposed to behave. “Are we good?” Despite his rash behavior, I knew Asher was a good kid. He didn’t need any more of an ass-chewing than he already got.

  “We’re good.”

  “Get out of here.” I pushed my chair away from the table, anxious to get to my room. “I’ll talk to you later.” I turned my back to him—it couldn’t have been more than a second—and when I spun around to face him, he was already gone. “Creepy,” I murmured to myself as I headed for the door. “Fucking creepy.”

  * * *

  I traveled as a shimmer of sunlight through Xander’s house as I made the trek back to my room. Not that I’m ever particularly social, but I just didn’t have the patience to sit and talk with anyone on the way. My conversation with Ty ran a loop in my head, and it wasn’t just the wish-granting that had my wheels spinning. How in the hell was I supposed to work for him when all I wanted was to avoid him?

  Gliding through the sturdy planks of the door, I reclaimed my solid self only after I was safely inside my suite. I dug through the closet, yanked the sleeve of my duster and broke the hanger in the process. Great. I rifled through the pockets until I found the large manila envelope Marcus had given me. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten all about it. Stuffing the duster back in the closet—I didn’t feel like expending the effort to hang it back up—I carried my precious cargo to the desk. I turned on the banker’s lamp in the far right-hand corner and spilled the envelope’s contents out onto the desktop. Unfortunately, I didn’t find quite what I was looking for.

  Ty was usually pretty meticulous if a job required reconnaissance. Name, aliases, address, places of business (or preferred street corner, depending), known associates . . . hell, one time he even supplied me with a mark’s favorite flavor of ice cream and restaurants he frequented. Setting aside the paper with the wire transfer information for my fee, I stared down at the photographs—black and whites mostly, all different snapshots of the same angelic face. I spread them out across the surface of the desk, looking for a clue, anything that would tell me who the bastard was. How could Ty have possibly thought this stuff was going to help me? I mean, I got the rules issue. Jinn were bound to follow a strict set of rules just like they were bound to their wish-makers. But, Jesus, this shit couldn’t have been any more useless. No address, no business info, not even a list of places the guy frequented. Hell, he didn’t even tell me if the SOB lived in the city. What was I supposed to do with a stack of glossies that looked better than most actors’ headshots?

  I picked one of the photos up, held it under the light. In the close-up shot, my mystery guy was climbing out of a car, back turned to the camera. I suppressed my astonishment, traded it for outrage. “Son of a bitch,” I snarled, tossing the picture on top of all the others. A name was scrawled in black marker across the glossy surface: Kade. I took one last long look at the image, particularly the tattoo on the angel’s neck before scooping up the pile and storming out of my room.

  “Anya!” I shouted as soon as I was out the door. “Get your ass front and center!”

  I knew she’d heard me. In fact, every Shaede in the house had probably heard me. I stood my ground and waited for Anya to come to me. I’d be damned if I was going to traipse all over Xander’s mansion looking for her.

  It wasn’t long before I heard the muted footfalls of stiletto heels on expensive carpet. I leaned against the railing and glanced down at the open foyer as if I hadn’t a care in the world.

  “What the hell do you want?” Anya didn’t try to hide her annoyance. “Haven’t I been through enough today without having to deal with your pathetic needling?”

  “Who is Kade?” I kept my voice level, calm.

  Anya bristled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Jesus, Darian, do you always have to be so damn dramatic? I mean, did no one pay attention to you when you were a child? You’re just not satisfied unless you’re the center of attention.”

  She was nervous; the slightest hint of her native Russian accented her voice. “You know damn good and well who he is.” I ignored her baiting words. I was through playing games. “And you’re going to tell me.”

  “Go to hell.” Anya nearly spat the sentiment. “You’re nothing. Less than nothing.”

  Not the first time she’d said that to me. But goddamn it, it sure as hell was going to be the last. I pushed myself away from the railing and tossed the pictures at her. They fell all around Anya’s feet, Kade’s face staring up at her. I rushed forward, put the toe of my boot on the photo showing the tattoo and pushed it toward her.

  Anya looked down at the photos. She didn’t even flinch. “I don’t have to tell you anything. I’m not afraid of you.”

  “I saw your back today, Anya. If you want to get yourself—not to mention your child—killed, I suppose that’s your business, but I will not allow you to put my team members at risk. You are going to tell me every last detail, or I’ll make sure you don’t leave your goddamned room for the next year. You think hanging around the house is boring? Try solitary confinement.” I hadn’t realized how my voice escalated until I heard frantic footfalls coming up the stairs.

  “Darian.” Dimitri’s voice was a rumbling growl. “What has gotten into you? You’re supposed to be protecting her, not threatening her!”

  Anya stared me down, her violet eyes ablaze. “Go, Dimitri. Darian and I need to have a talk.”

&n
bsp; “About what?” He sounded suspicious and had every right to be. The wifey had been keeping secrets. “Is this about the attack at the clinic today? Does she know who’s responsible? I have a right to know.”

  Anya stepped forward, putting the photographs behind her. Ah, married life. “This is between Darian and me.”

  “Milaya”—Dimitri softened his tone for his wife—“what is going on?”

  “Girl talk,” Anya said. “Go, now. I’ll be fine.”

  She gave him a kiss to send him on his way, and if I’d been in a better mood, I might have found her actions endearing. “Pick those up,” Anya hissed, jerking her head at the photos, “and come with me.”

  Chapter 17

  I gathered up the pictures and flipped through them one last time. I wondered if Ty had snapped the shots himself as I noted the Kremlin in the background of one. Where in the hell had he been for the past three months? Anya didn’t look back or pay me an ounce of attention as she made her way to the suite of rooms she shared with her husband, and why should she? She’d made it pretty clear she’d just as soon gnaw her own arm off than talk to me about anything.

  Xander favored Anya, everyone knew it, but it was apparent when you walked into her suite. Located at the rear of the house and positioned over one of two four-car garages, it was an apartment unto itself.

  “Do you know what the most annoying thing about you is, Darian?” Anya said with contempt as I closed the door behind me. “It’s that you don’t care. About anyone or anything. You have no respect.”

  She did not just say that to me. She had no idea what I cared about. Or who. And as far as respect went . . . I didn’t give it freely. Respect was earned. Baby on board or not. “I don’t have to justify myself to you—or anyone—Anya.”

  “Take Xander for instance.” She strolled through the apartment, heading for the kitchen. “Hell if I know why, but he’s in love with you. In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him so infatuated. And you’ll ruin him for it.”