“Darian . . .”
God, the sound of my name on his lips, it was breaking my heart all over again. “Go home, Tyler. You’d better check on her, make sure she’s okay.”
He turned to face me, his expression tearing my composure to shreds.
“I wish you were with Adira,” I said, unable to contain the sob that rose in my throat, “where you belong.”
* * *
“Are you all right?” Raif asked.
The sun crested over the tallest buildings, breaking through a patch of dark gray storm clouds. A perfect representation of my life, really, bits and pieces of light occasionally piercing the darkness. “I’m fine,” I said, knowing Raif wouldn’t buy it. “Just tired.”
“I think that, perhaps I’ve been selfish,” Raif said as he moved to stand beside me.
“How so?”
“Maybe I didn’t give you enough time. I should have let you come around in your own way, at your own pace. Instead, I threw the idea of moving you into the house of my brother—and before you decide to go on about my gallantry, you should know that I was fully aware that he’d take the opportunity to distract you from your grief.”
If Raif only realized the truth. I was much worse than his brother. “Raif,” I said through a deep sigh, “before you go on about my innocence, you should know that I’m not the one being played. Fear for your brother’s virtue, not mine.”
Raif cleared his throat and I could’ve sworn as I looked at him from the corner of my eye that he was trying to hide a smile. “Have we bitten off more than we can chew with Kade?” he asked. “We may have to send Anya and Dimitri away for a while.”
If only a solution were that easy. “There’s nowhere on this planet you could stash them where they’d be safe from him.” The brand on Anya’s shoulder guaranteed that.
“What about O Anel?” Raif asked.
The door to O Anel, the Faery Realm, had been locked long ago. The only person with access in or out was a Guardian. And I just so happened to be the girl with the key. Sending Anya and Dimitri to that place was out of the question. My job as Guardian was to protect the doorway and the secret of the Time Keeper, Raif’s daughter. No way would I risk her safety by possibly alerting Kade to the existence of this other realm. Time and maintaining the natural order was too important to risk.
“I think you know the answer to that question,” I told Raif. “No one is running or hiding from this. As far as Kade’s concerned, I never leave a job unfinished.”
Raif nodded in agreement. “We need to regroup, form a better plan of attack.”
He was right. But then, when it came to strategy, Raif knew his business. “We’ve been on the defensive for too long,” I said. “It’s time to bring this fight to Kade’s doorstep, and to do that, we’ve got to level the playing field.”
Raif cocked a brow in question. “How do you propose we do that?”
“With Adira protecting him, he’s virtually unstoppable. Without her, we’ve got the upper hand. The only way to defeat Kade is to eliminate Adira.”
“Are you planning to kill her, too?” Raif asked, only half kidding.
If only. That plan did have its merits . . . I doubted it would do much for Tyler’s and my relationship, though. “I’m not planning to kill her.” I couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “What I’m planning is a hell of a lot more dangerous than threatening her life.”
“What are you planning, Darian?” Raif asked.
“I’m going to break her bond with Kade.”
“Darian,” Raif said with concern. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
I flashed him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Was I up for this? I guess we’d see soon enough.
Chapter 21
“Darian, wake up. They’re sending Anya home.”
Raif nudged my shoulder for a second time, and I cracked one eye and then the other. The clock in the waiting room read eleven twenty-five a.m. Some bodyguard I was, I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep.
“How long have I been sleeping?” I asked as I shot up out of my chair. “Where is everyone?”
“Relax,” Raif said, patting me on the back. “I let you sleep. By gods, you needed some rest, though I doubt a couple of hours are going to do you much good. Louella and Myles are posted outside of Anya’s room. The rest of your team is watching outside and bringing the car around.”
Why the hell Raif had thought it a good idea to put me in charge of his soldiers, I’d never know. I couldn’t manage to get my own shit together, let alone supervise an entire team of personnel. “Is Anya ready to go?”
“Five minutes, give or take,” Raif said as he checked the clock.
“How is she?” Our little clearing of the air had changed our relationship, albeit just a little. I knew Anya and I weren’t going to have matching BFF lockets around our necks or anything, but we’d reached an understanding of sorts. I’m not going to lie; it felt good to soften that adversarial edge between us.
“She’s fine. The baby as well.”
I rubbed my palm against the back of my neck trying to work out the stiffness that had settled into my muscles from sleeping in the chair. Pins and needles stung one leg that had fallen asleep and I shook it out, certain I wouldn’t be able to stand on it until some of the sensation returned.
“She’s on bed rest for a couple of days,” Raif continued. “Which is good for us.”
True. But then again, Kade had a Jinn on his side. I doubted keeping her shut up in Xander’s house was going to keep Kade at bay for long. After all, this was a game to him. Simply killing Dimitri and stressing Anya to the point of miscarriage wouldn’t be enough. He had every intention of making Anya suffer. When he was through playing games, I suspected we’d be shit out of luck. That is, unless I could find a way to break his bond with Adira before he decided to quit with the cat and mouse routine.
“We’ll keep Anya glued to her bed for a couple days,” I said as if she wasn’t already under strict orders. “In the meantime, I’ll work on a way to break Kade’s bond with Adira.”
“Sounds like a decent plan,” Raif said. “But I won’t have you working alone.”
Ugh. Why the hell not? I wasn’t the one in danger here; Anya was the lady with the target on her back. “I don’t need any help.”
Raif stared right through me. I hated that look. The you’re-not-putting-one-over-on-me look. “I know what I saw on that roof last night. Kade could be a threat to you as well.”
Oh, lovely. “Just what do you think you saw, Raif?”
“I saw hunger in the demon’s eyes. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be out and about without an escort.”
Hunger. I suppose that was the perfect word. After getting a taste of my energy, Kade had seemed overeager. And I didn’t think I’d be a very willing participant in whatever he had planned for our next date. “Fine,” I said. “I’ll take someone with me. But I’m not traipsing around with an entire gang. Got it?”
“Gang?” Raif laughed. “All I’m asking is that when you go out, you go with backup. Be it a single man or a handful, I don’t care. But go nowhere alone.”
Easy enough. “Okay, Raif. Deal.”
* * *
Dimitri was climbing the walls by the time we got Anya back to the house. And I was beginning to feel another attack of hypocrisy coming on. I didn’t think it was fair to keep him in the dark. He was as much a part of this as anyone. In fact, he shared Anya’s past. He knew all about the bastard Kade was. He may not know all of the details, but I felt like Anya at least owed him an explanation.
“I’m not telling you what to do,” I murmured close to Anya’s ear. “But I think he deserves to know the truth.”
“You’d be better off minding your own business,” she hissed.
“I’m just saying,” I said as I pretended to guide her up the stairs. Dimitri had run up ahead to their suite to get a cozy spot ready for her. “He’s got to be getting a little suspicious. I m
ean, we made him stay here while you went to the hospital, for Christ’s sake. If he knows the truth, we won’t have to keep him under lock and key, and he might be more cautious.”
“Or he might fly into a rage and take off after Kade, himself. Darian, he may appear good-natured and easygoing. But you don’t know Dimitri. Not really.”
She had a point. Both Raif and Xander regarded Anya’s husband with a certain level of respect. And I doubted he’d earned it from being the class clown. “In that case, my advice would be to act like the neediest, whiniest pregnant woman on the face of the earth for a while. Give him no other choice but to be stuck to you like glue. Because if I can’t find a way to take Kade down in the next few days, you’re going to have no choice but to come clean.”
Anya sighed. “You think so, huh.”
“I know so. I can’t keep Kade at bay for an entire year. And I can’t imagine that running from him is going to be good for your pregnancy if last night’s field trip is any indicator. I don’t know if Raif told you or not, but Kade’s got a Jinn of his very own now, which makes him infinitely more dangerous than he was.”
Anya stopped, one foot on the stair ahead of us. “Shit.”
“Yeah,” I said, moving her along. “It’s a real shit-tastic situation. That’s why I don’t plan on letting this go on for much longer.” Well, that and the fact that I wasn’t interested in any future “dates” with the Cambion. I stopped just short of the door to Anya’s suite. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Yes,” she said suspiciously.
“Exactly how much . . . contact does Kade need to drink a victim’s energy?”
Anya’s violet eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”
“Just humor me.”
“As little as close physical contact,” Anya said. “An embrace, a kiss. He can intoxicate you with little more than his touch. But that won’t get him much. A sip or two of someone’s life force. He’d have to get quite a bit closer to draw anything substantial from a victim.”
Good to know. I had no intention of letting him get that close. The door swung open, putting an abrupt halt to our conversation. Dimitri swept me aside, gently wrapping his arms around his wife and ushering her into their suite. “I know you don’t like this bed rest, Milaya,” he cooed in her ear. “But I’ll stay here with you and keep you company.”
Anya cast a last furtive glance over her shoulder at me. A couple of days. It wasn’t much time to get anything done. But I’d take what I could get. Dimitri didn’t bother with me as he used his foot to shut the door behind them. I couldn’t blame him. His top priority was his wife. It must be nice to be as cherished as Anya was.
“M-Ms. Charles?”
Ms. Charles? I spun around to find one of Xander’s household staff standing directly behind me. I’d kept my married name over the years because, really, I needed it for legal reasons. It’s not like I could open a bank account or own property with one name like Cher or Madonna. But good lord, even when I’d been human, the sound of being addressed as “Ms.” or “Mrs.” anything made me cringe. “Darian,” I said. “Just, Darian.”
The girl made as if to curtsy and I fixed her with a stern eye. If she dared as much as a head bob, I was going to wretch. “I’m supposed to escort you back to your suite, Darian. His Majesty has left instructions that you’re to have a dress selection made before he returns this evening.”
Hold the phone. Dress selection? What. The. Fuck. I don’t know what sort of expression had crept onto my face, but the Shaede staring at me took a cautious step back. And then another. “What’s your name?” I asked her.
“C-Caitlin,” she stammered.
“Do I look like the sort of girl who wears dresses, Caitlin?”
Her deep brown eyes widened, and she looked as if she wondered whether or not I wanted an honest answer. “Ah, no,” she said.
“So, since I obviously don’t need a dress, I don’t need to make a dress selection. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“But, Darian,” Caitlin stammered. “Th-the king . . .”
I rolled my eyes at nervous little Caitlin and stomped off in the direction of my room. A quick jerk loosened my cell from my back pocket, and I dialed Xander’s private number. If he thought for one royal second I’d be going anywhere in a dress, he had another think coming.
“Are you finally home?” Xander asked by way of a greeting.
“If you mean back at my studio, then no.” I hoped Xander could tell by my answer I wasn’t exactly happy with him right now. “But if you’re asking if I’m back at your house, then yes. I’m here.”
“You’re cranky this afternoon,” Xander drawled. “Bad night?”
“You have no idea,” I said. “And to make an already bad day worse, someone just ordered me to my room to partake in a dress selection. I don’t suppose you know anything about that?”
Xander chuckled, and if he’d been standing in front of me, I might have been tempted to kick him in the shin. “Are you adverse to wearing dresses, my love?”
I was not in the mood for his cutesy attitude. “I didn’t like to wear dresses eighty or so years ago, when I had to. Would you care to tell me what the hell this is all about?”
“Wouldn’t you rather be surprised?” he asked.
In a word . . . “No.”
Xander sighed. How he loved playing his games. “There’s a diplomatic event in a couple of days,” he said. “And you’re my date.”
Oh good lord. “Can’t you take someone else?”
“I don’t want to take anyone else. I want to take you.”
“You could go solo. . . .”
“Darian.” Xander’s tone adopted that chiding, kingly flare. “I won’t allow you to argue with me on this. I want you there, and at my side. Can’t you humor me and let me show you off at least once?”
Xander’s event was going to seriously cut into my efforts to break Kade and Adira’s bond. Damn it. As if he could sense my discomfort, Xander said, “Even you need a night off every once in a while.”
“Anya still needs a babysitter,” I countered.
“If she’s feeling well enough to attend, Anya will be there,” he said.
“And Dimitri?”
“I suspect he’ll accompany his wife, don’t you?”
Damn. Damn, damn, damn. “Xander . . .”
“Darian . . .”
“They shouldn’t be out in public right now. Kade’s still out there and—”
“They’ll be safe, Darian,” Xander interrupted me. “The PNT takes security very seriously. The entire building will be warded and the magic is impenetrable. Anya needs a night of revelry. As do you. You’re going. Period.”
Did I have a choice at this point? Anya would be off bed rest by the time this function rolled around, and if Dimitri was going with her, they’d need someone to watch their backs. Protective wards or not. “Fine,” I said with the heaviest sigh I could muster. “I’ll go. But can’t I just wear my street clothes? I’ll be watching over Anya, after all.”
“I won’t negotiate that point,” Xander said. “So, I’ll put this to you in a way that you’ll understand. You’re just going to have to suck it up and wear the dress, my dear.”
Smug bastard. “I’ll look at them.” Did anyone ever win an argument with Xander? He was the most stubborn man I’d ever met. “I’m not guaranteeing anything, though.”
“Your Highness,” a voice said in the background, “they’re ready for you.”
“I’ve got to go,” Xander said. “I can’t wait to see which dress you pick out.”
Before I could respond with my usual snarky comeback, Xander hung up. I stared at the phone for a couple of seconds, glaring daggers into the receiver as if he could see me. “Well, Caitlin,” I said, opening my door, “show me what you’ve got.”
Okay, so the first two dresses weren’t completely hideous. That’s not to say I didn’t feel like an utter idiot in them. I hadn’t worn anything but stretchy pants and tight shi
rts in literally decades. I might as well have been trying on Halloween costumes.
“The Vera Wang is gorgeous on you,” Caitlin said. Sometime between dress three and five she’d come out of her shell. She’d gone from stammering and shy to evil fashion dictator in nothing flat. “And it would go great with these black Manolo heels.”
The shoes weren’t bad. But they made Anya’s stilettos look like flats. “You might as well scrap those shoes right now,” I said. “If I can’t run in them, I’m not wearing them.”
“And you think you’ll be running in any of these dresses?” Caitlin asked.
I quirked a brow and stared her down. I think I liked meek Caitlin better. She tucked a dark strand of her chin-length hair behind her ear and put the treacherous black shoes back in their box.
Caitlin had a point, though. I wouldn’t be doing much of anything in the elegant gowns Xander had chosen for me.
“His Majesty has excellent taste,” Caitlin said, running her hands down the flowing fabric of an emerald green dress. I really didn’t want to admit that it had caught my eye. “You’re a lucky and envied woman.”
Envied, huh? “Oh, yeah?”
“Oh, yes,” Caitlin said with a sigh. “The king is very handsome. And charming.”
Well, she had a point there. Xander was sexy in a very toe-curling sort of way, and the man could charm the skin off a snake. He’d managed me time and again. I mean, I was standing in the middle of my room, surrounded by dresses and frilly things that hadn’t touched my skin in decades. One thing was for certain, the King of Shaedes always got his way.
He’d wanted me, after all.
And he’d almost gotten me.
I gave Caitlin a sheepish smile and reached for the green dress. “I think this is the one,” I said.
Caitlin clapped her hands together. “I was hoping you’d like this one. It was the king’s favorite.”
The dress was absolutely gorgeous. Vintage. Deep emerald satin overlaid with a billowing layer of lighter green chiffon. The bodice was covered in lace and woven with tiny mother-of-pearl fanning out just above the breast. The dress reminded me of one my mother had worn to a masquerade ball when I was a girl. It was just the right combination of modest and sexy. Despite my tough-girl persona, I liked it.
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