by G. K. DeRosa
The director glanced from Talon to me and back. “Excellent. She still has a long way to go to meet SIA standards, but I’m pleased with the rate of her advancement.”
“Once she begins training with Ella,” Talon interjected, “I have no doubt she’ll improve by leaps and bounds.”
“Yes. I agree, but I’d still like you to personally oversee all instruction, Talon.”
“Yes, sir.”
Maxim shuffled through some papers on his desk and reached into his drawer, pulling out a pen. He slid the pages across the gleaming mahogany and handed me the ballpoint. “These are the terms of your contract with the Supernatural Intelligence Agency. Read over them carefully. You’ll be contractually obligated to complete two years of assignments at our discretion, after which time you’ll be released from your sentence at Darkblood Prison. That is of course contingent upon you following all SIA rules and regulations and not committing any crimes during that time period. You must also continue to ‘officially reside’ within the walls of the penitentiary at least three days a week. This will allow you to keep up your pretense as an inmate.”
I nodded blankly as I scanned the tower of loose-leaf.
Maxim handed me a small booklet next, the deep blue insignia of the SIA stamped across the top. “These are the rules and regulations. Make sure you familiarize yourself with them. You’ll be tested on procedures in a week’s time.”
“Got it.”
“Talon, when can we begin training her with the squad?”
He cleared his throat and rested his elbows on the desk. “I’ll need a few days at least. I’m working on something regarding Delacroix in the prison, and I’ll need to focus my attention there for now.”
“Fine. I’ll let Ella know to expect the two of you back by next week.”
Or three of us, if everything with rescuing Vander went according to plan.
Talon stood, and I followed suit, hugging the booklet and pages of loose-leaf to my chest. “Thank you, sir,” I muttered. “I promise you won’t be sorry you took a chance on me.”
He offered a tight smile in return. “I hope not, Azara.”
I traipsed behind Talon through the director’s foyer and out into the generic white halls of the SIA. The tension between my shoulder blades immediately waned, and I let out a sigh.
“You did well today.” Talon kept his eyes straight ahead, and I followed his lead. I couldn’t imagine fraternizing with fellow agents was allowed. I was sure it would be clearly outlined in the rule book hugged to my chest.
“Thanks,” I muttered. “It almost felt too easy though, ya know?”
He leaned closer and whispered, “I’m friends with the guy who picks the opponents for the trials. I made sure he took it easier on you today.”
My eyes widened, and a swirl of emotion tightened my chest. “You did that for me?” I knew what a stickler to the rules Talon was and bending them even just a smidge made my heart melt.
“And for me,” he murmured. “I couldn’t let all of this time I’ve put into you go to waste.”
I jabbed my elbow into his side, and he chuckled. The elusive, smooth sound was sweet and addictive. I wanted more of the happy-go-lucky Talon, but honestly, even the surly one had gotten under my skin. I grinned as we walked side by side in a comfortable silence toward the exit.
The tap-tap of heels on tile echoed across the wide corridor, drawing my attention to the cute blonde rushing toward us. “There you guys are! I’m so glad I didn’t miss you.” Ella threw Talon a flirty smile, her hand immediately finding its way to his arm. “How’d it go, T?”
My cousin didn’t even look at me, which I supposed was just to keep up our act, but damn, was she a good little actress.
“Great, she passed,” Talon answered. “We’ll be back for training in a few days.”
She clapped, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. “Does that mean you and the guys will be back too?”
He nodded. “We will be a few days a week. I think it’s important for the team to train together.”
“Definitely.”
“Looks like I’ll be shadowing you, Ella,” I interjected when I got tired of being ignored.
“Yes, that’s what the director had mentioned if you proved capable.”
“Oh, I’m more than capable,” I snapped.
Her pretty pink lips twisted into a pout. “You were right, T, she is feisty.”
I seared Talon with a sidelong glance. He’s been talking to my cousin about me?
“She’s good too, just needs to hone her skills.” His hand came up to rest on the small of my back, but he jerked it back at the last second. My cousin didn’t miss a thing though. Her darting eyes caught the slip up, and her perfectly manicured brows knitted.
She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Talon. “I’m glad to hear it. Things are getting pretty dicey in the human world. Most of the bigger cities are getting overrun by Underworlders. Maybe she can give us the edge we need against her ill-mannered kin.”
I rolled my eyes. Hard. It wasn’t like I was related to all the demon scum out there. After the pang of the initial insult passed, I mulled over her words. I’d been so wrapped up in my own drama, I had no idea what was going on in the human world. Mom and Dad could take care of themselves, but still. I didn’t like the idea of my home getting ravaged by demons like Delacroix. “So what do the squads do exactly?” I asked.
“We work closely with the Gargoyle Guardian Council. They’re like our supernatural watch dogs, and they alert us when threats to the humans arise. The gargoyles live in the bigger cities, keeping an eye on things. When it gets out of hand, they call in one of the slayer squads.”
I turned to Talon. “Is that what you used to do too?”
He nodded. “I’ve had a few posts in my five years with the agency.”
“Don’t be so modest, T. He was the youngest recruit chosen for a squad and with the most take-downs under his belt within the first year.”
Talon’s cheeks rosied, and I didn’t think it was possible, but it only made him ten times more attractive.
“How’d you end up at the SIA anyway?” In the past few months of knowing him, I’d never even asked. Not that he was ever a big talker, it was more like pulling teeth with him.
His mouth pressed into a tight line, and his chin dropped.
“Good luck getting the answer out of him, inmate,” Ella interjected. “His past is a big mystery—the stuff of legends.” She grinned and patted his shoulder, her fingers lingering a little too long for my liking.
“We gotta get going, Ella. I need to get her back before lights out.”
“Sure. Good seeing you again, T. I’m looking forward to having you and the boys back. It hasn’t been the same around here without you.”
I gave her a half-ass wave, and she wiggled her fingers at me. I really needed to get this jealousy thing under control. It was totally uncalled for and so not my thing. Definitely the crazy dragon blood bond.
The gleaming dagger soared through the air, a spiral of purple energy guiding the blade into the life-size dummy across the prison training room. It sunk into its chest with a satisfying squelch and hit the back wall before rebounding back.
“Good,” Talon muttered.
I popped my hands on my hips and glared up at him. “Just good? How about fantastic or incredible? That was the tenth kill shot in a row.”
Talon rolled his eyes and grunted. “Kill shot if it were a measly human, not a powerful higher-level demon.”
“Do you get off on spoiling my fun?”
His silver irises twinkled, and the hint of a smile hitched up the corner of his lips. “I think you know what gets me off.” His mountain-fresh scent mixed with his sweaty, manly musk was suddenly all over me. When had he gotten so close? He pushed me back against the wall, driving his knee between my thighs. A swirl of heat lit up my core as his corded arms caged me in.
He ran his tongue over my bottom lip then snagge
d it between his teeth. I squeaked as his fangs lengthened, the razor-sharp edge scraping my tongue. “Careful,” I uttered, a little more breathlessly than I’d liked. “The last thing we need is more blood exchanged between us.”
Talon released his hold on my lip and stepped back, the fiery expression on his face morphing into something darker. He shook his head and dragged his fingers through his hair.
“What?” I asked as the building fire dwindled to ashy embers.
“I hate this.”
An invisible fist jabbed me in the gut, and it was all I could do to keep from buckling over. He must have read the expression on my face or maybe gotten a rush through the bond, because his face softened.
“I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right.” He took another step back and then paced a few steps in either direction, keeping his eyes trained to the floor. “I hate that this blood bond ties us together, but only enough to enforce this connection without us really being able to connect.”
It took me a second to figure out what he was trying to say. I almost burst out laughing when I put it together. “You mean because we can’t have sex?”
“Not just that,” he growled. After a few more steps, he turned back to face me. “I mean, obviously that too, but growing up I’d never believed in this mate thing. I couldn’t imagine feeling so strongly about someone you’d want to be tied to them for the rest of your life. And now, with this blood bond, which is only a minute fraction of what the mate bond is, I get it. And I find myself wanting it more than anything.” He paused and raked his hands over his face.
My breath hitched at the unexpected confession.
“But I can’t help question if it’s only because of my blood running through your veins. I honestly don’t know how I fought it for so long because now, you’re all I think about. I want to be near you all the time, but even when I am it’s not enough. I don’t know that even being inside you would be enough.” His brow tipped up, and a mischievous smile twisted his lips.
My heart tapped out an erratic rhythm, and I could barely breathe. I stepped toward him, but he threw his hand up.
“Don’t, Azara. It’s hard enough for me not to touch you from this distance.”
“I want you too,” I muttered. “All the time.”
His eyes met mine, and an unreadable expression streaked through his blazing orbs. “Want, need, just physical right? That’s the blood bond, the carnal link binding us together.”
I wanted to say no because I didn’t believe it was only physical. I was falling for him, and it wasn’t only because of the stupid bond. But I couldn’t force the words out, because what if he didn’t feel the same?
I sank down to the floor and leaned against the cold wall. Talon continued his pacing for a few more minutes before folding down beside me. The burning need must have passed. His piercing gaze bored into the side of my face leaving a fire in its wake. I didn’t dare meet it because I knew what would happen next. The same that kept happening. We’d get close, really close and ultimately have to pull back.
“Why did you join the SIA, Talon?” The question popped out of my mouth without much thought behind it. I’d been curious since Ella’s comment yesterday, and maybe now I needed a distraction.
His relentless gaze finally lost sight of its target and dropped to the floor. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, and I assumed this was one of those topics not up for discussion. He surprised me when his shoulder brushed mine and words began to flow from his clenched jaw. “You and I have more in common than you think, one thirty-eight.”
I scowled at my unattractive pet name.
“I used to get into a lot of trouble when I was younger. When I was seventeen, one such time landed me in prison.”
My brows nearly hit my hairline before I schooled my expression to normal.
“Anyway, the SIA recruited me, much like they did you.”
“What happened?” I finally asked when it seemed like he’d come to the end of his story. A story I needed to know more about.
He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I lost my parents when I was a kid. My dad was the alpha of our dragon pride, and he died in combat. My mom died shortly after—damn mate bond can be a bitch like that.” He paused and sucked in another breath. “I was an only child and had no close family. Typically, the beta would’ve taken me in, but instead Vander’s family insisted. His father and mine were close; as alphas they’d met on the Etrian Assembly. Vander’s mother, sister and even the entire pack treated me like I was one of their own. So that was how I ended up being raised by wolves.” A rueful smile split his lips, masking the hurt that radiated through the bond.
The pain was so acute it took me a second to focus on his words. “Wait, Vander is a wolf?”
He nodded. “And he’s more than my best friend, he’s my brother.”
“We’re going to get him back, Talon.” I reached for his hand, wrapping my fingers tight around his warm flesh. I took a moment to digest the information and waited for his pain to wane before continuing with my questions because I still had a ton more. “So you kind of skimmed over the jail part…”
He huffed out a breath. “Vander’s dad, Heath, died when we were sixteen. It messed me up pretty bad. I guess I hadn’t really dealt with my own parents’ death, and his passing brought it all to the forefront again. I did some stupid shit, and it finally caught up to me. It doesn’t matter what it was anymore.”
I nodded slowly. This was the most I’d ever heard Talon speak at one time, and if he wasn’t ready to tell me what happened, I wouldn’t push. “Thank you for telling me.” I squeezed his big hand, threading my fingers through his.
The training room door whipped open, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Hayden appeared in the doorway, his onyx wings spread out behind him. “Delacroix’s looking for you, pumpkin. He says he’s got some time-sensitive information.”
Chapter Sixteen
“You’re sure about this?” Talon glared at Delacroix from across the shabby mattress on the floor. A glimmer of early morning light lit up the nasty shed in the boneyard which had been the demon’s choice for our little pow wow. Apparently, it was one of the few places on property without cameras.
“I already said I was, dragon,” Delacroix snarled.
“How do we know this isn’t a trap?” Talon voiced the same question I’d had at the back of my mind for the past fifteen minutes.
“You don’t.”
I tried to search his mind to pick up any traitorous thoughts, but all I got was radio silence. Why couldn’t I get these warlock powers under control?
I grabbed the blueprint from Delacroix and studied the floorplan of Thax’s castle. According to the hellus demon, there was a secret passageway which would lead us right into the warlord’s private quarters. Again, according to him, Thax’s guards never remained within the chamber overnight so if we could get in, we’d meet virtually no resistance.
“What about Vander?” I asked. Talon tensed beside me as I uttered his friend’s name.
Delacroix extended his long claw and dragged it over the creased diagram. “He’ll be kept here tonight. You can follow the same subterranean passageway as the one to reach Thax. In and out, no problems.”
“If this is so easy, then why wouldn’t you have one of your men do it?” Talon asked.
Good point.
“Simple. I don’t trust them. If they decided to rat me out to Thax instead of following through with the deal, I’d be dead by daylight. Underworlders are a slippery bunch, dragon. They only hold allegiance to the winning side; they only obey power. From in here, there is only so much I can do.”
Also, a good point.
I glanced at Talon and shrugged. “We have to try, even if it’s only for the chance to save Vander.”
Delacroix wagged his clawed finger at me and clucked his teeth. “That was not the deal, little demon. Removing Thax is your first priority, saving the SIA agent comes secondary.”
&n
bsp; I opened my mouth to object, but Talon’s arm slapped across my chest. “We understand the deal, Delacroix. Believe me, I’d be more than happy to see that murderous demon dethroned.”
“Wonderful, then we are all on the same page.” He glanced between us. “I take it you’ve figured out a way to safely leave the premises?”
I nodded.
“Good, because this is a one-time only chance. If you’re caught, Thax will double-down on his guards and more importantly, he’ll pivot all his resources on finding the leak within the organization. It won’t be long before your inside man will be out on his luck.”
Talon snorted. “What a shame that would be, for you.”
“It would be, for you and your little demon.”
My dragon bodyguard lunged across the mattress and wrapped his fingers around Delacroix’s neck. “Don’t you dare threaten her. Ever. Do you understand me?” A thick vein throbbed across Talon’s forehead, and the tendon in his jaw was clenched so tight I was certain it would snap.
A thin chuckle escaped Delacroix’s dark lips, despite Talon’s claws grazing his throat. “What an interesting revelation. I cannot wait to see how this situation develops once your SIA friend is thrown in the mix.”
My brows slammed together. “What the heck does that mean?”
A wicked smile stretched across his face. “You’ll see. I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
Talon muttered a curse and released the demon. “Are we done here or is there anything else of value you need to share with us?”
He shook his head innocently. “You have all you need. And may the dark gods be with you on your journey.”
Talon whipped the door open, letting it smack against the wooden wall and half a dozen inmates swiveled their heads in our direction. I followed him out as a chorus of catcalls and whoops filled the frosty air. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I winced as an icy breeze whooshed over me.
This was exactly why I never came outside. Damn freezing weather.
“Can I get a turn next?” A merman licked his lips and thrusted his pelvis forward as I passed. “You look delicious, she-demon.”