I hadn’t been prepared to fight, and I was really pissed that I’d dressed up, because I couldn’t kick anything while I wore the tight white skirt. I braced my legs apart and the seams ripped, giving me movement above the knee. While I still had the upper hand, I brought my high-heeled foot up in the air and stomped down on Anya with lightning speed. She was fast and rolled to the side, but despite her best effort to evade me, my heel made contact with her leather-clad back before she vanished into mist.
Fool, Darian. You should’ve at least brought a dagger. Moreover, I longed for my saber, because even though I knew it wouldn’t kill her, I would have liked to have sliced through her midsection. She would have been laid up for a couple of days, and the mere thought made me smile.
Anya appeared behind me, and before I could turn to face her, she gave a sharp kick square to the middle of my back. I flung off the damn heels and spun like a top, swinging my fist and making contact with her jaw before she could evade the punch.
I hadn’t fought anyone so fast in a long time, and though I was certainly rusty, it came back to me in surprisingly quick degrees. A good, long exchange of jabs and kicks—on her part—followed. I could only imagine what we must have looked like—two shadows shifting and blowing in a nonexistent breeze, becoming solid only long enough to strike a blow.
Anya drew her dagger and I knew she was finally tired of dicking around. I was unarmed, and though it didn’t make for a fair fight, I would have done the exact same thing if I’d been in her position.
She took a couple of wild swings, missing me by miles. Retaliating, I turned into a wisp of nothingness, reappeared behind her, and swiped the back of my fist against her head. But I wasn’t used to fighting an equal, and she vanished and moved to the side of me before I could react. She swept the dagger in a downward motion and I heard it rip through my blouse, felt the blade slice into my skin. Blood issued from the wound and drew her attention from the fight.
Liquid fire burned from the cut, oozing down my side, and my anger blossomed into full-fledged rage. I used the opportunity to unleash the force of hate-fueled strength on her pretty face. My fist made contact and her nose popped as the cartilage broke. Blood spewed from her nostrils and splattered across my face and the once-pristine white blouse.
In an action too fast to see, I pulled back again, determined to break her jaw with the blow. As I moved to throw the punch, my progress stalled as a hand squeezed mine with such strength that my own seemed like a child’s in comparison.
Screaming, I allowed the fury to scald all the way up my throat. I wanted nothing more than to beat that high-and-mighty bitch to a pulp. I fought against the hold on me, and even though I shifted into my shadow form, the figure held me still.
A strong arm wrapped around my waist, and Xander’s velvet voice spoke in my ear. “You’ve made your point.”
“What in the hell is this about?” I screeched through clenched teeth.
I twisted and fought, but he tightened his grip until he had me sandwiched against his body. Heat poured from his skin. His scent swam in my head. Intoxicated by his nearness, my anger abated.
His grip tightened despite the fact that I’d quit struggling. Anya stood, wiping blood from her face, giving me a look that should have killed me without the aid of a magic blade. Her eyes darted to her king, and she went down on a knee.
Oh, how I wanted to kick her while she bowed. But in my pencil skirt it wouldn’t have been very effective, ripped seams or not. I’d have my chance, though, and the next time it would be her turn to taste my steel.
“Anya, you are the most loyal of all my subjects.” The sound of his voice, coupled with his warm breath in my ear, caused a shiver to trace down my spine. “But now you should tend to your wounds and leave me with our guest.”
“But, my liege,” Anya said, her head snapping to attention.
I rolled my eyes. Ugh.
“No,” Xander commanded.
Anya bobbed her head, looking a little like a goose. I made sure to give her a superior glower before she vanished into shadow.
“If I let you go, will you behave?” he asked when we were alone.
I relaxed completely, and by slow degrees, his grip loosened. When at last he pulled away, he let his fingers linger against me, pulling back from my stomach, around my waist, to my back. I didn’t appreciate these games, and rather than turn to meet his eyes, I dissolved and reappeared to face him.
He’d done a little vanishing act of his own and was seated in his throne by the time I became my solid self.
“Why am I here?” I asked, my voice echoing in the empty building.
“I need your services,” he said simply, as if he were commenting on the weather.
That was laughable. He looked like he had plenty of help from his red-leather girlfriend.
“I don’t know what you have in mind,” I said, deciding that puckish was the attitude I was going for, “but some of my services aren’t for sale.”
He erupted into a round of robust laughter that only sparked my ire. “Although I’m sure it would be worth every penny,” he crooned, “that is not the service I’m after. You have been called to serve your king. In fact, you’ve been paid in advance, if I’m not mistaken,” he continued in a much more formal tone. “And you must obey.”
Obey. Another word that didn’t exist in my vocabulary. “You’re not my king,” I reminded him.
His eyes took on that thoughtful look again, as if he were contemplating the fate of the world. “You are very ignorant, Darian.”
I raised my chin a notch.
He ignored my show of indignation and continued. “Your maker failed you, left you alone and believing there were no others in this world but you. You know nothing of your people, your true nature and skills. You are lost.”
If I’d raised my chin any higher, I would have been looking at the ceiling. I stared right through him, neither acknowledging nor ignoring his words.
I’d always believed I was alone.
I’d taught myself how to fight, how to survive, how to be.
I’d never needed others of my kind to give me a sense of who I was.
And if Xander thought he could march in and change my entire universe with a snap of his royal fingers . . .
“I know you hear my words,” he said like a father to a stubborn child, “and you have much to learn. But know that you are summoned to your king’s service, and you will do the job I have paid you to do. You may go, and we will speak again.”
I stood, gaping for a moment at his casual dismissal, before I turned my back with neither a bow nor a word of parting. Throbbing heat pulsed from the gash in my side, and I drew in shallow breaths to control my anger as much as the pain. I refused to show Xander any weakness. With a sweeping motion, I retrieved my soiled shoes, walked with as much dignity as if I were myself a queen, and pulled open the heavy metal door.
“Darian,” Xander, the King of Shaedes, called from across the building.
I paused, halfway out the door.
“I enjoyed watching you tonight.”
I passed into shadow and became one with the night.
Chapter 5
Tyler was waiting up for me like a dad on his daughter’s first date. He paced the small space of my living room like a caged animal, one hand raking through his hair, the other clutching a beer. A dark expression clouded his handsome face as he picked up his pace and the amber brew sloshed around in the bottle. His cheeks puffed out as he exhaled a great gust, and he muttered a curse under his breath. When I stepped into view, he stopped dead in his tracks, relief showing in the way his shoulders suddenly sagged.
Dead on my feet and pissed to boot, I wanted nothing more than to discard my bloodied clothes and tend to my wound, which had already begun to heal.
“Hey—” He cut off when he caught sight of my blood-spattered and torn shirt. Great. “What the hell happened?” he demanded, rushing toward me with an urgency that didn’t exactly mes
h with the moment. “Did they hurt you? I never should have left you there alone. Damn it!” His hands balled up in tight fists at his side, and the muscle at his jaw ticked. The anger rising from his body was so intense I could smell it, and I fought my own reaction to his protective attitude. To think of him worrying about me in that way sent a warm tingle through my body that made itself at home in the traitorous nerves below my waist.
He surged forward in a rush, his face flushed with rage. “Don’t,” I commanded, holding him at arm’s length. “I’m fine; the wound’s already healing. Don’t go all mushy and try to take care of me.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“I sort of picked a fight.”
His expression softened, but only a little. “Wow, that’s really out of character for you. The dominatrix?”
His little attempt at sarcasm put a smile on my face, and I had to admit I was grateful for the levity. “I broke her nose.” Despite his outrage, Tyler knew I was no delicate flower. In fact, once he’d said that I could probably take on an entire company of Navy SEALs and kill them before they knew I was there. He was right, of course.
He wanted details, but I wasn’t saying anything until I’d cleaned up. “I need to shower,” I said. “But answer me one question first. Did you know he wasn’t human when you set up the job?”
“No,” he answered, dead serious. When it came to business, Ty didn’t mess around, and I trusted him.
“Okay. That’s all I needed to know.” I started toward the bathroom, unbuttoning my shirt as I went. Ty’s gaze burned a hole in my back, but I didn’t dare turn around unless I wanted a repeat performance of his earlier ardor. I didn’t know how I felt about what he’d done or how I’d reacted, but I wasn’t ready to think about it.
I took a quick, screaming-hot shower. The gash left by Anya’s knife looked a little worse than I’d expected, but the wound puckered where the skin had begun to fuse. It hadn’t completely closed up yet, but the flesh looked healthy and clean. Soon there wouldn’t even be a scar left to betray the injury.
After toweling off, I stepped into my robe and ventured out to check on Ty. He was asleep on my couch. Convenient. I was about to kick him out and send him on his way, but he looked so peaceful. I stood over him for a minute and found my thoughts drifting to how he’d look in the morning, with the sun’s first light on his resting face. I snapped to and realized I was obviously exhausted and delirious. So I left him alone, and, slipping out of the robe, slid between my cool sheets and let the warm air of my apartment lull me into a much-deserved slumber.
“Darian.”
Cool breath trickled over my cheek. I didn’t try to make myself wake up.
A hand brushed at my hair, sweeping it away from my forehead. A deep sigh and another wash of cool air. “Darian.”
The whispered voice spoke more clearly, and fingers traced over my bare arm, up and around my shoulder, grazing the skin at my collarbone. Shivering from the skin-on-skin contact, I rolled onto my back to give those fingers a wider canvas to paint on. This was a dream I didn’t want to wake from. Lips brushed my forehead, tracing a line down my temple to my jawline. I arched my back, and my nipples hardened as my breasts strained against the sheet. A sharp intake of breath that wasn’t mine brought me to awareness. I wasn’t dreaming and I wasn’t alone in my bed.
Tyler.
Even if I wanted him close, it couldn’t happen now. My life had taken an unexpected turn down a dangerous road. I couldn’t risk Tyler’s safety. A new world unraveled around me—and he had become a liability by association. I could hope Xander would leave him alone. But I couldn’t be sure. Whether I wanted it or not, distance was what we both were going to get. He needed to be taught a lesson, and I was more than happy to oblige him. I feigned a languid stretch with the arm not anchored by Ty’s fingers and absently slipped my hand beneath the pillow. My fingers found the hilt of the dagger and I paused, waiting for the right moment. I didn’t want to kill him, after all; I just wanted to reaffirm some boundaries.
Bending low, he took a huge whiff of my hair. Seriously—smelling my hair. I sensed him shift on the bed, straightening, and I struck.
I brought the blade around in a movement so fast that it must have been a blur in his slow human vision. The steel winked at me, the tip glinting against the hollow of his throat, and I pressed gently against his tender skin. Propping myself on the other elbow, I glanced down at his hand still touching me.
He didn’t make a sound. Actually, he didn’t even jump. I had to give him credit: The boy had balls. His mouth spread into a slow, sheepish grin, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Giving a gentle shake of my head, I pressed the blade deeper into the recess of his throat. “May I ask what you’re doing?” I didn’t move the blade. Not an inch.
“Admiring you,” he said. “You look different when you’re asleep. Softer.”
Had he known I’d been watching him last night? Rather than push him away, my actions were only drawing us closer. I wanted to slap myself for being stupid enough to let Tyler kiss me outside of that warehouse.
“You know, it’s not advisable to molest a dangerous woman while she sleeps. You might find yourself bereft of your head.”
“I would never hurt you, Darian,” he said.
Here we go again. I’d just told him that if he didn’t take his hands off me I was going to give his head a permanent vacation from his shoulders, and he said he wouldn’t hurt me. “Ty, you couldn’t hurt me if you wanted to,” I said in a voice gentle as falling snow. I wondered why he hadn’t pulled away from the dagger. All he’d have to do is sit up straighter, but he seemed to delight in leaving his life in my hands. Sick. I fought the urge to smile.
“Tyler.” I spared what little patience I had to offer. “Being as I’m naked under this sheet, it would be a good idea for you to take your fingers for a walk and give me a little privacy.”
His eyes widened, like he’d never actually considered what might be under the sheets, though I knew he’d gotten a nice, long look. He leaned in, pressing against the dagger as if he’d forgotten I was still holding it there. It pricked the skin, and a crimson drop bloomed and forked as one path followed the curve of the blade.
“Do you have a death wish?” I asked, watching the other trail of red make its way down the peachy flesh of his throat.
“Something like that,” he murmured, adding to the utter weirdness of the moment.
I pushed myself upright and felt the sheet give way, revealing a generous portion of my breast. Tyler’s eyes shone like someone had lit a candle behind each of them. I expected a thin line of saliva to trickle from the corner of his mouth at any second. The hand that he’d rested at his side twitched.
“Yesterday . . .” he started to say.
“Was yesterday,” I finished for him. “And today is today. We work together, Ty. That’s all. I shouldn’t have let you kiss me.”
“You liked it,” he said, pushing himself against the blade again.
Maybe Ty was less of a tough guy than I’d given him credit for, or maybe he was simply like all men—one thing on the brain.
“What I would or would not like to do with you is immaterial.” I argued my point in the most logical way possible. “We work together, and I don’t blur the lines between my personal life and business.”
Dismissing my argument, he reached out, ran the backs of his fingers across my cheek. “You don’t have a personal life.”
He did have a point. I didn’t have friends, family, or acquaintances. And there was a reason for that. My pulse picked up as his fingers left my face in favor of my arm, trickling slowly across my skin from shoulder to wrist. I wanted to return the gesture and just trace his skin with my fingertips.
His hand continued to wander as slowly as if he were approaching a hungry tiger, coming to rest on my thigh. A thin cotton sheet was all that separated our skin, and I can’t say it wasn’t exciting. The touch of his cooler sk
in permeated the fabric and left a trail of chills as he ran his hand along my thigh and up over my hip, curling around my waist.
I lowered the dagger. It wasn’t doing any good, and I found I didn’t feel much like threatening him anymore. When had my mouth gone dry? God, he was ridiculously beautiful. Tyler’s chest rose and fell with his breath, and I imagined what he’d look like without his shirt, his muscled chest beneath my hands. I gathered my bottom lip between my teeth. He took the action as consent and swooped down to lay his mouth to mine. I came to my senses just in time and rolled, taking the sheet with me. Tyler fell to the mattress, getting nothing but a mouthful of pillow.
By the time he sat up, I stood at the bathroom door. As I passed through the threshold I said, “Time for you to go, Ty. I’ll talk to you later.” I closed the door behind me and turned on the shower, determined to ignore him. Through the sound of rushing water, my keen hearing didn’t have to strain to hear the gate slam down over the lift. I leaned my forehead against the cool tile wall and let out a deep breath. The unique scent that was all Ty swirled in my memory, and I was less than relieved to be alone with my thoughts. No doubt Tyler was pissed.
He’d get over it.
I lay across my bed, arms and legs splayed out like a starfish. Clouds chased each other across the skylight. Patches of blue peeked between the fluffs of gray and white. Xander’s words played on a loop in my head, messing with me as I tried to comprehend all that I did not know.
I would have made a great poker player. I could bluff like nobody’s business. What Azriel hadn’t taught me could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and what I did know might have filled a tumbler, if I were lucky. Maybe if he’d done his job and given me some basis for my existence, something to define who and what I had become, I might not have been so hard. I might have actually given a damn about something.
I’d never tried to seek out another inhuman creature. Azriel told me there were no others. I believed him too. Stupid, blind faith. He’d never given me reason to doubt him, and I’d never seen proof to the contrary. What an idiotic notion. Had the Shaede population purposely stayed away? Had they known about me all along and silently spied as I lived my life? Jesus, the thought made me sick. Why show up now and ruin the illusion Azriel had so easily crafted? And if more Shaedes roamed the earth, what else existed beyond my scope of reality? I shivered at the thought.
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