It wasn’t black studded, but it was lime green. I don’t know how she walked, let alone fought, bound up like that. She sneered and turned her back to me, leading the way. Every movement of her body resulted in a squeak or squawk of some sort, and even her gait was a little stiff. Did she realize how impractical she looked? Maybe she was planning on killing her enemies with bad fashion sense.
I wasn’t taken upstairs to Xander’s suite, but instead led into the bowels of the mansion, down a dark, wide staircase, into a vast room that looked like the type of place where war councils were held. The king sat at a long rectangular table, and to his right sat Raif. He was accompanied by eleven other Shaedes, all talking among themselves while Xander bent over a stack of papers, pen in hand.
“You’re late,” he grumbled without looking up.
Raif shot me a warning glare as if he’d already heard the sarcastic comeback I was prepared to deliver. I rolled my eyes, and in an unabashedly petulant manner, blew a strand of hair from my face.
“Your Highness,” I said, feeling utterly foolish. “My apologies.” If Xander thought I’d get down on a knee, he had another thing coming. But I did incline my head—a little.
The King of Shaedes paused in his work and looked up. A corner of his mouth tugged upward, and his eyes sparkled with a mischievous light. For that one moment he was simply Xander. But the moment was fleeting, and he returned to his stack of papers.
“Do not let it happen again,” he said, scrawling something and then setting the paper to one side.
It took a real physical effort not to roll my eyes. He was good at playing the king. I opened my mouth to speak, but caught Raif from the corner of my eye, and the slight shake of his head was good enough reason to keep silent.
Anya stood beside me like she was trying to keep me from bolting with something valuable. I so wanted to reach back and catch her in the face with my elbow, but from the looks of the seated council, they wouldn’t appreciate the show. I rocked back on my heels, inspecting the toes of my boots as if I’d never noticed them before. The only sound in the room was the scratching of Xander’s pen against the paper.
I stood there for what seemed like forever, wondering what Raif planned on using me for. A quick wish could’ve gotten me out of here in a snap, but as the thought entered my mind, I banished it. Tyler wasn’t some convenience I could use as my own personal get-out-of-jail-free card. I sighed, and it drew the attention of a couple of disdainful Shaedes. Straightening from the slumping position I’d assumed, I watched Xander with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.
“You’re to stay here in an official capacity tonight,” Xander said, still scratching away on his parchment. “We have several meetings throughout the week, including a Summit for the governing bodies of the Pacific Northwest Territories, and I’ll need you for that as well. As soon as we’re done here, Raif will explain your detail.”
Huh. I guess every governing body had to call itself something. It definitely had a ring to it. “Detail?” I asked.
“Yes. Security detail.” Xander set the last paper on the discarded stack and flipped them faceup before tapping them on the table to straighten them out. He handed the stack to the Shaede at his left, a dark and brooding man with a somber expression. “I think I’ve paid enough to request your services.”
The thirteen Shaedes stood, and twelve bowed to their king. Everyone but Raif took their leave in a strange, single-file fashion. I got a couple of curious stares and a few admiring ones. I smiled sweetly, at least sweet for me. I looked every last one of them in the eye, refusing to be demure for anyone’s benefit. Xander dismissed Anya with a curt wave of his hand, and I gave her a little wave good-bye with my own sweeping gesture. Okay, so maybe giving her the finger was a bit uncalled for.
Raif’s eyebrow cocked. I think he was waiting for an act of violence from Anya. She was a good and loyal servant, though, and I wasn’t worried a bit as she turned and retreated up the stairs, her leather outfit squeaking with every rise of her knee.
I folded my arms at my chest and leveled my gaze on the two men left in the room. Neither one paid me much attention as they talked in hushed tones, their heads bent close to each other. My anger and annoyance quickly turned into a very real, very physical knot in the pit of my stomach. If I’d had something to chuck, I would have aimed right for Xander’s regal head. I was so sick of his games, I wanted to throw up.
As if he could read my thoughts, I noticed him look at me from the corner of his eye. He smiled and continued his conversation with Raif. Who knows what they talked about? They could have been discussing the declination of hygiene among middle school students for all I knew or cared. Raif finally bowed and stepped to the side to allow his king to move past him. He followed Xander around the table to where I stood, tapping my toe on the thickly carpeted floor.
“You look much better,” Xander said, pausing at my side.
“Whatever doesn’t kill me, right?” I said.
He reached up and cupped my cheek in his hand. Before I could physically or verbally retaliate, however, he pulled away and started up the stairs. Raif shook his head and fell in step behind Xander as I took up the rear.
Raif spoke low as we walked. “I need you to serve as the high king’s personal security. You’ll answer directly to me.”
Another ploy. Anya was more than capable, and I’m sure a dozen other Shaedes could have done the job. The King of Games and Deception was up to something—again. First, I’d been hired as an assassin, the only one of my kind fit for the job. And now? Now I was playing babysitter. “Why me? If Xander’s looking to keep danger at bay, asking me to tag along might not be the best decision.”
“His Royal Highness,” Raif stressed, “paid for your services. That’s all you need to concern yourself with.”
“Well, if you ask me, His Royal Highness is inviting danger rather than dispelling it.” I said. “Seriously, what’s going on here?”
“I didn’t give you the katana so it could go unused,” Xander interrupted. He wouldn’t waste an opportunity to hear his own voice.
We continued up a second flight of stairs, the ones that led to Xander’s suite. The place was locked down; he wasn’t in danger here. “I was under the impression you had a task laid out for the sword. You remember—I was hired to kill your enemy.”
“Raif will explain your duties,” Xander said, opening the door to his private suite. “I’ll speak with you soon.”
I stopped just short of the threshold, and Xander beamed at me before shutting the door in my face. I pulled back a booted foot, poised to kick right through the wooden planks, but halted before making contact. Raif chuckled under his breath, and I whipped around to face him.
I turned and leaned against the banister, staring at the wood-paneled wall. “What’s so funny?” I asked without a trace of humor.
“My brother certainly knows how to push your buttons.”
My jaw dropped and I promptly snapped it shut. Come again? “Your what?” Raif simply winked, and let me tell you, it wasn’t an expression that suited him. Think of an alligator winking just before he snaps his jaws down on your neck.
“What’s really going on here?” I asked.
Raif took a step closer and bent his face to mine. “War is coming, Darian. If you can’t get to Azriel before he gets to his father . . .” His voice was smooth and frigid. “Xander’s in danger, and we have no idea how far our enemies’ reach is. We don’t dare trust anyone.”
“Why trust me?” I couldn’t think of a reason. I was growing sick of Xander and his games. I might be more likely than his enemies to do him harm.
“I trust you,” Raif said. “And so does he.”
I raised a sarcastic brow. Sure, he trusts me.
“With his life.”
I didn’t argue with him. I was past the point of fighting in what was now a losing battle. I’d been drawn into the game that first night I’d entered the staged town house, dagger in my hand
. “So, what am I supposed to do—sit outside his door all night?”
Raif laughed and turned toward the stairs. “Not exactly,” he said, and left.
“Darian, come in here,” Xander’s muffled voice called through the closed door.
My shoulders slumped. Shit.
I stormed into the room without a knock. Xander lounged in a chair, bare to the waist. He kicked off his shoes one at time.
“So,” I said, going for my best impression of casual disinterest. “You think there’s someone lurking around who’s even less trustworthy than me?”
He gave me a rather wan smile in response. For the first time, I noticed he looked tired. Exhausted, really. “Amazing, isn’t it?” At least he wasn’t too drained for a smart-ass remark. “I take it Raif filled you in?” He gave a wan chuckle. “You’d think he was the older brother, the way he watches over me.”
I didn’t exactly consider the small amount of information he’d provided as filling me in, but, to be honest, I was tired too. The Lyhtan venom had really kicked my ass, and no matter how much I wanted to, I just didn’t have it in me to pick a fight. “You two don’t look alike,” I said instead.
Xander’s brows inched up his forehead a bit. And then he smiled. “I’m better-looking, right?”
“I have a feeling you don’t need me to offer confirmation of that,” I said. “What’s the plan? What do you want me to do?”
“Just stay close,” he said. “For now, that’s all I need.”
He reached his arms high above his head and stretched his legs out toward the floor, showcasing each individual muscle on his well-built body. He closed his eyes and yawned, an almost exaggerated sound escaping his mouth before his body uncoiled and came to rest. He opened his eyes and looked me over from head to toe and back up again. An anxious shiver chased his gaze as it roamed over my body.
“Would you release your Jinn if I asked you to?” he asked out of the blue.
“Tyler is not mine,” I said, the ire rising with the tone of my voice. “And you need to stop talking about him like he’s some sort of stray I picked up on the corner.”
“Did you know that by binding himself to you, he has essentially forfeited his life?” Xander stood and carefully draped his shirt at the foot of his bed. He turned to look at me. “His life is now tied to yours. If you die, he dies.”
“Bullshit.” The word shot from my mouth.
The look on his face said, Do I look like I would bullshit you? He settled back down on his chair and crossed his legs at the ankles before stretching out again. I could have sworn I saw him peek through one eye, checking to see if I was watching him. “The Jinn are an ancient race—older than the oldest Shaede. I’m not sure, but I think they come from across the sea—Europe, or some speculate the Middle East, which would explain the genie legends. I also know they possess a very powerful magic and can change shape and form, but only when their charge is threatened.”
“Such as . . .” I prompted.
Xander shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve heard tales that the shape they choose is the physical embodiment of their protection.”
“Are they immortal?”
He shook his head and jumped out of his chair. “You don’t listen very well, do you?” He took a few steps closer to me. “Nothing on this earth is immortal, Darian.”
I looked away; his stare was too intense, and my emotions were becoming more ragged with each explanation. “Didn’t you hear me say that his life is now tied to yours? He’ll die if you die. He’ll die to save your life. He’s become entwined with you in a way you cannot comprehend.” I still refused to look at him. “You can die. You can pass from this existence into shadow forever. Haven’t I told you over again that you are more fragile a creature than you’ve thought?”
I felt an unfamiliar lump forming in my throat. It was like choking on a golf ball. The swell of emotion threatened to break from my chest and engulf me in a century’s worth of sorrow, forgotten until this moment. Maybe it was an effect of the Lyhtan venom that lingered in my body. Maybe it was the realization of what Tyler had actually done. Maybe it was simply a long-overdue breakdown. Keep it together, Darian. Christ. Just suck it up and keep your shit together.
“Jesus,” I said, snapping back into myself. “Why couldn’t you have just left me the fuck alone?”
“I need you,” he said. “And I suppose I must remind you again that you’ve been paid well for your services. I needed an assassin. And not just another killer off the street. I need you specifically.”
Xander’s smug expression did little to soothe my anger. How long had they been watching me, feeling me out and assessing my abilities? When did his little plan take root, and how had he known I was the only girl for the job? Of course, he could’ve killed Azriel himself. Their blood bond made that possible. Then again, Xander would never risk his royal neck by getting close enough to Azriel to do the deed. Paid or not, I’d become a pawn in his little game. His sardonic smiles didn’t fool me.
Resuming his place at the armchair, Xander regarded me like I was some sort of anomaly. Studying me like a cell on slide, his fingers in a steeple before him, his golden eyes probed right down to the pores on my face.
It wasn’t pity, though my disillusioned state was undeniably pathetic. Made me easy to maneuver too. With Raif’s help, he’d molded me like a hunk of clay, and if everything went his way, he’d have one dead enemy and one trained monkey. Over my dead body. Bile rose in my throat at the thought and I swallowed the bitterness down.
“We have a busy day tomorrow,” he said. “And I’m ready for bed.” His eyes twinkled behind a veil of calculation. “You can join me if you’d like.”
Somehow, I didn’t think Xander cared so much about social taboos. I’d slept with his son, for shit’s sake, and I had no interest in making it a family affair. “Sure,” I scoffed. “Wish in one hand, shit in the other. See which one fills up first.” I spun on a heel and left the High King of Bullshit chuckling behind me.
Chapter 17
My phone vibrated in my back pocket, stirring me from restless slumber. Tilted back in a chair, my legs propped up on the banister, I caught bits and pieces of rest while Xander slept safe in his bed on the other side of the door. The vibrating stopped, and I sighed in relief just before it started again. I knew who was calling. No doubts there.
Stiff and numb, I lowered the chair onto all four legs. My knees buckled when I stood, and I shook out my blood-deprived limbs, bending at the knee and testing each leg before placing my full weight on my feet. Tiptoeing toward the door, I carefully opened it just wide enough to check on Xander. His peaceful countenance made him look like he didn’t have a care in the world. Asshole. The vibration in my pocket stopped, but I was sure it would start up again as soon as Tyler could hit the redial button. A soft breeze stirred the drapes, and I quickly crossed the room. The French doors in the bedroom hadn’t been opened the last time I’d checked.
Careful not to interrupt Xander’s beauty sleep, I slipped through the open doors to check the balcony. Dawn had not yet approached. A lightening in the eastern horizon marked its coming, but I doubted it was visible to anyone other than a Shaede. I smelled the dew beginning to form on the leaves and grass below the terrace, and I drew in a deep breath to hold the heady fragrance of encroaching morning in my lungs. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I fished it out.
“Where are you?” Tyler shouted before I could even say hello.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Not funny, Darian,” he said. “I’ve been sitting in your apartment for hours, waiting for you to show up. Is everything okay? Are you hurt? Why didn’t you make a wish?”
“Calm down,” I hissed into the phone. “I’m fine.”
“Where . . . are . . . you?” The controlled ferocity of his tone made my skin prickle.
“Xander’s.”
There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line. I hoped Ty was counting to ten instead of h
eading out the door.
“Why?” He let the single word hang.
I rolled my eyes. “Side job. Security detail.”
“Security detail!” Ty exploded. “Security for who?”
“I’m Xander’s personal bodyguard for a while.” I cringed at the words, visualizing the incredulous look that was no doubt on Ty’s face.
“I’m coming over,” Tyler said.
“No.”
Tyler just couldn’t get it through his thick skull. I didn’t need him charging to my rescue. I had my pride to consider. Sure, he’d plucked me up off the street after the Lyhtan attack. And he had shown up at just the right second with my sword when I’d needed it. Time after time, Tyler had proved his loyalty, his concern, his protectiveness. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate it. I did. My overinflated ego didn’t.
“You can’t always be my knight in shining armor,” I said. “Ty, I’m obligated to do this. I can handle it.”
“Since when are you obligated to be Xander’s anything?” he said with a dead calm that was more frightening than anything he could have shouted. “You were hired for one thing only, and that one thing doesn’t include following Xander around and acting as his personal live target! Do you have any idea what might happen if you get into anything dicey? You could die, Darian!”
The sky continued to lighten, and I sensed a presence somewhere above me. It could have been another Shaede, but for some reason, my instinct told me differently. I couldn’t focus on my surroundings while bickering on the phone, and Xander was just inside the door, vulnerable to attack. If something were to happen to him while I was assuaging Ty’s ego, I’d never live it down. In fact, I didn’t think I’d live, period.
“Tyler,” I sighed. How could I convince him I was okay when my senses screamed that danger was close? “As soon as I’m done here, I’ll be home. Stay at my apartment and wait for me if you want. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Nothing dicey here.” Liar. “I appreciate your concern, and if I get into trouble, you’ll be the first person I’ll call. Promise. Wishes will rain down on your ears.” The hairs rose on the back of my neck as the pressure in the air intensified. “But right now, I’ve got to go.” I flipped the phone closed and slid it back into my pocket.
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