Lover Enslaved: Thieves of Aurion, Book 1

by Redford, Jodi

  Shaking her head at her own idiocy, she plucked her sweater from the dresser. Piper barely took the time to stick out her tongue before resuming her nail buffing.

  Mara scooped up the rest of her evening’s ensemble and marched towards the bathroom. “Well, you and Jerrick better not start throwing punches during dinner. You’ll end up getting us kicked out of the eatery.”

  Dash’s harsh curse sounded behind her. “You invited him to dinner? What the bloody hell were you thinking?”

  She stopped outside the bathroom door and dragged in a deep, fortifying breath before turning to face him. “That the two of you need to work this out.”

  His face turned a dangerous shade of red as he stalked towards her. Gulping, she stepped back, cramming her spine against the doorframe.

  He halted a hairsbreadth away from her. The heat radiating off him in massive waves actually caused a slight sheen of sweat to break on her forehead. Oh man, is he ever pissed.

  “Do you have any idea of the fire you’re playing with?”

  Putting on a brave front, she nodded.

  A low growl ripped from him. “Then you’re either the most courageous woman birthed to humankind, or the stupidest.”

  Hugging her clothes tighter to her chest, she offered a hesitant smile. “I probably fall somewhere in the middle.”

  “What the devil did you say to Jerrick to get him to agree to this?”

  Mara cleared her throat with an awkward cough. “Um…that you wouldn’t be there.” Before Dash’s irate stare burned straight through her skull, she ducked inside the bathroom and locked the door. She did a quick clothes change, all the while ignoring the colorful swear words uttered on the other side of the thick metal door. By the time she stepped out into her room, Dash had fallen quiet but he still looked plenty cross with her.

  “Ready to go?” Without waiting for her answer, he stormed into the hall.

  “See,” Piper said, wagging a finger. “You should have given Mr. Cranky Pants some hot lovin’. Would have calmed him right down.”

  Mara gritted her teeth before jamming her coin purse beneath her arm. Downstairs, she noted the name etched on the frosted glass door leading into the Crystal Lodge’s main eatery. Glasstisserie. Hopefully it was a play on words and didn’t mean the entrees actually consisted of glass. She wasn’t that adventurous of a diner. Then again, the direction this night was headed, eating glass might be a welcome respite.

  Dash led the way inside, heading determinedly to a blue velvet tufted booth in the far corner. Fine by her. Less chance of him and Jerrick creating a public ruckus that’d get them all tossed out on their butts.

  A woman sitting alone at one of the tables glanced up when they approached. Her expectant smile instantly fizzled to disappointment, but then her gaze shifted to Dash and her whole face lit up. “Are you stalking me?”

  Dash made a sound that suspiciously resembled a groan. “Avily, how…great…to see you.”

  The woman’s attention drifted from Dash and settled on Mara. Her grin widened, overtaking her face. “You must be Mara, the woman responsible for turning Dash into a dumb ass.”

  A more pronounced groan slipped from Dash as the woman jumped to her feet and extended a hand. “I’m Avily.”

  Slightly bemused, Mara returned Avily’s handshake. “Sorry, but how exactly did I turn him into a dumb ass?”

  “Don’t ask her that,” Dash said with a horrified look. “It’ll only encourage her.”

  Avily slugged him in the arm.

  The action earned Mara’s instantaneous respect. You had to like a woman with a good left hook. She noticed Avily’s hot pink slippers and bent to get a closer look. “What cute shoes.”

  “Thanks. At least some people know good taste when they see it.” Avily slid a sidelong glance Dash’s way. He made a grumbling noise but she ignored him and motioned towards her table. “Hey, why don’t you all join me? I could use the company, since my date seems to have stiffed me tonight.”

  “We’d love to, but we’re meeting—”

  “Jerrick.” Avily’s thin whisper cut Dash off.

  For a second, Mara thought Avily was finishing Dash’s sentence—which would have been weird, since she couldn’t possibly have known Jerrick was joining them for dinner.

  The color leached from Avily’s cheeks and she gaped at something beyond the next table. Mara looked over her shoulder and spied Jerrick blazing a trail across the marbled floor, his eyes shooting a red-hot laser of fury into the back of Dash’s head.

  Oh man, what was I thinking putting them in the same room together? Mara gave herself a mental head smack.

  Jerrick’s gaze slipped for a second and roved to Avily. An expression of undiluted shock softened the hard planes of his face and his sure stride faltered. He quickly recovered and continued stalking forward until he halted approximately a foot behind Dash. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

  Dash instantly stiffened. Mara opened her mouth, hoping to quell the upcoming firesparks, but surprisingly Avily beat her to the punch.

  “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

  Folding his arms over his chest, Jerrick stared Avily down. “I recall kissing someone else with this mouth. Want to make a problem of it?”

  A rosy hue crested Avily’s cheeks. “Um. No.”

  The tension continued to hang thick in the air. Mara noticed the curious looks coming from the diners crowded around several of the nearby tables. She focused on Avily, hoping she’d receive her help-me-out-of-this-mess transmittal. “Is the offer to join you still open?”

  “Not a good idea,” Dash and Jerrick said in unison.

  While the two mule-headed brothers glared at each other, Avily grabbed Mara’s arm and tugged her to the other side of the table. “You’re sitting next to me.”

  The silver eating utensils neatly aligned on the linen-draped table drew Mara’s eye. A premonition of doom flared to life. “Those knives look pretty sharp. Maybe it’s not such a good idea to let them sit beside each other.”

  A dismissive snort broke from Avily. “Oh pooh. I don’t know what’s up Jerrick’s butt, but he’ll get over it.”

  Mara blinked at Avily’s casual disregard. Does she not know about the bad blood between Jerrick and Dash? Weird, since she seemed to know the two brothers very well.

  Avily pulled out the closest of the velvet-upholstered chairs and gestured impatiently. Mara gave the cutlery one last nervous glance and plopped onto the proffered seat. Hopefully emergency medical services weren’t too far off, in case Jerrick and Dash attacked each other with a steak knife.

  The two brothers reached for the back of the same chair. After a ridiculously long stare-down, Dash jerked his hand away with a growl and grabbed the other chair. While Jerrick and Avily settled into their own seats, Mara gave an inward groan. This is going to be the dinner from hell. Her suspicions became confirmed when Piper fluttered onto the edge of the table and leveled a belligerent stare on Avily.

  “Don’t even think of poaching on my territory.” Piper pointed an accusatory finger. “She’s my best friend and I’m not giving her up.”

  “Possessive much?” Rolling her eyes, Avily spread out her napkin and tucked it on her lap.

  While Piper continued giving Avily the evil eye, Mara chanced a quick look across the table. Dash and Jerrick were staring at her with hot retribution.

  “Okay, you’re mad. I get it.” Mara chewed on her bottom lip and followed Avily’s example by unfolding her own napkin. “But your stubborn refusal to be civil to each other forced me to be sneaky.” She sent a pleading look in Dash’s direction. “We’ve been here three days and we’re no closer to tracking down the rune. You said yourself the hotel’s computing network hasn’t coughed up any leads. Please, beg him to help us.”

  Dash clenched his teeth. “I’m done begging him for anything. Fifteen years ago, I begged him to see reason—to find it in his heart to trust that I didn’t bed Leena. And all I got for the tr
ouble was a price on my head for a damn rune I didn’t steal.”

  A strangled gasp broke from Avily, gaining everyone’s attention. She was staring at Dash with a look of frozen disbelief.

  “Sonofabitch,” Jerrick snarled, glaring at Dash. “Do you have any idea how hard I worked to keep her from learning any of this crap?”

  “She doesn’t know?” Dash’s gaze veered to Avily and he groaned. “Oh shit. How was I supposed to know? I haven’t exactly been in the loop lately.”

  Avily lifted a trembling hand and straightened her glasses. “Somebody better start talking. And fast.”

  Dash leaned back in his chair. “Honey, maybe this isn’t—”

  “Fast,” Avily demanded.

  “You want the short or the long story?” Jerrick countered.

  “Whichever.” Avily’s hand shot up. “On second thought, make it short. I don’t think my patience could take the other option right now.”

  “Fine,” Jerrick said, his tone curt. “Remember the four months I spent in D’argen, working the Paulette sapphire job?” At Avily’s nod, he continued. “Apparently at the same time, my brother was working your sister.”

  “She’s Leena’s sister?” Mara gasped. Oh man, I didn’t see that one coming. All eyes swung on her. She waved her hand in apology. “Go on.”

  “Where’d you come up with that pile of horseshit?” The fiery inquiry came from Dash.

  “I did the math.” The tense set of Jerrick’s jaw matched the steely undercurrent in his tone. “The two of you looked pretty damn cozy in your bed. That sort of intimacy takes time to acquire.”

  “Of course I looked cozy,” Dash snapped. “The lousy drugs she slipped into my Ginnish Sour knocked me flat on my ass.”

  Mara blinked, taken aback. “She drugged you?”

  “So he claims,” Jerrick bit out.

  Dash ignored his brother and looked at her. “Unfortunately, you’re not the only one who’s fallen for the old drug-in-your-drink trick.”

  “You’re unbelievable.” Jerrick stretched his lips so thin, they almost appeared white. “Even after all these years, you still won’t own up to what you did.”

  “Like you owned up to the fact you stole the rune and framed it on me?”

  A hint of regret darkened Jerrick’s eyes. “I never intended it to go down that way. Things were said that I didn’t immediately dismiss. Eventually everyone became convinced you stole it, and I couldn’t change their minds.”

  Dash’s shoulders relaxed a fraction.

  “Wait a minute,” Avily said, leaning forward, her stare focused on Dash. “I think Leena did end up drugging you. Around the time you’re talking about, I saw a bunch of vials from the weird guy who used to sell potions to our mother sitting in the middle of Leena’s bed.”

  Mara frowned. “You mean the vendor who owns the kiosk down the street?”

  Avily nodded excitedly. “Yep. I remember when I asked Leena what they were for, she acted pretty fishy.”

  Jerrick still looked unconvinced. “Why the hell would she drug him?”

  Silence descended over the table while Avily pondered his question. She fiddled with the tines of her fork, rocking the utensil up and down. Trepidation softened her features. “I have a theory, but I don’t think you’ll like it.”

  “Probably not,” Jerrick said flatly. “Tell me anyway.”

  “Your comment about math got me thinking. I just now realized I’ve never added up the amount of time you spent away from Leena during your stint in D’argen.” Avily smoothed her hand over the edge of the table, plucking nervously at the linen cloth. “Did you know she was pregnant?”

  Every square inch of Jerrick’s face went rigid.

  A weary sigh fizzled from Avily. “She told me you knew. That it was the reason you called off the wedding. She said you weren’t keen on starting a family.”

  Jerrick remained mute.

  “She ended up miscarrying at about eight weeks into the pregnancy, which means you couldn’t possibly have been the father,” Avily said, her voice quiet and strained. “Guess she wasn’t very good at math, either. The way I see it, before she lost the baby, she needed a good scapegoat to pass off as the father.”

  Without saying a word, Jerrick scraped back his chair and stood. Avoiding their pitying looks, he pivoted and stalked towards the exit.

  Mara stared at his ramrod-stiff back, her heart silently breaking for him.

  A mumbled curse issued from Dash. “Wait here.” He pushed from his seat and loped after Jerrick.

  “Hopefully I did the right thing telling him all that.” Moaning, Avily propped her elbow on the tabletop and cupped her cheek. “I’m really not cut out for this confessional crap.”

  Dash slowed his pace when Jerrick stopped next to the waist-high tin sign marking the location of the Crystal Lodge’s underground parking and slammed his fist into the metal. The sign crumpled, making a wwoonngg noise in the process. Jerrick shook out his fist and ducked his head in a display of absolute dejection.

  Blowing out a breath, Dash resumed his stride, quickly closing the gap between his brother and himself. “Thank the gods my head didn’t cave that easily when you clocked me the other night.”

  Jerrick’s shoulders stiffened but he remained facing the parking garage. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

  “Thought you might need someone to talk to.”

  A humorless laugh trickled from Jerrick before he finally deigned to turn around. The overhead streetlamp revealed a face set in abject misery. In the span of mere minutes, he looked like he’d aged far beyond his thirty-three years. “Why don’t you admit why you’re really out here?”

  Dash frowned. “I told you why.”

  “No, you’re here to tell me what an idiot I am.”

  “No, I’m not,” Dash said, his tone soft.

  “Do it.” Jerrick’s eyes held deep sockets of pain. “Tell me.”

  “No.”

  “You’ve called me worse names.” Jerrick’s chin jutted upward in challenge. “Sleeping in silk sheets all these years turn you into a pansy ass?”

  “Nice try. And my sheets are Hammatak linen. Cost a bloody fortune too.”

  Rage flooded Jerrick’s face. He stalked forward, his stance combative. “Goddamn it, tell me.”

  “You’re doing a fine job beating yourself up. You don’t need any help from me.”

  Jerrick’s shoulders slumped and he unballed his fists, dropping them listlessly to his sides. “I wasted all these years hating you.”

  “Yeah, you did.” Dash inclined his head. “But I forgive you.”

  The hollows beneath Jerrick’s eyes deepened. “Why?”

  “Because you’re my brother. And Leena dealt you one hell of a vicious blow. I can’t stay mad at you, knowing what she did.” A worrisome thought occurred to Dash and he gave Jerrick a pensive look. “You do believe me now about not touching her, right? I might have been half drugged out of my head, but I know we didn’t have sex.”

  “The things Avily said were…tough to hear.” Jerrick massaged his temple, as if trying to rub the worst of her words from his memory. “But they’re too damning for me not to believe them.” He dropped his hand and stared at the walkway beneath his boots. “It’s crazy, but even though I stopped loving Leena long ago, tonight brought all that misery racing back.”

  Guilt chiseled a cubbyhole inside Dash’s chest. “You never should have faced the misery on your own.” He’d wasted so much time weaving his cocoon of bitterness, never thinking beyond his selfish pride.

  Jerrick didn’t say anything. Just continued to stare at him.

  “I’m here for you now.” The words, long overdue after all these years, sat like a lump in Dash’s throat. If he didn’t spew them out, he’d choke on a lifetime of regret. “I want things to be like the way they were before our fallout.”

  A faint smile tipped Jerrick’s mouth. “You hinting at us becoming partners again?”

  Dash grunt
ed. “Not exactly what I meant. Besides, I have two buttinski females who think they’ve filled that position.”

  “Ah yes—the hot chicky and the little chicky.” Jerrick’s expression grew speculative. “A sprite and a human. Always knew you were one kinky bastard.”

  A groan tumbled from Dash. “Good gods, don’t repeat that to Mara. She thinks I’m a big enough pervert as it is.”

  “Ah, so she knows the true you. Amazing she still put in a good word for you the other morning.”

  “She did?” Dash’s heart momentarily lifted at the idea—until reality slapped him in the face. “She probably did it because she needed us to reconcile. For the rune.”

  Jerrick didn’t look entirely convinced. “If so, she’s going to be mighty disappointed. I lost track of the rune’s whereabouts a few years back.”

  Dash wasn’t surprised. Still, it did put a crimp in things. “Maybe the trail isn’t completely cold. We’ll start with the individual you sold it to and work our way from there.” He stopped, realizing how presumptuous he sounded. Particularly when minutes ago he’d insisted he didn’t need any more partners. “That’s if you want to lend a hand.”

  “I’m the reason you’ve got a price on your head. The least I can do is help get that damn rune.”

  Stepping around Jerrick, Dash clamped a hand around his brother’s shoulder. It was the first physical contact they’d exchanged in fifteen years that didn’t result in blood loss. Kind of made him misty eyed. “Then let’s get to work.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dash shook his head while Mara, Jerrick and Piper battled for supremacy over the touchscreen controlling the Crystal Lodge’s central computing network. Perhaps convincing everyone to pile into the cramped ten foot by ten foot terminal hadn’t been the wisest idea.

  “Damn it, would you quit batting your wings against my chin?” Jerrick growled before taking an ineffectual swipe at Piper.

  “Can I help it your head’s in the way?”

  Mara leaned over the chair Jerrick occupied. “I’ve got a brilliant idea. How about the two of you take your bickering out in the hall while I finish looking?”