Against the Dawn

by amanda bonilla

  This time, Ty didn’t turn to face me. “Adira should learn to mind her own business. Nys’asdar is a myth, Darian, and Adira is apparently superstitious. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Are you sure about that, Ty?” I made sure that my tone conveyed my skepticism. “Because whatever it is, Adira seems to think that I have it and that it could get you into a lot of trouble.”

  Over the past year, there’d been a couple of times I’d considered removing the ring from my thumb. And each time, I’d felt as though the ring itself refused to budge past my knuckle.

  “I’m sure,” Tyler said as he headed for the elevator. He could have simply popped in and out of thin air and it always amused me that he chose to travel on the power of his own two feet. Ty had a tendency to downplay his power. And it was something that both piqued my curiosity and worried me. “The Synod is nothing for you to worry about and neither is Nys’asdar. Adira shouldn’t have caused you any more stress or trouble. I’m sorry for that.”

  Without another word, he hit the button and the elevator disappeared into the floor. He’d shut me down, but that didn’t mean I was letting this go. Besides Tyler, Adira was the only Jinn I’d ever met. And since she wasn’t bound to me, it’s not like I could wish her out of thin air. I had no idea how to contact her. So, until Ty was ready to open up and tell me what the hell this thing I wore on my thumb actually was, I’d have to hope that it wouldn’t get us both into any trouble.

  Because god knew, our plates were full enough already.

  Chapter Five

  I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been so damned bored. A week had passed and I’d spent the entire time on my couch, catching up on re-runs of Dance Moms—I’m a sucker for reality TV conflict—and chowing down on my new food obsession, peanut butter Cheerios. Seriously, where had these delicious little O’s been all my life? My only company to date was the delivery service Xander had hired to keep my apartment full of fresh flowers and a couple of missionaries who were looking to spread the good news. It said a lot about my current state that I actually invited them up for a chat.

  Unable to stand the solitude for another second, I decided to head over to The Pit. As I exchanged a few pleasant words with the bouncer, a giant of a human called Tiny, I reflected that it might be a good idea to spread my social wings a bit and try some of Seattle’s other popular night spots. But ultimately, I was a creature of habit and I just didn’t have it in me to be adventurous tonight.

  Levi was standing behind the bar, a welcome sight if I ever saw one. I was planning to grill him—not to mention pay a hefty sum—for a little info on Nys’asdar and the Synod, but tonight wasn’t the night for that. I had to play this close to the hip and time my questions just right.

  “Hey, Darian.” Levi flashed his cover model smile as I approached the bar. “Long time, no see.”

  “How’ve you been?” I had no interest in discussing the reasons behind my recent absence and likewise, I didn’t want to have to guess how much Levi knew about it, either. Small talk was about all I was capable of at this point, and I wasn’t even very good at that.

  “Not too shabby,” Levi responded as he slid a neon blue drink across the bar toward me. The first one was always on the house and I had a sneaking suspicion that Levi used me as his cocktail Guiney pig. “You?”

  “Same,” I responded as I raised my glass in a silent toast. The sweet frou-frou drink tasted of coconut and other tropical flavors. Not bad, but I didn’t think I’d be able to drink more than one. “Anything going on?”

  It was a loaded question and Levi gave me a sly smile. “There’s always something going on, isn’t there?”

  I tilted my head to one side and regarded him. “What sort of bartender doesn’t share the latest juicy gossip?”

  “The trustworthy sort.”

  “Touché.” And point taken. Levi’s and my relationship centered around me giving him large sums of cash and him ponying up info on the supernatural world. The last time we’d talked, he refused my money because divulging any information about the Jinn made him a little more than nervous. Add to the fact that he’d hooked me up with the witch who’d cast a glamour on me to fool Kade, and I had a feeling that our friendship was going to be limited to the exchange of simple pleasantries for a while. Damn.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed a sleek, dark form making a bee-line for me. I wasn’t surprised to see Lorik, he’d said he wasn’t through courting me yet, but what I found odd was the fact that I sensed absolutely nothing extraordinary about him. I could sense the otherness of supernatural creatures as a physical thing be it a tingle, vibration, or a sudden flush of warmth or chill. But Lorik was as mundane as any other human in the bar, completely void of anything that might trigger my extrasensory awareness of him. Strange.

  “Your friends must be dropping like flies,” Lorik mused as he sidled up next to me at the bar. “Another funeral?”

  I looked down at my black t-shirt and shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a slob and the enchilada sauce I spilled at lunch doesn’t show as bad on black.”

  Lorik laughed and leaned in close. “Let’s go somewhere with a little more personality.”

  What in the hell was he talking about? The Pit was overflowing with personality. “I like it here.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  Levi watched us from the far end of the bar, his gaze alternating from the doorway to me and back again. I caught a shock of coppery curls near the entrance and something inside of me uncoiled and relaxed. It wasn’t until I caught sight of Tyler that I realized just how tense I was in Lorik’s presence. “Let’s get a table,” I suggested and led the way to the back corner of the bar.

  “I don’t want to sit and brood,” Lorik complained as he followed behind me. “You’re no fun anymore, Darian. What happened to you? This place is a bore and sulking at your table is a bore, and if you don’t watch out, you’ll bore me as well. I don’t have patience for uninteresting things.”

  Can you say broken record? Blah, blah, bored. Blah, blah, uninteresting. Blah, blah, entertain me. One thing hadn’t changed over the course of a century. Lorik was still a whiny, spoiled brat. “Well, if you want to hang out with me, you’re going to have to humor me.”

  Lorik shrugged and plopped down in a seat at my usual table. From my vantage point, I had a full view of the bar, as well as Tyler who was chatting up Levi as though he had no clue I was sitting thirty or so feet away. He was taking his promise to keep me safe pretty seriously and I wasn’t about to complain.

  “Have you reconsidered my offer of employment yet?” Lorik propped his feet up on the chair beside mine and lounged back, arms crossed at his chest. “Because I’ve got a couple of prospects brewing. I might even take a meeting or two next week and I’d like to have you there. Not that I can’t take care of myself, mind you. I just like to put on a good show.”

  When I’d starting killing for money, most of my employers hired me for the novelty. Let’s face it: not a lot of female assassins passing out business cards in the nineteen-thirties. And though women in my profession weren’t coming out of the woodwork, we weren’t exactly a minority anymore. Surely Lorik could think up a more convincing reason to put me on his payroll.

  I glanced toward the bar to find Levi looking at me. He quickly turned his attention elsewhere, his head bent close to Ty’s as they shared some private conversation. Levi waved down one of the cocktail waitresses who promptly took up his place at the bar while he and Tyler disappeared behind a door that led to what I assumed was an office or storeroom. Interesting.

  The DJ was spinning dance mixes tonight and Lorik bobbed his head in time with the beat. When a new song began, his eyes lit with recognition and he leaned forward in his seat and said, “I saw Avicii at a private party in Prague last year. Amazing. Let’s dance!”

  I pressed my booted feet into the floor as if I could somehow anchor myself there. No way was I setting foot past my table. “I’m good. You
go ahead.”

  He rolled his eyes and shot up out of his seat, backing away from me as he displayed his dance moves in a silly mockery of dubstep style that caused the laughter to bubble up through my chest. Lorik was a walking parody. And his lightheartedness could be such a contradiction to the ruthless bastard he became the second crossed him. Into the crowd he went, swallowed up by the press of bodies with a wide, seductive grin on his face. My own cheeks ached from the amusement and I wondered how long had it been since I’d actually let loose or felt carefree. Decades at the very least. But no matter how much I wanted feel unburdened, I wasn’t going anywhere near that dance floor.

  “Dance with me?” Lorik’s dark eyes were glazed over and he swayed on his feet, a little too drunk to walk a straight line. The jazz band in the speakeasy was winding down for the night, but Lorik wasn’t about to quit moving until they packed up their instruments. Tonight marked night number three of his bender and Azriel and I were doing everything we could to keep the young gangster out of trouble. His father paid us a ransom for our services and if that meant babysitting his progeny, then so be it.

  “Humor him, Darian,” Azriel said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “He won’t shut up until you do. Besides, he’ll drag us somewhere else if you don’t tire him out here and now. I want to go home.”

  “He’s bound to pass out sooner or later,” I said with a shrug. Truth be told, I found Lorik incredibly entertaining. His presence was like a ray of sunlight compared to Azriel’s shadows. And whereas I was drawn to the darkness of the man beside me, everyone liked a little sunshine now and then.

  I hopped up out of my chair, the fringe on my dress swaying around me. Lorik grabbed me by the hand and spun me around until I was dizzy. “Slow down,” I laughed as Lorik lowered me into a deep dip. Despite the fact he could barely stand, I considered the move quite a feat. “You’ve had way too much to drink and you’re going to drop me on my head.”

  “Never!” Lorik proclaimed as he brought me upright. He pulled me close before spinning me away from his body, all the while keeping his grip on my right hand. I glanced at Azriel and his dark eyes smoldered as he watched us. A corner of his mouth curved upward and I smiled back. Perhaps I’d had a little too much to drink myself.

  “When the old man dies, we’ll run this city,” Lorik proclaimed, his words a little slurred. “The three of us will be a force to be reckoned with. Those two-bit criminals in Chicago will have to ask us for permission to do so much as take a breath.”

  I found Lorik’s bravado amusing considering the fact he regarded Capone as a two-bit criminal. It was the gin talking, but if anyone overheard his boastful claims, it would mean trouble. Even as far away as we were. “You’d be better to set your sights on San Francisco,” I suggested as he pulled me close once again. “Be the king of the west coast and leave the Midwest alone.”

  “Pfft.” I leaned back as Lorik swayed forward, his nose nearly touching mine. “Capone and his cronies can suck my cock!”

  I looked to Azriel, my eyes wide with warning. There wasn’t a faction of organized crime in the country that the Chicago mob didn’t at least have a finger in. Lorik was sloppy drunk and running off at the mouth. If Vasili caught wind that his son was three sheets to the wind and slinging insults, there’d be trouble and the blame would fall not on Lorik, but Azriel and me for our failure to keep him quiet.

  Lorik was smart. Smarter than his father and twice as ambitious. But he had an overinflated sense of entitlement and lacked the good sense to act with caution. It made him a target. Vasili knew that. Azriel knew that. I just wished that Lorik would come to realize it too, before someone decided to shut his smart mouth for good.

  “Come on, Lorik,” Azriel said as he came between us, placing a steadying hand on Lorik’s shoulder. “We’re leaving.” He released his grip on my hand and I stumbled back, nearly bumping into the couple behind me. A drunken chortle rumbled in Lorik’s chest and he leaned on Azriel for support. It was a wonder he was still standing with the amount of liquor in his system coupled with seventy-two hours without sleep.

  “We’ll take this party on the road!” Lorik exclaimed, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture. “Bring me a chippy and a bottle of rye and I’ll be a happy man.”

  Good lord, did he ever slow down? Entertaining or not, there were nights that I suspected Lorik was more trouble than he was worth.

  “Find him a whore for the night,” Azriel said with a jerk of his chin. “We need something to occupy him and his fool mouth.”

  I headed for the exit, hoping I could find one of Lorik’s regular girls to keep him company until he finally passed out.

  It didn’t take long to find a girl who’d be more than happy to spend the night with Lorik. We took them both back to our place—Azriel didn’t trust the girl to keep Lorik out of trouble—which meant we’d be spending the rest of the night in our own living room while Lorik enjoyed our bedroom.

  “I don’t see why we can’t leave.” The sounds of Lorik’s bawdy escapades were getting louder by the second and my eyes widened at the sound of the girl’s enthusiastic squeals. “He’s not going anywhere, and I imagine he won’t be conscious for long.”

  Azriel’s expression darkened as he scowled toward the closed bedroom door. “No matter how harmless he might seem, Lorik is anything but. Given enough rope, he’ll hang himself and I’m not willing to risk Vasili’s wrath if he manages the feat. We can’t let him out of our sight, do you understand me? Never leave Lorik to his own devices.”

  As the song wound down, I shook myself from my memories and sat up a little straighter in my seat. I cast a furtive glance toward the closed door that shut Ty and Levi from my view. Leaving Lorik alone might be more dangerous for me than tagging along. At least if I accompanied him to his meetings I’d know what sorts of trouble he was getting into. Besides, Tyler had my back. Right? I could keep an eye on Lorik while Ty would make sure nothing bad happened. The memory of Azriel’s warning echoed in my mind. Azriel was a lying bastard, but he’d never been a fool. Never leave Lorik to his own devices. I drew a deep breath and held it in my lungs. Was I ready to get involved in the undoubted cluster fuck Lorik would soon find himself in? I guess there was only one way to find out.

  Apparently Lorik wasn’t a fan of the next song on the DJ’s queue because he reemerged from the dance floor with a scowl on his face. “One decent song all night?” he complained as he sat back down. “Unacceptable. Let’s hit Seven downtown. It’s by far more entertaining than this place.”

  The idea of setting foot inside that cesspool of a bar caused a shudder to race down my spine. But it was the preferred hangout for Seattle’s supernatural criminal element, and if I was planning on keeping an eye on Lorik, I’d have to go along for the ride. Blech. “Fine.” I stood from my seat and flung my duster over one shoulder. “But no way in hell am I hanging out in the Lust section with you.”

  “Suit yourself,” Lorik said with a shrug. “But if you ask me, Dariana, you could stand to get laid. It might loosen you up.”

  From his lips to god’s ears. I cast a sidelong glance at the closed office door as we passed, hoping Ty would sense that I was on the move. Not that I expected him to follow me around—I knew he had better things to do—but I hoped that he’d at least stay close.

  Damn it. When had I lost my edge? And how could I get it back?

  Chapter Six

  I collapsed on my couch four hours later, too tired for a shower even though I felt downright dirty. After the acts of debauchery I’d witnessed at Seven, I doubted that any amount of scrubbing would wash the grimy feeling from my skin, however. That place was just nasty. But Lorik absolutely loved it, and he cavorted well into the wee hours of morning, drinking, gambling and groping the female wait staff until the bouncers finally kicked us out at last call.

  Thank god.

  When we parted ways, I was confident that Lorik would spend the rest of the night passed out wherever it was he’d decided to p
ut down roots, while I was reminded once again that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. The only thing missing tonight was Azriel. And I felt his absence tonight more than I ever had.

  I honestly didn’t know if I could do this—work for Lorik, tag along after him, keep him out of trouble—without Azriel’s help. And it said a lot about my current state of mind that I wished his deceitful ass was still around.

  My elevator cranked into gear, interrupting my doom-and-gloom thoughts. The security system Raif installed beeped from the control panel on the far wall, a warning to let me know the alarm would activate if I didn’t disarm it in fifteen seconds. And since Reaver’s wards hadn’t been tripped along with the motion detector, I knew that whoever was on his way up didn’t intend me harm. He’d been following me all night, after all. It figured he’d stop by.

  “Someone needs to burn Seven to the ground.” I disengaged the alarm and hit the reset button. “I’d be more than happy to provide the gasoline if you’re interested.” I called toward the elevator as I headed back toward the living room.

  Ty laughed as he stepped into my loft, though his amusement didn’t quite reach his eyes. He looked as tired as I was and I felt bad that he’d tailed me all night. “Yeah, even by dive standards, it’s disgusting. Were you able to shake Lorik down at all?”

  “I wish.”

  In a few short strides, Tyler made it to the living room and sat beside me on the couch. “Careful, Darian.”

  It took me a few moments to realize what I’d done. A sign of how exhausted I was. Usually so aware of what I said around Ty, I’d slipped and uttered the words that had a tendency to kick him into gear. “I’m sorry,” I said, sitting up straight as I turned to face him. “I wasn’t thinking. Don’t go into wish-granter mode and hang him off the edge of a building or anything. Not yet, anyway.”