Tempting Flame (The Jendari Book 1)

by DJ Michaels

  She'd thought she'd cried herself out that morning in Tallis's kitchen. But as she climbed into her cool-sheeted bed, she discovered she had tears without end.

  Chapter Twelve

  A week later Jaz sat on her thrift-store couch, tucked under a hand-knitted blanket and wallowed in the kind of misery she had no patience for in other people—or herself up until now. Her roommate was on assignment in Boston so Jaz was spared the ass-kicking Winter would have no doubt given her.

  Instead, Jaz had spent the last week in an endless pit of unhappiness. The events of the previous weekend had left her edgy and uncomfortable. As if she no longer fit inside her skin. She'd gone to work and pretended everything was fine, but when she came home at night she spent far too much time staring into the middle distance.

  As if that wasn't enough to deal with, she now had a new and apparently self-perpetuating obsession with an alien who haunted her sleeping and waking moments.

  There was no denying it, she was a mad, scrambled mess.

  She'd tried so hard not to think about Tallis, tried not to relive every touch and word. But as the days passed she'd become more obsessed with him, not less. She thought about him all the time, dreamed about him, ached for him. It was driving her crazy.

  And it wasn't as though she'd gone to him in ignorance.

  He had told her in plain and unambiguous language that they could have no future together. That the day and night they'd stolen was all they could ever have. And she'd heard him. She understood and she even agreed with him that their lives would never mesh. The one-time-only stipulation seemed a way for them both to enjoy each other without complicating their lives or putting either of them in danger.

  But she hadn't banked on her shiny new obsession. Why would she? She didn't have an obsessive bone in her body. She didn't have an addictive personality. And she'd never, ever, lost her mind over a man.

  Until now.

  Her body hurt, her chest ached, and her mind could do nothing but go around in circles.

  She couldn't take much more of this crap, but she had no idea how to stop it.

  Throwing herself into work hadn't helped and she simply couldn't face her friends. In those dark, empty hours at home her phone sat on the table—a constant temptation to call him. She'd even dialed a couple of times, but she couldn't gather the courage to hit send.

  Tallis hadn't reached out to her and she didn't have the courage to be the first to call. She might be suffering, but at least she was suffering in private. Craving him was bad enough, but if he turned her away or refused to take her call she'd be devastated. Coward that she was, she figured it was better to yearn for him unrequited than to be soundly rejected by him.

  It was all such a shitty mess.

  And topping off that mess was the fact that today was Saturday and she was due at the children's hospital in a couple of hours. There were no words to express how much she didn't want to go.

  She never flaked on her kids. Ever. And today was particularly important because they had a birthday to celebrate. With the kinds of illnesses the children dealt with, every milestone was celebrated, but birthdays were particularly poignant. Every parent, relative and child feared it might be the last.

  It still took everything she had to drag her ass off the couch and get into the shower. Doing her best to keep her mind empty she bathed, dried off and dressed in loose pants and a tunic. She blow-dried her hair and dragged it into a ponytail. Hopefully everyone would be focused on the birthday girl, because Jaz didn't have the energy for makeup.

  Shoving her feet into a pair of ballet flats she grabbed her purse and forced herself out the door. This painful nothingness had to end at some point, right? Nothing lasted forever.

  Not even this.

  ****

  The hospital visit turned out to be better than she expected. The kids put her own problems into perspective, and the usual warmth and joy she felt with them managed to ease her heartache for a while. As always, they were the highlight of her day.

  But the buzz she got from her kids didn't last. By the time the taxi took her back to Soho and dropped her off near her apartment, Jaz was exhausted. She paid her fare, slung her purse over her shoulder, and headed for the alley that provided rear access to her home. It wasn't the most scenic route, but living above a bodega meant the front entrance to her place was busy during business hours. Especially on the weekends.

  The alley might be dank and smelly, but it was also quick and quiet.

  Coming to a halt at the reinforced door, she unzipped her purse and rummaged around for her keys. She had just closed her hand over the jangling metal when she was grabbed from behind. A hand slammed over her mouth, another wrapped around her waist pinning her arms. She froze, so panicked and shocked she completely lost control of her body. Another figure moved in front of her, all in black and nothing visible but his eyes.

  Then they pulled a hood over her head and everything went dark. That's when her adrenaline kicked in and she started to fight. She writhed, kicked and tried to scream, but once again a hand slammed over her mouth. Tires squealed close by and she heard the sliding sound of a van door.

  Her feet left the ground and by the time she realized she was being carried she landed ass first on a hard floor. The door sounded again, closing this time, and the vehicle lurched forward.

  There were hands on her, pinning her to the floor, binding her hands and feet. Adrenaline was still surging through her body, but with no way to burn it off all she could do was shake. Her stomach clenched in cold terror and she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. She gasped for breath, the hood clinging to her mouth as she panted.

  "Please." Somehow she knew it wouldn't do any good to beg, but the words came out of their own volition. "Please don't do this. Let me go." Lying on the floor, hooded and bound, she had nothing to bargain with, nothing to offer them. She was helpless, vulnerable and terrified.

  A firm hand grabbed the back of her head and Jaz knew she was going to die. They were going to snap her neck and kill her for reasons she would never know or understand.

  Then she felt the stab of a needle and a moment later she blacked out.

  ****

  Jaz regained consciousness in pieces. She woke for a few seconds before sleep sucked her back under, then she woke again. Sleep, wake, sleep. She had no idea how long the cycle lasted before she finally got to a point where she could keep her eyes open. Blinking against the glare of a single fluorescent light, she took in her surroundings.

  The room was a small concrete box, no windows and only one door. She lay on a cot with a folded up blanket for a pillow, and nothing to shield her from the cold air. The only other furniture was a bucket lurking in one corner, and she shuddered when she realized that was as close to a toilet as she was probably going to get. Sadly, her sanitation requirements were the least of her problems.

  Gingerly she sat up, her throbbing head forcing her to take things slowly. She was no longer bound, but that was the extent of her freedom. The single door was made of metal and she had no doubt it was firmly locked. There was a camera bolted to a corner near the ceiling so she assumed she was being watched. Not that being observed would have made any difference to her behavior.

  Easing to her feet, Jaz shook out the blanket and wrapped herself up before returning to sit on the bed. It seemed there was nothing to do but wait.

  ****

  Tallis leaned back in his deck chair, enjoying the sensation of a full stomach and the breeze on his skin. The roof garden had been created for the use of whichever Jendari occupied the penthouses, so for now, that meant he and Deasun were the only two people allowed in this area. They spent time up here alone and together, depending on their individual shifts. Today they both had the day off so they'd settled under the tree canopy with enough food and drink to carry them through the afternoon.

  A phone pinged with a text alert.

  "That better be yours." Deasun didn't bother to open his eyes and it was c
lear he had no intention of checking for himself.

  Grunting a protest, Tallis reached for his phone and activated the screen. When he saw the message was from Jaz he almost didn't read it. When she'd crept out of his bed, he'd feigned sleep and let her go. Or he'd tried to. The truth was she haunted him and he wasn't sure he could resist reconnecting if she started sending him messages.

  Pitifully, he couldn't help himself. Despite the necessity of keeping his distance, his eyes scanned the text. Then he read it again more slowly.

  "Fuck." Surging to his feet he stared at the screen, then lifted his eye to Dea. "Someone's taken Jaz."

  "What?" Deasun scrambled upright and hurried to stand beside Tallis so they could both see the screen.

  We have Jasmine Teale. Agree to meet or we will send her back to you at Hope Tower, a piece at a time.

  "What are you going to do?" Deasun asked.

  But Tallis was already texting.

  Agreed. Where and when?

  "Tallis, no." Dea grabbed Tallis's forearm. "You can't just blunder into a meet without—"

  The phone pinged again and Tallis breathed a sigh of relief when he read it. "They want me there tomorrow, three o'clock. Alone. They've sent GPS coordinates."

  "Thank the goddess. That will give us time to do some recon and gather a team."

  Tallis nodded. His training as a rhe'hashan ensured he would never endanger Jaz or himself by going into a situation like this without support. "Will you come, Dea?"

  Deasun screwed up his face. "Of course I’ll come, don't insult me. Who else are you going to ask?"

  "Hadar, Lioth, and Kasim." Not only were they fine warriors, but they were Tallis's friends. The five of them often worked together as a unit and they were as close off the battlefield as they were on it.

  Deasun slapped him on the back. "You go inside and start making calls. I'll clean up here."

  "Thanks."

  Tallis hurried inside. Deasun knew all about Jaz, and how much Tallis cared for her. There'd be no awkward question from that corner. His other friends, however, knew nothing about Jasmine.

  Tallis wasn't ashamed of his encounter with his human, but he was still raw from having to let her go. He wasn't in the right place to endure the teasing and speculation his friends would indulge in if they knew about Jaz. What he shared with her was rare and precious, and he wanted to protect that because the memory of her is all he could have.

  ****

  Courtesy of the transit pad, Tallis's dining room was crowded with rhe'hashan in less than an hour. Hadar and Lioth had arrived from the New Havilah settlement in Washington state loaded down with crates of weapons. Kasim had transited from his apartment across town, his stern features set into more severe lines than usual.

  They clustered down one end of the beautifully carved table.

  Kasim didn't hesitate to get to the heart of the matter. "This woman, how important is she?"

  "Very." Tallis put as much finality into that one word as he could, hoping to avoid further explanation.

  His friend raised one blond eyebrow, demanding a response Tallis didn't want to give. Kasim's ice-blue eyes narrowed. "We'll risk our lives because you ask, we'll kill because it's inevitable, and we will fight with you because you're our brother. That said, it's not unreasonable to ask for clarification."

  "Kasim has a point." Hadar ran a hand through his shaggy, silvery hair. "We'll always stand with you, but I have to wonder why we're risking exposure for the sake of a human woman."

  Tallis knew they were right and their questions were justified. They would help him, whether he disclosed his feelings for Jaz or not. And that kind of loyalty should be rewarded with the truth.

  "Jasmine works for a charity that helps sick human cubs. Some of them wanted to meet a Jendari, so when she came to the tower looking for help, I found myself being volunteered for the job."

  Lioth grunted. "Borini."

  "Yes." They all had firsthand experience being "volunteered" by their leader. "I went to the hospital to see the cubs last Saturday. We kept the mission dark, only Borini and I knew about it, but somehow word must have got out. I was shot."

  "Yet there's not a whisper of that at the tower." Kasim stared at Tallis, searching for the goddess knew what. "You didn't go to the healers."

  "No. If it got out that Borini sanctioned an unauthorized Jendari-human meeting…"

  "He'd be fucked," Deasun said. "And so would Tallis."

  Lioth acknowledged the truth of that sentiment with a nod. "So what happened?"

  "I was in a bit of a mess." Tallis winced at the understatement. "I had to get Jaz to drive me home and help me inside. Then I had to phase to start the healing process."

  There was a moment of shocked silence. Then Hadar raised himself from his seat and loomed over the table. "You phased in front of a human?"

  "Yes."

  "Badria save me." Hadar's voice rose with every word, his amethyst eyes darkening to purple. "Are you completely out of your fucking mind?"

  Tallis glared up at him. "I did what had to be done. And I trust Jaz."

  "With the fate of our entire nation? With the life of every man, woman, and child in the clans?"

  "Yes." And he did. Both man and cat trusted her with the secret that could ruin them all. He looked up at Hadar, so fierce and angry. Tallis turned away, only to be confronted by the shock and disapproval on the faces of Lioth and Kasim.

  He understood their fears. If the positions had been reversed he would have felt the same. Just as angry, just as outraged. But his friends didn't know Jaz. They didn't understand what a powerful bond she and Tallis had formed.

  Bracing himself for another round of accusation and recrimination, he made the most damning confession of all. "During the time Jaz stayed with me, she shared my bed."

  Now it was Lioth who lurched to his feet. "You fucked her? Do you have a death wish? If the Elders ever find out—"

  "Hold." Kasim held his hand up for silence, then he gestured for Lioth and Hadar to resume their seats. Kasim turned to address Tallis, his face cool and impassive. "How involved are you with this woman?"

  "I haven't seen her or spoken to her for a week. Not since she left my home." And his bed. Tallis dropped his emotional shields and met Kasim's gaze, allowing his friend to read the depth and complexity of his feelings for Jaz. "And in that six-day absence there hasn't been a moment when I have not thought of her or longed to have her by my side. I chose to shut her out of my life to protect her and the clans, but I can't shut her out of my heart." And may the Goddess save him, it wasn't as though he hadn't tried.

  Kasim remained as still as the ice fields on which he was born, silently considering Tallis's revelations. Hadar was the fiercest warrior in their group, all movement and action, taking the lead in battle more often than not. But it was Kasim who carried the emotional authority in the group. If he threw his support behind Tallis, Hadar and Lioth would follow. And Deasun was already on Tallis's side.

  "I can see how much you care for this human," Kasim said. "I respect your position and I will support you in any way I can. But to do that effectively, you need to tell us how much she knows."

  Tallis squeezed his eyes shut and took a long breath. When he opened them again he had the attention of every male at the table. "She knows I have some healing skill and she's seen me phase. I told her a little about our Goddess, and the very basics about the rhe'hashan. She's heard my song and knows about my gifts." Tallis caught Hadar's gaze and winced. "She's also met Itohan."

  Hadar snorted a laugh, shaking his head in mock sympathy. "You don't do anything by halves, do you my brother? That me'hendra of yours is a menace."

  "Yes he is." There was no point denying it. All of his friends had been claimed by me'hendra of their own, but Itohan seemed to be the most troublesome of the kindred.

  Well aware that the clock was ticking, Tallis turned their conversation back to Jaz. "I don't regret telling her anything. Some of the revelations were dr
iven by circumstance, but others were by choice. I'd do exactly the same thing if I had my time over."

  Deasun leaned forward, his copper-colored eyes sure and steady. "You trust her, and that's enough for me to trust her as well. I don't think it's a bad thing that she knows some of our secrets, as it will lend our rescue attempt a degree of legitimacy." Leaning back he folded his arms across his broad chest. "If she has privileged information, we can't leave her in enemy hands. Even the separatists couldn't argue with that."

  "Let's hope they never have to," Hadar said. "It's safer for everyone if we stay dark on this mission."

  "So we're a go?" Tallis asked.

  Hadar gave him a dirty look. "We wouldn't have come if we weren't committed to the mission."

  Hand on his heart, Tallis offered his brother a half bow. "Your willingness was never in question, and I'm so grateful that you all came when I called."

  "Always." Lioth cocked his head a little. "So what's the plan?"

  Tallis gave him a quick nod. "Here's what I'm thinking…"

  Chapter Thirteen

  "We need to find Jaz before the official meet," Tallis said. "If we wait until three o'clock tomorrow, they'll have those coordinates sewn up so tight I'll never get out alive."

  "And they'll have it wired for surveillance." Deasun pushed his mid-brown hair off his face. "If I was them I'd film everything, edit it to look the way I want, and then release it to the media."

  Kasim gave a sly grin. "Except for the part where they kill Tallis."

  "Yes." Deasun shrugged. "Though I suspect they'll keep that footage for movie nights with the faithful."

  Tallis didn't bat an eye. "They're not going to kill me, because we'll have Jaz back in our possession before sunrise."

  "How?" Lioth asked.

  "I'm going to try to track her."

  "You won't be able to do it by smell." Hadar's nose wrinkled in distaste. "The city is so putrid her scent would be lost the moment she stepped outside."