Sin of Fury

by Avery Duncan

  Jamie cried out, shocked, as the door gave away behind her. Her heart pounded in her chest, amazed that he had even come and even more so that Auro wasn’t there with him. His eyes were stark against his pale skin, and his lips were drawn back to reveal something that looked like...fangs. Just staring at them she grew lightheaded.

  Talon stopped moving. His eyes were glued to Lyne, emotions roiling within them before he stilled completely.

  He burst into action.

  Jamie cried out as her body slammed against the wall next to the door, thrown aside by Talon as he lunged for Lyne. The guy was so shocked that he didn’t move until the last minute, but of course it was too late.

  Talon struck him, then yanked the man inside the room. The door slammed shut behind them, stopping the actions of the men outside from getting in. Jamie was close to puking as Talon let out an inhuman roar.

  Except, a look came into Lyne’s eyes. A deadly, sinister, I-own-you-bitch look that had Jamie pressing further against the door. She felt her heart go out to him a second before the furious sound of his pain rang around the room.

  He fell to his feet, convulsing. The towel that had been partially around his hips fell as his broken body shuddered and drew in tight. “Talon!” she cried out, forgetting about Lyne and rushing to him. “Oh, god... What did you do?”

  Talon’s back was a bright red, his skin moving like snakes were under his dermal layer. The tightness of his muscles and the fact that his flinch from her touch almost moved him across the room was a testament to how much pain he was in. “Lyne,” she panted, going to him again. Sweat was starting to form on him, beading and falling almost like rain. He was deathly silent. Her heart stopped.

  She took a look at Lyne, hate roiling through her. Jamie was weak compared to him, she had heard so enough, had even seen it. But that didn’t stop the fist she swung at his face from connecting and shoving him into the wall. “Bit —” His ragged snarl was cut off as his head slammed against the door.

  A crack resounded around the room.

  He fell to the floor — and stayed there.

  Jamie didn’t give herself time to marvel over his defeat. He could have easily broken her arm. But the fear for Talon and the adrenaline running through her was enough to set her mind and body racing. Jamie returned to Talon, listening to his horrible moans of pain.

  “Jamie —” He coughed, drops of blood accenting his pained voice.

  “Oh...Talon... Goddamnit, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, trying to find a way to sooth him. What ever Lyne had done had put him through such a pain that he couldn’t even move from her. She grabbed the towel from the ground, pressing it to his neck, and then sliding it down his back.

  She pulled the thing back and it was damp. From him. Her heart stilled and then went into overdrive as his eyes started to close. “Talon, what did he do? Tell me, I can — I can hel — Please, just tell me...”

  He heard the sound of her voice. She was pleading with him, and she sounded like she felt the same pain he did. Talon cracked open an eye, getting a good enough look at her before it closed again. Her pale blue eyes had been like crystals, he thought, gasping at another round of pain.

  The fucking collar around his neck was tightening, sending jolts of black shit into his system. He could already feel it settling in, burrowing in to deal out the worst part of the experiment. Pain had cleared his mind, and now he wondered what had even happened to make him want to...want to...kill her.

  He balked, a roar springing from his chest. Jamie flinched back, the dull warmth of her hand leaving his skin for only a second before returning, moving frantically. Her hands hit the outside of his collar, and he felt a surge of hope before they left again.

  The thing was not only invisible, it was untouchable if you didn’t know it was there. Auro and Lyne were smart bastards. “Jamie,” he said raggedly, ignoring everything but her. If he could look at her, see her and feel her, maybe...

  “Talon?” she asked, scrambling around to face him in the front. Her voice was laced with panic, fear, the devastation showing clearly on her face. Something abnormal happened within him as he realized this.

  “You feel...bad,” he choked, hands moving of their own accord to wrap around the collar on his neck. It was activated, and wouldn’t shock him now that he was touching it. The scene was all too unreal for him.

  The woman in front of him, Lyne in the corner, seemingly passed out.

  “I feel...Fuck, I don’t know what I feel. I just know that we need to...we need to leave...okay?” she whispered, the tears in her voice showing in her eyes. She was wavering in and out of his vision, like an ethereal dark angel.

  Her hand came up to cradle his straining face. His jaw was locked tight, hoping that it would lessen how much everything ached. He pulled at the collar, a thought coming to him. Maybe...if she looked and realized...His heart did weird things in his chest as she looked at what his hands were doing. They were formed like they were holding a rod, making a doughnut hole out of his fingers. As he pulled, the pain in his eyes increased, yet his hands moved as if...something were there.

  Jamie touched his hands lightly, getting him to move. Something was there. Something that was giving him pain. Would it hurt her to touch it? Jamie realized she didn’t give a fuck and took a breath, latching onto whatever was there with a firm grip.

  How had she not noticed this? The minute her hands touched his neck — they had done that more than once, so why now? — the thing began to appear before her face. It was like metal, yet a leather material that was cold to the touch.

  It was so cold, she realized, that it was burning her hand. She cried out, jerking back. The thing in all its glory came into her view, and so did the marks around his neck. Talon cried out, and his large body shuddered as she pulled away.

  “Took it...away,” he gasped out, black eyes latching onto hers. “Took...the pain...away.”

  Chapter 9

  Talon’s body was immersed in flames. It was brighter, higher, than it had ever been before. Remnants of power from their passionate scene dwindled quickly, and he could only grasp for sanity as every bit of strength left his body.

  Flames seemed to surround him, holding him still with pain and the promise of hell. Soft hands... His face, covered, almost drenched with the heat-filled droplets that held pain, twisted with a grimace as he struggled to turn to the caressing hand.

  The touch robbed him of his breath. The pain, intense and burning, ceased. An angel... His mind reeled at the thought. What was an angel, so innocent and pure and bright, doing with him? He was the carrier of the devil, blackness filled his heart, his very soul — was God taking mercy on him, something that he had been robbed of for what seemed like an eternity?

  “Talon...” Her voice was like bells. Magical. Ethereal. Enchanting. He sought the for the woman who held the power of such a pure and angelic voice, but the pain that shot through him held him immobile. He jerked, panic causing his face to tighten even worse as his body started to convulse.

  “Please, you need to get up. I’ll help you, but please... Talon, get up.” Why was she so angry? he thought brokenly, desperation tinting his expression. What had he done to make her so furious with him? He flinched away from her mentally, fearful that she would strike him. He wished he could see her face... why couldn’t he?

  His hands fisted, fury replacing the panic that held him so obsessed with him. He could not even see her. Was he not good enough to be graced the view of an angel? He roared, wrapping his hands around his neck. “Let me go,” he shouted, no longer possessed with thoughts of her innocence. If she wished to hide from him, then so be it. But it would not be without a fight — he would find the angel, and she would be his.

  His roar had Jamie jerking back. The man’s muscles...they bulged. Her eyes widened as his body surged in her direction, territorial rage covering her face even though his eyes were closed. The pain that he expressed killed her, yet the fear that she felt as his hand came close
r to her erased any sympathy that she might have felt — or at least most of it.

  She retreated somewhat. His face was contorted, rough growls slipping past his tense lips. His hand, clawed and reached, came dangerously close to her thigh. She swallowed, trying to put aside her fear. He had only tried to kill her, she thought, staring at him. Just a minute ago he had been ready to tear her apart, but that didn’t mean anything...did it? Jamie shuddered, then slowly reached out her hand, placing it over his.

  At the delicate, fearful touch, Talon froze. She stared at him hard as his face changed, became impossibly soft. Jamie started to frown, inching closer to him, relaxing only minimally. She almost peed herself when his other hand came down on top of hers. Slowly, oh-so slowly, it trailed up her arm until it got to the inside of her elbow. Her heart pounded in her chest, mind reeling.

  The fear seemed to have left her. Something about his touch... Her heart went out to him. Whatever had been happening earlier had alarmed her, but surely there was another reason other than his hate for her to have caused it...

  His fingers, as light as feathers and as worshipping as a priest, slid up to her shoulder and then...farther. Jamie was helpless to lean into his touch as his hand came to her hair. He threaded his large hand into the thick mass and something came from his chest. She was shocked when she realized it was a....purr. A smile lifted her lips, a blush tinting her cheeks as he continued to touch her hair, moving his hand and rubbing her hair between his fingers. The soft tug was lulling, almost as good as it would have been had he been talking with that deep, tantalizing voice of his.

  Her body shuddered as she brought herself closer to him, so distracted by his touch that she didn’t notice the man getting unsteadily to his feet behind her. Her mind was calm, guard down. She didn’t see Talon’s eyes flip open, nor did she see Lyne raise his claw-tipped fingers, murder in his furious eyes as he stood above her.

  Everything happened so fast, Jamie didn’t realize that Talon had stopped touching her and was now on his feet. hands around Lyne’s neck. A pained roar shot through the room, and she realized it was the collar. Reality snapped back into place quickly, horrifyingly. Jamie jumped to her feet and went to the collar, not worried about Lyne, but the collar itself. It was bringing Talon pain, and as she realized this was their chance to escape, her mind snapped to only one train of thought:

  Help Talon. Take the collar. Kill Lyne.

  Pain engulfed her, hands almost sizzling as they latched onto the collar. Talon cried out, his hold loosening on Lyne. Jamie whimpered with him, watching as Lyne’s hand came around to grab onto her hair. At that moment, her hands grasped the collar and she yanked.

  Lyne screamed with fury. Talon snarled with triumph. Jamie screamed as pain flashed through her. The collar burned her hands, now detached from Talon’s throat. If it had been so easy, why hadn’t he done it himself... She didn’t finish her thought as her scream resounded from her throat. It was so glaringly hot against her skin it seemed to blaze, her pain filling the room with a bright, illuminating light.

  And then Lyne yanked. The collar fell from her hands, so tightly clenched that they couldn’t have let go of the torture device, and Jamie was pulled to him. She let out an agonized cry, curling her hands and following him, helpless with his hold on her hair.

  She tried to meet Talon’s eyes, tried to plead with him. “Talon, please...”

  “Cease your talking, woman!” Lyne screeched, his hand fisting in her hair.

  Talon was deathly silent. She couldn’t see his face; tears were blurring her vision and she could barely speak with all of the torment that was wracking her body and hands. Nothing could have lessened it, she thought, and nothing could match it.

  She let out a whimper, believing that Talon would leave her with him.

  “You have ruined everything! I cannot control him anymore,” he shouted in her ear, the agonizing anger showing like a lighthouse in his voice. She flinched, fear flashing through her like a heated wave.

  He was still so quiet... Jamie went limp, giving up. There was no use trying, she thought, eyes welling with tears as Lyne took another painful moment to pull on her hair. The sharp sting almost had her crying out, but she refused.

  Talon let out a growl. Lyne froze, grip loosening.

  Jamie shivered at his next words. “You never could.”

  And then he attacked.

  The solid metallic door slid closed with a soft whir. Lights dimmed considerable, and the dark interior of the room was everything that she admired. Her eyes adjusted and she stepped into the room, putting her purse on the counter next to the door.

  It was steel, clean and slick in the light. The soft lights above dimmed even more, almost turning black. She didn’t mind, and set about tidying up. A visitor of hers would be showing up soon and she didn’t want to have bad representation.

  Man, her day had been hard. First, it got leaked that their subject had gotten taken, along with the key to it all. Whoever had done that had made a very bad mistake. She had worked so hard to keep it quiet that the mission had been a slip-up without Lucian knowing, and now that he knew... Her hands clenched around the bra that she was holding. Now, he would suspect. He might not have said anything about it, or even told them to be on the look out, but she knew he was going to be keeping an eye on them all.

  How was she going to get her job over with if he were watching her every movement? Seducing him years ago had been no problem, but his attraction for her had worn off. It still enraged her, after all of these years. Why couldn’t he want her? She was beautiful, she was young, she had a body to die for... She snarled.

  The man only wanted money. Years of studying him, working with him, had revealed his mind set. It was all about the money and always would be. He didn’t let himself get attached, and seemed to use his goal to push others away.

  She moved to the bathroom, putting her collection of dirty clothes in the hamper. It was habit, she knew. She had no real reason for cleaning. It was easier to will the clothing away, to just replacing them with a thought. It calmed her, though. Things were meant to be clean, orderly.

  It had been drilled into her as a child, and she wasn’t strong enough to break free of its hold.

  There was a knock on the door, and she stood up straight. She straightened her hair up while opening the door for her visitor. It closed behind him the minute her visitor entered, and she walked into the room. Her suit was still on, the enforcer badge placed regally on her impressive chest. She threw her shoulders back as she met his eyes, cocking her hip.

  “My love,” she purred, coming forward. Her hand settled on his chest with soft grace as she pressed against him. “How are you feeling this evening? Want something to drink?”

  She wagged her eyebrows at him, her darkening eyes gazing up at him suggestively. He just shook his head, pushing her away. Lucian had the darkest hair she had ever seen. It wasn’t just black, but more. His eyes were bright, though. Silvery when intense, glittering when angry, those eyes were the only thing she saw at night. If she let herself, she could get lost in them.

  “Devlin,” he said curtly, shrugging out of his jacket. Power radiated from him as he strode farther into her quarters. She had a house on the outskirts of town, but it was barely used. She preferred to be close to work, and Lucian had funded the making of these quarters for his workers. Unless married, you were required to stay here.

  Lucian made it clear that everyone was vital, and wanted them to be there right when he needed them.

  It had taken a while, but after he had sent Levi away, Devlin had convinced him to meet her at her quarters. It had been a simple request, but the suspicion in them had been a revelation. He wasn’t going to give into her as he had so easily years before.

  A smile curled her lips, the challenge he proposed making her smile. He wanted to be distant? Fine. She would just have to get closer.

  She saddled up against him and drew him to the couch. “I can get you something to drin
k,” she said, smiling with her teeth. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, pushing at his shoulder, and then moving to the attached kitchen. Devlin bit her lip, almost going to the cupboard to get the pills they had given her. Except, that wouldn’t do, would it? He would know.

  She filled the cup with tap water, disappointment washing through her. The things he found out always ruined her fun. Like that one time, with the coffee beans...

  Lucian took a sip of the water, then set it down on the table next to the plain black couch. The room wasn’t lavish in the least. Lights were dim, the mood was calm, and he looked nice and yummy in those jeans that encased his long legs... Devlin smiled a Cheshire cat’s smile, sitting next to him.

  “What did you want to talk about?” he asked, leaning back into the chair. The deepness of his voice had her shivering.

  Devlin put her hand on his thigh, slowly rubbing. “Who said I wanted to talk?”

  He gave her a hard stare. “I’m really not in the mood for that. I’ve told you enough — and after today I really thought you would drop it.” Lucian started to rise.

  She grasped his arm, pulling him down. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” she said, voice thick with sincerity. She looked up at him with wide eyes, begging him not to leave.

  He sat again, folding his arms over his chest and letting his head fall back. She stared at him, watching the long lashes fall against his cheeks, watching his thick neck move as he tensed and released a breath. Something funny happened in her chest, but she forced herself to ignore it.

  “I have some information,” she said, standing and going over to her dresser. He looked at her through one eye, aware and dark. She ignored it.

  Large and thick, the dresser made a soft scratching sound as she pulled it open. Inside, there were cases of weapons, knives, and throwing stars. She didn’t use them anymore, the age of them had passed long ago. A smile curled her lip as she returned to him with the thick manila envelope. They were still her favorite, though.