Talon didn’t move or speak, letting her work through her temper. The longer she stomped around, mumbling obscenities and giving him directions for sexual positions he didn’t think were physically possible to execute, the more those little flashes of color broke through her control. He wanted to know just what it would take for her to completely lose control. When her tirade appeared to be winding down, he posed another question.
“What did you have planned as…punishment…when I failed to follow your orders?”
That brought her to a complete stop. Man, how he wished he could see her expression.
“Wha…punish…I don’t…?” She huffed and flopped down on the floor near where he sat. “You obviously misunderstood what I’m offering. One—my orders, as you call them, will be to build your strength, agility, and endurance. Right now you’re too shaky to do more than feed yourself. Two—if you do decide not to follow these instructions, you better have a damn good reason. If that reason is bullshit then you’ll end up running additional miles or working extra training routines. Three—I don’t waste my time giving frivolous instructions just for giggles and grins. Each and every step in the process has a purpose, whether you see it or not. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’m damn good at what I do.”
“Fair enough,” Talon agreed. Nothing she said raised any warning flags. She actually made good sense, but he’d never tell her so. “So all we need to do is come up with a suitable…incentive…for when you slip up and turn the air blue?”
“My language doesn’t bother me so why should I change it?”
“Alcohol soothes me, but you made me give it up. We’ll make this easy for you. Every time your mouth opens on an obscenity you have to kiss me.”
“Are you out of your fuckin’ mind?” She bellowed, jerking to her feet. “I’m not going to kiss you!”
“Of course, if you’re not up to the challenge I’m sure we can think of something less…feminine. Yes, that’s what we need to do. Since I’ve had considerable practice with the ladies of the evening it would probably be disappointing.”
Talon fought the grin twitching his lips while watching Shadow stomp around the small room. She was in one hellava snit and those tiny little sparks of color continued to escape her control.
“Fine. I’ll kiss you if I say something offensive. Happy now?”
He kept his thoughts to himself. If he said the wrong thing she could back out of the deal. Better to let her absorb the changes at her own pace.
“This deal begins when we start your training right?”
“We can start whenever you like. Waiting will give me time to enjoy a cold bottle of ale or two.” He could almost hear the trap slam shut in her brain. She just realized his game and was furious at being manipulated.
“You sneaky bastard. Fine, I’ll clean up my language but you have to do the same.” She turned on her heel and stormed out of the cabin.
* * * *
Shit! Shit! Shit! How in the hell did I lose control of that situation? It didn’t take a seer to answer that question. It happened while he was drying out. The puking and shakes she expected; even the nightmares and hallucinations. She lost her professional edge when he started crying. Deep, gut-wrenching wails told of pain so shattering that a lesser man would have ended his own life. Somehow, she knew losing his sight didn’t cause all that pain. For two days she lay beside him, holding him while he purged his soul. It was the only solace she could offer but now she felt out of sync and struggling with a strange sense of guilt for forcing him to confront those demons.
That’s not all you feel guilty about, girl. You can’t un-ring that bell. Talon may have let his skills deteriorate but his body was still impressive. Long and lean and well-muscled, his physical condition was better than she thought possible given his lifestyle. She saw traces of notable abs. The v-shaped muscles that bracketed those abs and pointed to his manhood begged a woman to trace their path with fingertips or tongue.
The memory of his body holding hers was part of her current problem. Becoming involved was a bad, bad, bad idea. He had no memories of what transpired during his detox so keeping things on a professional level was strictly up to her. She didn’t want the inevitable messy emotions of an affair. Her life was just the way she wanted. She went where she pleased whenever she got the urge to roam. Yep, her freedom was much more important than a sarcastic drunk with a body to die for. And now I have to kiss him if I cuss. I should just cut my tongue out right now and save myself the humiliation of trying to compete with prostitutes.
You can’t stay out here all night. There are too many plans to finalize and if you keep brushing these horses they’re going to be bald. Just go inside, ignore how he looks, ramp up your shields and be very grateful he can’t see you checking out his man parts. And whatever you do don’t give him any reason to remember he had sex with you!
Chapter Six
Talon grinned when Shadow walked back into the small cabin. She was in full blue mode.
“That shit-eatin’ grin tells me you still think this asinine plan of yours is necessary?”
He had to give her credit for sheer stubbornness. Her reaction to his counteroffer made him look forward to tomorrow. The next few weeks should be interesting.
“Only if you intend to keep me sober. I guess that makes this your plan, not mine.”
“Will you get your ass off the floor? You look like a damn idiot sitting there half-dressed. We have a lot to cover and I’d like to get started at first light.”
“Hmm, that’s shit, ass, and damn…do they earn me three kisses or have we not initiated the terms of our contract? I only ask because I’m quite comfortable down here but if I’m disobeying an order by….”
“Shut up! Stand up! Sit down! Don’t raise that eyebrow at me. You know damn good and well I pointed to the chair. You are seriously pissin’ me the fuck off!”
He didn’t know she was pointing to a chair. All he saw was an outstretched arm but he didn’t think it would be wise to mention that. He liked keeping her flustered. “Guess that means the contract hasn’t started; therefore, your command is my wish.” He pushed himself off the floor and walked toward where she pointed. The slightly different angle allowed him to see the fire pit and the void created in the heat image or he would have to stumble around until he found it.
“This so-called contract starts when we reach the training site but you can’t start drinking again. There’s fresh water in the mug six inches to the left of your right hand.”
Years of practice taught him to move slowly and deliberately when reaching for something with no heat image. Very few people could accurately judge distance and more often than not, he ended up being the butt of a morbid game of let’s fuck with the blind guy. There was a lot of wasted ale before he learned that lesson.
“Thanks,” he mumbled before swallowing half the cool liquid. “A chance at delivering justice to Draagon and his Phantom Riders is more important that a drink.” Damn. Did I just say that? “So, what now?”
“We’ll get to that in a minute. If I ask a personal question will you answer?”
“Depends on what you consider personal.” He leaned back in the chair trying to quell the shiver of unease crawling up his spine.
“Kierin explained how your implants work but I’d like to know a little more before we get this started. We’ll be isolated during the training and I need specifics so I don’t end up doing more damage.”
“There’s nothing more to tell. I can only see body heat.” He wasn’t entirely comfortable with her questions. How could he explain what he didn’t understand himself? Kierin knew more than he did. Hell, Shadow probably knew more about his condition than he did. If he were honest, he’d admit he didn’t care enough to learn more. It was easier to drown the resentment and self-loathing in strong alcohol than to contemplate a new lifestyle.
“Yeah, I get that; but, what else do you see? Shadows? Fuzzy edges? I’ve used night-vision goggles on several
occasions and it was like walking around in the dark. I could make out trees, buildings, vehicles. They were shadowy but distinct. What limits do I need to compensate for when we start training?”
“Guess your goggles aren’t powered by crystals. I see nothing beyond the heat image. It’s just flat, endless darkness. If I had a special woman in my life she’d be constantly disappointed and hurt because I couldn’t tell her how pretty she is or how nice her new dress looks on her. The hurt I would see because emotions change your body heat and there would be nothing I could do about it.” He didn’t even try to mask his bitterness. Did she have any idea of what talking about his condition did to him? He worked hard to keep that segment of his life buried deep beneath a mental scar.
“I watched you in Cypriana. You picked up dice and coins and god knows you found every full glass placed in front of you.”
“It’s a trick I learned the hard way. I have to watch the people. Say I order a cold ale. When the bartender puts it on the bar I see his arm extend in my direction so I assume he’s serving my drink. He could just as easily be holding a gun at my chest or getting ready to shove a knife between my ribs.” Hell, he might as well tell her everything. It’s not like he could hide his limitations.
“You mentioned earlier that you pointed to this chair, remember?” Talon waited for her to verbally acknowledge his question. If this was going to work she had to realize nods and shakes and small gestures were useless.
“Yeah. So?”
“So… your arm made a wide sweep. You could have been pointing at the fire pit or tossing the dregs of your beverage into the fire. This plan you and Dak have cooked up won’t work unless you can verbalize your instructions down to the most precise details. My sense of direction and distance is uncommonly accurate but the rest is up to you.”
“Well, hell.” She huffed. “That puts a whole new face on this operation. May take longer than originally planned.” Her fingertips beat a rapid tattoo against the table.
“Does that mean you’re giving up?” Shit! I sound like a panicked schoolgirl.
“What? Oh, hell no! I’m just thinking out loud. Sorry, asshole, but you’re stuck with me to the bitter end. Just one thing…I don’t own a dress so you don’t have to worry about hurting my tender little feelings.”
Talon couldn’t stop the bark of laughter at her singsong comeback. He refused to examine the surge of relief zipping through his system. He wasn’t interested in learning anything from Shadow. It was his determination to see her lose control over her aura that caused his heart rate to jump. Right. If he repeated that often enough he might actually start believing it.
“Where is this training area of yours?”
“I was going to start right here, but in light of the past few minutes, I think we need something more open…isolated. Looks like we may be stuck here while I locate something better.”
“What are you looking for?” He was not looking forward to spending more time on that lumpy cot. Nightmares seeped into fabric just waiting for the chance to attack again.
“Isolated with assorted types of terrain. Draagon won’t just plop down in a comfy chair and wait for you to reach him. Good water and a steady food source. Shelter from the elements. I also need a large flat area free of any underbrush—hard-packed clay would be ideal but I can work with close-cropped grasses as long as there are no large rocks.”
Talon couldn’t believe what her words created in his head. He hadn’t thought about there in more than twenty years. Did he dare return? Everything she wanted in a training area was there and he knew for a fact that nothing but the creatures placed there by the gods countless millennia past still breathed the air there.
“I know a place,” he whispered. Despite all his grumbling and complaining; despite the horrific nightmares of drying out; despite all his protests he wanted the chance at the life Shadow offered. Gods help him if her plan failed.
“Great. Where”
“We’re gonna need a boat.”
Chapter Seven
Talon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. When he told Shadow they would need a boat, she assumed he was talking about the seaport at Cypriana. They were currently waiting for the seventh—and final—space transport to dock on Karphor. From here, they would sail for three or four days, depending on the weather, before docking at their final destination.
He had to give her credit. Not one single obscenity had passed her lips since they packed up and left that cabin in the woods ten days ago. Her constant grumbling and mumbling kept him entertained. The inventive intelligence and creative imagination she kept hidden under her swagger gave birth to some hilarious substitutions for the more colorful words in her vocabulary. Just this morning she called him a sweet ol’ bill. It didn’t take too many brain cells to conclude that was code for S.O.B.
“Did you say something, sweetness?” He whispered against her ear, grinning when those little sparks of color flashed around her head.
“I told you to stop using those…endearments. You’re just doing it to make me angry so I’ll break our deal. Not going to happen, matted fish balls. I’m talking to myself so you can take your sorry ass-istance back to your own side of the aisle and leave me alone.”
He didn’t even try to hold the laughter back. “You almost said a bad word, Blue. I’ll leave you to your one-sided conversation but…my hearing is much better than normal, remember? Just one of the compensations for being blind as a bat.”
“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” She grumbled in his general direction. “Laughter will be the last thing on your mind when the training starts. What’s the name of this place again?” She grabbed her bag from the storage bin above her head, preparing for landing.
“Ta’Londal-Ar.” Just saying the name of his home brought a sharp stab of pain to his heart. He hadn’t been back since he was a young boy of twelve summers.
His mind carried him home. The steep hills, rising from the ocean like giant guardians, stood watch over the island. Lush fields of golden grain danced with the ever-present breeze. Endless forests sheltered game—both four-legged and winged—and provided materials for homes. The beauty and bounty of nature provided sustenance and serenity to the three hundred families who lived there. They were a peaceful tribe devoted to art and music and learning. They weren’t prepared for Draagon and his evil.
Talon shut down the memories. It was hard enough making this trip without reliving the nightmare of his youth. He shouldered his gear and followed Shadow’s distinctive blue outline off the transport.
* * * *
“I’m going to kill that miserable excuse of manhood.” Shadow ground out between clenched teeth. For three of the four days aboard this heaving, rocking instrument of torture, a storm tried its best to kill them. Talon promised her they would reach the island by dinnertime. The disgusting aroma of greasy, fried fish meant two things. One—it was approaching that time; and two—if she had anything left in her stomach she’d be hanging over the rail—again. Just the thought of food had her gagging.
The man responsible for her misery stood in the bow of the boat. What did he see when he stared into the rain? There was nothing to give off body heat so what drew him to spend hours in the same spot?
“Land! Dead ahead!” The shout came from the captain.
Shadow never thought to hear anything so sweet in her life. The captain and his crew tried to make the voyage as pleasant as possible but it was a fishing boat not a cruise ship.
“Come on, Blue. By the time we get packed and back on deck you’ll see the dock.”
Shit! How did he move so fast and quiet on a wet, tilting surface?
“Thank the gods. Maybe by the time our contract is complete I’ll be willing to get back on another boat, but I make no promises.” It took all her strength to haul herself along the safety line to the ladder leading below deck. Talon walked beside her without needing the tether, his knees absorbing the pitch like he’d been born and
raised on the sea.
“If you want off the island you have to take a boat. It’s a large island but there’s no landing strip and there’s never been a motorized vehicle here.”
Shadow shook the water from her poncho before hanging it on the wall by the ladder. It didn’t keep her totally dry in the blowing storm but it was better than nothing. Below deck was warmer but she knew it was just a matter of minutes before her dry heaves started again.
“Let’s get packed and out of here.” She croaked, fighting the urge to gag.
“Go back topside, Blue. I’ll get our gear.” His chuckle followed him down the hall.
“Farktel bas-ket.” She mumbled, remembering at the last minute that he could probably hear if she said what she was thinking.
“Another close call, sweetness? What exactly does farktel mean?” Talon’s voice floated up the hall.
Knowing he couldn’t see what she was doing, Shadow flipped him a one-finger salute before dragging herself back up into the storm. Soaking wet beat dry heaves any day.
It took another hour before she could stumble down the gangplank onto the dock. She staggered and would have fallen into the water if Talon hadn’t grabbed her arm.
“Easy, babe. Your legs are used to the moving deck. You don’t want to tumble into the ocean while you adjust to land.”
She really hated it when she wasn’t in complete control. To show that weakness to Talon made it so much worse. Leaning on his arm, she managed to stay upright until they reached dry land.
“How far to Ta’Londal-Ar?” Sleep was impossible during the storms and combined with nothing in her stomach for days, she was as close to the end of her endurance as she’d ever been. She needed food and a flat surface. In that order. The food didn’t have to be hot and the flat surface just had to be dry.
“That’s the name of the island, princess. The main village is just over the rise. There are pockets of farms in the hills and a number of fishing shacks used to follow the tree line.”
The Men of Anderas III: Talon, the Assassin Page 4