by Dannika Dark
“I’m collecting my favor.”
Viktor’s head jerked back in surprise. He threaded his fingers through his hair and then stroked his beard. “Continue.”
“What we discussed earlier? I’m okay with it, and I’m not about to beat a dead horse. I’m in need of some basic training to sharpen my skills, and it’s not something I can do on my own.”
When he shook his head, a long section of his hair fell over his face. “I cannot. It’s too much—”
“Only for a week,” I insisted. “That’s all I’m asking for. One week. This is probably the easiest favor you could hope for, all things considered. You don’t know what I might have asked you for down the road. Give me seven days, and then you can scrub my memory.”
Viktor raised his drink and grimaced after polishing it off. He was dressed in a knit sweater jacket with large buttons up the front. It was loose with a wide collar, and the sleeves were pushed up to his elbows. The laid-back style suited him—like a distinguished gentleman you might find sitting before a fire and drinking a glass of brandy while reading Dickens. Despite his silver-and-dark-grey hair, Viktor wasn’t old. He looked like a robust man in his late forties or early fifties who’d lived a hard life, but that was how Shifters aged.
“I cannot send a trainer into the city. You realize the dangers,” he said.
“That’s not a problem. I’ll splurge on a cab. I also have no aversion to walking, especially when the weather is nice. The same training as before, except I’d like to set the hours without condition. I’ve only got seven days, so I need to make every second count. Do we have a deal?”
A chuckle settled in his chest. “You strike a hard bargain. My only concern is whether or not I am training my future foe.”
“You can’t pick and choose the favor I ask. You’re in my debt. Are you rescinding your offer?”
Viktor waved his hand. “Nyet. I do not have a crystal ball, but apparently I have brass ones to do this kind of favor. I accept.” He leaned forward and shook his finger. “There will be no extensions. When the session ends, you must leave the property. I do not wish for you to speak to others in the house or make yourself comfortable. If you don’t show up, you will not gain back that day. It is lost. If my trainers are busy with other matters, you also lose that day.”
“But that’s not right.”
“Let me finish. Don’t be so dramatic.” Viktor tried to drink from his empty glass and then just licked the rim. “Unless there is no alternative, I will make sure they are available to you.”
This turned out to be easier than I thought it would. “By the way, Niko’s on the roof. He wants you to call him down when you’re ready to leave.”
Viktor knitted his brows. “That is unlike him not to join us.”
I tapped my palms on the table and decided I better make my exit before he changed his mind. “Well, I don’t want to take up your time. Tell everyone I’ll be coming by in the morning so they know to buzz me in.”
In my periphery, I spotted Christian entering the game room.
Hmm, maybe I’ll hang out for a few minutes longer, I thought. I was curious to see his reaction when he found out he wasn’t rid of me just yet.
I slinked across the room to the bar and sat on the stool, turning so I could watch over my left shoulder.
Christian strolled up to the table when Viktor crooked a finger at him.
“Hope he isn’t with you,” someone said.
A guy crossed my line of vision and sat in the chair next to me so that we were facing each other. He let out a pulse of energy to signal he was a Mage. I flared back to show interest. Why not? He looked like a movie star with his hair spiked in different directions, a smooth shave, sparkling hazel eyes, and a thin leather jacket.
He did that sexy thing men sometimes do where they trace their thumb across their bottom lip. “I know this sounds cliché, but I happen to come here a lot, and I haven’t seen you before. I’d definitely remember those eyes. Did you just move here?”
Viktor was deep in conversation, but Christian had his head tilted in a peculiar manner, his gaze darting off to the side instead of looking at Viktor.
I swung my eyes back to the man. “I’m local; this is just my first time in here.”
“Are you independent from your Creator?”
“That’s an affirmative,” I said, wishing he’d offer to buy me a beer.
“What’s your name? I’m Kiernan.”
“Raven.”
He reached out and lifted the ends of my hair. “Now that’s a fitting name. You have pretty eyes, Raven. I’m sure you catch hell for it in most places, but that’s what makes you stand out. You caught my attention.”
Kiernan let go and lifted two fingers at the bartender. Two longnecks appeared, frosty vapor coming from the freshly popped lids.
I guzzled down a few swallows and felt my cheeks flush from the unexpected compliment.
He leaned in, his voice smooth and sexy. “Careful now, I’m smitten about a girl who blushes.”
Our bottles clinked, and he took a long sip, his eyes centered on mine.
Viktor must have broken the news, because a disgruntled look was splashed all over Christian’s face. He leaned back, his arms hanging at his sides like dead limbs.
When he locked eyes with me, I raised my bottle and drank to our weeklong friendship. Viktor continued talking, drawing Christian’s attention away.
“You’re not into those Vamps, are you?” Kiernan asked.
Christian’s head swung around, and his volcanic gaze could have set the bar on fire.
I hopped off the stool and touched Kiernan’s arm. “Not a chance. Did you know Vampires have exceptionally small penises? It’s true. All the women they sleep with are charmed into believing the sex was great.”
Kiernan rocked with laughter and stood up, encasing me in his arms. His mouth brushed against my ear, our bodies flush. “You’re my kind of girl.”
I shivered in places I didn’t know I could.
A hard tap sounded on the bar behind me as a glass knocked against the wood, and a rush of air ruffled my hair.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your friend,” Christian said in a silken voice.
I drew back from Kiernan, still feeling his body against mine. He cupped my cheek and stroked the pad of his thumb against it, and there I stood—between two men.
Christian rested his elbow on the bar so he was more in my line of view.
“This is Kiernan, and we’re busy,” I said.
Kiernan was a smart man not to look up at Christian, who could easily compel him to walk away. “Is there a problem?” he asked.
Christian squeezed his bottle until it cracked but stopped shy of breaking it. “Not yet, provided you keep your nose out of her business.”
I jerked my head around. “Maybe I like his nose in my business.”
Kiernan moved me aside to confront Christian. “I think she’s capable of making her own decisions, so I’m going to ask you one more time. Is there a problem, Vampire? Because the way I see it, your Breed needs to stick to its own kind.”
My fangs involuntarily slid out, and I quickly shut my mouth before Kiernan noticed. Unfortunately, it didn’t slip past Christian, and a look of satisfaction crossed his face.
He cocked his head to the side and gave the Mage a tight grin. “Kiernan, is it? I’d offer to buy you a drink, but it seems your mouth is full at the moment with your foot wedged in so tightly.”
“Enlighten me.”
Tension crackled, and Kiernan gave me a lingering look that made my heart accelerate.
Christian chuckled darkly. “Maybe you should ask her to smile.”
Kiernan gripped my arm lightly. “What’s he talking about?”
When I opened my mouth to answer, I forgot to retract my fangs. Kiernan’s icy stare was enough to freeze my blood, and he let go as if he’d grabbed hold of a viper.
“I should have known th
ose were contacts. You shouldn’t lie about your fucking Breed. You Vamps are nothing but filthy liars,” he said, grabbing his drink and moving away.
“Wait…” When I moved to follow him, Christian seized my wrist. “Get away from me! You’re the most insensitive man I’ve ever met.”
He stood up straight and blocked my escape. “Is that so? Because from my vantage point, I was saving you from getting mixed up with some dope in a faux-leather jacket.”
“That’s pretty high-and-mighty coming from a man who has sex with random women in a bar. I won’t even eat a hot dog served in a bar and you’re sticking yours in the first bun you see. Couldn’t satisfy her? Is that why you’re hanging around in my zip code with all this free time?”
“You’re the most stubborn, mouthy, bitter woman I’ve ever met and definitely not my type.”
I smiled warmly. “Thank God for that. I don’t want anything in common with a woman who’d lift her skirt in a back room for a man wearing a T-shirt advertising cigarettes.”
He wrapped his hand around my nape. “Do you want to know why I really sent that blundering idiot on his merry way?”
“He shaves?”
Christian leaned in close. “He didn’t once bother to ask why your lip was swollen and cut, not even when he was stroking your cheek. But that’s the first thing I noticed when you strutted across the bar. Do you want to know what kind of man flirts with a woman sporting injuries on her face?”
“Are you trying to be the hero in this situation?”
“It can hardly be helped when there’s a damsel in distress,” he said, mocking me.
“You’re not a knight in shining armor; you’re someone’s confession.”
A smile hovered on his lips, and he lowered his arm. “I can hardly disagree when the ladies are crying out for the Lord in my presence.”
I brushed an invisible piece of lint off his shirt. “You have to do whatever I say for the next seven days, and we start bright and early tomorrow morning. Be sure you get a good night’s sleep and eat your Wheaties. And why don’t you take a shower when you get home. You smell like bad sex.”
He took my hand and gently kissed my knuckles. “Have fun in your cardboard box this evening. I’ll be thinking of you while someone is savoring my hot dog with relish.”
Chapter 21
Early the next morning, I arrived at the mansion with my bag in hand. Viktor escorted me down to the gym and once again advised me against getting too comfortable. I wasn’t sure if he thought I was going to rope myself to a statue, but I knew where he was coming from.
I dropped my bag on the gym floor and glanced over at Niko, who was sitting Indian style in the center of the room. His hair was pulled back into a long, thin braid, and all he had on was a pair of black sweats.
“Come sit with me,” he said, his posture straight, his face serene. “And remove your shoes.”
After tossing my sneakers next to my bag and peeling off my socks, I crossed the room and sat down in front of him. I noticed a small hole in my charcoal leggings and wondered if it was possible for me to own an article of clothing that wasn’t stained or ripped.
He smiled. “You chose not to sit like me.”
“How did you know?” I glanced at my right leg extended out and the left tucked beneath me.
“I pay attention. There is no right or wrong in your actions; they only tell me things.”
“You should have seen my actions last night. A Mage was hitting on me until he got a good look at my fangs.”
Niko frowned. “His loss if he couldn’t see how beautiful your light is. You’re different than most, you know. I’m not sure if that’s because you’re a halfy or—”
“A halfy?” I leaned back on my left hand. “Did you just make that up?”
“Crossbreed sounds like an experiment.”
“How do you like Mampire? Or maybe a Vage?” I said with a snicker. “Crossbreed isn’t offensive; it’s what I am.”
He positioned his hands so that one was cupping the other, and I wondered if I’d interrupted his meditation. “Tell me why you embrace your Mage side more than the Vampire.”
I reached over my shoulder and scratched my back. “Um… I don’t know.”
“Yes you do.”
I waited for a beat before answering. “There’s not much to tell. My Vampire maker didn’t take me under his wing.”
There was more to the story than that. My maker deceived me—made me believe that I was special and he wanted a friend he could talk to as easily as he could with me. But he abandoned me when I needed him the most. I’d never talked about it with anyone, and I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready to. I had given up everything—the only life I’d known—and in the end, it was for nothing. Discarded, I ended up in the wrong hands, and that was the second half of my tragic tale.
“You feel betrayed,” he said. “Sorry, it’s in your color.”
“No offense, Niko, but I really don’t want this to become a therapy session. I’m taking advantage of an opportunity to improve my skills. Fighting, Mage gifts—all of it. I’ve never had anyone teach me the way they’re supposed to, so there’s a lot I don’t know.”
“Such as healing from sunlight. But that I can’t teach you without the sun.”
I grinned. “If you can’t see, why do you need sunlight to explain how the process works? Walk me through it as if we were sitting on the beach.”
“I’d rather do this together because if you inadvertently draw too much, I’ll be there to help. If you try it alone, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
I wrung my hands, crestfallen. If he didn’t at least explain the process, I might never find out how it’s done. “I’ve only got seven days. I don’t have time to wait for the weather to clear up.”
Niko inclined his head and then held out his hand, palm facing up. I placed my hand over his, watching apprehensively.
“Sunlight holds more power than anything you can imagine,” he began. “You can draw healing light from a Mage, and it requires concentration to filter it from regular light. But usually what happens is another Mage will be the one to offer it, so there is nothing you need to do on your part. See?”
I glanced down at the luminescent tendrils of blue light threading between our fingertips. A small taste of healing light entered my body, mending my cut lip.
Niko withdrew his hand. “If you had any superficial wounds, then that would be enough to heal them. It is preferable to draw healing light from the sun because it’s not addictive the way Mage light is. But you should never pull sunlight.” Niko worried his bottom lip, his eyes searching. “It’s already touching your fingertips, crawling against your skin, wanting inside. You have control when the exchange begins, but you need to filter it, creating a channel so narrow that only the smallest drop can get in. Have you ever put a strong magnet against a refrigerator?”
“Yes.”
“It snaps right to it. That’s what happens when you let the light in. It’s quick, powerful, and unstoppable. But you can slow down magnets if you know what’s coming—brace yourself, tense your muscles, concentrate, and draw back when you feel the connection happening.”
It was beginning to make sense. “So what you’re saying is to pretend like sunshine is water in a faucet and the handle is out of control—something I have to fight against to make sure only a drop gets out.”
“You got it. You’ll know the moment the channel is open; it’ll rush through you like nothing you’ve felt before. Too much will knock you out for days. Many young Learners fear the sun after their first failed attempt. Those who do it improperly can actually kill themselves.”
I put on my science hat. “But the sun is everywhere. Even when it’s hidden behind a cloud, light is all around us. Why do we have to wait for a sunny day?”
“Because it’s indirect, filtered light. It is true the energy is still there, but it’s not what a Mage requires. I can only explain what I know. We have no windows in here, so you�
�ll have to tell me if there’s a day of sunshine for us to practice with.”
“I don’t think I can even remember what the sun looks like.” I sighed glumly. “The rain and fog are suffocating.”
He rose to his feet. “Stand up.”
When I did, I balled my hands into fists. Niko was the kind of guy who liked the element of surprise—that much I’d learned about him.
His expression relaxed. “If you thought I was going to attack, you should have struck me first instead of bracing for the attack. I’m going to show you how a Mage fights, and then we’ll test what you’re capable of doing with your energy. You said you can’t flash, so perhaps no one has ever shown you how. It’s possible that your gifts are limited because you’re mixed, but that’s what we’ll focus on today.”
“I want to train with you for as long as possible.”
“And Christian?”
I snorted. “All I can say is it’s a good thing I never joined Keystone and had to partner up with him. Christian is a male slut.”
Niko lowered his head to shield his amusement. “Christian seeks comfort in the external.”
“You should have seen where he was seeking it last night. He doesn’t seem to have standards. Are women nothing more to him than a wall socket to stick his plug in? I’m not exactly sitting around waiting for Prince Charming, but you should at least have feelings for someone you share your bed with.”
Niko paced around me. “Perhaps some men lower the bar because they’re afraid to jump. I’m not to discuss personal matters about the team with you, so let’s rumble.”
Eight hours with Niko taught me two things, and one of them was that I had as much strength in my arms as Olive Oyl. He suggested that I climb escape ladders without using my legs to build up strength or find a free gym in the area and work out on their equipment. I was relying too much on cornering people in tight spaces so that I could either drain their energy or their blood.
The second thing I learned was that I could flash like a real Mage.