Dawn of a Dark Knight

by Zoe Forward

  Kira laughed. “The Prime.”

  “Right. Ashor is their commander. The Prime magus. He’s seen the most and been around the longest. Well, except for Javen, but I’m still pretty sure Ashor is older than Javen. The two of them together are a fright fest. Neither says much and just looks dangerous as if at any moment they’re going to lose it. Ashor at least seems to be in control most of the time. Javen, though, has become a narky drug addict since he got pulled from active duty few months back. Now that he’s been relegated to viper patrol he stays high and mopes about like a spoiled toddler.” She made a face.

  Kira couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s viper patrol?”

  “Hashishins know we’re here and send their serpents to spy. Every night at least ten are slithering around out there. They bite us, as in us humans, and we’re toast. They bite a magus and, well, you saw Ethan. Hurts, but they get over it. I hate going out at night.”

  “That’s creepy.” Kira and Julie relaxed in a minute of compatible silence.

  Julie shifted around for a few seconds and patted her stomach. She shot an apologetic smile. “Baby’s kicking.”

  “So, magi can have children?”

  “Yeah, surprised the hell out of us all the first time when Scott came along. But as you’ll find out, the gods like to throw curve balls at us all the time. I mean, I’m thrilled that we’re blessed. Again. But I don’t know how it works for other couples. In the thirty years I’ve been with Eric, none of the other guys has found his senariai. That means destined woman.”

  “You like being married to a magus?”

  A smile played across Julie’s lips. “It’s an adventure. Each magus is matched to a woman by the gods. Their bond is the key to the magus’s longevity. It enables him to endure the evil he must fight. I guess it’s sort of like soulmates. The great part is the woman gets to live as long as he does.”

  “How long is a long time?” Kira asked.

  Julie shrugged. “No one’s really sure. Based on tales of the past, most magi who found a senariai died fighting. None died of old age. If one of the pair dies, then the other one usually follows shortly thereafter. I’ll admit, I don’t think I’d want to live long if Eric left the world. Again, I can’t express how relieved I am that you got him back to me.”

  Julie chewed a pinky nail while gazing at Kira for a few seconds. “Because I think you’re going to be around for a while, I’m going to share a few words of wisdom that could come in handy when dealing with these guys. They may be mighty fine and have fantastic skills in the bedroom. But they can be dense as bottled shite. Compromise isn’t a word in their vocabulary. It’s a rough and bumpy ride to go up against one.”

  Kira laughed. “I’m not sure Ashor wants me in his life and I’m pretty sure I’m not his see-nari-eye or whatever you want to call it. What am I saying? This absolutely doesn’t fit into my life. I have no plans to stay.”

  “I’m not sure either of you has a choice. Speak of the devil, himself.” She tilted her water bottle in the direction of the door.

  Kira turned sideways to see Ashor. His expression was indecipherable, exuding an aura of controlled violent energy.

  “Julie, if you’d leave us, please.” Ashor requested in a scissor-sharp tone that suggested he was in no mood for argument.

  “Of course.” Julie jumped up and scurried from the room.

  Kira would’ve laughed at Julie’s reaction, if Ashor didn’t have a dark, feral haze overshadowing his aura that even she found intimidating. He locked the door.

  “Are you keeping me in or others out?”

  “Privacy can be tough here.”

  As he slow trekked toward her she remembered a panther she’d seen on a study-abroad, undergrad field course in Mexico. The sedation from dart capture wore off a little too soon and the untamed beast found himself still in restraints. Not pretty. And a very bad scenario to have a wild animal loose with not a gun in sight. One wrong move and Ashor might go berserk like the panther. Deadly. Destructive. Definitely an ugly situation since she was the only living being in the vicinity.

  She tried to sense beyond the haze of aggression. He seemed to be in the midst of an arduous battle with…what? Himself? Did a daemon remnant still fight inside him?

  Within seconds, the danger he projected ramped down. His face smoothed. Apparently, he’d won whatever war had been going on in his mind. Weird. And more than a tad scary.

  She trusted him, right? She’d just told Julie she did. But why? Hormones certainly played a big part. He also got good-guy points for rescuing her. Intuition advised her to superglue herself to him, knowing the evil was out there and he wouldn’t let them get her. But at the moment, between the dark shadow lurking beneath his beautiful veneer and his current scrutiny, which held a distinct calculated speculation to it, certainty on the trust thing wavered.

  “We need to talk,” Ashor said quietly.

  “About what?” Kira asked in a strong voice, refusing to show fear. Now would come the part about keeping her as a live-in doctor. She forced even breaths to mask her anxiety.

  “What you are.”

  “What does that mean? What do you think I am?” Yep, here it came.

  “With your healing gift, don’t you know?”

  “No.” Adrenaline dumped in her body. Years of avoiding this exact situation had her scanning for an exit. The second story windows were too high to flee from safely. Trapped.

  Do not lose it now, she ordered herself.

  He controlled every movement of his colossal body with grace as he sat on the couch across from her. His legs fell wide. Long black lashes hid the expression in his dark eyes. The extra-large, shitkicker boots with the zip-up side intimidated. The need to escape and the desire to jump him seesawed in her brain. Fear and sexual arousal coalesced in a blazing, sensual heat that had her shifting restlessly beneath his gaze.

  Time to evacuate. In a cool tone, masking the epic turmoil going on inside she said, “Thanks for the rescue. We can call it even now on this whole rescue-from-torture thing. If I can borrow your phone for a sec, I’ll call a cab.”

  “It’s not safe for you to leave. So you’ll stay with us for now. The Hashishins are hunting for you.”

  “You think they were able to see the surveillance video of the incident in the hospital with Eric?”

  “Probably.” He shrugged and continued to stare at her, but she couldn’t interpret his expression.

  “What do they want with me? I mean, why are they trying to kill me?”

  “They know anyone with your abilities belongs with us, and they would do anything to make sure we never found you. Right now, we need you here.”

  Here didn’t feel much safer than out there, not with a reprise of his speculative look. This was the magi leader talking. The Prime. He was all about their best interests. Not hers. Based on what little her father had taught her during years of storytelling, she knew the loyalty between the magi was uncompromising. Each would fight to the death for his colleagues and anyone in his path was irrelevant.

  “What do you mean you need me? What exactly do you think I am?”

  “You have a mark on the inside of your right wrist that indicates your destiny.”

  “I have no mark.” She held up her wrist for his inspection. “Nothing there.”

  “It only becomes visible when you use your healing power.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Trust me, it appears.”

  “I need to see this mark to believe what you’re saying. How about if I clear that oily stuff from your eyes?”

  “You can’t fix that.”

  “Why not? It’s unnatural.”

  His veneer cracked for a split second before his face again stiffened and he replied, “It’s part of being a magus. It’s irreversible.”

  “I think you’re lying, but since it’s apparently off-limits, how about if I heal that old injury in your left calf? I know it’s bothering you.”
r />   “How did you know about my leg?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “I know everything about aches and pains.” She got up and sat next to him on the sofa.

  He tensed the instant their thighs touched. His throat convulsed and his eyes dilated when he stared down at her.

  She almost laughed in triumph. He wasn’t quite as controlled as he wanted her to believe. Like her, this monstrous desire sparking between them held him hostage.

  “Relax. I promise only a little bit of punishment for kissing that blonde woman.”

  He caught her hand as it reached for his arm. “No. You do your healing thing on me again and we will end up in a place we can’t go.” The iron control and ancient weariness reflected in his eyes alarmed her. The black sludge swirled frantically.

  She raised a querying eyebrow, challenging him to deny the desire blazing between them.

  He said softly, “This thing between us is not an option. We just…can’t.”

  “Because you’ve already got that other woman?”

  “Who? What other woman?”

  “The blonde you were sucking face with outside.”

  “Marla?” He snorted derisively. “That’s a definite no way. I have no idea what got into her tonight. We’ve never and I’d never. Trust me.”

  “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “Jealous?” A teasing smile tugged at his lips and eyes, transforming his whole façade into someone a lot less intimidating.

  His playfulness touched her deep in her chest. This was the man she’d dreamed of. Her heart skipped at the realization her fantasy guy was in there.

  “Perhaps,” she said. Without giving him a chance at further discussion, she closed her eyes and allowed her power to infuse his body through the connection of their hands.

  He groaned. “Bloody hell, Kira.” He tensed and dug a deep grip into the sofa with his opposite hand. She sensed he fought the maddening arousal that whipped between them.

  The outside world no longer existed to her. She visualized the scarred muscles of his calf. Specific instruction on how to repair the damaged tissue was not needed, which was a good thing since it’d been way too many years since med school anatomy class for her to visualize individual muscle groups. She suggested where the healing energy flow. Once it arrived at the problem spot, the damage smoothly reorganized like river water channeled into a new flow.

  Then she focused on the eye sludge, but nothing happened. A second attempt failed. Her healing energy communicated all was normal. Disappointed, she lifted the energy from his body.

  When she met his gaze, she smiled. He was no longer the Prime magus with rigorous control. She inhaled a heady draft of his masculine scent into her lungs. Deep inside, her body sizzled. The air thickened around them with raw need.

  He grabbed her right wrist to look and muttered, “Damn.” He turned it over for her to see.

  Glowing on the smooth skin just above her wrist was a dark blue, stylized triangle sigil identical to the one etched onto his chest and that of every other Scimitar magus. Shocked, Kira cradled her wrist and gazed at the mark. It disappeared within a few seconds as the residual energy from the healing session dissipated.

  “Does this mean I’m a magus too?” she asked in wonder.

  “No, you’re the akhrian.” His voice rumbled close to her ear, sending chills down her spine.

  “The ack-rien?” Oh God, now she had some sort of magical mark. Yet another reminder that her life was spiraling so far out of her control. An irrational giggle escaped. “It sounds like some kind of concubine. I swear to you, I refuse to sleep with just anyone. Those other magi may be attractive, but they’re not that hot.”

  He frowned. “You will not sleep with any of them. It means the gods have chosen you for our sacred healer. We must protect you in addition to our obvious task of returning daemons to their own realm.”

  “So, you want me to be a personal medic for you guys? Do I get a choice in this? What if I don’t want this job?” Alarm bells blasted in her brain. This thrust her right smack in the middle of the conflict she’d been avoiding her whole adult life. The conflict that had killed her mother and made her father mysteriously disappear. This akhrian-thing would make her an even more attractive target for the Hashishins or whatever dark-magik psycho hated magi next.

  “The gods have chosen you.”

  “This is a mistake. The tattoo has got to be a fluke. Can’t you make it go away? Give it to someone else. There’s got to be somebody out there that wants this job.” She jumped off the sofa, frantic with need to escape.

  “This is a great honor. Why are you upset? Do you doubt we can protect you? The previous four akhrians didn’t hesitate to accept.”

  “What happened to them? Did some Hashishin crazy murder them?”

  The fleeting guilty look that crossed his face confirmed she’d been dead on with that assumption.

  He grabbed her hand and placed it against his chest. “I will not allow that to happen to you. I vow it on my eternal soul.”

  She pulled her hand from his. “Unpredictable shit happens. I’m sure you vowed the same for each of them.”

  “No, I don’t do eternal soul vows. That was a first. But it is our duty to protect the akhrian. The previous guys were each offed when they did something out of character that took them out of our protection.”

  “Not everyone wants to be a part of this freaky, secret world you’ve got going on here. I’m not really keen on a repeat of that daemon exorcism anytime soon. Nor do I relish another confrontation with those men who tried to kill Eric at the hospital. Nor do I ever want to experience—” Her body chilled as her mind swamped her with the memory of Terek laughing as his evil energy boiled down her back seconds before he murdered her mother.

  “No one else could have dealt with the daemon possessing me short of immediate execution. I’m sorry the experience frightened you, but your success only proves you’re meant for this. Only the akhrian could’ve done what you did.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not interested.”

  “Believe me when I say I’d love nothing better than to say you’re not it and that you have a choice, but this isn’t up for negotiation. You’ve got the mark and the ability. The gods have chosen you.”

  “I don’t believe in your gods. They’ll have to find someone else.”

  “They’re real. I can’t force you into anything, but we need your help.”

  “I’ve already got a job, even if I may need to relocate after the Eric incident.”

  “They’ll find you again, especially now that they know about you.”

  Her plan was simple: leave this estate and hide. Planting roots—not a part of that plan, especially not right smack in the middle of the magi’s world. First she had to get out of this room. “How about if I sleep on it and we chat more later?”

  He frowned. A rhythmic tick started in his right cheek as if he were grinding his molars. “If that’s what you need, then okay. But we’re not done with this.”

  As he rose, bold sensuality momentarily transformed the strong features of his face when his eyes drifted over her chest.

  The perfection of his nose struck her—straight, symmetrical, and simply flawless from any angle. Stop it, she ordered herself.

  The residual predatory glow in his gaze when it trapped hers made her catch her breath. Moments later, dark spots appeared in her peripheral vision. She forced herself to slowly release the air trapped in her lungs. You’re leaving, remember?

  Ashor unlocked the door. “Follow me.” He led down the hall.

  Her eyes drifted down his tall form. His black jeans highlighted powerful thighs and artfully draped his butt in a way that tempted her to touch. She cursed herself for noticing.

  He halted in the doorway of a Victorian bedroom. For a few brief seconds, a wary expression transformed his features and then his face smoothed into the epitome of calm.

  A peek into the room showed an over-the-top crystal chande
lier. Her mind jumped to a fantasy replay when she’d gazed at a similar crystal piece while stretched out on a long dining table. Ashor had torn off his ascot and a puffy shirt that would make any movie pirate proud. Her body, already simmering, boiled when her mind conjured the memory of his naked torso.

  That was a dream. Fantasy!

  Blood raced lust through her body. She tried to suppress the little voice in her head urging she tear off his shirt just to prove his seeming stoicism was a farce. The need to ensure he wouldn’t entertain any thoughts of the blonde woman became a priority.

  Chapter Eighteen

  That look meant trouble.

  Ashor went on instant alert when Kira glided close. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could deny the arousal burning him alive. The beat of his heart pulsated between his legs.

  “Stay with me,” she suggested while placing her small alabaster hand over his stomach. Her fingers curled around the shirt’s buttons to touch his bare skin just above the waist of his jeans.

  Every nerve ending in his body went electric. He slammed his lids closed to block out the raw invitation shining in those wide, multi-colored eyes.

  “Bad idea, Kira.”

  “Why?”

  A need far beyond sanity consumed his mind. The kem-seki surged. It was all about self-indulgence and taking. She’s the akhrian. Off limits. Duty first.

  If he gave in to the desire, the gods would punish her as well as him. He couldn’t live with himself if the gods did anything to her because of his lack of self-control.

  He was strong, or at least he tried to make himself believe he was. He could resist her.

  His eyes popped open when she leaned close.

  She huskily intoned, “I’m tired of dreaming about touching you.”

  Fuck.

  The kem-seki screamed in reply, Yeah, throw her on the bed. He mentally yelled back, No, I meant she’s trouble. Great. Now he was conversing with the crazy darkness in his brain.