Assassin's Kiss

by Sharon Kay

  He released her shirt, and skated his hands down her arms to grasp her fingers. Her eyes fluttered open, flickering with lust and confusion.

  “Wh-what’d I do?” she whispered.

  “Nothing. You’re perfect. And I’m the intruder.” He heaved out a breath and grabbed the knife.

  “Oh, crap.” She reached for it. “I keep that under my pillow.”

  “Smart.” He handed it to her. “Tessa, as much as I want this… he gestured to her “want you…that’s not why I came.”

  “I know. I believe you. I didn’t expect you…”

  “Obviously,” he chuckled.

  “No, I mean, I didn’t expect you to be so...” She waved a hand in front of her. “So…I don’t know. I didn’t expect you to kiss me.”

  “No?”

  “No.” She bit her lip again, adorably. “But, um, I enjoyed it.”

  “Hell, I did too. But it’s—”

  “Probably too soon.” She sighed and suddenly the carefree witch was gone. Her lips were still puffy from his kisses, but her eyes shifted to the window at the side of the room. “Soon is a stupid word.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m leaving soon.”

  He growled a curse. “We have to find a way to stop it.”

  “No. I made a deal and I have to stick with it, or else things will be worse here.”

  “Deal?” he growled. “What goddamn deal?”

  “He gets me. I’m the best at metal affinity. I’ll make weapons for Vespera, and god knows what else. And in return, Damien will stop taking a percentage of Bronwy’s sales to the village. And stop wooing the weaker witches with the dark lures.”

  “That’s it?” He eyed her, incredulous. “The crystals you need so much?”

  “Those weren’t officially part of the deal,” Tessa said hesitantly. “I’m planning to find a way to get some over here. I figure when I’m there, I’ll learn all the ins and outs of how they operate. I can help. Somehow, someway.”

  And you’ll give him your body to do it? Scorpio shook his head. “And the land?”

  Her shoulders sagged. “That issue, I couldn’t do anything about.”

  “You can’t seriously go through with this. How do you know he’ll hold up his end of the bargain? This sounds like a terrible deal for you and for Bronwy.”

  “It’s better than nothing! Which is pretty much what we’re left with.” She folded her arms. “And like I said, once I’m on the inside, I can help.”

  “They can plant spies, cameras, anything, to keep tabs on you. Who knows what kind of shit they have?” He seethed at how close she was to endangering herself. Not to mention allowing another man to touch her.

  “If they’d had that, they could have watched us while we approached the rowan tree that day.” She shook her head. “I’m convinced they’re too greedy to be smart.”

  “You can never trust them. Never be too careful.”

  “I know.” Her voice was resigned.

  “I don’t want this for you,” he said softly.

  “I don’t either, but the plans are set. And anyway, what are you going to do?” She smiled sadly. “You eliminated five mages and then three dire wolves. But this coven is toxic and deadly. You can’t take them all out.”

  He arched a brow. “Don’t be so sure.” For you, my mate, I’ll take out an army. I’ll find a way. “I look out for what’s mine.”

  The night wind swirled leaves around Zeebi’s boots as she waited in the woods a mile outside Bronwy. Anticipation hummed through her body. Damien had said he was coming. Him, not his top mages like he sometimes sent.

  She idly rubbed at the listening device he’d given her. Created with Vespera’s special magic, it helped her hear what was being said at all of Hallon’s stupid meetings. Gods, that man was a sorry ass leader. Could not make a decision for himself and always had to have all of those about-to-die Elders trot over to his home.

  And she wasn’t fond of crouching outside, with this thing pressed up to the outside wall, for hours. But if that was how she had to get information for Damien, fine. It was worth it to give him good news.

  She shooed away a firefly that dared to land on her arm, and smoothed the front of her dress. She’d donned the black wrap dress, even though it wasn’t the best thing to walk through woods in, because she wore nothing underneath and she loved getting naked for Damien as fast as possible. He seemed to like it too. At least, she knew how his body responded to hers and she could keep him with her a little longer.

  A flap of leaves above her clued her in to the Vespera leader’s approach. His raven was never far from him, usually eating something that had recently been alive. She made a face. Disgusting bird. But the thing’s presence meant she’d be getting lucky soon. She ran her hands over her breasts, lifting them higher in the dress’s V-neck.

  “Good girl, Zeebi.” His voice rumbled through the darkness. “I like it when you touch yourself. Do it again.”

  “Hi, Damien,” she purred, and cupped her breasts again.

  He emerged from the trees to stand before her. Towering over her own height, his handsome face was half shadowed by the double moons’ light filtering through the trees. He grabbed her at the waist and kissed her mouth, hard and swift. He released her. “Got good news for me?”

  She nodded and toyed with the tie at her waist, pulling oh-so-slowly. “They moved the demon to a cabin. No more bars. No dampening spells. They keep the door locked and post guards.”

  His eye tracked her fingers as she pulled the end of the tie farther away from her body, straining the knot. “Aren’t they worried he’ll escape?”

  “Apparently not. He keeps saying he’ll stay. It’s like he knows some of them are still furious about Pennar and knows some reparation has to be paid. Some kind of…” she pulled the tie completely free and the two halves of her dress fell open. “…punishment.’”

  His eyes went heavy lidded and he stepped forward. He pushed the dress off her shoulders and cupped her breasts. “Yeah?” He bent down to nip her ear. “What kind?”

  “They can’t decide. They sit there like a bunch of old women, knitting and gossiping.” She gasped as a zing of pleasure shot down her neck. “They tossed out every idea, from keeping him forever to do guard work and heavy lifting…to using him to practice spells on…to making him pay in gold bars…and of course, a minority still wants him to be killed. Oh!” She wrapped her hands around his neck as he pinched her nipples.

  “It sounds like they’re leaning toward keeping him alive. But you say he doesn’t want to go?”

  “He thinks he’s Tessa’s mate.”

  “What?” Damien threw back his head and laughed out loud. “He’s delusional. Holy shit, that’s funny. Does he know she’s about to become my wife?”

  Zeebi made a scoffing sound to hide her flare of disappointment at the reminder. “Yes.”

  “And what did he do?”

  She shrugged. “Just looked pissed. Doesn’t matter. Tessa won’t go back on her word.”

  “Hell no, she won’t.” Damien traced a finger down Zeebi’s torso, dipping below her belly button to tease her. “Oh, you need to give her this.” He pulled a white envelope from his pocket.

  “What is it?” She took it and dropped it gently on top of her dress.

  “A note, telling her how much I’m looking forward to our upcoming wedded bliss.” He snickered.

  She masked her hurt. “How romantic of you.”

  “I aim to please. Now, this demon. I need him gone. He’s a threat and liability. He can hear and smell too much. And as much as I like that they trust him enough to ditch the cage, he’s still a problem. I need them to trust him enough to send him away.”

  “I’ve been chatting him up to everyone, saying how he didn’t have to help us and shit.” She reached for his belt, but he caught her hand.

  “That’s great. But I need him out of there. And if he wants Tessa, make him think she secretly wants me. Even i
f she won’t admit it.” He turned her around and bunched her hair together. “It’s not such a stretch, is it?”

  “No.” Zeebi flinched as he yanked her hair tightly, his expert fingers binding it into a braid down her back.

  “Make him hopeless. Then he’ll disappear. Got it?” Finished with her hair, he pushed her toward a tree and guided her hands to the rough bark.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  The metallic rasp of his zipper filled her ears and his hands grabbed her hips, popping them up and toward him. That was her only warning before he plunged inside her. One hand wrapped into her braid, pulling her head back. The other held her hip as he lost himself to his pleasure in her body. She shivered in delight, because this man was so powerful, so handsome. And at this minute, he chose her. Even if other women got in the way, eventually Zeebi would have Damien to herself. One day, they’d be equal as rulers and unite their covens.

  C

  HAPTER 16

  TESSA TOOK A SPEEDY SHOWER and set about making a quick breakfast of eggs. She’d slept soundly after Scorpio left, waking up a little giddy and a little guilty.

  Technically, he should have stayed in his cabin, under guard. He hadn’t been given free rein of the coven. Technically, she should have marched him right back there.

  But there was no way she would have made him leave. Even now, her skin hummed from his touch.

  I wanted him here, she admitted to herself. Her hand grazed her lips where he had kissed her, so full of wild power and raw masculinity. He’d eased her racing thoughts and been almost sweet. She shook her head. There was a word that she never thought she’d use in reference to Scorpio.

  She’d craved more of him last night, but knew it was better to stop when they did. He hadn’t pushed her, though he could have, and that little consideration smashed through her defenses. A smile pulled at her lips as she slid her eggs onto a plate and set the pan in the sink. She rolled her shoulders, remembering his warm touch on her bare skin…

  In a heartbeat, her mood dipped back to reality. The coming events loomed like a waterfall, and she was in the middle of the current with no hope of turning around. She forked fluffy eggs into her mouth, thinking. There was one thing she could do for Scorpio. Maybe. If Hallon gave the okay. It would fall short of what Scorpio seemed to want, but she hoped it would be better than nothing. Quickly finishing her food, she pushed open the front door of her cabin and froze.

  On the ground, smack in the center of the dirt path, sat a small white envelope with her name written in flowing script. She stooped to pick it up.

  Who would send me a letter? She turned the thing over, seeing no unique marks on it. She tore it open and quickly scanned the blocky handwriting inside, which didn’t match the outside handwriting at all. What she read made her lips curl down in distaste and her stomach threaten to revolt.

  My dearest Tessa,

  I just want you to know I am thinking of you and counting the days until we are united. Preparations are under way for the wedding feast and celebration. Your accommodations are being decorated with the finest silks in the realms, and I have commissioned a new bed for us to start our married life, made by the most skilled wood nymphs of Rivkin. If you ever wish to talk to me, I am never too busy for my beautiful bride-to-be.

  With love,

  Damien

  Tessa shuddered and stuffed the note back into the envelope, as bile and fear churned in her throat. Damien was a pig. Her every need. New bed. Gods, he was a narcissistic asshole. She didn’t think for one second that he cared about her well-being. But what worried her more was how the note got here.

  No one should have been able to get through the wards. No animals, no creatures, and certainly not Vespera, unless they had found a way to pierce the warding spell. “Shit,” she muttered.

  She hurried toward the center area, needing to pass Scorpio’s cabin on the way. She stopped outside, where Kharv nodded to her. “Morning.”

  “We have a problem.” Tessa held up the note. “It involves Vespera, so can you open the door and let Scorpio hear this too?”

  “What the hell now?” Kharv frowned and unlocked the front door.

  Scorpio filled the doorframe with his wide shoulders. His eyes swept her up and down. “I heard you. What is it?”

  “This.” She shook the hateful note. “It was outside my door this morning. It’s from Damien.”

  Kharv cursed.

  Scorpio’s eyes went cold and hard. “No fucking way.” He slowly shook his head. “I would have sensed him, or anyone, who wasn’t Bronwy, if anyone dared set foot here last night.”

  “Our wards should have caught him!” Kharv said.

  “I know.” Tessa folded her arms. “They must have found a way to get through. How else would this get here?”

  “What does it say?” Scorpio asked.

  Tessa grimaced. “How much he’s looking forward to our wedding. Crap like that.”

  “May I see it?” he asked.

  She handed it over. No reason not to. It may creep her out, but it wasn’t a secret, and she would have to show Hallon anyway.

  Scorpio took it, turned it over, sniffed it. Then he opened it and scanned, eyes flying back and forth. He stilled, looking every bit like a cobra about to strike. Anger flowed from him, so palpable that Tessa took a half step back.

  “Motherfucker,” Scorpio growled, and handed the note to Kharv. “This is an unacceptable security breach.”

  “I have to tell Hallon,” she said.

  Kharv shook his head as he folded the note. “Let’s all go.” He gave the note back to her. “Don’t let his words get to you, Tessa.”

  “It’s not that. I know he’s a prick.” She pushed a hand through her hair. “It’s that the thing even got to my front door.” She slid a glance at Scorpio, a silent question. When?

  He gave a tiny shake of his head.

  They walked the short distance to Hallon’s. Tessa knocked once but opened the door without waiting. “Dad?” she called into the cool, crowded space.

  Hallon sat behind the mountain of papers on his desk and reflexively looked up, a smile on his face at hearing his daughter’s voice. But his expression turned hard as he noticed Scorpio and Kharv behind her. “What’s wrong?”

  “This.” Tessa strode across the room and handed him the note. “It’s from Damien and it was outside my door this morning.”

  “What?” He took it and dropped it on his desk. “A threat?”

  “No, it’s just crap about how he can’t wait until our wedding.” Tessa made a face. “But how did they get it here?”

  “We need to inspect all the wards and do a perimeter patrol. Immediately.” Hallon stood and paced to the front of the desk. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, just, you know, creeped out.”

  “No one tried to enter your cabin last night?”

  Tessa’s breath whooshed out of her lungs. With every ounce of strength she kept her eyes on her dad and not on Scorpio. “No.”

  “Thank the gods,” Hallon muttered. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed. “Orser. Get your men out on perimeter patrol now.” He filled in Orser about the note, but not the actual words. Tessa was sure that would come later.

  Then he called one of the senior witches and ordered her to get her group out to inspect every ward in the coven.

  Calls done, he rubbed the back of his neck. His gaze landed on Scorpio. “What about you? Did you hear or sense anything amiss last night?”

  Scorpio stood in the center of the room, hands clasped behind his back in some kind of stance. “No. If any Vespera or anyone unwelcome had been near, I would have known it.”

  “I’m worried that they figured out how to cloak their presence somehow, as well as pierce the wards,” Tessa said.

  “A note can’t drop out of thin air,” Kharv grumbled.

  “Even if they used an animal familiar?” Scorpio asked.

  Hallon scowled. “Animals are more for warnings, and
they usually accompany the mage, not go off alone on flights. But we can’t rule anything out, with Vespera getting stronger.”

  “How could an animal manage to identify my cabin and drop this exactly in the middle of my path?” Tessa asked, with more sarcasm than she intended.

  “No one’s saying that’s what happened, Tess,” Hallon said.

  She sighed, her knees suddenly feeling wobbly, and sank into one of the soft cushy chairs. “I know, I just…” she rubbed her temples. “I hate to see any weakness here. Especially when I’m about to leave you.”

  Scorpio moved closer to the arm of her chair. “We’ll figure this out, I promise. We need to find out how it happened and make sure it never happens again.”

  “Do you have any ideas, demon? Since you have a history of getting into and out of places you aren’t invited?” Hallon’s words were delivered without sarcasm.

  Still, they raised a curious new anger in Tessa. “Dad!”

  “I’m stating facts, daughter. Why not ask the one who maybe has had to breach wards before?”

  Scorpio gave her a small smile. “It’s fine. He’s right about my skills. And I want to solve this as badly as you do.” He turned to Hallon. “But no, I don’t have any good answers. Yes, I had to breach wards, but in my previous and current positions, I had the backing of a spell group to provide amulets to help. Or counterspells, as the minor wards require.”

  “Goddamn it.” Hallon scowled out the big front window.

  “Would you like me to call my commander to send a group of Watcher guards?” Scorpio asked.

  Tessa, Hallon, and Kharv stared at him. Kharv coughed loudly.

  Hallon opened his mouth and closed it quickly.

  Tessa stared at the huge warrior who had done nothing to fight his time at Bronwy and only strove to help. Now this? She couldn’t speak, struck with the magnitude of the offer. The Watchers owed nothing to the Bronwy witches.

  And neither did Scorpio.

  “That’s a magnanimous gesture,” Hallon said. “Some would say you’re doing it to lessen your punishment. But I don’t think that’s it.” He paced to the window and stared out at the witches chatting in groups in the main area. “I do believe that you have Bronwy’s best interest at heart. But I must decline.”