The Night House

by J. C. McKenzie

  Cold prickled her skin. Who had sent the other assassin then? The one who arrived after Alexis’ attempt to throw herself at Thane on her wedding night?

  “But now it appears I should’ve sent more,” Gale interrupted her thoughts. “You know more than I thought.”

  “I’m here to ensure you pay for the earthen lives you took.”

  Gale snorted. “The House of Jericho gives zero fucks, as you earthens say, about your people.”

  She bristled. The only way he’d know that saying is if he spent significant time around earthens. How many slaves did he lead to the slaughter? How many did he bring home to do his bidding? “One does.”

  Gale sneered. “Thane should be more careful not to pull down the house his family is building.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Do you honestly think someone from the House of Raiden could do anything, let alone set up multiple anchoring sites for power leaching in a zone claimed by the House of Jericho on the other side of a portal the same family opened and operates, without them knowing about it? Without them approving it?”

  Taya snapped her head back as if he slapped her with his words. Unease shimmied up her spine. The House of Jericho knew?

  Gale leaned forward, a smug grin spreading across his face. “I’m just a minion and if you kill me, you’ll bring the house down on your darling master.”

  That’s why he’d stalled. He wanted to know what she knew because he counted on her standing down. Oh, he wouldn’t let her go. He’d either imprison her or kill her, but afterward, he’d go to Lane with the information he pulled from her brain. Damn it! She shouldn’t have revealed Thane’s knowledge. She had no choice but to succeed tonight. If she failed, it wasn’t just her life that was forfeit, but Thane’s as well. “Why wouldn’t they tell Thane?”

  “The same reason they keep it secret from everyone else,” Gale said. “Thane doesn’t need the leaching. He’s strong enough on his own and they hate him for it. They’re weak in comparison, even with their stolen magic. They’ve been weak for generations. Admitting to the leaching admits their weakness.”

  “You kept their secret.”

  “I need the leaching, too.” His hands balled into fists and shook. “My silence and our families’ agreement is mutually beneficial.”

  All the pieces fell to the floor and snapped together in a perfectly completed puzzle. Lane and Julian’s mistreatment was designed to groom Thane and keep him ignorant and in his place. Too busy trying to earn their approval, he never realized the truth.

  Oh, Thane.

  Gale snarled and lunged. Apparently, their chat had ended and imprisonment wasn’t an option. She ducked out of the way and drew her swords.

  The lightning sparked and whined, running down the cold metal. The energy fused with her power and intensified. She whirled away from Gale’s strike and counterattacked, deflecting his blades and pressing forward.

  He glared at her on the other side of the attack, expression livid. His sword punched through her defences. She side-stepped and kicked up, bone snapped. She danced out of the way of his next swing.

  Gale staggered back, blood spurting down his face from his nose. His lip curled up, letting blood drop into his mouth and coat his teeth. He turned to the side and spat.

  She attacked, spinning in a whirlwind of blades, drawing on her family’s move. He scrambled to swat the swords out of his way and stepped back, eyes wide.

  “The Makani?” he breathed, chest heaving. “The Ghost House is dead.”

  Instead of replying, she jumped, still whirling and kicked out again. Her foot slammed into the side of his face and sent him reeling. He landed, bent over one knee. She dodged his weak defensive swings, stepped in and drove her blade into his back.

  He cried out and arched, head flung back. She gripped his platinum-blond hair and pulled so his face was inches from her own.

  “Ilta…” he whispered. “Night…”

  Yes, she worked for the Night House, for the House of Jericho, and technically she was here on Thane’s orders, but this wasn’t for them. This was for her.

  “For the earthens,” she said, and yanked her blade free from his back. Blood sprayed against her leather pants and splattered to the floor. She shoved Gale’s now-limp body to the ground. His strangled cries hadn’t raised any alarms, but she didn’t have much time left.

  She cleaned her swords and sheathed them in the dual scabbard on her back, cutting off their whines. The selfish beasts wanted more blood. She pulled Gale’s house ring from his forefinger, slipped it into her pocket and drew her daggers. With her shield back in place, she headed to the exit. She might’ve killed the intended target, but this assignment was far from over.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Horsing Around

  The bite of conifers and damp soil wound around Taya as she picked her way through the floral winter forest. Her feet hit the frosted ground and exhaustion pulled at her limbs. She’d killed the two door guards and made it through the fortress to the safety of the woods. Surprisingly, the clatter of their armour didn’t raise an alarm. Without needing the element of surprise, she’d let their bodies fall to a clatter against the stones and booked it.

  As soon as she stepped into the deep shadows, she dropped her shield and lay down in the dirt. The last drops of rain splattered against her face before the bulk of the storm moved on.

  She couldn’t rest. Not yet. Shouting echoed through the trees. Someone had found the bodies. Damn it.

  If she had any energy left, she’d climb one of these behemoth trees and shield until the search parties gave up and returning home, but her arms shook. After scaling the tower wall, fighting Gale, and dragging multiple bodies for concealment, her physical strength had depleted significantly. And she’d shielded for hours. Her Tarka power was also drained. Tree climbing was out.

  She needed to get to where she left Sugar tied up.

  Originally, she’d balked at the idea of leaving the horse vulnerable to predation, but Thane assured her the anti-predator charm would keep Sugar safe.

  Dogs barked in the distance. Crap. She had to go. They’d catch her scent. She’d dripped sweat all over Gale’s chamber.

  She rolled to her feet, muscles screaming, and broke into a run. The air burned her throat and lungs. The straps of her sword scabbard chaffed her skin and dug into her back. She dropped her chin and pushed forward. Sweat ran down her forehead.

  A branch slashed her cheek. She stumbled on a root and flew forward. She hit the ground, rolled and sprang to her feet.

  Faster.

  The barking drew closer.

  Sugar nickered in greeting when Taya broke through the forest. Why the hell had she tied the horse to the tree branch? Sugar wouldn’t have gone anywhere.

  Taya leapt on Sugar’s back, grabbed the reins and slashed the ends free with her dagger. She dug her heels into Sugar’s belly and the horse charged into action.

  She made—

  Pain exploded in her chest. She looked down. A bloody arrowhead protruded from her chest.

  “Go!” She slapped Sugar’s flank.

  The horse bolted into the trees. Men yelled, the dogs howled. Their noise grew more distant with each thundering hoof beat.

  God she loved this horse. She whipped the reins and urged Sugar faster.

  Pain erupted through her torso.

  Two arrows.

  Taya wheezed. Each breath hurt. She couldn’t get enough air. One arrow must’ve nicked a lung. The other missed her heart. She needed to get to Thane so he could heal her.

  Something wet trickled down her back. She slid her hand under her shirt as Sugar raced forward. Her hand came back bloody. Really bloody.

  Sugar continued to sprint, each stride sending a bolt of pain through Taya’s body. Tree branches whipped by, blurring her narrowing vision.

  House Raiden didn’t know her destination. They’d have to take time to track her and once she hit the main road, even their t
racking dogs would prove useless. Sugar had rested for hours in the forest and was almost unparalleled for speed and stamina.

  They’d never catch her now. As long as she stayed conscious and stayed on the horse, she’d make it.

  Her vision wavered. She couldn’t pull the arrows out. One, her arms didn’t bend like that, but even if they did, the arrows were the only things stemming the flow of blood. She panted and braced as Sugar thundered down a hill. A river loomed ahead. She tugged the reins and directed the horse to follow it downstream.

  Taya had planned an escape route, just in case. She didn’t figure in how jarring the trip would be with two arrows protruding from her body.

  Sugar charged forward, sure-footed and fierce, passing multiple crossing points without hesitating. Either the mare anticipated her needs or the horse didn’t have any sense of self-preservation. She’d take her hardworking mare over those testy stallions any day.

  There! Finally. The crossing point she wanted. It would take her pursuers forever to pick up the trail again after she crossed.

  Sugar surged forward. Water sprayed and splashed against her legs. She turned Sugar to backtrack while still in the river along a smooth ledge. The horse slowed and picked her way up river. The only thing to foil the plan would be the House of Raiden showing up before she had a chance to disappear in the forest. Then the backtracking would be for nothing and she would’ve wasted her lead and precious time.

  Her shallow breathing hitched. Pain coursed through her body in crashing waves. She clutched the reins and clenched her jaw.

  Dogs barked. Men yelled.

  Small breaths. Almost there.

  Finally, she tugged on the reins and directed Sugar to exit the river slowly.

  Hoof beats thundered in the distance.

  The horse picked her way through the rocks, the careful footing making little change to the riverbed. The large warhorse stepped from the rocks onto a well-trodden campsite used by travellers as a waypoint.

  Good luck following her tracks now.

  Dogs brayed beyond the trees, closer now.

  She nudged Sugar and the horse sprang back into action, fresh as a daisy and giving no indication the frigid water bothered or hindered her at all.

  The dogs barked, minutes from arriving on the other side of the river. They were too late. Taya and Sugar made it to the protective confines of the old forest.

  The pounding of Sugar’s hooves against the hard ground continued to slam Taya with waves of pain. Sitting hurt. Holding onto the reins hurt. Breathing hurt.

  Her vision blurred. She slumped forward in the saddle.

  “Keep going, girl,” she whispered into the horse’s black mane. “Take me home.”

  She wrapped the severed reins around her wrists and knotted them together. She draped her arms on each side of Sugar’s thick neck and let darkness descend.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The Truth Hurts

  Taya woke to find her sore body cocooned under heavy blankets and a large fire roaring nearby. Her lungs and back ached, but not with pain. Not exactly. They felt more like muscles the day after a massage therapy session where some buff guy named Bryan with mammoth hands worked out a horrendous knot.

  A branch snapped. She turned her head while keeping her body prone. Though pain no longer throbbed through her body, exhaustion weighed down her limbs.

  Thane walked out of the surrounding forest and into the small campsite. He dumped an armful of wood into a pile near the fire. They clattered against the ground in a heap and stirred scents of wet soil and dead leaves.

  “I didn’t make it back to the house?” she asked.

  Instead of answering her, he clenched his jaw, picked up a piece of wood from the pile, and threw it into the fire. Flames leapt up and sparked. A plume of smoke from the fire travelled over her body.

  Thane brushed off his hands and crouched down beside her. Lightning flashed and firelight danced in his gaze. He pulled his power around him like an impending tsunami about to crash down on her.

  “No,” he said.

  Huh? No, what? No, he wasn’t a giant tidal wave? Did he read minds, now?

  He smoothed the blanket over her and tucked the ends in. His wild gaze settled a little. “No, you didn’t make it back.”

  “How’d you find me?”

  “I used the bond. I found you miles away from the house, tied to your horse, bleeding out. If I’d stayed to listen to the rest of Julian’s whining, you may have died.”

  “If you left the delegation, they might suspect your involvement.”

  “Doubtful. I left my shadow, remember? And even if they do suspect, I don’t give a damn.”

  Despite the warmth of the bedding, ice stabbed at her skin. It had been close then. Too close from the look Thane gave her. “I’m glad you found me.”

  He gripped her head in both hands and kissed her. Hard. It wasn’t a tender kiss. It was a harsh, claiming kiss that spoke of fear and the promise of passion. He stole her breath away, and she loved every second of it.

  He released her and pressed his forehead against hers. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry.”

  “You will not do that again,” he rumbled.

  “That’s a big ask.”

  He sighed. “I know.”

  “You scare so easily. The smallest thing could set you off.”

  He pressed his lips together, unamused. Why not? She was hilarious.

  “You’ve been out for two days since the healing,” he said. “I wouldn’t call that a small thing.”

  She bolted upright. Her vision swam. “Two days?”

  He nodded, face grim and pressed his palm on her chest to push her down to the soft bedroll laid over rocky, cold dirt. He knelt down beside her.

  If he hadn’t left the house when he did… Wait a minute. “How’d you know when to leave?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You said you left in the middle of a conversation with Julian, but I didn’t send a message. How’d you know I was in danger?”

  Thane looked away.

  Busted. “Thane?”

  “The bond.”

  “I think it’s time you gave me more specifics about this reversible bond.” First, he learned of her impending doom through their link, then he used it to find her. What other information could he glean from the magical twist-tie?

  Thane sighed again, a long exasperated whoosh of air like her request was somehow tedious or meant as a slow form of torture.

  She glowered. Really, she should’ve asked more before she let him place his magic inside of her, but she hadn’t been thinking with her brain at the time.

  “It was only reversible so long as we didn’t consummate the link. It’s too late to remove it now.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. When she’d asked him what he wanted, he’d told her he wanted to keep the bond in place and claim her properly. She’d wanted everything he had to offer. She still did. Was she mad the link wasn’t reversible?

  Nope. Not at all.

  She opened her eyes to find dark shadows across Thane’s face. She squeezed his hand. “But what is it?”

  “The bond is a magical link formed between two Tarkas,” he said. “It allows us to sense each other and to feed off each other’s power.”

  “You’ve been feeding off me?” Surely there was a dirty joke in there somewhere, but this wasn’t something to laugh about.

  He grinned. “Well, I—”

  “Thane!”

  Thane’s head whipped back as if she flung a rotten cabbage at his face. “No, Taya. I didn’t feed off you. That’s not something I can take. Not with a bond. You have to open your end of the link and allow access. When I originally formed the bond, your end remained closed. It can only be opened from within.”

  She folded her arms over the rough, woolen blanket.

  “Technically, I can barge through, but that might destroy your mind and I happen to love what’s in there.”

&
nbsp; Swoon.

  Keep it together, Taya. Don’t let his pretty words distract you. Focus. “If my end remains closed, how did you use it to find me?”

  “I don’t need you to open the bond for that. The presence of the link allows me to sense certain things like intense emotions, physical trauma, and proximity. The bond has grown stronger since we consummated the relationship.”

  “Sounds like marriage.” Not that she disliked the idea…

  Thane nodded. “It often is. Centuries ago, bonding was a part of the marriage ceremony between two Tarkas.”

  She ran her hand along his face and teased the silky strands of his white-blond hair. “Why’d they stop?”

  He leaned into her hand. “Would you want to be in the head of the spouse forced to marry you through an arranged marriage?”

  “Too many intense emotions?”

  He smiled, flashing white teeth. The shadows around his eyes eased away.

  “Why’d you do it?” She let her hand slip from his hair. “You didn’t know me at the time. Why would you bond with an earthen slave?”

  A gust of wind moved through the forest. The branches laden with deep green, fragrant needles brushed against each other and played in the breeze.

  “I never thought of you as a slave and I knew you were powerful,” Thane said. “We needed a way to contain your power until you could control it on your own. That was the only way I knew to accomplish it while you kept some semblance of freedom and an intact mind. I never planned to consummate the bond.” He paused, his gaze heated. “At least not at the time.”

  Taya nodded. His words made sense, but she hoped he had more reasons than he listed to keep the bond in place. She’d taken control of her powers months ago, and he’d granted her freedom. He had no need for the bond to remain, yet he wanted to keep it. He’d said as much when he lay beneath her recuperating from the arrow strike. The second arrow strike.

  Her body flushed with warmth from the memory of his hands on her body and the knowledge of what happened next.

  He said he loved her.

  Thane’s stern expression softened and he leaned forward. Though hard and battle worn, he was such a contrast from his cold and cruel family.