Fatal Assassin (Fatal Fae Book 2)
Page 27
“Call it insurance.” That stupid grin returned and his eyes lit with excitement. “I can show you the wonders of cerebral manipulation. We’ll be unstoppable, Nikala. Come with me now.” He held out his hand, fully expecting her to accept his offer.
“Leave, Hunter. Leave now and don’t ever come back.” Her legs shook and she pressed them against the solid desk to hide her nerves.
The grin disappeared and darkness covered his features. “How dare you dismiss me. You have no authority.”
She’d long ago grown accustomed to his mercurial moods, but it still was unsettling to see the speed with which he could flip from pleased to pissed.
Nikala held up a paper. “This says I do. Malcolm left everything to me. Including that monstrous house you bought in Chelsea. You really shouldn’t have borrowed the funds through SIRE.”
Hunter sputtered and shook, his anger at full tilt. She kept a hand on the gun, hoping if her life were in danger she could break past whatever fuckery he’d done to her brain.
“Technically, I own your manor house in Aberdeenshire, but I’m not a total monster. You can live there for now.” At least, until she decided what to do about him. Cian said something about turning him over to the queens, but she didn’t know any queens and doubted the reigning monarch of Great Britain would be interested in a mad scientist. Because she couldn’t kill him, this solution at least meant she could keep an eye on him.
“You’ll regret this, Nikala.” Hunter fumed and worked his jaw like a cow its cud. “I created you. I know how best to destroy you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you think I was doing all those long, lonely years? I was studying you, Hunter. I know your weaknesses as well as my own.”
He pivoted and stormed from the office. When she heard the lift doors close, she sank into the huge, comfortable chair that had belonged to Malcolm. His scent was embedded in the leather and she inhaled deep, recalling the few good memories she had of him to imprint them on her heart.
Nikala spun the chair to face the window and gazed at the stars. She’d survived facing Hunter. Somehow, she’d found the courage to confront him. Not only that, but to deny him. A giggle burst up from her midsection and out, surprising her with its gaiety.
“Celebrating, are we?” a female said from the doorway.
Nikala spun to face the intruder, the gun at the ready.
“Now, now, there’s no need for that.” Maxx entered the office and closed the door behind her. She put a finger to her lips and a moment later, an ochre film worked its way from her outstretched fingers to the floor, and up the walls to meet in the middle of the ceiling. Once the room was ensconced in her magic, Maxx smiled warmly. “I thought he’d never leave.”
“What are you doing here?” The last Nikala had seen of her, she was running away in the alley.
“I thought you might like to talk.” Maxx indicated the sofa. “Join me, please.”
Nikala cast a worried glance to the door and took a seat opposite Maxx.
“Don’t worry about her. Hunter made certain she wouldn’t see or hear anything.”
“Is she dead?” No stranger to killing, Nikala had had enough for one day.
“Just sleeping. She’ll wake with a wicked headache, but no more harm than that.” Maxx adjusted her saffron coat and smoothed her hair. She looked completely different from the hoodie-wearing stalker she’d been earlier.
Nikala wished they had tea or something to settle her stomach. A moment later, a tray complete with a pot of tea, cream, sugar cubes, and biscuits appeared on the table in front of her.
“Did you do that?” Nikala tentatively put a finger on the teapot. Heat seared through the pad of her finger.
“Of course. You’ll be able to as well, in time.” Maxx reached into her pocket and withdrew two amulets. “Malcolm gave these to me for safekeeping. I believe you should have them.”
Nikala reached for the pendants, a tremble in her hands. “Why just the two?”
Maxx’s shrug moved the coat at a comical angle. “I’ve no idea.”
The amulets sparkled beneath Maxx’s wall of magic. A wave of guilt washed over her and she removed the pendant she’d hidden in her bra. She’d lied to Cian when she told him Hunter had the amulet. She should’ve given it to him, but the idea of being separated from the amulet filled her with horror. She placed it in her palm alongside the others. It was more ornate than the other two and it occurred to her that they were decorated specific to the contents inside.
“I told Cian Hunter had taken this one. He’s going to hate me when he returns.” The confession came unbidden, but Maxx had given her the other two pendants; surely that deserved a little trust.
Maxx folded her hands over Nikala’s. “Not if you tell him the truth and keep these safe. Hunter can never get hold of them, do you understand? Never. If you think there’s a chance he’ll take them, promise me you’ll destroy them before that happens.” Maxx held her gaze. “Promise me.”
“I, erm, I promise.” She knew Maxx was right. Without the amulets, and what was inside, Hunter couldn’t continue his experiments. Nikala tucked the three amulets inside her bra where they’d be safe until she found a more permanent solution.
Maxx poured them tea. “How much did Cian tell you about the fae?”
“Not much. There wasn’t really time.” Nikala glanced at the magic surrounding them. “Are you a faerie?”
“Pureblood, from one of Faerie’s oldest families.” A note of pride filled her words. “I can answer most of the questions you might have, but there’s something I’d like to present to you first. With Malcolm gone, blessed be his bones that rest in the dust, I would like to offer my services in an official capacity. No threats, no blackmail. A proper job. Working for you.”
Blackmail? Nikala would sort that out in a minute.
“Do you know the inner workings of Malcolm’s empire?”
“I do indeed. I wasn’t just his courier. When a job was too messy for you, he’d send me.”
Nikala gasped. Malcolm had sent her on some pretty traumatic missions. She shuddered to think what Maxx had to endure.
“What do you know about the Dawn Project?”
Maxx took a sip of her tea and set down her cup before answering. “Starting with the difficult interview questions first. I like your style.”
Although her tone suggested she was joking, seriousness clouded her eyes. Nikala waited impatiently for Maxx to answer.
“The Dawn Project was Hunter’s prototype. His first experiment, you might say.”
“If that was his first, then it was more than twenty years ago. Why were he and Malcolm discussing it again?” Nikala took a bite of a biscuit and sipped her tea, her mind spinning.
“Because the Dawn Project is what started Hunter down this path. He’s compelled to finish what he started and that means fully exploiting his first experiment.”
A sliver of jealousy slipped beneath the cool veneer of indifference she’d perfected over the years. “Do you know who or what that is?”
Maxx nodded, her eyes growing misty. “Aurora MacNair. Cian’s sister.”
The sliver of jealousy twisted in her heart and wrenched free. Dawn. Aurora. “Does Cian know?”
“No one knows but you, me, and Hunter. Acelyne and Malcolm are beyond giving away secrets.”
Nikala stood and paced the office, her boots making light thuds with each step. She had to warn Cian, but how?
“You can go between the worlds, right? You have to tell Cian. Let him know his sister isn’t safe.”
“I’ve already warned Rori not to come to the human realm, but that girl’s as headstrong as you are.” Maxx stood and dusted crumbs from her coat. “With Cian gone, you need someone here to look out for you. I’ll send a message to a contact I have in Faerie, but I won’t risk both our lives chasing Cian down.”
“You can do that? You can send messages back and forth?” Nikala reached for a pen and paper.
&
nbsp; “I can. You can’t.” Maxx went to the door and turned. “The fate of both Faerie and the human realm rests on your shoulders now, Nikala. I do hope you don’t let us down.”
With that, she left the office and the ochre lights dimmed until Nikala stood alone in the darkened space. Someday she’d break the hold Hunter had on her and she’d kill him. Maybe Maxx would know how, or Cian, but she’d be free of him for good.
“I promise you,” she said aloud to the stars, hoping Malcolm could hear her, “I will right the wrongs we both made. I will help our people.” Somehow. Someday.
She retrieved the more ornate amulet and held it in her fist, close to her lips.
“If you can hear me,” she whispered to the glass, “I could really use your strength and wisdom right now.”
An image of a field of wildflowers filled her mind and Nikala breathed in the scents of a summer’s day. A warm, floral breeze ruffled her hair and she closed her eyes to bask in the sun. Standing in the middle of the field was the woman with strawberry-blonde hair. She held her hands out to Nikala, beckoning her close.
She ran to the woman, sure in her steps. A comfortable warmth covered her and she knew she was where she belonged. Where she was loved. She was home.
Their hands clasped together and the woman’s smile outshone the sun and stars in the sky. Like starshine.
I am Mairead, the woman said. I am your mother.
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Read more by Tameri Etherton
The Fatal Fae
Fatal Illusion
Fatal Assassin
The Song of the Swords
The Prince of Dragons
The Stones of Resurrection
The Temple of Sacrifice
The Ruins of Betrayal
About the Author
Tameri Etherton is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author. She grew up inventing fictional worlds where the impossible was possible.
It’s been said she leaves a trail of glitter in her wake as she creates new adventures for her kickass heroines, and the rogues who steal their hearts.
She lives an enchanted life traveling the world with her very own prince charming and their mischievous dragon, Lady Dazzleton.
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Fatal Assassin, Fatal Fae Book Two
Copyright © Tameri Etherton (2018, 2019) All rights reserved.
www.TameriEtherton.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-941955-19-2
ISBN-10: 1-941955-19-3
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Cover design: Lori Grundy