Defended By Darkness: Wings, Wands and Soul Bonds Book 2

by Bolryder, Terry

  “Don’t worry,” is all he says.

  Don’t worry? How am I supposed to not worry when I don’t even know his last name?

  Reluctantly, I close the door, and the driver peels off into the rapidly moving traffic.

  I glance over my shoulder, watching the tall shape of him disappear into the darkening night behind me, wondering what that all meant.

  And as we head for home, I can still feel his lips on mine as though they’re still there.

  When on earth am I going to see him again?

  * * *

  Tanner

  Eva. Damn, there’s no doubting what I know now.

  She’s the beacon we’re searching for, and she’s my soul bond.

  And I don’t have time to deal with either of those realizations because I can sense chaos lingering nearby, probably drawn by her presence.

  I catch the last glimpse of her cab as it disappears. Then I turn around to walk the other direction down the sidewalk. I pass the doors to McKinley’s, making a right as I follow several dark threads hovering in the air around me like invisible ribbons.

  Time to hunt down some monsters.

  As the commander of darkness, fighting chaos in my world used to be an everyday occurrence.

  Here in the human world, I can follow the threads people leave behind as they come and go, but I’m mostly interested in the kind of insidious trails left by the stronger sources of chaos.

  Chaos fae from my world.

  I take a deep breath of cool night air, wishing I could still be kissing Eva. Still be talking to her. Still be basking in the radiance of her beauty and her personality.

  Too bad the forces of chaos had to decide tonight was a good night to go looking for a beacon.

  I’m absolutely certain that Eva is one. A fairy princess hidden amongst all these humans, unawakened to her true powers just yet.

  If we continue to bond, one day she’ll know what she is.

  Until then, I have to do things carefully, guard her from the shadows for now.

  I keep following the thin, dark trails of magic, ducking down a nearby alley, ignoring the smells of garbage and wet pavement.

  The scent of chaos, like coal and Flynn’s overcooked steaks, fills the air, letting me know I’m getting closer to my quarry.

  News must have reached the chaos realm of one beacon being successfully awakened by Brett, and now every chaos prince that wasn’t already here has probably come over to see if they can find and kidnap their own fairy princess.

  I’d like to see them try.

  My whole soul reaches for Eva, wants to be with her this very second. But I’m still formulating a plan in my head. Something that’s risky but may or may not work.

  I reach the end of the corridor, a dead end. Around me, the wisps of chaos magic are thick, like a heavy mist in the air.

  I turn and see three men emerge from the shadows.

  Chaos warriors. Even in the near pitch black of the alley, I can see the last flecks of light glinting off their dark, oil-slick armor.

  They all have the telltale fae ears, not even bothering to try and look human right now.

  “The beacon will soon awaken,” one of the men says in a low rasp. All three are blocking my path out of the alley.

  But I’m not the one trapped right now.

  “You’re one of those princes they sent to stop us, aren’t you?” Another cackles, coming to the front. “It won’t work. We’re taking this one.”

  Dark magic surges inside me, charging the wand I keep holstered on my back, invisible until I need it.

  “We will kill you. Then we will take the beacon for our own.” All three of them are reaching behind their backs, watching me, waiting to see what I’ll do.

  My right hand twitches slightly. I wait just a moment longer.

  Suddenly, a wand appears—black and twisted—in the hands of the first warrior, and he draws it out. I can see it crackling with chaos energy, ready to fire.

  In an instant, I pull my wand out with lethal, trained precision. Before all three even have their wands free, I train mine forward. Three quick, dark shots of energy fly out the tip of my wand in rapid succession, lighting up the alley with black and gray light that bounces off the shadows.

  Three bodies fall to the ground, one after the other, making little sound as they do. And as I come forward, staff still trained on my enemies, I watch as their bodies dissipate into ashes and mist, blowing away on a faint wind that carries what remains of them upward.

  “Good-bye and good riddance,” I say to the last remnants of the creatures who wanted to harm my soul bond.

  I put my wand away, and it disappears behind me, as it has a thousand times before.

  It’s not the first time I’ve killed. It won’t be the last.

  But I never enjoy it, even if it’s necessary to protect those around me.

  Shaking my head, I head out of the alley and back onto the street.

  The cool night air is refreshing, and already, my thoughts are wholly on Eva again. That soft brunette hair. Her cute, shapely lips and bright blue eyes. The way she talked.

  The way she kissed.

  My magic surges at even the thought of my soul match, and I’m hungrier to just see her again than I ever have been for anything else in my entire life.

  At least those three won’t be coming near her.

  But courting my soul match will take more than just putting down rabid chaos dogs. I need a plan. I need a way we can see each other more, so I think back to our conversation in the bar, mulling over one idea I had before we kissed.

  I pull out my cell phone and click on one of the only five contacts I have stored. It rings for a moment. Then a familiar voice picks up on the other end.

  “Hello? Tynan… I mean, Tanner?”

  “Yes, Chad, it’s me. I have a big favor to ask…”

  3

  Eva

  It was just a kiss.

  I should be focused on sorting through the last of the CEO applications, not thinking about the lips of a tall, dark, and handsome stranger.

  Especially since I’ve been doing interviews all morning and not liked any of the applicants so far.

  But that’s perhaps why Tanner’s handsome face keeps coming back to me.

  In a world where no one listens, where men are just waiting to ask my number and not get to know me, he was a breath of fresh air.

  The fact that I’ve never been attracted like that to anyone in my life has nothing to do with it.

  The door to the conference room opens up, and Rod Dewans, one of the board members, sticks his head in.

  “You have time for one more interview?”

  I sigh. “Is he any different from the last ones?”

  Mr. Dewans, who probably liked every other swaggering, blowhard interviewee we’ve had so far, looks at me with some confusion. “He’s different in that he came specifically recommended by a board member. We really can’t say no.”

  I fold my arms, leaning back in my seat. Given that the board chose the last two candidates, I really don’t have high hopes for this one, but I can’t really say no. “Fine. Send him in.”

  “His résumé should be in your inbox,” Mr. Dewans says, leaving the conference room to join up with some of the other VPs who are currently laughing loudly in the hallway over someone’s story about dating three models.

  I shake my head at them as the door shuts, leaving me in silence to check over the latest résumé.

  At least I have something to keep my mind off of Tanner, who I will probably never see again.

  I click open the résumé, then narrow my eyes at the name at the top.

  I shake my head, thinking it’s a common name, that it couldn’t possibly be the same person, but then—

  “Hello, is this the place for an interview?” A calm, familiar voice jars me out of my shock and into even more shock when I turn to the door and see the man from last night.

  In a suit, looking like he was b
orn to rule the corporate world.

  And of course, just like last night, my body reacts almost instantly to the sight of him.

  I take a deep, shaky breath, trying to compose myself as he takes a seat next to me at the table rather than walking around to sit at the other end.

  He looks over at me, and in the daylight, I can see that his eyes are actually a deep, deep navy. So dark they are almost black. But the long lashes, the sparkle whenever he eyes me, makes them beautiful, like obsidian or—

  “I can see I’ve caught you off guard,” he says calmly. “That wasn’t my intention.”

  I flash my eyes back and forth between him and the résumé, wondering if there is some kind of trick here.

  Then it all falls into place.

  New up-and-coming CEO hears about a job opening and goes to see the person who is in charge of hiring, pretending it’s just an innocent meeting.

  I groan because the worst thing is that I fell for it.

  Still, he probably would have gotten the interview anyway since he knows the board, so I might as well get this over it.

  But did he kiss me knowing he would be back? Was it supposed to be some kind of inducement?

  I feel a flush work its way up my neck and put a hand back to rub it away.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I say, because if he wants things to be strictly professional, they’ll be strictly professional. “Let’s take a look at your résumé.”

  He leans back, crossing his legs calmly. “Go ahead.”

  I slant him a glare, still wondering what his game is. Either way, I have to do my best to grill him, because someone who would kiss me like that just to get a job at my company is definitely not someone I want to work with.

  Plus, I might end up doing something stupid. Like kissing him again.

  Think, Eva. I scroll through his résumé and narrow my eyes at his work experience. “Ha!” I point to a spot on the screen. “I need you to tell me more about this work you did at… Let me see… The Kingdom of Darkness?”

  He blinks at me, long and slow, giving me a chance to stare at his face as his arms fold in front of his magnificent chest, which I’m not supposed to be noticing. “A large corporation I ran.”

  “How many employees?”

  He thinks for a moment. “Four hundred? Though, I had VPs as well.”

  I rumple my brows for a moment, wondering why I haven’t heard of this company.

  “It’s privately owned,” he says, smoothly turning to face me. “You wouldn’t have heard of them.”

  No CEO needs to be as fit as he is. Or as gorgeous.

  “Why did you want to work here, then, if you had such a good position?”

  “I had to relocate,” he says coolly. Finally, a break in the armor, and I see a muscle twitch in that hard jaw.

  A jaw you could cut apples with, I think somewhat dizzily.

  Stay professional, Eva. We can’t have him as our CEO, even our interim CEO. He kissed you just to get a job.

  I run a hand through my hair, letting a few strands fall free of my usually tight ponytail.

  “Some of your references are a little sketchy,” I say, surprised I can even muster a normal tone. “Like, who is this… Brett Everfrost?”

  He smirks slightly, perfect, carved lips tilting up at one side. “A friend and co-worker. He knows my prior work.”

  I shake my head, closing my laptop as I turn to face him frankly. “Look, to be honest, your résumé is weird, but I’ve seen weirder, even today.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  I let out a sigh. “The thing is what I think isn’t really going to matter, as I told you at the bar. So if you were kissing me just to—”

  He sits up abruptly, only looking taller and more intimidating. “I would never do that.”

  I flush, staring at the table, then back at him. “Then why…?”

  “I was just listening,” he said. “No intentions. No ulterior motives. I heard about a position and came to apply.”

  “But you kissed me.” I’m red as a tomato now. I know it.

  He grins then, and his large, elegant hand comes up to rub his jaw. “I couldn’t resist. But I promise I’m not here to trick you.”

  “So this is what you meant by seeing me again?” I ask, thinking hollowly that I must have misunderstood everything.

  “Yes,” he says frankly as I sit there wondering how everything could have gone so wrong.

  I thought he would see me again for… Well, it doesn’t matter now. If we end up working together, we’ll have to be totally professional.

  But I suppose he’s fine with that.

  “Thanks for coming,” I say as I stand, extending a hand for him to shake to end the interview. “I don’t have any more questions.”

  “That’s it?” He raises a dark eyebrow, standing as well.

  “Yes,” I say. “If it’s up to me, you won’t get the job, because regardless of what you meant, it’s not a good idea to kiss someone in upper management just to—”

  He moves in front of me, blocking my way to the door so I almost bump into his firm, wide chest in my rush to leave.

  Heat pumps through me as I slowly look up at him.

  “I told you,” he says. “I wasn’t planning to kiss you. I just… couldn’t resist.” He reaches out a hand and, to my shock, pushes a stray lock of my hair behind one ear. Even where his fingertips graze me is on fire.

  “Well, you should have,” I say, stepping back and swatting his hand away. “Because if we do end up working together, I’ll expect you to only see me in a professional manner.”

  I walk around him to open the door, gesturing for him to leave.

  He gives me a long, slow look of pure heat as he heads to the door, then smiles slightly. “I’m not sure I could remain professional with such a temptation.”

  I freeze because despite one urge to throw him out the building for his insolence, my other urge is to shut the door to the conference room, pull down the blinds, throw him onto the conference table, and have my way with him.

  Instead, I bite my lip, looking for a comeback. “Well, if that’s the case, it’s probably best if we don’t work together.”

  He shrugs. “I think the board has pretty much made their decision.”

  I scowl, irritation and sexual tension reaching a peak within me. I push him through the door and out into the hall, trying to ignore the way my body reacts excitedly to even the slightest contact between us. “Board or not, if I have any say in this, you aren’t going to work here.”

  “Why not?” He looks genuinely surprised, putting his hands in his pockets. “I think we’d work well together.”

  Is he trying to give me a lascivious look, or does my body just take it that way?

  “I—I just—it’s not a good idea. Not after last night.” Then, before I can change my mind or look into that handsome face again, I shut the door on him.

  I’ve dedicated my life to this company. I’m not going to risk throwing it all away for someone who kissed me the night before he came in for an interview.

  We can’t afford another CEO who doesn’t think he needs to be professional, even in the interim.

  I turn away, reaching behind me for the string to close the blinds so I don’t have to look at him.

  Then I hear his footsteps echo down the hallway as he finally gives up and walks away.

  I sit down and open up an email to tell the board exactly what I think about them possibly hiring Tanner.

  If I have any say in the decision, he’ll never so much as set foot in here again.

  4

  Eva

  I stare down at the paper in front of me, my jaw dropped in disbelief that this is actually happening.

  Tanner Shadeson, stealer of kisses and wooer of HR managers, plus the worst thing to happen to me in the past twenty-four hours, is being hired by Qualtechnics.

  All they need is my signature.

  I stare at the paperwork, the endless rows of tiny
font almost blurring in front of me.

  Around the wide, mahogany boardroom table, the other officers of the company have already broken off into little groups, chewing through time since the hiring decision was already made.

  “Just dotting your I’s and crossing those T’s?” The familiar voice of Bill Steinman booms jovially from beside me.

  “Just making sure nobody is trying to slip anything past me,” I reply, still angry at him and the others for going over my head and saying yes to Tanner without at least further investigating the man’s qualifications.

  Across the room, said soon-to-be interim CEO is cavorting with two vice presidents, still looking as devastatingly handsome as he did earlier this morning.

  I guess my gaze lingers a little too long, because he looks over at me. My heart stops momentarily as those dark eyes connect with mine.

  Then he has the audacity to smile, and I tear my gaze from his, looking back at the contract on the table.

  Is he just trying to torture me?

  “I wouldn’t worry too much, Eva,” Bill says, lowering his voice so only I’m in earshot. “This whole thing is really just a formality until we get the right person for the job.”

  “I thought the last guy was the right one for the job?” I reply wryly.

  Bill just laughs to himself. “Nobody’s perfect, I suppose. But in the meantime, I think Tanner will be exactly what we need while all of us get things in order.”

  Bill disappears to join an eager discussion of last night’s big game with his friends while I make my way down the last few addendums to Tanner’s contract.

  I frown down at one that seems a little odd…

  “You pay attention to detail. I like that.” A voice like black satin tickles my eardrums, making my senses perk in his direction.

  Curse my inability to hate this man sufficiently to not be attracted to him.

  “Yes, well, we both know how I feel about you being here,” I say with a sigh of pure resignation.

  He leans against the table next to me, crossing his arms and making the fabric of his suit bunch around taut muscles, even more than I remember being there last night.