Snarling, the incubus paused and replied in the same tongue.
I rubbed my shivering arms, glancing from Bertie to Evander. The language they were speaking left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Evander straightened to his full height, blood trickling down his face. Then he charged, eyes gleaming with a wild light. He and Bertie moved too fast for me to follow the fight. They were a confused blur of dark clothes with flashes of gold. During a pause, they faced each other, half crouched, teeth bare like a couple of wolves. They were two males, fighting over their prey. Me.
Evander’s eyes became obsidian, the black swallowing the white, and even his silhouette blurred. Thundering punches and kicks were exchanged.
I wobbled towards the bureau’s carriage, not sure that if Evander won the fight, he wouldn’t attack me. Halfway to safety, an arm coiled around my neck and pulled me back. The air rushed out of my lungs as my attacker slammed me on the ground. A woman with wild black hair snarled. Her skin was so pale the blue veins underneath stood out.
“You don’t go anywhere.” She spoke as if her tongue was swollen.
I scurried away, but she grabbed my hair and yanked. The scream that left me grated my throat. My scalp burned with thousands of needles.
I scratched her arm with a hand while searching my hair for the hidden pin with the other. The woman was hauling me towards Bertie’s black brougham. Her strength and impossibly pale skin gave her away as an Unnatural.
The gravel chafed my knees and the cut on my foot burned as I kicked her. Fingers trembling, I slid the pin out of the chignon and stabbed her hand. A piercing yell rose from her. The relief when she released me brought tears to my eyes.
Gunshots ricocheted behind me, but I was too focused on the woman to understand where they came from, and the thuds of Bertie’s and Evander’s fight muffled the other noises.
The woman hissed and lunged. My pin had pierced her hand from side to side, and black blood oozed from the wound. I scrambled back, searching for something I could hit her with.
Her claw-like nails cut my skin when she clutched me again. I struck her chin with my heel. Her head jerked. That annoyed her, if the wide flare of her eyes was any indication. She growled and bared her teeth, but another shot rang out and hit her square in the chest. Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped in a heap on the ground.
“Move, for God’s sake.” Sirius snatched my arm and hauled me up, his gun still smoking.
The woman’s body melted into a dark pool, and like with the cryptid, a foul-smelling cloud lifted, but Sirius shoved me far enough that the smoke didn’t reach me.
Panting, I bent over. “Thank you.” The words didn’t come out easily, but he’d saved me. “What was that thing?”
“A loron, the spirit of a woman who drowned her own children. Vicious creatures.”
Oh, Lord. My stomach twisted with burning nausea.
His gaze followed Evander’s fight. “Did you know?”
“What?”
“Don’t lie to me.” His upper lip curled.
A roar thundered out of Bertie. The ground quaked, and a gust of scorching wind lifted. I shut my eyes against the gale. Dust hit my skin. Dry leaves twirled around. Dash it, what was going on now? A hurricane swept the yard. My skirt flogged my legs, and dirt got stuck in my teeth. I stifled a scream because I didn’t want to ingest dust when a searing pain hit my chest. It was as if a hot blade were cutting through me. The burning sensation spread along my veins, and something snapped inside me. A bullet?
As the pain became a dull throb, I crawled away—where and why were two details I didn’t bother to consider—when the storm ended. I blinked and wiped the dirt from my eyes. No blood gushed from my chest.
A few agents were gathered around Evander, but aside from the blood soaking their shirts, I couldn’t see much. I wasn’t even sure if Bertie was here or not. I hoped the tornado had taken him away.
“Who are you?” Covered in dust, Sirius grabbed Evander’s collar and shook. “You fucking son of a bitch.”
Evander didn’t react, but accepted the insult with a blank face.
Hard stares flickered over me. Even Jasper regarded me with horror.
Evander’s secret was out.
Twenty-Two
“YOU ARE AN UNNATURAL!” Sirius’s angry voice ripped the night. He grabbed Evander’s jacket and pulled him closer. “How could you keep this secret from us!”
Damon muttered under his breath, wiping the blood over his chin, and shot worried glances at Jasper.
“We should kill you.” Sirius pointed his gun at Evander’s chest.
I clamped my hands over my mouth. The ache in my chest throbbed hard though, and I touched the spot to be sure I wasn’t hurt. No blood stained my gown, only dirt.
“That’s enough.” Jasper marched towards Sirius and yanked him off Evander.
Either Sirius was too stunned to react, or his loyalty towards Jasper was stronger than his anger because he backed away from Evander and lowered his gun.
“Now listen everyone.” Jasper stood tall with easy authority. “Evander isn’t an Unnatural.”
“I saw the fight between the incubus and him,” Damon said. “Evander’s eyes weren’t human. Not even the serum can turn our eyes obsidian.”
Evander stroked his arm where a cut bled and stared at the ground. He seemed so lonely and lost. I wanted to hug him and hide him from the disconcerted stares of the other agents.
Jasper held up a hand when murmurs spread. “Evander is only half Unnatural, and I’ve always been aware of this.”
An outraged hiss rose from the agents. Mutters and glances were thrown at Evander. If the pain in my chest wasn’t freezing me, I’d tell the idiots to shut up.
“Silence!” Jasper’s shout overcame the din. “Even the head of the bureau is informed of the situation. We reputed Evander too important and too skilled to lose him as an agent. He isn’t a danger.”
“If everything is so simple and easy, why didn’t you tell us?” Sirius roared, his gun still in his hand.
“It wasn’t my secret to share,” Jasper said. He took a step towards his men, fists balled at his side. “If anyone has a problem with this, I’d suggest you talk with Lord Van Doren directly. As head of the bureau, Lord Van Doren will be delighted to hear your complaints.”
Lord Van Doren? Lavinia’s father? I rubbed my sore chest again. Evander was engaged to be married with the daughter of the bureau’s head.
Sirius scoffed. “As if it helped. Evander is fumbling with Lord Van Doren’s daughter, and now we know how he charmed her. He used his bloody incubus power.”
At this, Evander’s head shot up, and he went to pounce, but Jasper blocked him with an arm.
“No.” He stretched out his arms and shot a glare to his men. The murmurs died down. “We have a more urgent problem. The incubus brought some friends, a loron and another incubus. It’s the first time an Unnatural has a team working with him.”
The agents shifted their stances, hands twitching over daggers and guns.
“I want every one of you to focus on chasing down this incubus,” Jasper said. “If he’s putting together an army, we’ll face a threat bigger than we have ever had. So set aside your questions and doubts about Evander, and work hard to take the incubus.”
Without waiting for the men’s reaction, he turned and strode towards the coach house where the bureau’s carriages were parked.
Evander stood in the middle of the yard, watching me with his still-gleaming eyes. A shiver half of fear, half of excitement shuddered through me, and the throb in my chest gave a painful tug. What in blazes was that? The moment he averted his gaze, the tug diminished.
Damon walked over to me and put an arm around my shoulders. “Let me help you to the carriage.”
“Thank you.” I leaned against him while limping towards the coach and staring at Evander even though he wasn’t gazing at me.
“What was that language Evander and Bertie spoke?” I asked while Damon helped me along the gravel path.
My injured foot sent a shot of burning pain at each step.
“It’s Dark Language, the Unnaturals’ language. Every agent speaks it. But only Evander is so . . . fluid.”
I shivered, remembering those sharp words that had hurt my ears.
“The Dark Language is used to cast evil spells or make deals.” The last words were uttered in hushed tones.
“Spells? Did Evander cast a spell on the incubus? What did he say?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t be the one explaining it.”
I paused on the steps to the carriage and put a hand on his arm. “Damon, please tell me. I’m worried.”
The sigh he released carried a world of fatigue. “Evander challenged the incubus. He claimed you as his own and forbade the incubus to touch you. As you can imagine, the incubus didn’t take it well.”
Evader claimed me as his. The words shouldn’t spread ecstasy in my chest or start the bloody tug all over again. I sagged in the seat and waited for the others.
When Evander climbed inside the carriage, he sat next to me, jaw clenched, but didn’t spare me a glance. Jasper and Sirius sat in front of us.
A heavy silence fell in the carriage as we rode back to Evander’s house.
I couldn’t stand the oppressing silence any longer.
“May I know what is going to happen now?” I asked as we drove along a bumpy road. “What’s our next move?”
“Asking Lord Van Doren to remove Evander from our team,” Sirius said, baring his teeth.
“As Jasper said, Van Doren is already aware of my situation.” Evander wiped a drop of blood from his chin.
“I bet that’s why Van Doren demoted you,” Sirius said.
“Demoted him?” I asked.
Sirius gave me a curt nod. “Evander was our captain until a while ago.”
Well, that explained why Evander was so casual with Jasper.
“Still none of your business,” Evander gritted out at Sirius.
“We’re a team, Evander.” The sharp note in Jasper’s voice surprised me. It was the first time he spoke like that at Evander. “Your situation affects us all. The others have the right to complain or leave the team if they want.”
A shudder ran through Evander.
I should probably let the agents sort this mess out but . . . Sod it. “My goodness, what are you talking about?” Desperation caused my voice to rise. “Evander saved me. He’s the only one who can fight the incubus. How can you think of removing him? It’s madness.”
Jasper stared at Evander. Even Sirius remained silent.
“I don’t want him to leave,” Jasper said. “As a matter of fact, I don’t want anyone to leave my team. It’s a good team. We work well together, and Evander is the only half-blood agent in the bureau that I know of, and yes, I believe he saved you tonight.”
Evander peered out of the window, even though there wasn’t much to see aside from a black sky and black fields streaming past. Damon’s words replayed in my head, about Evander claiming me, and heat filled my cheeks.
“You don’t know what Evander did, do you?” Sirius asked when London’s lights twinkled on the horizon.
I shook my head, fighting a stupid smile stretching my lips.
Propping an elbow on the window, Sirius smirked. “He claimed you.”
“Yes, Damon told me that.” And I didn’t see what was wrong with it.
Evander squirmed. “There’s no need to explain everything now. I’ll tell her later.”
I perked up. “Wait, I want to know. What does the claiming mean?” Another sharp tug in my chest made me wince.
Sirius reclined his head, eyes glinting. “It means you can’t be a whore anymore.”
A sharp breath hissed out of Evander.
But Sirius didn’t flinch. “It means that you can’t touch another man, Unnatural or otherwise, because Evander will go berserker and probably kill you.”
That wiped the smile off my face.
~ * * ~
THE PIECE OF GLASS stuck in my foot was no bigger than a wood splinter, but it hurt and burned my skin like the hottest demon in hell. Sitting on the edge of the bed in Evander’s house, I used a pair of tweezers to probe the cut. The hot bath had helped wash the wound and remove the dirt and dry blood, but a tiny shard of glass was still inside.
A knock came from the half-closed door.
Only Evander was at home, so I didn’t even glance up from my work. “Come in.”
A little tremor of . . . fear? Anticipation? Crawled up my spine, not to mention the usual tug in my chest.
The door inched open, and Evander’s fresh scent preceded him. “How’s your foot?”
“Sore.” The tips of the tweezers grabbed the little bugger, and a new rush of blood oozed out when I removed the shard. “Ouch.”
“Let me.” He knelt in front of me in a cloud of male musk and soap scent. Damn him. He always smelled so good.
Even though his charming power had no effect on me, the scent ensnared my senses and started a throb between my legs. A small leather bag was in his hands, and he laid it on the floor.
His strong fingers touched the wound gently, and as usual, my body reacted to the contact, and shivers of pleasure ran up my leg. Only this time the pleasure pulsated in my chest as well. I had to ask him about that.
He patted the wound with a cotton ball, added something stinky that burned a lot, and then wrapped a clean bandage around my foot.
“It’s carbolic acid,” he said, smiling. “It’ll disinfect the cut.”
A world of sadness echoed in that smile.
“Would you tell me why you claim me?” I whispered.
The smile vanished. His brow furrowed as he cradled my foot.
“Is it really something dangerous for me, as Sirius said?” I pressed on.
He put the cotton ball and the bottle of carbolic acid in the bag. “I lost control. When the incubus arrived with the intention of taking you, my unnatural half prevailed. Claiming you wasn’t something I planned. When Van Doren learned I was a half-blood, Wayne, my mentor, and Jasper took my side and convinced him to keep me. Van Doren made clear that I should never use my unnatural powers unless I could save a life. That was the rule.”
Well, the bloody bureau had too many rules to start with.
“But you did save me.”
He gazed up. “I claimed you. For me. It’s an ancient ritual between incubi, or rather a challenge. It’s also a bond between an incubus and the human, between you and me.”
I touched my chest. “This tug here, this pull, is it the bond?”
“Yes.” He put a hand on his chest, too. “I feel it too. With time, the sensation won’t be so strong, but it’ll be there.”
A flush of dark heat worked its way through me. We were bonded. I shouldn’t love it, but I damned did.
His scowl deepened. “Don’t look so pleased. The bond means that losing my control will be easier now. If an incubus or a man touches you, I might kill him, and it can be dangerous for you as well.”
“So we . . .” I cleared my throat and released his hand. “Must we have sex?”
“Asia.” The serious tone worried me. “A claiming is much more than that.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.
The motion was fascinating, and I couldn’t tear my gaze from his neck.
“I’m sorry to have dragged you into this mess.” His locks swished about his cheeks. “If Van Doren decides to expel me, things will become even more difficult for you.”
A drop of cold sweat trickled down my back. “All right, but you saved me. That must count for something.”
“Priority Protection Act.”
Sod it. “How could I have forgotten about it?” I injected as much sarcasm as I could in my words. “If you had claimed an aristocratic maiden, no one would’ve c
omplained. Am I right?”
“Probably.” His shirt slipped a few inches over his shoulder when he sat back and propped his elbows on his bent knees. I caught a quick glimpse of ragged skin before he adjusted the fabric. “There will be an inquiry, and if the internal affair finds something irregular, I might be suspended, demoted, or sacked.” He stated the possibility with a flat tone.
I released a breath. “That’s why you asked me to not tell anyone about what happened in the training hall.”
“My record isn’t clean.”
Oh, he meant Lavinia. I twirled my ankle, testing the bandage around my foot. It wasn’t only curiosity gnawing at me, but doubt. “I read Lavinia’s letter,” I whispered, bracing myself for his anger.
“I know.”
I whipped my head up. “What? How?”
“My sense of smell is quite good.” His mouth quirked up in a tired smile. “The letter had your scent. It wouldn’t have it unless you touched it, and if you touched it, I assumed it was because you read it.”
A hot flush burned my face. “I’m sorry.” I shuffled my feet. “I was curious, and the letter wasn’t sealed.” As if that justified what I’d done.
“It doesn’t matter.” His head hung.
The bitter taste of sorrow stung my tongue. “What happened with Lavinia? Did you hurt her?”
The fierce gleam in his eyes changed his expression from sad to outraged in the span of a moment. “I didn’t touch her, I swear to God. I had never, ever lost my control with her.” The muscles in his throat worked. “I don’t feel enough attraction for her to lose control.” The low tone of his voice only increased the pulse between my thighs and in my chest.
“Why is she blackmailing you?”
“It happened two years ago.” Exhaustion and anger bruised his features. “One night, I was on duty, patrolling the gardens of Lord Van Doren’s estate during a ball. The bureau had recently promoted me to captain, and that assignment was one of my firsts. Van Doren had promoted me, even though he knew I was a half-blood because my mentor Wayne vouched for me. He was still the head of the bureau but was retiring and insisted with Van Doren on giving me a chance. You can imagine my excitement.”
The Royal Occult Bureau Page 20