by Amelia Shaw
His words speared through me as surely as his cock, rocketing me toward my orgasm faster. He wrapped one hand underneath me and brushed his fingers across my clit. It was enough to send me into overdrive. I situated up on my hands and knees and shoved back into him even as he pressed forward.
Every time our bodies met, a wet slap sounded through the room but all I could feel was the slow steady build of the orgasm he coaxed to life within me. It clawed its way out of me on the wings of pain and pleasure intertwined. I dropped my face into the floor, my arms going limp, my whole upper body falling into the faux fur as I shuddered and moaned.
With a curse, he stopped thumbing my clit and gripped my hips as I rode out the rest of my orgasm.
He slammed into me once more, and froze, his entire body contracting against mine as he came inside me. I could feel the hot wet heat of him, and in some part of my groggy endorphin flooded brain noted we probably should have used a condom here.
Despite the feel-good chemicals coursing through me, something in my chest felt tight. Like a rubber band ready to snap with the gentlest of flicks.
Fin eased out of me and then cleaned me up with a towel from the bathroom. I didn’t even try to help, but shifted to the side to relieve the ache on my knees.
When he returned from putting the towel away, he lifted me easily, carried me to the bed, dried me off, and tucked me under the covers. All the while that tight rubber band wound up inside me while I watched him.
After he cleaned up the water strewn through the bathroom and bedroom, he climbed onto the bed naked and lay on top of the covers.
I took this opportunity to get a good look at him.
Holy hell. He looked amazing with clothes on, but naked?
Wet dreams are made of this... I sung in my head.
He turned to face me, scooting down so we could look at each other eye to eye. “What are you thinking?”
“You don’t know?” I teased.
His brow creased as he studied my face. “No. I don’t know. Tell me.”
I smiled. “I’m still mad at you.”
He scoffed, his concern morphing to incredulity. “I think I earned a reprieve. At least for tonight. If I have to fuck you into oblivion again tomorrow to keep you happy. well, that is the burden I bear.”
I slapped his arm. “Was that a joke?”
He kissed my forehead gently and I closed my eyes. “Go to sleep, Zoey.”
For once, I actually listened to him.
Chapter Nine
THE TEXT TO MEET THE strange ‘Helix’ came in the late evening, directing me to get across the city in less than an hour. I barely had time to grab a couple of weapons, talk Fin from the ledge, and drag myself to the car. Fin followed me out.
Since they’d specified, again, Fin wasn’t to make contact with the metalsmith, he volunteered to drive. It might be cutting the edge of the agreement, but I figured as long as he didn’t try to come inside wherever I ended up he’d be fine. Well, as fine as he could be with me going in alone. Something he complained about the entire drive to the meeting point.
We pulled up outside a brownstone set in a neat row of others. Even the flowers in the perfect place spoke of prep schools and housekeepers.
I didn’t buy it for a second. My time with Fin and the Captain had made me jaded, sure, but I’d always been wary of manicured lawns and inheritance funded lives. I’d seen behind the curtain too many perfect lives to take anything at face value. It also didn’t help the façade that magic practically shimmered around the house like a bubble.
“Do you see it?” I asked Fin.
He nodded, his jaw clenched. “I see it. And I don’t want you going in there.”
I reached out and smoothed my thumb over the hard edge of his jaw. “I know you have an entire speech planned out to try and talk me out of going in there, but can we just skip it and assume I said something disarming and sassy that ended your tirade?”
His brow furrowed and he clutched the steering wheel. After a moment, he dropped his hands and finally looked at me. “I’ve lost too many people. There won’t be anything left to live for if I lose you too.”
“I’ll pretend those words were inspired by something soft and romantic instead of fear.” I trailed my thumb from his jawline to his bottom lip. “Don’t worry, I have a good feeling about this. You can monitor me through the bond. The second you feel anything like fear, you have my full permission to rush to my rescue, and I won’t even get mad.”
I jumped out of the car and shut the door, staring up at the house.
Outside the vehicle, the heavy sizzle of magic seemed to waft from the invisible barrier around the house. The street around us was empty save a few vehicles down the road. No other people wandered around.
I reached out to where I felt the magic and dipped my fingers in first. It felt chilly against my skin, but it didn’t hurt, nor did it feel malicious in any way.
I gave Fin a smile and then stepped through the magic to the other side.
The bond tethered tight in my chest cut off. I turned to see Fin step out of the car, watching me.
He could see I was perfectly fine, so I shrugged and headed up to the bright red door. There wasn’t a doorbell, but a huge black wrought iron knocker in the center. I banged the knocker against the door a few times and tucked my hands into my jacket pockets.
It only took a minute for the smooth man we’d met last night to answer. I gave Fin a little wave and stepped over the threshold.
“Nice to see you again, Miss Zoey,” Helix said as he closed the door behind me and waved me into a small sitting room.
The inside of the house looked as perfectly staged as the outside. Did they meet all their would-be clients here to test them before they dove into deeper stuff?
I took a seat on a cream couch and waited for Helix to sit across from me. He arranged himself in a matching chair and gave me a long look. Similar to the one he’d levelled on me last night, it felt like he could see the shape of my bones beneath my skin.
I got straight to the point. “So, I’m here, and my faerie is outside your weird shields. When do I meet your contact?”
He smiled and picked up a low-ball glass from the coffee table. “Shortly. First, I have a few questions for you.”
Of course, he did. Nothing was ever easy with the magical races. There were always hoops and tests and bullshit to wade through. But I didn’t exactly have a choice in this situation. I was the one needing the help.
“Ask what you need.”
He resettled his legs, one crossed over the other. Between his black-on-black suit and the amber liquid in his glass, this felt more civilized than some of the life-threatening situations I’d been in recently. At least if he decided to kill me, I’d have the crackle of a fire and the soft strains of Beethoven to see me off.
“Why do you really need a magical metalsmith? And please don’t bother with the jewelry excuse again. While you may need a catalyst as you described, I know that’s not why you are hunting my friend.” His tone was as stiff as his cuffs.
If I told him the truth and somehow he worked for Esteban—at this point, I was just assuming anyone I crossed paths with could be one of his goons—he could use my information against me. If I lied, then it was highly likely I’d be sent home and this lead to find Sol would dry up.
I leaned back into the couch and waved at him. “Can I get one of those if we’re doing this?”
His eyes popped open, and he surged to his feet, depositing his glass on the table again. “Of course. My apologies, most who come here refuse to even sit, let alone have a drink with me.”
He crossed to the bar in the corner and made a drink for me. Unidentifiable amber liquid over ice. His options seemed limited. Maybe because he only kept his own brand in here thinking no one else wanted anything.
With a flourish and a grin, he handed me the glass. I cupped it between my hands and braced my elbows on my knees. “I need to find a magical metalsmith to hel
p me negate a magical weapon.”
He paused in raising his glass to his mouth and then lowered it back to his lap. “What kind of weapon?”
“The magical kind, as I said.”
“Let’s not play games, Ms. Sallix. What sort of weapon? It will help me determine if I can help you or not.”
The memory of Esteban’s blade plunging deep into the Captain flashed in my mind. I beat the painful memory back with a large gulp of the whiskey and resettled on the chair to hide my shaking hands.
“This is a special kind of weapon that makes an unhealable wound.”
He narrowed his eyes and drained his glass in one long gulp. “I’ve heard of this blade but I’m sorry to say it’s impossible to protect against. The only thing a person struck by it can do is bleed out and hope it happens quickly.”
“Well, there are loopholes as my friend outside and I found when he got cut up by it. But the prospect of repeating the healing process after its use doesn’t appeal to either of us. Especially him having already endured it once.”
His gaze narrowed, feeling even sharper, more determined. As if he were delving deep inside me for one of these described wounds. I didn’t know what he found.
When he relaxed and glanced away again, he was frowning heavily. “I don’t believe you and yet you’re not lying.”
I took a long draw from my drink and let it burn down to my belly. “That’s up to you, but if you can’t help me then I’m not going to stay here and keep chatting. I need to spend my time finding someone else who can.”
He clapped his hands on his knees and stood in one smooth motion. “That might be best.”
A phone rang from his vicinity before I even had time to stand.
He answered it without speaking. The volume on the other end was too low for me to hear. Then he hung up just as abruptly.
Who the hell was this man and why did I want to be him when I grew up?
Then he turned his attention back to me, his posture stiff and tone brittle. “Well, it looks like you’ve intrigued someone. I must allow you to meet my friend.”
“You don’t seem so sure about this. I promise, as long as they don’t try to hurt me, I won’t hurt them.”
He folded his hands, still towering over me. “I believe that is true, however, I don’t trust my friend’s ability to say no to a situation they should not involve themselves in. A situation that might not turn out good for anyone.”
I was beyond tired of the back-and-forth and subtext I didn’t have the inclination or brain power to comprehend. “Look, I’m not trying to get anyone else dragged into the mess Fin and I are in. We fully intend to rectify our situation ourselves. All we need is a little help to even the playing field.”
“Well, at the very least, she wants to hear what you have to say.” He waved at the door on the other side of the room. “If you’ll follow me?”
I let him lead me out of the room, but I brought my drink along for the ride. We walked through a few non-descript hallways with watercolor landscapes lining either side, then down a set of stairs.
When we reached another set of stairs, I paused. Even though the entire path had been well lit, and so was the landing below, I distinctly remembered being dragged under a big house and subsequently tortured in various ways.
“Do we have to do this down there?” I asked.
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and glanced back at me. “Just this way, please.”
I took a long inhale and wrapped my free hand around the rail attached to the wall. If I didn’t need this contact, and to take Esteban’s weapon out of the equation, I’d walk back upstairs right now and never come back. The Captain lying beside me in my dream was the only thing that spurred me further even as my self-preservation instincts clamored for freedom.
Helix led me into a small room that mirrored the sitting room above except on a smaller scale. Cream décor, but only one couch and a small table between it and the doorway. Once inside, he turned to go and all my careful discussions in my head faded away under the prospect of being locked in this tiny room.
“Please, don’t lock the door. I won’t leave or do anything crazy. I just need to know that I can get out.”
He studied me then gave me a clipped nod and closed the door between us.
I sucked in a huge breath and prayed Fin couldn’t feel the fear rolling off me at the moment. I needed to get myself together before the contact came in and I ruined everything.
When I’d gone into Fin’s basement, I didn’t have this kind of reaction. My skin felt charged, like a fine buzz vibrated from inside me, and not in a fun sexy kind of way. A fear of cramped unknown basements wasn’t a good thing to have as a bounty hunter. People like to hide in cramped dark spaces. It was a well-documented fact.
I counted the recessed lighting circles overhead, then the buttons on the upholstery of the couch, anything to keep my mind occupied until the contact came in.
A loud buzz cut through the room and I clamped my hands over my ears until a voice cancelled the static.
“Zoey? Is that your name?” It was a female voice, soft and deep for a woman.
I nodded, but then rolled my eyes at myself, lowered my hands, and cleared my throat. “Yes, my name is Zoey, and you are...?”
“Nice try, but I’m not here to talk about me. I’m here to talk about what you need. Tell me about this weapon.”
Okay. I can do this. I resituated myself on the couch. “As far as I know, it’s a fairy made blade and when used on someone it creates an unhealable wound. It was recently wielded by my enemy and I need to get it off the field before I can make another move against him.”
“Does this enemy have a name?”
Shit. The moment I mention the Black Mage, this woman is going to run straight for the hills. Not even her pretty bodyguard would be able to convince her to stay.
“Um, can I keep that to myself for now? I promise he’s a bad guy.”
Even her soft laugh sounded sultry. “I don’t work for just anyone, nor do I provide weapons against those who I consider friends.”
I scoffed. “Lady, if you’re friends with this man then we wouldn’t be speaking, and you wouldn’t have waltzed me through this dog and pony show of a protection racket you’ve got going on here. So, let’s not play games.”
The intercom went quiet, not even the soft static crackling through the room. Maybe I scared her away with my honesty? Helix seemed to find it refreshing. I didn’t do subterfuge well and it always helped when people understood that about me.
I rubbed my clammy hands on my pants and took another sip from my glass. The condensation trickled over my fingers as I drained the drink and put it back down again. There wasn’t a bar in here to get a refill so all I could do was sit and wait.
And not let my reaction to this room drive me insane. The urge to rush to the door just to check and see if it was still unlocked beat at me. But I didn’t want to antagonize anyone, not until they agreed to help me.
Then they could learn antagonization was one of my love languages.
I sat forward and then stood, wandering behind the couch and then back in front of it, pacing a circle. Not that I could manage more than a few steps in the small space.
I made it around the couch quite a few times when the door opened from the outside. In the doorway stood a small woman, dressed head to toe in black, wearing sunglasses. Her hair had been tucked under a cap but from what I could tell by the eyebrows between the hat and the glasses, it was black.
“Is that necessary?” I asked, looking her over for any identifiable details. I got nothing except the tiny scars dotting her fingers, white against her pale skin.
“It is,” she said in that same bar-room voice. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person, Zoey.”
Chapter Ten
I STARED AT HER A LITTLE too long before shaking myself to speak. “Sorry, uh, nice to meet you too...?”
She didn’t respond to my not-so-subtle request
for her name, instead stepping further into the room and closing the door in Helix’s face on the other side. I could appreciate a woman who could put a man in his place.
With a graceful wave at the couch, she closed the distance between us. “Please, sit.”
I only followed the directive because her hands shook, and fear wafted off her in waves which fought with her sea breeze scent.
Once I’d taken the seat, she took one more step forward, but not so close that I could reach out and touch her.
“I promise, I have no intention of hurting you as long as you don’t attempt to hurt me,” I said, repeating what I’d told Helix earlier. Despite the blood thirst in my veins, I didn’t actually set out to bludgeon people randomly.
Well, except for Fin, but he deserved it.
I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not.
Her lips were pressed into a thin line. “I’m afraid I can’t let me guard down, even with people who are supposed to be friends.”
“That sounds like a lonely life. And Helix? Is he a friend, colleague, or more?”
She skipped right over that question. “Who owns the weapon you’re so concerned with? There are only a few truly magical weapons, ones that can change the world, or the course of a war.”
“I don’t think I should tell you. If I do, you won’t agree to help me.”
She cocked her head to the side, a strange stance without the ability to see her eyes. “I haven’t agreed to help you yet as it is. What do you have to lose?”
“Right now, you’re a maybe, and if you take off your sunglasses and we can actually talk, I think I can turn that maybe into a yes. Especially when you don’t have to go anywhere near the man.”
Seconds stretched into minutes and then she nodded, turned to the door, threw it open, and said, “Follow me, please.”
Helix stood on the middle of the corridor, his jaw a granite line as he glared after her. So more than friends there then. I squeezed past him and felt him right on my heels as I trailed behind the woman.