Burning Ash

by N. J. Walters

  But there wasn’t enough levity in the universe to get her to relax. Not when they were leaving the relative safety of his home and venturing out into the world where their enemies lurked.

  The ride down to the lobby was made in silence. She tried not to fidget but couldn’t help shifting from foot to foot. Bjorn was standing right next to her in the enclosed space. The guy had wanted to kill her less than an hour ago. Now he was some sort of self-appointed bodyguard.

  Men were weird. He and Asher were suddenly best buds again, even though they’d been fighting to the death earlier.

  She released a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck. “You okay?” Asher asked, not even trying to keep his voice down. Even if he whispered, the others would hear him.

  “Not really, but I’ll deal.” Her choices were limited.

  The elevator doors opened, and they made their way to the street. “Anyone have a preference for where we might eat?” Morrigan asked. Maccus had his arm around her, keeping her body to the inside where she was more secure.

  “Pizza.” She could die. If that happened, Jo wanted her last meal to be pizza.

  “Pizza it is,” Asher agreed before anyone else could object. “There’s a place a couple of blocks over.”

  “We should pick a place farther away. See if anyone follows.” Bjorn was already scanning the streets. “I’m not going with her.” The wolf raised his voice and pointed at her. The abrupt change from calm to angry shocked her.

  Asher moved in front of her. “No one asked you to.”

  Bjorn pointed a finger at her as he backed away. “You can’t protect her forever.” The werewolf melted into the crowd.

  Adrenaline coursed through her body. Jo took several deep breaths, not liking the small tremors in her hands. “What was that? I thought—” Asher’s mouth crashed down on hers before she could finish.

  Heat blasted through her, driving away the chill of fear. His tongue slipped between her lips, tasting, teasing. She groaned, her toes curling in her boots. A warning pinged in the back of her brain. This is stupid. If she died it would be her own fault. They were on the middle of a crowded sidewalk, for God’s sake.

  She pressed her hands against his chest and shoved, but he banded an arm around her and left a trail of hot kisses along her jaw all the way to her ear.

  “There could be someone watching. Bjorn is going to circle around and see if he can track anyone.” The words were barely audible. When she stiffened, he licked her neck, dragging the tip of one of his teeth over her skin. Even as she jolted, her nipples turned to hard nubs and heat pooled in her lower belly.

  “We need to move.” Maccus’s deep voice brought reality crashing back with a hard thud.

  Asher circled his arm around her waist and tucked her to the inside, just as Maccus did for Morrigan. For a split second, she could almost believe they were simply two couples out for an evening on the town.

  “So where are we going?” Rather than answer her, Maccus walked to the nearest subway station. I guess we’re taking the train.

  It really didn’t matter where they went. The mission was to try to discover who, if anyone, was watching. Jo surreptitiously scrutinized the people around her.

  Asher paid the fare for both of them, while Maccus did the same for him and Morrigan. Jo laughed. “What?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “It’s just odd to see two such powerful men pay the subway fare.”

  “Too many cameras and people everywhere.”

  He was right about that. And most of them were watching their group, specifically the men. And why wouldn’t they? The two of them were a sight to behold. Asher looked as though he’d dominate any Fortune 500 boardroom, while Maccus would be more at home leading a biker gang. They were tough and exuded a confidence that was both compelling and sexy. And Morrigan was no slouch, either. She walked with purpose and total fearlessness. Being a former bounty hunter for Hell, there probably wasn’t a lot that scared her.

  Jo might not belong with this group, but she was still badass. “My weapons,” she managed to get out. How had she forgotten about them? Security was tight everywhere these days. Getting stopped would mess with their plans. She hadn’t realized they’d be taking the train. When she was armed, she walked or drove or took the bus.

  “Now that I can cover,” Asher assured her. “No one will question you about them.”

  Taking him at his word, she strode alongside him to the platform to wait. The four of them automatically put their backs to the wall, giving them a better vantage point.

  A bearded man in ragged jeans played a guitar not too far from them. His voice was mellow, the song a classic. Several people dropped some change in the open guitar case as they passed.

  A woman in a power suit talked on her phone, while a younger woman stood five feet away with a crying toddler on her hip.

  There were several roving packs of teenagers. One of them girls, who all looked to be around sixteen or so, another was a mixture of boys and girls, and the other one was a group of young men. They could be a potential problem.

  In their late teens and a mix of races, they hooted and hollered as they shoved their way across the platform. People got out of their way or found themselves involuntarily moved.

  She despised bullies. There had been too many of them in her life growing up. It was common knowledge that the more young men there were in a group, the lower the IQ. They were all raging hormones and anger. Never a good combination.

  A security guard headed in their direction. He was a big white male with a buzz cut. While he could easily hold his own against one or two, a group was a different dynamic.

  Beside her, Asher tensed. The clash was inevitable. The guard radioed someone. Probably backup. There was something about this group, some instinct that warned this was not going to end well.

  “Keep out of it,” Maccus warned.

  It wasn’t their fight. She got that. They had a much bigger enemy to worry about.

  Still, she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the impending disaster. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “Asher.” The sense of dread she’d experienced several times before was back. Their unknown watcher had returned.

  “I feel it, too,” he murmured.

  There was something else at play here, but what?

  “You gentlemen need to wait quietly for the train or move along,” the guard warned. He was sweating slightly, his hand resting on his gun. “You don’t want any trouble tonight. And I don’t need the paperwork or the headache.”

  She gave the guy credit for trying to diffuse the situation. Too bad the young men were itching for a fight.

  “We ain’t doing nothing,” one of the young men told him. “Just making our way to the platform. Why you got to be hassling us? This here is police discrimination or profiling or some shit.” He nodded to the guys behind him, and they all muttered their agreement.

  “Since you’re as white as I am,” the guard told the man, “I don’t see how this is racial profiling. Idiots come in all races and creeds. I’m equal opportunity.”

  Jo gave a snort of laughter. Unfortunately, the young man heard it. His face turned red. His eyes filled with fury.

  “Oh shit,” she muttered. No way could he back down now and save face. And at that age, it was all about looking tough in front of his buddies.

  “You want us to wait for the train? We’ll wait.” He turned and made a straight line toward the edge of the platform. Right toward the woman and toddler.

  Instinct had her moving hard and fast. Just as the male went to push the woman and child over the edge, she shoved them aside, taking the brunt of the push.

  A woman screamed. A child cried out. People yelled. A spate of profanity followed. The tracks rushed up to meet her. The roar of the train was deafening.

  In that split second of terror, her
life flashed before her eyes. Always thought I’d go down fighting, not squashed like a bug.

  Chapter Twenty

  His senses heightened, Asher scanned the station, searching for the watcher. Distracted, he reacted a split second too late. Jo bolted from his side. The woman’s scream pierced his awareness. The train screeched.

  Jo!

  Her name echoed in his brain as she disappeared over the edge.

  Bulleting across the platform, he dove, catching her in midair. He twisted in flight, taking the brunt of the fall. Still in motion, he rolled them off the track and up against the wall just as the train whizzed into the station. The wind whipped around them, tearing at their hair and clothing. The brakes squealed.

  When the train finally came to a stop, he rolled onto his back and breathed a sigh of relief. An alarm sounded. People were screaming.

  “Are you okay?” He ran his hands over her arms and back, checking for injury.

  “Yeah, I’m still in one piece. You saved me, yet again. It’s becoming a habit.” She was lying flush on top of him, her bicolored eyes twinkling. How could she be so calm?

  He shoved her hand against his chest. “Do you feel that? My heart is racing. You’re giving me a heart attack.”

  Her eyes widened. “I didn’t know your heart rate increased.”

  “Neither did I. Not until I met you.” He dropped his head back to the ground. “Let’s not do this again.”

  “Stop fooling around. We have a train to catch.” Maccus was standing on the platform glaring down at them.

  “We’re fine. Thanks for asking,” he muttered as he sat upright with Jo still in his arms. Several people were leaning over the edge. Not to help but to film them.

  Then the guard appeared. “Hang on. Help is coming.”

  Maccus, the bastard, was right. They needed to get out of here. “Ready?” he asked her.

  She managed to rub her stomach against his erection when she sat upright. “Really? You’re turned on? Now?”

  Shrugging, he held out his hand to steady her as she stood, before jumping to his feet. “What can I say? You were lying right on top of me.”

  “You shouldn’t move,” the guard warned. “You could have neck or spinal injuries.”

  Ignoring him, Asher put his hands around Jo’s waist and lifted. Maccus reached down and grabbed her hands, pulling her to safety. He jumped, grabbed the edge, and flipped himself onto the platform.

  Jo was busy making sure her coat was zipped so none of her weapons showed. Asher could only grin. She was one hell of a woman.

  Then she was rushed by the woman with the child. “You saved my baby. Thank you.”

  Jo patted the woman on the back. “No problem. Glad you’re both safe.”

  His love for her expanded in his chest, crushing his lungs until he couldn’t breathe. She was so fragile and easily broken, yet incredibly tough and fearless.

  “Is the train leaving?” Asher asked the security guard.

  He shook his head. “We need to investigate before we resume service.”

  He hated to do this, but there was no choice. After getting a nod from Maccus, he walked to the center of the platform. Let’s do this. “Everyone, look at me.” The command in his voice was so compelling even the people on the train did as he asked.

  “All of you who took video, erase it. If it’s posted to your social media, remove it now.” He waited a beat, all the while not looking at Jo. “Nothing happened here. No reason for any delays.” He walked to the guard. “Am I right?”

  “No need for delay. Just some punks messing around.”

  “That’s right.” He walked over to Jo and eased her away from the woman with the child before dropping the thrall.

  The entire platform was quiet for several seconds. As though a switch had been flicked, everyone began to talk and walk. The doors to the train slid open. He knew that was Maccus’s doing. They all stepped on and waited. Within seconds, the door slid shut and the train left the station.

  “What the hell was that?” Jo’s voice was a furious whisper.

  “We couldn’t allow that video to get out.”

  She took several calming breaths. “Okay. I get it. I wish you’d stop doing that to me.” Her eyes darted to the floor and the other passengers. Everywhere but at him.

  “I wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary.” A cold pit in the bottom of his stomach grew. Would she hold this against him, or could she get past it?

  “And who decides it’s necessary?” When she finally looked at him, her eyes were troubled. She raked her fingers through her hair.

  “I do.”

  While she had no physical injuries, the event had shaken her. Her heart was still running too fast, her breathing labored. She was pale, too, in spite of her anger.

  Being trapped in a thrall might have frightened her more than the fall in front of the train. Every time he made some headway with her, he did something to fuck things up.

  But he wasn’t apologizing for who he was or what he did to protect himself and the Brotherhood.

  “Next time—stay out of it,” Maccus ordered.

  Jo slowly turned to face him. “You may be able to stand by and do nothing, but I can’t. That was a woman and child.”

  “You risked exposing us all.” He towered over her, his scowl making him even more menacing. Asher wrapped his arm around her from behind and glared at his friend.

  “Then go back to wherever you came from and hide. I’ll deal with the situation,” Jo shot back.

  Shit, provoking Maccus wasn’t smart, but she wasn’t backing down. And there was a high probability Maccus wouldn’t kill them with Morrigan watching. Right?

  The clash of wills was intense. Tension grew until the air crackled with it. The other people on the train got restless, moving as far as possible from their small group.

  He ran several exit strategies through his head, his priority Jo’s safety. Worst-case scenario, Maccus attacked. Best case, he walked away, leaving them to deal with whatever was going on by themselves.

  The way things had gone lately, he wasn’t banking on the latter.

  The train clattered over the tracks before stopping. When the doors opened, people fled. No one else entered.

  The doors shut, and the train continued.

  Finally, the corners of Maccus’s lips twitched. “Next stop is ours.”

  Asher didn’t know whether to drag Jo over his knee and spank her for challenging Maccus or give her a high five for her audacity. She’d probably given him his first gray hair.

  Demons and angels fled in the face of Maccus’s fury, but one gutsy woman had stood up to him.

  “You moved so fast.” Morrigan sidled over next to them. “I didn’t even realize what the guy was going to do, but you did.”

  Jo shrugged. “I’ve always had a sixth sense about those sorts of things. Helps when I fight.”

  “I thought maybe you had some sort of paranormal abilities when we first met,” Asher admitted. She’d been exceptional in the battle with Vlad. Almost too good. “You sure you don’t have something in your background that’s unusual?”

  “You think that’s significant?” she asked.

  “Maybe. At this point, we can’t discount anything.”

  She shrugged. “I have good instincts. I can read an opponent enough to know what they’re going to do a split-second before it happens. It’s not much, but it comes in handy.”

  The train rumbled into the station and they disembarked. People got out of Maccus’s way as he cleared a path to the exit and up to the street.

  Humanity continued on its endless rush toward death, never knowing who or what walked alongside them. Technology had changed greatly since his time, but human nature never did. Kindness marched alongside cruelty, fear alongside courage, and generosity a
longside greed.

  Jo embodied the best of those traits.

  They followed Maccus a couple of blocks to a family-owned pizzeria. “Table for four?” The young waitress swallowed heavily and clasped her tray to her chest.

  “That would be great.” Morrigan took the lead. “Somewhere in the back where it’s quiet, if that’s possible.”

  “Let me check.” The girl all but ran.

  “Stop scaring the waitress,” Morrigan told Maccus.

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  Asher rubbed his mouth to hide his smile.

  She released a sigh. “No, you didn’t. You can’t help it if you’re a total badass just standing there.” She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. “Look adoringly at me.”

  Beside him, Jo snickered. Maccus glared at her. She held out her hands in mock apology. “I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. No way you can’t look like a badass.”

  Maccus grunted, but once again, Asher saw a ghost of a smile. Or maybe it was indigestion.

  “This way.” The waitress kept her distance as she led them to a booth in the back. Maccus all but shoved Morrigan in first and sat beside her, taking the bench that put his back to the wall.

  Sighing, Asher waved Jo in and then joined her. The waitress started to hand out menus, but Maccus stopped her. “I know what I want.” He ordered three large pizzas with everything.

  “You order,” Asher told Jo. “I’ll eat anything.” After a quick study of the menu, she chose a large classic with cheese and pepperoni. He approved.

  When the waitress left them, Maccus relaxed back in his seat. “I think it’s the women.”

  “I’m not following.” He leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. Jo placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed, her tension palpable.

  “Someone tried to take out a contract on Morrigan. She was a bounty hunter for Lucifer at the time. The same happened with Alexei up in Alaska with Cassandra. Now you and your hunter.” Maccus turned the full brunt of his icy stare on Jo. “What is so special about you?”