Taking The Night (Nightshade series Book 1)

by J F Posthumus

  “I was woozy, gun hand was unsteady,” Wil said as he pulled off his mask. “So, I aimed for the largest target I had.”

  Selia laughed, despite how much it made her body hurt.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  S elia woke the next day and groaned as she rolled over onto her back. Everything up until last night had been like a workout. Last night had been a true battle that left her aching. Considering she had come out of it unscathed, except for the bruises suffered at Moreisa’s feet and spells, Selia was willing to place the full blame of her aching body on the necromancer.

  Stretching carefully, she yawned and pried her eyes open, blinking in the sunlight that managed to sneak into her bedroom. Rolling into a sitting position, Selia slowly stood and shuffled into the bathroom, grabbing the two cell phones as she left the bedroom. No way was she going to take the chance of not answering a call from Wil, Soren, or Al.

  Turning on the hot water, she sat on the side of the tub and watched as the steam filled the room. She still needed to contact Lucien and inform him that Alfi was dead and she had the drive, but at the moment, her body felt as though the muscles hadn’t been used for days, or even weeks.

  Lowering herself into the tub, the jets pulsed against her worn body, and she sighed. Lucien could wait. In fact, everything could wait until after her body relaxed and the aches were massaged away by the hot water and jets. As the water neared the top of the tub, she turned it off, allowing the jets to continue their soothing pulsing against her body.

  Over an hour later, the water was room temperature when she decided to leave the comfort of the pulsing jets to get dressed. One more day meant one more visit from the brothers and she had no desire to let them see her bruised and battered. It would raise too many questions. Questions she had no desire to answer.

  Grabbing a t-shirt, lightweight sweater, and a pair of silk-like pants, she padded into the kitchen and opened the freezer. A tub of Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream, her favorite ever, sat next to a box of Klondike bars and another container of off-brand chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream. Grabbing the Ben & Jerry’s and a spoon, she plopped down on the sofa and clicked on the TV. Flipping through the channels, she settled on some cartoons and began digging into the ice cream.

  Maybe not the healthiest meal, but she’d earned the right to it. Besides, she had no doubt that she’d be working off the calories in the coming days as she hit the gym, either at the Sandman’s lair or the one she frequented that wasn’t used by any of the Family, except her.

  The day dragged by and Selia started to think she was either going to be granted a reprieve from the boys or get caught by not being there when they showed up past dark. She was proven wrong when the clock blinked seven o’clock and someone knocked on the door.

  “Door’s open, come on in.” She glanced up as the pair came into the room. “You two are going to be so bored after all this.”

  “Nah, we’ll just come knock on your apartment door,” Bernie joked as he and Alex stepped inside.

  Selia snickered. “Yeah, well, I can’t promise I’ll be home or alone.”

  “Oh?” Alex asked, giving Bernie a smack on the head before he could say anything.

  “I’m twenty-six, guys,” she explained in an overly-patient tone. “I think I’m allowed to have a social life. I also plan on visiting Soren more often.” She turned back to the TV, waving them off. “Search, peek, enjoy.”

  “Uh, good point. I’m sure Soren will enjoy that,” Alex said.

  “How come the sudden change?” Bernie asked, checking all the usual places in the kitchen and living room. At least he ducked while passing between her and the TV.

  Selia shrugged and scooped up more ice cream, trying to ignore her still stiff-and-sore body. “Coming close to death for the first time tends to give someone a new perspective on life. I’d like to at least think that I have a chance of finding someone to have a family with.”

  A certain pair of eyes flashed in front of her, and she hid a smile behind a spoonful of Ben & Jerry’s. Bernie headed towards the spare bedroom as Alex went to hers.

  “I can’t see you having a problem with finding a guy,” Alex called, his voice slightly muffled.

  “Yeah, there are plenty of men who would want to be with you,” Bernie agreed. Selia suspected he was choosing his words very carefully.

  She finished chewing, swallowed, and replied, “For a couple dates, sure, but for long-term?”

  Again, she thought of Wil and the heated attraction between them. She tried to keep from thinking of him as her guaranteed mate but couldn’t quite keep from it.

  “Ah, come on, Lia,” Bernie said, stopping just outside the bathroom door. “Anyone would be lucky to have you. Not just for a night, but a lifetime.”

  “That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Selia said, smiling at him. Bernie flushed and ducked into the bathroom.

  “Don’t get used to it,” Alex said dryly, coming out of her bedroom. “It’s a rarity when his mind isn’t stuck in the gutter.”

  Selia laughed. “I probably don’t help much, huh?”

  “Not hardly,” Alex muttered, glancing towards his brother. He looked back to her. “How are you holding up? You look tired.”

  I look like something the cat dragged in, she amended silently.

  “I’m really missing my own comfy bed,” Selia said honestly. “I guess the Chinese didn’t sit too well with me last night. Guess it was a bad batch or something. It doesn’t help that I don’t sleep good if I’m not in my own bed.” She paused and added, “Have any suggestions?”

  Alex and Bernie looked at each other. Alex had an expression of mingled enticement and indecisiveness while Bernie was trying to figure out if he wanted to reply or hang himself.

  “I’m never going to be able to look at you the same after this,” Alex grumbled.

  “Oh, finally realizing I’m a woman and not some wild child that Soren pulled from the jungle, or an island of savages?” Selia joked innocently.

  “I am not going to answer that,” Alex countered, grinning. “We don’t think it’ll be too much longer before you can go home.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Selia said, digging into her ice cream again. “Though, the downside will be no more fun visits from you two trying to find non-existent lovers. I’m going to miss these visits.”

  Alex and Bernie chuckled.

  “See ya around, Lia,” Bernie said.

  “Take care of yourself,” Alex added as the two left.

  One more night and then she’d be free. Though, she wouldn’t be surprised if Al put a tail on her for a while after this was over. At least until he was convinced she wasn’t Nightshade or a threat to the Family, or even him personally.

  Her body still ached from the beating she took from Moreisa, and she knew she’d have to return to studying her tomes. Magic would have to be bested by magic and somehow Selia had to figure out how to defeat a necromancer who was older and far more skilled than her. Selia doubted that even had she kept up her magical lessons and knowledge, she still wouldn’t have the ability to defeat someone with more years of training under their belt. Not to mention the decades of malicious cunning and cruelty Moreisa had nurtured.

  Perhaps Papa will have an idea, she thought as she got up and put the half-eaten container of ice cream back in the freezer.

  Grabbing a fleece blanket from her closet, Selia returned to the living room and curled up on the sofa. Yawning, she pulled the fleece around her and smiled as the cartoons played. It was still a few hours until the Sandman would show up, so she slowly let sleep overcome her.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  S elia woke up to a hand caressing her cheeks, brushing the hair from her face. Giving a soft sigh of pleasure, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled up at the Sandman. His mask was off, but he still had his usual disguise using the wax molds. His eyes were warm but filled with concern.

  “How are you feeling?” he aske
d as she leaned into his touch.

  “Sore,” she replied truthfully. “My body feels as though it were run over by a couple dozen horses. Whatever Moreisa used was harsher than anything else I’ve been dealt.”

  Wil raised his brows. “What else have you been dealt?”

  That wasn’t a short list, she thought, but decided to give him the briefest rundown.

  “A couple broken bones and I’ve been bruised pretty badly from falls. I took a few forms of martial arts and have been banged up pretty good from those.” She shrugged and grimaced from the stiffness returning to her muscles. “The spell she used is one meant to disable a victim, allowing the caster to torture the person before dealing a swift death, if the prisoner is lucky. There are written reports of how many times the prisoner is immobilized by a necromancer, only to have the necromancer take her time killing them. Slowly, with extreme pain, with the prisoner fully aware of what’s happening.” She grimaced, adding, “Think about being tasered at the highest power possible and then have your core temperature dropped to where you’re almost in danger of hypothermia.”

  Wil’s face twisted in sympathy and anger. “Do you still believe what your headmistress told you?”

  “I don’t know,” Selia replied truthfully. “I could smell the death on her, but Moreisa isn’t a happy-go-lucky pacifist. She’s a cruel, malicious bitch who doesn’t care how she gets what she wants, or who is hurt in the process. She also uses the hard-core necromantic spells and death magic.”

  She snuggled closer to Wil, who was sitting on the edge of the sofa. Selia had never coupled with another woman. Not because she hadn’t received plenty of offers, quite the opposite. She’d received plenty on Temeria and even more in New Campania, but her eyes had always been on the males.

  On Temeria, she hadn’t had any lovers. Though she’d enjoyed the flirtations and foreplay of many males, none had been serious. In her homeland, it had been normal for women to wait until they had completed their studies to enjoy the company of another woman. When the land is ruled by women, enjoying a night with a male was more to ease the woman’s sexual desires or procreate than to enter into a meaningful relationship. The queen’s Ladies in Waiting attended to her every whim and desire. Both inside and outside the bedroom. Very few women on Temeria used men as more than a device to conceive daughters, let alone saw them as anything other than a very lowly servant.

  In the city, Selia had enjoyed a night with a lover here and there when her desires had grown too strong for her to ignore, but she had, again, never taken a woman as a lover. The chance of being caught and drawing attention to herself by breaking one of the Church’s rules hadn’t seemed the brightest idea. Not when it meant causing trouble for not only her, but Soren as well.

  But none of her previous lovers had touched her the same way Wil did. From the moment he had entered the scene, she had felt an immediate attraction to him, even after discovering he was the city’s masked vigilante hated by the Families.

  Wil chuckled and pulled her gently into his lap, breaking her train of thought. She curled around him as he slid back onto the sofa, resting her head against his shoulder, enjoying the warmth and closeness. Soren more or less approved, so that was all that mattered. The rest of the Family, Al in particular, could just deal with her choice in a mate.

  “It isn’t over yet, though,” she sighed, turning her thoughts to their current situation. “I still have to meet up with Lucien and return the drive.”

  “You’re still going to do that?” Wil asked, running a hand through her hair and down her back.

  It felt so good. She didn’t want him to stop, but she nodded anyway. “It’s for the greater good.” He snorted. Selia sighed and tipped her head back so she could look up at him. “The balance must be kept, Wil. There is a reason Lucien wants that drive and if Alfi betrayed my Family, what’s to say Ignacio didn’t betray Lucien? Plus, I need to show Lucien that he can trust me.”

  “Why?” Wil asked, though it wasn’t said in disgust or annoyance, or even in a challenge. It was pure curiosity.

  Selia smiled. “If Moreisa is bent on carnage and destruction, which I suspect she is, she’ll want to bring this city down around us all. That means going after both ruling syndicates, if not all the syndicates. Since I’m the only other Temerian here, I have to put myself in a position where Lucien will call me. Or, if I need to enter his territory to take her out, he won’t feel the need to start a full-blown war with Al, and subsequently, Soren.”

  “You, dear lady, are devious,” Wil said, kissing her forehead. “When did you become so knowledgeable in subterfuge?”

  “I had a good instructor,” she replied, smiling at him. “He’s pretty handsome, too, and likes to kick ass in this sexy, black outfit.”

  “Uh huh, right,” Wil replied, brushing a kiss across her lips. “You learned it from your people, didn’t you?”

  “Some,” she admitted. “Though you helped remind me of what I forgot and taught me things I didn’t know.”

  “You better go get dressed, if you want to be free of this gilded cage,” Wil said after a long pause, his eyes burning with desire.

  Selia sighed and unwrapped herself from Wil. With a smile, she said, “Only because I want to be able to be with you without having to worry about my two appointed guard dogs interrupting our fun.”

  Fifteen minutes later she was standing in the living room wearing a pair of black leather pants that hugged her legs and hips. A black silk vest hugged the rest of her, and Selia had left the top-most buttons undone, so the swell of her breasts was visible. Her hair was pulled back and pinned up, ready for her Nightshade wig. She already wore her holster and one of her shiny new M&Ps.

  “We can go from here to wherever Lucien plans on meeting me,” she said. “I can’t show up to his meeting as Nightshade. Did you bring my trench?”

  Wil nodded and tossed it to her; it had been sitting behind him on the sofa the whole time, unnoticed by her. She slipped it on. From a pocket she pulled out a long, wide, and fairly thick scarf and began wrapping it snugly around her head and face. Once done, she pulled the bottom portion down from her mouth and grabbed her phone, punching in Lucien’s number. He answered on the third ring.

  “Hello, Lucien,” she said as a way of greeting.

  “Selia, a delight to hear your lovely voice,” Lucien replied. The soft sound of orchestral music could be heard in the background. “I presume you are calling about our agreement.”

  “Indeed I am,” Selia replied, swatting Wil as he snickered softly. “Say, we meet tonight? Same place as last time?”

  “I would love nothing more than the pleasure of your company, little belladonna.” Lucien replied in his cloyingly sweet voice.

  The man never stops! Selia thought, her nose wrinkling in disgust. It’s as though he’s trying to seduce me over the phone. Ick! He’s old enough to be my father!

  She managed to keep her distaste from her voice as she replied, “You say such sweet things. What time, then?”

  “Unfortunately, I have business and pleasure to attend to tonight that cannot be put off.” Lucien sighed, and he almost sounded sorrowful. “Can we make it tomorrow afternoon? Say, at one o’clock? I can have lunch provided.”

  “Sounds perfect,” she said with as much pleasantness as she could stomach. “I will see you then.”

  Turning to Wil, Selia began pulling off her outfit and gave him a thoroughly wicked and mischievous grin. “I think I’ve earned a night out, don’t you? How about meeting me at the Blu Light?”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  S elia pulled into a parking space at the Blu Light and glanced in the rearview mirror. She’d spotted the pair following her, which was to be expected. Not that she was going to allow the brothers to interrupt her fun. Tonight, she was going to go and enjoy herself, rules be damned.

  She’d busted her ass for the past several days, wearing herself out avenging Soren and removing the pest that was Alfi. Her entire body ached,
and she wanted a night of fun that didn’t involve anyone shooting at her. Wil would show up soon, and though she wasn’t certain what his disguise would be, she had no doubt she’d recognize him. Of course, the question would be who would see whom first.

  Considering she was wearing a red metallic dress with a black mesh overlay and tiny straps that hugged every curve, she doubted he would have any problem finding her. The outfit was complete with a pair of black stiletto heels that added a couple extra inches to her height.

  It wouldn’t be a challenge for the guard dog brothers to find her, since she hadn’t bothered with a disguise of any sort. After all, it wasn’t like she was in any danger. Alfi was dead and the necromancer was gods-knew-where; not that anyone other than Wil and she knew that little fact. As for anything else, Al’s top enforcers were going to be watching her every move. If trouble arose, they’d step in.

  She stepped from the car, her little purse hanging from her wrist. Inside was a tube of lipstick, her phone, and wallet with the ID Al had given her along with a couple hundred dollars. If she used anything else, Alex and Bernie would probably get suspicious.

  Striding to the door, she gave the bouncer a bright smile and flashed her ID and a twenty. The guard took the cover charge, barely glanced at the ID, and waved her in, a smug smile on his face. Selia wove her way through the crowd and slid onto a bar stool, where she turned her attention to the mirror against the bar’s wall and waited for Alex and Bernie.

  The moment the pair entered she made her way to the dance floor where a rock song played. Letting her body sway and move with the music, she laughed as others danced close to her. Swirling around, she stepped out of reaching hands, a teasing smile on her lips. As she danced, she watched for her guardians and saw that Bernie and Alex had split up.

  Bernie paced the perimeter of the dance floor, shoulders hunched and glowering like an angry bear. Alex, meanwhile, was making himself at home at one of the tables that faced the dance floor on the other side.