by G. K. DeRosa
My hand shot out before I could stop it, and my fingers curled around the pillow. I chucked it across the room, but of course he ducked and the feathery missile fell to the floor. “Stupid dragon reflexes,” I muttered as he picked the pillow up and tossed it back to me.
“Looks like it’s time for you to go back to training.”
“Ha.”
Two quick knocks on the door had my dragon bodyguard bristling. He shot to his feet and shouted toward the entryway. “Who is it?”
“Room service.” Hayden and Dallas’s voices seeped through the thick metal, and a smile crept over my face.
Talon opened the door, and the guys barreled in. Something about seeing the Triad complete made my heart swell. I’d missed the vampire and angel duo.
“Looking good, pumpkin.” Hayden pulled me into a hug as I stood. His warm cobalt eyes scrutinized me as he held me out to arm’s length. “And much less murder-y.”
“Very funny.” I flashed him my manacled wrist. “It’s only because I have this bad boy on.”
“Let’s keep it on then.” Dallas shot me a wink before tugging me into his arms. He lowered his voice and pressed his lips to my ear. “Don’t tell T, but I’m glad you took that she-wolf down a notch. I’ve been wanting to bite her for years.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that burst from my lips.
“I heard that,” Talon hissed.
Dallas shrugged as he sauntered to the chair and sank right in with a sigh.
“Why are you so tired?” I asked the vampire.
“While you two have been relaxing in psych, Hayden and I have been scouring the realms for Delacroix and the dark lord.”
“Any sign of them?” Talon interjected before I could get the words out.
“Not yet.” Hayden loosed a breath and swept his curls behind his ears. “It’s like they’ve vanished into thin air.” He ticked his head at me, and a blonde lock fell over his forehead. “Just like when you were missing.”
“It’s gotta be Remy. His cloaking spells are crazy powerful. He must be hiding them both somehow.”
“Well, we’ve got our own magic—” Dallas cut himself off when Hayden shot him a glare.
“What does that mean?” Talon popped his fists on his hips as he stared at his vampire brother.
“Way to go, Dallas,” Hayden muttered. “Can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?”
“What are you two talking about?” I moved beside Talon, mirroring his pose.
Hayden and Dallas exchanged a glance. “Just tell them.” The vampire rolled his eyes. “She’s only trying to help.”
“Ella has been assisting in the search.”
“Ella?” I screeched. “My conniving cousin who sold me out to Thax?” The moment the words were out, I slapped my hand over my mouth.
“Your cousin?” The three guys echoed in unison.
Shitzu. Of course I’d blurt out a memory that had just trickled back.
Talon turned his searing gaze from his Triad brothers to me. “Ella is your cousin?”
“Well, half-cousin, actually.”
Talon’s dark brow furrowed, and I could almost see the gears grinding in his head as he pieced it together.
“You’re not a Fae princess too are you, pumpkin?”
“She’s not like any princess I’ve ever seen,” Dallas deadpanned.
“Ella’s mother is half-witch. So I imagine that’s the relation.” Talon’s eyes remained trained on mine as if he could pry the answer from their dark depths.
Hayden clapped Talon on the shoulder, breaking our scorching stare down. “Let Azara have her secrets, T. She’s had enough stolen from her. I’m sure she’ll tell us when the time is right.” Then he turned to me with a smile. “Ella hates what she did. She’s torn apart after hearing what you went through, but she was put in a very difficult position. She had to make a choice between you and her little sister. Thax threatened her life, and Ella caved.”
“She should have told us,” Talon hissed then turned to Hayden and jabbed a finger in his chest. “And you should’ve told me she was helping you.”
“You’ve been a little preoccupied, brother.” He shot me a sidelong glance. “You take care of the little pumpkin, and I’ll worry about Ella.”
“Fine,” he gritted out.
“Well, it’s been fun,” said Dallas, “but we’ve got more demon hunting to do.” He flashed me his sharp incisors. “Don’t worry, precious, we’ll find them. No one’s taking you away from us again.”
“Thanks, Dallas.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about Ella’s betrayal or her aiding in the hunt for Delacroix and Thax, but at this point we could use all the help we could get.
The guys waved me a quick goodbye, and my eyes trailed behind them, an unexpected sadness squeezing my chest. With memories of my family gone, they were the closest thing I had. The door slammed, and I finally dropped my gaze.
Talon’s eyes burned into the side of my face, but I refused to meet them. At first, I wasn’t exactly sure why I’d lied about my cousin, but now I remembered. I’d inherited my warlockness from my mom, and I’d kept her identity hidden to protect her.
Now with that slip of the tongue, I could’ve blown it. Talon wasn’t just a pretty face. From our brief interactions, I could tell he was smart and from that look in his eye, he was already trying to figure out my big fat lie.
“I know your mom is a warlock like you.” Talon’s hushed voice interrupted my inner musings. “I figured it out and confronted you about it the day you disappeared. Do you remember that?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t been able to remember much of anything about that day. I knew I’d been at that dilapidated old townhouse in the Upper West Side, but the specifics were all a blur.
“Every single day that you were gone, I replayed our final day together. I ran through every detail hundreds of times. I contemplated finding your parents and getting their help in finding you, but I remembered how adamant you were about protecting them. So I didn’t.”
“Thank you,” I murmured.
“Now after this thing with Ella, I worry that not knowing their identities could become a liability for the team.” He lowered himself into the chair Dallas had vacated and dragged his hands over his face. “But I don’t want to force you to share something you’re not ready to either.”
I wanted to tell him, but if I’d gone through so much trouble keeping it a secret, I must’ve had a great reason. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I reached for his hand. He hesitated for a long moment before wrapping his long fingers around mine. “I want to tell you. I—I need to talk to GG first. I’m still hazy on a lot of details, and I don’t want to make a mistake.”
He nodded, his lips a tight line. “I’ll wait as long as I can, Azara. The last thing I want to do is put you or your family at risk, but eventually the truth will have to come out.”
“Okay, I understand.” Neither one of us said anything for a few moments, each submerged in our own musings, our fingers still entangled. His earlier words lingered in my mind, haunting. He’d gone over the details of our last day together hundreds of times. And I couldn’t even conjure up the memory of it once. “Can you tell me about that day?”
His expression hardened, harsh lines cutting into his square jawline.
I sighed and my fingers loosened around his hand, but his hold surprisingly tightened. His thumb stroked my palm, and tiny tingles lit up my skin. He released a long, languid breath, continuing to draw circles along my flesh.
My core constricted at the slow, tantalizing touch. I clenched the sheets between the fingers of my free hand to keep from jumping him. With my demon in check and memories returning, my emotions were on full throttle.
He continued for a few more minutes, and the air sizzled between us. Every cell in my being ignited, his presence their all-consuming focus. His lips parted, and I instinctively leaned forward.
“It was supposed to be your first mission…”
Chapter Twent
y-Six
My eyelids drooped, but I couldn’t drag myself away from Talon’s words. I reached for the Styrofoam cup on my nightstand and gulped down the cold coffee. We’d been up all night, fueled only by the spurts of caffeinated beverages and his stories—our stories.
Talon had started with the mission, all the details of our last day together before Thax hauled me away to the Underworld. As he spoke, his face contorted as if recounting the details physically hurt him. Pangs assaulted my insides at his pain. Then other times, his features lightened, a smile curling his lips. Heat had unfurled low in my belly as he described the steamy details of our subway encounter. How could I have not remembered that?
Once he started talking, it wasn’t hard to urge him to continue. He seemed to want to tell the story as much as I wanted to hear it. My arrival at the prison, his uncontrollable attraction to me despite what I’d done, guarding me, saving my life, the bloodbond, losing the bloodbond… Everything dribbled from his lips, a slow trickle at first then like a raging waterfall.
The more he spoke, the more his stories triggered memories in my hazy brain. More than that, feelings that had long been buried bubbled to the surface.
“We gotta get some sleep.” Talon’s raspy voice drew me from the torrent of memories swimming through my mind. He ticked his head at the clock on the wall and yawned. “It’s nearly seven and you have to meet with Dr. Ollie in a few hours.”
“Okay…” I muttered. I didn’t want to close my eyes. I was scared I’d somehow forget everything or wake up and find out it had all been a dream. Talon had saved me time and again, despite what he’d thought I’d done to his brother. Then my slutty demon slept with that brother. How could he even stand to be in the same room as me?
I shifted beneath the covers, wanting nothing more than to disappear beneath them.
“What’s wrong?”
I snagged my lower lip between my teeth as tears stung my eyes.
“Azara?” He rose quickly and folded down beside me, enveloping my hand in his large one. “What is it?”
“I’ve been so awful to you. I’ve done such terrible things.” I turned my head to the side, unable to bear the weight of his smoldering gaze. “I can’t believe you’re still here, with me, after everything I did.”
“Hey, listen to me.” He trapped my chin with his free hand and forced me to face him. “I’m here because I want to be, not just because of the blood oath. I’m not saying things are going to be easy. I don’t know that they’ll ever go back to the way they were before. You’ve changed, and I’ve changed. But we can try to start from the beginning. Try to be friends, maybe?”
My heart sank to my stomach like a lead balloon. Friends? If I hadn’t been certain before, after hearing our story, I was now. I loved Talon. I had even before I knew who he was. But after everything I’d done to him, all that I’d cost him, could I demand more?
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Sure, I can do friends.”
He leaned closer, and his lips brushed my forehead. I exhaled a sigh as his warm breath swirled through my hair. His head dipped, and his nose bumped mine. My heart catapulted against my chest. His mouth was a hairsbreadth from my own. I licked my lower lip, all the moisture disappearing, my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“Friends,” he repeated, his rough tone accelerating my manic heartbeats.
A sharp ring sent Talon jumping back. I sucked in a shaky breath as I reached for my alarm clock. Dammit. I smacked it until it turned off. But it was too late, icy water doused the building fire between us.
“So much for sleeping,” I deadpanned.
“Yeah, I’m going to hit the shower.” He backed away from the bed slowly. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, I talked to Dr. Ollie about recommencing your workout routine and he agrees it would be good for you. So tomorrow we’ll be back in the training room.”
An unexpected thrill coursed through my veins. Maybe a little physical activity was exactly what I needed to dispel some sexual energy. “Okay.”
He raised an incredulous brow. “That’s it? No arguing with me?”
I shrugged and sat back on the bed, pulling up the covers. “I think you and the doc are right. I can’t just sit in here all day, I’ll really go nuts.”
He speared me with those shimmering silver irises as amusement danced across his eyes. “Who are you, and what have you done with the real Azara?”
“Maybe this is the new and improved Azara.”
He moved closer and bent to squeeze my knee before he turned toward the bathroom once again. “I sure hope so,” he mumbled over his shoulder.
In the past days, more and more memories of my time in captivity were bubbling to the surface. I’d woken up screaming as vivid images of torture racked my subconscious. But along with the bad, came the good. Brief glimpses of my childhood, birthdays in the human world with my parents, grandma Emi’s signature sweet tea, and more recently, Talon.
“I’m very happy with your progress, and I’ll be recommending your release from the psych ward. I’d still like to see you daily, of course.”
I nodded. In the short time I’d spent with Dr. Ollie I’d come to trust and even like him. The discussions helped the memories to resurface and having an unbiased person to talk it out with made them seem less terrible.
The training sessions with Talon were fun too—torturous, but fun nonetheless. We’d kept to our “just friends” deal but it was getting harder and harder by the day. Listening to his stories about us was incredible, but now with their actual memories resurfacing, it only heightened the sexual tension between us.
I remembered the blood bond and the intensity of our connection. Of how I’d questioned my true feelings and how devastated I’d felt once it had vanished. There was no doubt in my mind that I loved Talon, but did I deserve his love in return? Even if he could forgive me, would he ever be able to reconcile my human and demon sides?
“What are you thinking about, Azara?”
Dr. Ollie’s voice drew me to the present. I fiddled with my fingers in my lap for a few seconds before meeting his inquisitive gaze. “I just don’t know how I’m going to make up for all the terrible things I did.”
He cleared his throat. “You have to remember that most of the things you did while you were under Thax’s thumb, you had no control over. Forgiving yourself comes first. Once you’ve done that, you can seek forgiveness from others.” He paused and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “You also have to remember that you and your demon are one in the same. As much as you’d like to separate the two, it’s impossible. Once you come to terms with that, everything else will fall into place.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
“How are your training sessions going with Talon?”
My insides stirred at the mention of his name. “Good. I’m feeling stronger and more under control every day.” The cuffs only ever came off during my training sessions. Talon felt he could handle my demon and so far, he’d been right. She’d mostly behaved which helped ease my anxiety over a future life without magic-siphoning manacles.
“I’m happy to hear that. I’ve spoken with the warden and he agrees you’re ready to be released into gen pop. You’ll return to your cell with Talon and Hayden as before. Do you think you’re ready for that?”
My chest tightened. The sleek metal bangles the rest of the inmates wore weren’t half as potent as my current clunky beauties. With my warlock powers, I could easily break free. I drew in a steadying breath as Dr. Ollie’s warm gaze regarded me. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“Good. We’ll arrange for transfer tomorrow morning then.”
I gulped. “Great.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The clamor of the mess hall blurred in the background as I stared at the sheet of paper in front of me and the name inked in black. Vander. I hadn’t seen him since I’d tried to soul suck his sister. Visitors had been strictly limited while I was in psych, but now that I was back home, it was time to face the music. Desp
ite his feelings for me, I doubted he’d be okay with me attempting to kill Vessa. Speaking of the she-wolf, Talon had informed she’d been healed and returned to Marlwoods shortly after the attack.
Good riddance. She was one person I had zero desire to apologize to. And my list was pretty long.
I stared at the white paper and pencil clenched in my fist. Dr. Ollie thought it would be a good exercise. So far I had nearly a dozen names written, including the werewolf I was about to meet with. I took a quick sip from my water bottle as I went over what I wanted to say for the hundredth time.
Though I sat alone at the table, the heavy weight of Talon’s gaze bored into me from across the bustling cafeteria. It was my first day back in gen pop, and my bodyguard was on high alert. The guys still hadn’t had any luck finding Delacroix or Thax. I wanted to be out there searching too, but since I was still supposed to be MIA I doubted Talon would go for that.
I dreaded the day the director of the Supernatural Intelligence Agency would discover my reappearance. Mostly, I worried for Talon, Logan and the guys and what it would mean for them. Harboring a fugitive couldn’t be looked upon favorably. I added another name to my list: Maxim, SIA Director.
Approaching footsteps lifted my gaze from the interminable list. Warm hazel eyes met mine, and I squirmed in the hard plastic chair. Suck it up, Azara. It’s time to scratch one name off the page.
“Hey, you’re looking well-rested.” Vander settled into the chair beside me, sweeping his dirty blonde hair behind his ears.
“Thanks. It’s amazing what a week in psych will do for you.”
He leaned his head in his palm and watched me as I steeled my nerves and coaxed the words out. “I’m so sorry for what I did to Vessa. It was terrible, and there’s no way I can excuse myself. And I’m super sorry for knocking you out and stealing your VIP cuff. I just hope you’ll eventually be able to forgive me.” I grabbed the water bottle beside me and gulped down a big mouthful.
