Darkest Night: Mercenaries and Magic: A scorching enemies to lovers romance

by Alessa Thorn

That was only the beginning of their game of tit for tat. Every one of their encounters had ended in one of them getting screwed over. He had gone to kill her at least three times, and each time he had fucked her senseless instead. It was a rivalry that couldn't last. Not when his boss, Liddell, was…

  Crack! Kon's head snapped back as the Indonesian man in front of him punched him hard in the face. Kon spat out a mouthful of blood, his head lolling to the side.

  He hadn't expected that his life would end in a gambling den in Semarang, surrounded by cobras in cages tied with rope and stinking of blood and booze and shit.

  Three other men were sitting at a round table in front of him, guns, cards, and poker chips spread out over it. Cobra blood and whiskey were mixed in the glasses in front of them. It wasn't Kon's idea of a cocktail, but each to their own.

  The man held up a carved wood and shell medallion in his face, shouting questions at him in Javanese. The medallion had once belonged to a priest of Semar, Indonesia's buffoon god. Whoever possessed it could commune with the god and have visions of the future. The man currently yelling in his face was the man he had tried to steal it off.

  Liddell had heard that a gang leader was using a sacred medallion to make deals and had become ridiculously rich in the process. He had sent Kon at once to retrieve it. Anything that even whiffed of magic, or specifically a magical object to help commune with a god, Liddell wanted.

  Kon did as he was told because he wanted Liddell. And now, he was never going to get his chance to slit the fucker's throat because…

  Crack! Crack!

  Kon's vision exploded into sparks of bright light. He thought of Athena's bare ass in the sunshine in Paphos, sleeping off the sex coma he had put her in.

  Kon didn't have friends or a regular lover, so his last thoughts were about Athena, the beautiful rival he should've never fucked over. If he had a regret, it wasn't stealing from her, but not telling her that their encounters were the only thing that made him feel alive in decades.

  He had always thought his last regret would be not killing Liddell, the man who he had worked his entire life to get revenge on for murdering his parents.

  But no. It was Athena. Beautiful, ruthless, violent…

  Crack! Crack! The man's shouts sounded like they were underwater now, and Kon wondered if his eardrum was busted. The men stopped talking, all turning to the swinging doors that led out into the public part of the den.

  The sound of voices singing loudly echoed back to them. Kon's Indonesian was rusty, but by the laughter and rambling nature of it, he figured it was a bawdy drinking song that the entire bar was now singing at the top of their lungs.

  What a symphony to go out to, he thought grimly.

  The doors swung open, and a tumble of bright pink and gold came through it.

  "I love this fucking song!" the woman cried in English and let out a surprised yelp. "I'm sorry! I thought this was the bathroom." She hiccuped nervously. Bills of different currencies were sticking haphazardly out of the neckline of the sparkly dress she was wearing. All the men exchanged predatory glances before turning back to her.

  "You gamble, lovely?" one of the men asked her in English.

  "Yes! And I'm on a winning streak. Is this a game? What did that guy do? Cheat?"

  "He is a thief; don't you worry about him. Come and play with us," the man replied.

  The blonde bounced up and down, clapping her hands, her breasts jumping enough that every man's eyes dropped to them. "Yes! I want to play!"

  She headed over to the table, stumbled in her gold high heels, and fell forward into the table.

  "Whoopsie, Daisy!" she squealed, right before she snatched up two of the guns off the table and started shooting. All four of the men were dead before they could react. Kon bit back a smile.

  "Good evening, Edgeworth. Since when did you start using guns?" he asked.

  "I use whatever is best at the time. Really, they were asking for it leaving their weapons lying about where anyone could get them." Athena searched through the blood and chips on the table before lifting the wooden medallion from the mess and slipping it over her head. She finally looked at him, her keen blue eyes taking in the beating and the blood all over the front of his shirt.

  As always, Athena was a vision; her hair a chaotic ashen tumble to her shoulders, sweet freckles across her nose, full lips smirking…and eyes as cold and merciless as a Siberian wolf in winter.

  Athena slowly lifted up the split in her dress and pulled a knife from its sheath.

  "Don't worry, I have a blade right here with your name on it," she said, tossing it up in the air and catching it again.

  "You named one of your knives after me, güzelim? I'm flattered," Kon replied, his fingers trying to loosen the ropes around his wrists.

  Athena hummed as she sidled over and rested the tip of her blade under his chin. He stopped struggling and went very still.

  "What can I say? It reminded me of you; not too bright and a bit of a prick." Athena smiled, and the tip of the blade dug into his skin. "Don't move now, in case it slips."

  Athena leaned over and started to go through his pockets, stuffing his money clip into her bra. Her perfume was tropical, like frangipanis and pineapple. Underneath the sweetness was the musky smell of blood and sex that made Kon's dick twitch to life.

  Athena made a soft tsking sound and swiped a finger through the blood on his busted brow. "Your face looks like shit, Konstantius."

  "If you untie me, I promise I'll let you sit on it for a night," he answered, giving her a charming smile.

  Athena laughed, a sound that skittered over him and made him even harder. She pulled the knife away from him, took one of the snake blood and whiskey drinks from the table, and downed it in one shot.

  "Thanks, but I've had a better offer," Athena replied before turning her back and swinging her fine ass all the way to the door.

  "Come on, Athena! Don't leave me like this," Kon shouted, yanking at the cords. Athena looked over her shoulder at him, a blood-stained grin on her face. Quick as lightning, the knife left her hand. Kon flinched, waiting for the pain, but the blade lodged into something behind his head with a thunk.

  "Until next time, Konstantius," she called before walking out.

  Kon shifted in his chair, searching for the knife she had thrown. He spotted it just in time to watch in slow motion as the rope it was stuck in frayed in two, and the door to the cobras’ cage swung open.

  And this was just one more reason why he regretted ever fucking over Athena Edgeworth.

  Cursing, Kon threw his chair backward on top of the dead gangster. The snakes were sticking their heads out of the cage, flicking their tongues curiously.

  Kon found a switchblade strapped to the calf of the asshole underneath him as the first cobra flopped elegantly onto the dirty floor. Without taking his eyes off it, he wriggled the blade free and opened it with a snick before working it down onto his ropes.

  "Fuck you, Athena," he growled, hissing as the blade cut his palm. He pulled his hands free, grabbed the gun nearest to him, and blew the cobra’s head off.

  Kon rolled onto his feet as a handful of men rushed in with machetes and handguns. They saw him standing in the middle of the trashed room, bodies around him and a gun in his hand.

  "Fuck you, Athena!" he shouted and started firing. He dived behind a crate of cobras as bullets tore into the walls around him. He checked his gun, swearing again when he saw he only had three shots left. A machete blade appeared, and Kon shrank to the side as it came down right where his head had just been. He grabbed the man's arm, shot him in the face, and took the machete from him.

  "Old school then," he grunted and knocked the wall of cages down. The men exclaimed loudly in Indonesian, and in the confusion, Kon cut down anyone that got in his way.

  Fifteen minutes later, covered in snake and human blood, Kon opened the phone he had snatched off a corpse and dialed a number.

  "Buongiorno," a male voice answered che
erily.

  "Leo, it's Kon."

  "Whose phone are you on, amico?"

  "He couldn't give me his name on account of my machete blade stuck in his head," Kon snapped. "I need you to hack into every decent hotel in Semarang and look for any of the following aliases." Kon rattled off a list of names he knew of legendary sword makers. Athena had a thing for blades of all kinds, and he had faint scars on his body to prove it.

  "Ah, I take it Signorina Edgeworth is in good health?" Leo asked as his fingers tapped away in the background.

  "Fine fucking form. Call me back when you've got something," Kon snarled and hung up.

  Kon knew that he should let it lie, stay far away from Athena, and let her have the win. If he hadn't learned that she was the last thing he thought about when he was faced with eating a bullet, maybe he would have.

  But she had been his last thought, and that meant something to a man like Kon…at least it had, right up until the point she had left him to fight his way out of a literal snake pit.

  The phone in his hand buzzed, and he looked at the message: Gumaya Tower, Room 502. Kon smiled, dark and feral.

  Tonight, he wasn't going to say sorry for all the times he screwed her over. He was going to make her pay.

  3

  It was after midnight when Athena got back from meeting with the Dukan that had hired her. He was a seer dedicated to Semar and would ensure that the medallion got back to the guardians of the god's sacred cave on the Dieng plateau.

  Maybe you should've untied Kon, a small voice whispered in the back of her head. She might have if being kind to Konstantius Zalam ever got her anywhere.

  She had no doubt if their positions were reversed, he would've left her there. That was the problem…they were way too much alike. Cut from the same demented cloth.

  You should've put a bullet into him three years ago. This time her inner voice sounded way too much like Silas. Her father had a point, though. In their business, if someone fucked with you, you put a bullet in them. You didn't give them a chance to do it again and again.

  Athena told herself that she didn't pull the trigger because she wanted Kon to suffer forever for stealing the codex from her on Paphos. The truth was, she was addicted to the fucked up game they played. He did something to her, fucked with her brain and body like no one else did.

  No matter how many times she promised herself that she would kill him next time, she would see him and would just want to rile him up. A pissed-off Kon fucked like the world was about to end.

  Athena kicked off her high heels, checked her room and small balcony before sliding her spare knife under her pillow. She didn't know if Kon would come after her or if he had even escaped the club, but she could never be too careful. Konstantius Zalam was the Basty of Istanbul after all.

  After Paphos, Athena had plotted her revenge on him and had Izabella dig up everything she could on the fucker.

  He actually was a historian, which surprised her. What didn't surprise her was that he had paid for his degree by acting as an enforcer for one of the largest gangs in Istanbul. He had quickly earned the name 'The Basty' after the shape-shifting nightmare spirit from Turkic folklore. He had allegedly gotten out of the gang only by killing their top bosses in a bloody murder spree that lasted an entire night. Then he had walked away, and everyone had been wise enough to let him go.

  Athena wasn't worried or impressed by his reputation. She had one of her own, and that hadn't stopped him coming after her.

  Athena pulled off her dress, littering the tiled bathroom floor with sequins and money, before climbing into the shower and washing the smell of sweat and gambling den away with frangipani soap.

  She thought about Kon tied up, his smile still cocky and arrogant, ready for a fight. Even covered in blood, he had smelled good enough that she had wanted to pull his dick out and fuck him right on that filthy chair. That was the most dangerous thing about Kon. He overrode her good sense and instincts.

  And that's probably why it's best that you left him to die. Somehow, Athena doubted he would meet his end in a dirty den in Indonesia.

  Wrapping a towel around herself, Athena stepped out of her bathroom and into the dark bedroom. She had taken two steps when a cold blade rested against her throat.

  "Konstantius, is that my knife?" she asked, slowly raising her hands.

  "I thought you might miss it," he growled softly by her ear. She could smell blood and gunpowder, and underneath that, something that was all him that made her mouth water.

  "You left me to die. That was cold, güzelim, even for you."

  Güzelim, my beautiful. Kon was definitely in a mood if he was throwing around pet names.

  "I threw you a knife. That was generous," she argued.

  Kon's hand went underneath her towel and curved around her thigh. She bit her lip, so she didn't groan. She pushed her ass up against him, feeling his dick already hard and straining against his pants.

  "You tossed a knife to release cobras. It's hardly the same thing," Kon hissed.

  "So my aim was a little off. I had been drinking."

  "Your aim is never off," he growled.

  Athena swallowed, her pulse hammering against the blade. "Are you here to finally kill me, Kon?"

  "I fucking should." Kon's mouth went to her throat, nipping the skin, marking her up. Athena dropped her head to the side, giving him access. She wanted to run her hands through his thick, inky hair but knew better than to grab at someone with a blade.

  Kon gripped the front of her towel and yanked it hard, pulling it off and leaving her naked in the moonlight.

  "The medallion is long gone if that's what you're after," she said as he moved her toward the bed.

  "I know it is. You've no idea what you cost me with that stunt." Kon shifted the blade, his hand coming to the back of her neck. He turned her around, and she saw the black staining his body, his ruined clothes. He pushed her to sit on the bed. "My employer is going to be furious, and once again, I'm going to have to pay for your mess."

  "I hope you're not waiting on an apology." Athena's mouth went dry as Kon stripped off his ruined clothing. There was something about seeing Kon naked that still robbed her of her senses. Lean and scarred and tattooed. Hard all over with a fighter's body, he was a work of art.

  Kon threw the knife so it landed upright in one of the pillows. He gripped her chin hard, and the look of violence in his eyes made wetness pool between her legs.

  Athena knew a part of her must've been broken to respond to the threat of him in such a way, but she couldn't help it. Their sharp edges cut everyone who got too close to them, except each other. Athena knew it and fucking hated it as much as she longed for his rough hands.

  Kon's thumb ran over her mouth, making her lips open for him and smearing them with her saliva. "I know better than to expect an apology from you, Edgeworth. But you're going to make it up to me."

  Kon shoved her back on the bed and pinned her biceps with his knees. He brushed the tip of his cock over her lips, and Athena's mouth opened for him. He gripped the headboard when she tongued his slit already wet with pre-cum.

  Kon pushed one hand into her hair, tilting her head up so he could thrust deep into her wet mouth. Athena gripped his thighs, scratching up his skin and making him growl. She sucked him harder, loving his punishing pace and the sounds of frustration and pleasure that came out of him.

  "Fuck you and your perfect mouth," he hissed, pulling free from her.

  "Isn't that what you're doing," she replied mockingly. He rocked back off her and flipped her onto her stomach.

  Leather slapped against her wrists as he tied her to the headboard with his belt. Kon dragged her hips up, his hand going to the back of her neck and pinning her to the pillows.

  Oh, she had pissed him off alright, and this was precisely the reason why she did it.

  His hands ran down her back to her ass before he spread her wider and buried his face into her wet heat. He licked and sucked at her clit, teeth
and stubble rough and angry against her.

  Athena cried out against the mattress when his tongue started to curl into her. She pushed back into him, and his hand came down against her ass in a hard slap. She jerked forward, but he grabbed her and dragged her back up. His hand went in-between her thighs and he shoved two fingers into her.

  "You might have gotten away with the medallion tonight, but I'm going to make sure that you feel me every time you sit down for the next three days," Kon promised, his hand hitting her other cheek. His mouth ran over her skin, soothing some of the sting.

  Athena gripped the mattress with her teeth, trying to hold in her cries as his fingers curled inside of her. She was so close, her orgasm two strokes away. Kon sensed it, pulling free at the last second. She yanked furiously at her bonds, and Kon's hand smacked her hard again.

  "Not getting away from me tonight, Edgeworth," he snarled before licking a hot stripe right up her backbone. He grabbed her ass with both hands, squeezing hard enough to bruise. "This ass is all mine tonight, as payment for leaving me to fucking die."

  "I knew you would get out," she panted, her words choking off as he thrust his cock hard inside of her.

  "I had to fight my way out with a machete," he hissed, pounding into her so forcefully that their skin slapped together.

  "Hot," she said, just imagining it. Kon fighting with a machete was her idea of a wet dream. "Maybe I should've stuck around to watch."

  "You would've liked that, watching me cut free with bullets flying." Kon's hand went under her, squeezing her bouncing tits.

  "Yes," she groaned, thrusting back against him, greedy to have him filling her up. He smacked her hard again, and she cried out, her nerve endings screaming. His fingers ran through her wetness before brushing them down her ass and toying with her hole. Athena swore as his cock and fingers worked her in tandem, making her groan into the mattress.

  Kon was out to punish, and she fucking loved him this raw and furious, unable to hold in his own anger and desire. It was this intensity that she was addicted to, the way he dominated every part of her and flayed her apart with pleasure.