I shatter around him, emotion and sensation exploding. Cain draws me close, as close as we can get, and follows me into the force we’ve created.
Descending, I open my eyes to meet his, our bodies locked together. I’m shivering; my chest heaves against his. His heartbeat is rapid beneath my palm. He drops kisses onto my cheeks and forehead, but when he draws away from me I catch him and kiss him back, tasting his mouth, inhaling his rapid breaths.
I smile against his mouth, lock my legs around his hips, and whisper, “Again.”
A slow smile spreads across his face, lighting his eyes.
He says, “Hmm,” but this time it means “Yes.”
17
A long time later, we lie tangled in the sheets, my leg hooked over Cain’s hips as I rest plastered against him. He draws my hand up between us and kisses each of my fingertips, one after the other.
His assassin’s ring glints. I splay my fingertips, pressing our palms together. His focus shifts to his ring, a small smile curving his lips. “You thought I was married.”
I shift against him, allowing my eyes to narrow in a challenge. “It looks like a wedding band.”
“Well, then…” He answers me with a challenging look of his own, his eyebrows arched at me, his lips compressed to smother a smile as he slides the ring off his forefinger.
To my shock, he slides it onto his ring finger, saying, “Consider me taken.”
I gasp. Swallow. Pain floods me, devouring all the security I felt moments before. It’s like an angry wolf come to mangle everything I want. Cain is too perceptive to miss my reaction. His arms quickly slide around me, his big palms flex against my back, soothing strokes calming me.
He says, “I’m not asking for anything, Archer. I’m offering. You have a difficult journey ahead of you. I want you to know that I’ll be there for you. I’m on this path with you, heart and soul.”
He has already shown me in so many ways that he isn’t going to disappear on me, no matter what happens. I’m painfully aware that he is headed toward a battle with Slade Baines that could cost him his life.
I also know that I would choose to die before I let that happen.
If Cain is right, then choosing to die … could end me.
“How can you…?” I stumble over what I need to ask him. “How can you feel this way about me when I don’t even understand what I am.”
He contemplates me for a moment, stroking his hand down my side, giving me goosebumps. “If you’re Keres, then your mother was too. What do you remember about her?”
“Nothing,” I whisper. “I never knew her. Sometimes I wonder if she existed at all.” I swallow a humorless laugh. “Actually, Dad once told me this stupid story about how I flew in on the wings of a silver stork. Like I was delivered to him out of the blue. I think it’s because he never really wanted me…”
Cain’s hands pause on my back. A curious frown forms on his forehead. “What was the story?”
I consider his cautious question, the sudden stillness of his body, the way he is holding his breath.
I’m not sure that I want to tell him. “Dad would say…”
My father’s harsh voice echoes back at me … a cigarette dangling from his fingers, a dagger resting on his knee as if he would flip it around and stab me with it if he had the choice…
“One day, you flew in on the wings of a silver stork. The stork said to me, “Look after this baby and I will make all your ambitions a reality.” Of course I fucking agreed. Then the stork turned into a wily fox that devoured all my enemies. In return, all I had to do was keep you alive. Happy was not part of the deal. Just alive.”
I come back to myself, the story lingering on my tongue.
Cain is suddenly pale and still. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look like this. It’s such a foreign expression that I’m struggling to identify it as … fear.
He whispers, “The silver stork became a wily fox…”
I don’t like the way he is suddenly frozen. “What is it, Cain?”
He swallows. “Your father was Patrick Ryan, the man who ruled Boston’s underground under the protection of the assassin known as the Glass Fox.”
I say, “Yes. Until she died.”
Cain suddenly grips me tightly, his entire body tense. “Damn.”
“Cain … you’re scaring me.”
“I can’t believe I missed it. That explains why… Damn…” He closes his eyes, calms, but it’s deliberate and forced. As desperate as I am for answers, I give him the moment he needs.
When he opens his eyes, his expression is shuttered. “Lady Tirelli will stop at nothing to get to you. She has been looking for you ever since you were a baby. Ever since she killed your mother.”
My world spins. Then anger spirals upward inside me. “She killed my mother? How do you know that?”
He says, “There’s truth in your father’s story: the Glass Fox saved you when your mother was killed. She hid you with Patrick Ryan. Lady Tirelli has been searching for you ever since. She didn’t know you were the baby she wanted, but now … I think she’s figured it out.”
He didn’t answer my question. In fact, his response is riddled with mysteries, like … why Lady Tirelli killed my mother. Why she wants me. How Cain knows about any of it. The story I told him only goes so far. There are things he’s not telling me, secrets hiding behind his carefully masked expression.
I sink into the bed, my body heavy. My thoughts are still spinning but they keep coming back to one thing … “Are you telling me that Patrick Ryan wasn’t my father?”
A muscle in Cain’s jaw flexes. “I’m sorry, Archer. I think he was trying to say as much.”
A sob tears out of me. I wrap my arms around myself, curling my knees to my chest, forcing myself away from Cain and into my own protective cocoon. “Good. I hated that bastard and his cigarettes and his daggers … and his anger. Always forcing me to fight…” I press my hands against my arms.
Cain rears up over me, casting his big body around me, pulling me into his arms. “Nobody makes you do anything you don’t want to do. Ever again. Do you hear me?”
I want to believe him. More than anything. But the mysteries about my past are a deadly weight in my heart.
I ask, “If the Keres are supposed to be invincible, how did Lady Tirelli kill my mother?”
Cain’s arms tighten around me. “Assassin’s magic. You have to stay away from anyone wearing an assassin’s ring.”
I shudder. That includes Lutz Logan and Slade Baines. I meet Cain’s eyes, my focus flicking to his ring. “What about you?”
He kisses me, demanding my focus, stroking my arms and back, his hands finding all the spots that make me forget everything.
“Except me.”
18
I fix the glittering necklace in place around my neck, mentally preparing myself for the ceremony that starts in half an hour. I got up this morning, put my contact lenses in, and ate my breakfast while reading a book, just like normal. Then I went out and trained Juliet, also like normal. When I came back to Cain’s quarters to eat lunch, I discovered that eating was the furthest thing from his mind, so my afternoon was … wonderfully not routine.
Now my hands shake. Somehow I managed to get through the day without remembering that everything I believed about myself has been tipped on its head. I am not Patrick Ryan’s daughter. I am not entirely human. Lady Tirelli killed my mother and she’s after me, not only because of my reputation, but for some mysterious reason that Cain can’t explain.
But worse than that … Slade Baines will arrive tomorrow and Cain will fight him. Fear is a quiet whisper in the back of my mind. Doubt is a sharp claw in my stomach.
Lutz Logan is coming to the ceremony tonight, along with the woman Cain calls “the Guardian.” All I have to do is walk out of the Realm with Lutz tonight and I can be certain that Cain is safe.
That’s if these heels don’t break my ankles.
I growl at the impossible shoes, cat
ch a flicker of movement in the mirror, and spin to find Cain lounging in the doorway. It’s the first time in days that he has crept up on me. His gaze devours me with a hunger I wasn’t expecting.
I thought he would be dressed in a suit, but far from it. His hair is slicked back and armor hugs his body, sleek copper plates custom-made to conform to his broad shoulders and chest. The color contrasts with his eyes, making them even more piercing. It also matches the gold in his assassin’s ring. Each armored plate is interwoven to allow full movement, which he demonstrates when he plucks me off my feet with a husky whisper: “How soon can you take this dress off?”
I laugh. “Quicker than you can get out of that.”
The armor is cold and I shiver against it. He quickly puts me down. “Not soon enough.”
We take the stairs to the first floor. Cain told me that the ceremony will be held in the main hall of the Cathedral and that the Novices are allowed in for the first and only time before they become Superiors.
Juliet greets us halfway along the corridor, dressed in an evening gown that hugs her petite form, her light brown hair piled atop her head.
She murmurs to me, “The woman you’re about to meet is the Guardian. She has a name, but we’re not allowed to use it. A representative from each of the Factions is also here: Lutz Logan from the Legion, and the Dominion Master, Alexei Mason.”
“Is it unusual for another Master to be here?”
“No. Actually, it’s more unusual that Slade Baines isn’t here.”
Cain twitches beside me. He and I both know it’s because Cain asked Slade for time. The minute Slade steps foot in the Horde’s Realm, the two Masters will be required to settle the score. Juliet doesn’t know about it. Not yet.
Juliet leads us to an anteroom located before the main entrance. As I pass through the door, goosebumps rise on my skin. It’s like walking through a spray of water.
Juliet murmurs, “This room is a sub-Realm. Nobody outside can hear or see us.”
Inside, a woman and two men wait for us. Although they are all dressed in evening attire, a quick check tells me that they are all wearing assassin’s rings. Juliet bows to them, but doesn’t lower her eyes. I remember Cain telling me that this is how the Factions greet each other.
Cain takes up position behind and to my right, the same protective location he used with Parker the day I first saw them in the café.
The woman steps forward and there’s no doubt in my mind that she is the Guardian. Her caramel hair falls straight to her waist, a forest-green evening gown accentuating her brown eyes. Her ring is a silver band adorned with diamonds and a cluster of emeralds in the shape of leaves. She is regal and serene in a way that I could never be.
She says, “Hello, dear. You must be Archer. I want to thank you for saving Briar’s life. Because of you, we did not have to mourn a friend. I’m genuinely sorry it will come at great cost for you.”
Cain stiffens beside me, but the Guardian ignores his reaction, inclining her head at him. “Good evening, Cain. Are you well?”
“I am. Thank you, Guardian.”
Lutz hangs back, his amber eyes never leaving me, as if he’s determined to keep me in his sights now that I’m here. But the enormous man beside him has no such hesitation, addressing me directly. “Archer Ryan, you’re lucky to be alive.”
He is a full head taller than Cain, making me tilt my head back to see him. I’m not used to it. With a shaved head, stormy gray eyes, and a nose that looks like it has been hit too many times, this man oozes threat. A jet-black ring set with chunky rubies glimmers on his hand.
I thought Lutz was threatening, but Alexei Mason is a man I would not want to cross. I quickly judge his weight and balance, settling into my own casually defensive stance.
“Luck had nothing to do with it, Dominion Master,” I say. “If you’d like, I can give you a demonstration.”
He breaks into a grin, looking down at me through the slits of his cold-as-ice eyes. “I like her, Cain. Make sure Slade doesn’t kill her.”
He turns a surprising glare on Cain, who replies, “Anyone who comes after Archer answers to me.”
Cain’s pinpoint focus is Lutz. The amber-eyed assassin folds his arms across his chest, a sharp growl sounding in his chest. “I will do my duty under the Code no matter how hated I am. The Code protects us all.”
Cain clenches his teeth and takes a step forward, but the Guardian quickly intervenes.
“Well,” she says with a breezy smile. “Now that we’re all suitably tense, let’s get on with the evening, shall we?”
She takes Cain’s arm as she glides past, firmly sweeping him along with her.
Cain catches my hand and gives it a squeeze before letting it go. Juliet falls in beside me, but she’s frowning.
I murmur, “What is it?”
“Your name.”
“Oh.” With a start, I remember that Juliet knows me as Grace, but they all called me “Archer.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”
She casts a worried glance back at Lutz and Alexei. “It explains a few things. But it also means you’re in danger.”
I give her a wry smile. “Just a little.”
She stops speaking as we enter the corridor and head toward the meeting hall. Men and women dressed in suits and evening gowns mingle around dinner tables. I recognize the Novices, as well as Brenna, who wears a glittering silver gown. At least twenty other men and women stand around tables, but I take note that nobody else is wearing an assassin’s ring. That means the only true dangers are the Guardian, Lutz, and Alexei, and I know they will all abide by the Code.
I force myself to relax.
The room is decorated with golden chandeliers, majestic tapestries hanging from the walls depicting male and female champions. The gathering looks for all the world like a social ball, not a meeting of killers preparing to welcome their new Master.
Everyone quiets as we enter. With a small smile, Juliet breaks off from me. “I’ll see you later.”
Brenna approaches our group, casting glares at Juliet, who holds her head high and ignores her. I squash my instinctive dislike when Brenna falls in beside Lutz and Alexei, seeming content to glare daggers at me. As Cain’s second-in-command, she will sit with us tonight.
I’m painfully aware of all the stares as I follow Cain to a table at the front where an imposing man waits for us. He is older, tall, and slightly gray at the temples.
Everyone else seems to know him. Lutz and Alexei bow while Cain gives him a respectful nod.
The man addresses me: “I am Abraham Kolko, former Master of the Horde. Well met, Archer Ryan.”
Well, I guess that cat is out of the bag.
His statement startles everyone within earshot. The nearby assassins look me up and down, some with curiosity, some with open aggression. I guess I’m lucky my name was never written in their ledgers. It’s probably just a matter of time.
A sharp inhale behind me is followed by a deep growl. My quick glance tells me that Brenna backed away from me when she heard my name, but she stepped into Alexei Mason in the process. She turns bright red as he picks her up off his toes and places her away from him. I nearly feel sorry for her.
I return my attention to the former Horde Master. “It’s a pleasure, Abraham.”
I hold out my hand, an action that draws shocked gasps from everyone around me. Oops. I guess assassins don’t make physical contact.
I take a deep breath. “Since I’m not an assassin, I thought we might greet each other with common courtesy. After all, we are simply two killers meeting for the first time. We have no quarrel with each other … do we?”
He takes my hand, his grip firm. “No, we do not.”
We let go of each other and the room exhales.
The Guardian takes Cain’s arm again. “Come with me please, Cain Carter.”
Cain waits while I take a seat before he follows the Guardian onto the dais. I end up seated with Alexei on one side of me and Abraham
on the other. Brenna sits on the opposite side, choosing to locate herself beside Lutz, side-eyeing him as if she thinks he could be an ally. Whatever she says to him, he answers with narrowed eyes and a sharp rebuttal. It obviously takes more than a title and a sideways comment to earn his respect.
Alexei’s deep voice is like rumbling thunder beside me. “I’m curious, Archer Ryan, how it turns out that you’re a woman.”
I can’t help but smile. “Would you believe you’re the first assassin to ask me that, Dominion Master?”
He says, “Call me ‘Alexei.’ I prefer my name when I’m among friends.”
Friends, huh? I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve that label other than brazenly challenging him before.
I raise my eyebrows. “Well, then, you can call me ‘Grace.’”
He continues to grin at me. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“That’s correct.”
He blinks at me, his jaw dropping a little. “Well, now I really like you. Cain had better keep you alive.”
My smile fades. For some reason, Alexei’s frankness appeals to me. Beneath his ferocious exterior, I sense deep intelligence. I check Brenna before I speak, noting that she has turned her chair away and is now in deep conversation with an assassin sitting at the table behind her.
I dare to speak my thoughts when I say to Alexei, “Cain thinks he can win against Slade.”
“But you aren’t so sure.”
“I’ve never met Slade Baines. Could you beat him?”
Alexei laughs. “Hell, no. I tried that once. It didn’t go well.” His laughter fades. “The hardest part about being an assassin is watching people you care about get hurt and not being able to do a damn thing about it.”
I don’t know what event he might be talking about, but I recognize honesty when I hear it. “Then I should do whatever I can to make sure a battle between Cain and Slade doesn’t happen.”
Alexei contemplates me for a moment. “As unhappy as it makes me … that would be wise.”
I study my hands as the Guardian calls everyone to attention and a hush falls over the gathering. When I raise my eyes to the dais, I find Cain watching me from where he stands beside her. It surprises me that I spoke so openly to Alexei about my feelings. I’ve always kept my thoughts to myself, but I can’t regret what I said. I won’t hide the fact that I care about Cain or that I will do anything to keep him alive.
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