“Why are you still awake?” Aria asked sleepily.
“Didn’t want to miss a minute of holding you.” What Damian said was true, but he didn’t tell her everything.
“Uh huh. How about you tell me the truth now.” Aria was tracing circles on his chest over his soft, black, long-sleeve T-shirt.
He started tickling her sides to distract her. Damian was done with heavy conversations for the night. He wanted to have fun and see her laugh and smile.
“Stop!” Aria giggled, and she tried to squirm out of his grasp. They both were laughing hard.
He continued to tickle her while she only half-heartedly tried to get away. Aria finally managed to roll him over until she was on top, looking down at him. Suddenly, it wasn’t funny anymore. Her whole body began to tingle and her stomach fluttered, causing her to simply stop and stare at him. This was Damian, the boy from her childhood and the man she had given her heart to so long ago. She never thought she would be in a position like this with him again.
Damian’s hands stopped moving playfully and started to slide around her back and into her hair. He leaned up to kiss her when another boom sounded in the deserted village. They both shot up to investigate.
Damian groaned. “Someone has a terrible sense of humor. That’s twice now.”
Aria giggled but grabbed her boots. “We need to finish that later.”
He pulled on his shoes while she was zipping her boots and making sure her knives and sword were tucked into their hidden slots within the leather boot shafts. Aria always wanted to be prepared for anything. They jumped up at the same time, but Damian held his hand up so he could take the lead, not wanting anything to happen to her.
Damian opened the door and scanned the area in front of the hut, thinking that it was probably just another hut falling apart. They moved into the village keeping to the shadows. Once in the center of the cluster of homes, they both stopped to listen to the sounds around the village. There were no noises except for their own measured breaths. It was oddly quiet, which was something Aria hadn’t noticed before.
She motioned toward the woods where a light flickered and went out. “Let’s go.”
Taking off together at a slow jog, Damian led the way carefully, not wanting to stumble upon a trap. He wished they had explored the location more earlier.
“Stay behind me,” he warned.
“Not happening. You don’t get to play macho man with me. We’re partners. Even partners.” Aria narrowed her eyes at him.
He groaned. “You’re going to be the death of me.” Damian scanned the area again. “Fine. Stay right next to me. Promise, Aria. I know you, and you’ll want to take off blindly.”
She gave him a disgruntled look. “We need to move quickly before that light disappears.”
“Promise me, or we’re not going anywhere.” Damian stared her down.
“Okay. Okay. I promise.”
They moved from tree to tree to keep out of sight while they followed a flickering light that could very well be leading them into danger. Moving farther away from the village, they could no longer see their hut or the smoke from the chimney. Damian had a bad feeling.
Aria was getting antsy. She hated being cautious and wanted to rush into the action if there was any. Pointing to the now steady light, she whispered. “That looks like another village. Why was the one we were in empty?”
Damian’s bad feeling was intensifying. “We need to be careful.” He reached out with his magic, but he didn’t sense anything unusual.
Aria made it to the edge of the woods, looking out at the group of homes. Damian was directly behind her and circled his arm around her waist when she attempted to dart forward. “Wait. We need to check things out before we run in there. They could be hostile or dangerous.”
Aria frowned at him, but she knew Damian was right. There was something about this village that was so different from the abandoned one where they were staying. She hadn’t paid enough attention to the lack of normal sounds around the other hut. Even the animals seemed to stay away from there.
In this village, she could see dogs sleeping in front of a home and a pen with horses and cows. Aria could also hear animals rustling around in the woods.
Damian surveyed the area, taking note of as many exit routes as possible. They might need to make a quick escape. “We need to figure out what’s going on. We were too wrapped up in our issues to notice that there was something wrong with where we were staying.”
Aria frowned. “It had no magic at all. Everything felt dead.”
Damian nodded. “This might be Queen Calanthe’s ulterior motive for bringing us here. I’m sure she wanted us to discover what was happening here.”
Aria nodded. “We probably should have looked around more earlier.”
They watched two men leave one of the homes with long spears in their hands. They looked like warriors. Damian wondered what the men were hunting and hoped they were not the targets. “That’s a fairy warrior training camp. We might want to avoid this place.”
Damian and Aria crouched down behind a large flowering bush to observe the area. Almost immediately, several more men and women left their homes in a hurry, all fully armed.
“That’s not good,” Aria whispered. She wondered if they should return to their hut and come back in the morning.
“No. It’s not. Let’s head back before we get caught. There’ll be trouble if the two of us are seen sneaking around here at night.” Damian pulled her up, and they started back.
Having only taken a few steps, they were forced to stop moving, suddenly surrounded by armed hunters. The fairy knights had been so quiet they were able to sneak up on Damian and Aria without them knowing.
Aria kicked at the dirt under her feet. “Seriously? What else is going to go wrong today?”
Damian shook his head slightly. “Don’t make them any more angry than they already are.”
She tilted her head at him with an annoyed expression. “I’m not a rooky.”
So far, the fae warriors had not said anything; they just held their spears pointed toward Damian and Aria. She didn’t like their situation, so she pulled her magic toward her hands in preparation.
Damian noticed that she had sparks on her palms and became worried about what she was going to do. He made sure his magic was ready and waited for her to make a move. He knew she was going to do something soon.
“If you’re going to try and capture us, you should do it now. I don’t feel like standing here all night.” Aria wanted to get things moving.
Oh here we go, Damian thought just before the spear wielding fae closed in on them.
* * *
Ember was right where he wanted her: lying on his bed and at his mercy. He had thought that it would have happened under slightly different circumstances, but with their history, it was probably fitting.
Markos couldn’t keep the grin off his face, and the more he smiled, the angrier she became.
“Let me go right now!” Ember yelled.
“Shhhh. If you keep yelling, I’m going to put a spell on you that will keep you quiet so you won’t be able to speak at all.” Markos stood next to the bed closest to where she was and looked down at her. Part of him wanted to let her go and just boot her from the room, but then he wanted to find out why she came to him first.
She closed her mouth and gave him a mutinous look.
“Why all the theatrics? You slapped my face for the fun of it the last time I saw you, and now you’re sneaking into my bed?” Markos inhaled deeply and hastily backed up a few steps. Her perfume was messing with his head.
Ember’s expression became calculating after he moved, so she must have noticed his interest. “Afraid to be close to me, baby?”
He tried to ignore her, but it was getting more difficult. “What proof do you have, and why are you just telling me this now?”
She purposely licked her lips to attract his attention. “Come and get it.”
Markos knew it
wasn’t going to be easy. He pulled the sheet off of her and was thankful that she was fully dressed. He didn’t want to deal with a half-naked Ember. She didn’t want to lug anything around with her, so she never carried a purse. He knew she always kept her phone in her back pocket of her jeans or an inside pocket of a jacket. New Orleans was too hot for a jacket, and her jeans were too tight to hold much; so she must have her phone stashed somewhere else on her, and she was daring him to look.
“Where’s your phone?” he asked, knowing she wouldn’t tell him. She could have it hidden in a boot like Aria did, but she had worn sandals which were on the floor of the hotel room.
“Search me.” She grinned at him.
He scanned her body with his eyes, trying not to linger too long on any one part. Her jeans were faded, light blue denim that were almost painted onto her legs. It was doubtful anything could be hidden there. Her tank top was not tucked into her pants, so it’s possible she could be hiding something under it. He remembered she used to have a pouch, velcroed around her waist, where she carried things she didn’t want seen. He wasn’t about to lift her shirt even though he was sure she wanted him to do just that.
“Not interested. I’m going to leave you here for a while. Bye Ember.” Markos grabbed his room card off the dresser and gave her a nod as he strolled from the room in a swirl of a portal.
“Markos!” She began muttering to herself about arrogant men who don’t know anything and stupid women who try to help them.
Ember’s back was adhered to the bottom sheet, and her head was stuck to the pillow case, but her arms were loose. Her hair had better not be messed up when he finally let her go.
At first, she was furious that he captured her, but she had to admit it was a good move. She would have to get him to tell her how he did it so she could use it in the future. Get backs would be a bitch. Although…he might like the outcome if he ended up on his back completely at her mercy.
If Ember could take the sheet off the bed, she could get up, but then it would be dragging behind her. “What a mess,” she mumbled to the empty room. Her portal knife was in the hidden pouch at her back under her shirt, but it would be next to impossible for her to access it. She pulled at her magic, but it was somehow dampened by the spell he had caught her with. Damn him.
Grabbing a handful of the sheet, she began to tug on it. “Ahhhhhh!” she screamed in frustration. Whatever he had done to capture her, it made her magic not work properly. Ember attempted everything she could think of, but it was all ineffective also.
Dropping her hand back to the bed in temporary defeat, she had to work out another plan of escape. Markos had surprised her this time, but it wouldn’t happen again. She wasn’t going to wait for him to come back.
7
Markos stepped into the Legacy recreation room. He knew it was the middle of the night were he had been in Louisiana, but Enforcers and Guardians kept all kinds of different hours. He was hoping to be able to catch one particular Enforcer who was always there whenever he decided to visit.
Like usual, it was filled with people waiting for their next assignment or looking for the someone to hang out with or spar with. He surveyed the room to find his target. There she was playing pool with a group of guys who were in danger of losing all of their money. Vicki was one of the biggest pool sharks he knew. She was also one of Ember’s best friends.
Vicki’s eyes grew large as she watched him walk toward her. She placed the pool stick on the table, scooped up her winnings, and smiled broadly at the groans coming from the fourth group of supernaturals she had beaten that night. Everyone knew how good she was, but they kept on challenging her.
“What’s going on Markos? What did Ember do now?” Vicki asked with a shake of her head. She hadn’t seen Ember in a few weeks, and she had just started to worry about her friend.
Markos motioned to the bar in the corner of the room.
“Oh! It’s that bad?” Vicki hopped up on the stool at the end and turned to Markos who leaned on the bar next to her. “Where is she?”
“I left her in my hotel room.” Markos nodded to the bartender who came over quickly, taking his order of two Shock Top beers. Vicki glanced at him in surprise that he remembered her choice of drinks.
“I didn’t think you two would get back together any time soon.” Vicki put her hand up at the next eager pool player approaching her. “No. Now go away. I’m not playing pool any more tonight.” She turned back to Markos. “How did you two connect again?”
“We’re not back together. She showed up at my door, claiming to have information that I need. But she was up to her usual tricks, so I didn’t let her in.”
“If you didn’t let her in, how did she end up in your bed? You know how Ember is. She toys with you until she realizes it’s not going to work, and then she straightens out.” Vicki wasn’t in the mood to be a relationship counselor, but she knew her friend still had strong feelings for Markos.
“She waited until she thought I was asleep and slipped under the sheets.” Markos took a long drink from his beer bottle.
“And you left her alone in your bed? Not many guys would do that. She probably won’t be there waiting for you to return.” Vicki shook her head. Those two were going to drive her crazy.
“Oh, she’ll be there. I spelled her to the bed. She can’t move until I release her.” Markos grinned at her.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
* * *
When they got out of this, Damian was going to clobber Aria. He glared at her, but she had her eyes closed, trying to ignore him and avoid his accusing stare. His arms were already starting to ache from being bound above his head. The metal cuffs circled his wrists and were connected to a heavy chain that was secured to the stone wall of the largest building in the village. His ankles were also bound, but they were attached to a metal ring in the center of the floor. At least they were sitting, but it was on cold, damp stone that was already making him grouchy. Damian couldn’t stand or lay down, so he stayed leaning against the smooth wall.
Even though he was annoyed with her, Damian hated seeing Aria shackled in the same way he was. There were a couple of hooks next to where his chain was attached, but the fae placed her on the opposite side of the room. He was worried about her and her silence. They hadn’t spoken since they were brought into their cell.
After Aria had challenged them to make their move, the fae wasted no time casting a spell to make Damian and Aria immobile, capturing them with no struggle. It was embarrassing to be a Legacy warrior who was taken so easily. Aria had yelled and screamed until the fae had threatened to gag her.
Damian would never forget the fury in her eyes when he told her it was her fault they were taken prisoner. It would have probably happened anyway, but he wouldn’t tell her that. There had been twenty fairy knights sent to detain them, so Damian and Aria would have lost a fight, but maybe they could have talked their way out of the situation.
“Stop glaring at me.” Aria’s voice echoed in the dank prison cell.
She still had her eyes closed, so Damian knew she was just guessing. “You decided to talk to me again?”
“There’s nothing else to do.” Aria opened her eyes to scowl at him, but Damian could see the stress in them.
Aria couldn’t believe they had gotten captured. She had thought the fairy knights would have threatened them and let them go. Normally, they would have all exchanged words, but nothing more would have happened. Now, they were in a mess. Rolling her shoulders, she would never admit to Damian that her arms were hurting and she was feeling a little anxious about being held captive.
“You could always yell for them to release you again. That was entertaining.” Damian was purposely baiting her. He needed to get the fire back into her eyes because the weariness and defeat were concerning him. He needed his snarky girl back.
“I really don’t like you right now.” Aria would love to do something about his smug expression, but she was chained to a wa
ll.
“You liked me well enough earlier when I had you in my arms.” Damian wished they were back in the hut now.
“That won’t happen again any time soon.” She mumbled it loud enough for him to hear her.
“Want to bet on that?” Damian challenged. “I’ll have you on my lap with your arms around my neck before we leave this realm.”
Aria ignored his arrogant boast, too tired to continue the ridiculous conversation. She gathered up magic and pulled on the chain again. It didn’t budge, but she was going to keep trying until it pulled loose.
Damian saw the magic brighten her face. “That’s not going to work. I’ve already tried it.”
She made an annoyed sound. “Then what do you suggest? They took my dagger from my hand and the portal blade that was in the holder around my waist. I still have my sword and another portal knife in my boot, but I can’t get to it.”
Damian smiled. His Aria was back. All he needed to do was keep her a little angry with him. He would make it up to her when they got out of this. “That’s not going to do us any good if we can’t get to them.”
Aria knew what he was doing, but it still riled her. “Then you come up with something.”
“Why am I not surprised to see you two chained to a wall and still bickering with each other?” Levi strolled into the cell like a king.
* * *
Markos shrugged. “She would have done the same thing to me if she had the opportunity.”
Vicki nodded. “She would have probably done worse.”
“She has.” Markos finished his beer and set the empty bottle on the bar. “What is she up to this time?”
Vicki played with the beer bottle, spinning it between her hands. “I don’t know.”
Markos gave her a disbelieving frown.
“Really. I haven’t seen her in a few weeks. I have no idea.”
“Why not? I thought you were her partner. Where’s she been?” Markos grew even more curious.
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