Tainted Kiss

by Sharon Kay

  He snorted. “Yeah, well, I’m supposed to have all the answers.”

  She cupped his stubbled jaw, her slender fingers gliding against him like silk. “That’s an impossible task. No one has all the answers. And you have dozens, hundreds, of people who’re more than happy to help you. Everyone at HQ.” She nodded in the direction of the building.

  Something about her openness, her easy going nature, settled a restless part of him. It was like a door suddenly unlocked, letting golden sunlight and blue sky into a darkened room. A different need pulsed in his heart, this time to help Ria understand his loss and more of why things were complicated. It was instinct again, driving him closer to her. “Earlier I said you deserve to know why things are complicated, but I never explained.”

  “I may have distracted you from that line of thought.” Her voice managed to be sweet and sultry at the same time.

  “You definitely did. And I let you.” He swallowed. “But I need to say this.”

  Ria’s eyes softened and she waited, patient and intent on him.

  “When my mate was killed, I stopped feeling the bond, feeling her, instantly. It was such a shock to have her completely gone. Physically and mentally.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, with so much compassion that something shifted inside him. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

  “Her name was Lottie,” he said, surprised at the ease with which his mate’s name fell from his lips. “Carlotta, actually. She didn’t like it.” A smile found its way to his mouth at the memory. “We grew up in the same town. Our families knew each other. We played together as kids. Then when puberty hit, we just knew.”

  “That’s sweet. And kind of amazing. For some, it can take hundreds of years to find a mate.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. It was like she was always there, always a part of me. I didn’t remember a time when she wasn’t close, singing or laughing. Until…she wasn’t.”

  His eyes unfocused as he stared at the gently flowing water behind Ria. The nightmarish memories came back, searing, awful, vivid. He closed his eyes, but they still loomed. Familiar guilt tightened his chest.

  Ria’s soft hand cupped his jaw. “Hey,” she said softly.

  He opened his eyes to endless blue that instantly soothed him, as did her gentle touch. He took her hand and folded it in his. On a level he couldn’t explain, she grounded him and strengthened him. Which was as exciting as it was surprising.

  He never thought he’d be able to feel anything for another woman.

  Then again, he’d never tried. Never met anyone capable of stirring the ashes of his heart.

  Except Ria.

  “I became a Watcher and we lived here,” he said, filled with the sudden need to get it all out, to explain the horror behind his hesitation. “We went back to our hometown for a summer solstice festival. It was night and we were about to return, and we were attacked by a group of Vipers.”

  “Oh no,” Ria whispered.

  “I had killed one of their kinsmen on an assignment the week before. They wanted revenge. There were too many of them and they attacked fast. Had the whole thing planned out. They held me and made me watch as they slit her throat so deeply…she couldn’t be saved. And they took off.”

  “Oh my gods, Arawn, I’m so sorry.” She laid a hand on his chest. “That’s something no one should ever have to endure.”

  “It was over in less than a minute. The other Lash demons from the town got there too late.” The memories played on a twisted loop. Blood, snarling Vipers, the sword they used, Lottie laying there as her life force ebbed…He felt like the words were coming from someone other than him, like he was disconnected. “It’s my fault she died.”

  “Don’t say that,” she whispered. “They’re evil to the core. Sick and twisted.”

  Evil to the core. Her innocent words stung in a way she could never know. The trace of Ghazsul blood that ran in his veins was testament to the fact he carried inherent evil. It was part of him, as much as fighting was. But his lineage had to stay a secret.

  “You can lean on me,” she said. “Not sure how much of a comfort I can be, but I’ll try to be what you need.”

  “Just be yourself, Princess.” You comfort me more than you know. And more than he was capable of understanding.

  Bees buzzed in a patch of purple wildflowers that grew near the stream’s edge. Their flight was leisurely and delicate, but imbued with purpose as they moved from one point to the next.

  Purpose. His life had been all about the purpose of his people and his warriors. But maybe it was time to take some leisure time.

  They made their way back through the trees toward the obstacle course. The sound of male voices reached them—Aleksai and Scorpio, Arawn guessed.

  Sure enough, when they cleared the trees, he spotted the two warriors up on the last obstacle.

  “That one is a bitch!” Ria yelled to them. “I’m so killing Caine for that.”

  Aleksai frowned as the space in front of him disappeared. “Fuckin’ A,” he muttered. On the adjacent platform, Scorpio leaped silently to a solid patch.

  Ria laughed. “Good luck!”

  They passed a few other Watchers headed for the course, and Ria called out friendly warnings to them about the disappearing final challenge. In another minute they reached the building and entered.

  “Well, I’m gonna get cleaned up,” Ria said as they got to a juncture in the hallway. “See you later.”

  “Yup.” He watched her walk to the stairs that would lead to her room, baffled by the mix of emotions swirling through him because, above all, she gave him a sense of peace.

  Yeah, she could make his cock hard with just a sly smile, let alone deliberately running from him. She liked to play games and that suited him just fine. But there was so much more to her: compassion, patience, smarts, and her habit of being relentless.

  A habit he had just openly encouraged.

  C

  HAPTER 7

  TWO DAYS LATER, ARAWN TAPPED his fingers on the smooth wood of his desk as he scanned the latest news articles Ana had sent. More of the crazies gathered in the cemeteries, all on a quest for Verdak’s sword. Arawn’s fingers typed rapidly across his keyboard, and in seconds an image of the Atropa sword filled his computer screen.

  The long double-edged blade looked like any other: shiny, beveled, and deadly. The hilt was silver, engraved with scroll work and a large letter V. In the cradle of the V was an oblong tube, flush with the hilt but outlined in intricate marks. This was supposedly where the nightshade seed lay, forever sustained with Verdak’s blood.

  Arawn shook his head. It was a drawing. Based on legend, passed down orally from generation to generation. Who knew if it really looked like this?

  Who knew if the damn thing existed?

  As if on cue the palm of his right hand—his sword hand—tingled and he stifled a growl. Electric sparks pulsed under his skin, signaling the blood connection that cursed him. The sooner they put this story to rest, the better.

  Footsteps in the hall cued him to visitors and, a second later, Mathias and Caine appeared in the open doorway. “Ready to debrief, sir,” Caine said.

  “Good.” He gestured for them to come in and sit in the two chairs opposite his desk. “Tell me what you found.”

  “The statue is there, on Thane’s estate,” Mathias began. “He’s keeping it in an alcove that looks like it’s designed to show off a piece of art. It’s right off his main entertaining space and doesn’t have any special security.”

  “But the whole place, in general, has decent security,” Caine said. “Of course, nothing we can’t penetrate.”

  “How many guards, hellhounds, wards?” Arawn asked.

  “Six armed guards on the exterior grounds at all times. Two hounds. They patrol at hourly intervals.” Mathias propped one ankle on his opposite knee. “But inside, he has another four guards who roam in shorter intervals. Fifteen minutes. And one is always in the room that he’s in.�
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  “His wards are the kind that induce vomiting.” Caine shook his head. “We called Fife and got the counter spell right away, so we were able to walk right up to the window.”

  “Hmm.” Arawn steepled his fingers in front of his face. “I’d expect something stronger. But whatever. Guess that’s nasty enough. Thoughts on the best way to get in?”

  “He’s having a party this weekend to show off Renata,” Mathias said. “But it’s gonna be small, about twenty guests by invite only. All close friends or business associates who he’ll recognize.”

  “But he’s hiring females to serve drinks. From an outside company,” Caine said.

  Arawn snorted. “Only drinks?”

  “I overheard him tell one of his underlings that he wanted pretty girls to serve cocktails,” Mathias said. Like his sense of smell, Mathias’s hearing was also better than the other Lash demons. The guy could hear conversations through walls if he wanted. “But…” He shrugged. “Depending on the company Thane contracted with, the girls could be doing a lot more than bringing drinks.”

  “I bet,” Arawn muttered. “So, a small party for first-name basis friends. What else?”

  “He knows all of his guards by name,” Mathias said.

  Arawn frowned. There went his plan to knock out a guard, snag his uniform, and send one of his men in as a substitute.

  “I think our best way in is with the girls,” Caine said. “Send one of our female fighters in as a server, and while she’s there she can inspect the statue.”

  “Who?” Arawn asked. “Willow’s too pregnant. My next high ranking female is deep under cover. I won’t pull her for surveillance. Are you thinking of one of the novices? This may be too hot for them.” He frowned. “And Alina? She’s puking every other hour, I hear. Plus, portals alone make this too risky for the pregnant females.”

  “She’s not trained as a fighter.” Caine gritted his teeth and a mix of emotions crossed his face at the mention of his tiny mate. The male was proud to the point of being goofy over the child she carried. He blatantly admired her gift of cloaking herself in shadows to slip by undetected, but he was also bound by the unforgiving need to safeguard what was his. Arawn remembered it well from his own mated years.

  Silence loomed. His two warriors looked at the wall behind him. At the floor. Anywhere but at him. Voices from the corridor drifted into the quiet. Caine bounced a knee. Mathias’s hand tightened on the armrest.

  Shit.

  The obvious answer loomed in the silence.

  “Goddamn it.” Arawn stood, shoving his chair back hard enough to hit the wall. He’d never hesitated to put Ria into the field before. But a new, fiercely protective emotion surged through his veins, warring with his mind. Sending her should be a no-brainer. But was she ready?

  “She ran the obstacle course. She’s doing well enough to spar. Yesterday she gave me a bruise in the exact shape of her foot,” Caine muttered.

  Arawn turned to Mathias and raised a brow.

  “Normally, I’d say yes with zero hesitation. This is Ria’s thing. If not fighting, then some down and dirty spying is right up her alley,” Mathias rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s tough, she hates when we try to go easy on her. But…she was out of commission for so long.”

  “Dude, you know she would kick your ass if she heard that,” Caine said.

  “She’d be pissed as hell if she heard any of this.” Mathias pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Damn right.” Arawn stalked to a window and glared out at the wide grassy field beyond. Strong, feisty, proud Ria would seriously hurt them for this convo. He shoved the unfamiliar need to shelter her to a far corner of his mind and ran through a mental checklist of her skills. Because that’s what she deserved, not three dudes assessing her potential weaknesses. “I’ve seen her sword fighting. I’ve run the obstacle course with her. I know she’s run for miles outdoors. She can do this. She wants to get back to work? Fine. Here’s her chance.”

  Mathias blew out a breath.

  “Look, it’s three days away. This should be a quick in and out. Our tech group can get her fake papers, swap her out with one of the hired girls. She can have an earpiece. We’ll look into whether she can wear any jewelry that can double as a weapon. Not that she needs it because her spin works just fine.” Arawn walked back to lean against the front of his desk. “We’ll have a team nearby in case anything goes wrong. Which it won’t. And if by some chance it does, we’ll provide a distraction.”

  “I can review the floor plans with her.” Caine reached over to punch Mathias’s arm. “She’d hate to be passed over. You know it.”

  “I know.” Mathias shook his head. “Fuck, you’re both right. She’s a damn good Watcher. She’s probably stronger than I give her credit for.”

  “Probably stronger than any of us know. She’s always wanted to do more, take on the extra challenge,” Arawn said. “I appreciate your concern, Hunter. If she hadn’t been in a coma for a month, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. But I say she’s ready. I’m sending her in.”

  Both men nodded.

  “I’ll tell her,” Arawn added.

  Mathias looked up and the slightest question flickered in his eyes before he schooled his face into neutrality. “Okay.” He pushed up from his chair. “If we’re done, I’ve got a mate to spoil.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Caine stood.

  “We’re done,” Arawn said. He watched his men, two of his best fighters, hustle out the door to be with their women. He used to be like that with Lottie. Funny, he hadn’t thought of it in years. That feeling of jumping out of your skin to be with someone.

  Though that was why he’d stayed with Ria so often while she was unconscious.

  It knocked into him like a one-two punch. The possibility of her dying had hit him hard, and only being constantly reassured that she was fine had helped.

  Renata holds the key.

  Or did Ria?

  Ria drowsed in the noon sun in the training yard, watching some of her colleagues try to master Caine’s obstacle course. So far, the only ones who hadn’t fallen on the last portion were Scorpio and, of course, Arawn.

  She sat alone because Gin had hopped up suddenly and dashed off, eyes glittering, and mumbled something about Mathias returning from his recon assignment. Ria shook her head. Her friend had never seemed more alive than she did now, even if the constant newly-mated stuff did get annoying sometimes. Maybe someday. Ria was only five hundred years old, after all—

  “Hey, Princess.” The unmistakable tenor of Arawn’s voice drew her attention to him, as if even her subconscious wanted to do his bidding.

  “Hey.” Her voice came out softer than she intended, but lately just being near him made her brain short-circuit. And today, in jeans and a gray T-shirt stretched tightly across his chest, he looked mouth-watering.

  He lowered his rugged body onto the chair Gin had vacated and stretched out his long legs. Everything about him was long, brawny, and hard. Shit! She squeezed her eyes shut at the direction her thoughts had gone. But there was no denying her body’s reaction to him. He was absolute tough-and-sexy perfection. The sun glinted off the slight waves in his hair, bringing out the lighter brown tones against the dark.

  And highlighting the auburn lock that he’d carry forever.

  As she gazed at it, the weight of his loss and magnitude of his strength settled over her. He’d climbed up from a hellish situation to become a leader who was feared by enemies and respected by his people…if a little grumpy sometimes. But that was his right. And her heart warmed that he’d shared that part of his life with her.

  “How’s everyone doing?” He gave a chin lift at the course.

  “Uh…” She blinked, trying to refocus her thoughts. The course. “Yeah. They’re doing okay up until the end.”

  He nodded as if that were the answer he expected. She doubted there was much that took place in his compound that he didn’t know about.

  He turned his da
rk magnetic eyes on her. “And you?”

  Her throat went dry under the weight of his sexy, assessing, dominant stare and it was all she could do to stay in her chair and not crawl onto his lap. “I’m fine. Great.”

  “You looked tired just now.”

  “I’m not.” She sat up straighter. “Just taking a breather after my morning run. And the sun feels good. I’m still catching up on sunshine after being inside for a month.”

  His eyes searched her face, twinkling, as if he knew exactly how she felt. “Good. Got some info you might like.”

  “Yeah?”

  He paused and she swore he was biting back a grin.

  “Tell me!”

  The hidden grin turned into a broad smile and damn, that made her belly do a triple flip. Rare, captivating, and disarming, Arawn’s genuine smiles were pure magic. He tilted his head. “You’re officially back in rotation, starting now. Clear your plans for Saturday night.”

  “Yes!” Ria couldn’t keep the enthusiasm out of her voice or stop a smile from tugging her lips upward. She felt great and totally ready to go back into the field. But she hadn’t been sure if the others, or Arawn, had thought the same.

  “Yup.” He held her gaze for a moment, and she was on the verge of shouting for him to give her the details. She held back, because she sensed he was playing with her, something he didn’t do with the others. And she wanted to draw out his playful side. “You know the Renata statue?”

  She nodded. “Yes. It’s been in the news. It was just purchased at an auction.”

  “By a Ghazsul named Thane,” he said. “Rich, manipulative asshole who manages to have shit bounce off him and stick to someone else.”

  “I see. Typical, though I hadn’t heard of him before the auction.”

  “I need you to go in and inspect the statue.”

  “Okay.” She nodded. “What am I looking for?”

  Arawn turned back to the Watchers running the obstacle course and propped one ankle on his opposite knee. “We’ve discovered a message written in one of the grimoires recovered from Elegia’s soldiers. From a Ghazsul, specifically.”