Shadow's Edge

by Jami Gray

  He must have understood her silent question since he answered before she could speak. “Nope, no one has any idea what type of anti-virus it was. There is no public information available on it.”

  She grimaced. “Well, doesn’t that just figure?” Needing to move, she took their plates to the sink and almost missed his considering look. Heading into the kitchen, she went and began rinsing the dishes. “So Polleo, a company positively linked to Talbot, is looking for Kyn volunteers for research. Probably for this anti-virus drug of Prewitt’s. But we can’t ask him because he’s conveniently dead.” She held one of the rinsed plates up, and cocked her head.

  “The dishwasher,” he answered.

  She quickly set the plates in the machine. Closing it, she looked up. “Now what?”

  He smiled. “Tomorrow morning we go to Mulcahy and lay out what we have so far.”

  She narrowed her eyes until they were mere slits. “You have a plan.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yep and it involves getting into Polleo and its files.” He watched as she dried her hands and replaced the hand towel.

  Before she could say anything more, the ringing of his phone interrupted them.

  He got up and went to the counter where his cell phone merrily chimed its head off. He looked at the number and his face closed down. “Yes?” His voice was cold.

  The frigid tone was downright scary and she never wanted to hear directed at her. Not wanting to intrude, no matter how curious she was, she stepped around him intent on leaving him alone.

  He shifted until he blocked her way.

  She looked up and quirked an eyebrow.

  One of his hands brushed her shoulder, setting her hormones clamoring. He moved the phone away from his mouth, his voice soft, “Don’t leave yet. I’ll be done in a minute.”

  She nodded and headed to his back porch.

  “What do you need now?” As he moved farther into the house, his voice remained somewhere in the Arctic region.

  She closed the French doors behind her and took a seat on wooden swing relishing the peace of the river view.

  This attraction she felt for him was getting to her. Although it was dangerous to let it develop, she discovered that maybe she didn’t want to be so alone anymore. Cautiously, she imagined what it would be like to have someone be there for her. Someone who could understand how her life was a contradictory mix of vicious realities, well-hidden pockets of peace, and brief flashes of happiness. What would it be like to trust a person so completely you wouldn’t have to worry they would turn from the real you?

  The faint sound of a boat’s bullhorn brought her back to his porch and the hard surface of the swing. Reality was, she couldn’t let him get that close. Her secrets were deadly and twisted. If she couldn’t understand some of her darker decisions, how could she expect him to? She rubbed her chest trying to ease the hollow ache that question brought.

  Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when the swing shifted under his weight. The swing wasn’t that big, so she ended up pressed against his side. He laid his arm along the back of the swing while his bare feet kept the slow momentum going.

  She stiffened, but as moments passed and his body heat began to seep into her, she relaxed and finally turned toward him. Shadows from the falling night painted mysterious patterns over his face as he gazed out over the river. She wasn’t sure, but the coldness that appeared with the phone call seemed to be fading.

  Without thinking she reached out and traced a finger softly along his jaw line. Her voice was unconsciously gentle, “You okay?”

  Those too-knowing green eyes dropped to hers, and she found she couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to look away. He captured her exploring finger in his grip and tugged her hand to his mouth. If she hadn’t watched his head dip down to press a soft kiss into her palm, she’d have thought she’d imagined the feather light touch.

  “I will be,” he answered as he dropped their still joined hands to his thigh. He looked back out at the river, a finger absently rubbing the back of her hand. “What do you know about my mother?”

  His question came out of nowhere and took her completely by surprise. She racked her brain for the bits and pieces she had heard through the years. Uncertain where he was leading them, her tone was cautious. “Not much, just that she’s a strong blooded Fey witch who’s extremely good at warding magic.” She watched his finger move back and forth, thinking in just a minute she’d move her hand. Right now it felt…nice.

  “She is that.” He took a big breath and let it out slowly. “That was her on the phone.”

  Lifting her head and tilting it to see his face, she tried to catch his expression, but the shadows had deepened with night’s entrance, rendering him almost faceless. “Sounds like you two aren’t close.”

  “Not anymore, no.” He stopped rubbing her hand to combed his fingers through his hair. “Let’s just say, awhile back, she and I agreed to disagree on some things.” He recaptured her hand and met her puzzled gaze. “What about your family?”

  She stiffened, the question triggered unpleasant memories that snaked through her fragile peace like tiny serpents. “My mother died when I was young, and I don’t know what happened to my father,” her answer was remote.

  “Sorry to hear that,” he said, his voice soft.

  She tugged her hand free then stood up. “I should go.” Not comfortable with the personal questions, she headed for the house. “Why don’t you call me tomorrow and let me know when we’re meeting with Mulcahy?”

  Feeling his presence behind her she stepped through the doors and reached for her jacket. Putting it on, she turned around only to come up short.

  He stood inches away. “You can run and hide, Raine.” His eyes were dark. “But, I’m a damn good hunter.”

  His challenge sparked her pride. She shocked them both by reaching up and threading her fingers through his thick hair. Running her nails against his scalp, visible chills cascaded down his arms. Using the velvet strands as a handle she brought his head down for a kiss. Not some wimpy kiss either. If she was doing this, she was doing it right. It may be her only chance.

  Using the tip of her tongue she traced his lips, startled at how soft they were. When he parted them for her, she took advantage of the opportunity, sliding her tongue inside. Closing her eyes, she felt her body respond, arching closer to his heat. It was like moving into the warm sunshine after standing in the cool shadows. Desire moved under her skin, warming places she hadn’t known existed.

  His taste, like warm sherry and dark spices, invaded her, making her breath catch. She lost herself in the moment, with this man.

  And she wanted to stay lost.

  The unfamiliar thought jerked her eyes open, and she found his green ones focused solely on her, dark with arousal. Seeing such a totally male expression on his face brought an unexpected flare of pride.

  With her body fully pressed against his, there was no escaping how in the moment he was. Slowly, she ended the kiss. Her fingers relaxed, releasing his hair, letting the strands slide over her skin before moving her hands to his shoulders. He truly was a beautiful man.

  Then, because it was almost too serious, she leaned up and dropped a light kiss on the tip of his nose. Catching his startled grin, she pulled out of his arms.

  Her voice was unsteady, almost husky, “I wouldn’t call it running, Gavin.” Turning on watery legs, she walked down the hall to the front door, while every hormone screamed for her to stay.

  He followed, reaching above her to hold the door open as she stepped onto his front porch. “Then what would you call it?”

  She turned and met his eyes, her gaze as serious as her voice, “Trying to decide if you’re worth the risk.”

  His eyes flared briefly, but he said nothing.

  She strode down the steps and into her SUV. As she drove away, she couldn’t help biting her trembling lips as the unique taste that was Gavin swarmed through her bloodstream.

  Looking back, she co
uld still see him, in her rear-view mirror, framed in the open doorway.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning found Raine and Gavin once again in Mulcahy’s office, this time to go over what information they collected so far. Mulcahy, in his customary place behind his imposing mahogany desk, faced the two leather chairs holding her and Gavin. Each of them ran down their various interviews, the attack outside Zarana’s, her search of Rimmick’s apartment, and his latest find with Prewitt.

  Turning his chair to the side, Mulcahy gave them his profile as he listened to their reports without commenting. When they were done he sat back and stared out his window. It was a few minutes before he spoke. “What’s your next move then?”

  Gavin didn’t even hesitate before answering. “We need to get into Polleo’s offices. See if we can find out what this anti-virus is that Prewitt was advising on.”

  Mulcahy continued to look out his window. “I’m assuming you have a plan for doing so?”

  “We do. I had the blueprints pulled for the research center.” Gavin slid a glance at Raine. “Raine and I will go over them this afternoon to find a way in.”

  Mulcahy nodded briefly and then straightened, facing them. “You need to be careful getting in. The security will be tight and you don’t want anyone to know you’ve been there.”

  “If we find Rimmick, do you want him out?” Her voice was all business, no trace of their previous confrontation leaking through.

  He studied her with impersonal, dark brown eyes. “If he’s able to move, yes. If not, make sure there’s nothing left to be used.”

  She nodded. Killing Rimmick wasn’t an issue for her. If Rimmick was in bad shape, he’d be better off dead than left to be used for more testing. With her firsthand experience at being a living science experiment, chances were Rimmick would be grateful for a quick end. The fact she didn’t want to add another pain-filled voice to her overcrowded nightmares was beside the point.

  Mulcahy’s voice cut through her morbid thoughts, “If we can find out what’s going on at Polleo and how it’s going to impact the Kyn community, I’ll set up a meet with Cheveyo, Bertoi, and Vidis. I want you both there to help formulate an attack plan.”

  Vidis was Warrick Vidis, the alpha shifter at Taliesin. Raine knew him by reputation only. More than any other Kyn leader, he preferred staying in the background.

  She and Gavin left Mulcahy’s office a few moments later. When they reached Gavin’s office, he ducked in and picked up the sealed tube sitting on his desk. They headed toward a conference room where they unfurled the blueprints to reveal a detailed schematic of Polleo’s offices. He pointed out the research teams offices, located on the second floor of the three-story building.

  Taliesin’s own research teams uncovered the details to Polleo’s security system. Using the detailed information and consulting with one of Taliesin’s security experts, Raine and Gavin were able to identify the weak points—the few that existed.

  There were the normal obstacles of armed guards, a handful of guard dogs, and video surveillance to face outside. However, Gavin and Raine had an advantage no human security system could counter.

  Shadow Walking.

  An ancient, volatile magic, generally attributed to the Fey house, where the user could literally use deep shadows to step out of nothingness, strike, and disappear, all within in the space of a single breath. Very few of the Kyn could master the control needed to perform the trick safely, but some of the Wraiths with Fey blood had. Walking the shadowed paths was hard to explain. The best explanation Raine heard was likening it to walking down a dark corridor of fun house mirrors while arctic winds tried to rip you to pieces.

  To traverse the shadowed paths, the walker needed visual anchors, something to hone in on. Inside the magical corridors, cold, vicious energy tore around a walker like cutting blades, tearing them off course. They could see the outside world, but it was warped, twisted, and recognizing visual points allowed them to stay on the right road. There were old cautionary stories of Fey who had gotten lost in the shadows, unable to find a way out.

  With the detailed blueprints, Gavin and Raine should be able to make their way from outside Polleo’s security fences to the interior rooms, bypassing the guards, their dogs, and the surveillance cameras. The downside was the amount of energy they would expend to travel in such a manner. Weighing their options, they decided the energy drain was worth the risk. There were too many things that could go wrong if they didn’t take advantage of Shadow Walking.

  “These cameras aren’t using heat signatures, right?” she asked at one point in the discussion.

  He nodded. “Right. They may pick up some shifting in the shadows, but nothing clear should be caught on film. Our bigger threat is the dogs.”

  “True,” she agreed. “They’re much more perceptive than humans.”

  “We’ll have to time it between their patrols.”

  They discussed their options once inside the building. Security lights ran throughout the building, dispelling the necessary areas of darkness needed to Shadow Walk. To help combat the internal video surveillance in the hallways, one of Taliesin’s security experts had given them an electric jammer designed from the details gathered on Polleo’s security system. It worked from the inside only, shutting down the motion detectors and looping the video surveillance.

  Scanning the electrical layout, they were able to find blind spots where the lighting wouldn’t reach, giving them the benefit of shadow pockets for possible entry points. There was only enough room for one person at a time, so Raine would go in first.

  Before the system reset, they’d have forty-five seconds to get the jammer in place, have Gavin come in, and then both would disappear into an office where no cameras existed. If motion was detected in the halls or a door was open, the alarms would sound. As long as the jammer was in place the video would loop showing an empty room.

  Gavin was rolling up the blueprints, when Raine asked, “How did Talbot know we were at Zarana’s that night?” The question had been circling in the back of her mind for the last couple of days.

  Putting the blueprints back in the canister, he moved to one of the chairs surrounding the conference table. “You’re assuming they were Talbot’s men.”

  She frowned. “Well, they weren’t in the bar. So they weren’t out for a friendly game of pool, were they?”

  He gave her a small smile as she continued, “That quick of a response means there had to be a mole at Zarana’s.”

  “True,” he agreed. “The question now is, are they human or Kyn?”

  Pulling out a chair, she sank down, taking a moment to think about it. “I’m leaning toward Kyn.”

  “How do you figure?”

  She watched as he stretched his long legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. The fleeting image of running her hands up those jean-clad legs almost made her groan aloud. Almost. Focus, dammit.

  She rubbed her tired eyes, wiping away her rampaging desire, and got back on point. “They knew who we were, or at least had an idea of what we were.” She frowned down at her hands laced across her stomach. “No one sends out five armed men to take out two ordinary people. It’s overkill.”

  “But, they weren’t prepared,” he pointed out softly. “They had guns with normal bullets. If they knew who we were, their ammunition would have been lethal.”

  She raised her head. “They never spoke, Gavin. Not once. They didn’t ask for anything, didn’t demand anything. Doesn’t that strike you as strange?”

  Pushing her body up from her chair, she began to pace. “If you’re sent out to warn someone off of something, you threaten. You tell them, ‘Back off or else’. The only time you don’t chat is when you know exactly who your target is, and there is no room for negotiations.” She stopped abruptly as a sudden insight struck her.

  “They weren’t planning on warning us,” she said, her voice soft as she worked it out, momentarily forgetting the man intently watching her. “No let
hal ammo means they either didn’t have time to get the right materials together before being sent out, or…” Dread crept in.

  “They wanted us alive,” he finished.

  The implications froze her blood. She sank down slowly onto the edge of a chair as her mind quickly ran through various conclusions. Was Talbot gunning just for her? Or had he been going after whichever Kyn came nosing around? If she was the target, she would have to tell Gavin everything. At the thought, her stomach clenched.

  It wouldn’t be safe, not to mention fair, to keep him in the dark. She would tell him—just not yet. This thing between them it was new—precious—and for once she wanted a chance at something for herself. Besides, there was nothing to indicate Talbot knew who was poking around, or who she was.

  She took a deep breath, and let it out, forcing her pounding pulse to slow down. Thankfully her voice sounded steadier than she felt when she answered him, “Maybe, but the fact remains we have an internal snitch. If we can figure out who it is, we might find Talbot’s ace in the hole.”

  “That bar was crowded. There’s no way we’re going to be able to pick out who made us.” His fingers drummed absently against the container in his hands. “It’s not like we blend in.”

  “Maybe you don’t,” she retorted. “But I never seem to have a problem with being part of the crowd.”

  “Right.” He snorted. “Just keep telling yourself that.” He stood up abruptly. “Come on. Let’s get things together before we head out.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The night was cold, moonlight sporadic as thick clouds moved through the sky. Raine was grateful for the deep shadows the night provided as well as for the lack of rain. It would be tricky enough without the added risk of slick surfaces.

  She and Gavin crouched outside of Polleo’s fenced grounds. They decided to approach from the rear of the property, which backed up to the woods. The thick foliage supplied cover while they timed the guard’s routine and waited for the next guard to approach before attempting to Shadow Walk.