Darkest Fire

by Tawny Taylor

  Hardly the wedding day of her dreams.

  Even so, she was sitting in what she’d always expected would be her temporary home, feeling some sense of optimism. Drako was nobody to mess with. She could see it in his every movement, the flinty black depth of his eyes and the firm set of his jaw. If her sister hadn’t been smuggled off already, to another pimp somewhere, he would convince Campioni to sell her to him. He would buy her freedom.

  Rin just hoped Drako or Lei wouldn’t be hurt.

  She burned off some nervous energy by packing what few personal possessions she’d accumulated in the tiny apartment over the past few months, stuffing the items she didn’t want to throw away into cardboard boxes and suitcases. She checked the clock often—about every fifteen minutes—as she worked.

  This was absolute torture.

  A half hour passed.

  An hour dragged.

  An hour and a half crawled.

  Two hours crept at a sloth’s pace.

  Just as Rin was contemplating calling the police to report her new husband missing, a knock on the door sent her heart racing. She didn’t walk, or even jog, to the door; she raced. Without bothering to check the peephole or ask who it was, she unlocked it and threw it open.

  Her sister’s face was a deep scarlet, stained with tears, and her almond-shaped eyes were rimmed in bright red. Lei lurched forward, throwing her thin frame into Rin’s arms, and overwhelmed with relief—it was over, finally over!—Rin cried into the slick black sheet of her hair.

  No matter what, the sacrifice she’d made had been worth it.

  Together, the two sisters unleashed the tears they’d held back, the sorrow and fear and frustration escaping them in shivers and sobs. It was only after the shaking eased to slight tremors and her eyes had cleared that Rin looked in the narrow, dingy corridor for her husband.

  “He’s outside waiting,” Lei answered as she dragged the back of her hand across her face. “He said he wanted to give us some time. Privacy. Who is he? A detective?”

  “Not exactly.” Uneasy about Lei’s line of questioning, and hoping her sister wouldn’t be upset once she found out exactly how Rin had managed to free her, Rin admitted, “He’s my husband.”

  Lei’s gaze dropped to Rin’s left hand. Her expression sobered. She took Rin’s fingertips in hers and lifted to get a closer look at the ring. “You’re married? Really? I’ve missed so much. Your wedding.”

  “You won’t miss anything else. I promise.”

  Lei glanced up, rewarded her with a small smile, no doubt the best she could produce after living in hell for twelve months. “Then whose apartment is this?”

  “It was mine. I was just. . . moving some last-minute things.”

  Lei stepped into the dinky, sparsely furnished living room. “How long ago were you married?”

  “Not long.” She avoided Lei’s gaze.

  “What are you keeping from me?” Lei turned slowly. “You’re here in Detroit, not back home. Living in this dump . . . why?”

  “I had to find you. I’d do anything for you.”

  “Anything? How long have you known him? Where did you meet him? How long were you dating?” Lei strolled around the living room, checking tabletops, bookshelves. “Where are the pictures of you two together?”

  “Um. . .”

  “You were just married—when, today? Where’s your dress? Your flowers?”

  “Well . . .”

  “Rin, what’s going on?” Lei glared at her and stomped back across the living room, halting directly in front of Rin.

  Rin wanted to lie, but she knew it would be no use. If Lei was going to live with her, she’d figure it out soon enough. “We sort of struck an agreement.”

  “Rin!” Lei smacked her hands over her face.

  Rin grabbed her sister’s wrists and tried to pull her hands away from her face. “It’s no different from what grandmother did so many years ago. And her mother before her.”

  “It’s no different from what mother did to me.” Lei’s shoulders shook as she began crying again.

  “No, no, no, Lei! Oh, God, please don’t be upset. It’s not the same.” Rin dragged one of Lei’s hands down and stared into the one eye that was uncovered. “That man out there is a good, honest person. He’s nothing like the bastard mother sold you to. He’s not going to hurt me, sell me to someone else, or abuse me. And I went into the deal willingly. I had a choice.”

  Lei murmured something, her voice so soft, Rin couldn’t make out the words. Lei lifted a shaking hand, pressing fingertips to her lips. “I can’t believe this. You bought my freedom by selling yours.”

  “I got you away from criminals. I saved you from what had to be a living hell. And I did it by agreeing to become a man’s wife, not his slave.”

  “I don’t know. . . .” Lei dragged the back of her hand across her face.

  “There’s no going back now. What’s done is done,” Rin said, for both their sakes.

  “If he were such a good person, would he keep you to your promise after learning why you did it?”

  That was a good point, but one Rin couldn’t allow herself to dwell on. “Look, Lei, I don’t think it’s going to be hard to make the best of the situation. You saw him. He’s a very handsome man. He’s wealthy. And he was kind enough to walk into what might have been a dangerous situation to free you. That right there tells you something important about him.”

  Lei chewed on her lip while Rin went to her room to get the last box of her belongings and set it on the floor next to the door. “How long have you known him?”

  “Long enough.”

  “I hope so.”

  Rin gave her visibly troubled sister another hug. “I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. Now that we’re together, and you’re free from that horrible life”—she tightened her hold on her baby sister—“we have each other now, and that’s all that matters.”

  The leader of the Chimera tossed the car keys into the air and smiling, caught them. He pointed at the wall of hunting trophies. “The old man taught me a thing or two about hunting, most of it illegal but damn practical. Being a practical man, I listened. I learned. And now I’m going to put what I learned to use.”

  “What’s hunting got to do with anything?” For a smart guy, his second in command, Leonard Clancy, was very stupid sometimes.

  “Didn’t I tell you to stop taking that shit? It’s rotting your brain.” He smacked the joint out of Clancy’s mouth. It sailed across the room, hit the wall, and landed on the floor. “If you’re hunting deer and you want to draw it out so you can get a clear shot, what do you do?”

  “Ummm. Use a call?”

  “Yes. Exactly!” He smacked Clancy on the back. “Now you’re thinking.”

  Clancy’s face screwed into a mask of confusion. “But what kind of call do you use for a griffin?”

  “Well, it’s not a call so much as bait. We’re fishin’, not hunting.” He extended his arms. “You’re looking at it.”

  “You’re the bait?”

  “Yes. And you know who the hunter is?”

  Clancy’s grin was disturbing enough to make the Chimera’s leader second-guess himself. Could he really trust this moron? Sadly, he was the only man among the Chimera members he’d even think to trust.

  “Don’t get yourself too worked up. You’ve got to stay in control. Can you do what I say?”

  Clancy nodded. “Sure. I can. What do we do first? You’ve got to know where to drop the bait if you want the prey to find it.”

  “Now that’s the most intelligent thing you’ve said all day.” He turned to the map he’d hung on the wall. Years ago, he’d pasted a big red star on the spot where his predecessor had been defeated. “All animals are creatures of habit, even humans,” he said, thinking aloud. “We should go there.” He pointed at the red star. “Back where the bastards made their last kill. They can’t resist going back. But this time it’ll be different. We’ll win.”

  6

  Rin had alway
s possessed a very vivid imagination. As a child, she’d learned to escape into fictional worlds, magical places where parents were always nurturing and gentle, food was plentiful, and there was nothing to fear. But even after employing her wildest imaginings as she’d ridden to her new home, she hadn’t visualized this.

  This couldn’t be his house. It was too freaking enormous. No, it had to be a museum, an office building, or something. As the car rolled to a stop on the side of the contemporary building, a long span of windows glistening in the waning sunlight, she twisted to exchange a questioning look with Lei over her shoulder.

  “What an interesting building. What is it, your office?” Rin asked.

  Drako cut the engine and opened his door. “My—your home. Our home. Wait here.”

  “Home?” She shot Lei another look. And as he strolled around the front of the car, she mouthed the word “home,” eliciting a shrug from her sister. Her door opened, and she swiveled around to give Drako a thank-you smile. Looking serious and maybe a little distant, he offered his hand. “My things?” She motioned toward the trunk as she stepped out of the vehicle.

  Drako unlatched Lei’s door. “Don’t worry. I’ll get your stuff later, after I’ve shown you and your sister around.”

  “Okay.” With her sister following, she let Drako lead her up to what would be, from this day forward, her home. She whispered a little “Wow,” when they stepped inside. Her voice echoed louder than she’d expected, and she clamped her mouth shut.

  This was where she would live? It was hard to fathom.

  They’d entered into what she’d describe as an atrium. They were at the back of the house. Straight ahead was a walkway that led deeper inside, and to the right was a gorgeous room with a swimming pool. The tang of chlorine hung heavy in the air. The walls that weren’t glass were gleaming wood. Her shoes made sharp clack-clack sounds on the stone-tiled floor. Under the bank of windows facing the driveway stretched a long planter filled with cactuses and flowering plants.

  “Do you swim?” Drako ushered them deeper into the house.

  A vivid image of Drako, his wavy hair wet, droplets glistening off his sun-burnished skin, played through her mind. Her face warmed. “No, I sink.”

  He pointed over his left shoulder. “Maybe it would be safer if you read instead?”

  Safer, but a lot less fun. “Much.” She peered through the door they were passing, finding a library-slash-bar featuring tall white bookcases filled with volumes. Smack-dab in the room’s center was a full service bar with a loaded glass rack. At one end of the bar stood a high, round table with padded benches pushed up to it. The light from hanging pendulum fixtures reflected off the gray and silver flecks in the glossy black granite top, flashing silver.

  Reading and drinking. Interesting combination.

  “Such a large home for one person,” she commented.

  “I don’t live alone. I share the house with my brothers.”

  “Oh.”

  “They’re out,” he said quickly. “Won’t be back for a while.”

  She had to assume that was intentional, so they could have some privacy their first few days or so. Once again, her cheeks burned.

  On they traveled, through one room after another. Living room. Den-slash-media room. Kitchen. Dining room. Game room. As they walked, Rin tried to push aside the one thought that kept slipping into her mind, the one that kept making her flush like a kid on her first date.

  The one that kept making her heart race and hands tremble ever so slightly.

  It was hell trying to hide her jittery nerves from her sister, someone who knew her inside and out. Especially when Drako was close enough for her to feel the heat of his body, catch the scent of the spicy cologne he was wearing. And ohmygod, when he accidentally brushed against her back—or more specifically, her butt—she could swear she stopped breathing for at least ten seconds. She tried to mask the worst of it under friendly chatter. Her sister didn’t need to know how anxious she was about tonight.

  Her wedding night.

  The house was nicely furnished, its style contemporary but not so industrial it was uncomfortable. Up a short flight of wide steps, the bedrooms were spacious, tidy, and airy, each featuring a wide wall of windows that looked out upon what had become heavily shadowed grounds as the sun had slipped below the western horizon.

  When Drako showed Rin a room and told her it was hers, not theirs, Lei gave her a pointed look. Rin ignored it. She also tried to ignore the fact that Drako didn’t show them the rooms farther down the hall but instead turned back toward the stairs, leading them down to the ground floor again.

  The grand tour ended in the kitchen, where her husband opened the steel refrigerator door. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved.” She pressed a hand to her hollow stomach.

  “Feel free to help yourself to anything in here.” He inspected a plastic container with a wrinkled nose. “Everything should be safe to eat.” He tossed the container into the sink. “If you’ll make a list of what you like, I can have the kitchen fully stocked by tomorrow.”

  “Thank you.” Standing close enough to Drako to smell that intoxicating cologne, Rin rubbed her belly. “Do you have any deli meat? Cheese? A sandwich will do for now.”

  “I don’t know.” Drako pulled open several refrigerator drawers before shaking his head. “How about I order some takeout? What would you like?”

  She moved a smidge closer to him, telling herself it was so she could see inside the open appliance. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. In fact, I’d rather eat something simple but solid. I guess I’m not in the mood to experiment today.” Reaching around him, she grabbed a bottle of water. “Lei, what about you?” She handed her sister the bottle, then reached in for another one.

  Lei twisted off the bottle’s cap. “A sandwich sounds good to me.”

  “I’ll get some sandwiches then.” Drako closed the refrigerator, stepped aside, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. While he placed the order, he handed Rin the remote that had been sitting on the counter and pointed toward the enormous wide-screen television in the media room, set off from the kitchen. By the time he had ended the call, she’d settled down with her sister on a comfortable couch, an episode of CSI playing. But even with her favorite show playing bigger than life, her gaze continued to wander back to him again and again.

  That was her husband. Husband. A week ago, she couldn’t have imagined herself married. Nor had she dared to hope she’d have her sister back, safe, at her side.

  He was staring out the window, his jaw set, gaze locked on something in the darkness beyond the walls of glass. She had to wonder, was this him, his true personality? Brooding and quiet. Mysterious and inscrutable. Or was he as uneasy and nervous as she was about what would happen next?

  Even though she knew logically the worst was over, her sister was safe, Rin couldn’t help feeling squirmy and on edge. It felt as if every nerve in her body prickled. Every muscle was pulled just a tiny bit tighter than normal. The sensation was making her warm and twitchy.

  Unable to focus, she positioned herself in front of him, closer to the window. She peered through the ceiling-to-floor glass, into a still world full of thick shadows. The sky was cloaked in heavy clouds, masking any starlight or moonlight that might have lent a little illumination to the nightscape. She could see the smudgy outline of the treetops against the sky. Nothing more.

  “The house has one of the best views in town.” Drako had moved closer; she could tell by the proximity of his voice. A slight quiver of awareness shimmied up her spine. “We’re on riverfront property here. The water’s down the hill about a hundred yards. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

  Without turning around, she nodded. “I’m sure I will.” She pressed her fingertips to the glass pane, thankful for the chill as it seeped into her skin. The man behind her was her husband, and he would exercise his marital rights. Tonight? Tomorrow night? Every night? A low vibration hummed in her center. “I just
love sitting and watching wildlife. Birds. Animals. . . .”

  “Very good, then.” Drako’s voice sounded far away. The change in his location inspired her to turn around. When she did, she found he’d walked all the way to the opposite end of the kitchen. “I have some work to do. And unfortunately, it can’t wait. Today’s road trip wasn’t planned, so I had to set aside some important obligations. You won’t be upset if I don’t keep you company while you eat, I hope? I’m guessing you and your sister have a lot to talk about.”

  She leaned back against the window. The glass was cool against her shoulder blades, her buttocks. “Oh. No, not upset at all.”

  “Okay.” He looked uncertain, eyebrows pulled, mouth tight. “You’ll listen for the door?”

  She nodded and forced a smile she didn’t feel. “Sure.”

  “The bill’s been paid.”

  “Okay.”

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “And . . . you can find your bedrooms on your own?”

  On her own? Was he going to avoid the obvious tonight? The wedding night?

  She felt a little relieved but also let down. Maybe she wasn’t ready to be intimate with Drako. They were, after all, strangers. But wouldn’t he give her some time alone with him tonight? To get to know him? She blinked, hoping he couldn’t see the emotions playing through her at the moment. “Not a problem. I have internal GPS.”

  “Okay. Then, good night.”

  Lei barely waited until after he was out of earshot before heaving a highly exaggerated sigh. “Rin, what are you doing?”

  Rin flopped into a nearby chair and pretended to be carefree. “I’m waiting for our food.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”

  “Fine.” Because she’d missed most of the episode of CSI that had been playing, and couldn’t follow it, she scooped up the television remote and started clicking through channels. “I’m keeping my end of the bargain.”

  Now it was her sister’s turn to pace the floor. “You’re going to be so sorry you did this, and it sucks because you did it for me.”