CHAPTER NINE
There was nothing to be mad about, and Robin had to remind herself of that as she told Jin how she was so tired today and needed an early night in before slipping into her room as quickly as she could.
Naturally, Simon was already there, pacing the room and pausing to look at her when she came in. She locked the door and gave him a steady look back, images of his body half-naked as he writhed with that—with that—
Okay, it was time to stop thinking about it. Robin shut her mind and opened it to another topic altogether as she brushed past him, careful not to let their skins touch. The magic she pulled out while fighting that succubus was still vibrating on her skin, and she did her best to hide it from Jin. Now, it flowed out of her in waves, and she had to perform another spell to cloak the room from magic detection. The use of magic against an equally powerful creature was taxing, and it gave Robin the kind of high that made her emotions irrational and slightly difficult to handle.
Like right now.
Trying to organize her thoughts, she sat down on the bed and frowned. Simon was leaning against a desk, his arms folded and his expression brooding. It was the first time she’d seen him brood like that, and it didn’t sit well with her.
There were a lot of things about Simon that didn’t sit well with her since she’d met him in that bar, but she knew she was just going to have to get used to it. The Simon she worked with in the past was chatty, softer and the kindest friend she’d ever had. Now he was edgier, more difficult to read…and definitely more dangerous.
He was also in her mind more than she cared to admit.
There were matters, however, that needed prioritizing. Robin got to the point.
“I won’t know we’re completely demon-less here because succubus are good at hiding their energy until they seduce someone. So I need help.”
Simon nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
“Just stand by and kill if necessary,” Robin clipped out. A puzzled look entered his face, but she didn’t dwell on it as she took a step back and kept a space in the bedroom vacant. She took out her bag that contained a secret compartment for magic necessities, took out the necessary materials, then closed her eyes. While she did so, she bent down on the floor and began drawing with chalk, then arranged a couple of gems in a circular manner. She then stepped back, careful not to bump into anything, as she chanted in her mind and gathered her energy. Red had taught this to her several times but had made it a point to always remind her that this kind of summoning was only supposed to be the last option in every situation.
What Red didn’t know was that someone owed Robin a lot, and she was coming to collect.
The chanting in her mind went on, going faster and faster until it and the magic consumed her. The room was deadly silent save for Simon’s steady breathing. After a few minutes, her magic sensed him tense.
Then, take a step forward.
“Don’t move,” she snapped out. Finishing her mind chant, she then quickly opened her eyes and strode forward herself, speaking to the crumpled figure on the ground.
“Hiza, get up. I’m calling a favor in.”
The demon didn’t move for the first few seconds, lying face down as if dead. Then it moved all of a sudden, standing up straight and lunging for her. It stopped an inch away from the gem barrier she put it in, facing her with beady red eyes and a feral expression.
Robin didn’t flinch, watching as the demon stood back when he realized he was trapped. The feral expression turned to a smile that was supposed to be friendly, except it came off vicious and slightly horrible.
“Robin…” Hiza hissed. “After four years?”
Robin shrugged. “A favor is an eternal thing, Hiza. Unless you want to go back to that place I freed you from.”
Hiza visibly flinched this time, then really took a step back and changed his demeanor from aggressive to controlled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Simon still tense, but she paid him no mind as she concentrated her efforts on the powerful being before her.
“What do you need, then?” he asked.
“I need you to sense if there’s another demon presence in this place,” she said.
He shot her a look. Greater demons didn’t like getting in the way of other demons’ doings unless they were their minions, but they liked owing favors even less. Without question, the demon closed his eyes and didn’t move, staying in place as he sniffed the air. It took a while. When he opened them, there was a knowing gleam in his red eyes that told her she wasn’t going to like his answer.
“I sense one nearby, and many more at invisible spaces. Greaters and lessers in the same space, along with…oh. You killed a succubus. Good job. I’ve always thought them annoying.”
“Where exactly?” Robin asked.
Hiza shook her head. “You know I can only tell the kind and not the exact location. But it’s somewhere in this vicinity.” His gaze suddenly moved, settled on Simon. He smirked. “And it looks like someone wasn’t able to resist a certain demon’s…charms.”
A growl came from Simon, and Robin knew it was time to wrap things up. She thanked the demon for his help, and he smiled at her. It was a chilling smile, and had she not been used to his game, she’d have trembled.
Instead, she met it with a cool smile of her own.
“I still owe you two favors,” Hiza bit off. “Collect when you can.”
Robin nodded, then closed her eyes again and re-chanted. When she was done, she opened her eyes to find the demon gone. She turned to Simon, who was looking at her quietly. Waiting. “I need to spend time with Jin tomorrow and find out what I can. Jake’s life may be on the line…and Lucy’s.”
He was still looking at her quietly, and the way those gray eyes pinned her in place left her unsettled. She took a deep breath, trying to find the words to get him to understand before they would end up fighting again. She could feel it boiling in the air, a certain tension that wanted to blow up, and she just didn’t have time for it.
“I need to do this. You know I need to. It’s—”
Her words ended in a silent gasp when she felt arms come around her and pull her closer. Robin’s eyes widened, and she resisted at first—but without her magic, Simon was too strong for her, and he easily eased her in his arms for a hard hug that staggered her.
“I know,” he muttered. “Do it. But I’m watching out for you in case something goes wrong.”
“I don’t need protection.”
“I know you don’t need it. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get it.”
Something inside her fluttered at his words, and she reined it in. Instead, Robin reluctantly accepted his hug, feeling the warmth of his body seep into hers. She didn’t realize how cold the demon’s presence had been until now.
Finally, Simon stepped back, sliding his hands down her palm and rubbing them before letting go. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was moving in the other direction as fast as she could.
“You’re my friend, and I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Simon said. He smiled, and her stomach fluttered again until he turned serious. “I’m sorry for the succubus thing. I was trying to get information.”
“From her mouth?” Robin blurted out before she could stop herself.
Simon threw back his head and laughed. “Maybe.”
“You should tell me next time.”
“I will,” he promised. He held out his hand. “And tell me whatever you have planned for Jin. We need to work together. I don’t trust him one bit.”
She didn’t either because there was something under the man’s charm that just wasn’t quite right. As for Simon?
Well, yes. She trusted him with everything, even after five years. Imagine that.
Robin raised her hand. They shook on it.
“I will, Simon.”
CHAPTER TEN
There were many ways they could have approached the situation, and Simon would have happily tortured Jin had it been needed. But Robin h
ad been adamant that they didn’t do anything to jeopardize their identities as much as they could, and Simon was reluctant to admit that she was right—after all, there was still the slight chance that Jin was actually innocent, and torturing him when he was would only result in an international scandal that no one wanted…most particularly Dylan, who already had enough politics to deal with.
This meant he had no choice but to rely on Robin while she used her magic—her feminine magic, that was—on the guy.
She took the whole day to build her rapport up with him, being as animated as possible and perfecting her character. Royalties weren’t usually Simon’s type, but the way Robin played the character had even him torn between enchantment and annoyance. Anyone with eyes could see she looked really good in her princess dresses and her blindingly brilliant smiles, and the innocence only added to the allure. It made her irresistible, and he understood why Jin practically wouldn’t leave her alone during their stay here.
It didn’t mean Simon liked it, though.
Still, he did his best to be supportive up until the moment Robin went back to her room and changed in her bathroom, then came out wearing only a silk robe.
Then she announced her plan, and all supportive thoughts flew out the window.
“I haven’t gotten anything, but I told him I’d be heating up in the sauna. Naked. Let’s see if he bites,” she said like it was the most normal thing.
“No,” Simon blurted out before he could stop himself. He inwardly cursed at his lack of finesse but shook his head all the same. “That’s a very bad idea.”
Robin blinked. “No, it’s not. I’m trying to bait him.”
“And you shouldn’t use your body like that.”
“And how exactly should I use my body?”
Her chin lifted, and her green eyes cooled, and Simon knew an upcoming argument when he saw it. He backtracked and tried his best to be reasonable. “You can use your body how you like. Be naked for all I care.” He slammed thoughts of her naked body away, not wanting it in his mind right now. “Just don’t resort to that with Jin. I told you, we can work on this together.”
The cooling in her gaze lessened considerably, and her stance softened a bit. “We have to think about Jake.”
Well, shit.
Simon had no response to that except to nod his head.
*****
She got to work right away, sashaying her way into the sauna located in one of Jin’s gardens, with explicit instructions for Simon not to lurk behind her and get himself caught. Now that they knew there was a demon around, she said, it just wasn’t safe anymore.
Simon nodded, then did the next best thing: climbing up a tree a few meters away and settling there with a determination to act the moment Jin tried something bad.
The sauna was made of rocks carved smooth until they turned to stone, shaped into a huge bowl on the ground and surrounded by plants and some flowers. Smoke rose from the hot water, making for a fuzzy view. But he spotted Robin the moment she entered the garden, watching her silk robe sway around her legs as she walked over with the laziness of someone who had all day. Her hair was pulled up in a bun by a single stick, and when she turned around, he was treated to a view of her slender neck.
He tried to ignore it, his mind already working a mile a minute on how he was going to listen in on their conversation from his spot. Robin had removed her earpiece this morning, and Simon had accidentally stepped on it, rendering it useless. Perhaps he could just study body language and such, and—
Robin removed her robe and let it drop on the floor.
All thoughts halted, and Simon was back in that phase where the world stepped back. Time froze once more, and his vision tunneled towards her as he grew blind and deaf to everything else. From his spot in the tree, he could see her backside perfectly—all creamy curves from her slender shoulders, to the shape of her side breasts, down to her waist before it flared to her hips, then her legs. He told himself to avert his eyes, but it was like a single part of him couldn’t move at all as he watched her…as he just watched her.
His mouth went dry, and his blood rushed down his groin.
Then Robin stepped inside the sauna and the bubble wrapped around him popped. All sounds came rushing back, particularly the crickets as she immersed herself in the bath. She began humming a song, and the faint tones carried over to where he was. It was sweet and melodic, and Simon was pretty sure there was magic infused in it as it gave the air a general dreamy quality.
A few minutes later, Jin appeared in his robe as well, watching her from the door to the garden. He spoke something along the lines of wishing to join her, and Robin turned her head to give him a charming smile. Soon Jin was removing his own robe, wearing only boxers underneath as he got in beside her. He had a bottle of sake with him and two glasses, and they got into conversation for a long time before he finally opened it and poured.
They toasted, then conversed again. A frown marred Jin’s face, but Robin patted his shoulder lightly and whispered something in his ear that had him smiling all over again. She sipped on her drink, though Simon had a feeling she wasn’t really drinking it as she didn’t ask for a refill.
A few minutes later, Simon knew something was wrong when Robin suddenly stiffened. He tensed as well, watching as she tried to control her emotions and laugh at something Jin was saying. Then she cut it off short, turning around from Jin as she stepped out of the sauna and into her robe while still wet. It molded the robe to her body, and Simon didn’t miss the way Jin eyed her from head to toe, desire flashing in his eyes even while he waved her goodbye.
Simon also didn’t miss the way Robin swayed on her feet and tried to walk as steadily as possible.
When Robin was gone, he observed Jin, watching as the Japanese man settled more comfortably in the sauna. It looked like he wasn’t going to get out. Simon waited him out for a few more minutes.
Then he climbed out of the tree as fast as he could and went in search of Robin.
She was in the bed when he slipped into her room, and he locked it quickly and stared at her. She was lying on the corner with her still-wet robe with her eyes closed. Alarm rushed through him, and he immediately strode over to where she was, thinking she got poisoned. Robin heard the footsteps, and she sat up quickly.
Then she looked at him with both helplessness and something else in her suddenly husky voice.
“Help. I’ve been poisoned.”
Simon realized that something else was amiss.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
There were many things she was feeling right now, and they bombarded her like pinpricks of needles that tempted to make her body wriggle out of her own accord: regret, panic, fascination, and haze, among other things. Then there was that one emotion that stood above the rest, hovering over her like a threat as she watched Simon enter with a worried expression on his face. Instead of her friend and mission partner comforting her with his presence, he only ended up heightening the sensation.
He was wearing black slacks and a plain black shirt—what they decided was an unofficial uniform for a bodyguard who was only guarding his charge at home. She’d seen him wear it multiple times, and she hardly noticed anything about it—or at least, she tried not to as she focused on the mission.
Now she was noticing everything too much—the breadth of his shoulders and chest as the shirt stretched across it, the muscled arms that fit so well in the short sleeves, the long, hard legs that sauntered over to her as she sat up from her lying position.
Her mind half-expected him to yank her up and crash his mouth against hers in a hard, glorious kiss, and her body throbbed at the thought. She pressed her legs together and looked up at him, unable to erase her helplessness even if she tried.
“Help. I’ve been poisoned.”
Simon paused like a deer caught in headlights, his eyes widening and those gray eyes darkening to a deeper color. She licked her lower lip and parted her lips, and she watched as his gaze followed the movement
before he dragged it back up. Then the darkening cleared and he was sitting beside her, taking her elbows and rubbing them soothingly, like he thought that was going to help.
Tingles shot up her spine.
“What kind of poison?” he asked urgently, thumbs rubbing her skin. “Tell me so I can find a way to help you.”
She stifled a moan at the feel of his fingers on her, and her mind supplied how those fingers could help…by sliding further down her skin and touching every part of her body that ached. She could feel her nipples tightening and the throbbing rush down in between her legs, and this time, she could no longer hold in the whimper.
“I didn’t drink anything, but I think it’s so powerful that the sip I took was enough.” She struggled with words. “I’m so…I’m so turned on right now, Simon, and I can’t…”
His fingers froze at her words, and his body stilled. Slowly, he made a move to withdraw, and something in her ached at the loss.
Without thought, without any plan or control of her body, she moved in a flash. Robin grabbed hold of his shirt and crumpled it in her hand, using all her strength to push him down on the floor. He yelped and tried to fight her, but she jumped on him before he could, making them both crash down with him on his butt and her straddling him. His hands automatically went to her waist to steady her, and panic entered his eyes when he realized what he’d just done out of instinct. But she was already moving forward, unable to help the need rising up inside her to feel his body close. And his hands.
And that mouth.
She placed her hands on his shoulders, trapping him in place. He tensed but didn’t move away. She looked him in the eye, and he looked back at her, confusion and awareness warring in his.
Robin leaned forward, brushing her mouth against his. He didn’t respond, still ramrod straight as his hands tightened on her waist. Taking advantage, she kept brushing, feeling the heat start up in her body. The tingles erupted when he spoke.
Simon (The Clan Legacy Series) Page 5
