“Oh no, if I can’t kill him, neither can you. We need to question him!”
“Then can I kill him?” He really hoped she’d say yes.
Kalina laughed. “That’s up to Christos.”
Ryne swore softly. He knew Christos wouldn’t let him unless the man did something to warrant death. Reaching him, he stared down at him and couldn’t believe what he saw.
He glanced back at Kalina, then returned his attention to the prisoner. “What the hell did you do to him?”
Kalina shrugged. “Marked him and gave him sweet dreams.”
Ryne stared at the man and shook his head. A huge smile curved the man’s lips and a ‘KE’ burn mark graced his chest where Kalina had struck him. Ryne bent and picked up the prisoner, throwing the man over his shoulder. He turned and walked back to where she waited.
He kissed her hard on the mouth. “You’re a frightening woman. Don’t you ever put that mark on me.”
Kalina pursed her lips. “Keep pissing me off with this protection shit and I might.”
Ryne laughed. “I’ll let you be the protector in the family.”
Kalina stiffened and shuddered. Her face contained a strange mixture of anguish and pleasure.
“What’s wrong?”
The pain in her gaze made him gasp, but the next moment it changed to happiness.
“I have a family now.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “You’re my family. Thank you.” She kissed him gently.
His heart raced while his cock hardened painfully at the feel of her soft lips on his. Although only a few days had passed since they’d pledged to each other, whenever she reached out for him, he treasured it. She rarely showed affection. Kalina kept her distance, except in those rare moments like now. He stopped her, holding her as she stepped back. After a few moments, she relaxed into him.
Letting her go, he stared into her eyes and cupped her cheek. “Of course I’m your family.” He hesitated, then continued. “I know what happened with your siblings, but what happened to your parents?”
Her face closed, any hint of emotion gone. “They’re dead to me.”
From her tone, he knew there was more to tell, but he didn’t push her, knowing it would do no good. He saw the pain that still clouded her gaze. He kissed her forehead and put his hand on her waist. They walked across the clearing before he shimmered them to headquarters.
* * * *
Ryne stood against the wall, watching their prisoner sweat as Kalina questioned him. He stifled a laugh, but kept his sombre expression in place. The man hadn’t once looked at him, instead focusing on her. He was used to being the most frightening thing in the room, but the man had more fear of her.
Kalina and their prisoner sat on either side of the table with a pitcher of water and cups between them. She reached over to take her cup. The prisoner flinched and shuddered. Ryne bit his lips, still trying not to laugh. As far as he could see, Kalina hadn’t done anything to instil such fear in the man, yet he was terrified.
The man raised a shaky hand then wiped his forehead. Ryne watched, surprised he would show so much of his terror. Shifters were good at hiding what they felt. She set down her cup and leant back, staring at the prisoner.
“Who are you working for, Matt?” Her voice was soft, but not yet deadly.
Matt looked at her and stayed silent, as he had for the entire interrogation. Kalina glanced at Ryne, frustration in her gaze. He kept his face blank. He understood the feeling. They had been at it for over six hours and he hadn’t said a word no matter what they did, or threatened. They had even brought in the head of the Seers and had only managed through searching his mind to get his name, nothing else. Kalina returned her attention to Matt.
“Boo!”
Matt flew up from the table and scampered to the back wall. Still, he said nothing, just watched Kalina with fearful eyes. She shook her head in disgust and stood. Matt cowered, then his expression changed to hate so fast it startled him. Matt ran at her in a blur, but Ryne didn’t move from his position, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate his interference. Matt reached her, and at the last moment, Kalina shifted out of the way. Using Matt’s momentum, she punched him in the side, causing him to grunt and fly into the wall, his back hitting it with such force the drywall cracked. Matt shook himself, then glared at Kalina, the hate still on his face.
She stood still, feet braced apart and her hands on her hips. “You’ve got to do better than that.”
She threw back her head and laughed, scorn in her tone. Matt flew up and at her again. He stopped suddenly, then looked behind Kalina, panic etched in every line of his face.
“No, you can’t. Get him out of here. Oh God, don’t let him kill me,” Matt shouted and cowered back against the wall.
Ryne shifted and looked behind Kalina. A surge of power he knew was deliberate filled the room a second before the man detached from the shadows. At the sight of the Shadower, Ryne straightened. The Shadower, Lennox, glanced at him and nodded. Ryne returned his greeting and resumed his position against the wall.
Things were about to get interesting.
Kalina growled. “What are you doing here?”
The Shadower she had seen earlier in the week didn’t spare her a glance. Instead, he looked at Ryne, nodded, then turned his attention to Matt.
“Speak.” The Shadower’s deep, bassy growl resonated throughout the room.
Matt stared at the Shadower, his eyes pinpricks of fear. “It doesn’t matter, Ink Spawn, you’re too late. Armageddon is upon us. They are stronger than you.”
Matt laughed, an ugly sound, and before she could stop him, he grabbed his head and twisted it, the snap of his neck rending the air. Rushing forward, Kalina swore as Matt toppled over. She knelt and touched his pulse, not surprised when she found none. Matt’s body bucked and twisted. Strong arms grabbed her and pulled her away moments before he sizzled then exploded.
She was brought into a massive chest as a loud boom made the room shake, then go silent.
Pushing away from the body holding her, Kalina glared up at the Shadower. He returned her look, his onyx face expressionless, silver gaze cool.
Kalina growled. “How dare you interfere in my interrogation?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t answer to you.”
He turned, then walked away and out the door, seeming to almost float on air.
“Who the fuck does he think he is? No one usurps my interview. Then he turns his back on me. Hell no,” Kalina muttered and went after him. Ryne stepped into her path.
“Back off.” Although she spoke softly, the threat was there in her tone.
Ryne nodded, laughter in his eyes. He shrugged and opened the door for her. Kalina glared at him as she walked out the door.
Absently, she saw Christos come from the observation room and go into the interrogation. She continued down the hall then around the corner, before she stopped, realising that the Shadower had disappeared.
Turning to the wall closest to her, Kalina punched out, instinct guiding her actions. Before she connected with it, an unseen force caught her hand. The Shadower detached from the wall, holding her fist as she tried to shrug him off. Effortlessly he held her, a mocking smile curling his lips.
Returning his smile with one of her own, Kalina brought up her power. She pushed him off her, slamming him into the wall, revelling in the look of shock on his face. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
He nodded. “Don’t order me around.”
“I don’t like anyone’s interference.”
“Neither do I.”
Kalina glared at him, quiet for a moment. “What the hell is your name?”
He bowed his head regally. “Lennox S’chaech.”
“Well, Lennox, I’ve been attacked lately by a lot of Shadowers and I’m tired of it. Tell me what you know.”
He countered her statement. “You’ve been attacked by Xiruis.”
Kalina frowned, remembering Ryne had said the same thing. She coul
dn’t remember what he said it meant. “What is a Xiruis?”
“The power-mad side of a Shadower.”
Kalina scowled. She had never heard of such a thing. It seemed too far-fetched. From what she knew of Shadowers, they all wanted power, and were not to be trusted. Lennox being here, this close to the head of the Agency, went against everything she knew. They trusted him enough to let him this close.
They trust him so easily with their lives but I won’t. Not until he proves himself trustworthy.
Returning her attention to Lennox, she saw the disappointment, followed by acceptance, in his eerie silver gaze. Kalina studied him, noticing for the first time he was a handsome man. His hair shone silver, like his eyes. The combination of his hair and eyes against his rich onyx skin increased his sex appeal. Add that to his strong, captivating features, it made him a devastating piece of maleness.
Lennox raised a silver eyebrow. “I don’t know whether to be flattered by your look or afraid that Ryne will kick my ass.”
Kalina smirked. “You don’t have to worry about him. I’ll kick your ass myself if I need to.”
Lennox grinned. At his smile, Kalina her heart rate increased. He was truly a dangerous temptation to any woman. Lennox chuckled, a wicked sound, then his eyes flashed from silver to amber, then back again. She watched him cautiously, not knowing what that meant.
“It means I find you tempting also.” He answered her question before she could ask.
Kalina narrowed her eyes. “You’re reading my mind.”
Lennox nodded, stifling another grin. Kalina sighed. She kept a shield on her thoughts at all times. No one could read her mind unless she chose to allow it. For him to do what none of the Seers could do, he had to be very powerful. Maybe even more powerful than Ryne.
“Yes, I am, but you’re almost as powerful as I.” Lennox winked.
Kalina snorted. “You wish.”
Lennox laughed. Kalina joined him. There was something surprisingly compelling about him.
She still didn’t trust him.
Lennox’s face blanked, then he grabbed her, jerking her against him. He pulled her close, moulding her to him from shoulder to knee.
“I told you about touching me.” Kalina pulled her blade then pressed the carefully honed edge against his throat.
Lennox didn’t flinch. “Hold on.”
Kalina’s eyes widened as she felt herself fade. The sense of displacement she usually experienced when she faded didn’t come. Turning her head, she stared into the inky blackness. She jerked as she realised they were in the shadows. When she tried to pull away, Lennox’s grip tightened.
“Careful. I don’t want to lose you in the shadows.” His voice sounded muffled, distant.
Kalina blinked as she took in his face—it was drenched in emerald green. She glanced down, she saw that his whole body was the colour of the purest of stones. She wondered why his shadow was that colour then in the next moment realisation dawned that she was viewing his true shadow. Curious, she looked at herself, noticing her arm appeared silver with streaks of burnt orange.
She turned her attention back to him. “Why is my shadow two colours?”
Lennox spoke but his focus elsewhere. “When you mated with Ryne, your shadows merged. All mated pairs do. You just don’t see it.”
She looked closely at him noticing his single colour. “You’re not mated, then.”
The sadness in Lennox’s expression made her breath catch. “No.”
“Take me back.”
He shook his head. “Listen.”
Kalina responded to the urgency in his tone, cocking her head, and listened. The swishing sounds in the shadows made it hard for her to differentiate one from another. Focusing, she filtered out the distractions and listened intently, but the muffling sensation made it hard for her to hear. She slowly made out the words. In shock, she stiffened in his arms.
An ugly laugh filled the air. A voice wound its way through the shadows. “They are too stupid to know what’s going on.”
The voice paused and she heard a tinkling sound then figured it was a phone. Then the voice came again. “Kalina thinks she is all-powerful, but she’ll be the first to feel her wrath. Yes. It is all going as planned.”
Kalina turned her head to see the person, but only inky blackness filled her sight.
The voice came again—hate dripping from each word. “Phoenix Intelligence Agency will be mine, and those who don’t join the new regime will be eliminated.”
The laugh came again, quieting as seconds passed.
Kalina felt strange then they left the shadows. She glanced around and noted they were back in the empty hall. She turned her attention to Lennox, looking up at him. He stepped back. Without a word, she pivoted on her heel and went to the elevator.
Punching the button to call it, she ignored Lennox as he came to stand at her side. Fury licked at her every pore.
She curled her fist then punched down with her power. Kalina contained it, making a circle around her and Lennox. Within moments, the floor gave way below them, crumbling under her strength. She kept it steady, while pushing it down. They tumbled through the levels below, leaving gaping holes in their wake.
She ignored the startled exclamations as they whisked past each floor. Reaching the M floor, she let the power dissipate and watched as the debris in the air cleared.
The men and women of the unit stared at her in shock, questions on their faces, mouths gaping. Kalina ignored them and strode across the room while those in her path jumped out of the way, the expression on her face clearly warning them of her mood.
Reaching a closed door, she read the name on the plaque and pain filled her. Anger, hot and fierce, blasted through her, knocking the pain to the far reaches of her mind. She punched the wood and the door buckled under the force, flying into the room, skittering halfway across the massive office.
Striding inside, Kalina heard from a distance the shocked whispers and the approach of running feet.
He sat at the massive desk. Kalina let her power swell. She lifted off the ground, feet dangling in the air. “Motherfucker, you betrayed me!”
Shock filled his face. Kalina drew her hand back, built a fireball and threw it at him.
She never missed her mark.
Chapter Five
His raised his hand quickly, stilling the fireball before his face, and he stood from behind the desk.
“Kalina, what’s the matter with you?” The bemusement on his face only added to her fury.
The expression on the face of Jared Williams, her boss and head of the Assassination Unit, made her skin crawl. He was one of the few people in the Agency she trusted. He had trained her, moulded her and she had thought he was her friend. She almost believed his look of confusion as he came around the desk towards her. With a wave of her hand, she lashed out with her power. He slammed into the wall, sliding down the smooth surface.
“Kalina, what are you doing?” a voice she didn’t recognise asked from behind her.
“Kruis Lunins,” she said without turning. Power pressed around her as the ward she called forth surrounded the room, blocking anyone from entering. The conversations behind her stopped as she sealed them in the office.
Jared stood and looked at her, his expression changing to hate within moments. His mocking laughter filled the area. “Ah, Kalina. You know the truth. I’m so glad not to have to hide it any longer. All of you are so stupid and weak. You never saw what was right before you.” As Jared spoke, he threw his hand out towards her, his power hitting her in the chest before he pushed her into the wall.
He lifted his hand, making her slide up it to the ceiling.
Jared spoke again. “Christos thinks he knows everything. He knows nothing. He thought he could put you here for me to train so you could take over my position. Mine.” He glared through the doorway at the other agents just outside the wards. “This little agency could be so much more. Imagine, protecting those ungrateful weaklings of h
umanity when we are the gods of this world. When Eve is born, we will rule the way we are meant to, and this agency will be rubble.” He turned back to her and closed his fist. “But you won’t be alive to see me take my reign. What a pity. I had hoped to taste you at some point.”
A phantom touch moved over Kalina’s breast then it plunged into her chest, wrapping around her heart. A look of madness filled his gaze as he clenched his fist tighter and the pressure around her heart increased.
She smiled viciously. “That’s your first mistake, Jared. Never underestimate your opponent.”
Kalina reached out and let his power roar through her. With a thought, she opened her shields wide, sucking it all in, drawing it from him in greedy gulps. Fear crept over his face as he tried to pull back, shut it off. She held open his shields and drank it in.
He dropped to his knees as his power weakened. Kalina slid down the wall. She landed on her feet, and walked over to him, continuing to drink in his power, listening to his heart sputter.
She stood over him, staring down at what used to be her mentor. “I am an Amazonian Warrior, Jared. We are descendants of the earth, wind and air. My power is limitless and you can never defeat me.”
Jared’s heart slowed even more as she continued to drink in his essence, sucking him dry. She lifted her hand then punched down to finish him off but halted just above his chest, looking into his blue eyes. Stumbling back, she broke off from him.
I can’t do it. Even after all he has done I cannot kill him.
Turning away, she saw the stunned faces of the other agents beyond the wards. A sound made her turn and Jared ploughed his fist into her face making her grunt. She shook her head, reached out and caught his fist on his next swing. She twisted his arm before striking out with her other hand and then let him go, once again sending him flying across the room into a wall. A crack rose from where he hit, spreading to the ceiling.
Jared growled and came off the floor in a rush. She twirled out of the way then swung into a back kick. He fell onto the desk, making it skid across the room and through the window. The sun poured into the room as he teetered on the ledge then spun, whirling back inside. Jared hissed and she saw his fangs. He whirled again, and at the last moment, she grabbed his arm and turned, flinging him into another wall.
Indigo Rain (Phoenix Intelligence Agency) Page 5
