Val unreservedly hooked his arm around my waist, guiding me inside a dimly lit dining hall full of rich leather furnishings, elegant red velvet couches, and gleaming hardwood floors as everyone chatted loudly over the live jazz band.
“I’m gonna grab us some drinks,” remarked Val over the clamor. “Wait here.”
I turned to protest, but he’d already disappeared into the throng of people as he headed to the bar. I caught the growing number of eyes suddenly taking notice to me. Whispers were bountiful, and certain words clung to my skin like cellophane. ‘Marked,’ ‘mate,’ some… seriously graphic profanity.
“Think it’s legit? I mean, mates are supposed to be all over each other. Sitri would’ve presented her to the Master by now if they were together. Right?” remarked someone to my left.
The person beside the commentator cast me an enigmatic grin, nudging their friend. “It seems we’ll just have to wait and see for ourselves.” Both men took notice to the rune wrapped around my ring finger, inciting dangerous smiles.
I was officially going to vomit.
I took a step back, only to knock shoulders with another patron. “Oh, sorry,” I muttered. Then I looked up. And I was anything but sorry.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes Gone Bad.”
He looked so much more imposing than I last remembered. Although, most of my memories of Daniel were nice ones, back during a time when he wasn’t pure evil and trying to kill my best friend—a.k.a. his own girlfriend. But there my former classmate stood, his wavy brown locks falling into his eyes, just above a shit-eating grin. He’d once been so sweet, so caring, and completely in love with Carly. That man was long dead, replaced by a merciless killer who still wore his face.
“Oh, how the Mighty have fallen,” the Hellhound mocked, invading every inch of my personal space as he hovered over me. His interest immediately homed in on the fangs I hadn’t managed to retract yet. “Diggin’ the new accessories, Princess.”
I shuddered at the nickname. Only Reese called me that, and it was a playful reference to Princess Leia from Star Wars. Not because Blaine, the Crown Prince of Lust, had apparently damned me into becoming his eternal mate, and therefore his Princess.
“How’s my girl doing?”
“Your girl?”
“You can’t tell me Carly hasn’t been pining for me,” Daniel crooned. “That little spitfire needs a real man to get her pilot lit, and boy, does she have an appetite.”
I scoffed.
He didn’t seem to appreciate the gesture, because his grin quickly turned venomous. “Perhaps I should go pay little Car-Car a visit. Remind her of what she’s been missing.” He bared his teeth with a growl, revealing vicious canines of his own as the yellow in his eyes turned to gold. “Oh, when I get my hands on her—”
My arm grew hot, and before I could think, I slammed Daniel facedown onto the nearest table, sending the shot glasses and beer bottles occupying the space to shatter on the floor. The demons seated at the table didn’t seem keen on getting involved, ditching their remaining drinks as I pinned Daniel in place. They all stood and backed away without objection.
Daniel merely snickered, his cheek still mashed against the resin wood table top. “You forget, Princess, I don’t feel pain.”
“Oh, I remember,” I sneered, wrenching both his arms behind his back. “I’d just like to see how you’re gonna get your hands on Carly when you have no arms.” The runes on my skin roared as I twisted his forearms, taking pleasure in hearing bones break.
Despite his considerable strength, Daniel couldn’t wiggle out from under my hold. My runes only grew hotter the harder he tried, seeping their potency into my limbs. Panic finally seemed to settle in, because Daniel began thrashing, hearing a loud crack! as I twisted harder.
Warmth spread over my chest. My eyes immediately snapped up, spotting him instantly across the dance floor. He seemed to share the sensation, because his spine stiffened. Slowly, he turned around, his own eyes as wide as the sky as they settled on me.
“What…?” Even his voice in my mind couldn’t find the words.
“Get off me!” Daniel barked. He threw his weight up, attempting to break free. I teased him, letting him up just enough so I could relish in knocking him back into the table. I looked back up at where Blaine had been, but he was gone.
Daniel was suddenly wrenched out of my hold, his body slamming against the pillar beside me with a gloved hand clamped around his neck.
“What did you do to her?” Blaine growled, tightening his grip.
“Nothing,” Daniel choked out. “She attacked me. Put your bitch on a leash!”
Blaine pried the Hellhound off the pillar, slamming him back into the table, this time with Daniel facing upward. The Dark Mage pulled out what appeared to be a flask from his back pocket, dangling it above the Hound’s face. A malicious grin spread across his lips until it stretched into a cruel smile.
Something about the flask made Daniel suddenly go still. “Come on, man. Take it easy. I didn’t break your order. I never laid a hand on her.”
“What did you just call her?”
Daniel squirmed, knowing full well he was in trouble, and that glimmer of fear only made Blaine laugh. Everything about the Prince made him appear thrilled by the present situation, but the scent in the air betrayed his veneer. It should have been floral. Instead, the sweetness that had ignited my fangs was overwhelmed by a bitter tang. Blaine was livid.
Keeping one hand pinned to the Hellhound’s throat, he flicked open the lid to the flask and began pouring its contents out onto Daniel’s face. The liquid was clear, like water, but smoke rose up from the flesh upon contact. The skin sizzled and blistered, turning a painful, beaten red. Hellhounds weren’t supposed to feel any pain, but this… Oh, Daniel felt it. Throwing his limp, broken arms up in a pathetic attempt at defense, he howled and screamed and begged for the Mage to stop, his body crumpling onto the floor as Blaine finally released his hold.
“Next time you so much as look at her in a way that displeases me,” Blaine growled, “you’re gonna be taking a bath in this shit. Understood?”
Daniel’s entire face was scorched with what looked like second-degree burns, his body trembling from the agony he was trying to suppress. He barely managed to nod.
“Good boy.” Blaine patted a gloved hand against the Hound’s seared cheek. Daniel shuddered painfully at the contact, seeming to only please Blaine more. He laughed as he removed his gloves, tossing them aside with indifference. “Now, get out of my sight.”
A couple of nearby patrons helped pull Daniel up to his feet, careful not to touch any of the liquid dampening him.
The haltered graphic tee I wore was completely bare down the length of my back, and Blaine’s bravado didn’t wane as he rested his hand on the small of my back, pulling me into him. “Well, it appears even angels can be naughty, because you look like the Devil tonight. Killer bite.” He, too, admired my fangs, cupping my chin with his free hand. I wanted to slap it away and push him off me, but I knew better in a place like this. We had an audience.
“Oh, that’s not the only thing about me that’s lethal,” I gritted quietly through a forced smile, feeling every last eye in the joint focused on the pair of us. “If your hand manages to venture any lower, my knee is going to find its way somewhere very specific below the front of your beltline.”
“You are positively exquisite,” he practically purred. His own smile didn’t falter as he turned me around, guiding me toward the opening of a dark hallway across the room. “Dare I ask what you’re doing here?”
Reveling in the fact I was out of sight from prying eyes with his back to the crowds, I finally slapped his hands away. “Ask your brother.”
That smug smile dissipated. “Come again?”
“That’s right.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping to wedge some much needed space between us. “He dropped by your place, and let’s just say he was rather…persuasi
ve that I come with him.”
If Blaine came any closer, his entire body would’ve been fused to mine. “Did he threaten you?”
“Not exactly.”
This didn’t help the tension knitting into his brows. “There’s a killer angel on the loose, and I asked you to stay put at the one place you’d be safe. So, naturally, you…what? Got in the car with the first stranger who came to the front door?”
“It wasn’t like that,” I spat.
“Did you invite him inside?” The very way he struggled to even acknowledge Val by name told me everything I needed to know about their relationship. I rolled my eyes, but yelped as his hands seized my arms. “I’m serious, Kat. Did you invite him in my house?”
The edge in his voice set my spine stiff. “No.”
He sighed. “Then how did he get to you?”
“I was…outside,” I admitted, seeing his frustration. “And I had my reasons, so don’t even start. You can’t expect me to be held up in your house like some kind of prisoner. I didn’t even know if or when you’d be coming back.”
The slightest hint of his pirated grin returned to his lips. “You didn’t think I’d return to my own house, with you in it no less?”
I ignored the dalliance. “If you didn’t want your brother coming around, then why did you even tell him that you bought the house?”
“I didn’t.”
Oh…
“I’m gone for two minutes, and you start a bar brawl?” Val drawled, appearing over Blaine’s right shoulder. He extended a shot glass to me, which Blaine slapped away before I could even accept or decline it. “How uncouth of you, brother, when I come bearing a peace offering.”
Blaine grabbed hold of Val’s collar, throwing his body against the wall of the corridor. “Forgive me, but after your last ‘peace offering,’ my faith in you is a bit askew,” he said, pinning the silver edge of a pocketknife against the man’s throat.
Val flinched as a subtle cloud of steam rose from the scarce contact. He nevertheless laughed. “What? You gonna fight everyone in here tonight?”
“A fight implies the other party will actually be participating. I’m a hundred times stronger than you on my worst day. You’d be dead before you hit the floor.” Blaine dragged the tool across his windpipe. A small slit, the size of an elongated paper cut, bled from the tow of the knife. “Now, tell me, brother, why did you bring her here?”
Val threw his hands up in mock surrender. “Hey, don’t ask me. I was just following orders.”
“Whose?”
“Mine,” announced a lilted voice beside us.
We all looked to the far end of the hallway, finding a hale figure leaning contentedly against the wall. Scarce lights lined the corridor, and it only got darker the further along it went.
A subtle glow highlighted the individual’s mouth as the flame to a lighter lingered in front of his face. The cigarette resting between his lips burned as he took a drag, making his way towards us. “You know I don’t like roughhousing in any of my establishments,” he drawled, showcasing a conclusive English accent. “But I certainly appreciate the passion, especially concerning one’s mate.”
Blaine lowered the blade from Val’s throat and quickly stepped in front of me, obstructing my view of the stranger. It didn’t hide the sight of him for long, because he just as quickly emerged from the darkness. On the surface, he didn’t look particularly imposing. His hair was ash blonde, neatly slicked back at a medium cut, and his eyes were platinum gray, emphasized by alabaster skin. His clothes, too, were elegant yet simple; a short cotton trench coat, gray cashmere sweater, and black slacks. The cleft in his chin made his features appear softer, until he smiled. His teeth were startlingly white, and the natural tilt of his lips seemed to be pulled into an eternal leer.
“What a pleasure to see you again, Sitri. It’s been far too long.” His gaze drifted from Blaine down to me. “And this must be the illustrious Katrina I keep hearing about.”
What the hell?
Seriously, did everyone know who I was?
“My, my, my. Just look at you,” he purred, surveying me from head to toe. “Mr. Ryder here is a very lucky man, because you, my dear, are absolutely stunning.”
My befuddled expression must have said enough, because he chuckled.
“My apologies. I’ve let my manners escape me.” He extended his hand. “I have many names, but you may call me Raelynd.”
My skin crawled as I shook his hand, but I still managed an uneasy smile.
The stranger’s eyes gleamed with wicked delight, casting my insides cold as he released my hand back to me. “Why don’t you boys run along and fetch us some drinks? I’d like a moment alone with the lady.”
Blaine opened his mouth in evident protest, but the Englishman simply added, “I insist.” And just like that, Blaine regrettably retreated back to the bar as Val forced an arm around him and dragged him away. He shoved his brother off, his face as sickly white as snow blossoms. Definitely not a good sign.
“How can they buy drinks?” I asked, following Raelynd as he directed us to a nearby booth. “Blaine’s only eighteen, and his brother doesn’t look much older.”
The occupied table in front of us emptied out with a wave of the Englishman’s hand. Every member of the exiting party nodded to the man, silently affirming his authority over them as well. He didn’t have any runes covering his hand or wrist, so he couldn’t be a Mage, and Hellhounds were considered to be minions of the Underworld, leaving only one other alternative. Demon. And if he held dominion over a Crown Prince like Blaine, then he had to be frighteningly high up on the totem pole.
“Sit,” he ordered.
I didn’t argue.
“We don’t concern ourselves with technicalities such as age in these parts,” said Raelynd. “Some people in this joint are a lot older than they look, and the rest don’t let menial details get in the way of their fun.”
“I see.” I gave him another polite smile and returned my attention to the crowd, hoping he couldn’t sense my repulsion as he slid closer to me in the rounded booth. The back of his pointer finger teased down my arm, and it took everything in me to not flinch.
“I like what I see.”
I finally faced him again to observe a smile that was surprisingly softer than it had previously been. “And what do you see?”
“Darkness.” His touch traced its way back up my arm, but his eyes never left my face. “I’ve been watching you since you came in, and I’m quite pleased. You have his darkness inside you. Not only do you bear his mark, but you have kindred souls. Such passion and malice. It’s no wonder you’re his mate.”
Mate.
Every time I heard the word, it twisted my stomach up like a wet dishrag. I wasn’t Blaine’s mate. The old texts Dr. Madsen had lent me spoke of a true mating bond. “Equals in heart and mind.” Blaine’s bond, however, had been forged from black magic, a hex that infected its host like a merciless parasite, taking its time as it slowly warped the poor person’s mind until they became nothing but an unwitting servant to its evil. If Raelynd sensed darkness in me, Blaine had put it there.
“Together, the pair of you will be unstoppable,” he said, his hand suddenly dipping down to my stomach. “And your heirs…”
My body betrayed me, jolting far enough away to get out of his reach as I instinctively crossed my arms over my navel. My heirs? Our heirs?
Was he crazy?
His soft smile melted into a wicked grin once again. “Are we already expecting?”
“What? No!”
“Are you positive?”
“Yes,” I growled. With this stupid mating bond, Reese and I couldn’t so much as pass second base out of fear that my runes might alert Blaine, and I would sooner douse myself in boiling tar than share a bed with that bleached-blonde bastard.
Raelynd took another long drag from his cigarette, and I tried not to gag as the noxious cloud engulfed me. “Clearly, you don’t trust our kind. So, I hav
e to ask, what could have possibly swayed you to commit to our dashing Prince of Lust?”
And there it was. The true motive for bringing me here. Everyone seemed to be under the impression that Blaine and I were hot-and-heavy, but there was clearly some skepticism from a few. This whole scene, it was a test. “Well, he’s not exactly what you’d call hard on the eyes,” I remarked, trying to regain my composure as I struggled not to choke on the building smoke. “Not to mention, he’s saved my life on a number of occasions.”
“Ah, yes, I heard about your encounter with a certain Angelorum blade. Admittedly, most of our kind would have fled from that scene faster than any poor soul trying to escape a Yoko Ono concert.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t seem to have much confidence in your workforce.”
“Oh, there isn’t a doubt in my mind of Mr. Ryder’s capabilities, but we Underworlders are beings of self-interest. The fact he would risk getting his very soul claimed is a true testament to his character.”
Claimed?
What did that even mean?
God, I was so far out of my depths with all this demonology stuff. It seemed even with all of Reese’s research, I still hadn’t scratched the surface of what I needed to know.
“Then why would he risk it?” I asked, hoping Raelynd would shed a little more light on the matter.
The Englishman slackened his arm on the top of the booth’s backrest behind my head as he once again proceeded to move closer. “I’m looking at her.”
“You give me too much credit.”
The tips of his fingers suddenly traced the top of my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but shudder ever so slightly under his touch. “Oh, I fear I still don’t give you enough.”
“Why?”
“Because, darling, as Charles Spurgeon so eloquently once said, ‘A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.’”
I didn’t have to feign my obvious look of confusion.
“You’re a magnificent actress. What I have yet to determine is, who are you really performing with?” His eyes suddenly sharpened, forcing a knot to form in the bottom of my throat. “Which is it? The Prince, or the magician?”
Covetous: An Urban Fantasy Romance (The Marked Mage Chronicles, Book 2) Page 9
