Covetous: An Urban Fantasy Romance (The Marked Mage Chronicles, Book 2)

by Victoria Evers

  “Turn around.”

  “What?”

  “We need to test your reflexes,” said Blaine, apparently switching gears into our next subject. “In a perfect world, you’d always face-off with your opponent, but unfortunately, that’s rarely the case in reality. You’ll need to learn how to defend yourself against ambushes.”

  Turning my back to him was the last thing I wanted to do. It hadn’t done me any favors in the past. Hell, the fang marks scarring my neck were proof enough. But none of this was about trying to make me feel warm-and-fuzzy. I needed to learn things like this, and I needed to convince Blaine that I could at least tolerate being around him. It was the first step in the right direction, and if I had any hope of gaining his fullest trust, I had to work fast, comfort be damned.

  I did as instructed, trying to ignore the quiver working its way up my arms. It wasn’t from my runes. It was pure, unadulterated anxiety. I gripped my hands together, as if I could squeeze out the unease. My heart only pounded faster as haunting music suddenly blared across the training space from speakers I hadn’t realized before were mounted into the corners of the walls. I whirled on my heels.

  Blaine merely twirled his finger at me, indicating that I needed to turn back around. He didn’t want me to hear him coming—whenever he decided to. I stood stupidly for a good minute, straining to hear over the gorgeous, dark melody. Without a sound, his only hint came from the breath of air hitting my neck before his arms wrapped around me. I’d expected him to rush me, ensnaring my hands to my sides as he pulled me up off my feet. I’d expected him to attack me. But his hold wasn’t so much of a hold as it was…an embrace, feeling his body pressing up against my back. Even with his taut muscles and sculpted arms, the embrace was so startlingly gentle.

  His lips were so close to my ear that his breath warmed it, and all I could suddenly see was that wood paneled wall from my dreams. All I could feel was his mouth on my shoulder, his hands roaming my body, our lips crashing into one another. Every inch of me went flush at the recollection.

  “What do you do?” he whispered.

  “Huh?” I muttered, snapping myself back into reality.

  “When your attacker grabs you like this, what do you do?”

  I seriously doubted my attacker would be holding me ‘like this.’ “I…I don’t know. Stomp their foot?” It had worked with the demon possessing Officer Hernandez.

  “Nice sentiment, but it only works if they’re standing still. Most of the time, your attacker will try lifting you off the ground, dragging you backward. Chances are you won’t get the opportunity.”

  “Head butt?” I attempted again.

  “If they’re not too tall, it’s a possibility. But you need to think in guarantees.” He gently kneed the back of my leg. “I want you to take your right foot and pivot it to the outside of my left foot, as far back as you can.”

  I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but I nevertheless did as he said.

  “When you do this, grab the fabric of my pants just above my knee. This’ll help steady your weight when your center of gravity lowers,” he further instructed. “Once you have your footing, extend your right arm out.”

  To my amazement, the maneuver forced his arms to pull apart, effectively breaking his hold on me.

  “Now, take your right leg, position it behind my left foot, and bring your knee into the back of my leg. Then, fall back.”

  “Seriously?”

  All I got was a soft chuckle.

  I did just that. With my arm still extended and his knee buckling under, I actually managed to take Blaine down with me. In fact, my stance had allowed him to fall beneath me, letting me avoid the impact of his weight.

  “See where your right arm is?” he asked, lying down beneath me, our limbs still tangled together. Thank God my back was still to him and not my face.

  I flushed nevertheless, noting that my elbow was just above his…unmentionables.

  “That’s your target. You hit him there, and I promise you, he won’t be getting back up anytime soon.”

  “Oh…okay,” I muttered stupidly, involuntarily shifting.

  Blaine suddenly let out a breathy laugh after a moment, and I startled at the sound. “Not that I mind you laying on top of me, but would you mind letting up your elbow?”

  “Oh…God! Sorry.” I scrambled away, realizing only just then that my shifted position had my elbow digging into his solar plexus, which probably wasn’t helping his breathing any.

  He only laughed again, climbing back up to his feet to meet me. “For the record, that’s another effective area,” Blaine said, tapping the same spot below his sternum. “If you hit that hard enough, the impact will cause the diaphragm to spasm, cutting off your assailant’s air supply.”

  “Did you learn all of this from…?” I couldn’t bring myself to say his name, not wanting to upset him.

  “My brother taught me most of this.” To my surprise, he actually smiled. “Let’s just say the pupil surpassed the master.”

  Blaine proceeded to show me how to break free from an underarm “bear hug” hold, which even I had to admit was kind of fun. Hooking my hand around Blaine’s arm, I turned to the side and hooked my foot under his leg, throwing him to the ground in a backwards roll. Move over, Black Widow. There was a new badass in town.

  Okay, maybe I wasn’t that awesome, but knowing I could at least defend myself now still felt pretty good.

  Five maneuvers later, and I needed to ask. “My attacker isn’t going to be coddling me, so…why are you?”

  Blaine’s throat bobbed.

  “I mean, I can take a few bumps and bruises. You don’t have to handle me with kid gloves,” I amended.

  “I don’t doubt your resilience. I just didn’t want to scare you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He gave me a knowing look. “It doesn’t take clairsentience to know you’re afraid to be around me.”

  I could feel blood rushing to my cheeks, only further proving his point.

  “It’s hard enough learning things like chokeholds when you do trust your instructor. I highly doubt you’d feel comfortable with me, of all people, wrapping my hands around your throat, especially with any kind of force.” Before I could attempt to deny or even admit it, he only stepped further away. “I get it, really.”

  Blaine headed over to the other side of the room and grabbed a pair of focus mitts, but even I could see the tension wrought in his shoulders. He began explaining some kicking techniques, but my mental filter seemed to break as I cut him off, blurting, “How do you get out of chokeholds?”

  I couldn’t help it. After being attacked by Brittany, the cheerleader-turned-Hellhound, and then nearly strangled to death by Russell, choking was an all-too familiar reoccurrence for me. Having a little know-how couldn’t hurt.

  Blaine’s entire frame stiffened. “Kat—”

  “I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think I needed to learn it. I’m tired of being a victim, and I’m tired of always running away. I want to fight.” Because that’s exactly what I was doing at this very moment. I was fighting for my life. I was fighting for my freedom.

  He reluctantly tossed the mitts aside and met me at the center of the room. “You sure you’re up for this?”

  I nodded, adamant in my decision. That confidence wavered, however, the moment he came up behind me, securing the inside of his elbow against my windpipe as he wrapped his arm around me. Again, he made sure the hold was gentle, allowing me to break away at any moment if I wished. And I silently thanked him for it.

  “Okay, first thing you need to do is protect your airways,” he said. “I want you to take both your hands and grab my arm on each side of my elbow. Bring your shoulders up, tuck your chin down, and drop your knees. It’ll relieve some of the pressure.” He nudged my right foot. “Now, take your foot and pivot it behind mine.”

  “Like what I did with the bear hug?”

  “Yes, only this time, it’ll be the f
oot on the same side as the arm I’m using to choke you with. Your right foot goes behind my right foot. It has to lock up my leg, so make sure it’s directly in back of it—calf to calf. Then, turn your body all the way around and pull my arm down diagonally.”

  With his right leg pinned against mine, I did a 180-turn and wrenched him across my body, letting him trip back and fall to the ground.

  Holy crap.

  I actually sighed, begetting a roguish grin from Blaine.

  “Enjoying beating me up?” he drawled, propping himself up on his elbows as he remained lying on the floor. One deep breath, and he seemed to get his answer, catching whatever scent I was giving off. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling. Anxiety? Relief? Liberation? It was all one big blur. All I knew was that my uncertainty left me yet again at a disadvantage, which only appeared to please Blaine all the more.

  “Join me.”

  “What?”

  He patted the floor beside him. “For our next position.”

  His inflection on that last word made my heart rate tick up a notch. The hesitation he’d exhibited a moment before was nowhere to be found, replaced by a bravado that exuded the pure sexuality his title of Crown Prince promised. It was a dare. A challenge. And the very moment I’d been dreading. But I lowered myself to the floor, lying beside him on the mat. With the hope that I could steady my thrumming pulse, I closed my eyes.

  Even behind my eyelids, I could see the shadow cast above me, obscuring the overhead lights. My breathing hitched, feeling the pressure settle on my hips. I at last opened my eyes to find Blaine straddling me, his hands positioned on either side of my head, his face lingering just above my own.

  That godforsaken pull in my core had my back threatening to arch off the floor, pleading with me to eliminate the sliver of space resting between us. To my relief, he sat up, just enough that he didn’t have to rely on his arms for support, because his hands settled on my neck. But they weren’t holding me. His thumbs traced the lines of my jaw while his fingers caressed the nape of my neck.

  Without a word and without instructions, my right leg suddenly bent up, locking my foot behind his. As if he were the puppeteer to my very own limbs, my hands automatically drew up next and gripped his left forearm. How was he doing this? A faint magnetic pulse radiated from his skin, rippling into me. It was only then that I realized I was touching his runes. I’d never done that before. I could feel the energy pulsating from the metallic black ink, an invisible bond that silently summoned me. I pulled down on his secured arm just as the left side of my hips bucked up. With my foot pinned against his, Blaine’s weight toppled to the side, and I suddenly found myself straddling him instead.

  I’d done it.

  I didn’t know how, but I had escaped his hold…only to find myself in a new position that had my cheeks probably reddening to the color of strawberries.

  His eyes gleamed up at me with silent approval.

  What a shame, I thought, peering down at the striking young man beneath me, to be so beautiful on the outside, only to possess such a blackened heart.

  “It may be black, love,” his voice purred inside my head. “But that doesn’t mean it still can’t be made of gold.”

  I stiffened.

  He could read my thoughts.

  “Not always,” he assured, still not speaking a word aloud. “Only when you let me in.”

  When had I done that?

  His palms settled on my waist, exploring the curves of my body as his fingertips gently raked up the small of my back. The sensation somehow left both warmth and goose bumps perforating in its wake, leaving my skin to ache as he pulled his hands away.

  “Ahem,” coughed a voice over the thrumming melody.

  As if I’d been slapped, my head snapped to the side, seeing six feet of racing leather and hair product standing haughtily in the entranceway.

  Val.

  Chapter 26

  Gods and Monsters

  “Hope I’m interrupting,” drawled the Dark Mage.

  I scrambled up to my feet, brushing invisible lint of myself as to not look too flustered.

  Yeah, that ship had long sailed.

  I thought Blaine and I were the only people allowed in the house. How was he even here?

  I wasn’t sure if Blaine could still read my thoughts or if my look of unbridled confusion and horror spoke for itself.

  “I invited him inside back when we were still on good terms,” Blaine muttered. “A decision I deeply regret.”

  His brother pinned a hand against his chest and staggered back in mock offense. “Oh, how cruel you can be.”

  “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t come in here,” Blaine snarled, rising to his feet.

  Val merely rolled his eyes. “Cool your jets, okay. I got tired of ringing the bell, so yes, I let myself in. It’s not my fault you wouldn’t answer the door. And it’s no wonder. You probably couldn’t even hear me over…whatever the hell this is,” he said, waving a dismissive hand in the air to indicate the music. Despite the slick product keeping his hair intact, the rest of Val glistened in the warm glow. It seemed those storms headed north after all.

  The strum of violins settled, silencing the room enough to hear the low rumble of thunder.

  “What do you want?” demanded Blaine.

  “I’d try to show a little more appreciation if I were you,” said Val, “considering I come bearing important news.”

  His brother still didn’t appear impressed. “You’ve got twenty seconds to become interesting.”

  Val laughed. “Well, it appears you and your sweetie here are the Underworld’s new Bonnie & Clyde. The good ol’ Angel of Death has just issued a bounty on your heads, and Mr. Holier-Than-Thou himself appears to be pretty desperate. Despite the fact Death despises all things Hell-bound, he’s resorted to commissioning demons to do his bidding. By the sounds of it, there’s one hell of a reward for whoever brings the pair of you in.”

  The creature at the shopping district. The demon at my aunt’s house. They weren’t sent by a rival noble. They’d been sent by the very man destined to kill me. Blaine and I both paled, only making Val’s grin grow.

  “Have I earned your attention yet?” he crooned.

  “What’s the reward?” I asked.

  Val shrugged. “Not sure. Anyone who actually knows isn’t saying anything, which only means the payday has to be something pretty special if they don’t want to risk tipping off any of their colleagues, even under means of torture.”

  Blaine’s eyes narrowed. “The ‘incident’ at the Hideaway?”

  “After the whole Reaper attack, Raelynd had planned for you to stay there, but the reported timetable had been skewed. A group of demons ambushed the joint, believing you two would be there. Hence, the hush-hush plans to ship you off here, instead. Gotta give it to your old man though,” Val said, gesturing to me.

  Blaine’s eyes were suddenly the size of saucers as he shook his head as discreetly as he could, commanding a silent, “SHUT UP!” to his brother. But it was too late.

  “It is a clever idea,” Val went on. “What better demographic to target to do your dirty work than a bunch of immoral pests who are only out to save their own skins?”

  “My old man?” I blurted. What the hell was he talking about?

  My shock apparently registered to Val, because he winced. Though, he didn’t seem the least bit sorry as he smiled back at his brother. “Whoops, guess you hadn’t told her yet, had ya’?”

  “You mean…?” The Angel of Death was my… I whirled on Blaine. “You knew?”

  The bastard couldn’t even look me in the eyes.

  I’d asked him before who my parents were.

  “You’re better off not knowing,” he had said.

  I pushed Val out of the way and raced upstairs.

  ***

  Blaine tapped on the bedroom door, slowly easing it open when he didn’t get a response. I’d left him in the training room about an hour ago, and hadn’t hea
rd a peep from him till now. His eyebrows shot up in surprise at the sight of me. He’d probably been anticipating that he’d walk in on me crying or tearing the room apart in a fit of fury, but certainly not this. Fresh out of the shower and in a new set of clothes, I pulled on my jacket and calmly shoved my feet into my shoes.

  “Going somewhere?” He apparently wasn’t a fan of being ignored, because when I failed to answer him yet again, he appeared at my side, plucking Reese’s burner phone right out of my hands. “I know you’re upset,” he said, taking note of my inexplicably unruffled expression. “Or…at least, I suspect you are, but running out of here isn’t the answer.”

  “I’m not running,” I simply said, snatching the cell back. “I have somewhere I need to be.”

  He sighed, clearly trying his best not to lose patience with me. “It’s not safe for you to go out, not by yourself.”

  “Fine,” I shrugged. “Then come with.”

  ***

  We were on the road for about twenty minutes when I directed Blaine to pull off a stretch of back roads into the parking lot of an old dive bar. A tacky neon sign greeted us as we headed inside, where we were then ambushed by a buoyant redhead in a tight white t-shirt and short-shorts. The mass of people made the small space a bit stuffy, but it certainly wasn’t warm enough to warrant that kind of outfit. Though, I didn’t think she had much say in it. I noticed her nametag and gave the room another onceover, spotting several other girls in the exact same uniform.

  “Hey, handsome,” declared the waitress, practically skipping over to us, her attention totally focused on Blaine. The name ROXY was printed in big bold letters on the left side of her chest. “Can I interest you in a booth? Perhaps start you off with a pitcher of our finest?”

  “That won’t be necessary. They won’t be here long.” Two simple sentences, and yet that Texas drawl was unmistakable.

  Blaine and I both turned around, finding Nick seated at an otherwise empty table.

  “What the hell are we doing here?” Blaine demanded to my thoughts.