by K. N. Banet
“Kaliya, maybe you should tell him what happened to Eliphas,” Raphael said. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. Nakul still had that gun to his head, and neither of us thought he would survive a bullet to the brain.
“Kartane took his eyes,” I said simply.
“Ah. That’s regrettable. He started a power transfer then. Hopefully, Eliphas can kill him and reclaim or destroy his eyes before they’re used against him.”
“Um…” I don’t know what my roommate was thinking, but I figured it was time to ask the obvious.
“Nakul, I swear on our gods not to kill you if you lower your weapon off Raphael and let him continue with what he was doing, so long as you don’t attack either of us.” Crossing my arms, I waited.
The gun lowered slowly, Nakul flicked the safety, then tucked it into the pocket of his prison jumpsuit.
“I swear on our gods, I will not bring you or yours any harm and that I’m here to help you without considering myself in the matter,” he replied, lifting his now empty hands.
“I’m taking you back after this,” I told him, staring at his now dark eyes. “I won’t ever let you walk free.”
“I understand,” he said softly, nodding his head. “Who knows what might cause me to snap again.”
“Exactly.” He seemed like the uncle I knew as a child. I had known when we caught him, even before, he had lost his mind. Grief did terrible things to people. Nakul and I were the two nagas who took things to different extremes when it came to the loss of our families.
If anyone could even remotely relate, it was me.
Maybe that’s why I hate him so much.
“Back to the eye thing…” Raphael stepped out from between us. “Why is that a thing?”
“Eyes are windows to the soul, and for witches, taking the eyes of another witch can do a number of things, from transferring one’s power to another or controlling them. It’s a very dangerous thing.” Nakul shrugged. “I’m assuming Kartane wants Eliphas’ raw power. He’s not strong enough to control Eliphas’ soul like a puppet.”
“There are other body parts they like for different reasons, but yeah, eyes are special,” I added, shaking my head. “Sit down with me in the next room, Nakul. We’ll talk.”
I didn’t want him near Raphael. Instinct told me Raphael was more important than my own life, something I had to ride with. Nakul was an imminent threat, and I wanted distance between them.
“Of course.” He followed me out of the kitchen and dining area into the living room. I stared at the windows, wishing I could see the night sky, but large metal plates blocked the view.
“Who wants to kill me?” I asked softly as he stood next to me.
“I don’t know. I don’t think the situation between Eliphas and Kartane relates. They never really liked each other, so that’s almost expected. Everyone knew Eliphas had to watch his back around his second, yes, including the prisoners like myself.”
“Who spoke to you?”
“It was…” he trailed off and frowned. “I don’t remember. I remember the person introducing themselves. I remember hearing a name and shaking hands, wondering why I had a visitor, but…I don’t remember any of the details. Everything is blurry…” He sat down slowly on my couch, staring into space. I watched him carefully, wondering if it was an act, but as he grabbed his hair and tugged in frustration, I heard a hiss. I assumed he wasn’t lying because I needed something. Any lead I could work with, and he was right in front of me.
“Your memory was tampered with then. Fantastic.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Not your fault,” I said, shaking my head as I sat across from him. “You can tell me what you can remember, and if you can’t remember anything else, I might be able to find someone to talk to about that. I know a lot of fae. I’m pretty sure the Phoenix witch coven can help as well.”
Not that I can probably trust them right now. Maybe Paden? Maybe Cassius? Like ‘em both, but there’re problems with both right now.
“You would do that for me?” He looked up, his dark eyes wide.
“If it keeps me and mine alive? Yes.” I couldn’t take any chances, and if that meant helping a serial killer who was teetering on the edge of insanity, so be it.
When this is all said and done, he’ll go back to where he belongs. Hell, maybe he’ll die during this and solve an assortment of problems for me. First, I need to use him for all he’s worth.
Was it a cold way to approach it? Absolutely, but when it came to Nakul, cold was necessary for my sanity. I couldn’t let the line blur between us.
“Well, what I do remember is they were looking for someone to kill you in exchange for freedom. A new chance at life outside the prison. Every single one of my fellow inmates has been locked away for decades, even centuries.”
“Most have been there over three hundred years,” I corrected. In the eight hundred years since the Tribunal was established, they were the ones who couldn’t be executed. There were just over a dozen, but that was enough to send shivers down the spine of the general populace.
“Right. So, they promised freedom; however, we all knew there would be parties, yourself included, looking to take us back or kill us…if that was possible.” He had a point. There were a couple of the inmates at the prison who were truly invulnerable or immortal. They had to be handled in specific ways. One was a demigod. The other was just a nuisance who’d figured something out, but no one knew exactly what he’d done to become what he was, and he certainly never talked about.
“So, how does killing me play into this?”
“Whoever killed you got a new life, without being chased around, without the criminal history. A free pass without needing to hide.”
That made me a little ill.
“That’s not possible…That would involve crafting, not just fake human identities. We do that every day, but a new supernatural identity? Really?”
“If they wished to continue their crimes, they would be supported and covered up, so they could live whatever life they wished…under the rule of the benefactor.”
“Oh, fucking fantastic. I can make a bit of a list when it comes to people with that kind of pull.” The Tribunal, fae clan leaders, some werewolf Alphas if they had the right contacts. The list went on and on. The likelihood several people on that list would also want me dead? Probably only cut the list down by two-thirds, which wasn’t enough. I didn’t really go out of my way to piss most off, but I had a tendency of making enemies by breathing the same air as these people. “There are a hundred reasons why someone would try to kill me. From being the last nagini to my job and position. Do you know if this has anything to do with Raphael?”
“That…” He pointed back to the kitchen. “Human? When I saw him at the prison, he seemed perfectly human. What is he?”
“No one knows. Well, someone probably does, but we have no leads. Needless to say, I ran into a spot of trouble a few months ago, and he ended up my…charge, partner, roommate, whatever you want to call him.” I shrugged. “Look, Nakul, did they say anything about why they would want me dead?”
“No. You dying is just part of the plan, and some are going to take them up on that offer. Others are too paranoid to work for people and will go to ground, but some will come after you.”
“Some already have,” I muttered, thinking about Levi, Erline, and the werewolf twins. Now, I had to try to figure out who was next and how to stop them. Raphael came into view, and my fangs dropped when I saw him, his chest and his arms looking too large for their own good. The size he was, I wondered if he could even use the damn things like a normal person. Since I had met him, he’d beefed up even more, and every time he used his abilities, it was as if he got even bigger. I knew the last part was caused by his magic and would fade a bit, but I was still struck by just how damn big he was.
Thank the gods for Cassius getting him clothing from the fae, or we’d be buying him three sets of the same wardrobe to fit at any given po
int.
“Hold on one moment. Raphael, watch him but don’t get close—”
“You can trust me, Kaliya—”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I retorted, walking out of the room into the kitchen. I grabbed a plastic container, a bit of cloth, and a rubber band, putting it all together before walking out. I thrust it at my uncle. “Milk those.” He took it from me, which gave me a chance to go back and grab a syringe for him to get a blood sample and nullify the dangers of his venom. He was looking at the container in distaste when I walked back in.
“I don’t milk my fangs like this,” he said indignantly. Disgust consumed his features as if the prepped container made him ill.
“I know for a fact, the prison made you do it like this. I do it like this. In my house, this will continue. I won’t have a walking weapon in my fucking house when I have other things to worry about.” I wanted him to milk because it made it less likely for him to attack Raphael. He would want to save that last drop to protect himself if it came to that, not threaten me.
He was glaring as he opened his mouth, and his long fangs dropped. I knew he had spent centuries with my aunt, and they had used each other to control their venom. I knew the textbook reason why mated couples did, the aphrodisiac effect those truly immune to naga venom received when bitten by their partner. His mate, however, was dead. The only thing he could do with those fangs was kill people, and if I was going to use him, I couldn’t let him stay too deadly and unmanageable.
Why am I not just killing him? He fucking deserves it. He’s here, practically asking for it by sitting on my couch, defenseless. It’s my damn job.
I turned to Raphael as Nakul finished up.
“Can he have your room?” I asked, hoping to lock Nakul in there. I had ways of locking off each area of the condo and intended to use them. It would help with the conflicted shit I was feeling.
“Yeah, you want me on the couch?” Raphael leaned on the wall, crossing his arms. “It’s fine if you do.”
“I’ll take the couch. You take my room.” It would put me in a good position to protect him, even if he didn’t want that. It wasn’t his lack of power I worried about. He just didn’t know everything, and that lack of intel would get him hurt, adding in the problem there just wasn’t time to teach everything to him.
He raised his eyebrows.
“I’m not making you sleep on the couch in your own condo,” he replied, shaking his head. “Not going to happen.”
“Then we share, but I want you in a secure room,” I said, hissing a little at his chivalrous attitude. Just like Cassius in that respect. He never let me sleep on the couch as it somehow made him feel like he was treating me poorly. It’s how I got my own room at his place to begin with. I never really liked sleeping all night next to him or anyone else.
With that settled, I pointed at Nakul and gestured for him to follow me. Part of me was still dying to kill him, do my job, and end his miserable existence before someone like Adhar or one of the Tribunal found out I was harboring him. I knew my bosses would want me to kill him. I knew Adhar would want me to keep him alive. At the moment, I was sitting in limbo, not sure what to do with him. I had a responsibility to my own kind to keep our numbers as strong as possible, and Nakul had vital information. I had a responsibility to the Tribunal to kill any inmate that illegally left the prison’s compound.
I’ll lock him in here and not let him out. That way, I’ve at least contained him. That will have to do.
“Thank you for this,” he said softly as I grabbed several of Raphael’s clothes from the drawer, so my roommate wasn’t stuck in the same thing for however long this took.
“These are all mostly spelled for Raphael, so don’t put them on. We’ll find you something. Or you can stay in your jumpsuit since you’ll be going back eventually,” I replied sharply, trying not to look at him. I was aware of him. Like me, his body temperature fluctuated a little, and now that I was aware of his presence, I would never lose that awareness, not with my life riding on keeping him where I could see him. I couldn’t afford to forget about him.
I left the room and opened my phone once the door was closed. Engaging the locks and the security for the room, I watched a second metal door come down from the top of the door and shut.
“Kaliya!” Nakul yelled from inside. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Protection. For both of us,” I answered loudly.
“Wow,” Raphael muttered, walking up beside me with a plate of food. “I didn’t know it could do that.”
“Yeah, I don’t tend to tell people about my security measures.”
Shoving his clothing at him, I walked off toward my room, listening as he followed slowly. I went into my bathroom and sighed, knowing I couldn’t hide in there all night. Turning the water on for background noise, I washed my face again.
How the hell am I supposed to survive a night in the same room with him? Of all the fucking things I need to deal with in the next ten hours, this just feels like a cherry on top of a shit sundae.
I could hear him finish off his meal and change as he mumbled to himself, but not what he said. I had the bathroom door closed and inched closer to it, curious and wondering if he felt the same way I did. I was always curious when it came to him. The desperate need to know what was going on in his head never seemed to abate for long.
“Should go sleep on the couch,” he muttered. “At least the bed is big…”
I tried not to snort and roll my eyes. Of course, I would have a king-sized bed. Did he really expect anything else? What I heard next is what surprised me.
“How the hell am I supposed to keep being a gentleman when I’m sleeping in the same goddamn bed?” He sounded so exasperated. His voice dropped as he continued to mumble to himself, but with my ear pressed against the door, I could still catch it.
“My life’s a fucking joke. Hot snake woman saves my life, offers to sleep with me, and I turn her down, only to end up in her bed anyway, and now without the sex. Shit, does she even realize what she does to me? I spend my fucking days trying not to think about her, and now I’m in the perfect position to fucking embarrass myself.”
I was stunned. For months, I had no idea what he thought of me. Now, I knew more than I bet he would ever want me to. My heart pounded as my biology, the need to bite him and mate him, jumped tenfold in a matter of seconds. He was attracted to me, and that made him fair game.
No. No, it doesn’t. He’s into a hot body, but he doesn’t know who the hell I am or what I’ve been through. He’s not going to want a woman with so much baggage. No guy does, not in the long run.
The two sides of my internal conflict continued to argue for what seemed like forever. The biological need had a strong argument. He was out there, getting into my bed, and I could have him before the hour was up. It wouldn’t be hard.
My logical mind and personal feelings, however, saw things differently. He would hate me if I tied him to me forever. Physical attraction was just that, physical. I didn’t want to mate a guy who would hate me for it. I’d never even wanted kids; still didn’t, for that matter.
Breathe, Kaliya. Put the fangs away. Get some shut-eye and keep on task. Deal with all of this, then deal with the new information and the mate.
Potential mate. Not mate. He’s not mine. Gods damn it.
It took a while, but I left the bathroom and looked him over, feeling much more in control. Maybe not in control enough because my eyes lingered places they shouldn’t have, taking in the muscles of his thighs, peeking out from under the clean pair of shorts. The shirt rode up, revealing his solid abdominals. He didn’t notice me, still setting up stuff on the bedside table. He straightened out and stretched his arms over his head, and my pulse jumped again.
I need to stop this show before I lose control.
“You haven’t showered,” I pointed out, seeing dust in his hair. “Don’t get into my clean sheets until you do.”
“Is that really something
you’re worried about?” He seemed more exasperated than the situation warranted, but since I knew what he had just been mumbling to himself, I gave him a pass.
“I want to preserve some level of cleanliness in my bedroom, yes. Plus, if I wake up smelling smoke off you, who knows what I would do?” I shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, but we both knew it wasn’t a light topic. I was the killer in the room, and he knew that.
“Fine.” He started to leave the room, but I clicked my tongue to get his attention.
“Use mine,” I ordered, nodding to my bathroom. “I have extra stuff.”
“Thanks,” he said, stomping into my bathroom.
When he came out, he smelled a little like me. My fangs dropped in my mouth at the sight of his wet hair falling over his eyes and the way the black shirt was stretched over muscle, slightly damp as if he hadn’t dried off well enough. He settled into the bed, fully clothed and over the blankets as far from me as he could get.
This is my life now. Endless torture.
11
Chapter Eleven
It ended up with me staring at the ceiling for two hours instead of trying to get whatever sleep I could. It took an hour before I trusted Raphael was asleep. Another hour and I got out of the bed, my skin too hot from his radiating heat. I was anxious, exhausted, and strung out but unable to do anything. Between Raphael being in my bed, yet untouchable, and the incident I had just lived through, I couldn’t sleep. It was impossible, and it was too late to take anything to help the matter without risking missing an important phone call.
I can do something.
The thought struck me fast, and I couldn’t get past it. I crept out of my bedroom and to my office in the condo. It wasn’t like my office at home with The Board, but it would work. I had a corkboard up just in case I ever needed it, and tonight, I needed it.
Everyone always said I had the mind of an Investigator. I should have been doing Cassius’ job, but I liked the power and protection I was given as an Executioner. It let me go on the offensive where an Investigator had to keep their head down for the most part while they made their case. I could shoot first, ask questions later. Cassius couldn’t.
