Dawn of a Dark Knight

by Zoe Forward

  His gaze dropped to the nipples puckered against her clingy sweater. His mind conjured an image of those perfect little pink tips begging for attention. He measured the arch of her back as it thrust her chest toward him. He imagined pistoning deep until she screamed her release.

  You’re going to lose this battle if you don’t hightail it, he told himself.

  “Please,” she whispered, tucking a stray ebony strand behind her ear. She stood on her tiptoes and pulled his willing head to hers with her free hand.

  Don’t do this, he ordered himself, but didn’t pull away.

  As her soft lips lightly touched his, energy arced between them. His need escalated to a painful level. Then she pulled back.

  That kiss had been little more than a juvenile peck. Not at all satisfying.

  The dangerous kem-seki demanded. It pushed.

  She backpedaled a few feet. Her eyes went wide.

  He lifted, turned, and then slammed her against the wall just inside the bedroom door. He kicked the door closed. The heat of her core burned his thigh where he pinned her.

  “You want to know fire, sweetheart?” He slid his hand down her pants over the flare of her hip and flicked a thumb across the area of her clit. He laughed, delighting at her moan when she arched toward his touch.

  His opposite hand spanned her throat. “Let me show you what a kiss between us is supposed to be like.”

  He angled her head to take his kiss. It wasn’t gentle. It was hunger and elemental lust. As his tongue swept into her mouth, electricity exploded between them. She pulled his hair hard and nipped at his lower lip.

  She ground herself against his thigh and moaned a guttural, desperate sound. His hand unbuttoned her pants and slid down the zipper. He nipped a path down her neck, while his fingers stroked against the moist folds of her core. Blazing hot moisture coated his fingers.

  “Come for me.”

  He stroked once. Twice. On the third pass, her eyes widened and her body tightened. She detonated with a scream. A flash of golden light blasted into Ashor’s mind when she connected. Something dark and possessive flared within him. He groaned and allowed her to ride his erection as he thrust against her. No more than thin cloth layers separated them. Each of her spasms sent pure lust surging through him. He ground against her and struggled against the mindless need to slide into her welcoming heat.

  Hanging his head, he panted. “We’re not doing this. We shouldn’t have. I mean, this is against the rules.”

  “Whose rules?”

  “The gods.”

  “I don’t believe in your gods. So, no rules. Forget rules.” She caught his mouth again with hers.

  Visions of rutting like a bull swam in his mind as he carried her to the bed. The naked, confused need in her eyes was almost too much to bear. He knew what she wanted. His balls were turning blue with desperation to fulfill that need.

  In a gravelly voice he forced out, “The gods are very much real. I vowed to serve them for eternity.” He practically ran from the room.

  His hands shook. They never trembled. He clenched his hands into fists and leaned against the hallway wall. Primal need demanded he return to her. To give her what she needed. To touch that silken skin, wrap his hands in that black hair and then slide into her. To piston deep and hard until they both found oblivion. The darkness in his mind pushed hard to just do it.

  No. Don’t do it. He should be granted sainthood for this.

  His every nerve ending screamed for action. He’d thought to just have a small taste and prove to her this wasn’t a good idea. Big mistake. Never had he met a woman who stole his mind like this one. She was madness and heaven wrapped in one compact, completely forbidden package.

  He wouldn’t do this. Not to her. Not to the magi. They needed their healer. He would walk away. The question was, could he?

  Intuitively, he knew Kira was the key to eliminate the kem-seki or at least tame it. He was shadowy and unstable—on the edge. Having balanced at this precipice of Turning for so long, he knew the reason he hadn’t. She lay panting in need on that bed. A need only he could assuage. But she was forbidden.

  Desire and duty fought within him. Duty won. He pushed away from the wall and away from her.

  ****

  That was not how she’d imagined things going. Her ending included him in this bed for a long night. Actually, day, given the sunlight from the window. Kira stared at the cracks snaking along the plaster ceiling while each breath echoed loudly in her ears.

  Barely a touch and she’d exploded. Then he just walked away. What the hell?

  He deserved a slap. No, that was too girly. Far better to plant a fist-to-nose punch and throat jab.

  What was up with his signals? On again, off again. Explosive touch one minute and then back to the off-limits game the next. Screw his gods, if they forbid them this.

  Her best option was to get as far away from him as possible. First, she needed to check in with Kane. She fingered her earrings. He’d be tracking her by now. And no doubt confused by her southern deviation.

  Locating a phone in this house might prove a challenge. No phone in the bedroom, and she couldn’t recall seeing any landlines in her brief foray through the house. Not a surprise. Landlines were easy to tap.

  A careful aura assessment confirmed she’d been left alone. Everyone was on the lower floors. She tiptoed downstairs, cringing when a middle step emitted a noisy squeak. At the bottom, a non-magi fifties-ish man strolled down the hallway, carrying a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses. She dove for the floor-length curtains of the window next to the front door.

  Calm. Calm. Calm. Yoga breaths. In one nostril and out the other. In and out.

  The guy continued onward, unaware of her presence. Good.

  She glanced at the front door. Exit or phone? Phone. Kane could be nearby.

  She pushed into a room, which turned out to be the kitchen. And into a face-to-face with Marla. Shit. How could she forget to aura scan? Of all people, this bitch she would’ve liked to avoid.

  “Is there a phone I might use?”

  “Sure, I’ve got a cell you can borrow.” Marla’s cat-got-the-cream smile gave her chills. She handed over a cell.

  “Thanks.” She stepped to the opposite end of the kitchen and dialed Kane’s number. She watched Marla from her peripheral. Something about the woman was off. A dark shadow hovered over her aura. Was it just jealousy over Ashor?

  A masculine voice answered in a clipped voice, “Who’s this?”

  “Kira.”

  “Where the hell are you? You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “I’m about thirty minutes from your location. Thank God you put on that transponder. Explain to me how you got from New York to Florida that fast.”

  “Airplane. Where’s Markus?”

  “He’s not with you?”

  “No. The guy who abducted us indicated he might have killed Markus.”

  “He got you abducted? I’m going to beat the crap out of him when I get my hands on him. The little turd is too wily to get himself killed. Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m okay.” She smiled at Kane’s protective tone, but the twang in his voice indicated he was a hair trigger away from losing it. Not good for a trained Ranger.

  She rushed to say, “I got some help. I’ll explain later. They’re good guys here. So, don’t come in with guns blazing. I’ll meet you outside the wall.” She paused to evaluate the stone wall surrounding the estate through the window. “Meet me at the west wall.”

  “See you in thirty-five.” The line clicked off.

  As she turned, Marla aimed a travel-sized spray bottle in her direction like it was pepper spray. With eyes closed, Marla depressed the pump. Aerosolized solution burned her eyes and dribbled into her mouth.

  Poison.

  But not just any poison. She recognized the nasty stuff’s distinctive taste. Walmwilde. She’d been about five or six when her father thought to instruct her on the stuf
f during one of his rare weekend visits. She had seconds to make some choices.

  ****

  “I’m going to teach you a special lesson today, Kira,” her father said with his nasal French accent. He smiled while she skipped around their picnic cloth.

  “What are we going to learn, Daddy?”

  “I’m going to teach you about walmwilde.”

  “What’s that? Sounds like a fancy toad. Like the one the princess kissed and turned into a prince.” She giggled.

  “Come, let me show you.” He pulled a clear vial filled with cloudy liquid from the basket that held their food. She ran over and plunked down on the cloth next to him. He opened the vial and thrust it under her nose. “Smell.”

  “Eww. Stinky.”

  “This is a popular potion used by Hashishins. Stop fidgeting and pay attention. It will make you fall asleep. When you wake up, you will have visions of scary things until it wears off. You can beat the visions and use the evil power. First, you must recognize the poison before it overwhelms you. When you realize you’ve been poisoned, concentrate on something positive. Something good. When you wake up focus on the good thing. Then, you can control the scary visions and use the power to show you about your attacker. I’ll teach you.”

  “What? I don’t understand.”

  “Let’s try it. I’ll help you the first time, darling.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “I’m right here. Have I ever let anything we’ve learned about hurt you?”

  “No.”

  “Be brave, then. Face your fears. You’ve got to learn how to use this against them.” He removed the dropper from the top of the vial and allowed one drop to fall onto her lips.

  “Uck!” She spat and wiped at her mouth. “It’s terrible. It hurts.” She woke up with the sensation of thousands of snakes hissing and entwining around her body. She screamed and screamed until it all disappeared.

  “I want Mommy.” She burst into tears.

  Her father hugged her tight. “Shhhh. We’re not going to tell Mommy about this.” Her father held her tight as she sobbed. “I told you I wouldn’t let it hurt you. You forgot to concentrate. We must do this again until you understand how to do this without panic.”

  “Does it make everyone hurt?” she hiccupped through the question.

  “Everyone but magi. They’re immune to dark magik.”

  “Can I be a magi? I don’t want to do that again.”

  “No, you cannot. And it’s magus. Magi is plural. We will practice so it won’t be like that again.”

  ****

  With only a few seconds before she would pass out, she searched for a security camera. After quickly signaling to the camera in the corner of the ceiling, she backed against the counter as Marla approached. She knocked the spray bottle away. Another spritz might be a toxic dose. Then she concentrated on Ashor as darkness closed in.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ashor triggered the complicated inner lock of the door to seal it closed before falling into the central seat at the semicircular medieval table. He massaged his forehead.

  “Been a while since we had a Monday meeting.” Ashor traced an intricate green wood inlay of Middle English gibberish with a forefinger. He glanced up to find six stares on him.

  “What’s the deal with Dr. Hardy?” asked V as he poured himself a shot of vodka.

  Kira’s voice flitted into Ashor’s mind, as if a caress with a hint of desperation. Kira? What’s wrong?

  Nothing came back after a few seconds. His heart thumped fast. He slammed his lids closed to block out the guys who gazed his way expectantly. And tried again: Kira, where are you?

  Silence. Her essence seemed…far away? As if she was no longer on the estate. She left?

  “Gotta go.” Ashor bolted upright and cursed as his thumbnail splintered while unlocking the door.

  The bedroom in which he’d left her was empty, the bed unused. He tore downstairs to the concealed underground rooms, scanning through several levels of new, irritating security devices Scott had put in place.

  Scott typed madly on his computer, but didn’t acknowledge him when he entered, which pissed him off.

  “Where is she?”

  Scott jumped out of his chair. He squeaked out, “Who?”

  “Kira. Where is she?”

  “Haven’t seen her.”

  “What the hell are you doing down here, then? Jacking off? Find her on the surveillance cameras.” Ashor made no attempt to keep the lethal aggression rushing through his bloodstream out of his tone.

  Ethan and Eric crowded the doorway.

  Scott typed madly for a few minutes, reviewing images from many locations and then said, “Ah-ha!” He pointed to the image of the kitchen projected on one of the eight flat-panels mounted on the wall. They watched in silence as Kira borrowed a cell phone from Marla and the successive attack. Kira collapsed and Marla patted her down, removing every extraneous item. An outside cam showed Marla stuffing Kira into the trunk of her car.

  “What kind of spray causes that?” Scott asked.

  “Ethan, go look in the kitchen for the canister she knocked out of Marla’s hand.” Ashor commanded without breaking eye contact from the monitor.

  He stared at the now frozen image of Marla dragging Kira from the house. The bitch will pay. Rage struck his brain with spikes of fury. The kem-seki pushed. He punched the fax conveniently beside him, effectively shattering the plastic machine. Blood dribbled from cuts on his hand, but he didn’t feel their sting. How could this happen in his house?

  As he swiveled, Eric shoved him against the wall of shelves housing old surveillance videos and miscellaneous technical gear. What the hell?

  “Chill, Ashor. We’ll get her back.”

  Ashor pushed their locked bodies away from the shelving unit and elbowed Eric’s stomach. “I am—”

  Eric threw a neck-popping punch into his left cheek, throwing him back against the shelves.

  “Snap the fuck out,” Eric said as he threw his body into Ashor and braced his arm against Ashor’s neck.

  Ashor kneed him in the groin. Eric fell to his ass, grabbing himself. Hundreds of discs spilled onto the floor. One disc shot off the shelf like a bullet and whacked Ashor mid-forehead. It ricocheted into Eric’s head, leaving a bloody divot.

  “Shit, that hurt.” Eric gripped his head.

  Scott whispered, “Dad, is he okay now?”

  Ashor’s head snapped toward Scott who was doing his best to blend into the wall while cradling his laptop protectively against his chest.

  Eric scowled at Ashor. “Doubt if the bastard is right in the head, but the danger is past.”

  “I was fine. What the hell was that attack about?”

  “You just lost it. And that’s not happening around my kid.”

  “That bitch kidnapped Kira. I won’t apologize for being pissed, but no one was in danger.” Ashor turned to Scott. “Sorry if I scared you.” He wiped the blood dribbling from his forehead. “Damn, Eric. Reverting to newbie-hood? Haven’t seen your ability reverse on you like that in at least a few decades.”

  “I had the stuff under control until you nut-crunched me, asshole.”

  Ashor scowled.

  Eric broke eye contact and muttered, “Sorry. Misread the situation.”

  “Scott, what was Kira’s phone call about? You recorded it, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah. I recorded it, but I didn’t listen to it yet.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Ashor requested gently. They all listened to the call between Kane and Kira.

  “What’s she into?” asked Scott.

  “Her cousin, Markus, was trying to obtain the Anukrati amulet, which is why they were in New York. I can only think of one group of demented shits that want it,” said Ashor.

  “Hashishins.” Eric cursed softly. “How did the amulet end up in New York?”

  “Who knows. At least we have a lead on its location.”

  Ethan returned holding the canister out to
Ashor while scanning the chaotic mess that had occurred since he’d left. Javen and V followed.

  Ashor sniffed, took a taste. He spit the familiar foul solution. “Hashishin poison. Obviously works well on non-magi.”

  A voice on the intercom boomed into the security office. “This is Michael at the gate. There’s a man here that says he’s not leaving until we release his cousin, Kira. Please advise.”

  Scott redirected the larger images of security cameras to focus in on a dark green SUV at the front gate. A tall, athletic guy with a blond crew cut scowled fuck-you straight into the camera.

  “Can you enhance to get a closer shot of that guy?” Ethan requested.

  “Told you we were missing out on a party,” Christian told Nate as they sauntered into the room.

  Nate moved closer to the monitor. “Hey, that’s Kane Langford. He’s a tough son of a bitch. New recruit?”

  All eyes turned to him.

  Nate shrugged. “What? We went through Ranger training together. He was on the mission with me in Laos that went to shit and got me into your little unit. Never knew what happened to him, but it appears you found him.” Nate leaned forward. His fingers reached toward the screen as if the monitor was calling to him on a subconscious level.

  “No!” several voices yelled simultaneously.

  Scott dove from his place behind his laptop to the front of the monitor. “Stay away from my equipment.”

  Nate jumped back, his face scarlet.

  Scott spat, “Keep your distance. It took me two weeks—two fucking weeks—after the last time you came in here and permanently fried everything. I thought you were banned from here.”

  “Nate, stay away from the electronics. Scott, chill.” Ashor pushed the intercom. “Michael, this is Ashor. Please escort Mr. Langford to the surveillance office.”

  “Did anyone else make any calls out of here in the past hour, Scott?” asked Eric.

  “Let me check. Yeah, I’ve got two other calls from the same cell phone. Here’s the one that took place about thirty minutes before Kira used it.”

  “You phoned?” purred Marla.

  A raspy, otherworldly voice replied, “Are you able to get into the magi residence?”

  “I’m here now.”