by G. K. DeRosa
Right before I reached the door, it whipped open. Talon filled the entryway, his massive shoulders spanning the width of the frame. “You ready?” he muttered, his eyes barely meeting mine.
“Yup.”
We walked in silence back to our cell, about a hundred questions burning at the back of my throat. Somehow, I couldn’t drag a single one out. We passed the rec room, and the images on the projector caught my eye. Clueless again.
I didn’t think I could convince Talon to sit through that one no matter how good he was at his job. But I also didn’t feel like going back into lockdown just yet. That weird energy still buzzed through my veins and pacing the tiny enclosure didn’t sound the least bit enticing.
“You up for another workout sesh?”
His broad shoulders lifted, but his gaze never did. “Sure, why not.” He spun on his heel, and we switched directions back toward the stairwell to the basement. Now that Talon’s SIA status was out, we had free rein to walk around the prison as long as we were careful. Hayden had explained that not only was it essential that the other inmates not know who he was, but the guards and staff too. Actaeon knew something was up but none of the details. Only Logan was in on the Triad’s big secret.
We passed the atrium and headed down the long corridor, and soft footsteps echoed behind us. Talon spun toward the sound before my head even twirled in the right direction.
“It’s just me, dude.” Flix emerged from the dim corner with his hands raised and wings fluttering nervously behind him. “Hey, girl.” He weaved around the big dragon, skirting the wall farthest from him as he passed.
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing out loud. Sure, Talon was scary, but now that I knew he was a secret agent as opposed to a shady convict, I felt a little braver. “How’s it going, Flix?”
“Same old, same old. You? Did you abandon your tour guide training for good?”
“I hope not. Logan’s got me on special work duty for now.” Lie. I hated keeping the truth from my one friend here, but Logan had convinced me it was better for all involved. Dallas had worked his vampire magic on all the witnesses in Block Eight. Not even Delacroix remembered what had landed him in the Hole for the first time in his extensive tenure at Darkblood. The guys worried that his compulsion wouldn’t last forever, given the demon’s power. Higher level supes were harder to control apparently.
“Well, I miss ya, kid. I can’t wait to have you back on the team so I can impart more of my never-ending wisdom.”
“Me too, Flix. Hopefully soon.”
He blew me an air kiss and sauntered down the hall toward the atrium.
“You’re not going back to training with him, by the way,” Talon muttered as he rounded the corner to the stairs.
I rushed to catch up to his long stride. “Why not?”
“It’s not safe. You do remember what happened last time, right?”
“Yeah, I froze that rapist panther’s ass.”
“With powers you have no control over or any idea where they came from, right?” He skewered me with that icy glare. “You got lucky, one thirty-eight.”
“Now that I know who you really are, can’t you call me by my actual name?”
“Finding out who I am doesn’t change who you are, inmate.”
A punch in the gut would’ve hurt less. I cursed the dickwad under my breath and stomped past him. Just when I thought he hated me a smidgeon less, he’d prove me wrong.
I swept my wrist over the scanner and jerked the training room door open, letting it slam behind me. Eff him. I could train just fine by myself. The moment I crossed the threshold, the tightness in my chest relented. I was free, my powers untethered.
Making a beeline toward the punching bag, I concentrated my anger on the hanging black canvas, imagining a certain stupidly good-looking face on it.
The door creaked open behind me, but I ignored it, focusing on each hit. Jab, jab, uppercut. Kick, kick, roundhouse. I could do this all day.
Reluctant footfalls headed in my direction, but I kept my eyes trained on the punching bag. A tall shadow moved to my side, his overbearing presence sucking the air around us.
“Good,” he muttered.
I spun at him, shooting daggers. His shirt was off, a pair of loose-fitting shorts barely clinging to his narrow hips. Ripping my eyes away from his cut torso, I refocused. “Did it look like I was asking for feedback?”
An elusive smile cracked his lips, and he took a step back. His eyes still bored into the back of my head as I increased my tempo. I wanted to work on my magic, but the big a-hole was right. I had no idea how to access it. So far, it had only made its appearance under duress.
My thoughts flickered back to the incident with Delacroix and his goon. I was terrified, certain I was about to get dropped into a pit of fire-breathing snakes, or worse. Duplicating that intense emotion would be tough.
“Focus on what you’re doing. You’re getting sloppy.”
I shot him a good growl and continued punching.
The energy humming through my veins was still there, but my muscles were tired. It was my second work out session of the day after all.
“What were the guys talking about at lunch?” I spat out, continuing my assault.
“No idea.”
I hazarded a quick look from the corner of my eye as I pulled my arm back for another hit. He squirmed. The big guy actually squirmed.
I stopped and batted at the canvas until its mad swinging stilled. Pivoting toward him, I confirmed what I thought I’d seen. His lower lip was snagged between his teeth and his eyes refused to meet mine. Was he nervous? I’d never seen the guy so uncomfortable in my life.
I stalked closer and pinned him to the wall. “Then why are you acting so squirrely?”
He barreled by me, his bare shoulder bumping mine and sparks stirred across my skin. A hiss escaped through his clenched lips, but he didn’t stop until he reached the opposite side of the room.
What the devilish dragons was that?
Talon grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, splashed some on his face, then chugged the rest of it. Chucking it in the recycle bin, he turned to me. “Let’s try to get that magic out of you, all right?”
“Okay…” I nodded and moved closer. “How do you plan on doing that exactly?”
“It’s better you don’t know.”
A silver haze lifted from the ground, surrounding Talon in a shimmering mist. His leathery wings snapped out and a guttural growl broke the silence.
I had a pretty good idea where he was going with this.
His barbed tail coiled around his legs as silver scales crawled up his shoulders and torso. Was he seriously going to dragon-out in the middle of this training room? I stared up at the vaulted ceiling, trying to calculate if a full-size dragon would fit or if he’d send the ancient walls tumbling down on us. I’d never seen Talon’s shifted form but judging by his human size I was betting he was pretty damn huge.
He stalked toward me and a breath of relief slid through my clenched lips. Half-dragon wasn’t that bad.
He swiped his tail at me, and the prickly barbs raked over my calf. “Ow!” I squealed. Dammit. Spoke too soon.
“Come on, let’s go,” he snarled, beckoning me forward with a clawed finger. His talons extended at least six inches from his thick fingertips. Talon… I almost laughed out loud. So that’s where his parents got his name. “What’s so funny, inmate?”
I lunged, and the bottled-up energy exploded across my veins. I threw a quick jab, followed by an uppercut and a roundhouse and landed all three hits. “Yes!” I pumped my fist triumphantly. Leaving myself open.
A clawed hand raked at my face, and I barely ducked in time. “What the hell, Talon? You almost got me.”
“I’m not holding back,” he growled, his voice more animal than human. “You shouldn’t either.”
I dropped down and kicked my leg out, trying to sweep his out from under him but he leapt up. His wings caught some air, an
d he floated down like a graceful freakin’ pixie.
“You’re going to have to try harder than that to get me down.”
I assumed my battle stance as he landed, his reptilian eyes piercing. He stalked forward, his bare feet smacking the cement and my elevated heart rate matched their tempo. When he was less than a yard away, he jumped up and propelled himself forward with a few massive wing flaps.
“Not fair!” I screeched as his ginormous body pummeled into me and pinned me to the ground.
“What are you going to do now, inmate?” Talon’s fangs lengthened, his hot breath swirling between us. He straddled me, his thighs clamped around mine.
“Get off me!” I threw all my power into my palms as I shoved him in the chest. My hands slid right off his sweaty skin.
My mark flared to life, a deep purple hue filling the space between us.
Talon only pressed down harder, boring all his weight down on me. His corded arms caged me in, and I was trapped between his rock-hard biceps. His face hovered over mine, barely a millimeter between us. He inched closer and scraped his fang over my top lip. “Ow,” I whimpered. I jerked beneath him, but he only tightened his legs around me. The metallic scent of blood drifted up my nostrils. His tongue snaked out and brushed over my swollen lip.
I glanced up to meet a pair of burning silver irises. Talon’s pupils were nothing more than tiny slits. I sucked in a ragged breath as his eyes seared into mine. The blood in my veins buzzed, my heart jackhammering against my ribcage.
A steady throb bashed against my chest, meeting each erratic beat with every inhale. It took me a second to realize it was coming from Talon. My brows slammed together as I scrutinized his enigmatic gaze.
He shifted and lowered his unrelenting stare to my lips. Something hard brushed my upper thigh, and I froze.
His eyes widened and crimson flooded his cheeks. He leapt off me, his wings flapping like mad until he slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room.
I jolted up as soon as my body processed the absence of his massive weight and sucked in a ragged breath. Did that really just happen?
Talon huddled in the far corner, wings, tail, and claws gone and his face buried in his hands. He rocked back and forth, ever so slightly, muttering something under his breath.
Slowly, I stood and crept over. “You okay?”
“Fine,” he hissed.
“Do you need a minute or something?”
“What I need is not to be chained to you every damn second!” he roared.
I blanched and staggered back. Hot tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back. There was no way I’d let this jerkwad see me cry. I pivoted toward the door, ready to take on Delacroix or any of his crew than spend another minute with someone who hated me so ruthlessly.
My hand closed around the doorknob before thick fingers encircled my bicep and halted me on the spot. Talon spun me toward him and pinned me to his glistening chest. My skin prickled everywhere our flesh touched. “Don’t go…” he muttered.
I pierced him with my steeliest glare, hoping a tear didn’t betray me. “Wouldn’t your life be easier if Delacroix just got me already? Then you wouldn’t have to endure the torture of being near me.”
“You don’t understand anything.” He closed the distance between us, his lips crashing into mine with the force of a battering ram. He shoved me against the wall, his strong arms caging me in once again.
My palms smacked into the hard wall of his chest as I tried to jerk away. His kisses only intensified with my struggles. “What are you doing?” I rasped out, my breathy voice betraying me. He continued his fiery assault, and I snagged his lower lip between my teeth and bit down.
He growled against my mouth, but it only seemed to encourage him. My head told me to push him off, to fight him, to do anything, but my body refused to obey its commands. His lusty groan melted all the building anger, replacing it with an insatiable hunger. My traitorous form leaned into him, relishing his touch, every maddening swipe of his tongue. My blood sang as his hand closed around my neck and angled my mouth to fit his.
Heat blossomed in my core, a need like I’ve never felt before unfurling in my lower half. I pressed my thighs together to extinguish the burning desire and focused on his full lips worshipping mine.
A sizzling second later, he lurched back.
My body went limp, and I thanked the gods for the sturdy wall behind me. As I caught my breath, I swept the sweat from my brow and attempted to steady my racing heart. Gods, now that was a kiss.
Talon paced the length of the room, his long strides eating up the distance in a few steps. He dragged his fingers through his mussed-up hair and loosed a breath. When he finally approached me, the lusty haze in his eyes had receded, the typically cool man back in control. “Come on, we gotta get back.” His hand closed over mine for a second before he released me as if thinking better of it.
Ouch.
We walked back in silence, about a million questions racing through my mind—all of which I was too chicken to voice. What the hell was that kiss?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Talon’s heated lips ghosted over mine, and my heart smacked against my ribs. My eyes snapped open, and I jolted up in bed. Panting, I wiped the sweat from my brow and shoved the dingy blanket back. I scraped my hands over my face and loosed a ragged breath as the familiar black walls of my cell coalesced around me.
Damn, another completely inappropriate dream.
“What’s got you all hot and bothered over there, pumpkin?” Hayden lifted his head, pausing from his morning push-up routine.
“Nothing,” I hissed. Pushing myself out of bed, I strutted over to the small sink and turned the faucet. A tiny trickle of water leaked out. Muttering a curse, I splashed it over my burning cheeks.
Talon had been MIA for the past two days—ever since that scorching kiss. It had left me hot and bothered—not to mention confused AF ever since. The guy went from hating me with a burning passion to kissing me with the passion of a dozen raging incubi. And the crazier thing was that I missed him. A weird, gaping hole had opened up inside me since his departure, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t fill the hollow sensation.
A tap at the glass door drew me from my inner musings. “Breakfast time, kids.” Dallas stood in the corridor, nose and mouth pressed to the glass, making a goofy face.
“You guys go without me. I need a few minutes.” I waved him off and returned to the sorry trickle of water.
Hayden’s large shadow came up behind me and his long arm came around my waist. My legs came out from under me, and I was swinging from the big angel’s shoulder a second later. “Hayden!” I squealed.
“You know the rules, pumpkin. We’re on you like glue, and I’m starving. No one wants to deal with Talon’s wrath when he gets back if Delacroix hurts even one hair on your cute little head.” He marched out the door despite my struggling.
“Mornin’ sunshine.” Dallas shot me a beaming smile, and I had to suppress the urge to punch him in the throat.
We reached the atrium, and I gave up the struggle against the persistent angel. The other inmates were starting to stare, and I did not need more rumors spreading around this place. “Fine, put me down, you big brute. I’ll go with you guys after a quick trip to the ladies’.” The truth was I’d been dying to ask them about Talon’s weird behavior. It was obvious they knew something after their relentless teasing but would they tell me?
“Okay, but if you try to give us the slip, I’ll bite you.” Dallas’s fangs elongated, and he ran his tongue over the pointy tips.
“Put those away, vamp. I’ll be right back.” I ducked into the communal bathroom and hushed voices stopped me in my tracks.
“She’s off limits, Takezia, you heard Delacroix.”
“I don’t know. Maybe the demon’s reign is coming to an end. This is the first time he’s been in the Hole since he landed in this fortress decades ago.”
It took me a second to place the
females’ voices—the two succubi from Delacroix’s gang that I’d encountered in Block Eight.
“You better watch out talking like that, girl. You could end up with a blade in your gut.”
She huffed and the whoosh of the toilet flushing garbled their next words. “… I just don’t get what’s so special about her.”
“I don’t know either, but Thax wouldn’t have claimed her if she wasn’t important.”
Thax? The Underworld warlord? The blood froze in my veins, and I had to squeeze my legs together to keep my bladder from letting loose. I backed away, creeping toward the door and slipped out.
Hayden and Dallas leaned against the wall, their bulky arms crossed over their meaty chests. No wonder no one had come in after me.
“I was about to come in looking for you, precious.” Dallas flashed me his index finger. “You had exactly one second left.”
I grabbed his finger and twisted, yanking him back toward the corridor to our block. “Come on, you two, breakfast’s going to have to wait. We have something important to talk about.”
When we reached our cell, I recounted what I’d overheard. Hayden and Dallas sat on my bed as I paced, detailing every single word of the conversation.
“Why would Delacroix want her, or Thax for that matter?” asked my temporary vampire guard.
“And Thax is supposed to be helping me with Delacroix. Was that all a scam?” It couldn’t be. Luci set that up for me, and he would never betray me. Was Thax trying to pull something over on the devil himself?
Hayden’s light brows furrowed, and he drummed his fingers on the metal bedframe. “Could be…” He paused, considering. “I’ll get word to Talon. He’ll want to be in the loop.”
“You sure you want to interrupt?” Dallas asked. “He’s with Vander’s sis—”
“I know,” Hayden snapped. “But I’m afraid it’s unavoidable. If the warlord wants Azara, we need to find out why.”
Azara? I was pretty sure that was the first time he’d ever called me by my real name. That can’t be good. And who was this Vander guy? It was the third time I’d heard the name without any kind of explanation.
