by Nikki Frank
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. I don’t date much. I hate girls who are weepy and weak and foolish. And then I meet you and you’re feisty and strong, a near match for me, and smart. Then this hurt you. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. I’m not stupid. No words will fix this for you. I . . .” He tugged at his hair making it stand on end in two-inch blue spikes. “I’m completely lost. I’m helpless against you, as a girl. I’m helpless against this problem that’s hurting you. I’m never helpless. I fix things, solve problems.”
He crossed his arms and gave me a challenging stare. “Go on. Get mad at me. Tell me how much you despise me. You’ve made your feelings for me abundantly clear. You’re going to laugh at me.”
“You like me? For real?”
He relaxed a little, but still had a wary look on his face. “Well, yeah. I meant what I said. You’re not like other girls, you’re . . . really . . . cool.”
I shook my head. “But . . . no guys like me. I’ve never been asked out, or even to a dance.”
“Guys aren’t gonna ask if you only hang out with one guy. They probably thought you were together with Emmett. I did. Besides, you’re not like most girls. You can tell you’re tough. They might have been scared of you. Most guys don’t want a girl who can kick their ass. Personally, I’d like to spar for real and see who would actually win.”
“If you like me then why have you been so mean? I seriously wanted to pull a knife on you.”
Talon’s face turned a shade of scarlet which clashed with his hair. “I . . . at first I meant the things I said, I didn’t think a little girl like you would be a capable guard. Then I got flustered and I didn’t know how to talk to you and―”
“Oh my God. You’ve been trying to flirt with me this whole time?”
His face and neck went a darker shade and purple mixed with the red. “Hurry up and tell me you hate me, so we can both move on. I shouldn’t have said anything in the first place. Stupid me.”
“You’re not stupid. I just didn’t . . . expect this.” I sat up and crouched next to him.
His gaze turned pathetic. “How do you feel? I mean, are you interested at all?”
“Can I be honest?”
“Are you asking for permission to be rude?”
“Not this time.” I heaved a breath. “For a minute, when you took down the harpy our first day, I thought I could like you if you weren’t such an insufferable asshole.”
“Yeah, nothing rude there.”
“Shut up and wait for the good part.” I glared at him but for a change, a smile tickled the corner of my mouth. “As for how I feel about you, I have no idea. I might be able to like you if you didn’t spend all your time pissing me off. So, try this, chill for a bit and let’s see what happens. I’m not saying yes or no. Let me see the not so mean Talon for a while so I can think without seeing red.”
He pulled his knees up to his chest. “I can live with that.”
“Well if it’s not something you can live with, then you’ll have to curl up and die. I’m not giving any more. But you won’t have to wait too long to die.” I grinned. “Just let the next critter to come after us have you.”
He bumped his shoulder against mine. “I’m not the only one who flirts mean.”
I gasped and then laughed. “I don’t date, so maybe I’m wrong, but isn’t the guy is supposed to be Prince Charming? You know, sweep the girl off her feet.”
Talon stood and held out a hand for me. “I’ll take that to mean you’re not interested, because Prince Charming I am not.”
“No kidding.” I took his hand and let him help me up, sidestepping the extra pull toward his arms.
He jerked harder and I stumbled into his chest. “You say you want the fairytale, but I doubt you’d be satisfied if you got your prince. You’d be so bored with the poor sap you’d probably put a pillow over his face in the middle of the night.”
“Why wait for night with you?” I pressed my knuckle into his sternum making him gasp and squirm. When he let go I jumped back to avoid getting caught again and shot him a teasing look. “I’ll give . . . it could be interesting.”
He blinked at me. “What, killing me?”
“No.” I laughed. “Dating you.” I let myself back into the hotel room feeling pleased at the stunned and happy look I’d left on Talon’s face as the door shut behind me.
Chapter 8
I woke to find myself staring into crystalline blue eyes.
“Good morning.” Omri smiled at me. “Mistress would like to start early. I hoped I might ride with you today. I’d like to lay out our plan of tracking the unicorn, and I assume you are not interested in riding with Elita and Emmett.” Omri grinned as I stiffened. “I thought not.”
“Sure. We can ride together.”
A crash and a shriek from the bedroom sent me flying off the floor followed closely by Omri and Talon. Yumiko stood outside the bedroom door, holding a finger to her lips. Inside Emmett screamed at Elita.
“I don’t know what the hell you want from me.”
“I want you to love me. You’re going to be my partner and my husband. You have to.” Something crashed again.
“I don’t, and I won’t.”
“You love the stupid imp, don’t you? That’s why you ran off with her last night. Well you can’t have her, and she can’t have you.”
“She’s like my sister. And yeah, I love her. More than anyone could possibly love a selfish bitch like you. She’s hands down a better woman. You should strive to be like her.”
“She’s an imp. I’m fairy aristocracy. I’ve been better than her since birth.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your bloodline. I’m talking about actions. She’s risked her life for me repeatedly. I bet you’ve never even lifted a pinky for yourself, let alone anyone else.”
“That’s what my servants are for. I shouldn’t have to.”
“Your servants are paid to do things for you. They’re not paid to like you and I promise you, they don’t. You’re a job, not a friend. Our magic will be tied, but I’ll be just like your servants: stuck with you. I’ll never love you, because you’re completely unlovable.”
The door slammed open and Yumiko barely jumped out of the way in time. Emmett, red-faced and furious stomped across the common room. Elita wore an equally angry scowl and reached the bedroom door before we could all scramble away.
“What are you four doing?” she shrieked at us.
“We heard a crash―” Omri started.
Elita slapped him leaving a hand print across his face. I gasped. I’d never dare strike a sphinx so casually.
“You were all eavesdropping. How dare you.”
She rounded on me and I backed off. They weren’t paying me enough to take physical abuse. At least not from her. But Emmett moved between us blocking me.
“Don’t you dare. They’re hired to check on anything suspicious. You throwing things around the room certainly would have sounded fishy. Besides, it’s not like they had to listen hard to hear. Your shrill voice could pierce concrete.” She moved to slap him, and he caught her hand. “I won’t live like this. Find a way to be a better person or I’ll let the next creature that comes for me eat me.”
“You wouldn’t dare. I can have your little girlfriend punished in your place if you let yourself die.”
Emmett narrowed his eyes and squeezed her wrist. “If I ever seriously think you’ll harm Olivia I’ll wait until the unicorn seals the partnership and I’ll kill myself and take you with me. I know if I die you go, too.”
Elita gave a hard laugh. “Why die for her? She’s not worth your own life.”
“She’s saved me several times. I owe her and to protect her you’ll find I’ll do whatever I have to.”
Elita went pale
for a moment and wheeled around on Yumiko. “Pack my stuff I want to go. And tell the rest of them to stay out of my sight.”
I scurried over to the table near the TV and grabbed the ice bucket. Filling a hand towel with ice cubes, I brought them back to Omri. “Here. For your face.”
He gave me a dead smile. “Thank you.”
I glanced back at the closed bedroom door and decided Elita didn’t care what a peasant had to say. “You executed the guy last night for sins weighing on his heart. How is hers possibly good enough for you to take this treatment?”
Omri cast a look at the door with his aqua eyes, then pulled me so close his lips nearly touched my ear to whisper, “I should not discuss this with you. But seeing as how you’re turning Emmett over I’ll grant you knowledge that is not yours to know. Please don’t repeat what I say.”
I nodded solemnly.
“Her heart is tarnished like silver,” Omri explained. “Given a polish she will shine as brightly as the precious metal. But if the correct solution is never applied she will grow blacker and blacker. I don’t see the future, only hearts. I simply know what her potential is. She could be beautiful.”
I snorted. “I’m not seeing the beauty.”
He winced as he smiled, the ice still on his cheek. “It’s hard to see the butterfly in the worm.”
“Whatever. Cleaning her up is going to take one hell of a polish. All I see is a twisted lump of black metal.” I paused for a second. “What do you see in me?”
He dropped his chin so it rested on my shoulder. “Beauty, danger, loyalty, courage, love, heartache, and so many other things.”
I shrugged him off. “You’re teasing me. You don’t need to be a sphinx to pick up on those things, though the beauty, I’m not sure how you figure.”
He chuckled and pressed a finger to the tip of my nose. “If you were meant to know these things you would have been born a sphinx. And you are a beauty. So many factors play into being lovely beside the physical. You would judge yourself harshly against Elita. But ask any man in this room who he would pick.”
He turned and walked away leaving my head spinning. I’d never really thought of myself in such terms. I looked in the mirror. My reflection glared back, painfully plain and a little worn. What other factors could possibly improve the view? Besides, the three men in the room would probably have taken a spider over Elita if forced to choose.
I was out of time to ponder anymore. We needed to move, yet again. I went to grab my bag, but Talon already had it, so I trotted after him.
“I can carry my own bag.”
Talon shot me a gleaming smile. “I thought you wanted Prince Charming? Besides whatever Omri said to you sent you into la la land. I figured this would get you moving faster.”
“You know he’s a sphinx, right?”
“No. But I do now. So?”
“I asked him what my heart looked like. He said I’m beautiful and maybe more attractive than Elita. But I can’t see how. She’s gorgeous. It’s her personality which sucks.”
“Omri’s right. Any guy would happily screw her once just to see her pretty face under him. But seriously what would you do with her afterward? The only time she’s pretty is when she’s silent and still. You could use duct tape but too much ruins the effect.” He dropped the bags and in a flash had me pinned against the wall. “You on the other hand, your looks aren’t as flashy but . . . grrr.”
I tried to wiggle out. I didn’t like how my heartrate had ramped up. “Yeah. Grrr. That’s what a girl wants to hear. Hey, baby. You’re not pretty, but grrr.”
He dropped his face very close to mine. “Yes, you’d rather be grrr. Grrr, means you make guys wanna . . . well, if you don’t know how guys think then I won’t destroy your illusions yet. Let’s explain it like this. The same way lots of girls like a bad boy, you’re a bad girl. You’re dangerous and that’s its own thrill. You know, taming the untamable.”
I struggled again. “We’re falling behind. They’re gonna think . . . things.”
“So, let’s not leave them disappointed.” He leaned in and I dodged and gave his head a push so he knocked his forehead into the wall.
“I said we’d see. Don’t make me maim you.”
He grinned at me and picked up our bags. “Whips and chains, Livy. Whips and chains. The harder you fight the more interested I get.”
I sighed and followed him down the hall. Omri stood waiting at the bike with my helmet in his hands. He shot me a grin and tossed the helmet to me.
“Wait,” Talon protested. “I thought Livy and I rode together.”
Omri waved him toward the car. “We have business to discuss.”
Talon gave me a little scowl and I rolled my eyes at him to remind him not to count his chickens before they were hatched. Popping the helmet on I climbed on the bike and started it up. Once we’d gotten out on the open road I prodded the silent Omri.
“What did you need to talk to me about? I thought Yumiko said we were headed to a unicorn in Belize? Sounds pretty straightforward to me.”
“The chase is a lie to placate Elita’s father. A unicorn had been spotted in the rainforest, but we have no hope of catching up with a unicorn on Earth. However, the alignment with the supposed sighting was providential. Hidden in a temple in the forests of Belize is a gateway to the Borderlands. We’ll simply go to the gateway and return to the Borderlands. A unicorn will be much easier to find, since most have their permanent residence there.”
“Wait, the Borderlands? Talon thought protecting Emmett and his partner would be nearly impossible there.”
“Yes, protecting him there would have been impossible for the two of you, but in this case, you have two additional guards. I might not be an official bodyguard, but I don’t think I’m helpless.”
I laughed. “Not hardly. You didn’t even break a sweat the other night. I think I’d be hard pressed to win a fight against you. But do you really think this plan is safe?”
“It’s absolutely not safe. But I’m focused on the outcome. Realistically, we’ll likely face the same number of adversaries on Earth. The encounters will simply take place over a longer period. Why make everyone suffer? We’ll finish this and get you back to normal faster.”
“You really have a loose definition of normal.”
Omri squeezed my waist. “You will thrive. Change hurts but it’s not in you to give up.”
“It’s creepy you know me, when you don’t know me.” I squirmed and changed the subject. “So, what exactly are the Borderlands like?”
“Much like Earth, but the sun is red. You’ll find this changes colors. Human’s don’t exist there. In the Borderlands, they’re nearly as fabled as we are on Earth. And since there are no humans, there are no human transformations. You will look like an imp the whole time.”
“That’s not sounding much like Earth.”
“The two locales boast a short list of differences. Would you prefer I expound upon the sameness?”
“No. We’re good.”
He spent the rest of the ride, which wasn’t very long, asking me about growing up on Earth. Since sphinx were powerful creatures, he would have needed a reason and permission from his lord to visit. Naturally, he’d never been to Earth until now.
We reached a wharf where a luxurious yacht awaited us. I had to admit Elita traveled in style. Not that she appreciated it and immediately retreated to the main cabin, still sulking.
Omri explained since water is denser than air the boat couldn’t handle being pushed by magic like the cars. We would have to go at normal speed, meaning several days at sea before we would reach the rainforest. Elita sulked for the ride and the words said by Yumiko tallied on two hands. I got stuck alone with the three guys.
Our first night at sea mermaids accosted the boat. They don’t
really attack, being rather prissy as a rule. But they slowed the ship to a stop, using seaweed to clog the propellers and then mobbing the vessel.
Trying to count in the dark left me unsure of the number fifteen I came up with. Each one lived up to the reputation of the intoxicatingly beautiful siren. I doubted we’d be able to talk reasonably with them, but I also hated to attack them.
Omri went to the edge of the boat and gave a sort of screech. A moment later the mermaids were gone. I stared openly at him, wondering what Talon and I were needed for. We seemed rather superfluous given Omri’s set of talents.
I tagged after him as he walked the outside of the boat making sure the mermaids were really gone. “How did you get them to go? What did you say?”
He chuckled. “Not telling. Enjoy a little mystery in life.”
“You’re mystery enough for a couple lives. Why do you even need us? Or Yumiko? You seem more than capable of protecting Elita and maybe even Emmett, too.”
“You’re here because despite your flattering admiration of me, I’m not capable of guarding everyone by myself. But I’m glad you hold me in esteem. Thank you.” He turned and leaned against the rail of the boat. “I think we’re good, and I’ll be very surprised if we’re bothered by merfolk again.”
I leaned next to him. “Can I be honest with you? Will you give me an honest answer?”
“Of course.”
“I’m really worried guarding Emmett has been so easy up to this point. Zaemon is hardly going to give up after one try and we haven’t seen anything from him since the day I found out Emmett carried magic.” An involuntary shiver ran through my body.
Omri put an arm around me giving a one-armed hug. “I agree. Something will happen. I just don’t know when or where.”
I leaned my head on his chest. “Is being a bodyguard always so hard? As an assassin, I’d take a job, which might be terrifying for a bit but then it’s over. This never seems to end and being on high alert twenty-four hours a day is exhausting.”
