Assassin's Kiss Read online

  C

  HAPTER 9

  MOST OF THE COVEN SLEPT, yet Scorpio sat awake and watchful. The cage dampened his senses, but didn’t obliterate them, and he wasn’t about to rule out a counterattack by Vespera. Not that he could alert Hallon quickly enough from here, but still, his fighter’s brain wouldn’t let him relax.

  Soft footsteps on the path drew his attention and his heart pounded double time. He leaped silently to his feet.

  Tessa.

  What was she doing up? She’d had a hell of a day, looking ready to drop when they’d returned to Bronwy—

  Long legs and sexy unbound hair short-circuited his thoughts as she approached. Riveted, he tracked her hips, her thighs, her toned arms. He was sure she was on her way to somewhere, anywhere…but she stopped in front of him.

  He leaned forward, clutching the bars. “Is everything okay?”

  She didn’t answer, just stared at him with eyes that rivaled the bluest waters he’d ever seen. Honeysuckle swirled around her, enveloping him in the fragrance he’d come to crave. He inhaled, and caught another scent. He quirked a brow. “Wine?”

  “Girl talk with Zeebi,” she murmured, and lowered herself to the grass. She leaned against the cage, her shoulder and head resting on the cool metal.

  Gods, he welcomed her company. But something still didn’t seem right. He sat down, facing her through the bars. “Is everything okay?” he repeated.

  She gazed at him like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “Why did you do it?” she whispered.

  His heart pinched at the mix of vulnerability and honest questioning that was plain on her face. And shit, she was buzzed and being a little vague. “Do what?” he asked, at the risk of sounding like an idiot.

  “Why did you kill?” Her eyes locked on his.

  He swallowed, dying to reach for her fingertips. But he’d wait, not knowing if she was ready for even that tiny touch. “I was forced to work for a demon named Dalamos. I was his conscripted mercenary.”

  “Why couldn’t you leave? Or kill him?” The oaky scent of red wine mixed with the husky tone of her voice, ripping him open with the need for her to truly know him. “Didn’t he get killed by a rival group? He wasn’t invincible.”

  “No, he wasn’t.” Scorpio’s eyes drifted over the soft waves of her hair as the gentle night breeze lifted a strand and blew it between the bars. He fought the urge to grasp its feather lightness. “That was a skillful, precise attack by a group of Vipers. A combination of cockiness from Dalamos and luck for them.” He shook his head. “Thank fuck it happened, but I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “But if someone was able to get to him, why not you?”

  Unsure of exactly where she was going with this, and conscious of her wine buzz, but not wanting her to leave, he weighed his words. “Dalamos had constant security. Even though I was on the inside, still, he was never alone with me. Or anyone. Also…” He stopped, taking a moment to erect a shield against the emotion that made his blood boil. “Dalamos captured my younger brother and sister. They’re twins. At the time they were fifteen. He used them as leverage.”

  Blue eyes blinked in question.

  “His guards were allowed to do any depraved thing they wanted to either of them, unless I completed each job. Killed every mark.” Scorpio’s hands balled into fists as memories washed back into his mind. “I’ll never forget the fear on my sister Kira’s face whenever I left on a job.”

  “Oh my gods,” Tessa said softly.

  “Kira believed in me. Trusted me to protect her. So did Raff. And goddamn it, I couldn’t let them down, couldn’t let any harm come to them. They were innocent. Every damn day, I searched for a way to kill that bastard, but couldn’t endanger my family.”

  A tentative mewl broke the tension of his words, as Jinx sauntered across the grass to curl into her mistress’s lap.

  Scorpio blew out a breath. “Constant surveillance by guards whose weapons were dipped in poison. Constant threat of harming my siblings. That’s why I never assassinated him myself. His sorry ass life wasn’t worth even one punch landed on Kira and Raff. I knew, one day, we’d find a way out.”

  “I had no idea.” Her words were breathy, barely audible. She absently stroked her cat’s fur.

  “Not many do.”

  “You don’t like to talk about it?”

  He leaned closer. Inches separated them. “No one asks.”

  Her blue eyes widened a fraction. “Because they’re afraid of you?”

  “Maybe.” He held her gaze. “Are you?”

  Wide eyed, defiant, serious. “No.”

  “If these weren’t here,” he grazed a finger down one cool metal bar, “would you say the same?”

  She flicked a glance to the cage and bit her lip, little teeth sinking into the soft plushness of her lip. Gods. The tiny gesture stirred his cock, but he tamped it down, waiting for her response. Whatever was going on with her tonight, would she be more honest with him? Or less?

  “Yes.” Not a waver in her voice. “I’d say the same.”

  Hell. Something bloomed in his soul. He hadn’t expected her complete conviction that she wasn’t afraid. He didn’t understand it, but he didn’t need to, because it was absolutely fucking true. She had nothing to fear from him. “Good. You’ll always be safe with me, Tessa.”

  Her shoulders sagged and a flare of anger crept across her face. “With you,” she echoed, shaking her head. “There is no ‘with you’. There’s no ‘with’ anyone.”

  Jinx flicked her tail against Tessa’s nose.

  Tessa wrinkled her nose and snorted. “You don’t count. You’ll probably stay here anyway.”

  “Stay here?” Hatred coiled in Scorpio’s gut as he remembered. Damien. “When do you have to go?”

  “Three weeks.” She stared into the trees, her voice void of emotion.

  Undiluted rage fired through his blood. “How can you do this if you don’t love him?”

  “How can you kill people you don’t even know?” she countered. “You do it for the ones you care about, whom it will help. You take your own emotions out of the equation. Gods.” She huffed out an exasperated breath. “I need to go.” She got to her feet.

  “Tessa, wait.” He leaped up. “What are you talking about? Who are you helping?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ve already said too much.” She took a step away.

  “Wait. I can help you find a way out of this.” I will, if it kills me. You’re fucking mine.

  She shook her head. “Not possible. Don’t you see? It’s all because of you.” She gestured to the makeshift homes, the open area, the trees beyond. “My situation, the coven’s situation, is because of you.” Her voice wasn’t accusatory, but simply factual and full of hollow regret. She turned and jogged into the night.

  He stared after her, her words cutting deep. Because of you.

  He clenched the bars and stifled a roar of frustration. He would make this right. Somehow, some way. But threading through the anger was a gleaming line of satisfaction.

  She wasn’t afraid of him.

  And that was step one.

  Zeebi slunk away from her spot concealed behind some shrubs. She couldn’t hear every word exchanged between Scorpio and Tessa, but she considered it progress that her friend went willingly to the killer’s cage.

  Gods knew Zeebi was pushing for it.

  And who knew how long he would remain behind bars? As much as she wanted his freedom, she knew it would mean loss of privacy to some degree. The dude could hear and smell from miles away.

  She crept back up the path to her cabin and ducked inside. Grabbing her phone, she dialed a familiar number.

  “What the fuck, Zee?” Damien’s deep voice growled, instant and angry. “I’m not paying you to get my guards killed!”

  “I’m sorry. I had no chance to warn you.” She paced her living room. “The decision to take the demon happened fast and I wasn’t privy to Hallon’s meeting about it.”
>
  “Five of my mages,” he snarled, and she imagined how his dark eyes were probably flaring right now. “Five.”

  Heat stirred in her belly. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I’ll make it up to you.”

  “You sure as hell fucking will.”

  Her breath hitched, picturing how he’d punish her. Would he use a flogger? Or fuck her in front of his men? Or maybe make her take them into her body, too? Her skin flushed with anticipation. Not knowing what he planned ratcheted her arousal higher.

  “But first I need to fix this mess,” Damien’s bark cut into her perverse fantasies. “And I need you to tell me every move way in advance. No more surprises. Or you’re not getting any more help from me.”

  “Let me come see you now,” she purred, toying with the opal pendant he’d given her. Not only was it pretty, but it masked her aura and projected one of happy, friendly, trustworthy Zeebi.

  It was her only way of fooling Tessa and Winston, two of the most perceptive people she’d ever met.

  “No. I’ve got people screaming for retaliation on both Bronwy and now the Lash demons. The last fucking thing I want is the goddamn Watchers up in my ass.”

  “How do they know the guards were killed by—”

  “Don’t be an idiot. The earth was disturbed. There were scorch marks everywhere and some of my men were just piles of ash. Shit, Zee. It’s not hard to figure out.” He huffed out a breath. “What’s Hallon’s next move?”

  “Don’t know yet. The demon was going to be kept for practice, to test how some new torture spells worked, but then an Elder wanted to send him on guard dog duty today. In Hallon’s mind, Scorpio had proved himself useful.”

  “Figure it out. Or your pretty little ass won’t get the gold you love so much.”

  It’s not just the gold. But she didn’t say that. Damien believed in power and brokered arrangements, all to enhance him and his coven. But mostly him. He took his pleasures along the way. He cultivated partnerships that would benefit him long term. But love wasn’t part of his vocabulary.

  “Okay. I won’t let you down.” Never, ever.

  He ended the call without a goodbye, and she sank into her favorite wingback chair. She closed her eyes and held on to the lingering tenor of his voice. She loved it, didn’t matter if he was yelling at her or someone else, if he was whispering in her ear the dirty things he would do to her, or if he was complementing her body, or praising her for the secrets she bared about her own coven. He was sexy, dark, dangerous, and addictive.

  Aligning herself with him could only be good for both of them. Even if he was about to marry Tessa. It was for show and everyone knew it.

  Damien would still warm her bed. No doubt there. Zeebi would do anything the man wanted. Anything his dark mind dreamed up. And she knew her friend would never ever go along with Damien’s level of kink and depravity, his need to humiliate.

  Maybe she wouldn’t have to share him with Tessa. Not that Tessa would speak to her once she learned of Zeebi’s involvement with Damien. She didn’t really want to lose her longtime friend. But years ago, Zeebi had decided power had more value than friendship. And now, if she could get Tessa to give Scorpio a chance…

  The Lash demon was a complication Zeebi didn’t need. His enhanced hearing and smell would hinder her efforts, force her to be more stealthy. And the guy seemed in no rush to leave. His intense interest in Tessa could be a blessing in disguise, though. If he was as determined as she knew Watchers could be, he would stop at nothing to get her in his bed. Zeebi just needed to help things along.

  She honestly didn’t care who he’d killed, in the past or recently, or if he’d do it again. She just needed him gone, and preferably with Tessa at his side.

  Then Zeebi could have more of Damien to herself. She’d also be the best metal elemental in the coven, and one day, with Vespera’s help…

  She’d be its leader.

  C

  HAPTER 10

  KHARV ESCORTED SCORPIO BACK FROM his daily plunging bath in the river. The water was frigid, but Scorpio had been used to the same conditions in Dalamos’s enclave. It was the day after the crystal-gathering mission, and a few brief ice baths hardly registered as a problem. Not compared to years of enslavement. Plus, he’d rather be clean around his lovely mate.

  She still didn’t trust him. That perturbed him, but his soul was calmed by the fact that she no longer seemed horrified or disgusted by him.

  Instead, waves of confusion shadowed her face. He needed to take that away.

  Inga met them at his cage, smiling, with a bowl of scrambled eggs and a tall glass of juice. Huh. This was a change from the usual oatmeal or porridge.

  “Thanks. Special occasion?” He took the items from her.

  She shrugged. “The hens were very productive this morning. You may as well benefit from it, like the rest of us.”

  He stepped into the cage and Kharv locked it behind him. “Looks and smells delicious.”

  The red-haired witch squared her shoulders. “I also wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday.”

  Scorpio paused with his fork stabbed into a fluffy mound of eggs. “I did what was asked of me. And I’d do it again.”

  “Injuries could have been so much worse,” she whispered. “I can heal a lot of things. But the dark magic...sometimes it worms its way into a body and waits to spread.” She shuddered. “I hate to lose men. But it’s better that Fenrick and Samuel died quickly rather than succumb to that awfulness.”

  “The magic is sentient even after the user is no longer near?” This was a new, unwelcome trick.

  Inga nodded. “We can’t underestimate Vespera.”

  He blew out a breath. “That has endless lethal possibilities. But it’s good to know. More information results in a better plan to bring them down.”

  Kharv grunted. “You’re not talking like a prisoner.”

  Scorpio met the man’s gaze. “Vespera has your coven at a disadvantage and I have some responsibility to fix it.”

  “I, for one, am glad you’re here,” Inga said. “I am a healer and I cannot condone torture. I don’t know if that’s still the plan for you, but I have asked Hallon to rethink it.”

  “And any man who can fight like you is worth having around,” Kharv added. “No sense wasting your skills.”

  Scorpio’s eyes widened. He could handle torture spells, sure, though it would suck. But he never expected any of the witches to be in his corner. If Inga and Kharv could take the long view, maybe the rest could too—even Tessa. Hope and determination flared at the thought of his feisty little witch. He had to convince her. “Thank you,” he said with heartfelt gratitude.

  Soft feminine voices carried on the wind, accompanied by Tessa’s sweet scent. Scorpio, Inga, and Kharv turned to see her and Zeebi drawing near, wearing boots and jeans, backpacks slung over their shoulders.

  “Oh good, breakfast,” Zeebi said. “Eat up.”

  “Are we going somewhere?” His gaze settled on Tessa, drinking in the green T-shirt that hugged her breasts and made her eyes turn a new mix of emerald-azure. Her hair was once again in a ponytail, baring the column of her neck. So goddamn beautiful.

  “We need to retrieve iron ore.” Zeebi’s eyes flicked from him to Tessa. “Normally we go alone. But not today.”

  “Alone?” He leaned forward. “You should never be alone outside your own boundaries. Too many dangers.”

  “We’re not helpless, remember?” Tessa’s words were clipped, but the edge didn’t reach her eyes. She looked resigned. In her hand was the collar she’d placed on him the previous day.

  “Vespera might be on alert after the crystal harvesting situation,” Kharv said. “Even though you eliminated all of them, they’re not stupid. We can’t take the chance that they won’t think it was us. Can’t assume anything. They know we use those crystals.”

  “Hell, no, you can’t assume anything,” Scorpio growled. “Plus there’s the increase in the dire wolf population. It’s
not safe.”

  “It’s not like Vespera’s going to hurt me,” Tessa muttered. “Though I don’t want anything to happen to Zeebi.”

  “But they could take you sooner, dear heart,” Inga said.

  Tessa swallowed and swung her gaze to Scorpio, settling at his shoulder and not meeting his eyes. “Well, we’re bringing you with us today. That should make you happy.”

  “It does.” On more levels than you know. He’d relish the opportunity to be with her, out of these bars, but it was more than that. The thought of her traipsing around these woods without adequate protection made him crazy. “It’s a common sense move. You should never be alone. No reason for that.” Not when I’m here.

  But his last thought lingered unspoken, and the air thickened with tension. Kharv shot Scorpio a curious look, but Zeebi interrupted with a cough and a hurry-up gesture. “Finish your breakfast so we can go.”

  He shoveled the rest of the eggs into his mouth as Tessa and Zeebi told Kharv and Inga of their planned route. Except for the metal collar, he didn’t see them carrying any restraints.

  Jinx trotted toward them, tail in the air, eyes on Scorpio as she darted into the cage. She rubbed her body across his legs and mewed plaintively. “Bad timing, cat,” he grunted.

  “Such a little beggar.” Tessa frowned.

  “She’s apparently chosen her new favorite in the group,” Zeebi said.

  “She just wants food. As if we don’t have enough mice to kill.” Tessa shook her head.

  Scorpio chugged the juice from Inga. “Ready.”

  Tessa held a hand up near the lock and murmured soft words to a spell. With gentle clicks, the mechanism shifted and the lock released. She opened the door and stepped aside to let him exit.

  “Can you do that with every lock, or only the ones you create?” he asked. Her ability was truly amazing. She should have round the clock protection for that reason alone. Any bastard would want to use her for her skill.

  “Usually just the ones we create here.” She looked down at the collar in her hands, her fingertips rubbing across the pewter surface. “But I can manipulate common basic locks. The ones where the pins and gears are all in standard formation.”