discovered that she had been with him...
Control your anger. Control.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your fun,” Bash said, eyeing my rumpled
bedsheets with distaste. “Have you finally given up on your mate?”
I gritted my teeth together to keep from screaming at him. He wouldn’t
known - he never met his mate - but it would’ve been impossible for me to be
with another woman. Z was my soul, the better half of me, and the thought of
touching someone else made me physically ill. It wasn’t just the bond causing
me to feel that way. It may have been the force that brought people together,
but it wasn’t the glue that kept them as one.
I loved her.
I always have.
I didn’t know how to say that all to Bash. To tell him that it would’ve felt
like ripping my arm from my body at even the thought of cheating on her.
That I couldn’t sooner hurt myself than I could harm her. Until he had a mate
of his own, he would never understand.
Just like Z wouldn’t understand if I were to tell her that S was her mate as
well. I knew it the second I had seen them together. It was a secret I would
take to my grave. How would she react if she knew that one of her mates had
been killed? How would she react if she discovered that I could’ve prevented
it?
Something on my face must’ve given me away, for Bash cursed loudly
and brought both his hands to his blond locks, pulling at them.
“Fucking shit. She’s here, isn’t she? Your mate is here. Damn it.” He
kicked at my couch. “Everybody has their fucking mate now. Fan-fucking-
tastic. Who needs free-will anyways? Not us apparently. Not fucking us.”
I glanced at Lupe, eyebrow raised, but he subtly shook his head.
Don’t ask, the eloquent gesture seemed to say, and I obediently clamped
my mouth shut. It would only make matters worse to retort.
Lupe cleared his throat, cutting Bash off in mid-rant. All eyes turned
towards the Shifter expectantly.
“I scoured through my books looking for any information about this
Aaliyah person. Obviously, she is targeting Killian, but the question is why?”
No shit, I wanted to say. Did they really barge into my bedroom to
reiterate what I already knew? Death would occur if that was the
case...preferably with a variety of weapons.
Damn. Z was rubbing off on me already. Soon, we would get him and her
matching knife sets. My little psychopath.
“Did you find anything?” I asked tersely.
“No.”
Of-fucking-course.
“But…” Lupe continued, noting my barely concealed rage. “While I
didn’t find anything about Aaliyah, I did find something on the dead bodies
of the men that had gone after Killian.”
Lupe reached into his pocket and grabbed out a piece of paper. I leaned
forward to take a closer look.
It was an unfamiliar symbol, tiny black lines morphing into thicker red
ones to create a demented circle. It was unlike anything I had ever seen
before. Frowning, I surveyed the drawings closer.
“This was on both bodies?” I asked in clarification.
Lupe nodded solemnly.
“Tattooed on their backs, just beneath their right shoulders.”
I glanced at it once more, positive I had never seen such an intricate
pattern before. However, I knew someone who might’ve.
“My mate,” I began, “might have an idea where this is from. I’ll talk to
her tonight at the dinner.”
“Mine too,” Killian cut in.
Dair nodded. “Same.”
From somewhere in the shadows, Ryland began to laugh. It was the first
genuine laugh I had heard from him in years. My eyes widened in surprise at
hearing the jovial noise.
“What are you laughing at?” Bash asked darkly, whipping his head in the
direction the noise had come from. I could dimly make out the silhouette of
my Shadow brother.
“You guys are all a bunch of dumbasses,” Ryland said simply after his
laughter had subsided.
“Excuse me?” Dair asked softly. Again, he was the only one who didn’t
was a Mermaid thing to be constantly in a state of bliss and nirvana all the
time or a Dair thing.
“You’ll see in time,” Ryland said around another laugh. “Fucking
dumbasses.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Z
Iwalked into my room, body humming with the remnants of pleasure
from my encounter with Devlin, only to see...me. Assassin me. Posing
in front of a mirror.
“You’re a sexy bitch, aren’t you?” The Me said, shooting finger guns at
the reflection. “Sexy bitch with curves in all the right places.”
“Diego,” I began, pinching the bridge of my nose. “What the hell do you
think you’re doing?”
He jumped, startled by my voice. Even without seeing his face, I knew he
would be smiling sheepishly.
“Getting into character.”
“And that involves strutting and finger guns?” I asked, quirking an
eyebrow. Now that his embarrassment had faded, Diego was left with his
usual surplus of sass. He put his hand on his hip and cocked it to the side.
“I need to practice shooting people. Duh.”
“I don’t even...no words.”
“No surprise. I usually make females speechless,” he said smugly, turning
back to the mirror. He struck another pose, this one involving a leg kick and
more crotch than I ever wanted to see.
“You’re a freak,” I muttered, but I couldn’t help but gnaw on my lower
lip in worry. Were we really doing this? Was I really going to put his life on
the line? The mere thought of it made my stomach twist and contract
painfully.
“I’m going to be okay,” Diego said softly, noting the fear on my face. He
had always been observant, especially after S’s death. He knew I was
struggling before I even knew it. “We’re going to be okay.”
While his confidence was contagious, doubt still niggled me, the ever
persistent bastard. Doubt and guilt.
The guilt, I realized, was irrational. Nothing had even happened yet, but I
was still preparing myself for the worst case scenario. It was the easiest way
to get through life: expect and accept the worst.
Reaching around me, Diego swatted my ass.
“Now why don’t you go get your pretty butt in that sexy dress.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, but obediently walked into my bedroom
where the dress was still draped across my dresser. After my rendezvous with
Devlin, I didn’t feel as dirty putting on the purple number as I once would’ve.
I haven’t forgiven him for what he had put me through, but I didn’t hate him.
How could I when I understood all too well the enticing pull of self-sacrifice?
We were one and the same, him and I.
Clicking my tongue, I shimmied out of my clothes and into the dress.
Mali would insist on makeup and elaborate hairstyles, but I much preferred
my natural look.
My eyes widened as I took in my reflection in the bedroom mirror. My
hair hung in disheveled blond curls arou
nd my face. The dress itself was tight
on my chest, reaching up to clasp around my neck, before protruding
outwards in a silky, purple skirt. Even I had to admit, despite being the cynic
I was, that the dress was gorgeous. It accentuated my considerable cleavage
and my toned stomach. Smirking at myself in the mirror, I grabbed a
necklace off of the dresser and a golden charm bracelet. Both items were
gifted to me by Diego for my birthday a couple of months back. The necklace
was designed to protect me against any harmful spells, and the bracelet was
supposed to vibrate when danger was near. Both pieces of jewelry had a “one
and done” spell on them. If there was any day to use them, today would be
that day.
After a moment of hesitation, I sheathed two knives on either thigh. It
wasn’t the most convenient location, but it would have to do. I surveyed
myself one last time in the mirror, pursing my lips in an attempt to bring
color to my cheeks. It was only then that I saw the lumpy outline beneath my
quilt. A very human looking outline.
My dagger was in my hand before I could even blink, my steps tentative
as I made my way to the sleeping figure.
Who the hell was in my bed? Was it Mali?
Dagger raised slightly, I pulled back the blanket. I was greeted by the
sight of closed eyes and a contented smile. It was a man - a familiar man. It
took me a moment to place where I had seen the shock of brown hair and
high, chiseled cheekbones before.
The Vampire from my dreams.
Only, just then, he appeared to be very very real. His eyelashes feathered
against his cheeks, twigs of ebony. Even in sleep, his face was vulnerable and
serene. He had no idea that a skilled assassin held a knife inches from his
slumbering frame. It would be so easy to stick the knife into his heart, to end
his life.
But I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t just because he was sleeping, though I hated
hurting people that couldn’t fight back, but because an innate voice within me
rebelled at the idea of hurting him. I squeezed my eyelids shut, hoping that he
was only a figment of my imagination, but one glance confirmed that he was,
in fact, real. He let out a sigh of pleasure, burying his face further into my
pillow with a sharp inhale.
Damn it. Damn him. Damn myself for having a damn conscious.
My heart warmed as I watched him. Almost instinctively, I moved to
push a strand of hair behind his ear. I wondered if it would feel as soft as it
looked.
It did.
He stirred at my touch, but didn’t wake. Despite this, I could’ve sworn I
heard him mumble beneath his breath, “Mine.”
Yours.
With one last glance at the mysterious figure, I hurried out of my
bedroom, being extra careful to shut the door quietly.
What the hell was wrong with me? Not only was I allowing him to sleep
in my room, but I was making his experience more comfortable? What was
next? Foot massages?
Mali had arrived at some point during my strange encounter with the
Vampire and was deep in conversation with Diego. They both froze when
they caught sight of me, Diego whistling appreciatively, and Mali blinking
rapidly
“Damn Z. You look hot.” Mali sounded honestly stunned, as if I had
somehow transformed into an entirely different person.
“Bitch, I was born flawless,” I responded, smirking.
“If I was into girls, I would so tap that ass,” Diego teased. Dramatically
tossing my hair over my shoulder, I winked at both of them.
“My sexual prowess is out of this world.”
“Take me to your spaceship,” flirted Diego, and I snorted at how bad of a
pickup line that was.
“Oh and by the way…” I grabbed my purse off of the desk, checking to
make sure my knives were still inside. A girl could never be too prepared.
“Which one of you guys let the Vampire sleep in my bed?”
The expressions on their faces were priceless.
Diego pointed to Mali at the same time she pointed at him. Rolling my
eyes, I muttered, “Children.” Diego’s attempt to persuade me that he was all
man was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Mali’s nostrils flared, and her face paled drastically. Diego stood up
straighter, a poor impersonation in my mind to resemble me. Nobody could
do me like me and my badassery, but then again, I was kind of biased.
“Stay behind me,” I whispered to Diego. If it was someone at the door
attempting to harm “Z”, they would have to go through me and the many
razor blades I kept hidden in my hair. Steeling myself, I opened the door with
a ready, albeit fake, smile.
The smile disappeared from my face when I took note of the two Shifters
standing in the doorway. The Shifter prince and princess. Lupe and Atta. My
eyes instantly roamed the impressive physique of the big man in front of me.
I hated Shifters, hated them with a passion and intensity that went beyond
anything normal, but yet I could only feel wave after wave of lust as I stared
at him. The broad shoulders, clearly defined beneath his black suit jacket.
The dusting of hair on his rounded jaw. The golden flecks in his eyes,
highlighting the blond strands in his dark head of hair.
I felt anger at my body for betraying me so easily. He was the son of the
man responsible for human work camps all across the globe. He was
inherently evil.
But his warm smile was anything but evil.
Mali appeared at my side, eyes locked on Atta.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked darkly, and I blanched at the
venom in my best friend's voice. What had this girl done to make Mali so
furious?
I crossed my arms over my chest, and Lupe’s attention immediately
drifted to my breasts straining against the purple fabric. I heated under his
scrutiny, imagining his long tongue swirling over my nipples. His large hands
cupping my ass as he hoisted me against a wall. Those plush lips ravaging
me.
And then I pictured Lupe on one side of me and Devlin on the other. Both
of their lips touching every bare inch of my skin. My face flushed at the
fantasy, and I quickly shook my head.
Damn hormones.
“We thought we would walk you to the dinner tonight,” Atta said
cheerfully, eyes still fixated on Mali.
Diego moved up behind us, bedecked in Z’s attire, and both Lupe and
Atta narrowed their eyes at him. I could’ve sworn I saw jealousy burn in
Lupe’s gaze. That jealousy only amplified when Diego placed a hand on my
shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
I couldn’t help but snort at Diego’s attempt to comfort me. He thought I
was silent because of my hatred for Shifters, not because I was debating
whether or not I wanted to jump one right then and there. If only he knew
what a twisted bitch I actually was.
“I need to go help set up,” Mali blurted, shouldering me out of her way.
Without another word, she hurried in the direction I knew the kitchen to be.
That lying bitch. I would torture the information out of her if I had to.
Atta watched her go, lips t
urning downwards in what looked like
disappointment. The truth hit me like a stack of bricks; I staggered in my
heels, instinctively grabbing Lupe’s impressive bicep to keep myself steady.
“Holy shit! Are you guys mates?” I hissed at Atta, nodding in the
direction Mali had disappeared down. The blush reddening the Shifter
princess’s face was the only indication I needed.
Wow. That was...unexpected.
I knew that Mali had dabbled with females in the past, but to discovered
her mate was one must’ve been a shock. That little bitch hadn’t even
bothered to tell me! It would explain her itchiness and irritation. What it
didn’t explain, however, was the distaste in her eyes whenever she stared at
Atta.
I wondered if my own opinions of Shifters somehow tainted Mali’s
feelings for Atta turning lust into fear and disgust. Guilt pierced my chest at
the thought.
There was a distinct difference between good and evil. I couldn’t help but
recall Killian’s explanation of the various facets in nature. I knew I was being
unfair towards both Atta and Lupe. They weren’t the same Shifters that had
harmed me, killed S. I couldn’t group an entire species into one box because
of my history with a few evil ones. That made me just as bad as them, the
monsters I needed to stop.
Taking a shuddering breath, I flashed Atta a soft smile.
“I’m Zara. Mali’s best friend. A pleasure to meet you.” My hand couldn’t
help but tremble as I extended it for her to shake. It had just occurred to me
that this was the first time I had willingly touched a Shifter. Shock flickered
across her features briefly. Just as quickly, a radiant smile blossomed on her
face, and she shook my hand.
“Atta. I am so happy to meet you. You are absolutely gorgeous. Is that
weird to say? That’s weird, isn’t it?”
“Atta, stop talking. Please,” Lupe said. He ruffled his sister’s flaming
hair, and she swatted at his hand half-heartedly. Turning towards me, Lupe’s
expression turned appraising. “I don’t believe we have been properly
introduced. I’m Lupe.”
“Zara.”
This time, when I extended my hand, he bent down to press his lips
against my knuckles. My skin tingled at the contact, especially when his large
tongue moved to lick at his lips. What I wouldn’t give to have that tongue on