Awakening Kiss (Watcher's Kiss Book 4) (17 page)

Rhys pushed through a set of swinging doors and into a bright kitchen. Cooks and dishwashers turned wide, startled eyes on them but he ignored it, beelining for the rear door.

They emerged into an alley next to two big dumpsters. Tall brick buildings surrounded them.

“Now what?” Enza asked.

“Pause for a second.” Rhys closed his eyes and inhaled, picking through the scents of dirt and restaurant garbage. He strained his ears, but detected only the hustle of city life. Either the Deserati weren’t close, or they had stopped too, in order to do exactly what Rhys was doing. “Shit. I got
nada.
”

She looked up at him with wide brown eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Or it will be okay, once we get to a safe place.” He dropped a swift kiss to her lips, wanting to do so much more but needing her most of all to know he wasn’t mad. “Stay with me and don’t panic.”

She placed her soft hands on top of his and nodded. “I won’t.”

“Good. We have a few blocks to go.” He lowered her hands, still holding his. “We may need to loop around and backtrack.”

“Got it.” A new confidence blazed in her eyes. “I know how to clean up my own mess. Just tell me what to do.”

He grinned. “
Bella
, you didn’t make a mess. You just opened up a world of possibilities. Let’s go.” They crept to the mouth of the alley and peered out onto the busy street. Rhys scanned right and left, then tugged her out of the safety of the narrow, bricked space. “Eyes and ears open, babe.” With an arm around her waist he steered her along the sidewalk.

The sun had emerged, the rain stopped, and in its aftermath the air tripled its humidity. Pedestrians walked around as if nothing had happened. Though every other person had sopping wet hair and clothes.

Enza pressed against him. Her curves, covered but not hidden in her wet Java Genie T-shirt, brushed his chest, and her hip bumped his, making him wish for a cozy afternoon alone somewhere.

Instead, she was in enemy cross-hairs.

He had a hundred things to say to her, but they would have to wait. The instant she’d used her power, a unique energy radiated from her. Imperceptible to humans, but obvious as a neon sign to supernaturals. And those two Deserati males had sized her up like she was the fucking Hope Diamond, and they were high-level thieves itching to nab a big prize.

Rhys knew when he was being targeted, or when someone under his watch was, and it called forth a primal anger. No one would harm her. He would have torn them apart right there, but that was a no-go in the day while surrounded by humans. He could take on two predators, but to do that while ensuring Enza’s safety would have been a challenge.

Dark movement caught his eye and he stopped. Enza gave a sharp intake of breath. “Ten o-clock. They don’t see us,” he whispered, backing up. Half a block north, the two males walked slowly away from Rhys and Enza, scanning the street.

She swallowed, but stuck to his side like Velcro. He ducked down the nearest gangway, emerging into another alley, and led her to the next street over. “We got lucky,” he murmured. “And we need to go this way anyway.”

“Okay.” Beside him, she exuded a calm determination.

Comfortable with her ability and cool under pressure. Was her inner predator eager to get out? He took a second to stare at her in blatant appreciation. Dark hair wild from the humidity. She might not like it, but to him, she’d never looked sexier.

Her power. Damn. Amazing. Make that a thousand things to say to her, later—

“What?” Questioning eyes darted around and back to him. “Do you hear them?”

“No.” Maybe her timing had turned out to be crap, but that wasn’t her fault. “You did good back there.”

She blinked, her brow furrowed. “But I—”

“We’ll talk when we get cover.” He gave her a quick grin and pulled her toward their destination.

The grid pattern of alleys and gangways was familiar. He and the others had used this safe house before. They passed the backsides of buildings that were the same at first glance. Lots of brick, lots of concrete, lots of rusted iron bars on windows and locks on heavy chains—but he knew exactly where he was. He dragged her into one last alley and ducked under a fire escape. A bashed in metal door awaited them. He pounded on it three times in rapid succession.

One second passed. Two. Damn, he couldn’t chance waiting any—

Shuffling steps padded on the other side of the door and, with a click, it swung open.

A petite female eyed him and Enza, but stepped aside. Rhys yanked Enza in and slammed the door.

Cool darkness enveloped them and the scents of patchouli and incense wafted from another room. They stood in the back storage area of a tiny shop. Boxes lined shelving units, and trinkets sat in plastic bins, all neatly labeled. Clothing, costume jewelry, charms, leather straps for bracelets, and crystals were tucked inside, ready to be purchased.

“Your wards are in place?” he asked the diminutive pixie who ran the shop.

“Yes, Rhys.” Bright green eyes swept up his body then moved to Enza. “Are either of you injured?

“No. And thank you, as always, for the shelter.” He inclined his head. “This is Enza.”

“A Deserati.” The pixie spread her arms. “Welcome. I don’t know if you’ll find anything interesting in my shop, but you’re free to browse or rest if you need to.”

“Shop?” Enza frowned. “Where are we? And how did you know what I am?”

“I’m Lisetta.” She tucked a lock of black hair behind her pointed ear. “I’m a fortune teller, and sell other things that humans seem to like. I have a pretty accurate sense about others. And you, my dear, still have a trace of your energy signature hovering around you.” She made a circular gesture in the air between them.

“Oh.” Enza shot a glance at Rhys. “Energy signature?”

“When you used your power.” He dropped his voice low. “Energy was released. It’s like a sign in the air around you, and it can linger.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip.

He cleared his throat, not wanting to have this convo in front of anyone else. “Lisetta is an ally. Several of the city’s fortune teller shops are run by pixies like her.” Rhys ran a hand over his hair, brushing the last of the water from it. “We have an arrangement with them. We provide protection here and on Torth for their clans and, in return, their shops act as city safe houses.”

Enza’s mouth made a perfect
O
that he wanted to kiss. “Pixie?” Her eyes were huge.

“Yes, what else would I be?” Lisetta replied in the laid-back manner that the Watchers were accustomed to and which soothed humans curious about their futures. “Though I could be mistaken for a sprite, I suppose.”

“I’m sorry.” Enza shook her head. “You’re the first one I’ve met. And thank you for helping us.” She turned to Rhys. “But why not just get in a cab and lose them that way?”

“Vehicle pursuit is too dangerous. Can’t take the risk of injuring humans. It’s daytime, so we can’t run along the rooftops—too conspicuous. We need to disappear and take the tunnels. But we need to access them from a hidden place.”

“Tunnels?” She tilted her head. “I know the city has a lot of them. You mean like the subway?”

“Subway’s part of it.”

“Would you like to go now, or would you like to rest a bit? Have some tea? Or water?” Lisetta smiled. “You may stay as long as you like. Rilan checked these wards just last month. You’re quite safe here.”

“We’ll stay for a few minutes,” Rhys said. “I need to call the guys. And water would be great.”

“Of course. You can use this room here.” Lisetta gestured for them to follow her and led them down a narrow hall lined with boxes, to a small room with a desk, couch, and mini fridge. “Water’s in there. Let me know when you’re ready to leave.” She pulled the door closed behind her, leaving him alone with his beautiful, powerful female.

C
HAPTER
18

E
NZA WATCHED THE DOOR CLOSE,
heard the soft thunk of the door meeting the frame, and turned to Rhys. He towered in the small office Lisetta had offered them, damp shirt partially dry and hugging every ridge of muscle in his torso. She dragged her mind away from his distracting body long enough to ask, “A pixie?”

He nodded and took a step closer. “They’re in the category of fae creatures, which includes nymphs and elves. They’re not predators. That’s why our arrangement includes protection.”

“Today is getting intense.” She sank onto the soft navy blue couch. “Met a pixie, got pursued by bad guys…” She met Rhys’s blazing eyes. “Moved lightning.”

He dropped to his knees in front of her, hands on either side of her thighs. “That was fucking awesome.” A megawatt grin lit his face.

“It felt really good,” she whispered.

“And you had control that can take years to hone. Imagine what you could do with training.” His expression grew serious. “But that was also dangerous. If you hadn’t been able to control it, it could have hit someone or something.”

“Crap. You’re right.” She rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know what came over me, other than this feeling that I had to do what I could to keep people safe. And I may have put them in danger instead. That was stupid. I should have waited for Miranda.”

He tucked a finger under her chin, tilting her head up. “
Bella
, I’m not mad. Power can go haywire when the user is learning, that’s all.”

A new determination surged in her heart. “Then I need training.”

“Hell yes. You’ll get it.” His gaze was appreciative and sexy, and his fingers slid along her jaw, sparking fire with just a tender touch.

She leaned into his hand, awash in surprising ease with her strange new ability. “What I did today…it felt natural. Easy, almost.”

“And I’m proud of you. But…” he lowered his hand and crouched in front of her. “Unfortunately the wrong people saw you use it.”

“What do we do?” Dread threatened to kill her mood. This kind of thing happened in movies. She had no idea how to deal with being a target.

“Find out who they are and what they want. Is it you, specifically? Or are they interested in something else, something broader?”

“How could they even know about me, when I didn’t know about me?”

“Exactly.” He pulled out his phone. “And since we don’t have names, we’ll start the old-fashioned way.”

“Which is what?”

“Boots on the ground to dig up information.” He winked at her. “Or in this case, under the ground. I need to call in, let the group know our situation.” With a few swipes across the screen, he was up and pacing the small room.

Under the ground?
Enza blinked. That was a new one, but she guessed she’d find out soon enough.

His heavy footsteps created a trail across Lisetta’s red floral rug. There was no way Enza could not listen. Rhys talked in short phrases.
At Lisetta’s safe house. North Side. Two male Deserati. We lost them. Pause. Enza used her power.

Even she could hear the whistle through the line. Rhys rubbed a hand over his hair and glanced at her, smiling. “Yeah.”

More talk about backup and weapons. Rhys and Brenin made plans to meet somewhere called Morso and hung up.

Morso… Enza strained to remember if she’d heard that word before, or some variation of it. She looked up at Rhys. “Where are you going?”

“You and me. Not letting you out of my sight, or at least Watcher protection, until we get more intel.” His tone was resolute, as if he’d blast apart even a hint of an argument.

“It’s that bad?” she whispered.

Dark eyes snapped to hers. “Yes. It’s that bad. Deserati are as powerful as Lash. They’re strong and fast, and their tails give them an added weapon.” He sat beside her on the couch. “Your power is rare and kicks ass, but it doesn’t do you any good on a nice sunny day. And you’re untrained.”

“Do I have to hide? What about work?”

“I may need to be there. Or one of the guys, or Miranda. Damn it.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I also don’t want those two ripping apart your shop and co-workers.”

Enza squeaked and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my god. Did I put them in danger?” She peered down at her Java Genie T-shirt. “Oh shit.”

“We don’t know how much they saw. It was crowded and we were behind several people.” He rubbed a hand on her back, over her wet shirt. “But you should probably get out of this.”

Her breath, already choppy, caught. Her brain was a mix of high and low, excitement and fear, and through it all cut a deepening attraction to this dangerous man. “I…um, on another day, that line might be hot.”

He leaned close, breath brushing her ear. “On another day, you’ll do it without me suggesting it.”

Oh.
She swallowed. God, he was right. Despite him turning her world inside out, she was drawn to him in a way she couldn’t explain. She turned to him as a new purpose surged through her. Meeting his lips, she spoke against them softly. “You’re right.”

A growl—yes, definitely a growl—came from him and his hands came down on her shoulders. Keeping his lips against her, he murmured. “
Bella
, I need you to hold that thought because I’m going to cash in later. But right now, we’re in the middle of a situation I don’t like.”

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his. He knew more about this stuff than she did. “Where are we going?”

“A club called Morso.” He pulled back enough to put space between them, and pushed her hair back off her shoulders. “I’m betting you haven’t heard of it, even though you’re a lifetime city girl.”

She shook her head. “No. But the name sounds familiar.”

He grinned. “It’s Italian.”

Recognition flared and she sat up straighter. “Oh! Right! It means…bite, or bitten?”

“Yup.”

“How does a club for other worldly creatures end up with an Italian name?”

“Word is, it goes way back to Chicago’s Italian immigrant roots. Certain famous mob bosses had underground hideouts and clubs.”

“Oh. Right. Prohibition didn’t work out so well with all the tunnels below ground.”

“Yeah. And there’s another important detail you need to know. Well, several.”