Dark Desire (16 page)

“You ever had any training before?” he asked Korvain, leveling him with a hard stare.

The Mare’s chin tilted up in defiance. “I’ve defended myself when I’ve had to.”

“So you have had some training before,” Darrion surmised. “Who trained you?”

Korvain’s lips tightened. He wasn’t going to say any more, but Darrion didn’t care. He wanted this one. He could see the potential.

“My standard contract is a century.”

Korvain’s lip pulled up, revealing his impressive fangs, confirming Darrion’s suspicions that the bastard came from nearly pure blood. “No contracts. I’ll be there as long as Adrian and his sister are.”

“I won’t have an uncontracted Mare in my guild. You sign my contract or no deal.”

Korvain looked at Adrian. “You don’t need to do this,” Adrian implored. “This is my decision. It’s what’s best for Taer and me.”

“And this is what’s best for me.” Turning his attention back to Darrion, Korvain leaned his huge forearms on the table, making the furniture creak beneath his weight. “Fifty.”

Darrion bared his teeth. “Ninety.”

Korvain’s eyes narrowed dangerously and Darrion could feel the cold hatred boiling off him. “Sixty.”

“Eighty and nothing less.”

The Mare’s hands clenched into tight fists. The leather of his jacket crackled with the flexing of his muscles. “Seventy. Final offer.”

That was more than enough time for Darrion to take advantage of him. “Deal,” he agreed, getting up and moving away from the table. As he passed, Korvain’s fist shot out, his strong fingers wrapping around Darrion’s wrist, bringing him to an abrupt stop. Darrion glared down at him.

“Taer stays under our protection,” Korvain said. “You don’t lay a hand on her … ever. And I do the Final Test with the current quinary.”

Darrion hated being told what to do, but he wasn’t stupid enough to pass up this deal. “Fine,” he replied through gritted teeth. “Anything else?”

The bastard had the nerve to smile. “Yeah. To make sure you keep your hands off Taer, she, Adrian and I will live away from the guild.” He arched one eyebrow in challenge, and Darrion had to bite his tongue. This sonofabitch was going to be the fucking death of him.

“I agree, but on one more condition.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’ll be training you personally, and that’s non-negotiable.”

Korvain barked a throaty, mocking laugh. “You couldn’t teach me anything new,” he sneered.

“I bet I could,” he replied coolly. Wrenching his wrist out of Korvain’s grip, he stalked towards the door. “Training starts tomorrow morning,” he threw over his shoulder, not waiting for the response.

He faded from the diner, completely and utterly pleased with himself. He had just secured perhaps one of the last pure-blooded Mares in the whole of the Nine Worlds—hell, maybe even the last one—and he would make the bastard pay for every single bad decision he had ever made.

Eir couldn’t help glancing up at Mason every few seconds. She still couldn’t believe how their relationship had blossomed. He knew everything about her, about her world, and she was … relieved. She didn’t have to worry about trying to explain things to him.

She smiled as she looked down at Sophie. She could have sworn the dog had a huge grin on her face.

“She looks like she loves this,” Eir said, breaking the silence. Mason’s thoughts were obviously elsewhere. He had been distant ever since Korvain had barked something to him on the phone.

His eyes darted around them before settling on her face. The sun had just begun to rise, the first rays hitting Mason’s face, highlighting the flecks of green in his eyes. “She certainly loves being taken out,” he replied absently, his eyes still troubled.

“Did Korvain say something to you?” she asked when his eyes made another sweep of the immediate area.

That got his attention. “When?”

“Just before, on the phone.”

There was a beat of silence. Mason pressed his lips together, his jaw tightening up too. “What can you …” he started, looking away a moment later. “Forget it,” he said dismissively.

She placed her hand on his forearm, slowing his steps. His concern for her bombarded Eir’s senses. “Finish what you were going to say,” she encouraged.

He met her eyes briefly then said, “What can you tell me about Darrion?”

Eir’s heart stopped for a moment before resuming its usual rhythm, although it was pounding a little more quickly than normal. She honestly didn’t know very much about the Mare Korvain had called master, but she feared him because Korvain feared him.

“I honestly don’t know anything about him. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he muttered in reply, still looking around, his eyes never settling on one spot for more than a few seconds.

“Is that what Korvain spoke to you about? Is that why you’re being so vigilant?”

He grunted, and Eir thought it was in agreement. She smiled at his protective streak, amused by the idea that he would be able to protect her should Darrion come looking for her. She was a Valkyrie. She could summon a blade that could kill with a single stroke, yet the idea of Mason going into battle for her made those butterflies flutter in her stomach once more.

They were only a block away from the hospital now, the sun touching Eir’s face, warming her skin. She sighed deeply.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Mason said.

She saw that he was staring down at her. “For the first time, I don’t wish to go to work,” she admitted.

“And why is that?”

She reached up and hooked a tentative hand into his elbow. “I don’t want this day to end.”

They arrived at the hospital entrance, where Sophie sat patiently at Mason’s feet while they said their goodbyes. Boldly, he took Eir’s hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and brushing his lips against her knuckles. “I don’t want this day to end either.”

His words were a steady rumble that sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. Eir looked into his eyes, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“I should get inside,” she replied softly. “Will I see you later on, at the club?”

A slight smile hitched up one side of his mouth. Eir felt as if there were a million other things that needed to be said, but she found that all the air had left her lungs. Bobbing her head one final time, she turned towards the double glass doors.

“Eir?” Mason called.

She turned back.

“Thank you for being so understanding about … what I told you earlier.”

She could see it pained him to say the words, but she also knew there was much more buried within him. She had felt his pain when he’d comforted her only an hour earlier.

“We all have secrets,” she said. Mason’s eyes shot to her face.

“That we do,” he agreed. Once again he brushed her knuckles with his mouth. “I’ll see you later.”

Eir entered the hospital in a kind of daze. Never before had a man captivated her in this way, and she hadn’t the slightest idea why.

“Damn, girl, where do you find these men?” Stacy called out as Eir approached reception. “Please tell me that kiss was more than just a friendly goodbye.”

Eir couldn’t ignore the flutter of excitement in her chest. She shrugged. “I’m just lucky, I guess.” She moved past the reception desk and into the staffroom before Stacy could launch into another one of her interrogations.

No sooner had she stepped into her scrubs and put her clothes into her locker than Mark tapped on her opened locker door. “Hey.”

“Hey, Mark. How’s it going?”

He looked down at his feet—a sure sign he wasn’t just there for a friendly chat. “I saw you talking to a guy out the front.”

“Yes?”

There was a long, drawn-out pause. Eir could practically see him trying to find the words to say to her. “Are you seeing him?” he blurted out clumsily.

Eir gazed up at him, unsurprised to see a flame of color bruising his cheeks. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

The muscle in Mark’s jaw bounced. “Is he your boyfriend? Are you seeing him?” Eir couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or angry.

She laid a hand on his shoulder, clearly startling him. “Mark, he’s not my boyfriend,” she said. “He’s just a friend who walked me to work.”

The light elf looked truly relieved at the news and visibly relaxed. “Right, well, the reason I came in here was to ask you for another favor.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I want to know if you’d come and see Mr. Adamsen again. His treatment starts today, and he’s nervous. I was wondering whether you could …” He wiggled his fingers.

She smiled easily at him. “Of course I can.”

Eir followed the light elf out of the staffroom and to the elevators that would take them up to the oncology ward.

“So, how have you been?” Mark asked when the doors slid closed.

“I’ve been busy. You?”

He shrugged. “Same old, same old, I guess.”

“What time do you finish?”

Mark looked down, staring at his shoes. “I finished an hour ago. I was waiting for you to come in so you could see Mr. Adamsen.”

His answer shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. She really had to nip this infatuation in the bud.

“Mark, you know that—”

He waved her words away. “I know, Eir. I just wanted Mr. Adamsen to have the best around him before he went through with this treatment.” He looked away. “I’m really worried about him. I don’t think he’ll be able to pull through this.”

Eir placed her hand on his forearm, instantly feeling the fear and concern he had for his patient. This was what made him a great nurse. “I’ll see what I can do for him,” she said.

She knew from the last time she’d seen Mr. Adamsen that Mark was right—he probably wouldn’t survive this treatment. The elevator doors slid open, and Mark placed his hand on the small of Eir’s back to lead her out and towards the private room where she’d first seen Mr. Adamsen.

The frail old man lying on the bed hardly moved when she and Mark entered the room. The muted whir and subtle beep of machines filled the space.

Eir approached the bed her eyes focused on the shallow rise and fall of Mr. Adamsen’s fragile chest. She looked over her shoulder at Mark, who was standing at the door to the room. He gave her a small, encouraging smile, and she turned back around.

Carefully, she drew the blanket down Mr. Adamsen’s chest, exposing the thin gown all patients wore. Placing both hands on his chest, she closed her eyes and let the power that had always flowed through her veins surge into the human’s cancer-riddled body. The man gasped almost inaudibly, his paper-thin eyelids fluttering, but not opening.

Eir let out a steady breath and let her power work the way it needed to. With each inhalation, she could feel the cancer in her body like it was in his, spreading through her blood, infiltrating her organs. She pressed her lips together and held on for just a little longer.

Mr. Adamsen groaned in relief, letting Eir know that her work was done. He would sleep peacefully for a while now, but Eir would need a few hours to recover.

“Thank you,” Mark whispered into her ear. She tensed at his closeness, but forced herself to relax. Casually stepping away, she turned to face him. “It was my pleasure. I’d better get to work.”

She moved towards the door, letting herself out and sagging against the wall. Eir flexed her burning hands a few times, trying to work the tingle from her palms.

Well, one hour down. Only eleven more to go.

Taer felt like death. Korvain had wakened her from a brief, fitful sleep a few moments ago, but it was a mercy, really. She had been dreaming again—dreaming about blood, gasping final breaths and the undeniable stench of death. Taer would rather stay awake than suffer that dark torture.

The lack of sleep wasn’t just taking a toll on her, but dragging her down into a black place where even revenge was becoming a blurry goal further and further out of her reach.

Aubrey had trained her hard into the early hours of the morning, bone-deep weariness bringing her home just before dawn. Aubrey hadn’t told her whether he’d found out anything more about Darrion yet, and even though she wanted to interrogate him, she held her tongue.

Sitting up, she glanced over at the twin bed on the opposite side of the room, finding it still empty. Pushing away the sheets and dragging herself upright, Taer pulled on a pair of sweats and changed her shirt. Every muscle in her body was begging her to get some more sleep, but training was more important.

Staggering out of her room, she came face to face with a seven-foot wall of muscle and menace. Korvain regarded her, his dark eyes concerned as he studied her face. Fuck, she must have looked as bad as she felt. She looked down at her feet, hoping he would suddenly forget what he’d just seen.

But that was wishful thinking.

Korvain tilted her head up with a strong finger under her chin. “Did you get any sleep?”

Lie, damn it. Lie
. “I got a few hours.”

“You can’t lie to me, Taer. I can practically smell your dishonesty.”

Fuck
. Taer heaved a heavy sigh. “You don’t have to worry. I’m fine.”

“Is it the dreams? Are they getting worse?”

Taer recoiled. How did he know? The only person who knew about them was Eir, and Taer was sure the Valkyrie could keep her mouth shut.

“They’re only dreams. Just forget about them, all right?” She tried to walk away, but Korvain’s vice-like grip was around her upper arm within a nanosecond.

“No, Taer, it’s not all right.” She stared angrily at him from under her lashes. He sighed and released his fingers. “I just want to help you, Tay, but you’re making it really difficult for me.”

“You want to help me?” she asked acidly. “Train me to kill Darrion and you will be helping me.” This time he let her walk away from him. Entering the kitchen, she snatched a mug from the drying rack and filling it with freshly brewed coffee from the machine.

She felt the heat of Korvain’s body before he spoke at her back. “I made a promise—”

She whirled around before he could say anything further, the violent shake of her hand sloshing coffee all over the kitchen counter. “Don’t say it.
Don’t
say his name to me.” She didn’t think she could stand to hear her brother’s name. The wound was still too raw, too painful to even consider speaking his name out loud.

Korvain’s eyes softened as he stared down at her—almost as if he could feel her pain. Taer felt tears welling, the tears she’d never let herself shed for her brother, but she shook her head, refusing to let herself cry now. She’d made it this long. She could damn well make it a little longer.

“Tay, bottling up your feelings won’t bring him back, and it certainly won’t help you become a better fighter.” Korvain pushed on, ignoring her protests. “You might not be ready to talk about him now, but when you are, I’ll be here. Bryn will be here. Eir will be here. For you. Do you hear me?” he asked.

She wanted to slap him for being so understanding, for saying the right things to her at the right time. Logically, she knew what she was doing was counterproductive, but somehow she couldn’t stop the hate burning inside of her.

“I know you don’t want to talk about … him right now, but can you at least tell me about the dreams?”

Taer rubbed her temples, attempting to stave off a headache and sighed. She could give him this one concession. “Dream,” she conceded. “It’s just the one dream.”

“Okay,” he replied. “Want to tell me about it?”

Picking up her mug, Taer shuffled over to the couch and sat down, folding her legs beneath her. She couldn’t believe how tired she was. Korvain didn’t sit beside her. Rather he perched his muscular body on the edge of the armchair in the corner.

She could feel his steady gaze on her face as he waited patiently for her to be ready to speak.

Taer took in a deep breath and let it out, focusing her attention on her hands wrapped around the coffee mug. “I’m surrounded by blood. It’s still warm. It covers my face and neck, but it’s tacky like it’s been there for a while.” A wave of goose bumps traveled over her body at the visceral memory. She gave a small shudder.

“I can hear someone breathing …” She frowned. “No, they’re gasping, and the longer I listen, the more certain I am that I’m hearing somebody taking their last breaths. I try to move, but my limbs are heavy.” Taer’s throat worked over a hard lump. “I want to move, to get away, but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t. I try to look around to see where the sound is coming from … even though … even though I know who is making those sounds.”

“Adrian?” Korvain asked. Taer nodded mechanically. She was too far into her memories to care right now if he said her brother’s name aloud.

“The gasping becomes a gurgle, but it starts sounding more desperate.” Taer’s eyes slid shut. “The sound becomes sharper and louder and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I can’t even scream out to … him. He’s dying and I’m responsible.”

“Tay—” Korvain’s dark voice cut through her. “You are not to blame. Do you hear me?”

“I hear you.” And she did, but she didn’t believe him.

“We’re going to skip training today.”

“What? No! We need to train.
I
need to train.”

Korvain shook his head. “No. What you need is to sleep.”

“There’s no point. I can’t sleep with this recurring dream.”

“That’s where I come in. I’m going to do something to help you, but you have to trust me. You do trust me, don’t you?”

With my life
. “Yeah, I guess.”

He tilted his head towards her bedroom. “Go and lie down. Get comfortable and I’ll watch over you while you rest.”

“Watch over me? How?”

“Don’t worry about the how. Just go get some rest.”

Taer was too exhausted to fight with him any further. Hauling herself up from the couch, she abandoned her coffee and stumbled to her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her and stretching out on top of the quilt. She doubted she could sleep for very long before the dream came, but she was too damn exhausted to even care.

Curling up on her side, Taer closed her eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing, listening to the steady beat of her heart in her ears. There was no way she could sleep for long.

There was just no way.

Taer woke up, blinking in the darkened room. On the table beside her bed, the neon green light showed her the time. It was four-thirty in the afternoon. She had slept for nearly ten and a half hours. She sat up, shaking her head.

“Impossible,” she muttered, absently fiddling with a lock of her long hair. She hadn’t dreamed, hadn’t woken up once. Sliding to the edge of the bed, Taer stood up and stretched. With her arms over her head and standing on her tiptoes, she wondered just what the turnaround was. Had Korvain had something to do with it?

She couldn’t see how.

Padding towards the door, she opened it a crack and looked outside. There was no one in sight. She made her way towards the bathroom down the hall, but stopped at the sound of his voice.

“How did you sleep?” She turned around and saw Korvain standing at the kitchen counter. He had dark circles under his eyes, his face drained of color, like he was exhausted.

“What have you been doing all day?”

He shrugged his huge shoulders, rolling the muscles in his neck as he did. “Nothing. How’d you sleep?” he asked again, fixing her with a dark stare.

“Great,” she said softly.

Korvain’s shoulders relaxed. “That’s good to hear.”

She shrugged, although she was suspicious about what role Korvain had played in her dreamless sleep. “Well, I’m going to take a shower. Mist asked me to work again tonight.”

Taer was a few hours into her shift down on the first level of the Eye. The place was maybe two-thirds full with no sign of slowing. She kept up a steady pace serving customers, keeping in sync with Mist.

Taer had her head bent over a drink order when the fine hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. Scanning the crowd, she spotted the tall form of Aubrey, his height putting him head and shoulders above every other patron in the bar.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” she asked under her breath as he moved her way. And why was her heart pounding out a staccato beat in her chest at the mere sight of him?

She couldn’t help but notice the appreciative looks the females in the bar—both humans and goddesses—threw in his direction, and a sharp stab of jealousy rolled through her, just as it had when she saw him pinning that other female to the side of the car with his hips.

She slid the drink she was preparing over to a human, holding her hand out to give him his change.

“Keep it,” he told her with a boy-next-door wink. Taer flashed him a brief smile that didn’t reach her eyes, jamming the notes into the jar beside the till before turning to serve whoever was next.

“Winter Fox,” Aubrey purred, rolling his nickname for Taer around on his tongue like some illicit secret. His pale gray eyes had an almost predatory gleam.

She suddenly felt out of step, like his arrival had pulled the rug out from under her feet. This building was her inner sanctum, and having him there made her uneasy.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, going on the defensive straightaway.

He cocked his head to the side like a bird, his shrewd eyes narrowing ever so slightly. His lips eventually twitched, flexing up in the corners.

“What?” she barked, irritated by the smug look on his face. “If you’ve just come here to stare at me, I’ve got better things I could be doing.”

 He surveyed the bar, his pale eyes taking in everything. “You know, I didn’t believe you when you said I could find you here. Living among the—”

“Keep your voice down!” she hissed, cutting off his words. “This isn’t the fucking War Hammer. If you need to talk, I’ll take my break and we can talk out the back.”

Without waiting for his reply, Taer caught Mist’s attention and told her she was taking her break. Mist’s eyes widened when she caught sight of the light elf standing at the bar. “Are you all right?” she asked, stepping closer to her and lowering her voice.

“I’m fine. He just wants to talk.”

“How in the hell do you know him?” Mist pressed.

Taer looked over at Aubrey. He smiled innocuously at her before she turned back to the Valkyrie. “I met him a few years ago,” she lied.

Mist stared at her skeptically, but said, “I’m coming to check on you in ten minutes.” Her tone left no room for argument. Turning back around to face Aubrey, she waved her hand in the direction of the end of the bar.

She pushed open the “Staff Only” door, waiting for Aubrey to pass through, and noticed Mason staring at her. Mouthing the words “I’m fine” at him, she followed Aubrey into the hallway, hoping Mason didn’t get suspicious and come back and check on her—or worse, send Korvain to check on her.

“Through here,” she said to the light elf, leading him into the locker room. Putting her back against one of the rows of metal cabinets, she watched as Aubrey walked around the room, his eyes roving, looking at everything.

“I assume the only reason you’re here is that you
finally
have information about Darrion.”

“Your assumption is right.” He sat down on the benches that ran down the middle of the room. “I’ve heard that Darrion has been seen around Boston.”

Taer’s heart leaped into her throat. “When?”

“As recently as two days ago.”

“Do you know where he is?” She worked to keep her voice even. If he had found out where the bastard was, she was going there straight after work. “Tell me what you know.”

“I have had unconfirmed reports he’s been seen visiting some properties around Boston.”

“His safe houses,” Taer said under her breath. “Can you give me any addresses? I’d like to go and check things out,” she added when he hesitated. “And don’t you dare tell me to stay away.”

Seconds dripped by before Aubrey slid two long fingers into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a heavy piece of card. He stood up, and in two strides he was standing in front of her. Hesitantly, Taer reached for the card, being careful not to touch his fingers, and looked down at the embossed print. It was his name along with a phone number. Flipping the card over in her hands, she saw two addresses handwritten in the old language.

“Be careful,” Aubrey murmured, his voice a lot closer than it had been before. Taer peered up, feeling her stomach bottom out as she stared directly into his icily pale eyes. This close she could see just how long and thick his eyelashes were. He studied her steadily, then retreated a few steps, giving Taer much needed room to breathe.

“Thanks,” she said, the words barely audible over the roaring of her pulse. She didn’t know whether her heart was pounding because she was one step closer to finding Darrion, or because of the light elf sharing the same air as her.

Aubrey bowed his head, one hand placed over his heart. “It was a pleasure, believe me.” He looked down at his watch and frowned. “My ten minutes is up, I’m afraid,” he said with a shrug. He met her eyes, a twinkle in his own. “I wouldn’t want your Valkyrie to have to come in here and rescue you from me.”

“Mist means well,” she said absently.

Laughing, he said, “There’s no doubt about that.”

She frowned at him. “You’re right though. You really should go now,” Taer told him. “My break is over and I have to get back to work.” She pushed on the door, holding it open for him.

Aubrey left the room, Taer hanging back to give him a head start. She needed the time to settle the butterflies that were going berserk in her stomach. What was it about him that made her feel this way? After a few minutes, she returned to the Eye and stepped back behind the bar. Mist raised an eyebrow at her, which she ignored. A moment later, Taer saw the crowd part for Aubrey as he made his way towards the door. Their eyes met for a moment, then his lips tilted up in a brief smile and he was gone.