Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) (25 page)

“I understand well enough!”

“No you don’t! Maybe it never occurred to you but you’re not the only one who has had a rough life!”

“Zayden, please.” Darius took his arm and pulled him back. “I appreciate it but I don’t want you to fight even more because of me. I’ll talk to Ruby myself.” He walked passed us and left the room.

“Wow, this is fun. Can you think of something we should fight about?” Jaylyn asked Troy.

He laughed and looked down at what she was wearing. “I’m thinking of something else entirely, actually.”

Jaylyn smiled and Troy put his hands on her bare waist, pulling her closer for a kiss.

“No!” Zayden and I didn’t even look at each other when we said it at the same time. Instead, we turned away and went to separate parts of the room to wait for Darius to get back with Ruby so we could end this. I just wanted to end this.

Chapter 37

Darius

What have I done? I walked stiffly downstairs, focused on what I had to do. The innkeeper was standing behind the counter, writing in an old log when I stepped off the last step. “If you’re looking for the red one, I saw her go into the cafe.”

“Ah, thanks.” I turned around and walked back into the cafe through the small hallway.

It was completely empty except for Ruby sitting alone at a back table.

I walked over and pulled out the chair next to her while she was gazing out the window towards the shore. I sat in the chair and there was a long pause before I could find it in me to say something. “Ruby, look—ah, I’m sorry if I hurt you. You have to know that I didn’t mean it.” I expected her to respond but she never did. “It was just the atmosphere of that place and she was making it hard to refuse but nothing happened. We got ourselves out of there way before that.” There was another long pause and Ruby had yet to say anything or even look over. “Can you please say something?”

She sighed but kept her eyes out the window like she was disgusted to look at me. “What do you want me to say?”

“Anything.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“I’m not falling for it.”

She sighed again. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to be with me. You’re free to make your own choices.”

Is that what she really thought? “I don’t feel like I have to. I want to. You’re not like everyone else. That’s probably why I’ve never found myself come to the point of settling before you.”

“I know we agreed to wait for reasons of our own—” She finally looked over but it was a sight I could have lived without. Her eyes were watered and it was my fault. “But if you can’t handle that anymore, you have to tell me and I’ll listen. I’m still afraid of hurting you but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t force the control to try rather than having you go somewhere else.”

I got right in closer with my chair and wiped a tear as it fell from her eye. “Ruby, that’s not what I was doing. I can handle this. I would never purposely go somewhere else to hurt you.”

“What are you going to do when you go back?”

“I won’t. Simple.”

Ruby got a slight smile on her face with a question I wasn’t ready for. “Is she not up to your standards?”

I didn’t know how to answer but I did. “Didn’t really take the time to fully check my mental list. Would you like me to?”

“No. I think I’m fine with not knowing but I’d still understand. It takes time for people to get use to this.”

She pointed at herself and I smiled. “Not for me.”

She leaned in and kissed me. “I’m sorry that I freaked out. I’ve never been attached to someone like this before. I didn’t know how I was supposed to act.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one. Let me make up for it. I’m but your humble slave. Ask what you will of me.”

“Mmm.” Ruby got up with a smile and opened the front of her coat to straddle my lap. I looked down and she was just wearing the sheer skirt. Her torso was bare and perfect in my eyes that I had to put my hands on her body while we kissed.

It was even more perfect. I was more than sorry about what happened and would never let something like that get in the way of us again. I’d never lose her.

“You know actually, we should really reschedule.”

Ruby pulled back and seemed confused. “Why?”

“You still have a mission to complete. They need you, Ruby. You’re the only one capable of killing him.”

She sighed. “Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.” She stood up and looked down when she was about to close her coat. “And I might need a touch up.”

I looked down at her hips and some of the concealer rubbed off while she was in my lap. “I think you’re right. Come on. We’ll get it fixed before you go.”

Ruby nodded as she closed her coat and I got up, pushing the chairs back in. I put my hand on her lower back and led her back upstairs to the others.

It was quiet at first until Adele approached. “Ready?”

Ruby paused and looked over at me. She didn’t have to tell them anything because that’s not what she asked. I just nodded to her and she turned back to Adele with her answer. “Yeah. Sorry about that. Let me just get the top on and get this fixed and we can go finish the job.”

Adele pulled Ruby’s coat open while she held it around the top of her and saw part of her mark showing. “Ruby. Great.”

“It’ll only take a second.” Ruby assured her, taking off her coat completely and reaching for her sheer top. She put it behind her, twisting it in the front and then brought the ends up, tying them around her neck. “See? Now we’re just waiting on you.”

Adele rolled her eyes and Jaylyn handed her the powder and cream and she sat down on a bed, pulling Ruby in front of her. “Why do you have to be such a—”

“What?! It wasn’t my fault!”

“Oh, yeah because it never is.”

Ruby tried to continue to hold in her laugh and Adele covered the exposed mark quickly.

“Okay. We better be going. Our audience is waiting.”

“We’ll be there in a few minutes.” Zayden said. “Remember to stay in there for a bit before coming back out.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Adele muttered. “We’ll be fine.”

They left.

“So, what’d you say?” Troy asked, turning to me. “Did you tell her?”

“No, but I didn’t lie either.”

“Good.” Zayden said. “I’d hate to see you ruin it.”

“And what about you?”

“I’m fine. She’s just stressed because of the mission. I couldn’t fix it now if I tried.”

He was probably right.

We began to gather our things and get ourselves ready in case a quick getaway was needed.

Chapter 38

Jaylyn

The mission was now in motion, leading closer and closer to its end. This was always the best part.

Kanon immediately saw us entering the pub like so many but he was the only one to approach. “Ladies. Good. You’re here. I have the other three taking care of some other clients tonight while you entertain the boss. Now come.”

We smiled as we walked with him to the back rooms. We were ready for this and everything was going perfectly. We’d finally have a success.

Kanon walked us down a set of dark stairs to a door just at the bottom. “This is the lounge. Go on in, he’s expecting you.” He opened the door for us and we cautiously went in.

The room was completely white with black accents such as pillows, blankets and was filled with black lit candles and a fragrance from scented oils.

A man came walking out from behind a black curtain to our left. He was in his mid-thirties with shaggy black hair, deep blue eyes and a medium build, not what I expected for someone who terrified everyone.

He was wearing white linen pants with an open black silk robe over it. His skin was flawless, free of any scars just proving that no one had ever come close to harming him. That would all change tonight. We were determined to make our last mission under the Queen’s rule a success.

“You are indeed more beautiful than my other set.” Chan began in a smooth strong voice. “I hope your skills are as good as you look.”

“You won’t be able to breathe after we’re done with you.” Adele said. It was true and I showed my smile for it.

Chan laughed under his breath as he walked over and turned his back to us to light another candle. “It’s funny that you still think I don’t know who you are.”

Breaths stopped. We froze where we stood and tried to act normal. Did he know?

“Kanon tells me of three travelers who are just passing through and then the same night, three beautiful women come to him and offer their bodies for our purpose. Coincidence? I think not. I know why you’ve come and you will not see my end but your own, Kalu Assassins.” He quickly turned around and threw a dagger towards us.

“Look out!” Adele pushed Ruby out of the way and got hit with the dagger in the back of her right shoulder.

She fell to the floor and I immediately got down next to her, yelling in a panic. “Ruby! Finish him!”

Ruby looked down at the wounded Adele and it was just what she needed. Her anger risen. Her eyes turned red and she looked up.

“And they say I’m a monster.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. No one hurts my family.” She walked towards him and he tried taking a swing at her. The strength from her gift easily stop his fist with her hand. He looked at her and she slightly smiled then pushed him backwards. He flew into the back wall and fell down to the floor. I had taken the dagger out of Adele and started healing her but I continued to watch, ready to see it end.

Chan slowly started to get up again and Ruby walked to him and kicked him back to the floor. It was like she was playing with him like a cat does with a mouse before the kill, maybe giving me the time I needed to heal Adele. It seemed she made it last for as long as she could but that all changed when she grabbed a hold of him and tossed him up in the air.

The force she used caused him to break all the way through the floor of the pub, up to the ceiling then crashing into some empty tables. I felt his heart stop.

Everyone in the pub walked to the huge hole in the floor, looking in.

“Oops.”

“Ruby!” Adele shouted.

Kanon quickly approached the hole around the others and looked down. “Assassins! Kill them!”

Adele used her gift and grabbed a hold of us and jumped up through the hole, landing inside the pub as the men started to attack with weapons out. We didn’t have a weapon so we had to use our skills in hand-to-hand combat to make our way to the exit but it seemed more kept coming and it was becoming a little scary.

“Adele, do something!”

She gave in to my request and used her gift to clear a path so we could run for the door. The men around were all dazed and confused to what happened that it was easy for us and we made it outside.

“Just in time!” I jumped up on my horse just as Troy reached the pub with it.

“What did you do?” He asked.

“Ruby’s fault.” Adele said. “But it got the job done. Let’s get out of here.”

“But what about our fun?” Darius asked.

“I understand that you’ve probably had enough running but right now, we don’t have time for anything else.”

“She’s right.” Zayden agreed. “Let’s go.”

We swiftly rode up the street, not stopping to look back.

“You better just get out of here.” Knox said as he walked out of the inn. “They’ll be coming this way.”

“Knox, please, they’ll kill you for helping us.” Adele said. “Don’t say you knew.”

“We all have our ends. I know what needs to be done and I’ll hold them off from leaving so you can finish it.”

Adele was just staring at him but Zayden seemed to know what he meant and nodded. “You’re a good man, Knox. We’ll miss you.”

“There’s no time! Get out of here!” He slapped the back of one of the horses and it went running with the rest following after it.

We ran off the pier, back to shore and stopped up on the hill.

“Do it, Love.” Zayden said.

Adele snapped her head to him with a look of confusion. “Do what?”

“Destroy it! Before they escape!”

“That wasn’t part of the job.”

“And I doubt your discovery was either. You must!”

“I can’t.” Adele’s voice lowered when she looked towards the pier again, thinking of Knox and Milee and all of the other innocent people that were trapped there. It was sad, wasn't it?

“He’s accepted it. He said his fate was to help us and he has. His purpose is complete. Just do it.”

Adele didn’t want to think that he was right and her eyes started to water. I didn’t want to either but what else could be done?