Shadow City (27 page)

“
Do
you hurt?” He loosened his grip and tipped her chin up. It felt like he was looking all the way through her. Nothing could be hidden from that dark intensity. A finger brushed gently below her eye. “Tears?” He sounded startled.

Her mouth bent in a tense smile. “It happens. I’m not a statue.” The heat from his body was curling through her, but it did nothing to cut through the ice in her belly. She didn’t know how to talk to him, to fix what was broken between them. Her mouth opened and then closed like a dying fish.
Stupid
.

“No, you are not.” His fingers ran down her cheek and curled behind her head. She leaned into his touch.

“I—will you wait for me?” she asked in a rush. Time seemed to stop as she waited for his answer.

He gave a soft laugh, devoid of humor. “Do I have a choice?”

“Yes.”

He bent and brushed his lips against hers, feather-soft and all too fleeting. “No,” he whispered. “I do not. I have never had a choice when it comes to you.”

Max closed her eyes, relief and desire cascading through her. She shuddered with the force of it. Mother of night, how she wanted to stay! But Scooter was dying.

She opened her eyes. “I have to go.”

He hestitated, his jaw tightening. Then he nodded and let her go. Pushing her aside, he reached for the door. He checked the hallway and motioned her out. She stopped dead. Lying on the floor was an enormous dog with black shaggy hair and luminescent green eyes. It sat up and looked at her with preternatural intelligence. Max didn’t need to be told that the animal wasn’t just a dog. It was a Grim. Magic was layered thick around him.

“Friend of yours?” she asked, raising her brows at Alexander.

“Something like that. His name is Beyul.”

“OK.” She stepped carefully around the big animal and ran down the hall to her apartment, sliding inside with Alexander and Beyul close behind. “Makes himself at home, doesn’t he?” she said as the beast climbed up onto the U-shaped black leather couch and sprawled along it. “I hope he doesn’t have fleas.”

She dropped her gear on the bed and went into her closet. She grabbed a couple of liter bottles of Mountain Dew and a canister of peanut butter pretzels. She ate several handfuls and guzzled down the soda before heading for the bathroom. Alexander followed her.

“Do not even think about helping me wash,” she said, pointing a warning finger at him. “I know how that will end up, and I have to get back.”

The last words were thick with meaning. Alexander nodded soberly, watching her as she went around the steaming natural tub carved out of the bedrock in the middle of the room. She went to the shower and turned on the spray. He leaned against the wall outside, watching her. It was incredibly erotic and all Max could do not to drag him inside the shower with her and have her way with him again.

“Tell me what is going on,” he said.

“The short version is that Scooter is dying. Some people have stolen some of his body parts, and he needs them back if he’s going to survive. I got back his heart, and now I have to get his silk and his horn. I’ve got some help, though. Ilanion is an old friend of Scooter’s.”

“You can trust him?”

“As much as I can trust any stranger who has his own agenda. He’s powerful. Like Scooter. But with wings.”

She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and rubbed in some conditioner, then took a loofah and started scrubbing away at herself, carefully not looking at Alexander watching her.

“Wings?”

“Yep. But he’s not an angel. Though it would be fun to see him take on Tutresiel. I’d pay to watch that. Speaking of angels, what’s going on here?”

He hesitated. “Trouble.” The word was flat, toneless.

She stiffened. “Is it bad?”

“Looks like it.”

“How bad?” Her voice had gone hoarse. She was trapped. Scooter needed her, and she’d promised to help him. But if Horngate was in trouble, she couldn’t just walk away. Everything that meant anything to her was there.

Alexander gestured dismissively. “That is why I sent for Holt. We will handle it. Focus on helping Scooter. And staying alive.”

She drew a deep breath and let it out. He was right. And it wasn’t like she had a choice. But still. “Is everybody OK?”

He nodded, his gaze following her motions with intense concentration as she resumed washing. She could almost feel the heat on her skin. “Niko had an episode, but he is upstairs eating now and recovering well.”

Max looked at him, her Prime rising despite her effort at control. “Episode? What the hell does that mean?”

“It means it is over, and he is fine. You do not have to worry. Giselle also survived the backlash of your broken bindings. In fact, it has given her a lot of strength.” He chewed his bottom lip. “How did you break them without dying?”

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and drying off. “I had an
episode,
and the next thing I knew, I woke up without my bindings.”

Alexander stalked toward her. “What episode?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said. “It’s all over, and I’m fine.” She flashed him a taunting smile and scooted past him to get dressed. She pulled on underwear, a sports bra, and socks and then slid the armor over herself. Once again, it lengthened to cover her and tightened into a skintight suit.

“What is that?” Alexander asked, and his voice was dangerous, his Prime fully roused.

“Armor. Ilanion lent it to me. It deflects magic, and blades don’t cut through it. It’s already saved my ass.”

“Another episode?” he asked, the muscles of his jaw working. His eyes were almost white.

Max froze in the middle of pulling on her pants. “Are you going feral?” But there was no mistaking those eyes. Fear and desperation clawed inside her. No, she couldn’t lose him this way! But how could she stop it? Then she frowned. Despite the feral change to his eyes, he didn’t seem to be out of control.

The corner of his mouth curved up. “I have. I am. I have . . . changed since you have been gone. Call it an
episode
.” His brows rose on the last, taunting her.

Point to him. She finished pulling on her pants. “So you’re OK? How is that possible? Your eyes—”

“I am fine. As I can be,” he added. “Let us just say my Prime and I have grown much closer than we used to be. The beast is closer to the surface now.”

She chewed her lip, taking it in. He didn’t seem about to go off the deep end. “What happened to cause all this?”

His mouth hardened. “You died.”

“Shit. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you I was OK, but there was no way.”

He nodded, his arms folded over his chest. “I know. How did you get here?”

“It turns out that one of the reasons Scooter was so eager to get his paws on me was that I can travel through the abyss between worlds. I can go anywhere I want, whenever I want. I can even take passengers with me.”

He said nothing as she finished dressing and went to the big walk-in closet to dig out her favorite throwing knives. They were thin and well balanced. She buckled the sheaths around her forearms, then pulled on a shoulder holster with her .45. Her Glock nine-mil went into an ankle holster on her right leg. She filled the big cargo pockets of her pants with full magazines for both guns.

Next, she wrapped a witch chain around her waist. She didn’t know how much good it would do against the kind of trouble she was walking into, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it. The garrote Ilanion had given her remained around her neck. She buckled on the swords and strapped a pair of combat knives to her thighs.

Finally, she turned to face Alexander, her stomach knotting painfully. It was time to leave him again. She had no idea how she was going to make herself do it.

His face was remote as he leaned in the doorway, trapping her inside.

“I have to go.” She could have left right then through the abyss. He couldn’t stop her. Judging from his expression, he knew it and sure as hell didn’t like it.

His cheek twitched with hard-held emotion. “I want you to do something for me,” he said finally.

“What’s that?” she asked cautiously.

“If you get in trouble, if you need help, you come get me. Through the abyss.”

Max stared. The idea had never occurred to her. Not in her wildest dreams. Her gut reaction was to say no. Hell, no. She didn’t want him anywhere near Chadaré and the Korvad. It was too dangerous, and she’d be damned if she’d risk him for Scooter.

It was on the tip of her tongue to say so, but she bit back the words. He wasn’t offering for Scooter; he was offering for her. No, she corrected herself. It wasn’t an
offer
at all. It was a demand. She licked her lips. His eyes riveted on the motion, and an electric shiver swept across her skin. He saw it, and his eyes flared with hunger.

“Stop that,” she said, stepping back. “I can’t think when you do that.”

“Who wants you to think? It only gets us into trouble.” He straightened and came to stand in front of her. He didn’t touch her. “If you get into trouble . . . Come. Get. Me.”

“What about Horngate?”

He made a sound of frustration, stepping back and slamming a fist into the wall. She heard his bones crack. He didn’t seem to notice. “This is not about Horngate. This is about you and me and the fact that nothing matters if you die. So let me help.”

His blunt words pounded her like fists and made her flush. Why was it so hard to take what he was giving? What was she waiting for?

“I’ll come.”

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “Good.”

She stepped forward and gripped his face, pressing her lips hard against his. The kiss was fast and thorough, and it left her heart thundering like a jackhammer. She pulled away. “See you when I see you, Slick.”

He jerked her back again and brushed his lips over hers with heartbreaking softness. “Watch yourself.” With that, he let go.

Max couldn’t wait any longer. She had to get back to Ilanion’s compound. But first, she had a couple of errands to run. She dropped into her fortress, and Alexander vanished from sight.

M
AX DISAPPEARED.
O
NE MOMENT SHE WAS
standing before him, the next it was empty air. All that remained was her scent and the taste of her on his lips.

Alexander closed his eyes, savoring the memory of her, of having her in his arms, of being inside her, of her need and her frantic taking. It had happened so fast that he could hardly believe it was true.

He had been on his way to the dining commons to check on Niko when Max’s presence had lit up his heightened senses like a beacon. Her spirit color was a rich mix of orange and blue hues, reminding him of fire. He had come running like a starving man for food. Even so, he had not been sure whether it could be true, whether Max was really back. Then he had thrown the door open, and any hope of control had gone out the window. All he knew was he had to touch her and make her his. Thank the spirits she had felt the same way.

He opened his eyes and turned, feeling dazed. He had gone from the depths of despair to the height of joy, and now she was gone again. But not dead. His hands clenched. Not dead. And once she was done with this Scooter business, he would not be separated from her again. Not if he had anything to say about it.

He turned and went to the door, stopping with his hand on the handle. Should he tell anybody else of Max’s return? But he knew the answer before he finished thinking the question.
Of course
. At the very least, Niko, Tyler, Oz, and Lise deserved to know. Even Giselle.

Beyul trotted out into the hallway behind him. The beast wagged his tail, and Alexander could not help the broad smile that broke across his face. Unrepentant joy bubbled through him. “She is alive,” he told the Grim unnecessarily.

Niko was still in the dining commons with Tyler and Thor. Magpie was in the kitchen banging pots and pans. A few other people were also eating, but the place was otherwise deserted.

Alexander slid into the open chair beside Thor. He waited. He was covered in Max’s scent. It would not take the others long to catch a whiff of it.

Niko was first. His hand tightened on his fork, and the stainless steel crumpled like tin foil. He carefully set it down and turned a tight look on Alexander. He said nothing, but his expression was one of terrified hope.

Alexander nodded. “She was here.”

Niko slumped, scraping his fingers through his short black hair. “Thank the spirits.”

By now, the others had figured it out.

“Where is she now?” Tyler demanded, his chair flipping over as he leaped to his feet.

Thor just folded his arms and rocked in his chair, a wide grin splitting his lips.

“She left. She was not done with Scooter’s business,” Alexander said, and all three of the other Blades wilted. “She has promised to come to me for help if she needs it.”

Tyler sat back down as Alexander explained what little Max had told him of her ability to pass through the abyss and how she was helping Scooter retrieve his body parts.

“Someone stole his heart? What did she mean, silk and horn?” Tyler asked.