When Shadows Call (11 page)

One of the men stepped forward. He scrubbed a dirty hand over the stubble growing on his face and smiled. His gray-blue eyes narrowed as he looked me over from head to toe. “I’ve got strength enough,” he said and then grabbed at his groin through his pants. “Right here. How ’bout I show you?”

“How about you go to hell?”

That earned a few snickers from my captors. I suppose that I didn’t sound very tough, or threatening. I made a mental note to improve on that. But tough-sounding or not, bound or free, I had to believe that I still had the upper hand on these men. They couldn’t kill me, not without a magic blade, and I doubted any of them had such a thing. And though I was wrapped in chains and bound to my corporeal form, I was still stronger. If they planned to rape me, they’d have to take the chains off. When that happened, I’d kill every last one of them with my bare hands if I had to.

“Look,” Pete said as he held his hands out as if to calm me down. I’d thrown him a good ten feet before his friend had knocked me out, and I sensed that he wasn’t going to take my soft, feminine appearance for granted. “Nobody’s going to hurt you if you don’t give us a reason to. We just want to know who you are, is all.”

I raised my chin up toward the ceiling, hoping I looked defiant. “I don’t see how my identity is any of your business.”

“That’s rich,” Sam scoffed. “What you done was none of your business, but you didn’t seem to have a problem stickin’ your nose where it didn’t belong.”

“You attacked that poor woman,” I said, low.

“Maybe we oughta give you what we were gonna give to her?”

My stomach tightened and my heart threatened to start up its frantic racing once again. That’s what they wanted, though. Wasn’t it? Men like these fed off their victim’s fear. The power they exercised over the helpless was better than any petty sexual thrill. Predators in the truest sense, they hunted their prey with precision, looking out for only the freshest kill.

Well, they weren’t going to get what they wanted from me.

“Try it!” I snapped. “In fact, I dare you.”

I’d listened to Azriel’s tough talk more than once over the years. Just the other night, he’d threatened Lorik’s men as casually as he’d exchange polite conversation on the weather. I mimicked his tone, letting a steeliness settle in to my words so these men would know that I meant business. I lowered my gaze, met each one of them eye to eye and never once demurred.

“She’s somebody’s girl,” Pete said, his voice a terrified whisper. He tugged on Sam’s sleeve while the other two nameless men just stared, jaws slack. “She’s gotta be. Maybe Joe Connolly, or shit, J.P. Chase. Why else would she be dressed like that and talkin’ tough like she is? It’s because she knows what her man is gonna do to us if he catches us with her!”

As Pete’s tone escalated, his face turned a lovely shade of puce. Hands trembling, he didn’t ask for his cronies’ permission before he started working at the fastenings of my chains, desperate to free me. Laughter bubbled up from my throat as he fumbled, not because I’d managed to rattle him, but for some reason I found it ironic that Pete suggested I might be Joe’s girl.

I could have told them that Joe was dead. And I might have mentioned that my lover had done the deed. But why waste my breath? We could play these games throughout the day until the sun set. It wouldn’t change anything. Or save any of their lives. So I sat, biding my time, giving Pete the opportunity to make good with whomever he supposed I belonged to. Sam scrubbed his hands across his face again as he watched Pete uncoil the chain from around me, and I smirked. I could see the doubt, the fear etched in every dirty line of his forehead.

“Worried?” I asked him.

Rather than answer, he turned away.

I shouldn’t have enjoyed watching him squirm. I’d given Sam a dose of his own medicine, and knowing I’d gained the upper hand by preying on his fear should have sickened me. Instead, I felt like I’d dispensed some form of justice. As the coil of chain loosened around me, I armed myself with the only weapon at my disposal: namely, the very chain that held me.

Pete really quit paying attention to me the moment he’d had his little epiphany. Sam, on the other hand, pointedly ignored me while he paced back and forth in front of me. As for the other two, they’d slunk away as soon as they realized Sam had actual concerns about my identity. The punishment for their wicked ways should have been divided equally among the four of them, but I would simply have to hope that after I was through with Pete and Sam, they’d stand as examples to their friends.

When the last coil of chain fell to the wooden plank beneath me, I struck. With preternatural speed I jerked a length of the heavy chain around Pete’s neck. I almost felt sorry for the guy. He didn’t see it coming. From my crouched position I spun, flinging Pete out in front of me until we both stood. Sam stopped his incessant pacing and froze in his tracks. I flashed him a cold smile as I constricted the chain around Pete’s throat. Though considerably larger, he didn’t stand a chance against me as he flailed and pulled at the chain, struggling for breath.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” I whispered in his ear. “I told you I was no one to be tangled with. You shouldn’t have messed with that girl last night, Pete.”

“Wh-who a-a-re you?” Pete rasped as I pulled the chain tighter.

Azriel loved dramatics, and I could be dramatic too. “I am Vengeance.” I gave the chain one last, hard jerk, and Pete lost consciousness. His body became limp and heavy in my grasp, and I let him fall to the dock, the chain jangling as it landed with him.

I had no time to contemplate my actions. Sam had shaken himself from his dazed stupor and leveled a revolver at my face. Immortal or not, I couldn’t imagine a bullet to my head at such a close range would be an easy wound to heal from.

“You bitch!” he spat as he pulled back the hammer. “I shoulda stuck my dick in you when you were out cold and then killed you like I wanted to. But it don’t matter now. I’m gonna kill you one way or another.”

Before I could react, he pulled the trigger. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the bullet’s impact. The report of the shot rang out, followed by a thud and then utter silence. I didn’t dare open my eyes. Fear stole my breath. I didn’t feel any pain, but did that matter?

“Darian,” Azriel’s voice caressed my ears. “It’s all right, darling. Open your eyes.”

Sam lay in a heap not two feet from where I stood, blood oozing from his chest and his neck bent at an unnatural angle. Morning sunlight filtered in through a window and cast it’s glow on Azriel’s ethereal face, bathing him in an otherworldly light that made him that much more beautiful. My heart stuttered in my chest, and I exhaled in a rush, my blood coursing through my veins like fire. He’d found me. He’d saved me. Again.

I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck. He stroked my hair, whispering words of comfort in my ear. “You are faster than you think,” he finally said as he pulled away. You acted too slowly, love, and it could have cost you. Next time, don’t contemplate your actions. Move quickly and strike with precision.”

I opened my mouth, though I hadn’t a clue what I was going to say. Azriel silenced me with a kiss. “You’ve had an exciting night, and an even more exciting morning, my love. Come on, I’m taking you home.”

* * *

I slept the rest of the morning and afternoon away, safe in the protection of Azriel’s embrace. Glorious night descended to banish the harsh light of day. I snuggled deep into the covers and against him until every inch of our naked bodies touched. It seemed I could never get close enough. He deposited feather-light kisses against my skin, making a trail that led from my shoulders to the back of my neck. I shivered as he moved my hair to the side, burying his nose in the curls and taking my scent into his lungs.

“I’ve spent all day standing vigil,” he murmured against my skin. “Lest you run away from me. I’m exhausted. Will you leave me again, Darian, once my eyes drift closed?”

A pang of regret shot through my chest. I should have told him what I’d intended to do. I should have taken him with me. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I won’t ever leave you again. Not even for a moment.”

“Promises, promises,” he said sleepily.

“Azriel,” I said into the dark. “I’m going to go out with you again. And again. Night after night, job after job. I know you want to keep me safe, but I have to learn to protect myself. I have to develop thicker skin or I’ll go mad. I can’t stand my weakness. I refuse to live with it any longer. Do you understand?”

“You protected yourself well enough this morning,” he replied.

“But not in the end,” I said. “Not when it really mattered. You came to my rescue yet again. Please, Azriel, respect my wishes. I want you to teach me. I want to be your apprentice.”

Azriel sighed, and I smiled. He may have been exasperated, but he would never deny me anything. “Very well, my love. But remember, you asked for this. I am not responsible for what comes of it.”

“And Lorik?” I asked. “He obviously makes you nervous. You’ll allow me to come along with you for everything, right? Even when you go to see him?”

“You let me worry about Lorik,” Azriel said. “Now, close your eyes and sleep beside me. I’m tired.”

His eyes drifted closed, and within moments his breathing grew soft and even. I brushed my lips across his—so, so soft—in a kiss. Azriel was my savior. My avenging angel. And now, my teacher. We had forever, but I wondered, as my hand caressed from his shoulder to his hand where my fingers wound with his . . . would forever be long enough?

* * *

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BLOOD BEFORE SUNRISE

Available in July 2012 in print and e-book from Signet Eclipse.

“What are you looking at?”

I tore my gaze from the delicate curve of the dagger’s blade, my eyes drawn to Azriel’s dark, handsome face like a magnet to metal. “Nothing,” I said, though that wasn’t entirely true.

“Ever lacking patience,” he said with humor. “You’ll never make it as an assassin if you can’t wait more than a few minutes to get a job done.”

True enough, I supposed. I liked to wait about as much as I liked to be doused with gasoline and set on fire. “Lorik’s late,” I said. “It’s not like him.”

Azriel stroked his finger along my jaw, and his eyes burned with an intensity that had nothing to do with business. “It matters little to me if he shows or not. Either way, my night won’t be wasted.”

I flushed at the innuendo, knowing all too well where a jobless night would lead us. Not that I’d complain. . . .

An engine growled in the distance, followed by the squealing of tires. The Cadillac LaSalle Roadster came to a halt inches from where I stood, and the driver’s expression was full of adrenaline-infused excitement. Lorik loved flashy cars, and despite his need to lie low, he could never resist showing off. What was the point in not putting that engine and sleek body to use? He’d consider it a waste. Besides, I had a suspicion that the combination of fancy car, coupled with his pinstriped suit and fedora pulled low over his brow, made Lorik feel as if he’d just pulled a bank caper. Driving into the sunset and immortal glory would be the icing on the cake. And I’d be willing to bet a Chicago Typewriter rode shotgun to round it all out. I mean, what self-respecting gangster
didn’t
have a machine gun in the front seat?

“Looks like your clothes will be on for a while longer, my love.” Azriel leaned down and pressed his mouth to the pulse-point just below my ear.

I shivered at the contact, suddenly not caring whether Lorik’s life was in danger or not. Though the guy’s father did pay our bills, I supposed I could put my erotic thoughts on hold. But if he didn’t get down to business—and soon—he could rot in hell, for all I cared.

* * *

“What are you looking at?” Tyler asked again, his tone bemused when I didn’t answer him right away.

“Nothing,” I finally said as I stared at the spot near the alley where that LaSalle had come to a skidding stop all those years ago. “Not a damned thing.”

God, I hadn’t thought of that crazy Armenian in decades. He had to have been dead for a while now, if someone hadn’t managed to do the deed in his youth. Lorik had been the closest thing Azriel had to a friend. I always wondered about it, the comfortable way Azriel had with him. Usually we lay lower than low, but with Lorik, Azriel had allowed us to let our guard down a bit. Maybe I’d do some digging just for shits and giggles and find out what really happened to him after he went off the grid. Because I had
so
much free time on my hands these days.

My annoyance wasn’t so much about memories of Lorik—and Azriel—intruding on my thoughts, or even my lack of actual downtime. Rather, it was more about the fact that I stood at yet another dead end. It’s damn hard to catch someone who’s always one step ahead of you.

And chasing an Oracle is like chasing the wind.

I drove my katana into the scabbard at my back. Yet another close call, and the bitch had slipped right through my fingers. You wouldn’t think someone as blind as a bat could escape so easily.

But she had.

For months.

Time and again.

A discarded can nudged at my toe and I kicked it, sending it sailing down the sidewalk toward the street where it narrowly missed a parking sign. Beyond frustrated, I felt my agitation settle as a knot between my shoulder blades, and I stretched my neck from side to side in a futile effort to ease my mounting tension. Raif, my mentor and the best friend I’ve ever had, laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll get her.”