Shadow Kin (11 page)
Authors: M.J. Scott
“Then you should leave it.”
My mouth dropped open. “Did this brother who thinks you’re so lucky drop you on your head when you were small perhaps? No one leaves Lucius.”
His mouth quirked slightly. “There’s always a first time.”
“Unlike you, I have no desire to die. Now give me that, and go. Forget you ever came.”
“And spend every night wondering if I’m going to wake up with your blade at my throat?”
“If you don’t leave, you won’t have to wonder. You’ll be dead.”
“Come with me.” His face was now devoid of humor.
I could only stare at him as the words hung between us. Go with him? Did he truly live in a world where he thought there was any way under the sun or moon that such a thing could end well? “Then we’d both be dead. Go.” I held out my hand.
Simon ignored my gesture. “I’m serious. You could leave this place.”
“And what exactly is it that you think I would do in the human world? I doubt anyone would welcome Lucius’ former assassin into their lives.”
“Acceptance takes time. But it can be earned.”
I couldn’t decipher the expression on his face other than he seemed to be serious. I frowned. “It’s hard to be accepted if you’re dead. Lucius will not let me go. You need to leave.”
He pressed his lips together, then sighed. For a moment he looked almost guilty, his hand toying with the disc at his neck, but then he straightened, face clearing, and passed me the dagger. As I took it, his other hand snaked out and circled my wrist. It hurt, but beyond that, it felt good. Warm human skin against mine. I wondered if I felt cold to him. I hoped so. Anything to make him stop making me want things that could never be and go away so my world would return to normality. To safety.
“Come with me,” he repeated.
“Perhaps there was a whole tribe of brothers who damaged your brains repeatedly?” I pulled tentatively, braced for the inevitable jolt of pain, hoping he’d release me. His grip stayed fast. “You don’t know me, sunmage. If you did, you wouldn’t want me anywhere near you.”
He shook his head. “You’re wrong about that.”
“What you think doesn’t change anything. Go.”
“No.”
“Come with you and what, warm your bed? Is that what you want?” I didn’t know what else he could seek to gain from me.
He looked away—just for an instant—and I knew I’d scored a hit. He wanted me. Foolish. He should learn to think with his head. If he knew the truth about me, knew my dirty little secret, he wouldn’t want to touch me.
“I want to help you.”
The words hurt. I was trying to be logical, but he kept slipping under my defenses. “You can’t. So please go.” We’d been talking too long now. Sooner or later Lucius would call for me. He loved to flaunt me, his tame wraith, his blade over his enemies—particularly when he knew I didn’t want to be flaunted. It would be typical of him to call for me tonight when he knew I would struggle to hide what he’d done to me.
I twisted my wrist, trying to make Simon let go. Instead, I only managed to succeed in making my sleeve slide from beneath his hand, baring my forearm and the bruises starting to bloom against my skin.
Simon froze. Then his hold gentled. His other hand started to rise, then dropped back. His eyes blazed heated blue. “What did he do to you?”
“How do you know that isn’t from you restraining me?”
He leaned closer, studying my wrist. “I was careful and I know fresh bruises when I see them.” His voice had deepened again, rumbling with anger. “What. Did. He. Do?”
“You don’t—”
From outside the chamber came a crash of breaking glass followed by an earth-shattering roar.
Simon’s grip slackened, his hand lifting to tap the disc at his neck again. “What was that?”
I pulled my hand back, sheathing my dagger with the ease of long practice. Another roar shook the air. “It’s probably Pierre Rousselline and his pack. Trouble. You really should go now.”
“I’m not going anywhere by myself,” I said as the sounds of fighting grew louder. I knew exactly what had caused the disruption. When I’d triggered the charm at my neck, its twin, fastened round Guy’s, would’ve let him know that we were moving to Plan B. He’d have set whatever diversion he’d planned in motion and be on his way to help me take Shadow out of here any way we could.
Though I had to admit, the gap between me triggering the charm and the fight seemed almost too quick. Perhaps Shadow was right. Perhaps it was a Beast Kind riot, breaking out right now. Which would mean she was wrong about the Lady not rolling in my favor for much longer. Though just what interest the Veiled Lady of the Fae—goddess of luck and fate—might have in me, escaped me right now.
No matter. I figured I had only a few minutes before Guy arrived and I’d be forced to knock her out. Five minutes to try again to convince my reluctant shadow to come away with me. I couldn’t tell her the truth of what we wanted from her. That would only ensure her resistance, and fighting our way out of Halcyon would hardly constitute a stealthy getaway.
No point letting Lucius know exactly who Shadow had left with. Because she would be leaving with me. I wasn’t going to leave her here to be hurt again.
To be beaten again. Lucius’ work, no doubt. Nausea rolled through my stomach. How had I missed the signs initially? Gods.
The rigid posture she’d maintained during our . . . discussion wasn’t rejection of me, or a warrior’s alert wariness; it was the careful stance of someone who didn’t want to move too far because it hurt. I knew that look. The same way I knew the too pale color of her face and the faint sheen of sweat on her brow.
Not heat from the lamps.
Pain.
And I’d kept her standing there arguing for how long now? Too busy admiring the sleek lines of her body in dark leather and black linen, the contrast of her fire-touched hair against pale skin, to notice what any first-year student healer would have discerned.
Was I really so distracted by her mere presence?
Idiot
.
.
But I didn’t mean to keep being one. She was leaving with me. Whether she wanted to or not.
I had a powder in my pocket that would almost certainly knock her out if I blew it into her face, but I didn’t really want to render her unconscious. It would be easier if she came willingly, though I doubted she would. She stood a few feet away, looking as though she was regretting the fact that she hadn’t killed me already.
I slid my hand down to my knife, readying myself. I had no doubt she could kill. Despite her injuries, every sleek muscled inch of her had come to attention at the first roar. She held the dagger like an extension of her arm. A trained warrior, the way Guy was.
Guy, who’d be here any second.
Gods and suns. One last shot to convince her.
I thought fast. She hadn’t killed me. She wanted me gone. So I could use that. Play on her sympathy. Let her think I needed her help to get out of here. Get her closer to an exit, then knock her out if I had to.
“Is there a back entrance?” I asked, trying to sound nervous. In truth, I was nervous. Just not about the fighting.
“No.” She shook her head, strands of red falling across her face. One hand pushed them away impatiently. “You should go now. This will get violent.”
There was another roar and something crashed nearby with a force that shook the walls of the alcove.
“Sounds like it’s violent already. Can you help me get to the door? Without getting hurt?”
She rolled her eyes. “They can’t hurt me, idiot.”
“Because you’ve got your little dagger?” I snapped, reaching for my own knife, which was bigger and nastier than hers. Then I remembered I was meant to be acting more helpless than I was.
“No, because I can do this.”
She faded from sight.
“Mother of—” I stopped myself midcurse. She’d disappeared.
Gods and fucking suns.
I’d known a wraith could do that, of course, but getting a half glimpse of her at night in my bedroom was different from seeing her suddenly vanish. Gooseflesh prickled my neck. “Are you still here?” As questions went, it felt foolish, but her sudden disappearance had me off balance.
“Yes.” Her voice didn’t sound any less exasperated for coming out of thin air. “Wait here, I’ll see what’s going on.”
Walk through the bloody wall, that’s what she meant. I tightened my grip on my dagger. I hadn’t brought a focus for my sunlight; there’d been no way to get into the Assembly with something that reeked of magery. The charm around my neck was Fae work, unexceptional, low-level magic that wouldn’t draw attention. Without a focus, there was no way for me to access the sun here. Which meant my knife and Shadow’s were the only things improving our chances of getting out of here unscathed.
It seemed to take an endless time before she suddenly appeared again. I didn’t jump a second time.
She looked pleased. “The fight’s moving away, toward the ballroom.”
“That’s a good thing?”
“It means you’ve got a clear path to the door. I’m going to take down the privacy shield. Then when I say go, you go. I’ll watch your back. If you keep your head down, you’ll be fine.”
“I’m not leaving you here.” It was wrong. I knew it. She wasn’t supposed to live with the monsters. To hell with what she could do for us, or what she had done. I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to leave her alone and hurt amidst a riot. I wasn’t going to leave her to Lucius.
To destruction.
Harm to none.
I wasn’t going to fail this time.
She scowled. “You don’t have a choice. Now stop wasting time. On three, all right?”
Time. Guy. Right. I’d really hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Once we went through that door and Guy found us, there was no turning back from our plan. “On three.”
She counted slowly and I was ready when she reached three. The door opened and I ducked through, scanning quickly to get my bearings. The exit to the Assembly was to my right, an easy sprint, except for the panicked crowd surging around us.
Cover and camouflage, moron
. Guy’s voice in my head again. Indeed. Remember my lessons. Use the crowd.
. Guy’s voice in my head again. Indeed. Remember my lessons. Use the crowd.
For ten seconds or so, it went well. I found gaps in the crowd, shoving and punching when I had to and avoiding the small pockets of fighting. Better still, she was following. Maybe this would work after all.
I took another step; then something shoved me in the back with the force of a mule kick.
“Get down!” Shadow yelled as I sprawled forward.
Shock ran up my arm as I caught myself, but I ignored it and used the impetus to propel myself back to my feet. I twisted frantically and there she was, solid in black, dagger slashing almost too fast to follow as she confronted a Beast Kind in hybrid form.
I’d never seen one up close, but there was nothing else a six-foot–tall, furred, slavering man-thing could be.
It swiped at her and connected with her arm, making her cry out. But she didn’t retreat.
“Go!” she yelled again as our eyes met.
The Beast moved forward with a howl and I didn’t see how it was going to miss again. Somehow I knew she wouldn’t shadow, not when it could get to me through her.
But as the hybrid raised its arm again, it suddenly froze, a puzzled expression on its face. Blood gushed from its mouth. Then it crumpled to the floor, revealing Guy standing there, shoving what had to be a silver dagger back into his belt.
Shadow was staring at Guy with an expression that was some strange mix of respect, wariness, and something else I couldn’t quite identify.
At least Guy hadn’t drawn his sword. Nothing like a Templar broadsword hacking people down to draw attention.
“Interesting tactics, little brother,” Guy said calmly, as though we weren’t standing in the middle of a brawl.
I tightened my grip on my dagger and stepped closer to Shadow. “We were doing fine.”
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