Blood Before Sunrise

Amen. And I was going to be the one to do the deed. I chewed my bottom lip, knowing what I needed to speed this business with Fallon along, and yet knowing I shouldn’t venture down this path. Weakened, Ty could barely keep himself upright; I didn’t want to add to that by drawing further on his powers. I opened my mouth, ready to speak the words-no warning, just wish. And then I came to my senses. The wards on Reaver’s house would surely protect its contents as well. There was no point expending Ty’s precious energy on a wish impossible to grant. I’d have to get Fallon’s hourglass the old-fashioned way.

“What are you thinking about?” Tyler asked.

The age-old question. I would have thought it cliche from anyone but Ty. “I’m thinking about time. How it seems to slip through my fingers. I wish I could slow it down.”

“Why?” Tyler said, softly. “You have all the time in the world.”

“Maybe.” Maybe not. Warmth pulsed from my pocket, spreading outward, the emerald’s call. What if I was sucked into that strange place again and couldn’t get out? What if one of those damned girls kept me there for an hour-or a year or ten years? How much time would pass in the real world; how many decades, centuries? I could lose Tyler. He’d forget all about me while I ran around after a trio of raven-haired beauties, unable to find my way home.

“I think I’d like to live on a deserted island.” I slid my hand under Tyler’s shirt so I could caress the ridges of his muscled stomach. “Just you and me and coconuts.”

“Coconuts,” Ty laughed. “You think we could live on that?”

“I could, if I had you.” I meant it too. I’d eat coconuts boiled, baked, shredded, and fried every day for the next five thousand years if Tyler was there with me, safe and sound. “Couldn’t you?”

“I don’t know,” he mused. “Just you and coconuts? I think I’d need a steak every once in a while.”

“Thanks.” I pulled away and gave him a playful swat.

“I could do it.” Tyler kissed me and pulled me close. “Coconut stew every day. And you.”

As the sun rose, we sat entwined on the couch, devising the many ways we’d eat our imaginary coconuts. If only life could be that simple. But I knew better.

“There’s no fucking way.” I paced around my bathroom, my voice muted. Tyler and I had spent eighteen blissful hours in my apartment, and I dreaded what I knew had to be done once Reaver left his house for the night. “The place is locked down with wards. I can’t get past them.”

“What about your Jinn?”

If Fallon mentioned Tyler one more time, I was going to gut him. I strangled my cell phone in both hands, as if it would make me feel better, before bringing it back to my ear. “This isn’t a fair trade. I can’t use Tyler. He’s…sick.” There I went again, divulging information he did not need. “You’ll just have to find another way to get your piece of junk. I can’t do it.”

“Relax.” Fallon’s power seemed to snake right through the phone. “We won’t need your boyfriend. The wards aren’t aimed at you. You’ll be able to get past them without incident.”

Alarms bells blared in my head. “How would you know that?”

“That’s none of your business. But I can say in all confidence, you are only one of three people who would be able to pass the wards unharmed.”

“I won’t do this if you don’t tell me how you know that.”

Fallon laughed. I closed my eyes, the sound so sinister, it made my limbs quake. “No. You know the terms of our agreement. You bring me the glass; I deliver the Oracle.”

I stomped my foot like a three-year-old and kicked at an abandoned shoe, sending it sailing into the shower. Tyler’s footsteps approached, and he knocked on the door. “Everything okay?”

“Fine!” I called. “I just-ah-tripped on the toilet!” Oh nice, Darian. You couldn’t think of anything better than that? Idiot. “I’ll be out in a sec.”

His footsteps retreated, and I waited until I could hear him moving around in the living room once again. “I’ll have it to you tomorrow night,” I seethed into the phone. “And if you even think about double-crossing me, I’ll cut you open from stomach to sternum. You got that?”

“Tomorrow night then,” Fallon said, and hung up.

I walked into the living room, favoring my right foot. Don’t ask me why; it wasn’t as if any damage I would’ve sustained in even a lethal toe-stubbing wouldn’t have healed instantly. But I was so wrapped up in keeping Tyler out of my dealings with Fallon that I put my thespian skills to work and went the extra mile.

“Were you talking to someone?” Ty asked as I rifled through the refrigerator. I stiffened and leaned forward, wishing like hell I could disappear in it. “I thought I heard voices.”

“Just talking to myself.” I grabbed a soda and popped the tab. “I swore a bit when I stubbed my toe. Hurt like hell.” I hated lying to him. And worse, I hated that the lies seemed to tumble from my lips with such ease. Was this what happened when you were trying to protect someone? Even the most unimaginable things became acceptable? Hell, I was about to commit larceny to help someone I cared for. What was a lie or two in the name of love?

“I might have a lead on who’s messing with our bond,” Ty said over his shoulder. “I was thinking about going to check it out tonight, see what I can find out. So I won’t be around; is that all right?”

It was more than all right. Again it seemed Fate was clearing a path for me, making the tasks at hand easier to accomplish. No babysitter for Ty. No answering to Raif. No Dimitri. And no wards for me to worry about. A cakewalk. “Of course I want you to go.” Anything that would help Tyler was worth exploring. “If you get any useful information, call me.”

“You’ll be the first to know,” Ty said, heading for the door. “Promise to stay out of trouble while I’m gone?”

I drew a cross over my heart. “I promise.” To try, I added silently.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. Don’t go anywhere.”

Didn’t give me much time for a B &E, but I could make it work. It was almost midnight, and with any luck, Reaver would be gearing up for another night on the town, and if Fallon’s information proved correct, I could slip in and out with one half of a broken hourglass, and payment for a charm-free Delilah. “I’ll be here when you get back,” I said.

“I’m serious,” Ty said. “Stay here.”

I beamed in his direction, hoping my smile was the reassurance he needed.

I swallowed down the bitter taste of deceit as Ty walked out the door. Damn, I was getting good at this whole deception thing.

Too good.

Chapter 17

“Have you ever wondered why an assassin’s life is so lonely?” Azriel asked.

“It’s not. Not for us anyway. We have each other.”

Azriel traced a pattern between my bare shoulder blades, curling down my spine before stopping at the small of my back. His lips followed suit, bringing delicious chills to the surface of my skin. I buried my face in the pillow, smiling as his tongue teased the area his lips had just been. “True, my love. True.”

He seemed worried, which was out of character for his usually cavalier attitude. Lorik’s father, Vasily Egorov, had finally met his end. And from what Azriel had told me, it hadn’t been a peaceful one. We hadn’t received any postcards for a couple of months, so it stood to reason that Lorik was no longer around to ascend to his father’s seat of power within the mob. I’d never understood why Az cared. And as for work, we’d land on our feet. We always did. Plus we had enough cash and valuables to keep us afloat and living comfortably for a good, long time.

“You’re so very special,” Azriel said as his lips found my shoulder. “But if anyone should find out about you, not even an entire Shaede Kingdom could keep you safe. It’s for the best that Vasily is gone. Lorik as well. Fear not, my love. I’ll protect you until the time is right for your presence to be known.”

I let him speak his nonsense. He had a tendency to talk in circles. I rolled onto my back, and his mouth caressed mine, his tongue sliding warm and welcome through my parted lips. Let the world rot,