Shaedes of Gray: A Shaede Assassin Novel

would be stupid enough to identify the mastermind behind their little coup. Everyone suspected Azriel, but I had to be sure. Driven by basic instincts and simple emotions, these Lyhtans could be easily controlled by the right individual. They appeared to be brainless creatures with only base desires, though Raif had proclaimed differently.

“Who is your master?” I asked as I fought to keep moving.

I was answered by another round of cackling laughter. “Our master wants you,” they said.

Ambiguous answers aren’t my favorite. Wants me what? Dead? Alive? Tortured? Stripped naked, doused with honey, and set on an anthill? I was so over this unwelcome escort. “Look, ladies . . . fellas . . . whatever. Are you planning on doing something here, or are you just going to talk me to death? I’m pretty fucking tired, and I’m not in the mood for your bullshit this morning. So if you’re going to do something, get on with it. If you’re not, then get the hell out of here!”

I waited, my pulse pounding in my ears, for their next move. I was sure I’d invited an attack, and I stood ready to defend myself, no matter how wasted the effort might be.

Their laughter grew louder, and they pushed with their invisible forms, tossing my body this way and that. I tried to stay straight, but they were too strong and I listed, stumbling as they shoved. The sound of their mirth intensified until I thought I’d go crazy from the laughter. The density of the air changed, and I cried out as many clawed hands scraped against me. Blood oozed from the gaping wounds, and I fell to the ground. I reached over my shoulder, gripped the hilt of the katana, and ripped it free of the scabbard. On my knees, I held it out before me, ready to fight, though unsure how or where to aim the slice of my blade as flashes of light shone before me, too fast for the human eye to track, becoming solid for a split second before disappearing entirely.

Laughter turned to screeching. I felt the power of their screams deep in my chest, my heart threatening to explode at any minute. I swung the katana at the air, slicing and cutting down over and over.

The screams stopped. The laughter was gone. The air became easy to breathe, and I no longer felt the pressure of their presence. I fell face forward on the concrete, and I heard the metal blade ring as it struck the ground. Blood gushed warm and sticky from my many wounds, the pain almost unbearable, and there I lay, a mere block from my apartment.

Goddamn, I needed help. Needed it right fucking now. I tried to form the sentence that would save me, “I wish . . .” But I didn’t get past the first two words. Darkness swept down on me, and it was welcome.

“Darian, don’t move,” Tyler’s voice was soft next to my face. “This is gonna hurt like a bitch, but you can’t move or you’ll pull the stitches.”

Stitches? What would I need stitches for?

Something cold and wet made contact with my skin, and a jolt of pain like liquid fire shot through me. I jerked but did as Tyler asked and tried to keep as still as possible. Dragging a ragged breath between tightly clenched teeth, I didn’t dare open my eyes. I didn’t want to see the damage that was so bad it would require my quick- healing skin be sewn together. A string of curses sat at my tongue, distracting me from the searing pain. For comfort, I visualized the many ways I could kill my Lyhtan attackers in the gray hours of twilight.

Soon the pain ebbed, and my breathing slowed. I allowed my tense body to relax by fractions of inches, slowly sinking into the soft comfort I recognized as my own bed. The delicious scent that clung to Ty drifted toward me, helping me to calm. I wasn’t safe, but I felt better just being near him, my personal wish granter.

“How did you find me?” I croaked.

“I knew you were about to make a wish,” he said as he propped another pillow beneath my head. “I get this tingly feeling that’s a precursor to the actual wish. When you didn’t follow through, I got worried and went to look for you. Luckily, you were close.”

“Why do I need stitches, Ty? What the fuck?”

He brushed my hair away from my forehead. His touch felt cooler than normal. “Raif came by to check you out. He was pretty pissed—mentioned something about bottled shadows and your inability to obey an order. He says you’ll heal, but the Lyhtan venom prevents your skin from closing up like it should. If I hadn’t closed the wounds, you may have bled out.”

“I thought they could only kill me during the gray hours,” I mumbled, ignoring the I told you so Raif had delivered by way of Tyler.

“Are you dead?” Tyler asked.

“No,” I moaned, “but that’s not saying much.”

He bent over and pressed his lips to my forehead. I breathed deeply, taking in his scent as if I’d never smell it again. How many times had he gotten me out of a jam? How many more opportunities would he have to come to my rescue? Which of those times would kill him?

“Tyler.” I worked to lean up on my elbows. It hurt like a sonofabitch. “You need to go. It’s not safe for you here.”

“Darian, I’ve dealt with nastier things than Lyhtans,” he said, laughing. “Don’t worry about it.”

“What are you, Tyler?” I asked. Nearly delirious from the Lyhtan venom, I felt groggy, drugged.

“I’m yours,” he said.

I mumbled a few incoherent words and lost consciousness again.

Angry voices roused me from a dark abyss. Two of my favorite voices, actually. Xander arguing with Tyler. I couldn’t make out the words, but it was a heated discussion nonetheless.

I wanted to speak up, but my mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton balls. I tried to run my tongue over my lips, but it just stuck to the roof of my mouth like I’d glued it there. I wrestled with producing enough saliva to dislodge my tongue for a couple of minutes while Tyler and Xander continued to argue. I couldn’t even wish they’d stop.

I abandoned trying to talk and instead let out a loud groan. I didn’t need my tongue for that, and it managed to interrupt whatever was going on between the two men. I heard the shuffling of feet and maybe a shove or two, and then felt their presence beside me. I pried open my heavy lids, and the blurry room and occupants slowly came into focus.

“Hey,” Ty said, obviously jumping in to be the first to speak to me. “How are you feeling?”

My tongue popped loose from the roof of my mouth and I parted my dry, cracked lips. “Water,” I whispered.

The room blurred out of focus and I heard more commotion. Their voices low, they’d begun fighting again.

“Here,” Xander said. I felt a depression in the bed where he sat beside me. “I’ll help you drink.”

I managed to clear my vision and caught sight of Tyler, arms folded in front of his chest. He snorted derisively.

Xander lifted the glass to my lips and I drank. It had to be the best-tasting water I’d ever had. Not too cold, not too warm, and it loosened up my dry mouth. Delicious. Xander pulled the lip of the glass away and I leaned back onto the pillow, exhausted from just the small task of drinking.

“I feel like shit,” I grumbled. “When is this damn Lyhtan venom going to wear off?”

The bed shook with Xander’s laughter. Tyler entered the fray and took a seat on my opposite side. He gave my hand a light squeeze. “Soon,” he said. “It’s already wearing off. It won’t be much longer.”

Xander grabbed my other hand. What was this—a battle for Darian’s appendages? I didn’t like it. “You’re healing faster than we expected,” he said. “We’ve already had to remove the stitches.”

I clenched my stomach muscles and tried to sit up to see the extent of the damage. The cuts pulled and stung, piercing my side with a sharp pain. I sucked in a quick breath and eased myself back down onto the pillows.

“What were you two fighting about?” I asked.

Their voices answered in unison. “Nothing.”

“Nothing, my ass,” I said.

Tyler took the high road, just like I knew he would. “There was another attack just after sunset. Two more Shaedes were killed.”

“And . . .” I said, prompting him along.

“And Xander thought that you should move into his house. I told him no.”