Shaedes of Gray: A Shaede Assassin Novel

the screeching of tires signaled their hasty departure. We stood in stunned silence, listening as the sound of the fleeing vehicle grew fainter by the second.

A collective gasp broke the peace, and not a soul dared to move toward the bundle. I rolled my eyes. What a bunch of cowards. I drew the katana from behind my back and approached the object with measured steps. I heard a soft moan that wouldn’t have been detected by human ears; mine barely picked up the sound. I rushed the last few feet, sheathing the sword and going to my knees. Quickly, I fumbled with the ropes tied around the rough burlap sack and pulled it off a tiny girl beaten so badly, she was almost unrecognizable.

Oh, my God. I sucked in a lungful of air, and milky blue eyes rolled in her head, which cocked very slightly, moving toward the sound of my inhalation. I’d found one thing I’d been looking for.

Chapter 20

Tyler slid down beside me on his knees and bent over Delilah’s limp and almost lifeless body. His fingers glided to her throat and he sat, statuelike, while he searched for a pulse. I knew he’d found one when his body relaxed.

“We’ve got to get her out of here,” Ty said, turning to me.

“Take her to my house,” Xander said. His warm voice actually made me jump, and a moment later his palm came to rest on my shoulder. “Raif and Anya will take her in the other car. There’s plenty of room.” I could sense the reluctance in his voice when he added for Tyler’s benefit, “You can come as well.”

When Ty looked at me, his face was a mixture of rage and sorrow. Delilah had moxie, but her tiny little body couldn’t have held out for long. And she’d taken one hell of a beating. As if he were lifting a newborn child, he took her in his arms. Her head lolled back, lacking even the strength to rest on his shoulder.

“Where?” he asked, and Raif led the way to the car.

Delilah’s dramatic entrance brought the Summit to an abrupt end. The crowd of delegates dispersed in a quick and disorderly fashion. Only the Lyhtan seemed to take his . . . her . . . its time in leaving. It sauntered out into the afternoon sun with a strange confidence despite its grotesque appearance, flashing a jagged-toothed smile in my direction before its body dissolved. A shimmering insect dropped to the ground like a pearl where the Lyhtan had stood, and scurried away.

I hadn’t noticed that I sat in the empty building alone until Xander’s voice cut through the silence surrounding me. “Darian, we should go.”

“Huh?”

He bent and wrapped his arms around my waist, gently pulling me to a standing position. I couldn’t wipe the image of Delilah’s battered face from my mind. It hit too close to home and reminded me of my human life, where I’d been weak, susceptible, abused. I compared her injuries to my own the night Henry almost killed me—the same night Azriel became my savior. The prickling of tears stung behind my eyes, and I fought the emotion with everything I had. Weakness wouldn’t do me any good. I wasn’t going to kill whoever had done this by crying in my beer. And I was going to kill the person responsible.

Xander’s house buzzed with urgency. The very walls hummed with discord, and the air had become oppressive and grim in the wake of the day’s events. Delilah’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, but she had a broken arm, two broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. In addition to the many cuts, bruises, and abrasions, I didn’t think a square inch of her body had been left untouched by her attackers.

I don’t know if it was the woman in me or simply the creature that thirsted for revenge, but I marched straight for Xander’s suite and informed him of my intention to hunt Delilah’s kidnapers.

“No,” he said in a calm and simple way.

“No? Why not?”

“It’s not your job to avenge her.”

I couldn’t understand how he could sit there, so calm and collected, after what had happened. I opened my mouth to assure him that maybe it wasn’t my job to avenge the poor girl, but I was, in fact, still in charge of my own life, when Xander crossed the room and gently shut the door.

“I can’t risk your safety,” he said quietly.

Again, the words that tried to form died behind my lips. “What?” I finally said.

“You understand so little.” He stepped closer and in a very deliberate way threaded his fingers through the curls of my hair, caressing my scalp with each of his fingertips. The contact sent rivers of chills along my flesh, and an exasperated sigh escaped my parted lips. Was I the only one here who thought there was something seriously wrong with this picture?

“I know what you’re trying to do,” I said, my tone laced with warning, “and it’s not going to work.”

Xander put his lips to my forehead and murmured, “What am I trying to do, Darian?”

My senses were awash with the most miniscule detail. The feel of his fingers as they raked through my hair, the smell wafting from his skin, even his warm breath as it tickled my temple. The air in the small space became almost heady, and my heart raced. I looked at his face, youthful despite the passing of years. He didn’t look old enough to be any grown man’s father. In fact, he had so little in common with Azriel, I had a hard time believing they were related at all. The soft glow of his eyes burned into mine. The heat from his gaze was unmistakable, full of passion and longing.

“I don’t mix business with pleasure,” I said. “And you’re a little overconfident if you think I’m going to fall for this bullshit seduction. Xander, don’t you think you’re crossing some serious boundaries here?”

One of his hands came free of the tangle of my hair and, with deliberate precision, traced the side of my body to settle at my hip. The tension between us was palpable, like a big, thick blanket that wrapped our bodies together, suffocating me, and I realized he didn’t care. Azriel or no Azriel, he had serious entitlement issues.

“I want you,” he said. “Regardless.”

“What you want and what you get are two completely different things, Xander.”

My heart leapt from my chest into my throat, and I swallowed hard, as if I could force the damn thing back down where it belonged. Xander was everything I should have wanted: gorgeous, powerful, sardonic in that romance-novel sort of way. Figure Ty into the mix, and I was more confused than ever. If Xander had come along a year or even a few months sooner, there might not have been a decision to make. And aside from a past I couldn’t forget or overlook, I knew I’d never be anything more to him than a possession, paid or not. And like I’d told him before, some of my services were not for sale. “Do you think you can just snap your royal fingers and I’ll fall into bed?” I asked. “You can’t have it all. I’m hired to do a job for you and that is all. Period.”

“This is about the Jinn,” he growled under his breath. “Send him away. It’s that simple.”

This so wasn’t just about the Jinn. An image of Tyler’s face loomed in my mind, loyal, loving, and glorious. Maybe it was about the Jinn, a little. “I can’t do that,” I said, putting a good arm’s length between us. “I won’t.”

Xander’s body stiffened, his expression that of jealousy and passion. He knocked my outstretched arms aside and cupped my face in his hands, forcing me to look up. He paused and dipped his head. Could I stop him if he chose to follow through? Would I want to? I didn’t pull away, but my hand twitched toward the dagger strapped to my thigh. If a poke in the ribs was what it took to get my point across, so be it. But I was saved from any acts of violence when a knock came at the door.

Rather than let me go, Xander held me fast. “I’ll send whoever it is away.”

“Don’t bother,” I said, brushing his hands from my cheeks. “I know you’re used to getting what you want, Your Highness, but not this time. I am not for sale.”

“Xander,” Raif’s voice called through the door. “The girl is awake. I thought you’d want to know.”

I fingered the hilt of the dagger once more, gave Xander a pointed and meaningful stare, and headed for the door. He managed to secure a grasp on my hand and tugged me back toward him.

“Please,” he said. “Don’t go.”

I freed my hand, and without looking back headed straight for the door.

“Darian.” Xander’s velvet voice hinted of command.

I pulled open the door and rushed out, closing it before he could employ any more of his seduction tactics. Jesus. What had I done to deserve this kind of attention? I wasn’t charming by any