Assassin's Honor (53 page)

           
"And if we do nothing, will that stop them from coming after me?" Her logic made him frown and she shook her head. "No, it won't. For the past five years, I've wondered if someone was eventually going to come after me. But I lived with my fear. I didn't hide because of it. I refused to let my fear control me. Don't ask me to surrender to it now."

           
"I'm not asking you to surrender to anything. I just don't want anything to happen to you," he rasped with a shake of his head. "I almost lost you once before, amore mia. I don't think I could go through that again."

           
A knot swelled in his throat as he remembered a blade flashing in the moonlight as it descended toward Emma. The image flooded him with pain and regret. He'd failed her that night, and he'd do his damnedest not to let it happen again. He leaned into her, his forehead coming to rest against hers. She pulled his hands to her lips and kissed each of his fingers.

           
"Has it occurred to you," she murmured, "that I'll feel the same fear when you go out on assignment? Don't you think I'll worry about you coming home safe to me?"

           
"I'm a trained Sicari warrior. I know how to take care of myself."

           
"As I recall, you needed stitches in your chest and shoulder the night we first met," she snapped. "So your training doesn't do a whole lot to reassure me."

           
"Those were unusual circumstances--" Her incredulous expression made him grimace. "Okay, so maybe it wasn't that unusual."

           
"You're also forgetting,
il
mio signore, that your wife is quite capable of protecting herself."

           
A slight smile touched his lips when she referred to him as my lord. It indicated a measure of submission on her part, not something she gave easily.

           
"You're a babe in the woods when it comes to using your ability, dolce mia."

           
He kissed her fingertips and avoided her gaze. It was impossible to miss the deep note of regret in his voice, and he knew she heard it, too. She caressed his cheek as an earnest expression swept over her face.

           
"I've come to terms with my Sicari ability, Ares. It's a part of me, and I wouldn't change that even if I could, because we belong to each other. But don't shut me out. Don't try to shield me from the dark side of your life. And we both know the Tyet of Isis is a part of that darkness."

           
"You make it sound so simple, carissima. The minute I agree to your request, I've placed you in danger." He shook his head.

           
"For God's sake, don't you see, I'm always going to be in danger. Nothing you do can change that." She shoved her imprisoned hand into his chest in a gesture of frustration. "Let me be your partner. Let me help you find the Tyet of Isis."

           
He stiffened at her words. Why was she hounding him to renew his search for the Tyet of Isis, let alone asking to join him in the fun? The woman didn't have any idea how dangerous it was. He grimaced as he ran his hand across the top of his head and down to his neck. No, she knew, she just didn't seem to care that it might end her life a lot sooner than she thought. The notion chilled him.

           
Although he'd found it difficult to forgive himself for sealing their bond without her permission, he'd managed to reconcile his guilt for that transgression. But it hadn't unshackled him from the knowledge that he'd failed to keep her safe. He'd taken her into a dangerous situation and almost gotten her killed. He should have tied her up and threatened her with bodily harm before agreeing to take her into that house. If he renewed the search for the Tyet of Isis and let her help, he'd be repeating his mistakes. Her gaze narrowed at him as if she wasn't sure what to say next. Whatever she saw on his face helped her make a decision.

           
"Atia told me what the artifact was and what it might contain." Her words stunned him, and before he could think clearly, he'd opened his mouth.

           
"How in the hell would she know what it is?"

           
"When she gave me access to the archives, she said the artifact's secret, like a lot of other information, had been passed down from one Prima Consul to the next. Over time, key pieces of the story have become distorted or lost. But the one thing she's certain of is that the artifact is a small box engraved with carvings of the Tyet of Isis symbol."

           
"And what's in the box that the Prima Consul believes is so important?" he bit out.

           
"She isn't completely sure, but she thinks it has something to do with how the Sicari and the Praetorians got their abilities. If the Praetorians get to it first, then they might be able to use it against the Sicari."

           
The explanation made sense, but Atia always had an agenda. And he didn't like the fact that his godmother was willing to put Emma at risk to find the artifact. The memory of that night in her father's study slipped into his thoughts again, and he shook his head.

           
"No. I can't, inamorato."

           
"Can't?" she
persisted
. "Or won't?"

           
"Emma, hunting for the Tyet of Isis isn't a game. It's not one of your sedate archeological expeditions."

           
"Of course it's not a game. I almost died the night we found my father's notebook."

           
Her words made him flinch as he slammed the door on the memories. She was still here--with him. And it was exactly why he couldn't do what she asked. His eyes met her astute gaze as she released a quiet gasp.

           
"That's it," she exclaimed. "That's why you won't search for the artifact. You're worried you won't be able to save me the next time something happens."

           
"That's right," he growled.

           
"Why?
Because I got hurt?"

           
"Yes." Tension made his muscles taut. "I should have been there to keep that bastard from touching you. I didn't keep my promise. I didn't keep you safe."

           
"But don't you
see,
amore mio? You did keep me safe." She touched his face with her fingertips. "I'm alive because of you."

           
"I didn't--"

           
"What would have happened that night if you hadn't sealed the blood bond and transferred the Sicari ability to me?"

           
Ice slugged its way through his body until his heart rate was painfully slow. He remembered that helpless feeling that had lanced through his gut as he watched the Praetorian send his blade into Emma's side the first time. He'd leaped forward despite knowing he wouldn't be able to save her as that bastard's blade started its second descent.

           
Powerless to stop the man, he'd known that his life would be over the minute Emma was gone. And then it had happened. Sheer terror had awoken her Sicari ability as a form of self-defense. An ability he'd given her. He met her determined gaze.

           
"I wouldn't have been able to reach you in time," he said in a cracked voice.

           
"And if you hadn't sealed our blood bond, I wouldn't have been able to save myself." She pulled his head down and kissed him. "You didn't fail me. You saved me, amore mio."

           
The love and faith she had in him was humbling. One of the shackles chaining him snapped. She'd saved him. Her love had saved him not once, but twice now. Another chain broke as he lowered his head and kissed her. It was a long, deep kiss that silently expressed how much he cherished her. And as his mouth slanted over hers, he knew he'd give way to her request. He'd already taken so much from her that couldn't be returned.
Her life, her work.
The only thing he had to offer her was his love, but he knew she'd need more than that. She was too intelligent not to need something else in her life. He raised his head and met her sultry gaze.

           
"If I were to agree to what you asked--"

           
"Oh thank you, cuore mio." She tugged his head back down to her and proceeded to rain kisses on his face.

           
"Deus damno id, Emma, I didn't say I would."

           
"But you're going to, aren't you?" She looked up at him with a sense of satisfaction. "I can see it in your eyes."

           
"The only way I'll agree to this, Emma, is that I have your word you don't take any unnecessary risks," he said sternly.

           
"There are no risks, amore mio, only opportunities," she said with a mischievous smile then laughed at his groan.

           
"Why do I think this is one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made?"

           
"Are you sure falling in love with me wasn't the biggest?" She smiled up at him knowing she would never tire of hearing him say he loved her.

           
"That wasn't a mistake, carissima. Falling in love with you is the one thing I've done right where you're concerned."

           
Ares tilted her head and kissed her long and deep. It was a caress filled with love, and her heart expanded with joy. Here in his arms she'd found a love to last a lifetime. A familiar, lazy heat slid through her limbs, and she eagerly parted her lips to let him explore the warmth of her mouth. The moment his tongue danced with hers, she caught the faint taste of cinnamon from the baked apples they'd had at lunch. It only increased the warmth of his fiery caress.

           
Hard hands grasped her waist, and he tugged her close. It was a possessive embrace that said she was his.
His to love and protect.
When his mouth slid off hers to feather its way to her ear, she trembled. But when he nibbled at her earlobe, she was ready to melt because she recognized the intimate touch of his mind as he caressed her lightly all over her body.

           
She released a small moan as that invisible, yet familiar, pressure stroked her sex. She was going to have to do something about that habit he had of teasing her to the point of distraction with simply his thoughts.
Perhaps a dose of his own medicine?
Maybe it would reassure him that she could take care of herself better than he thought.

           
"Hungry?" she murmured as she arched back from him.

           
"For you, always."

           
"Then I know a place where I can do all kinds of wicked things to appease your appetite, amore mio," she whispered as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

           
In less than a minute, they were in their bedroom. As Ares closed the door behind them and turned to face her, she envisioned him pinned to the door. The moment his back pressed into the door, his eyes widened with surprise. She smiled with mischief as she used her mind to slowly slide his T-shirt up over his abdomen then up over his chest.

           
His surprise gave way to pleasure as her tongue darted out past her lips, and she imagined licking at his nipples. It was easier than she thought to use her mind when it came to pleasing him. And she loved the power and control her ability gave her. Desire etched its way across his face and he sucked in a sharp hiss of air. Just seeing his need for her was exhilarating. Intent on teasing him as much as possible, she released her hold on him. He whipped his shirt over his head to toss it aside. The instant he stepped toward her, she immediately pushed him back against the door. This time he narrowed his eyes at her.

           
"Are you trying to tell me something, carissima?" he asked in a casual manner, but she heard the underlying note of arousal beneath his question.

           
"Possibly," she said with amusement as she moved toward him. "I seem to recall you saying that I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to my ability."

           
She visualized the belt he wore coming undone, followed by the snap on his jeans popping open and the zipper sliding ever so slowly downward. As usual, he'd gone commando and a quiet noise of pleasure echoed out of him the minute his erection jutted forth in all its hard, thick maleness. Only a foot away from him, the sight of his aroused state sent her heart racing. The result was a slip in her concentration, and she almost missed his attempt to grab her. She quickly shook her head the minute he made his move and pictured his arms pressed against the door. With a satisfied smile, she met his frustrated gaze, delighted to see the desire and hunger in his stormy blue eyes.

           
"Tch, tch, tch.
I told you I was going to do wicked things to you, Ares DeLuca, and you didn't believe me."