Assassin's Kiss (10 page)

“I’d rather be alive than dead by Vespera hands, that’s for sure,” Kharv shook his head. “They got Fenrick on the other side of the tree line.”

“I’ll go get him,” Scorpio said.

“Wait,” Orser growled. “Restraints back on. It’s great that you helped us, but we’re not letting you sneak off.”

“I won’t leave.” Scorpio looked at Orser then at Tessa. “I promised to get you back home and I will. You have my word.”

His eyes seared her. The air pulsed with the weight of the decision she had to make. Put the cuffs back on, or assure her wary people that he didn’t need them? She squared her shoulders. “No restraints.”

An emotion flickered across his eyes, something between hope and thank fuck.

“Kharv, go with Scorpio and show him where Fen is.” Tessa knew Scorpio could find him on his own, but she hoped it would reassure her guards if he didn’t go off alone.

Kharv nodded and headed away. Scorpio gave Tessa a barely perceptible nod, and turned to follow him.

“I don’t like this,” Orser grumbled.

“Then you can join them,” Tessa muttered. “But the demon means what he says.”

“Since when are you on his side?”

“I’m not. I’m doing my best to keep us all alive.” She glared at Orser, hating the defensive edge to her voice. Why couldn’t she keep her emotions straight? “He could have killed all of us just now, but he didn’t.”

“I’m not leaving the two of you.” Orser set his hands on his hips. “So what if he jumped in to play hero today? You think a leopard changes his spots that easily?”

And that was the big question. One that she had no clue how to answer. “He jumped in because we needed him. And his aura…it’s not malicious.” She held Orser’s gaze. “Winston agrees.”

Orser softened his tone. “I don’t trust him. And I don’t want any more bad things to befall the coven.” He glanced to where Scorpio and Kharv came back into view, Scorpio carrying Fenrick over one shoulder. “And that demon is a bad thing.”

She tracked Scorpio’s powerful body as he brought back her fallen guard. Despite Orser’s conviction, the roiling conflict in her heart wouldn’t stop. Killing had been Scorpio’s life and she despised what he’d done—but today he’d used his lethal power to kill
for
her coven. In defense of her little group.

A lump formed in her throat at the idea of judging him for killing in one instance, and thanking him for doing it in another.

Could his past actions be forgiven? Did he deserve it?

She laid a hand over her heart and drew a deep breath, trying to regulate her insane thoughts. The concept of forgiveness hadn’t been in the same realm as Scorpio’s name until this moment, and the lapse left her with an ugly, chest-tightening sense of guilt.

“You okay?” Zeebi rubbed a hand down Tessa’s back. “You look pale.”

“Just uh, the adrenaline let down, I guess. I’m fine.” Tessa adored her friend, but wasn’t ready to share the jumbled knots in her mind with anyone yet.

Scorpio gently set Fenrick on the grass and Zeebi rushed over to check on him.

Kharv shook his head. “He was gone in minutes, Zee.”

“Shit.” Zeebi dropped the hand she grasped to check for a pulse. “Him and Samuel.”

“I can carry them both back to the coven,” Scorpio offered.

Tessa’s eyes darted to Scorpio’s massive shoulders, knowing he could carry both males with minimal effort, then to Orser, seeing the same assessment in his eyes. “He can do it. But he needs to be at full strength.”

Orser’s eyes dropped to the collar Zeebi had cast to the ground. He exchanged glances with Kharv. “Fine. Let’s go home—but bring the restraints, just in case.”

Carefully, but with absolute confidence, Scorpio lifted first Fenrick and then Samuel, one over each shoulder. With Orser leading the way, they headed back across the river.

Tessa felt the familiar pang that clawed her every time she left their true land. This time it was accompanied by the sadness of losing two noble men who she called friends, and her confusion over the demon who’d fallen from the sky and now swore to protect her coven.

You think a leopard can change his spots?
Orser’s words haunted her.

Did his spots change, or rather, did the rest of the world simply view his actions through a different lens, depending on their situation?

And if so, where the hell did they go from there?

C
HAPTER
8

S
HOCKED GASPS AND HORRIFIED STARES
met the group as they neared Bronwy land. Tessa’s already heavy heart grew more leaden, as she anticipated the grief of the guards’ families. Loss of good men equaled loss of morale and, with Tessa departing soon, the coven sure as hell didn’t need that.

Entering the clearing, Tessa drew Zeebi with her to the front of the group. Hallon stood, arms folded and eyes stormy as he studied them, then swept Tessa up and down, his face wrinkled in worry.

“The demon is unrestrained!” One witch pointed.

“There’s no need, Gert.” Tessa turned and shot what she hoped was a steely glare. “He proved himself today. He defended us.” She swung her gaze back to Hallon. “I can explain.”

“I know. You’re all right?”

She nodded. “All of us except…”

His focus moved to the men still draped over Scorpio’s shoulders. His mouth tightened. “Set them down.”

Scorpio lowered himself to a crouch, and Kharv and Orser shifted Samuel and Fenrick off his shoulders. Inga rushed forward, but halted at the shake of Kharv’s head.

Her shoulders sagged and she knelt next to each man, the healing talent in her too ingrained to not look, to not give a final, hopeful check of vital signs. And to murmur her own goodbyes.

Scorpio straightened, and the crowd shrank back. Soft mutterings abounded.

“Restraints back on, Tessa,” Hallon said.

“He doesn’t need them, Dad.”

Scorpio’s head yanked around to stare at her and she frowned at him. Did he want to be bound? “Only another fifty feet and you’ll be back in there.” She gestured to the cage.

His golden eyes flared, and for a moment she wondered if she had made a mistake. He stood tall, muscles rippling as he breathed. He was the definition of masculine power, unbridled and unrestrained. He could overpower any of them.

He’d be met with harsh witchfire set to stun, though.

The insane thought popped into her head that if he wanted to, he could sling her over his shoulder and take off before she realized her feet had left the ground. He was that fast, that strong. She held his gaze, trapped by the raw force vibrating from every brawny muscle.

But that didn’t make sense. He said he wouldn’t leave. She shook her head. Gods, what was wrong with her? She sighed. “Let’s go. The job’s done.” She nodded to the cage and started walking.

He was at her side in a heartbeat. “Hallon’s your
dad
?”

Oh, that was his issue? She quirked a brow, unable to stop a tiny smile. He wasn’t concerned about being restrained or subdued once more. He was all about his new knowledge of her parentage.

“Yep.”

“I’ve never heard you call him Dad before.”

She shrugged. “I usually don’t in front of the coven. He’s our leader, he deserves respect, and I don’t expect special treatment. I’ll work as hard as anyone else here. Harder, actually. You won’t catch me acting like a princess in a tower.”

He chuckled. “That’s the last thing I’d expect.”

She kicked at a dirt clump. “Yeah, I’m not exactly the royal type. Digging in the dirt and casting spells seems pretty un-princessy to me.”

“That’s not it.” He walked so close his arm nearly brushed hers.

“Then, what?”

“Princess in a tower implies helpless, and that’s not you. If the witchfire you hit me with was any indicator.”

Her eyes widened and for one second, she felt bad for flinging it at him on that first night. “I…”

“No apologies.” They reached the cage and he turned to her. “I would have expected no less.”

She dropped her eyes to the door, unsure of what to make of his assessment and unable to look him in the eye. Guilt soured her stomach at the thought of putting him back in this makeshift cell. After today, she couldn’t fathom him harming any of the coven, or running away.

But the other side of her knew what was expected of a prisoner, and of the leader’s daughter. No exceptions. She opened the door on silent hinges.

He stepped in and turned to look down on her. “You know I don’t need this.”

She took a breath, but had no words to voice her agreement. Saying it out loud seemed traitorous to her people. And part of her knew her feelings didn’t matter. They wouldn’t undo the past. She swallowed past the confusion muddling her brain. “Maybe.” Then she closed the door and spoke the spell that would seal the lock. Stepping back, she muttered, “I need to debrief with Hallon.”

“I’ll be here.” His deep voice held a touch of humor and hint of promise, mixed with the obvious.

Guilt and curiosity collided in her head. Needing to put distance between her and this powerful, intriguing demon, she made a non-committal noise in her throat and strode back to the group.

Hallon extended an arm and she tucked close to him, drawing comfort in a way she rarely did in public. She much preferred to keep private stuff private, and she meant what she’d said to Scorpio. She didn’t expect special treatment. But she sensed that her dad needed touch as much as she did, after the ordeal.

Samuel and Fenrick’s stricken families surrounded the bodies. Their shocked, weeping, mournful cries filled the air, swamping Tessa with their auras’ raw grief. Coven members came forward to carry the dead to Inga’s infirmary, where she would clean them up and prepare them for the burial ceremony.

Hallon looked down at her and squeezed her shoulders. “You ready to talk now, or want to wait?”

“Now,” Tessa said. No sense in waiting and mulling over details.

“Kharv, Orser, Zeebi. In my office.” Hallon headed to his large home. The group followed. Winston joined in, and Tessa was more than happy to unload the crystals from her back pack to the bright-eyed Elder.

They all took seats in Hallon’s briefing room, and he listened as the four of them recounted the day’s events. Winston unrolled the crystals as they talked, getting dirt all over the table, but no one seemed to care. “I knew that demon would come in handy.”

“We still lost two men,” Kharv said.

“Yes, but we would have lost all of you if not for him,” Winston spoke matter-of-factly. “Five of them. Gods above.”

“Well, I don’t know that we would have lost
all
of us.” Zeebi turned her eyes on Tessa. “You just would have joined them sooner rather than later.”

May as well be lost, then.
But Tessa kept that to herself. “We were at a huge disadvantage, with them stopping weapons and fire midair.”

Kharv growled a curse. “Still can’t believe they developed that power.”

Orser grunted in agreement.

“The other Elders and I will start on a counter spell today.” Winston frowned. “This can’t continue.”

“Good,” Hallon said. “And I deeply regret the loss of two men, but I agree with Winston, things would’ve been worse had the demon not been there.”

“Doesn’t change the facts,” Orser growled.

Hallon pinched the bridge of his nose. “Perhaps the male will serve a purpose greater than spell practice.”

Zeebi raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Not sure yet.” Hallon’s tone had a final edge to it. “You can all go, except Tess.”

The group filed out, Zeebi last. When the door clicked closed behind her, Hallon leaned back in his chair and leveled Tessa with a look of love and reproach. “What you did today was dangerous.”

She sighed and traced a circle on the worn wood table. “I know it was, but I had to make a call right then and there. Samuel had just been stabbed. Nothing was working.” She paused, as the first wave of sadness she allowed crept higher in her heart. “But also…I knew he’d stick around.”

“Not doubting your judgment, but how did you know?”

How could she explain the weird trust that she couldn’t even explain to herself? “He says he’s not leaving. That he’ll do whatever we ask. Even when it was time to come home, and Orser wanted him bound again, Scorpio assured us he would get us home ‘because that’s what he said he would do.’” She made air quotes around the last words.

“What? Does he have some warped sense of needing to do justice? It’s a little late.”

“No…” She glanced to a window, where willow branches swayed in the breeze. “He has another kind of warped idea.”

Hallon quirked a brow, waiting.

“He thinks I’m his…” Crap, she couldn’t even say it. “Um…Dad, I don’t know why he thinks this. This is embarrassing and awful.” She took a huge breath and pushed the words out before she lost her courage. “HethinksI’mhismate.”

“What?” Her dad’s jaw dropped.

“Yup.” There, she’d said it. Silence stretched in the room. She swallowed, partly wanting to sink into the floor and partly wanting to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of the idea…except overriding both was guilt-tinged confusion.

“He doesn’t even know you.” Hallon stared at her like her face could give answers.

“I know. It makes no sense. Lash demons need to get to know each other, or whoever, and fall in love, right? Then the mate bond forms?”

“Yeah.” Hallon grimaced. “I don’t like this. I’d say he’s delusional, except that he seems as calm as a glacial pool. He may be extremely calculating. I don’t trust him, not one bit.”

Tessa picked at a cuticle. She wanted to say she didn’t trust Scorpio either, but stopped.

Because she did trust him, on some crazy level. Maybe she was delusional too.

“I don’t know what Scorpio’s game is. And I hate that I’m losing you to Damien.” Hallon leaned forward. “I know you pushed for it. I never thought I’d meet a woman as selfless as your own mother, but you’ve turned out more like her than I could ever have imagined.”

“Stop.” Tessa tried to smile, but her heart wasn’t in it. Not when loss and pride tinged her dad’s words like they always did when he mentioned her mother.