Born of the Night (8 page)

Holstering his blaster, Nykyrian stared at the opaque window coverings. "It's a blast

shield."

Darling and Hauk exchanged wary looks.

"I forgot to mention that," Darling said. "We covered all the windows to keep snipers from seeing a target."

Kiara fumed. "I want you to leave! All of you. Out!"

Nykyrian nodded to Hauk and Darling, excusing them. Without a word, they left.

"I meant you as well."

"I know you did. Get used to me, I'm not leaving."

She walked right up to him, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "You're fired."

Her audacity almost made him smile. It had been a long time since someone dared stand

up to him in anger without a weapon pointed at his head. "You didn't hire me."

Kiara's eyes widened. Never in her life had she been so angry. In fact, it was rare she ever

lost her temper. She stared at Nykyrian wishing she were Trisani and could splatter him

against her walls with just her thoughts.

"I want you out of my home."

For a brief moment, she thought he winced, but his face quickly turned back hard. He left

the studio.

Satisfaction washed over her as she surveyed the empty room. Tomorrow she would have

the building's maintenance crew remove the shields. Tonight she would enjoy the

peacefulness of being alone and alive.

She wanted her life back and she intended to claim it!

A movement in one of her mirrors caught her attention. Stepping closer to the glass, she

recognized Nykyrian in her front room.

She trembled in rage. He hadn't left. In a heated daze, she went to expel him from her life.

She was tired of having no control over anything that happened to her. The time had

come for people to realize she would tolerate no more encroachments on her freedom!

Reaching the kitchen, Kiara paused, shocked by the sight before her.

He was preparing dinner? Her anger dissolved. Never had she expected a mercenary

assassin to cook. "What are you doing?" she asked, subdued.

"I thought you might be hungry, I know I am."

Kiara watched him rinse assorted
brenna
vegetables in her sink. Pulling her cutting block off the wall, he began chopping the vegetables into tiny pieces. "You actually look like

you know what you're doing."

He stopped chopping and looked up at her. "Does it surprise you? Even killers need

food."

She ignored his obvious barb. "Food yes, but Cretoria? That is what you're making?"

"Yes." He finished chopping the vegetables, then placed them on the counter.

"So, you're a killer and a gourmet."

Nykyrian shrugged while he walked to her cooling unit and pulled out her defrosted
trona

meat. He returned to her counter. "You could say I'm a gourmet killer. Being Andarion, I

like my human meat cooked well."

She bit her lip at his even tone that betrayed no hint of emotion. "You told me you don't eat humans."

She was sure the look under his glasses was a sharp glare. Without a word, he began

chopping the meat.

Kiara watched the hacking cleaver, and with each thump she cringed. Was she safe alone

with him? Her hands trembled. Her father wouldn't have hired him if he thought there

would be any danger to her. Right?

If only she could read his thoughts as easily as he seemed to read hers.

"Do you ever remove your glasses?"

"No."

She pursed her lips at his curt response. "Are you embarrassed over your Andarion

eyes?" she persisted, trying to figure out why he wanted to wear them inside.

He growled low in his throat. "Nothing about me, bothers me. But my eyes seem to make

everyone else damn uncomfortable."

"Even Hauk?"

The cleaver thumped louder. "Especially Hauk."

Kiara wondered at his words. How could an Andarion be made uncomfortable by another

of his kind?

Who was this man in her home?

She realized she wouldn't find out. the answer today. "I need to dress," she said quietly, leaving the kitchen.

Thank you, Nykyrian thought to himself. The low-dip in the front of her robe caused him

quite a bit of discomfort. Since she had called his attention to the studio, the only thing he had really noticed was the tiny droplets of water clinging to the deep cleft of her breasts.

He vowed to keep his mind on business not Kiara's body.

To help achieve his goal, he switched on the disc player located on the kitchen counter.

As he finished placing the meat and vegetables into a dish, he heard Rachol's knock code

on the door.

Kiara came running from her room, fastening the last three buttons of her blouse.

Nykyrian groaned inwardly, regretting he had ever told her he wasn't interested in her

body. No doubt, she figured she could run about naked and not stir him. This was going

to be a long mission.

Reining his body back into his rigid control, Nykyrian moved to the door.

Kiara opened it, admitting Rachol and her father.

"Thank God," the Commander said and pulled her into his arms. "When I saw the bodies, I was terrified you were hurt.'"

Another wave of panic threatened to consume Kiara as she thought over her near death.

"Luckily Nykyrian and Rachol were there," she said.

Tiarun released her and faced Nykyrian. "I thought you people were going to wait until

tomorrow before starting your protection."

"Had we waited, she would be dead," Nykyrian said with his usual nonchalance, making Kiara wonder if anything ever set his temper off, or elicited any other "normal" response.

Her father tensed before nodding at Nykyrian's callous words. "I wanted to tell you about this," he said to Kiara, rubbing her arm tenderly. "I was waiting until after your

performance. I didn't want to upset you."

"I'm not upset," she lied, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

Tiarun gave her a grim smile. He looked back at Nykyrian with the stern frown that never

failed to intimidate Kiara. "I do have misgivings about this. I warned Nemesis, now I

warn you. Should anything happen to her, I won't rest until I have destroyed every

member of the OMG."

Nykyrian had to stifle his disbelieving snort. "We're professionals. Kiara is safer with us than she would ever be with you," he replied calmly.

Tiarun narrowed his eyes in a way that made Nykyrian want to growl in response. "She'd

better be. I intend to keep in constant contact." Tiarun pulled Kiara back into his arms, giving her a tight hug. "I hate to leave, but I need to get back to the base and deal with the reporters and paperwork over what happened tonight. If you need me. call."

"I will," she promised, kissing his cheek.

"I'll check on you when I get home."

"Okay." Reluctantly, she closed the door behind him.

Kiara frowned at the mocking expression on Rachol's face as he walked to Nykyrian.

"Parental worries? Yuck!" Rachol shuddered.

Nykyrian shoved his shoulder. "Don't mock."

"Come on, Kip. Doesn't it give you the
boowahs?"

Kiara stared at Rachol, curious about his words, angered over the way he acted about her

father's concern. "Don't your parents ever worry over either of you?" she asked acidly.

"What parents?" Rachol returned.

A ripple of shock went through Kiara. "Are they dead?"

"Careful," Nykyrian said, returning to the kitchen. "You might not want an answer."

Frowning, she tried to understand his cryptic response. "What do you mean?"

"Kip wasn't born, he was spawned." Rachol smiled.

Now she was completely confused. "Who's Kip?"

Rachol indicated Nykyrian with his thumb.

"You were a tubey?"

Nykyrian glanced up from his dinner preparations. "Rachol has a brain disorder that

causes him to lie most of the time. Ignore him."

So Nykyrian wasn't a test-tube baby. This really didn't make a bit of sense. "But neither of you has parents?"

Nykyrian grimaced. "We're orphans."

"That's what I asked to begin with," Kiara said, watching Rachol take a seat on one of her stools.

They ignored her agitated voice.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Nykyrian asked, handing Rachol a glass of
spara
juice.

"Do you mind?" Rachol asked Kiara.

"No," she said, surprised by the honesty of the statement.

For some reason, she liked Rachol despite his unorthodox looks. His dark brown hair was

pulled back into a short ponytail. His brown eyes were ringed in black eye-liner, giving

him the look of a feral hunting beast. Two silver hoops hung from his left earlobe.

He was definitely not the type of man who attracted her, but she had to admit, he was

oddly handsome.

Kiara shifted her gaze to Nykyrian as he talked with Rachol. He seemed far more at ease

with Rachol than he had with his other two friends.

As Rachol made another joke, she realized Nykyrian never smiled or laughed. She

couldn't remember ever seeing him do either. For some reason, she wanted to see his lips

curl up and hear his laugh.

What could take away someone's laughter?

Her chest tightened as she considered the life he must have lived. No parents, no laughter,

a League Assassin. In truth, it was a miracle he was still alive.

She wanted to solve the enigma before her.

Nykyrian might not be interested in her, but she had a deep curiosity about him. And she

had never been one to leave a mystery unsolved. Kiara promised herself in the coming

days, she would delve into his mind and find out what there was underneath those glasses

and his distant manner.

Four

Kiara was talking to her father over the telelink when Rachol took his leave. Nykyrian

listened to her soft voice drifting from her room. The silken, dulcet tone pierced him.

Forcing his mind to business as he had promised himself, he retrieved his portable

computer terminal from the bag Hauk had left for him on the floor.

Nykyrian took a seat on the couch and unzipped the terminal. Kiara's laugh rippled,

causing a bittersweet pain to twist his stomach. He clenched his fists and ran through the

litany his adoptive father had forced him to recite while growing up— He was a warrior,

a killer. He didn't need anyone. He was stronger alone.

His thoughts back on his job, he switched on the terminal. The bright blue screen glared,

causing him to flinch. His eyes burned from the strain of wearing his glasses indoors, but

despite the pain, he didn't dare remove them around Kiara.

Maybe he should have assigned Rachol watch duty tonight. This mission was bound to be

his undoing.

He had spent the entire dinner wanting her, feeling her presence next to him. If only he

hadn't allowed her to touch him at the theatre, he might have been able to banish her from

his thoughts.

Nykyrian scoffed at himself. Who was he trying to fool? Since the first performance he

had seen her in, he hadn't been able to banish her from his thoughts. She had haunted his

dreams like a stalking phantom out to steal his rotting soul.

He sighed wearily. This mission was definitely not what he needed to help him get her

out of his mind. He heard her finish her conversation. She entered the front room with a

warm smile on her face as she looked at him. Nykyrian's blood raced in heated response

to her gentle look.

"Is Rachol gone?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yes," he said, forcing himself to concentrate on his work.

Kiara sat in her favorite chair, across from him. Her father's dire words echoed in her

ears. He had warned her of the OMG's ferocity, telling her they killed on contract without

emotions.

Watching Nykyrian closely, she tried to read his thoughts. Though his face didn't betray

any tell-tale signs of feelings, She knew he had them. No one was totally devoid of

emotions.

Nykyrian's own words drifted through her mind.
Emotions are bred out of us during

training.
She still refused to believe he was emotionless. Were that true, he wouldn't have comforted her while she cried.

A wicked smile curved her lips as she studied his lean, muscular build. She had seen and

been held by many men who constantly worked to improve their physical appearance, but

none of them had ever appealed to her as much as the man before her now. A man whose

distance annoyed her.

She wasn't used to having to fight for someone's attention. Usually, she fought to escape

it. Kiara wondered if maybe that was part of her attraction for him— the old hard-to-get

routine.

But as she studied him, she realized even if that were part of it, there was much more to

her desire than just the challenge of the aloof. There was something about him that called

out to her like a hurt child needing comfort. Kiara almost laughed aloud at the thought.

She stared at Nykyrian, his jaw tense, his features blank. No, there didn't appear to be

anything about him even close to frail.

So why did she feel this way? "What are you working on?" she finally asked.

He growled a low warning in his throat that made her a bit uneasy. "I have a lot of work

that needs to be finished. I'm not here to be sociable. I'm here only to protect you."

Kiara folded her arms around her leg and rested her chin on her knee. She watched his

flying fingers, the keys of the terminal clicking beneath them. "But since you're here . . ."

His fingers stopped, the sudden silence echoed around her, increasing her discomfort. "I

just thought you might as well tell me something about yourself. We could end up