Most Wanted - A Fantasy Romance Novel (The Shadow Blade Series) (19 page)

Jax stared at
the head. His head. It was bizarre to contemplate his body-less self but he had
to admit Ariel’s plan was a good one. It had been a little strange to watch her
hacking his head off. His hand had closed around his own throat as he watched
Ariel carve through the muscle, sinew and spinal cord, freeing it from Aaron’s
body with seeming relish.

Once she was
done Ariel had held the head up and grinned at him. ‘Let’s go get ourselves a bounty,’
she’d said with a devilish look on her face.

The head now sat
on the seat beside her in the van, the skin already starting to turn pale, the
lips blue, and the eyes to sink into the skull. Jax dragged his eyes off it and
looked at Ariel. She was revving the engine. He leaned in through the window
and kissed her.

‘Be careful,’ he
said, feeling the heat of her lips and aching for more.

She drew back
smiling. ‘Always,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you in two hours.’

He watched her
drive away before swinging his leg over his bike and heading back into the
house. He had a headless body to bury.

Ariel pulled up
outside the seemingly derelict building that housed Jimmy’s pawn and betting
emporium and cut the engine. She could tell by the reddish light filtering through
the boards at the front of the store and the humming energy that seemed to
emanate from the building that the place was full. The news of the bounty on
Jax must have spread and people were probably fired up on the betting. She
gathered herself, ran her hands through her hair, and got out of the van,
reaching across to pick up the head.

It was heavier
than a bowling ball and she hefted it into her arms, trying not to look at it,
and slammed the van door with her hip. She strode towards the door but before
she could even get close it flew open. Felix stood wide-eyed on the threshold.
It was almost as if he’d been waiting for her. He stared at the head and then
his eyes flicked to her face.

‘You killed
him?’ He seemed confused.

Ariel nodded.

‘But I thought….’

Ariel cut him
off. ‘You thought wrong. The day I take a man over a half million dollars is
the day I hang up my bounty hunting boots.’

‘You could have
brought him in alive and got a million though,’ Felix said, following her
inside.

‘He put up a fight,’
Ariel said. ‘I didn’t have any other option.’

Felix edged past
her, flashing her his teeth. She felt a twinge of remorse for lying to him but
also a rush of happiness that this was the last time she’d ever have to step
foot in Jimmy’s emporium.

‘Jimmy here?’
she asked.

Felix suddenly
leaped into action, ushering her down the flickering corridor towards Jimmy’s
office. At the sight of Ariel Jimmy’s bodyguard snickered, but the moment Ariel
stepped into the light and showed him what she was carrying the snicker
vanished. He opened the door without a word and Ariel marched into the office.

Jimmy was
sitting behind his desk, a stack of papers piled in front of him. He wasn’t
tapping on his trusty calculator this time, he was rooting through a box of cigars
instead. He glanced up when the door opened and frowned with annoyance at the
sight of her. But then his beady eyes narrowed as he took in the gift she had
brought him.

He shot her a
quizzical look, a look that transformed into distaste as she dropped the head
with a thud onto the table. The table splintered and cracked. Ariel propped her
hand on her hip. ‘Jax Sayer’s head,’ she said, examining the nails of her other
hand. ‘Pay up.’

Jimmy stared at
her unblinking for several seconds. His thin lips were pinched tight as an
asshole. Which was appropriate Ariel couldn’t help thinking, as that was
exactly what he was. She willed herself to stay calm and see this through. It
was, after all, the very last time she’d ever have dealings with him, until the
time she came back to kill him that is.

For a split
second she wondered if he was going to try to screw her over, but then he
leaned forwards and yanked open one of the drawers of his desk. With a
disgusted look on his face, and still glaring at her, he pulled out several
stacks of hundred dollar bills. Ariel suppressed the smile. She’d gone from
almost destitute and living in a hovel to being a millionaire, all in the space
of a day. Life was unexpected, she was learning.

And so was love.

Ariel settled
back into her first class seat. They really knew how to rock it up here near
the cockpit. Damn, she could get used to being a millionaire. The crew kept
offering her and Jax glass after glass of champagne and she was feeling light
headed, giddy from both the rush of alcohol in her veins and the knowledge that
she was headed into the infinite unknown of the future with Jax at her side.

She glanced
across at him as he stared out the window of the plane, and took in his
profile, the unshaven jaw, the beautiful shape of his lips, the long eyelashes
and thick dark hair. She squeezed his hand and he looked across at her and
smiled.

Ariel smiled
back. They held each other’s gaze, silent words passing between them. They were
almost strangers but it felt like they had known each other lifetimes already.

Jax leaned
forwards, ignoring the crew buzzing around them, his focus fully on her, and
her lips. His hand slid beneath the cover draped over Ariel’s lap and rested on
her thigh. She felt a tingling in response to his touch that ran all the way
from her toes to the top of her skull, her heart started to skitter in her
chest.

His other hand
came to rest against her throat, gently stroking the cut that Aaron had made
with his blade. It was already healing, along with the bruises from the fight
with the Original. She watched the scowl appear on Jax’s face and then saw it
soften as his gaze returned to her lips. She waited, breathless, for him to
kiss her and when he did she felt like the plane had just dropped a thousand
feet and then rocketed straight up through the atmosphere, she felt like she
was weightless, that gravity had no hold of her.

‘How are you
feeling?’ Jax whispered against her lips.

Ariel smiled.
She knew exactly what he was referring to and it wasn’t her health. In answer
she felt a flood of warmth where his hand was pressing. She bit her lip as she
drew in a breath and smiled against his lips. ‘I’m feeling great,’ she answered
him.

He kissed her
gently, the heat and pressure of his lips stirring something deep inside her.
‘I’ve always wanted to join the mile high club,’ he murmured quietly.

‘I’ve always
wanted to be the President of it,’ Ariel replied, kissing him back.

THE END

If you liked
Most Wanted – the first novel in The Shadow Blade series please review it
on Amazon and Goodreads, then email me at [email protected]. I will send
you a free copy of Most Desired – the second novel in the series - when
it is released.

MOST DESIRED

The second book in the Shadow Blade series

In
Most Desired
bounty hunter Ariel McQueen
and demon slayer Jax Sayer travel to Europe to find Rikon Fayette, the Shapeshifter
that Ariel has waited eight years to kill. Teaming up with a group of Slayers
in London and Paris, Ariel discovers that the only way to get close to Rikon is
by going undercover as a bar girl in one of his clubs.

With Jax
seething at the idea, and the other Slayers determined that Ariel doesn’t screw
up the job, the pressure is on Ariel to keep her cover as well as her lover.

Coming soon….

E.L Friel is a
global nomad, who wanders happily between Asia, Europe and North America like a
modern-day vagabond. She likes to browse Brooklyn flea markets, soak in Ojai
hot springs, eat spicy tuna fry, ride in rickshaws and watch shooting stars
while lying on tropical beaches. She does not like to cook. Her days are mainly
spent writing steamy books, reading and drinking coffee (as well as the odd
Margarita).

She also writes YA & NA fiction under her real name, which shall
remain secret.

Follow her on
Twitter
@authorELFriel

www.themostwantedbooks.com