Warrior from the Shadowland (10 page)

God
knew, she’d saved him.

He
fell into step beside her.  Nia liked to lead the way and Cross was okay with
that.  The second she put herself at risk, though, he planned to yank her
back.  She could protect the whole world if she wanted, but Cross was going to
protect
her
.  To him, Nia
was
the world.  He was literally only
alive because of this woman.

“Sweetie,
the sword isn’t really blending with all the human-ness.”  She gestured to the
weapon that he still had clutched in his hand.  “Is there any way you could put
it away or something?”

“No.” 
Cross wasn’t about to walk around unarmed.  Not with the Air House in town.  He
barely let the sword leave his hand back in the Shadowland, for God’s sake, and
he was the only one there.  Cross’s loving parents had taught him the
importance of being battle-ready.

“I
just don’t think they’ll let you walk into the police station looking like Rob
Roy.”

Cross
seriously doubted the humans could stop him.  That was one of the many upsides
of carrying a sword.  It
stopped
people from stopping you.  Still, he didn’t
want to upset his Match.  He could compromise.

They’d
reached the street, by that point, and Cross used his elbow to smash in the
window of a vintage VW Bug.  The car appeared to be made of nothing but rust
and bumper stickers.  The largest one was vivid purple and advocated “turning on,
tuning in, and dropping out.”

Cross
had no idea what that meant.

Nia
winced slightly at the broken glass.  She looked up and down the street
nervously as Cross reached through the window and grabbed a trench coat from
passenger’s seat.  Khaki green and covered in military-style snaps, it looked
like it had served on the front lines of several wars.

The
damn sleeves ended at his elbows, though.

Why
were humans so small?

Cross
rolled his eyes, pushed the sleeves up even more.  Then, he slid the sword
behind his back, so it was hidden by the length of the coat.  That was the best
he could do.

Nia
seemed to appreciate the effort.  “Close enough.  Hang on.”  She extracted some
money and dumped it into the car.  “We should pay him for it.  How much do
coats cost?  Like seven hundred dollars?”

“Not
this coat, I’ll bet.  It’s tiny.”  How valuable could four inches of fabric
be?  Plus, it was hot.  Cross glowered up at the sun, again.  The Shadowland
was constantly cool and damp.  How did human live here? 
Why
did they
live here?

“Right.” 
Nia cut the amount down to six hundred and nodded in satisfaction.  “That’s
better.”  Turquoise eyes drifted over his body and Cross felt his temperature
jump even higher.  “I think it’s worth the seven hundred, though.  You look
really
good in it.”

Nothing
in Cross’s life had prepared him for a statement like that.  Conversations, in
general, weren’t his forte.  He’d already said more today than in the entire
previous two years combined.  Nia complimenting him was… shocking.  Cross’s
mind went totally blank, trying to think of a reply.

Nia
bit down on her lower lip as if reading his bafflement.  She started walking,
again, shaking her head.  “I make you uncomfortable, don’t I?”

“Yes.” 
Absolutely she did.

Sexual
frustration ate at him.  The Shadows were swirling tighter and tighter,
struggling to get free of his control.  Nia was everything he’d ever wanted and
he was terrified to even touch her. 
Of course,
he was uncomfortable. 
What did she think?

Nia’s
eyebrows compressed.  “It’s because we’re a Match and there are emotions -like-
instantly growing between us.  My mother always told me that it would happen
that way.  It’s natural.  A chemical process and a sacred experience.  But, it’s
overwhelming.”

Overwhelming?

Cross
nearly snorted.  Yeah.  He’d rip his heart straight out of his chest for this
woman, so that statement seemed fair.

“Finding
each other happened so fast.”  Nia continued, earnestly.  “At least for
me
. 
You
knew that I was out there
for
two years.
”  Cross
opened his mouth to defend himself, but she waved a hand at him.  “Whatever. 
I’m dealing with that.  You’ve been knocked off balance and you’re
uncomfortable.  I can understand how you feel.”

Cross
had no clue what she was talking about.  Aside from the headache, he’d never
felt better in his life.  “Okay.”  He said, anyway.

“Maybe
if we try some kind of speed-dating technique.  That’s basically what we have
here.  Speed dating.  I saw it on TV.”  Cross had the feeling that Nia was
nervous, now.  Her words were coming faster.  “We have to get to know each
other as
people
, right?  So we can be sure.”

Cross
couldn’t even
imagine
a worse idea.  Shit.  Nia wasn’t going to like
anything she uncovered about him.  Why was she doing this?  Did she really
think small talk was going to accomplish something?  He was
already
sure
that she was his Match.  He’d never been more sure of anything.

Ever.

Was
she trying to deny their connection?

“I
am
sure.”  The words were unequivocal.  “We’re a Match, Nia.”  Cross
would argue the point to the end of time, if need be.

“No.” 
She shook her head.  “I mean,
yes
.  Obviously, I
know
we’re a
Match.  But, don’t you want…
more
than that?”

“More?”

“Yeah. 
Don’t you want to be sure of me as a person?  That I’m someone you’d…
like
,
even if we weren’t a Match?”

Like
?

Was
she insane?  The emotions Nia brought out in him were as far from ‘like’ as a
solitary pebble was from an avalanche.  Nia was the only thing in the whole
fucking galaxy he cared about.  The only cool, calm spot amid the chaos.

He’d
do
anything
for this woman.  She had to know that.  Cross eyed her,
warily.  This must be some kind of maneuver for Nia to get rid of him.  A
trick.  There was no other explanation.  “I like you.”  He weighed each word,
carefully.  “A lot.”

She
frowned, slightly, as if she’d expected him to say something more.

Nia
probably didn’t have a great opinion of
any
Matches, these days.  Not
with Parald and Ty’s example burned into her mind.  Nia knew that sometimes a
sweet innocent girl got stuck with a monster. 
Of course
, she’d be
wary.  Who could blame her for second-guessing the idea of spending her life
with Cross?

He
was broken.

Wrong.

Nia
should run to Job and petition the Council for help.

And
if she did that, Cross’s life would be over.

How
could he fix it?

“Nia,
I don’t know what speed dating is, but if you want it…”  Cross shrugged.  “I’ll
do it.  End of story.”

“Really?”

Cross
was momentarily hypnotized by her excited grin.  No one had ever smiled at him
like that.  Like he’d done something wonderful, just for them.  He gave a dazed
nod.

Nia
didn’t seem to notice his stunned face.  “Thank you!  This will be a quick way
to learn all about each other.  All we have to do is take turns asking
questions, okay?  Very simple and informative.  I’ll go first.”  She cleared
her throat and adopted a newscaster type of voice.  “So, Cross, what kind of
music do you like?”

“Music?” 
Cross floundered for a beat.  When he was lying in bed, night after night,
wracked with pain and envisioning his Match, he’d never anticipated her
administering any sort of pop quiz.  Still, it seemed like a fairly innocuous
topic.  “Um…  Bach?”  It came out sounding like a question and from the
expression on Nia’s face, Cross had the feeling that the answer wasn’t what
she’d been expecting.

“
Bach?
 
You like classical music?”

“Yeah.” 
Bach was definitely his favorite.  Maybe that was wrong, for some reason.

The
Shadow Kingdom didn’t have a lot of radio stations to choose from.  Job usually
brought Cross stacks of CDs when he visited, though, most of it classical.  The
guy worried that Cross’s homeland was too quiet.  Which it was.  Cross would
eat double ‘A’ batteries before he admitted it to Job, but the silence of the
place sometimes weighed on him even heavier than the Shadows.

Job
wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he wasn’t improving the lives of the less
fortunate.  Cross was never thrilled with Job’s charity… But, he still listened
to every damn song.

“That’s
so cool!  I like classical music, too.  Actually, I like all kinds of music. 
The Water House used to host incredible concerts before the Fall.”

Cross
never really made it onto anyone’s guest list, so he wouldn’t know.  Another
nod seemed like the safest response.  He tried that.

“Okay,
now you ask me something.”

“Like
what?”

“Whatever
you want.  Whatever you want to know about me.”

Cross
hesitated.  “Anything?”

“Sure.”

“You
won’t get mad if it’s personal?”

“No. 
Matches shouldn’t have secrets from each other.  My life’s open book.”

Oh,
there wasn’t a doubt in Cross’s mind that Nia had nothing to hide.  Her past
was undoubtedly the stuff of inspirational greeting cards.  Of course, he
wouldn’t really care if it
wasn’t
.  Nia could have singlehandedly started
the Fall and Cross would have been fine with it.  Just so she wasn’t renouncing
their Match, nothing else mattered.

In
fact, there was only one thing Cross needed assurance on.  “How do you feel
about Job?’

“I
love Job.”  She answered, instantly.

Cross’s
stomach took a nosedive.

Nia’s
eyebrows drew together as she looked up at him.  Then, she started laughing. 
“Not like
that
, dummy.”  She gave him a little bump with her shoulder. 
“Look, I used to play in Job’s office when I was a little girl.  He would do
paperwork and I would draw
pictures
on his paperwork.  Then, he would
sigh and let me tack my scribblings up over this creepy portrait of his
grandfather scowling, while he had to redo everything that I’d just ruined. 
Our relationship hasn’t really evolved much from there.  He’s like my uncle or
something.  Understand?”

“Yes.” 
Cross felt dizzy with relief.

“He
would tell me stories, too.  Job has an incredible voice.”

“I
know.”

“Have
you met Job?  You didn’t tell me that.”

“Everyone’s
met Job.”  And, because she was going to find out the truth, anyway, Cross felt
compelled to add:  “He doesn’t like me.”

Nia
squinted.  “
Job
doesn’t like you?  Job, of the Earth House?  That’s
impossible.”

Cross
shrugged.  “He doesn’t like me.”

“Why
not?”

“I’m
not very likable.”

“That’s
ridiculous.  You’re very likable. 
I
like you.”

Cross’s
mouth curved.  When Nia said it, “like” didn’t sound quite so paltry.  He
really,
really
wanted Nia to like him.  It never occurred to him that it
was so vital, until he saw the truth of it in her gaze.  “Thank you.  It’s your
turn to ask a question.”

“Okay. 
Well, since we’re being personal… what happened to you earlier?  You were in so
much pain back in the office.  It scared me.”

Cross
winced.  He liked the question about music better.  He didn’t want to discuss
the crushing pressure of the Shadows.  The last thing Nia needed was further
proof of his instability.  “I told you.  It was a headache.”

“That
was more than just a headache, Cross.  There was blood.  I think you should see
a doctor.”

“I
can handle it.”

She
wasn’t satisfied by the finality of his tone.  Cross could tell by her frown. 
“But what happened?  Why would you get a headache like that?”

He
glanced away.

Nia
sighed.

Mostly
to change the subject, Cross decided to take his turn.  “Why are you in the
human realm looking through hospital records?  Who do you think donated blood
here and why does it matter?”

Nia
shut down.  What seemed to Cross to be a very simple question, had her lips
pressing closed and her shoulders lifting in a shrug.

Cross
scowled when he saw that she wasn’t going to answer.  Why?  What wasn’t she
telling him?  “This is
your
speed dating game, Nia.  And you just said
that Matches don’t have secrets from each other.”

“Hey,
you’re
the one who’s not acting like a Match. 
I’ve
been very
open and honest. 
You’re
the secretive, closed mouthed one.  You don’t
want to share anything with me, so why should I share anything with you?”