Page 22 of Shadows and Flames
“Hello, Shadow,” she said conversationally. She took a step forward, this time making no effort to conceal the noise. And then there were black blades in her hands.
This fucking female was making me question all of my abilities—had she been carrying those with her? No, I was positive that she’d entered the room empty-handed. I would definitely have noticed her retrieving them from a concealed place right in front of me.
Fuck this.
I pushed off of the wall and slunk out of my hiding place. For good measure, I pulled down my mask while I unsheathed my scimitar. Wasn’t like we hadn’t met before, anyway.
Her smile was still pasted on her face, but it very noticeably didn’t reach her dark, almost black eyes. She leaned a hip against the side of the desk, resting her arms at her sides with the daggers still in her hands.
“Forgive me, love, but I never got your name?” I turned on my own wry smirk. The one that seemed to lull people into a sense of security. To see me as less threatening than I was.
She pursed her lips and looked me up and down. “You don’t know it?” Something about that seemed to bother her more than finding me in here. How the fuck was I supposed to know her name? The contract Noruh, Elián, and Jones took in collaboration with the Lylithan Council had been kept fairly low-profile from the rest of us. And since he’d been back at the Well, he’d never said her name aloud. At least not to me.
I shrugged and twirled my sword absently. “Should I? Thought that was the deal when we first met, love.” I sighed and said dryly, “Not that it stopped you from ratting me out to my pedantic brother, but,” I waved my free hand lazily, “I suppose it’s water under the bridge.”
This seemed to interest her, even if she was trying very much to hide it. As soon as the word ‘brother’ left my mouth, her body couldn’t completely suppress the flinch of her shoulders. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, but her fingers twitched on the hilts of her blades. “Yes, I suppose it is. It was years ago, anyway.”
“So,” I quirked a brow, “what is so interesting up here when it sounds like there’s far more interesting things going on down there?”
She narrowed her gaze at me again. “I think I will ask you that same question, Shadow.”
“Tomás.” I grinned and flashed my fangs at her.
That got a reaction—she snorted and seemed to relax infinitesimally. “All right, Tomás. What are you doing up here?”
I shrugged again. “Working.”
The tension that’d left her slight but powerful frame returned in an instant. Her eyes raced over my body, my weapon. Her nostrils flared. “Are you here for me?”
Thatmade me choke out an incredulous laugh. With my hearing, I knew there was still no one else on this floor. The closest guard was meandering uselessly near the foot of stairs leading up this way, and my outburst didn’t even make them shift.
“Now, why wouldIbe here for you?”
The silver moonlight hit the side of her face, and the flexing of her jaw was illuminated by its glow. Her nostrils flared again. “Get the fuck out of here.”
I tsked and rolled my eyes. “Now, love, why would I do that? I couldn’t care less about you stealing a bit of coin or some jewels.” I winked. “Might even show you where the good stuff is if you’re interested.” I’d refrained when I found a few priceless items on this floor. Well, mostly.
She sneered. “I’m not—” but then she clamped her mouth shut, thinking better about what she was about to say.
My smile dropped. She was about to say that she wasn’t here for coin or jewels. I really was getting careless, it seemed. Because there were a few gilded items on the bookshelf that she’d looked right past. And to get all the way up here from the party, assuming that she’d entered with the other guests… she’d gone to lengths to sneak up here for something other than riches. There were enough drunk wealthy people downstairs that swiping a ring, a pair of earrings, would have been child’s play.
I groaned and swiped a hand over my face. “Fuckme, are you—”Thryx curseme. I drew a frustrated breath. “Please do not tell me you’re here on a contract.”
Her silence told me enough, and I let out another groan. “Fucking typical.” Seemed like our employers put out multiple contracts for the same mark. While part of me could understand the logic—itdidhelp ensure the job got done—it usually caused headaches for us. Planning for and confronting the obstacles to fulfilling the contract were one thing. But to compete with another assassin was just an irritating obstacle instead of an exciting challenge. Most of them were like annoying insects buzzing past my ear, rather than anything actually worth the trouble.
She seethed through her teeth, “You need to back the fuck off, Shadow. This one is ours.”
My head jerked back. “Yours? We’ve already claimed this one.” I waved a hand toward the door. “Just go back to the party, love. I really don’t have time for this.”
“Fuck you,” she blurted like it was a reflex. Then, much slower, she said too nonchalantly, “Who’s ‘we’?”
Oh, Aeras, Thryx,andMother take me. No wonder he was still hung up on her. She was about as infuriating as he was. “I think you know who, love.” Her jaw ticked again, and I rolled my eyes. “Oh come, now. You both are so painfully obvious. Just talk and make peace with one another. He’s been even more of a tetchy bastard sinceyou,” I jutted a finger at her, “told him to go.”
Her lips pulled back in a fanged snarl. “Both of you can go fuck yourselves. The contract is ours, and I don’t appreciate you shifty motherfuckers trying to steal it out from under us.”
“Oh, don’t get yourself tied in a knot.” I started moving toward the window, uncaring about showing her my back. Even when the deadly points of her fangs flashed at me, I knew that she wasn’t going to pounce. Plus, mine were sharper, and my weapon was bigger.
I glanced outside to make sure the ground below was just as unguarded as the rest of this part of the giant home. My gloved fingers made no noise as I unlatched the window and opened it. Salt-tinged air hit my face, and it carried the scent of the pine trees that bordered the estate.
