Against the Dawn (11 page)

“Believe me when I tell you, Darian, that the Shaede King is damned lucky he’s still alive.”

I knew that Ty was powerful. Wouldn’t you have to be to grant someone’s wishes? He was my bound protector, and so much more to me, but I guess I’d never truly considered the full scope of his power. Or his strength. “What is he, Levi?” That was the real question, wasn’t it? This had nothing to do with the Synod, or my ring. Because none of it mattered if I had no idea what Ty
really
was. Levi shook his head as though he wished I’d abandon my quest and leave him the hell alone. My curiosity had turned into an obsession, though, and I couldn’t stop now. “This is between you and me, okay, Levi?” Maybe if I confided in him he’d know he could confide in me. “There was another Jinn in the city—”

“I know about Adira, Darian.”

Levi knew everything, so I didn’t find that too surprising. “Okay, well, before she left, she told me that Tyler did something. Something he wasn’t supposed to and that if the Synod found out about it he’d be in big trouble.”

The glass he was holding slipped out of his grip and after a few comedic juggles, he had it secure in his palm once again. “Did she say what he did?”

“Not really,” I said. “All I know is that is has to do with my ring somehow.” I brought up my left hand and showed him my thumb. “She called it
Nys’Asdar
.”

“
Nys’Asdar
is a myth,” Levi responded, his gaze lingering on my ring a few seconds longer than it should have.

“Funny, that’s what Ty said.”

Levi took a sip from his straw, and shrugged his shoulders. Like if his mouth was full of soda, I wouldn’t expect him to answer me? I stared him down, my expression calm, and simply waited for him to grow uncomfortable. To his credit, he went a full five minutes before he threw the towel he was using to dry the bar down onto the glossy surface and said, “If Tyler wanted you to know what it is he would have told you himself. And even though I think you’re cool, I’m not doing a
damn
thing
to piss Ty off.”

Welp, Levi was officially a dead end. Shit.

“All right, Levi. I give up. I won’t ask you about it again. But you know I’m trying to protect Tyler, right? I don’t want to see anything happen to him because of something he might or might not have given me. Myth or not.”

“I know that,” he said. “But the last time I checked, you’re supposed to be the protected, not the protector. Jinn can’t be managed. They can’t be controlled. The only rules that govern them are their own and without those rules, the world could be a pretty fucked up place. You wouldn’t have a chance in hell of protecting Tyler if he’s done something to piss the Synod off. You need to hope like hell that they never find out. And I gotta tell ya, going around asking questions is
not
the way to make sure that never happens.”

Ouch. It stung my pride to have Levi take me to school like that, but he had a point. If I was going to keep Ty off the Synod’s radar, talking about any of this in a public place probably wasn’t the best idea. Especially now that Levi had put the fear of all things Jinn into me. “You’re right, Levi. I’ll be more careful.”

He cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed and I amended my statement to, “I’ll drop it.”

“Cool. Now, go home. I need to close down.”

Was it already that late? So much for a good nights’ sleep. “See ya later, Levi.”

He nodded in acknowledgement, but didn’t respond. I hopped off the stool and headed for the door before my big mouth got me into any more trouble. I didn’t have many friends, I couldn’t afford to piss any of them off.

As I made my way home I considered that I’d never really thought about Tyler in a supernatural sense before tonight. I mean, yeah, okay so I knew that he could pop in and out of thin air, grant my wishes—within reason of course—and he could shape-shift into a bear when he wanted a little extra muscle. And I came to the realization that other than that, I knew absolutely nothing about him.

Or what he was truly capable of.

Levi knew. Of that I was certain. And either he was scared to share his knowledge or he’d been sworn to secrecy. I replayed our conversation, looking for insight, any hints that Levi had implied and maybe I’d missed. And then, I thought about our meeting with Mithras’s lackey tonight and how he’d put on such a show for us, using the more formal speech patterns of an old supernatural even though he couldn’t have been more than twenty-five or thirty himself.

You wouldn’t have a clue as to Tyler’s age if you talked to him. And though I appreciated his well-worn tees and jeans, those too were non-descript and forgettable. His good looks and well-muscled body couldn’t be camouflaged, but those were attributes not relegated to the supernatural community alone. I always assumed he wanted to blend in for my benefit, back when I thought he was nothing more than any other guy on the street. Now I suspected that there was more to his low-key appearance than met the eye. I had no idea why that was, but I was willing to bet there was someone almost as old as Tyler in my inner circle who did.

I dug in my pocket and retrieved my cell. My finger scrolled through the contacts until I found the name I was looking for and I hit send.

He answered on the fourth ring. Maybe he was debating on whether or not he should answer.

“Hey, Reaver. Can I stop by maybe tomorrow or the day after for a quick chat?”

Chapter Nine

The next morning, I half expected to find Asher at my door with a box under each arm. And though I was glad to see Xander wasn’t going overboard, I sort of had a craving for an éclair. When I got home from The Pit, I’d fallen into a fast but fitful sleep, visited by nightmares I thought I was through having. I woke with images of Kade looming over me and chills broke out over my skin as my heart rate kicked into high gear. Just his memory made me uncomfortable in my own skin, reliving that addictive need that sent me past reason into a dark place that felt impossible to climb out of. I couldn’t afford the emotional and physical exhaustion weighing me down this morning. I had a busy day ahead of me: a much needed workout with Raif, followed by a visit to Reaver, and I’d more than likely be accompanying Lorik on his courier mission for Mithras which could happen at any time.

I inhaled a bowl of peanut butter Cheerios and was out the door before nine with the mysterious mahogany box tucked under one arm. It unnerved me that I could feel the daggers’ presence through the wood and lining of the box, a vibration that traveled up the length of my arm and down my spine. With any luck, today would be a day of revelations, and honestly, thinking about the many mysteries I had to unravel was so much better than dwelling on the past and what happened to me six months ago. If I could, I’d resurrect Kade so I could kill him myself. Closure and all that…

When I got to Xander’s I had a déjà vu moment, as I was greeted by the sounds of angry voices going at it. I became one with the light and headed in the direction of Xander’s study, more than a little curious because what was going on right now was some sort of brotherly tussle. I wondered, would I find Xander in a headlock while Raif gave him a noogie? Oh, god I hoped so. That image would keep me entertained for at least a century.

“This has gone beyond infatuation, Xander. Your single-mindedness is undermining your ability to rule.”

Huh. Single-minded was pretty much Xander’s M.O. He was like a dog with a bone. But I’d never heard Raif call him out on it before.

“I expect this sort of rhetoric from Saben but I never would have thought
my own brother
would throw those words in my face,” Xander spat. From the sounds of it, they were gearing up for a full blown brawl.

“Your obsession is out of control. Would you have me lie to you and pretend as though everything is fine? Your throne is in peril for gods’ sake! Everything you’ve worked for. Fought for. Our father’s, and grandfather’s legacy thrown away. For what?”

I had a feeling they were talking about whatever political unrest that had Xander’s regent’s panties in a bunch. And though I knew I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, I couldn’t help myself.

“Obsession?” Xander’s tone was heavy with incredulity. “Oh, brother, this goes
far
beyond obsession. It surpasses any legacy or crown.”

“Please,” Raif scoffed. “Spare me the poetic declarations. I’ve seen you behave this way before. Raena. Genevieve. Amelia.
Padma
. Do you think this is something new? The only difference between her and all of the others is that you can’t have what you want and your competitive nature forbids you from relenting.”

Okay. I was starting to think that maybe this fight wasn’t about politics. And jeez, Xander, make the rounds much? My stomach dropped to the soles of my feet and my mouth was so goddamned dry it was sticky.

“If this surpasses any throne, then simply let it go,” Raif said. “If you’re so certain that this is what you want, step down. Leave your crown to someone who wishes to rule his people.”

“And who would you suggest?” Xander asked, a challenge inherent in his tone. “Perhaps you?”

“If you think that, you’re not only blind but stupid as well. I have no desire to wear your crown, Xander. Though I would serve the male who wears it, be it you or someone else. But leaving your kingdom in state of purgatory is unfair, unjust, and irresponsible.”

“I won’t return home without her,” Xander replied.

“Civil war will follow on the heels of your stubbornness,” Raif countered. “Mark my words, brother.”

“I won’t leave her.”

Raif let out an aggrieved sigh. “Xander, she’s in love with the Jinn.”

I pressed my back to the wall as though afraid someone would see me. I was already cloaked by the light, no one knew I was here, but the fact that Raif and Xander were talking about me made me feel exposed and totally uncomfortable. I knew that Xander wanted to fight for a relationship with me. And likewise, I wasn’t going to deny that I’d felt something for him. That I might still feel something for him. But Raif was right: I was in love with Tyler and nothing would change that fact.

“The Jinn assaulted a king. His days are numbered. I’m not worried about that.”

There was no love lost between Ty and Xander, that was for sure. My concerns that he was gunning to punish Ty for knocking him around at the PNT ball weren’t unfounded, obviously. But I had to wonder, how far was Xander willing to go to get between Ty and me? Things between us were strained at best. And even though Ty had admitted he still loved me, I had no idea where things stood between us. Especially after everything that happened with Kade. A thought that made my heart sink into my gut.

“You think that will solve everything,” Raif said, smug. “Remove the Jinn from the equation and she’ll have no choice but to fall in love with you.”

He was answered with silence.

“You’re as arrogant as you are foolish,” Raif persisted. “If you press her, she will grow to hate you.”

“I know her limits.”

“Do you?” Raif’s tone changed to something altogether hard. “I wonder, do any of you fools truly know her? Your son tried to control her, you want to own her, and that Jinn of hers thinks he can fix her. But I doubt any of you truly knows her. Knows how fragile she really is or how easy it would be for you to break her. Azriel pushed her too far and she killed him without a second thought. She’d be better off with none of you.”

“Azriel pushed
me
too far,” Xander corrected. “And
I
had him killed. She was hired for that purpose. It wasn’t personal for her.”

Raif responded with dry laughter. “I suppose that’s how you see it.”

I didn’t want to hear any more. Couldn’t. Raif was right, I wasn’t strong enough to handle this soap opera bullshit in my life. Not after everything that had happened to me over the past year. And by stumbling on a conversation I had no business hearing, Xander had, in fact pushed me dangerously close to my breaking point. Lorik, Mithras,
Nys’Asdar
, the Synod, and now Xander had piled his revenge against Tyler onto my plate. Surely I’d break from the strain of trying to deal with it all. And I had no choice at this point than to suck it up and move forward.

“I want her, gods damn it,” Xander’s tone was little more than a controlled burn. “And not you, or any other creature on this earth is going to tell me what I can or cannot have.”

“Have it your way, Xander.” Raif’s voice grew closer as he headed out of Xander’s study. “But don’t say I didn’t at least try to warn you.”

I held my breath and let the light protect me from Raif’s eyes as he emerged through the French doors. He paused not a foot from where I stood, his eyes narrowing as though he sensed my presence. With a weary sigh and roll of his shoulders, he continued down the hallway toward the foyer.

The weight of the mahogany box weighed down my arm as I remained frozen in place outside of Xander’s study. The magic contained within vibrated down my spine and into my limbs causing a pleasant shiver to ripple over my ethereal form. Xander promised me answers today. But could I face him after everything I’d just heard?

Nope.

I was weak. Too weak to face Xander and tell him in no uncertain terms that he should move on. Too frail to discuss emotions that I wanted to run away from and far too powerless to tell him no if he used that velvet voice of his to bend me to his will.

Without even a peek inside the doorway, I turned and headed downstairs for the gym. What I really needed to feel better was to make someone bleed. Or maybe for someone to make me bleed. Physical pain was nothing compared to the torture of emotions. A bruise on my arm or thigh would go away. The ones on my heart were permanent. And they hurt all the time.

“Let’s go.” I deposited my duster and the mahogany box on the floor next to the mats without so much as a hello to Raif in greeting.

“Weapons?” Raif asked as he finished stretching. He must have sensed my sour mood and since I doubted his was much better, we were both ready to get down to business. I crossed to the far wall, decorated with all manner of weapons both deadly and not. I chose two long daggers that resembled the ones Xander had given me. The blades were left dull so as not to cut, which was perfect for what I needed. As far as dagger play went, my skills were lacking. There was no use keeping my new toys if I didn’t know how to fight with them and I figured Raif could give me the instruction I needed.