Defeat the Darkness (29 page)

Larem joined in. “Then some died in the earthquake that almost killed Barak as well.”

Penn's smile was brutal. “Can't exactly blame that on anyone except their own stupid selves for getting trapped in a cave with a pissed-off Kalith warrior in the middle of an earthquake. Served the bastards right. Besides, they got off easy because they died quickly. I can guarantee they wouldn't have if they'd still been breathing when we dug them out.”

He looked back at the barrier. “My sister and I would've both been dead if it hadn't been for Barak's ability to hold off the mountain's fury long enough for me to get her to safety. We almost lost him.”

No wonder the Seattle Paladins had adopted Barak and Larem as their own. It was time to get back to the apartment. Hunter needed to find a place to live, and they weren't finding much here anyway.

“I think we've seen everything. I doubt they'll be back tonight, since their Kalith contact was injured, but someone should keep watch just in case.”

Larem shot him an odd look. “Is there some reason you won't be able to do it?”

Hunter thought about lying, saying he needed some rest because of his injuries, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. “I won't be here. Tate asked me to move out, and I promised to get a hotel room until I can find another apartment.”

For several seconds, an uncomfortable silence settled over the hillside as they stepped out into the late-afternoon sunshine.

Penn finally spoke up. “Well, that sucks. You can crash with us. Devlin told us to hang out up here for a few days to keep an eye on things.”

Normally Hunter would've resented the Paladin leader issuing orders without consulting him first, but in this case it was for the best. Besides, he tried to pick his battles when it came to bucking any decisions handed down by Jarvis, and he figured it was only smart to treat Devlin's edicts in the same way.

“Sounds good. She didn't mention you guys needed to leave, and my rent's paid up until the end of the month. If you think it's more comfortable, feel free to use the apartment.”

D.J. rolled his eyes and grumbled. “Comfortable my ass.
Have you tried sleeping on that couch? It's a foot too short and feels like it was upholstered with rocks and rusty springs. Personally, I'm looking forward to sleeping in a real bed, even if Penn does snore.”

“Me? It sounded like someone was grinding boulders on your side of the room.”

Larem laughed and clapped the two Paladins on the shoulder. “We flipped a coin, and I won. These two had to share while I slept well in the silence of my own room.”

“Yeah, well it sounds like you've got a roommate now, and I snore—a lot.” Hunter moved up beside Larem. “In fact, they gave me my own insulated room back in Missouri because I kept setting off the earthquake alarms.”

The Kalith warrior's attempt to hide his horror had Hunter grinning. “Aw, buddy, don't sweat it. I'm just jerking your chain.”

Penn and D.J. both cracked up. Larem finally joined in the laughter as they continued up the hillside. “Hunter, it will be my honor to share my room, but you might want to remember one thing about Kalith warriors.”

“What's that?”

“We understand the concept of revenge quite well.” His smile showed a few too many teeth to be a happy expression.

“I'll remember that.”

“See that you do.”

S
on of a bitch! He slammed the phone down. Why wasn't Joe answering?

Did nothing ever go right? He paced the width of his office and back. No word from that idiot Guildmaster either, not even to say that he'd survived the night. Maybe he hadn't, but that was the fool's own fault. If he hadn't tried to take on that Paladin with his sword instead of letting Joe simply shoot the bastard, none of this would've happened.

Granted, if he was right about the intruder's being one of Bane's boys, he wouldn't have stayed dead after a simple gunshot. But once he'd been immobilized, the Guildmaster could've slipped back to finish the job when Joe hadn't been there to watch. No, it was better to let Joe think he'd killed the guy, even if he now had a bunch of pissed-off Paladins to deal with and perhaps a dead partner.

Where was the justice in that? He'd spent years cultivating
this partnership with the Kalith leader, and both of them had profited nicely by the association. Not that he'd care at all if the Kalith was dead, as long as his replacement could pick up where his predecessor left off. But according to Devlin Bane's reports, there was a group within the Sworn Guardians determined to stop the leak of blue garnets out of their world.

The Guildmaster had barely managed to keep his job after the Paladins' unauthorized foray into the other world. When the news of their little adventure had spread through the Regents, he'd wanted to dismantle the entire Paladin organization in Seattle and scatter those fools all over the world. It had taken him days to rein in his temper enough to look at the situation with a clear head.

Breaking up the close-knit group would've served no purpose. In fact, it would've been counterproductive. Paladins took care of their own. Threaten one and you had them all breathing fire down your neck. So instead of banishing them all to obscurity, he'd gritted his teeth and continued to frustrate any way he could.

That, in fact, was his favorite pastime. Speaking of which, maybe it was time for another round of mandatory tests. That always set Trahern off, which was fun to watch. Not that he gave a flying fuck about the results, only that it kept the Paladins off balance and riled up.

He'd give the Guildmaster another day to recuperate. Kalith warriors didn't heal quite as fast as Paladins did, but it was close. Maybe he should make the next trip up to Justice Point by himself. Having Joe with him would only complicate matters. In the past, he'd stayed overnight at
the bed-and-breakfast where Jacob Justice, the owner, had always been up for a good game of chess to pass the time. Should he risk it? Of course, if any of the Seattle contingent was hanging around, he'd be dead meat.

At least his recent visits had all been at night. The Paladins might not be watching so closely when the sun was up, especially knowing the Kaliths' sensitivity to light. No one there had seen him. He should be safe enough, especially if he kept his stay brief, just one night.

Walking to the minuscule window in the corner of his office, he stared out at the Seattle skyline. Sometimes it felt as if the entire world conspired against him. What was wrong with wanting to retire early and rich? That certainly wasn't going to happen on the pittance the Regents paid him, so he was building up a little nest egg for himself. If a few people died along the way, that just left more for him.

As far as he was concerned, it was capitalism at its best.

Tate frowned at the flowery teacup in her hand for a long time before finally setting it down, reaching instead for the one mug on the shelf. Hunter's mug, or at least it used to be before she'd kicked him out of the apartment and her life.

Somehow, sipping a strong brew of Darjeeling from the heavy piece of crockery offered her the only comfort she'd been able to find. Stupid, she knew, but the solid weight of the mug somehow eased the pain that had settled
in her chest since Hunter had left her kitchen. Left her.

She poured the hot liquid from the plain teapot she'd also used for Hunter. Was she a glutton for punishment or a fool for clinging to the few reminders she had of the time he'd spent in her life? Probably a little bit of both.

Although, to be honest, even though he'd vacated the premises, he certainly hadn't vacated that huge place in her heart he'd managed to carve out for himself. When he'd tossed his duffel in the back of his truck and backed out of the driveway, heading for God knows where, she'd watched in silence. Not because she'd had nothing to say, but because the sight had made her skin hurt and her lungs quit working.

She'd wanted to scream that it was all his fault, but that wasn't true. He'd warned her off repeatedly, but she hadn't listened. Instead, she'd let herself pretend that he'd just been the average guy next door. Well, he'd been next door all right, but he and the crowd he ran with were anything but average.

His explanation of who and what he was had sounded insane. Trouble was, she had seen too much to deny the truth. Hunter wasn't completely human, and those parts that were alien in origin gave him special abilities. All of that freaked her out, but at the same time she was grateful to his long-lost ancestors for donating that magical DNA—it was all that had kept Hunter alive this long. A sly voice in the back of her mind reminded her that it hadn't been Hunter's alien genes that she'd been admiring when he'd finally cornered her against the kitchen table, though.

No, he'd been all man as he'd reduced her to a quivering mass of hormones with his touch. And it wasn't mere lust that had her aching now. No, she feared it was another
l
word, one she couldn't bear to let herself admit. Not now, not when it was too late.

Her tea had grown cold, but she didn't want it anyway. All of this wallowing was getting her nowhere. There had to be something she could do to occupy her mind. It was Monday, so the shop was closed, leaving her free to do whatever she liked. She didn't feel like shopping, but she needed to be active.

Her yard was in good shape and wouldn't need mowing for another few days. Maybe she should head over to the Auntie Ms and do theirs for them. With Hunter gone, they'd be back to using a lawn service, something they could ill afford on their budget. The three women did their best to be independent and take care of themselves. But if they'd accept help from Hunter, they surely wouldn't mind Tate lending a helping hand. They could bake her cookies if they felt the need to pay her back.

She put on her garden shoes and headed out to the garage to get her lawn mower, trying to ignore how much junk Hunter had cleaned out of the garage or how nicely the lawn mower ran since he'd tuned it up. Nope, she wasn't going to think about him.

That plan lasted as long as it took her to push her mower the short distance to the Auntie Ms house. Not only was the front yard neatly mowed but the bushes had recently been trimmed as well. Darn, she should've thought of this sooner. Judging by the amount of work that had
been done, they'd obviously already spent a small fortune on getting the place spruced up.

She was about to go back home when a movement at the back of the house caught her attention. At first she thought she was imagining things, seeing what her heart wanted to see, similarities where there were none. Whoever she'd glimpsed out of the corner of her eye had gone back around the corner, where she could no longer see him.

For her own peace of mind, maybe she should go look at the Auntie Ms new gardener, even introduce herself to the man. That way he'd know that someone was looking out for the elderly ladies. Then she'd know for certain that her mind had been playing tricks on her.

With a strange mix of reluctance and determination, she cut across the lawn, heading for the backyard, all the while hoping that Mabel and her sisters were taking their afternoon naps or were too caught up in their soaps to notice her.

Mentally rehearsing her little impromptu speech, she rounded the corner of the house, only to come up against a newly laid brick wall. Except this “wall” wore a T-shirt and ragged jeans. It also had a familiar shade of reddish brown hair and stormy gray-green eyes.

Her heart stopped before her feet did, slamming her right up against Hunter's chest. Only his quick reflexes prevented them both from tumbling to the ground. There were words she should be saying, questions she should be asking, but all she could do was stand there and stare up into his angry eyes.

• • •

Hunter waited until he was sure Tate regained her balance and then made himself let go of her. Not that he wanted to, but it was for the best. Her initial response to seeing him might have been surprise, but temper was sure to follow. After all, she'd done her best to banish him from Justice Point. And even though he understood her reasons, it still irritated him.

Tate swallowed hard, trying to regain the ability to talk. She glanced at the open window behind her and dropped her voice to a harsh whisper, probably not wanting the Aunties to hear her rip into him.

“What are you doing here?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance, making it clear that he was going to stand his ground. “I live here.”

She shook her head slowly, as if struggling to make sense of what he was telling her. “No, you left with your friends and said you'd be back to pick up your stuff.”

“That's right. I did.”

He was toying with her, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Not when all he really wanted to do was yank her right back up against his chest again and kiss the living daylights out of her. She'd probably knock him upside the head for trying, but the pain might just be worth it. It certainly couldn't be any worse than what he'd been suffering since leaving her kitchen.

“So you can't plan on moving back into the garage apartment like nothing ever happened.” Her voice started to increase in volume, but she immediately quieted down when he gave the window a pointed glance.

“I don't need to. I said I live
here.”
Which was true,
but he was going to let her puzzle it out for herself.

“Hunter Fitzsimon, you're not making a bit of sense.”

He shrugged. “Not my problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have chores to do.”

Before he could take two steps, she did an end run, grabbing his arm and planting herself directly in his way. Her simple touch sent a jolt of high-powered need racing through him. The predictable effect on his anatomy was so intense it hurt.

He leaned in close, crowding her, and growled, “Touch me at your own risk, Tate. I'd let go damn quick if you don't want a repeat of what we did in the kitchen the other morning. I'm sure I can think of a few things we haven't tried yet.”