Chapter 9
nine
Kaiden
I tightened my grip on her forearms as the confusion clouding her gaze slowly cleared to recognition.
My expression stayed artfully blank, despite the growing guilt beating the shit out of me from the inside.
She was going to hate me. Already those green eyes burned, and as much as that look turned me all the way on, in this instance, I knew it didn’t bode well.
We stared at one another, her piecing together my deceptions, and me taking stock of any injuries the damned djinn might have caused.
The red marks around her throat sent the bond in my chest on a rampage.
She was hurt. Unconsciously, my finger drifted toward the bruises forming where the djinn had assaulted her.
“Don’t touch me,” she spat, pulling her head back as far as she could, despite the pain it obviously caused her. “Don’t ever touch me.”
My jaw clenched at the disgust dripping from those lips, and I couldn’t help but strike back. “Too late for that, princess.”
Her screech of rage was a sight to behold.
She wanted to kill me, I could tell, but she wasn’t out of danger yet.
Ezra worked on the djinn behind her, trying to extract all the information he could before finishing the job.
Lost to the pain and knowledge that death was near, the djinn lunged at Eryn, his bloody, frozen stumps reaching.
“Ez!” I shouted while simultaneously pulling Eryn close.
She spun, trying to run, but I had a solid hold.
Her back met my chest hard enough to knock the air from my lungs, but I held fast. Ezra got to the djinn before he could crawl any closer by stomping on one of his frozen legs.
Everything below the knee shattered, and the guttural roar that left the djinn nearly shook the foundation.
“Gods!” Eryn shouted, fighting against my arm around her waist. “What is wrong with you people?”
Did she expect us to talk to him? Better yet, did she expect him to actually answer without us forcing it out of him? She tried kicking back at me, but was too close to do more than stomp on my toes. That shit hurt, but nothing in this world would make me let go. Not with danger so near.
“Get off!” she cried, fighting even harder.
“Not quite yet. When you calm down, I’ll let you go,” I told her, and meant it.
I didn’t want her to hate me more than she already did, and trapping her here wasn’t doing me any favors.
Ez was almost done; only the cleanup remained.
I met his amused grin over Eryn’s head and fixed him with a glare.
The temperature plummeted again as Ez worked to freeze the rest of the body.
Once encased in ice, he began smashing the djinn to pieces.
The frozen shards were easier to clean than pools of blood—easier to hide as well, you just needed a broom.
“You godsdamned…” She twisted and hit me with an elbow. “Fucking…lying…ass turd!”
Eryn managed to get an arm free during her creative tirade, and I bit my lip to keep from snickering. Ez wasn’t as good at hiding his delight, and we both had a front-row seat to his belly-shaking laughter.
“You mother—”
“That’s not calm, princess.” My other arm came up from her hip to cross her chest. Her entire body molded to mine, her tight little ass fitting snugly against my dick.
It was impossible to ignore what that did to the bond, but I did my best. “Calm,” my head dipped, and my lips skimmed her ear, “down.”
I didn’t expect her to listen, but she did. She froze, going as stiff as a statue, and I pulled away an inch to give us both a little space. Only my arms touched her, but there was no escaping the heat trapped between us. The tension. I was tempted to let her go just to see what she’d do.
“She’s got shifty eyes, cuz,” Ez warned, proving me right.
She was up to something. If she’d calm down like I asked, we could talk this all out.
I took an educated guess at what kinds of thoughts were running through that pretty little head—probably the worst things her imagination could conjure.
I wanted to ease those fears. Nothing had to change.
We could still take our time getting to know one another.
“I’m calm,” she ground out, in a way that told me she grit her teeth to admit that lie.
And it was a lie, but I decided to see what she would do anyway. The second my arms loosened, she threw herself away from me. That stung a little. Only a couple weeks ago, I had to shut a door in her face to keep her away. I was sure that moment wasn’t helping my case now either.
“Go find a broom, Ez. Or one of those industrial vacuums,” I suggested, but he recognized the order.
I couldn't risk Eryn gaining control of him and using his power to escape before we had a chance to clear the air.
Ez sent her a shit-eating grin before heading back the way we came–—down the old tunnels.
We never would have made it here in time without them.
His magick lingered a while, to keep everything frozen, and the cool air did nothing to staunch the fire Eryn tried to set on me with her eyes alone.
If looks could kill…
I took the opportunity to check her over again and noticed with smug satisfaction that she was wearing my hoodie. There was hope for us yet. Her bare legs in those small shorts were fine for the warming weather outside, but I knew she had to be uncomfortable down here in this makeshift freezer.
“Say something.”
“You’re an Alantes,” she replied, spitting the name like it tasted vile. “I thought your last name was Winmore.”
I dipped my head. “That’s one of my names.”
It was my father’s family name, but I didn’t share that bit of information; not when she looked one wrong breath away from bolting.
My magick awakened at the thought of a chase, and I leashed my shadows lest they spook her even more.
They were ready, waiting. They swirled inside me, eager to come out and have a taste.
She took a small step back, perhaps sensing my thoughts.
“My first name is—”
“Kaiden,” she whispered, and my gaze softened at the break in her voice.
I fucking hated lying to her. I thought it the best plan at the time.
“Kai for short,” I confessed.
Her delicate hands opened and closed at her sides, and she shivered again.
Catching me staring, she crossed her arms and jammed her hands into her sides, hunching until her shoulders were tight.
At my first step toward her, she went unnaturally still.
I opened my palms in a sign for peace, and she watched them, blinking.
Fuck, was she going into shock?
The attack, the reveal, watching Ez torture and mutilate the djinn…
it was too much at once. I listened harder to that faint bond between us, unsure if the fear I felt was hers or mine.
We still had a weak connection, but our more recent sexual contact helped it along a tiny amount.
I ran a mental finger against that shimmering thread in my chest, and she snapped, bolting for the short stairs at the back door.
“Shit.”
I released my magick, directing my shadows to softly wind around her before she reached the exit.
She lost it, fighting, screaming, and falling further into her fear the closer I reeled her in.
As an extension of myself, I knew the shadows weren’t harming her, but nothing I said got through that shield of panic she wielded.
“Easy. I’m not going to hurt you.” I moved in front of her, blocking out everything else.
She may hate me, but there was a small kernel of trust we built, and I leaned on it now.
Cupping her face in my hands set her off again.
“Okay, okay. Look, I won’t touch you.” I held my palms up.
“See? I can’t hurt you, princess. Please. ”
Her chest rose and fell under my shadows, but she finally stopped thrashing. I matched my breaths with hers, hoping to sync our breathing, and it slowly brought her down.
In. Out. In. Out.
“I don’t believe you,” she said, sounding a little more like herself.
“Bonds can’t hurt one another,” I replied. “Go ahead and try.” I met her gaze. The little wrinkles on her forehead deepened, and a bead of sweat rolled down her temple. I raised a brow. “You can’t, can you?”
“You’re using your power against me,” she accused with a frustrated growl.
“But I’m not hurting you,” I argued. “If there were any intent to do so, it wouldn't work. You can get into my mind at any time, even control my body if I choose to allow it, but that’s not what you planned, was it?” She glared. “I assumed as much.”
“You’d let me into your mind?” she asked in disbelief. “Willingly?”
“You’re welcome anytime, princess,” I purred. “But be prepared for the images you see in there.”
Her mouth opened and then closed. She hadn’t expected my honesty, but I had nothing left to hide. My shadows dissipated, leaving her confused and unbound in front of me. I gestured toward the exit.
“You’ve had a rough night, and I really don’t want you to hate me. Why don’t you get some sleep, and we can discuss…all this, later?”
Once again, I caught her off-guard. Did she expect me to throw her over my shoulder and drag her into my lair?
I wasn’t ruling that option out, but this open truth we had going was the better route in the long run.
Besides, I had a feeling I’d be choosing the other option eventually.
This girl couldn’t stay out of trouble. Eryn took a few cautious steps, and when I didn’t try to stop her, she slammed into the door and disappeared.
“You think that was a good idea?” Ez stepped up beside me, dragging along that big vacuum I hoped he’d find.
“What do you mean?”
He sighed and hunted for an outlet. “She’s going to run.”