Quinn #2
I watched his progress over the rim of my mug as he weaved through the bar, no longer tasting the beer as I brought it to my lips.
Tobias had gone utterly motionless next to me, only his eyes moving as he tracked our suspect’s progress.
I angled my body toward him, gesticulating like I was saying something as the figure scanned the room, looking right past us.
He tapped the bar three times—a signal, I realized, as a second male got to his feet from where he sat at the end of the bar.
I reached for Tobias’s arm, the contact sending a jolt through my entire body. Thibault wasn’t the only one who was told to meet here. Tobias gave me a subtle nod as our suspects started moving through the crowd in unison.
They were heading toward the back door.
Suddenly I was glad we had scoped out the exits before we came in. “Let’s go out the side door.”
Tobias slid across the booth so he sat next to me, likely to get a better view.
“Wait until they leave, so they don’t notice their tail,” he murmured into my ear. A shiver ran through me despite the heat.
The two reached the back entrance, their heads ducked together.
Tobias’s whisper brushed against my earlobe, his deep voice eliciting another quiver as he asked, “Ready?”
I was on my feet before the door closed, Tobias close behind.
My heart was pounding by the time we reached the side exit even as I tried to zero in on our suspects’ unique heartbeats.
There were too many people around for it to work.
Carefully, I pushed the door open just enough to slip through.
Tobias shut the door behind us and the noisy bar faded to a low buzz through the thick wooden door.
It had started raining while we were inside. A sandstone archway that was barely visible through the winding vine that covered it blocked us from the raindrops.
With a quick look to make sure the coast was clear, I started forward.
Tobias’s hand fastened around my wrist, tugging me back against him.
Two distinct voices were coming toward us along with two sets of footsteps.
The downpour made it hard to hear what they were saying, even with my fae hearing, but they would reach us soon if they continued this way.
I turned in Tobias’s arms. We were so close that I could count the gold flecks in his eyes as they widened. He retreated a step, then stopped as his back hit the stone. His face shuttered like he was trying to wipe any trace of feeling from it.
“Kiss me,” I demanded quietly.
Pure shock overtook his efforts as he whispered, “What?”
“We need a reason to be out here, especially if the one waiting inside noticed us casing the place,” I hissed.
“If we go back in, we’ll lose them. More importantly, if they get close enough, I can track their heartbeats so we can easily tail them.
” There was no way I would be able to focus my magic enough to do so with them getting closer, especially with a bar full of distractions.
“No one will think twice about a couple finding a quiet corner outside after a few drinks.”
Tobias’s throat bobbed. “Quinn…”
“You already kissed me once, Maris,” I said, unable to help the hurt that edged my tone.
A muscle flickered in his jaw. “That was a mistake.”
“Don’t I know it,” I murmured, flinching at the sting of his words.
I knew I was setting myself up for another disappointment, but the footsteps were getting closer. I stared up at him imploringly. “It doesn’t have to be real.” This wasn’t the time to discuss it, but I couldn’t help but add, “I know it isn’t…that you don’t want me…”
His expression darkened. “Is that what you think?”
In one quick movement, Tobias pulled me against him then spun us around, pressing me flush against the archway.
His hand slid behind my head, cushioning it.
I wrapped my arms around his neck on instinct.
My breath caught at how perfectly we fit together even as I tried not to let myself hope.
Tobias’s eyes sparked as a hint of his light burned away the gold in his eyes.
“Shh,” he whispered against the shell of my ear. I knew he could feel the way my body responded, arching against him. “Just listen. This is enough for now.”
It wasn’t nearly enough. But I froze as the voices finally got loud enough to hear over the rain.
“I don’t know why we had to meet here first,” the first voice said in a low grumble.
The second voice sounded exasperated. “I told you already. You can’t get in alone. And he doesn’t meet with anyone who hasn’t proven themselves loyal to the cause.”
“Sounds like he should be less picky about his help considering how badly the first one botched today’s attempt. Did you see that they tortured that poor sod and then left him behind for the guards to pick up?”
There was a grunt of assent. My hand tightened on the nape of Tobias’s neck, the memory of his earlier callousness clashing with the heat rising between us now.
“Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable,” I breathed into his ear. “We need them to look past us, or our cover’s blown. But if you don’t want to, there’s still time to slip back inside.”
Tobias groaned deep in his throat. “Does it feel like I don’t want to? That I don’t want you?”
He rolled his hips, and my eyes went wide as the hard length of him pressed against me. My core went loose and tight all at once, the primal need to get closer nearly making me forget our precarious situation.
I wanted to climb him like a tree. I wanted to wrap my legs around him and let him take me hard against this doorway. I wanted…so much more than I was willing to admit, even to myself.
“Then what’s the problem, Maris?” I fluttered my eyelashes at him, letting my bravado bury my fear of what came next. “Afraid I’ll bite? Or are you into that sort of thing?”
My breath caught as his finger crooked beneath my chin, lifting my face up to his. The world seemed to hold its breath along with me, even the rain fading to a murmur as he leaned in.
“Fuck it,” Tobias breathed against my lips. Then his mouth met mine, swift and hard and claiming. His arm tightened around my waist, lifting me onto my tiptoes. For a split second, I could feel his heartbeat as it raced in time to mine, my magic reaching for him as assuredly as I did.
“His orders are clear,” the first voice said, far too close now. “He wants her alive, but I can’t imagine for long.”
It took my brain an extra second to realize that they were talking about me. The muscles in Tobias’s back went taut beneath my hands. His kiss became urgent, like he couldn’t get me close enough.
The second voice snickered. Then they fell silent, their footsteps pausing as they reached us.
My fingers twisted in Tobias’s hair, his hand covering my cheek either to hide my face or to tilt it exactly how he wanted me. I nearly forgot my task as his tongue delved into my mouth just as his hips moved against me so deliciously that I moaned into his mouth.
When exactly had I straddled his thigh?
I didn’t want this to end, but my blood magic was already waiting—the need to use it unexpectedly insistent.
Tunneling into it felt easy despite how long I had kept it leashed.
It was as simple as focusing on the pump of their blood, the path it took through their veins to their heart; each cell coming to attention as my magic jumped between them.
If they got closer, I could stop their hearts with a thought.
I shoved the intrusive thought away, feeling shaken.
That wasn’t our mission…and I hadn’t let myself give in to that urge since Adronix.
I could still remember the looks on those soldiers’ faces as my magic took control of their sword arms, bending each blood cell to my will.
It was foolish to think Tobias hadn’t noticed his opponents suddenly giving him the perfect opening to kill them.
Even then, I hadn’t stopped the blood flowing from their hearts—hadn’t realized I could—until one soldier stabbed Tobias in his side.
Then it had been far too easy to stop his heart between one beat and the next.
Tobias’s sword had passed through his opponent’s chest a second later, destroying all evidence of what I had done.
It was no wonder Pari looked at me like I might be a monster. Maybe that much power, and the moment I had given into it, had corrupted me more than I realized.
The footsteps continued, passing us without incident. But now I could feel their heartbeats, both nervously accelerating as they hurried down the alleyway.
Tobias let out a soft sigh against my lips. “How close do you need to be?”
“I haven’t really tried this before,” I admitted nervously. “My magic can sense their heartbeats, but I think I’ll lose them if they get too far away, or they walk into a crowd. We won’t have to keep them in our sights to follow them…but we can’t let them get too far ahead.”
“Then let’s get going.”
With a smile, I inclined my head, looking pointedly down at where Tobias still pinned me against the wall.
A flush rose to his cheeks, barely visible in the glow of the streetlights.
He set me back down on my feet so gently my heart skipped a beat, his hands holding me for a moment longer to make sure I was steady before finally letting me go.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the pair of heartbeats. They were growing fainter as the distance between us stretched. Thankfully the streets had emptied to the point that the trail was clear.
Taking Tobias’s hand, I led him into the warm rain.