A second later, a small pontoon drifted into sight, guided by two sturdy-looking rowers. Will cocked his head in mild shock. Upon the flat, wooden raft sat a man, proper as you please, before a small dinner table covered with white linen and laid with fine crystal. Light from the brace of candles pooled over the table and danced over the man’s face, giving it the macabre image of a skull. Not bothering to acknowledge Will in the least, the man simply carved into what appeared to be a slab of beefsteak as the pontoon eased to a slow halt before Evernight Hous.
The man reached for his goblet of wine, and Will saw his face in full. Memories, swift and strong, slapped into him. Of his life, his duties. Of this man. Nex. Will leapt high. His body arched through the air, the wind whistling in his ears. He landed lightly upon the pontoon, the craft barely registering his presenc.
Aldous Nex finished his sip of wine before gently placing the glass down. “You always loved a showy entrance, Thorne.” “Says the man having his dinner on a pontoon.” Cold, soulless eyes bore into Will. “Take a seat.” Not a request. Will complied. He wanted to know what Aldous, the supreme Nex elder, wanted. Folding his length into the rather dainty dining chair, Will withdrew a case of cigarettes from his pocket. “Smoke?” he offered Aldous. “Please.” When they’d lit their cigarettes and wisps of fragrant smoke drifted up into the night, Will slouched back in his seat, adopting an indolent pose he knew would irk Aldous, and waited. The man’s thin lips twitched, but he simply enjoyed his smoke before speaking. “Why have you not yet killed the Evernight girl?” “Was I supposed to?” Will asked idly. Had the Nex sent him to kill Evernight? Why, when they’d cast him out? Vanity aside, there were far more levelheaded agents at their disposal for such a task. Either his questions were clear on his face, or Aldous had expected him to wonder as much. “Rumor has it,” Aldous said, “that some fortunate soul shall be highly rewarded should he be the one to destroy Miss Evernight. As you always were an opportunist, and have a personal stake in her demise, why wouldn’t you try to kill her? Yet here you sit on her terrace, playing guard dog.” He stared at Will through a plume of smok.
“Not quite your style, sanguis.” “And here I thought I would never be so prosaic as to acquire a set style.” Will shrugged lightly, but the look he gave Aldous was not. “I have a personal stake in your demise too, Aldous Nex.” The man laughed. “You gave away the identity of key agents to an SOS regulator so that he might slaughter them, and yet you have the temerity to resent us being rid of you? Oh, that is rich.” “Agents who abused a fellow onus,” Will ground out through his teeth. Though “abuse” was far too weak a word for what they’d done to Jack. Will was only sorry that he hadn’t helped Jack tear those demons apart. “We are supposed to protect our kind, not torture them.” Twin flames flickered in Aldous’s eyes, reminding Will that this was no mere man. “Loyalty to the Nex, Mr. Thorne, takes precedence above all things.” Which is why, Will supposed, he did not belong anywher.
His loyalties were never blind. “Good thing what I do and why is no longer your business,” he said. “What if I chose to make it my business?” Aldous’s tone was mild, almost encouraging. “What if you were Nex once again?” Will’s entire body tensed. And though he’d not moved or even blinked, Aldous noted the effect his offer had upon him. Slowly, the older man inclined his head. “Acceptance once mor.
A place with your comrades. A renewed sense of purpose.” “All for killing Evernight?” The words tasted ugly and bitter upon his tongu.
But he could not ignore them. Kill Evernight. And life as he knew it would return. But it wouldn’t. He’d go mad and die without her. Without his permission, his hand drifted to his chest. Aldous’s gaze followed the movement. “You think of that contraption within you. You believe she can help you.” Will flinched. How pathetic that he was so easily read. “You think you can do better?” His voice was a rasp. “No.” Aldous puffed upon his cigarett.
“I think you’re doomed without her. Already she has restored your sanity. Very impressive, given the state you were in before.” Will glanced at him sharply. He leaned forward, planting his feet upon the boards of the pontoon. “You knew.” Aldous tapped a line of ash into his discarded beefsteak, where blood had begun to congeal. “You were not my problem then.” Grinding his teeth, Will struggled not to swipe that bland, superior look off his fac.
Affecting calm, he crossed one leg over the other and took a leisurely drag of his smok.
“Why should I be your problem now? As much as I enjoy flattery, the Nex have more than enough resources to do the deed without me.” Aldous chuckled. “My dear boy, your ignorance astounds me.” When Will growled, the elder’s laughter ebbed. “What you have become is a perfect killing machin.
If only you knew how to control your power.” Aldous Nex gave him a look that was almost fond. “Now that your sanity is restored, it would be my great pleasure to personally train you.” Lucky me, Will thought dryly. “There is still the small matter of my being, as you say, ‘doomed’ without Evernight.” “It was your presumption that I want you to kill her.” Aldous’s gaze locked onto Will. “I’m asking you to bring her into the Nex.” Will could not have been more shocked if Aldous had thrown him into the Thames. He couldn’t even form words. “Have you any notion how valuable the SOS’s head inventor is to us?” The elder’s expression went smooth as still waters. “Whoever put a price upon her head was an utter fool to overlook her talents.” A sick sensation rocked through Will. “She wouldn’t work for you.” “We can be very persuasive, as you well know.” Aldous shrugged one shoulder. “We won’t break her. Not entirely. It would be counterproductiv.
When she is not working, you can keep her as yours.” Thin lips lifted. “All and all a good arrangement, I should think.” Save for the woman who would be a slave and an unwilling concubin.
“Well,” Aldous reached for his wine, “think it over.” He took a sip before regarding Will. “Keep in mind that if you refuse, you will not only be out of the Nex, you will be our enemy.” He leaned in, and again his eyes flared flame bright. “Either way, we will have the girl.” Will’s fangs throbbed. “With an offer like that, how can I refuse?” Aldous gave him a pleasant smile before lifting his hand and making a swiping motion. In an instant, Will hurtled through the air, the punch of power cracking his ribs. He landed upon the lawn hard enough to kick up turf and scatter a wave of soil in his wak.
The pain in his ribs was but a twinge to the crushing weight of metal as it began to race through his body, robbing his breath and pulling him down into dark terror. “Mr. Thorne.” A soft touch on his shoulder. Go away. Something heavy sought to pulverize his bones within his flesh. “Thorne.” Another touch, harder now, shaking. “William Thorne.” He tried to swat the hand away. He couldn’t mov.
“Bloody bollocking hell.” Had he said that? No, the voice had been feminine and prim, despite the crude words. He rather liked that. His body rocked slightly as hands ripped apart his shirt. Fresh air buffeted his icy skin. Perhaps he ought to fight? But he felt… saf.
Odd, that. Soft, slim hands smoothed over his chest, making him grunt and his c**k ris.
He wanted to purr like a jungle cat, stretch himself out for the female, coax her closer and closer, until he struck and made a meal of her. Abdomen clenching, Will canted his h*ps and a wrist brushed against the tip of his erection. He groaned loud, and the touch fled. “No.” Blindly he reached out, trying to stay those lovely hands. “Calm yourself, Thorne,” said a crisp voic.
That voic.
Focus. He forced his eyes open. The grey night wavered and shimmered then pulled into focus. Holly Evernight’s pale face hovered over him, her lips pinched and her brows drawn. “Be still,” she said, “and let me work here.” “Never wanted you to stop,” he mumbled through stiff lips. Hell, his head pounded. Her cool gaze studied his chest as though it were a puzzle to be solved. Then she resumed her cruel work upon him, concentrating her efforts on the thick, twisted coil that made up his scar. He nearly sobbed in relief, and in despair. Hells bells, but he enjoyed having her hands on his skin. Exquisite tortur.
Will soaked it up. It felt so good. So bloody good. Like joy and life and pleasur.
He wanted her to touch him endlessly. If she never stopped, he’d be perfectly happy. His fangs itched to drop and impale themselves in the plump little swell of her breast. Right above her nippl.
He could drink her and suckle her all at onc.
A whimper caught and died at the back of his throat, and he lurched upright. “Enough.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “I’m well enough now.” Evernight sat back on her heels, and he truly took in their surroundings. He was on the lawn, sitting in a depression of overturned earth. Right; Aldous had been here, making offers and promises. Will glanced at Evernight. She stared back, placid as always. “Why are you out here?” she asked. “Why are you out here?” he hedged. Her shoulders drew inward, diminishing her siz.
“Believe me, I do not want to be her.
But the terrace is safe enough for the moment.” With that odd statement, she glanced about before returning her focus to him. “I came to help you.” Her eyes narrowed. “What happened?” Hell, but he couldn’t tell her the Nex’s grand elder had been here, or that he wanted to keep Holly as his slav.
Will kept his gaze on the river and tapped the side of his bent knee as he thought of what to say, but the silence was stretching thin and he panicked. “Bad fall.” “ ‘Bad fall.’ ” She repeated his lame excuse with the sarcasm it deserved. Feeling foolish, Will nodded as though it made complete sens.
Then decided to change the subject. “Tomorrow, we shall be going out.” “Oh?” She didn’t sound very surprised. The idle rhythm he tapped grew faster. “We accomplish nothing staying here, waiting for someone to come for you. We must become the hunters, not the hunted.” From the corner of his eye, he saw her arm tens.
And then he caught the deadly scent of Christ’s thorn wood. His breath stilled. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Time slowed as he turned his head, and their gazes clashed. Understanding flared between them, of her cool rage and quiet determination, and what she planned to do. The knowledge punched through him, swift and shocking. He reacted without thought, grabbing her wrist and hauling her clos.
Her chest fell against his with a thud and a sharp exhalation of breath. He wrenched her arm upward until the sharp point of her wooden stake pressed into the tender underside of his jaw. Will kept a tight grip upon her wrist, holding the deadly weapon where it was as she trembled. But defiance lit her eyes, and he did not know if what he felt was admiration or deep hurt. Perhaps both. “It’s a simple thing,” he murmured in the ringing silence, “just thrust hard and deep.” Her wide, clear eyes bore into his. “I know.” Oh, he bet she did. The sharp tip of the stake burned his skin, and his sense of self-preservation screamed for him to thrust it away. He ignored it. “Do you wonder if I am so altered that Christ’s thorn will not harm me? Is that why you hesitate?” She appeared unrepentant. “Will it?” “Do you not smell my flesh burning?” It was a subtle scent now. Like a stuck match in a stuffy parlor. It hurt. But if the wood went up into his brain, he’d be dead. Just like any other sanguis. The bones in her wrist shifted as she tightened her grip. Bloody hell. Will pushed the point in deeper, ignoring the pain, refusing to flinch as he watched her. She pulled against his grip, as if fearful that he’d do the job for her. He did not let her go. “Why?” His question came out far too rough and pained. “Why bother healing me at all?” “I had to be certain.” Her eyes narrowed in accusation. “I gave you the chance to answer me truthfully. You failed.” The delicate muscles of her throat moved on a swallow. “I heard your little chat, Mr. Thorne.” “And you believe I will hand you over to the Nex? Make you a slave once more?” He wanted to laugh, and to snarl. Her black brows rose a touch. “You said you couldn’t refuse his offer.” “It never ceases to amaze me how utterly sarcasm eludes you.” She let out a huff. “He offered you everything you have lost.” Will was silent, his clockwork heart pumping hard, and then his grip loosened. Slowly his fingers slid along the silky skin of her wrist before his hand dropped to his lap. She kept the stake where it was, her shoulders vibrating with tension. “Perhaps,” he whispered, “I don’t want what I’ve lost. Perhaps I want something new.” She frowned, her expression making clear as day that thoughts whirred within her massive, logical brain. “What do you want, Mr. Thorne?” If he answered “you” would she run? Likely. The truth was, that answer made him want to run too. So he told her another truth. “To be wanted for who I am, not what I can do for others.” That cool, analytical frown grew. “Go on then,” he said against the puncture wound. “Do it, if that is your wish. For I’m dead without you anyway.” Her entire frame stiffened, intent and determination lighting her eyes. He found himself holding his breath, willing himself not to react. But then the tension drained from her, and she lowered the stak.
And heavy silence fell over them. Will gave her time to collect herself. “You should know,” she said after a moment, “I did not want to use this.” But she would. And he respected that. Her chin lifted. “The Nex want me.” “Yes.” “They aren’t trying to kill me.” “No. Which means whoever is has no loyalties other than to himself.” Much like Will, he realized with a rather ugly start. She looked away, her profile clean and pale against the indigo sky. “I’ll never be truly safe.” Gently, he rested his hand atop hers, when what he really wanted was to haul her into his lap and hold on tight. “None of us ar.