“Show me,” Kai demanded, and I twisted out of his grip once more.
“Screw you,” I shot back, folding my arms under my breasts and leaning my butt oh so casually against the altar. “I thought you wanted to talk? So talk, then let me leave. I have shit to do.”
His teeth ground together so hard I could hear it, and he stalked closer. Damn it all to hell, I’d cornered myself, and unless I wanted to be a giant wuss and climb over the altar, I had nowhere to go.
“Fucking show me,” he snapped, reaching for the collar of my top.
I batted his hand away, glaring. Then in a lightning fast scuffle of slapping hands, Kai somehow got me all twisted up in his arms once more, my back to his front and my hips against the altar. How?
My only logical explanation was that my greedy cunt was exerting her power over my mind, and slowing my reflexes. She didn’t want to fight Kai off. Not really. So she was making it easy on him. Stupid fucking vaginas with minds of their own.
Kai held my wrists pinned together against my chest with just one of his huge hands, and apparently I’d lost control of my own body. I didn’t fight against him, even though I damn well had the ability to free myself. Did my subconscious just want to see what he’d do when he saw my injuries? It was like driving past a car crash. Morbid fascination.
He gently peeled my high collar down, exposing the dark bruises and vivid welts all over my throat. Even with only candlelight, it couldn’t have looked good. Hell, it probably looked worse than it was, given all the shadows dancing around the church.
The tension vibrated through his whole body, and he swallowed hard. His lips were close enough to my cheek that I could feel his hot breath on my skin, and he ever so softly traced a finger over the garrote line welt.
“Who the fuck did this to you, siren?” he asked in a rough voice.
I sighed. His touch felt so good, so damn familiar, and the raw, possessive concern in his voice had me weak at the knees. “A dead man,” I replied, hardly daring to breathe. “He was dealt with, so don’t worry your pretty head over it.” Leon saw to that, just like he’d see to Kai if he found out about this encounter.
A low, angry sound rumbled from his chest, and my inhale hitched. I wasn’t strong enough for this. I’d never lost myself so thoroughly on an assignment before, and this was all uncharted territory.
“Someone is trying to have you killed,” he commented. He lowered his face, kissing my shoulder through the thin fabric of my top. “That’s why you wanted Mo’s help.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, my eyes fluttering closed as I relaxed into his hold ever so slightly. It was totally sick how safe he made me feel. The same man who assaulted me, abducted, imprisoned, tortured, and manipulated me. He was the same man who made me forget all my damage with the Guild and let me park my violent, blood-soaked past firmly in the past. He made me feel… protected.
“Someone is always trying to kill me, Kai,” I whispered back. “That’s hardly news.”
He huffed a short laugh, his breath warming through my clothing. His hand still pinned my wrists together at my chest, but his other hand shifted to my waist. To the tactical belt I wore clipped around my hips and secured over my belly button.
Still I didn’t push him away. This car crash was just getting interesting.
“This is different, isn’t it, Siren? Your own Guild has a hit out on you. It’s why they sent you to me.” He wasn’t speaking with prior knowledge, simply piecing it together as he processed. It didn’t take a genius, I supposed. “They thought I’d kill you the moment I worked you out… just like I’ve done to countless other mercenaries who have come for me.”
He unclipped my belt, then flicked the button of my high-waisted cargo pants.
“Kai.” I uttered his name on a tense sigh. “What do you think you’re doing right now?”
He didn’t even hesitate a second, dragging my zipper down. “Calling your bluff, ātaahua.” His hand dipped inside my panties, his fingers immediately finding my heated pussy and making me gasp. Encouraged, he pushed on, sliding his long fingers into my cunt while his thumb searched for my clit. “That’s what I thought,” he murmured, playing with my own wetness and making my whole body tremble in need.
“That”—I managed to say despite how shallow my breath had suddenly become—“proves nothing.”
He just laughed. No, he didn’t laugh, he fucking chuckled a deep, smug sound that warmed my neck as his fingers pumped harder. Shit, it felt so damn good.
He was hard as granite against my back, and I couldn’t help bucking my hips slightly. The fact that he still held my wrists pinned was only heightening the whole sexy scenario, reminding me how much he enjoyed being my captor. How badly he craved control. I hadn’t forgotten that first night when he chased me through the abandoned house. When he’d forced me to suck his dick, then fucked me with the barrel of his loaded gun.
My pussy tightened around his fingers, my whole body trembling as I came. And I wondered what Kai would think, knowing Leon had listened to that whole encounter back on Halloween.
“That’s it,” Kai murmured in my ear, his fingers still stroking inside me as I shuddered and groaned. “Good girl. You come apart so pretty under my touch.”
Fuck. That almost made me come again. Especially when he slowly withdrew his hand from my pants and brought his wet fingers to his mouth, sucking them clean with a moan of appreciation.
“You’re in trouble, Siren, and you’re gonna let me help you. Are we clear?” His tone offered no room for negotiation, even as he released my wrists.
I twisted around to face him, licking my lips and fighting to catch my breath. Fuck, that had been hot, and all I could think about was kissing him now. Kissing those full lips and tasting myself on his tongue.
“I don’t want your help, Kai,” I told him in a husky whisper.
His lips tipped in a sly smile. “No, but you need it. You know what they say, ātaahua, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Right now, I’m the Guild’s worst enemy, which makes me the best friend you’ve got.”
13
Trusting Kai had to be one of the worst ideas I’d ever entertained, I was absolutely sure of it. But with Leon off doing god knew what, and my friends too loyal to the Guild to be trusted… there weren’t many allies left. And the few I had, I wanted to keep as allies rather than bring the ire of the Circle down on their heads.
So, I reluctantly agreed. Kai would help me deal with Emmanuel Blanchet and clear my name with the Guild. In exchange… well, I wasn’t totally sure what he planned to get out of our arrangement. I wasn’t so arrogant as to think he just wanted to spend time with me and make me fall in love again. No, he had something to gain, and I was willing to bet it related to that necklace Hermes had given me.
“Holy crap, you’re both alive,” Mo commented as we exited the old church. She was sitting on the hood of her Mustang and hopped off when we approached. Her curious eyes darted between us, like she was trying to guess what had gone down.
Kai went straight to the trunk and popped it open, pulling out my guns. “Turns out, my girl has a hit out on her and needs our assistance,” he announced.
I snatched my guns from his hand and secured them in my empty holsters. “I’m not your fucking girl, Malachi. Cut the bullshit.”
“Uhhmmm…” Mo looked like she was scared to blink in case she missed something good.
“Fuck me, how many weapons were you carrying?” Kai grunted, handing me another gun and a handful of knives.
I shrugged. “It’s almost like I’m a mercenary and get paid to kill people.” Sarcasm dripped heavily from my words.
Mo cleared her throat dramatically, like she was covering a laugh. “So, you’re coming back with us then, Danny?”
“Yes,” Kai said.
At the same time, I scoffed. “Hell fucking no.” He glared at me, and I just glared right back. “You think I’m going to willingly return to your fucking prison, Malachi? You must be dumber than you look. I’ll be heading back to my secure location, and we can meet in neutral territory or communicate by dark web.”
“How’s that going to work when the Guild is sending assassins after you?” he argued, folding his impressive arms. He wore a black, long-sleeve top, but it was skintight and did nothing to hide his bulging muscles.
I gave a frustrated sigh. “I can handle it. I’ve survived two Guild executioners in the last three weeks and the notorious Ares himself. I think I’ll be fine.”
Kai’s glare darkened and he reached out to tug my collar down. “You call this surviving?”
“Yeah, dickhead,” I snapped, smacking his hand away, “that’s exactly what I call it. Because I’m alive and he’s dead. Pretty much the definition of surviving.”