Authors: Elizabeth Lapthorne
She cupped his jaw and
looked deeply into his eyes, her penetrating gaze melting into his.
“Did it cross your mind I
might want to be taken as forcefully, fiercely and passionately as you crave?”
she continued after a moment’s silence. “I don’t need some wizard to hold my
hand, press a soft kiss to my head and beg me prettily, asking if he can fuck
me hard against the wall. I want someone who can match me blow for blow and
then when I’m ready to let go can push me further than I ever felt I could go.
You’re my equal, and someone I can trust with everything, in every area of my
life. You don’t need to ask or confirm. If we have a problem, I’ll more than
let you know. If one day you do step over the line, I am perfectly able to take
you out enough to get my message across.”
With every word she spoke
Blade relaxed more and more, until he finally laughed at her last comment.
“You think you could take
me out?” he chortled, genuinely amused by the thought.
She smirked at him, every
inch the warrior witch he knew and loved. “Honey, I could knock you flat out on
your ass and not break a sweat.”
Deep belly laughs rumbled
through him. Only the smell of the steaks cooking returned him to where they
were. Standing, he took care of the meat, turning them over and
drizzling
a bit more oil over the grill.
Then he leaned down,
wrapped his arms around his amazing woman and kissed her cheek.
“I love you,” he said. “I
promise not to worry anymore. And I’m sure when we do cross each other’s
boundaries we’ll be fine. I’d never hurt you, not for real. Not under any
circumstances.”
“If I didn’t know and
believe that,” she replied as she stood up and moved out of his arms, “I’d not
be sitting here with a faintly sore ass, some delicious bruises and a head full
of fantasies I plan to whisper naughtily in your ear the moment we close this case
and fall into your large bed.”
“We don’t have to wait
’til we close the case,” Blade offered.
This time it was
Ange
who slapped his ass as she passed him into the
kitchen, then started chopping the salad and putting it all together in the
bowl. He watched her covertly, enjoying the way she wielded the knives so
professionally.
Blade turned the steaks
again, drizzled more oil onto the grill so the meat didn’t burn and stick, and
rummaged around for some sauces. He mixed a few together with some spices and
herbs into a small jug in the kitchen.
As if it were her pantry,
she opened the doors and peered around, grabbed a few bits and pieces and
easily made her own salad dressing. Curious, Blade dipped a finger into the jug
and it tasted a thousand times better than the store-bought shit he had kept in
his refrigerator for who knew how long.
Without a second thought
he tossed the entire bottle into the trash and nodded his approval at her jug.
“You, my love, can stay.
For that dressing recipe alone if need be.”
Ange
flipped him the bird. Blade blew her
a kiss as he set his meat sauce onto the dining room table along with two
plates and two sets of cutlery. Heading back out onto the patio one last time
and checking the steaks were properly ready, he plated them up.
Glancing in the window,
much to his amusement, he caught sight of
Ange
discreetly sniffing a bottle of orange juice from his fridge before nodding her
approval and pouring them each a glass. Blade closed the patio door behind him,
locked it then placed the platter with the steaks onto the table between them
and gave
Ange
first choice.
He took the other for
himself and they both eagerly filled their plates with her salad. Blade tasted
the sauce once more before pouring it over his steak and handing the small jug
to
Ange
. As if they had been doing this every night
for decades, she swapped him for the salad dressing jug.
As if by mutual, silent
agreement they discussed trivialities as they ate. The way the local baseball
team stank, where they dreamed of traveling next, their favorite bands and the
books they were currently at least attempting to read.
Dinner passed almost in a
blur for Blade. All too soon the sun hung dangerously low in the sky and they
could not dally any longer.
Ange
collected their
plates and glasses with a firm shove to Blade toward the patio to take care of
the grill.
Fifteen minutes later
they were both back in his bedroom, the atmosphere between them vastly
different to the last time they’d been there. Drawers snapped open and shut
with soft clicks.
Their focus on
concentration was absolute. Safeties were checked, blades were strapped to
various body parts. Items of clothing were arranged and rearranged for comfort
and warmth and Blade watched in masculine fascination as
Ange
performed a tightly woven, utterly intricate braid that somehow managed to
capture every single hair, bang and stray lock and weave it into a thick rope
that fell most of the way down her back.
When they were both close
to ready they checked each other over professionally and competently.
Ange
patted his forearms to check his blades would not fall
loose at an inconvenient moment and he checked that both her two main guns and
her tiny clutch piece were securely strapped in and the extra clip of
ammunition was easily accessible.
Satisfied they were both
outfitted correctly, Blade shrugged into his leather jacket and
Ange
pulled on her longer coat. Her glasses securely in
place, they grinned at each other and knocked their fists together.
“Be safe,” she intoned to
him, a command as much as a well-wishing.
“Be safe,” he returned to
her and sent a quick, silent prayer up to Circe that they would both return
healthy and well to this very bedroom, where they could celebrate victory of
any description more intimately and privately between the two of them.
Despite how badly they
wanted to close this case, all Blade needed to feel he had won was for his
witch to be safe and well. Anything else they could deal with and surmount in
their own space and time.
“Let’s rock!”
Ange
cheered.
“And roll, babe,” he
agreed.
A wicked grin on her face
spoke volumes about how they both felt. Adrenaline surged through his body, the
knowledge they were about to enter, yet again, into the heat of the battle.
Nothing pumped him like this, his personal drug of choice, to face the unknown
yet again and fight to victory. The thrill of the chase, the hunt, letting the
predatory inner beast surface to gnash its teeth and fight for itself always
got him going.
Only one thing came
close, but with
Ange
appearing as ready as he felt,
right now they were more focused on the fight aspect of their natures than the
fuck part. Blade
grinned
a wicked, evil grin. There
were so many things he loved about this magical witch. Right now what rose
above everything else was the way they complemented each other, understood and
accepted every aspect of the
other.
It had him feeling
like she truly was a part of his soul, a piece of him that had been always
missing.
They matched each other
perfectly and he knew as they shared more experiences together they’d always
step in time with each other.
Together they left his
house, climbed onto the bike and headed into the quickly gathering darkness.
Darkness had fallen.
Nighttime shadows crept over the city street, leaving more than enough places
for the team to comfortably wait and hide within. Julian and Matthias watched
over the team members who were down on the ground. They held a perfect vantage
point three stories above the others in a room with a window that overlooked
the front of the laboratory. They waited in the shadows of the room, as silent
and patient as death.
Sage and Chase were
around the back of the small laboratory. They scanned the back alleys and
watched the windows of the building, just in case
Sarke
picked up on something and, nervous, decided to come in the back.
Sarke
had slipped away twice now and neither Sage nor Chase
was going to let it happen again. A part of them hoped he did try to creep in
the back. Should he appear near them they were prepared to capture him
immediately and end this—but Sage and Chase knew that would be too easy and
they weren’t that lucky.
Sarke
had proven
himself
trickier than that.
Will and Jarred patrolled
the block regularly, supposedly two middle-aged men arguing about the upcoming
season, easily overlooked. They both stooped, walking slowly but with sure
footing and giving the appearance of being older than their true age. With
baseball caps on and speaking loudly about nothing in particular they appeared
no threat whatsoever. Will continually stroked his cigar as if it were an old
friend, but had not as yet worked himself up to chewing on it.
Finally, Blade and Flame
guarded the front entrance with an amplifying microphone Will had brought for
them. It had been tuned in to the same frequency as the team’s
comms
and it was up to Blade and Flame to make certain no
matter what curveball Malone or
Sarke
threw they
could hear and record what went on.
While they waited they’d
softly outlined a few different scenarios, deciding which directions they would
split up in and who would follow whom with the microphone if it became
necessary. As prepared as they could be for such a mission—where all too often
something completely unforeseeable would occur and they’d have to react off the
cuff—they now waited predominantly in silence.
Eager, alert and on point
they had sat silently for the majority of the first hour, then with only the
occasional softly whispered observation for the next thirty minutes. After that
it was time for them to switch their
comms
on and
stay in constant communication with the rest of the group.
Malone had turned up
fifteen minutes early and almost instantly started pacing up and down the
street. Periodically he would check his watch then the empty office windows as
if the assassin might lean out of one.
“You did check the other
offices, right, guys?” Flame said softly over her comm.
“This isn’t our first day
on the job, Flame,” Matthias replied.
“We couldn’t rule
everything out,” Julian interjected, “as quite a few of these offices have
late-night hours, but we’re pretty certain we covered all we could before we
settled in. And we have your backs. Bagging the sniper will just be a bonus.”
“Keep sharp, people,”
Will warned.
“When this goes down it will probably be a mess
and over within minutes.
Remember our boy also likes his explosives. He
might have wired himself, the
building,
the cars
parked on the street…anything. I want everyone extra alert and to speak up the
instant they sense anything out of sorts.”
“There’s a hooker two
blocks south who looks a bit out of sorts…” Julian suggested with a snicker.
Blade had to muffle his laughter and from some other chokes over the
comm
he had a feeling more than a few of the team were
equally amused.
“Cut that shit out,” Will
snapped
. “We’ve already messed this up twice. I’ll be
tearing each of you a new asshole if you don’t keep your head in the game. This
isn’t a tea party for your mom, and if
you’re wanting
to stick your pinkie finger out you can go fiddle with a hooker on your own
time.”
Blade frankly remained in
awe at the man’s forceful way with words and when he mixed his metaphors he had
a blistering turn of phrase that somehow worked upon them all.
“Now,” Will continued, “Jarred
and I are around the corner and will stay here and discuss statistics—”
“And you thought my
teaching you all those batting averages was a waste of time down in that
trench,” Jarred drawled, amused.
“Bite me,” Will
snapped
. “Jarred and I will stay here and act as immediate
backup, Julian, Matthias—your first priority is as our final backup. Having
said that, if you get a chance at the assassin and the team is still covered,
you take it. Malone looks plenty twitchy so we should be on any minute now. I
want people reporting anything they see and hear—excluding Julian’s favorite
stripper unless she turns out to be
Sarke
in drag.
Understood?”
“Roger that,” Blade
answered as the others almost simultaneously acknowledged the command. Despite
the tension of the situation, Blade felt comfortable and in control. The team
took their position seriously, but as Jarred and Julian had made clear they
still retained their sense of humor and didn’t give up the opportunity to take
jabs at each other.
Blade and Flame waited in
a few moments of silence, watched as Malone continued to pace and run a hand
agitatedly through his spiky hair. The faintest glint of light hit Flame’s
sunglasses,
otherwise he’d not have been able to see her in
the darkness of their alcove.