Blood Torn (Blackthorn Book 3) Page 7

  ‘The supply is with another witch,’ Jask announced. ‘And, as we all know, they’re a tricky bunch when it comes to dealing with the third species – especially with a lengthy penitentiary sentence looming over them for even looking in our direction. So if I storm in there and create attention, we’re going to have every witch in this district baying for our blood, plus risk word getting back to the authorities that we’re in trouble.’

  ‘And they’ll force us to go on the meds,’ she said. ‘Or incarcerate us.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Jask said. ‘But a serryn going in to collect it is a whole other story. The witch will have no choice but to hand it over without question. Defying the most superior of witches is justifiably punishable by death apparently.’

  ‘If Jask can tame her enough to co-operate, that is,’ Corbin added. ‘Because if she leaks word of any of this whilst she’s in there, it’s over for us.’

  Despite the high odds, Jask could feel the weight being lifted off Solstice’s shoulders. But it only added to the weight on his own. ‘That’s why there’s no guarantee yet.’

  ‘But if there’s hope, the pack have a right to know,’ she said.

  ‘And when I’m convinced that the solution is obtainable, I will tell them. False hope is crueller.’

  ‘Even false hope is better than no hope.’

  ‘This is my decision, Solstice.’

  Her flawless brow crumpled as she glanced with concern over at the serryn again. ‘And in the meantime you’re going to give her open access to the compound?’

  ‘Locking her in a room won’t help me get her on side.’

  ‘But this will?’

  ‘Jask knows what he’s doing,’ Corbin assured her. ‘You know that.’ He looked over his shoulder as the serryn pushed back her chair and stood, attracting all their attention. ‘Which might be a good thing as it looks like breakfast is over.’

  Jask watched the serryn skirt the periphery of the room back towards the buffet table.

  ‘Jask, I’m sorry but you can’t just let her walk around,’ Solstice declared. ‘You might be able to handle her, but think of the others.’

  The serryn stepped up to the cutlery trays and, in plain sight, removed a knife.

  Jask’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Minx,’ he hissed under his breath.

  Corbin looked across his shoulder again then back at Jask. Even his eyes turned grave for a moment. ‘You can’t guarantee she’s not going to use it, Jask.’

  ‘She’s looking for a reaction, that’s all.’

  Instead of returning to her table to finish her drink, she slipped out of the doors.

  ‘She’s also got an impulsive streak,’ Corbin reminded him. ‘I landed on my arse in those ruins because of it, remember? If you’d told me a little thing like that would shove me down a staircase, I would have laughed in your face. We still know nothing about her.’

  Jask caught a glimpse of her out the window, heading down the steps and out onto the green. ‘She knows I can easily get the knife off her.’

  ‘And what if she hides it somewhere for later?’ Solstice asked, her fair eyebrows raised again, her eyes echoing rebuke.

  ‘Shit,’ Jask hissed. He shoved his half-empty tray away, hating the fact he was going to have to respond. And that by doing so he was doing exactly what she wanted – showing he was worried, that he was acknowledging her potential.

  It was a game of kiss-chase, and he was chasing.

  He pushed back his chair and stood.

  ‘Like I said, Jask – hard work,’ Corbin declared with a wink, before plunging a chunk of bread into his mouth as Jask reluctantly left the table.

  * * *

  As soon as she’d done it, she’d wished she hadn’t. Reaching for the knife was one of her frequent do-now-and-think-later moments. She’d gain nothing from it other than get Jask’s back up, but even that seemed a better option than letting him continue to sit there so smugly – let alone with the blonde by his side.

  Sophia stepped out into the fresh morning air. The invigorating breeze swept across the quadrant, something intolerably biting still accompanying it now that the overcast sky masked any hint of sunshine that had broken through earlier.

  She took the steps down onto the path, holding down her shirt hem as the breeze caressed her thighs. She looked left towards the archway where Rone and Samson had disappeared earlier and it took only a split-second longer to decide that was exactly where she wanted to go.

  She had no doubt that Jask was watching as she made her way along the path past the dining-room bay window.

  He had to have seen her take the knife. She’d hardly been subtle about it. She also had no doubt of how ineffective it would be if Jask took her on, despite how adept she was with her primary choice of weapon on the streets. The blade, unlike the six-inch serrated edges she usually dealt with, didn’t stand a chance of making enough of a wound before he got it from her.

  But that hadn’t been her intention. Walking past the cutlery had simply been too much temptation. She’d had to make his heart skip a beat at the very least – a small yet satisfying triumph on her part.

  Now, in the metaphorical as well as literal cold light of day, it seemed painfully immature. A move that was hardly going to encourage him to let her roam freely around the compound like she needed to.

  There were times when she hated her impetuousness. But there was something about him, something that triggered her need to prove herself to be anything but weak or vulnerable.

  Stepping through the arch, she glanced left beyond the gate at what looked like a run-down outhouse. But it was what lay ahead of her that snagged her attention. Beyond the wide-girthed oak was a single-storey stone outbuilding.

  She crossed the stone slabs, the paving cracked and buckled from the tree roots forcing their way through the earth like contorted spines. Surrounded by the array of plants, albeit many now nothing more than bark shells, was like entering a whole other world a hundred miles from urban Blackthorn.

  She turned the handle on the single deep-set door. When it didn’t budge on her second or third attempt, she stepped back to examine the two barred windows either side. Either the intention was not to let anyone in, or not to let anything out. She peered inside to see an empty foyer. Ahead to the left was an ajar door. Parallel to the right of it was a passageway leading off into the dark distance.

  Strolling around to the far left of the building, she lifted herself onto tiptoes to peer through another barred window. An oak table sat near the far wall, six chairs splayed around it.

  Running her hand over the dead climbing plant that encased the stone wall, Sophia continued around to the back. Behind the building was another outhouse beyond, this one derelict. Another barbed-wire-topped chain-link fence stood behind that – the only division between the compound and the demolition site beyond.

  And beyond that was the border into Lowtown – the way back to what her life once was. Not that she’d ever get that back. Not that she’d ever–

  She slammed to the ground, losing the knife as she broke her fall with her splayed hands.

  ‘Fuck,’ she hissed beneath her breath, debris grazing her bare knees and palms. She scowled back at the distended root that had been responsible for tripping her.

  ‘Enjoying your tour?’ a familiar, painfully masculine voice asked.

  Chapter Five

  Jask had pursued, so that was most definitely one point to her – even if disapproval emanated from his stance as he stood a few feet away, arms tightly folded.

  She reached for the knife, the glint amidst the turf unmistakable. If he hadn’t seen her take it before, he sure knew now.

  She pushed herself to her feet and dusted down her grazed knees, flinching as she made contact with the minor wounds. ‘It’s better than sitting in a room full of lycans and experiencing Pavlov’s experiment first-hand. It was putting me off my food.’

  She hadn’t meant it to come out so cuttingly. Part of her hadn’t meant for
it to come out at all. She glanced at him warily, wondering if maybe she’d overstepped the mark this time.

  Jask didn’t just frown, he scowled. ‘I didn’t give you permission to leave the room,’ he stated, unfortunately too matter-of-factly not to pique her irritation.

  She placed her hands, the knife, behind her back. She scraped an arc through the dirt with her boot as she tauntingly looked up at him from under purposefully downturned lashes. ‘Does this mean you’re going to threaten me with another spanking?’

  The last thing she expected was to see a hint of amusement at the mocked submissive pose.

  ‘I’m getting the feeling more and more that a hard spanking is exactly what you need. What is it they call that – negative reinforcement?’

  Either he meant it, or he was actually playing with her. She wasn’t entirely sure she could handle the latter. But whichever, he was definitely making fun of her. And no one made fun of her.

  She folded her arms to mirror him. ‘But that would show weakness, right, Jask? Relying on your brute strength because you can’t manage me any other way.’ She sauntered past him. ‘What a real let down that would be.’

  ‘If you wanted my undivided attention, you only had to ask,’ he remarked, as her shoulder skimmed his upper arm.

  His arrogance, let alone a need to disprove the uncomfortable truth of his words, evoked her to turn and face him as she reached the corner. ‘Most would interpret me leaving the room as wanting anything but.’

  ‘If you hadn’t decided to take a knife with you, maybe.’

  ‘This little thing?’ She twirled it tauntingly in her fingers for him to see. ‘I’m hardly going to be doing much damage with this. Not worried are you, Jask?’

  He frowned again. ‘Why do you do that?’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘Defy me when you know I can do something about it.’

  ‘Physically maybe.’ She shrugged. ‘But like I said, what’s impressive about that? You said you could tame me, but what you clearly meant was suppress and oppress me. And you need to learn I don’t respond well to that. Let this be your first lesson,’ she said, heading back towards the courtyard.

  And also a lesson to her to keep herself focused – not sate her urge to provoke the lycan leader purely to get the upper hand for a few moments.

  She had to remind herself of his potential intentions towards Kane Malloy and the implications for Blackthorn. She had to stay on task and not make it personal.

  ‘You’re going to be here a few days, serryn. So you will learn how to behave in my presence.’

  A familiar and unavoidable surge of adrenaline flooded her system.

  Keep walking, Phia.

  But on irritation-induced automatic pilot, she slowly pivoted on her heels.

  Jask was leaning against the corner of the building, the resoluteness in his eyes unflinching.

  ‘How to behave? Sorry, Jask – am I not as submissive as your lycan females? Would you rather I bend over now and wait for you to take me at your leisure?’

  He raised his eyebrows slightly. Worse, he dared to give her the once-over. ‘You’re a hell of a lot more irritating than lycan females, that’s for sure.’

  ‘Why, because I stand up to you? Because I’m not afraid to say what I think?’

  ‘You say that with pride. Honey, five-year-olds say what they think. Knowing what to say and when is called being an adult.’

  Something inside her sparked. ‘Don’t patronise me.’

  ‘Then stop scowling at me like some sulky teenager. You look ridiculous.’

  Her thoughts flashed back to the female sat beside him in the dining hall. As insecurity flooded her, the spark ignited.

  She had wanted his attention. And part of her hated herself for that immaturity, let alone the fact he seemed to be picking up on it.

  And he had called her ridiculous because of it.

  Ridiculous.

  She exhaled tersely and turned away to stop herself closing the gap and kicking him hard between the legs. ‘Fuck you, Jask.’

  ‘My point exactly. One bit of criticism and you retaliate.’

  She spun to face him again. ‘Who the fuck do you think you are, huh? You may have all of them cowering in fear of you,’ she said, thrusting a pointed finger back towards the main building, ‘but not me,’ she added, slamming her hand to her chest. ‘Arrogant tosser,’ she muttered under her breath as she turned away again.

  ‘You really need to learn some manners, serryn.’

  She closed her eyes. Pressed her lips together for a moment. ‘Oh, my apologies,’ she said as she turned to face him just briefly enough to curtsey. ‘Fuck you, Jask, please.’

  ‘I’m willing to let the knife incident go, but walk away from me and there will be consequences.’

  She stopped again. She didn’t want to. But she did. She turned to face him once more. ‘Is that right?’

  He pulled himself away from the wall. ‘I won’t have you talking to me like that.’

  ‘No?’ She opted to be the one to close the gap between them. ‘Then what are you going to do? Only the way I see it, I’m still alive because you need me alive. So is this how it’s going to be? I don’t toe the line so you threaten to punish me? There’s one problem with that,’ she said. ‘I’m likely to enjoy it.’

  But, this time, far from looking affronted, even irritated, his eyes glimmered with something else. Something she hadn’t expected to see. Something that told her he was only too willing to test the theory.

  She instinctively stood up straight to let her five-foot-seven-inch frame match his stature as best she could as he consumed the personal space left between them.

  ‘Like you enjoyed me holding you down on the wasteland?’ he asked. ‘Like you enjoyed what I did to you in the shower?’

  ‘Made you feel good did it – controlling someone half your size?’

  ‘I didn’t have to restrain you to control you just now though, did I? Yet not only did you stop walking away, you came back.’ His eyes glinted with triumph. ‘I’d call that progress, wouldn’t you?’

  Her heart pounded at the intimacy of his proximity.

  ‘I’ve made my point twice about who’s in charge here, serryn. If you push me, I’ll prove it once and for all.’

  Her stomach flipped, the prospect as unforgivably enticing as the lycan who dared utter the threat. ‘You know,’ she said, holding his gaze, tilting her mouth up towards his to regain some semblance of control. ‘This whole alpha leader-of-the-pack thing is sexy enough, but when you get all masterful it’s just too much.’

  He almost broke a smile. Almost. ‘You’re not as hard as you like to think you are, little girl. You might play at being tough, but that’s all it is. I saw you crumble when I pinned you down. You can’t handle me any more than you can handle yourself.’

  She gazed into his eyes as they searched deep into hers. He smelt dangerously earthy – something between freshly cut grass and humid rain. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now it felt all-consuming. ‘Pin me down again and see.’

  ‘You’re out of your depth, darling.’

  The term of endearment, despite its intention to belittle, still struck her deeper than it should have. ‘And you don’t want me to prove you wrong. I’m so much easier to handle if I’m scared of you, am I not?’

  He leaned closer so his lips almost touched hers. ‘You know when I said I tear? I wasn’t kidding.’

  ‘Tease.’ She lifted her mouth to his, as close as she would dare without physically touching him. ‘I don’t mind not playing gentle. Let’s see if the pack leader is as badly behaved as his reputation dictates. Right here. Right now.’

  As their breaths mingled, her stomach clenched, every nerve ending tingled.

  But that cold, calm gaze made it all too obvious that he had no attraction towards her. His restraint was insulting. Worse, it was humiliating.

  He pulled back with a smile and brushed past her, daring to turn his back on her.
She wanted to ram the knife into his behind just for the arrogance of it.

  Just for the pain of his rejection.

  For the defeat.

  Damn it – round four to her only to have him claim it back again.

  She clenched the knife handle tighter as she watched him leave. ‘I actually pity you, locked away here in your cage, spouting your propaganda to your masses!’ she called out. ‘The evidence speaks for itself. The barbed wire. The guards. You’re scared of what’s out there. You’re hiding. Everyone knows it. You may be the big pack leader in your cage, but you’re the vampires’ bitch and bitch to the TSCD, and you know it.’

  Jask turned to face her again – a six-foot solid frame of lycan proficiency. That, let alone the look in his eyes, was enough to make her temporarily stop breathing.

  But she squared up ready to face his retaliation – the humiliation of his rejection still scorching too deep for her not to.

  ‘What did you say?’ he asked, his narrowed eyes fixed on hers.

  Shut up, Phia. For fuck’s sake, shut up.

  But she’d ignored the voice of reason too many times for it to win through on this occasion.

  ‘You heard me,’ she said. ‘Impenetrable, huh? The powers that be still managed to get to two of your own though, didn’t they? And reveal just what you lycans really are beneath the surface. We all know how they butchered Arana Malloy – excuse of no meds or not. And what happened after still proves you’re nothing but a pawn in the big boys’ game and everyone knows it. Putting those responsible away in the safety of the penitentiary when you know you should have dealt with them yourself is evidence enough. That incident didn’t just show the VCU for what they are, it showed what you are – doing Kane Malloy’s dirty work for him. Only I didn’t see him in the courtroom, defending what your kind did to his sister. You’re clearly twisted around his little finger as much as that agent Caitlin Parish is.’

  Jask took a step back towards her. ‘You really think it’s wise to stand there goading me?’

  She clenched the knife handle tighter. ‘Struck a nerve, Jask?’

  ‘Brutal killer though you may be, serryn, you’re nothing but a sex toy in the hands of the right vampire – just remember that. Don’t tempt me into turning you into mine.’