Darkness Unbound (24 page)

She moved into his sightline. “Teach me. I want to know how to move like you and how to destroy those fuckers.”

Javen cocked his head and took another deep inhale on the joint. “You want me on your team?”

“I don’t know yet. You’re old school. I’m doing new school. Different.”

“So you want to test me out?” Javen raised his eyebrows.

“No. If you want to be a part of my unit, that’s fine. We’d be lucky to have your skills on my team, but you’d have to recognize I am in charge. None of this I’m older and know best bullshit. I need you to show me how to do this so everyone can get off my back about being knocked-up and in danger. That means I need training. I figured no one else would want to teach me since I’m…you know.”
Pregnant.

Javen put his joint out on his shoe and perched on the edge of the chair to shoot her a nasty glare. “I don’t do easy, if we are to train. I don’t pull punches or keep the knives from hurting. I won’t give a bloody fuck that you’re pregnant.”

Astrid grinned. A laugh-snort escaped before she could bite it back. “I invented trash talk. Does that I’m-a-bad-ass bullshit actually work on the other guys?”

Javen’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, badass, your secret that you’re an overprotective softy is safe with me. I’m pretty sure you’re just as chauvinistic as the other guys. That means you’re just as hung up on the fact I’m a girl and terrified about the fact that I’m pregnant.” She put her hands on her hips. “I need your help. I’m a fast learner, and I won’t complain. I’ll let you know if I’m having issues. I just spoke with Kira about this. She gave me the thumbs-up to train as long as I do a check-in with her at the end of every day. If you train me into a super warrior, then the others will assume that badass thing to be true.”

Javen nodded, but she couldn’t tell if he agreed to help her or if he agreed with the super warrior statement.

Astrid pivoted. “I’ll meet you in the training room tomorrow morning.”

As she departed he murmured, “You are one scary woman.”

She halted and glanced back. “I’m just trying to make us into the elite fighting unit that we should be. Right now we are dysfunctional at best.”

Chapter Seventeen

Astrid stomped toward the medical room for her daily appointment with Kira. What a waste of time. She was fine and didn’t need Kira to pronounce everything to be hunky dory. But the only way she could train was if she put up with this bullshit.

Right now, she wanted to be anywhere but this magi hotspot. She’d been working with Javen for over a week and still couldn’t do a magikal move-fast, or detect anything with use of super sensory
seichim.
That meant she couldn’t convince the others that she could defend herself and that they didn’t need to freak out about her on daemon fighting. Javen, to his credit, hadn’t harped on her failure. He’d encouraged her to smoke weed and give it another few decades.

Maybe she wasn’t meant to be anything other than a door opener. She hated that.

The others had gone daemon fighting a dozen times, even took Kane once while she paced and fretted for the hours that he was gone. No one asked her to go. They didn’t even request she portal them, which griped her.

The topping on her frustration sundae was her escalating physical desperation for Kane. She fantasized about him at night, daydreamed like a silly teenager when not asleep, and remained in a steady state of core-pounding arousal. Yet, the need wasn’t just sexual. She missed his off-beat humor and his quirks. She wanted her best friend back at her side nagging her to be safe. The two times she’d been within a hundred yards of him, he’d barely glanced her way.

She rounded the corner fast and slammed into a tall, rock hard male
. Great.
She mumbled an apology as she regained her balance and rocked backwards on the balls of her feet. The scent of sweaty male powered up her nose. Her body flared to life. She didn’t need to glance upward to know who she’d crashed into. The hormone lust funneling heat toward her southern hemisphere alerted her it was
him.
But, of course, she looked up. Tall. Broad. And so freaking handsome. He wore a tight black tee and faded jeans. She caved to temptation and leaned into him.

This close she felt the swell of his arousal where his fly pushed against her abdomen. Her body tingled with awareness that he wanted her as much as much as she wanted him. She absorbed the heat coming off his hard chest where it contacted her tender breasts. Her breath caught at the raw desire reflected in his gaze.

She wanted him right here. Right now. Hard. Hot. And deep.

He cleared his throat and closed his eyes. Hoarsely he said, “We can’t…not right now.”

The junction of her thighs ached and pounded. Sweat gathered on her back. “Are you sure?” She wound her hand around his neck and played with the hairs at his nape. A thrill hit her stomach when she detected the tremor that traveled through his tense muscles.

Huskily she said, “I want to feel you coming inside me.” She projected her fantasy into his mind on their shared mental pathway he had yet to embrace.

He sucked in air. “Fuck.”

“Exactly.” She pulled his head toward hers. His lips parted just enough to allow her tongue past them. She licked over his lips, into his mouth, and against his tongue. He caught her close to him, his arms pulling her tight. Pleasure wracked her body to the point she trembled. His tongue curled along hers, stroked it, and then teased her by licking her lips. Then he bit her.

Astrid jerked her head back, glaring before she returned the favor and nipped him on his lower lip. His hand tightened on her hair, jerked her head back, and he slammed his lips over hers.

Wild hunger rocked her and seared her mind. It opened something she didn’t recognize in herself. A core of femininity that even Zannis had never touched. Somehow Kane awoke the woman she hid deep inside.

Kane had somewhere to be, and couldn’t do this right now. Avoidance of Astrid and this insane attraction wasn’t working. He’d planned to find her today to sort this out, even though he remained confused and furious about everything. Ah, God, she tasted so amazing. He deepened the kiss, groaning when she nipped his lip and kissed down his neck. He was harder than he ever remembered in his life. He yanked her shirt from her pants, impatient to have his hands on her skin. He spanned her waist, appreciating her smooth flat stomach. He argued with himself to stop when he captured her lips again, but he traced his palms upward to the outside of her bra.

“Kane,” she whispered his name, a hungry plea. Her hands were on his chest under his shirt and traveling southward. He imagined her tongue on him, sucking. And groaned. He halted her hand’s downward descent, desperate to end this before he reached the point of no return.

Kane jerked his head back to stare down at the lust-drugged blonde staring a clear
why-stop
at him? She leaned forward and licked the V between his collarbones. His skin flexed.

She murmured, “You like my touch.” Her hand slid down to the waistband of his pants and flicked open the metal button. She caressed his arousal through his briefs.

“Christ, Astrid.” He met her pleading gaze.

“Please, Kane. I can’t bear this. I need you.”

Hell, he’d never been so desperate for a woman. He’d never felt a hunger burn this deeply in his gut. God help him if he wasn’t touching her, loving her, or tasting her, then he would be completely alone. Because there was no other woman for him. Life simply didn’t exist without her. But there might not be much to that life, if she continued daemon fighting. He’d watched her get hurt doing crazy shit for years, but he couldn’t take it anymore, especially now when the stakes were so much higher. Eventually, she would die, and he’d go to the afterlife too. That he understood and accepted. Death was inevitable. What he feared most, and what he couldn’t handle, was that she would probably die trying to save him.

She leaned to the right, clipping his leg. He winced.

Astrid stepped back and out of his embrace. “What was that? What’s wrong?”

His body screamed denial at the loss of her hands on him. “I think I broke my leg.”

Her eyes widened, aghast. “Oh God. I’m so sorry. I just….crap.” Her thoughts blasted into his brain,
Can’t believe I attacked him like a desperate slut.
“I’m so sorry. What are you doing out here, then?”

He reeled for a moment. Had he just heard her thoughts? If so, she probably hadn’t meant to broadcast that sentiment. He’d do anything to erase her embarrassment, but had trouble formulating a reply when his mind remained firmly locked on his need to be inside her. Hoarsely he said, “I was on my way to find Kira. Just taking a break on the getting-there part of it.” The agony of walking on a busted lower leg reminded him of his days in Asia doing covert ops. Too many times he’d been beat to shit, yet forced to keep moving. Pain was nothing new, but he wasn’t sure he could deliver on what he wanted to give Astrid right now.

“Tell me how you broke it,” she demanded.

He shifted his weight, caught between the pain of needing to pull her back to him and finish what she started and the sharp ache in his lower leg. “Training with Eric.”

She put her hands on her hips. “He let you limp out of there on your own? The asshole didn’t even bother to help?”

Kane shrugged and fastened the button on his jeans.

She rolled her eyes. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

This woman knew him too well. “I’m enough of a fuckup. I can’t get this shit and suck at fighting with a sword. But I’m not a complainer.”

“No. You’ve never been that,” she said softly. She pushed her way under his right shoulder. “Come on, Langford. Let’s find the doctor.”

He cleared his throat, still riding a lust high. His fingers now rested within an inch of the breast he wanted to caress. The fresh scent of her hair teased his nose. “Bella, what we—”

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t want this. Us. Whatever.”

“What?” Didn’t want her? He’d wanted her naked the second he first glimpsed her five years ago. That desire hadn’t waned. Now need eclipsed want. He needed her like a meth addict needed product. In the past he’d always had enough discipline to resist. He wasn’t sure how long that resistance would hold anymore. If she tempted him like this when he wasn’t injured, there’d be no stopping him.

She barged on, “It just happened. I didn’t know you were hurt. I’m sorry. Must be hormones or something.”

His fury reignited at the thought of some other bastard knocking her up and then getting himself killed. Images of another man touching her tortured his mind. He clenched his fists and focused on putting as much weight as possible on the broken limb. Pain assaulted his body and distracted his mind.

In awkward silence they slowly trekked to the medical room. Once inside Kane jumped away from Astrid and gimped to the new sofa. He refused to hop onto the overused medical bed. His chest pinched at the rejection in Astrid’s eyes. He called out, “Astrid, I—”

She raised a hand to stop him. “I got it. It won’t happen again
.
” Then she whirled away.

Don’t run from me
,
he thought to her, testing their mental pathway. She paused for a second and glanced back. Telepathy worked. Talking in his mind to her…amazing and weird. Then she left. He yelled, “Damn it, Astrid come back!”

He struggled upward, intent on pursuing, but Kira blocked him. She pushed him back onto the sofa with a single finger. “You can go after her in a few minutes. She’s not leaving, at least not permanently.”

Kane snorted and glowered at his cousin. He struggled upward again, managing a clumsy stand. “Get out of my way.”

Kira backed up a step and raised her eyebrows. “What? You going to hop after her? Your tibia is shattered.” Her tone softened. She clucked and shook her head. “Oh, Kane. I know you’re messed up over her and all of this right now, but let me heal you. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

He fell back onto the couch with a snort. “I never asked for all this shit.”

“None of you guys did.” She wheeled her rolling stool in front of him and sat. But didn’t reach out to heal him. “What’s going on?”

He ran a hand over his face. “Don’t psychoanalyze me. Can’t you just fix this and leave me be?”

“You and Astrid are still fighting, aren’t you?” Kira pursed her lips.

He nodded.

She sighed. “I love you, Kane. You and Markus have been my family for a long time. You know I’d do anything for you two, except I won’t go with Markus on any of his
adventures
anymore. You were always there for me. All I want is your happiness. But it’s time for you to get over yourself. She’s as screwed up about this business as you. Apparently, the gods were mucking around in her life far before they added you into the mix. It sounds like they created a big mess.”

“You taking her side on this?” Kane asked.

“I’m not taking sides. I’m just pointing out her situation. You think she wanted to be attached to that guy from the past and then end up pregnant? Now she’s alone, hormonal and confused. Even so, that Amun-Ra character brought you into this because you’re bonded to her. Fighting what the two of you have only makes it worse. Ask Ashor. He fought what we had and it didn’t work out so well for him.”

Right. As if he’d be asking Ashor for help.

Kira said, “All right, so don’t talk to Ashor. God, you’re so stubborn when it comes to holding grudges.”

“He punched me when I was down.” Kane crossed his arms.

“Ashor was right where you are now when that happened. How would you react if someone questioned your intentions toward Astrid? Is she just a one-time screw to get her out of your system?”

“Hell, no.”

Kira shook her head and muttered, “You boys can’t think straight when you’re horny. Talk to her.” She cocked her head. “Maybe get her in bed first. Get that part of your problem worked out. Then talk. I find the only time to get through to Ashor is afterward.”

Kane covered his face. “Christ, the thought of you and Ashor…Those are images I didn’t want in my brain. I get it. Now just patch me up and…whatever.”