AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"The Amazon's on a whole different continent," Dahlia pointed out, but her cheeks were just a little more pink than usual.
So he leaned into her ear. "I just assumed you'd made your way there in time to start those rumors. I mean, a woman like you would definitely make history." Then he pulled back, a thought hitting him. "You weren't in Troy, were you?"
"No!" she laughed. "No, Helen was a real woman, and I was nowhere near there. She also wasn't that beautiful. The problem was more that a few men thought they should be the ones to own her, and she had plans of her own."
"Ah, but strong women are most men's weakness," he pointed out. "I know it's mine. You, Dahlia, are mine, and I'm enjoying every second of this."
ChapterThirty-Seven
DAHLIA
There was something about sleeping next to a man that Dahlia liked a little too much. Thane's body was large enough to wrap all the way around her in a way Mei's hadn't been. She felt sheltered, protected even. The thickness of his arms around her waist and the feel of his flat chest against her back made her feel feminine and dainty. She liked everything about it, so why couldn't she sleep?
Because liking Thane made her feel guilty. Oh, she knew it was stupid, but it sounded similar to how he felt guilty for what he'd done with Roarke and Nikki. Both of them were waiting for some sign that all of this was wrong, and yet everything kept pointing to it being very, very right. Her only consolation was that Mei had wanted Dahlia to enjoy him. Dahlia just had a feeling that Mei hadn't wanted him to replace her.
Although that wasn't what Thane was doing. He didn't flinch away from it when she mentioned her lost love. Instead, he asked about Mei. He'd said he wanted to learn Mandarin so he could keep that part of Dahlia's life alive. Never mind that he'd pushed his own limits to take care of people he called friends, people who should've been his enemies. Somehow, this man had insinuated himself so deeply into her life, and she wasn't sure if she was clinging to him because she felt like she'd drown on her own, or if she could honestly trust whatever this was between them.
Forgive me, Mei,she thought, hugging Thane's arm against her a little tighter as he slept.I don't want to ever forget you, but you were right. I like this man, and I'm going to let myself like him because you told me I should. I know you would've been laughing at me for chasing the worst men, but you also would've figured out how to share him with me. I think that is what I hate the most. He really is willing to help us, and now you're not here to be at my side.
But it was time to let Mei go. Not to forget her, but to stop letting the memory of her hold Dahlia back. Mei wouldn't have wanted that, and Dahlia owed her memory more than wallowing in self-pity. She owed her action. She owed the Church revenge. She'd promised to bring down the branch of the Inquisition that had killed her - and hopefully a lot more than just one branch - but she couldn't do that while spending so much time fretting about whether or not she should feel guilty about the man who was helping her do that.
Dahlia rolled over to press her face against Thane's chest. He stirred just enough to shift his arms around her back and pull her closer, so she let herself breathe in the scent of him. This would be her new normal. Eventually, he would grow old, but she would care for him. When he died, she would make sure his grave had flowers. Yes, he was temporary, but fifty years wasn't exactly a short time.
Like an exclamation to her thoughts, a scream pierced the air, but this wasn't a normal scream.
It was the wail of death, a hollow sound that echoed in ways that should be impossible. Against her, Thane sucked in a breath, jerking upright at the same time. Confused, Dahlia turned to look in the direction she thought the sound had come from just as a second scream split the night.
This time, she was sure of it. "Banshee," she breathed.
"Grace," Thane said, throwing off the blankets. "What the fuck is she doing?"
Because Grace was their resident banshee, and she should know better than to use her powers! Hadn't Dahlia just told them all to lay low? Fuck! Following Thane, she decided to deal with this now instead of later. Whatever that crazy eidolon was trying to accomplish, it was going to blow up in her face.
Dahlia grabbed clothes and began pulling them on out of order. Panties, pants, a bra, socks, and then her shirt. Thane was doing the same, but looking a little more organized as he got dressed. Then again, he'd had a few hours of sleep now, while she'd been unable to stop thinking so she could relax.
The third scream was a lot closer, making the windows of the apartment shake the same way thunder could, and refusing to end. Pissed, Dahlia stormed towards the living room just as the impossibly long sound cut off hard. She made it one more step before the wave of energy washed across her, making Dahlia stagger in place. Behind her, Thane gasped, reaching out for the wall to keep his balance.
"That's a death," he breathed. "Fuck!"
All of Dahlia's anger vanished, only to be replaced by fear. She headed for the front door, scrambling to open all of the locks. Thane snagged his clavum off the counter, grabbing the book of Words that lay beside it.
"Dahlia!" he snapped, tossing the book at her when she turned.
She caught it, and they were immediately running for the end of the walkway, heading in the direction of Grace's last scream. They weren't the only ones. Doors were opening up around her, but she didn't have time to care. At the end of the breezeway, up on the third floor, Dahlia looked out on the parking lot and saw her worst fear.
Priests.
Dust.
The glint of silver in the amber streetlights.
All of her rage came back, plus some, and this time it had a direction. That pile of dust was more than Dahlia could tolerate. The priests standing over it proudly pissed her off beyond words. She didn't even bother to stop and think about what came next. All she knew was that she was tired of being hunted. She was sick of her kind being killed for doing nothing more dangerous than trying to survive. She was done with trying to play by their rules, because they'd made it so she could never win.
No, she was going to make someone pay.
Not caring about Thane behind her, Dahlia pushed herself off the railing and let her body drop. Three floors. It wasn't even far enough for her to push back towards the abyss. Instead, she simply took the vitality burn as she landed, flicked her long, blonde hair out of her face, and stormed towards the real enemy.
"Priests," she sneered.
