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Instead, he made a calculated decision…and jumped.
Landing on the roof of the adjacent lower building, Talon dropped into a roll, then was back on his feet and running again without pause. As he sprinted across the rooftop, he had to detour around various obstacles. When he reached the end, he used the raised edge of the roof as a springboard and made the leap to the next building.
As he ran, he went through the map of the sanctuary grounds in his head. It consisted of different buildings spread out over what would be considered several city blocks, but most of the property was private and would be unknown to the Tarin male trying to escape.
Glancing down, he saw the Tarin still had a good lead on the D’Aire female, but she was quickly covering the gap. From her perspective on the ground, she probably couldn’t see him clearly as they raced through the maze of pathways between the various buildings and gardens. Still, she was doing a good job chasing after him.
Talon had always been fast, and he pushed himself to the limit to try to get ahead of them. When the Tarin made an abrupt turn down a different pathway, Talon knew he was heading back toward the main street to try to get lost in the crowd. Before that could happen, Talon leapt down. Bracing his legs against the side of the building, he kicked off and redirected himself toward his target.
He slammed into the other male with the force of a freighter and hooked an arm around the Tarin’s neck to stabilize himself. His momentum sent him spinning around the other male’s body, and Talon used that leverage to flip the Tarin right off his feet. He hit the ground hard, and Talon landed with one knee pressed against his back.
Holding him down wasn’t necessary, though.
The male had been knocked out cold.
When Talon rose to his feet, he had just enough time to lift an arm to block a blow aimed for his head. He felt the power vibrating through the arm as he slapped it away. Turning, his eyes widened when he got a good look at who had attacked him. Before he could speak, his D’Aire keeper struck out again. He blocked, dodged, then blocked again before spinning away to avoid the leg she kicked out.
Fucking hell.
While most mates introduced themselves with a kiss, he got a kick.
Somehow, it didn’t surprise him.
It was exhilarating and strangely satisfying to know that they were equally matched. She was a damn good fighter, but neither of them was putting their full effort into the match. Sometimes restraint took even more skill. That told him he would have been in real trouble if she had been trying to kill him rather than simply disable him.
Secret cleared her mind enough to realize that he wasn’t really fighting back. He was merely defending against her attack. To be fair, she hadn’t really been trying to hurt him, either. She’d simply been lashing out, wanting to teach him a lesson for getting in between her and her prey.
He was the keeper of her heart, after all.
What a fucked up twist of fate that was.
It had felt good to release some of the anger she’d felt at seeing the bastard who was currently lying sprawled out on the ground. While the Tarin she’d thrown her knife at back in the courtyard was a piece of shit, this male was one of her own personal demons. Because of that, she had lost herself for a moment.
But now that she was thinking clearly again, the guilt was starting to set in.
Fighting with her keeper was pointless. Not only was her anger misdirected, it also showed her lack of control. That was something that hadn’t happened in a long time. Combat was meant for survival and shouldn’t be used in petty displays of temper.
She knew that better than most.
Stepping back, Secret eyed him carefully as she slowed her breathing. Like her, he wore all black. However, his outfit seemed more utilitarian and suitable for stealth than her leathers. Despite his casual clothing, she could tell that he was an elite. Probably a pretty high-ranking one based on his skill level. He wouldn’t have been able to stand against her otherwise.
He was a good-looking male, with an angular face sculpted into strong features. His dark brown hair was longer than most soldiers wore theirs, and he had it pulled back into a short tail. Some strands had escaped their binding and fell loose around his face. He wore almost transparent sunglasses that were tinted a pale gray, but she could easily see his cunning amber eyes staring back at her.
Assessing.
Analyzing.
And if she wasn’t mistaken, a little amused.
She also saw a hint of heat there in his gaze. She didn’t want to think about that part of things at the moment. Hellfire, her life was way too complicated to even consider having a freaking keeper, but she didn’t seem to have a choice on that matter. Now that they’d met, they were pretty much stuck together.
No, that wasn’t accurate.
Despite her apprehension, she was truly glad to have him standing before her. Elation had surged through her the moment she had turned and glanced up at him. Mine, her heart had claimed. In that instant, her life had changed, shifted until he was at the center of everything. It was a strange feeling, and she didn’t have a clue what to do about it.
It wasn’t exactly a situation she’d ever thought she would find herself in.
Sure, she’d had plenty of dark days when she had fantasized about how wonderful it would be to have a keeper of her heart, but she never thought she would actually find him. It wasn’t fair to bind him to her, so she wouldn’t. At least, not until he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.
