On a Razor's Edge (Darkness #3)(20)

“Yeah, good call. I want a day off. Also, good night.” Charles trudged away, the least graceful I had ever seen him.

“He had his legs crossed when you froze us all. His balls got extremely hot and sweaty in that hour.” Stefan chuckled as we walked into his section of the mansion. “I felt bad for the guy.”

“He deals with a lot around me,” I said sadly. “I love having him around—he’s like a brother to me—but maybe you should rotate him out. He’s got to be sick of the bodyguard detail.”

Stefan sighed and unceremoniously stripped. “I’ll talk to him about it. For now, though, I’m exhausted.” He reached for me, folding me within his strong arms, then sighed gratefully. “G’night, mate.”

I didn’t mention that he sounded Australian.

*****

“You are worried.”

Stefan glanced at Dominicous on his right before returning to the final preparations in front of him. It had been a short two weeks since Dominicous and Toa showed up, but the Regional had lost no time. Today the delegates left to visit and make repairs with the largest nuisance in the history of the world: those damn Shape Changers. Stefan would ban them all from his side of the world if he could. The whole lot of them would rather run and hide than stick their neck out for Stefan’s kind. He’d seen it often enough, and histories had shown it more than that. To think that now he would stick out his hand to welcome these miscreants into his fold, when he knew they’d just turn tail and sprint away at the first sign of danger, galled.

“Worried is not a term I know,” Stefan answered, an eye always on Sasha.

He not only had to make social repairs, he had to send a piece of himself—the largest, most important piece of himself—into their den. If they turned tail, they’d leave her behind. And then Stefan would kill them all.

Dominicous laughed, easily ignoring the violence sweating out of Stefan’s every pore. “I am sending Toa. He is the best magic worker of his age, and soon to be one of the top three in the world. He will see her safe from the enemy. From herself, though, that is a different concern.”

Stefan clenched his jaw, a bad trait that showed weakness.

“In other news,” Dominicous went on good-naturedly, “it seems she has found a way to mark you, though she is human and shouldn’t have the capability. Such an interesting female. Survival is strong in her. You should have seen her that night, stumbling away from the wreckage, and then staring down a hunting party. Usually I wouldn’t get involved, but… well, here we are.”

“She doesn’t have the dumb luck of youth anymore. She has a complex to save those close to her. If she makes friends with those… with the Mata, then she’ll risk her life to save their cowardly hides.”

“Noble.”

“Foolish.”

Dominicous bowed his head. “Here is Tim now.”

A stocky male of average human height with a barrel chest walked up as if he expected an attack at any moment. His brown eyes flashed in his grim face, in a clear attempt to appear forbidding.

Stefan would show this shifter forbidding…

“Tim,” Dominicous said easily, stepping forward to deliver a human handshake. “You know of Stefan, of course.”

Tim’s eyes snapped to Stefan’s. The hard gaze tried for intimidating. Stefan almost laughed.

“I do,” the mongrel stated.

Stefan stuck out his hand, as was right in his role, for the human handshake. The man met the grip, squeezed, then stepped away, out of Stefan’s reach. Smart.

“Let’s move past the pleasantries, shall we?” Dominicous asked easily. “Tim, you have some valuable possessions being transferred into your care. That is the reason for their guard. They are both extremely high in magic, but one, Sasha, is untrained. Our enemy seeks Sasha as a poor miner seeks gold. She needs to train, but most importantly, she needs to be kept well away from enemy lines. We have leaks in our establishment, which means they will probably know she goes with you. Which is why her exact destination is solely in your hands.”

Dominicous paused for a second, his gaze sweeping toward Toa, who had directed his trademark stare at Jonas, loading supplies into an off-road vehicle. Jonas, strong, fierce, and resolute, either didn’t notice the gaze, or, most likely, was not bothered by it. Jonas had his faults in plenty, but he was loyal. He and Stefan had grown up together, and out of everybody, Jonas knew most why the filthy vermin couldn’t be trusted. He’d been there when Stefan had learned firsthand.

His focus returning from his linked mage, Dominicous continued, “We trust you with these most valuable possessions because we want to solidify our agreement. It is a huge leap of faith not only for our organization, but with Stefan and me personally. So, I must warn you, if you treat them ill, or have any dealings with our enemy, I will personally see to it that every one of your people is destroyed. Going a step further, I will personally make it my mission to eradicate your entire race from this earth, starting with the children. I hope you can believe me on that score…”

In a show of pure courage, or absolute stupidity, Tim said, “You forget, those aren’t the only…loved ones being exchanged. You have my Beta—my second in command--and his entire family. His wife is pregnant. We each have given over something precious to ensure this working relationship. It is that important, and so we will treat it as such.”