“Fuck a hydra. Zhan.” He set his drink and glasses on a simple, round Greek style table by the door. Then he stalked toward Zhan carefully so as not to startle him. All these millennia, Zhan had locked himself up tight. Before the fall, he was fun, courageous, carefree, a true champion for the innocent, but the more justice he doled out, the more it ate at his soul, until he was literally incapable of experiencing any emotion other than sadness. And helplessness.
For him to lose complete control on his form was nothing short of fucking scary. The woman wouldn’t be able see this side of him, but Tarus could. How many years had it been since he had seen Zhan’s wings? The impressive black feathers that gleamed iridescent navy and indigo in the light. They had always been breathtaking, but he had hidden them.
“You’re a few sandwiches short of a picnic, aren’t you? If you had wanted to bring me home, you should have just asked!” she yelled, straining against the rope holding her arms to the wall. Tarus gazed at the woman and tried to imagine what Zhan saw. Out of any women they’d had in this room, she by far was the most beautiful. Her ire and frustration only added fire to her dark eyes and a flush to her cheeks. The picture she made was exquisite.
“What is your name.” This time it was a command, and the steel replaced the confusion from before.
“Zhan,” Tarus whispered as he touched his primaries with the tips of his fingers. As soon as they connected, Zhan twisted violently, too wired to want touch or any type of comfort.
The sorrow and uncertainty in his gaze broke Tarus’ heart. He did nothing as Zhan fisted his shirt and shook him.
“Tarus, why is she here? You saw her, didn’t you? She’s not supposed to be here.” Tarus gently shook him off and approached their new friend. The same need that had assaulted him in Sinner’s came back with a vengeance, which was ironic, since he was Punishment.
She sneered, but couldn’t hide the increase in her pulse. It was visible in the delicate thrum at the base of her neck.
“Hello, beauty.” She bit her lip at the sound of his voice, drawing a wicked sense of satisfaction from him. The lines of her face were bold, daring. This close, he noticed her eyes weren’t just brown, but the color of the most delicious dark chocolate, with a ring of cinnamon around her pupil. He reached out and traced a finger down the column of her throat, and a bolt of electricity fired through his senses. When he jerked his hand back, the feeling fizzled out. “Interesting,” he murmured to himself.
“Are you going to let your friend keep me tied up?” She squinted at him like she knew he wasn’t going to let her go.
“I’m with Zhan. What’s your name?” Her shirt, which he just then noticed, had some strange virgin comment and rode up to expose her entire midriff. A snort escaped him, and he covered his face to hide it.
“Actually, the better question is, how do you know Bish?” She immediately shut her mouth. At first, he thought it was confusion, but he realized it was more loyalty than anything else. Yes, very interesting.
“Fuck, I’d forgotten about that.” Zhan muttered. “I’d been so shocked, I couldn’t think beyond seeing her in Sinner’s.” He stepped up beside Tarus, and together, they studied her.
Somehow, Bish had saved her. He must have. There was no other reason she would be there. There was no one else who would want to fuck with them. But why?
Tarus let his gaze roam her body, stopping on her hardened nipples. So she wasn’t immune to them. All the wicked thoughts traveled through his head. She was going to die. If not today, then tomorrow, or next year. He could still have his fun.
Curious, he peeked at Zhan out of the corner of his eye and found that Zhan was just as captivated by her now as he was at Sinner’s. Almost dangerously so.
Would a night with this devil of a temptress fuck him up, or would it help him heal? Or would he just find another reason to believe there was no hope left in the world? These were all questions that made Tarus’ head hurt.
Zhan bent into her space, running his nose along the side of her face. “I need to know your name.” His voice was like molten lava, burning her up just from the sound.
Her breath stuttered as she whispered, “Dahlia, damn it.”
“Dahlia,” She traced his lips with her gaze as he said her name in utter fascination.
“All right, beauty.” Tarus stepped closer so she was cocooned in their heat, but he didn’t touch her, leaving an inch of space between them. Enough so that every breath she took would be full of Tarus and Zhan. “Tell me about Bish.”
That snapped her out of her stupor. “Don’t take me for an idiot. I know you’re not human, and your association with Bish, I know he’s one of you now, too.”
Tarus and Zhan both took an immediate step back. How did she realize they weren’t human? She should not have remembered the trip here. Humans immediately forgot, filling the blank spot in their memory with something that made sense, like an Uber ride.
She watched them with something akin to delight, then erupted into hysterical giggles. “Oh, God. Oh, my God.” She started laughing so hard, she stopped breathing.
Zhan stiffened beside Tarus. “Was this it? Were we the catalyst to cause her death all along?” he whispered. “I don’t think I can watch this.”
Dahlia must have heard, because she suddenly emitted a high-pitched keening. Tarus thought it was a sound people made when they were laughing so hard, they couldn’t get enough air in their lungs. He just never thought he would be on the receiving end of the strange noise.
“You’re… You’re…” She coughed, then laughed some more. Eventually, she calmed just enough to speak. “You’re afraid of me now. Aren’t you?”
Tarus wasn’t sure what was going on. Was this Karmen’s doing? Did she somehow find a way to suffuse Dahlia with a little bit of immunity to their powers? She was probably creeping around their ranch, laughing her ass off.
“We are afraid of no one.” Zhan puffed up his chest, and dipped his chin. If she could see his true form right then, she would have experienced fear like she’d never experienced it before. The wings alone…
“Sure. Got it. You’re afraid of no one. Everyone should fear you and bow at your feet.” She made a show of tugging on her hands. “I would, but you’ve got me all tied up.”
“Ha.” It was quiet, so quiet, Tarus almost didn’t hear it. Was that… Was that a laugh?
When he turned to Zhan, his face was completely blank.
This was going nowhere, no matter how entertaining. “If you tell us how you know Bish, we’ll let you down.” Tarus let his hand hover over the knot, as if he could unravel it at any moment.
“I don’t like it, Tarus. I don’t like this at all.” Zhan shook his head and crossed his arms. The strong longing inside him started to bleed through his expression.
Fucked. They were both fucked.
And now they had a woman tied to their wall who was either sent to fuck with them, or was just a little nuts. Either way, she knew more than she was willing to admit.
Again, the willful, angry power inside him ached to be let free. Others of their kind had a gentle grace within them, while Tarus had a beast who constantly fought to be free. He wanted to let it out, unleash it on who would dare to challenge him.