comes six weeks hence.'”
I shook my head. “That's creepy if nothing else.”
Wraithbane nodded. “One day, Thaimon rang the front bell. The door was not opened to him after a couple of minutes, so he rang again. This time the chief of security spoke over intercom to tell him to leave. Thaimon knocked the third time and when it still was not opened for him, he just put his hand flat to the door and it opened by itself.”
“Unlocking spell?” I guessed.
“At the time, I'd thought that he'd hired a hacker. But, yes. Unlocking spell. The initial guards attempted to remove him without lethal force. Thaimon was quick to disable them, which I attributed to martial arts talents. Not an entirely wrong assumption, certainly what he wanted any observers to believe.
“At the next floor, people started to shoot at him. The closer he came to dying the less human he looked until he walked right up to a terrified guard and killed her. That was when the wraith came out. Taking a life gives him that person's strength. And the strength doesn't last long. A few hours at most. But I didn't know that when I came face to face with him.”
I shivered.
Wraithbane smiled, revealing the whites of his teeth like he was remembering that stupid thing he did last Saturday. “Thaimon didn't outright kill me. I can't be positive why. You've seen how he fights, how after killing he becomes part shadow and he moves so fast. No mercy. When he fought me, I did not fear him. It was exciting to have an opponent so unusual. I'd gone through my life seeking a fight—not for the triumph but for the challenge.”
“Wait,” I said. “Do you have a record?”
“No, I'm smarter than that.”
“You're arrogant.”
“And you lack confidence,” Wraithbane said without heat or noticeable anger. “Back to our main point, Thaimon posed a challenge no man had ever posed to me before. He was something hard to physically hit, he moved bizarrely, and he knew how to fight. I suppose that I did him harm when the others hadn't, but he got behind me and I wasn't fast enough. He knocked me hard enough it was all I could do to breathe. I saw him open the doors to my client's study. My client was slumped over his desk, dying of the cyanide tablet he'd taken. To this day I still do not know if Thaimon kills his victims before he takes their soul. What I do know is that Thaimon covered the man's mouth and took something. I don't know what he did with it.”
“He eats it,” I whispered.
Wraithbane scowled at the thought and continued, “When he saw me still awake, Thaimon grabbed a chair and sat in it facing me. I thought he was going to torment me, but he called me by name.
“ 'Nicholas. I thought you were familiar. I know you from before. A very long time before. You swore to kill me. I think it is time you did so. I'm weary of existing and you're the first shadow-walker I've found in five years. If you don't kill me soon, I will find ways to make you want me obliterated from the face of this realm. I will do all I can to end it. Believe me.' And over the years, he's carried through on his promise. Given me plenty of reasons to pursue him. Now here we are. He wants to be stopped, and he can't do it on his own.”
“We'll find a way,” I said, though I wasn't so certain. Killing or curing Thaimon could take a lifetime. Or rather, another one.
“I know. But not tonight. You've kept me awake long enough.” He certainly looked exhausted now.
Guilt nibbled away at me. I paused in front of Carriger's Blockade. “I should go, then. If that's all you want to tell me.”
“For now.” Wraithbane touched the blockade; it fanned out and dissipated like a spray of water.
At the front door, he leaned against the banister. I thought he was going to say something more, yet he didn't. Heat rose in my cheeks at the way he watched me. Tentatively, I stepped close, hoping that I hadn't misinterpreted his thoughts.
He curled his arm around my hips, brought my body flush against his, and his lips brushed over mine. That small contact weakened my knees and I was all too aware of his finger drawing idle circles on the bare skin of my lower back, passing over thin bandages and outlining the big ones. This was one of those storybook moments, all dreamy, rose-tinted perfection which so seldom happened in real life. We took our time kissing, but my back started to ache. He noticed and released me.
I felt breathless with pleasure. Any one of these things by themselves—the wine, the smoke, the sheer proximity—could have made my heart skip, my head light, and my body enliven, but only the triple-dose could have kept me relaxed enough to relish the experience.
He spoke over my lips, “You can stay if you'd like.”
My heart quickened. “What for?”
“To be with me.”
“Doing what?”
“Just being. If you want anything more, it'll have to wait until morning.” He disentangled himself, fighting a yawn. “I'm going to bed. There's room for you. If you like to cuddle.”
I blushed furiously. “I...”
“The offer's there.” He climbed the stairs slowly. I didn't know if it was because he was tired, or if he was giving me time to follow.
The doorknob grew warm in my hand. Kayla would throw a fit if I wasn't home. I opened the door and felt a twinge. It was the same feeling I got whenever I left a house for the last time, but this time the usual bit of relief didn't come. Regret did.
I was being a pawn.
I wasn't inherently a pawn, it was a mindset. Choosing what to do was what differentiated a pawn from a queen. A pawn is moved. A queen moves any way she wants. Cold spring air tickled my skin, carrying the faint scent of the purple and silver passionflower vine blooming through the night.
I was no pawn.
I was fearless, indomitable, with eyes violent as water and deep as the sky, a spirit which burned through the darkness seeping in through the Veil.
Decision made, I closed the door, went upstairs, and slid into Wraithbane's arms.
It's all balanced on the blade of a knife, and I will illuminate the world.
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About Me
I write, doodle, and look at the world in a different way. I've lived near Nevada's backwoods brothels, Utah's lakes, Montana's wilderness, and in Idaho's high-elevation desert. In Leicester, I experienced the world of curry and the Golden Mile. In Yorkshire, I've walked the wolds, stood in awe of the destruction WWII brought Hull, and been to the Beverley horse races. Where I've lived has shaped me and my view on how I see the world and humans in general.
About Blissed
Blissed is the scandalous lovechild of thriller, horror, fantasy, romance, and things I don't want my parents to know I've written. The format—deciding to go with episodes instead of chapters—comes about because it's somewhere between a short story and a chapter. Each episode by itself forms a whole story, but they contribute towards a larger overarching story as well.
Barring extenuating circumstances, there will be one new Blissed episode every other week. Plans are in the making for a podcast, too, so stick around if you want to hear the accent that makes everyone ask where I'm from.
See you later,
Nicolette
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