Chapter 16

Iam so dead.

It’s actually not even funny how dead I am. On a scale of one to ten, with one being alive and ten being twenty feet underground with maggots crawling out of your eye sockets and dirt on your decaying bones, then I would be a fifty. As in, I’m pretty sure I won’t even have bones left for the maggots to feed on.

In my head, I picture sad music playing as a tiny little violin floats around my head, its soulful tune permeating my very soul.

At least if I die, I can stare at something nice.

Unbidden, my eyes drift to the girl’s face once more. Nina. Nina Doe. My file told me a lot about her, but she’s even more beautiful in person. It’s an effortless type of beauty, something unnatural and ethereal. I imagine she climbs out of bed appearing like every man’s wet dream…and then some. Heaven only knows how many spank banks her mere presence has filled.

My cock instantly begins to harden as I picture the dragon shifter pounding into her pretty pussy. Those soulful, plump lips of hers locked around the mage’s cock. Her perfect tits bouncing, with those pretty pink nipples just begging to be sucked.

Down, you fucking hussy,I mentally chastise my cock when it feels as if it’s going to cut a hole through my pants. I’m pretty sure that if I’m not already dead, then I will be soon if the guys catch wind of my boner?—

Oh, hell. The demon is looking, his eyes narrowed.

Which one is he again?

The sex demon. He’s the only one able to sense the lust wafting off of me in tangible waves.

Think gross thoughts, Logan. Grandma’s saggy tits. Lionel’s peachy ass. A naked mole rat-looking cock.

My boner gradually turns limp, and I give myself a mental pat on the back.

Oh, wait. The scary mage with the scary knife and the scary blue eyes is staring at me in a—you guessed it—scary way. Dammit. Apparently, I couldn’t get rid of my boner fast enough for his scary liking.

“What do you mean you were sent to kill her?” he demands, his ebony hair sweeping across the pale skin of his forehead. He really is a beautiful man, and for a brief moment, I wonder if it’s possible for me to seduce him with my gifts. But as quickly as the thought occurs to me, I dismiss it.

My powers don’t seem to be working on the people associated with Miss Nina Doe. It’s almost as if she’s blocking my powers, which is impossible. Or maybe…

Or maybe they’re all her fated mates.

The thought has me tilting my head to the side to study her in abject curiosity—well, as far to the side as I can while being pinned to the wall with a knife at my throat. If they’re her mates, it would make sense why my magic doesn’t work on them.

Though the thought of this beautiful girl, with the white eyes and the delectable, sexy body, being unattainable sends a surge of jealousy through my system. It’s completely unexplainable and quite frankly, ridiculous. But dammit, I’ve never met a pretty face I couldn’t seduce. And Nina? I have a feeling she would be one hell of a catch. I would fuck her and leave her, just as I do with all of my conquests, but I would cherish the memories of our time together forever.

What a shame.

I suppose I’ll have to find someone else in the prison to fuck in the meantime. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering what I am.

Someone with long, black hair…

Milky white eyes…

“Answer him, you piece of shit,” the volatile dragon demands, stalking forward until he’s shoulder to shoulder with the mage. Blade, I believe his name is. Or Malakai, though don’t call him that if you want to live. Only Nina and the men from his inner circle are allowed to call him Kai in this prison.

“It’s exactly as I said.” I adopt a cocky, take no shit smile, one that will most certainly drive them both crazy. What can I say? If I’m going to die, I want to at least annoy the shit out of everyone before I go. “I was placed in this prison with one purpose and one purpose alone—killing Nina.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath, and I don’t need to look to know that Nina is staring at me with those damn white eyes of hers. I want to look towards her, want to gauge her reaction to my words, but I don’t pull my attention away from Asshole One and Asshole Two. At this point, I don’t even know which asshole is which, and honestly, I don’t give a damn. They both take up residence in the asshole compartment of my heart.

The knife at my throat digs in even deeper, and a trickle of blood slides down to my shirt collar. Fuck. This is the only shirt I have in this godforsaken place, and it took me hours to find a man in my size to steal it from. I guess this means I’ll have to go shirtless for the time being. What. A. Shame.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” the mage, Damien I believe, snarls, and I can practically taste his power on my tongue. It sort of reminds me of eating a spicy pepper that causes your entire mouth to inflame and then turn numb. So much power…

“Because I’m telling you what I know,” I drawl lazily, my eyes once more slipping to Nina. For some reason, I can’t seem to look away. It’s not just because of her beauty, though that definitely plays a part. It’s…everything. She enchants me, as cliché as that sounds. And that mere fact annoys the shit out of me. Maybe I should spank myself to rid the crazy from my system.

“And what exactly do you know?” Blade demands, but instead of addressing him, I flick my attention back to the glowering mage.

“I’ll tell you once Tall, Dark, and Sexy here backs up a few steps. I mean, seriously, man, have you ever heard of personal space?” And just because I’m an asshole, I thrust my hips against him so he can feel my raging hard-on, which reappeared the second Nina made eye contact with me. He doesn’t need to know that the boner isn’t for him, though I’m not sure announcing it’s for his mate would do me any favors. “Unless you want to excite me…”

He backs away from me with a scowl, his eyes darkening with disgust. To Blade, he says, “Can I kill him?”

“No!” Nina exclaims, at the same time Blade deadpans, “Not if I do it first.”

Awww. Couple murders. How cute.

“Look,” I begin, once Damien’s knife is no longer at my throat. I hesitantly put my fingers against the skin there, unsurprised when they come away red. The copper stench of my blood fills the air. “I’ll tell you what I know if you promise not to kill me.”

“Deal,” Nina interjects immediately, stepping around the large shadow wolf. He immediately places his hands on her thin hips, pulling her against his front.

“Yes.” Blade flashes me a smile that would make babies cry. Or grown men. “Deal.”

Yeah, we have no fucking deal. He’s going to slit my throat the second Nina’s away and then say I ran away to join the circus or some shit.

“So here’s what I know, mi amigos.” I place one foot up against the wall, as if we were having a casual conversation instead of…well…a death threat one.

“I would recommend cutting the bullcrap.” The trickster demon makes a face at me. “They get a little stabby when you try to have fun.”

“A little stabby?” His twin raises a blond eyebrow.

“A lot stabby,” the trickster demon amends.

I lick my dry lips as I focus on each of them. Nina’s mates. The most fearsome men in this entire prison. Wasn’t there a sixth one? A shifter?

“Basically, the council is pissy that little Ms. Doe over there murdered first Raphael Turner and then Alyssa,” I begin, nodding my chin at the girl in question. Doe really does fit her. With those wide eyes, she resembles a cartoon deer.

“So they sent the hit after her,” Blade concludes, his expression turning dark and even more stabby than before. This does not bode well for me.

“They created the hit list, yes,” I confirm. “But they also created the dead pool. They, and some of the other high society members, bet on when they believe you guys will die.” I shrug my shoulders as if I don’t give a shit either way. “Both lists are completely different, but the one floating around this prison is the actual hit list. The council is willing to spend a lot of money to see you guys dead.”

“And they hired you…?” The shadow wolf trails off, a question lingering in his voice. I smirk.

“Because I’m an assassin. One of the best assassins, actually.” I face the stabby mage, my grin broadening. “You remember Narian, don’t you?”

I watch his lips pull away from his teeth in a snarl. Oh, yes. Damien most definitely remembers Narian.

I always heard that Damien was the old man’s favorite…and that’s not a good position to hold. And trust me. I would know.

When Damien left, Narian set his sights on little ole me…

I shove those memories in a steel box. And then, for added effect, wrap said box in barbed wire and a sickly poison, one that will kill me if I even stare at it. It’s safer that way. For everyone.

“Narian.” Damien spits on the ground, as if even saying that name causes his mouth to fill with bile. “He’s involved with this?” His ice-blue eyes flash dangerously, and he begins to twirl that damn blade around his fingers. Though the blade gets precariously close to his skin, it doesn’t cut it. Not once. He’s too well-trained for that.

“Every assassin guild is involved,” I reply with an eye roll. “That kind of money? It’s an assassin’s wet dream.” I snort, because while it might be their wet dream, it’s not mine. Mine has luscious curves, pitch-black hair, smoky white eyes…

Shaking my head against the thoughts clogging it like a wad of toilet paper stuck in a pipe, I continue, “And rumor has it, the bounty on each of you guys will increase over time. Some people are even lying in wait, hoping that the inflated price will make it worth their efforts.”

“And how do we know that’s not what you’re doing?” Damien demands, still looking seconds away from wrapping his bare hands around my throat and squeezing until my face is as blue as his eyes. I always heard that knives were his preferred choice of weapon, but apparently when it comes to Nina, Damien won’t hesitate to use any methods at his disposal. Kinky. I like it.

“What do you mean?” I blink my eyes at him innocently, pushing a tiny bit of my power at him. Of course, it doesn’t fucking work—it’s like trying to penetrate a steel fortress—but I can’t help but try. Survival of the fittest, and all that.

“How do we know that you’re not just waiting until the price of our deaths increases?” the wolf shifter finishes, suspicion lacing his tone. His voice is guttural with his growl. Oh. I love it when they’re feisty.

“Why would I tell you the truth if I had something nefarious planned?” I demand with another exasperated eye roll. “I would just stay silent, wait until the price increases, and then kill you all.” I swear, these men have a healthy amount of trust issues. They should really consider seeing a therapist.

“Why are you telling us?” a quiet voice queries, and we all pause as Nina takes another timid step forward.

I turn to face her completely and, ignoring Blade’s threatening growl, stare at her. I mean, really stare at her. Study her face like a painter would his muse. There are tiny, silver freckles dotting her pert nose. I wonder what they would feel like beneath my lips? Her own are thick and bright red, still slightly swollen from being wrapped around the mage’s cock. Her hair is still tousled too, from her recent fucking. Silky black strands are matted to her skin with sweat.

I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful.

And that’s coming from a man who has seen and fucked a lot of men and women. Models. Actors. Actresses. Musicians. Philosophers. Hell, even a few married couples from time to time.

But none of them excite me like staring into Nina’s gossamer white eyes do.

“I’m an assassin, Miss Nina Doe,” I begin, choosing my words carefully. My heart pounds a daunting rhythm beneath my rib cage. I can hear each consecutive heartbeat as if there’s an entire marching band playing beside my ear. Drums. Symbols. Annoying as fuck trumpets. “I choose the side that I think will win. Always. And you, my dear girl…” I give her another cursory once-over, trying to ignore the way my heart plays leapfrog in my chest. The way it quite literally jumps from its confinement and crashes at her feet like a fucking offering. “I see something in you. Something that reminds me of myself. Maybe I’ll come to regret my decision, but until then, I know which horse I’m backing.”

Even if that horse kicks me in the head and kills me.

Even if that fucking horse kills us all.