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Ashe
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THE DRAGON CURLED HIS fingers about her upper arm, gentler this time. Tobias led her out of the vault, up the stairs and to a door on the second floor. Once opened, he guided her inside. She’d have followed without being towed along because something about this man aroused her and she wanted to figure out why. She’d kill him afterward.
Her flesh throbbed where he held her arm, as if the connection of their aura’s created the pulsation.
That’s usually a manifestation of mates.
Sirens didn’t have soul mates. Shaking her head, she watched him, assessing his confident moves and erect shoulders.
His head was held high and arrogance tilted his lips at the corner. “Like what you see?”
Nothing about her reaction to him made sense. “Not sure yet.”
Besides his good looks, his deep voice that left her skin buzzing, she admired his ability to confront her without losing his shit. She had tried to kill him, and she doubted most would’ve remained composed in the same situation.
She’d left the beaches of her homeland for the real world a thousand years ago because she hadn’t shared the same endless goals as the other sirens. Asherah hadn’t planned on finding a soul mate or one man to settle down with. Her life was too long for that type of monotony. She preferred variety, relished the fear her name put in others, and liked her solitary life. No attachments meant she possessed zero weaknesses.
But this guy, this dragon with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, possessed a gravelly voice that heated her blood, and left her wanting more, craving a life she’d never wanted before now. The problem with that was she couldn’t go back to the boring life she’d once lived.
“If you’re staring at me to decide your best escape plan, don’t. Just don’t. If I have to hunt you down, you’ll regret it,” the dragon said in his dark, gruff tone that touched her in the wrong places—or right places if she’d wanted to get between the sheets with him.
She rolled her eyes.
Please use a better threat than that one.
She wasn’t going anywhere until the last picture was deleted from the phone and she wiped out all the men who knew her face, which meant everyone in the house. They’d marked themselves for death the moment they snapped the first picture and forced a name from her lips.
That’s right. The picture kept her here, nothing else, and damn sure not the man.
When he shut the door behind him, she heard the lock engage. Ashe rolled her eyes again. If she wanted freedom, she could’ve picked the lock with the hairpins from her hair.
Morons.
She bet he had lookouts everywhere as well, but her confidence was high that she could evade them.
Later in the day the metal slide of the lock signaled a guest. A petite, blonde woman entered. She bore one violet eye and one emerald eye. Because of her different colored eyes, if the woman had been a siren others would’ve believed she held special abilities. A shaman of sorts in the world of sirens, someone born to lead, command, and who possessed extra wisdom.
Wondering what the woman wanted, Ashe waited and watched, measuring nuances and details like a sponge soaking up liquid.
“Hello, dear. I’m Seraphine.” The woman eyed Ashe as Keg pulled a box on wheels into the room. “Tobias told me you were attractive, but he didn’t say you were stunning.”
There were no unattractive sirens, which made it easier to lure others to their death. Many had fallen by her hand for no other reason than they’d underestimated a pretty face.
“I bet you’re wondering why I’m here.” Seraphine smiled at her.
“Not really.” At Ashe’s snarky tone, Keg glared at her. She ignored his silent warning to respect Serpahine.
“Leave that there.” The woman instructed him. “You can leave us, Keg.”
Despite the specialness the sirens would’ve afford Seraphine thanks to her eyes, she was nothing more than a woman. If Keg departed, Ashe could snap her neck without much effort if she wanted to. It was stupid of Seraphine to render herself vulnerable in this way, but Ashe was curious about her visit.
His indecision reflected on his features and he scowled at Ashe like she made the command instead of the petite blonde. Ashe blew him a raspberry just to fuck with him. When Seraphine focused on Keg, Ashe dragged her thumb across her neck and nodded toward the woman. As anticipated, his eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened at her subtle threat.
He took a warning step toward Ashe, but Seraphine interrupted whatever he intended with, “You’re being silly, dear boy, when you know I won’t bite her.”
“Seraphine, I’m worried about her hurting you, not the other way around,” Keg glowered at Ashe when he said that.
The odd little woman clucked her tongue at him, a sound that hinted at his stupidity for suggesting that outcome. “Get out, Keg.”
“If she tries anything—”
“Why would she when she’s Tobias’s girl?”
He glanced at Ashe, confirming what she suspected. Tobias or either Keg had lied about Ashe’s status in the home.
“Be a good boy and run along, Keg. Us ladies have this.” Whatever this is. She wondered what reason they gave for locking her in the room?
With reluctance, he departed, the lock engaging once again.
“You know I’m not Tobias’s girlfriend.” Lies wouldn’t benefit Ashe.
“Do you wish to escape?” Seraphine shot right back.
She could escape anytime she wanted. “You’re a sharp tack.”
“I am indeed. Sharper than most.”
Was that a hint for Ashe? That the other woman knew more about Ashe than she’d been told?
Seraphine felt older to Ashe than the image she portrayed. Neither could Ashe pinpoint what type of supernatural creature she was, but she also felt zero animosity from her. Whatever Seraphine was, she either hid the monster inside exceptionally well, or she truly was no threat.
“I brought clothes with me.” The woman opened the box-hutch and started pulling out jeans, shirts, skirts and underthings.
She placed everything on the bed and Ashe looked at the sizes. “How’d you know what size I wore?”
“Sharp tack, remember, dear?” Seraphine paused from looking in her hutch to tap her temple. “I have the perfect outfit for Tobias’s soiree. Where is it?”
Ashe stepped closer to peer into the interior of the hutch. The box was empty, but Seraphine executed moves as if she shifted stuff about inside. A moment later, she pulled out a red dress. The top was corset style with see-through lace that ran vertically along the torso beneath each breast. Crisscross straps connected from the bodice, went over the shoulders, and intersected over the back. It would provide maximum coverage at all times. No accidental slippage would occur.
“This will show off your curves and leave Tobias salivating.”
Do I want that?
“Uh huh...” Choosing to ignore that last part, she focused on the woman. She watched Seraphine place the formal gown on the bed, flattening it as if smoothing away wrinkles. “Are you a witch?” That would at least explain how she produced clothing out of an empty box.
“No.” Seraphine bustled back to her hutch and drew out a pair of opal, red and white diamond dangling earrings. “These will look perfect with the dress.”
They were as flashy as the dress. “What are you?”
“That is a mystery.”
“A mystery you enjoy.”
Seraphine flashed a smile. “Considering your line of work, I assume you prefer flat shoes.”
“You know who I am?” What else had Tobias and the other men told her? That the blonde knew Ashe’s identity doomed her.
“Of course.”
“Stilettos please.” Ashe was a professional. She could work in anything. “The higher the better.” The idea of killing Seraphine soured her stomach, but Ashe couldn’t take the risk the woman would share her identity and that made her as disposable as the men.
“Fantastic.” Seraphine clapped her hands together as if excited. “I’d hoped you’d want the sexy high heels over serviceable ones. You are the versatile girl I’d thought you’d be.”
What’d that mean? While Seraphine dug around in the empty hutch, Ashe glanced at the dress. The hemline was shorter in the front and would drag the ground in the back. The seamstress guessed accurately on the style Ashe would’ve selected for herself. This gown would leave her legs free if necessary to kick ass.
“Scowling creates unseemly wrinkles.” Seraphine’s comment startled a chuckle from Ashe. “You don’t want those.”
She almost reminded Seraphine she was a siren and would never age or wrinkle, but instead Ashe sat on the edge of the bed and watched the seamstress in fascination.
“Don’t worry, dear, all will work out as it’s meant to be.” Seraphine pulled out a pair of sparkly, peep toe stilettos that strapped about her ankle. They were the perfect complement to the flashy dress.
“What’d Tobias and his men tell you about me?” Ashe fiddled with a pair of jeans, bling all over the ass of the denim.
“Nothing that was truthful.”
That had her head jerking about and she narrowed her vision on the woman. “Pardon?”
“Keg told me you were Tobias’s lover.” She clucked her tongue like she had earlier at Keg. “Tobias isn’t the type of man to lock his lover in a room. And when I told Keg to leave, you saw how he bristled like an angry bear, letting me know you were their prisoner and not a lover.”
“Then how’d you know I don’t plan an escape?”
Seraphine smiled. In that moment Ashe felt certain the other woman knew everything... the future, the past and the present. Was she one of the few oracles that still existed?
“You’re Asherah Stone, that’s how I know.” Seraphine placed the stilettos on the bed next to the dress. “Leave your hair down on Friday. That’ll really heat Tobias’s blood.”
That was twice she’d referenced Tobias Drakki being attracted to her. “What makes you think I want him hot for me?”
A knowing smile curled Seraphine’s mouth, but instead of calling Ashe’s bluff, she countered with, “I was wrong once. This could be a second occurrence, but I doubt it.”
Seraphine closed and latched the hutch. She stared at Ashe like she could see more than surface deep. For a flash of a second, Ashe thought she saw beneath the petite blonde mask Seraphine wore to a taller, more stunning woman, but then the image faded.
Ashe smiled at Seraphine, fearing her cheeks would crack from the tightness of the mannerism. Ashe loathed anyone knowing more about her than she knew herself, and that was the feeling the woman gave her.
“We created Black Hollow as a sanctuary for all paranormals. It’s not just for the good, but the wicked as well. We’ve all sinned and all of us can be redeemed. It’s never too late to change the path of your life.”
Surprised by not just the welcome in Seraphine’s tone, but the hidden invite in her words, Ashe elevated her eyebrows. She wasn’t damaged in any way; her life had been good before leaving the island. She’d chosen the wickedness of her life.
Certainly, she’s not inviting a killer to remain in her boring town of misfits?
The seamstress smiled as if she could read Ashe’s thoughts. “If you require anything else before the party, please contact me.”
With what? Her pretend telephone? Through telepathy? “I’ll be sure to do that with my imaginary phone.”
Seraphine laughed. “I’m eager to see firsthand how you turn heads.”
Ashe remained silent, staring at the woman as questions surfaced in her mind. At the forefront was... what kind of creature is Seraphine? Ashe bet Seraphine was not only more than she seemed, but that she bore power most dreamed of having.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, dear.” The woman walked to the door and knocked twice. While she waited for it to be unlocked, she peered at Ashe. “You’ll be a welcome addition to the Drakki family. They’ve needed someone like you for a long time.”
Ashe narrowed her eyes and again she saw a different version of Seraphine, statuesque, brunette, with a rainbow aura highlighting her dynamic features. The image faded as fast as it surfaced.
Seraphine’s all-knowing smile rubbed her wrong. The moment the woman vacated the room, Ashe sat on the end of the bed and ruminated over her visit.
I don’t trust her. She’s going to be the first one I kill.