Guilty as Sin (34 page)

Too early. If he gave Jan enough time to think, there might be Palace guards in his

159

immediate future. Refusing to look back, he headed for the nearest tavern. He
‟
d have a

meal, find a dice game and return after dark.

* * * * *

The only sound in the main office—apart from the pulse in Dax
‟
s ears—was Lise
‟
s

brush stroking softly over the map spread out on the desk before here.

“There.” She sat back with a sigh. “I
‟
ve marked every new sighting. They seem to

cluster here, at the western end of the Slopes near the gate, but they
‟
re still pretty

scattered.” She rubbed at the fine lines graven between her brows. “Godsdammit, I

might as well close my eyes and use a pin. I keep seeing the kids—” Her mouth closed

with a snap. “Never mind.”

“I know. Me too.” Dax pushed the loaded plate a little closer. “Eat something,

chick.” Consolingly, he rubbed her shoulder. “You need your strength.”

A delicate blush of color rose in her pale cheeks. She shot him a sideways glance

from under her lashes. “After last night, I
‟
d say you
‟
d be right.”

Making love with Lise had been beyond everything…incredible, a gods-given gift.

Dax
‟
s cock stirred like a sleepy animal at the memory of that perfect clasp, hot and wet

and gloving. His hearts singing, he leaned down to nuzzle her cheek. “Are you flirting

with me, Liseriel?”

“No.” Clear gray eyes opened wide. “I don
‟
t know how.”

He
‟
d slept very little in the thief
‟
s lair, blinking into the darkness, Lise
‟
s warm

weight sealed all down his side, her head snuggled on his shoulder. As Michael
‟
s scent

rose from the bedding, he
‟
d thought of many things, of life
‟
s twists and turns, of how

he
‟
d come to this place, this perfect time.

It wasn
‟
t that he
‟
d been saving his maidenhead for Lise like a virgin bride in a story,

it was just that once he
‟
d seen her, heard her voice, sex with anyone else—his body

inside
theirs for the gods
‟
sakes—was somehow distasteful, so far beneath second best it

wasn
‟
t worth considering. He
‟
d reasoned it out at the time. If she rejected him, then yes,

he might try again with someone new, but he
‟
d known it would never be the same.

But she hadn
‟
t rejected him, had she?

Slipping his tail around her waist, he urged her off the stool and into his arms.

“Let
‟
s take a break,” he murmured into her mouth.

“Mmm.” Lise rose on tiptoe, slid both arms around his neck and kissed him with all

her usual attention to detail.

It was good, very good. Dax
‟
s cock swelled with approval.

Last night, he
‟
d dozed off in the end, only to wake before dawn with a strangled

grunt, his cock bathed in slick, soft heat. Lise had chuckled, wound her tongue around

the head in a spiral pattern, and then proceeded to drive him out of his mind, using

hands, mouth, tongue and a delicate hint of teeth. Relentlessly, she
‟
d dragged the first

160

orgasm out of him, sucking and milking, while he twisted great bunches of sheet in his

fists lest he grab her hair and force himself all the way down that fabulous throat.

After that—rip the fucking Veil!—she
‟
d straddled his hips, taken his hand in hers

and wrapped it around the base of his cock. “Hold that steady for me,” she
‟
d

whispered, her face transfigured by sheer naughtiness. His sweet, serious Lise! She sank

down, inch by inch, until his eyes rolled back in his head and he all but begged.

The memory of it hardened him another half inch. Dax slid his hands under her

wings, all the way to taut, beautiful buttocks. He lifted her hard into his aching groin

and the intensity of the kiss soared.

“Very nice,” purred a voice from the door.

Lise made a startled noise into his mouth. Gently, Dax set her aside. “Michael,” he

said, without surprise. At some level, he knew he
‟
d been waiting.

The thief sauntered into the room, snagged a slice of
gaeta
fruit from Lise
‟
s plate

and devoured it in two swift bites. A droplet of red juice clung to his lip and he licked it

with the tip of his tongue.

“If you
‟
re that hungry, I
‟
ll get you something to eat,” said Dax, his breath coming a

little short. Lise stood rigid in the circle of his arm.

“No time.” Michael took a step closer. He wore the all-black outfit, his hair tied

back with a leather band. It exposed the hard, elegant angles of his jaw, made him look

older. “We have to leave now or we
‟
ll miss it.”

“Miss what?” asked Lise. She
‟
d gone very still, only the tip of her tail twitched.

Michael
‟
s eyes gleamed. “Veryl
‟
s booked the largest chamber in Bubba
‟
s Bath

House for tonight.”

“How do you know?” Lise frowned. “And why a bath house?”

The thief shrugged. “I have my sources. He used a false name.”

“It
‟
s for the children,” Dax said slowly. Something tightened in his gut. “The

ClawCaptain specified they be clean.”

Michael nodded. “Yes, which means he
‟
ll be shifting them out of the city straight

after. Before dawn, I imagine.” He took a step toward the door. “Let
‟
s go. You ready?”

“Gods yes! Veil-it, no,” said Lise. “Jan and Mirry took Fledge out for supper. They

only just left.”

A corner of Michael
‟
s mouth quirked. “I know, I was watching. Anyway, I don
‟
t

think we need help. Do you?”

Lise drew in a harsh breath. “Not for scum like Veryl.” She favored Michael with a

level stare. “We
‟
ll be back as soon as we
‟
re armed. Wait here and don
‟
t touch anything.”

Her head high, she strode past the thief and out the door. Armed. Yes, of course.

Giving himself a mental shake, Dax followed.

Halfway up the second flight of stairs, a quiet voice spoke from half a pace behind.

“Did you tell her?”

161

He whirled. “What?”

“That we want to fuck her.” A tingling pause. “Together.” Bright hazel eyes

searched his face. “Ah.” A wicked grin dawned. “Because you did it, didn
‟
t you? You

fucked her?”

“I—” He shook his head to clear it. “Get in here.” Gripping a firm biceps, he

dragged Michael into his room.

The moment the door closed, Michael twisted in Dax
‟
s grip and muscled him up

against the wall. Dax went, unresisting. His head spun.

“Was it good?”

Strong fingers cupped his balls, stroked the length of his cock. Michael grinned. “I

see it was.”

Dax gritted his teeth. “Not now.” Gripping the other man
‟
s wrist, he peeled his

hand away. Breathing hard, he scooped up blades, belts and scabbards from the dresser

and began buckling.

Michael leaned against the wall, all dark, insouciant grace. “I
‟
ve got a spare for your

boot if you need one.”

“I don
‟
t.”

“You let it go, didn
‟
t you? She doesn
‟
t know.”

Dax squeezed his eyes shut, reaching for his usual calm. “The time wasn
‟
t right, but

she
‟
s perceptive. I
‟
d say she has a pretty good idea.”

“Good.” Michael straightened. “Tonight then. After we
‟
ve finished with the kids.”

Turning, he whisked himself out the door.

By the time Dax regained the office, the thief was leaning over Lise
‟
s shoulder, his

attention divided between the ink brush in her fingers and the view down the front of

her shirt.

“There.” Setting the brush back on the ink block, she pushed her stool back and

stood. “Jan can read that and catch up.” Turning, she grinned at Michael, feathers

trembling with excitement. “Careful, thief,” she said. “I
‟
m a walking armory.”

But instead of stepping back, he dropped a swift kiss on her lips. “My sort of

woman,” he murmured. When the smile widened to encompass Dax, something

twisted painfully in his chest.

“Can we fly there?” asked Michael, his eyes sparkling.

* * * * *

Bubba
‟
s was an institution in Sere. Located only one street away from the Slopes, it

attracted a varied clientele. Bubba, an enterprising individual possessed of several chins

and half a dozen sturdy daughters, had purchased two narrow Sereian houses that

stood back to back. By knocking out the connecting wall and remodeling the premises,

he
‟
d created a warren of chambers, furnished with facilities to suit every purse, with the

162

additional advantage of a number of discreet entrances and exits. Bubba did a brisk

trade in hot water and luxury bath oils, but it was discretion that had made his fortune.

Deep in the shadow of a narrow service alley, Michael turned to the two Aetherii

and put a finger to his lips. Lise
‟
s plumage glimmered like hammered pewter in the

moonlight. Dax was a patch of darkness as solid as a mountain. Michael knew he was

grinning like a fool, but he couldn
‟
t help it. The short flight over had been fantastic. He

could still feel the cool rush of the night air against his cheeks, the warmth of Dax
‟
s

hard body where the Aetherii
‟
s great arms had held him close against that massive

chest. Michael had watched for it, but Dax had shown no signs of discomfort from his

injuries. The two Aetherii had flown over the city, all careless muscle and arrogance and

skill, masters of the dark sky, Lise matching Dax wingbeat for wingbeat. Twister, what

a sensation! He feared he was becoming addicted to flying. Life was truly strange.

“Veryl
‟
s hired the Gesacht brothers,” he whispered happily. “All three of
‟
em.”

“Who?” growled Dax.

“Local thugs,” Lise said. She thought for a moment. “Large and nasty, if I recall

correctly, but not very bright.”

“Oh yeah.” Michael flexed his fingers and bounced on his toes. He pointed to a

small, low-set door. “We
‟
re going in through an unused coal cellar. Follow me and no

noise.”

Lise
‟
s tail whipped around his waist, holding him back. “Just like that? Blind? No