Seal of Destiny (7 page)

She remembered, all right, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him. He’d only mistake her dream for another sign of his delusional mission. She pushed farther up in the bed and pulled the covers to her chin. He crossed his arms and she glanced away.

“Hmm.” He reached to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, and she flinched, her gaze trained on the safety of the sheets. Kagan ducked down and caught her eye with a smile. “I’m glad you’re all right. You are okay,
si piccola
?”

“I’m fine.” Mira scowled, her tone snapping with frustration. The damn tingle reappeared to spread like a flame in dry tinder. His heat enveloped her and his rich scent tickled her nose. The gentle prod of his kindness ignited a desperate want for more. His weight pushed off the mattress and she closed her eyes tight, clenching her fists to stop from reaching out for him.
What the hell was happening to her?

“
Bene
.” Kagan retreated. He was halfway across the room when he turned back. “You were dreaming of Lucifer?”

“What?” Mira’s hands bunched the sheets.
Lucifer. The Devil.
The name made her heart race faster. Images of her nightmare lounge fiend flashed into her mind. “Nope. Don’t remember.”

Kagan returned to her bedside, the question clear in his midnight blue eyes. “Strange. You screamed his name, several times.”

Mira fussed with the duvet. “Why would I dream about the devil, Kagan?”

“You must tell me everything,
piccola.
” He grasped her chin and forced her gaze to his. “I can’t protect you if you hold back information.”

She jerked her chin away. What she needed was for him to leave her the hell alone. “I don’t need your protection.”

He stared for a long moment. She fidgeted under the scrutiny, uncomfortable with their newfound sudden intimacy. The mattress dipped again. He leaned closer and cupped her cheek. His thumb stroked along her cheekbone before his palm slipped to the back of her head and tugged her forward. Her mouth trembled as his face descended. Expectant. Waiting. Scared shitless and aching, all at once.

He neared and her eyes slid closed, her lips hypersensitive, awaiting his touch. Then his kiss brushed her forehead, the touch feather-light, and some barrier deep inside fissured. A tiny, blinding flutter of fear beat against her mind. This man — her so-called sworn protector — was capable of shattering her to pieces.

“Goodnight,
piccola
.” His voice washed over her, a comforting salve to her blistering pulse. Mouth dry, Mira stared at the smooth skin of his throat, the rhythm of his heart beating steady and strong against the surface. Her steeled resolve returned at his exodus. The tender exposed areas of her soul calloused beneath the searing onslaught of her vehement denials.
Kagan doesn’t care about you. Doesn’t even like you. You’re nothing but a job to him. A burden.
He clicked off the light, and Mira blinked into the thick dark, the hand she’d raised toward him falling back to the sheets.

“Only sweet dreams from now on, Mira.” The rich honey of his voice purred through the night, rekindling her need.

She burrowed under the covers and drifted to sleep, her aching heart cocooned in a haze of vanilla and sandalwood.

• • •

Kagan woke several hours later, a zing of electricity coasting along his nerves.
Argus!
He sprang off his makeshift bed and assumed an attack stance, his eyes darting in the pre-dawn grayness. Xander stepped into view. His commander shot him an amused look before taking a seat at the kitchen table and speaking. “From the snoring lump in your bed, I’d say you made the pickup.”

Kagan scrubbed a hand over his face and yawned, the tension leaving his body. He loved Xander like a brother, but the man’s timing left much to be desired.

The tang of fresh-brewed coffee registered. Xander raised his mug. “Want some?” Kagan grunted on the way to the bathroom, stopping to scratch his butt as he went.

“Charming,” Xander called out from behind him. Kagan slammed the door shut. Xander’s muffled statements about the mundane continued while Kagan used the facilities and brushed his teeth. Xander was still talking when Kagan returned, as though nothing had happened. “
Che cosa?
Why are you here so early?” Kagan asked as he wandered into the kitchen. “And keep your voice low, Mira’s sleeping.”

“It’s after six.” Xander gave him a patient look. Kagan noted several strands of white now gleaming against Xander’s otherwise black hair. It was near impossible for immortals to go gray after their change. Only great stress or sorrow could cause the color shift. Kagan wondered what the hell had happened to Xander since he’d last seen him.

Xander looked across the open expanse of the warehouse loft toward the snoring lump in Kagan’s bed. “How is she?”

Kagan took the seat across from him and shrugged. “As well as expected. Things got messy after Argus found us.”

“Yes. Divinity told me of his arrival.” Xander’s tone was flat, quiet. He looked out the window, paused. “You didn’t do anything stupid, right, Kagan?”

“You mean like kill him?” Kagan clenched his mug, his scowl deepening. “I’m not an idiot, Xan. I know the orders. I only put him out of commission for the night.”

“Any ideas where Argus is now?” Xander traced a fingertip around the rim of his cup, his brow furrowed.

“No, and that’s a problem. I won’t move Mira until she’s safe.”

“Hmm. On a first name basis, huh?” Xander’s attention zeroed on Kagan, his penetrating silver gaze narrowed. “What else did you share with her?”

“Only the essentials. She was frightened. I concentrated on making her comfortable and safe.” An uncomfortable niggle of guilt nipped at Kagan’s conscience as images of he and Mira on the bed surfaced. Nothing had happened, nothing Xander needed to know about. “Why shouldn’t we be on a first-name basis?”

Xander crossed his arms. “Did you sleep with her?”

“
Dai!
No, I didn’t sleep with her. She’s my target!” Kagan glowered at Xander, insulted his commanding officer and best friend would think him so weak. “You taught me better.”

“Rule number one.” Xander flashed a rueful smile.

“
Si.
” Kagan forced a slow grin, fiddling with his mug. “Never forgot that rule. Some of the others, not so much.”

“Yes, always my best student.” Xander snorted and rolled his eyes, sprawling in his chair and stretching out his long legs. “So she knows about the organization, your immortality?”

“I got shot last night. Twice. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out I should’ve been dead or close to it. She asked me point blank. What was I supposed to tell her?” Kagan shifted in his seat. “Doesn’t matter, anyway. She thinks I’m
pazzo
or an alien or something.”

“You always did have a way with the ladies.”

Xander chuckled and Kagan gave him a one-finger salute before continuing. “Then there’s the complication of Argus. She recognized him.”

“The demon?”

“No. His host. She said they have ‘history.’” Kagan used air quotes then dropped his hands, realizing what he’d done. “How’s she going to react when he walks through the door again?
Oca!
This mission is
una cazzata
!”

“What’s her relationship to Argus’s host?” Xander glanced at the bed again.

Kagan turned his attention to the approaching sunrise. “Not sure. She gave me a name: McClaine. I hope to get more information today.”

“I’ll have Wyck check it out too. Any signs of the Seal’s power yet?”

“None I’ve seen. When I brought it up, she thought I was joking.” He recalled her search for hidden cameras and smiled. “She did have a nightmare. Called out for Lucifer. She kept screaming two words over and over.
Yolcam Emetgis.
Enochian, maybe? She denied remembering anything of the dream, but she’s lying. I can feel it.”

Xander stood and walked to place his empty mug in the sink. “Now you’re in my territory.”

Kagan frowned. Xander was notorious for his “feelings” whenever bad things were about to happen or something wasn’t right. Kagan didn’t have or want such abilities, but he did intend to use his unexpected connection with Mira to his advantage like the good warrior he was.

“Wyck obtained new information on the Seals,” Xander said as he returned to his seat. “I think you should bring Mira to his apartment later. It might help clarify things for her.”

“
Certamente
. After I convince her I’m not crazy. Or an alien.”

“You’ve been called worse.” Xander laughed.

Kagan grinned.
Si, a lot worse.
His gaze drifted toward the bed and his smile faded. “May I ask you a hypothetical question?”

“Hypothetical?” Xander’s lips quirked.

“
Si.
” Kagan sat back, choosing his words with caution. “This first Seal is the keeper of enslavement and brutality?”

Xander nodded. “So the prophecy says.”

“How does the power manifest?” Kagan leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and averting his gaze. “Is it literal or something more … sexual?”

“No one’s sure. This is all new territory. Why? What are you not telling me?”

Merda!
Kagan lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had to bring it up, didn’t he?
Stupido!
He pasted on a benign smile and answered. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Only trying to stay on top of any problems that might arise. You know me — always prepared.”

Xander considered him for a moment then smiled. “Well, I’ll have Wyck check into your ‘nothing’ anyway. Yet another reason Mira should come with you today.”

“Come with you where?” Both men turned in unison. Mira stood before them, wiping sleep from her eyes and shuffling from one foot to the other. “Sorry to disappoint you both, but the only place I’m going today is home.”

• • •

Mira frowned as Kagan ignored her statement and stood to make introductions. The man he’d called Xander grabbed her hand in a firm grip, not the limp noodle kind she detested. He smiled, an open gesture full of welcome. “Nice to meet you, Mira.”

She stared, not sure how to respond. He was a friend of the crazy guy who’d kidnapped her the night before. With her limited conversation skills on hiatus so early in the morning, Mira settled on the truly eloquent, “Uh, yeah, you too.”

Kagan returned to his seat and stretched out in the chair with a soft groan. His long legs extended to cross at the ankles, the half-unbuttoned jeans he wore straining across the bulge of his crotch. She swallowed hard, her traitorous gaze tracking the thin line of dark hair down his abdomen until it disappeared beneath his button fly. She licked her lips.
Shit! I need to be clear and focused, not distracted by Mr. Tall, Dark, and Beefcake.

Xander’s voice made her jump. She’d forgotten he was present. “Mira. I’d like Kagan to bring you along later today. Our team has some information you might find useful. To help you make sense of this situation.”

Mira turned to face her new acquaintance. He was taller than Kagan, his rangier frame housing the same powerful build. He dressed all in black, his ebony hair glinting blue in the sunlight, and his silver eyes shining with quick intelligence. He looked at her, his expression expectant. Mira tried to remember what the hell he’d asked her.
Jesus, are all Kagan’s friends so hypnotic?
Xander smiled and repeated his question. Mira flashed him a small, grateful smile and plunked down in the empty seat beside her.

“I’m not sure.” Her fingers traced invisible patterns on the tabletop. “You must understand how crazy all this sounds. I don’t know you people. You could tie me up and whisk me off to some cult hideout somewhere.”

“Listen, Mira. Xander explains this stuff a whole lot better than me.” Kagan straightened, fixing her with an intense gaze. “After last night you owe it to yourself to at least hear him — us — out.”

Mira slumped in her chair. His promise of protection rang through her head. She didn’t need anybody’s protection. She’d worked hard for her independence and took care of herself. Her past had taught her she was better off alone. Solitude was its own protection. “You say I have this thing you’re supposed to guard, but I don’t. I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

“Have you ever read the Book of Revelation, Mira?” Xander crouched beside her.

Oh, goodie, religious fanatics.
And just when she’d started to think this guy was normal.
“Yeah, sure. But I should tell you up front I’m not a spiritual person.”

Xander squinted, his gaze traveling over her face before he stood once more. His demeanor morphed from serious inquisition to cheerful efficiency. “Want some coffee?”

She nodded, he poured. “Do you take anything?”

Mira shook her head and he handed her the cup. She wrapped her fingers around the solid warmth, savoring the heat while a trickle of cold foreboding pooled in her gut. “What’s the Bible got to do with this?”

“One of the topics Revelation discusses is the Seven Seals. As each Seal is broken, the world moves one step closer to annihilation.” Xander hesitated, allowing her time to absorb the information. “We have reason to believe you are the first Seal, Mira.”

She glanced at Kagan. She’d expected him to crack a grin about now. He didn’t. His face remained solemn. Stoic. Once again, Mira searched the room.

Xander frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for hidden cameras. You
are
joking, right?” Her attempted smile plummeted. Xander stared at her, his gaze unwavering and his expression grim.
He believes this.
Her gaze flicked to Kagan and found the same serious determination.
They both do.

Nervous laughter bubbled forth, her eyes darting between the two men. “C’mon guys, you don’t believe this, do you? I don’t have anything inside me, honest.” She pushed on her stomach. “Only normal blood and guts.”

Xander remained unmoved. “The Seal isn’t an object, Mira. It’s a genetic puzzle, woven into every cell of your body. It’s a part of who you are.”

“This is a lot to take in.” Kagan reached across the table to grasp her hand. She pulled away. “A breach has formed in the protective shield around the Seals. Now they’re exposed, in danger.
You’re
in danger.
Capisce
?”