looked up at him, eyes wide as a ribbon of black slithered through her amber gaze. Fear?
“No honor,” she whispered.
He caught her body as it gave in to the tranquilizer. “No other way,” he murmured against her ear. He lifted her in his arms and began walking toward the house.
Bullet’s voice was harsh in the quiet of the night around them. “She’ll hate you.”
Adam took a deep breath, letting the scent of plum blossoms settle in the pit of his stomach. His hands clenched around her body, and he mentally shook himself. The truth was the truth.
“I don’t care,” he bit out and kept walking.
Chapter Five
Arrow woke with a rough slide into consciousness. Awareness pricked her mind, instincts clamoring to keep her breathing even and deep. She acceded to them, keeping her eyes closed as she assessed her surroundings. Her head pounded and her limbs felt weighted.
He’d tranquilized her, the move dishonorable in a fight she’d accepted with a worthy opponent. Her sisters would mock her openly. Arrow had ever been the fool for a good fight. And this time she’d paid for it.
Cedar and citrus invaded her nostrils, followed by a subtler scent unique to him . That he was in the room with her didn’t surprise her. That they’d not tied her down did. And she rested on a bed. Why not the floor in the basement as they’d done to Bullet?
Blade had told Arrow and Bone about the room. Ken Nodachi enjoyed taunting Blade with its presence. Blade had relished the opportunity to visit. Arrow remembered her sister’s face as she’d spoken of Nodachi. When Arrow saw the man in Arequipa, she’d understood Blade’s fascination and hatred. He was a hard man. A deep man with many secrets. Much like the one who watched her now.
“You’re awake.” His thoughts were unfathomable by his tone. But his voice gave away his location. Stupid.
Arrow opened her eyes to darkness. The inevitable fear rose and she pushed it down, down, down, where it couldn’t reach her. She would make him pay for that. “I am.”
She sat up and her stomach rebelled.
“There’s water on the table beside the bed.”
Anger pinched her—a ripple on the pond of her tranquility. “Had you not cheated in a fair fight there would be no need for water.”
“Surely you understand why. You’re a menace. Besides, what you call cheating I call plain old good sense.”
He scoffed at her. So be it.
“What I understand is that I will never trust you in a fight again. And make no mistake, we will fight again.”
“You should never trust anyone in a fight, Saya. How have you managed to become so deadly? All these mistakes you keep making lead me to believe it’s you who’s been lucky.”
She curled her fingers in to her palms and clenched searching for calm as she ignored his question. “Why did you tranq me? What was the purpose? Had Bullet simply asked I would have listened to you.”
He flicked on a light then. Her eyes adjusted immediately. She’d been born with not only a peculiar eye color but also the ability to see in any light, whether bright or none at all. She watched his pupils contract, his body’s reaction to the sudden entry of light and his awareness she’d not even blinked.
“It worked with Bullet. We figured it’d work with you. You have an agenda that doesn’t align with ours. We’d hoped you’d take the time to speak with us.”
He’d not run anything by Bullet then. She glanced at him as she took a sip of the water by the bed. “You knock out all your guests I’m assuming?”
He barked a laugh. “Only Collective assassins.”
She shrugged. “I’m no longer Collective.”
Silence reigned for a moment. Chills danced up her arms.
“Are you Joseph’s?”
How she wished for her bow and arrow. She would skewer him for that question. Instead she remained quiet. So did he, and his contemplation didn’t bother her as much as she knew he hoped it did.
She was naked. Of course they’d removed her
“No honor,” she whispered.
He caught her body as it gave in to the tranquilizer. “No other way,” he murmured against her ear. He lifted her in his arms and began walking toward the house.
Bullet’s voice was harsh in the quiet of the night around them. “She’ll hate you.”
Adam took a deep breath, letting the scent of plum blossoms settle in the pit of his stomach. His hands clenched around her body, and he mentally shook himself. The truth was the truth.
“I don’t care,” he bit out and kept walking.
Chapter Five
Arrow woke with a rough slide into consciousness. Awareness pricked her mind, instincts clamoring to keep her breathing even and deep. She acceded to them, keeping her eyes closed as she assessed her surroundings. Her head pounded and her limbs felt weighted.
He’d tranquilized her, the move dishonorable in a fight she’d accepted with a worthy opponent. Her sisters would mock her openly. Arrow had ever been the fool for a good fight. And this time she’d paid for it.
Cedar and citrus invaded her nostrils, followed by a subtler scent unique to him . That he was in the room with her didn’t surprise her. That they’d not tied her down did. And she rested on a bed. Why not the floor in the basement as they’d done to Bullet?
Blade had told Arrow and Bone about the room. Ken Nodachi enjoyed taunting Blade with its presence. Blade had relished the opportunity to visit. Arrow remembered her sister’s face as she’d spoken of Nodachi. When Arrow saw the man in Arequipa, she’d understood Blade’s fascination and hatred. He was a hard man. A deep man with many secrets. Much like the one who watched her now.
“You’re awake.” His thoughts were unfathomable by his tone. But his voice gave away his location. Stupid.
Arrow opened her eyes to darkness. The inevitable fear rose and she pushed it down, down, down, where it couldn’t reach her. She would make him pay for that. “I am.”
She sat up and her stomach rebelled.
“There’s water on the table beside the bed.”
Anger pinched her—a ripple on the pond of her tranquility. “Had you not cheated in a fair fight there would be no need for water.”
“Surely you understand why. You’re a menace. Besides, what you call cheating I call plain old good sense.”
He scoffed at her. So be it.
“What I understand is that I will never trust you in a fight again. And make no mistake, we will fight again.”
“You should never trust anyone in a fight, Saya. How have you managed to become so deadly? All these mistakes you keep making lead me to believe it’s you who’s been lucky.”
She curled her fingers in to her palms and clenched searching for calm as she ignored his question. “Why did you tranq me? What was the purpose? Had Bullet simply asked I would have listened to you.”
He flicked on a light then. Her eyes adjusted immediately. She’d been born with not only a peculiar eye color but also the ability to see in any light, whether bright or none at all. She watched his pupils contract, his body’s reaction to the sudden entry of light and his awareness she’d not even blinked.
“It worked with Bullet. We figured it’d work with you. You have an agenda that doesn’t align with ours. We’d hoped you’d take the time to speak with us.”
He’d not run anything by Bullet then. She glanced at him as she took a sip of the water by the bed. “You knock out all your guests I’m assuming?”
He barked a laugh. “Only Collective assassins.”
She shrugged. “I’m no longer Collective.”
Silence reigned for a moment. Chills danced up her arms.
“Are you Joseph’s?”
How she wished for her bow and arrow. She would skewer him for that question. Instead she remained quiet. So did he, and his contemplation didn’t bother her as much as she knew he hoped it did.
She was naked. Of course they’d removed her
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