Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  This was an even worse torture than anything the Rits had ever used on him. Hell, a few hours of this and he'd be begging for mercy.

  She looked up at him and he saw the desire burning deep in the golden depths of her eyes. His control shattering, he dipped his head to hers.

  Instead of fleeing, she leaned forward and then, just as he thought he'd have his taste of heaven, she pulled back.

  "All done," she said, her voice strained.

  His body on fire, he couldn't bring himself to thank her. At the moment, it was all he could do not to curse her. Surely, unwrapped cracked ribs would have been a lot less painful than the unsatisfied heat that stabbed his groin.

  She glanced down briefly at his tight pants where he was sure his arousal was standing at full salute, and her face turned bright red.

  Without a word, she spun on her heels and took off for the bathroom.

  "Don't take too long," he murmured, trying to shift himself into a more comfortable spot. "I'm definitely going to need a cold shower to stamp out this fire."

  Picking up his glass of water, Syn considered dumping it inside his pants to help cool his lust. Instead, he took a deep drink and went to the front to look through the backpacks and to inspect his boots.

  As he searched their gear, he smiled at Digger's thoroughness. There was nothing he'd left out. When it came to thievery, the old man was the best in the business and knew what any good filch would need to confront any ordeal.

  Grateful for that fact, Syn set the packs aside, then pulled on his boots and shirt.

  The door opened. Digger paused with an armload of groceries. "Nice to see you up and about."

  "It's nice to be seen up and about." Syn grabbed the bags from him and took them to the kitchen.

  "I was hoping I'd get back before you got up. Your girlfriend said she didn't know how to cook, so I was thinking I'd get you something solid for your ribs."

  Syn laughed. "I'm afraid you're too late. She already poisoned me."

  "Well, when a woman looks that good, she don't need to cook, now does she?"

  Agreeing with him, Syn set the bags down on the kitchen counter. "Did you hear any talk while you were out?"

  "Naw." Digger pulled the groceries out of the bags and put them away. "I put in a few inquiries, but the word so far is silent."

  Syn rubbed his neck. "Yeah, well, there were two guys on the street yesterday who made me, and Vik said he'd heard some things. I figure it's just a matter of time before they gather up enough courage or alcohol to come after me."

  "Damn pity when a man can't even have a minute's peace." Digger looked up at him with an indescribable stare. "But then I guess you're used to that."

  Yes, he was. Syn helped him put the food away.

  Silence fell between them until Digger cleared his throat. As Syn turned around, he noted the sudden awkwardness. "What is it?"

  Digger pulled out a chopping block and knife. He unwrapped a package of cheese. "I know it's been you who's been stuffing my account."

  "What account?"

  Digger thumped the knife down on the cheese, slicing a thin piece. "Now don't you treat me like a fool, boy. Ain't no one else who'd bother. I know it's been you all these years. And I know why you sent Vik to me. I want to know why."

  Syn leaned back against the counter. He started to lie, but why? The truth was, he loved his uncle. He always had. "I owe you."

  Digger scoffed. "You don't owe me nothing."

  "That's not true. You got me out of prison."

  "Yeah, but I helped put you there. If I'd been a man, I'd have taken you and Talia away from your da when your mom left. I should never have allowed the two of you to stay with him."

  "You didn't know what he was capable of where we were concerned."

  "I should have."

  Syn sighed. "Yeah, well, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, then we'd never go hungry."

  Applause sounded. Syn looked to the doorway to see Shahara standing there. She wore the same black armored outfit as he, but he had to admit it looked much better on her.

  "I'll have to remember that."

  Digger looked up. "Sheridan here tells me that you tried to poison him."

  She cast an accusing glare at Syn.

  Before he could respond, Vik flew into the window and whistled so harshly, it made all three of them flinch.

  "Vik!" Syn snapped. "Stop it."

  "Stop my ass. A group of vigilantes just crossed the street. They're coming for you and your girlfriend so you better run or get splattered."

  Shahara cast a frantic look at Syn whose face was impassive. "What do we do?"

  Syn went for the packs and slung one over his shoulder before tossing the other at her.

  Digger locked the front door. "I can hold them off for a few minutes."

  Shahara's heart pounded. Digger wouldn't last long against young men. They were doomed.

  Syn grabbed her hand and started pulling her to the bedroom. "What are you doing?"

  "Do you trust me?"

  She snorted. "Not even a little."

  "You better learn," he said before releasing her and throwing open the bedroom window.

  As he started climbing out, panic took hold of her over what he would want her to do next. "Oh, no way I'm climbing out there."

  "C'mon, Shahara." He held himself precariously in the window that was five stories up. "We have no choice."

  She shook her head. "No!" she said emphatically.

  His dark gaze narrowed as Vik flew through the window. He swooped down, then returned to hover over Syn's shoulder.

  Vik ruffled before he shouted, "They're almost here."

  "Shahara!" Syn's gaze turned deadly. "Move your ass. Now. We have to get out of here."

  But it wasn't that easy. She couldn't do what he asked. She couldn't. "I'm terrified of heights."

  He ducked his head back in. "You're what?"

  She swallowed as old memories surged. The pain and broken arm, most of all the raw fear . . . Had she not landed on a pile of garbage that had cushioned her fall, she'd have been killed. As it was, she'd been seriously injured. "I fell out a second-story window when I was a kid and ever since I get sick from heights, Syn. Really, really sick."

  Just the thought of it . . .

  She wanted to run.

  He let out a slow breath. "Great, leave it to me to find the one tracer in the universe afraid of a little height." He clenched his teeth, then looked back at her. "Give me your hand."

  "Why?"

  A loud thud sounded against the front door. "Open up, old man. Or we're blasting through!"

  "It's me or the Rits, Shahara. Who do you choose?"

  That was a choice?

  But in the end, she knew he was right. She had to suck this up and be a woman. "I choose option three," she said, giving him her hand.

  Syn pulled her into his arms. "Hold tight and don't look down."

  Shahara did as he said and swallowed her panic. Strong arms wrapped around her in a protective cloak an instant before they shot upward at a dizzying speed.

  She looked up at his steely features. "What the . . . ?"

  "It's a spring-loaded cord." He pushed her up over the lip of the roof.

  Trembling, Shahara crawled to safety and did her best not to think about how far above the ground they were. "What did this accomplish?"

  "Not much." Syn pulled himself up over the ledge and pressed the button to rewind his cord into its wrist compartment. He surveyed the surrounding rooftops, then pulled a baton from the pocket on the outside of her backpack. "Grab the one out of mine."

  Frowning, she did as ordered while Vik circled back to them with another report that more were coming.

  Syn pressed a button in the center of the twelve-inch metal cylinder and the baton expanded to six and a half feet. Before she could ask what it was for, he pole-vaulted over the lip of their building to the top of another.

  Her head went light at the mere thought.


  Surely he wouldn't . . . "C'mon," he said, looking back at her.

  Oh, hell no . . . "You're crazy!"

  "Certifiably insane." He flashed a charming grin. "Now move before we get caught."

  I'm gonna die . . .

  She heard the blasters firing in Digger's apartment and knew she had no choice except to follow.

  Holding her breath, she duplicated Syn's pole vault even while she feared her limbs or the pole would collapse. It seemed to take forever before she reached his side.

  He gave her a chiding stare. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

  She glared at him.

  With an irritating laugh, he left her side and skipped over two more roofs like a graceful dancer.

  Shahara watched with envy. "You make this look so easy," she breathed. "If I fall I swear I'm going to kill you."

  Once she caught up to him again, he retracted the poles. "Remember where this is. It's the best friend a thief ever had."

  "I'm not a thief."

  "Oh yes you are, baby. You stole me from the Rits. And I assure you Merjack considers it a worse crime than grand larceny."

  "I really hate you. And stop calling me baby!"

  He pulled her up against his steely chest. His eyes twinkled with merriment and he dipped his face so close to hers that his breath tickled her lips.

  "As long as I evoke some strong emotion from you," he said, rubbing his nose against hers, "I'm happy. Anything beats apathy."

  He released her and looked around as if considering his options. She had to admit, he made a sexy sight as he stood tall and proud while surveying the rooftops that surrounded them. There was a feral grace to his stance that the woman in her couldn't help but appreciate.

  Shouts erupted as Vik swooped down. "They're on the other roof."

  Her panic swelled. There wasn't a door or any other means of leaving the roof they were on. "Where do we go from here?"

  He leaned over the side and looked down. "How much do you weigh?"

  "A hundred and three, why?"

  He didn't answer as he pressed the keys on his wrist computer.

  "How are we getting off this roof?"

  That damnable grin she was learning to despise returned to his handsome face. "You don't really want me to answer that question."

  A cold chill crept up her spine. "Why?"

  He spread his arms wide. "Come to papa, darling. We're going to take another ride."

  She shook her head. "If you think I'm scaling down the side of this building . . ."

  "We don't have time to scale it."

  "Then what are we going to do?"

  He spread his arms wider and winked at her. A horrible lump grew in her belly. She must have died and been sent to hell.

  Shots fired around them.

  Vik dipped below the building. "Better hurry, bonebags."

  "C'mon, Shahara."

  Cursing, she moved to stand in front of him. He took out a strap.

  "What are you doing?" she asked as he wrapped it around her buttocks and secured her to him in a most distracting way.

  "Hold tight."

  She was beginning to despise that phrase. Dutifully, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  "Wrap your legs around my waist."

  She glared at him. "I don't think so."

  "It's not sexual. Just do it."

  She obeyed, then wished she hadn't. They were locked in such an intimate embrace that it brought fire to her cheeks. Between her legs, touching the very part of her that begged for him, she could feel the tight muscles that lined his stomach. Her breasts were pressed firmly to his chest where they took up a dreadful throb of their own.

  What was she doing? She never touched a man like this.

  And before she could finish that thought, he put his arms around her waist and stepped over the edge of the building. "Oh my God," she screamed as they plummeted toward the alley far below.

  "Stop that shrieking before you pierce my eardrums." His arms tightened around her. "Just hold on to me and pray."

  Shahara buried her head against his shoulder and locked her limbs tightly around him.

  Suddenly, she heard him curse over the rushing wind. "What is it?"

  "We're going to die."

  "What!"

  "Hold on."

  "Hold on," she repeated in stunned disbelief. "What do you mean hold on?" If she held him any tighter, she'd snap him in two.

  Then she felt it. They were finally slowing down.

  With one last jerk, they stopped falling. Or maybe they were dead . . . Syn's arms tightened around her and when he spoke, there was a note of humor in his voice. "You can open your eyes now. We're safe. But you can stay in my arms as long as you like."

  Shahara looked up at him, wanting to kill him. But her body wouldn't cooperate. Weak with relief, all she could do was hold him close. "I hate you, convict."

  He laughed, causing his stomach muscles to touch her in the most intimate of places.

  Shahara just glared at him. "How can you find this funny? You almost killed us."

  "Me? You're the one who lied about your weight."

  "I don't think so. When was the last time you stepped on a scale?"

  He cocked a brow. "Good point."

  She extracted herself from his arms, then punched him in the shoulder. "You could have told me you had antigrav boots. I thought we were dead."

  "I didn't want to tell you what I was doing in case you decided not to jump."

  "That was mean."

  "You'll get over it."

  "Only after I kill you."

  "There they are!"

  They looked up in unison to see two men running toward them. Syn grabbed her by the arm and headed in the opposite direction as Vik flew toward their pursuers to slow them down. As they ran, Shahara decided she didn't like being on this end of the chase. At all.

  She much preferred being the hunter.

  Syn led her down a dark alleyway. They jumped over garbage bins and homeless derelicts, and all the while, she could hear her pursuers coming ever closer while Vik insulted them and they shot at him. Her heartbeat drummed in her ears. Syn looked so calm as he ran, checking over his shoulder every now and again, that she felt like strangling him.

  Suddenly, a fence cut them off. She started climbing it only to find razor wire lining the top. "What are we going to do?"

  "Jump down."

  She did and he caught her against him.

  Terrified, Shahara looked past him to see two men coming straight at them.

  Syn pulled a hand-sized canister out of his pack, then tossed it at their pursuers. Smoke exploded.

  "Hold your breath," he said, taking out his baton. He extended it to half its length and used it to pry up the bottom of the fence. "Go."

  She crawled through the space, then looked back at him. With one graceful move he rolled under the fence, retracted the baton, and put it back inside his pack.

  She heard their pursuers scrambling through the smoke and taking more shots at Vik. "How long will that hold them?"

  "Not long."

  Grabbing her hand, he headed for a temple across the street.

  She ran to keep up with him. "What are you doing?"

  "Trust me." He opened the door to the temple and slid inside.

  Her trust wearing thin, she followed.

  Inside the dark foyer, racks of unlit white candles lined the pale pink walls. Syn grabbed two and handed her one. "Just do what I do."

  He opened the intricately carved wooden door to the chapel and walked slowly down the aisle. Her legs trembling, she kept wondering if the men had seen where they'd gone.

  And if they had, would they follow?

  The last thing she wanted was a confrontation inside a holy place.

  Realizing they were in a Kiloran temple, she looked at the intricately carved statuary of various saints that stood on pedestals every few feet. It was actually quite beautiful and serene.

  With his heels clicking lig
htly against the hardwood floor, Syn led her past their watchful eyes to the velvet-encased altar, where an eternal oil lamp was set. He knelt before it and tapped his forehead twice before touching his heart. Then he kissed the candle and lit it from the lamp.

  "Now you," he whispered.

  She duplicated his gesture. He cupped his hand around the flame and walked to a prayer bench just to the right of the altar, near a small door. Kneeling down on the bench, he placed the candle in a small holder.

  She followed suit. All around the elaborate, gilded temple, she could hear people whispering their prayers.

  All except Syn.

  With his head sedately bowed, he said nothing as he appeared to pray. Until she noted that his eyes were open and he was discreetly searching the temple for something.

  The chapel door creaked open. Shahara turned her head to see one of the men entering.

  "Syn . . . they've found us."

  He looked to the door, then blew out his candle and took her hand. Shahara barely had time to blow out her own before he pulled her through the side door.

  Her heart lodged painfully in her throat and choked her. He wasn't actually going to lead them through the temple's private grounds, was he?

  Wasn't that illegal or something? Or at the very least a grave sin?

  The cold, dark hallway went on forever without a door. Syn pulled her down it until they came to a small alcove. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back into the shadows with him. Wanting to protest, she held her breath as she heard the door open and heavy footsteps approach.

  Then she heard the gruff sound of a man coughing. Her heart stopped. This time, they were definitely caught. There was nowhere else they could go.

  CHAPTER 10

  Syn held her close against his chest. So close, she heard the pounding of his heart. Felt the rigidness of his body. And even though she should be terrified of what was about to happen, she found his presence soothing.

  Another door opened just ahead of them and she heard several female voices whispering in a language that sounded an awful lot like the one Syn used.

  The man came to a stop.

  "What are you doing here?" one of the women demanded in an angry, intimidating tone.

  At first Shahara thought they were talking to them, until she heard the unknown man respond. "I saw a murderer take refuge here. I'm looking for him."

  "Not on our private grounds you're not. Get out."