Read Online Against the Dawn by Amanda Bonilla - Free Book Online Page B

Macy. At least not in supernatural circles.”
    I didn’t bother with asking about Ty’s relationship to the woman’s father. That was his business. Mine was delivering retribution. “All right, I’m sold. So we get the bastard and do something about that ego of his in the process. Any idea who he deals with? Any affiliation will help to point me in the right direction.”
    “Here’s where it gets interesting,” Tyler said. He circled around the living room and sat back down beside me on the couch. “Word on the street is there’s a new player in town. One who’s courting Mithras for the opportunity to move some product for him.”
    I gave Ty a look and he nodded his head as though confirming my thoughts. “No,” I said, disbelieving. “Seriously?”
    “Yep. Looks like your boy Lorik is trying to jump into the mix.”
    It made sense, really. Running guns would provide Lorik with everything he craved: danger, excitement, and plenty of cash. And crazy enough, Lorik’s ambition worked out perfectly for us. “Great. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing with Lorik and with any luck, he’ll take us right to Mithras so I can take him out. Lorik will be doing half of the leg work for us.”
    “Exactly,” Ty didn’t sound too excited about using Lorik to get to Mithras, but whatever his doubts, he didn’t put them into words. “In the meantime, I’ll dig up whatever I can on him.”
    “Mithras?” I asked. “Or Lorik.”
    Ty leveled his gaze on me and my stomach tightened at the intensity in his hazel eyes. “Both. I’ve got your back on this one, Darian. I know you said you were ready, but I’m not going to let you go it alone.”
    This would usually be about the time I threw a hissy fit, declared my independence and took off on my own. “Thanks, Ty.” Not anymore, though. I was turning over a new leaf. “I appreciate that.”
    A companionable silence stretched between us. Ty leaned his head back on the couch and his eyes drifted shut. I turned toward him, gathering my knees up and rested my head beside his. I let my eyes roam greedily over his features, from the dark lashes that brushed his skin to the strong line of his jaw and his lips, slightly parted and perfectly kissable. He was sitting right next to me but felt so far away.
    And I missed him so much that it hurt.
    He reached out and covered my hand with his, not in a possessive way, and not holding on so tight that it would ignite the urge to pull away. Rather, his touch was a comfort to me, and he gave me enough leeway that if I grew uncomfortable, I could slide my hand out from under his. I allowed my eyes to drift shut and focused my thoughts on the sounds of Tyler’s breath, in…out…in…out. My limbs grew heavy and my body relaxed. Ty’s thumb began to trace a circular pattern on my skin and my last thought before sleep overtook me was how much I’d missed the feeling of being connected to another person through touch.
    It was wonderful.

    I woke the next morning stretched out on my couch with a soft fluffy blanket thrown over me. And I was alone. The alone part shouldn’t have bothered me so much, but it did. It was obvious Ty had covered me up before he left—whenever that was—but I’d gone my first full night without a single nightmare and so I said a silent thanks for small favors.
    For a while, I lay still, roaming the confines of my studio with my eyes as I continued to reacquaint myself with the renovated space. I’d been home for over a week, but I still wasn’t used to the change in scenery, though I had to admit, Xander’s decorator was far more talented than me at sprucing up my living space.
    As though on cue, my buzzer rang. In the past year, my place had become Grand Central Station compared to what it used to be, and I dragged myself off the couch and hoofed it over to the wall next to the elevator to disengage the security system.
    “It’s Asher,” a voice said through the intercom when I pressed the button.