My gaze traveled up—past an outstretched hand, up tanned, muscled arms, to broad shoulders encased in glistening dark armor. Damp blond hair dripped over a broad brow, framing a face that was entirely too pretty for someone holding a flaming sword.
Human? Or…other? Either way, his eyes were dreamy. Their hazel depths—or were they amber?—swept over me in slow motion, amusement curling at the edges of his full lips.
Well, hello there, hunky hottie—
I smacked his hand away and pushed to my feet, shaking off the ridiculous flutter in my chest. Get your shit together, Lacey.
"This is a closed investigation and active crime scene." I snapped, brushing dirt off my leather suit. "Unauthorized personnel need to clear the—wait, are those dragon scales?" I gaped at the opaline shimmer of his armor, cut tight around his pecs and trailing down to his narrow waist.
His cocky smile inched higher. "A good eye and good taste. Now that's my kind of woman."
Great, now I was the one salivating.
I shut my gaping mouth and stalked over to my phaser, stepping over a stray femur bone and swiping it from the ground. The ghoul was gone, dammit. But the entry door was still closed, so he had to be in her somewhere. "I meant what I said. Get out of here before I have you arrested for the impediment of justice."
The man let out a low chuckle. "Sweetheart, I just saved your ass. Least you could do is say thank you before you throw me out. Being cuffed, on the other hand…" He winked, sending a traitorous thrill through my stomach.
I knelt, trying to hide the embarrassingly obvious flush heating my cheeks as I studied the ghoul's limb. Blood—thick, blue, and rancid—pooled around it. Had he retreated to the melting vat to lick his wounds? Perhaps the bone grinder? "Oh, my mistake. Thank you. Now leave."
The man clicked his tongue, tilting his head as if considering. "Can't. I'm on assignment."
I frowned, looking up at him. His sword still flickered with dark flames at his side, black fire licking hungrily at the air before fizzling out. The whole thing screamed not normal. "Are you from the force? Some kind of private security?"
He grinned. "Nope. I'm after a bounty."
And just like that, the flutter in my chest turned to lead. A fucking mercenary. Of course. No one swung a flaming sword around looking that good unless they were getting paid for it.
"Great. Another thug-for-hire running around Ebonspire like it's the Wild West." I stepped past him to follow what looked like a blood trail down a darkened alley between two moss-covered shelves. Yep—blue blood. I was on the right track.
"That's a little harsh." The man fell into step beside me, annoyingly at ease. "I prefer problem solver."
"Right. Solving problems for the highest bidder," I muttered, picking up my pace. I followed the trail to the end of the row, then left along a concrete wall covered in graffiti. My hand tightened around my phaser. "Who hired you? ArcanaTech? The Rune-Crafters Guild? This is a classified investigation. You shouldn't even know about it."
His lips pressed together, a subtle smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes—those eyes—grew a little darker, a little more unreadable. So he can be quiet—when it counts.
I threw my hands up, frustration bubbling up as I kicked in the door of an office, checking the room before moving deeper into the warehouse. "You know what? It doesn't matter. You people are part of the reason this city is falling apart."
"You people?" His hand shot out, grabbing my arm and spinning me to face him. My breath caught in my throat. His grip was firm but not threatening—just… there. And damn it felt good.
"You don't even know me, Officer…" He glanced at my badge, brow lifting with a slow, lazy smile. "Lacey? Just like my favorite kind of underwear. Hot."
"Detective," I corrected, feeling heat rush to my cheeks.
He stepped a little closer, his presence swallowing the space between us. "Blackfyre. Kade Blackfyre."
Blackfyre. Like his sword? Gods, was he some kind of self-parody? A walking, talking cliché?
"I don't need to know you, Kade Blackfyre." I jabbed a finger at his chest, refusing to acknowledge just how solid it felt. "I know your type. Moral flexibility, no allegiance, no accountability."
"Sounds about right." He gave a careless shrug, but there was that shadow behind his eyes again—something that made the words come out a little quieter. It passed before I could put my finger on it. Kade leaned in. "You sure you don't want to get to know me? I promise, I'm very—" his voice dipped, low and smooth, "memorable."
Heat curled low in my stomach. Damn him. He knew exactly what he was doing. I forced my expression into something resembling authority. "I'm not interested in—watch out!"
I jerked Kade aside just as a crate of bones crashed down from above us. He hit the ground, and I toppled over him, smacking my face against his infuriatingly hard chest.
"Oww, gods dammit. You better not have broken my nose."
He was already moving, his hand cupping my chin, tilting my face up to inspect it. His touch was careful, almost reverent. I could feel the warmth of his fingers on my skin, the weight of his gaze on my face.
I tried to focus on anything but the heat that crawled up my neck. His lips were inches from mine, and for a moment, I almost forgot where I was. My gaze locked on them—gods, they were perfect. And his eyes—amber, not hazel—were dark like his fire, wild and untamed as they drank me in. Tension stretched between us, pulling, threatening to snap.
Boom.
Another crate crashed down to my left, snapping me back to reality. Kade ducked over me, taking the brunt of the falling debris in his back with a grunt. He dragged me to my feet, his expression hardening as he scanned the shelves above. "He's on the catwalk."
I pushed off Kade, scrambling toward the stairs I'd seen by the entry, dodging dedicated bones and splintering crates—and came face-to-face with a chain-link safety gate blocking the first step. "Dammit," I gritted, pulling at the lock. Chains rattled, metal scraped, but the door stayed put.
I trained my Mk II at the lock, firing once, twice—black flames cut through the air, slicing the lock cleanly in two.
I yelped, glaring at Kade's sword. "You better have a license for that…that thing."
"Oh please, bureaucracy's got not place where this beaut's concerned." He yanked the chain off the door, swinging it wide. "Ladies first?"
I snorted, gripping my phaser and taking the stairs two at a time. "Bureaucracy? There's rules for a reason, Kade. You could set half the damn city on fire with that thing. What's it run on, anyway? Emberite? Bloodquartz?"
"Relax, officer—"
"Detective."
"Relax, detective. I'm great with pointy objects. And besides, a sword like this is too special for some serial code nonsense—wait, what happened to your shoes?"
I glanced down at my carved up boots, groaning. "Look, I appreciate the assist, really, I do. But I've had a long night." Make that a long year trying to prove to Hale I was ready to chase down cases like these. "I'm just trying to get my job done—to bring some damn order to this city and do right by the people of Ebonspire. I don't need some vigilante merc showing up and—"
Kade knocked me aside as a snarl split the air.
The ghoul lunged.
I slammed into the railing with a thud, wind rushing from my lungs. The ghoul's jagged teeth sank into Kade's shoulder, and he let out a vicious growl. His sword flashed, but before he could swing, I fired twice—one blast knocking the ghoul off and the second sending Kade's weapon clattering to the catwalk.
Kade hissed, glaring at me. "What the hell!"
"Don't kill him, asshole. I need answers." I wheezed, pushing off the railing and darting after the ghoul.
Metal gangplanks rattled and swayed beneath me as Kade gave chase. "You think you're going to get answers out of a deranged monster?"
"I have to try—it's standard protocol." Not that he seemed to know a thing about following rules.
Ahead, the ghoul crouched on a swaying catwalk between a rusted melting vat and the massive ceramic silo. I flicked my chin at a crossbeam to our right. Kade caught my meaning and moved, stalking the ghoul from the opposite side. Somewhere outside, thunder rolled.
"Ah, so you're the teacher's pet kind?" he snorted, sword back in his grip, his steps quick and sure.
"What? No, I'm not." My voice came out a little too fast.
The ghoul darted my way—I fired a warning shot, forcing him back. He turned to Kade, only to recoil from a twirling stream of black fire. Merc or not, the man could fight.
"I just want justice," I muttered, "and I want it done by the book."
Kade gave me a sidelong look as we closed in, our steps in sync. "That's what I said—a paper pusher. You know, I normally go for dark, dangerous women, but I gotta say—this whole morality complex you've got going on? Kinda turning me on."
Who the hell was this guy?
I shoved him. "Would you quit hitting on me and help—"
My finger slipped on the trigger.
The bolt went wide—straight into the ceramic vat beside us.
"Oh, shit."
A spiderweb of cracks splintered across the surface before—
Crack.
The whole thing shattered.