Blurb:
Lark
is a renowned minstrel in Forest’s End, but he has a gift beyond his beautiful
voice and masterful skill with a lute that few know about. He has the ability to
see and speak with souls of the dead. Other than his closest companions, only
one man has never shown fear of his gift and even offered him love.
Known
as the Black Fox, Zain is an assassin and thief. He never planned much of a
future for himself, until he met Lark. He wants to make a good life for them,
but to truly be with Lark, he needs to give up his life in the shadows.
Passion
and love strengthens between them, and nothing will stop Zain from protecting
Lark. When a new enemy threatens to pull them apart, it’ll take more than steel
to keep Lark safe. It may be that the only one who has the key to defeat a
murderous necromancer is Lark himself.
Excerpt
– Chapter 1 & a part of Chapter 2
Chapter One
His head bowed against the rain, Lark
made his way down the deserted alley. His breath formed steam before him, and
on each inhale, the air chilled his throat and spread the cold further through
his body. He lifted his head, trying to peek out from under his hood, but the rain
blew into his face, his eyes, and blurred his sight. He’d traveled this route
many times, knew every dip and uneven cobble in the alley, so he didn’t need to
see the way, only needed to check for objects that might be in his way…and for danger.
Fear was spreading through the poorer
streets and alleys of Forest’s End and beginning to touch the merchant
district. That night, in the tavern where he was singing and playing his lute,
a young woman had been attacked not far from here. She survived, but was cut
badly on her face several times and may be permanently scarred, depending on
how good the witch was who she’d been taken to. While performing, he’d caught
other murmurs of slayings, three in the last fortnight. Death was far from uncommon
in the poor quarter, but killing wasn’t the usual means by which death came.
A hard gust of wind pushed against him.
Lark slowed his strides rather than fight it. Icy crystals of snow assaulted
him, sneaking under his hood to sting his face. He shivered, his hold on Ghost
tightening. The white cat was tucked in his arms beneath his cloak, providing
him some warmth and more comfort.
He’d stayed too long at the tavern. He
knew that and realized it as he was doing it, but with every song he sang, more
coin dropped into his lute’s case. The people seemed to need the cheer of his
voice and song, and that, combined with how freely the coin was flowing, made
it so he didn’t want to stop. Only when the tavern began emptying with others
wanting to beat the weather to their homes, did he pack up his lute, collect
Ghost, and leave to return to his rented room.
Unfortunately for him, his room was
deep in the poor quarter and he was only nearing the edge of it now. He
could’ve rented a room in the merchant’s district where he was playing, since
he still had plenty of gold left from the king’s reward for assisting Torran
and Bryson in Dragon’s Landing, but he was trying to save it, as he was with
all the coin he earned. Maybe if he could save enough, he would be able to convince
Zain to stop trading lives for coins and begin a life with him.
Lark tried to stave off the hurt
tightening in his chest, but it was stronger than him. It always was when he
thought of Zain.
He trudged forward, his head lowered
from more than the weather. Was it foolish of him to keep his heart and hopes
on Zain? Aye, it was. Even knowing that, he couldn’t seem to turn his attention
and affection elsewhere. Deep inside, he felt Zain was the one he was meant
for. If only he could believe Zain felt the same way about him.
When they were in the capital, he
thought they were entering a new stage in their relationship. It was the
longest they’d ever spent together continuously, every day, every night. In
Dragon’s Landing, he felt he was finally seeing the true Zain, the man who existed
beneath the assassin’s cloak. One who for all he did wrong, had his own code of
morals, honor, and justice that was ultimately good. And he loved him, so much.
He returned Zain’s affections more than
he ever had. On the night of Prince Anson’s coronation ball, when Zain led him
to their bedchamber, laid him down, kissed him, pleasured him with his hand and
mouth, he nearly gave all of his body to him. He stopped himself, though. While
he was certain the time in Dragon’s Landing was also Zain’s longest time of not
killing for pay, he needed to know Zain was fully giving up the assassin’s life
before giving himself to him.
It turned out he’d made the correct
decision. They’d hardly returned home to Forest’s End before Zain was riding
out on an assignment…and returned with an angry spirit trailing him.
Lark closed his eyes as he walked, more
from the ache in his heart than the wind, rain, and snow. What did he need to
do to get Zain to stop? Zain continued to feed him the excuse of saving coin
for them to have a comfortable life together. He didn’t believe it any longer.
What he believed was, Zain enjoyed what he did too much to stop and he loved it
more than him.
Lark pulled in a shaky deep breath. The
cold air froze his throat, and he coughed, wishing he was closer to his room,
under warm blankets, and, as pointless as it was to want it, he wished for Zain
beside him. But his man in black was gone again on another assignment, a knife
in the shadows, silent and swift in dealing out death.
“An awful nasty night for a pretty lass
like you to be out.”
Lark snapped his head up, scanning the
dark street for the source of the male voice. Five men crowded a nearby doorway
under an overhang.
One of them knocked another on the
chest with the back of his hand. “That’s no lass, you nit.”
The other spoke again, and Lark
recognized his voice as the first speaker. “Ah, but he’s pretty enough to be
one. That’s well enough for me.”
Harsh laughter from the group filled
the street.
Cold fear rushed through Lark. He
wasn’t like Zain, Bryson, Torran, Karrick, Aleric, or even Garrett, who were
skilled fighters, whether with swords, fists, or magic. He’d never been much of
a fighter and the only weapon he had on him to defend himself was a small
dagger. Five ruffians against a minstrel. He knew where he’d place his coin if
he were to bet on that fight.
Lark spun around, rushing back the way
he’d come. Footsteps pounded after him. Holding Ghost tight, he broke into a
run. He slipped on the rain and snow-slicked cobbles, one leg wrenching out and
twisting. A strong hand grabbed his cloak, yanking him back.
Lark let out a startled cry. Already
off balance, he slipped backward. “Let me go!”
Two of the men clamped onto his arms.
Lark squeezed Ghost to his chest, trying to not drop her.
The first who’d spoken, the one he
assumed must be the leader, stepped in front of him with the other three. “No,
no. Not yet, poppet. We haven’t had any fun yet.” He reached toward Ghost. “Aw,
and look at this, lads. He’s got himself a little friend. One that’s wearing
what looks to be a damn fine jewel.”
The blue topaz and silver necklace
around Ghost’s neck shone even in the most minimal light. The brilliant azure
of the stone matched the white cat’s eyes. Ghost crouched in Lark’s arms,
flattening her ears and letting out a hiss. She struck out with a paw, the
silver cuff on her leg, a gift from Bryson to match her lifespan to Lark’s and
increase their ability to communicate, flashed in the dark.
Lark loosened his hold on Ghost to let
her run, but he was too late.
The man snatched Ghost by the scruff of
her neck, ripping her out of Lark’s arms. Ghost cried out in pain, swinging as
the man dangled her in the air.
Lark lunged toward the man, held back
by the two wretches gripping him. “You’re hurting her! Let her go!”
The man swung Ghost back and forth. “If
I let her go, do you give your word to play nice with me and my mates?”
“I…” His attacker twisted Ghost’s fur
and skin in his hand. Her pain-filled cry tore through Lark. He jumped forward
again, trying to get closer to her. “Whatever you want! I’ll give you anything!
Just let her go!”
The man held Ghost up before him,
contemplating her. “No, I’m having a change of mind. I think me and my mates
will be able to handle you well enough, with or without your cooperation.”
One of the others called out, “It’ll be
more fun if he doesn’t!”
Their laughter deafened Lark. He gazed
at Ghost, warm tears trailing down his cheeks. He softened his voice. “Please,
let her go. Don’t hurt her.”
“How sweet is that, lads? Listen to him
beg for—”
Ghost lashed out with a fierce hiss. She
twisted in the man’s hand, her claws raking across his face. Shouting, the man
dropped her, covering his face with both hands. Ghost landed on her feet,
pausing to look up at Lark.
Throwing himself forward, pulling
against the men’s hold on him, Lark shouted, “Run! Go, Ghost! Run!”
The white cat darted forward. One of
the gang dove at her. She sprang out of his reach and shot around the legs of
the others, racing up the alley.
Lark jerked his head around, watching
her disappear into the darkness. Relief spread through him. She was safe. No
matter what happened to him, he could gain comfort in knowing she got away.
Fingers clenched in a fist around his
hair, tearing his head back. Lark met the leader’s dark gaze, rage scrunching
the man’s brutish face. Across his attacker’s cheek and nose, thin scratches
seeped blood. The man twisted Lark’s hair. “I’m going to take what your demon
cat did to me out on you!”
Lark pushed his pain aside, looking
into the man’s eyes with all the loathing he could summon. “You got less than
you deserved!”
Lark saw the hit coming, but all he
could do was close his eyes. His head snapped hard to the left. Pain burned
across his cheek and the tang of blood moved over his tongue.
“Get him on the ground!”
The two men holding him shoved him
forward. Lark stumbled, still dazed from the hit. He didn’t get to recover.
Something hard, a fist, a boot, slammed into the middle of his back. He flew
forward, crashing facedown to the cobbles. White light sparked behind his eyes.
The force of the fall knocked the wind from his body. He struggled to take a
breath, his mind screaming for him to move, to get up and run, to fight.
Someone yanked and tugged at his lute
case lying across his back and lifted him slightly off the ground.
“Let’s see what he’s got here.”
Lark summoned his strength and tried to
twist away. “I’ve got coin. Take it if you want. But leave me my lute. It’s not
worth anything.”
The leader ripped the lute’s case over
Lark’s head. He pulled out a dagger, slicing through the lacing. “It’s worth
something to you, isn’t it?”
Lark didn’t answer. He knew he didn’t
have to. It was obvious the lute meant so very much to him.
The man pulled the lute free, tossing
the case to one of the others. “Check it for coin.”
Another of the men pinched Lark’s ear,
one of the silver earrings between his thumb and forefinger. “Let’s not forget
these.”
“We’ll get those after we finish up
with him.” The leader looked at Lark with a lecherous sneer. “I like the look
of them on him.” He held up the lute. Even in the darkness and freezing rain,
its white wood body seemed to glow, the silver lining it captured the smallest
light and reflected it. “Now this looks a mite more than worthless.”
Panic rose in Lark. He pushed off the
ground, reaching for his lute. “Don’t—”
Two of the men jumped forward, catching
him.
The leader flipped the lute, grabbing
hold of its neck. “I do agree most of it’s worthless, but for that silver. And
there’s only one way to get it out.” He swung the lute toward a nearby
building.
“No!” Lark surged forward, knowing he
couldn’t save his precious instrument. He watched, helpless, as it met the
stone of the building, shattering, white chips of wood spraying through the
air. He cried out as if physically hit, and it felt as painful to him. He
sagged forward, only held up by the men gripping his arms. Tears ran freely
from his eyes.
The leader sauntered closer to him. “There
we go. That took the fight out of him.”
Lark snapped his head up, his pain
shifting to anger. Having no other defense or means to fight, he spit at the
leader. The man flinched as the saliva hit him under the eye. The rage Lark had
seen in his attacker before paled to what he saw overcoming the man’s face.
Grabbing Lark by the front of his
tunic, the leader yanked him out of his fellows’ arms. He spun Lark, throwing
him to the ground. Lark landed on his side, his cheek scraping across the
cobbles. The hard toe of a boot slammed into his stomach. He curled onto his
side, trying to block with his arm, only to have his forearm smashed with
another kick.
Lark folded into a tighter ball, but he
couldn’t make himself small enough. His back, his legs, his arms, kicks
assaulted him, laughter and insults rang through his ears. The pain, it stole
so much of his breath, he couldn’t cry out. It took hold of his mind, filled
his body.
One thought, one image, broke through.
Zain.
If Zain was with him, this wouldn’t be
happening. Zain would fight for him. Protect him. Keep him safe.
But Zain wasn’t there. He was alone, as
he so often was, and it may be how he would die.
“Enough! Hold up, lads! I want him
breathing.” A rough laugh followed the words. “For a little while, yet.”
Hands snatched hold of him again,
forcing Lark out of his protected position and onto his back. Two men kneeled
on his arms. Another sat on his thighs, making it so he couldn’t kick.
The leader stood over him and ran his
thumb along the long blade of a knife. “Now we’ll start the fun.”
Lark opened his eyes, his right one
already beginning to swell. Only the endless black of the sky stretched above
him.
No. Not like this. He wasn’t ready to
die, and he didn’t want his life to end in this way. There was so much more for
him to do, so many things unsaid…to Zain. He needed his man in black now more
than ever.
Lark called upon the last of his
strength. He writhed and pulled against the men holding him down. They were
strong. So much stronger and bigger than him. Once again, their laughter
surrounded him.
His tears ran out the corners of his
eyes and into his hair. Desperation filled him. He took as deep of a breath as
he could and shouted, “Zain!”
A fist pummeled his cheek, and a voice
shouted near his head, hot, rank breath in his ear and on his face. “You think
anyone’s coming to help you? No one’s going to help you! You’re ours until we
don’t want you anymore!”
His attacker was right, but calling for
Zain was all he could do and simply saying Zain’s name gave him a burst of
strength. Not enough to fight off the men. Only enough to let him close his eyes
and hope to live through the night.
Chapter Two
Zain pulled his black hood lower over
his face. He trudged up the street, fatigue and cold settling deep in his
muscles. It’d been too long of a day. He didn’t think he would make it back to
Forest’s End before they closed the gates for the night, but he’d passed
through as they were doing the final call.
Behind him, the clops of Nia’s hooves
were the only sound in the empty street other than rain, now beginning to
freeze and mix with snow, pattering down on roofs and stone. He looked back.
Kit had his head popped up out of the saddlebag. The leather flap flattened the
silver fox’s ears, but protected him from the rain. Nia’s coat seemed an even
deeper black with it wet, and faint steam rose off her from her body heat and
the long ride.
Zain sighed and faced forward. He
needed to find an inn with a good stable and rest for the night. He’d hoped he
would be able to find Lark, but after checking where Lark used to have his
room, he’d found out his minstrel had moved. Again. Lark did that from time to
time, always when he was upset and didn’t want to be found. Or more to say,
didn’t want to be found by him, since
he was the one who always upset Lark.
Zain stopped walking and closed his
eyes. He needed a moment to steady himself before his emotions took hold. All
the things he’d done in his life and the only regrets he had were each and
every time he hurt Lark. He wanted to bring happiness to him. He knew his trade
as an assassin brought Lark everything but happiness, but he was going to leave
it…someday.
When he first became an assassin, he
hadn’t thought about it much more than earning coin and surviving. He wasn’t
more than a boy at the time. It’s not as though he considered things like consequences.
And once he did get into it, he never thought much about ending it. He figured
it would eventually end on its own, either by trying to kill a man more skilled
than himself or getting caught by the crown’s law and dangling from the end of
a short rope on tall gallows. After meeting Lark, he began envisioning a new
end for himself, one dedicated to a life with his minstrel and bringing him
happiness.
Only, he was starting to feel his time
of being able to do that was drawing to an end. It seemed as if he was in a
race between meeting his goal to provide a good life for them, or losing Lark.
Zain opened his eyes and started
walking again, his pace faster, more determined. The latter wouldn’t happen.
Whatever it took, he wouldn’t lose Lark. Aye, he knew they weren’t fully
together as lovers. Hadn’t ever confessed any commitment to each other. But not
having Lark’s body didn’t stop him from loving his beautiful minstrel. It didn’t
stop him from being dedicated to Lark.
And their time in the capital, sharing
a bed with Lark every night. Even though the most he did was hold him, there
were also many shared kisses, touches, and the night of the coronation ball
when Lark gave him more of his body than he ever had.
The cold melted from Zain as he thought
of Lark’s warm, lean body beneath him. His mind conjured the sounds of Lark’s
moans, ringing so clear Lark could be breathing them into his ear at that
moment. Lark’s taste, he could almost recall it on his tongue when Lark
released his warm, thick cum. Then when Lark kissed down his body and returned
the pleasure of taking him into his mouth, never in his life had he spilled his
seed so fast. Goddess, what he would give to have Lark in that way again. And
again. And again.
Zain sucked in a deep breath. He needed
to stop thinking these thoughts, but it was getting harder to not. He knew it
wasn’t easy on Lark waiting to be with him, but it was bloody hard on him, too.
If it wasn’t for Lark’s gift—or curse—of seeing the dead, they would be
together now. Maybe. Something told him even if Lark couldn’t see the angry
spirits of the men he’d killed, Lark would still want him to quit his
assassin’s trade.
Someday he’d be able to. Time. All he
needed was a little more time.
A sharp yip snapped him out of his
thoughts.
Zain stopped and glanced back to Kit
with a confused look. “What’s wrong, little lad? You need out for a bit?”
Not waiting for Zain to help him, Kit
sprang out of the saddlebag. He hit the ground running and darted down a side
street, the white tip of his tail like a beacon in the dark. It gave the only
clue to where he was going, as his coat of silver and black made him another
shadow in the night.
Zain glanced at Nia. “He must’ve really
needed to go.”
He followed after the fox and turned a
corner. He froze. Kit raced down the street, and a small streak of white darted
toward the fox. Ghost? But, she never left Lark’s side. Certainly not in
weather like this and in the dead of the night.
Zain broke into a run toward the cat
and fox, Nia moving into a fast trot to keep up with him. From a distance, he
saw Ghost was soaked, her sides billowed with her rapid breaths. As he met her
brilliant blue eyes, he knew Lark was in trouble.
Ghost turned, running back up the side
street. Kit gave chase. Zain rushed after them as the two disappeared around
another corner.
A voice pierced the night, screaming
out his name…
Copyright 2016 by S.J. Frost and MLR Press
No comments:
Post a Comment