She focused harder and her effort drew her farther into the world her vision had entered. A great beast rose before her, like a dog with three heads. It guarded a gate, allowing some souls through, but keeping others from leaving. A great force had gathered behind him, pushing to escape, the souls reaching out to her, almost touching her with cold and clammy claws of misery and desperation.
She sucked in a bracing breath and went deeper into the vision, passing wandering souls and desolate trees. She caught a glimpse of fields and made it into a copse of trees be
fore a shock of power hit her.
She stumbled backward, gasping, desperate to leave the vision. She was near the source, but the power was too great. If she stayed until she was too weak, she’d be trapped. Forever.
Trembling, she focused her power with an effort that felt like she was crushing her organs, and ripped herself from the vision.
She stumbled back into the wall. Screamed. A huge figure bore down upon her, humanoid in shape, but details of its form were indistinguishable from the endless dark that surrounded it.
Terrified, she threw her fireball at the figure. As it glanced off its cheek, it illuminated his face.
“Warren? What are you doing here?” she cried.
Had he come from the shadows? What the hell had he been doing there? She hadn’t seen him when she’d gone in.
“Gods damn it, Esha. I told you no’ to come back here.” A red welt streaked across a glass-sharp cheekbone where the fireball had grazed him. His face was all hard angles, a beautiful composition of living sculpture animated by rage.
When he reached her, he grabbed her arm and jerked her toward him, forcing her to look up to meet his eyes. She hated the vulnerability of the stance, particularly with him. She rarely had to tilt her head to look at anyone. She stood nearly six feet tall, but Warren towered over her by at least six inches.
“Why did you come back here?” He all but growled the words, his full lips curving in a snarl.
Heart thundering in her chest, she pushed him, her hand making no dent in the firm muscle of his chest. He didn’t budge an inch, so she shoved harder.
“To do what you were supposed to. Damn it, Warren, you didn’t even—” Her words were swallowed by the fear that leapt into her throat when the shadows expand and pulsed menacingly behind Warren’s back. She swore that a great black claw reached out. “We need to go, Warren, now.”
“No’ until I’m done with you.” He shook her arm, sounding like he wanted to punish her.
What did he intend to do? Turn her over his knee? She wouldn’t necessarily argue, but now was so not the time. The portal was expanding and shrinking repeatedly, its energy growing by the second.
“Warren, this is bad. We need to go. Now.” She looked around for the Chairman. “Come here, Chairman, we’re getting out of here.”
The cat was at her side in an instant. Strongest together, he never left her side in times of trouble. The Chairman twined himself around her ankles.
“Warren, wrap your arm around my waist.” She shot him a look that said, Do it or regret it.
“You want to aetherwalk,” he said, wariness in his voice.
“Yeah, trust me, I’m the fastest way out of here and you really want to get out of here right now.”
Warren hesitated, but once again, her face must have spoken volumes and he wrapped his arm around her waist in a kind of embrace. Trying to ignore the feel of his arm around her because it would break her concentration, she closed her eyes and focused on her flat.
When her eyes snapped open, they were standing in the middle of the room. The Chairman untwined himself and sauntered off. Warren’s eyes were still closed and she took a second to appreciate the feel of his arm wrapped around her. Strong, but not bulky with too much muscle. Perfect. It felt so good just to be held.
Regretfully, she tapped his shoulder.
He stiffened and looked down at her but didn’t remove his arm from around her waist.
“Damn it, Esha, you scared the shite out of me.” His brow was creased, his eyes worried.
Concern? For her? Her chest warmed while her head reeled. But nay, that couldn’t possibly be right. He couldn’t be concerned for her. He didn’t even like her. She frowned up at him, confused.
Esha’s frown snapped Warren back to reality and he jerked his hand away from her waist, regretful and yet relieved to break the contact. He had been worried and having his arm wrapped around her made it all seem so much more real. So much worse, the risk she’d taken.
But his arm still burned with the memory of her. She had a long, lean, supple kind of strength, one that was suited to her work as a mercenary. Despite the feeling of being sucked through a straw while aetherwalking, the soft press of her breasts against his chest caught his mind in a snare. Their softness was a contrast to her lean, muscular form. The feel of them would follow him, of that he was sure. Straight into his dreams.
When he met her eyes, there was fear bright within. She worried her bottom lip with white teeth that contrasted with the red of her mouth. Her garnet lips and amber eyes were the only flashes of color in an otherwise pale face.