Heart of Knives (The Complex Book 0) Read online

  Safely upon reaching the elevator, Gary smacks the ‘Up’ button hard enough to echo back towards the awakened civilians. Snickers echo around him as he turns with a silly look on his face. Hey fella, we’re all here to be peaceful. Chill out. Those words are etched on every face that turned at the sound. Fuck, Gary thinks. Why do I have to be so damned human?

  An eternity of stares and seconds later, the elevator doors open. Gary forces himself to step inside with some semblance of dignity. Not too fast, not so slow as to be cartoonish. Now alone, he heaves a sigh. The doors begin to close, and he thinks, Okay, get your bearings back. Relax. You’re a goddamn soldier. Act like one. Before the doors can fuse shut, pale blue fingers slip between them, automatically reversing open. A tall, lean man with the pallor of undeath smiles at him.

  “I assume you’re going up,” the man asks.

  “Yep. Straight to the top,” Gary replies.

  “Perfect.”

  The man pushes the button for the floor below Princess Amarie’s, then steps back and to the side so he’s flush with Gary. Side by side for the full ride, neither looks at the other. Gary decided early on this was the most uncomfortable elevator ride in man’s history that didn’t lead to someone’s death or dismemberment. So far. They reach the man’s (vampire, Gary) floor and the doors slide open. Before exiting, he looks Gary straight in the eye.

  “Come and see me sometime, when being a monster hunter isn’t such a new smell on you. We’ll have more fun then,” the man says.

  “Don’t do anything I need to come and see you for. We’ll pretend this didn’t happen,” Gary replies, meaning every word.

  “Everybody knows that is not how this experiment will go down, Locke. You don’t have enough to lose yet, so it’s no fun to play with you. And please, feel free to visit me any time.”

  The man vanishes into shadow as the doors close. Gary stares at the ceiling of the elevator, wondering why vampires were gifted with mind-reading. Willing the car to move up faster than programmed, he thinks, Just one more floor, dude, and we’ve finished the hard part.

  The elevator doors open, and immediately Gary knows he’d been wrong. The hard part wasn’t over at all. A piercing scream is sounding through the thick walls of the princess’ suite on his left. What the fuck is happening to her? No time, gotta move. Gary pulls his segif from its holster and finds the nearest door leading left.

  With one swift kick, he splinters the solid oak door. With a second kick, he smashes enough to duck in without his vision being impaired. From the corners of his eyes, he sees a flashing light but has no idea what it might be. To his right, however, is the princess. Naked. Her arms and face are tilted up and what looks like purple smoke is weaving its way into her nostrils. Another scream escapes her mouth. Bolting from his crouched position, Gary harpoons himself into the princess in a desperate plea to stop this attempted possession.

  With a heaving gasp, she falls underneath him, and the smell of her sweet perspiration invades his nostrils, saturating every pore of his being. Gary barely has time to realize he recognizes this scent before he loses all awareness in the emerald green mirrors of the princess’ eyes.

  “What in the absolute fuck!”

  Gary tries to turn away from the sleek, lithe body beneath him, away from the enchanting eyes, but he can’t. Within seconds, blackness covers him, the world goes cold, then nothing.

  ***

  “Hey. Hey!”

  Gary opens his eyes to blurry shapes standing over him. Someone is smacking him in the face, probably the closest blur. He blinks and sees a hand coming forward to slap him again. Catching it, he shakes his head from side to side.

  “Enough.”

  “Enough? Enough? Look here puke-stain, you attacked my betrothed while she was at her most primal and weakest moment. Climintra are coming for you Human-boy,” a sandy-haired boy wearing makeup yells at Gary.

  “The Climintra . . . ?”

  Gary laughs. The Climintra are coming for him? Ah well, fuck it, right? He embarrassed himself in the lobby, why not have Master Sergeant Wiles come in here and tell him he screwed up guard duty already?

  “What in this god-forsaken dome do you have to laugh about?” Sandy-Hair-With-Makeup asks.

  “I thought Princess Amarie was being possessed. You—” Gary has to laugh again. “You mean to tell me y’all were having Meta sex? I interrupted my client’s orgasm? Is that what you’re telling me?”

  Princess Amarie speaks up. “Actually, you didn’t interrupt my orgasm at all. That went fine. What you interrupted was a two-person charm that ended up affecting you instead of the love of my life. Which will prove . . . annoying . . . but ensures you protect me with all you possess. You’ve inadvertently been made the perfect guard dog.”

  It takes Gary a couple seconds to realize just how much burn the princess put into that speech. Lucky for him, it explains why he got slowed down so much when he burst in here and . . . interrupted . . . sex . . . between an elf and a fairy. He laughs again. Can’t help it. Not sorry. Nope. Not a bit. This is funny shit.

  Prince Erihstoll Habbernock, no longer known as Sandy-Hair-With-Makeup, doesn’t find it funny. His anger at the intrusion is palpable. Gary understands anger. Gary can use anger to his advantage. The prince raises his hand as though to strike Gary in the face again.

  “You’ve had your fun smacking the dog, Prince Habbernock. Do it again, and the law starts biting back. I suppose, for now, that makes you the family cat. You’re an asshole and we all know it, but we’re gonna keep ya around because we love you. Or in my case, because my master loves you. Go sit in a window or something.”

  Erihstoll’s cheeks go red as apples, puffing out like a big bad wolf preparing to blow down a little pig’s house. Gary decides to keep that joke in his head. The prince looks ready to blow a gasket, but manages to subdue whatever outburst he’d prepared when Amarie gives him a look.

  The princess herself is dressed now, though the sheer red dress doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Gary feels the magic coursing through his mind as he admires the grace with which she moves, how her lips are set in a grimace betraying her embarrassment, and how her long black hair sits in imperfect lumps over her perfectly shaped shoulders. For fuck’s sake, he thinks. What kind of magic did he jump into?

  Suddenly, her smell as she was underneath him returns, and he realizes why he almost recognized it before: the smell of sex, putrid when you’re not party to the fun, intoxicating when you are. Aw fuck, fuck, fuck! He does not want to be that kind of pervert, yet here he is practically begging the gods to smell her goddamn panties. Wait, why is he smelling that smell now? Isn’t the sex over?

  “Are you done staring, then?” Princess Amarie asks.

  “What? No, I . . . ” Gary stammers.

  “Alright puppy, listen. You need to get ahold of yourself. I know the magic is strong, but a little willpower will lessen the effects to a point you can do your job,” she jabs.

  Why does it sound like she’s flirting, and why does Prince Habbernock look like he agrees that’s what she’s doing?

  “That spell is a . . . two-way street. It was meant strictly for Erihstoll and me. As for what you’re experiencing, your feelings for me are enhanced, and mine for you. Luckily, we don’t know anything about each other. It’s annoying. Still, if you can control your urges, we can remain friends and maybe I’ll get out of this mess alive.”

  “Oh, you’ll come out of this alive, Princess,” a new voice interjects, one Gary recognizes. “He’s my best soldier. There’s a reason I sent him, though attacking the client is new to his repertoire.”

  “Good evening, Ms. Wiles,” Amarie says with stately accord.

  “Master Sergeant, please, Princess Vanyarin. I apologize for entering without knocking, but there is a hole in the door.”

  Prince Sandy-Hair interrupts, “Thanks to your ‘soldier,’ I might add. Can we assume the door will be replaced with haste?”

  “Yes, not that i
t matters. Princess Vanyarin will be moving to a safe place elsewhere in the Complex until her threats have been assessed and the issuer found. You can’t be privy to her location from after we leave until the mystery is solved, Prince Habbernock,” Temera replies.

  “What? She’s my—”

  “She’s your girlfriend at this point, Prince Habbernock. Ergo, by law, I don’t have to tell you shit. That goes into effect now. Princess, please gather a few things you absolutely need. And, for God’s sake, untie your bodyguard.”

  Prince Habbernock’s face shows it’s clear he is neither used to, nor okay with, being spoken to in such a gruff manner. However, he provides a dagger to cut the ropes binding Gary. The two knicks he exacts during the release might be accidental, but Gary has serious doubts.

  “Hey wait,” a fourth voice squeaks. “You must allow me to go with her!”

  Gary sees the flittering light he thought he’d seen when he kicked in the door. In a puff of silvery dust, the light turns into a Human-sized pixie. Also naked. Why are daytime Metas always nude?

  “Yes,” Princess Amarie agrees, “Sydney goes with me.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not—” Temera starts.

  “Then your services are no longer needed, Master Sergeant. You may leave. Be sure to take the puppy with you.”

  “We’re forever partners, Master Sergeant! We have been for just over one hundred years! I’ll die, in the literal fashion, if you force our separation. You don’t want to kill a pixie.” Sydney half says, half asks.

  “Fine!” Gary surprises himself with the force behind the word. “Sydney can come. But Princess, you are coming with me . . . us . . . unless you have an honest wish to die.”

  Princess Amarie brings her hands together in a slow clap at her puppy’s outburst. “Well then. I don’t want to die, so I guess we’re going, Sydney. Tell me, puppy, is your bite bigger than your bark?”

  Temera’s eyebrow raises in question, and all Gary can do is shrug. The princess goes into an adjoining room to gather her things. His head pounding, Gary looks back at Master Sergeant.

  “I thought we had a device to protect us from mind magic?”

  Temera smiles with a twinkle in her eyes. “Oh Suge, they didn’t use no magic on that head. I doubt it would’ve worked anyway.”

  Reaching back, Gary feels a lump, fully-formed, on the back of his skull. Prince Erihstoll laughs this time, and pulls a blackjack from his belt into the light. Tanned leather straps hang heavy from the weight of silver pellets shining off their ends, tied to a strong, braided leather handle. Gary can tell the handle was wrapped around a stronger core, but the braids are tight enough he can’t see it. All in all, a more than decent weapon.

  “I keep it with me at all times, just in case my subjects try to trifle with things they have no business delving into,” Habbernock says in a calm, princely manner.

  Asshole.

  A guilty look travels over Temera’s face, one suggesting she knows that weapon. Well, Gary thinks, I don’t have to ask where or how he got such a thing. Only Climintra agents can smuggle items into the Complex. Looks like his boss did a favor for the Prince of Fairies.

  “What did you get in return, Boss?”

  “Don’t matter none, Suge. It’s water under the bridge. I’m sorry it came back to smack you in the head,” she smiles.

  “Yeah. Okay. Well, you do not get to call me ‘puppy’ for any fuckin’ reason, hear me?”

  “Loud and clear, Suge. Loud and clear.”

  Princess Amarie comes out with two bags and a flying light on her shoulder. “I’ll call you whatever I want, puppy. Come along. The night draws heavy and I am tired.”

  The princess, Sydney, and Master Sergeant make their way out, but Prince Habbernock pulls Gary to the side. Waiting for the sound of the elevator beep to know the ladies are out of earshot, Habbernock leans in close enough for Gary to smell his minted breath. Putting a hand on Gary’s shoulder, the prince whispers, “You don’t touch her. You don’t love her. Hell, you don’t even like her, hear me? That spell is strong magic meant only for two people who love each other to share intimate secrets with. It’s built to bring lovers closer together, and you got it instead of me. You don’t even know what you have, Human. Even so, you stole it; it isn’t yours. So keep your hands to yourself, and we won’t have any more issues. You remain an upstanding man, I’ll even respect you, some. That’s saying a lot, for a Human.”

  Gary removes the hand from his shoulder. There’s murder in Habbernock’s eyes. The time for smartass remarks has passed. He levels his own gaze to match the prince. Letting the tension build until it seems the room will crack in half, Gary sheds his Human side and lets the soldier come out. Habbernock’s eyes are brimming with hatred, his body coiled to react to any movement Gary might make. Exactly where I want you, Habbernock. Gary reaches his hand up and the prince jerks. A small jerk, but definitive. The hatred in his eyes burns hotter.

  “I’ll let you know when we find whoever is threatening Princess Amarie. In the meantime, you can count on me to protect her twenty-four hours a day.”

  Habbernock takes Gary’s hand and shakes it.

  “We’ll see, won’t we?”

  All the niceties taken care of, Gary turns on his heel and heads out the door. Taking the elevator down, he finds the princess and Master Sergeant waiting for him. The ladies get onto Temera’s Flyer together, Gary back on his own.

  “Start,” he orders.

  The Flyer follows the command without complaint.

  Cold

  Not used to the hovering technology employed by the Climintra, Amarie folds her arms tight around Master Sergeant Temera Wiles’ waist. The night air smells wrong—artificial compared to the natural and warm tropical forests where Amarie grew up. The scenery changes as they ride farther away from the jungle biome of the Complex. Vines and evergreen trees taper down to deciduous trees and grasses, and the buildings soon lose any sense of magic, becoming as artificial as the air when they reach the more industrial cold biome. Amarie scolds herself for not thinking ahead. She’d put on the proper uniform for being in public, but had not thought of bringing a jacket with which to cover herself. Hugging her escort tighter, Amarie tries not to shiver and fails.

  Puppy-boy has been communicating with Temera for about ten minutes over the device implanted in their palms. Amarie catches something about a kit, and that a stop at the security firm would be necessary. Both puppy and woman sound worried about a late-night stop. Amarie doesn’t blame them. Night Metas are nothing to play with on a casual basis. Of course, day Metas are not all flittering across beautiful forest floors during gorgeous sunrises, either. Humans, despite their collective belief otherwise, are one of the least evil among all the races. For this reason, she will defend their right to exist until she no longer does.

  Part of her longs to have her arms wrapped around the boy riding in front of her instead of Temera. During the conversation in her chambers, she managed to contain her increasing need for him by looking at him as something less than an intelligent creature. What she wants, because of the magic—at least she hopes it’s just the magic—is to know his mind and body better than she understands his soul. The spell Erihstoll had been casting when the puppy interrupted allowed each person to see inside the other, past mind, past body, and into the unknown depths most never even face within themselves. Instead of seeing inside Erihstoll, she’s seeing the depths of Gary, and she’s enthralled. That alone is leaving her baffled. Worse, she still has the real feelings for Erihstoll that have developed over time. Amarie knows she could never throw away that time for some one-and-done night of passion. Still, the puppy keeps entering her mind. The light and the dark of his soul are so nearly perfect in line. He’s the alpha male, like Erihstoll, but the war-torn soldier is vetted with tenderness and humor.

  I need to stop thinking about him. He’s just a puppy; something to look at and think how cute it is. He cannot bar me from my destiny to marry Erihstoll. So
busy thinking, Amarie does not notice that she is no longer shivering in the cold. Sydney on the other hand, does notice, and the smile on her face turns quite mischievous.

  ***

  Reaching Uni Ama Security firm, the Master Sergeant asks Amarie to come inside with them as a matter of precaution. Surprised at the constant vigil these two Humans keep over her already, Amarie agrees without complaint. Unable to help herself, Amarie looks about conspicuously in all directions. The puppy brushes her arm, ushering her inside with his gray eyes. She hadn’t noticed that before—was her bodyguard blind?

  He doesn’t give her time to ask the question as he moves behind her, all but demanding she begin moving. Amarie feels his movements behind her, despite there being no contact between them. His presence fills her mind, and she can’t quite seem to change him from gorgeous man back into a puppy anymore. Sydney snickers into her ear and Amarie is tempted to swat her friend off her shoulder.

  Inside, the building is just as dreary and gray as the outside. Ama Seldova spared little in creating the Complex, but interior decorating took a back seat to utility. Amarie understands the reasoning: the psychological conditioning of all inhabitants by making everything and everyone homogenous in the hopes that everyone will come to a kind of oneness. However, unless they intend to do the same on every planet in the Seldova system, such conditioning only skews the metrics of success. Granted, if the Complex fails as is, there is no hope of coexistence outside of it, either. Personally, Amarie would rather see if a small cross-section of races can find a common thread despite different clothes, architecture, and cultures. Let everybody be who they are without placing limitations on them. Dangerous? Yes, but also far more honest in its outcome.

  The puppy moves past her, ensuring all lights come on as they pass through the building. “Not much for conservation of energy,” she notes. Gary looks back and sees her scowl. She watches as he bites down on a retort. Instead, he smiles at her and her heart flutters over several beats.