Page 21 of Crazy as Hell

He towered over her, all lethal grace and controlled power, making her feel delicate in a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Maybe ever. She had spent too many lifetimes fighting, running, dying, and starting over to think of herself as fragile, but standing beside him made her acutely aware of how feminine she was.

The black armor he wore was the same tactical gear most guardians favored on missions, molded to protect his form without sacrificing movement. It should have made him look cold and untouchable. Instead, it only emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, the strength in his arms, and the lean, powerful build beneath. Even with most of him covered, there was no hiding what he was.

Powerful.

Dangerous.

Darkly beautiful.

Hers.

The word echoed through her mind, making her nearly laugh in triumph. He belonged to her. Of course, fate could give her a mate who looked like a warrior made out of shadows and starlight, and expect her to be normal about it. He was almost too perfect in a way that felt unfair and dangerous to her sanity.

No wonder destiny had waited until the worst possible moment for them to meet.

She wanted to jump him. To claim a stolen moment with him before it was ripped away by some accident or mishap, but she knew there were things she needed to take care of before she let herself focus on him. She glanced down at Cassian, who flopped down on his back on the floor and folded his arms behind his head, and found him eying her suspiciously.

She couldn’t really blame him for that.

“Don’t you think you should put that thing away?” Cassian asked.

She frowned as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. Realizing she was still holding the sword, she held it up to admire it. Once she’d woken up after her last death, she’d hauled ass to steal the sword from a particularly despicable, wealthy mage who lived in Mystic. She had discovered he had a pretty interesting collection of rare artifacts when she’d had a run-in with him several cycles ago.

Naomi probably should have felt bad about stealing several items from his collection after he died, but she didn’t. Not even a little bit. Besides, she hadn’t killed him. At least, not this time. Of course, she would have, but that would have prevented the two women he kept locked away in the basement of his mansion from claiming their revenge. It was actually a pity she hadn’t gotten the chance to stick around to help them, but perhaps it was better that way.

Some revenge schemes were meant to remain private.

“What? Are you afraid I’m going to stab you?” she teased.

“Maybe.”

She threw her head back and laughed like a mad thing. Perhaps she was a little crazy. She couldn’t exactly say that the past few years hadn’t done some serious damage to her psyche. Even if she was a little unhinged, there was nothing she could do to change it, nor did she want to.

“You like my sword? It’s called The Last Judgement, which is sort of fitting, considering it destroys bad guys’ souls. Sybil deserved it, and her soul definitely doesn’t deserve to be reincarnated or left to rest in peace. Not after everything she has done.”

“I thought that sword was stolen a few years back when that bank was broken into,” Cassian said.

Viktor nodded. “It was, but I don’t think she acquired it back then.”

“I didn’t,” she confirmed. “I stole it from a mage who didn’t deserve to keep it.”

She used her magic to send the sword somewhere safe until she needed it again. With her free hand, she pointed a finger at Cassian.

“Don’t get too comfortable. You are going back soon.”

Cassian frowned and sat up in a rush. “What? Why?”

“Because you were right about the house in the woods being the location of the auction. What you aren’t aware of is they already know you are planning a raid. You need to go warn the crew at The Manor that Cyrus’ mate was actually the demi-goddess I just killed. She was in charge of the operation and had bespelled him into sharing information with her. Even with her gone, there are other traffickers who still need to be dealt with. Oh, and they are selling supernaturals they kidnapped in addition to the other magical items up for auction.”

“Those bastards,” Cassian growled.

“How do you know all of this?” Viktor asked.

He only sounded mildly curious, but she knew he must have been slightly suspicious. She would be if the tables were turned. Then again, she was his mate. There had to be a level of trust between them, even if they had just met. If not, he never would have brought her to his private retreat.

She decided to lay it all out for him. Not just because they were mates. It was also more expedient.

“Because I have already experienced it before. Only, last time I found you, the two of you had already been captured and were taken through a portal back to the demi-goddess’s base in the Hell Realm.”