Page 4 of Obsidian Dream

Chapter Two

KHALIDA

Finally alone, Khalidasurveyed the dark hallway, letting her heightened senses take over.Below ground, where there were no windows, the passing of time was different, slower.

Artificial light erupted from the ceiling, painfully bright as it bounced off the pure white sandstone.Black specks appeared as she waited for her vision to adjust.She had spent the previous night tossing and turning, unable to sleep until bright sunlight had streamed through her windows.The lack of sleep was not helping her mood.But as head guard of House Azaes, she was not going to let her annoyance get the better of her.

One of her newly promoted guards stood watch.He didn’t move until she reached him.His dark blue gaze, the color of a stormy ocean, gave nothing away.This close, his eyes looked like bright gemstones against his umber skin, a couple of shades darker than hers.His black curly hair was cropped short in a military cut reminiscent of a human style—practical, rather than the extravagant and opulent aesthetic that seemed to be embedded into Atlantean DNA.He was dressed in an identical uniform except for the small yellow epaulet on his shoulder denoting his rank.At his hip was a blaster, and the hilt of a knife stuck out from the top of his boot.

He was the guard she had trained and selected to serve Lord Azaes, and she trusted him with her life.But even he didn’t know what was in the next room.

“Zayyan.”

He didn’t move, except for the subtle nod of his head.This close, his stormy blue eyes widened slightly before he regained his composure.

Could he still scent Talik on her?Atlantean heightened senses varied between individuals, and, for most, it was far superior to their human cousins.No, last night, she had spent a good hour in a boiling hot shower, scrubbing any trace of the evidence away.It was just low-level paranoia, edged by her guilt for letting Talik get under her skin.Her body was the traitor.He had given her one mind-blowing orgasm, and her stupid libido wanted more.

A moment of weakness.

It would only be one time.He was gone in less than forty-eight hours.Surely, she could ignore him for that long.It had worked for over five hundred years.Them being on two different continents had been helpful.And if she saw him...Mentally shaking her head, she repeated the mantra that had never been far from her lips when he was around.

Don’t stab Talik.

No matter how much she thought he deserved it.Souring the relationship with House Mneseus’s American businesses would not be taken kindly by Lord Azaes.

“Lord Azaes has not arrived,” Zayyan softly stated, his light accent rolling over her.She had known him since he was barely walking.His mother had been one of her guards when Khalida was a child.

Khalida moved to stand on the other side of the door, taking up almost an identical position to Zayyan.Unlike most of the guards, she had boycotted blasters for her two swords.They had been by her side for well over six hundred years and were her constant companions while the world around her evolved and modernized.When given the opportunity to trade them in for modern weapons, she’d chosen to keep them, and they had never disappointed her.It was one of the few parts of her life she could count on to never change.

The silence between them stretched comfortably.Focusing on the ceiling, she counted the security cameras, waiting until she saw the telltale blink of the red light within its casing letting her know it was recording before moving onto the next one.They were stationed at the end of the corridor in front of a sandstone panel decorated with hand-drawn waves.The vibrant hues of blue a bright contrast to the remainder of the room.Only a handful knew that it was an entry point into the older part of the Arx.

“Did we receive a new statue?”Khalida asked as she looked over the half-naked male marble statue that had been placed on a pedestal thirty feet from them.

“A gift from Lord Azaes’s consort’s family.”Zayyan shifted slightly.“They said it was a Michelangelo.”

Khalida barely stopped herself from snorting.A gift from Frankie’s human family.The European thieves’ guild was nothing but generous with offloading artworks that had been misplaced or forgotten centuries before.Humans and Atlanteans may peacefully co-exist, but most humans would think twice before they demanded access to the Atlantean Houses and adjoining property.At least the smart and well-connected ones.

Light footsteps sounded on the brightly colored mosaic floor.

One, two, and a third.