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Chapter Four

His question went unanswered as Jade lost herself in leadership discussions. While the true decision would lie on Niko’s shoulders, the existing staff members bartered hard for both their positions and those of their colleagues.

Jade was worn thin by the time Trina sent her an instant message that merely said, It’s past one. Break for lunch?

Trust the dieting woman to keep minutes past noon. Jade tended to forget about lunch, even though she thoroughly enjoyed food. She had a feeling all of them would appreciate the break, in any case.

“Shall we table this discussion and break for lunch?”

A chorus of approvals rose to greet her, and the room quickly emptied. Niko stayed behind, a questioning look in his striking emerald eyes. She beat him to the punch.

“Are you about to threaten me with death and dismemberment if I whisper your whereabouts to my prime?”

“Oh, Jade, I don’t threaten. I’d never do anything so amateurish.”

“Just a menacing growl, then?”

He smirked. “If I offered to take you to lunch, would you suspect poisoning? Or is an off-site location safe from scheming?”

“Questionable, given your theatrics the last few days.” Her eyebrow raised in contention. “I’ll accept your offer as long as I choose where we dine.”

“I wouldn’t dream of anything else, dove.”

Though she bristled at the endearment, Jade didn’t comment.

They followed a crowd of people into the elevator, and like usual, found it packed to the brim.

Though Niko hid his discomfort well, Jade could sense the tension in his shoulders as the doors closed.

She studied him in her peripheral vision, camouflaging her scrutiny by looking at her phone.

Niko’s soft smile never left his face, but the creases around his eyes didn’t lie. He hated elevators. Some immortals never quite appreciated the marvels of modern technology.

Her truth-seeking ability flared. The sudden impulse to get out of the small, enclosed space was nearly impossible to resist. Anxiety rose so quickly that it made her stomach clench—but the fear wasn’t hers.

It was Niko’s . She lurched slightly on her feet, barely able to remain still under the overwhelming emotion.

Just as swiftly, her abilities quieted.

The residue of Niko’s fear left her slightly unstable. She couldn’t imagine what it was doing to him.

They were in the lobby before he could reveal any other surprises, and made their way to an upscale restaurant several blocks away.

She’d selected the spot with their food in mind and had managed to block out the décor.

Much to her dismay, the low lighting, deep burgundy tablecloths and black and gold accents in the sconces and wall tapestries brimmed with romantic undertones.

It was cozy and intimate. If Julian saw her now, he’d undoubtedly question her loyalty.

The waiter, a balding man in his late sixties, gushed over them “Welcome, Signora, Signore. What a gorgeous couple!”

While Jade instantly wanted to correct his assumptions, Niko happily responded, “Thank you, Giuseppe. I’m a lucky man.”

The waiter gave Jade a conspiratorial look before leaving them alone. She regretted everything that’d led her to this moment.

“This isn’t a date.”

“Of course it isn’t.” Niko dipped his chin, the intensity of those eyes skewering her. “Just a man, taking a woman out to lunch, in a ridiculously romantic place that looks like a courtesan’s boudoir. Lady’s choice.”

“Stop it,” she spat back. “We’re business associates. You and I don’t even classify as acquaintances, let alone know each other well enough to go on a date. Without the acquisition tying us together, we’re on opposite sides of the fence. Technically—legally—I shouldn’t even be here with you.”

A calculating expression morphed Niko’s handsome features to positively devastating. Jade couldn’t seem to resist staring at his face. His obnoxious, perfect face.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a killjoy?”

“There’s nothing joyful about being in the same room as you.

You’ve broken a dozen laws by invading Julian’s territory, and a dozen more by asking me out to lunch.

” She raised her eyebrows innocently. “Do you need a list of your crimes provided to you in three-ring-binder format? Shall I read to you from the legion policy handbook?”

“As enthralling as I’m sure that’d be, I’ll pass. Dare I ask why you even accepted? Doesn’t it make you guilty by association?”

It took considerable effort to control the warning she longed to give him. “We’re not associating. You’re breaking laws, and I’m documenting them for future litigation.”

He chuckled, the sound low and seductive. “Come be a criminal with me, dove. It’s so much fun.”

“No joy. No fun. Just no, Nikolas.” Angry at herself for not coming up with a better comeback, she snatched the napkin from her plate and set it in her lap.

“Will you ever call me Niko?”

The request was so soft and gentle that Jade abandoned the napkin. Her leopard’s rumble of displeasure took her by surprise. The cat rarely reacted negatively to anything that didn’t involve Julian or Kinnick, his enforcer. Why was she upset over how Jade was treating Niko?

Pushing the remaining ire from her voice, she breathed, “Fine, Niko , tell me why you’ve stolen my lunch hour.”

“A bit abrasive, aren’t you?”

“I have better things to be doing with my time.”

Niko shrugged. “Better things to do than find out why your enemy has insisted on acquiring your company? My, you must have a full dance card. Tell you what, you ask a few questions, and I’ll answer honestly.”

Jade’s icy glare could’ve frozen him solid if the waiter hadn’t showed up to take their orders. After he left, she went back to trying to find a point to the entire fiasco.

“Why are you acquiring my company?”

“Because I wanted to.”

Technically, it was honest—and her truth-discerning abilities told her as much. The man had found a way around her ability without actually exposing the heart of his reasoning. Another truth came just as quickly: Jade hated him.

“Next question.”

She seethed. “What are your abilities?”

“Other than making stupid jokes?”

Grunting at the sincerity of his voice, Jade said, “Yes.”

He leaned over and gently brushed a finger along the outside of her water glass. Instantly, the cool liquid solidified into ice in a dazzling metamorphosis, the slow change rendering the once clear water to frosty white.

Misty vapor rose from the solid surface. While it was admittedly a beautiful sight, Jade couldn’t force herself to compliment the other immortal, still an intruder on her home turf. Instead, she chipped away at his base.

“You have water magic. How uninspiring.” Acting unimpressed by the display, she forced herself to add, “Anything else that’s useful?”

Niko showed no reaction to her outright jab at his ability. “Tit for tat, Jade.”

“My situational magic shows me truths.”

It was something he already knew, but Niko sat up straighter in his seat. “You’ve said as much. I wonder, though, how does your prime lie to you?”

Affronted at the mere thought of it, Jade sneered. “Julian doesn’t lie.”

Waving a hand dismissively, Niko clarified, “So he omits the truth, or simply is good at speaking around it to you, in particular. Clearly, it’s possible, given my answer earlier.”

“My prime is singlehandedly saving our race from extinction, and without him, we’d be in dire straits. Julian has nothing to hide.” Jade was assured of it. She fisted her hands in the napkin on her lap, needing the outlet to keep from strangling her companion.

Something dark passed behind Niko’s eyes. “Oh, I can assure you, he does.”

Before Jade could respond, an electrical pulse tingled up her spine, and his eyes dropped to the table. The telltale electricity was indicative of a telepathic conversation, the only sign that he was being contacted by another party.

Jade sighed and reached out to grab her water. That was before she realized it was still frozen solid. Drops of condensation had beaded along the chilled glass, dropping toward the tablecloth.

Niko didn’t miss a beat, and leaned forward to touch the glass and change ice back to liquid. His fingers brushed against hers.

The contact sent a jolt through her system, a flare of heat rushing up her arm and trickling over her skin like an incendiary flame. If she were any less poised, she would’ve gasped at the phenomenon.

Niko gave no indication of having felt the same sensation, his eyes averted once more as he continued a conversation she couldn’t hear.

Several minutes later, the waiter arrived with their food. It took another beat for the electricity to dissipate and Niko to give her a genuine look of regret.

“Forgive me. My other job.”

Jade didn’t know what his other job entailed, but the seriousness he assumed when he spoke of it warned her off from digging deeper.

“I assume you’re a shifter.”

The predator inside her pricked her ears, prowling forward to the front of her consciousness as Niko studied her sudden stillness. “What makes you think that?”

He used a knife to point at her plate. “You’re eating a rare steak.”

“Wow.” She feigned being impressed. “How insightful.”

Laughter swelled in his chest, the sound warm and comforting. “And you move like water. Like silk. Everything about you screams grace and balance. If I had to guess,” his eyes narrowed in collusion, “I’d say big cat.”

She sniffed, busying herself in her food. The steak was delicious, and her predator cherished the meat. It was the one favor she afforded her cat, and the one thing they actively enjoyed together.

Every Sagani could trace their lineage back to either the noble line or the common line.

Those born of the noble line could shift into animals, predatory beasts that were a distinct part of their spirit, but lived in harmony with them.

Unlike the other shifters from that noble stock, Jade’s animal was flawed.

Whenever she loosened the chains she kept around her leopard, it exhibited behaviors that were highly concerning.

Aggression and a fundamental lack of control had led Julian to ban her from shifting decades ago.

In the years since, the headaches that’d resulted from the containment were debilitating but entirely worth it: she no longer threatened her legion or her prime.

Between bites, Jade simply said, “You’re wrong.”

“Well, I don’t have to be a truth seeker to tell you’re lying.”

Niko’s chuckle was more like a purr this time, and something within Jade softened toward him. At least he was attempting civility. It was more than she could say for herself.

Stepping out on a limb, she decided to disclose another one of her abilities. “My magic also stretches into Hindsight, but it only sparks when the emotional fingerprint of a scene is significantly impressionable.”

“Violence?”

She nodded, more subdued. “Typically, yes, the most violent emotions sink themselves into an object and never let go. But it can be so much more than that. Any strong emotion can latch on if it’s powerful enough. Lust, or hope, or fear. Certainly love.”

Niko’s head canted sideways with a half grin. He put his fork down beside his plate, his hands tenting over the scraps of his food. “Are you a romantic, Jade?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Why aren’t you answering the question?”

“Why do you care?”

Her expression made it apparent she wasn’t ever going to answer the question, and Niko read her well. Out of nowhere he said, “I enjoy our banter.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re taking my company from me, Niko. You’ve already given me a pink slip. When I’m done, we’re done.”

“A shame.”

Sighing, she took a long drink of her perfectly chilled water and said, “What’s a shame?”

“That we’re done.” He tapped his knuckles twice on the table then adopted a suitably forlorn look. “Seems like you’re breaking up with me before we even got started.”

“There’s nothing to start.”

But Niko wouldn’t let it go. “Au contraire, dove. Even the waiter said we’re a gorgeous couple.”

“We’re not a couple.”

“Yes, you’re right.” A conspiratorial nod before sitting back in his seat. “Not yet.”

“Not ever.” It was as clear as she could make it. “The law is the law.”

Looking at the ceiling as if an angel would save him, Niko sighed. “Ah yes, the blessed law. Something you’re so keen on. I wonder, dove, do you have trouble leaving the office before five p.m.? Do you wait until the clock hits exactly five before you pack up?”

“You assume I leave at five every day?” Jade’s genuine laugh twinkled across the table. “That’s the funniest thing you’ve said thus far.”

Niko turned contemplative, the sly grin gone. “What do you go home to at night?”

Nothing, her internal voice whispered.

Jade would never reveal her loneliness. Niko could joke and grin all he wanted, but at the end of the day, she’d be going home alone to an apartment filled with comforts that never truly warmed her heart.

Jade was alone, and by the look on Niko’s face, he understood that first-hand.