Hard Justice by Elizabeth Lapthorne

Author:Elizabeth Lapthorne [Lapthorne, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc.
Published: 2015-07-13T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“There, unit B,” Riley pointed. Ben worried as he noticed the thin sheen of sweat on his friend’s brow, but the wizard refused to acknowledge he grew close to his limits. Not ashamed to use underhand tactics to coerce Riley into taking it easy, Ben leaned close to his friend.

“Can you stay out here? Protect Layla while I go in and subdue the wizard?”

Riley opened his mouth with a frown. Ben cut in with a serious, “Please.” Riley closed his mouth again. Ben didn’t doubt the wizard knew he was being played, but Ben was not completely using the witch as an excuse.

He hated the thought of her entering the apartment directly behind him. Not only because of the danger she would be in, but also because this time he didn’t plan to hold back. Deep in his soul, there was a core of violence Ben had spent decades restraining. His magic in its naked, raw form was the ability to maim, destroy and kill. When unleashed, he became socially unacceptable to say the least.

He was not some fluffy bunny to cuddle, cosset and take home to Mom and Dad to show off or be proud of coupling with. He was a killer. An Assassin. He had an unyielding aspect to his soul that most witches ran screaming from when they caught sight of it.

Even though he’d spent only a few days in Layla’s presence, he wasn’t yet ready to share that less tasteful side of himself with her. In his heart, he knew she deserved better than him, she should really be with some happy, placid, regular wizard and not a hardened killer like himself. Selfishly he wasn’t prepared to give her up. Not yet and maybe not ever.

He didn’t want to think about how she’d react when she saw his true soul. It was inevitable, he knew that, but it didn’t mean he would knowingly, purposefully rub her face in it either.

Some of his secret feelings must have shown on his face, for Riley nodded, albeit with clear reluctance.

“Sure, dude, I’ll wait out here with her. Call us when you have the situation under control.”

Ben leaned past Riley and planted a kiss on Layla’s lips. For luck, he told himself, though it could just as easily be for safety as the devout hope she wouldn’t turn away from him if she saw his true colors. She seemed puzzled, but he didn’t get the feeling she understood his deeper reasons for not wanting her to follow him into the apartment.

A part of him prayed she never would see the darker side to him.

Ben stalked toward the front door to apartment B. He closed his eyes and took a few deep, cleansing breaths. He focused on removing the walls and barriers he had spent months learning to erect in his youth, all the trappings of civilized behavior he had learned and the lessons in common etiquette and courtesy. Ben lowered his defenses and allowed the ravenous, deadly desires that clawed his soul constantly to come into the fore.

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