Obsidian - Miranda Bridges Page 0,15

offer a deal.”

Castien cocks his head. “What deal do you speak of?”

“Since you were the second highest bidder, I am willing to sell this human to you. It would’ve been at the original price had you not compromised a regular client of mine. So here is what I am proposing: increase your bid by fifty percent and I will reconsider your offer.”

Castien’s shoulders tense, and a growl rumbles dangerously in his chest.

“And if he doesn’t?” I ask, glaring from behind him.

I’d claw out the madam’s eyes if I could reach her from here.

“Then I will have no choice but to alert the authorities,” the madam says, unclasping her hands to reveal a trigger of some kind. Her eyes snap to Castien. “You have killed one of my clients in my brothel and now threaten to steal my property. The Enforcers will not look favorably upon you simply because you are not from this world. At my word, they will kill you, and I will get my asset back. She belongs to me, not you, Dark Knight, unless you pay considerably for the inconvenience you’ve caused me.”

For a long, tense moment, Castien is silent, then he lowers his head and chuckles. The sound is laced with a dark intent that sends shivers through me.

“Are you really blackmailing a Darkblood?” He lifts his hand, and I must be going crazy because there’s black smoke streaming from his palm. “Do you yearn for death, madam?”

She curls her lips backward into a snarl. “I am merely seizing an opportunity. Now, will you be transferring the credits by direct—”

The madam doesn’t get out the rest of the words. With a swipe of Castien’s hand, she falls to the floor, her skin covered in black veins that stretch and writhe over her like twisted spider legs. A strangled scream catches in my throat. This alien…has powers? When he looks over his shoulder, his obsidian eyes have turned into a bright, glowing silver.

“Now will you come with me?”

Castien

Satisfaction assails me at the sight of the madam’s listless body. However, the satisfaction turns into regret when I look over at Jade. Her blatant revulsion at my actions is enough to make me wish I had maintained better control of my emotions. Is she disgusted by my power or the fact that I used it on the madam? Disgust isn’t the effect I usually have on females.

“Is she dead?” The edge to the female’s voice confirms that I indeed repulsed her.

What a fool you are, Castien!

I berate my lack of self-control. But this creature hurt my mate, just like the corpse under the bed, and anyone who does so will always die by my hand. Yet despite that, I do not enjoy the uncertainty that clouds Jade’s countenance.

“I merely incapacitated her to give us time,” I say, retrieving a knife from my pocket. “Which we don’t have much of. I suggest we leave while we remain undetected.”

Jade nods, but instead of coming with me, she raises her head and walks calmly over to the madam. She lifts her foot and slams it onto the female’s grotesque face.

“You pink Starburst motherfucking bitch!”

I simply stare at her. Part of me is awed by such an impassioned display—I am a Darkblood, after all, and we do not shy away from vengeance—but the other is confused by the words she used. I cannot seem to translate “pink Starburst motherfucking bitch,” but I imagine it holds similar power to the expletives often used amid my warriors.

“Okay,” Jade says, brushing the hair from her face while fixing her scant clothing like a general about to lay waste to an army. “I’m ready now.”

With a smirk, I open the door and check that the way is clear. “You have fire in you, damsel.” I glance over my shoulder at her, enjoying the closeness of our proximity; it amplifies the need to protect her, which merely strengthens my power quite wonderfully.

“And you have darkness,” she counters, her lips quirking as she peers into the corridor with me. “Which way should we go?”

A maid turns the corner and disappears into one of the rooms reserved for the upper echelon. The auction has not long concluded, which means the main entrance will still be flooded with security. Fortunately, I assessed the Den’s blueprints prior to my arrival on this planet. There are two emergency exits that can be used to escape. The nearest to this room is the one that opens out into the market. It’s not the closest