Ride the Wave

25

“I told you I was.” His eyes narrowed and he jerked his arm away. “You want to know how I became an assassin? Fine. I thought I’d spare you the dark details tonight, but since you insist…”

I sighed. “Reven—”

“A man named Harman found me and convinced me to work for him,” Reven said, his voice menacing as he spat out the words. “He had a whole gang of street kids and he made us do terrible things. Stealing was the least of it. He sold our bodies to monsters who liked children. He murdered anyone who disobeyed or questioned him. But at least we were fed, and we had each other. I found a new family. A girl.”

I wanted to take Reven into my arms and hold him as he spoke about what was obviously a painful tale, but I kept my distance. I worried if I made even the slightest movement, he’d get spooked and run away again. He stared across the dark waters as he continued. “Her name was Mira. I was fourteen by then, and she was a year younger than me. It was innocent, or as innocent as it could be for two kids who had been forced to grow up way too fast. She was beautiful and kind, and I told her I'd do anything to protect her. When Harman decided he’d sell her off to a man five times her age, we made a plan to run away…but we didn't get far. Harman’s men caught her, and she was killed while trying to escape them.” His hands clenched at his side. “At the sight of her blood, I lost it and murdered them all with my father’s swords. They were the first lives I took. And then I went back and killed Harman too, along with everyone else I could find. I hunted down every single man and woman he had ever worked with and made sure they'd never prey on children again. That's when the Assassin's Guild invited me to join them.” He met my eyes again and spread his arms wide. “And now you know everything. I’ve been a thief, a w***e, and a killer. There’s only darkness and death in my past. Forgive me if I don’t like talking about it.”

Reven’s voice was cold and his face was hard, but I could sense the pain inside him. I wrapped my arms around him and held him silently, until some of the tension in his body relaxed and he reluctantly embraced me in return.

“Thank you for telling me,” I said. “I’m sorry you went through all that, and I know it must have been difficult to talk about. But your past shaped you into the man you are today. A man I love.”

“Don’t say that.” He took my face in his hands and stared into my eyes. “Don’t say those words.”

I gazed back at him defiantly. “I’ll say them if I want. I don’t care if you don’t say them in return. But I love you, and I know you care for me too.”

“Dammit, woman.” He covered my mouth with his and kissed me hard. I melted against him, my curves molding against his strong body, trying to get closer. His tongue glided across my lips, parting them, as his hand gripped the back of my hair to hold me tight. He claimed me with this kiss, branding me as his, showing me how much he cared, even if he couldn’t speak it out loud.

When he released my mouth, his voice was rough. “I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved. I told myself that love made me weak and swore to never do it again. But when you were kidn*pped and that cave fell on me, the only thing that kept me alive was the thought of you. I might not be able to say those words, but I feel it too.”

“I know,” I said, kissing him over and over. “I know.”

Reven may not be able to tell me he loved me, but I knew his heart belonged to me. His face was tormented as he stared down at me, and I ran my thumb across his lips, wishing I could get him to smile. Enough with the bad memories. Maybe I could remind him of some of the good ones now.

“I see now why you’re such a good assassin and fighter,” I said. “Did you learn anything else while working as a performer? Something fun?”

He looked confused for a second, but then he smirked. “I’m a damn good juggler, actually.”

I laughed. “I don’t believe it.”

He pinned me with a dark look, then retrieved six throwing knives from his belt. With a grace I could never possess he launched them into the air, juggling them back and forth with movements almost too fast to see. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was using air magic as he made the blades fly high, catching them mid-air and throwing them again with the flick of his wrist, before finally collecting them all in one hand and performing an elaborate bow.

I clapped with a big, silly grin on my face. “I have to admit, I’m impressed. And surprised. I never expected that.”

He gave me a wink. “What can I say? I’m good with my hands.”

“Are you?” I pulled him close, my fingers gripping his black shirt. “I’m going to need a demonstration once we get to the Water Temple.”

“I think we can arrange that,” he said, before capturing my mouth again, making desire race through me.

Only a few more days, and then Reven would truly be mine.