Against the Dawn Read Free

longer polished concrete but shining black granite running with veins of blue. Jesus, he’d even ripped out all of my appliances, each and every piece now professional grade stainless steel and shining in the morning sunlight without even a fingerprint to mar their surfaces. A gourmet kitchen for the woman who never cooked. Typical Xander.
    Heavy drapes accented my windows; gorgeous Impressionist art graced the walls. Vases of fresh dahlias, daisies, and mums adorned the kitchen table, the kitchen island, and the coffee table in the living room. No one knew I was coming home. Did he have someone on fresh flower patrol or some shit? My jaw hung slack as I took in my studio, once so cold and uninviting and now so… homey .
    “’Bout time you came home.”
    My heart jumped up into my fucking throat, and I spun around to find my favorite pain-in-the-ass planted in the entryway. One shoulder supported his body as he leaned against the elevator gate, filling the space with his large, muscular build. I’d forgotten how tall he was. And how eerily quiet he could be. An amused expression lit his face, one corner of his mouth curved into a lopsided grin. He was every bit laid back California surfer guy with his too long wavy blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. According to Xander, he’d assigned Asher to watch over me, and apparently, his duties hadn’t ended with Kade’s demise.
    “Here to check on the flowers?” I teased.
    “Here to check on you,” he replied. “Or rather, for you.”
    My smile melted at the severity of his tone. The knot that had only recently begun to loosen tightened once again in my stomach, anxiety coursing through my veins like liquid fire. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t prepared to face any of them. “How did you know I’d be here?” I asked as I dropped my gaze to the floor.
    “I didn’t,” Asher said with a shrug. “He makes me come here. Every day. Sometimes twice a day.”
    Can you say awkward? I’d left for O Anel with my life in shambles. Xander was only one of the shattered pieces that I was going to have to clean up now that I was home. “That’s pretty messed up, even for Xander.” I tried to laugh but it came out as more of a strangled snort. “I’m sorry you’ve had to waste your time for the past few months.”
    “My king is very concerned for you, Darian.” I’d never heard Asher refer to Xander in such a formal manner. In fact, his very demeanor was less playful kid and more responsible adult. Quite the change for only six months’ time. “Whatever he commands me to do, I do. If that means camping out on your front steps for half a year, so be it.”
    Xander—sneaky SOB that he was—planted Asher in the team I’d assembled to help protect Anya when Kade had threatened her. But what I didn’t know at the time was that it wasn’t Asher’s job to look after Anya at all. He’d been hand-picked by the Shaede King to look after me. Though I’d been angry with Xander over the deception, in hindsight, it hadn’t been a bad idea.
    “So you just wander over a couple times a day, peek your head in, and shout, anybody home?”
    “Pretty much.” He pushed himself off the jamb and walked in to the living room.
    “And the flowers?” I couldn’t help but ask.
    “Not my responsibility,” he said with a smile. “Maybe you should ask Raif?”
    A pang of emotion tugged at my chest at the mention of my best friend’s name. Of all the things I’d left behind for my brief vacation, I missed him the most. “How is he?” Though I knew a reunion would be tough, I couldn’t wait to see him. In fact, Xander’s house was my next stop.
    “Unflappable. As always,” Asher replied. “He doesn’t say it, but I think he misses you, too.”
    “Too?” I let the word hang. Besides Xander and Raif, I wondered if anyone else had missed me. Maybe a certain overprotective Jinn…
    “Yeah,” he said, mockingly. “I sort of missed you, too.”
    A corner of my mouth