The Long Road to Ruin Ch. 36

Shiloh put a smile on her face as she caught sight of Tony and Essex with Nathan. She winked at Essex and cleared her throat, drawing Nathan's attention to her. "One moment, Shiloh," he bade her and turned back to the handsome smugglers. "Do whatever it takes to pull off the mission. I want that shipment in our hands. It'll be a substantial pay-day for us."

Nathan continued to give orders, but Shiloh walked out of the older man's office, cocking her head at Essex as she went. He followed and moved fairly close to her. "What can I do for you?" A wicked smile crossed his face.

"I can think of plenty," she murmured and closed the gap between them, "If you're bold enough."

A chuckle slipped forth from his lips. "That shouldn't be a problem, especially if you have time to let me prove it to you."

She grinned. "What about later tonight?"

"Would be my pleasure," Essex moved his hands up her arms to caress her shoulders once more. He pulled her in, feeling the breastplate of her revealing armor touch his chest, and touched her temple, trailed his fingers down over her cheek to the corner of her mouth, and then followed the line of her jaw to her earlobe. His movements were unhurried and deliberate. He inclined his head and brushed his lips against hers, not a full kiss but a light, tender brushing.

She purred against his mouth, as a vision of torn clothing and frantically seeking hands and eager, open mouths and bodies falling together in a writhing tangle filled her mind. She eagerly would have welcomed that ... but this, this slow and sweet almost-kiss ... the tender touch on her earlobe ...this was heaven.

He breathed her name against her lips. "Shiloh..."

The sound of a clearing throat broke the rapture that bound them together. Her eyes went wide as she pulled away from the man who'd drawn her in. Composing herself, she returned to Nathan. The magnetism the stormy eyed male exuded had left her shaken, drawing her in and left her aching for another taste.

"Master Nathan," Shiloh curtseyed, dropping down to one knee. Essex made his way back to stand near Tony, but his eyes remained on Shiloh.

Tony inclined his head, "And what about her?" He motioned to Shiloh. "She seemed to think Drago would let her go with us."

Nathan turned his gaze to Shiloh. Their eyes met evenly. "It's not up to Drago whether or not I allow you to go on such a dangerous mission. In fact, I think the risk involved is far too great."

"I know the risks involved, but might I remind you that it was I that gave you the information for the last mission. We have to act quickly. I also remind you that I will not allow any more of my family's treasure to end up in Dhorn hands. That is my legacy they're shipping to the Emperor. It's my last hope of regaining the throne of Betancuria in my family's name. I won't stand by and do nothing."

"What good is your legacy if you're not alive to claim it?" Nathan cocked an eyebrow at her careful tone. He sensed the anger that simmered just below the surface. He rubbed his chin and contemplated why she hadn't begun making her demands like usual. He could only surmise that it had to do with Tony or Essex's presence in the room.

She bowed her head momentarily as she gathered up all her stray thoughts and emotions to form them into something solid. "I'm not some delicate little flower or your royal protégée. I have proved I can stand on my own two feet under different circumstances and on different occasions. I need to do this. That's my legacy out there. Do you have any idea what recovering that could do for all of us? It could give us the means to overthrow the Dhorn. It could give us the chance to recruit new members, people that aren't afraid of the Dhorn. I'm not interested in finishing what my father started. His reasons were for his own selfish glory. I'm not interested in selfish glory. We should find another way to undermine the Dhorn. Please, let me help. I'm not same person Vico brought in here all those months ago. I need to do this, Sir. Please. I just want to be a part of it."

Nathan sat back and eyed her methodically. He glanced over her flushed skin, the red and gold ceremonial armor, the odd red tattoo that ringed her navel, and finally to the red leather thigh high boots. He pursed his lips for a moment before speaking, "How did you become like this, Shiloh? You need not walk Vico's path."

"I walk the path to vengeance. Not just with dear Vico, but with the Dhorn. One day they will both feel my wrath, one sooner than the other. How can you deny me what I desire? How can you deny me vengeance over the Dhorn?"

Tony took that moment to speak up. "Let her come. We'll keep an eye on her."

"See, I'll be in good hands," she grinned. "And I'll be very careful. I won't get caught."

Tony nodded at her and inclined his head at Nathan. "I have no problem with her coming along. From all the talk I've heard about her fights with Vico, I have no doubt she could hold her own when we're out there."

"I'll think on it. We still have much planning to do. I'll let you know, Shiloh. Now did you need anything else?" Nathan wryly replied.

"I need to speak to you in private, Master Nathan, if you have a moment."

Nathan nodded and sent a glance at Tony. "We'll discuss matters concerning that mission later. As for the current one, do as I told you. Whatever it takes, Tony. No mistakes."

Tony inclined his head. "Consider it done."

Shiloh smiled and watched both Tony and Essex leave. She waited until they were out of earshot before she spoke again. "Despite Tony's recommendation, are you going to let me go or not? If not, I'll sneak aboard one of the ships. The sailors at the harbor will tell me whatever I need to know."

Nathan's cold eyes penetrated her. "I might be more inclined to allow you to go if you hadn't stormed in on Drago and behaved so rudely. This is my guild, Shiloh, which means you will abide by my rules. Also it's clear that the 'hands off' restriction isn't being followed, especially since you were attempting to seduce a man you've only just met. However, I think the proper mission for you to focus on is opening that secret castle vault. Alfons relayed the details you gave him. It would be beneficial if it this mission was undertaken soon, but as you know neither Vico nor Rhys are available at the moment."

"Rhys doesn't need to go with me after all. He stands out too much, which may be a liability to me. I'd hate myself if the Dhorn caught him again. As for Vico, he would be sufficient enough backup, if I can restrain myself from wanting to kill him." Shiloh replied as she rubbed her hands over her face. "But I don't think that would be a very good idea. We'd just end up fighting. I saw him earlier at the docks and a confrontation ensued. Shanna ended their relationship and he didn't take it very well. She's out of his reach for now as well."

"I see. That's out of the question. I can't risk both of you being caught. We'll talk further about the castle mission. I haven't made up my mind whether or not I'll allow you to go on the treasure recovery mission. But I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Master Nathan, I won't disappoint you." She curtseyed before him and left the room. She stopped only to swat Warent on the backside as she passed by him. He chuckled at her antics, knowing what a fierce contradiction she was, sometimes playful and sometimes serious, chaotic and caring at the same time. How could someone be so violent yet so soft? And so special that everything around her craved her presence? If only she wasn't such a handful.

O.O

Upon leaving the Bear Pit through the trap door off the main dining room, Shiloh headed in the direction of the hideout. She had much to prepare for before tonight.

Shiloh knew she should return to her apartment to bathe and change into the dancer's dress Mando had given her for mayor's party later this evening, but the thought of traipsing through the pouring rain made her decision for her. Perhaps a brief stop at Vico's place downstairs would provide the chance to clean up. She hoped he wouldn't be there. She scoffed at the thought that entered her mind. Perhaps he was off licking his wounds somewhere since Shanna broke off the relationship.

The imp inside her cackled and she hurried along, quickly making her way to the hallway leading up to the hideout and torch bracket on the wall. Pulling it she opened the panel just wide enough for her to slip through. Closing it behind her, she made her way to his bedroom.

The air within the room was stale and smelled of... feet. Shiloh's nose crinkled at the foul stench. She lit a candle that smelled of lavender and vanilla, two effeminate scents, but ones that pleased her. She thought back to when she'd brought the candle here. It had gone unburned ever since. With a sigh, she poured tepid water into kettle she hooked over the low flame burning within the fireplace. Tossing a few small pieces of wood in, she waited and watched as the flames grew. Soon the water would get hot and she could bathe.

Once the water had reached a warm temperature, she pulled the kettle from the fire and poured it into the chipped ceramic bowl Vico used for washing. She disrobed and bathed her body before clothing herself in the scant dress Mando had given her. The red scrap of nearly see-through material left little to the imagination and she instinctively knew what kind of party the mayor had to be throwing.

It made her feel incredibly feminine and sexy. She started to hum as she viewed herself in the dress. Pulling both her blades, she began to dance before the mirror, watching her every move. She swayed and gyrated, her rhythmic steps spoke of sensual grace while she twirled the swords in her hands. Her movements were unhurried and elegant yet utterly mesmerizing and beautiful.

Her body swayed slowly to her own seductive humming, a tune that seeped into her senses, bringing her alive, awake to the very moment. Her hands twined in one intricate position and then another, the swords in her grasp sweeping around her body with measured control. Her arms intertwined with one another. Her torso gyrated, swaying to and fro as she mimicked movements of swordplay. She twirled about, the long strands of her blonde hair swinging free, bouncing and cascading over her shoulders, as she undulated her body in a symbolic display of power and grace.

The sound of someone clearing their throat stopped her dead in her tracks. Shiloh's head snapped around, her body twisting to see who had disturbed her. She sheathed her swords. A snarling sound closely followed.

"What are you doing?" Vico's eyes were emotionless and icy on the surface, but the black centers burned from within like the fathomless pits of hell. His voice was choked with disdain. "I thought I'd made it clear to you that you're never welcome here."

His words hit her like a slap. He'd spoken those words to her many times, but she'd never really believed them. This time was different. His dark eyes mirrored the look on his face. His rigid demeanor spoke volumes to her. There was more to his anger than just her being here. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt not only was he implying that she didn't belong in his place of refuge, but that she also couldn't begin to understand the depth of his feelings where Shanna was concerned. He resented her for thinking she knew what would make him happy. It was clearly written all over his handsome scruffy face. To lose her a second time, not to death but to another man, was harder than the first time around.

"Shanna made the choice on her own," Shiloh angrily retorted. Her eyes blazed red with rage. "You have only yourself to blame."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I blame you."

"You hurt her worse than I ever did. You with your indecisiveness over which one of us you wanted more, you tore her heart to shreds when you stood in front of her and admitted it was me you loved."

Vico shot her an insolent look. "How much did you hurt her? Would you have ever told her the truth? I don't buy the 'concerned sister' act. Why would I believe that you ever gave a damn about her? The only reason you brought her back was a ploy to draw my attention to you."

Tears stung in her eyes at his harsh words, despite the fact that she'd often heard much worse from him. His belittling words had left deep scars upon her tattered soul. They cut her to the quick, straight into the heart of the matter. "Why must you constantly think the worst of me? Why do you do that?"

Vico shrugged nonchalantly. "Do what?"

"Cruelly treat me like you've never given a damn about me. You make a habit of denying everything we ever had. You act like you don't need a damn thing from anyone."

He clenched his jaw as a muscle ticked in his cheek. "I don't need a damn thing," he flashed a look of open scorn at her, "Especially you."

She cried out in exasperation. "So that's just how it's always going to be. Big bad Vico, not affected by any emotions, big tough guy, eh? You take just what you want, when you want."

"Why should I give a rat's ass about a whore like you? I've had you."

The contemptuous retort didn't merit a response from her. Shiloh knew Vico was trying to bait her. She let it go, continuing to glare at him. She could've screamed at him, reminding him that a large part of the blame rested on his shoulders for what she had become. She could have laid endless tales of how he'd hurt her repeatedly at his feet, but it seemed pointless at this moment. Vico would never accept responsibility for his part of what she'd become. "Gods, you wear your bitterness like a shield to protect yourself. You hide behind your brooding and your anger like coward who's afraid to get caught experiencing some human warmth. Someone offers you love and you push them away. There's nothing wrong with accepting that someone loves you more than anything."

Vico scoffed at her. "You don't have a clue what love is, cunt. You taught me that. You showed me I couldn't trust you to let you out of my sight. You brought this on, not me. Now get out of my sight, whore."

Shiloh's eyes flashed an even deeper shade of crimson. "I'm not a whore," she moved with the speed of lightning toward him. Thinking Shiloh's rapid advance meant she was about to attack, Vico drew forth Kinslayer and his dagger in an attempt to quickly run her through. However, Shiloh feinted to Vico's right as she pulled her blades and slashed at his throat before he had time to further react. Darksbane nicked him and drew a line of blood. For a split second she lifted her index and middle finger from the hilt of her left hand blade and smeared them through his blood and then displayed it to him as he snarled out of rage.

Shiloh wasted no time. She tumbled out of his reach, making her way to the door. She found it partially open and ducked through. Her long legs ate up the distance she traveled the stairs to the hideout. She knew Vico was behind her. She could hear his harsh breath and even harsher guttural words spoke in the abyssal tongue. She tumbled through the doorway and cartwheeled into the main room. This put her near the table. She leapt onto it and faced Vico who stood before her. His teeth were bared menacingly. His eyes still burned with rage; his weapons still at hand. The glow emanating from Kinslayer's blade matched the glow in Shiloh's eyes.

"You are dead, bitch. You just don't know it yet." The snarl that came from his throat caused the hair to stand up on the back of the neck of everyone who watched.

Shiloh twirled her swords nimbly within her hands. "I'm not afraid of you and I'm more than prepared to prove it. Come on, tough guy. Fight me."

Vico laughed at her. "You have no hope in the hells of beating me on your own and you know it. We both do, surrender, little girl, before I yank you down from there and spank you, right before I finish you off."

Her first kick hit him square in the chest while she landed the other upon his chin. However as he was going down, Vico kicked the leg out from the table. The table crashed below her, bringing her down with it. She landed on her bottom, cursing roughly as Vico lay sprawled out on the floor in front of her. She shook off the slight wave of dizziness from her fall and sprang to her feet, meeting him head on as he lunged at her, his swords leading the way.

She threw her arms forward, blocking Kinslayer with both Darkstar and Darksbane. "We'll see who gets spanked, asshole," she retorted before lashing out at Vico with both of her blades. She missed him with both attacks then feinted to the left, slashing again at him with Darksbane, only to have it blocked by Kinslayer. She then sliced across Vico's stomach with Darkstar, with her off hand. The blade struck, but did not penetrate his black leather armor. Vico laughed at her and thrust with both his dagger and the glowing red blade of Kinslayer. Shiloh blocked the longsword and parried the attack from his dagger. Tumbling away and moving into a defensive crouch, she watched the blackguard as he approached. He thrust and she parried once more. Metal rang on metal.

All around her Shiloh could hear the voices of the onlookers. At Dalino's table, bets were now being made on the outcome of the fight. Shiloh tumbled away once again, her long legs flying through the air. Landing on her feet, she danced nimbly away from a guild member whose name she didn't know. The guild member grabbed hold of her hair and reeled her backwards. Shiloh squawked as burning pain ripped through her scalp. He wrapped his arm around her middle, intent of handing her over to Vico.

"Teach the bitch a lesson," he sneered before Shiloh forced herself to go limp in his embrace. She slithered out of his hold and crouched before him. As she stood back up, she stomped his foot, grabbed hold of his ears and nearly laid him out as her knee connected with his face. She twisted his limp body around, shoving him towards the advancing Vico. The gathering crowd took note of the pure unchecked determination burning in Shiloh's eyes.

The amount on the bets increased as Vico summoned a red ball of sucking energy and thrust it straight at Shiloh's chest; only her quick reflexes saved her from absorbing the blow. She then thrust both blades at Vico. One sliced his cheek open while the other nicked his jaw. She cursed then aimed at his neck again. He parried her next slashes with Kinslayer before slicing across the upper chest with his dagger.

Shiloh hissed and tumbled away. The confines of the room were too close. She needed a more open space to continue this, but Vico wasn't about to give up. Not when he had the little bitch where he wanted her.

Kinslayer crashed against Darksbane and sparks flew. Three more horrifyingly fast raking slashes later found Shiloh in a corner with little hope of escape. Vico let his dagger drop to quickly grip her throat, holding her in place. "If you think just because I've fucked you that I won't kill you, you're dumber than I ever thought."

Shiloh closed her eyes as she felt his arm moving. She felt the cold steel of his sword against her skin. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out. She knew he'd kill her, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

As Vico attempted to shove Kinslayer through her shoulder, Shiloh drew her knee up; she rammed it onto his crotch with all the force she could muster. Vico hissed. She cried out in delight as Kinslayer lodged in the wall behind her. She tumbled away from him as he furiously tried to yank the blade out. Run, her mind coaxed even as the steady mantra of Bastian's demands of Rip him, kill him, bleed him echoed through her.

She fled to the stairs, dodging guild members, while Vico managed to dislodge his blade then followed quickly on her heels. As soon as they reached the open confines of the sewers, she whirled on him, sinking Darkstar into his ribcage. He hissed and spit blood in her face. Shiloh felt a surge of vigor sweep through her. She jerked away from him, bringing both her swords up for a finishing blow.