The Light Within (Shadow and Light Duology #2)

18. Cinn

eighteen

Cinn

C inn launched himself forward, reaching the Atrium’s entrance in seconds. The sleek, polished steel doors glided open effortlessly, granting him access to an antechamber boasting a polished marble floor, sparkling in the natural light.

It was fancy in here indeed, and Cinn had just traipsed muddy footprints in. Oh dear.

Cinn was momentarily distracted by the sun streaming through the glass panels around him, refracting the light into a dazzling array of colours, which scattered across several marble busts set into alcoves.

All very lovely, but there was no time to admire the surrounding beauty. He had a spy to catch.

Cinn took the far door that led deeper into the Atrium. He stepped into a vast chamber with tiered seating, sleek lines forming a semicircle around a podium. An auditorium. This must be where the consortium heard presentations. The sheer size of it left him momentarily awestruck.

Cinn’s feet slowly took him down the staircase towards the stage. The silence amplified every squeak of his boots. He tiptoed down the last few steps.

A faint murmur of voices just reached his ears. The source was hard to place, but there was definitely something . He moved quickly—climbing the stage’s stairs two at a time to slip behind heavy curtains, pressing himself into the folds .

He strained his hearing. Yes, definitely voices. Two, one far higher pitched. For one confusing moment, his brain struggled to pinpoint where it was coming from. Then it clicked. The voices were under him . Under the stage.

He was about to drop to the floor and press his ear to the polished wood when a creaking sound, then a scuffle, froze him still. The conversation became abruptly more audible as the pair moved out from under him.

“This is the very definition of careless!” a stern voice said.

Cinn knew that voice.

It was extremely tempting to peek his head out of the curtains to confirm it.

The second voice, the deeper one, sounded almost amused. “But they were totally clueless up until now, Madame Sinclair.”

Score .

Cinn would’ve fist-pumped the air if he wasn’t wrapped up like a burrito.

“I don’t want to hear it. Listen to me. You’re off this job. Honestly, how was it possible to fuck up twice within a few hours? What part of ‘from a distance’ do you not understand?”

Madame Sinclair had often shown her temper in front of Cinn, but this was on a new level: venomous, filled with a seething intensity. He almost felt sorry for the guy.

His mind reeled. This must be their pursuer. Though, what possible reason did Eleanor have to make this random guy follow them?

“If I could—”

“No,” Eleanor snarled. “Stop talking. I’ve never seen such incompetence. I should have known you weren’t capable of this.” She unleashed a frustrated growl. “I’ll need a new plan now. After this, they’ll be constantly vigilant.” Footsteps sounded on the staircase leading out of the auditorium. Eleanor’s voice became fainter. “Go, lie low and wait for further instructions.”

The heavy doors on the far side banged shut, the sound echoing off the glass dome and leaving Cinn with only the sound of his racing heartbeat. He remained in the curtains, the risk of one of them returning too great. He counted until he grew bored at fifty-two. That would have to do. He’d sneak around the side, and duck if he heard something. His fingers twitched towards the curtain—

The fabric was wrenched to one side.

“What the hell are you doing, vraiment ?”

Cinn flinched so violently he nearly fell backward, fumbling around for a fistful of material to steady himself.

Julien was there. Standing on the stage. Wearing those ridiculous suspenders of his again, in addition to his puzzled expression.

Cinn glowered at him, folding his arms. “How did you know I was here?”

Julien pointed at Cinn’s boots. “Your shoes were poking out.”

“But… how did you know I was here, here?” Cinn gestured to the glass-domed ceiling.

“I was watching you from a window at MEET.”

“Well, that’s not fucking creepy as hell.”

“Not as creepy as you having a stalker!” Julien raised his voice, and Cinn shushed him. “Elliot swung by to tell me about it. So I assume you followed that guy in here because you recognised him from earlier? Because any other reason would be weird, obviously.”

Cinn scowled at Julien. “Obviously.” He then recounted his curtain experience to Julien, whose shock radiated from him in palpable waves when he learned who their stalker met. When he’d finished, Cinn waited for Julien to explode, predicting a stream of curses from him alongside Eleanor’s name. Instead, Julien silently grappled with his frustration, eyes darkening before he dropped his gaze to fiddle with the cuff of his coat.

“So you didn’t get a good look at that guy?”

“No. It kind of sounded like he had an American accent? Not like Elliot’s, though.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down. Americans constantly invade Auri. Come on.” Julien nodded downwards. “Let’s see what’s there.”

When they flung open the narrow door by the stage stairs, Cinn braced, ready for a hidden room filled with suspicious equipment that would surely reveal the full extent of Eleanor’s operation.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Deflating like a balloon, Cinn dragged his feet into the starkly bare, cramped space beneath the stage. “Well,” he said. “This was fun.”

The door clicked shut, Julien plunging them into darkness except for a shred of light seeping through the crack.

“Now,” Julien said, crowding into Cinn’s space. “I don’t know your definition of fun, mon amour .”

Back hitting the wall, the warmth of Julien’s body pressed into Cinn. His hand sought the shape of Julien’s face. “You know, you’ve really messed up my whole solo covert-operation thing I had going on. I was just about to track down that guy and give him a taste of his own medicine.”

Under the knuckles Cinn was gliding over his face, Julien’s cheek twitched. “ Oui? What would that involve?”

Cinn reached underneath Julien’s heavy coat, found both his suspenders, and yanked them. He leaned forward, teeth seeking Julien’s ear. A surprised, appreciative sound rumbled out of Julien, and Cinn smiled against his hair. Catching Julien off guard was no easy feat. Cinn scraped his teeth over the shell of Julien’s ear, and whispered, “Roughing him up a little,” attempting a seductive purr and succeeding, if the firm bulge now pressing into Cinn’s thigh was anything to go by.

“Rough you say? How rough?”

A sudden yank of Cinn’s hair made him gasp, his body arching instinctively closer to Julien. He pulled Cinn’s hair again, the sharp tingle of pain making him shiver. “Because I might need to do something about that. There’s only one person you’re allowed to be roughing up .”

Cinn opened his mouth to ask Julien what he was going to do about it, but only managed the first word before Julien’s mouth claimed his in a fierce kiss. The intensity of it stole his breath, knocked their conversation out of his head. Julien’s hands roamed possessively over his waist, his thighs, his ass.

Then Julien pulled back, his hands moving to Cinn’s shoulders, gripping them tightly, holding him in place against the wall.

Cinn’s eyes had adjusted to the dark; the determined set of Julien’s jaw did not escape him.

“Come with me to Paris,” Julien said in a rush. “I know we’ve only just got back from London, but I need to go to that church. Talk to Father Gérard. It’s our only lead. Who knows what Eleanor is playing at, but we need answers, and quickly. And I know you won’t want to fly again, so I thought we could take Maz, and drive all the way. We’ll need her to drive to the church anyhow. It’s an hour outside the city.” Julien took a breath, eyes flashing as he reached to squeeze Cinn’s hand. “It’ll just be us this time. We won’t stay at my father’s, of course, so don’t worry about that. We’ll get a nice hotel, over looking the Seine.”

It took Cinn the entire length of Julien’s rambling to notice the subtle undertone of anxiety in Julien’s voice. He was trying to persuade Cinn. He thought there was a chance Cinn would say no.

As if Cinn would deny him anything.

“Julien,” Cinn said, when he seemed poised to continue. “You had me at come with me . ”

If Julien heard him, he couldn’t tell.

“Or maybe even the H?tel de Crillon , overlooking the Place de la Concorde . But then again—”

“Julien!” Cinn pressed his palm over Julien’s mouth. “You had me at come with me ,” he repeated, forcefully hammering each word home.

Julien removed his hand. “You didn’t give me a chance to get to the fun bit yet.”

“What?” Cinn shook his head.

Julien’s hands squeezed tightly on his shoulders.

“I want to take you on a date.”

Heart racing, a warm glow spread through Cinn. Though Julien looked far too proud of the suggestion for Cinn’s liking.

“A what?”

Julien’s forehead crinkled. “A date.”

“Huh? What’s that?” Cinn cocked his head to one side, adopting a blank look.

Julien tipped his head back. “ Dieu donne-moi la force, ” he muttered.

“I’m serious,” Cinn protested, suppressing bubbles of laughter. “You’re going to have to say it one more time, because I thought you said ‘date’. But that can’t be right.”

Julien pressed his forehead against Cinn’s, continuing to curse under his breath.

“Well?” Cinn asked.

Pulling away from him, Julien’s frustration melted into his wolfish grin, dimples flashing. “Right then. Challenge accepted. If you truly don’t know what a date is, prepare to be educated.”

“In the meantime…” Cinn yanked on the clasp on Julien’s belt. Despite the meandering conversation, his dick hadn’t forgotten Julien had locked him in a small dark room to push him up against a wall.

“Mmm,” Julien hummed. “That would be nice, but I have to go now. ”

“You’re joking.” Cinn snatched up Julien’s hand, and pressed it against his tented trousers. “You can’t leave me here like this!”

“I’m afraid I’m too busy. Mind-blowing dates to plan. You’ll have to wait.” Julien squeezed Cinn’s cock, sending more blood rushing south.

“What? Until when?” There was a frantic, desperate edge to Cinn’s tone, and he pawed at Julien’s suspenders. “ Paris? Fuck off!”

Julien leaned in to whisper into Cinn’s ears. “Don’t worry, mon amour . You know I’ll make it worth the wait.”

Laughing in a way that bordered on manic, Julien slowly backed out of the cramped space, shutting the door behind him and leaving Cinn alone in the darkness to curse the day he met Julien.