1 — TO FIND THE MARK

VANESSA

They nicknamed him the Great Khal. Maybe it was because he lumbered like a giant bull or because he was as aggressive as one. Whatever the reason, I did not care.

“Open the gates!” A man yelled from below the balcony where I stood with a glass of wine in my hand, watching distinguished guests come in.

People paved the way, jostling one another to create room for the King’s convoy. Hushed conversations rippled through the crowd as the cars slowed to a stop and several men in black hurried out toward one of the cars.

The door opened and out came the man of the night. The flute trembled in my grip as I stared at the wonder before me.

He had a rugged beauty like I’d never seen, wild and untamed, oozing pure male sensuality. The paparazzi went wild, taking snapshots after snapshots of him, blinding white lights enough to make one dizzy.

Then somehow in the midst of this madness, he looked up and our gaze met. My breath caught in my throat. I found myself frozen in time, lost in the heat of his stare.

Chants of “King Leonidas” rendered the air but this man had his eyes locked on me. Only me.

He had a scar marring his left eye, some say it was from a rival clash. Others say it was from the man that bore him. They had a fallout which resulted in a division.

He was a beast who ripped his opponents apart with just one powerful blow. The stories were not just woven tales to make children cower in fear, but the testimonies of men who survived him.

Did he recognize me? Did he get intel that I was the one assigned to take his life? What next? Was he going to call the guards on me?

Was he going to come after me himself?

The questions ran wild in my mind, still I was prepared to jump over the balcony if any of my guesses were right.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, he looked away but I swear on my soul…that man smirked. His lips stretched in a cocky tilt that bordered almost on maniacal.

That was who the Serpent Sisters, the assassin group I worked for, wanted me to kill for my next assignment. They were setting up an appointment for my own death and I was just supposed to agree to it?

I’d never run from an operation before. But I was determined to make it as far as the boundary and disappear for good. News of how brutal he was shook me to the core.

How was I supposed to seduce a man who looked like he picked his teeth with the bones of his opponent?

However, the Serpent Sisters were not named so for just any reason. They found me and brought me back. Not just that, my stepmother was laying unconscious at their feet.

“Just do the job as clean as possible and then, your mother would be free. You can vanish into thin air after that, but this is what you must do.”

So here I was standing in front of the grand reception hall where the royal ball was to hold. It would be an unforgettable experience because tonight was the night I was going to take out their ruler.

***

Leonidas rose to his feet with a glass of champagne in his hand. “To each of you here tonight, may joy follow you wherever you go, and may laughter light your hearts.” Everyone cheered to that. “Alright, enough sipping and get to the dance floor.”

Let the celebrations begin! Or the mourning.

I took an extra swig of wine before depositing the empty glass on the tray of a passing waitress.

It was time to get the King’s attention.

I joined the dancing crowd, picking for myself a partner. The orchestra music swelled into a lively tempo and my feet glided in tune with the music.

Who’s to say an assassin should lack grace and poise?

A hand caught mine. “You dance really well for someone who did not grow up with royalty.”

I turned at once, stunned to be staring into a familiar pair of hazel eyes I never thought I’d see again. We had grown up in the same street before our paths were divided.

He, to resume his father’s position at the palace and me, well, to whatever it was I was into now.

“Noel?” I breathed, filled with genuine surprise and something else I thought I felt for him. Instead, there was nothing. “I thought you had royal duties and was appointed as duke.”

He pulled me in tune with the waltz. “I still do and still am. Right now, I’m just a man who wants to enjoy the evening ball of the century. I spent years wondering where you disappeared to. Even thought you were dead at some point.”

I chuckled nervously, trying to peek over his shoulders. “I was but now I’m back. It is hard to kill what isn’t really there.”

The next seconds were filled with questions about where I’d been and what I’d spent the past years of my life doing.

Not sure he wanted to know that I made a living from snuffing the life out of people. Or that his King was next on my radar.

When I took another peek, the crowd was parting for someone. Leonidas had stepped down from the dais and he joined the widening dancing circle.

The lightness in the way he moved, his golden hair that caught the light. He was the sun and we were merely planets orbiting around him, moving at his command.

Noel turned me the other way, cutting my target out of sight. “Nessa, are you even listening?”

“Yes, of course,” I lied through my teeth, mildly annoyed at his intrusion. “I’m sorry I have to go now.”

Just as I said it, the dance called for an exchange. I practically shoved Noel toward a passing duchess who greedily accepted him, while I grabbed the next available set of hands.

Now was not the time for friendly catch-ups and nostalgic get-togethers. The little girl he knew was already long gone.

“Well, hello there, beautiful,” a slimy voice drawled.

I found myself pressed against a man whose breath smelled of wine and expensive tobacco. His eyes did not meet mine, instead, they traveled shamelessly downwards.

My stomach curdled at his blatant disrespect. By the time he finally had the decency to look at me, it felt like I was in the hands of the King.

“My brother has fine taste in guests tonight,” he whispered, sliding his hand a little below my waist. “That dress works wonders for your cleavage, darling. I wonder if the rest of you is just as inviting.”

The King’s brother? Tonight just got interesting.