by Ford, Lizzy
Damian stood and moved away, emotions roiling. How could someone so treacherous have lived under his nose for thousands of years? How had he ever turned a blind eye to her? He touched her mind for the first time ever, and his resolve solidified at the images he saw there.
She’d never loved Darian and had used him to gain his title and power. Her betrayal struck him even harder.
“It doesn’t matter, Claire,” he whispered. “You killed my brother and two hundred sixty-three other Guardians.”
She rose and dusted off her legs from where she’d knelt. Her eyes flashed with defiance, and she glowered at him.
“You’ve had tens of thousands of years to get rid of me. You can’t tell me you never looked into my thoughts with your god-powers!” she snapped.
“I didn’t,” he said. “I promised Darian.”
“Even when we were fucking?”
“Even when we were fucking,” he said evenly. “I have honor, Claire.”
“Tell me, Damian, does she fuck the way you like it? Can she do for you what I did?”
“Leave her out of this, Claire.” His growl was inhuman, a warning she didn’t heed.
“I was meant to be at your side, not some stupid human!”
“There’s no chance of that now, is there? I don’t even expect to let you live tonight.”
As if finally realizing her game was called, she hesitated then said, “I’ll tell you everything you want to know about Czerno.”
“I want to know why you killed my brother.” Damian managed to get the difficult words out through clenched teeth.
She appeared pensive and shrugged. “I don’t remember anymore.”
Fury lit his insides as he regarded her easy dismissal for one of the most painful events of his life. Worse—he saw in her mind that what she said was true. She didn’t remember, and she didn’t care.
“Damian,” she purred, approaching him and resting her hands on his chest. “I’ll tell you everything you don’t know about Czerno in exchange for my life. I swear, I’ll tell you all and disappear.”
Her touch was like poison! He glared down at her, looking for some sign of the woman he’d thought she was.
“I don’t give a fuck about Czerno, Claire. I loved Darian. I love Sofia. At one point, I think I loved you, too.”
“We can—”
He pushed her away from him and drew a deep breath, withdrawing a pistol from the small of his back.
“You’re a traitor.” He spit the word. “You’ve killed so many, and I’ve been too afraid to see you for what you are. Tonight, you’re nothing to me.”
She stared at him, her surprise the first genuine emotion he’d seen. He gathered his power and sent it toward her, wrapping it around her tightly.
“Claire, your immortality is revoked.”
“Damian, don’t!” she shouted as the invisible hands lifted her and stripped her of her immortal gift. They dropped her to the floor. She scrambled up and stared at him, terrified.
Damian took aim with the pistol and fired into her heart before she could make another sound. She dropped. He stood over her, watching the life fade from her eyes. Images of his brother played through his thoughts, images of Claire’s father presenting her to Darian, of their visible love, of Darian’s death, of his own involvement with Claire …
The images hit fast and hard, even as he exited the compound and destroyed it with a flash of power. He stood and watched it burn, feeling as if a part of him burned with it.
A part of him did. What was left of Darian went up in the second funeral pile in his honor. Damian closed his eyes to the heat and light, tormented by his brother’s death and his own cowardice.
Forgive me, brother.
Miles away, Sofia couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong with Damian. His mind was closed, his home videos playing too faintly for her to hear. Whatever he was going through, he was doing his best to block her.
“C’mon, kiri,” Dustin said, poking his head into the library.
She unraveled herself from her favorite chair near the window. Dark had fallen an hour before. She pocketed her list and trailed him to the area just beyond the patio, where the scent of hot dogs and s’mores greeted her long before she reached the small group circled around a bonfire. Linda and Traci were there. She hid a smile at the look on Linda’s face. The brunette stood between Traci and Rainy, as if she were trying to broker a peace deal between two warring countries.
Traci was stunning, from her supermodel body to her delicate, elfin features. Her arms were crossed, and though she smiled at Lon, Sofia could see her level of comfort was equal to hers among the giants that towered even above a supermodel.
Relief flooded Linda’s features as she saw Sofia. She hurried from between the two warring factions and hugged her. Sofia forced herself not to recoil, afraid to touch anyone.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Linda whispered. “This is awful.”
Sofia felt Rainy’s hard gaze but avoided his heated look.
“Traci, come here!” Linda called, flashing a smile. The supermodel all but bolted from the midst of the male forest around her. “This is Sofi. She saved your life.”
Traci’s hand fluttered to her stomach, and Sofia’s face flamed.
“I’ll get you some food,” Linda said, bouncing away.
“She’s so sweet,” Traci murmured as she left. “I’d go crazy here if not for her.”
“I completely understand,” Sofia said.
“Linda says you’re newer than me. This world will screw with your mind.”
“Yeah.”
An awkward quiet fell, and she sensed Traci was as reserved as she was. Linda returned with two hotdogs and handed one to each of them.
“You have to eat for three now, Traci,” she said cheerfully.
“There goes that modeling career,” Traci whispered. Sofi pitied the beautiful woman as a stricken look crossed her features.
Pierre walked by and snatched Sofia’s hotdog. She was grateful; the scent was both nauseating and infuriating. Linda eyed him.
“She doesn’t eat,” he called over his shoulder.
“You’re not starving yourself, are you?” Linda asked, turning to her in concern.
“She’s blood bound,” Pierre supplied, unasked.
Sofia glared at him, her embarrassment deepening at the look the men around the fire gave her. Any hope she’d had of them not understanding how different she was died. Their looks ranged from amazement to surprise to Dustin’s look of disapproval aimed at Pierre.
“What does that mean?” Traci asked.
“It means, she doesn’t eat,” Dustin said, coming to her rescue. “Why don’t you all sit down? Grande, Lon, move.”
They complied, and the three women sat in lawn chairs.
“Do you eat s’mores?” Linda prodded, handing her the plate going around.
“Lin, we’ll talk about it later,” Lon told her softly. “Just skip the food.”
Did they think she was a freak? She couldn’t tell. Linda was too easygoing to be affected by much of anything, and the men seemed more surprised than anything else.
It’s the greatest honor to be bound to a man like Damian. Han’s words returned, and she forced herself to relax. No matter what anyone else thought, it was her reality. It must not have been totally unheard of if they all understood what it was.
“How long have you been a part of this insanity?” she asked Linda.
“Two years, or just under. It’s kinda neat to know we’re helping save the world from bad guys.”
“You seem pretty happy,” Traci observed. “Maybe in two years …”
Sofia saw her pain and couldn’t help but empathize.
“He loves you,” she said quietly. “I saw it in his face when he almost killed me for being anywhere near you.”
Traci’s gaze flew to her. There was turmoil in her pale blue eyes.
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” she asked, one eyebrow arching. “I
’ll make his life a living hell if so.”
Sofia shook her head.
“Jackass,” she muttered.
Sofia exchanged a look with Linda, and the chipper woman took the hint.
“You guys excited about shopping Saturday? I have a few places picked out already. This has to be my favorite time of year, and the one time Lon promises not to dissect our credit card bills.”
“Yeah, I can think of some places I’d like to go,” Traci said. “I’ve been living in the bachelor pad with the guys for three months now. I definitely need some girl stuff.”
“We’ll totally load up. Rainy will have to get used to pink stuff being everywhere.”
“That he will,” Traci said with a small smile.
“Are there more of us?” Sofia asked Linda.
“Naturals mated with Guardians?” Linda grinned. “Yep. We have our own support group. I’ll send you the link to our online forum. There aren’t many of us, and we’re all over the world, but we’re really close-knit. We have to be. Who else can you tell about your husband beheading five vamps?”
“I can’t believe all this,” Sofia said with a surprised laugh. “It doesn’t seem real.”
“Hon, it’s as real as it gets,” Linda assured her. “You’ll have to make some sacrifices, but it’s worth it.” Her adoring gaze went to Lon. Sofia exchanged an understanding look with Traci.
“Maybe in two years …” Traci said again.
“Can you have cocoa?” Linda asked.
“Nothing.”
“I don’t understand what blood bound is,” Traci said.
Sofia took a deep breath. “Well, Czerno’s henchmen killed me. Damian brought me back, but I can’t live without … his blood. I need it instead of food.”
“How romantic!” Linda exclaimed.
“I don’t really think of it that way,” Sofia said, eyeing her. “It kinda hurt getting killed, and it really sucks not being able to eat food.”
“It is romantic,” Traci agreed. “What a wonderful story.”
“You think so? You don’t think it’s crazy?”
“No!” they said simultaneously.
“Sofi, none of us are normal. Maybe in the human world, it’d be totally insane. I don’t mean that in a mean way,” Linda said quickly. “But you have a new family now, and it doesn’t sound crazy to me at all. It sounds like a fairytale.”
Traci was gazing at her intently. Sofia saw the tears form in her gaze.
“Excuse me,” Traci said, standing. “Sofia, is there a restroom?”
“I’ll show you,” Sofia said.
“We’ll be back,” Traci promised Linda.
They walked toward the house, reaching the patio before Traci started crying. Sofia stood helplessly for a long minute.
“I’m sorry. Maybe it’s my hormones. Or maybe I’m just not … this is so unreal!”
“Pierre, go please,” Sofia said, knowing he’d be there when she turned. “I’m not going past the bathroom.”
He moved away without returning to the group.
“Come on,” she said, placing a hand on Traci’s arm. She guided the crying woman inside to her library and dug through the small satchel near her favorite chair. “I’ve been crying for a week straight. I’ve figured out which tissues are the softest.”
Traci choked on a half-laugh, half-sob and accepted the packet of tissues. She sat down, sobbing her heart out, and Sofia sat near her. God, how she understood the uncertainty and confusion Traci felt!
“You again.”
She turned at Rainy’s voice. His green eyes shifted from her to Traci. Sofia hesitated before standing. She left them alone and returned to the group, deep in thought. The growing night chill had driven Linda into Lon’s arms, and she relaxed near the fire. The men spoke among themselves, swapping war stories and discussing the Tucson Sector’s influx of vamps. They ignored her, and she rested her head on the back of the chair, their low talk and the warmth of the fire lulling her into another trance.
Images flowed behind her eyelids, most too fleeting to catch. Damian’s home videos played, intertwined with those of others, until a wave of power washed over her. She jerked upright. The Guardians had frozen in mid-speech and were looking toward the mansion.
“Don’t worry about it,” Dustin said, his eyes locked on the house. “He’s had a rough day.”
Their gazes lingered before they returned to their conversations. Sofia glanced at Dustin and stood, concerned. Damian was not one to lose control. If he had, something horrible had happened. She closed her eyes, searching for the home videos. Visions of his brother.
Claire’s death.
Stop.
His command was so sharp she jumped. She felt more compelled to him now than ever before.
“Sofia,” Dustin called as she stepped toward the house. “Kiri, you’ve never seen him like this.”
“He needs me,” she said.
He searched her gaze and pursed his lips but lifted his chin toward the house.
“Pierre, stay,” he ordered.
“I’m not going in there,” Pierre assured him, earning him another look of disapproval.
The sense of power increased tenfold as she entered the mansion. The lights were on, but shadows crawled from the corners and choked the lights until they were shriveled, glowing orbs. The shadows clung to her as she stepped into the hallway. They moved like smoke, shifting and swirling as they crawled the walls. They formed a fog at her feet and trailed her toward the stairwell.
She swallowed hard. Damian needed her. Shadows chased her up the stairs and flew down the halls, coating the floors and walls in shallow, black fog. The power swirling in the air around her grew as she neared Damian’s door, and she was reminded of the tension in the air before a thunderstorm. Only this was equal to a hundred thunderstorms.
She didn’t know what Damian was, but he was beyond Superman powerful.
Leave. His command reached her as she opened his suite door. He stood on the balcony, visible beyond the transparent curtains rustling in the moving haze. She hesitated before moving forward again.
“Sofia.” The warning in his voice was plain. His whisper reached her across the room.
“No,” she told him.
Fear unfurled in her breast, and she clenched her fists. Shadows crawled over the world around her, and the tension in the air made it hard to breathe. The hair on her arms and neck stood up. She’d never seen him not in control. His powers were quiet and exploring, crawling over the physical world.
The air around him was even harder to breathe. Her breaths quickened, and her heart pounded.
“You need me,” she managed.
“I need nothing from this world!” he said with an undertone that was purely inhuman. His fury, pain, and sorrow choked her. Her eyes watered at the soul-wrenching emotions. She’d never felt pain like his!
“Damian.”
He whirled and stalked toward her, his face a mask of fury. She sidestepped him and retreated until the balcony railing trapped her. He planted his hands on either side of her and lowered his face to her level. His presence was overwhelming, and her body reacted with both terror and lust so strong it made her head spin.
His eyes were black, fathomless, the eyes of a god among men.
“Tell me, Seer, what do you See?” he rasped in the inhuman voice.
Her breaths came in short gasps, but she refused to back down. She belonged to his world as much as he did. She belonged to him.
“I see a man who just lost the last connection to someone he loved to his soul,” she whispered.
The burst of furious power shot through her, the shockwave rattling the windows of the house. She closed her eyes. An eerie quiet followed, and she wasn’t sure if he’d shed his human body and take out her and everything else.
She opened her eyes when nothing happened, shaking from both cold and fear. Damian’s head was bowed, his tense body still. Compelled to him like nothing else in the world, she to
uched his face with a quivering hand. He was still for a long moment before he nuzzled it. She raised the other hand to his other cheek, sensing his resistance. A moment later, it melted, and he embraced her. She wrapped her arms around him, at home again.
“I was getting ready to destroy the world.”
Cold fear trickled through her. He wasn’t joking.
“Good thing I felt hungry tonight,” she said.
“You were right. I was a coward,” he said after a moment. “My brother loved her with all his soul. She was all I had left of him.”
She listened, struck by the sorrow in his voice.
“Such is the weakness of a man,” he added bitterly.
“You’re not weak, Damian,” she said, propping her chin on his chest to look up at him. “I’ve seen your soul, you know.”
“It serves me right. I’ve been spying on the thoughts of humanity for thousands of years. Guess it’s my turn.”
“I’m glad you didn’t destroy the world,” she whispered.
“For the record, you’re fucking crazy. I could have killed you.”
“It’s the least I could do. You’re there for me when I need you,” she said. “Even if your attitude sucks.”
He chuckled hoarsely and spread butterfly kisses across her forehead, hugging her against him even tighter. She loved being in his arms!
“My sweet, pain in the ass Oracle. Looks like it was a good idea bringing you back from the dead after all.”
“That’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to me!” she cried, offended.
She felt the tension within him melt, and the restless shadows wrap around her, cocooning them before retreating. She’d never felt a surrender like his. His guard was down for the first time since she’d known him. The idea of him being vulnerable to anyone floored her. From his home videos, he’d never lowered his guard to anyone, even Claire. Awed by the power she had over him, she began to understand the extent of his solitary existence for the millennia of his life. He’d known love and trust only in the earliest stage of his life, when he had a family before he entered the dark age of his people. He’d been alone since, except for his two adopted brothers. He’d never been able to share his pain with anyone else.
Her stomach growled.