by Garr, Amber
The damp, stone interior reminded me of the Warden headquarters, which made me think of Jason. I smiled—a way too giddy smile. There was something about Jason that made our relationship easy. Even though I’d only known him two weeks, the bond growing between us increased every minute. And what about that kiss? His boldness to do that in front of everyone sent a thrill through me, making me sense things I hadn’t felt in years.
As I trudged up the stairs, I kept thinking about Jason. His lips, his eyes, the slight cowboy drawl that made women weak in the knees, the way he cared about everything so much…all qualities that made him attractive and desirable. Thankfully, being away from everyone helped to clear my mind, and I laughed at how the myriad of thoughts based on Jason’s attributes now filled it instead.
The smile stayed on my lips until I reached the open balcony and noticed a dark figure standing near the edge. With the long coat flapping in the wind, I knew who it was in an instant.
“I was hoping you’d show up,” Theron said, still looking out over the mountain valley, not turning to greet me.
Something inside me roared with anger. I ran forward, hands raised and ready to fight. I wanted to hit him and make him tell me why we were attacked. Or maybe I wanted to push him over the edge. But just before I reached his side, he turned around and pulled me into a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” He kissed the top of my head and I cringed, trying to ignore the part of me that melted at his touch. “How’s Charles?”
My face was pressed against his chest and I tried to push away, but his strong arms wouldn’t let me go. “That’s none of your business,” I said with a muffled voice.
Straightening his arms, he held me away from his body to study my face. His bright blue eyes swallowed me up, for so many reasons other than concern. “Did you hear me? Did you let Jason heal him?”
I pulled my arms free and stepped back. “How did you know Jason could do that?” Why did we still have a bond, I wanted to shout.
Theron swallowed and rubbed a hand over his face. He paced back and forth several times, a nervous habit I’d never seen him do before. “Because they’ve been watching him for a long time. I’ve been watching him.”
“What?” Fear clenched at my stomach with sharpened claws.
He kicked a pebble into the broken wall. It caused a small plume of dust to erupt from the impact, showing what kind of supernatural strength Theron possessed. Continuing to pace, my irritation grew. All I wanted was to punch him. Again.
“Theron! Stop moving and tell me what’s going on.”
He shook his head and looked at me, his stare bored through my soul. “I’m sorry that none of this is going the way I planned.” Turning his back, he stepped closer to the edge.
Frustration and concern built inside me. “Theron, you’re not making any sense. Please, look at me and explain. I have so many questions—”
“I can’t help you right now,” he said, cutting me off. “It’s…it’s too dangerous.”
Instead of getting angry, I took a deep breath and tried to remember all of the good things about the Hunter standing in front of me…before he chose the other side. “Why are you here?”
That got his attention. He turned. “Huh?”
“Why are you here? In this realm? At this castle?” In my gut, I feared I knew the answer and I worried how I would handle the truth.
Sitting down on the stone wall, Theron hung his head in his hands, refusing to make eye contact. “Because this is our place.” And I needed to see you.
A lump the size of a boulder swelled in my throat. When Theron shed his professional skin and showed me the real person underneath, I fell for him all over again. Every single time. And now I cursed myself for letting him in…even a little bit.
“Don’t you have a place in your own realm?”
He huffed before catching my glare. “Not one with this kind of view.”
I swallowed again. If his lustful eyes were any indication, he was certainly not referring to the scenic landscape. “Stop,” I said with a shaky voice.
“Stop what?”
“You don’t have the right to look at me like that anymore.” My words were barely a whisper, as a part of me wished they weren’t true. “Can you please explain what’s going on?”
“Why did you come here?” His abrupt change in topic caught me off guard.
“Because…,” I shook my head, trying to form a coherent thought. “Because everyone is acting all crazy and I needed some time to process.” Stepping closer to him, I continued, “You know they’re starting to train the Wardens in self-defense?” As soon as it left my mouth, I regretted telling him. He was the enemy. I had to remember that. Even if he did look at me in a way no one else did.
Sensing my discomfort, he patted the stone next to him. “Good.”
“Good?”
“They need to be prepared.”
I sat down and huffed. “You sound like Jason.”
Theron made a noise in the back of his throat that I tried to ignore. “Jason is smart.”
“How did you know about Jason?” I asked again after a brief pause.
“Because I collected him.”
Pure surprise infused my tone. “What?”
“I followed him into that combat zone so I could be there the minute the bullet struck him in the head.”
My chest tightened. I knew Jason had been killed in action, but I didn’t know the details. I don’t even think Jason remembered what happened. Tears flooded my eyes. “But how…I don’t understand how he ended up here. With me.”
Theron reached over and grabbed my hand. My first reaction was to pull away, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. His breath hitched in his throat a second before a shudder raced through his body. He shook his head. “Because he was my mark.”
“You were supposed to take him to the Hunters?” He nodded. “So why didn’t you?”
“Remember when I told you they’d found a way to harm Wardens?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Jason…or, his kind, is a part of that puzzle.”
I thought the pain behind my eyes would make my head explode. “Theron, you’re not making any sense.” But somewhere, deep in the back of my mind, the pieces started to come together.
“The healers give them a source of power and the silver lets them control it.”
Despite all of the questions racing inside my head, I spit out the one I cared about the most. “Why are you saying ‘them’, Theron? You are one of them.”
He sighed. “Because sometimes I forget…” His voice trailed off and his hand tightened around mine. “When I touch you—”
“Don’t go there. Please.” I tried to pull away, but failed.
“No, listen. You have this…ability to stop the darkness in me. It’s…it makes me feel better. It makes me forget.”
Throat tight with sadness, I vowed not to cry. “You chose your life. You didn’t have to leave me.” I meant to say ‘us’, and I cringed at what he might think.
But he didn’t respond. Instead, he shook his head. “This wasn’t the way I planned it.”
“Planned what? Why do you keep saying that?”
He stood and began to pace again. Shuffling back and forth across the old stone floor, his agitation wore me down. “Did you meet Sani yet?”
Dumbfounded, my jaw dropped. “How do you know about him?”
“Good.” He nodded as if feeling some private relief, not answering my question. “I was hoping they would get him to you. He can help.”
This schizophrenic Theron started to worry me. I stood, hoping that would get him to stop walking. “Help with what?” I asked with annoyance.
“Protecting you.”
“I don’t need protection, Theron. And you’re still not making any sense.” I was getting scared. I’d never seen him so…unfocused.
“You have to listen to him, Nora!” he shouted. Suddenly Theron’s captivating blue eyes clouded over. The bl
ack ink filled them, and dark veins painted his face like a maze. Fear skittered through my body, and I recoiled. “Nora, please. I don’t have it all worked out yet, but you, Jason, Sani, and my…” He stopped there and sucked in a breath. “It’s all connected somehow and I’m afraid we’re running out of time.”
His body began to shimmer, telling me that I was about to lose him again. “No!” I screamed. “Don’t you dare leave me right now!” Without thinking, I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him tight, silently begging him not to go. I didn’t even know why I wanted him to stay. It was just…every time he left, I had an even harder time getting him out of my mind.
“They’re calling me,” he groaned. “I can’t deny them much longer.”
I looked up at his face etched in pain and compassion. His sharp jaw and perfect cheekbones still mesmerized me in a way that I hated. And now he was here, risking more than I knew to talk to me—a sworn enemy. My heart swelled a little more.
Seeing something in my gaze, Theron lowered his lips to mine. I didn’t stop him, even though I knew I should. I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to see his black, soulless ones and lost myself in him. Warmth spread from my mouth to my heart and traveled lower. His gentle touch contradicted the evil being he’d become, letting me think that somehow there was still goodness inside. Giving me a fairytale that I so craved.
With one hand against the back of my head and the other around my waist, Theron deepened the kiss. His tongue danced against mine in a familiar way, and I shuddered with longing for something that I told myself I didn’t need any more. His grip tightened when I pressed my hips against him in response. Then, just as suddenly as it began, he ripped his lips from mine and jumped away.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed, managing to give me one of his crooked grins. “It’s the boots, I suppose.”
I sucked in a stunned breath. Eyes back to their riveting turquoise and veins no longer marring his gorgeous face, Theron looked like the man I used to share my bed with. So many memories flooded my mind: Our time together in the house. The trips through Europe when we could steal a little break from the Elders and the job. Quiet nights sitting under the oak and sharing stories.
…I still missed him so much it hurt.
“Don’t be sorry,” I finally said. “And I’m glad you like the boots.”
He smirked, just a little, before getting serious again. “Talk to Sani. He can help explain.”
“But why would he—” Before I could finish, Theron disappeared. The air shimmered with remnants of his form, but he was gone.
I dropped to the ground, legs trembling with too many emotions. What did I just do? How could I let him touch me like that? He was the enemy. He was the one that fed on innocent souls and recruited for the dark. What about Jason?
I sat in the old castle ruins trying to answer all of these questions as the sun set and night covered me like a blanket. When I finally decided to leave, I knew only two things: First, I had to speak with Sani. And second, I needed to forget Theron once and for all if I was going to survive the battle I knew was coming.
Somehow I found myself in the courtyard with no recollection of trying to get there. This ‘transporting’ gift was certainly convenient, and I added it to the growing list of questions to ask Sani. Never before had I been able to move so freely through the realms, and I needed to know what had changed in me.
Trying to refocus, I looked around the vast green space sparkling in the sunlight that still shone in this part of the world. To my surprise, I saw at least a hundred Wardens, working in small groups, learning how to fight. I had no idea so many would accept the offer, and the fear inside me lessened a bit when I realized their cooperation meant they’d have a chance.
A chance against what exactly, I still didn’t know.
Someone shouted from the circle of Wardens closest to me. I stepped down the wide stone stairs leading into the open courtyard and watched the action with a grin on my face. Jason stumbled through the walls of the circle and laughed as he turned back around. He wiped his brow, a twinkle in his eye, his taut body prepared for another attack. He was shirtless and…beautiful. Perfectly lean with strong muscles, his upper body showed just how much physical activity he had done at the ranch and in the military. Something stirred inside me again, but I pushed it away. My emotions were like the silver ball in a pinball machine right now—scattered, and bouncing off the walls. I needed to get my damn hormones under control immediately.
“Come on, old man,” Jason teased. “Let’s see what you can do when I’m actually facing you.”
I heard Charles laugh before I saw him. “You’re not always going to see your enemy coming,” he said.
“Fair enough,” Jason huffed. “But I see you right now.”
Without warning, Jason lunged forward and disappeared behind the circle of bodies. I ran ahead so I could watch this battle unfold, only to find the two at a stalemate. Jason had an arm wrapped around Charles’ neck, and Charles had Jason pinned to the ground in a way I knew had to cause him pain. His leg was bent at an odd angle, and his face flushed with concentration.
“Yield,” Jason commanded through gritted teeth.
“Never,” Charles spat back, throwing more of his body weight on top of Jason’s twisted leg.
I cringed, as several Wardens—the females in particular—covered their mouths in fear. Yet it was also kind of amusing to watch my wizardly friend with his long gray hair and beard battle a young soldier with muscles bigger than Charles’ thigh.
“Suit yourself, old man.” Suddenly, Jason pushed his hips in the air and, in two seconds flat, pinned Charles to the ground with an arm across the throat and a smile on his face.
“Get off me, cowboy,” Charles grunted, as all the onlookers let out a collective sigh of relief. Although the damage would be minimal in our realm, we could still feel some pain.
Jason jumped up, offering Charles a hand off the ground. He accepted, and when they were both standing, they gave each other a manly hug. “Good,” Jason said. “Now, who’s next?”
“I am!” A pretty, young girl with bright red hair and matching lips jumped forward. Her eagerness irritated me even though it shouldn’t. She stepped into the circle, eyeing Jason like a piece of chocolate cake with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Biting her bottom lip seductively, I rolled my eyes.
Jason, oblivious or blind, lifted his hand. “And you are…?”
Grabbing his hand, she offered the most flirtatious smile I’d ever seen. “Dahlia.”
Of course, I mumbled to myself.
Jason gave her hand a quick shake and then turned to face more of the circle. “So what’s the first thing you do when you see someone coming at you?” All of the girls raised their eager hands.
“Protect your face and bend your knees,” Dahlia answered for the group. She’d tied her tunic back, exposing a strip of toned skin along her stomach. She looked as pale as one of the Hunters.
Beaming, Jason gave her a killer grin. “That’s right.” He stepped back and planted his feet, one in front of the other, for stability. “Okay, so let me see you all assume the position.” As one, the group copied his stance and readied themselves. Jason looked around the circle, making sure everyone was doing it right. Then…his eyes landed on me.
The amazing smile brightened the dread in my heart, as he winked and waved me over. “Nora! Come! We were just going over the basics.”
I joined the small group, letting Jason come to me. Each one of the girls glared as he touched my hips and forced my body into the correct position. I acted like it was no big deal until I saw Charles watching us. My cheeks flushed and he shook his head, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows. I gave him a look that told him to drop it before anyone else noticed our exchange.
Once I was caught up, Jason continued, “So let’s say I’m a Hunter and I just appeared in front of you. What do you do first?”
“Scream.”
“Run.�
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“Punch him in the face.”
“Okay, all good answers but not what I want you to do.” He faced Dahlia again. “I’m going to attack, and want you to do what comes naturally.”
She nodded and he charged. His fist swung out in an attempted slow, yet eager, punch at her face. It met with her forearm and she cried out. A split second later she bent forward and swung her leg low, taking out Jason’s feet and knocking him to the ground. His back hit first and in no time at all, she’d straddled his waist and sat on top of him. Not in an attempt to subdue, but in an attempt to seduce.
Jealousy ignited within me, pricking my skin like hot pokers.
“How was that?” she cooed, hips pressing against his and making no attempt to move.
Jason laughed. “Pretty impressive.”
At that compliment, her arrogance bloomed into something I wanted to subdue myself…with my fists. “Thanks. It’s been a while since I’ve done that.”
“Well, it looks like you remembered.”
Leaning forward, she brushed her chest against his nude torso and gently placed her forearm against his neck. “Now,” she breathed seductively, “Is this how I would put them in that choke hold you spoke about?”
Completely sure that Jason saw right through her antics, I shifted my feet. Across the circle, Charles watched me with an amused look plastered on his face. I raised my brows and he shrugged.
“What?” he mouthed through a grin.
I narrowed my eyes and then directed them to Dahlia, still sitting with pride and hope on top of my ward. Charles laughed even harder. I scowled at him one more time before focusing on the debacle taking place on the ground.
Jason was attempting to stand, his hands lifting Dahlia gently to the side so he could slide out from underneath. She didn’t look at all happy. “Okay,” he continued. “Let’s split up into pairs and practice what we’ve learned so far.”
Everyone nodded and started to spread out. Dahlia stayed in her position, right in front of Jason. “Can I practice with you? I’m not sure if I totally understand what to do.”
Oh, the nerve.
Jason, polite as always, smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Maybe later, but I need to work with Nora right now and get her caught up.”