by Lexi Ostrow
He felt her shiver under his kiss and smiled to himself. He’d never known what kind of a husband he would make but was grateful he was learning with her.
“I fear I am still out of sorts from what occurred,” she sounded far away as if lost in her memory of that night.
He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands before kissing her softly. “I am so sorry I was not there to protect you, Audrey. I never should have let you ride through the night without me.”
She smiled unbelievably. “It was merely from the Guild to our home. There was no way you could have known what would have come out of the night.”
“It does not mean I am not accountable,” his voice was stern as anger at himself slipped out.
She pulled her face from his hands and frowned. There was a strange look in her eyes as if she was thinking of something before she spoke. “My actions are my own. I am safe, and our horse did not fare damage. Let us just look to the future and not be concerned with one night.”
He squared his jaw and nodded. “I will do that for you. However, I want to check on my request with the royal guards. You are a Lady, and you live outside of court because I am a slight step down from whom you should have wed. You deserve better.”
When her eyes met his again, he couldn’t ignore the glimmer of unshed tears in them.
“If you wish to do so. I promise you I had a guardian angel that night, I am likely to never see him again.”
Thomas kissed her again, choosing to ignore the wistful tone of her voice. “I must be off to work. I know we have not had the easiest of roads, but I feel myself falling in love with you with every passing day.” He let out a breath, happy to have finally spoken his feelings aloud.
“As I am with you, Thomas. You are so much more than a man that I desired a future with on a picnic last spring. I am happy to be your wife, and when you return this eve, I will remind you.”
There was a playful smirk in her eyes, and Thomas smiled, glad to see an admission of feelings could brighten her so. “Until then.” He strode backwards out of the room, still looking at her. “Ready the carriage, I am running late.”
Thomas raced to the armoire and tugged out his best knee-length coat to combat the winter chill, as well as trousers and a beige top. He could feel Audrey’s smirking eyes on his him as he rushed about, trying to shove his feet in his boots and his arms in the sleeves. When she chuckled, he playfully narrowed his gaze on her.
“Is there something I can help you with, wife?” He stood up off the bed as he tugged his coat on, fully dressed otherwise, and walked to her. “You seem to be amused with me.” Wrapping an arm around her waist, he tugged her against him and kissed her.
She moaned softly, and his mouth instinctively opened and his tongue slipped betwixt her lips. They stood, locked together, just long enough for his shaft to stir to life. With a frustrated groan, he pulled back from the kiss and smiled at her.
“I think I am far more amused with my husband than at him,” Audrey said playfully.
Groaning once more, he playfully swatted her arse and walked out of the room. He couldn’t remove the smile from his face; he was too content in his life. Running a hand through his hair to comb it down quickly, he pulled his hat off the coat rack and slipped it into place. The front door was unlocked, and he frowned, making a note to speak to the butler when he returned from work.
Twisting the handle, Thomas pulled the door open and let out a cry. A brick of a man stood opposite him. A royal guard nonetheless. It was as if they knew he was going to come calling that day. The man’s face was stern, his blue eyes narrowed as he held up a scrolled parchment.
“Are you Thomas Agardawes, head of the Clockworker’s Guild?”
His accent was so thick, Thomas wondered if he was British at all. “Yes, I am. Who wants to know?” The question seemed a bit foolish, but the whole situation felt off. The guard seemed too intense to be delivering a response to his plea after the attack.
He shoved the parchment at Thomas with a nod. “I’ll be in the carriage. Do hurry up.”
Thomas didn’t watch as the man moved away. He pulled the silken red tie off the scroll, and it unrolled hastily, dropping open. His eyes moved across it, taking in the delicately written words. Looking up, he carefully rolled the parchment and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Thomas Agardawes had his very first meeting with the king himself, and he hadn’t the foggiest idea why.
Nine
Thomas stumbled slightly as he walked through the throne room door. He’d been in the castle only a handful of times with his father, and he had most certainly never been this close to the king. His eyes traveled around the grand room, and he marveled over the gold-dipped decorations and the ornate picture frames holding oil paintings of London’s rulers. The floor was so shiny that he thought his reflection looked better in it than his looking glass at his home.
Only when he finished marveling over the splendor that he noticed something was rather off. While the man that had brought him to the castle remained, there were no others present, save for them and the king. The sound of the large doors closing made Thomas jump. Something was not right, and for the first time in his life, Thomas was truly worried. He looked back at the burly guard and found the man was looking straight ahead.
Bloody hell, what have you gotten yourself into? Could a request for more surface road protection have been so poorly received?
“Ah, Mr. Agardawes, it is a pleasure to have you with us today,” King George’s voice floated across the expanse of the room as he stood and began to walk towards Thomas. “I know this meeting is rather unconventional, but so is everything that you are about to hear, so let’s not dally. Shall we?” The King offered him a pair of strange looking eyeglasses that resembled the Welding Guild’s goggles.
Nervously, Thomas reached out and took them, securing them over his eyes. King George walked back to his magnificent throne and sat. A strange look, a mottled mix of fear and excitement, passed over the ruler’s face, and Thomas felt his nerves practically jumping out of his skin.
“Do come closer, Mr. Agardawes. My, that is far too long and formal for the relationship we are about to embark upon. Might I call you Thomas?”
Thomas shifted uncomfortably as he walked up to the throne. “Ah, you might call me whatever you wish, Your Majesty.”
A smile appeared on the man’s lips. “Very good then. Please do not be alarmed by anything that you are about to witness. You are needed for a debt to your country, Thomas. And that debt is about to be requested.” The King held something shining in his hand before looking up towards the domed ceiling. “Layel, it is time.”
Thomas had no clue what was going on and was about to ask when, suddenly, there was a tall and rather imposing man standing before him. The man was one of the tallest Thomas has ever seen, and his bare chest boasted muscles that indicated how well he would do in a fight.
Thomas whipped his head—first to the left, and then the right—trying to see where the man had come from. The doors remained closed, and all windows were as well. He shifted his eyes from the walls to the man himself. For a split moment, he thought the man bore a strong resemblance to the man Audrey had described as her savior. Without warning, giant wings sprouted out from behind the man, unfurling so wide that they blocked King George completely. They appeared to be white, but the purple color of the lenses altered them just slightly.
Thomas couldn’t help the startled shout or the two yards he inadvertently jumped backwards. His eyes tried to focus through the colored glass, to find something that showed where the wings were merely a clever costume. Without thinking, he walked closer to the man and circled around him. Thomas’ mouth went dry as he saw the wings were completely and without a doubt, growing from the man’s back.
“Bloody hell,” Thomas said in a whisper as he walked back around front. “You can’t be, but you are.” His fingers reached out as if he meant to touch the feathered wings.
Thomas swallowed hard and looked between Layel and King George. Whatever was occurring did not seem to be a farce. Thomas nodded his head slowly and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to do something that might make him feel a little protected against whatever was happening.
“Thomas Agardawes, you have been brought before me so that I might seek out your help. You are wearing goggles on your eyes so that you might make decisions on your own and not be forced. But know, things are stirring in London town, and walking away isn’t truly an option,” King George said as he stepped beside Layel.
“There are many things you are unaware of, to start with, beings like myself. We are not religious creations, we are simply what we are, demons,” Layel said.
Thomas snarled low in his throat at the ridiculousness of the situation being presented to him. There were no such things as demons. There were no such things as angels until a moment ago either.
“If you are quite done with your internal debate, I would like to continue. My kind are demons, like it or not. However, we have made it our mission to protect humans from others of our kind because you are not equipped to do so on your own. A power shift has occurred, and demons are growing more and more bold. One attacked Prince Edward just last night. If we are to continue to protect you lot, we need your help. We need people that are always at the ready, and able to look in places we cannot. The King and I have come up with an arrangement, but we need at least yourself and some of the clockworkers to make this work.”
Thomas felt as if all the air had been sucked from the room. He could scarcely force himself to swallow, let alone believe any of the lunacy before him. There was no way this was not an elaborate farce, a way to make him feel foolish for asking for guards on the streets.
“With all due respect, the ploy is not amusing. I did not mean to insult Your Majesty by asking for your guards. You had no reason to insult me in such a fashion.” Thomas started to tug at the goggles over his face.
“Before you remove those, perhaps I can alter your perception,” Layel said calmly just before he shot towards the ceiling. “Would this be enough proof for your mind to understand?” Layel called down from high above, his wings flapping and creating quite a draft.
Thomas felt his jaw drop open and had to shake his head to clear the stupor from his mind. There was no way they could pull off something of that magnitude — nor would they be likely to do so to pull off a simple ruse. He shook his head.
“I will not help. I do not doubt your words or your being. However, I am not a warrior, I am a simply clockworker, and I have no intentions of risking my life for something of this nature.” He pulled the goggles off but kept his eyes low, remembering the warning. “I am recently married, my Audrey and I are to create a family. I have no interest in your supposed war.”
Layel’s body smacked into the door in front of Thomas so quickly, he felt his head jerk backwards from the force of it.
“You might want to ask your wife how she would feel, knowing her husband has turned down a request to save the world. Demons are closer than you think, Mr. Agardawes.”
A chill passed over his body as if he knew the man was implying that she’d been attacked by demons and very likely saved by this one. Everything in him was screaming for him to lift his head, but he resisted the urge.
“Are you saying my wife has suffered at the hands of demons?”
Layel said nothing, and Thomas growled low in his throat before looking back at King George.
“I will not help. I will not remain here any longer. I have a guild to run. With no disrespect to Your Majesty, it is time I get to it.” He shouldered past the brute of a man before him without looking up.
Information swam about his head as he passed through the doors the guard opened. Obviously he too knew about demons if he had been allowed in. Nothing made sense to him, but all he could focus on was the idle threat about Audrey. Was there truly a connection betwixt the apparent mugging and demons?
His thoughts were dark as he stepped up into the waiting carriage. He’d had every intention of making his way to the clockwork guild, but now he had to see his wife. He had to know what truly happened in the quiet of night. “Take me home, I have to visit my wife. Please be quick, it is urgent,” he said with what might have been the most amount of authority he’d ever heard in his tone.
The coachman nodded, and the carriage took off, the horses at a canter. He could scarcely feel the usual bump of the transport as it crossed over the cobblestone roads. Layel’s image was flickering in his mind. Back and forth, it swapped with an image of Audrey being mauled by hideous creatures. Over and over, the images flashed through his consciousness, as if attacking him.
When the carriage stopped, he only vaguely felt the lack of movement. With a nod, he stepped out of the transport. A hand wrapped quickly around his left wrist, and he panicked. Swinging around, he jabbed his right elbow into the belly of whatever had grabbed him. Thomas winced as his elbow was met with a solid wall of muscle. Twisting his left arm, he felt a jolt of pain but managed to break free of whatever was holding him. Without pausing, he kicked backwards, feeling his foot connect with bone.
A cry broke out, and, for the first time, he turned. Layel was before him, only this time, the creature appeared to be glowing. An aura of sorts surrounded him as if basking him in a golden light. Thomas couldn’t put his finger on it, but he had the sudden urge to touch the Angel, one he hadn’t had in the throne room. The Angel had a shirt on, covering his wings, but his shoulder length brown hair seemed to shine, and his deep colored eyes almost glittered.
“Bloody hell, Thomas. I had not meant to incite a row. We simply needed to speak once more,” Layel growled out as he handed Thomas the goggles.
As Thomas tugged them over his head, he went to speak, but the door to his home opened and distracted him. Audrey stood in the doorway, her dark hair flowing around her in waves. She stopped abruptly the moment her eyes connected with Layel’s, and Thomas swore he heard the man beside him groan.
“You,” Audrey said, the word barely an audible whisper.
Thomas felt as if he’d swallowed gravelly bits of rock. His stomach lurched as Audrey confirmed what he’d suspected and Layel had implied. She’d been attacked by demons, and Layel had saved her.
“This was never supposed to be,” Layel muttered as he took a step closer to Audrey.
Thomas growled and all but jumped in front of his wife. “Do not come a breath closer, Layel. You have been given your answer. It is done, and you must leave. Never step foot near my door.” He started to take the goggles off his head and realized they would be rather useful to him, now that he knew what lurked around him. “I will be keeping these for my trouble. Do not let me find you around my wife again.”
“Thomas, please . . .” Audrey trailed off.
He had no bloody clue what she was asking him to do, but he felt her step out from behind him and walk towards Layel. The way she moved was seductive, almost mesmerizing. He didn’t like it. His wife seemed transfixed by the creature, which made sense, as she had nothing to distort her vision of Layel.
I will fix this. Better her to be level headed in this moment than I.
Thomas never had the chance to give her the goggles, though. He watched, stunned, as she traced a hand over Layel’s chin, and the Angel appeared to nuzzle his head against the motion. Rage burst through him, hotter and stronger than any he’d ever felt prior.
“This is done!” he growled.
Layel’s face jerked up, pulling out of Audrey’s grasp, and Thomas’ vision nearly whited out at the anger he felt when he saw the look of longing in the Angel’s eyes. Storming up to Audrey, he gripped her shoulders rather tightly and pulled her backwards. She resisted, but eventually, allowed h
erself to be walked away. Thomas could feel Layel’s eyes on their backs as he guided her into the house, but he did not care. He had a feeling if a demon wanted something done, nothing an unarmed human could do would matter.
Letting go of Audrey’s shoulder, he pushed the door closed and locked it, his hand shaking from anger so severely that he dropped the key as he tried to place it in his waistcoat pocket. When he looked into her swirling green eyes, they were almost murky, as if she was still clouded by whatever demon compulsion the king had said Angels wielded.
Suddenly, there was a hungry shift in her expression. She took a step closer to him, placing her hands on the lapel of his coat and gripping them as she tugged him across the small space. Pressing against her body frazzled his mind. His prick pulsed in his breeches, and he groaned as she rolled her hips against him. Somewhere, in the back of his thoughts, he knew that he needed to speak to her about her attack. He had no certainty of what had brought her reaction on. One moment, she had seemed to want the Angel, and now, it was quite certain that Audrey Agardawes wanted her husband.
“I want to move our evening plans to now. I have been thinking upon them while you were out, and now that you are home, I do not wish to wait.” Her voice was husky.
She pressed her lips to his, a touch as soft as a butterfly’s wings, and Thomas could not think upon anything but the woman in front of him. His arms wrapped around his wife, cradling her body against his as their tongues danced together, an effortless dance that they had all but perfected in the short months since their nuptials. His head swam with desire as they kissed, and their bodies twined together as effortlessly as their mouths. Nothing betwixt them had ever been so raw, so on fire. It was as if their hands could not touch each other enough.
He wasn’t certain whose moan of pleasure drifted between them as he broke the kiss and spun her around. His hands trailed slowly down the buttons and lacework of her gown, sensually gliding over her without opening the garment at all. Thomas placed a kiss in the curve of her neck as his fingers finally began to undo the fastenings. She pressed her arse backwards into him, and he sighed loudly as blood rushed to his shaft, making him fully erect. There were servants that could enter the entryway at any moment, but all it seemed to do was spur him on.