Alpha Guardians Series - The Complete Collection: 650+ Pages Of Sizzling, Fast-Paced Bear and Dragon Shifter Romance

by Vivian Wood

  “Return to your home!” Kira snarled, feeling betrayed.

  The mist lifted and fell away, swirling and winding back into the other side of the gauzy curtain. The creatures reformed in their misty cage, reaching out their arms to Kira, crying “Mistress! Mistress!”

  “Close!” Kira shouted at the curtain.

  Nothing happened. A shadowy gray hand thrust out toward her, grasping her wrist. She started to shake it off, then looked up and froze.

  Looking back at her, insubstantial but unmistakable, was her Grandma Louise.

  “Grandma?” Kira yelped, tears forming in her eyes. “Is that you?”

  “Do not seek me, Kira Louise,” her grandmother rasped. “You must control your gift, just as I did.”

  “You were a Reviver?” Kira asked, astounded.

  “There is no time,” her grandmother said. She raised a heavy, dark bundle of cloth and pushed it through the curtain. Kira accepted it, watching her Grandmother’s ghost with wide eyes.

  “What is it?” Kira asked.

  “Close the Veil, Kira. Do not seek me, nor any other. This magic will darken your soul if you are not watchful.”

  “But Grandma—”

  “I love you, Kira. Close the Veil.”

  Her grandmother released Kira’s wrist and faded back into the mass of misty gray figures. Though Kira wanted to call her back, wanted reassurance, the urgency in her grandmother’s tone rang in her ears.

  Acting on nothing but instinct, Kira reached her hands out wide and then brought them together with a loud clap, drawing the tear in the curtain shut once more.

  Silence fell.

  All the energy and power from moments before vanished, sucked from Kira’s body and mind all at once. Kira took a wobbly step, then another. Her knees gave out. She sunk to the ground, flopping over on her back, lacking all control. The bundle of cloth she held, a filmy piece of black silk, fluttered to the ground at her feet.

  Things went hazy, like a shroud being pulled over her senses. Still, she knew Asher’s touch when she felt it, recognized his touch as he pulled her into his arms.

  “They were going to hurt you,” Kira mumbled, not sure which they she even meant. The robed attackers, or the hideous dead things she’d pulled from the ground. Her thoughts were murky, fearful.

  “It’s okay, honey. I got you.”

  His voice came from a thousand worlds away, but they were all Kira needed to know.

  “Shhh. Go to sleep now, Kira.”

  Had she spoken?

  Kira let go, knowing she was safe with Asher. The darkness pulled her down, dragging her into a yawning grave of nothingness, and she went.

  10

  Chapter Ten

  When Kira opened her eyes, Asher felt his heart thrum with relief. He’d sat beside her for almost two days, watching her chest rise and fall, her prone body looking devastatingly small in his big bed. He sat vigil, waiting…

  The kicker was, he didn’t know what the hell had happened. They’d been attacked, the Guardians had taken the fight to St. Louis Cemetery, and then shit had gone sideways. A horde of freaking zombies had joined the fracas, slaughtering the robed assassins. Then the zombies had penned the Guardians in, reaching out bony fingers…

  Then Kira shouted, the zombies vanished into thin air, and Kira had crumpled like a stringless marionette. Asher was hurt pretty badly, but he’d shifted and scrambled over to her. She’d mumbled a bunch of crazy nonsense, apologizing and mumbling mate over and over.

  And then… Asher didn’t know how to describe it, except to say the light had gone out of her. She was warm, her chest rose and fell, but there was no Kira inside. His bear felt her go, giving an anguished roar.

  Two days. Two fucking days Asher had gripped her hand. Two days he’d wiped away tears, actual fucking tears from a man who couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried. Two days of unbearable pain, inside and out, as his body healed only for his heart to slow and wither.

  Then she opened her eyes.

  “Kira?” Asher asked. His bear came to life, pulsing with jubilant energy.

  Mate. Mate. Matematematematematematemate.

  “Ash?” The pet name on her lips was the sweetest thing Asher had ever fucking heard.

  “Kira, baby. Jesus.” He scooped her up and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping her in a tight hug. “You scared me so bad. Oh, fuck.”

  A lone, scalding tear ran down Asher’s cheek. He buried his face against her neck, breathing in her scent, rejoicing when she moved to slip an arm around his neck.

  “I… I think I did something bad,” Kira whispered.

  “Everything’s okay,” Asher said. “The assassins are gone, the zombies are gone. You’re safe.”

  “Zombies!” Kira cried, startled.

  Asher pulled back and laid her against the pillow again, scanning her face.

  “Let me get you some water. Some food,” he urged, turning to find his phone to text Duverjay.

  Kira caught him by the wrist, her grip surprisingly strong.

  “Wait,” she said, her tone pleading. “Ash, you don’t understand. The… zombies. I called them.”

  Asher paused, his head slowly turning back to Kira.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I called them. I… created them. Made them live,” Kira said, cringing. Her face was white as a sheet, her fingers trembled where she squeezed his wrist. “I did that, Ash. It was me!”

  Kira burst into tears, leaning forward and burying her face in her hands.

  “Oh, god. What did I do? What’s wrong with me?”

  “Kira, I’m sure—” Asher reached for her, unsure what to say, but Kira drew back.

  Her face snapped up, contorted with fear.

  “Oh no. Oh. It’s him.”

  “Him? Who? Honey, you aren’t making any sense.”

  “My father,” she said, her voice gone hoarse. “This is the power he gave me. Oh god. Oh god. I’m going to be sick.”

  Kira leaned over the side of the bed and wretched, though her body had nothing to produce. She dry heaved several times, wiping at her face and mouth, shudders wracking her frame.

  Asher sprinted to the bathroom for a towel. When he came back, he let Kira get in another couple of heaves, then gently pulled her close. Cradling her, he wiped her tear-stained face.

  “Honey, it’s okay,” he said, stroking her hair, trying to calm her.

  “No! I’m a monster, Asher. A fucking monster. When I did it, when I raised them… it felt so good. A power rush, god…”

  “Shhh, we don’t have to talk about it right now,” Asher said, his mind whirling.

  “I knew it was wrong, a little. I knew,” Kira gasped, burrowing against her chest. “Please don’t hate me, please.”

  “Never,” Asher swore. “I could never hate you.”

  Asher rocked her and shushed her until she quieted again, lapsing into a light doze. He settled her on the bed again, then rose and paced the room. Raking his nails over his scalp, he tried to understand what was happening.

  Reviver. The term Mere Marie had given Kira popped into his head, and Asher drew a deep breath. His mind shot to several chaotic points, each like a sock to the gut.

  Kira had been dropped here for a reason.

  Revivers needed their powers to be… awakened, somehow.

  He and Kira had finally consummated their relationship for the first time.

  Asher had triggered something in her, somehow. What had she said? They were going to hurt you.

  The scene at the graveyard had been the first sign of her true powers, which was likely why she’d been dumped on the Manor lawn. She was here because someone knew that Asher would awaken her abilities.

  If the trigger had been pulled, the bullet was in motion. Again, there was a reason she’d been brought here.

  Someone would come for her. The mastermind of the scheme, perhaps, or the first powerful being that sensed Kira’s true potential.

  They would take he
r, unless Asher acted fast.

  Hands shaking, Asher picked up his phone.

  “I need everyone, now.”

  Disconnecting the call, he dropped the phone. He turned toward Kira, crossing his arms and watching her from several paces away. Not quite able to go to her, not steady enough to comfort her further, Asher turned and headed downstairs.

  He needed answers. He needed guns, lots and lots of guns.

  There would be war.

  “Kira, you did nothing wrong.” Mere Marie crossed her arms, staring Kira down across the conference table the next morning.

  Asher’s spirits lifted immediately at the witch’s words. Though he could not bring himself to believe that Kira would do anything evil, the pure fear in Kira’s eyes shook him. He looked down at her, lacing their fingers together under the table, and squeezed her hand.

  She shot him an uncertain glance, then turned back to Mere Marie.

  “You weren’t there. You didn’t…” Kira started, then sucked in a breath and glanced around the table at the Guardians and their mates. “It was dark. I felt it. I knew it was wrong.”

  Mere Marie hefted a sigh and shook her head.

  “I explained this before. You’ve never used your magic, so it’s white as driven snow. Almost everything will feel dark to you. At best, the magic you used was gray.”

  “I used my powers to kill,” Kira said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

  “You killed demons who were attacking you,” Rhys cut in with a frown. “If that’s dark magic, the Guardians are black as night.”

  Kira bit her lip, looking up to Asher. Seeking his judgement.

  “You are a white witch,” Asher told her, holding her gaze. “You know it as well as I do. You just have some… extra abilities. Just because you have it doesn’t mean you have to use it.”

  Kira wrinkled her nose, then gave Asher a slow nod. A knot of tension released in his chest, and he wanted more than anything to hold her.

  “Are we done here?” It was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He glanced up to find the whole table giving him a knowing look, and Asher’s eyes narrowed. “Problem?”

  “We haven’t settled the other part yet,” Gabriel said apologetically. “The whole, why was she dumped here, who wants to get her, thing. You know, all the stuff you were rampaging about yesterday.”

  “I wouldn’t call it rampaging,” Asher said. “You’ll know if I’m rampaging, trust me.”

  Gabriel cocked a brow, but didn’t disagree.

  “It’s Pere Mal,” Mere Marie said, screwing up her mouth. “The plot has the stench of him all over it. Kidnapping, robed demons, manipulating the Guardians for his own ends…”

  She waved a hand.

  “I sent some spies out to the Gray Market last night, prowled the Kith district for whispers. They report the same thing, that Pere Mal is behind it,” Echo said.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve got any prophecies for us, Cassie?” Mere Marie asked.

  Cassie shot everyone a mournful glance.

  “Nothing. The baby’s sort of… interrupted them,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “What does he want?” Kira wondered aloud.

  “Your father, I imagine,” Gabriel said. All eyes went to him, and he shrugged. “I did some research on Kira, okay? There aren’t a lot of female Revivers in this age, so it wasn’t hard to figure out her lineage.”

  “But what would Pere Mal want with Rezeal? An angel of death would crush Pere Mal like a bug if he dared to… I don’t know, summon him.”

  “A trade,” Asher said, puzzle pieces clicking together. “Kira, in exchange for a favor. And if Pere Mal is obsessed with his ancestors, with getting power from the other side of the Veil, Rezeal might look like a good target.”

  “Foolish, but clever,” Marie Marie said, splaying her hands on the table. “I think you’ve got it exactly, Asher.”

  “So what do we do?” Kira piped up, squeezing Asher’s hand. “How do we stop him?”

  The table was silent for a long moment.

  “I think we keep you here for a while, until we figure that out. What’s a nice word for house arrest?” Rhys asked.

  “Rude!” Echo said, giving her mate a light slap on the arm. “Kira, it’s not that bad. We’ve all been grounded to the Manor at one time or another.”

  “And seen what happens when they sneak out, too,” Rhys said, giving Echo a hard look.

  “Yeah. Don’t do that,” Echo sighed, rolling her eyes. “It doesn’t turn out well.”

  “Pere Mal is hunting me. Rezeal is hunting me. They’re not going to stop until they find someone who knows where I am,” Kira said, her voice going cold. “They’re going to hurt one of you, because of me. If I stay in hiding, it will be my fault.”

  When she looked up at the table, Asher saw fresh tears glistening in her eyes. His heartbeat stuttered at the conviction on her face. Something in his gut wrenched, a distinct note of fear. What did that expression mean?

  “We protect our own,” Mere Marie said, looking at Kira over her nose. “You’re included in that. So don’t go getting any ideas. We will figure this out.”

  Kira shoved her fingers through her hair, looking frustrated.

  “There is one more thing,” Mere Marie said. She produced a large piece of filmy black silk, sliding it across the table to Kira. “Recognize this?”

  Kira reached out, then flinched. When she touched it the fabric moved of its own accord, bunching and folding itself into a circle, before forming a single open pouch of sorts.

  Kira hesitated, looking up at the Guardians.

  “My grandmother gave this to me,” she said.

  “Grandma Louise?” Asher asked, his brow furrowing.

  “She passed it through this kind of… curtain,” Kira said.

  “Your grandmother passed you this bag through the Veil?” Mere Marie asked, looking surprised. “And here I thought she was a hedge witch. It takes an astounding amount of power to pass objects between the human and spirit realms.”

  “I think… I think she was like me. A Reviver, I mean,” Kira said.

  “Well, don’t keep us waiting,” Mere Marie said, nodding at the bag. “Let’s see what she’s given you.”

  Drawing a fortifying breath, Kira thrust her hand in the bag. To Asher’s shock, Kira’s whole arm went right in, though the thin silk bag didn’t move.

  “It’s like a bolt-hole!” Kira said, brows shooting up.

  With a grunt of effort, Kira pulled her arm back out of the bag, producing a gleaming three foot sword. The blade and hilt were unmarked, shining brighter than metal should, almost too dazzling to behold.

  “For god’s sake, put it back in the bag!” Mere Marie shrieked, leaning over and pushing at Kira’s hand. “Put it back!”

  Kira slid the sword back into the bag, looking baffled. Mere Marie clutched her hands to her chest, and Asher could swear that the Voodoo queen was actually sweating a little.

  “What’s wrong?” Kira asked.

  “How in the world your grandmother came to have that…” Mere Marie ran the back of her hand over her forehead, looking a little faint. “Do not ever, ever bring that blade out again, Kira.”

  “I’m going to pull it out right now if you won’t tell me what it is,” Kira said, annoyance flickering over her face.

  “I believe it’s a Voleur de Lumière,” Gabriel said, eyes gone dark with a fatal sort of interest. “I’ve only read about them. The name means Thief of Light. It gives the bearer complete control over the soul of any creature the sword pierces. More than mere life and death, even. The holder can send the victim to the afterlife of their choosing. Heaven, hell, somewhere else…”

  Gabriel shuddered. Kira seemed too dumbfounded to respond.

  “I think it would be best if you handed that over to me for safe keeping,” Mere Marie said, pushing to her feet with an imperious shake of her head. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “Absolutely not,” A
sher said, rising to tower over Mere Marie. “It belongs to Kira. Only Kira. No one else will touch it, not even me.”

  Mere Marie sniffed, looking offended, but she didn’t dare disagree with Asher’s quick blaze of anger. Kira gave Mere Marie a faint smile, and soon the meeting was over. Kira folded the piece of silk up and jammed it in her pocket without ceremony, which made Asher smile.

  As they walked back to what he now thought of as their bedroom, Asher’s heart grew heavy.

  “Kira,” Asher said, tugging her to a stop. “Promise me you’ll let the Guardians handle this thing with Pere Mal.”

  She glanced at him, her lips tipping upward.

  “Okay,” she said with a shrug.

  Unsatisfied, Asher released her and followed her. She went straight to the bedroom, shedding her clothes as she went, splaying herself out on the bed. Beckoning.

  “You’re in a strange mood,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head and casting it aside.

  “I just realized that I don’t want to waste any more time,” Kira said, giving him a soft smile. “This stuff about my father finding us, the Pere Mal crap… I don’t care about it. I need you, you need me. We are together.”

  “Kira…” Asher frowned at her.

  “Just listen,” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the bed. “Mates are forever, right?”

  After a moment, Asher nodded.

  “Well, that means something. It means that no matter what happens, no matter what’s chasing us, we’re connected. Forever,” she said, an odd light in her eyes. “I want that, Ash. I want you, now. I don’t care what happens.”

  “Kira, you know I can’t claim you.”

  “Can’t, or won’t?” she asked, cocking her head and running a hand down his chest.

  “Both,” Asher said, a growl building in his chest. She was being so damned strange, and he just couldn’t figure out what it meant. “I’m protecting you.”

  “Because you love me,” she said, her lips twitching.

  Asher swallowed, unnerved by the words. Her tone was all wrong.

  “Yes, Kira. I fucking love you. And you’re freaking me out right now,” he said, cupping her chin.