Ivory Guard

by Natalie Herzer

  “Good question.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and a grin that could easily be called mischievous tugged at his lips. “Quite a maddening one as well, isn’t it? Like the chicken or egg thing.”

  Yeah right, totally comparable. Not.

  The guy she had glimpsed at the bar had seemed cute and likeable, everything God was not. She really didn’t care for this guy and wondered what his counterpart would be like. Come to think of it. “Does Satan know about the coming change of rules?”

  “He will notice soon enough.”

  It dawned on her then. “He was a change as well, wasn’t he? You made or allowed Lucifer to fall.”

  “Without competition there’s no innovation.”

  “So basically you’re saying you were bored.”

  God shrugged, moving his hands in a what-can-I-say gesture, and for a moment Lillian was simply speechless – and utterly disappointed.

  Raz cleared his throat, drawing God’s attention. “The angel of the divine plan injured the angel of self-discipline when he went after this guard and broke into their safe house.”

  For the first time God seemed almost serious as he spoke, “I know. He’s already been taken to heaven to heal.”

  “Good.” Raz nodded his thanks but it didn’t mean he would forget the matter at hand. “So…if this is a new game, who will set the rules?”

  “Ah!” God beamed at them and moved like a zealous teacher before a class, eyes alight with possibilities. “Now we get to the heart of it. You want to have a say in the matter, or you wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.”

  Lillian took a deep breath. This was it. “How about reforming this whole heaven and hell thing?”

  “Ha. Now, I know why Micah wanted you out of the way. You’re going directly for the heart of a system that has been working for…well, ever.”

  “But it isn’t working properly regarding souls.”

  “Oh, let me guess. You want to save his.” God tipped his head towards Raz.

  “Among others.”

  “Elaborate.”

  “Innocent souls. Ebonys and demons who are defined by what they are and not who they are.”

  “Hmmm. I understand what you’re saying. You want people judged by their actions not their birth.”

  “Exactly.”

  God had dropped the smile and was moving in closer like a panther now. “Well, then why shouldn’t I judge him by his actions, and you for that matter? You corrupted and tempted him and he succumbed to lust.”

  If he thought she would be intimidated, he had another thing coming. “Yeah. That’s something else I wanted to talk about. You really need to get off that whole lust and sin thing and make a bit of room for something called love. Sex is not always corrupt and bad. With the right person it’s good, more than good. It’s not only two bodies coming together, it’s two souls finding each other and embracing one another in a way that’s …honestly, much better than anything heaven could ever offer.”

  “Oh, is that so?”

  “Yes. You should try it some time.”

  God’s green eyes were hard as they searched hers in a way that made Lillian clench her fists. That stare was a painful pressure on her chest, a living thing roaming through her heart and soul and leaving no stone unturned, no secret hidden. As soon as it was gone Lillian sucked in a breath of air as if she had been drowning.

  He shook his head, a grin tugging at his lips once more. “You really are quite something else.” God took a step away, his demeanor back to being the professor. “I can live with those changes. Under one condition.”

  Oh oh. Resisting the urge to rub a hand over her chest, Lillian feared the worst as his smile spread and almost dreaded to ask, “Which is?”

  “Satan has to agree.”

  Well. Shit. She certainly hadn’t seen that one coming.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  “I’ve really had enough of that today,” Lillian announced tiredly as soon as their feet touched ground in the safe house her guard currently used.

  Given what she had been through Raz had wanted to get her home as fast as possible while the others were taking the car and would soon be here as well.

  He chuckled. “Soon you’ll be able to fly on your own and it’ll be less disorientating.”

  Dropping a soft kiss on her temple he tugged her towards the bathroom where he reached into the shower stall to turn on the hot water as soon as he closed the door behind them.

  Tenderness flooded him as he looked at her and Raz had to swallow as his mind flashed back to that moment in the kitchen. It seemed like an eternity but only this morning had Micah come and taken her away from him. His woman, his love.

  “You were amazing today. But can you promise me something?” His voice was low and deep.

  “What?”

  “Never scare me like that again. And please, never, ever scream that you love me at the top of your lungs right before someone who wants you dead takes you away from me to kill you.”

  Her head snapped up, her eyes and mouth wide as red crept up her cheeks. “I said that out loud?”

  When she looked down and tried to hide behind the small curtain of her hair, he tugged a finger beneath her chin to make her look at him. He hoped his eyes did a better job at telling her the truth than his words ever would. “I love you.”

  Her radiant smile was echoed by incredible warmth exploding inside his chest. “I love you, too.”

  Bending down, his lips brushed her temple, and then the corner of a teary eye. “I love what you said earlier. I love how you stood up to God without batting a lash.”

  “I nearly pissed my pants. I don’t like him very much.”

  Although they stood so close they could feel each other’s heat his mouth was the only part touching her, teasing her ear, her jaw. “Me neither.”

  “He could have swatted me like a fly.”

  “And yet you didn’t back down, seeing him for what he is. A bored God.” He placed a hand between her breasts, feeling her heart pound against his palm as the beat echoed in his blood. “That’s something else I love and admire about you. Your heart and courage. You follow your heart without questions asked or excuses made. Wherever it leads, you go, maybe frightened but never ashamed. Do you have any idea how rare that is? You follow your heart. Becoming an Ivory, helping Becca, tempting me.” His eyes found hers. “Loving me.”

  Finally his lips captured hers fully and he let his tongue play with her mouth and then used his teeth until she moaned while his hands caressed the length of her arms, taking her hands in his to put them above her head. He gave her arms a gentle squeeze to make sure she would keep them there before he gripped the hem of her shirt and raised it. Her clothes were basically ruined, torn and caked with dirt and blood, and landed on the floor with a heavy thump.

  Her eyes showed the fatigue and exhaustion that had her swaying softly against him but awakened with love and lazy desire the moment her hands joined in the game and started to strip him in turn, revealing inch after inch of bare skin and igniting it everywhere their bodies touched.

  When he moved her towards the shower Lillian caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and the look she made didn’t sit well with him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Biting her lovely lips that were swollen from his kiss she sighed with a little shrug of her shoulders. “It’s just…at the rate I’m going I’ll have more scar tissue than skin in no time.”

  Raz moved behind her, his gaze searching hers in the mirror and capturing her eyes with his heat as he dropped his head so his lips grazed her ear, making her shudder in his arms. His voice was raw with emotion and husky with want. “You know what they say about scars.”

  “What?”

  “They are sexy.” His glinting eyes and then his fingers lovingly, reverently, traced every scar on her body until her eyes darkened. “They are the fights you fought and survived. They are a testimony of a life not only lived but battled for.” Her clavicle, her s
houlder, beneath her breast and then along the curve of her ribcage and down to her thigh. His hand moved higher and she sucked in a breath. “I love every inch of your body.”

  “How long do you think until the others will be here?”

  “Not nearly long enough for what I have in mind.” His roguish grin turned wistful. “As much as I really like the idea of taking you in a shower, I’m sorry to say that it’ll have to wait. Though not for long, fair warning.”

  He loved hearing her giggle as he pulled her underneath the hot spray.

  Lillian had just pulled out all she needed for the dinner she had in mind while Raz watched her from the table, when the others arrived and spilled into the kitchen.

  Since her body felt as if years had passed since Micah had taken her from Ireland, she had been surprised to realize it was only nearing noon after they had showered. Although that shower wasn’t as thorough as the two of them would have liked it to be, it had been incredibly relaxing and invigorating at the same time.

  The sun was high in the sky and spilled in through the window, bringing a mild breeze with it that her Montana bones found utterly ridiculous for that time of year. After the ordeal of being held hostage by a mad angel and a long drive home, Lillian thought it only fair to take care of her friends.

  A look at them, their heads and hearts low, only confirmed her resolve. They definitely needed some cheering up and Lillian hoped that a hot meal and letting them in on her plan would go a long way.

  Before she could say anything Abby dumped her coat on the back of a chair and slipped out of her shoes before padding over to her. Without a word she started to chop an onion, apparently wanting to try out Lillian’s way of coping. Knowing that Abby had believed in a good and just God all her life, Lillian could only imagine what went on in her friends head. For a while the two of them simply found solace in each other’s company while the guys grabbed a beer to stare at and slumped into the chairs around the table.

  “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

  When Joshua’s voice rang through the room, touched with a hint of something that came a little too close to resignation for her comfort, Lillian stopped what she was doing and turned so she could face them all.

  “Okay, guys this can’t go on like this. Enough of the doom and gloom. To answer your question Joshua. Our job, that’s what we’ll do.”

  Her eyes met the gaze of each one of them. “Sure, some things have changed, but not all. Souls still need to be saved. Now even more so than ever before. We’ll help those who need it, be it human, Ivory or demon. We will do what we are supposed to do, what we were born to do. Yes, we’ve been fooled and yes, we’ve stumbled through darkness for the last two years, but now that the light is turned on we’ll get used to it and move on. However, we’ll be more careful, and less rash in our decisions and actions. Most of all, we’ll be the boss of us. No one else.”

  Matt frowned at her. “But you heard him. Without Lucifer’s go ahead we probably can just go and kill ourselves now.”

  Lillian rolled her eyes at them. “Oh, stop being so melodramatic, Matt. He wants Satan’s consent, then we’ll get it.”

  Matt threw up his arms, confused. “And how do you suggest we do that? As far as I can remember, we can’t just walk into hell and ask him.”

  “True.”

  Abby narrowed her eyes at Lillian, cocking her head to the side and putting a hand on her hip, and Lillian was glad to see that curiosity had won out over the obvious feeling of being lost. “What are you up to?”

  A slow, sly grin spread across her lips as she quickly glanced at Raz. He winked back at her before she faced her guard. “Ivorys can’t walk into hell, but someone else we know just might.”

  Realization dawned and the spark of hope in their eyes was like magic to Lillian.

  “Becca,” Abby whispered.

  “Exactly. So how about you guys get cleaned up, then we’ll eat and get some rest. And tomorrow we’ll head back to New Orleans.”

  THE END

  Love

  “Love doesn’t make you fall.

  It gives you wings on good days, so you still feel their comfortable weight at your back as you grit your teeth and fight through the bad ones. Love – I mean real, everyday love – is a choice. Love is you choosing someone, despite it all, every day, every year.”

  - Lillian

  A Message from the Author:

  Hi guys,

  Thank you for reading Ivory Guard. I hope you enjoyed the story. The Ivory Guard and especially Becca will soon be back for more, since Satan isn’t all that excited about a do-gooder witch on the loose. Until then I propose a peace-offering. A few clicks/pages ahead you’ll find the first chapter of Facing Shadows, my upcoming novel and book 3 in my urban-fantasy series The Patroness.

  As always, you can help me and other readers an awful lot by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

  Thanks for your time.

  Happy reading,

  Natalie

  ALSO AVAILABLE

  Book 1 in the Patroness Series from

  NATALIE HERZER

  BLUE MOON RISING

  *

  Maiwenn Cadic doesn’t have a quiet and normal life. Being the Patroness of Paris is a full time job but unfortunately it doesn’t pay the bills and so Maiwenn tries her best to make a living as a down-on-her luck private eye for odd cases.

  When five shapeshifters end up dead she needs the help of The Council’s assassin Kylian ‘The Killer’ Tremaine – a typical shapeshifter who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and seems to see everything female as a damsel in distress - which Maiwenn is really not.

  Together they will not only have to trust each other and overcome obstacles in the form of a trigger-happy bounty hunter and a hungry rogue in order to solve the murder before more bodies pile up…

  * * *

  Book 2 in the Patroness Series from

  NATALIE HERZER

  THE HUNT IS ON

  *

  The Turn is a few weeks ahead and the world seems to be literally coming apart at the seams - natural disasters and weird phenomena keep everyone on edge.

  An unusually high number of missing persons is thought to be just another side effect but is making Maiwenn nervous.

  When all fingers point to the Queen of the Undead, Maiwenn is once again forced to join forces with Kylian, new leader of the Paris shapeshifter pack.

  Sharp-tongued and sharp-fanged conflicts follow....

  Read on for a sneak peak at

  FACING SHADOWS

  book 3 in the Patroness Series by Natalie Herzer

  ONE

  Paris, France

  December 2012

  Below me Paris was a sea of colorful jewels shimmering with moonlight and pulsing with life, even more so these days when there was the scent of fear and throb of anticipation mixing in the air. I stood on the rooftop of the Notre Dame cathedral and frowned, trying to remember how I had gotten here. And when the hell had night settled?

  Stone crunched behind me and I whirled around to face two familiar gargoyles. Little yodas, though gray and winged. Even though alive and breathing they were still creatures of stone, their movements reminding me of fluid cement. Every time I saw them our meetings ended… weird, not exactly bad for me, but nothing really good came out of it either.

  Their childlike and yet somehow mean voices drifted to me in their sing-song way of speaking in riddles with end rhymes. And as if that wasn’t confusing enough, one gargoyle was always finishing the sentence of the other.

  “The time has come

  and there remains only but one.

  The Turn will open up the gates.

  Their guardians will seal the races’ fate.

  Remember, the agreed oath was made.

  Fail and with your life it will be paid.”

  Before I could react everything around me faded to gray and like a strong wind another, familiar voice called me. “Maiwenn?”

&nbs
p; It pulled me away.

  “Maiwenn!”

  I woke with a start. Though, actually I hadn’t been sleeping to begin with. What the hell? Frowning in confusion and feeling a little disoriented I looked around me. I was back in the kitchen of the Paris shapeshifter pack living in the Bois des Vincennes, a little forest on the outskirts of the city. Daylight flooded through windows behind which snow was softly falling and starting to cover the ground in a fluffy, light blanket.

  “Did you fall asleep?” Pauline asked me, a puzzled smile on her face.

  No. “Guess so.”

  But what had I been doing? Daydreaming? Or having a vision? Whatever it had been I was sure it was a reminder sent by the gargoyles. As if to confirm it, the breeze whispered words the gargoyles had said to me half a year ago. Only for me to hear.

  “Not only protection but also guidance he’ll need,

  so if you accept, the vow with blood you have to feed!”

  I had accepted the bargain and given my blood in exchange for information on a serial killer. Looking down, I traced the inside of my wrist. No markings showed. But as soon as the Turn hit that would change and I would finally know who it was the gargoyles had wanted me to protect with my life.

  Any minute now.

  “You got the root?” Pauline asked, pulling me out of my head once again.

  Concentrating on the matter at hand I went over to the gas stove to stand beside the faerie, who was stirring a potion in a brass pan, and added more of the valerian root I had been preparing before my… well, whatever that had been with the gargoyles.

  Pauline was a German faerie with delicate, lavender wings, my roommate and best friend and was helping me make a special tea that would help the younger shapeshifters in Paris’ pack to better deal with the nervous energy floating all around us due to the imminent Turn. That was the second batch we were brewing. They had some trouble reining in their beasts with all the excitement, and a shifter going mad and rogue was the last thing we needed right now.