Protect Her: Part 6

by Ivy Sinclair

  “There are worse things in the world than having the favor and protection of an archangel,” I said carefully. Paige was well-aware of my feelings toward Benjamin. I had several issues with him, not the least of which was the fact that he had professed his love for Paige and tried to claim her without her knowledge. But this was ground where I needed to tread lightly. She might not love him in the romantic sense, but it was clear that she did have deep feelings for him nonetheless. She didn’t need me acting like a jealous jerk, even though that was exactly how I felt.

  Paige sighed. “That’s all stuff I know now. Then, he was just my friend. I trusted him, and I told him everything. He’s the one who taught me about gravestone etching and explored the island caves with me. He helped me build a world where I felt safe and happy. It’s just so hard for me to reconcile that with the fact that he was lying to me the whole time. I hear these horrible stories about him, and it just doesn’t jive with the man that I knew.”

  “Well, he isn’t a man at all,” I said. “Archangels make their own rules in many things. I think it is okay to feel gratitude toward him, even though you might not agree with his methods. There are no beings out there who are pure goodness or pure evil. There are always shades of gray.”

  “Even Bruno Proctor?” Paige challenged.

  “He’s the closest I think someone can be to true evil,” I said, my thoughts turning black. “But there’s probably something he’s done at some point in his long existence that wasn’t completely horrible. I just don’t happen to know what it is. His vendetta against me has been personal since the beginning, and I’ll be happy to return the favor someday.”

  “Are you sure about finding the Protector, Riley?”

  “I can’t explain it,” I said, “But I feel it in my core. It’s the right thing to do. We’ll be careful. As long as we are still heading generally in the direction of the coast, I think we’ll be fine. Plus, we need to figure out how we’re going to get to Calamata and find the relic. I’m sure Benjamin doesn’t have it just laying around for us to pick up.”

  “I don’t understand why he hasn’t left yet,” Paige said. “If the demons have come to the island and everyone is looking for me and or the relic, why won’t he just leave?”

  “Angels are territorial, and archangels are that to the extreme,” I said. “Calamata Island is Benjamin’s home turf. He won’t just give it up. He’s arrogant enough that I’m sure he thinks he can win. The other thing is that angels aren’t really known for trusting each other all that much either. If this thing is as important as it sounds, I can’t see him trusting anyone else with it.”

  “Montana,” Klein called out. “The Hopekee Indians have settled in several different places over the years, but their main settlement is just outside of Bozeman, Montana, and it’s been there for as long as anyone can remember. So the timing looks to be close to when we know Eva was traveling around this region.”

  “Then that’s where we’re going,” I said. “Good work, Klein.”

  “So you think we’re just going to drive up and ask where this dude’s resting place is, and they are going to tell us?”

  “Can’t hurt to try,” I said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

  “Seems like that number of bridges is growing by the minute,” Klein grumbled.

  “We need to find out everything we can about their customs and culture,” I said. “That’s what I need you to work on. Paige, we need to get back on the road.”

  “Okay,” she said. She started up the van.

  “I know we could all use some sleep,” I said. “Next decent looking motel, we’ll stop for some rest.”

  “Do we really have time for that?” Paige asked.

  “We’re not going to be any good to anyone if we don’t get some rest,” I said. “Plus, that’ll give Klein time to figure out what we need to know.”

  “Apparently, Klein doesn’t need to sleep,” Klein murmured as his fingers flew over his keyboard.

  “There will be time to sleep when you are dead,” I said. I was only half-joking.

  .

  CHAPTER EIGHT – PAIGE

  The excitement of the last twenty-four hours was finally catching up with me. When I saw the neon sign coming up on the side of the road for the Mayberry Roadside Motel, I didn’t even bother asking Riley if it qualified under his definition of ‘decent.’ He had gone back to help Klein with his research, and I knew if I kept driving at some point I was going to fall asleep. We’d been on a two-lane highway for the last hour, and I’d only counted three other cars that passed us during that time.

  The sun was starting to come up on the horizon. I wondered how it was that my internal clock had reset already for being awake at night and to sleep during the day. It seemed rather fitting for the world where I now found myself.

  “Motel,” I called back over my shoulder even as I directed the van into the dirt parking lot. I pulled into the spot outside of the door marked ‘OFFICE’ and shut off the van.

  “Finally,” Klein said. His jaw cracked in a long yawn even as he stretched in his seat. “I could use some shut-eye.”

  “You’re getting slack,” Riley growled. He looked less than pleased at being interrupted in their work. He looked at his watch and shook his head. I could only wonder what he was thinking. It seemed like the thing that was in shortest supply was time. “Okay, we rest until three pm, and then we get back on the road. That should put us on Hopekee land by nightfall.”

  I popped the driver’s door open and slid my feet to the ground. I heard the door slide open on the other side of the van and found Riley at my side a moment later. He still surprised me with how fast he moved. His hand settled on my shoulder, and he gently kneaded the tight muscles there. I was so stiff that the simple gesture made me want to melt into a pool right where I stood.

  “C’mon,” he said, cocking his head. He trudged toward the office door and opened it for me so that I could step inside. Klein brought up the rear.

  I did a quick survey of the room. It was the same as any other nameless, generic motel office that I had ever seen. There was a rack of yellowed brochures off to the side next to a row of paid candy containers. Generic paintings of desert and mountain ridge watercolors adorned the walls leading to the counter of the registration desk. I saw movement in the doorway behind the desk, and a moment later a short, stocky man in a white wifebeater t-shirt stepped into view.

  His black hair looked greasy and was combed over to barely cover an obvious bald spot. He pushed a pair of thick, black-rimmed glasses up his nose as he gave our ragtag group a once over. I noticed that his eyes kept shifting back to Riley. I forgot that to other people, Riley cut a looming, imposing form. To me now, he was simply Riley.

  Riley strode to the counter. The man looked up at him. “Can I help you?”

  “Two rooms. One night,” Riley said in a clipped tone. He dug into his front pocket and pulled out a roll of bills. “Cash.”

  I watched the man’s tongue slide over his lips as he looked at the cash. The gesture was gross enough to make me forget for a moment that while there were three of us, Riley had only asked for two rooms.

  “That’ll be one hundred dollars even. I just need a driver’s license and credit card number to hold on file for any incidentals,” the man said.

  Riley put two hundred dollar bills down on the counter. “How about we skip that part, and you just hand me two room keys instead?”

  The man looked at the money on the counter and considered Riley’s offer. Then he snatched the bills into his hand. He turned away and grabbed two sets of keys off the pegs on the wall behind him.

  “I’m okay with a room a few doors down from theirs,” Klein said, pushing past me. The man behind the counter shrugged, and then grabbed a different set of keys before handing it to him.

  My cheeks flushed as I realized why Klein was making the request. It was obvious to everyone now that Klein assumed that Riley and I were going to be sha
ring a room, and what we’d be doing inside of it.

  “I’ll meet you guys at the van at three,” Klein said. Then he was out the door without another word.

  Riley’s eyebrows raised, and he looked at me as if he expected me to argue. I took the other set of keys from the man’s hand. Then I followed Klein outside. I felt Riley’s presence as he stayed close to my back.

  Our room was toward the back of the motel. Riley and I were quiet as I drove the van further into the lot and pulled up into a parking spot just outside the room. I watched Klein enter a room several doors away. I was glad that he wasn’t far. It didn’t seem like a good idea for us to be separated, but we couldn’t live in constant fear either.

  “If someone or something comes for us, it’s not Klein they’ll be looking for,” Riley said as if he read my thoughts. “It’s better for him to keep a safe distance.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.” I suddenly felt embarrassed for my assumptions. It never crossed my mind that Klein might be trying to get away from us so that he stayed out of danger.

  “He’s also keeping a respectable distance because he figures we’d like to have some alone time.” Riley took the keys out of my hand and winked at me.

  I was tired of fighting this attraction, and after what had happened between us at Abigail’s farm that train had pretty much left the station. “I usually get at least dinner before shacking up with a guy, you know.”

  Riley’s expression grew serious. “We get this mess straight, and you’ll get the first date of your dreams. I promise.”

  “It’s not a big deal,” I said. I waited for him to open the door, and then I stepped inside. “My dating history is spotty at best. I’ve never had a real first date.”

  I felt his hand on my back as he pushed me a little further into the room. “We’re going to remedy that,” he said.

  I looked around the room. There was one king size bed that took up the majority of the room. A small TV sat facing it on top of a small bureau. “It’s hard to believe that it was less than a week ago when I woke up in a room almost exactly like this, and you told me that demons were real,” I said, a note of nostalgia in my voice. “It seems like a lifetime ago.”

  “Let’s get out of these clothes and cleaned up,” Riley said. “You’ll feel a world better. We passed a laundry room. I’ll take our clothes down and wash off all this dirt and grime.”

  I nodded and fell onto the bed face first. Riley chuckled. “I’ve got an extra set of clothes in the van. If you want to jump in the shower, just leave your clothes out here for me.”

  Ever the gentleman, I thought.

  As soon as Riley stepped outside again, I started to strip. I left my clothes in a pile on the bed and scooted into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and was reminded again of doing the same thing the night that I met Riley. I touched my shoulder. There was no evidence there of a demon bite. I turned on the shower and waited until the water warmed. I heard the door open and close again outside. It was nice to feel like someone else wanted to take care of me.

  Benjamin had always gone out of his way to cater to my every whim. Looking back, I always knew that it was because he was harboring feelings for me that never went away even after I rebuffed his solitary attempt to make our relationship more than a friendship. It was different with Riley. He had saved my life several times, and with my deal with Bruno I had finally been able to return the favor. We had each other’s backs, and we were in this whole crazy mess together one-hundred percent of the way. I could count on him, and even more surprisingly, I wanted to count on him.

  I got into the shower and let out a long sigh of delight. The hot water felt like heaven. Riley was right. It was exactly what I needed. I felt the grit and grime of the day washing down the drain. It barely registered when I heard the bathroom door open.

  “You want some company?” Riley’s voice sounded slightly hoarse from the other side of the curtain.

  “Sure,” I replied. It seemed silly to play coy. I was just happy that he seemed to be returning to his old self. The shock of the news of his family was wearing off. Riley seemed to do best when he was involved in action.

  The shower curtain pulled back slightly, and then I felt the largeness of his presence move into the stall with me. I looked back over my shoulder at him. His green eyes swept up and down my nude form, and then they flashed when they met mine again.

  “Like what you see?” I asked boldly.

  He advanced on me like a lion stalking its prey. I turned and took a step backward feeling the cool tile against my back, although we both knew that I wasn’t playing that hard to get. He leaned forward through the shower’s spray and settled the palms of his hands on the wall on either side of me. When his lips found mine, my back arched up, and I eagerly wrapped my arms around his neck. As his tongue plunged deep into my mouth, I clung to him.

  Then his hands grasped my waist and pulled me into him. Between the effect of his lips on mine and the hot water splashing onto my face and upper body, I felt dizzy with passion.

  “I’ve missed you,” he growled as he released my mouth. I felt his tongue make its way down the side of my neck, and his teeth grazed the sensitive skin at the crook of my neck.

  “How can you miss me when we’ve been together this whole time?” I asked. It was becoming difficult to think straight. A bar of soap had appeared in Riley’s hand, and he roamed my wet curves as if he was intent on cleaning every square inch of my skin.

  “I’ve missed you like this,” he clarified. “Soft and willing and open.”

  If anyone else said that to me, I’d have told them to screw off. But I found that this is how I wanted Riley to know and want me. I was willing to be vulnerable with him. It was a heady and scary feeling.

  “Only for you,” I said. I sucked in my breath as his fingertips skimmed so close to the juncture between my thighs. He knelt down in front of me, and I dug my fingers into his thick, black hair. His mouth had found its way to my hardened nipples, and I felt the warm pressure building in my core.

  “Better be,” Riley growled. “I don’t share.”

  I knew that, and I didn’t expect him to share me with anyone. I wasn’t planning on sharing him. His hands continued their exploration of my inner thighs, and I couldn’t help but lean backward again. The sensations rolling through my body were threatening to overwhelm me.

  Then Riley was back on his feet and ravishing my lips even as I felt his fingertips find that molten nub that immediately made me buck my hips against them. It was as if Riley knew exactly what I wanted, and as he grasped my hips and easily lifted my body upward it was clear he was more than willing to give it to me. I grasped his shoulders to brace myself between him and the wall, although he seemed to be holding me up easily.

  Our eyes met even as I slid downwards, and our bodies met in a perfect kind of symmetry. I couldn’t help but think that we were meant to fit together like this, and I felt another wave of possessiveness toward this man. He had made it clear from our last encounter that he considered me his, but for the first time I knew with all my heart that he was mine as well.

  This knowledge spurred my lips and hips forward. I moved in rhythm with him even as I buried my fingers in his hair and crushed my lips against his. He met my urgency at every turn. He knew what I needed. As the waves of desire crashed over me, I heard his long groan that told me that he was lockstep with me. My body shuddered against his as I felt myself coming back into an acute awareness of our joined bodies. It felt so right that I knew that I was addicted to him.

  Riley kissed me again, but more gently this time. He carefully set me down, but he didn’t release me. I leaned into him and enjoyed the feel of our wet skin pressed against each other.

  “After that, I’m going to have a hard time ever letting you shower alone again,” he said, smiling against my mouth. “You are too delectable to resist.”

  I laughed. “I’ve certainly been called worse.”

  We spent
the rest of our time in the shower taking turns under the hot water and rubbing each other with the soap to make sure we were both thoroughly clean. I enjoyed the fact that Riley looked relaxed and happy for once. He worried too much about too many things. It was nice to see him let loose for a few minutes. Those things would still be there when we were done.

  We helped each other dry off, and he surprised me by wrapping me in a towel and sweeping me up into his arms. Then he carried me into the bedroom and laid me down on the bed. He pulled the comforter back and tucked me inside. He went around to the other side of the bed and climbed in beside me. I snuggled up against his chest and let out a long breath of satisfaction.

  “You’re spoiling me,” I said. I could feel my eyes starting to droop even as I felt his arms settle around me. I enjoyed the feel of the warmth of his bare skin against my cheek. His heartbeat lulled me even closer to the brink of sleep.

  His hand stroked my hair. “Shhhh. Sleep now.”

  It was an excellent suggestion, and one I took moments later.

  CHAPTER NINE – RILEY

  I had long ago trained my body to wake to my own internal alarm clock. Just a few minutes past two in the afternoon, I woke up. I was lying on my side and had my arm around Paige’s body. She was tucked up against me, and our legs were intertwined. I was certain this is exactly how I wanted to wake up every day forever.

  I was surprised at how comfortable I was with that idea. Of course, Paige would have to want that too. As soon as we figured a way out of our current mess, I wanted her to be part of my life. It was a given, and the idea made me happy.

  That countered the slight feeling of anxiousness that threatened to mar the moment. We needed to get moving. By tonight, I expected that we’d have the answers we sought. With any luck, we’d also have what I needed to railroad Proctor and remove him as a threat in our lives forever; after I retrieved my mother and sister from his clutches. I carefully pulled away from Paige, and she shifted in her sleep. I paused and waited for her to settle back into her slumber before moving again.