Underworld Lover (A Guardian Angel Romance #2)

by haron Hamilton

  She nodded.

  “I’ll come by for lunch. Your help is coming today?”

  “Yes, he’ll be there at eleven.”

  “Mel,” he squeezed her as hard as he dared, “We have things we have to discuss. It’s what I came here last night for, but I can’t seem to…”

  “I’m glad I distract you. I love you, Josh.” Her blue-eyed gaze pierced his chest all the way to his heart.

  “And you are the love of my life.” He sighed. “Please be careful. I wish I could stand beside you all day, but I have much to do. There are things I need to arrange.”

  “Yes. I’ll see you at lunchtime, then,” she said.

  It was difficult seeing her walk down the stairs and out into the street, unprotected and unaware of the dangers lurking all around her. Josh waited until he heard her car drive away before he closed the door and headed for the shower.

  An hour later, he stopped to get a cappuccino and dialed Felix.

  “Thought you said you’d let her choose,” Felix said bitterly.

  “I think she has. But I’m going to set up the meeting today. You on?”

  “Hell yeah. You think I’ll give up without a fight?”

  “You have to remember, we are on the same side.”

  “So you said. So you said. You have fun last night, you asshole?” Felix wasn’t going to back down.

  “You still have a choice, son. My side or Peter’s. You think he will share?”

  “Will you?”

  “No.”

  “There you go.”

  “You get everything cleaned up?”

  “Put him in the Dumpster at a church. Hope they search the bag for my fingerprints. My parents will love that. Almost makes me want to go home.”

  Josh thought it was a good sign Felix was returning to his old self. A little humor at their desperate situation was a good thing.

  “And the bed?”

  “Cost you an extra two hundred, but they delivered it and set it up last night around six.” Felix chuckled. “Should have seen their faces, taking away the old mattress. I’m sure they’ve never seen something like that before. I’d have given anything to understand Spanish—they were chirping like a bunch of birds.”

  “You cleaned it up a bit first, right?”

  “Of course I did. Cut out all the bloody parts. He was fairly cauterized, but I removed anything red and left the black stuff. That’s the part that freaked them out so.”

  Josh chuckled as well. “Good job. Thank you.”

  “It occurred to me I was helping you put in a new mattress so you could ball my girlfriend on it.” The tone in Felix voice had softened. “But then, I had years and years to seduce her and didn’t. Lesson learned.”

  “You’ll find someone. I know you will. I’ll help you.”

  “No, thanks. I don’t need your brand of help. Don’t like it when the cook sticks his big cock in my food first.”

  They agreed to meet in the early afternoon. Josh would give him the address once he had arranged it.

  Next he dialed Melanie. “Hi,” she said, picking it up on the first ring.

  “Everything okay?” he asked. It was thrilling to hear her voice, and the soft lilt of it in his ear.

  “Yes. Everything looks fine. I’ve been busy with customers since I got here.”

  “Anybody strange?”

  “You mean stranger than you?”

  “That wasn’t what I was asking.”

  “Truth is, everyone looks strange to me now, Josh.”

  Welcome to my world. He understood her statement completely. He felt a twinge of guilt for having changed her perspective.

  “Just hang in there for a couple of hours, and I’ll see you around eleven-thirty or twelve. But call me before if anything comes up. Especially if you see Peter.”

  “I will. I miss you.”

  “It’s only been an hour.”

  “Too long. Way too long,” Melanie sighed into the phone. Josh adjusted his pants. Melanie spoke before he could respond. “Gotta go. I have another customer.”

  “Love you,” Josh said.

  “Love you more.” Melanie hung up.

  Josh drove down the little gravel driveway he had frequented so many times in the past. At the end was a two-story cottage, now blanketed in a protective layer of flower hedges and blooming vines he knew to be Claire’s doing. Daniel’s old Mercedes was parked out front. Josh decided to park closer to the street and take the rest of the driveway on foot.

  He heard music, cranked up so high he figured Daniel had certain hearing loss. Josh looked through the dining room window he knew Daniel had stood at, that night when he came home early and found Audray pleasuring the fat surgeon on Daniel’s couch by the fireplace. It had been one of Josh’s best plans. But his plan to turn Daniel had failed. Right now, he was thanking his lucky stars for that failure. Daniel had fallen in love with his Guardian angel, and now perhaps the couple would be an ally for him.

  Daniel was leaning over one of his paintings, adding color from a chalk, then dipping his fingers in water and rubbing the soft white paper like the flesh of his angel, Josh thought. He watched as the painter blew on the paper and stood back to watch the drying.

  Josh was going to just appear through the door, but decided to knock. Daniel would be aware of the choice he made.

  He rapped solidly on the wooden door and heard the music turned off inside. The curtains at the side window fluttered. The front door opened. Daniel stood barefoot, paint smeared over his jeans and kaki shirt. A brush of yellow paint grazed Daniel’s cheek below his left eye.

  “Josh.” Daniel’s eyes searched his, no doubt looking for evidence of treachery. This bothered Josh a little today.

  “If I had an olive branch, it would be in my hand.” Josh nodded his head as he added, “But I understand your caution. That’s good, actually. You want to stay on guard. These are strange times, my friend.”

  “What’s this about?” Josh noticed Daniel had not asked him in, but instead guarded the doorway. That probably meant Claire was home.

  “I need to speak to both of you.”

  “Look, it was nice seeing you the other night, but I think the less we have to do with you the better,” Daniel said with finality.

  “Yes, and that is probably wise, especially now.” Josh lowered his head, examining his black boots. Then he looked into the face of a man who had been able to do something Josh wasn’t sure he could do: Daniel sent his love away to safety. This human man was stronger than he was in one very important way. And for it, Father had rewarded him by bringing Claire back as a human, no longer an immortal.

  “Daniel, I have a problem, and I don’t know who to talk to about it.”

  “Daniel?” A female voice from the other side of the room. “Who’re you talking to?” Claire’s face, glowing from a light inside her skin, poked around Daniel’s side. When she recognized Josh, she walked in front of Daniel.

  “Josh! Wow, this is a surprise. Come in, please.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him with considerable strength through the doorway, into the living room.

  “Wait a minute, Claire. I’m not sure this is wise.” Daniel was frowning, trying to get between the two of them.

  “Oh, stop it, Daniel. Of course I’ll invite him in. Can’t you see? He’s in pain.”

  Josh winced. Had he sunken so far, he wondered? Was the turmoil in his gut so evident that a human woman could sense his fear? He made a note to work on steeling himself. Perhaps he was the second-strongest angel in the Underworld, but he still had a standard to maintain and recruits to be an example for.

  Claire’s comment made Daniel give a little laugh. “You don’t know him like I do.” He walked over to her, shaking his head.

  Claire stepped to Josh and held his cheeks between her two palms, searching his eyes. Josh felt the power of the goodness in her soul, and the lack of fear for things she should be fearful of. He purposely didn’t breathe on her and kept his inhaling and exh
aling shallow.

  “You’ve changed, Josh.” She said something he knew to be true. He felt his eyes begin to water. He considered that maybe he had just lost it, like Josh’s sponsor had just before he’d stepped into the flame three hundred years ago. Perhaps there had been a woman involved, as well. Josh understood now why someone would want to end their immortal life, especially if they thought it was the only way to protect someone they loved.

  “Claire, stay away from him. I don’t trust him,” Daniel said as he pulled her away, encircling her waist with his muscular arms.

  Josh turned so he could dry his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. He rolled his neck and shook out his shoulders, fluttering his hands at his sides. His leather jacket was hot in the cozy living room with the roaring fireplace. It was too quiet. The colors of the big paintings too brilliant. The love he smelled between the two humans who he’d once tried to claim was too strong.

  But this, all of this, is what I want now. He realized that, far from making him sick, it was what he desired more than anything else in the universe. And he probably wouldn’t be able to have it. He turned to face the two, deciding he would try, anyway.

  “I’ve met someone,” Josh said. He found humor in the expressions Daniel and Claire gave him—pure shock. Both their mouths opened as their eyes widened. Claire slapped her chest and gasped.

  Josh took a deep breath and continued. “I want to bring her here, introduce her. I may need to ask for your help.”

  “Since when did you need any help in seducing a woman? Or is she another Guardian?” Daniel said with bitterness.

  “No, I don’t want to claim her, take her soul. I want her to stay human. She’s a human woman. And I think I am in love.”

  Claire’s answer was to run to Josh. He felt her warm body against his chest, felt his arms engulf her. He felt for the first time like he had a sister that he knew he never had.

  “I’m so happy for you, Josh,” she said to his chest. “That’s wonderful. Of course we will do whatever we can.”

  Daniel was standing with one knee cocked, hands on his hips, shaking his head. “I’m not sure I believe this, Josh.”

  “I understand.” Josh stiffened as he pulled Claire off him, then held her at arm’s length. He looked into her face and said, “I mean no harm to either of you. I am asking for your help instead. And it is the most difficult thing I have ever done.”

  Chapter 30

  Melanie was glad to see Josh drive up to the shop. She had been keeping an eye out for his black Hummer all morning, and was relieved when it finally showed up. As his tall, dark frame graced her doorway, she walked straight into his arms, unconcerned about the gawking Travis. She was satisfied with the warm reception Josh’s lips gave her. He pulled her into the shop, glancing around him to the parking lot outside.

  “He hasn’t stopped by. At least, not that I know of,” she told him. “Can he change form?”

  “Yes. We have to be very careful, Melanie.” He hugged her again. “How much does the boy know?”

  “Nothing beyond what he has just seen.”

  “Good. But no more of this. I don’t care how you feel; you have to be careful.” He whispered in her ear, “He could even take on Travis’s body. See what I mean?”

  She nodded as her stomach lurched.

  “Nice to see you, Travis.” Josh tipped his head. “Can I help you with something?”

  “Nah, we got it all set out. Been busy, though.”

  “I’m going to need to borrow your boss for a couple of hours. Can you handle things?” Melanie watched Travis check with her first before giving an answer.

  “It’s okay, Travis. Josh and I have some things to do. I think it’s died down enough. If something comes up, call me.”

  They were headed out the door when Melanie stopped to think about a last minute instruction. “Travis, if someone comes by looking specifically for me, or wants to know where I am or when I will return, don’t give out any information, okay?”

  “So what do I tell them?”

  “Tell them I’ll be back. Don’t tell them who I’m with.”

  “You expecting someone?” Travis had wrinkled his brow as if the thought was distasteful.

  “Yes and no,” she heard herself say. It was easier to be cryptic than she thought. Although she felt safe in Josh’s presence, she was filled with the overwhelming need to protect their relationship.

  Josh and Melanie drove back to the old part of town, holding hands over the center console. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “First to pick up Felix, then to my friend’s house.”

  “Felix is here?”

  “Yes. I told you he wants to see you. I promised him.”

  Some of the old trees on the wide street were dripping with moss. Manicured hedges and ample front yards, many of them with intricate wrought-iron fencing and gates, bordered massive Victorians in a variety of pastel colors. All of these mansions were well maintained, like the rare vintage showplaces they were. A dark green Tudor-style home came up on the right. Josh slowed, then turned in the driveway.

  Melanie had not expected his home would be so large. Josh came around the car and let her out with no outward show of affection, but the touch to her hand as he helped her stand made her tingle all over.

  Josh found the front door locked, so fumbled for keys, opening the large two-inch thick wooden door with beveled glass upper panel. They stepped inside the dark foyer. Though it was noon, the house was cool and enveloped in shadow when no lights were on. Josh used to like his space dark and secretive.

  The door closed with a creak, followed by a click.

  “Felix?” Josh called to the upstairs.

  Melanie looked up at carved dark wood beams in the two-story living room ceiling. On almost every available wall was a painting, all of them brightly colored, done by different artists. She preferred the jungle scenes. Several Gothic furniture pieces, stained dark, haunted the perimeter. A stone and brick fireplace roared with flames four feet tall, and she could smell the burning pitch.

  Felix appeared at the top of the stairway. His hands turned white as he gripped the metal handrail.

  “Mel!” He raced down, taking two steps at a time, stopping just a few feet from her. His skin looked creamier than she remembered, but his eyes were jet black, something that did not go with his red hair. He must have noticed her fright, because he immediately looked down. In the old days, he would have given her a hug. She immediately felt sorry for him.

  Melanie took two steps to close the gap between them and looked him over intimately. Reaching up to hold his warm face between her hands, she spoke the words she had rehearsed so many times before in the flower shop refrigerator.

  “Felix, thank you for saving me. For saving my life. I only wish you had saved yours.” She saw tears begin to form in his already red-rimmed eyes. There was pain written all over his face.

  “Me too,” he mumbled, shrugging. He took her hands in his. “I’ve been a little shit, made a mess of things, I’m afraid. Whatever happens, I am so sorry. Please believe, I have never wanted to cause you harm.”

  Melanie wasn’t so sure she knew what he was talking about. She looked to Josh, who had his head down, contemplating the rich red oriental carpet. At last, he motioned for them to sit in the living room in front of the fireplace. She found the warm flames a welcome comfort to the chill around her.

  Josh stood while Melanie and Felix sat in the two red leather high-backed chairs and listened.

  “I’m going to take the both of you to some friends. At this point, they are the only people I can trust.” Josh walked in front of the fire, then strode back as he looked up at Felix with a clenched jaw. “Felix, you’re going to have to make a stand. You can just bow out and won’t know any of our plan. If you stay, there is a chance you will suffer grave consequences.” He hesitated when he repeated, “You understand what I mean by grave?”

  “As in, Karl?” Felix as
ked.

  “Exactly.” Josh turned to Melanie. “Peter has killed one of my crew. I think he did it after he came from seeing you.” Josh’s shoulders rounded. “Karl was no threat,” he said as he shook his head and looked at her. “Peter just likes to hurt people, people we care about. You need to know I am highest on his list.”

  Melanie’s body felt cold and she began to shudder. She wrapped her arms around her chest and rubbed her shoulders, even though she could feel the warm fire.

  “And that makes you a target. Except for one thing,” Josh continued.

  “What is that?” Melanie asked.

  “He wants you. He wants to claim you. He had this planned long ago, before you and I…met.” Josh gave a quick glance to Felix, who squinted his eyes and angled his head, his jaw tight. She saw the conflict between them as if they’d shouted it out.

  “Felix, I need to know. We don’t have much time to get prepared.” Josh said.

  “I’m in,” Felix answered.

  “All the way?”

  “If it has to be, yes.” Felix’s face was soft. Melanie saw the affection for her clearly marked in his dark eyes. “I will do everything I can to protect you, to right the wrong I have done—to all of us.”

  Josh sighed. She knew this was some kind of confessional Josh had been looking for.

  “Very well. We need to leave at once.” Josh turned off the fireplace, held out his hand for Melanie to take, and lead the way toward the front door. Felix walked silently behind.

  The three did not speak for several minutes as the Hummer passed through neighborhoods, winding its way down a two-lane country highway past vineyards, tasting rooms and bed and breakfast inns. The leaves on the vines filled the fields with a bright new green color Melanie found cheerful and comforting. They came to a smaller village of homes and businesses, as Josh turned down a crushed granite driveway behind a grand home in front. Melanie saw the two-story stone cottage covered in vines, as remnants of a showy yellow and white bed of daffodils and narcissus attempted to cheer the trio. In between, blooming spring flowers richly carpeted the ground, making the scene look like a Monet painting.