I finally slip out of my fancy clothes and slide into the comfortable flannel pants and tee. I bundle my clothes into my arms then march out the room, spotting the balcony door that is wide open. I rush out and the night air hits me hard. It’s freezing outside without a jacket but Stacy doesn’t seem to care. She grabs for my clothes, tosses them into a tin trash can, and then sparks an old-fashioned silver lighter. She tosses the lighter into the bin and the flames build up instantly. I take a step back, smelling the thick scent of gas and burning wood.
She sighs as she watches the flames build up then steps around the bin to get to me. “It’s freezing out here. Let’s go have some hot tea and chat, shall we?”
I nod as she walks past me. After staring at the flames for a moment, I finally decide to follow her into the house and shut the balcony door behind me. She dashes around the corner to get to the kitchen but I decide to slump down in one of the tall chairs of their dining room table. “Oh!” she shrieks. I glance up and watch as she bolts out of the kitchen and makes her way to an extra bedroom. There is a bunch of clatter and jumbling around but it stops and soon she is stepping out of the room with a load of various colored candles in her arms. She places one on top of the dining room table, on the coffee table in the living room, and then rounds the corner to place one in the kitchen. She then rushes to the back where their bedroom is and comes back within a second. She grabs a lighter from the kitchen then stumbles around the house to light each of them. “They help to get rid of the smell . . . different scents confuse them. They are a load of bumbling idiots, I must admit.” She flashes a grin at me before rushing around the corner of the apartment. I sigh as cross my fingers on top of the table. She returns then sits down in the chair across from me. “Any questions?” she asks.
I press my lips together before resting my chin on top of my folded fingers. “I really don’t want to think about it right now.”
She tilts her head. “But we must. You have to learn about this, Alexandria. It isn’t something that you can just run away from. Trust me, I’ve tried,” she sighs. Her face hardens and somehow, her glare is just as intimidating as Felix’s or Jules’.
“I know but—”
“No buts,” she says simply. She huffs as she crosses her legs. “When I found out, we had no choice but to run away. We came all the way here from London. I didn’t want to leave, but I had no other choice. I was forced to flee and leave everything behind. My family. My friends. Everything.” Her eyes drift from mine to the dark-brown top of the table.
“Why do they want to kill us so bad?” I ask, sitting up with apprehensive eyes.
“It’s not that they want to kill us,” she breathes, “it’s more about reproduction of their own kind.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“It is harder for the Hellions to reproduce because they don’t have females of their kind. For centuries they have been stealing away the female Guardian’s and impregnating them, just to continue the bloodline of Hellions.”
I gasp. What the hell? “Wow.”
“I was almost taken away while Braxton and I lived in London. It was late that night but luckily he can feel everything that I feel and he could tell that something bad was going to happen to me. He refused to leave my side for that entire week. I swear if it weren’t for the Mate Connection, I would be dead by now.” She laughs but her eyes are disturbed.
“I had no clue that you and Braxton were—” I gulp. It’s suddenly become hard to say the word.
She giggles. “We had no clue that you were either. But when Felix brought you to brunch, I automatically knew. Felix doesn’t date much but when he does, he usually goes for long-legged brunettes.” As she says that, I immediately think of Nancy and cringe. “But you . . . I could see it in you. I could feel it on you. I rarely feel a strong connection between other Angels, but with you, I did. It was like being zapped by a small bolt of lightning. And I figure that it was like that because you are the last female Guardian to be created. You are also the most powerful and the Leaders made you to be that way, you just don’t know it yet.” She grins.
I fix my mouth to speak but the kettle whistles and she hops from her seat to rush to the kitchen. I slump back in my chair, still pondering about what she’s just said. The most powerful? I highly doubt that. The sound of dishes clanks around in the kitchen as I release another exasperated sigh.
But as I begin to get comfortable, the front door shoots open and I jump out of my seat, startled. Something breaks in the kitchen and Stacy yells, “Shit, Braxton!” Braxton storms around the corner, his face flustered and pale white. His white-collared shirt is still bloody, his navy blue tie is undone, but his wings are gone and his eyes are their natural shade of blue. “Are they gone?” she asks, rushing towards him to grip his hands.
He nods and it is unusual to see Braxton not smiling. He looks contemplative, aggravated. His eyes are somewhat distant. “Alexandria, Felix is at his car waiting for you. Stacy, give her the keys.”
She nods as she rushes around him to get to their bedroom. I gulp as Braxton huffs while slumping down in the chair that Stacy was just sitting in. His eyes are staring off at the wall across from him. I’ve never seen him so out of it.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I step forward.
He lifts his hand up with a nod, as if to stop me from coming any closer. “Fine. I’m fine. Go to Felix.”
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip just as Stacy dashes around the corner, meeting beside me to hand me the keys. “Let me walk you out,” she offers. I nod as we make our way to the door but I can’t help but to steal glances of Braxton who is still staring off, his eyes full of affliction. We step out of their apartment and the cold punches me in the gut again. The brisk night air traps me, wraps around me, and stabs at me like daggers of ice. The situation is worse because I have no shoes on and nothing to cover my arms with. I should expect a severe cold or flu coming on pretty soon. Why can’t I just go up to my apartment and drown beneath my fluffy blankets? “Don’t worry about him. When he fights, it brings back memories. By tomorrow, he will be okay,” she reassures with a smile.
I nod as I clutch the keys and tuck my hands under the pit of my arms. Stacy reaches in to side-kiss my cheek then steps back into the house but I can’t help but to look over her shoulder, worried for Braxton. “Later, Alexandria,” she says before shutting the door. I rush down the stairs and spot Felix standing in front of the passenger door with his arms folded. His plaid grey and black shirt is ripped, as if he’s been clawed, and he has a cut above his right eyebrow. But other than that, he looks fine. He pushes from the car to meet me.
“Where are your shoes? It’s freezing out here,” he says, picking me up in his arms.
“I know,” I say through chattering teeth. I’m freezing but I’m also afraid all over again.
“Let’s get you to the house,” he mumbles then rushes forward, up the stairs and in front of my door.
“Crap, I forgot my keys at Stacy’s,” I groan. He nods then rushes down the stairs. He swings their door open but as soon as he does, threatening sounds of yelling and glass breaking causes us both to flinch.
“Braxton, stop!” Stacy screams.
Felix drops me and barges in and as I follow him inside, my eyes widen and my heart seems to stop beating. “Braxton!” Felix roars, rushing forward to push Stacy out of the way to stop Braxton from driving a sharp dagger into his heart. “What the hell are you doing?! Stop!” Felix grunts as he clings onto Braxton’s arm and pulls back.
“Get off of me! I’m tired of living like this! I hate it!” Braxton roars back. My fingers begin to tremble as Stacy panics in the corner with a wet face. I want to go to her, comfort her, but I’m stuck in my tracks. I begin to pant heavily, breathing in and out way too quickly. The feeling of my knees locking and everything turning black takes over me again. The room is spinning and blood is rushing to my ears, making my face hotter by the second. I collapse backwards this time
with a heavy thud, a thud that is ten times worse than when I’d fainted the very first time.
“Felix, Alexandria!” Braxton yells.
“Shit, Alexandria!” That’s the last thing I hear before my eyes seal completely and the darkness takes over.
ABDUCTED
My eyes flip open slowly and as I look above, everything is grey and gloomy. My plain white ceiling spins above me and I groan as I adjust myself on my bed. I hear the pattering of rain drops, the low grumbling of thunder. I sneak a peek at my alarm clock that reads 8:00 A.M. in bright red numbers and letters.
Goodness, what happened to me last night? I feel like I’ve cracked my head open. I sit up to reach for the back of my head but a heavy gasp escapes my lips at the sight of the person sitting in the grey chair of my bedroom. His fingers are pressed against his lips, his hair is tousled and mussed—something that I haven’t seen on him before but is very appealing—and he still has on the white button-up shirt and dress pants that matched his three-piece suit from last night’s art show. He’s beautiful—even with the cut on his forehead and along his cheek bone that seems to already be healing—but looks can be very deceiving because his eyes are rock hard. Angry. His jaw is clenched and his eyes are already on me, as if he’s been waiting for me to wake up at any moment just to curse me out.
“Jules, what are you doing here?” In my room?
“I trust that you’ve slept well, Alexandria,” he sighs, removing his fingers from his lips and avoiding my question.
“I can’t remember falling asleep.”
“That’s because you almost lost that brain of yours last night,” he scolds. He continues to eye me and I swear if I weren’t so attracted to him, I would be really afraid of what he has to say next. He stands from his seat to make his way to the window across from my bed. There is a still silence and, for a moment, I am afraid of what he is going to say. I know that whatever he is about to say is going to catch me off guard. He wouldn’t be sitting in my room if he didn’t have anything to important to mention.
“How long have you been here?” I ask.
“Since I felt you hurt yourself.” He briefly glances over his shoulder, his jaw clenching again before he turns to look out of the window again. “There’s something about the rainy days of New York that I like.”
“I hate rain,” I groan.
He twists around to slowly make his way towards me. He sits on the edge of the bed, not daring to be distant. He’s extremely close and even though he was just in a deadly fight, I can still smell the masculine sheen of Axe on him. “The rainy days remind me of my hometown, London, which will be where you are going within the range of two months.”
He eyes me but I frown. “You can’t force me to go, Jules.”
“No, I can’t. But I will continue to bother you about it. This is a must, Alexandria. I’m sure you don’t want last night happening again , do you?”
Hell no! That was the scariest experience of my life—well all that I can remember. “No but—”
“Alexandria,” he groans as he stands to his feet swiftly—too swiftly to seem even humanly possible. “There are no buts in this situation! You could have been killed—I could have been killed! I can’t continue to feel you like this anymore. You are causing damage to yourself and I will not tolerate it.” He sighs, pushing his hand through his mangled curls. “Do you see what I’m talking about?” he asks, dropping his hand and causing a slap against his own thighs. “Do you see how Felix is no good for you or me? The longer you stay here, the harder it will be for you to leave. Felix has you in the palm of his hand right now and if he continues to drag you around, the Hellions will only continue to get closer.”
“How did they trace us last night?”
He slumps down on the bed again. “I already knew about Braxton and Stacy. I’ve known about them for a very long time.” He looks into my eyes, his smoldering with mine and causing me to shift against my headboard. “We are the only five Angels in New York. Felix is the only Fallen Angel and there are two mated Guardian Angels in each state. Every state. Last night, we were all in the same place at the same time. When we are all together, we cause so much energy that it is hard for a Hellion to not feel us from over a mile away without attacking.” I swallow the lump in my throat as I nod. “That is why I think it is best if I take you away from here to London so that I can get you trained.”
“That isn’t the only reason you want to take me away, Jules,” I snap, clambering out of my bed and pushing the blankets away from me. His eyes widen as he looks me over, baffled and astonished by my sudden rage.
“Lie back down, Alexandria. You are not completely healed,” he inquires.
“No!” I frown at him as his eyes broaden again. His head tilts while his eyes narrow. I admit that my head is still throbbing but I refuse to be anyone’s pet any longer. “You want me to yourself, Jules—”
“I want you to myself because you are my mate and that bastard knows nothing about you!” he roars, standing to his feet rather too quickly. “He hasn’t seen what I’ve seen! He hasn’t taken you in his arms after you found out your mother’s problems or your father’s death! But I did!” His voice grows louder as he steps forward, causing me to step back and bump against the nearest wall. He was there during all of that? How long was I with him before?
I fold my arms stubbornly. “It doesn’t matter.”
He gives a bitter chuckle. “Oh, it doesn’t matter, Alexandria?” he asks, and I’m not sure if he’s being rhetorical or sarcastic . . . or both. “It doesn’t matter that I’ve saved your ass from dying last night? It doesn’t matter that I’ve risked my own life to tell you everything that you deserve to know? If it were him, he never would have told you! He would have kept it all a secret and you would have been put in even more danger!” His brown eyes spark into a fierce, blazing gold but I shake my head and look away quickly. He’s angry and the supernatural is coming out of him. Is that what happens when they’re angry?
“I think you should just go home, Jules. We’ve both had a rough night last night.” I steal a glance at him but his eyes don’t bother to drift away from me. He stares at me—glowers at me—until he finally takes a large step back but that is only so he can grab my coat. He hangs it on his forearm then rushes for me, scooping me into his arms. “What are you doing?” I ask as he marches for my bedroom door. He swings it open and in my mind, I’m seriously hoping that he isn’t going to toss me over my balcony. I want to scramble out of his arms but I know that he won’t hurt me, no matter how angry he gets or how much his eyes blaze with fury. “Where are you taking me?” I ask as he stomps down the stairs of my complex. Cool rain drops splatter against us both but somehow his firm body is keeping me warm.
“I have to show you something.”
“I don’t have my keys, though. I may not be able to get back inside.”
I’m not sure if I wanted to see him smile or if it was just him fighting himself to hold off on one, but the right corner of his lips quirk up as he says, “I know you too well, Alexandria. You will fight and bicker with me from sun-up to sun-down but I’ve always been two steps ahead of you.”
My head tilts out of curiosity as he continues to march forward. He reaches for his keys in his pockets to unlock the door. He then swings the passenger door open, tucks me inside—along with my coat—and I plop down on the plush leather seat as he shuts my door. He hurries to the driver’s side (most likely before I can make a run for it) and climbs in, cranking the car while eyeing me.
“Are you afraid?” he asks.
“Should I be?”
He grips the wheel and pulls out of the parking lot, a sneer hinting at his beautiful lips. “With me by your side, there is nothing to be afraid of, Alexandria.” He looks over to wink at me but I fold my arms and try my hardest to bite back on a pleased smile as he zooms through the city.
REMEMBERANCE
“You still haven’t told me where you’re taking me,” I say as I le
an against my seat. The scent of new rubber fills my nostrils as I inhale then exhale while glancing at Jules. We are waiting in Off Broadway for one of the employees to bring me back a pair of furry black boots. Jules insisted on buying and I really didn’t want him to buy me anything but I had no other choice because I left my wallet at home and I can’t continue to walk around barefoot. It was already embarrassing enough to have him carry me in his arms through the entire mall. People were looking at us like complete idiots—and he was getting a kick out of it. I’m sure he did the whole no-shoe thing purposely, just to embarrass me. Like always.
“I would rather wait to show you, Alexandria.” He looks at me beneath his eyelashes while folding his arms.
“Is it far?”
“Sort of.”
“What are you going to show me?”
He sighs. “I don’t really like the persistent Alexandria.” We both grin.
“I guess the new me is someone you will have to get to know again,” I shrug.
His face freezes as he leans forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. “I know you very well, Alexandria. Don’t test me.”
I gulp as I eye him, his solid brown eyes, pursed lips, mangled curls, and his new grey T-shirt and dark blue jeans that he’d bought and changed into before we came into this store. He always looks so dark, so distressed, yet so tantalizingly irresistible. “I’d actually like to see if you can pass the Alexandria Test.” I fold my arms.
His lip twitches up to smile. “Okay. Let’s try it out.” He leans back to get comfortable again.
I smile then look away and think of a few things about me that only I would know. “What’s my favorite color?”
“Lavender,” he says simply, smirking.
My eyes widen. Okay. Point one. “Where was I born?”
OBTAINED (Book One) Page 13