Soon, the fierce clashing of steel reverberated off the walls. Time passed, and still, they fought. Long, hard, and brutally…
“Blaéz?”
At the soft, feminine voice, he spun toward the door instead of blocking the strike. Dagan’s sword rammed him in the side. The Celt stumbled back, a curse flying free, but it didn’t stop him from striding to his mate.
“Blaéz!” she gasped, darting across to him, fear darkening her eyes.
“Dammit, Darci—” he growled. “I told you, this place is off-limits.”
Before she saw her mate’s blood coating his sword, Dagan headed to the opposite side of the arena and got out a cleaning cloth from the shelf. Despite their low voices, he could clearly hear their conversation.
“You walked away before we finished talking. I gave you time to cool off. You didn’t come back.”
“What’s there to talk about?” His tone terse, Blaéz pulled off his shirt, revealing the vicious scars crisscrossing his back, a horrific reminder of his brutal imprisonment in Tartarus. He wiped his face and chest. The place where Dagan had accidentally pierced him already healing. “You don’t want to get married, fine.”
Darci snorted. “The way you say fine, it sure is. Look, all I said was two weeks is too little time to prepare for a wedding. Maybe early next year—April?”
“December…the first weekend.”
“But that’s just under four weeks,” she protested. Then a sigh drifted out of her. “Okay.”
His good mood apparently restored, his obsidian sword settled on his biceps. “Sumerian,” he called as he ushered his mate out. “Rematch. Tomorrow.”
Dagan nodded, putting his sword away.
* * *
Ten minutes later, showered and changed for patrol, Dagan left his room. He jogged down the gloomy, narrow side stairs, glancing out the darkened window. Dusk had settled in. With the onset of winter, daylight faded fast, and the job started too damn early.
As he hit ground floor, hunger cramped his belly. His teeth ground down. Later, he’d get that seen to. He had to go find Shae first. For now, he retrieved a cigar from his pocket and lit it, inhaling deeply to tamp down his thirst.
He cut through an empty kitchen. As he walked past the pantry for Hedori’s quarters, his mate’s scent drifted to him. He pivoted. And there, in the brightly lit pantry, he found her reaching for a canister on the top shelf. Her skirt lifted a little higher, exposing more of her thighs. Her long sweater, unfortunately, stayed in place.
He walked inside, and went motionless. The scene of her tears hit him like a dagger in the chest. “Shae?”
Hastily, her hand moved as if wiping her cheek. She didn’t turn. “I can’t reach the canister.”
He got the tin and left it on the counter. “What’s wrong?”
She lifted her damp eyes to his. “I’m trying to be strong for Mom. It’s so hard seeing her this way. She barely speaks and doesn’t eat. Hedori made her favorite cake and…nothing. I don’t know what to do. I-I thought making her favorite drink would help…” Her lips trembled. “What did that angel do to her, Dagan?”
His gut twisted to see her so distressed. He set his cigar on the shelf edge and drew her close. She buried her face against his chest.
How did he tell her about the horror he’d sensed in that damn place? It would devastate her. He said instead, “Samael took away her memories. It’s why she’s in this state. When she’s physically stronger, we’ll help her heal any way we can.”
Silence lengthened. Just when Dagan thought she wouldn’t speak, she said, “She held my hand for hours.” A whisper of pain.
“Because you being there gives her strength.”
Her arms tightened around his waist. “I’m glad.”
He stroked her back, lending her his strength. After several minutes, a shuddering breath escaping her, she stirred and touched the damp patch on his black, crewneck shirt. “It’s wet.”
Hell, he didn’t care about his shirt. He tucked a coppery strand behind her ear. “You okay?”
She nodded. Her gaze lifted to his. “You’re going out on patrol?”
“In a few minutes, but I’ll wait until I know for sure you’re all right.”
She sighed, her fingers smoothing his shirt. “No, don’t do that. It’s important that you go out there—”
“No, Shae, nothing is more important than you…” He kissed her tenderly, tasting her tears in the kiss. Then he pressed his lips to her right damp cheek. “Absolutely nothing…” Finally, he trailed his mouth over the bumpy lesion on her left cheek. “Not one damn thing.”
A tremulous smile curved her mouth. It was like the sun peeking out after a bad storm. His heart settled. He caressed her back, her hips, still soothing her. Curious, he slid his palms under her skirt and encountered the smooth, bare curves of her bottom. “You didn’t put on underwear?”
She glowered. “When you looked like a thundercloud”—he lifted a brow at that—“it seemed best to placate you.”
Placate? He snorted, squeezing her bum cheeks. And bit off his own groan, his cock stirring in anticipation. But it felt damn good to see her back to her old self.
Shae grasped his shirt, tugged him down, and kissed him. “Thank you.”
It was hard to ignore the hardening fucker with her mouth on his, and his hands cupping her sexy bottom. “For?”
“Bringing Mom back, for being my mate—for everything.”
Ah fuck! His heart went gooey in his chest like a teen with his first crush. He kissed her deeper. She leaned against him. Her warmth and the musky perfume of her arousal tormented his senses, agitating his hunger for her. “You undo me, Shae. Every time.”
“I need you,” she whispered, meeting his gaze. Her eyes still held fragments of bleakness, something he never wanted to see again. “It’s been a horrible, horrible day.”
Much as he wished he could make everything better straight off with her mother, he wasn’t a miracle worker. But this, he could give her.
With his mind, he shut the door.
He picked her up, set her on the counter. Her hands lowered to his leathers. And as she unbuttoned and undid his zipper, he slid his hand between her thighs, parted her folds, and stroked a finger down her tempting cleft. She shuddered.
His cock freed, she grasped him, flicking the head with her thumb. His balls jerked. Damn. He drew her to the edge of the counter and kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth. Her hand dropped away, and her legs wrapped around his hips, her seductively wet core sliding against his sex.
Aaand he lost whatever remained of his common sense. In one hard thrust, he sank into her.
“Ohhhh…” she breathed as her body stretched to accommodate him. A groan of pure need garroted him, her intimate muscles locking around him like a fist. And then he was thrusting inside her with hard strokes then slow drags.
“More,” she whimpered. “Faster.” The wet sounds of flesh hitting flesh filled the quiet pantry. Voices drifted from the kitchen. The warriors would be getting ready to leave on patrol now. And he could care less.
“Dagan—”
“Ignore them.”
“The door—”
“Forget it.”
He didn’t bother to lock the door as he pulled out and thrust back into her. It could be done in an instant. And he wanted her on the edge to give her what she needed.
She braced her hands on the counter. Her gaze lowered to where they were joined. At the sight of his cock sliding into her tight body, arousal burned deeper.
He rolled her clit with his thumb, and she shuddered, her feminine muscles clamping around him. He gripped the tiny point of pleasure and tugged.
“God, Dagan!” She came fast, squeezing him like a vise as he pumped into her.
“Come here, baby.” He pulled out, set her down, and spun her around. She grasped the counter. He slid his cock back into her, bent his knees, and drew her against him, his erection sliding deeper into her still spas
ming sheath. Wrapping her hair in his fist, he tilted her face to his and kissed her. His own orgasm barreling furiously down his spine, his balls tightened. His fangs lengthened.
Fuuuck! He pulled away and buried his face in her hair, his incisors piercing the flesh of his lip instead. He shuddered, releasing into her.
Several harsh breaths later, he eased away from her wet warmth and bit off a groan.
Shae staggered back against the shelves and then grabbed them, her skirt falling back into place and concealing her.
He hadn’t meant to take her so hard. Obviously, his brain had hiked off into the land of the dead when it came to her. But hell, he didn’t regret it for one damn second.
He reached for his cigar and inhaled the sedative smoke deeply…aware her eyes were fixed on him. But she didn’t say anything. His throbbing incisors finally receding, he clenched the cigar between his teeth and glanced around. Grabbing a couple of paper napkins from another shelf, he cleaned her since she seemed to lack the strength to stand or do anything.
“Are you all right?” she asked as he took care of himself.
Always about him. Yet she’d been the one hurting so badly.
“I’m good.” He zipped up and pushed the used tissues and dead stub into his pocket and felt her panties. “Here.”
She pulled on her underwear, her wary gaze flickering past him to the shut door. “Are they still in the kitchen?”
Cutting her an amused smile, he shook his head. “They left.” He picked up the hot chocolate from the counter, put his hand on her waist, and ushered her out.
In the kitchen, she got out the milk from the fridge and glanced at him where he leaned against the window counter. “Aren’t you leaving now?”
“In a few minutes.”
“I’m okay. Honest.”
Yes, their passionate encounter had replaced desolation in her eyes. But he knew, too, the moment she went back to her mother, it would resurface.
Hedori entered through the open French doors. He’d seemed a little rattled after their rescue of Jenna in the Dark Realm. Dagan couldn’t blame him, it had been centuries since the Empyrean took up arms as a warrior and killed.
Hedori cast a quick look at Shae then back to Dagan. “May I have a word?”
Dagan followed him out into the small terrace rich with the smell of herbs and stuff that grew in pots. Damn, he had to tell him the truth about Jenna.
Since Shae was still in the kitchen, Dagan lowered his voice, “Jenna is whom I’ve been searching for. She’s the psychic killer.”
“What?” Shock paled Hedori’s tan features. “That means…”
“The seraphim will demand justice, and Michael will have to carry out the execution.”
“No!” Hedori spat in vehemence. “She has been through hell—trapped in that godsforgotten place. The heavens only know what horrors occurred there. Besides, what reason would she have to kill those males?”
“To protect Shae. Samael probably blackmailed Jenna then blocked or wiped her memories of the kills—godsdamn these fucking angel wars!” Dagan cursed. “We’ll need a miracle to stay that sentence.”
Shae would be devastated.
Hedori’s features morphed into hard, angry lines. “I won’t let any harm come to her. Not again.”
“Me either.” Dagan exhaled a rough breath. “Shae doesn’t know anything yet, and I’d like to keep it that way for now until I speak with Michael.”
Hedori remained silent, his gaze on the trellised walkway, then those orange-green eyes came back to Dagan. “There’s something I meant to tell you, but it slipped my mind with everything that occurred. The marking you asked about? The one that resembles a rope with one side unknotted? It’s normally used as a brand of claiming by immortals. Once the deed’s done, the knot closes off.”
Fury like wildfire raged through Dagan. The bastard! He slammed his palms on the wrought-iron table there. That was why the fucking thing repulsed him.
“What is it?”
“Shae has a marking like that on her wrist.” It was a miracle he could force the words out, considering how hard his teeth were clamped. “She has no idea what it is, thinks she got the damn tatt done. Aza must have wiped her mind of the incident.”
“It’s a tricky situation,” Hedori said. “He will come for her.”
Dagan’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he straightened. “Shae’s mine. We mated.”
“True. The Fates chose her as yours. But he claimed her first. After Blaéz’s dangerous encounter with the law-keepers a few months ago, I got the tome of the Absolute Laws to look for loopholes. It’s all there. You didn’t get rid of the mark when you mated her, so your soul-joining will not be at full strength. You’ll probably experience everything a soul-joining bestows with her—telepathic communications, sense her emotions, etcetera—but all will be faint. If he mates her, it will override your bonding…”
Hedori brushed back a loose strand of hair that had escaped his metallic-gray braid, lines creasing his brow. “Though the Morrigan has ruled that the Absolute Laws do not affect the Guardians, you know the law-keepers will still keep watch. If Aza goes to them, you’ll lose her.”
Godsdammit! She was his mate. His!
Dagan paced the length of the terrace, his fury amping. Now Shae could be taken from him? No! Not fucking happening!
“You have two options. Find a way to get the mark off her before it’s too late. Or kill him,” Hedori said, like he didn’t know that. “And tell her the truth, Dagan. She needs to know.”
Dagan. Downtown. We have a situation near Club Nocte. At Blaéz’s telepathic message, he bit back a curse. Hell, he should have left for patrol a half hour ago.
“I have to go, work emergency,” he told Hedori. “I’ll speak to Shae when I get back. Keep her—keep them both safe for me.”
“With my life.”
* * *
Dagan took form deep in the alley where he’d first met Shae and crossed to Blaéz, who waited near a boarded-up building with a For Sale sign.
Blaéz nodded to the door. “Inside.”
Dagan followed him in then slowed to a halt, keeping his breathing shallow at the scent of fresh blood drenching the air. There, on the wall, the blond band member Shae had hugged was nailed to the surface, blood dripping down his body to pool on the grimy floor.
“Found this on him.” Blaéz held out a smeared note, his expression grim.
The families of the Guardians’ mates will soon join him, all nailed to this wall. You took what belongs to me. I want her back.
Jenna or Shae?
Dagan’s jaw clamped down at the bastard’s warning.
If Shae found out about this, she’d give herself up in a heartbeat. Not only was her friend’s life on the line, but the families of the Guardians’ mates, too.
He frowned at the note in his hand, and it finally registered. He couldn’t pick up shit—his ability was dead like a damn doorknob.
A shimmer in the air, and Michael appeared. His eyes glowed silver as he looked at the crucified male. Dagan showed him the note while Blaéz eased the huge steel nails out of the unconscious man’s limbs and laid him on the floor.
“Everything’s blurry; can’t pick up a reading,” Dagan said.
His features cast in steel, Michael knelt beside the human and swept his palm down his body. An eerie, silvery-white light, almost like a shroud, coalesced around the man as the Arc started the healing.
Dagan pulled his mind back to the job at hand. With little hope, he tracked for the psychic signature of the one responsible for this torture. A faint flicker of fury touched him. “I’m going to follow the trail, I can still feel the energy of whoever did this.”
He headed for the door, his stomach constricting in hunger, reminding him that he had to go feed. As soon as he checked out the trail, he would.
As he traversed the alley, thousands of heartbeats crowded his head, the draw tugging him. His fangs throbbed at the temptation. Dammit.
He fell against the wall, breathing hard, fighting for control. Before he went on a rampage, with shaky hands, he pulled out a cigar, lit the thing, and inhaled deeply.
A few minutes later, his hunger dulled, he cut through a thoroughfare into another grimy backstreet. The psychic vibration had gone cold.
About to head back to Blaéz and Michael, a piercing pain tore into his abs, and he stumbled backward. Cursing, Dagan yanked the sword free, but his palms stung as if acid were eating his flesh. What the hell? He flung the weapon away.
“Did you think I didn’t know which of you assholes had my mate?” A tall, familiar blond emerged from the shadows. Aza.
“She’s not yours. She will never be,” Dagan snapped, his vision blurring a little. “How did you trick her into getting branded?”
Aza ignored that and circled Dagan. “The mighty Guardian, now at my mercy.”
“You marked her against her will—” He wavered, but steadied just as fast. “I’m going to kill you for that.”
The Fallen slid his hands into his pockets and laughed. “Strange, I’m here, and you’re fumbling around like a feeble human. Feeling a little frail there, Guardian? It hurts, doesn’t it? You see, that’s an angel’s blade spelled with demon’s blood. Can’t heal that in a hurry, vampire.”
Dagan leaped for the bastard, but he shimmered away. Something else about the Fallen nagged at Dagan, and it wasn’t just him branding Shae.
A cacophony erupted deeper in the alley. Harsh grunts and snarls drifted to Dagan. A familiar flash of swords briefly brightened the alley. The other warriors appeared.
“Pity my fun’s cut short,” Aza drawled, reforming again. “Those blood-demons are hungry—you should be right at home with them. But know this, Guardian, Shae is mine. I will get her back.” In a flash, Aza vanished.
Dagan snarled in frustration, wanting to go after the bastard. But with his Guardian oath too ingrained, he stumbled down the alley instead. He summoned his sword and dove into the horde, his weapon swinging—fuck! He faltered, pain gouging him as he stretched his injured muscles.
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