Werewolves Be Damned

by Stacey Kennedy

  She tilted her head, regarding him. Not only had he offered to train her, which supported her desire for revenge, but this… Perhaps the tough guy was a big softy beneath all those hard muscles. She’d rather see him this way—not overbearing and pushy, which he’d been toward her for the past weeks, but sweet and thoughtful.

  Enjoying this softer side to him, she was also entirely suspicious how Zia knew about her favorite meadow in Carson City. More than once Zia seemed to know things she shouldn’t, and Kyden had mentioned earlier that certain witches had mind reading abilities. Nexi now wondered if Zia held that power, and she sure as shit didn’t like that anyone could read her mind. Haven reading her strong emotions with the soul-bound was enough of an intrusion.

  Regardless of all of that, Nexi hesitated at getting too excited. “But what about the Council?”

  “It can wait.”

  “But—”

  He sighed, arching an eyebrow. “Nexi, the vamp vanished into thin air. We have no clue who he is or of his whereabouts. We also have no way to track his scent. You’ve been through a lot, not only tonight, but for the past month. You like it here. Enjoy this.”

  She paused, then saw sense. “Right, why in the hell am I arguing with you?” She did love it there.

  Turning away from him, she noticed the half moon provided enough light that the view in the meadow wasn’t hindered by the dark night. Near the center of the meadow, surrounded by thick forest, the weeping willow stood proud with its wide, tall trunk. The slender branches led into long, flowing leaves dangling into the creek behind.

  She approached the tree, sat down by the trunk, and raised her hands, tangling her fingers into the soft leaves. The tree, located deep in the Carson City wilderness area, was her own little piece of paradise, and she let the familiar, rich, earthy scents comfort her.

  Returning to her willow was like coming home.

  “Did you come here often?” Kyden asked.

  Nexi snuck a peek at him. He approached her with a sweet smile, and she returned it. For the first time since the night of the attack, which had consumed her with the need for revenge, she was reminded of something that had been all hers, before this mess. “I came to this tree every chance I had.”

  Sitting down next to her, Kyden ran a finger over a leaf. “How did you find it?”

  The question wasn’t odd—the tree always stood a little out of place in this thick forest, the clearing even more odd. As if a patch of the forest had been demolished exactly for her willow to exist, with the creek planted behind to nourish it. “My family’s house is that way.” She pointed to the west. “I always played in the woods as a kid. One day, I stumbled upon this place.” She twirled her fingers in the leaves. “After that, I never stayed away for long.”

  He hesitated, his eyes searching hers. “Why?”

  “The beauty alone would bring me here, but it’s really more than that.” She fought to put her feelings into words, a bit surprised he held such a curiosity about her reasoning. Had he brought her here to get to know her better? “There’s always been something so special about this tree.” She shrugged, feeling a bit silly saying these thoughts aloud. “I don’t really know how to explain it.”

  Lifting his chin, he stared at the branches above him. “You feel a deep connection to this tree?”

  “Extremely deep.”

  “You are half witch, and a willow is a sacred tree.” He looked to her. “Your connection might lie there.”

  She glanced at the leaf around her finger, pondering. Did the tree draw her in because of its magical elements? Who knew, and who cared. Her willow was the only piece of her past that remained, and being here now comforted her.

  Inhaling deeply, and with her free hand, she ran her fingers across the grass beneath her, relishing in the lush scent of her willow. While she could’ve allowed silence to take over and simply enjoy her time at the meadow, one thing Kyden had said brought up a point she’d been curious about. “Why am I a half-breed?”

  One sleek eyebrow arched. “Say again?”

  After awakening in the Otherworld, it took her at least a week to realize that no one she had met was a mixed supernatural. Even when she left the Otherworld, she hadn’t seen anyone else like her. Tonight at the vampire club, she was convinced she would’ve seen another mixed supernatural, but she hadn’t. “Why haven’t I seen anyone else like me, how I’m a mixed supernatural?”

  “Has Drake not told you any of this?” At the shake of her head, his jaw clenched, making her wonder if she wanted to know the answer. Then he finally said, “Simple—there aren’t any.”

  She blinked, processed, and blinked again. “There aren’t any in the Otherworld? Or none at all, anywhere?”

  “Only you.”

  He sounded way too casual, considering she wanted to shake him in a demand that he hurry up and tell her how that was possible. Luckily, she didn’t have to resort to those measures, since he added, “An offspring from intermixed supernaturals will be one or the other, never both.” He smiled softly. “Of course, that was the theory until you.”

  “Why did it happen with me?”

  He watched her intently for a moment, then he shrugged. “Zia looked into it when you were born—discussed your mixed heritage with witches and others—but everyone thought it was a fluke. Since it’s never happened again, that theory remains.”

  A fluke?

  She considered how she felt about such a label or being different, and after a minute, she settled on, What did it matter anyway? She was a mixed supernatural, or maybe she would be once her witch abilities came in. At this point, even if everyone knew from their super-senses that she was part guardian, part witch, no one knew if she’d be an Earth Witch like Haven or Spirit Witch like her birth mother, or maybe even an Air or Fire Witch. And who knew when her witch abilities would show themselves, so why dwell on something she couldn’t change.

  A long but comfortable silence settled between them, until Kyden inhaled and asked, “Have you always lived in Carson City?”

  Glancing away from the leaves dangling in front of her, she looked to him, and he didn’t watch the surroundings, he watched her. She couldn’t restrain her smile, since now it became glaringly obvious he had brought her here not only because she’d like it, but because he wanted to get her alone.

  It surprised her that it didn’t seem like a bad thing. “Yep, born and raised in Carson City.”

  “Will you miss living here?”

  She snorted. “Nope, can’t say I will.”

  The moonbeams drifted along the side of his defined cheekbone and she scanned over the side of his face, finally resting on his sculpted lips as he said, “Don’t you have any close friends who will miss you?”

  “Not really, it’s been…” Was she going to share this with him? Apparently, she was since before she could stop herself she added, “Drake told me the police put a search out for me, declaring me a missing person who’d been likely abducted, after they found my parents. I’m sure some of my friends will be sad. But I’ve never been very close to anyone—more like friends out of convenience—so I’ll probably be forgotten quickly.”

  He examined her again, then blew out a breath sounding rich with tension. “I can’t imagine what it’d be like not to live in the Otherworld, to be without your magic and not know your purpose.” He leaned against his hands. “Must feel good to be where you belong.”

  She didn’t stop herself from admiring his wide shoulders, his square pecs, or the deep ridges of his six-pack. Heat whipped like wildfire through her veins and she shifted against the grass, trying to get away from the burn low in her body.

  She had noticed Kyden’s attributes the minute she’d awoken in the Otherworld, but in the past weeks, all he’d done was lecture her. His domineering personality killed the sexy. Her adoptive mother, Gloria, didn’t raise her to put up with that crap. And the bossy side of him made the package not as appealing. Now with this gentle side of him exposed…why cou
ldn’t guardians wear turtlenecks?

  When she managed to drag her attention to his eyes, it was like a cold bucket of water had been thrown in her face. He had taken notice of her admiring him, and he gave her a wicked smile that shouldn’t belong to any man, considering it made her think incredibly naughty thoughts.

  She bit her lip—hard.

  He chuckled.

  More than ready to get things to a proper place, she shifted the conversation off her. “Did you grow up in the Otherworld? What are your parents like? Do you have any sisters or brothers?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Which one of those do you want me to answer first?”

  “Any of them.” She scooted backward, getting a bit of breathing room, until she rested against the trunk of her willow. “Lately all anyone wants to know about is me. It’s nice to get the attention put on someone else for a while.”

  He frowned, clearly at the distance between them. “Yes, I grew up in the Otherworld with my father. No, I have no brothers or sisters.”

  She took notice that he hadn’t mentioned a mother and she suspected that could only mean it involved unhappy memories. With enough of that in her past, she didn’t dig deeper. “Does your father live in the Otherworld?”

  “He does.”

  At his silence, she added, “Are you going to tell me about him?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  She shrugged, running her hands along the soft grass. “I don’t know. Just about him. Is he nice to you? Does he work for the Guard? Do you have a good relationship with him?”

  “Yes to all the above—he’s Talon.”

  Her mouth dropped open and she hesitated, waiting for him to continue. When he simply stared at her with thoroughly amused eyes, she gasped, “Talon, as in the Master of Guardians, Talon?”

  “That’d be him.”

  Now thinking it over, she wondered how had she not seen it. The resemblance between the two guardians was uncanny, especially in their green eyes. Perhaps it made sense now why Kyden was the Elite Guardian. Apparently, he came from a talented family, considering his father was the top guardian in existence.

  Glancing at the leaves above, she grabbed one and twirled it in her finger. “Do you like being a guardian?”

  “I’m not sure it’s something I can like or dislike. It’s my life. It’s who I am.” He paused and when she looked at him, he continued, “If you’re asking, do I ever regret what I do or want to leave the Guard? The answer would be no.”

  She wondered if she could ever see it way and be proud of her guardian heritage. At the moment she wanted to avenge her parents, nothing more than that. Being a guardian gave her the power—and soon, she’d have the skill—to make that happen. “Maybe one day I’ll look it like that, too.”

  “You will, Álainn, in time.”

  He gave a soft smile and closed the distance between them. Her breath caught in her throat. There, in the depths of his eyes wasn’t only the lust she’d spotted earlier tonight at the vampire club, but there was something…more.

  She wondered why he suddenly seemed so interested in her. She had noticed his long examining looks before, but tonight he was blatantly obvious about it. However, what she wondered more was why, when he looked at her with such intensity, did it melt her bones.

  With the lightest touch, he ran his finger slowly up her arm, earning a shiver from her. He stopped when he reached her shoulder and tucked his finger under her chin, caging her in his piercing gaze. Fire flicked through her body.

  She became all the more curious, too, since she did not intend to move away from him. Even more so, for whatever reason, she wanted him to come even closer. His touch didn’t make her uncomfortable, nor did it seem wrong—his touch was perfect.

  Desperate to get a hold of herself, she asked, “I’ve heard you call me that name before. Álainn. What language is it?”

  “Gaelic.”

  Her breath rushed from her lungs. “What does it mean?”

  “Beautiful.”

  Heat crawled over her cheeks, and somehow knowing he’d been calling her that for weeks now meant more than his gesture of bringing her to her willow. She wanted to say something in return, but found she couldn’t say much. He leaned in toward her and she became cemented on the spot.

  Is he going to…

  Two things shocked her simultaneously: first, that he didn’t reach for her lips, but instead, trailed his nose along her jaw. Second, the slow disappointment she felt that he hadn’t kissed her, which didn’t make a lick of sense.

  When had this happened?

  Perhaps because Kyden did all sorts of shockingly sweet things tonight, including being the exact opposite of who she thought him to be. She’d expected a guy like Kyden not to take things slow and that he’d go right into the hot and heavy. Even Graycyn had practically drooled on his feet, and Nexi didn’t doubt for a second he had warmed many beds.

  She wondered if she’d misread him. She had, in fact, sent him chasing after her and that had to be upwards of annoying. Maybe he’d merely been frustrated with her. Now mulling it over, she realized he hadn’t been a douche tonight.

  He clearly wanted her to know of his interest, since his touch indicated that well enough. He had asked her questions wanting to know about her. Now he wasn’t acting like a man who could get any woman he wanted, he was simply being sweet and gentle.

  He trailed his nose along her neck, all the while drawing in a slow long breath. “You smell like gingersnap cookies, did you know that?”

  “No,” she rasped.

  He took another deep sniff before he leaned away and stared up at the starry sky. “You do.”

  Chapter Six

  In the Guardians’ Hall— a downsized version of the Council’s Hall cathedral located in the Guardians’ House—Nexi questioned her sanity. She scanned the training room used to educate the up and coming guardians, admiring the curved archways, large stained glass windows, and huge flamboyant pillars supporting a lierne vault.

  Even if the view impressed her, she decided maybe Drake was onto something. Perhaps the werewolf attack against her had left lingering trauma. Because only an insane person would agree to fistfight a guardian who was capable of pulverizing her.

  A guardian who presently approached her in lengthy strides through the small gothic cathedral. Her heart stuttered. Dressed in his typical guardian gear with sword strapped to his bare chest, Kyden somehow made her black capris and T-shirt look ridiculous.

  However, a bigger problem presented itself.

  Last night at her willow, he’d gone and made himself likeable. Maybe even made himself appear more real, and not just an overbearing, incredibly sexy supernatural. A very dangerous situation, indeed, considering she needed to keep focused on her training.

  Once he settled in front of her, he pressed one hand against her lower back and the other onto her shoulder. “Keep your back straight and your shoulders square over your hips. Being centered is the key to holding strong against your opponent.” He stepped back and gave her a once-over. “Widen your legs a bit more—shoulder-width apart.”

  She wiggled them out. “Like this?”

  He shook his head, squatted in front of her, nudging at her calf. “Wider.” Once she complied, he glanced up at her with eyes so hot they could melt ice. “That’s it, nice and wide.”

  Trying to maintain her appropriate thoughts, she cleared her throat. “What next?”

  He straightened, placed his hands on her shoulders, and pushed them back. “Your shoulders need to always be square over your hips, and your back straight.”

  Sliding his hands down her arms, he tickled her in places that shouldn’t be tickling. “Bring your left arm up close to your body.” Once she followed his instruction, he squeezed her bicep. “This arm will block any body hits. Use your right arm to block any hits to your face.”

  He dropped his hands. She exhaled the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. If he touched her again like that,
she might shudder in front of him.

  A leisurely smile spread across his face, as if he knew her thoughts, played on her struggle to keep cool, and enjoyed seeing her squirm. “The main points to remember are: Never take your eyes off the enemy. Never let your guard down. Keep your arms and elbows close to your body. And always react first.” He waved her forward. “All right. Let’s have a hit.”

  Shedding the sensation of his hands on her skin that seemed imprinted on her body, she refocused her thoughts. “You do realize this is ridiculous? I’ve never hit anything in my life.”

  “Well, there’s always a first for everything.” He waved her forward again. “Come on. Hit me.”

  Begrudgingly, she raised her arm, swung it back, and hit his shoulder. The impact didn’t even make him flinch. “See, told you.”

  He chuckled. “You have to learn proper position first, and then you’ll see the power behind it.”

  Taking her hand in his strong, calloused grip, he curled her fingers in her palm. “Keep your fingers tight within your hand. If they’re loose, you’ll likely break them and the pain will distract you from the fight.”

  He kneeled in front of her and ran his fingers along her calf in an undeniably sexy whisper of a touch. “Transfer your weight onto this side.” Once she did as he asked, he grinned. “There you go.”

  She shivered at the flare of heat in his eyes, and damn him, his smile widened. What happened to the jerk that he used to be, the one who seemed equally as irritated with her as she was him, the one that seemed to vanish after the night at Briggs’s cabin?

  Although, she kinda liked this Kyden.

  He stood and circled around her, making her breath hitch. She swallowed when he ran his hand up her shoulder with a gentle touch. “This arm needs to be level with the floor and keep your palm facing down. In a fluid motion, rotate your body and use it to follow through with the hit.” Returning in front of her, his eyebrow lifted. “Understand?”

  She inhaled sharply, overwhelmed by his piquant scent. He stirred something in her that had nothing to do with the burn to fight him. Warmth slid all the way from where he touched her arm right down to…