by Lizzy Ford
“Stay there.” He hung up.
She looked at the phone, disappointed he was so abrupt after their kiss. Then again, she wasn’t interested in the only type of relationship he had to offer. Darian had also been clear about the type of relationships Dusty preferred. Maybe it was better he was so prickly.
His kiss, though, had been spectacular, so full of passion and promise that the memory made her blood burn. She shook her head and sat down, sending a text to Darian.
Can you check on my cat?
OMG – what happened 2 u? He replied. She started to type a response when Jenn’s voice interrupted her.
“Ready, babe?”
Bianca looked up. The sexy woman was on edge tonight, her gaze restless. She was accompanied by another massive Guardian.
“Hi Jenn!” she said. “I’m so happy to see you!”
A smile escaped despite Jenn’s wariness, and the model held out a manicured hand. Bianca took it and gasped. Coldness ran through her. Before she could shiver, she was somewhere else. She looked around at the quiet foyer of a massive house.
“I need to check you for a tag,” Jenn said. “C’mon.”
Bianca shuddered and followed her into a large bathroom.
“I should have done this before,” Jenn admitted. “Talon doesn’t normally think with anything but his dick, so I didn’t bother. Strip down to your unmentionables.”
She obeyed. Jenn ran small wand over her body, eyes expertly taking in her skin.
“Clean,” she said. “Wait here, and I’ll get you some clothes.”
The Guardian was all business. Bianca wrapped herself in a towel, cold. Jenn returned after a few minutes, her gaze softening.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Dusty’s gonna kill me,” Bianca replied. “I got carjacked. I think his car was pretty expensive.”
“Sweetheart, his car is the least of his concerns right now,” Jenn said. “You wanna stay with your brother?”
“Yes!”
She followed on Jenn’s heels through the silent mansion and into a bustling barracks teeming with Guardians. They entered a quieter wing, and Jenn stopped to knock on a closed door.
Jonny opened it. His eyes lit up, and Bianca flung herself into his arms, thrilled to feel her brother’s lanky body again. She breathed in his familiar scent.
“B!” he exclaimed, giving her a bear hug.
“I’ll leave you here,” Jenn said with a smile.
“Wow, she’s smoking,” he murmured.
“Hello!” Bianca said, glaring up at her brother.
He hugged her and pulled her into the small room. It housed two beds and two sets of drawers and was connected to a shared bathroom by a closed door.
“You’ve got a shitload of explaining to do,” she told him.
Jonny sighed and relaxed against her.
“I know,” he mumbled. “I’m so sorry, B. I promise I’ll never do anything so stupid again.”
“Tell me what happened, Jonny.”
“No, B. I did bad things. I won’t drag you into it.”
She pulled away and met his gaze, surprised to see his resolve. He’d changed since she last saw him. His eyes were wiser, his face firmer with few signs of the troubled youth she remembered. Even his air was different.
The poison she thought she’d cleared from his body lingered. She released her cool power into him, but to no effect. She dismissed the uneasy instinct.
“You’ve turned into a man overnight,” she said softly, ruffling his hair.
“I figured some shit out. You and the Guardians gave me a second chance, B, and I owe it to you, and me, and the … the girl I hurt to make things right.”
Her eyes watered at his brave words, and she hugged him.
“I love you, Jonny, no matter what,” she whispered.
“I love you, too, B. I know I’m a Natural warrior now, but can you still make me some cookies?”
“Of course! Do they have a kitchen around here?”
He took her hand and led her out of the barracks through the back door and into the main house. Several of the Guardians were in the kitchen making sandwiches or rifling through the massive pantry.
Jonny started collecting the supplies she’d need, and she watched him, proud. The Guardians glanced at her curiously. Her phone vibrated. She pulled it free to see a text from Dusty.
Foyer.
She walked from the kitchen down a long hall to the foyer. He stood in the center, one phone at his ear while he texted on another. He glanced at her then back, hanging up the phone.
She cringed as he approached, sensing his anger. His blue eyes were sharp, his jaw clenched. He stopped too close for her comfort, and she looked up at him, breathless at how handsome he was.
“I’m so sorry about your car,” she said quickly.
“I don’t give a shit about the car.” He stared down at her, and she wondered what else she might have done to piss him off. “Bianca, I’m sorry. I left you completely exposed. It’s the worst thing I’ve done in many lifetimes.
“No worries, Dusty. Everything’s okay,” she assured him.
“Everything’s not okay. It was an amateur mistake.”
She sensed nothing she could say would placate him. Instead, she hugged him. He hesitated then wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek against her head. She loved his scent, the feel of his hard, warm body against hers. He stroked her hair.
“It won’t happen again,” he said with conviction.
“You get the couch from now on,” she teased.
“Screw the couch,” he responded.
The front door opened, and Jenn peered in.
“I’ve gotta get going,” he said, withdrawing.
“Boss, we’re ready,” Jenn called. “Bianca, we’ll be out back in the command center for a bit.”
Dusty kissed Bianca’s forehead and strode away. She couldn’t help wondering about the two of them and why she felt suddenly jealous, even though Jenn could give Dusty something she wasn’t willing to. They made a sexy pair.
Conflicted, she returned to the kitchen to find Jonny seated on a stool near a counter. He was glaring at Darian, who sat across the kitchen on another stool.
“Tell him whose cookies you’ll make first, sis,” Jonny said testily.
“God, boys,” she said. “I can make more than one kind at once.”
“Peanut butter,” Darian demanded.
“Chocolate chip,” Jonny said in the same tone.
“What about peanut butter chocolate chip?”
There was a pause as the two eyed each other.
“I can live with that,” Jonny said slowly.
“So can I,” Darian agreed.
She rolled her eyes and started her cookie prep.
Jonny looked towards the door to the kitchen suddenly, and his gaze darkened. He rose and left. Startled, Bianca turned to face the doorway, recognizing the petite blonde woman who saved her from Dusty’s bullet in Talon’s garage.
“Hi, Sofi,” Darian said in a quiet voice.
“Sofi,” Bianca repeated, brightening. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
The woman had Dusty’s cold beauty, with feminine, chiseled features, long blonde hair and large blue eyes lined with silver.
“Nice to meet you finally, Bianca,” the Oracle said. “Sorry for scaring off Jonny.”
“A lot of people run from her,” Darian added.
Bianca smiled, puzzled why anyone would run from the small, beautiful woman. Sofi glanced at Darian. He rolled his eyes.
“Fine. I’ll fix it,” he said. “I’m just taking a break.”
“Don’t make me call Dusty,” Sofi replied.
“You’re not the boss of me.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. With a noisy sigh, he slinked out the back door of the kitchen towards the barracks. Bianca waited until he was gone to release her chuckle.
“Teens,” she said.
“I know,” Sofi agreed. “
I was never like that.”
“So you were … human?” Bianca asked.
“Until recently.” The Oracle said no more and took Darian’s place at the breakfast bar.
“It’s a, uh, very different world,” Bianca said.
Sofia gave a faint smile and held out her hand, palm up. Bianca looked at her curiously.
“It’s the typical greeting for an Oracle,” Sofi explained. “It took me awhile to adjust to it, too. Just place your hand on top of mine.”
Bianca crossed to her and did. Sofi’s cool power whipped through her thoughts, but it was the darkness within the small woman that drew her attention. Bianca concentrated on the strange pain. It felt … foreign to the Oracle’s body, yet was intense. The Oracle had pinned it to a corner of her mind, but it was slipping free.
Bianca focused on it and channeled her healing energy towards the dark pain. The Oracle resisted at first then gave, and Bianca swept it away.
“That will be a very useful skill,” Sofi whispered and withdrew. “Damian can do that, too, but Darian’s too weak yet to tap into his power.”
“Where is your husband?” Bianca asked. Healing left her weakened, and she leaned against the counter.
“In Europe, fighting the Black God’s men.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Europe.”
“Me, too. Won’t happen any time soon. We’re something of a rarity. They tend to be watchful of us,” Sofi said in disapproval. “Don’t let Dusty make all the rules. He needs you to bring him around from robot-mode.”
“I can’t even tell if he likes me half the time.” Bianca flushed and cleared her throat.
“He does. He’s dealing with some things. You’ll find the Guardian men noble but resistant to what’s good for them sometimes.”
“Aren’t you grounded?” Toni asked Sofi, striding in from the outside.
“It was recommended, never approved,” she replied with a cold glare. Toni shook his head and trotted into the house. “Most of them know better than to mess with an Oracle.”
Bianca stifled a laugh, genuinely liking the subtle yet feisty Oracle.
* * *
“Babe, there are other ways to get rid of that energy,” Jenn purred.
Chest heaving, Dusty lowered the two-handed sword he’d been using to hack apart one of the practice dummies in the back of the command center. He was coated with sweat and exhausted, but he wouldn’t stop until he beat the fury out of him.
Jenn was dressed in a revealing top and tight jeans, her arms crossed and her features amused.
“Not now, Jenn,” he replied and returned to his target.
“I meant, you may need it to fight Talon’s goons soon. Toni’s plans looked real good.”
“I know what you meant,” he said and returned to hacking at the dummy.
“Or that,” she said with a husky laugh.
“I screwed up.”
She stepped into his view, and he dropped his arms, throwing back his head to suck in deep breaths.
“How many times have you picked me up after I fucked up?” she challenged. “And everyone around you. So you fucked up once in your entire life. She’s smart enough to figure out what to do.”
“That’s not the point,” he snapped.
“Does it matter?”
He glared at her, unable to shake the sense that if Bianca hadn’t thought smarter than him, she’d be dead. With all the Guardians in the western hemisphere and god-powers granted him by Damian, he’d been the weak link. It was his job to protect humans, and he hadn’t been able to protect one woman in his own home! He’d never been afraid of anything in his life until that moment when all his power and control meant nothing. Just like when his sister died. The pain threatened to cripple him again.
Her gaze raked over him, but she kept her distance.
“Give yourself a break. You’ve been run ragged for too long. You don’t eat, you don’t sleep. I should start charging you for taking the edge off as often as I do. Not that I don’t appreciate the favor,” she said.
“Someone’s gotta save the world!” he snapped.
“And you will. This isn’t gonna help you, though.”
“I could do something more useful, like help Toni plan operations,” he allowed.
She rolled her eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of you going in there and claiming her. But, whatever.”
“Don’t have time, don’t want the drama,” he replied and swiped his T-shirt from the ground. He placed the sword in a rack with others and exited into the night.
Besides, I’m going to die this weekend. The cool rain felt good against his hot skin, and he stood in the dark walkway between the gym and the house, soothed by the storm.
He missed Damian and Jule. He didn’t realize how much until he actually needed their brutal take on reality to ground him. As the baby of the three, he’d always been the rock star among them. He’d never been alone. He wasn’t used to failure, and he didn’t know how to take it.
He wiped his face and walked into the kitchen, starving. Several of the Guardians were gathered in the informal dining area at the far end of the kitchen, laughing and talking as they played cards. His gaze found Bianca’s curls. She sat between Darian and Jonny across from Toni and two others. There was a plate of cookies on the counter and the scent of dinner lingering around the oven.
He knew without asking she’d left him dinner again. He recalled how soothing her hug had been earlier and itched to feel her soft, warm body in his arms again.
Even more frustrated, he pulled the food out of the oven and retreated to his office, not caring that he was drenched.
She trailed him up the stairs.
“You okay?” Her soft voice drifted off as she took him in.
He glanced at her. She looked well-rested, her cheeks glowing and her eyes dancing.
“There’s more if you want,” she said, glancing at his plate. She pulled up a chair, her movement giving him a peek of the swells of her breasts as she bent. She sat next to him and propped her chin on one hand, gazing at him.
“I’m better now,” he said. He touched her face, and she took his hand in both of hers.
“You’re cold,” she murmured.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” he asked. He leaned his forehead against hers, listening to her breathe.
“No one-night stands,” she said, though her tone was considering.
“We don’t have to do anything,” he said with a husky chuckle. “I promise to behave.”
She hesitated then reached for him, her cool touch soothing the fury in his blood. She leaned back to kiss him, the feel of her soft lips against his both infuriating and placating. He kissed her gently, unwilling to drop his restraint.
“Kiri, you don’t want to kiss me like that,” he told her, pulling away.
She settled again into his hug. He sensed he’d upset her, but she didn’t leave, just squeezed him tighter. He took them to the condo, and she tensed.
“Is it safe?”
“It is,” he said, more self-anger stirring at her fear. “Lay down. I’ve gotta clean up.”
She withdrew, and he felt the loss of her presence like the sun going behind a cloud. He took a long shower, exhausted, before retrieving his now lukewarm dinner from the house. He ate alone in the condo’s kitchen, not surprised to see Bianca asleep when he finally returned to bed. He gathered her warm body in his arms and smoothed away the curls that clung to his face, breathing her deep scent before he dropped into the first peaceful slumber in ages.
It wasn’t quite morning when he returned her to the extra bed in Jonny’s room. After a few solid hours of sleep, his sense of center was back, his mind clear. He paused as he passed the library. The lights were on.
“Sofi?” he called. The library was her refuge, though he had to wonder why she was up so early again.
“Hey Dusty,” she said in a tight voice.
He approached her favorite chair. She was curled up in
it, her head resting on one of the arms. Her swirling silver eyes were red with tears. He sat on the ottoman in front of her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“I miss Damian,” she whispered. “It’s really hard to deal with all the bad stuff sometimes.”
“Trust me, I know, kiri,” he said. “I feel like I had a meltdown last night.”
“You? Never,” she said. “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.”
“I’m hard on everyone,” he reminded her. “No exceptions.”
“I just want this Europe thing to be over. You do enough for us anyway,” she said.
“You’re my family. I feel like I should be doing more. I just don’t have the time.”
“You need to take care of yourself, Dusty,” she advised.
“I will, kiri,” he said. “We’re a lot alike, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, we are,” Sofi agree. “And this is how I know you’re not taking care of yourself as much as you should be.”
“Doesn’t make a difference now if I die this weekend, does it?” he mused. She looked away. “I told Darian not to let you help him.”
“He can’t do it on his own, Dusty, and it’s not because I’m being overprotective. Bianca healed me earlier, and I thought I could do more than I could, especially since ....” A troubled look crossed her features. “Dusty, I’m worried about him. To take his place as the Grey God, he has to overcome some really large hurdles. I don’t know if he can do it.”
“The Darian I remember was the strongest man I’d ever known,” he said. “I believe … I hope … that man is still inside of him somewhere. If so, he’ll take his place and probably knock the shit outta Damian and Czerno both a few times.”
“I hope so, too,” she replied. “He’s about to run into something bad. I can’t see well enough yet to know what happens, but it scares me. It’ll make or break him, and I don’t feel like he’s anywhere near ready.” Her words sent a streak of cold through him. His phone rang.
“I gotta get going,” he said.
“Dusty, remember that Bianca can heal anyone and any wound.” Her eyes were swirling again.
“You sound like the Watcher,” he said warily.
“Just keep it in mind.”
“Boss.” Toni’s voice was accompanied by a tap at the door. Dusty excused himself to join the Guardian. “I dug this out of a box of electronics upstairs and programmed it to be your new phone. That flip shit is so old school. I didn’t get you the full touch screen, though. Your paws are too big to text.” Toni held up a sleek phone and Bluetooth earpiece. “I tagged both with GPS and a speck of C4, so if you lose either, we can blow it up.”