"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," Phoenix grinned.
"Another Breakfast Club re-run?" Mercury asked with a smile.
Phoenix shook his head. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
Kaden rolled his eyes. Every Vampire had their favourite era, but it had taken Phoenix nearly six-hundred years to find his. "You ever get tired of that crap?" he asked.
"Nope!" Phoenix replied, still smiling.
"Whatever. Let's get goin'," Mercury said.
"Where are we going anyway?" Phoenix asked.
"To see a man about a bannerman," Kaden replied as the automatic door to the garage swung open. All three of them stepped outside and dematerialised.
Chapter 21
Lena was out of bed. She didn't have the courage to leave the room just yet, but she was beginning to feel more herself. Soraya had been lowering the dosage of the wonder-drugs to the point where Lena had been able to refuse the last prescription. Soraya hadn't really explained what was happening, and Lena had been too much of a mess to ask.
Now that the fog had lifted and her mind was clearer, Lena knew one thing with complete certainty. What happened between her and Thorn had changed everything. Irrevocably.
Mixed with incoherent thoughts, indistinguishable from dreams, Thorn Blackwood was at the forefront of her mind. Golden eyes and jet black hair all she could see, his rich musk all she could smell. He was everywhere. And so was the pain.
It hadn't really diminished; it was just different. The time she had spent away from him made it somehow more manageable. She still needed the cold showers, but that was as much to do with her raging libido as it was to do with her core temperature. Once she got that under control, everything would be fine. Everything would go back to normal. It had to.
She knew Kaden was out. Her blood bond with him, Mercury and Phoenix put them somewhere in Hertfordshire. She hoped that meant he was better. She was out of the loop, but she hoped to God they were on the Greenshire case.
When he got back, she was going to speak to him about leaving the House. She'd go back to her own home. She'd go back to doing things her way and she didn't have to see Thorn Blackwood or his House ever again. It was the perfect plan. Wasn't it? Yes, of course it was. Bordering on genius.
Of course, that was until she started to shake.
Oh Sweet Mother of Faerie! Thorn was outside the door.
This cannot be happening.
Lena's body belied her earlier confidence and heat washed over her. She held her breath as she zeroed in on the door handle, waiting for it to turn.
Like an idiot, she stood there frozen in indecision. Her mind wanted her to rush over and lock the door, to never again lay eyes on Thorn Blackwood's exquisite face. Her heart and body had other ideas.
Like a slow-motion action scene, Lena watched as the doorknob turned, millimetre by millimetre. Her keen hearing caught the almost silent click as the catch disengaged. And then the time for indecision was over.
The breath Lena was holding came out in a slow sigh and her eyes appraised him from his leather boots, up his long, jean clad, legs, over his muscled stomach and chest to his broad, angular face. Thorn filled the doorway, his shoulders nearly too wide for the opening and his long, lean legs meant he'd have to duck his head to pass under the lintel. Lena just stood there, waiting, not daring to move or speak.
What the hell is he doing here? Lena scanned his handsome face and saw a myriad of emotions there. She felt her own eyes widen with surprise; the King was never so unguarded. Ever. As she met his eyes for the first time, she saw the answer to her own question. Thorn didn't understand what he was doing there either.
With him still hovering in the doorway, Lena found her voice. "Do you need something?" Okay, so it was more of a croak than a voice, but it was all she had.
Thorn inhaled deeply, something she was getting used to. What she wasn't used to was the pained expression on his face as he gripped the door frame. For a brief, fleeting moment it looked to Lena as if Thorn was in complete agony. All other concerns left Lena's mind as her blood-bound duty raised its head. In a panic, she started towards Thorn.
"Stay. Where. You. Are." Thorn's voice sounded raw as he whispered his order.
Lena gulped as she searched his face and saw the agony in his eyes. "What's wrong, Thorn?" she asked, moving forward regardless. She couldn't help it.
The pain on Thorn's face turned to anger. "That was an order, Steward."
Lena felt her brow knit as she considered what he said. Yes, it was an order, wasn't it. The order still echoed around her head, yet for the first time in her life, she didn't feel herself bowing under the weight of it. The rebel in her took another cautious step towards him. Then another. Captivated by the pain and anger in Thorn's white-hot eyes, she crossed the room until she was only a few millimetres from him.
Rooted to the spot, Thorn hissed as she approached him. With confusion, fury and pain painted across his proud face, Lena found she wanted to comfort him. Which was ridiculous. Thorn had made it abundantly clear that he didn't need her around. Damn him, he'd even just ordered her not to come near him.
Lena's brow furrowed further and she chewed her lip as she thought about it more. Thorn Blackwood had given her a direct order, yet she brushed it off. How was that possible? No one, not even Kaden, could ignore a direct order from the King.
That was how it worked. Kaden commanded the Order, but Thorn Blackwood held dominion over all of them. He was the strongest of them all. Yet Lena had literally just walked through his order.
"What is happening to us, Thorn?" she asked.
Thorn squeezed his eyes shut as she stared up at him, uncertainty planted in every line of his handsome face. "I don't know," he replied, his voice still hoarse.
As soon as he said the words, Lena knew he was lying. Thorn normally guarded his emotions with an impenetrable wall of iron, yet the first real emotion he directed at her, was deceit. It hurt. A lot. Well fuck him then.
Raising her chin in defiance, Lena looked him square in the eye. "I'll ask you again then. What the hell are you doing here?" Thorn's brow shot up in surprise and Lena couldn't help but feel a bit pleased with herself. "If you have something you'd like me to do then tell me. If not, get the fuck out of here, 'cause I'm going home."
"Lena…" Thorn started, but his voice trailed away.
"That's what I thought," she prodded him. "Now, go away." Thorn's jaw went slack as Lena pushed him out of the doorway and slammed the door in his face.
A red mist descended on Lena as she stared at the oak door. A roar of fury erupted from her as she punched the antique panelling.
Thorn just stood there, his nose within touching distance of Lena's bedroom door, in complete amazement. He winced as he heard her roar like the she-lion she was, and felt her anger at him ripple through the oak.
Somehow, Lena had defied a direct order and told him to piss off in the space of a couple of minutes. He should be angry with her, furious in fact. Instead, much to his chagrin, he'd never been more turned on in his life. Lena was hot-headed and defiant and it made him want her all the more. Shit.
The details of how he'd ended up standing in her doorway were sketchy at best. After the Keeper of the Watch had all but called him an arse-hole for the way he was treating Lena, Thorn just couldn't stay away from her any longer.
He could always rely on Kaden to tell him the truth, and his friend was right. He couldn't carry on ignoring Lena. Of course Kaden didn't know what had happened at House Bowman and Thorn was pretty certain the Keeper of the Watch would swing for him if he found out, but that was beside the point. Leaving Lena to her agony, alone, was not acceptable and Thorn knew it.
Blood-lust still rode him hard which was why he'd told Lena not to come near him, but he just hadn't been able to stay away. Like a pathetic lost pup, he found himself opening Lena's door, with no real memory of how he got there.
And she'd shot him down in flames and then some.
She was as she'd a
lways been. Angry, rebellious, strong. For a brief moment, Thorn thought he'd seen a need in her, but he was wrong. There was no sign of her suffering anything but irritation at his intrusion.
Shaking his head, he turned to leave. A sob from Lena's room made him stop. "Lena?" he asked through the door.
Another sob, more muffled than the first, was his only reply.
Thorn didn't wait; he barged back into the room.
His fearsome lioness was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found Lena curled in a ball on the bed, red tears streaming down her face as she clutched her stomach. The pain she suffered was tangible and Thorn struggled to stay upright as he ran to her. He collapsed to his knees at her bedside, not having the slightest clue what to do. He reached out a hesitant hand but another sob racked Lena's lean frame and Thorn snatched his hand away for fear he was doing more harm than good.
"Don't leave me," she whispered.
Thorn's breath caught in his throat at the desperation in her voice. "I'm here, Guardian mine," he replied as he reached out for her again. He pushed her sleek locks away from her face and combed his fingers through them with slow, gentle movements.
Lena sighed with relief, as if the contact was all the balm she needed. Thorn watched in awe as all the tension seeped from her and the pain that was palpable only moments ago diminished with each stroke of his hand. Without thinking, Thorn's hand moved from Lena's hair to her cheek. His thumb caressed her face as she moved to look up at him. Searing heat surged through him as Lena's midnight-blue eyes changed to a striking aqua-marine and her tantalising scent hit him full force.
He couldn't help it; he inhaled, taking her miris deep inside him. The exotic spices ignited a fire within him. His groin hardened and his fangs punched down as he growled. For a brief moment, he regretted such a visible reaction as he saw Lena's beautiful eyes widen. His worries disappeared though as she gave him a little smile before she licked her bottom lip.
Unable to contain himself any longer he crushed her lithe body to him as he kissed her. Her tongue danced with his as their kiss deepened. Thorn moaned as her hand speared through his unruly hair and pinpricks of pain exploded over his scalp as she tugged at his locks. Hunger burned under his skin as his blood-lust rekindled.
Breathless, Lena broke away. Thorn watched her as she frowned, searching his face. He couldn't help it as his gaze drifted to her neck and the blood that sang for him there. He wrestled with himself, trying to wrench his eyes back to her face, but it didn't last. He couldn't do it. The blood in her veins called to him, demanding that he take it. Lena was so close, he'd hardly have to move to claim her. Just one taste and she would be his.
Lena's hiss made him refocus. His eyes snapped up to meet hers and his jaw went slack at the indisputable horror he saw in them. Lena retreated further across the bed looking more and more like a predator caught in a trap. As her back slammed into the antique head-board, she growled whilst her hand came up to her throat, cutting off his view of that delicious sight.
She knew.
Thorn shook his head, trying to clear the blood lust. "Lena...I..." His voice dwindled to barely a whisper then disappeared altogether.
"Get out," Lena spat at him.
Thorn winced at the unadulterated venom in her words but he knew she was right; he needed to leave. Problem was, he didn't want to.
He reached for her with slow, cautious movements, trying to show he wasn't a threat. It was clear Lena wasn't having any of it as she vaulted off the mattress to put the huge oak-framed bed between the two of them. Her lithe body adopted a defensive position, hands raised, legs ready to move. Ready to attack.
Fury etched in every line of her beautiful face, her nostrils flared as she spoke again. "I said, get out!"
The strength of her voice surprised him and Thorn actually took a step back. His brow knitted as the words vibrated through him. It wasn't a request. It was an order. And his body screamed at him to obey.
Anger doused the flames of his lust as he fought against it. "Have a care, Guardian!"
"I won't tell you again, Thorn. Leave. Now!"
Stunned at her insubordination and the ferocity of her order, he was almost at the door before he recovered himself. Thorn felt something pushing him away, but he span round to see Lena still hadn't moved from her defensive position on the far side of the bed. Her chin lifted, eyes now obsidian black with defiance and strength humming through her; she was positively Amazonian. She was as deadly as he'd ever seen her.
He needed to explain. He needed her to see he didn't want to harm her. "That's not true though, is it?" his subconscious asked. No, it wasn't. Shit.
Shame enveloped him and Thorn's shoulders slumped in defeat. Without another word he turned heel and ran from Lena's room.
Lena crossed the room and slammed the door so hard that it rattled in its frame. Now that Thorn had left, her strength deserted her and she sank to the floor with her back against the heavy oak. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she tried to make sense of what just happened.
The physical relief she'd felt at Thorn's touch was truly wondrous. That first gentle hand he laid on her hair had been like finding home for the first time. Even now she sighed at the memory of it. The passion of his kiss had ignited a heat within her and made her want to crawl over him like a cat. Something she would surely have done if not for… Lena swallowed hard… if not for the dangerous change she sensed in Thorn.
He'd met her passion in equal measures. His rich musk enveloped her as their tongues explored each other. His fiery hot hands had been like fire brands, scorching her as they danced over her back and down to her bottom. Lena shivered again as she remembered his moan as she tugged at his unruly black hair.
Then everything changed.
Lena squeezed her eyes shut as if that would block the memory. It didn't work.
She could smell the change in him even now. The hunger he had for her became something ugly, something frightening. Blood-lust so raw, so angry, so unexpected had risen within Thorn and Lena had been truly scared. In that moment, Thorn Blackwood didn't just wanted her body, he wanted her soul too.
The thought disgusted her. They were Vampire, not Fallen.
What the hell was Thorn thinking?
Pulling herself up, she grabbed her phone from the dresser. She needed to get the fuck out of here.
Kaden strode out of House Ashby with Mercury and Phoenix in tow. Neither of the Guardians said a word and it was just as well. Kaden's jaw twitched as anger rode him hard. Just as he thought they'd finally caught a break with the Greenshire case, history conspired against them again.
Eden had been here. For a night. Nearly two hundred years ago. The Clayden's were indeed bannermen to House Ashby and they had sought shelter with the youngling. House Ashby had offered it unconditionally, but she had not stayed long. Fearing for her safety, Eden had been moved almost as soon as she had arrived. And nobody knew where she'd gone next.
"Someone must know somethin', Boss. A kid can't just disappear," Mercury said.
Kaden wished it were true, but human newspapers reported child disappearances all the time. He could count on one hand the amount of follow up stories that read Missing Child Reunited with Delighted Parents.
Shaking his head, he replied. "They can and they do, Mercury."
"You sure they told us all they know?" Phoenix joined in.
"Yeah. You?" Kaden replied, his eyes shifting from Phoenix to Mercury and back again. Both men replied with a solemn nod.
Dammit.
"What do you think 'bout the other name on the list?" Mercury asked.
"What other name?" Phoenix replied.
Kaden puffed out a sigh. "London."
Kaden watched the Guardian process the information before his eyes widened. "London? As in Marin of House London? Have you lost your mind?" Phoenix screeched.
Anger welled in the pit of Kaden's stomach. "Watch your mouth, Guardian."
Phoenix would not be swayed. "Are we talk
ing about the Marin I think we are?"
"You know another Marin?" Mercury quipped.
Phoenix stuck his middle finger up in response.
In all honesty, Kaden didn't relish the thought of going anywhere near Marin London, much less actually speaking to him. Technically Marin was still a Guardian. In practice, the guy was an arsehole who walked so close to the line it was a wonder he even knew where the line was.
Kaden made sure he spent as much time away from the Order as possible. No one else had seen Marin in a couple of centuries. Unfortunately for him, Kaden couldn't say the same. He made a yearly trip to Marin's base in Norway.
Some days Kaden felt sorry for him, being so isolated. But then one conversation with the guy, and sympathy went out the window. Marin was, at best, antisocial. At his worst, the man was unhinged. Marin had been the solitary Soul Bearer for the Nordic region for nearly a millennium, but on more than one occasion, Marin had held onto the souls for too long. He'd never actually Fallen, but he was close. Until Marin turned though, the law prevented Kaden from doing anything about it.
"Well that's just brilliant," Phoenix said, bringing Kaden's thoughts back to the here and now.
Phoenix had a point. "C'mon let's get out of here," Kaden said.
Phoenix and Mercury just nodded before dematerialising.
Kaden was about to follow them when a shrill beep from his back pocket made him pause. Sighing, he dug his phone out and pressed his thumb to the print reader on the back. He hissed as the screen displayed a message from Lena. "Gotta get out of here. Going home."
Great.
Chapter 22
Unpacked and showered, Lena sank down onto her leather couch. It felt good to be home. Better than she thought it would. Yet she still felt empty, like she'd lost something.
Sipping on her lukewarm chocolate, her thoughts inevitably turned to Thorn. Her body still craved his touch, the aching need that simmered within her a constant companion. But now, there was revulsion too. A stomach churning horror enveloped her every time she thought about it.
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