by Bonnie Vanak
This was what she’d waited for her entire life.
Michael muttered as he adjusted his position. His hand dropped down, touching her at where they were joined. She exploded into a violent, screaming orgasm.
He threw back his head, the veins and cords on his neck straining. With a loud shout of her name, he released himself into her. For a moment they clung to each other, the sound of their ragged breaths echoing in the still room. Michael dropped his head on her shoulder, kissed her neck as he slowly pulled out.
Dazed by sensual pleasure, she slid down the wall as he feathered light kisses over her cheeks and jaw.
He led her to the bedroom, turned to regard her in the brilliant moonlight.
“And now,” he murmured, “we take it slow.”
His lean body had the strength of a predatory animal. Sabrina watched in hungry silence as Michael undressed. Muscles rippled beneath the tanned skin of his flat belly. His legs were long and dusted with dark hair.
His penis stood erect once more. She placed her hands on his firm chest, feeling the steady and slow beat of an immortal heart.
She’d had sex with a few partners. Always something felt lacking. Not with Michael.
Emotion overwhelmed her as she placed her mouth on his collarbone, tasting the salty tang of his skin. Michael cupped her chin, lifted it to his face.
“Why the tears?” He gently kissed them away.
She smiled through them. “You mean everything to me. I wish I’d have done this sooner.”
“You are so beautiful.” His voice was husky as he drew her over to the bed and they lay down.
His skin was hot to the touch as she stroked his broad shoulders and neck. She placed her lips against the mark of the Phoenix, feeling him quiver beneath her mouth. He slid a palm over her healed belly, circling it in soothing strokes.
Then he kissed his way down her torso. She felt him smile against her stomach. Then he flicked his tongue around her belly button. Sabrina cried out with pleasure as his hand reached between her thighs.
They explored each other’s bodies, taking their time, discovering pleasure points and laughing with abandon.
Michael’s gaze was blue fire as he mounted her. He held himself up on his hands as he settled between her opened legs.
“Love me, Michael,” she told him. “Pretend nothing can ever separate us, not even death.”
He pushed into her. The thickness of him filled her completely. She closed her eyes and tilted her hips up as he began to thrust.
His deep chest slid over her, the silky hairs from his legs whispered against her as she wrapped her limbs around his. They were entwined together like snakes.
Sabrina fisted her hands into his hair and kissed him hard. He moaned into her mouth and thrust harder and faster, the pleasure pushing her higher. She arched beneath him and cried out his name as she let go.
Rigid muscles locked as he stiffened above her and shouted her name. She felt the wet warmth of semen that would never father her baby.
She touched his cheek as he rolled off and he buried his damp face into her shoulder.
Her heart broke at the thought of never seeing him again, after searching for him for so long.…
They’d made love once more, Sabrina atop him, riding him slowly. Michael smelled the salt from the tears trickling down her face.
Afterwards, she’d excused herself to get some fresh air.
Wrapped in one of his shirts, she now stood at the balcony and stared out into the moon-splashed sand. Michael’s heart squeezed. His voice dropped to a bare whisper.
“Why do you tug at my heart so, little Sabrina? What is it about you that I could not bear to let you go?”
He could not love her. Yet the intense feelings washing through him, the idea of losing her left a hollow ache in his chest. As if he had fallen in love with Brie.
“I care about you. I always have. It isn’t love,” he muttered. “I don’t remember how to love anymore.”
Had not, not since the day his family died.
Enough reflection, Michael decided. Little time was left. He could not waste a moment more.
“The water looks so peaceful,” she called out softly. “I wish I could go swimming one last time.” And then she headed inside to change.
When she returned, he lifted her into his arms and carried her outside. His powers cloaked them from curious eyes.
Humid air washed over them as he carried her to the shoreline. Michael set her gently down on her feet, stripped off her shirt and then took her hand.
Together, they waded into the warm water. A dolphin splashed nearby.
They swam out a long distance until the water reached her chest. She wrapped her long legs around his hips, her center positioned directly over his erection. Adjusting their positions, he pushed inside her.
They both gasped at the contact. Sabrina began to cry again.
“Shhhh,” he murmured, rocking her back and forth. She slid up, down, the water gently lapping around them. Her arms wrapped about his neck.
In the moonlight, she studied him with a tender look. Sensations pummeled him, the tight, warm feel of her flesh surrounding him, the tangy scent of her, the delicious emotions filling every pore. He couldn’t get close enough to her.
He wanted the moment to last forever.
When her core squeezed him tight and she cried out her release, he surrendered. Michael threw back his head and groaned, shaking from the power of his orgasm.
A while later, after they’d showered and made love again, he lay with her in his bed. Knowing the minutes were slipping away, Michael held her tight.
“Did you make your decision?” he asked thickly.
She nodded.
He did not ask what she decided. He didn’t want to know. It hurt too much to think about losing her.
Emotional involvement distracts you from the job, Tristan always said. “Go have sex, ease your physical needs, but nothing more. Because you’re always on the move and you can’t take her with you.”
Too late, Michael thought.
He needed no sleep, but when she slept, he closed his eyes. He wrapped her in his arms, feeling her soft body mold against his.
In the morning when he opened his eyes, his arms were empty.
She was gone.
Chapter 9
Hands cuffed in golden spiked links behind his back, Michael knelt naked on a large mirrored floor in a room filled with brilliant light. The light hurt his eyes, as it was intended to do. The hard surface cut into his knees, the bracelets felt like razor wire on his skin.
He’d lost track of how long Tristan had punished him. The day Sabrina vanished, Michael had turned himself over to his mentor for discipline. The punishment was for giving Sabrina an extra day to gather her courage and summon the demon. When Michael had asked in a defiant tone about the other rules he’d broken, such as making love to his charge, Tristan only shrugged.
The memory of their lovemaking was a balm that soothed the punishment’s subsequent humiliation. Michael took a deep breath, muted the pain with exact concentration.
The cell door opened. He stared at the scuffed biker boots before him.
“You know why you broke the rules?” Tristan asked.
Michael lifted his head. Despite the burning in his watering eyes, he forced himself to lock gazes. With his shoulder-length hair, piercing eyes and arrogant chin, Tristan looked the same age as Michael. In reality, he was a thousand years older, and a Guardian elder.
“I bought her an extra day to stir her memories. My only concern was keeping her safe,” Michael said.
“You sound like a pompous ass. Admit the truth. What is Sabrina to you?”
“She is my closest friend. She made me want to live again after my family died.”
“You keep telling yourself that. Haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” Tristan shook his head. “Love must be blind, as well as deaf and dumb.”
His immortal heart pounded hard. Micha
el felt white-hot pain in his chest as the realization slammed into him like a sledgehammer.
“No,” he whispered.
“Yes.” Tristan sat cross-legged before him. “You blinded yourself to the truth, thus the mirror of truth. And you’re still as blind as ever. You love her. She’s your destined mate, or was, since you’re not Draicon anymore.”
Michael closed his eyes, the burning in them too much to bear. Moisture seeped from the closed lids and fell like crystals onto the mirrored floor.
“I can’t love her.”
“The memories of losing her family were too painful for Sabrina, but the thought of not being able to have her was equally crushing for you. You blocked everything out. Your feelings. That little gut instinct telling you who she really was when she turned eighteen and you became aware she was a woman. You were debating how to tell her your suspicions when the demon targeted Sabrina. That’s why you were so furious, Michael. You weren’t mad about being cheated out of finding your destined mate, but because you had already found her.”
A long, low moan escaped him at the painful realization. Michael hung his head, and opened his eyes. He could only see Sabrina’s face, her eyes reflecting his love.
He had ignored it before because it hurt too much to lose her, just as he’d lost everyone in his family.
In the mirror, he saw Tristan loom over him. “You only knew you wanted Sabrina close by. I will ask this only once, Phoenix. Why did you lie to her? The crap about not imposing your will on her was pure B.S. You could have swayed her decision with a mental push and she’d have chosen to become a Guardian and be with you instead of her family.”
He raised his head to regard his mentor. “And I’d have been wrong, because she needed to make the best decision for herself. It would have been selfish.”
“What if she chose the other realm with her family? You won’t see her again for centuries until your tour of duty is up.”
Michael grit his teeth. “I knew I’d survive, like I have.”
“Admit it. You did it because you wanted to make her happy, even if you were miserable,” Tristan said softly.
“Damn you.” Michael felt his pain cease. “Yes.”
All his memories he’d suppressed rushed to the surface. He remembered the night he died to keep her safe. The burning pain, and Sabrina’s hysterical sobs as she tried to slow the blood streaming from his body. He remembered the vow he’d made to challenge the demon so she’d never again be attacked by Icktys. The year he’d spent trying to control his anger at being cheated of his destined mate and why he’d chosen to be reborn as a Phoenix.
It was so he could watch over her, always, even if they could never be together.
“All those times you wanted to kiss her, you didn’t. Why?” Tristan asked.
“I didn’t want her to get hurt,” he admitted. “I remember now. Something inside me warned me that she would realize what we were to each other and it would be agony for her. My immortal powers prohibit her from bonding with me.”
“You tried to protect her. Very noble. You want to ask me something,” Tristan pointed out.
It wasn’t permitted. He asked anyway.
“Is Sabrina all right? What did she decide?”
Pain speared his temples as if someone thrust an ice pick into them. He breathed through it.
“She’s happy. That’s all you need to know.”
The heavy handcuffs fell from his wrists. Michael felt a weight lift. His muscles screamed in agony as he struggled to his feet. Rubbing his wrists, he shot Tristan a puzzled look.
“You’re free now, my friend. I think you’ve suffered enough. I want you patrolling territory in the western United States far from me. If you don’t stay out of my sight—or any other Guardian’s sight—I’ll haul your ass back here in chains for much longer than a month.”
“Can I at least see Sabrina’s grandparents?”
Tristan grunted. “Next year, at their anniversary, and not before. I’ll grant you that much. And stay out of trouble, Phoenix.”
Chapter 10
Time dragged by for Michael. He kept to his duties, careful to avoid contact with any other Guardians. The loneliness was more honed and piercing now that he remembered in sharp detail exactly what he’d lost.
He’d almost gotten used to it. Almost, Michael thought as he trudged toward the Florida hotel where Sabrina’s grandparents were once again celebrating their anniversary. The year had finally passed.
Dread filled him. He wanted to see Nathan and Martha again. Wanted to hug them, feel contact with those Sabrina loved so much. But seeing them would be hell, because they were a reminder of all he’d lost.
Michael turned a corner and walked into the hotel parking lot. His gait slowed as he heard riotous laughter from the Tiki Bar. For a moment he wanted to turn away and leave, and never look back.
I can’t do this.
I must do this.
Michael swallowed hard and slowed his pace as he neared the bar. Could he ever learn to laugh again, enjoy all he’d been given as a Phoenix, without Sabrina?
Doubtful. Yet he had to try. This was a good place to start.
Nathan and Martha had their backs to him as he approached. Michael set down his backpack. He gathered his courage and forced a smile.
Delighted cries filled the air as they turned and saw him. The pack converged on him. He found himself engulfed by bear hugs from Draicon wolves much older than himself.
When they stepped back, Nathan and Martha gave each other delighted looks.
“About time you showed up, Michael. You sure took your sweet time getting here,” Nathan said.
Martha squeezed his arms. “There’s a friend of yours here. Nice man.”
Michael stiffened as the crowd parted to show Tristan standing by one of the tables. With him was a dark-haired woman, who had her back turned as she gazed out into the green Gulf waters.
“He’s no friend,” Michael grated out. “I should leave.”
Before he could make a move toward his backpack, Tristan flashed to his side.
“Ah, no you don’t. Before you run away, there’s someone you need to meet first. I’m requiring you to take on a new trainee.”
Michael’s voice dropped to a deep growl. “I work alone.”
“Not anymore. Part of your continuing discipline, champ. You’ll be paired with her for a long time.”
His guts clenched as anger surfaced. He forced it down, assumed an impartial expression. “Whatever.”
“Come here.” Tristan crooked a finger at the woman with her back turned to him.
When she turned and came forward, Michael forgot to breathe. He could only stare in rapt wonder.
“It’s not possible,” he said thickly.
Then all words failed him as Sabrina flung herself into his arms. He felt the wetness on her cheeks and realized she, too, was crying.
“She needed constant mentoring for a year, like all new Guardians.” Tristan sounded amused. “But I’m tired of teaching her. She needs a new mentor, someone to stick around and work with her. Two Guardians can be more effective than one these days. More demons to fight, more shifters being targeted.”
“For how long?” His voice was a bare whisper.
“A while. Say, five hundred years or longer.” Amusement danced in Tristan’s voice. “You know the rules. Nothing in the books about two Guardians having a close physical relationship…or being in love.”
Michael’s throat clogged as Sabrina held him tight. He stroked her hair, and squeezed his eyes shut. Afraid she was a vision and she’d vanish again.
He opened his eyes. Joy shone on her face as she leaned forward and pressed her soft mouth against his trembling lips.
Her kiss was urgent and filled with passion. He breathed in her scent, wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. He heard the murmurs die away, felt their surroundings shift.
When they ceased kissing, they were in a hotel room. Michael blinked.
“I see you’ve learned a lot in a year,” he told her.
“Teleporting and cloaking the action from humans was the first skill I asked Tristan to teach me. I’ve had this in mind ever since I made the decision to be reborn as a Phoenix.” She touched his wet, warm mouth.
“Why, Brie?” He cupped her head, running his fingers through the silk of her black hair. “You missed your family, you could have been reunited with them.”
“I missed you more,” she said, kissing the corner of his mouth. “All those years you sacrificed your life for me, it was time I did something for you. Because I love you, and I’d do anything for love.” Her voice cracked. “Even if you didn’t think you loved me.”
He brushed back a strand of her hair. “I was a fool who forgot how to love, because it hurt too much.”
“It won’t ever hurt again, Michael. I promise you this, just as you made a promise to keep me safe all those years ago.”
His voice deepened as he cupped her face in his hands. “And I make a new promise to you now. I love you, Brie, and I will never again deny you my feelings.”
Her green gaze, now as brilliant as his own, regarded him. “Your mind forgot you loved, but your heart never did. That’s why you let me choose my destiny instead of asking me to be with you as a reborn Phoenix. You set me free. So I made you my choice and came back.”
Stunned, he stood in mute wonder at her perception. Sabrina flashed a grin and snapped her fingers. Air brushed against his bare skin. He glanced down.
He was naked.
Michael smiled. “I see you’ve learned to put those new powers to good use. But if you don’t mind, I prefer the old-fashioned method of undressing you.”
They made love with a fierce intensity, clinging to each other as if afraid to let go. When it was over and they lay in breathless exhaustion in each other’s arms, he gently stroked her cheek. Sabrina gave him a solemn look.