“Give me time Sebastian, okay?”
He nodded, accepting her reluctance. “Take all the time you need.”
Emma hesitated, but she had to ask, her heart constricted as she spoke. “Do you know if the Protectors were able to escape?”
“I can’t tell you anything about them,” Sebastian replied, his eyes didn’t meet hers. “You shouldn’t ask about them, it’s dangerous, they are our enemy.”
His answer disappointed her, and she didn’t persist. “Good night.”
# # #
It was a bright night. Cyn leaned against a building’s wall and looked up at the full moon.
He was assigned to the midtown sector of Atlanta and currently stood across the street from the Fox Theatre. The blinking lights of the marquee cast a glow over the patrons who rushed in late for the play.
He walked down the street and scanned behind the large hotel buildings. Movement caught his attention and he stepped back into the shadows.
The muffled sound of laughter traveled over the sound of a car alarm. He relaxed when two couples came into view. The foursome chatted and walked past without noticing him. They parted ways, one heading to an all-night coffee shop and the other to their car.
The man held the door for his date, who gave him a grateful peck on the cheek. The familiar scene had unfolded before him thousands of times in all the years and he’d never paid much attention. However, this night he watched the car drive away until it disappeared. It bothered him, for the first time in a long time that he would never have a normal life. He’d been human once, but it was so long ago that he remembered very little of those short years before becoming a Protector.
Love, marriage, and family were things most Protectors gave up. Being immortal, they would see those they loved age and die.
Roderick himself confessed his sadness once to Cyn at the thought that he might have to watch his son Brock die of old age, while he remained young. Julian believed that Brock might be destined to be a Protector, but they wouldn’t know for a few more years. Cyn and Roderick didn’t know of any other Protectors to have offspring and Julian wouldn’t tell them if there were.
Cyn shook his head. The Roman kept too many secrets in his opinion.
He pushed the thoughts away and became vigilant again. He was on the lookout for a gang of young demons that attacked college students in the area. So far, it was a quiet night. Not many demons around. He wondered if Kieran had better luck spotting demons, so he called his brother’s unit. Kieran answered on the first ring.
“Anything over there? Nothing here. ” Cyn told him as he walked down a side street.
“I’ve seen quite a few demons headed into Inferno. But they’re more interested in getting laid, than killing,” Kieran replied. “By the way, I just saw a woman who looked just like Emma going in. It was strange. I followed her inside out of curiosity, but I lost her in there. It’s packed.”
“I’m sure the management loved you walking in there,” Cyn replied. “Call if anything comes up; we need to find the rogue demons.” He ended the call.
Damn it, the last person he wanted to think about tonight was Emma. Footsteps neared and he tensed as a woman stepped out of the shadows and faced him. “Emma?”
The woman laughed, it was throaty and sensual. “I almost wish I was.” She stood under a street light with her feet planted apart. She swept her long hair away from her face. It was the succubus, the same one he’d seen back at Gerard’s, Gia.
Succubae took power and life energy from sex. Although not dangerous, they were exceptionally strong. She was about the same build as Emma and stunning.
Her red-rimmed eyes roamed over his body and she licked her lips. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Cyn didn’t relax his stance. “I’m not in the mood to fuck a demon. Go look someplace else,” he told her, his voice flat.
Gia took another step toward him. “I bet I can help you forget the woman who betrayed you. After a night with me, you won’t remember any other woman you have ever been with. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Cyn had to admit the idea did have merit. He hated that Emma filled his thoughts daily. He wanted to forget her and be glad she was gone, but he couldn’t. When they escaped from the demon’s warehouse, Sebastian told them an explosive transmitter had been placed in her neck. Ever since, he’d wondered if she was dead.
Cyn sneered at the succubus. “I bet I will forget all kinds of shit if I kill you too.”
“She’s with him you know. Emma is with Gerard. From what I can tell, she doesn’t care about you.” The succubus smiled. “Even when he told her you were dead, she didn’t act like she cared. Their only regret is that we were not able to free Thames.”
She’s not dead.
The female’s words affected Cyn, but he fortified himself not to ask more about Emma.
“Now come with me Protector. It will just be sex between a man and a female. I want that thick cock of yours inside me.” Her pheromones encircled him, its tendrils of temptation wrapping around him.
He forgot to block her affect.
Arousal assaulted him and his pulse quickened. His jeans grew very snug.
When his breathing became labored, Gia moved closer, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
He drew strength and took a step back to avoid the draw.
With a loud growl, Cyn swung his sword barely missing her throat. Her eyes flashed with fear.
“I won’t miss next time Succubus. Leave me be.”
“Fine, suit yourself.” She maintained eye contact for a few more moments then finally gave up and turned on her heel.
Cyn spotted a businessman exiting a building across the street. Gia made a beeline toward the man.
Cyn watched Gia’s retreating figure as the effects of her seduction attempt diminished. He shook his head to clear it. He felt bad for the man who had already put in a long day. He was going to be much later getting home now.
Had Gia lied to him? Was Emma really alive? It was too much of a coincidence, Kieran thought he saw her and now the succubus told him she hadn’t died.
And with Gerard.
Did it matter?
An hour later, still on patrol, the hair on the back of Cyn’s neck lifted.
Demons.
He took off at a slow jog, turned a corner, and saw them.
There were three of them behind a restaurant. The demons fed from the neck and wrists of a man who lay on the ground. From his lack of reaction, Cyn figured him to be passed out from blood loss.
He pushed Kieran’s number into his earpiece and ran toward them.
The demons were slow to react. Apparently they didn’t expect to be confronted by a Protector. As soon as one sprung up, Cyn swung his sword. The demon’s head flew across the pavement and landed next to a dumpster. One of the other demons pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. The first shot narrowly missed his head. The second bullet hit him in the shoulder.
If it were possible, his glare would have bored an actual hole into the demon’s face. Before he could pull the trigger again, Cyn flew toward the demon that turned to run. He didn’t get far before Cyn cut him down.
The third low-level drew out a sword although he appeared hesitant to use it. “Hey, we weren’t going to kill the guy.” The demon whined. “We were just hungry.”
The buzzing of his fury barely allowed Cyn to hear the words clearly, he wanted to kill him now. But he paused and looked over at the passed out man. His chest moved, he was breathing. The fresh bites on his neck and wrists no longer bled. Cyn turned back to the demon that continued to hold up his sword, but looked less afraid.
“Next time, order a pizza idiot. Go ahead. Get the fuck out of here.” The demon took a step back. “Next time I will not hesitate to kill you,” Cyn snarled.
The demon dropped his sword. The cheap metal clanged noisily on the pavement. As fast as his legs could carry him, he disappeared around a corner.
Cyn bent and drew the unconsci
ous man’s cell phone out of his pants’ pocket. He dialed 9-1-1 and dropped the phone back on the man’s lap. With the demon’s discarded sword in hand, and the other’s gun shoved into his waistband, he waited a few yards away, for an ambulance to arrive.
“I guess you didn’t wait for me.” Kieran walked toward him.
“They were low level demons, I handled it.”
“Why did you kill them? We are just supposed to warn them.” Kieran’s eyes widened. “Oh Shit.” Kieran mouthed ‘Julian’ and motioned to his earpiece, when he realized their leader overheard them.
Cyn’s earpiece beeped.
It was Julian.
A very pissed off Julian.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The next evening, Cyn lay on the couch and watched a Rugby game. He’d been unable to sleep and hadn’t gone to bed. A hard punch to his shoulder startled him from sleep. Instinctively his fist flew out and hit the person so hard it knocked them down.
Fully awake now, Cyn jerked up in time to catch the look of shock on Blue’s face. The boy scrambled to his feet and ran to his bedroom slamming the door behind him.
There was a crumpled piece of paper on the floor next to the couch. He picked it up and scanned it. It was Blue’s report card.
Straight A’s.
His gut clenched. He’d forgotten all about Blue’s parent-teacher conference that evening, and to make matters worse, he’d just broken a promise he made to Blue. That he would never strike him.
God knew the boy pushed him on that pledge, testing him over and over. But Cyn never hit him.
Until now.
It was a great week so far — enduring Julian’s wrath for killing the low-level demons, and now this.
He got up and went to find his son.
Cyn opened the door to Blue’s bedroom to find the boy in front of his blank computer screen. When Blue noticed Cyn entering the room, he squared his shoulders and glanced at him. Without a word, he looked back at the monitor.
The glistening in Blue’s eyes shot a sharp ache square into the center of his chest.
He was a Protector. He never planned to be a parent. But now that he had Blue, he couldn’t imagine his life without the boy in it.
For over two centuries, it had just been him. He didn’t have to worry about anyone else. But things were different since Blue, and he loved it. He stepped closer to him and reached for the boy’s shoulder, Blue shifted away from his touch.
“I’m sorry son. I didn’t mean to hit you. You caught me off guard.”
Blue shrugged and tried to act nonchalant, but his voice shook, “It was my fault.”
“No Blue. It was not.” Cyn took him by the shoulders and lifted him out of the chair. Blue looked up at him. “It wasn’t your fault. I should have been with you at the parent-teacher thing. I forgot. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay Dad.” A sigh of relief escaped Cyn as the boy threw his arms around his waist and hugged him. Blue moved away, his face flushed. “Uncle Roderick and Aunt Rachel were there. Afterwards, they took Brock and me out for pizza.”
“Let me see your face.” Cyn inspected Blue’s face closely while he squirmed. Thankfully, there was no bruising or swelling.
“How about I make it up to you? We can go dirt biking Saturday.”
Blue’s eyes widened, a wide grin spread across his face. “I don’t have a dirt bike.”
Cyn smiled at him. “After that report card, you will.” Blue hugged him again, this time not letting go right away.
Blue ran to his bed, plopped down and picked up his cell phone. “Wait till Brock hears about this!”
The security alarm chirped to let him know someone had arrived. Since whoever it was knew the code, it was either Roderick or Kieran.
When he walked into the kitchen, the site of Roderick’s backside greeted him. The Spartan was bent over digging in his refrigerator.
Cyn let out a breath. “I know I fucked up. I forgot all about the school thing tonight.”
Roderick straightened with a beer in each hand. He handed Cyn one, then opened the other and drank from it.
Cyn put the bottle aside and leaned on the counter in wait, sure Roderick was about to give him a stern lecture. Instead, his friend gave him an amused grin and shrugged. “You know, I never thought we would be discussing parent-teacher conferences. I was more comfortable killing Nazi demons during World War II than I am sitting down, listening to a teacher telling me that Brock can add well.” Roderick looked toward Blue’s room. “You should have been there.”
“I know — what can I say? I just apologized to Blue. Thank you for being there for him.” The Spartan nodded, his discomfort was palpable.
“What else is up Roderick? I know you didn’t just come over to bust my balls about the school conference,” Cyn asked.
Roderick took another swig from his beer but his eyes did not quite meet Cyn’s. The large man rubbed his chin as if in thought. “Okay...it’s like this. I’m worried about you, so is Kieran. We think that woman, Emma, got under your skin.” Concerned eyes met his. “Cynden, if your head is not where it’s supposed to be, you can die.”
Before Cyn could answer Roderick held up his hand. “I’m not done.” He pulled out a chair turned it around and straddled it. “Let’s talk this through." He counted off on his fingers. "For one thing, Protectors don’t develop feelings for a female unless it’s our mate. Secondly, there has to be a reason why you feel tied to her, if she isn’t your mate. We need to figure this out because we can’t afford for you not to have it all together, up here,” Roderick jabbed at his temple with his forefinger.
Cyn held a finger up to stop his friend’s lecture. “Roderick, I appreciate the Dr. Phil talk, but I’m okay. I am fine, up here.” He pointed to his head.
Cyn looked over his shoulder to make sure Blue wasn’t nearby. “Maybe it’s just that I haven’t gotten laid in a while and well, you know.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Shit I don’t know.”
Roderick chuckled, then sobered. “Nope that’s not it and you know it.”
Cyn huffed and gave in. Then he grabbed a chair and sat opposite his friend. “Okay, she’s been on my mind. A lot. I don’t know how I feel about her, to be honest. Kieran said he saw Emma, or someone that looked just like her, walking into Inferno the other night. That same night a succubus mentioned her. I think she’s still alive. In all probability, she’s fully embraced her demonic side now.”
Cyn reached back for his beer, popped it open and took a long swig. “Maybe I need to visit Inferno and find out for myself.”
Roderick’s eyebrows shot up and he laughed. “That will go over well. Sebastian will have a fit if a Protector goes in there and scares the shit out of his demon patrons.” A grin split across Roderick’s face. “Actually, that sounds like fun, mind if I come along?”
Roderick looked as though he was relaxed and at ease. Cyn hoped he was getting back to normal.
“How are things with you and Rachel?” he asked.
“Great. With her, its great.” Roderick’s eyes clouded, his lips pressed together.
Cyn nodded. “What about with you?”
“It’s like a slow lifting fog. The first couple of days we hardly left the bedroom, I can lose myself in Rachel and not think. I’m back at work and moving toward a normal life. It gets better day-by-day. I’m working on it. And I got my old friend now." Roderick motioned to his broad sword, attached to his belt. "You should see the looks I get at the hospital.” He downed the rest of the beer and stood up.
“You wear your sword in the hospital?” Surprised his friend could get away with it.
Roderick shrugged. “No one has had the balls to tell me it’s against policy yet. Rachel thinks it’s hilarious.” His loud laugh filled the room. “Well, speaking of Rachel, she was drinking a glass of wine when I left. I better get back and take advantage of that.”
The Spartan looked down at his boots for a beat then back at him. “I had to talk to you. I know
that you can handle yourself, Cyn. Just make sure you think about what I said. I’m not sure what course of action needs to be taken, maybe you need some time off or something.”
Cyn remained in the kitchen after Roderick left. Emma’s expressions, when they made love, came to mind. The picture of the curve of her neck when she turned to give him access to her throat made him bite back a groan and close his eyes.
Roderick was right. The woman was playing havoc with his mind.
Could a half-demon actually be his mate?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Here kitty cat….” Emma held a bowl of cat food and tried to coax her cat out from under the bed. The orange tabby moved further back and hissed, its yellow eyes tracking her every move.
“Fine suit yourself, but you can’t stay under there forever.” Emma put the bowl down and got up. “I don’t know why I even try.”
Months earlier, she’d brought the cat home after she found him on the side of the road. He’d been hit by a car. He wasn’t hurt bad, and recovered fast.
When she got home from work the day after, she found him stretched out on her couch. As soon as the cat spotted her, he hissed and darted under her bed. Like most animals, he sensed the demon in her which made him skittish. Maybe she’d find him another home.
“It’s strange that the kitty doesn’t like you. He hung out with me while you were gone,” Wendy called out to her.
Emma went into Wendy’s bohemian inspired living room. “Why don’t you keep him? He hates me. He’s been around me for weeks and is still scared of me.” Emma sat on the floor next to Wendy’s denim upholstered couch and picked up her glass of wine.
“Yeah I might just do that,” Wendy told her with a laugh. “I think the cat may not like you because you haven’t taken the time to even name him.”
Emma nodded. “Yes I did, his name is Kitty Cat. Right now I have a new name for him, but it’s not nice.”
Things were almost back to normal. Emma was glad for Wendy’s easygoing company. More times than not, she would find a way to cheer her up.
Betrayal: Immortal Protectors, Book 1 Page 13