If only she could reply in kind, but she couldn’t, not when she had to walk away from him.
Bowled over by the depth of love for her evident in his expression, she believed him. There wasn’t any room for doubt. The man truly loved her. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough.
Exhaling deeply, she rested her forehead on his chest. “If only we could, but you know what I am. Julian would never allow it, and I won’t have you go back on your oath for me —for a demon.”
With one last lingering look, she turned away and hurried to her car.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Before she could reach her car, Cyn came up behind her and lifted her into his arms. He ignored her shriek of surprise and carried her back to his truck.
Embarrassed at what the people in the diner witnessed, her cheeks warmed. “Put me down Cyn, people are watching.”
“I don’t care,” he replied, his tone even.
He struggled a bit opening the passenger door but managed it. He sat her in the passenger seat, and buckled her in. Emma could only stare at him. She opened her mouth to protest but found that she was at a loss for words.
“We will finish this conversation at the house,” he told her in a won’t-take-no-for-an-answer tone, his glare daring her to move. The dangerous Protector was back and she did not contradict him.
Torn between elation at knowing he loved her, and fear of the hurt that would come when forced to walk away from him, Emma could only sit and stare straight ahead.
She closed her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to form a cohesive thought.
What happens now?
The longer she stayed around him, the harder it would be to walk away.
When he got into the truck, the ice-blue eyes she loved so much met hers for a moment. She almost caved upon seeing so much emotion in them. He turned away, cranked the engine. He turned up the volume on the radio and let music fill the space around them.
# # #
When they walked into his house, Blue came out of the kitchen with a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches. “Hey Dad.” It was a moment before he noticed Emma.
A broad smile split his face. “Hi Emma. You’re back, that’s awesome.” He turned and shuffled toward his room not looking back.
“Hey, you didn’t eat your dinner. You said you weren’t hungry and now you’re eating a tower of crap.” Cyn called after him.
“You’re cooking sucks, Dad. Sorry!” Blue called back before his bedroom door slammed shut.
Emma smiled at Cyn’s frown. He walked to the hallway entrance and looked toward Blue’s room, as if trying to decide what to do about his son.
“You must have not eaten your dinner either since you ate a sandwich at Mae’s earlier.” Emma reminded him. “Let Blue have his tower of sandwiches. Grilled cheese is not that unhealthy.”
Cyn turned to her, his expression sheepish. “My cooking is pretty bad. Do you want something to drink?” He went to the kitchen and took two beers out of the fridge and poured one into a glass for her. “Please sit down.”
There was no way she could resist him, not for long anyway. She loved this man with all her heart and soul. No doubt he would try and convince her to marry him and how could she say no. It was useless to deny the feelings she had for him. If only they could be together without Cyn having to resign from the Protector force.
Being a Protector was his life. She would never let him quit.
She had to be strong.
He held a chair out for her.
She sat, ignoring the beer and steeled herself to what he was about to say.
If he was going to convince her to marry him regardless of the consequences, she didn’t know if she could resist.
“I never thought I’d fall in love. I did my best to avoid it at all costs… oh God, this is not the best way to start this discussion.” His nervousness was obvious, but his resolve proved stronger. “I’m not good with words Emma. I don’t know how to express my feelings. I convinced Wendy to get you to Mae’s diner so I could talk to you.” He blushed. “Shit sorry, I wasn’t supposed to tell you that either.”
The little traitor. She’d deal with Wendy later.
Cyn took her hand. “Emma, I want you to understand that I’m willing to do anything not to lose you.”
At seeing her fierce Protector so vulnerable, she ached for him. Emma stood and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his firm chest.
His sigh made her heart constrict, as he relaxed and held her. How could she say no? God help her.
Cyn put his hands on both sides of her face and they looked into each other’s eyes for a moment before his mouth fell on hers. The kiss was soft and sweet, his lips brushed feather soft strokes over hers.
Cyn nipped her bottom lip and deepened the kiss while he walked her backwards toward the couch. When the back of her legs touched it, they fell back into the soft suede, never breaking their kiss. Emma scooted over to allow him room to lie next to her.
He removed the clip from her hair and it cascaded to her shoulders, Cyn buried his face in it. “I love your scent Emma.”
Emma rubbed his back, and basked in the feel of his amazing body.
I want to fight for us. I love him. The thought took her by surprise.
“I love you Cyn.”
His wide smile warmed her heart. His mouth found hers again and this time his kiss was hard and demanding. Emma ran her hand under his shirt needing to touch his skin. He pushed his hardness into her and she moaned.
The sound of a branch against the window got Emma’s attention. She realized what they were doing and she pushed Cyn back. Both were breathing hard.
“Blue could walk in, that wouldn’t be good,” she told him.
Cyn responded by pulling her in for another kiss before he got up from the couch and held his hand out to help her up. “You’re right, it would be rather awkward. No kid wants to see his Dad making out.”
Emma gasped in alarm when Cyn grabbed her and threw her behind him. The speed of his movements astounded her. She peered around him and her jaw dropped at the sight of the man who stood in the room.
The male that appeared before them looked as if he’d fallen to earth directly from Mt. Olympus. There were two words that described him, perfection and terrifying. The air sizzled as his shimmering eyes landed first on Emma and then on Cyn.
He had to be Julian.
The man radiated pure power.
Fear seized her, yet she tried to take him in. If Emma thought Cyn and the other Protectors were the most handsome men she’d ever seen, it was because she’d never met Julian.
No male could compare to him.
He looked much younger than she expected, perhaps mid-twenties. His broad shoulders and a sleek, yet muscled, physique were evident under his white collarless shirt and tan slacks. The slight vee gave a glimpse of a light feathering of hair on his chest.
He wore his jet-black hair short and combed back away from his face. Michelangelo himself could not have created more breathtaking features. Long eyelashes and perfectly arched eyebrows framed midnight eyes. His lips were full and sensuous, even now, when he held them in a firm line as he studied them.
Cyn shifted and Emma moved with him instinctively curling her fingers around the material of his shirt. She waited for either man to do or say something.
Julian stepped toward them. His movements reminded Emma of a sleek panther sizing up its prey. She had no doubt that without effort he could overcome Cyn, if he wished to. Still she was glad to be sheltered by his large body at that moment.
“Hello Cynden,” Julian’s voice was deep with a slight accent. “Hello Emma.” He nodded to her. After a long lingering look, he looked back at Cyn. “She is lovely.”
Emma wondered if Julian knew that she and Cyn had just been making out. Self-conscious, she reached up and smoothed her hair as best she could.
# # #
Julian’s words did little to calm Cyn. The Protector in him took o
ver and his fangs elongated, to let Julian know Emma was his.
Cyn tried his best to maintain control, but remained tensed. He didn’t like the way Julian sized up Emma, not at all.
“She is to be my wife.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her possessively to his side.
After a moment, Julian nodded in understanding and turned away from them. He gripped his hands together behind his back and walked to the oversized windows.
The Roman peered out to the barrier of trees that surrounded Cyn’s house.
“I don’t like this city—it seems to affect Protectors in a peculiar fashion.”
Cyn didn’t reply. Julian continued unfazed. “Two Protectors, taking wives, it has never happened. Not this close together.” With an unreadable expression he turned back to face them. He looked pointedly at Cyn. “We must talk.”
Emma moved in front of him, as if to protect him and his heart leaped in joy at her action. But, it was foolish to allow her to offend Julian in any way. So he gave her a reassuring hug and pushed her toward the bedrooms.
“Go to my bedroom and wait, please.” He could hear Blue’s music blaring. Good, he shouldn’t come out for a while.
Emma’s eyes were wide with anxiety and concern as they met his. Although he could sense her reluctance to move, she nodded and glanced once more at Julian before walking away.
Cyn took a deep breath and forced his fangs to retract when Emma left the room.
He respected Julian. He didn’t envy his superior. The man carried the heavy burden of commanding the Protector Army. Julian always proved to be a firm but fair leader, and one who kept himself at a distance from them.
Through the years the Protectors learned bits and pieces about Julian, but for the most part, his past remained a well-guarded secret.
The Roman didn’t wait for Cyn to speak. “I already know what you are going to say Cynden. You plan to marry her whether I approve or not.”
Cyn nodded, accustomed to Julian’s abilities. He was torn between his allegiance to the Protectors and Emma. “Please don’t make me choose.”
For the second time in his life, Cyn was uncertain of his future.
“And if I do, which will you choose?” Julian asked him.
“I would choose to marry Emma.”
“I see.” Julian’s expression remained blank. “After today, you won’t have a decision to make.”
“Come, we must go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Still fully dressed Emma woke with a start. She must’ve fallen asleep on Cyn’s bed.
She grabbed her cell and saw that it was six in the morning and sat up blinking to fully wake-up.
Cyn wasn’t in the bedroom. It looked like he’d never come to bed. She wondered where he was and why he hadn’t come to find her last night. Fear filled her and she ran from the bedroom to the living room.
The house was empty. The bed in the spare bedroom wasn’t rumpled.
Cyn hadn’t slept in there.
Confused and worried, she went to find Blue. She knocked on his bedroom door and heard a mumble. She opened the door and walked over to his bed and shook him gently. Half asleep Blue rolled over and looked up at her.
“Where’s Cyn?”
“heeelft anot” Blue mumbled and turned back toward the wall.
“What?” Emma grabbed his arm and shook him harder this time. “Blue! What did you say?”
“He left you a note on the kitchen table.” Blue mumbled.
Emma hurried out of the bedroom to the kitchen. His note was propped up in the middle of the table. Dread filled her and with shaky hands, she picked it up.
“Emma,
Everything is fine, don’t worry, I’ll see you tonight. Your place.
I love you,
Cyn.”
She sagged with relief. How was she going to get home? Should she stay there until Cyn returned?
She went back to Cyn’s bedroom to find her cell phone. Her car keys were next to her purse on the nightstand along with a small garage door opener. She smiled. He’d had her car brought to her.
After she ensured Blue deactivated the alarm system and she reminded him several times to reactivate it after she left, Emma made her way to the garage.
Her light green VW beetle was indeed there.
Emma went home.
# # #
The thickness of the tension in the room was hard to ignore. Whatever Julian was about to announce could not be good. Cyn leaned against the counter at Kieran’s house, his body strung tight with apprehension. Kieran and Julian were already in the room. Kieran sat at the table and drank from his ever-present cup of coffee. Julian stood still as a statue and peered down at a map of the city that had been spread across the table. Fallon and Roderick entered and gave Cyn questioning looks before they sat.
He shrugged.
Julian began to speak without a greeting. “Our numbers are not growing as fast, especially in comparison with the increasing growth of the demon population. I like to keep the Protector force at one for every two hundred demons or so. I’ve recruited three new Protectors in the last year. The demons on the other hand, have multiplied by hundreds. This means that no Protector can be relieved from his duty and those that have been, will be asked to return to the force.” He looked at Roderick. “I have to ask you to resign from your job at the hospital and return to the force.”
Roderick nodded his acceptance. Next Julian leveled an intense look at each Protector. “With the number of high-level demons converging in this area, I don’t want any of you to patrol alone for the time being. I don’t have extra men I can send to help right now.” He stared at the map seeming to be lost in thought before he continued. “Fallon and Kieran will work together as partners. Cynden and Roderick, you two are partners.”
Kieran and Cyn looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Julian glowered at them. “I can’t have brothers as partners. It makes you too vulnerable.”
“We’ve fought alongside each other many times,” Kieran began, but stopped when Cyn glared at him in warning. “Fine, whatever.” Kieran frowned into his coffee cup.
Cyn didn’t like the idea of partnering up; they couldn’t cover as much territory that way. By the stoic faces of the others they weren’t too keen on the idea either.
Julian cleared his throat and got their attention again. “There will be an influx of demons at the next full moon. The festival of Dionysus will commence. Atlanta will be a popular destination. At that time, Rowe, Thor and I will also come out to help, if needed. Any questions?”
The Protectors spent the next hour discussing how to divide the city, to ensure every area was patrolled, and decided who would patrol where. New high-powered, silent motorcycles would arrive for them in a few days.
“Rachel, Brock, Blue, and now Emma, will have to be placed under protection,” Julian told them. Cyn’s eyes snapped up, but the leader continued, not looking at him. “I know they may be resistant to the idea of losing their freedom, but it’s the only way for your families to be kept safe. I have hired bodyguards for them. The guards are human, but they are trained to battle demons. They have been sworn to secrecy and are trustworthy, skilled men.”
Julian sank down on a chair, and for the first time that Cyn could remember, the Roman looked fatigued. “I fear we may be fighting a losing battle at times. But I never wonder about the commitment of the Protectors to keep innocent people safe. I know you will defend humans to your last breath. And, I am just as sure that when I return at the full moon, all of you will be present.”
When Julian stood to leave, he motioned for Cyn to follow him outside. The other Protectors remained seated, each deep in thought taking it all in.
Julian walked to a sleek sedan, his face softened as he placed his hand on Cyn’s shoulder. “You must observe the Roman ritual to marry Emma. She is your life-mate.” Julian hesitated to let the information soak in. “You have succeeded in finding her.”
The pull —
that’s why he’d bitten her the first time they’d made love. And why they’d felt such a strong draw to each other from the beginning. It was her being half-demon that had given him cause for doubt.
Through the fog that took over his brain, he became aware that Julian was still speaking. “She must agree to every part of it in order for your union to be valid and become your mate. You will find the vow scripts and everything else you need in the box I left in your truck.” Julian tightened the hold on Cyn’s shoulder and Cyn returned the gesture.
“Are you sure?” Cyn didn’t know why he asked. His brain no doubt was still addled.
“Yes, I knew it as soon as I saw her. If she is to become your wife, I congratulate you and wish you the best.” Julian walked away to his car.
Emotions flooded over Cyn, he leaned against a tree and looked up at the sky.
He was going to get married.
He’d found his life-mate.
Julian’s taillights disappeared from view.
A wide smile spread across his face. Cyn let out a loud yell.
The Protectors rushed outside. Kieran held his sword in his hand and sported a large coffee stain on his shirt. They stopped in their tracks at his laughter.
Roderick and Fallon instantly understood the reason for his jubilation. They came over to shake his hand and thump him on the back.
His brother’s solemn eyes met his. Kieran nodded his head and went back inside. It was as close to a congratulation as he would get from him.
# # #
“Where is he?” Emma wondered aloud going to the front window. She peered out for at least the tenth time. She considered driving back to Cyn’s house but someone could follow her, so she discarded the idea, not willing to put Blue in any danger.
Flames from candles swayed in the light breeze from the swirl of the ceiling fan casting an intimate glow about the room. Besides the candles, the dining room table was set with a vase of fresh white tulips and all white china. The tantalizing aroma of rosemary chicken flowed from the kitchen.
Betrayal: Immortal Protectors, Book 1 Page 19