by Tina Folsom
TEN
Behind a dumpster in a deserted alley, Aiden brought the car to a stop. Leila sat in the passenger seat, her body coiled in tension, her lips pressed together as if fighting with herself not to cry. Given the circumstances, she’d reacted with far less hysterics than he’d expected from anybody in her situation.
Aiden realized it had been wrong to kiss her after all that had happened, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. The fire had been so close, and fear had thickened his blood to the consistency of gel, making his heart nearly stop at the thought that she might get hurt. He’d never been so afraid for anybody else. Never feared losing anybody like he feared losing her. Even though he had no right to possess her in the first place.
But he’d needed that kiss. Needed it to make sure she was unharmed. Like a release, he’d craved it, and when she’d given in, he’d nearly come in his pants like a green teenager. The way she’d held him so tight and her tongue had played with his as if it were meant to be, had wiped every sane thought from his mind. Even now, he could still taste her like she’d imprinted her scent on him for eternity.
Gripping the steering wheel as if his life depended on it, he addressed her without looking at her, “I promise you, everything will be fine. Nobody will hurt you. I’ll kill anybody who tries.”
His words seemed to jolt her, because she lifted her head and turned it to look at him. When he glanced at her, he saw fear dominate her eyes.
“Please let me go. I’ll do what you want. I won’t fight you. But then please just let me go. My family . . . ”
He barely listened to the rest of her words, because he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard correctly. She would do what he wanted? Did it mean what he thought it meant?
“You really think I came to your apartment to rape you?”
And why wouldn’t she think that? He’d broken in, for lack of a better word, and when she’d first laid eyes on him, he’d had a hard-on the size of a baseball bat. Of course, she’d jump to that conclusion.
When she said nothing, but only looked at him with fearful eyes, he reached his hand to stroke hers but pulled back instantly when he realized what he was doing. Shit, he should keep his distance. Touching her would make things even worse.
“Leila, I’m your bodyguard. I’m charged to protect you. I was in your place to watch over you.”
He ran his hand through his hair. How would he explain to her why she’d found him in an aroused state?
“My bodyguard? I would know if I’d hired a bodyguard.”
He expelled a tense breath, uncomfortable that he had to reveal who he was. It was only done in the direst of circumstances, which this situation probably counted as.
“I’m not the kind of bodyguard you can hire. I get assigned. I don’t ask questions, I do my duty.” Most of the time. With Leila, he’d done a little more than just his duty. Watching her masturbate and kissing her after he’d rescued her wasn’t part of the Stealth Guardian’s code of conduct. Nor his own personal code.
“I don’t believe you.”
That was to be expected. He nodded. “Do you remember that you locked your bedroom door after you ran into me in the hallway?”
“Yes.” She thrust her chin up in a sign of defiance. Strangely enough, he liked that gesture. She was no pushover.
“A moment later, I stood in your bedroom. You saw how I entered.”
She shook her head. “No. I was still half asleep. I was dreaming. It couldn’t be.”
Aiden focused on a strand of hair he wanted to push out of her face. She looked so much more feminine with her hair down rather than tied in a ponytail. “You weren’t dreaming. You weren’t even asleep yet.”
She gasped, her eyes widening in horror.
Oh shit!
He hadn’t wanted to let her know that he’d been in her bedroom earlier, that he’d watched her. It had simply slipped out.
Leila’s mouth opened in disbelief as she scrambled toward the door to get as far away from him as possible. “You were in my bedroom?”
“Leila, I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean to . . . I . . . I’m sorry.”
“Oh, God, no. How could you?”
He’d asked himself the same question, yet he still had no answer for it. He’d violated her privacy, and there was no excuse for it.
He turned his head and looked out into the darkness. Did she find the thought so utterly disgusting? “I didn’t mean to . . . I . . . ”
“You watched me? The entire time? All the while as I was . . . ” She pressed her eyes shut. “You had no right to watch me!”
“No, I didn’t,” he said, sobering. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I have no excuses.” And he wouldn’t make any up now. He alone was to blame. He and his uncontrollable lust that even now was coursing through his veins.
When he looked back at her, she avoided his gaze.
“And I still don’t believe your stupid ‘walking through doors’ claim. Why don’t you just admit it: you drugged me, watched me . . . then set my place on fire so you could kidnap me.”
“Fine. I suppose it takes a little demonstration.”
He pressed the car’s locking mechanism. “As you can see, I’ve locked the doors.”
Then he concentrated and exited the car as if the door were wide open, allowing his body to pass through the glass and metal while remaining visible the entire time. There was no need to reveal to her that he could also make himself invisible. It would only invite more questions and stir up more doubts.
From outside the car he looked through the window and noticed Leila slamming her hand over her mouth, her eyes projecting a shocked stare. But he also saw acceptance there as it crept into her features.
He reentered the car the same way he’d exited, letting himself fall back into his seat.
“Do you believe me now?”
She nodded. Slowly, she lowered her hand from her lips. “What are you?”
“I’m an immortal, a guardian, a warrior who was sent to protect you.”
“An angel?” she echoed.
He gave a crooked smile. “No, we’re not exactly angels, least of all I.” He was pretty sure angels didn’t get hard-ons for their charges. “We’re called Stealth Guardians, we’re here to protect humans from the Demons of Fear.”
He placed his hand over hers and felt her shrink back from his touch.
“Please don’t touch me.”
***
Mortified, Leila looked at him.
She’d seen him pass through the closed car door, and she believed him. It didn’t mean she had to like it—or comply with what he wanted for that matter. On the contrary, there was something very disturbing about his words. He was still a stranger, one who had followed her, entered her home without her permission, and practically kidnapped her. That he was some kind of superhero didn’t change that in the slightest.
He’d called himself an Immortal Warrior.
Aiden was a dangerous man with a dangerous job, even though warrior was probably not considered a job as such. His mere presence spelled trouble. What kind of trouble, she had no idea, but she sensed she was in a hell of a lot of it. Even if he was telling the truth and was really some sort of guardian or protector—which she wasn’t at all convinced of—what did he want from her? The only protection she needed was somebody who protected her from him. Because he stirred a side in her she thought didn’t exist. A side that craved excitement, passion, even danger. A side that frightened her to death.
But that wasn’t all of it: he’d watched her pleasure herself. What this meant she didn’t even want to begin to contemplate. No, she had to get her mind to focus on something else.
Shit, she was so totally screwed up. It was time to get her head around all this, find out as much as she could, assess the predicament she was in, and then make a break for it.
“Demons?” she asked. “Like in the Exorcist?”
“No. The demons I’m talking about are made of flesh and
blood. They’re close. They’re watching, and they want to harm you. That’s why I was sent.”
Why would anybody want to hurt her? She had no enemies. She treated people politely, she paid her bills and her taxes, and she donated to charities. Didn’t she have enough to worry about with her parents? She just wanted to be left alone with her research.
Instinctively, she pressed her hand over the pendant she carried in her pocket. It was still there, still safe. Whatever had burned in her apartment could be replaced. The item in her pocket could not.
“Looks like you’re doing a bang-up job,” she said, unable to keep the sarcasm from her voice. Since she’d met him, she’d been nearly run over by a car, and her apartment had gone up in flames. Maybe he was the one who brought danger with him. Maybe it followed him.
“I suppose this kitten has claws,” he answered.
“I’m no kitten. I’m a respected resear—”
“I know everything about you, Dr. Cruickshank. There’s no need to inform me.” His voice was suddenly tight.
So, Dr. Cruickshank it was now? After watching her pleasure herself—God, what a horrifying and at the same time shockingly exciting thought—and kissing her, he found it necessary to be formal. Fine. She could be that way too. It was better that way. As long as she could keep him at a distance, she might get out of this unscathed.
“What kind of danger am I in, Mr. Stealth Guardian?”
She noticed him shift his gaze away from her, a clear indication that he neither liked her question nor the way she addressed him.
“The kind that gets people killed.”
She trembled involuntarily. “I can take the truth.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Because there’s somebody out there who wants a piece of you.”
She shivered slightly, the predatory glare in his eyes indicating that he wanted a piece of her. And truth be told, in this instance she wasn’t sure whether she would have the willpower to resist him if he took what he wanted. Her throat was suddenly dry as sandpaper. She swallowed quickly, taking in an extra breath of air. Her nostrils filled with his male scent, a scent so potent it would have made her knees buckle if she weren’t already sitting. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing him the effect he had on her.
“I have a right to know.”
Aiden gave her a long look. “I suppose you do.”
Then he studied the area outside as if he could see through the darkness that engulfed them in the dark alley. His hand went to the ignition. “It’s not safe here.”
A moment later, the engine roared back to life.
“I’m not going anywhere with you if you don’t—”
Her protest died when the swift acceleration of the sports car pressed her back into the seat. With a clear disregard for any rules of traffic, he merged onto the next street.
“You—”
He shot her a look that didn’t bode well for her immediate future. “You’ll get your answers when we’ve reached our destination.”
She could only hope that their destination wasn’t far, because she wasn’t sure how long she could keep her tongue in check while her so-called rescuer behaved like a caveman. It riled her up to no end, making her want to fight him when she’d never been one for confrontation. But this was different. This oaf was trying to take over her life. Without even telling her why. It was unacceptable.
Whatever this stupid threat was, she was sure that the police could take care of it. As soon as she found out from him what it was, she’d ditch him and go to the police. Then they could handle whatever the problem was, and she could go back to her well-ordered life and continue with her research. This unpleasant interlude would become merely a faint memory as long as she didn’t dwell on it.
ELEVEN
Aiden didn’t say another word until they arrived at their destination a few minutes later. He locked her in the car while he secured a room at a run down two-story motel in one of the shabbier parts of town, giving her no chance to escape.
As he now locked the door behind him, Leila perused the sparsely furnished room. Her eyes instantly fell on the bed: there was only one. Did he really think she’d share a bed with him? Instinctively, she crossed her arms over her chest. There was no way she’d stay here with him.
“Are you cold?” his gruff voice came from behind her.
Her shoulders tensed involuntarily. She ignored his question. “You were going to tell me what’s going on.”
The worn carpet swallowed the sound of his footsteps as he walked around her. He opened the bathroom door and peered inside as if to assure himself that they were indeed alone. When he turned back to her, he ran his eyes up and down her body. Then he pointed toward the bed.
“Sit.”
“I’m not a dog,” she snapped.
“Suit yourself.”
What had she ever done to deserve this impolite behavior? “If I did what suits me, I’d be back home right now.”
“Well, your home burned, so that’s not an option.”
He was right about that. But that didn’t mean she had to admit it. “I’m still waiting for an explanation.”
Aiden narrowed his eyes. “If you think you can handle it.” He paused for a moment and ran his hand through his dark hair.
His eyes drifted to the window that was obstructed by the heavy curtains he’d drawn upon entering. “There’s evil out there. Things you can’t even imagine.”
“Try me.” Leila steeled herself for his explanation.
He let out a bitter laugh. “I’ve been sent to protect you from the Demons of Fear.”
She nodded. “You said that earlier. But that doesn’t tell me anything.” He would have to be a little bit more specific about the alleged danger she was in.
“They want to seduce you to their side, so you’ll do their bidding.”
“Excuse me?” She wasn’t one to be seduced easily, and for sure was she never going to do some demon’s bidding. Besides, “What do those so-called demons do?”
“What do they do? I’ll tell you what they do: they spread mayhem in this world. They incite wars, they create discontent.”
Still not enough information for her. Did he really think he could serve her up a couple of lines, and she’d be happy with it? “What else is new? There are already plenty of wars.”
“If you think what this world is going through right now is bad, if you think the atrocities that happened during World War II were bad, if you think what happened in the concentration camps in Germany was horror, or what Pol Pot did to his people in Cambodia was evil, you’ve seen nothing yet. The demons are capable of much more evil than that.”
His words shocked her. “How? How do they do that?”
There was clear hesitation in him, just the way he’d hesitated back at the Irish bar when she’d asked him what he did for a living. He’d not lied to her outright then, but he’d only told her a half-truth.
“They approach the most talented and promising humans and entice them with things beyond their reach in exchange for their soul. Then they make sure whatever good those people were going to do is used for evil in their hands. And they’re coming after you now.”
Uneasiness crept up her spine. “Somehow I don’t feel flattered by that.”
“You shouldn’t be. But you will. They all are eventually. And in the end, many give in to them. That’s how the demons get stronger.”
“By getting human souls? Sorry, but that’s a little too abstract a concept. You can’t separate the soul from the body. Scientifically that’s—”
He took two swift steps to cross the distance between them, bringing himself entirely too close to her. “It’s got nothing to do with science, at least not the science you know. This is supernatural, something you wouldn’t understand.”
Leila expelled an angry huff. He made her sound like an imbecile. “I’m not some stupid woman who doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together, something I can’t say for—”
<
br /> He bared his teeth. “Say it and I’ll bend you over my knee right now!”
Her jaw dropped at his ridiculous threat. Would he really do such a thing? Like she was some naughty schoolgirl! She planted her hands at her hips and realized too late that this action virtually shoved her breasts against his chest.
Aiden lowered his lids, and there was no doubt that he was checking out her boobs. Instinctively, she took a step back to bring some distance between them and to prevent her nipples from hardening if they rubbed against his hard muscles once more.
The jerk responded with a self-congratulatory smirk around his mouth. “Backing off, Dr. Cruickshank? That’s so unlike you.”
As if he had any idea what she was like! And he was still keeping up this ridiculous pseudo-formality of calling her Dr. Cruickshank, when she knew what he really wanted to say: bitch.
She thrust her chin up, ignoring his mocking expression. “What do those demons want from me?”
The word demons left a strange taste on her tongue. It felt so odd to say it when her brain couldn’t wrap around this data. As a scientist, she needed more than just somebody’s word. The existence of demons was highly unlikely and not supported by any testable evidence. Extraordinary claims required extraordinary evidence. Without evidence, all she had was a stranger’s statement—or a lie.
“Do you really need to ask? I thought you were so smart,” he continued mocking her.
She was about to retort when it suddenly dawned on her: there was only one thing precious enough that anybody could want to steal from her. Her research. Her chin dropped.
“Ah, finally,” he said calmly. “Do you understand now why you have to stick with me? You’re not safe on your own. I’m here to protect you from them.”
“If you think I would ever give my research to some demons, you’re sorely mistaken.” She would guard her data with her life. For her research she was prepared to do anything. This was her life’s work. There was nothing in this world anybody could possibly offer her to part with it.