“There’s no doubt.” I grasped her hand, squeezing it. “I don’t love him like that. Jonathan is only my friend and even then, a risky one. I don’t think I’ll ever be without him in my life. Whether he chooses to be my friend and help in our cause or to go back to the Destroyer and be my constant demon, I don’t know.”
“You think he could go back.”
I shrugged. “He said from the beginning that he would betray me. And as he said the other night, he’s never lied to me.”
Fiona placed a gentle hand on my cheek. Emotion gathered in my eyes, threatening to overcome me, but I held back the flood. She kissed my other cheek. “We all have demons,” she said as she examined my face. “They will always be there. We must continue to fight them.”
I nodded, steeling my resolve.
“Are you ready?” she asked. “Darius is waiting.”
The thought of my future Guardian set a flurry of butterflies loose in my stomach.
“Yes.”
I followed Elisa and Fiona through the Healer’s suite and out the entrance to the garden. I held my breath as dazzling lights illuminated almost every beautiful bloom, tree, and exquisite statue. Unlit candles littered the ground and lined the border of the fountain. Spread out in a semi-circle and beneath a canopy of lights, the men waited for our arrival. But all I saw was Darius.
He wore dark jeans and a white button-up shirt. His eyes were a hypnotic honey, his rugged face strong and almost severe with emotion. His gaze swept my dress, sending a wave of goosebumps over my body. My heart squeezed, then picked up speed. Elisa poked me in the back, nudging me forward. I almost stumbled on the first step toward my mate, but then it took everything I had not to run to him. I couldn’t ignore the way my heart reacted. He was so beautiful—almost painfully attractive—and now he was all mine.
With a vibration of energy and flare that only Fiona was capable of, fire erupted upon the wicks of every candle, lighting a path to the waiting group. Darius held out his hand and I took it without hesitation.
He was my future and my forever. He was not a temptation or a burden. He would be my partner, companion, and friend. His eyes consumed me. Some unknown emotion warred inside that single look. My skin erupted fire-hot; my heartbeat quickened, sounding in my ears.
Movement caught my attention as Ray, Cheryl, Emily and Aaron stepped into the garden toward us. I laughed, happily embracing them all. The others completed a semi-circle around us.
Laith cleared his throat. “Are you ready, Ava?” I nodded. “Then take each other’s hands.”
I could barely concentrate on the words as the Herald recited the bonding ritual, once in Chords and again translated into English. A clear understanding of what was expected as Defenders of mankind was set before us.
Ray, Cheryl, Emily and Aaron stood to the side, silent witnesses to our union. Aaron appeared calm, but Ray drank in every word I missed, adding this moment to the many stories collected in his database of knowledge.
A tear ran from the corner of Emily’s eye. Cheryl looked on, watching with pride reflecting in a heavenly smile.
“Darius,” Laith said, and the name rang in my ears. I shifted on my feet, refocusing my attention. “Do you take Ava as your Defender and mate? Do you vow to protect her above all else? Do you vow to love her for all of eternity, forsaking all others—to link your life to hers?”
“Yes.” The depth in his voice caused me to blush.
A shot of fire sparked from between our touch then wove itself around our linked hands. I gasped, almost pulling away, but Darius squeezed my hands to comfort me. There was no pain, and as quickly as it came, it disappeared. Warmth traveled up my arms, shooting tremors through my neck and down my spine. Darius didn’t seem concerned, his amazing eyes reflecting the fairy lights above.
Laith continued. “Ava, do you accept Darius’s vows and reciprocate, taking him as Guardian and mate, thereby placing your own life in his hands? Do you vow to love him for all of eternity, forsaking all others—linking your life to his?”
I braced myself against the desire to bolt. “Yes.”
Again, fire-like energy coursed. Bright whiteness wrapped us like ribbon. As each vow was spoken, strands of light broke through, each one more vibrant than the last.
“Do you both vow to protect the mortals of this realm together, using your combined strength of your family for the good of mankind?”
We answered in the affirmative. The fire spreading within us grew in degrees. Then when I thought it was nearly over, Elisa placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on Laith’s. Fiona followed, grasping my forearm and that of Darius. Cedric stepped forward, touching us both. Laith squeezed in, adding his touch last.
“And do we accept Ava and Darius combined as our Defenders, put our lives in their hands, connect our will and powers together to do God’s will?”
A resounding yes rang through the night. A blaze of energy enveloped, and my body buzzed with the power of my family.
Then all was silent. The glare faded with the end of the ceremony. My legs shook, threatening to give way.
I managed a half-smile. “I think I need to sit down.” My knees gave out and I slumped, but Darius had me before I could hit the pavers.
“I’m sorry,” I said through weak lips as he transferred me to a nearby bench.
“Alexander did that, remember?” Fiona said to Elisa, who hid a smile.
Cedric congratulated Darius with a jovial pat on the back. “It’s simple but powerful.”
“Are you alright?” Darius asked, concern in his eyes.
I nodded, leaning back against the seat rest. The blood slowly came back to my face. “Why didn’t it affect you?”
“Oh, believe me, it did,” Cedric answered for him. “I felt him shaking with my own hands.”
“You forgot to kiss the bride,” Aaron said, striding to join the group standing over me. They laughed, but Darius sat next to me, taking my face gently between his hands. Lighter than a moth’s wings, he caressed my lips in a maddening kiss that was over before I could react.
He set his forehead on mine. “You’ll never get rid of me now.”
My face reddened under everyone’s gaze. “Who says I’ll ever want to?”
“Then I guess there’s no other reason to hold onto this—” He pulled from his pocket a curious metal chain that dangled from his fingers. “We don’t wear much jewelry. It draws attention, but I’m old fashioned and wanted to give you something.”
“What is it?” I asked, mesmerized. Darius began linking the thin metal bands together—eight in all—that connected to form a ring. I inhaled, holding my breath. “It’s called a puzzle ring—”
“You’re giving me a harem ring?”
“There’s no proof it was used to stop a wayward wife from cheating, and both Elisa and Fiona say—”
Fiona pished loudly. “Fabricated nonsense.”
Darius hid a smile. “But even though its history is shrouded, I feel like it symbolizes us perfectly. Eight bands signifying your parents and each of us—those that love you most. We’re all different, our lives are chaotic and at times confusing, but we all fit together to form something of beauty.”
“I love it,” I said as he slipped it on my finger.
When I looked up, everyone had gone, leaving us alone.
Darius cradled my face as if I would break beneath his touch. His hand traced my cheek. He bowed forward, brushing his lips against mine in another gentle kiss, but I was tired of gentle. I was tired of restrained. Our eyes locked. His drew me in. Heat bloomed inside when I realized that his whole reasoning for slowing before had shattered to the ground with a simple ceremony. He had no reason to stop me from getting what I wanted…
Before I knew what I was doing, I kissed him, throwing my arms around his neck. He stiffened beneath my touch, meeting my enthusiasm with hesitation, and even tempered ardor—which only frustrated me more. I tried to shift, to get closer to him, but as thin as my dress wa
s, there were too many layers of fabric, prohibiting movement.
Splotches of red exploded my face when I realized that as much as I desired him, I didn’t know how to get what I wanted. I was way out of my comfort zone.
I stood abruptly, smoothing my dress. Had physical intimacy been this difficult before? I didn’t think so, but why did it now feel so awkward? Did Darius still want me? Had he ever or, like Roman, was it the calling he sought? Dread filled my soul. My legs felt like lead when I moved away.
“Wait, Ava,” he said with a quiet chuckle.
Was he laughing at me? I turned to the exit, even more mortified by his rejection. Before I could make it more than a few steps, his hand flashed out, grabbing mine. He yanked me to a halt, then pulled me off to the side into a shadowed corner of the garden.
“Ava.” His lips parted, his eye fluttering down to my low-cut dress.
“What?” I asked, fighting the subconscious desire to cover my exposed skin.
He towered, leaning into me. My bare back pressed into the cold brick of the building wall. He placed a finger beneath my chin, lifting my gaze to his. His warm breath danced over my cheeks, my mouth. “You just reminded me of when I first saw you.”
The air hitched in my lungs. “What do you mean?”
“You were so flustered by me.”
I tried to look away but failed. His closeness was making it hard to think. “You were annoying.”
“No, you were attracted to me.”
I tsked, pushing against his chest, instantly aware of how hard his muscles were beneath my touch. He caught my hand in a grip that was firm but gentle. A strange trembling spread through my body.
His lips brushed the delicate spot below my ear. His finger trailed the line of my neck to my collar bone. The air hitched in my lungs. He murmured against my skin. “You undid me.” His words made me almost weak. I gripped his biceps to keep from falling. “You undo me every time I see you. Every time you’re near. And tonight…” His voice broke off, but he didn’t need to continue. I realized with a start that no one had ever loved or wanted me more than he did.
A rush of sensations zinged across my body. It was maddening, scary, and wonderful. This time when I slid my arms around his neck, he didn’t hesitate. A low growl from his throat sent shivers through me. My fingers threaded through his hair, eliciting a shudder.
Moving lightning quick, he swung me into his powerful arms and walked me from the garden toward our room, but our lips never broke apart. The compound was still, most of the residents asleep… which was probably good since we fumbled down the hallway to our room in an embarrassing display. Even then, I didn’t think we would have noticed or cared. There was no one there to witness. To congratulate or be appalled. No one else knew of our union. For tonight the knowledge was ours alone.
21
The Day After
I watched his muscular chest as it rose and fell to the rhythm of his breath. I half-expected Darius to wake to my notice, but he remained asleep. The deep lines of his face softened, making him appear so young. But he was immortal. He would always be young, and so would I. A smile broke through my mental defenses. This was good. Waking up next to my husband. A natural occurrence to something pure and proper. So different from what Jonathan had shown me if I would have chosen him, a demon, and become a slave to a fleeting passion.
A wave of contentment washed over me. I had made the right choice. I loved the sight of Darius, curled up in a fetal position, his hair mussed, the comforter kicked unceremoniously to the foot of the bed. I shifted, awkward and aware of the way it felt against my skin. I peeked beneath the sheets.
Yep, still naked.
I held up my hands to the pale morning light to examine them. Had I expected something to be different? Maybe, but they appeared normal. I assessed the rest of me. I was tired, sore in all the wrong places, but I didn’t feel stronger or more powerful.
I looked across the room at a candle left behind from one of Fiona’s training sessions. I drew my energy, focused on the wick and glared—but nothing happened other than an eruption from my stomach.
My powers may not have increased, but my appetite sure had. I was famished.
If I could only sneak away for a bit of breakfast.
I inched from his side. His breathing hitched, freezing me in place. I pressed outward with a soft melody as if using it to lull him back into sleep, but even in my mind I had an unpleasant voice. Slowly, his breath resumed its pace.
I reached out to touch his cheek.
Figures formed in a mental haze of Darius’s dreams. Shocked, I drew my fingers away from his skin, but even without contact, the foggy scene solidified. How was this possible? I froze as the images rolled like a movie on a screen, growing more vivid beneath my watch.
I should have pulled away. Should have listened to that warning retold me over and over again not to enter someone’s thoughts without their permission. But curiosity set in and the temptation was too great. Something was different about this. There was no effort to open to him. No forced connection. It was almost too easy.
Intrigued, I inhaled a shallow breath, holding it tightly in my lungs. But curiosity quickly morphed into mortification when I watched the scene of our wedding night replayed from what could only be my mate’s subconscious mind.
A passionate kiss of roaming hands—a moment long waited for. Images of me as I eagerly shed my wedding dress, letting it drop to the floor. Me as he guided me to the bed. Me as he—
I gasped out loud, scuttling away, but the images continued. “No, no, no.” I patted his cheeks—possibly harder than necessary. His eyes flashed open, and he seized my wrists.
This was not like before. There was no effort put forward. I could read his every thought, from the clear and concise to the messy.
Adrenaline pumped. A wall of armor fell, slipping over his body like a shield. “What is it?” He sat up quickly, taking with him the sheets that hid me.
An unlady-like yelped squeaked from my mouth. “Nothing!” I recoiled, yanking the covers around me, but Darius didn’t seem to notice.
His red, sleep-worn eyes searched the room for the reason for my anxiety. Nameless faces flashed through his mind as he tried to identify the unseen culprit. Jonathan’s image solidified. Anger ripped through Darius, tightening the muscles in his throat. “Ava?” His state affected mine—my adrenaline matched his. I placed my hands on the side of my head to try to shut down the connection.
“It was nothing, Darius. Stop.” But even then, I didn’t know what I wanted him to stop doing.
He shot to his knees, towering over my cowered form.
Was I cowering? I jolted away, falling off the bed in my retreat. My naked image solidified in his mind, adding to the jumbled muddle of his thoughts. Mortified, I ripped the covers from the bed, wrapping them around me.
“Ava, what—”
I held out a hand. “Just stop—” I gasped for breath as he leaped from the bed in full glory of his nakedness. Heat erupted as my face and body exploded in shades of red. Worry poured from him, thick like molasses.
He took my shoulders in a firm grip. “Ava? Are you in pain?”
“Stop thinking!” I yelled through my subconscious turmoil. “And please put on some clothes!”
“Wha…” But then his mouth snapped together with an audible click. He made the connection even quicker than I could.
His heart thundered, matching my panting breaths. After a few seconds, he managed to reduce the speed of his thoughts to a slower crawl, but couldn’t quite get his feelings in check.
“Can you turn it off?” he asked.
He waited for me, forcing himself to remain calm as I worked to shut off the mental valve that had burst open.
I shook my head. “I—I don’t know.”
“What am I thinking?” he asked, setting his face into a mask of a calm reserve. A wall formed around his thoughts.
The first thought was easy enough. I didn’t even ne
ed to remove the wall to discover that truth. “That you love me.” He smiled, but then I continued. One by one, I poked holes through the paper-thin construction. “You’re upset that this was my first reaction after waking up. You had hoped it would be… better. You’re worried that this all happened too fast—if my mom was ever this powerful. You’re afraid this will upset the others.”
He held up his hand, silencing me. “I understand.”
“Five hundred twenty-nine,” I finished, giving him the number in his head. “And a half. And you’re still naked.”
His brows rose high on his forehead. “Okay. Maybe this is a part of our… mating,” he said, ignoring my other comment. My face flushed as his mind tripped over the previous night before he tucked it away. I grimaced. I doubt one was meant to see themselves in such a position.
“Can you hear anyone else?” he asked. As if in answer to his question my mind drew to the others awake and already about. An onslaught of dimmed voices, emotions, and thoughts came to me, like whispers. They grew louder the longer I focused. It was too much. I covered my head again.
“Yes, but they’re not as strong.”
His brow furrowed. “Is it a proximity thing?”
I swallowed against a dry throat. “I have a feeling if I concentrate on them it will be easy enough to hear them.”
“We need to tell the others.”
I shook my head rapidly.
“Just The Three,” he clarified.
“I can’t handle them all,” I said, my heart fluttering nervously. I wrung my hands together. “One by one.” Then a half-second later, an idea clicked into place. “Fiona first.”
He hesitated but left to his room to dress. Despite my confusion, I glanced a peek at his bare side, taking a moment to appreciate the view he presented. Then I sprinted to my closet. I dressed and made myself comfortable on the window seat, wary of what was coming.
I could sense my aunt walking down the hallway, her mind a calm but curious tranquil. Darius hadn’t said much to her, just that I was in pain and needed her. I carefully adjusted the faucet to my mind, slowing the amount of information the best I could, but it was still too much. I grimaced through the mental anguish. By the time Fiona entered, sweat poured down my face.
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