by Crymsyn Hart
He smiled that same enticing smile I had seen the first night I met him. His hair had fallen lopsided on his forehead. I wanted desperately to reach over and brush the lock aside. Nick looked exactly the way he had when he had died.
“Why can’t I be here? Because I’m dead?”
“The goddess took you. Why are you coming back from your rest?”
Nick stood a few inches from me. I could see the little lines around his eyes that he got when he was thinking hard or something was troubling him. “I came back because you needed me. I swore to you that I’d never abandon you.”
“No. I’m okay. I’m on the way to mending things with Landon. Why weren’t you there for me after you died? These past two years I’ve had a gaping hole in my heart because he pushed me aside. Why now? Did Tannin have something to do with this? Did he pull you back so you could convince me not to give up my Guardian half? Is that it?”
He ran a finger down my nose the way he used to when he teased me. “The angel didn’t call me. Landon reached out and begged me to return. He said that you needed me. So I came. I couldn’t come to you before because you had to heal first before this meeting could happen. I’ve missed you, though.”
“Why would he call you?” Every part of me trembled. The shock of seeing Nick before me hadn’t worn off.
“Because he desperately wants you to forgive him. He can’t trust himself with you. I know he turned his back on you after I was killed, but he didn’t stop loving you. He watched you every night while you slept. He swore to me that he’d protect you. Landon’s worried that your heart will be taken by this other man and he’ll lose you to this new family. That, and I know Melissa was murdered.”
“Did you see who did it?”
“No. I just felt that she was dead. So, do you forgive Landon for everything that has happened?”
“Of course. We have a long way to go with building trust on both sides, but that doesn’t mean I stopped loving him. Landon doesn’t have to worry about me being swept away by my new family or Tannin. At this moment, he doesn’t want me. And I’ll put my new family behind me.”
“No, Mel, you shouldn’t have to do that. You shouldn’t have to turn your back on that now that you’ve found something so genuine.”
“I don’t have a choice, Nick. I can’t be around Tannin without feeling that desire to be with him. The longer I’m around him, the stronger the compulsion will get to cement the bond. That’s what it was like between me and Landon. It was an agonizing month of pain building inside of me. It was like I was coming out of my skin every time he touched me. And when you made love to me, it was doubly worse because I could feel Landon fighting it.”
“He only fought it because of what had happened to his first mate. He couldn’t face the fact of losing another person that he loved.”
“Yeah. Then he accused me of killing you. It tore my soul out. How could I know that Eric would come to claim me? I never wanted you to die. I wanted to be with you for an eternity. It didn’t matter if I was a vampire or a werewolf. Then Landon shut down the link between us, leaving me all alone. I live in a fog. After having such happiness, will I be able to have that again?”
Nick nodded. “He sensed the wall in your mind even before he asked me for help. He knows you want to reconcile. But Landon didn’t know if you were planning on opening your mind to him again.”
“He’s my mate, Nick. I want to fall into his thoughts and be caressed by them when we make love. The way that we used to. I can’t say that I’ll ever fully forgive him, but I want to try. Tell him that I’m not going to run away after we’re done working things out.”
“I’ll tell him that.” He brushed his lips across mine.
The cold kiss made me want him all over again. To have him in the flesh, but only the goddess had the power to bring someone back from the dead. Was it even possible to resurrect a vampire?
“Now, about the angel?”
“He doesn’t want me. Goddess, it’s hard being around you. All I want to do is hold you. All I want to do is hold him. Seeing you here only makes this worse. I appreciate it though.”
He grimaced. His eyes scrunched up from the pain. “It’s hard for me too. But we both know there’s nothing that I can do. I can only watch out for you. Don’t give up hope on the angel and the beautiful Guardian inside of you.”
His power thickened. I felt his hand on my face. I curled my cheek into it, feeling how wonderful it was to have him back, at least for a moment. “I’ll try.”
“Can you show me her? Can you show me your wings?”
“I don’t know how.”
“Close your eyes and open your mind to me the way you used to.”
I did what he said. Nick pressed his forehead to mine. He hovered on the edge of my mind. I relaxed and brought him down into the darkness of my thoughts, further than I had ever let him go before. Through what used to be a padlocked door, the door now opened into a field that was lit by twilight. In the middle of the meadow was my Guardian. She was combing through her feathers. She looked up. She rose and stepped toward the both of us. It was hard to be separate here when I wanted both of us to be together. This was the first desire I had about that. She touched Nick’s chest.
“Hello,” he whispered.
“Hi. How can you be here?”
Nick looked at me and then back at her. “You’re not aware of each other yet?”
“No. We’re not integrated. At least not yet. Soon, if Tannin realizes that he has me. Us,” my Guardian said.
“It’s an honor to meet you. You’re as beautiful as your mirror image. Will you do me the honor of showing me your wings?”
My mirror image took my hand. At the contact, more of us came together. She opened her wings. I felt the weight of them on my back. When I looked behind me, there was nothing there. Nick gasped when he saw them.
“Can I touch them?”
“Yes,” we said in unison.
When he touched the curve of the feathered and scaled wing, the tenderness of his caress radiated through my body. If he did that again, I couldn’t stay within the confines of my mind, but he didn’t.
“Thank you.”
She nodded. He stepped back from my mind. When I opened my eyes, I was back in my own body. I looked around for Nick and he had vanished, although I could still sense his presence. I glanced at my watch. It was almost six. The time had gone and I needed to get ready for the opening.
After racing around, I was running a little late. I could feel my Guardian half with me and more aware. I could almost feel the heaviness of my wings. She pressed upon my mind, the weight of a cobweb resting on my thoughts. When I finally pulled in, the place was packed. I wore one of Landon’s favorite dresses. It was dark green and complemented my golden skin tone. I had even done up my hair and woven a couple of the blue roses through it.
I walked in and scanned the portraits. Many of them were of me in different poses. Some were of the three of us together. There was one just full of blue roses. At the top were two eyes. Nick’s eyes shedding blood tears. Another was of the three of us. Me being tied up and being beaten with the roses. They all contained at least one sapphire rose. Some of the paintings already had small red dots on the little plaque next to the painting, showing it had been sold. I was happy to see that Landon was going to have a successful night. People were milling around and talking with one another. When I walked further into the back, I saw some of the girls I had seen the night before. They growled at me underneath their breath as they surrounded Landon. He was talking to someone. The other lycans around him were also male, and protecting him. This had to be his pack. My Guardian came to the forefront of my mind. The powers inside of me were merging. We were coming together faster than I expected. When I approached the wolves surrounding Landon, they closed him off from me.
“Hello, ladies.” I smiled politely.
“If it isn’t the pretender,” one of them seethed through her pearly white smile.
I blinked and didn’t let their words faze me. “I would keep your head. We don’t want to cause a scene here. If you want to take this outside and fight over him, I’d be happy to. Or you can ask him who he chooses.” Warm arms slid around my waist and my mate nuzzled my neck.
“You smell wonderful and you look fantastic.” Landon bit me playfully while his hands trailed over my stomach before he hugged me to him harder.
I turned in his grasp and pressed my lips to his, making a show that he was mine. Landon deepened the kiss until he broke free, worked his way down my neck, and tugged on my ear.
“Are these bitches giving you trouble?” Landon asked.
“Just this one. Thinks that you’re hers. She wants me to fight for you.” I motioned to the woman who was glaring at me.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“No need. I have to prove that you’re mine and I’m never letting you go. Besides, one little zap of my magic and she’ll back down.”
He pulled back and searched my eyes. “You mean that?”
I took his hand and put it on my chest. “With all my heart. Nick heard you, Landon. He came to me and told me that you summoned him.” I reached into my hair and pulled out one of the roses. His eyes widened. Landon drew in a strangled gasp. I kissed the rose and then tucked it into his pocket. “Maybe we can use these again when you’re free.”
His fingers trailed over the petals. “I’d like that. Thank you, Melina. Let me take care of the woman for you. She has to learn to play by the rules. Especially when it comes to my mate. Are you having a good time?”
I pulled away from him. “The paintings are beautiful. And you’ve already sold half of them. Congratulations.”
“You were my inspiration, my lovely bronze goddess.” He pulled me into his arms again and kissed me. Landon plunged his tongue into my mouth and Frenched me in front of everyone. The other woman snarled. I didn’t pay any attention to her and sank into the arms of my mate. The walls around his thoughts were tumbling. I brushed my mind across his and poured my love into it. People started coughing around us to get our attention. We were now the ones who were making the show. I placed my hand on his chest and broke the kiss. A sear of warmth went across my cheeks. Landon had a smear of lipstick on his mouth. I swiped my thumb across his lips to wipe it off.
“You have to go back to your show. Everyone’s getting their jollies off just by watching us. We can make up for lost time later. Go back and sell your work.”
He smiled and swaggered off toward the other people waiting to talk to him. The other members of his pack stared at me. The men smiled and nodded at me. I walked by the women on my way to the bathroom. Glancing in the mirror, I noticed my lipstick was smudged. I patted down my face. The reflection in the mirror flashed and changed. I saw myself as the Guardian. I grabbed the sink as the muscles shifted in my body. I bit my tongue from the spike of pain I felt. Something slithered along my shoulder blades. My back felt weighed down by something. I glanced in the mirror and saw wings behind me. They opened and spread out to their full length, an eight-foot wingspan. Awestruck by what I had seen, they moved again. The pain engulfed me as I nearly doubled over.
I’m sorry for this. But it’s how we integrate, my Guardian half whispered inside my mind.
“Nice show out there. Were you going to fuck him on the floor to make the exhibit a bit more interesting?”
I opened my eyes and saw the bitch from outside. “Look, I have no problem with you. If you want to be with him to establish the pack, then we have to figure out how to coexist. Landon is my mate. I don’t know how you feel about him or if your wolf wants to be his mate as well. But we’re already bound together.”
“He is my mate. Lycans only have one mate, and my wolf has claimed him. I will not let you have him.”
She jumped on me, pushing me into the sink so I lost my breath. Her nails dug into my shoulders. The agony of her claws shredding my skin caused me to cry out. She wrenched me from the sink and threw me onto the floor. I landed hard on my face. The jar of the impact forced me to bite my tongue and my nose was smooshed. My teeth hit hard and I felt one of them crack. The pain of my wings retreated and all I could think of was getting her off me.
“If you get up now and leave me alone, then I’ll consider this incident forgotten. Don’t make me have to hurt you.” I twisted underneath her and brought my elbow up, hitting her in the side. It did nothing to dislodge her. She grabbed my head and licked the side of my face.
“Oh, no! This isn’t something that can be forgotten. If you want Landon, then it will have to be as a wolf. Then you can know the true glories of the animal that lives inside of us.” She sunk her fangs deep into my shoulder and tore my flesh. Her nails pierced my sides as she pulled them back, shredding muscles and skin. I screamed. She lifted me up and threw me into the wall. I put my arms out to brace my fall. Blood seeped down my neck and coated my back. The pain I was in overwhelmed me, but I fought my way through it and focused on the power inside of me. I latched onto it and summoned the earth. Vines burst from the bathroom floor pushing through the drain and from the sink. They wound around her legs and arms. From them I could feel her pulsating life. It would be so easy to squeeze and take it. I thought about it for a split second, but I pulled my power back.
”I told you to leave me alone. Your bites won’t have any effect on me. Landon has bitten me before numerous times. Don’t you think I would’ve turned by now?”
“Let me out of this.”
“If I let you out, you have to understand something about Landon and me.” I pulled myself up using the wall and took a step closer to her.
“Go to hell!” She spat at me, swiped her claws, and slashed my cheek. My anger twisted around my power. I moved closer and grabbed her face.
“I can put you in Hell. You have no idea what I am.” I squeezed her cheeks. Her eyes narrowed. She hissed at me.
“I know that you’re a half-breed bitch who thinks you can corrupt a regal wolf. I don’t care who or what you are. In the end, he will choose me, a full-blooded wolf who can give him pups. Together we will create a strong pack and make a place for ourselves.”
The vines wound along her arms tightened with my will. The Guardian inside of me didn’t want me to kill her. But the darkness that was also a part of me, the evil, desired this. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
She yanked her arms free. She struggled and the vines snapped. The werewolf dove at me head down and then slammed me back into the wall. The impact was so hard a couple of my ribs cracked. I tried to draw in a breath, but couldn’t. I swung at her and connected with her cheek, but she wasn’t letting go. Her other hand found my throat, and I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t pull my power from the pain that radiated through my body.
“You look like you’re not capable of anything. Something keeping you from talking? I’ve seen more witches with tons more power than you have in your little pinky. One little twist and I’ll snap your neck.”
She dug her nails into the meat of my throat.
“Step away from her.”
I looked up. Tannin was behind her. The blank look on his face was one that I had seen before. But his eyes told his true nature. They were aflame. She turned and saw him.
“Wrong bathroom, asshole. Why don’t you turn around and mind your own business?”
“I said leave her alone. I won’t give you another warning.”
She dropped me, then spun around and swiped at him. Her claws passed right through his body. I rubbed my aching throat. She swung again, but this time Tannin grabbed her and pulled her into him. He glanced at me as I tried to breathe. The pain from the wounds overwhelmed me. She struggled, but he covered her mouth and then they disappeared. I tried to get up, but my feet slipped out from under me. My shoe came off. I tried to call upon my powers from either side of my nature, but neither was accessible. I tried again, but my strength was waning. I couldn’t get to Landon to tell him. Even my thoughts wouldn’t r
each that far.
I drew in a ragged breath and coughed. A trickle of blood dribbled from my lip. I wiped it away and wondered if I was going to die. I had told Tannin to forget about me and it appeared that he had. My thoughts turned toward Nick. I could see him in the expanse of my thoughts. He was already there waiting for me. So was the goddess. I wasn’t as infallible as I had thought. I didn’t want to die, but maybe it was time for me to pass over. I just hated that I was going to leave my newfound family. Leaving Landon behind would be the thing that I regretted the most.
I settled my head against the cool tile of the bathroom.
“Did you think that I would forget about you?”
Tannin knelt before me. “Figured you might after what I had said to you.”
He shook his head. “No. What you said made me think. I felt your pain and it drove me here to you. I need to ease this for you.” He dragged his hand over the wounds on my cheek. They closed under his power. He touched my face and stared into my eyes. “You have internal wounds. I can heal them all in one action if you will allow me.”