The Guardian

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Chapter 7

 

  Lydia tapped her fingers against the Guardian's desk in total boredom, waiting for him to return.

  You still have the laptop, you know.

  Yes, yes, she did . . .

  And with it, she could e-mail Solin! Why hadn't she thought of that earlier?

  'Cause I'm an idiot. And honestly, she didn't want to get caught doing something that would get her hurt.

  But . . .

  He wasn't here right now.

  Her heart pounding, she went to her gmail account and prayed she had enough time to finish before the Guardian returned.

  Her fingers flew over the keys.

  Solin,

  I'm still here in Azmodea. I know you didn't abandon me by choice, but I need a way home. My powers are gone. I can't get them back by myself. I don't know how long the Guardian intends to keep me. For now, I'm safe and unharmed. Please tell me what you're planning.

  Whatever you do, do not give him the key, whatever it is. I'm not worth it.

  Love you always,

  Dee.

  He was the only one who'd ever called her that and it was her way of letting him know that e-mail was really coming from her. She hit the send button and held her breath until she was sure it'd gone through.

  With any luck, he'd check his mail soon and get back to her.

  Even though it hadn't been said explicitly, she had a really good idea that the Guardian was holding her until Solin handed that key over.

  And to save her life and free her, Solin would. Without hesitation.

  Please don't. Her life wasn't worth what would happen to the world should Noir tap the power of Zeus. Under no circumstances could that be allowed.

  She reloaded her e-mail, hoping for a response.

  For over an hour, she did that to no avail . . . until she felt the Guardian's return. There was no way to miss the change in the air whenever he was near. His powers were tangible.

  As was that fierce presence.

  But he didn't come into the bedroom. Rather he was in the shower.

  At least she assumed he was the one running the water in there.

  After logging out of her e-mail, she went to check for sure. 'Cause if it wasn't him, she was going to give someone a lot to regret.

  She crept slowly toward the closed door, ready to bolt if it was another demon in there. Not sure if she should do this, she shouldered it open, then froze.

  The Guardian's armor lay in a heap on the floor outside of the shower. A shower she hadn't realized earlier had a glass door.

  Now she saw it.

  And she saw him.

  All of him.

  The hot water slid over a magnificent body that rippled with chiseled muscles and sinewy grace. Oh yeah, baby. He'd make a fortune with a Web cam.

  Holy cow . . . Not even the bruises and scars detracted from the absolute beauty of him.

  Oh my word. I want a piece of that. Never in her life had she wanted to bite a heinie so badly.

  Her throat went dry as a wave of desire burned through her blood like lava. Unaware of her presence, he scrubbed at himself with such vigor that she was surprised he didn't remove skin with it.

  He turned slightly to get more soap, then froze as he caught sight of her.

  Time hung still as they stared at each other through the glass and steam. Her eyes widened the instant his cock began to swell.

  "Sorry!" she shouted before she jumped back through the door and slammed it shut.

  Oh good grief! She was mortified at being caught . . .

  * * *

  Seth still didn't move. He couldn't get the sight of Lydia standing there out of his mind. Why had she watched him?

  How long had she watched him?

  Did it matter?

  Sighing, he returned to bathing. It stunned him that he could get hard again, given what Azura had just put him through. But all he had to do was think of Lydia and his body reacted against his will.

  Damn treacherous beast.

  He turned the water off and summoned his loose black pants and a loose, long-sleeved black shirt. He'd never liked showing off any part of his body. Not after what had been done to him.

  Grabbing a towel off the bar, he considered putting his makeup back on, but why bother? She'd already seen his real face and hair.

  And hopefully both Noir and Azura were through with him for at least a day.

  I just want a some peace. If only it was possible.

  He rubbed the towel against his wet hair as he opened the door to find Lydia, still red-faced, sitting in his chair. "Did you need something?"

  She shook her head, refusing to look at him.

  It was just as well. "Is there anything I can get you?"

  "Besides my powers?" The sass in her tone caught him off guard.

  She was ever persistent. Not that he blamed her. "Yes, besides your powers. "

  "I'm good. Really, really good. "

  But he wasn't. He wanted to walk over to her and brush his hand through her dark hair to feel its softness again. More than that, he wanted to bury his face in the hollow of her throat and inhale her scent until he was dizzy with pleasure.

  He'd also want to kiss her again if her kisses weren't as violent and painful as everyone else's. Between Azura's mouth and Noir's fist, his lips were always burning and aching. And when it came to a she-demon . . .

  Yeah. At least Lydia's bite hadn't left a scar.

  It made him wonder if she bit Solin like that whenever she kissed him.

  And for some reason, the thought of her with the dream god made his blood boil. He had no idea why. She was Solin's, after all.

  But he didn't like it. Not one bit.

  Lydia swallowed as she felt him draw near her. Every molecule of her body perked up, aching for her to reach out and rub herself against that long, hard body.

  She glanced up, hoping his war paint would settle her desire, and remind her of who and what he was. But when she met those light blue eyes set into an unbelievably handsome face that was framed with thick, unruly spiral curls, she melted even more. Until then, she hadn't realized how young he was in appearance. He didn't look any older than his midtwenties. Actually, if not for his whiskers and the sprinkling of hairs on his chest, and the cut definition of his muscles, he'd probably look even younger.

  And how much more handsome would he be without the bruises and cuts on his cheeks and lips? Without his jaw swollen and the broken blood vessels in his eye?

  Her heart aching for his pain, she dropped her gaze to the swallow's tail and wing tip that peeked out from beneath his shirt. "Does that have any special meaning?"

  In response to her question, he began clawing at it as if he wanted to scrape it off. "No. "

  "Then why did you-"

  "I don't want to talk about it. "

  He moved the towel to cover the tattoo, and it was then she saw the additional bite marks on the other side of his neck and along the underside of his jaw. Two of them were over what appeared to be really bad hickeys. She also realized his lips were more swollen than before, and the upper one was bleeding again. And when he brushed his hand through his thick hair, there were bleeding fingernail marks on the back of his neck.

  "Are you all right?"

  He nodded, but didn't speak as he paused by her side. That familiar scowl returned to his beautiful features. "What is that noise?"

  She listened carefully, but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. "What noise?"

  He pulled the laptop closer so that he could bend over and place his ear near it.

  She laughed as she realized what he'd heard. "You mean the song?" She'd turned it low when she came back after the shower fiasco.

  A light that could almost be called joy shone in his eyes. "You have music?"

  "Yeah. I downloaded some while you were gone. " She turned it up for him.

>   He didn't smile with his lips, but his eyes did. She'd never seen him look like that. Like a poor kid at Christmas who'd received everything on his list. "I've never heard anything like this. "

  "It's OneRepublic. 'Come Home,' from their album Dreaming Out Loud. "

  "I swear I only understand about half of what you say. "

  She smiled at him. "I get that from a lot of people. " She watched as he closed his eyes and listened to the lyrics of one of her favorite songs. He was so close now that her hand itched to touch those dark red curls and feel them wrap around her fingers.

  But she knew he wouldn't approve. Nor would he let her.

  Frowning while he explored her playlist, she couldn't get past the harsh bruise on his cheek and the sight of his abused lips. Against all sanity, she wanted to get him away from this place. To show him that the world wasn't what he thought it to be.

  That he could be happy.

  She was desperate to teach him to smile and to laugh. To give him real sunlight. Not some flat picture whose only warmth came from the electrical charge of a power cord.

  Most of all, she wanted to protect him-like that made any sense given the size of him compared to her. He was so powerful and strong, and yet vulnerable in a way she'd never dreamed possible.

  He actually jumped in startled alarm when the next song, Sevendust's "Never," started playing.

  "Sorry about that. I should have warned you. That one's a little heavy. " She reached to turn it down, but he stopped her.

  "I like it. "

  She barely understood his words. Her attention was focused on how good his rough hand felt against her skin. And how much she'd like to feel his touch somewhere else on her body.

  Seth recognized the lust in her gaze as she stared at his lips. He ached to taste her again.

  But he was in enough pain for one day. The last thing he wanted right now was to have his back clawed again. Or his lips ripped open.

  If only he could convince his body of that. It still wanted a piece of her even if it meant being ravaged.

  I am such a sick bastard.

  Suddenly, she opened her mouth and yawned. Then she yawned again. "Goodness. I'm so sorry. I didn't sleep well last night. "

  "I understand. " He moved away from her. "You may take the bed. I won't bother you in it. "

  "What about you?"

  What about him? A thousand years of torture had ruined his ability to close his eyes for any length of time. "I don't sleep much. "

  "Why not?"

  Because he didn't like being weak. Sleep left him open to attacks from creatures other than Noir and Azura. Cowards who would only come out when they thought they were safe. He despised them most of all.

  She waited expectantly for his reply.

  Instead, he conjured her a warm nightgown and held it out to her. "Here, woman. "

  Lydia was touched by his gift. Mostly because she knew how rare it was for him to do this. "Thank you. And by the way . . . my name is Lydia. Not woman. "

  He nodded and stepped away from her. "Sleep in peace, Lydia. "

  She felt a knot in her stomach at the sound of her name on his lips. With his accent, it sounded more like Lah-deeah. And all she wanted to do was rise up on her toes and kiss him.

  If only she could.

  Taking the white cotton gown, she went to the bathroom to change.

  When she came out again, he'd dusted off his bed and turned the covers down for her. For a man who didn't believe in any sort of kindness, he certainly was showing a lot to her.

  But that just made it all the more special. Such things didn't come naturally for him. He had to make an effort to think of them.

  As she walked past his desk and went to the bed, he glanced askance at her, but made no comment. He was still playing her music while he looked at more pictures of sunlight.

  Her poor demon. Soon she would be gone from here, back home. And he would be . . .

  She choked back a sob at the thought of them torturing him. "Good night, Guardian. "

  "Good night," he said without looking at her.

  She slid beneath the covers and tucked her arm underneath the pillow so that she could watch him. As promised, he didn't disturb her at all. He was too consumed by his small window that showed him a world he couldn't visit.

  Blinking, she wanted to stay awake for a little while longer, but she'd been through too much for that. All too soon, she was adrift in her other realm.

  Seth knew the moment Lydia was asleep. Her breathing leveled out and her body went completely limp.

  Only then did he dare look at her. One hand dangled over the side of the bed while her black hair spread out over her and the pillow. But the cutest part was her toe that peeped out from beneath his furs.

  I hope Solin knows what he has in you.

  Obviously, he did. Why else would he have fought so desperately to save her?

  A part of him wished that Solin would fail. If he didn't return with the key, Seth could keep her.

  But for how long? Sooner or later, Noir or Azura would find her here and when they did . . .

  He couldn't even think about what they'd do to her for being here, and to him for concealing her presence from them.

  No, Lydia would have to go home. And his life would go on as it ever had. He winced as he accidentally brushed his tongue over his damaged bottom lip.

  Nothing ever changed. He'd had his one shot at freedom and look what had happened.

  Still . . .

  Heartsick, he got up and went to the bed so that he could stare down at her angelic features. Before he could stop himself, he leaned over and placed his cheek against hers. The softness of her flesh made him hard and aching for something he knew he could never have. He inhaled her exquisite scent, treasuring it above all.

  "My name is Seth," he whispered in her ear, knowing she couldn't hear him. Even so, he wanted her to know.

  He'd kill to hear her say it.

  Just once.

  Breathing her in, he placed a kiss to her cheek, then pulled back.

  He finally understood why Solin was willing to die for her. It now made total sense now. Beauty and spirit like hers should be cherished and protected. And he hoped that nothing ever tarnished their loyalty to each other. That would be the greatest tragedy of all.

  I won't spoil her for you, Solin. No one deserved to know that pain.

  Seth returned to his desk and turned the music off. He didn't want to see or hear anything else he couldn't have. There was no need in torturing himself when he had so many others willing to do it for him.

  * * *

  Solin looked around at the faces of the men and women who'd once been his bitterest enemies. Now they were joined together to fight a common enemy, again.

  They'd done it one time before, when his brother Arik had been under attack. But that was years ago and now the consequences were even higher.

  His clutched his hand around his iPhone, grateful Lydia had written to him. But there was no way he would leave her there.

  Not with that animal.

  However, getting into Azmodea was proving extremely tricky. They had an emergency call in to the Hellchaser overlord, Thorn. If anyone could sneak them in under Noir's nose, it was the entity who shared that realm with him.

  While Thorn wasn't the most reliable or kindest of creatures, he did hate Noir as much as they did.

  Solin had no doubt that Thorn would help and back them.

  Hang on, baby. The cavalry's coming.

  And his first order of business was to pin the Guardian's testicles to Noir's forehead.