Forging the Guild (The Protector Guild Book 2)

by Gray Holborn

  All at once, I remembered that Atlas was only a couple years older than me. He didn’t have all the answers and the rest of us had a bad habit of expecting him to. It sort of came with the territory of being group leader and generally acting like a boss. But seeing him now, it was alarmingly clear that he was just as lost as I was. Max’s arrival had torn up the blueprint for how he navigated our world, restructured our actions and reactions into some weird, unrecognizable new normal.

  “I don’t know,” he said, finally, his head shaking softly like whatever answer he was hoping was written across the wall wasn’t. It was just blank instead, empty. A chill ran through my bones. Atlas never sounded so unsure, so broken. “I honestly don’t know how we handle any of this right now. We go on missions. We find out what happened to Wade. We get him to wake up. We train her to the best of our ability—” his hand tensed on the arm of the chair “while maintaining our distance.” He met my eyes. “I’m losing my grip on it this month, I can’t control it like I usually can. I can’t suppress it. I don’t know why. But her being here, following us around—it’s dangerous, Eli.”

  I frowned, not quite sure what to say. Atlas didn’t talk about this much, and we all took his lead when he did. “It’s probably the stress, man. With Wade. It’s been a chaotic fucking month.”

  He nodded, but didn’t seem convinced. “Still, her being here, it makes things so much more complicated—our plans are fragile right now at best. With her here? I just don’t want them to shatter.”

  For a while after he left, I drifted off between waking and sleep, listening to the soft lull of the music next door. For a brief dream-laced moment, I allowed myself to think about the wall separating my bed from Max’s disappearing. My mind danced over the possibilities of what it would feel like, my skin on hers. The thought alone was enough to get my dick hard, and I was half convinced that I just needed to get her out of my system already before she completely ruined my focus. Divided attention did not yield good results in our world.

  A harsh vibration pulled me out of my fantasy and I looked down to a text from my father—a major boner killer if ever there was one. It was just past midnight, way beyond his usual bedtime. Seamus was always part of that early to bed, early to rise crowd.

  He wanted to meet with me ASAP at my pond, an urgency to the text that had me shuffling my legs through each of my pant legs in record time. It was rare for Seamus to want to meet with me alone, without the guys that is, and rarer still for him to want to meet this late.

  I left my room quietly, standing for a moment outside of Max’s door. For a hard second, I felt bad leaving on her first night. Which was ridiculous. It wasn’t like it mattered if I was here either way, and she wasn’t exactly alone. Declan and Atlas were both within shouting distance if some big bad barged into her room to take her away. Shaking off the irrational anxiety, I took the steps two at a time, still managing to escape the house without a sound.

  The night air was crisp as I wove around the trees, carving my familiar path to the pond on the edge of Guild territory. I’d made my way there so many times over the years that I could do it blindfolded without tripping over a single root. When the clearing opened up, I saw the moon reflecting down on the water like it was made of nothing but glass. The fresh mossy smell of wet bark filled my nose and I listened to the absolute stillness surrounding me.

  Father aside, being here tonight would do wonders for calming the hurricane of sensations brought about by Max. It’d been weeks since I’d come down here at night and I forgot how tranquil it was when no one was around. These moments of peace were rare in our world.

  As if on cue, I spotted Seamus pacing back and forth along the opposite edge of the pond, a tightness to his step. His anxiety stuck out like a sore thumb out here, the only disturbance to an otherwise refreshing calm. I jogged over, reaching him quickly, suddenly filled with an extreme need to know what he’d called me out of bed for.

  “Dad,” I said, my voice low, as if speaking at a normal volume out here would shatter the environment. “Everything okay?” My words were slow, almost as if I were talking to a child and not the man who raised me and taught me to decapitate creatures from hell.

  His head snapped to me, and I realized instantly that he was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even heard my arrival. With acute protector hearing, that had to mean that whatever maze he was traveling through in his mind was draining almost all of his focus. Seamus Bentley was not the sort of man who ever lost focus.

  “Eli,” he said, walking up to me in two long strides and clasping my shoulder with his large, calloused hand. “Good, good, you’re here. Finally.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant by that; I ran here as soon as I’d received the text.

  Rather than respond, I stood in silence, urging him to continue. It was clear from the intensity pooling in his black eyes that whatever he had to talk about was important.

  “I called you here for a few things,” he said as if he was giving me a report for an assignment. He dropped the harsh grip on my shoulder and stared out at the pond as if listening to hear if we had any eavesdroppers. “First, I wanted to inform you that Alleva came to me tonight and asked that I consider you as a potential bondmate for Reza. Second—”

  “What?” I said, loud enough to scare a few birds from a nearby tree. So much for keeping the peace out here.

  “I know how you feel about the girl, and about Alleva, but I promised her we’d consider it. With the attacks so close to campus, she’s growing paranoid and fearing for her daughter’s safety. It’s understandable and I don’t entirely blame her. Our women—our strong women especially—seem to so often be targeted by the beasts lately. After Max’s experiences these last weeks, that’s only been confirmed.”

  “What about Atlas and Wade?” While neither of them was exactly excited by the prospect of bonding to Reza, their father had all but decided it would come to pass. It was just a matter of when, and both of them were pushing for an exceptionally long wait. Years even. And with what happened to Sarah, there was due reason for the delay. That sort of mourning was a long process for our kind, even if the bond wasn’t completely solidified.

  He shook his head, his eyes refocusing on me. “They will still be bonded to her as well. But with things as perilous as they are now, Alleva is eager to see her daughter with added protection. And, by her logic, this would solidify the ties to your team even more.”

  He didn’t say what I know we were both thinking; that the ties would be solidified for everyone but Declan. She’d remain on the outskirts and if she wasn’t bonded to any of us on the team, she’d likely be moved to another one as soon as the bonds were formed.

  “And Declan?”

  Seamus’s lips dipped, as the exertion of his frantic announcement slipped from his face. “I know that we talked about her bonding with you or with the boys as another option. But Alleva wants three for Reza, so either you take the third spot, or she brings in someone else. And there’s no telling who that someone else will be.”

  Three bondmates wasn’t completely unheard of, but I had never personally encountered a female protector with more than two. If Alleva was dead set on this arrangement, it meant things were even worse off than we thought.

  “I take it her trip didn’t yield the results she was hoping for?” I stared at a small ripple in the pond from either a fish or a frog. My pulse was suddenly racing, and I was almost upset with my father for choosing this spot to have this conversation. It felt wrong to distort the energy around here, to disrupt it.

  He shook his head, dropping down on his ass to sit in the grass. I followed suit, not even pretending to care about the dirt like I might under other circumstances. “She’s learned that all headquarters are stretched thin. There have been more deaths of our people recorded in the last year than ever before, with attacks getting closer and closer to Guild territory. It’s like the creatures are amping up to strike together. No one understands it, no lab has n
oticed anything remarkable or distinct about the creatures captured from these attacks.” He exhaled sharply. “But it’s a deeply skewed battle, son. And we are on the losing end.”

  My father wasn’t the type to raise alarms without evidence, so I had no doubt that he earnestly believed every word he was saying, every fear he was disclosing. “And do you—do you think that I should bond with Reza?”

  I held my breath hoping he’d say no, that the offer was absurd, and that Declan or Max was the way to go, if I was required to bond at all. His silence was my only answer, and it was clear as crystal.

  “What about Max?” I said, unable to hold the question in. He’d mentioned her to me once or twice over the years. He hadn’t met her until I did, of course, but he often spoke of his brother’s adopted ward and hinted more than once since their arrival that she might be a good match for me, a good addition to our team. When he encouraged her to move in instead of Reza, I had assumed that same logic still applied. Now, well, now I wasn’t so sure.

  I had never really given bonding too much thought, realizing it was nothing more than a requirement, a helpful tool for doing our work. Hell, I’d even been excited by the idea of bonding to Declan eventually, to tighten our synchronicity during missions. But now with this news, I felt my stomach sink—every thought somehow ghosting around the idea of being bonded to Max. When had she sunk so deeply into my consciousness? Why did the idea of her being bonded to someone else set my skin on fire?

  “Max is not an option,” he said, eventually halting the thoughts skating through my mind like a whirlwind. “I spoke with Cyrus tonight, after my meaning with Alleva. He doesn’t want her to bond.”

  “Like, ever?” I asked, stunned. What I didn’t add was the fear that he just didn’t want her to bond with me, that he found me lacking as a life match for her.

  “Like ever,” he echoed, his eyes baring down on me, like he was searching for something in my own, trying to decipher whatever emotions were playing out across my features. “And the thing is, Eli, that the way he talks about her—it’s with such impermanence. I don’t know how long he plans to stay here with them, but I know that it isn’t forever. I know my brother well, and he has one foot out the door, like he’s simply waiting for an excuse or a reason to grab them both and disappear again.”

  In a flash, I saw it in his black stare—the pain that I saw in the rare moments his guard was down. He didn’t cover it up this time, let me see as it took over his expression. It was a warning.

  “You think that even if she bonded, she wouldn’t stick around,” I said, the words piercing through the air as my throat blocked up at the thought. It was the very thing that my mother had done to him when I was young.

  My father loved her in a way that she didn’t or couldn’t reciprocate and, eventually, she left us both. It was one of the most taboo things a protector could do—willingly break a bond. When it was done, it created a fracture, a piece of each person was forever destroyed, completely incapable of regrowing. Rather than risk the pain again, Seamus chose to never join another bond, never so much as enter into any intimate relationship.

  And when I turned to him again, I saw the truth as plain as day. He’d rather see me in a political bond with Reza than have me experience that kind of torment, that kind of soul-ripping abandonment. I nodded, not knowing what else to say. I understood where he was coming from, even if I didn’t completely agree, not yet.

  “That brings me to the second thing I wanted to discuss with you,” he said, resting his hand on my knee and squeezing gently. He wasn’t one for overt affection, but I knew that he loved me and wanted to provide comfort when he could. Sometimes the thought alone was enough. “There’s something Cy is keeping from me. Something to do with the girl. I know some of the circumstances of how she came to live with him, but there’s more there that he hasn’t shared. I can feel it.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, curiosity engulfing whatever lingering pain the mention of my mother had dredged up.

  “He’s so attached to the girl, so protective of her. He’s hiding something from me. And the way that he feels towards her. It’s just so unlike him. He’s so sentimental.”

  He knew Cyrus better than I did, but I didn’t think anybody would use the word sentimental to describe him.

  “Do you think she’s really his?” The thought of being potentially related to Max caused a ripple of revulsion to roll through my stomach. Had I felt so strongly about a cousin?

  As if sensing my discomfort, he let out a quiet chuckle, breaking the tension. “Don’t worry, son. I’m certain she’s not, but there’s something about where she came from that he’s keeping to himself. I—”

  I narrowed my eyes at him as he tried to find whatever words he was searching for.

  “I want you to get a blood or a hair sample if you can. Discreetly. Discuss it with no one but me. And I want you to keep her close. I asked before that you and your team watch out for her, that you protect her. But now I want you to observe her as well. Learn what you can and report back to me what you find out. If I’m going to risk my family, and my position trying to help this girl, I want to know what exactly we are taking these risks for. Can—can you do that for me, please?”

  My thoughts whirled with everything he’d thrown at me, a heavy ball of iron settling in my stomach. Without another word, I nodded.

  And when I returned home, I stared at the wall separating me from Max, wishing with every fiber of my being that she was just a normal girl, not some mystery protector shrouded in temptation and impenetrable secrecy.

  Chapter Eight

  Max

  I woke up with a tattered novel pressed between my face and one of the pillows on my bed. I had slept like a rock, which was surprising. I was low-key pretty proud of myself though—first time in a place without Ro or Cyrus, and I survived. Had to count for something, right?

  Pushing through a yawn, I grabbed one of my bags, tossing my clothes around until I located my toothbrush and toiletries. Usually all I wanted in the mornings was a nice long run, but it was a Saturday and I decided that I had earned the day off.

  I collected a large towel from the bottom of my bag and opened my door, trying to be as quiet as possible. I felt like a stranger here, like I was snooping around in someone else’s house. And I guess I kind of was. Living here—my time with Six—was temporary.

  Eli didn’t really show me where the bathroom was. I had a half bath next door to my room, but I needed a shower, desperately. And other than Declan’s room, I had no idea where any of these doors led.

  I shut the door softly and turned left, stopping at the door next to mine. I knocked twice, but didn’t hear a response. I felt a little guilty snooping, but the guys weren’t exactly the most welcoming bunch, and if I could find the bathroom without any help, that was the option I was going with. While I liked to pretend that I was brave, I was under no delusions in this case. Six was an intimidating bunch and while Eli was welcoming last night, I wasn’t exactly sure what my time here would look like.

  I pushed the door open, and found myself in a green and black bedroom, but a setup almost identical to mine. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized the room was empty. While I was tempted to explore, to learn a little bit more about the guys, it felt too invasive. Was this Wade’s room? Or Eli’s?

  For the most part, the space was remarkably well organized, with everything perfectly in place. Well, almost everything. I looked down at the ground and blushed. There was a pair of what looked like haphazardly discarded red panties sticking out from under the bed. Eli’s room then, if I had to guess. Something about his flirtatious energy told me that out of everyone in the house, he had the most frequent bedroom guests. I suppressed a shiver, uncomfortable with the thought of him entertaining girls on the other side of my wall. Which was ridiculous. This was his home. And it had been my wall all of two seconds.

  Briefly, I thought about the possibility of whether or not the underwear bel
onged to Eileen, and then my entire body heated at the thought of that night in the club. Images of him pounding into her from behind filled my mind, my stomach clenching at the thought of someone, of him, doing that to me. Did the guys have women over a lot? They definitely wouldn’t be allowed to have any humans on campus, but I wondered if I could expect to see Reza popping in and out of Atlas’s room throughout the week.

  With an involuntary shiver, I left the room and closed the door. Walking immediately across from what I assumed was Eli’s room, I knocked. No answer. I took a breath, debating with myself about whether I should open this door or not. Curiosity won out, and I opened the door, letting out a relieved sigh. It looked like an office—probably where they did a bunch of their prep work for missions. Judging by my brief time at The Guild, it was clear that field teams spent a lot of time analyzing old strategies and migration patterns of supernaturals. It wasn’t quite as ‘fight-kill-celebrate’ as shows like Buffy made vampire hunting seem.

  I scanned the computer monitors and books piled all over the desks. I stepped into the room, excited by the possibility of going with the guys on their next mission.

  Messy scrawl covered discarded notebook pads all over the place—names of places, of people, of various supernatural sightings. Most of it didn’t make any sense to me. There was an abandoned mug sitting on one of the surfaces, the lingering scent of stale coffee filtering through the room. My fingers traced the edges of a large leather chair, the seat imprinted slightly with continual use. I thought of Atlas, the constant stern expression of his face, and imagined this seat was his. There was something so careful, so calculating about his every movement, that the thought of him spending most of his spare time in this room seemed clear as day. He wasn’t the sort to enter into any situation without complete control. The guy was an ass, but even I could admit that there was plenty for me to learn from him if I could just swallow my pride.