Veiled Guardian: A Borne of Angels Novel (The Awakening Book 1)

by Leigha Wolffe

  Aiden closed his eyes, and one corner of his mouth pulled up as he turned to face the goddess. The smile she turned on him was utterly brilliant, but it had a lethal edge, one that said her will was not to be tested.

  “You’re absolutely right,” he said, turning back to face me as the bartender returned with our drinks. She placed three drinks on the counter in front of Aiden, then turned and placed a fourth in front of Jade.

  “He’ll take care of that,” she whispered loudly to the bartender, who looked to Aiden to verify. When he nodded, Jade smiled widely and winked at me, then she turned and walked away as Aiden slipped a wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled three large bills out of his wallet and handed them to the bartender, saying, “None of us wait for drinks tonight. Deal?”

  The busty brunette took the bills from his hand and said, “You got it.” Then she disappeared across the bar and Aiden turned back to me, sliding my drink to me as he did. He took my hand and my stomach pests went into such a frenzy that I was certain everyone in the club could see me shaking, but if they did, no one let on.

  “As for you, Miss Alex, I am very sorry. Your friend is absolutely correct. Not just because it’s against the rules of the club, but because those rules exist for good reason. I shouldn’t have asked, but something about you just… I feel like a broken record here. I keep saying the same thing, but ‘calls’ is the only word that seems fitting. You’re like the voice of a siren luring me, and I’m powerless to resist.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “And I must admit, having her step in on your behalf really only made me more curious, but I won’t ask again.”

  I smiled and nodded politely, “Thank you. I appreciate that, Aiden.” I picked up my glass and slipped the tiny straw into my mouth, taking the largest gulp of courage I could manage and enjoying the sting of the vodka as it slid down my throat. I felt a pull toward him like I’d only felt toward two other people in my life, and it was strengthening my suspicion that this new power, this being that was now a part of me, had somehow awakened something inside me.

  “So, Alex, since I can’t ask all the thousands of questions I want to, can I ask what happened with your friend? Who I’m assuming isn’t just a friend based on the way you keep glancing at him.”

  “Huh? I… Oh, what’s the point? I’m not good at this. I never have been. And no, he’s not just a friend, but he’s also not anything more than a friend.”

  Aiden quirked one eyebrow up at my response. “That sounds… complicated,” he said with a kind smile.

  “Yeah. Complicated. You’ll find a picture of us in the dictionary next to that word.”

  “What’s a dictionary?”

  My gaze shot up to his. I was met with laughing eyes and a delighted chuckle falling from his perfect lips, and I glared at him through the blush that colored my cheeks when I realized he’d been joking.

  “Oh, come on! Look at me!” Aiden glanced down at his clothing, gesturing for good measure. It was modern, trendy, and probably expensive. “Does it look like I’ve been missing life in the real world? What’s a dictionary… Really…” He laughed again with absolute abandon, and I felt the same pull I had earlier, the strange, disconnected joy I wanted to feel at the sound, but this time I received no warning, only the gentle purr in my mind.

  “Okay, okay, I didn’t mean to make light, but you looked like you could use a laugh. Now, tell me all about the complicated.”

  “Oh, well, he just… he told me a secret earlier, and I don’t think I reacted very well. He left before I could set it right.”

  “So you came here to set it right. That’s very brave. Owning your wrongs isn’t a known strength for most people.”

  “Yeah, well, he didn’t wanna hear it, it seems.”

  “You still did it, Alex. You still did what you knew was right. You were still brave. And that’s all you can control. You. You can’t make him stop being a coward.”

  “He’s not a coward, he’s just—”

  “The only thing in this life that really requires as much courage as admitting fault and making it right, is granting true forgiveness. He didn’t have the courage to do that. Cowardice is a pretty simple conclusion to draw.”

  “He’s got a lot to deal with. I doubt he actually holds it against me, but he wants to, so he’s faking it, and do you seriously want to sit here and listen to me tell you all about another guy? This seems insensitive on my part.”

  “I told you, I’d like to get to know all about Alex. That was not dependent on you being interested in me. I just want to know you.”

  Swoon. Then swoon again. I had to work really hard to draw that next breath, but I managed somehow. “Okay, you asked for it. Drink up buddy. You’re gonna need it.” I started to take another swig of my own drink, but Aiden reached out with his glass and clinked it to mine.

  “Cheers,” we said simultaneously, then each took a long draw from our glasses.

  As his glass left his lips, Aiden said, “Or, we could go dance. Perhaps he just needs a little motivation.”

  I almost spit my drink out as the laughter bubbled up my throat. “Oh, Aiden. No… Did you really expect that to work?”

  “I still do. You have absolutely nothing to lose, and neither do I. The only risk I run is you deciding you’d like to see me again, and if not, I’m still better off because I got to dance with you. As for you, either he gets jealous and steps up, or he doesn’t and you’re no worse off than you are now, but you got to dance with me. And I am an exceptional dancer,” he growled, and the butterflies weren’t the only ones in a sudden frenzy. Every muscle in my body clenched deliciously and my eyes drifted to his lips as he added, “I also think you’re angry with him and desperate enough to try anything and this is the best chance I’m going to have to turn your head before he comes to his senses and I lose my chance. So, yes, I do think it will work.”

  I was speechless as he held out his hand to me, and I stared at it for a minute, like a hot coal that might burn me. Then I realized that, in this new life, no matter how badly I got burned, I would heal. So I took his hand, and he helped me off my stool with a smile.

  Just as I turned toward the dance floor, he said, “Oops. Hang on. If we’re going to dance, I’d better take care of something, first.” Aiden reached back to the bar and picked up the second drink I’d forgotten about. He put the opaque black glass to his lips and tipped it up, draining it in one long pull. I smelled something metallic, and when he lowered the glass, a single drop of crimson liquid clinging to his lips.

  Blood. My eyes must have widened visibly, because as he turned toward me, he caught the look on my face and froze.

  “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you’re new here. You may not have been prepared for that. I just don’t want to risk it dancing with you. I’ll never lose control with you, Alex but getting physical, even just dancing can make the hunger worse. If I’m struggling with hunger, I won’t be nearly as present, and I don’t want to miss a minute with you.”

  “What about while we were talking? You ordered it right when we sat down. Why are you just now drinking it?”

  “Simple. I didn’t need it. I thought I would, but as intriguing as you are, I was far more interested in you than in your blood.”

  “Huh. Well, I suppose that’s flattering. And creepy.”

  A roar of laughter exploded from Aiden’s mouth, and his head fell back from the force. “Woman, I could never be worried about something as trivial as blood while in your company. Now, shall we?” he asked, tilting his head toward the writhing bodies on the dance floor. “Or have you changed your mind?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Another blinding smile split his lips so wide that I could see the longer, sharper canines at the corners of his mouth. Something that should have freaked me out but instead gave me shivers of a different sort, and I wondered what it would feel like to have those pearly whites slice through my skin, his lips on my neck, tongue brushing the flesh as he sucked the life force fr
om my veins.

  Could he even break my skin? Would it hurt? Was it even possible for him to hurt me? Questions I’d never considered sprinted through my mind, but the one that called the loudest was also the most pressing. Vampires came from nephilim infected by a demon curse, and if it had been my father that provided the angelic genes I had inherited, I would be susceptible to the same infection. With the added Guardian powers, would I become an unstoppable monster? Blood-thirsty and stronger than anyone else on the planet?

  The truth was, I was curious what it would feel like, what he would be like. I couldn’t deny I was attracted to him, unnaturally so, which made me wonder how much of it was some kind of Vampire mojo and how much was actually me. It didn’t really matter because until I had more information about my heritage, I couldn’t risk losing my head around Aiden, or him losing his head around me.

  As we hit the dance floor, he positioned us directly behind the piano where Ash was still sitting, then lifted his hand and swirled it in the air, spinning me as I laughed. Melodic tones drifted over us from the song Ash was still playing, and Aiden pulled me close, his body moving to the music so rhythmically he seemed to be connected to the sound. I kept reminding myself that I wanted to make Ash jealous or angry, or if I was really honest, I wanted to hurt him the way his choices kept hurting me. I knew it was childish, and as an eternal being, I should probably have a bit more perspective, but I was also a young woman who’d had her heart ripped out and destroyed twice in a matter of weeks.

  That was what this little exercise was really all about. Ash. Right? I kept reminding myself, but I also kept losing sight of it as Aiden held me. I’d felt torn constantly since awaking in Ash’s bed three weeks ago, but I had finally given myself permission to not love only Andrew for the rest of my life. As soon as I had, my heart and head had been presented with another enigma, and my own body was betraying me.

  Aiden pulled back and looked down at me, eyes wide and lips parted as he slid his hand up my side and cupped my face. He brushed my lips with his thumb, and I could smell the sweet scent of his breath on my face again, this time with a hint of scotch and blood that surprisingly made it smell no less sweet.

  “I should go,” he whispered, and my heart dropped. “But I won’t. Or can’t. I know I talk a good game, but your blood… your magic… your soul… they call to me. This draw I feel to you scares the shit out of me, love, and I know you feel it too. I can see it in your eyes, feel it in the beat of your heart, but I can also feel your indecision and your devotion to him. Your will. It’s incredibly strong, which makes me feel pretty damn special for being able to make you waver. I’ve never been second in line to anyone or for anyone, but I think I’d be willing to be any number on your list if it meant I got to be with you.”

  I didn’t speak at first, for fear my voice would have no volume. Or that I wouldn’t make myself say the things I knew I should but would instead beg him to follow me, to come with us and do exactly what he’d just suggested. But that wasn’t fair, especially based on a physical reaction to a complete stranger who was probably working some crazy vampire juju on me.

  So I took a deep breath and said, “You’re not wrong, Aiden. I feel it, but I also can’t accept that, on your behalf. This is all still new to me, and dating probably shouldn’t be at the top of my priority list right now. Plus, you and me… That would be so much more complicated than you can imagine. For so many reasons. Not the least of which being that my heart’s been given and destroyed twice, and I’m simply not in a place to give it freely again. I need to figure things out with Ash first. One way or the other. I can’t move on until I do. I’m sorry.”

  I glanced over my shoulder toward the piano bench, and saw Ash staring brazenly in our direction. I tried to smile at him, but Aiden caught the direction of my gaze and looked over at Ash whose eyes narrowed as his focus shifted to the vampire. As I started turning to go talk to Ash, Aiden smirked and pulled me into him, slamming his lips to mine. Denying the response of my body to the taste of his lips and the feel of him against me was almost impossible, easily one of the hardest things I’d ever done. It would have been impossible if the sight of Ash’s face as Aiden had pulled me to him hadn’t been burned into the backs of my eyelids. The horror, the hurt, the rage.

  I pulled away, already turning to look for Ash. Aiden let me, proving he was at least smart enough not to press the issue. But the piano seat was empty, and Ash was long gone. Looking around I couldn’t even see his head or his back disappearing into the crowd. Typical. He ran away. And fast. I didn’t know why I was surprised. That’s what Ash did. He avoided. Asshole. Though I wasn’t sure at this point if I meant him or myself. This hadn’t been my idea, but I had gone along with it, and a tiny, hopeful, stupid part of me had hoped it would work, that Ash would storm the floor and take me away from Aiden, claim what was his. But instead, I’d backed him into a corner, at his own club, and I’d driven him further away.

  “Fuck.” I ran my fingers through my falling curls. I knew this was my fault. I’d been complicit, and if Aiden had been swept up in the same flood that had claimed me, his actions might not be entirely within his control. I had Ash sitting there to keep me anchored. Without an anchor, I’d have been carried away in a storm of butterflies the second Aiden touched me.

  But kissing me without my permission was not something I was going to let slide, regardless of the reason, so I took a deep breath and turned to face the irresistible vampire that I somehow had to resist and raised an eyebrow in question.

  Aiden shrugged, then smirked at me and said, “I’d like to say I’m sorry about that, but I’m not. It was worth it, and trust me, he’s ready to listen n—”

  I hit him. Probably harder than I should have, and honestly, I expected to shatter my hand Twilight style, but what happened instead was somehow worse. Aiden flew backwards several feet, skidding even further on his ass along the club floor. His slide finally came to a stop just as the DJ picked up his set again in the absence of the piano music, but even with the return of the heavy beat of the dance music, no one moved. Everyone was staring at me, the girl who had just knocked a vampire on his ass.

  Aiden stared at me incredulously, not even bothering to try to stand up, and I almost backed away, but the Guardian in me rose up and bristled along with me. This wasn’t exactly Guardian business, but I was hers as much as she was mine, and she was prepared to defend me in any circumstances. Luckily, once again, Jade came to my rescue. She was just suddenly standing in front of me, blocking me from the stares of the crowd around me.

  “Okay, okay, everybody. Show’s over. Back to your evening. Aiden, get your drunk ass up. I told you that enchanted Scotch was good stuff.” Turning over her shoulder, she whispered, “Go take a bathroom break or something. We’ll cover you. No one will know.” Then she turned back to Aiden who was standing now, still staring at me wide-eyed. “And you, dumbass, don’t kiss a woman who’s just expressly turned you down. How the hell old are you now? You should know better.”

  Jade shook her head, then raised her voice loud enough to be heard over the thumping music. “Okay, big man, let’s go see who can handle their magic liquor. Okay, guys, who wants to see me drink this ginger ass under the table?” she called over her shoulder as she and Aiden headed to the bar.

  “Unlikely, love. I don’t care who you are,” Aiden called far too loudly, ensuring everyone in the area heard him. “But if we’re going to do this, let’s at least make it interesting.” He practically yelled the challenge, and with the promise of competition, drinking, and gambling, more people began following the pair toward the bar as I melted backward into the surrounding décor, then turned and headed across the club, following the wall.

  I needed to disappear for a minute. I also needed to look for Ash, but I wasn’t going to get far in this crowd as long as I was still at the forefront of their minds. I came to a narrow hallway with a sign that said ‘Restrooms’ and an arrow pointing me forward. With no sign of Ash
and a growing pressure in my bladder I hadn’t noticed until Jade said the word ‘bathroom,’ I headed down the hall toward relief.

  21

  Alex

  There was a couple down the hallway that seemed to be really going at it. I averted my eyes respectfully, but it was awkward anyway. I mean, they were really going at it, like, ‘my parents conceived me in the hallway of a dirty nightclub’ going at it. I tried to skirt sideways enough to not disturb them, or touch them, cuz… awkward… and gross… but the hallway was really narrow, and I failed miserably.

  “Sorry,” I whispered awkwardly, and when the guy grunted in response, the sound of his voice mixed with the smells in the hallway finally caught my attention. I knew that disgruntled grunt. I knew that scent. The aroma of his arousal should have stood out to me like a beacon much sooner, but my fledgling super-senses were overwhelmed by the sheer number of smells in the club, and I was still reeling from the encounter with Aiden. I must still be confused. I couldn’t be right. Could I? I worked up my courage and turned back.

  “Ash?”

  Who knew one word could instill such terror in a demon werewolf hybrid, but as he lifted his head from the girl’s neck there it was in his eyes. Terror. Horror. Shame.

  “Alex? What are you doing back here?!”

  “What am I doing? Me? I’m trying to get to the bathroom. Didn’t realize I’d need to navigate through the Fields of Indulgence and Bad Choices to get there.” I turned away, fuming. I was furious. No right to be, considering I’d just been on the dancefloor making bad decisions with Aiden the sexy vampire, but I’d walked away. Ash seemed Hell-bent on making bad decision after bad decision tonight—and every other—but the worst decision he’d made that night was the one he made next.

  He came after me.