Her Angel: Eternal Warriors Romance Series Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5)

by Felicity Heaton

  Erin focused on his breathing and heartbeat, battling the rising desire to sleep in his strong arms, safe from her nightmares. She wanted to unravel the puzzle, wanted to know what it was about Veiron that had her feeling so connected to him, if it was anything at all. Maybe they were just a perfect fit.

  Made for each other.

  Veiron wrapped his arms around her, pulled her up to him so his softening cock slipped free of her body, and then dragged the flimsy blanket over them both.

  He stroked her hair, the motion soothing, luring her to sleep.

  She fought it.

  He sighed, as though he had felt her battling her need for rest.

  “Sleep,” he said, sounding tired himself. “I’ll watch over you. No beasties will come near you.”

  “What about in my dreams?” she whispered, feeling like a child for mentioning it and admitting she was scared of her nightmares.

  “Dream about me... like you were in the cave.”

  She tensed. How had he known she had been dreaming about him then? Her dream hadn’t compared to the reality. Not even close. That had her feeling awake again, aware of the naked man beneath her, wanting another go with her on top this time.

  “No denial?” There was a smile in his voice. So he had been guessing after all and her reaction had given her away. He chuckled and she liked the sound of it. It relaxed her. “You had good dreams both times you’ve slept in my arms. I don’t know how it works, but I swear to you, if I make the bad ones go away somehow, I will do it again for you now.”

  That was sweet of him. Noble. Protecting her even in her dreams.

  But she didn’t want to close her eyes and go there again.

  “What if something happens and you have to go away to speak with Taylor or Einar?” she whispered and circled his pebbled nipple with her fingertip. “I don’t want to dream like I did just an hour ago. I don’t want to see that again.”

  “I swear, Erin,” he said on a sigh and stroked her hair. “That I will not leave your side until you wake.”

  That comforted her but she read into his words. He wouldn’t leave her until she woke. He was still planning to leave her then. She had felt it a few times now, an awareness of his intentions followed by a soul deep need to make him stay somehow.

  “Sleep, Sweetheart,” he whispered and held her head to his firm chest. His breathing soothed her, soft and steady, and she looked up at him to find him watching her, his eyes as tender as his touch. “If something happens, I’ll wake you. I promise you, I won’t leave you alone again.”

  Erin felt that promise deep in her heart. He meant it. He would stay with her, never leaving her side, at least until he had reunited her with Amelia. She would take that much for now, but she wasn’t giving up on him.

  She would find a way to make him stay with her.

  She would never let him go.

  He was hers now.

  A single word echoed through her mind as she drifted off to sleep, Veiron’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close to him, protecting her. Whether the word came from his half of their soul or hers, she would never know, but it was something she felt in every fibre of her being, and it was something she knew she would never feel with anyone other than Veiron.

  Mine.

  CHAPTER 13

  Mine.

  Veiron had fallen asleep after thinking it for over an hour whilst watching Erin sleeping in his arms. That single word had been in his head, ever constant, never fading. Whenever he looked at her, it screamed in his mind, beat in his veins, drummed in his heart and awoke in his soul. A deep, unrelenting need to shout it at the top of his lungs so the whole world would hear and to whisper it into her ear so his whole world would know it, rode him all through the time he had spent sleeping with her in his arms.

  Sleeping.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept with a woman. He wasn’t talking about post-sex sleep where he couldn’t help crashing on his front and snoring up a storm. He was talking about laying with a woman in his arms, holding her flush against his body, aware of her even in sleep. He was talking about sleeping after making love, contented, both his body and his heart sated by a shared intimate moment.

  When was the last time he had made love?

  He was sure it might have happened with Taylor, but she had always been about the wicked and wanton rather than the deep and soul-searching. What he had done with Erin had gone beyond physical connection and release.

  And that was a grand fucking mistake.

  His biggest one yet.

  He had thought that by sleeping with her, scratching the itch he had to get down and dirty with her, he would satisfy the desire he felt for her, the pull and the deep need.

  He couldn’t have been more wrong.

  What they had experienced together hadn’t got her out from under his skin. It had only made his need for her burrow deeper into his flesh and he had a terrible feeling it was heading straight for his heart.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Even when she was out of sight. His hunger to see her and have her close to him only worsened then.

  No good was going to come of this.

  She might have accepted a side of himself he had thought she would reject, but she was still mortal and fragile, and he was still a wanted man. He wasn’t right for her. She needed someone safe, someone who would protect her. He could do the latter but he wasn’t the former. Danger followed him everywhere and until he’d had his vengeance, it wasn’t going to go away. Afterwards? Well, he didn’t think the Devil and God would take his insubordination lying down, and he was probably unlikely to see such a thing as afterwards. They would kill him before he could do much damage. Even if he had an entire army of angels at his back and all the legions of demons in Hell under his command, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the Devil or his purer counterpart on high. Neither of them ever flexed their muscles but they would if Veiron proved a threat. It would only take a flick of one finger against him to shatter every bone in his body and reset his position on their chessboard.

  “You’re thinking a lot today,” Erin said, voice soft and luring him back to the world. She walked beside him, milky evening winter sunlight streaming down on her, casting highlights in her cropped black hair and causing the lilac stripe down the right side to shine vividly.

  He shouldn’t be out in the open with her but it seemed he lacked an ability to voice the words in his head when it came to her. Everything came out the opposite of what he intended to say.

  When she had woken, refreshed from close to eleven hours of nightmare-free sleep, and had eaten a small bowl of fruit, she had asked him to take her back to her apartment so she could gather some clothes. Every instinct had told him to say no. His mouth had said yes.

  Instincts meant nothing when it came to Erin. His heart overruled them all, forcing him to let her have her way, indulging her even when it was dangerous.

  He had tried to take it back and convince her that going to her apartment was asking for trouble, especially when they had encountered Hell’s angels barely a day ago and reinforcements would be looking for them. Erin had listened to none of it. She had shot down every excuse with a sweet smile and a reminder that he was more than capable of protecting her.

  While he enjoyed her faith in him and his abilities as her protector, he didn’t enjoy her rubbing his ego to manipulate him into doing what she wanted.

  Neither did he enjoy the fact that it didn’t even take much of a rub to force his agreement. He was too pliant when it came to all things Erin, too eager to please.

  Where was the soulless and merciless warrior now?

  He had hardened his heart to females, to everyone, focusing entirely on his need for vengeance and his mission. He had vowed not to stop until he had fulfilled that mission and he was free of what felt like a curse. No woman, no man, nothing would stand between him and success or divert his attention.

  Erin had softened him. He had tried to fight her, had close
d himself off repeatedly, shutting down his emotions and hardening his heart once more, but whenever she was near to him, her fragrance filling his senses and making him hunger for her, he softened again.

  “Veiron?” she whispered and he cast a glance across at her.

  Her amber eyes were luminous, wide and full of something that looked a lot like guilt.

  “Are you upset with me?”

  What had given her that impression? His brooding silence, the way he trudged beside her with his gaze scanning and eyes promising bloody murder, or the fact he hadn’t looked at her since leaving Taylor’s house this afternoon?

  He didn’t feel like lying to her so he nodded.

  Her eyes went a little wider and then she cast them down to her feet. She jammed her hands into the pockets of her borrowed black jeans. The action made her look small and ramped up his need to protect her, to defend her against all the evil in the world around them. Veiron moved closer to her and struggled with himself. She was wearing his leather so he had no excuse that he was keeping the chill off her when he slung his arm around her shoulders. It was a purely possessive move, primal in nature, an instinct that he couldn’t ignore. His fingers closed around the cold black leather over her shoulder and he pulled her into his side.

  Erin glanced up at him. “Not mad at me?”

  He grunted.

  She stopped, turned into him and pressed her hands against his chest, burning him through his black shirt. Her tongue swept out, teasing him as it caressed her lips, readying them for a kiss that he too willingly took. He dipped his head, dropped his hands to her backside, and raised her up his body so her sweet lips easily met his. The kiss warmed him deep into his bones, a soft reaffirmation of her desire and his, a mutual understanding and need to know everything was on an even keel between them.

  Erin drew back, her smile impish and sweet, contradicting the hunger that swamped her eyes and turned them wicked, promising that she wasn’t done with him yet. She was so small in his arms, so light and willowy. He held her to him, clutching her bottom, aware that the people passing them by on the shopping street were staring.

  She brushed her knuckles across his cheek, her eyes holding his, claiming his attention. He had never met a woman who could do that to him. When Erin looked into his eyes, the whole of his focus zoomed to her and he lost track of his surroundings. Anyone could have snuck up on him and stabbed him.

  But no one could have snuck up on her.

  Veiron felt sure of that. He was so focused on her and keeping her safe that he would sense any attempt to attack her before the enemy came within striking distance. She was his to protect.

  Mine.

  He thought it as he stared deep into her eyes, a feeling of connection blossoming between them again. He wanted to say the words and punctuate each one with a kiss that would brand his name on her soul.

  You. Are. Mine.

  Forever.

  Veiron tensed at that addition.

  Not forever. Just for now. He would have to leave her when they eventually found Amelia. It was for the best, no matter how much his heart ached at the thought of never seeing her again and rebelled against his better judgement. Sweet Erin. Would she ever forgive him?

  Forget him?

  That thought made him want to cling to her, to hold her close to him and snarl at any who tried to take her from him.

  She was his.

  She ran her fingertip lightly across his lower lip, sending it tingling, and stared deep into his eyes, hers full of warmth and what looked like understanding.

  He wasn’t guarding himself well. Could she see the battle raging in his heart through his eyes? Leaving her warred with needing to stay.

  Veiron closed his eyes and lowered her to the pavement. He withdrew his hands and took a step backwards, placing a small distance between them. When he opened his eyes, she had her back to him and he could feel a glimmer of her hurt beating in his own heart.

  It had to be this way. He couldn’t keep her. Couldn’t she see that?

  He raked a hand over his scarlet hair.

  Couldn’t he see that?

  Every fibre of him rebelled against the thought of leaving her, beating down the need and the reasons, screaming and railing against them.

  Veiron closed his eyes and sighed. Fuck. He needed to get his head straight and kick his heart into line.

  First, he needed to get Erin off the street and get this crazy mission of hers over with.

  He grabbed her hand. He had meant to hold it in a friendly fashion, forcing her to move forwards and lead him to her apartment. Instead, he interlinked their fingers, clasping her hand tightly with her palm pressing against his. Erin’s gaze returned to him but he didn’t look at her, wouldn’t while he was still trying to get at least his head straight.

  “We need to keep moving,” he said, gruff and commanding, no hint of warmth or apology.

  His heart gave one to her wordlessly.

  It made him squeeze her hand. A slight switch in pressure. A silent reassurance.

  It spurred her into motion. She began walking again and less than ten minutes later, she stopped outside an old brick apartment building in one of the London suburbs he was less familiar with.

  It seemed safe enough, but part of Veiron still didn’t like the thought that she had lived here alone.

  A man left the building, pushing the brass-edged glass doors open. He smiled at Erin and held them for her. Too familiar. Veiron wanted to tear his head off. He must have let a growl slip because the man’s focus shifted to him and his smile fell away. Veiron straightened to his full height and glared down at the mortal.

  He left quickly.

  Veiron smiled to himself. Smug and satisfied. Both feelings faded when he looked at Erin. She stood in the centre of a low-lit foyer, a frown on her face. Unimpressed.

  “Are you going to go caveman on every man in my building? I do have to live here, you know?”

  No. She didn’t. She wouldn’t. At least not alone. Not without protection. His protection. He snarled, a possessive growl designed to release his fierce need to protect his female and let everyone in the building know it.

  All it seemed to do was startle Erin.

  And then a slow smile spread across her pretty face.

  “You know, I think I like you jealous. I might flirt with the guy who owns the other loft apartment just to see you all growly again.”

  Veiron glared at her, aware that his eyes were shifting, burning red, and the skin around them was darkening. His muscles itched, bunched, stretched and began to lengthen as his bones creaked and started to grow.

  “I didn’t mean it.” Erin rushed towards him, panic in her wide eyes, her hands fluttering wildly in front of her. She settled them against his chest and he realised that he had already grown over a foot. His heart pounded, accelerated, emotions fuelling the change. “I take it back. I won’t flirt with anyone... so it’s all good, right? You can stop going all demonic. I don’t want company.”

  That tossed a bucket of icy water on the fire of his emotions.

  Veiron instantly shut down his hunger to unleash his temper on a man he had never even met and focused on Erin, using her as an anchor. It was hard to switch halfway through a change but he managed it, using his need to protect her and keep her safe, and not give away their location, to calm his darker side and bring it back under his control.

  “Fuck,” he growled, grabbed Erin and threw one hand out in front of him.

  She gasped as a blazing white portal appeared. “What about my stuff?”

  “Quiet,” he snapped and leapt into the portal. He appeared a few hundred yards up the street with her, landing hard in a narrow alley. Another shimmering wall appeared before his outstretched hand.

  He didn’t go through this one. He lowered Erin to the pavement, seized her hand and turned with her, walking back to the main street. He jogged along it and when she limped, he remembered that her feet were still sore. Einar had healed the injur
ies given to her by the Hell’s angel but Veiron had neglected to mention the cuts on the soles of her feet, something he would rectify when they returned to the safe house.

  Veiron scooped her up into his arms, carrying her nestled safely against his chest, and didn’t slow until he was back at her building.

  “Now the door is locked and I don’t have a key.” Her matter-of-fact tone didn’t sit well with him.

  The enemy couldn’t tell the time at which he used his powers. They just sensed it happening and it was usually a delayed feeling. He waved his fingers towards the door and it opened. They wouldn’t be able to distinguish it from the other times he had used his powers in the area.

  Veiron carried Erin across the false marble floor to the lifts and pressed the button to call one. When it came and the brass doors had opened, Veiron stalked inside and set Erin down. She pressed the button for the top floor.

  Could he risk using his powers to open the door to her apartment when they reached it?

  He pondered that as the lift rose, carrying them high into the building. It stopped and the doors pinged and slid open.

  Erin exited ahead of him. Veiron growled, a warning shot across her bow, and pulled her back to him. He held her close, clutching her arm, and prowled forwards, gaze scanning and senses on high alert. She didn’t protest. Her free hand wrapped around his arm and she held it, her body pressed against its length. He liked the feel of her there, close to him, needing him. He liked it a little too much if he was feeling honest with himself.

  “Wait,” she said and he stopped halfway along the stark white corridor. She turned towards a door. Hers? She knocked. Not hers. If she was planning on going through with her threat to flirt with the other occupant of this floor, he was going to be more than angry.

  The door opened and a smartly dressed man stood in the doorway, his sandy hair slicked back as though he had just had a shower. The deep blue shirt and dark charcoal trousers did nothing to conceal his physique.

  Veiron barely held his growl inside when the mortal’s blue eyes settled on Erin and he smiled.