Before I could touch my tattoos together to head back to Montreal, the cell phone rang. Angel’s name came up on the caller ID.
Crap. He never called unless there was a problem.
“Hey, what’s up?” I held my breath.
“I—there have been some attacks.” Angel sounded harried. “I’m on my way to the hospital following the ambulance.” He was never flustered, but he definitely was now.
“Lourdes was mugged behind the club a few minutes ago. Per your instructions, someone had watched her go out to her car and watched her get in. The guy must have been waiting inside. Next thing we knew, she was banging on the back door.”
“Oh, my God. I didn’t know. She’s bleeding really bad. Looks like whoever it was tried to strangle her and then must have had a knife. Her arm is ripped to shreds.”
Or a claw. If dragons were involved . . . “You said there was more than one.”
“Yes, Monroe called from London. Two of the dancers were beaten up pretty bad in the alley beside the club. They’d been out there on a smoke break. One is unconscious, the other in shock. She’s not talking. All we know is they both look like they went through hell: black and blue all over.”
Someone wanted to send me a message. They’d succeeded, and now I’d have to send one back loud and clear.
“I know it may seem extreme to you right now, but I’m closing down all the clubs for the next few days. I’ll call Austin, New York, and Los Angeles. I want you to call New Zealand, Madrid, and Paris. Warn everyone to watch their backs. Tell them these attacks are specific. Probably some vendetta against the Caruthers family, and I don’t want anyone hurt because of me.
“No one is to go to work until I give the go-ahead. They’ll get full pay. Also, if they have to leave their homes, tell them to always travel with a friend. Let’s keep this from the press if at all possible. Mum’s the word. If anyone gets questioned about the closings, tell them to say we are going through a mass systems upgrade with the computers.”
“Keep me informed about Lourdes and the other women.” Poor Lourdes had been through enough. “I’ll get there as soon as I can. Oh, and make sure you tell the doctors I want the top medical care for everyone. And call in the security team; I want those women protected twenty-four/ seven. Whoever did this may not like the idea that they can be recognized.”
I closed my eyes and tried to think. I’d have to go to where the women were attacked. If I smelled leftover dragon, then I’d know. But I had to be careful. I couldn’t risk the authorities or anyone else seeing me.
Pissed didn’t begin to explain how I felt. I don’t care if you pick on me, but don’t mess with my people. My employees were the lifeblood of my business, and many of them were friends. I had too many now to know everyone personally, but it was my job to take care of them.
I made the call to the managers of the other clubs. They didn’t ask many questions, just took my orders, which I appreciated. I prided myself on hiring loyal people, and it paid off when things went whack. I told them to keep an eye out for anything strange.
I ran back to my room and grabbed a hoodie. My leather coat had been ripped to shreds by the damn gryphon. The hoodie would hide my face, just in case. I checked myself in the mirror and remembered that I needed to take care of the wounds on my neck and chest. They were healing up, but I’d have scars if I didn’t use more of the healing potions. I went to the cabinet where I kept my stash of medical supplies, and a few minutes later I’d done a decent patch job. I tossed my shredded T-shirt in the trash and put on a new one.
I focused my energy and touched the tats together. I landed in the bathroom of the club in Madrid. Thankfully the place had been cleared out, though I could hear someone downstairs.
I snuck down the back staircase and waited in the storeroom for a minute. Whoever it was, probably one of the bartenders, had moved to the front of the club.
I slipped out the side door and locked it. Even at this late hour there was a crowd out in the parking lot. The authorities had taped off the area around Lourdes’s car, but I was able to edge my way to the front of the crowd, making sure the hoodie was pulled up so no one could see my face.
I didn’t even have to get close to the tape to smell that more than one dragon had been there.
It was all I could do not to scream. I knew it. Damn beasts are going after my people. I thought about jumping directly to Xerxes to confront Ginjin, but something my mother had said stopped me. Why? Why were they doing something they knew would piss me off?
None of this made sense. Unless . . .
I thought about what happened to Gilly a few weeks ago. That’s when we realized the seriously dark evil was invading the universe. She and Arath had a terrible time with the portals from his planet.
At that same time, Ginjin’s world had walked down the crazy side of chaos into a civil war. The evil was so pervasive there that millions were killed by it.
The mages had been working overtime to protect the portals on Xerxes, which is why I hadn’t worried much about jumpers, except for those who were involved in the kidnappings. But what if evil, real evil, was the reason all of this was happening?
There was a good chance Ginjin would become Xerxes’s next prime minister, which meant she would be the first lady in a way. As much as I didn’t like her, she didn’t seem like the kind of being who would risk that kind of power for a stupid kidnapping ring or to cause trouble for me.
I thought about the way Ginjin shot her that look the day in the desert. He’d known then that she was involved, but he couldn’t figure out why either. That’s why he wouldn’t talk. That’s probably the real reason why he didn’t want to marry her. He knew something wasn’t right.
Couldn’t have a new bride tainting his chances to become—No. He didn’t work that way. A warrior at heart, he only had the good of his people in mind. That meant he was worried what she might do if she had real power. He said as much in our first conversation about her.
Why wouldn’t he just kill her? All he’d have to do was expose her, and the council would take care of it.
I needed some answers, and there was only one man—dragon—who had them.
Ginjin was in a bad mood, not that I’d actually ever seen him in a good one. He’d spent the last hour talking to several council members who wanted to know about the human trafficking. Since my mother was at the forefront of the investigation, I wasn’t one of his favorite people at the moment, which is why he stomped past me and into his home, where I’d waited not so patiently on the front landing for the past five minutes.
That he didn’t slam the door in my face was a small miracle.
“I know you’re angry that I told my mother what was going on, but in my defense, not that I need a defense, I told her I didn’t have enough evidence to go to the council.”
He ignored me and paced back and forth as his wings disappeared into his back. It was a fascinating and slightly repulsive sight as giant slits opened up to accommodate the flying appendages and then the skin covered over it, as if nothing had ever been there.
“That’s not why I’m here. By the way”—I shut the door behind me; since he didn’t seem in the mood to talk, I continued—“there’s something happening on Earth, and I need to ask you a few questions.”
He sat down on the leather sofa without acknowledging my presence. The fact that he wasn’t bellowing about me bugging him said volumes.
“In the past two hours several people who work for my company have been attacked.”
Sighing, he crossed his arms against his chest.
“They hit two clubs—one in London, the other in Madrid—about the same time. All three victims are in bad shape. The one in Spain is pregnant.” I made my voice go quiet. “We don’t know if she or the baby will make it.”
His eyes flashed from red back to silver, and he shoved a hand through his long silver hair. “What do you need from me?”
“I want you to come with me to the crime scenes. The scent is strong. It’s almost as if they wanted me to know. I think you might be able to distinguish specifically who it is, whereas all dragons pretty much smell the same to me.”
“One moment.” He left the room and came back wearing a pair of True Religion jeans and a dark gray button-down shirt. He looked like he belonged in one of my London clubs. I didn’t even want to know how he knew what to wear. Ginjin was an enigma that way. “I am ready.”
By the door was the device he used to open portals. It was small and fit in his pocket. He slipped it in.
“Her car is gone. The police probably took it as evidence.”
Ginjin didn’t say anything, but he cocked his head as if listening for something. Then he sniffed the air. He moved to the area where Lourdes’s car had been. His eyes flashed red. “Take me to the other one.”
I assumed he meant the London crime scene. Again, I didn’t want to risk being seen, so I transported us into the office of the London club. This time Ginjin led me to the door. He knew. He’d already picked up on the scent.
When he opened the side door into the alley, he said something in dragon. From the tone, it was easy to tell it was some kind of curse.
He shut the door and turned to me. “No, but I have a general idea of the clan.” His voice was quiet but menacing.
Ginjin frowned. “That is not a good idea.”
I expected him to growl, maybe throw a punch.
“No. She’s not involved with this.” He paused. “She wasn’t here. But these were Kevans and from the Lincsire clan.”
“So that’s her people. She is involved. You know she is. I saw how you looked at her that day when I confronted her.” I couldn’t keep my hands from going to my hips. I couldn’t believe he was being so stubborn, especially now that we had some hard evidence that the Kevans were involved.
“Guardian, you assume too much. What you saw was a power play. The dragons she had in the circle were not her friends. They were sworn enemies, but she had convinced them to fight together for a common cause to save Xerxes. She’d called me there to meet with them, but I’d been delayed.”
News to me. I thought he’d shown up to get my back that day. “So you’re saying the whole thing with Jene is a power play?”
He was silent for a moment. “What you saw that day was exactly that.”
“I don’t get it, but it doesn’t matter. Her people are involved; let’s get this done.” We had moved back into my private office at the club. It was seldom used and needed a good dusting. He sat down behind the desk.
“I think we’ve lost sight of this situation. Kevans were here. You know which ones. We need to go kill them.”
“You thoroughly enjoy murdering my people, don’t you?” The words were said quietly, but he was angry.
“Think, Guardian.” It was the second time someone had said the same words to me that night. I was kind of tired of it.
“I’m not big on the thinking when it comes to dragons, especially ones who are hurting people I care about.”
“Your actions could get you killed, as well as those around you. If you rush into whatever trap they’ve set, that’s exactly what will happen. The Kevans are not stupid. They wanted you to catch this scent and charge in, killing whatever was in your path.”
“I’m not seeing the problem here.” I put my hands on my hips.
“It’s a trap, Alex.” He almost never used my name, which meant he wanted my undivided attention. “They want to kill us both.”
“Well, I know why they’d want to kill me—I’m not exactly a friend. But why you? They finally have peace again on Xerxes.”
“The Kevans don’t want peace. They are warriors and weapons makers. Wars bring them wealth. They were some of the first touched by the darkness when it invaded. Jene did me no favors by bringing the heads of the clans together. They have joined together against me and everything I’ve worked toward. That I can promise you. They know if you go charging in that I will be right behind you. Many of my own people see my alliance with the council and the Guardians as a crime. We have always policed our own. We don’t like outsiders involved. You know this.”
I sat down on the couch, suddenly deflated. “So, what are we going to do? Let them get away with it?”
His eyes bored down on me. “No.”
I counted to ten. “Really, you’re going to have to be more specific.”
I threw my hands up in frustration. “You’ve got to be kidding me. No, no, no.”
“There is much more at stake than a few of your humans being injured.” He held up a hand. “I understand why you are upset. I will bring those responsible for the crime to justice, but I must do it my way. If you rush in and kill them, they will retaliate tenfold here on Earth. If you wait, they won’t understand. It will confuse them.”
God, they weren’t the only ones who would be confused. “Ginjin, I believe that you think you are doing the right thing, but it’s my job to protect the people here. I can’t just let those dragons go free.”
He growled. “I told you I would take care of it. You must trust me.”
I shook my head. “Less than two months ago you tried to kill me. Do you remember that?” The battle that had ensued left us both bloody and half-dead. “How am I supposed to believe you’ll do the right thing?”
I started to speak, but he stood.
“He was not our most intelligent leader, but it was my job to stand in his stead. If you think to all the times we bat tled, it was after a similar instance. For a liaison, you are sadly lacking in the talents of diplomacy.”
I wanted to argue, but he had a point. I had a habit of shooting off my mouth and charging in without thinking. I did think back to each time we’d fought, and he was right. I’d insulted the king, prime minister, or someone else in power. I never did have much respect for authority, especially when they were a bunch of idiot dragons. “Point taken.”
We stared at each other in silence.
Finally, I caved. “I want proof—and I want it fast—when you take care of this situation. I want the message sent in your world that I will not allow them to hurt anyone else. And I know you think your precious Jene is on your side, but you need to open those silver eyes of yours a little wider. If she’s not involved, she at least knows about the kidnappings. I saw the look she gave you when she noticed the dead green dragon in your house. She was upset.”
“I can assure you, I am aware.” He pulled the portal device out of his pocket. “I’ll send a message when I have your proof.” He disappeared into the portal.
I looked at the clock on my desk. It was almost seven in the morning. I stared at the couch longingly. A couple of hours wouldn’t hurt. Then I could check on the dancers at the hospital without anyone wondering how I made it to London so fast.
After making sure the door was locked, I stripped down to my panties and pulled out a blanket from the side table next to the sofa. Wrapping it around me, I passed out before my head ever hit the pillow.
CHAPTER 15
After checking on the two dancers, Kat and Marissa, at the hospital, I called Angel from the back of a taxi to see how Lourdes was doing.
“They moved her into ICU late last night,” Angel told me. “The baby is doing okay, but Lourdes lost a lot of blood, so they’re keeping a close eye on her. She’s still unconscious, but the doctors are saying that’s not unusual. They also said considering her injuries, she and the baby are lucky to be alive.”
As he spoke, the anger I felt last night returned. It was my job to protect humanity. What kind of Guardian was I if I couldn’t even care for those who worked for me? Ginjin didn’t know it, but I’d decided to give him a time limit. If he didn’t deliver me some dragon head on a platter, I was going to take matters into my own hands.
“Keep me posted, and let me know as soon as she wakes up.”
My phone clicked, and the caller ID said security was calling. “I’ve gotta run.” I clicked over.
“Ms. Caruthers?” It was Jake.
“Hey, Jake, I think since we’re fake dating, you should probably call me Alex.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that was still on.” He sounded like it was a great imposition.
“Uh, well, if you don’t mind. Just until I know I’m in the clear.”
“Happy to help.” It didn’t sound like it.
“So what’s going on?”
“Have you misplaced your comm?”
I felt for the small chip in my ear. It was gone. That’s probably why he was mad. I’d gone off the grid again.
“It must have fallen off sometime during the night when I was sleeping. I’m surprised you didn’t call me before this.”
“We knew where you were until you left this morning. We have full access to the security cameras at your businesses. One of our staff members saw you leave and then reenter your London club.” There was a long pause. “The tape showed you with the dragon warrior, but he never left the building again. So we knew you were there through the night.”
I wasn’t sure, but it sounded like Jake might be jealous. He thought I spent the night with Ginjin. I hated that I kind of liked the fact he cared.
“The GPS signal shows it’s still at the club, perhaps in your office.” He must have checked himself, because now he sounded nothing but professional.
“It’s probably stuck in the couch.”
Another long pause.
“Right. Well, if you don’t find it, we need you to come back to the office and get a new one.”
“Not a problem. And, Jake?”
“Yes.”
“I slept alone on the couch in my office. Ginjin left through a portal a few minutes after we arrived at the club.”
“Oh.” He sounded relieved. I couldn’t keep from smiling.
“Looks like the attacks last night were dragon-related, so he’s helping me. For the record, I’m not the kind of girl who would date someone and sleep with someone else. Even if it is fake dating.”
He coughed. “Good to know.”
“I’m not sure which I’m more insulted about, that you’d think I’d do that or that I’d do it with Ginjin.”
He chuckled. “Won’t happen again.”
“Glad to hear it. I’ll be back at the house in an hour or so, but could you do me a favor and tell Master K I need to talk with her? I think we need to bring Kyle Martinez in, too.”
Kyle was a private investigator who worked for my family. He handled everything from corporate espionage to murder cases. It was a sad fact, but people around the Caruthers family tended to get dead at an alarming rate. Sometimes it didn’t pay to be friends with or employed by us. Scary, but true.
“I’ll call them both.”
“Great. Well.” Now it felt awkward. “Bye, Jake.” The image of him wrapped in the towel flashed through my brain. I pushed the Off button on the phone to keep from making an idiot of myself.
I stared at the wall for a minute. What the hell is happening to me? Jake had me turned inside out. It’s all pretend. Or was it? He’d seemed a bit proprietary and maybe a touch perturbed at the idea of me spending the night with Ginjin.
A vision came into my head, and I realized it was from my dream earlier in the week. Jake had been the star of that show. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, except that it left me hot. But it had been Jake’s hands I’d imagined roaming my body and his soft lips on mine.
“Okay, chica. Get a grip.”
The cabbie looked back in the mirror at me and winked.
I touched my cheeks and realized I was flushed.
Damn, Jake.
The taxi dropped me off in front of the club, and I went in search of my comm. It took a few minutes, but I found it buried in the carpet in front of the sofa. The adhesive wasn’t any good anymore, so I stuck it in my pocket.
I knew I was in trouble when just before I touched the tattoos together, my stomach felt a little fluttery with excitement about seeing Jake.
There should have been some kind of warning, but there wasn’t. One minute I was walking through the hallway to meet with Master K, the next I was attacked—by Aspen.
“It’s about time,” she screeched. “I’ve been waiting all day for you.”
Her four-inch heels made clicking sounds on the marble of the large, formal living area.
“Aspen? What are you doing here?” And why the hell didn’t someone warn me?
“Well, I kept calling and texting you, but you never answer. I decided I’d camp out here. You said there was always an open invitation, so I’ve been staying in one of the guest wings waiting for you to come home,” she chastised. “Penny told me you were busy with business things, but really, you’re my best friend. You’re planning my wedding. Surely you can take a little time to get some of the details together. I mean, it’s less than two weeks away. What could possibly be more important?”
So many things. I could put her off. Tell her that there had been big problems with the computer systems at the clubs, but she was right. She deserved more from me. Well, not really, but I still felt guilty.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been on the road, and I tend to get tied up in business these days. With every club I open, the responsibilities increase, and I guess I’m not balancing things so well.”
She gave me the once-over, taking in my hoodie and jeans. I looked like someone trying to bring back grunge. Then she took my hands in hers. “It does look like you’re running yourself ragged. I know I’m asking a lot, but besides Huff, you’re the person I’m closest to. I know how successful you are, and to be honest, I really admire what you’ve done with your life.”
I wanted to put my hand on her forehead to feel for fever. This was not the Aspen I knew. Maybe she’s possessed.
“Are you feeling okay?”
She smiled, but it wasn’t the fake one she gave the paparazzi cameras. “I know I can be a bit much. Huff has sort of made me realize that it’s not always all about me. Except, this is my wedding, and it kind of is. I just have all these expectations, and I want everything to be perfect. And I feel like”—she bit her lip—“I feel like you don’t really care.”
I’m such a jerk. I actually felt bad. “I promise I do; all this came about at a really tough time for me.” I did a mental check of my schedule and glanced at my watch. “I have a meeting I have to go to right now. Give me an hour, and I’ll be yours for the rest of the day. With the two of us together, we can knock out myriad details. We’ll get everything set. I promise.”
She screeched and then hugged me. “You are the best. I have several chefs on standby. They can be here in an hour to present the food choices, and we have companies with linens, china, and flowers.” She lifted her arms. “Well, everyone has just been waiting on you to get here, basically.”
Oh my God. “That’s great. So we can knock it all out this afternoon. I’m starving, so let’s begin with the food.” I winked at her.
“You’ve got it, girlfriend. Oh, and Huff will be here, too. Are you dating anyone? We could taste the food and make it a little lunch party.”
I thought about it for a second. I wasn’t sure the ruse with Jake was necessary anymore, since Ginjin hadn’t bothered me again with the matrimony thing, but I kind of liked the idea of spending time with Jake.
Manipulative much? He was a good guy. If he could handle Aspen and Huff, he might just be the perfect guy.
“Uh, I am. I’ll check with him and see if he’s free this afternoon. He’s a very busy guy.”
“Do I know him?”
“No, we’ve sort of been keeping things quiet. He’s really private.” My guess was that would change when the tabloids hit the stands later in the week. The guy at the 7-Eleven had taken more than enough photos. Jake’s picture would most likely be displayed all over the world, if it wasn’t already.
“Oh. Well, I can’t wait to meet him. Please, see if he can make it.”
I squeezed her hand. “I will.”
As I made my way downstairs to see Master K and Kyle, I thought about Aspen. She’d changed. Perhaps Huff was a good influence on her. I hadn’t seen him in years; maybe he’d changed, too, and wasn’t as bad as the tabs made him out to be. I knew better than anyone that the media couldn’t always be trusted to get the facts straight.
Then I thought about Jake. He was going to kill me. I could barely stand hanging out with Aspen. She’d drive him crazy.
I dialed his cell.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hello. Sorry I missed you coming in. Claire had some jumpers, and we were following them.”
“No problem. Is everything okay?”
“She has the problem under control.” He sounded a little distracted.
“Great. Uh, can I ask you something?”
Long pause. “Sure.” His tone was guarded.
“Actually, it’s two things. If you have time, I’d like you to sit in on my meeting with Master Kanashi and Kyle. I’d really value your input on what I’m going to propose to them.”
“When do you need me?” That’s what I liked about him. Always there, especially during the tough times. Aspen definitely constituted tough times. Stop reading so much into his kindness. He’s hired to help, dork. “I’m going downstairs to meet with them now.”
“Gerald just came in, so give me five minutes to catch him up on what’s been going on with your sister.”
“Great. Really, take your time.”
“What’s the other thing?”
I was suddenly nervous. What if he didn’t want to hang out with my friends? I mean, who could blame him? Aspen had a bad reputation as a prima donna. Even though she was trying to be a better person, she could get on the Dalai Lama’s last nerve.
“It’s—maybe you’ve seen Aspen around the house. She’s getting married, and she wants me to test the food. I can’t get out of it. I’ve been putting her off for days. Her fiancé, Lord Huffington, is coming in this afternoon—”
“And she wants to make it a double date?”
I sighed. “Yes. It’s silly. Really, we don’t have to do this.”
“So you want to make our relationship public with your friends?” His voice was flat like he had no expectation about the answer. I couldn’t tell if he was happy with the idea or not.
“Well, if it’s okay with you. I was thinking that the more people who know, the better chance we have of my mother believing it, if necessary. We’ll be in the tabloids by the end of the week if we aren’t already. But, I’m serious, only if it’s cool with you. I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness.
“And I understand if you don’t have time to do lunch. Things are crazy right now. No one knows that better than me—”
“I’ll make time,” he interrupted. “Besides, I’ve never been one to turn down a free meal.”
I laughed at that. “Thank you.”
It bothered me that the idea of spending a few hours with him made me positively cheery. It’s not real. He’s doing you a favor.
The chastising didn’t work. I couldn’t wait for lunch.
A few minutes later I met Master K in one of the lower-level conference rooms. It seemed odd to see her in a black suit, wearing makeup and her spiky hair sporting a subtle red streak. She looked like an edgy version of a corporate executive. What always impressed me the most was her self-assured nature. Someday I hoped to have that kind of confidence.
I reached out my hand and shook hers.
“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.”
She nodded.
There was a knock on the door, and Kyle and Jake walked in. They were joking about something but stopped short when they saw us.
I waved them in.
They both greeted Master Kanashi. Kyle was dressed in the requisite white button-down and jeans, with a Yankees cap. I’d dated him for a few months when I was in college, but we realized pretty quick that we made great friends and lousy lovers. Actually, we never really got around to the lovers part. We were heavy drinkers back then. He was trying to deal with his job as an FBI investigator, where he had to track down some pretty nasty criminals.
I was going to school, building my first club, and working full-time as a Guardian. When we got together, we always ended up talking and drinking. We almost always passed out before things became too serious. I sometimes wondered if he planned it that way.
He’d become a trusted member of our little gang and was up on the weirdness of the universe.
“Jake knows all of this, but I want to bring you up to speed, Master K. Three of my employees were attacked last night.”
She leaned forward, concern on her face.
“It happened at the same time, but at two different locations: the club in Madrid and the one in London. All three were women. They are still in the hospital.” I sat back in my chair. “I don’t want this to ever happen again. These women were attacked because of me.”
Jake touched my shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself.”
I frowned at him. “Yes, I can.”
“How do you know you’re the reason?” Kyle asked. “These are nightclubs in the middle of large cities; could happen to anyone.”
I looked to Master K. “The attacks were otherworldly. Dragons, to be specific.”
To her credit, she didn’t even blink. Though she’d been training us for years, we’d never explained what for until a few weeks ago when things had really gone down the crapper.
To our surprise, she’d known. She’d used sign language to explain to Claire that while she wasn’t aware of exactly what Guardians did, no one came back with the kind of injuries we did without being involved in something strange.
Like I mentioned before, she’d pretty much seen it all, so it wasn’t much of a stretch for her to understand what we were fighting in the rest of the universe.
“What I’m asking you to do is a massive undertaking. Since my employees are being targeted right now, I’d like to begin with them. I want everyone who works for me to have the basic self-defense techniques down. All of my security personnel, including the bouncers, are already trained. So you’d be focusing on the hosts, waitstaff, bartenders, and kitchen personnel.”
She nodded her agreement.
“Getting everyone to one location at the same time isn’t an option, so I’m going to need you to travel. Both of you.” I included Kyle. “I’d like you to put a team together to help so we can make this happen as fast as possible. Like today.”
She jotted a quick note on the pad in front of her. “I can have a team assembled and be ready to go in two hours.”
I smiled. “I knew you were the right woman for the job. I’d like you and Kyle to coordinate with Jake. Keep him informed about the progress.” I looked at Jake. “Sorry to add to your workload.”
“Not a problem. With Master Kanashi’s permission, I’d like to send along a few of my team members. I think it would be a good idea to put more cameras up around the perimeter of the clubs and to check on the alarm systems. We can also provide personal alarms for each employee. Your brother has devised a small one about the size of a quarter. Push it, and it sounds like someone just broke into Fort Knox.”
“Great idea. Master K, are you cool with Jake adding some folks to the team?”
She nodded.
“Kyle, I want your eyes on the scene. I want to make sure we don’t have any secret evil dudes mixing in our employee pool.”
“You think the Manteros might be involved?” The Manteros were a secret society of evil beings spread out all over the universe. They were helping the darkness seep into the various worlds.
“Honestly, I hope not. But they are pervasive, and we saw what happened with Gilly.” One of her exes had been overtaken by the evil and nearly killed her. We’d also found out the boyfriend of a close family friend, Aunt Juliet, was a part of the same secret society. She and my mother had made sure he was no longer around to cause trouble.
“I have no proof of this yet, but I’m thinking that the dragons aren’t kidnapping the humans for themselves. I’m betting the Manteros want the humans as slaves. We’re easily controlled. To the dragons, we’re nothing more than goods to trade.” I loved it when the gears finally clicked into place. Now that I had motive, it would be easier to convince Ginjin.
I stood. “I want you to know how much I appreciate this. If it goes as well as I think it will, this may be a program we institute for Caruthers Corporation as a whole. After what happened a few weeks ago and last night, it’s made me think that the people involved with our organization are targets of our enemies. While we can’t tell everyone what’s going on, we can do our best to protect them.”
I handed Master K an envelope with a check for several hundred thousand. “These are temporary funds to help with travel arrangements, salary, whatever you need. There’s also the number of one of my accountants, should you need anything else.”
She opened the envelope and stared inside. For the first time ever, I saw shock on her face. She shook her head and tried to hand it back.
I refused to take it. “Trust me, you’re going to be traveling the world the next couple of days. You’ll need it.”
“If you guys need anything, please don’t hesitate to call, and I want to know if you find anything.” I motioned to Kyle. “You know what to look for: anyone who has been acting strange or out of character. Gilly said Emilio”—that was her ex—“was pushier and would stare off into space. She thought he was being artistic and weird but never suspected he was possessed by pure evil.”
“Got it,” Kyle said. “I’ll be discreet.”
“I know you will.”
I looked to Jake. “I’ll see you upstairs in a few minutes.”
He gave me a strange smile. “I can’t wait.”
CHAPTER 16
In the hour that it took me to meet with Master Kanashi, Jake, and Kyle and to change clothes, Aspen had worked magic. Well, Aspen and her minions had worked magic. The ballroom where we hosted many a benefit dinner had been transformed into wedding central. Twenty different round tables had been set up, each with different linens, china, crystal, and flower arrangements. Along the long bank of windows were tables with an assortment of wedding cakes, desserts, and appetizers.
“Tell me we don’t have to eat all this. I’ll never fit in my jeans,” I joked to Aspen, who was ordering people around—although more kindly than usual.
“Of course not, silly. I want us to pick a few favorites from each course and try them. I thought maybe we could bundle the leftovers and take it to a homeless shelter when we’re done,” she said abstractedly.
What? “Aspen, what the hell has happened to you?”
She looked down and examined her clothes. “What do you mean?”
“You’re different.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “I told you. Between Huff and your friend Penny, well, they’ve sort of opened my eyes. Do you know that there are children, little bitty babies, who go hungry every day? All over the world, and even here in America? Here in our own country! That’s just ridiculous.
“I told Penny about Huff’s charities to raise money for the children in Africa. She took me to a place in the Bronx where they give free meals to kids that are hungry. Anyway, between the two of them, I can’t promise not to be the most selfish woman in the world, but I’ll be damned if babies are going to go hungry if I can do something about it.”
“You are absolutely right about that,” Jake said as he entered the room. “Hi.” He held out his hand to her. “I’m Jake.”
She put her hand in his and then looked at me. “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m so happy you could join us this afternoon.”
“Well, from the looks of things, it’s not going to be much of a hardship. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much food in one place before. And for the record, feeding the homeless and children in need are both great causes.”
Aspen’s smile upped in wattage at that last comment. “Thanks. Huff says I have a lot of karma making up to do.”
My opinion of Huff was changing by the second. Aspen wasn’t the only one who’d undergone a personality overhaul. The Huff I remembered from years ago was interested in nothing but sex, yachts, and booze. In that order.
She waved a hand around. “I tend to go overboard, but well, this is important to me. I was telling Alex that what we don’t eat I plan to donate.”
“Excellent idea.” Huff walked in dressed in Armani and looking very Wall Street. “How’s my scrumptious pumpkin?”
“Huffy,” she squealed, “I missed you.”
He took her in his arms. Jake and I both glanced away as the pair lip-locked. He smiled at me and grabbed for my hand. I guess if we were going to pretend, he wanted to make it as real as possible.
When his hand touched mine, my breath caught. Stop acting like a Catholic schoolgirl on her first date.
Jake kissed my cheek. “Missed you.”
I laughed, especially since he’d just seen me. “Missed you, too.”
The embrace ended, and Aspen and Huff were both blushing. I realized I’d never seen her so happy.
“Babe, this is Jake. He’s Alex’s—” Aspen wasn’t sure what to say.
“Friend.” Jake and I said at the same time. Then we both laughed.
He wrapped his left arm around me and stuck his right hand out to Huff. “It’s still kind of new for us,” he explained. That was no lie. “We’re taking it slow.”
Huff shook Jake’s hand. “It’s obvious you care a great deal for Alex, because no sane man would put himself through this.” Huff pointed to the clipboard in his fiancée’s hand.
Aspen punched his arm. “Hey. This is our wedding and—”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Everything has to be perfect,” he finished her sentence.
My opinion of Lord Huffington rose in that moment. He cared about her and wanted her to be happy.
“I don’t know about that. There’s free food involved, so it can’t be all bad.” We all laughed at Jake’s joke. I liked the fact that he fit right in.
“So the faster you write down your choices, the quicker we can sample food.” Aspen handed us each a clipboard. “Each couple can start on a different side of the room and move toward the center.” Aspen gave us directions, and we set off to do as she asked. “Oh, and please don’t forget to make notes. We can also mix things from different tables. So keep that in mind.”
Jake whispered to me as we moved to the right side of the room, “This is not what I imagined when you said we were going to help pick out food.”
I touched his arm, and the muscles underneath flexed. I didn’t think he did it on purpose; it was likely more his body responding to mine. “I’m going to owe you big for this.”
He looked down at my hand on his arm as if he were as surprised at what happened as I was. “I like the idea of your owing me.” He winked. Then he said, “She seems to be a woman who likes options.”
“That she does,” I agreed. “She exhausts every possibility so that she knows what she’s decided is the absolute best. It can be a bit tiring for the rest of us.”
“Like I said, I don’t mind. Besides, I never get to spend any time with you, friend.” He gave me a wicked grin, and my insides melted.
“So what do you think of this pink table?” My voice was high and squeaky.
“Pretty, but girly. As a guy I wouldn’t be comfortable. But the flowers are nice.” He took the room in. “I hate when I go to something social and I can’t see someone on the other side of the table because of a flower arrangement. This one is nice and low.”
It was a simple arrangement of antique roses in a china bowl. He was right; it was beautiful.
It didn’t take long for us to go across the room, and it surprised me that Jake and I shared the same opinion on many things.
When we finally sat down to eat, it was at a table we’d all marked at the top of our list. Irish lace had been placed on top of a silvery tablecloth. The china was white with a small silver fleur-de-lis pattern on the edges. The arrangement in the center was white roses, gardenias, and jasmine, mixed in with crystal votives. It was simple, elegant, and the exact opposite of what I thought Aspen would pick. In the past, her taste had been slightly over-the-top with an edge.
The first course was a choice of six hors d’oeuvres, everything from a crab ravioli to an ahi tuna nacho. I marked my preference for the feta-and-crab-stuffed mushrooms and the dim sum. I snuck a peek and saw that Jake chose the cocktail shrimp and mushrooms.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I finally settled on a dress . . . well, a couple of dresses. One for the wedding and the other for the reception.” As the first course plates were taken away, Aspen pulled out a folder from her large Hermès bag. “Huffy, don’t peek,” she warned him.
He winked at her and stuffed a ravioli in his mouth before the waitstaff took his plate.
I opened the folder and was again surprised by her choices. The first was a bridal ball gown fit for a princess. The designer had taken Aspen’s picture in the dress, and she was positively glowing in the strapless candlelight satin and crystal beauty. The skirt was full, but she could carry it off. “Wow.” I stared up at her. “It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.” I meant it.
Jake let out a low whistle. “Pretty hot.”
Aspen blushed at that. “You’re just saying that.”
“No. Alex is right, it’s a beautiful dress, and it looks like it was made for you.”
“That’s exactly how I felt when I put it on. They only have to make a few alterations. It’s as if it the designer had me in mind when she made it.” She flapped her hand. “Look at the evening dress.”
This one was a tight Italian lace sheath that molded to her body perfectly. Silver threads and crystals were sewn into every inch.
Jake was the one who said “Wow!” this time. “Huff, my man, you may want to keep a close eye on her when she’s wearing this. Jaws are gonna drop. Drool will happen.”
Huff laughed. “Now I really want to see it.” Aspen slapped his hand as he reached for the folder. “No, it’s bad luck.”
“That’s if I see you in it in person. No one ever said anything about seeing a picture of the bride in her dress, or dresses, as the case may be.” Huff tried to change her mind, but she was having none of it.
“Oh, here come the entrées.” She clapped her hands like a giddy schoolgirl. “This is so much fun.”
As they served the plates of lobster and steak medallions with asparagus and arugula and Parmesan mashed potatoes, I had to agree with her. Life had been beyond intense the past few weeks, especially the past few days. It was nice to do something a little silly, and Aspen and Huff turned out to be perfectly lovely. It was the first time since I met Aspen that I hadn’t been looking at my watch wondering when I could sneak away.
Huff had changed her in a good way. I’m not sure how, but she was a different person than she was a few days ago.
We’d moved on to the cakes, and my choice was a raspberry and buttercream confection that was at least five pounds on the hips per bite. I’d have to work out three hours a day for two weeks to burn off the slice I ate, but I didn’t care.
Jake fell head over heels for a chocolate ganache number with rum filling. It was a close second on my list. Turned out he was a big sucker when it came to chocolate. My kind of guy.
The coffee had just been poured when Gerald came to the door. “Ms. Caruthers, Jake, I’m sorry to bother you, but we have a situation that needs your attention.”
“Oh, but we were having so much fun.” It was the first time that afternoon Aspen’s trademark whine pierced the air.
Huff took her hand. “Aspen, luv, they spent the afternoon with us. Let’s be grateful for their company.” He stood and reached out a hand to shake Jake’s. “I know we just met, but I hope you can come to the wedding. We would love to have you.”
“Of course, he’s coming. He’ll be Alex’s date,” Aspen chimed in and winked at me like she was doing me a favor.
“I, uh . . . thank you.” Jake shook his hand and then turned to me. “I’ll go ahead. You say your good-byes. It was nice to meet you both.”
They watched him leave, and then Aspen turned to me. “He’s a dream, Alex. I can’t believe you two have been working together all this time and never noticed those sparks between you. I thought you two were going to burn up our table scape with some of those looks you gave each other.”
I had no idea what to say. “Crazy how these things happen.” We must have been faking it pretty good.
Go ahead, lie to yourself a little longer.
I wasn’t sure about the looks the man had been giving me, but I’d fallen big for him during the dinner. He was the perfect date, and I found myself more drawn to him than ever.
“Um. This is beyond rude, but before I go, I have to—” I wasn’t sure how to ask.
Aspen stared at me, perplexed. “What? Do you want us to save you some cake?”
“No. It’s . . . Aspen, you admitted that you’d changed, and well, you are a different person.” I looked up at Huff. “But so are you. What happened? You aren’t the same guy I met years ago.”
He looked chagrined for a moment. “It’s a long story, and I promise to tell you the whole thing someday. But let’s just say a trip to Africa these days can change a person’s life, and I’m not talking about safaris. I came back from there determined to change my life and the lives of everyone I’d met there.”
I’d been there, too. I knew exactly what he was talking about. It was a life-changing place. “I couldn’t agree more.”
I glanced toward the door where Jake had gone. “I hate to go, but Gerald wouldn’t have interrupted if it weren’t a real emergency.”
Aspen started to say something but stopped herself when Huff gently squeezed her arm. “Thank you, Alex. I feel so much better about everything. We accomplished a lot in two hours. Huff and I will get out of your way. I’ll call you to set up a time when you can see the castle. The renovations are complete, and it’s the most amazing place. You go find that honey of yours that causes those big sparks of hot electricity between you two.” She giggled. “Who knows, you might be the next one down the aisle.”
That made me laugh out loud. “Never gonna happen, my friend. I’ll see you two later.”
As I walked down the hallway to the elevators, I thought about what she said. Sparks? What the hell was she talking about? We’d had fun and joked about our passion for all things culinary. There was that moment when he used his thumb to get a crumb off of my lips and then licked it off his thumb.
Huh. I pushed the button to take me to the second-floor control room. I had wanted to lean over and kiss him right then. In fact, I had to make myself not do it. And she was right; he definitely gave me a look: sexy, warm, intriguing.
I gave myself a mental slap.
He’d been playing the part of my boyfriend—so well, in fact, that at times during the afternoon it felt real. Maybe more surreal, because it seemed right.
No. You will not fall for this guy. He’s doing you a big favor. This isn’t one of your marriage of convenience romance novels.
Those had always been my favorite, especially old-school ones where the wealthy CEO had to marry his incredibly competent but slightly dowdy secretary and then discovered her true beauty. Or the one where the rancher had to marry his enemy’s beautiful daughter in order to save the family business and discovered that she was his true love. The corn ier the better.
This was no romance novel. Jake was a hardworking, well-respected guy, and he’d become indispensable to Caruthers Corporation. That was why I had to check myself. Jake wasn’t someone to play with and discard like I had so many before.
I remembered the love in his voice when he talked about his wife. I wasn’t sure he was even over her. No, he was definitely a for-real kind of guy.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to the control room.
Ginjin had Jake by the neck.
CHAPTER 17
“What the hell are you doing?” At the sound of my voice, Ginjin’s head snapped up. That’s when Jake popped him a good one in the larynx with his elbow, brought his knee to some rather delicate parts, and twisted out of the dragon warrior’s grip.
Before I crossed the room, Jake had Ginjin on his knees, arms behind his back.
Ginjin roared, and I knew he was about to go scaly.
“Stop it!” I screamed at Ginjin. “You attacked him. If you calm down, he’ll let go.”
Ginjin’s jaw tightened. “I will not harm the human.”
Funny, since the human had him trapped. Jake let go and moved toward me.
“What happened?” I asked Jake.
“He didn’t want to wait for you. Insisted on going into the house. I didn’t think you’d want to have to explain him to your friends.”
He had that right. “Ginjin, Jake was doing his job.”
“I do not take orders from humans. I told them the matter was urgent. I’ve been waiting for several minutes.”
Jake nodded. “At least seven,” he said sarcastically.
I narrowed my eyes at him in warning. While he had every right to be angry with Ginjin, he wasn’t helping the situation.
“You said the matter was urgent. I don’t see any dragon heads in your hands, which is the only thing I care about. Did you find the ones responsible for the attack on my people?”
There was a long silence. “I have learned that it isn’t just dragons involved in the attacks. The Manteros were working with them.”
Oh, God. That complicated things. The Manteros were the ones who kidnapped Bailey and almost killed Gilly a few weeks ago. They were also behind some of the black magic connected to the portals that allowed us to travel between worlds. Bad news all the way around.
“How do you know?”
“I killed one of them. The humans you thought were kidnapped from here and taken to my world, were not. They were Manteros. They used black magic to hide themselves.”
“Okay. So is your girlfriend involved?”
“I have no proof that she is, but some from her clan are.” Before he looked down to the floor, I saw the pain in his eyes. “She is not evil. If she’s involved—and I don’t believe that she is—she may not realize what is really going on.”
Ginjin was a proud warrior, and I knew it shamed him to tell me this. He loved Jene, and he was worried that she had betrayed him.
“The Kevans are working with the Manteros, aren’t they?”
“Some you saw in the circle that day, yes, but not all of them. I’ve sent my best warriors to capture the guilty ones. Some of them have already moved on to other worlds, but we will track them.”
“Look, you have to be aware that she may be controlled by evil.”
Ginjin’s eyes narrowed on me, and I felt Jake move to my side.
“Yes.”
“If she is, I don’t think you’re the most objective person where she’s concerned. I know you care about her.”
His fists clenched. “Say what you mean, Guardian.” The last word was spat out as if it were a swear word.
“I want to know if it was Jene who attacked those women last night, and I don’t think you’re going to tell me the truth if it was. I saw your face when we first arrived on the scene. You smelled something right away.”
In fact, there was a good chance the only thing that would have caused that look was Jene.
Bastard. “I could have tracked her, but you made me trust you.” This time it was my jaw that tightened, and my right hand involuntarily made a fist. “I’m going to the council with this. You protected someone who broke our treaty.”
The dragon warrior didn’t seem bothered by my threats. “Watch yourself before you make claims you cannot prove.” He stepped toward me, and Jake’s hand tightened on my arm. “Magic had been used to cover the scent, so there was no way to tell. The best I could determine was that it was definitely a Kevan. I did not wish to share my suspicions until I could confirm exactly who. Unlike you, I choose not to charge in, killing with abandon, before finding out the truth.”
I slammed a hand down on the steel table. “I’m still going to the council. They have to know about the Manteros working with your people.”
“The council has already been fully informed.” Ginjin smirked. His silver eyes flashed red for a moment, and I could tell he was holding down his temper. I didn’t care. I wanted to kill a dragon, and he was the closest target.
Jake put a hand on my shoulder, as if he sensed my intent. “This is not the time,” he whispered. “Keep your temper, and focus on what’s most important.”
I didn’t appreciate his interference, but I’d deal with him later.
“So what is your plan?”
“I am needed on my world, but I have warriors tracking those who fled. I will also search for Jene. I can assure you that if I find she has committed high treason, she will be punished.”
“Why do you have to search for her? She’s your mate. Don’t you know where she is?”
His eyes flashed again.
“And along those same lines, why would an innocent run?” Gut instinct told me she was behind the whole thing. Killing her was now my number one goal in life.
“I must go.” He lifted the portal device from his pocket. “It is my desire that we share information to capture those involved as quickly as possible. I will send a message when I have more.”
He waited for me to say I’d do the same; wasn’t going to happen. Just before he stepped through, he turned back to me. “I will do everything I can to make sure those who did this are brought to justice.” Then he left through the blue haze.
I growled.
“That was—” Jake started to say something.
I turned on him and unleashed the hellhound that is my temper. “Jake, you know better than anyone that I don’t like being told what to do, and I don’t like interference. I’ve dealt with dragons far longer than you’ve been around, and I can handle them without your help. I realize you were just pretending to be the caring boyfriend. You do it well. Since Jene will probably no longer be a factor, your services are no longer required for that.”
I knew as I said the words that I was being an outright bitch, but I couldn’t seem to stop. It’s no excuse, but when I’m mad, words just come out of my mouth and I have no control.
“Make sure security is tight around those women who were attacked. I think that’s where your focus should be.”
Tossing his words back at him, I stepped past him.
“Whatever you say, boss.” He said the words to my back.
I slammed the door behind me.
A few minutes later I was dressed in my warm woolies to guard against the Canadian winter. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Mr. McMurphy, and I decided it was time. I also wanted to scope out Bells to see if any of the dragons had shown up there. Mother had been clear about her orders; I couldn’t kill them there, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t get one to follow me outside.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Mira’s name came up on the caller ID.
Pick it up, Alex. The words wafted through my brain.
Freaked me out when she did that. It wasn’t like she could talk to us that way, but she could put suggestions into our brains. It was one of her many talents.
I answered. “What?”
“Hmmm. Sounds to me like someone needs to go to her happy place.”
“Shut up.”
“I will once you tell me what has you so tied up in knots. I know Ginjin’s involved, and Jake. So spill.”
“This has nothing to do with Jake.” I bit out the words. “Look, it’s dragon crap, I’m dealing with it. Do you call me every time a fairy gets its wings?”
“Oh, dear sister. That attitude of yours is going to get your ass kicked the next time I see you.”
“Please come and try. I really feel like knocking the crap out of someone.”
She laughed at that. We’d learned long ago that it would always be a draw when we fought. We were equally matched. Now, Gilly, she could do some damage to both of us, probably at the same time. “Al, tell me what’s going on. I’m not trying to get into your business, but you’re so upset you woke me out of a dead sleep.”
Oops.
Mira and Gilly both suffered from insomnia. Mira’s had something do with her psychic powers. She really had to concentrate on tuning out the world in order to get any rest at all. Gilly had these terrifying dreams that were sometimes premonitions. They made it difficult for her to relax, because she never knew when one would hit.
Though I didn’t sleep much, I never had trouble like they did.
“I’m sorry.” I sat down on the edge of the bed. My hands were shaking. I was much angrier than I had realized. I told her everything, including what I’d said to Jake. I even shared the fact that I might possibly, sort of, have a thing for him.
“I knew you had something going on with him. The way you two looked at each other.” She was the second person in an hour to say that. “I think, before you go off half-cocked to kill dragons, you should apologize to Jake. He was trying to help you keep your temper in check. You and I both know that’s something you struggle with, and it isn’t fair for you to act like he isn’t doing his job. The guy kills himself to take care of us. I think it’s a shame to treat him that way.”
I jumped up and paced back and forth. “I don’t need some man trying to fight my battles for me or telling me how to do my job. God, Ginjin could have killed him if I hadn’t walked in when I did.”
“Oh, so you’re the only one who can do the saving? I’m sure that’s healthy for a man’s ego. And are you more upset about Jake putting his nose in your business or the fact that he could have been hurt by Ginjin?”
Oh, hell. I hated it when she was right. Jake hadn’t done anything wrong. It was my ego that needed the checking. God, he didn’t deserve any of this.
“Well, if you’re so good at this, what the hell should I say to him? ‘I take it back’?”
“I’d start with ‘I’m sorry. I’m an idiot, and I lost my temper.’ ”
“Great. Thanks for calling me an idiot.”
She laughed. “I didn’t. I said you should call yourself one. It’s self-effacing, and it might help him forgive you. Though I don’t think I would.”
“Can I go now?”
“Not until you promise me that you’ll wait until I can go with you to Bells.”
“I won’t make that promise. I’m not planning on causing any trouble at the club. At least not right this second. I just want to check it out. If you’re there, we might draw too much attention. I’m pretty sure we made an impression the last time we were there.”
“There is that.” She laughed. “Just be careful, and make sure you go talk to Jake before you leave. Couples shouldn’t let these things fester.”
We weren’t a couple, at least not a real one.
After hanging up, I considered teleporting right away to Montreal. Jake and I both could probably use a cooling-off period.
But I couldn’t do it. I hated the idea that he might be mad, which irritated the hell out of me. I couldn’t remember the last time I was worried what a guy thought.
I went in search of the man.
I found him in the control room, his head bent over a laptop, typing furiously. When he heard the door shut, he looked up. The way those steely gray eyes narrowed said it all. He was pissed.
There were six other team members watching the monitors, and they, too, turned to see who had entered.
“Hi, uh. Sorry, but could I speak with you?” I motioned to Jake.
“Certainly, Ms. Caruthers.” He was the model of professionalism, and we’d gone from Alex back to the last name.
He was more than pissed.
We ended up in the weapons room. It was the most private place in this area, except for the window to the control room. They could see us but not hear us, which was a very good thing.
We didn’t say anything for a full minute. Stop being a coward. I made myself look into his eyes. “This isn’t easy for me, but I want to apologize for what I said.”
Jake stood with his hands clasped behind his back as if he were at ease in some military lineup.
His face was a mask of nonchalance. I couldn’t tell if he cared a bit about anything I had to say.
I continued on. “Maybe you’ve noticed, my temper flashes kind of hot at times. I say things I don’t mean. Hurtful things.”
He didn’t move or even acknowledge he heard me. Hardheaded—
Before I even thought about it, I reached up and kissed him. Right there in the middle of the weapons room. I’m sure he was shocked at first, because it took a few seconds for him to respond, but then he did.
His lips took control, soft and yet strong at the same time, as if his purpose was to make certain I knew I’d been kissed.
His hands snaked around my waist, pulling me tight into his body. I fit as if I were ready-made for him. Warm and safe. I lost myself in him. Someone coughed behind me, and Jake’s head lifted away from mine. I wanted to draw him back.
“Didn’t know this was make-out central,” Gilly said from the doorway. “I just need to get my rapier, and I’ll get out of your way.”
“I—we—I,” I stammered. The words refused to form.
“I can see what you’re doing. Like I said, don’t stop on my account.” She slid open the cabinet door where her sword was. “Okay. I’m all good. See you two later.” She pushed the button on her watch and stepped through the portal that formed.
“She must be going to Maunra.” I finally managed to get a sentence out.
“Looks like.”
“Well, I—yes. Well. I came to apologize and to tell you that your job isn’t, and never has been, in any jeopardy. That was rude and insensitive of me.”
I moved away to the cabinets to grab my crossbow. My fingers shook so much I almost dropped it. Jake came up behind me and shut the cabinet door.
“Alex.” The way he whispered my name made my body warm even more.
“Yes?”
“You forgot your comm.” Instead of just handing it to me, he pushed the hair away from my ear. Peeling the paper away from the sticky area, he pushed the thing behind my ear. Then his fingers trailed down my jaw.
I tried to pretend like it was no big deal, but I couldn’t keep my traitorous body from trembling. “Thanks.” My voice sounded like I’d just drunk a shot of whiskey.
“You’re welcome.”
I stepped away again. “Okay then. I’m going to Montreal. I want to talk to Mr. McMurphy.”
“Tell him I said hello.”
“Sure. Well, you have a good evening.”
Have a good evening? What the hell is wrong with you? You just kissed the man, and he sent you into overdrive.
I touched the tattoos together before I could make a bigger fool out of myself.
CHAPTER 18
My mind wasn’t as focused as it should have been, and I skidded on my ass just behind the pub. Thank goodness no one witnessed the sudden arrival. I’d meant to land in the downstairs bar area.
This is what happens when you get all googly over some guy. I brushed the snow off and took a look around. The door was locked, so I knocked. I could hear someone coming, but it wasn’t an old man’s shuffle. Sliding the crossbow from the harness, I held it behind my back.
The locks clicked open, and my body tensed. At first I didn’t recognize the woman who opened the door. She was tall with short auburn hair that hit at her chin, and she was dressed in an expensive leather jacket and pants.
“Oy,” she yelled behind her, “we’ve got company.” Her eyes glanced to the weapon behind me, and she smiled. “I’d say it’s one of your Guardian friends, Uncle.”
“Come in, lass, come in out of the cold,” Mr. McMurphy said from the darkness.
The woman stepped aside and waved me in.
“I’m Siobhan,” she said as I passed. “We haven’t seen each other since we were teens.” There had been a council meeting where all young Guardians of a certain age were inducted into service. Back then her hair had been waist-length and curly. She held out her hand, and I shook it. “And you would be Alex, if I read the trashy magazines correctly. I don’t, of course”—she winked—“read those things.”
“Good to see you,” I told her as I put the crossbow back in the harness.
As my eyes adjusted, I found Mr. McMurphy stitching the shoulder of another woman. This one had long, straight, coffee-colored hair with blonde streaks, which had been shoved to the side so he could sew up the long gash on her back. “Ouch,” I whispered.
“We were tracking a couple of Rusalki who were causing trouble in Malta. They jumped to Greenland, which is where we finally caught up with them.”
Rusalki were a nasty version of water nymphs.
“Gammy bitches.” The woman being stitched turned her head so she could see me. “I’m Niamh. Good to see ya.”
“We stepped into a trap of about thirty of them, and Niamh caught a claw there at the end.”
“Not used to fighting in water so cold it freezes your bones.” She grimaced as Mr. McMurphy finished the last stitch. “I’ll stick with my damn snakes in the jungle.” Talk about nasty, Niamh was responsible for ridding our planet of Figonas. They were serpentlike fairies, which were probably the original serial killers. No souls. I’d take my dragons over that any day.
“We left none behind, so I’d say it was a good day,” Siobhan added. “I noticed Nim was a bit gee-eyed, and since we were close, thought I’d see if Uncle could mend her. We’d also heard a rumor that there was a club nearby where evil liked to play.”
I wondered how they’d heard about Bells, which was supposed to be a big secret, according to my mother. “So much for the council keeping that under wraps.” I turned my attention to Mr. McMurphy, who grinned. “I was here to see you about the same thing. It’s protected by the same kind of magic this place is, and I wondered if you had something to do with that?”
He made a show of putting his instruments away. “If I did or didn’t, ’tis of no concern to you, lass.”
Cagey old man.
“Uncle, no disrespect, but if you are protecting evil, I, for one, would like to know.” Siobhan clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels. “Perhaps you’d like to share with us what you know? That way I won’t have to kill you, which would surely piss off the rest of the family, especially Mum. Can’t say why, but she seems a bit partial to ya.”
He slid his body onto one of the wooden barstools. It took me a minute, but I noticed the place had been cleaned up. The musty smell was gone, along with the dust. “None of your business, nosy lasses.”
Before we could protest, he held up a hand. “I’m telling ya for your own good that you needn’t be concerned.”
We all stared at him.
“Fine. ’Tis my magic, but it’s not protecting so much as containing. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
“Not really. I know you helped the mages, but I was curious why you let me think you were some low-level guy.” I frowned at him. None of this added up. Was it possible this kind old man who had saved my life was actually one of the Manteros? “This place is also protected by really powerful magic. Yours. You let me think it had been done by someone else.”
Siobhan sighed. “He doesn’t like to brag, which is strange for an Irishman. My uncle is one of the most powerful mages in the universe. Though he turned away from the craft when my aunt died. Couldn’t save her and blamed himself. Bloody crime, if you ask me. Giving up on magic.”
He pointed an accusing finger at her. “Lass, shut that trap of yours. I’m an old man and have every right to retire.”
“Only you’ve been called back into service,” I said, finally catching on to what was really happening around that club.
“Yes. The council asked for my help with a specific spell, and I obliged. I’ve been asked not to talk about it, so that’s all you’ll be getting out of me.” He crossed his arms against his chest.
“I don’t need to know specifics, but there’s something wrong with it. The spell around the club, that is.”
“What do you mean?” Siobhan asked. “Uncle’s magic is foolproof.”
I turned to look at her. “That may be, but from what my mother told me, Bells is supposed to keep evil inside. It’s a way for the council to keep tabs on what’s happening. There’s even a portal within to make sure they don’t have to go outside.
“The problem is”—I faced Mr. McMurphy again—“those dragons from the other night showed up out of the blue. They found a way out and took those women with them.”
“ ’Tis not possible.” The old man frowned. “The exits are bound. They had to have come in from another portal.”
I shook my head. “No. My guys would have seen them if they’d come from somewhere else. One minute they weren’t there, and the next they were. Showed up in the middle of the street.
“I can’t be sure, but there is a possibility the Manteros are involved. They may have found a way, if not through your magic, then around it. I know that the dragons took the women out of that club, because one of the women told me she’d been there.
“The potion you gave her didn’t fully erase her memory, and she knew exactly where they’d been that night. Except she had no idea how they left Bells. One minute she remembered seeing the green dragon, the next they were out in the snow. They must have drugged them and then pulled them out somehow.”
“Doesn’t make sense,” Niamh interjected. She’d pulled her knees up in the chair. “Why would they come out and risk exposure? Why not just go through the portal inside the club so they wouldn’t be seen on our radars?”
“That’s the question of the day, isn’t it.” I knew Mr. McMurphy had the answer. Whether he’d share it was another thing entirely.
We all looked to him.
Deep in thought, he scratched his chin. “ ’Twould be impossible to transport human cargo through a portal inside the club. It would mean an instant death sentence to the gent who runs it. That, and the patrons aren’t allowed to kill humans within the walls. The only two rules, as a matter of fact.”
The gent was most likely Graves. That may have been why he saved me that night.
“So how are they getting outside?” I asked.
“I won’t know until I go there, now, will I?” He moved to the bar.
“No.” We all said it at the same time.
“You aren’t going anywhere near that place, Uncle,” Niamh said.
“Of course I am.” He shook a finger at her. “You know as well as anyone that I can take care of myself. I may be old, but I’m not feeble.”
I stifled a laugh, pretending to cough.
“None of that, you,” he admonished.
“Sorry. I had something in my throat.”
“I say we all go.” Niamh stood and put her leather coat back over her shoulders.
Siobhan started to say something but checked herself. If it were me, I’d probably ask my sister to sit this one out so she could heal, and I had a feeling that was what she was about to do. Of course, if I tried to leave my sisters out of a fight, they’d kick my ass. Niamh didn’t look the type to back down from anything.
“I’m ready, but you two need to know something. We Guardians are not allowed to interfere within the confines of the club.” The women frowned. “Of course, if someone were to, uh, accidentally trip and fall out a door onto the street, then all bets are off. Then we can do whatever the hell we want.”
Siobhan patted me on the shoulder. “Cheeky girl. I like you.”
The walls were thumping, which in the club world is a good thing. The louder the music, the more people dance. The more people dance, the more they drink. It was how we made money.
We stood in a side alley with Mr. McMurphy as he checked the spells binding the place. The magic rolling off of him was more than I’d seen when my mom and Aunt Juliet were working together. His niece hadn’t lied about his talents. That he’d been able to mask that much magic from me made me want to train my senses to be more in tune with anything that made my spine tingle. With Manteros running around, we all needed to be more aware of things, especially people, not being who they really were.
He shook his head. “There’s nothing here that would let an otherworldly being through. It’s tight as a drum.” Reaching into his pocket, he walked to the back door and threw out what looked like dust, except it sparkled and flared as it hit the magical knots.
“My, my, what have we here?” Squinting his eyes, he took a closer look. The dust seemed to settle around tiny black spots, splattered throughout. He knelt down, and I heard his knees crack as he sprinkled another handful of the dust. This time footprints became visible. Only for a split second, but they were there.
“What is it?” Siobhan asked the question on all of our minds.
“Tracks, lass. Evil magic breaking through pretending to be something it isn’t.”
Niamh and I looked at each other and shrugged. Siobhan reached down to help him back up. “I’m not understanding you, Uncle.”
“The lass”—he threw a thumb my way—“said the Manteros were involved. I would guess ’tis their spell the monsters are using. Masks them as humans.” He held up his hand and mumbled some Latin. His hands wove intricate knots, and the air around us moved as if a small tornado had just touched down. “That will no longer be a problem. Won’t be any more shenanigans against my magic.” Mr. McMurphy sounded angry. From the clenched fists at his sides, I figured he wasn’t so happy about the Manteros slipping through the binding spell.
“So what do we do now?” Siobhan looked at me.
“I plan on going inside to have a look around.” I winked at them. “I mean, the council wants to gather information. I should probably try to help.”
They laughed. “I’ll take Uncle home, and then I’ll join you,” said Niamh.
“Oh, no.” He picked her hand off of his arm. “Someone needs to keep an eye on you, lass. I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I can help. If three Guardians walk in, you’re sure to be noticed. The Manteros are not the only ones who can do a masking spell.”
He had a point.
“Fine,” I said. “We all go in, but let’s do it one at a time.” I pointed to the old man. “You, put a whammy on us so that we come off as fairies or something. I don’t want them to know we’re coming.”
His hands moved to his hips. “I don’t think I’ll be taking orders from you, young lass. Perhaps you’d like to ask me a touch more kindly?”
I scrunched up my face. “Sorry. I seem to be offending people at an alarming rate tonight. Please, Mr. McMurphy, can you help a girl out?”
He smiled. “Aye, lass, I can.” He waved his arms over me, and I could feel the magic surround me.
“Let me guess,” Siobhan chimed in, “you want to be first.”
“Well, it was my idea.” I grinned as I slipped through the back door.
CHAPTER 19
The heat inside the club was stifling, and again I was assailed by the varying stench of Fae and other creatures. As I eyed the crowd, it dawned on me that they were all pretending to be human. They had to in order to fit in on Earth.
Thankfully, there weren’t many humans in the packed house. In fact, if my spidey sense was on point, there were only a few in the back rooms. Most likely they were trying to make a little extra cash by getting freaky with the Fae.
I found an alcove close to the bar that gave me a good view of the main room.
The dance floor was packed with writhing bodies getting hot with a techno groove. In just a few days, Graves had already made improvements. The dark purple walls had been redone in a pewter shade that gave everything a silver glow. The wooden tables had been painted black, and theatrical lighting had been added, giving the area over the bar a dramatic wash of light.
While the club looked more respectable, the patrons were no less freaky. Every kind of fetish, hair color, piercing, well, it looked like a good night at my club in London. I’ve always been about flying the freak flag high and proud as long as no one got hurt.
In fact, I made it a point in my employee training that we didn’t judge. No drugs or sex in the clubs, but we were as open-minded as possible.
“Slumming?” I jumped when the voice whispered in my ear.
Graves stood beside me.
“It’s you.”
He gave me that Clooney grin. “And—it’s you. Well, a pretend you. What’s with the magic?”
“I’m looking for someone; go away.”
“What, you don’t want to throw me up against the wall and kill me? My heart breaks.” He put a fist to his chest.
“Ha. That’s how Mira gets her kicks. I’m more subtle.”
He laughed. “Guardian, you are never subtle.”
I shrugged. “How did you know I was here?”
“I sensed strange magic. Had to make sure you weren’t someone trying to break the rules.”
“So you know about the Manteros.”
He held a finger to his lips. “They are everywhere, and they listen well.”
“How did you get involved in all this?”
Casually, he leaned against the wall opposite me. “I certainly didn’t do it by choice. I saw the club as an investment. The day I bought it, your mother showed up with her proposition.” No one ever said no to my mother. “I wasn’t happy with the idea, but she didn’t give me much of a choice. The money this place makes, well, I’ve never been one to turn away from wealth, so it almost makes up for the fact that the council has turned me into a spy.”
“But aren’t you working on the wrong side? What if your fairy friends find out?”
He looked out into the club. “The ones who matter would understand. This evil, or whatever it is perverting the universe, is no friend to anyone I know. If I can provide any service to the cause of good, then I’m more than happy to oblige.”
“So you’re saying there are varying degrees of evil, and you’re at the lesser end of that?”
Sighing, he stood straight again. “That’s not at all what I said. We all have our purpose in life. Though you refuse to believe it, I’m not evil. Quite the opposite. I am one who keeps balance in the universe. Without me, the Fae would overwhelm the universe in sheer numbers.
“I would think, especially since your sister dates the demon king, that you would be more compassionate toward the likes of me.”
“Compassion’s not one of my best qualities.”
“So I’ve seen. What brings you here tonight? I thought you were told to let things be.”
I leaned against the wall, watching. “I’m trying to figure out how the dragons have been getting out of here without being sensed by you.”
That gave him pause. “What dragons?”
I shrugged. “We’ve had jumpers here, especially in this area. The dragons found a way through, and I caught some of them with human captives a few days ago. Looks like the Manteros have been using their own evil magic to mask otherworldies as humans.”
“Merde. Your mother will have my head.” Graves’s eyes searched the club as if he were looking for magical clues.
“Don’t worry about it. She already knows, and Mr. M has already reinforced the spells. I’m just surprised you didn’t sense it when it happened.”
“I’d been assured there was no way out for anyone but humans, so I’ve been concentrating on the portal.” He nodded toward a room to the right.
His head cocked, and he turned to look at me. “There are more of you. Oh—” He saw Siobhan across the room and frowned. “Why are there so many of you? You children behave. If you don’t, I’ll call your mommy.”
I didn’t stick my tongue out, but I wanted to. Siobhan caught my eye and motioned me toward the front door.
“Call my mom, and I’ll murder you in your sleep,” I whispered to Graves.
“Ah, there’s the Alex we all know and love. You forget I can’t die.”
I grunted. “You just keep this scum on this side of the four walls holding this place together. The last thing I need right now is more surprises. Oh, and thanks for saving my life the other night.”
He smiled and bowed his head.
Sticking to the outside walls, I finally made it through the crowd and across the club to where Siobhan stood.
“What is it?”
“I sense something. Take a whiff.” She motioned toward the entryway.
Dragon stench.
“They’ve gone, but they were here recently. Possibly before Uncle cleaned up the magic.” She closed her eyes.
I took a big whiff. “Crap.”
“You go. I’ll keep an eye out here.”
I moved toward the door, and the smell of smoke grew stronger. She was right; the scent was fresh. I followed it out into the snow.
They couldn’t be far. I took off at a run, grateful for all the cardio workouts on the treadmill. It had to be at least ten below zero, and my breath came out in fluffy clouds as I ran.
A few houses down, I stopped. The scent ended right in the middle of the block.
It was just after midnight, and there weren’t many people out. I made my way down a row of town houses, pausing before each one to see if I could decipher anything.
Something made my back tingle. They were close.
It took me a few minutes, but I found them in the basement of a home going through renovations.
Of course, finding the lair and getting into it were two different things. The doors were locked and protected by magic. I went around the back of the town house and peeked through the basement window.
The women were huddled in a corner, about six of them, bound with rope. Some had either passed out or were dead; the others so frightened they sat there and trembled. Rivers of mascara stained stark white faces.
A dragon woman stood above them, holding something that looked like a cattle prod. She had only partially transformed. Her head was human, the rest dragon. Her two partners in crime were still in human form. Good, easier to kill.
The door leading down to the basement wasn’t protected by magic, but the fact that it was steel meant I couldn’t just kick it down. I thought about it a minute and quietly turned the handle. The damn thing opened.
Thank you. I looked to the heavens.
Staying back by the door in the shadows, I waited to see what she would do. The female dragon should have caught my scent, but she was too busy thinking of ways to torture the poor women. One of the other dragons looked back toward the door, and I flattened myself against the wall.
I could hear the voice of the female now and was disappointed when I realized it wasn’t Jene. Damn. I thought for sure she was the one running the show. The dragon had red coloring, similar to Jene’s, but I knew it wasn’t her. This one was slightly smaller and didn’t have Jene’s regal stature.
“The Manteros will be pleased with our catch, though I don’t know why they are so interested in these puny beings. I say we have some fun before we turn them over.” She called to one of her cohorts, and he handed her a large syringe.
Crap. God only knew what was in that thing.
There wasn’t room to draw the crossbow, so I pulled out the plasma gun with one hand and the sword with the other. Even though humans were in danger, I couldn’t shoot the dragons in the back. It went against my personal code.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I didn’t move out of the shadows, but their attention turned toward the door. I used the plasma to shoot the brains out of the dragon on the far right. The goo went everywhere. The women screamed.
“Arrrr,” the female dragon roared.
I couldn’t keep from smiling. “For a dragon, that’s kind of a sissy growl.”
Wrong thing to say. She leapt to the center of the room, going full dragon as she did. Acid shot from her mouth and caught my right arm. The plasma gun dropped from my hand as the poison ate through the nerves and tissue.
I really shouldn’t have given her a warning. I swung the sword up with my left, and she used her claws to deflect it. We fought like that for several minutes. All the while I tried to keep an eye on the third dragon and the women.
That’s why I didn’t see her claw when she used it to shove me to the floor and stand on my chest.
My mind went to strange places. Like the people I would disappoint by dying on the basement floor with a dragon on my chest.
My mother will be so pissed if I die like this. I wasn’t paying attention, and she’ll know it. Same with Master Kanashi. Argh. I couldn’t breathe.
Her head transformed back into human form, her dark hair waving around her. “You have interfered for the last time, Guardian. Once you’re dead, I’ll be free to take as many humans as I need for my new business. My sister, the lovely Jene, will be able to marry Ginjin with no complications from you. No more Guardian making trouble for us.”
“Sister?” The word croaked out.
Using the sword, I swiped at her ankle. She toppled, and I rolled out of the way. Now I stood above her with my sword over her evil heart.
“I don’t want your stinky dragon prime minister, bitch. I never did.” I jammed the metal into her heart.
“Sharlot!” The dragon standing by the women screamed the name. Then he rushed me and in his anguish didn’t see my sword leave her chest and stab directly into his. The stunned look in his eyes said he hadn’t been ready to die, even for the woman he loved.
He fell on top of her. I kicked him over with my foot and pulled out my sword.
The women in the corner were now all awake, frightened but alive. I hit the comm on my ear and heard nothing but static. Damn.
With the last of my strength I cut the ropes off the woman in front. “Use this to free your friends.” I took the comm off my ear. “Take this outside, away from the house, and push this button.” I showed her where it was. “Tell them where we are and that I’m here.”
She nodded. I’m sure fear still had a tight hold on her voice.
Everything went blurry. “You’re safe,” I told her. “But you need to get out of here. I don’t know if they have more friends.” With that, I faded into oblivion.
CHAPTER 20
I woke up hours later in the healer’s room at home. The wound on my arm was still open, but it didn’t hurt.
“I guess I’m still alive.” My eyes were blurry, but I could see the outline of my sisters.
“Just barely.” Gilly’s voice sounded annoyed.
“You’re one—” I coughed. “To talk.”
I felt a hand brush my forehead and the smell of the sea told me it was Claire. “You have to stop scaring the crap out of us,” she said. “I mean, we all live in mortal danger, but you seem to almost get killed at least three times a week.”
“Almost being the operative word,” Mira said. “Give the girl a break. You try protecting the world from dragons and see how long you live.”
“Yeah, what she said.” I tried to smile, but the effort hurt. I felt something cool on my arm. My eyes focused, and I saw Dr. Posten, our personal on-call surgeon, on the right. “Hey, aren’t you in the wrong room?”
He smiled at me. “Looks like they have the wound cleaned out, but it’s going to take me a while to sew you up. Don’t suppose you’d ever consider not reinjuring the same arm?”
“What’s the fun in that?”
He nodded to someone over my head, and a mask came down on my face. I tried to shake my head no. I didn’t want to go back to sleep, but before I could think about moving, I was out.
I woke up again several hours later in my bed. When I realized where I was, I snuggled down into the pillows, which made my arm hurt like hell.
I sat straight up. “What the?” It was wrapped from my shoulder to fingers in tape and gauze.
“The tissue on the arm was damaged. It will heal in a couple of days, but you have to keep it covered.” Jake’s voice came out of the darkness.
I flipped the switch on the crystal lamp by the bed.
“Jake, what’s up?”
“I was checking on you.” He stood by the door.
“In the dark?” I moved my legs to the side of the bed.
“I’d just stepped in when you woke up, and you’re not supposed to get up for a couple of days.”
I closed my eyes and tried to get my equilibrium.
“That was a bad one.” His voice was low and sexy.
“Even for me.”
“There wouldn’t have been any shame in calling for backup.” It wasn’t a reprimand; more of a statement.
I shook my head. “I know you won’t believe me, but I actually thought about it. I knew how dangerous she was and that she had the dark magic on her side. There just wasn’t time. She was torturing those women for kicks. I couldn’t let that happen.”
He stared at me for a long time.
“Are you mad at me about something?”
Shrugging, he moved to the bed. “I’m trying hard to get over it. Though you don’t make it easy when you keep putting yourself in these situations.”
I reached out my good hand to him, and he took it.
“Before I left. We . . .”
“Kissed.”
The drugs must have gone to my head, because more than anything I wanted to feel his lips on mine. It was as if he were the only thing that could make me feel whole again.
“I want to do it again. Now. I want you to get over the fact that sometimes I get hurt doing my job. Then I want you to kiss me, hard.”
Measuring me with his eyes, he stepped back. “You’re injured, and I’m not going to take advantage of you. I’m pretty sure you’re high. I don’t do women who do drugs.”
“Shut up. I’m not doing the drugs. They were done to me. And I’m perfectly aware of what I’m saying.”
Okay, that wasn’t exactly true. The words were tumbling out of my mouth at an alarming rate, and I seemed to have no control.
“I mean, I almost died. Are you really going to deny me a simple kiss?”
He sighed. “There’s absolutely nothing simple about kissing you, Alex. In fact, everything about you is complicated. From your extraordinary beauty to your stubbornness, you’re nothing but one big complication.”
He called me pretty.
“I’m sure you’re right, but if I’m pretty, then you should want to kiss me, right?” I reached out a hand again and pulled him onto the bed next to me. “I need it. For, um, healing purposes.”
“That’s lame. And I didn’t call you pretty; I said you are beautiful.”
“Okay. Not sure I get the distinction, but as long as you kiss me, I don’t care.”
He shook his head and looked like he was about to give me a lecture.
I punched his arm. “Besides, you shouldn’t call poor, injured women lame. Are you going to do it or not?” I pouted.
The kiss was tentative at first, as if he didn’t want to hurt me. I slid my arm around his neck and pulled him tighter to me. His lips were like my lifeline, warming my body in every way imaginable.
When his fingers caressed my chin, I suddenly wanted more than a kiss. “I need you,” I whispered against his lips.
He groaned and pulled me tighter. His tongue slipped between my teeth and—
Someone knocked on the door. Before I could answer, it opened. Penny rushed in. “Damn, I’ve been here all night, and you wake up when I finally run out for a snack and—” She stopped short, having just noticed I wasn’t alone. “Hi, Jake.”
“Hi, Pen.” He gave her one very charming smile, and she blushed. It takes a lot to make her turn pink, and she has walked in on myriad situations where I’m concerned.
She motioned to me. “I guess she’s feeling better.”
“Would seem so.” He smirked. “She attacked me and said I had to help her heal faster.”
She giggled. “I had no idea your lips were so powerful, Jake. From the look of her cheeks, she might be right. She’s positively glowing. Maybe you should do it some more.”
Tired of them ignoring me, I decided to chime in. “Trust me, he’s a big bottle of healing potion. Warmed me right up.”
“Okay, that’s TMI.” She grimaced. “I had no idea you two were so—”
“We’ve been playing it cool,” Jake interjected.
“Taking our time,” I added.
“Ah. Okay then.” She gave me a look that said, Since when do you not share everything with me? Pen was my go-to girl, but even I needed a few secrets now and then. “So, I should probably go.”
Jake stood up. “No, you stay and look after her. You’ll have a better chance of making her behave. She keeps trying to molest me.”
I kicked out, but my foot missed, and I almost fell off the bed. Jake caught me and set me right. “You”—he pushed me back toward the pillows—“need to take it easy.”
“But—”
“Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow morning.” He put his finger against my lips. I wasn’t so sure about that. My body was screaming for him. But he looked determined to ruin what could be a very good time. “Fine. But I can’t promise Penny will be here to save you the next time. You know how I am; I always get my way.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek. Then he tweaked my nose. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours. You’d better be asleep.”
I gave a mock salute as he left.
Penny pulled up a chair. “Okay, hottie in a suit is crushing on you, and you don’t say anything to me?”
“You’ve been on Aspen duty, and it really is kind of new. And believe it or not, I think it’s me more crushing on him than the other way around.”
She grunted. “I don’t know, looks even-steven to me.”
I grabbed a pillow and hugged it. “We’ll see. He was right; we’re kind of taking it slow.”
“That’s unusual.”
She had me there. I was known for being impetuous, especially when it came to men. I jumped into relationships, got bored fast, and then ran away at the first possible opportunity if anything became too serious. I never liked the idea of being trapped by any one person for long.
At least I’d been doing that until last year. There was no big moment. I just lost interest in relationships without connection. It’s such a girl thing, but I wanted romance. Like the kind I read about in books. I know it’s fiction, but everyone deserves that kind of love. When I saw what Gilly had found with Arath, I knew it was at least possible.
Several weeks ago when Jake had carried me down to the healers, something changed inside me. His arms circled around me made me feel something I never had before: safe. The idea of feeling protected in someone’s arms was like crack to me. I wanted more, so much so that it freaked me out at the time. I shoved it from my brain, put those feelings on a shelf like I always did.
But part of me did have a thing for Jake. I’d been manipulating us both for a while now, and I didn’t even realize it. I wasn’t in a fake relationship with the man. It was more than real, at least for me. I wasn’t so sure about him.
Kissing him just then made me realize that I had to tell him how I really felt. I couldn’t continue to pretend we were, well, pretending anymore. There was just one problem. Telling him that I cared about him was scarier to me than fighting a gang of dragons. If Jake rejected me, I wasn’t sure I could handle it.
“Uh, Earth to boss.” Penny snapped her fingers in my face. “You still with me?”
I smiled at her. “Sorry. What were we talking about?”
“Jake.”
“Oh, yeah. Like I said, it’s new. Not a lot to tell.” It was the truth—we hadn’t even been on a date. The lunch with Aspen and Huff didn’t count, as we were in extreme pretend mode there.
“I promise as soon there are details to share, I will. So tell me what’s going on. First, how are Lourdes and the baby? And are my London girls out of the hospital yet? Have you heard from Master Kanashi and Kyle?”
Penny pulled up a chair and sat down. “Slow down. You know, all of this could wait until you’ve had some rest.”
I frowned at her.
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s see. Angel called, and the two in London are at home recuperating. He made sure they both have full security, and we’re also providing a nurse to stay with them, though the doctors say they are both fine. Helps that they are roomies, so everyone is in one place.
“Lourdes is in stable condition, but because of the baby they are keeping her in the hospital. Angel says she’s been sleeping a lot, but doctors say that’s to be expected, considering the trauma she suffered.
“There’s a—I don’t know what to do about Baron. He’s been trying to get in touch with Lourdes. Says he’d called her home and the club. I didn’t know what to do. Something told me that since he was in rehab that it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell him that Lourdes was hurt. Call it instinct, but I figured that might lead to a major setback for him.”
“You’re right about that, and I’m grateful you do have such great instincts.” I crossed my legs on the bed. “I’ll call the director at Harbor Springs tomorrow and ask his advice. To be honest, I know Baron would want to leave and rush to her side, but I’m not sure that’s the best thing for either of them.”
Penny bit her lip and shook her head. “If I found out someone didn’t tell me that a loved one was hurt, especially as bad off as Lourdes was, I’d be pretty pissed.”
I nodded. “Me, too. But I want to do what’s best for all involved. That baby has been through enough and needs a clean dad who can be there. I promise I’ll call the director in the morning and see what he thinks is best.”
My brain was beginning to hurt, but there was another thought niggling at me. “I almost hate to ask, but how is Aspen watch? I guess she told you that we settled on the bulk of the arrangements.”
Was that just yesterday? Time had no meaning anymore. I wasn’t even sure what day it was, or if it was day. I looked over at the bedside clock. It was three in the morning, and both Penny and Jake were here looking out for me.
“Yes, so grateful I didn’t have to be there for that one.” Penny interrupted my thoughts. “She sent me the list and a note that we had to set a time for you to see the castle.” She looked at my arm. “I’m thinking that may be a while.”
“Nah, I’ll be good as new in the morning.”
She gave me a no-way-in-hell stare. “It is morning.”
“Okay, maybe not good as new, but better. You know me—I bounce back fast.”
“That you do. Angel wanted you to know that the security teams have already begun the training, and I’ve even had my first lesson. I’m pretty damn lethal.”
I snorted. “One lesson and you’re pure ninja.”
“That’s right.” She flexed her muscle then made a karate chop. “You don’t want to be messing with the Pen. I can kick your ass.” She put her arm down. “Okay not your ass, but I could take down some fragile old woman or a toddler. I bet I could whoop up on a toddler.”
I laughed so hard it hurt. “Ouch.”
“See? Jake was right; you need to rest.”
I was suddenly very tired.
“That’s not such a bad idea.” I scrunched down in the bed and pulled up the covers. Peeking over the edge, I smiled at her. “Hey.”
“What?” she asked as she moved the chair back to its original position.
“Just thanks for being here.”
“Where the hell else would I be?” She winked at me.
“And, Pen,” I said softly, “don’t use those mad skills on old ladies or kids. They put you in jail for that sort of thing.”
“Man, you never let me have any fun.” She shut the door behind her.
My arm wouldn’t cooperate with the rest of me. I couldn’t settle, but I was too tired to turn on the light and do anything else.
So I thought about the things that made me happy.
Jake was at the top of the list. It scared me how much I wanted him. I really, really need some naked time with that guy.
Now I just had to convince him of that.
CHAPTER 21
True to my own words, I was ready to go the next afternoon. My arm was stiff, and the stitches were tight, but I could use it. I checked the control room first in the hopes of finding Jake, but the guys said he was in a meeting with my mother.
That she was in the house made me want to jump anywhere else in the world—in the universe, for that matter. I thought about going in search of Ginjin so that I could tell him about Jene’s sister, but I had a feeling he’d probably been brought up to speed by someone in my family.
And to be honest, I was tired of dealing with dragons. I was already on the road to burnout, and the last few days hadn’t helped.
What I needed was to lose myself in the mundane, in what constituted “real life” for me. There were so many loose ends I needed to check up on, so I decided to make it an errand day.
This was something I did at least four times a month, when I used my awesome powers of teleporting to take care of business. Not exactly in the guidebook for being a good Guardian, but I figure we should get some perks. Being able to travel the world in a few seconds was definitely that.
The first thing on my to-do list didn’t mean making a jump, but I did have a tough question to ask.
I searched the addresses on my phone and found the number I needed. “Dr. Simonak, this is Alex Caruthers.”
“It’s nice to hear from you,” the director of Harbor Springs Rehab’s calm voice said.
“I wanted to check on Baron and see how he’s doing.”
“Alex, you know as well as anyone that I have to protect his privacy while he’s here.”
“Absolutely, but surely I can get updates, since I’m the one who sent him there. And I’m the closest thing he has to family.”
He laughed. “True. Let me check his consent form.” I heard a drawer open. “He does list you and a woman called Lourdes on here. I have a note that he also made a call to someone named Penny.”
“That’s my executive assistant. You know how it is with us. We’re all close. If I’m on the list, then you can at least give me updates. I know that you do that for family.”
“I can tell you he is in detox. All things considered, he’s doing well. Another twelve hours or so, and he should be ready to move on to the next phase.”
“Good to hear. Listen, there’s been a bit of a twist.” I explained to him what happened with Lourdes.
“I see.” Perhaps he did, but he wasn’t commenting on the situation.
“If it were me and a loved one was in a life-or-death situation, I would want to know,” I told him.
“Yes, anyone would, but if you were in his situation, would that be the best thing for you? To pull him out of detox now would not only bring him physical pain but could cause damage to his heart. Add to that the stress of the situation, and there could be severe consequences.”
I blew out a big breath. “I’m not arguing with you, Doctor; I just want to know what to do.”
“For now, we need to give them both time to heal. As you said, she is stable. Seeing him might not be the best thing for her. I had a long talk with him before we allowed him to be admitted. It’s more than obvious they had a tumultuous relationship, and she’d wanted him to get help for some time. If he suddenly shows up—”
“Hmmm. She’ll think he’s already given up.”
“Exactly. Now here’s what we should do. You keep a close eye on her status. If anything changes, let me know. In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea for you or someone close to her to let her know that he’s progressing. That he would be there for her if he could.
“If she wants him there with her, then we’ll make arrangements. We’ve had some extreme situations where one of our caseworkers had to travel with a client when there was a death in the family. If it comes to that, we’ll make it happen.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’m going to see her, and I’ll let her know the situation. Well, that is if she’s awake. The last time I checked, she was still unconscious.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Her body is caring for two, and it does what it must to heal. If she has family, I would suggest you make sure she has some kind of support there.”
She was a loner like Baron, but she did have Angel, who seemed to have adopted her as if she were family. He’d done everything he could to make her comfortable, and I was incredibly grateful to him for that.
“Doctor, thanks for your help.”
I wondered if the good doctor was right about all of this. I hated being the one to keep a man from his woman at such a time. And I was more than a little worried what Baron would do once he found out, but I’d deal with that when the time came.
What the doc said made sense. Baron couldn’t help Lourdes, and he was right about it being a stressful situation, which probably wouldn’t be good for either of them.
I hadn’t seen Penny, but she was next on my list.
“Hey, where are you?”
She yawned before answering. “Trying to get some sleep,” she said none too subtly. “My boss has this habit of almost getting killed on a regular basis, and she keeps me up nights.”
I laughed. “Sorry about that. Just wanted to let you know it’s an errand day. Forward all of Aspen’s calls to me, and get some rest.”
“You sure that’s smart, considering that a few hours ago your heart stopped? A couple of times.”
Huh. No one had mentioned that part. Weird, since I didn’t remember going into any warm glowing light to heaven.
Damn, maybe I wasn’t going to heaven.
I waved a hand, even though she couldn’t see it. “Please, that happens all the time. I don’t know what the healers gave me, but I feel great. So do what I asked, and I want you to take the rest of the day off.”
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Penny sounded alarmed. “You know I don’t take days off.” She was right about that. The woman was a worse workaholic than me.
“Ya know, now you’ve just pissed me off by calling me a slave driver. I’m going to insist you take the day off. Sleep, watch movies. Are you in the guest quarters on the third floor?”
“Yes,” she said warily.
“Cool. I’ll have Mrs. P make you a special lunch. You just ring her up when you wake up. Now go to sleep.” I hung up and laughed. Mrs. P was our personal chef, and she would definitely take care of Pen.
After touching the tattoos together, I landed in my office at SCOWL in Madrid. The place was closed up tight, since we were still undergoing the training.
Being in the office reminded me of the night Ginjin was there. I wondered if he was relieved to discover that it wasn’t Jene behind the kidnappings.
You don’t know that. My gut said good old Jene was involved somehow, but I didn’t really have time to worry about that right now, though I’d bet many dollars that she wasn’t too happy with me for killing her sister.
It seemed strange, even though it was early evening, for there to be no one at the club in Madrid. That would soon change. I’d sent the managers an e-mail that once their staff was trained by Master Kanashi and her team, everyone could return to work.
Kyle had sent me a detailed e-mail about how amazing the woman was. Didn’t surprise me that she had it all under control. So far he hadn’t found any of the evil we were looking for among the employee pool, and that made me feel better about the universe.
I’d worn jeans, boots, a sweater, and a lined hoodie so that I could be as incognito as possible. I had a lot to do, and the last thing I needed was to be recognized.
Making my way out the back door, I pulled the hoodie up. It was chilly, and the cold made my arm and shoulder ache as I walked the two blocks to the hospital. I texted Angel when I hit the emergency room doors. He met me in the hallway just outside Lourdes’s room.
“What’s the latest?” I nodded toward the door.
Angel leaned against the wall. I wondered when he’d slept last. “She’s been in and out today. When she first woke up, she freaked about the baby, but the doctors say the little guy is doing just fine.”
“Guy?”
Angel nodded. “She’s about five months along, and they were able to tell the sex of the baby. They thought I was the dad.” He smiled. “I’m paying the bills, so I let them assume whatever they wanted. It was the easiest way to get the information we needed.”
“Wow. Five months?” I didn’t know many pregnant women, but Lourdes didn’t even have much of a pooch. “She’s so thin.”
“The doctors say it’s not unusual for a woman’s first pregnancy to go undetected by her friends until she hits the third trimester,” Angel informed me. “It’s also in this book.” He held up a copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. “They took measurements and say the baby is healthy. There was some fetal distress in the beginning, but he’s been doing great since. I’ve been worried about Lourdes, but she really does seem better today.”
I reached out a hand and squeezed his arm. “You really are a godsend. I just—you know she really loves Baron.”
He cracked his neck. “I know what you’re thinking, boss, but it isn’t that. Though, I do feel like a bit of an uncle to that baby. I’ve never prayed so hard in my life for something to live.”
I squeezed his arm. “Sorry. I just don’t want things to be more complicated for poor Lourdes. God knows she’s been through too much already.”
“You said it.” Angel frowned. “If it were me lying there, I’d want someone looking out for me, and I know you’d make that happen. I consider it a part of the job, but you know it’s all about the karma. That, and now I know it’s a boy, I’m going to insist they call him Angel, after his beloved and favorite uncle.”
I chuckled. “Listen, I have a couple of hours before I need to be anywhere. Why don’t you get some rest?”
“I’m fine.”
His face said otherwise. There were tight lines around his mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot. His poor ’fro looked like it hadn’t seen a comb in weeks. He’d gone from looking like Lenny Kravitz to some bum on the streets.
I’d run everyone into the ground the last few weeks: Jake, Pen, and now poor Angel. What kind of person was I that I used these people the way I did? I needed to make some serious changes, but I had no idea where to begin.
“I insist. And like you always say, I’m the boss. Besides, I’d like to spend some time with Lourdes. You know, girl time. Maybe I can convince her to name the baby Angel Alex. Or Alex Angel. Works both ways.”
This time he was the one who laughed. He gave me a curious look and sniffed his armpits. Guys all over the world did that. “Guess I could use a shower.” He glanced at his watch. “Oh, and she woke up about an hour ago and seemed to be doing much better. The doctors say she’s out of danger, but she’ll need to rest for several more weeks.”
He pushed past me. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Take longer if you need it. I’m serious; I’m not going anywhere.” The rest of my errand day could wait. I shoved the door open and was taken aback by the sight of Lourdes hooked up to all the machines. Her face had a few more bruises, and her olive skin was pale. Her right arm was covered in bandages, much the same way mine had been a few hours ago.
I stood beside the bed for a minute, tears welling up in my eyes. She was such a beautiful woman, and she’d been through so much. That tiny baby inside her was fighting to live. He could have died because of a nasty bitch dragon. I didn’t know for sure Jene’s sister had done this, but I had a feeling. I wished I could kill her all over again.
Lourdes flinched. I pushed the evil thoughts from my head. I wasn’t that big into the woo woo stuff, but I knew enough that Lourdes didn’t need that kind of negative energy in the room while she was trying to heal.
Think happy thoughts. I tried to smile, but I’m afraid it was probably more of a grimace.
Her eyes fluttered open, and it took her a moment to focus.
“Hey.” I squeezed her hand. “The doctors say you’re doing great.”
“Baron?” Her voice was hoarse. I saw the cup with a straw on the bedside table. I put it to her mouth, and she took a sip.
“He’s in detox.” I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her. “He doesn’t know yet. I wanted to talk to you first, before—He’s been trying to call you. And if you want him here with you, I will make it happen.” Well, me and Dr. Simonak.
She shook her head against the pillow. “No. Don’t tell him. Too much. I don’t think he can handle it.”
She was a smart woman. I set the cup back on the table and took her hand again. “You know you aren’t going through this alone. You have Angel and me. We’re here for you. I will say I’m worried that Baron’s going to kick my ass when he finds out we didn’t tell him, but the doctor at the rehab center agrees with you. We’ll wait. Maybe we can tell him together when you’re healed and outta this place.” I waved a hand around the hospital room. She looked around as if for the first time. “Flowers.”
There were several bouquets around the room, along with a bevy of stuffed animals. My guess was Angel had bought out the hospital gift shop, and from the looks of things, possibly a couple of florists in town.
She managed a weak smile. “Thank you.”
“Oh, please. This was all Angel’s doing, and it’s the least we can do. And just so you know, I’ve increased security.” I closed my eyes. What the hell are you doing? She doesn’t need to think about any of that crap. “You know what you can do for me?”
“What?” She eyed me cautiously.
I smiled at her. “Just get well.” I pointed toward her stomach. “That tiny person in there needs you.” I took a deep breath. “And when I talked to the doctor, he said Baron was doing okay in detox. He’s started the program, and they feel confident that he’s going to succeed. But, man, he’s going to be—”
“Pissed.” She smiled again. “But he’ll get over it. He always talks about the big picture.” She put her free hand on her stomach. “Bambino is the big picture. He’ll need us both, and that means a drug-free papa.”
She was so strong. I’m not sure I’d be half as courageous in her situation. “You’re right about that. Listen, you don’t have to decide right now, but when you’re better, I’d like to move you to the States so you can be closer to Baron. At some point he’ll be able to receive visitors, and you’re going to be the first person he wants to see. If you are game, Angel and I have something in mind for you and Baron away from the club scene.” I was talking out of my ass, but part of me wanted so bad to give her some hope.
“America?” Her face brightened.
An idea came to me out the blue. “Sure. If that’s what you guys want. My sister Gilly has an arts foundation, and she was just telling me the other day that she needs a lot of help. To be honest, I’m not sure exactly with what, but she needs good people, and you are definitely that.”
“I want very much to come to America. Baron talks about it so fondly, and says that it is a place where dreams can come true. He wants to take me to Disney World. It is the kingdom of magic.” She said that last part as if in awe.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I don’t know about you on those rides when you’re pregnant, but I see a trip to Disney World in your future.” Her eyes fluttered, and I could tell she was struggling to stay awake.
“I’ll take care of everything. Well, Angel and I will. When you’re better, you and the baby can come over, and we’ll get you set up. When Baron is on the mend, he can join you, and you guys can live wherever you choose. A new start for everyone.”
She opened her eyes again. “A new start. Very good. If he calls—” She paused for a moment. “Tell him that it’s too hard for me to talk to him right now. I need some time to get my head straight, too. As soon as he can have visitors, I will be first in line. Tell him that I love him. Tell him that I very much want to go to the land of magic with him. That will make him happy. Just promise you won’t tell him what happened here.” Her eyes begged me to comply, and I couldn’t say no.
I might lose Baron as a friend, but I made the promise.
Her eyes closed again, and she instantly went into a deep sleep.
Sitting in the chair next to her bed, I did the most important thing I could. I texted Gilly and told her we needed to build a new life for my friend Lourdes. She deserved that and so much more.
While Lourdes slept, I took care of business. Thank God for cell phones, texting, and e-mail.
In the three hours Angel was away, I arranged a trip to Florida for Lourdes. And to have a nursery installed in the home of their choice with a full staff available to attend to her every need before and after the baby was born. She’d almost been killed because she worked for me, but it wasn’t just guilt that made me want the best for her. Maybe I couldn’t change the world, but I could help this family. It was important to me that she and her child have a good life. I would do whatever I could to make that happen.
After that was taken care of, I read through my pile of Aspen e-mails. They weren’t as bad as I thought, except that now she and Huff were worried about the carbon footprint of their wedding.
The absurdity of the woman who wanted and had everything being worried about carbon footprints wasn’t lost on me.
The universe really is in whack mode.
CHAPTER 22
Once Angel returned, looking much more like his old self, I headed out for my next errand. I landed in the back of the pub in Montreal. I knocked, and when no one answered, I tried the door. It was unlocked.
I let out a low whistle as I entered. The dust was gone, and the space was spotless. Even the chandelier had been cleaned.
“I had a bit o’ help,” Mr. McMurphy said from the stairs, as he polished the banister with a rag in one hand. Maybe it was my imagination, but his shoulders weren’t as stooped, and he was moving much faster than any other time I’d seen him.
“Expecting company?” I took in the rest of the room. Even the glasses on the shelves behind the bar had been cleaned. “Holy cow. You have been busy.”
“A wee bit.”
“What happened?”
He motioned to one of the booths on the sidewall, and I followed. Before I could sit down, a pitcher of water and two crystal glasses appeared on the table. I gave him a sharp look, and he shrugged.
“You really are a hell of a lot more powerful than you led me to believe.”
He frowned. “I’m an old man with a bit o’ magic left in me. Nothing to get excited about.”
I winked at him. “You pretend to be old. From what I can see, you’re ready to go back into business.” I waved a hand around.
“There was a bit of trouble last night, and I realized my services could still come in handy. It won’t be a full-running pub as it was in its day, but I’ll be here to help when necessary.”
I leaned back and winced a little when my shoulder hit the wood.
“The dragons?” He must have heard what happened.
I nodded. “So this trouble you’re talking about?”
“The girls wanted to wait at the club just in case you returned. Siobhan caught a Kaling trying to use magic to leave with a human, and he damn near killed my niece before she took him down.” Clasping his hands, he pushed his thumbs together. “Just like her mother, that one; tough as they come. Damn fairy stabbed her with a poison knife right in the heart. Took me near an hour, but I saved her.” I could hear the pride in his voice. “Helped that she’s made of sheer will.”
A fairy’s knife in the heart was certain death. There was more than a bit o’ magic in this man. “Do you know if—”
“Yes, the Kaling was pure evil. Serving the Manteros. The darkness was in him so strong it was near bleeding out of him. Graves took care of a few others he found in the mix. Said once he knew what he was looking for, they were easy to spot.”
“Huh. I thought we were supposed to leave them alone so we could spy on them. I’m pretty sure my mom ordered me not to burn the place to the ground.”
Mr. M moved to a stool by the bar and leaned on it. “Aye, that she did. But as Niamh says, all bets are off when it comes to the Manteros. Can’t have darkness like that in proximity for too long. Best if Graves keeps the club for those who might not necessarily be on the side of the good but aren’t consumed by pure evil.”
“So let me get this straight. Nasty, stinky dragons and Fae okay; Manteros possessed by evil, not so much.”
“Aye.”
“Well, now that we have that cleared up, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you but haven’t had a chance.”
“Anything, lass.” He took a sip of his water.
“I want to know if it’s just your magic protecting Bells.”
He cocked his head. “You saw me working the spells. What do you think?” I knew I was right. My mother and other mages were involved. I also knew he’d been told not to talk about it.
“I’ve never seen magic like what protects this pub from evil, so it makes sense that if you wanted to keep evil in—”
“Smart cookie, you are. I had a feeling when you watched me work the spells that you’d caught on. I told your mother there’d be no hiding the truth from you.” He smiled.
“Why would she want you to?”
“Politics, lass. Nothing personal. The council is keeping everything they do very close to the vest these days. The fewer people who know what’s going on with Bells, the better.”
“Yes, but I don’t consider Guardians just people.” I shook my head. “That didn’t come out right. I mean, we’re the protectors of Earth, so it makes sense that we should know what the hell is going on.”
This time his eyebrow rose. “I couldn’t agree more. Do you ask?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your mother, lass. Do you ever think to ask her these questions you are so curious about?”
Yes, but it’s doubtful she’d tell me the truth. Of course, I didn’t want to say that out loud. “It’s complicated.”
“Aye. You both have heads of steel, so I would imagine so.”
I scrunched my nose at him. “If you think I’m hardheaded, you should see my sisters.”
He laughed out loud. “Did you ever stop to think that perhaps your mother wants to tell you, but she can’t? As I said, the council is keeping a tight rein on things, and my guess is she tells you what she can. It cannot be easy having four of the most powerful women in the universe as your daughters. Keeping them safe must be a full-time job. Not to mention what it must do to her ticker every time one of you girls almost gets yourself killed.”
“You don’t know my mother. It isn’t like that at all. We’re the ones who do the protecting. She raised us to be warriors and to fend for ourselves. Her only concern about us is that we do the job she trained us to do.”
He patted my hand. “ ’Tis quite a pity party you have there, young one.”
I shook my head. “No, that isn’t it. I don’t mean it that way. I’m proud of what I am, and so are my sisters. My mother made us strong, and she taught us well. She did a good job, along with our dad, setting us on the right path. She’s just not the most nurturing person you’re ever going to meet.”
“Is that respect I hear?”
Frustrating old geezer.
He hooted.
“Great, don’t tell me you can read minds, too.”
“A little, but your face is an open book. You are right about your mother doing her job. From what I’ve seen and heard, she’s raised four Guardians who rival any who have gone before, except for my nieces, of course.”
I smiled at that.
“You mentioned your relationship is complicated,” he continued. “Imagine how complicated things are for her when she wants to protect you but must put the universe’s well-being at the forefront. Cannot be easy for her.”
He had a point. He’d also changed the subject.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re very good at diversion?”
He winked again. “A time or two.”
I could analyze my relationship with my mother another day.
“So it is your magic at Bells, along with my mother’s? And you’re the one helping Graves?”
“Aye, ’tis me, but I haven’t been doing it very well, evidently. Makes me angry at myself to let those dragons slip right through the magic.”
I sighed. “They had evil on their side. We’ve had run-ins with the Manteros before. The magic—Well, it rivals any I’ve ever seen. What I want to know is if you think Graves is on their side or ours.”
“Death walks the fence. He is neither good nor bad, but he gains nothing from evil taking over.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Death is about balance, and he’s the one who brought Siobhan to me last night. Niamh had a call, and I’d returned here. As I said, Siobhan waited at the club in case you came back and needed help. She was angry that she didn’t follow you.” He glanced at my shoulder again. “From the looks of things, perhaps she should have. Your people should have brought you to me.”
“I don’t think they knew. In fact, I never found out exactly what happened once I passed out. I need to ask somebody about that. Anyway, you changed the subject—again. I’m fine. Go on.”
His thumbs beat nervously against one another. “Graves said Siobhan followed the fairy to the entry of the club. I’d knotted the magic again so that if a Mantero tried to mask something, Graves would know immediately. He has permission to kill anyone who tries to walk out—well, except for the idiot humans who go in there in the first place.”
“I know. So the fairy that attempted to kill Siobhan was trying to leave. How did he get the jump on her?” Mr. McMurphy hadn’t lied about his niece. She was most definitely one powerful Guardian.
“No one saw, and Siobhan can’t remember. But when she hit the floor, Graves slit the fellow’s throat and brought her here. I hadn’t thought of it before, but there’s your answer.”
“What? I don’t follow.”
“If Death was as evil as everyone seems to think, he would have never found me.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked chagrined. “Evil can’t see this place, lass; I’ve told you time and again.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. I’m not firing on all cylinders. So you think Graves isn’t so bad?”
“May I ask why you are so curious about him?”
“Just trying to figure it all out and his place in it,” I admitted. “I know I keep saying this, but that the Manteros were in that club really does make me want to burn the whole place down.”
“Aye, my nieces said the same thing. But it’s patience we’ll be needin’. Graves has been able to come up with the location of a couple more of the Manteros’ hangouts through the information he’s received at Bells. So it will need to stay around a while longer.”
I wasn’t happy about that, but there wasn’t a lot I could do about it for now. “So you’re going to set up shop again? Help us fight the bad guys?”
He nodded. “There will come a time when those fighting on the side of good need a place where no evil can dwell. My guess is, even in your home you have those who have turned against you.”
I thought about what had happened a few weeks ago when one of our computer programmers had installed a virus that virtually shut everything down. That and the fact that the Manteros had controlled Gilly’s ex had made us all a little leery.
“This is a place where you and your kind are always welcome. It’s a safe house and will continue to be for as long as it’s needed.”
He sounded like that might be a really long time.
“Thank you for your time tonight.” I glanced down at my watch.
“Anytime, lass.”
I stood and leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “I should be mad at you for masking your magic, but I’m just grateful you’re on our side.”
He squeezed my hand. “Be gone with you, silly girl.”
I held my wrists in front of him, “Do you mind?”
“Not a bit.”
I touched them together and a few seconds later I landed in the weapons room. I’d meant to teleport to my bedroom, but once again my mind had wandered.
“Do you ever think about leaving a person a note or telling someone where you’re going?” Jake stood in the corner behind me.
“Jeez. You scared the crap out of me.” I whirled around. “For your information, I looked for you before I left, but you were busy talking to my mother.”
He leaned back against the wall. “So you took off so you didn’t have to be in the same room with her.”
What was it with everyone wanting to analyze my relationship with my mother? “No, if you must know, I went to check on Lourdes.”
He sighed. “That’s where you were for the first three hours.”
Damn GPS.
“I stopped by to chat with Mr. McMurphy. I was going to head out to London to check on the castle for the wedding, but Aspen was busy doing some charity thing with Huff.”
It took me a minute to realize why he was giving me an evil look.
“Oh, hell. I was off the grid—again.”
He raised an eyebrow as if to say I got it in one.
“It’s that damn pub. How about from now on when I’m in Montreal, you just assume that’s where I am.”
His tongue poked at the inside of his cheek. “Except when you’re ripped up and dying in the bottom of a basement where your comm doesn’t work?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, except for then.” I pushed myself up onto the counter. “I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”
The man didn’t say a word.
I know it’s low, but I faked a wince and moved my shoulder as if it hurt.
Concern slid onto his face, and I had to bite back a smile. “Are you okay?”
I pursed my lips. “Yes. But I think I may need some of those healing kisses again. I mean, you did such a great job last night.”
He didn’t fall for it. “That reminds me,” he said. “I’m curious. Did you happen to stop by the healers to make sure it was okay for you to teleport? Did it ever occur to you that you might have reinjured your arm again? For the third time in less than a week? Oh, and that you almost died for the third time in less than a week, less than twelve hours ago?”
This so wasn’t where I wanted to go with this. “I’m pretty sure we’ve already had this conversation, but to answer your question, no, I didn’t go to the healers. The wound has healed; for the most part anyway. I didn’t even pop a stitch.” I would never admit that at that particular moment my arm didn’t feel so great.
He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder, lightly, but I had to bite my lip from crying out. “That’s what I thought.” Taking his hand away, he moved to the door. “Courtesy. That’s all I ask, just let someone know you’re headed out. We can keep track of you, but when you go off the grid, like you’ve been for the last forty-five minutes, people worry.”
He slammed the door behind him.
Damn pub. Every time I went in, I ended up fighting with Jake. Why could I never just push the damn comm and tell them I was headed in? I needed to talk to Bailey. Maybe he could work with Mr. M so that if we walked into the place, it would send off a flare or something.
The crazy thing was, Jake cared. A lot. A guy didn’t get mad like that if he was just concerned.
Huh. I might be able to work this to my advantage. That is, if I could talk him into forgiving me. No easy task, since he was pretty pissed.
I looked up to see the guys in the control room watching me. Once I made eye contact, they all pretended to be very busy.
I needed to talk to Jake, but in private. And I had to do it now.
CHAPTER 23
Jake was in the kitchen when I found him, pulling a soda out of one of the Sub-Zeroes.
“You’re right about everything. I can be an inconsiderate bitch at times. Does that help?” I pulled myself up on the granite countertop, which wasn’t easy with one hand. If Mrs. P saw me, she’d swat me with a dish towel. She didn’t like ass on the counter where she made food; of course, she would never say the word “ass.”
He shut the door but didn’t turn to look at me, choosing instead to look out the back window into the darkness. It took a moment, but I realized he could see me in the reflection of the glass. I stifled a smile.
“Not really.” Twisting the cap off, he took a long swig of the highly caffeinated beverage. “Do you remember several weeks ago when Claire brought you back after a particularly nasty fight? You’d been hurt so bad that she had to carry you home.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah.” That night had changed me. That’s when it first occurred to me that I had a thing for Jake.
“Something happened when I saw you like that. For the first time I realized just how fragile you were. I’d seen you that bad off before, but it never quite affected me like it did that night. That’s when I realized I wasn’t as objective where you’re concerned as I’d like, because the idea that something terrible could happen to you pretty much rips at my soul.”
His back was still to me, but the meaning of his words washed over me. He more than cared.
Thank you, Jesus.
“Jake, I had no idea.” I reached a hand toward him, but he was too far away. “I told you I’m tough to kill.”
Turning, he took my hand in his. “You always say that. I agree that you’re tougher than most, but you’re still human. You could have died that night. You have to understand that makes it difficult for someone who cares about you.”
“You care about me?”
“Too much.” He let go of my hand and sat back in the chair. “Honestly, I don’t want to. I like my job, and caring about you makes it tough to be objective. Wondering if you’re going to come back this time and whether or not you’ve been injured interferes with everything I need to do to protect what is most important to all of us. Intellectually I know you are only doing your job as a Guardian, but here”—he put my hand on his heart—“I find it difficult. Caring about you is definitely interfering with my ability to do my job.”
I blew out a breath. “So what are you saying?”
“There’s something between us. Something I want to explore, but we can’t.” He let go of my hand, and I suddenly felt adrift. “I can’t do my job and be with you at the same time. I can pretend for the time being so that Ginjin will stay off of your back, but we can’t—do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“No.”
Confused, he started to explain again.
The hurt curled up inside me like a giant ball and made me feel sick. I held up a hand to stop him. “No, I get what you said. But it doesn’t make sense. We both want to explore whatever this is. That should be the beginning of a really great story, not the end. Are you saying that you can stop caring about me?” I pushed myself off of the counter. “Seriously, Jake? Because I want you more than anything, and I know there’s nothing that could stop that. Nothing. I ached for you last night, and I’m not just talking about an extreme need for sex. I wanted your arms around me. I wanted to feel my head on your chest. I wanted to feel safe for one more second.”
I don’t cry, but I wanted to in that moment. Suck it up, Al. I pointed an accusatory finger at him, but he stood there as if he were frozen. “What kind of person can turn off feelings like that?” I moved to the door. “You know, I think I have a solution. I’ll find someone else to continue the ruse if need be. You know us Caruthers girls. We go through men like crazy. So you don’t worry that pretty little head of yours, Jake. I’ll find some other boy to play with me. And maybe he won’t be such a coward and will actually want me back.” I stomped out of the kitchen.
Stupid men. I didn’t know why I even bothered. He was no different than any of the others I dated; he just was better at masking the fact he was a big, scared jerk.
I made it to my bedroom door, but Jake stopped me from getting inside. Grabbing me by my good shoulder, he shoved me back against the wall and planted his lips on mine.
My first instinct when someone grabbed me like that was to throw a punch, but he must have anticipated it. Both of my hands were trapped in his, and he shoved them behind me. Warmth spread from my lips down my spine as his tongue forced my mouth open. I gave in to the sensation and kissed him back.
His body pressed into mine, and I honestly forgot where we were. The heat of him warmed me from my fingers to my toes, and I struggled to free my hands so I could touch him.
When he finally lifted his lips, I almost groaned with disappointment.
“From here on out, I am the only boy you will play with,” he said softly. “And for the record, the answer is no.”
“What?” I was in a haze of need, and my brain did not compute.
“I can’t turn off my feelings for you. I can’t stop wanting you.” The kiss this time was so filled with passion I thought I might melt from the intensity of it all.
He finally let go of my hands, and my arms wrapped around him. “I’m really pissed at you,” I whispered against his mouth.
“I know. How about you be mad somewhere besides here?” He nodded toward the corridor, and I heard the footsteps. We couldn’t be alone here. Even in my room there was a chance someone would interrupt us. I took the comm from behind my ear and stuck it on the doorframe.
“Fine.” I tried to be mean, but I couldn’t help but smile. “Put your arms around my waist.”
Twenty seconds later we were in Jake’s bedroom at his ranch.
He was the tiniest bit green, but he’d live.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that.” He leaned his forehead against mine.
“But you’re doing so much better.” I reached up and put my hand to his cheek.
He lifted his head, and we stared at one another.
“We’re going to do this, aren’t we?” I put a hand on his chest. Embarrassed and enthralled all at once, I kissed him.
Taking my hand, he tugged me toward him and wrapped his arms around me. “Everything changes.”
“Maybe, but this is good, Jake.” I put my hand on his chest. “Can’t you feel it?”
He kissed me again. “There’s nothing right now in the world that I want more than you,” he whispered against my lips.
I grinned and looked up through my lashes at him. “You’re making me kinda hot.”
“Kinda?” He tugged my hand and pulled me toward the bed. I landed on top of him. Pushing myself up, I straddled him.
The length of him warmed and grew beneath me and gave me power. His fingers slid along my chin and lips. “You’re so beautiful. There were days when I had to sit on my hands to keep from touching you.”
His hand slid down my hip. I leaned over for another kiss, unbuttoning his shirt as I did. The muscles beneath the starched white button-down were hard, and I decided in that moment that by the time the night ended, I would know every inch of the man’s body.
But right now I had a need, and I felt I’d go mad if we didn’t hurry.
“You know how we’ve been taking it slow? Right now I need things to move really, really fast, or I’m gonna explode.” I pulled my T-shirt over my head and tried not to wince when it caught on my shoulder. I didn’t do such a great job, because he lifted me off of him and sat me on the side of the bed.
“We can’t do this. You’ll hurt yourself again.” He examined the stitches.
I twisted around so that the shoulder was away from him. “If we don’t do this”—I took his hand and put it on my heart—“I’m not going to make it through the night. I’ll die of sheer need.” I leaned back on his pillows. “Make me feel safe, Jake. Please.”
For a moment he just looked at me, and I thought he might reject me. But then his hands slipped to my waist. Unzipping my jeans, he slid them down my legs. Then the panties were gone and his hand was on me and I lost myself in pleasure. I rode the tide of it over and over again.
I could no longer think. My body was on fire, and I begged him to come inside.
I have no idea how he lost his clothing, but he lifted me off the bed so I straddled him. Even in my haze I knew he was trying to protect my shoulder, and it made me love him all the more.
“More, baby. Please.” I shoved myself down on his erection, screaming in pleasure as I did. I knew he would be huge, and he didn’t disappoint. Leaning back, I grabbed his knees, pumping him with my hips. His hands were on my breasts, teasing my nipples, and my body was a giant mass of hot nerves waiting to explode.
“Alex,” he whispered as he watched me ride him. The pure passion in his voice drove me to go faster and faster, and he matched me move for move. I couldn’t breathe, and then everything hit in an explosion of light and sound. We both groaned, and my body shook from the passion. I fell over his chest, gasping for air.
Something inside me snapped. There aren’t words, but I’d never felt that way with any man. It went far beyond the passion we’d just shared. It was a connection. Something deep and meaningful and maybe just a little scary.
I propped my chin on my hands and stared at him for a minute, unable to read whatever was going on behind those gray eyes.
He lifted the hair off of my neck and kissed me there. It was intimate and sexy as hell.
I was at a loss for words, but they weren’t necessary. He lifted us both up and pushed the covers aside, and soon I was snuggled in his arms.
“Safe,” I said softly against his chest.
“Always,” he whispered back.
CHAPTER 24
The sound of a siren seared into my brain. My gut instantly tightened, and I sat straight up in bed.
Where the hell am I?
The room was pitch black. The siren went off again, and I realized it was a cell phone. A door opened to the left, and light blinded me. A figure stood in the door, steam billowing around it.
“Sorry.” Jake grabbed the phone from the bedside table. “I forgot to turn it off.” He apologized before picking it up. He was soaking wet, with a towel wrapped around his waist.
Just the way I liked him. My body was still sated from several rounds with the man, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever get enough of him. It was more than that feeling of being safe in his arms. I felt treasured, and that had never happened before.
“Yes,” he said into the phone as he looked at me. “I know where she is. I’ll let her know.”
“Hey.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss me.
“Hey,” I whispered back. My hand went to his wet chest, so hard beneath my hand. “You’re dripping on your eight-hundred-thread-count sheets.”
He sat down and gathered me into his arms. “So?”
I kissed him back. “I don’t care if you don’t.”
He pulled me tight and then sighed.
Pushing away, I stared at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m supposed to be finding you to let you know that you’re needed at a council meeting.”
I stiffened and then stood up. “Did they say why?” Didn’t matter; it was never good.
“No.”
“Could you call them back and tell them you couldn’t find me? That I’m off the grid?” I hated that there was a slight plea in my voice.
“I could, but lying to your mother isn’t one of my fortes.”
“Mom?” I looked around for my clothes. God, that was the last thing I needed. If she found out about Jake— “Does she know I’m here?”
“No. Why? Are you worried what she might think?” He sat back against the headboard and watched me dress.
I threw him my best are-you-kidding look. “I’m not so worried what she thinks about me, but do you want her to know where I am?”
“We are dating, right? I’d say officially now.” He winked at me. “I mean, I’m pretty sure there was nothing fake about last night.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “There is that.” I waved at him. “It’s just, I don’t know what she’s going to think about all of this. Not that I care. I mean—obviously I do or I wouldn’t have brought it up. She can be so—” I stopped myself and sat on the side of the bed and put my head in my hands. “That woman can just get over it if she has a problem with me dating you. I care about you, and I want to be with you, so damn her.”
When he didn’t say anything, I looked up to find him smiling at me. “What?”
“I was just waiting for you to finish the conversation with yourself.”
I slapped his arm. “You know she drives me crazy.”
“Only because you let her, Alex. You and your sisters assume she’s going to be a certain way about things, but I’ve honestly never met a more honest person than your mother. She’s also fair, and she carries the weight of the universe on her shoulders at all times.”
I had no intention of fighting about my mother with him. “When it comes to my mother, who doesn’t belong in this particular room with us”—I waved a hand around the bedroom—“can we just agree to disagree?”
He stood, then grabbed my hands and pulled me to him. “Absolutely.”
“Do we have time to . . .” I seriously doubted it, but being in close proximity to Jake already had my body screaming with need.
He lifted my chin in his hands. “I wish, love, but the meeting is in less than an hour.”
I sighed against his chest. “If you want me to take you back, you’d better get dressed.”
He frowned. “I’d rather drive.”
“Chicken. Isn’t your truck at work?”
He rolled his eyes, something I did all the time, but he looked hilarious. “I have other vehicles.”
I laughed. “Come on. You barely turned green the last time. You can do it.”
“Give me a minute,” he grumbled.
We landed back in my bedroom. Jake gave me one last kiss and then straightened his tie. “I’ll see you later.”
“You can bet on that, big guy.” I watched his gorgeous butt walk from the room.
“Hmmm. Now that is interesting,” Mira said from the bathroom door.
“Snoop,” I accused. “Did you enjoy the show?”
“Oh, yes. Lucky you waking up next to Mr. Jake, the stud in a suit.” She grinned. “And for the record, dear sister, I wasn’t snooping. Mom sent me to look for you.” Opening her palm, she handed me the comm I’d stuck to the door. “I knew when I found this that you were up to no good. Was it? Good?”
Pushing past her, I headed into the bathroom. “Sometimes a girl doesn’t want to be found. And I’m not going to talk about Jake.” I shed my clothes and stepped into the shower, needing a quick rinse.
“Oh, you don’t have to talk, Al. Everything you’re feeling right now is written all over your face. You’ve fallen for the guy in a big way. I thought you were just pretending.”
Pouring shampoo into my hand, I lathered my hair. “We are officially dating, and that’s it. That’s all you’re going to get from me.”
We were all very close and had always shared details of our love lives since we were young. But this thing with Jake was too special. I wanted to hold it close, private, at least for a little while longer.
“Go tell Mom I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. By the way, do you have any idea why I have to be there? I thought they had their own security team in place so that we didn’t have to guard them every time they met.”
“Mom didn’t say, but the situation involves Ginjin and some other dragons. We aren’t there so much to protect as to add to the festivities. She didn’t give many details, just said you had to be there, and that it was a full council meeting.”
I groaned for two reasons. One was that the dragons were involved; the other was because it was a full meeting, which meant it could honestly go on for days. I didn’t have time for that.
Mira left, and I rinsed under the hot spray of the spa shower, letting the water massage away the ache I still felt in my shoulder.
The last time we were at a full council meeting there had been an attack, and my mother had almost died. Almost, nothing. She had died. Gilly’s boyfriend, Arath, a powerful mage who also happens to be the king of demons, brought her back from the other side. I can’t say it changed her disposition much, but she hadn’t been as cranky as she had been before.
Ever since then, the council met in secret using a handful of guards they’d carefully selected to protect them.
One thing I knew for certain: if Ginjin was involved, the whole thing was going to annoy the hell out of me. The dragon warrior always had a way of complicating proceedings and making my life a living hell.
CHAPTER 25
The meeting was held on Maunra, which happened to be where Arath, Gilly’s demon king, ruled. My guess was Arath had arranged it that way because he could control the portals where we traveled from world to world.
While it was populated by demons, Maunra was one of the few safe places left in the universe for these kinds of meetings. Gilly and Arath had put extra protection around the portals so no one could enter or leave Maunra while the proceedings took place.
The only problem with this particular world was that it sapped the energy right out of me. Mira had given me some herbs to help counteract the effects, but I could still feel it. The only one who wasn’t affected by the atmosphere was Gilly. A Guardian’s body was tailored to the world she protected against so that she could fight with full strength. Of course, that didn’t help the rest of us.
Everyone had gathered in the great hall of Arath’s castle, where the large, stone council table had been placed. The table was magically moved to each location of their meetings.
There were fourteen members in attendance, and the hall was populated with a variety of creatures. Unfortunately for me, there were also several dragons in attendance.
The sight of Ginjin and some of the others made me wish my mother had been a bit more forthcoming about this whole thing.
Mom sat next to Arath at the head of the table. It was the demon king who began the proceedings.
“The Kevan clan of Lincsire has made an official complaint against Alex Caruthers. She has been accused of murder.”
I heard a little gasp and turned to see Gilly, Mira, and Claire behind me. Mira’s arms were crossed against her chest. Gilly had her battle face on, and Claire’s bow mouth had made a surprised O.
Most people in my situation probably would have been pissed, but I was used to this. The dragons always tried to blame someone else for their troubles. I knew I’d done nothing wrong, so I just stood there.
One thing in my favor was that my mother didn’t seem overly concerned. If she were angry with me, her eyes would be boring into me, making my head ache with her sheer mental force. Thankfully, she showed nothing but curiosity for the proceedings.
“The dragons have the floor.” Arath looked directly at Ginjin, who in turn looked to a larger dragon. For some reason he seemed familiar, but I could not quite place him. I did recognize the female dragon to his right: Jene.
Well, obviously she’d been found. I wondered what her part in all of this might be.
The bigger dragon moved forward. “I am Margunth. The Guardian murdered my daughter Sharlot, and she should pay with her life.”
Gilly huffed behind me, but I didn’t bother to turn around. Nice, though, to have my sisters here with me. If things went south—and they always did when dragons were involved—it was nice to have a little backup.
“The reports indicate that your daughter led a kidnapping ring, capturing humans as slaves. She then sold these slaves to the Manteros.” Arath’s tone wasn’t accusatory, merely stating fact. “That is a crime punishable by death. The dragons were found torturing the humans on Earth. The Guardian acted in the only way she could in order to protect her people.”
Margunth roared, “So the Guardian tells the story. My daughter is dead because of her, and she cannot speak the truth of her innocence. She was a pawn in the Guardian’s game.” As he spoke, the big, blue dragon began to go scaly. Never a good thing.
“Margunth, you will stand down.” Arath’s eyes flashed red. “We are here to gather information regarding the situation. The reports indicate that the humans were interviewed and that they had been taken against their will. Since your dragons are not welcome on Earth, we find it difficult to believe—”
Jene stepped forward. “I have proof that the Guardian lied and that my sister was innocent.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes were calculating.
Now what the hell are you up to?
Ginjin’s head whipped around so fast, I thought it might fly off. He had no idea what she was doing. That he was surprised definitely wasn’t a good thing.
“What is your proof?” Arath asked.
“It is true my sister was there with the humans, but not as a kidnapper. She was gathering information for me.”
It took everything I had not to snort with laughter. My memory was clear about that evening. Sharlot had taken great pleasure in poking and prodding those poor women, and she’d most definitely been in charge.
Jene was trying to protect her family name. That was more than obvious. How could she possibly marry the guy who would one day become prime minister with that kind of garbage in the backyard?
“I had asked her to look into a situation just that day,” continued Jene. She sounded so earnest I almost believed her. “I’d heard rumblings that some of the other clans wanted to create trouble with the humans. I thought it best to make certain that didn’t happen.”
“Why did you not go to Ginjin or the council with this information?” Arath asked. He didn’t believe her any more than I did, but he had to go through the process.
The red dragon shrugged nonchalantly. “I had no proof, just rumors. Things one hears from the whispers of others. So I thought it best to investigate. My sister just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was an innocent bystander, and the Guardian obviously mistook what she saw.”
That lying bitch had gone too far. My jaw tightened, and my hand automatically went to the crossbow holstered at my back.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Steady,” Mira whispered into my ear.
Jene looked at me with pity. “From what I understand, the Guardian was seriously injured that night while fighting the warriors with my sister. Is it not logical that her memories might be confused?”
There were whispers around the room.
I glanced around and realized there were actually people there who believed her. This was ridiculous. Before I could say anything, Arath pointed to me.
“Guardian, what do you have to say?”
So glad you asked, Demon King. “She is right about one thing; I was seriously injured that night. By her sister, who wasn’t so innocently standing by while the men around her attacked. She was the first to turn on me. You have already heard the eyewitness accounts of that evening. The only reason I rushed in when I did was because Sharlot was about to inject one of the women with a drug. I was worried she might kill them before help arrived. And it was Sharlot who said they caught the humans to sell to the Manteros.”
Jene moved toward me. “You lie.”
“I do a lot of things, some of them not very nice, but I don’t lie.” Dragon bitch. “Since her death we’ve had no more incidents, so I’m inclined to believe that the kidnappings, while they might have been for trade, were done solely by your sister and her men.”
Jene’s claws came out, and Ginjin reached out a hand to keep her from swiping at me. “No.”
She turned on him, her eyes flashing red. “I knew you would try to protect your Guardian whore!” she shrieked.
Now there were more than murmurs from those present; the room positively erupted.
Whore? That did it. My crossbow was in my hand before I even had a chance to think about it.
Jene shook an accusing finger at me. “She wants my mate for her own. Ask her. They discussed it. I heard them. She wants the power of Xerxes for her own. She wants to marry my mate. I will fight you to the death.” She shook a fist at the council. “For the honor of my sister and my family, I will fight the Guardian.”
“No.” Arath was the one who barked this time. “There are no battles at council meetings. This is the law.” His voice boomed.
“Arath speaks the truth.” Marcus, one of my mother’s closest friends and a longtime member of the council, stood on the other side of the demon king. “We are on the side of peace.” His words were softer, but just as effective.
“Fine.” I held the crossbow at my side. “I won’t fight her here. A portal to Xerxes, please?” I asked Arath.
“Alex!” My mother’s stern voice finally chimed in.
“What, Mother? The dragon wants justice, and I’m willing to give it to her. Her horrible sister tortured humans. I caught her in the act. Everyone in this room knows that. She’s not fighting for honor. She just wants to kill me. She can’t stand the fact that Ginjin asked me to marry him so that he wouldn’t have to deal with her.”
There was a collective gasp.
Jene spewed hatred. “You lie.”
I rolled my eyes. “You keep saying that, but you need only turn to the dragon warrior and ask him. Whatever you heard of our conversation, it wasn’t the whole thing. You certainly didn’t hear the end when I told him to stuff his proposal up his ass. I don’t do stinky, lying, cheating, scum-of-the-universe dragons.”
There was snickering behind me, but the dragons, all except Ginjin, instantly went scaly.
“Stop!” Arath roared. Everyone paused as magic zinged around the room. I wasn’t sure who was sending the good vibes out, but the dragons went back to human form, and the room took a deep breath.
Everything was quiet for more than a minute.
“This cannot be settled here,” I said finally. “I’m ready to give them the justice they deserve.” I wanted to channel my anger into battle mode. “Since we can’t fight here”—quite frankly, I didn’t want to, since my strength was ebbing away as we spoke—“I say we take it to Xerxes.”
“Dragon warrior, you are the leader of your people. What say you?” Arath looked to Ginjin.
The guy was not a happy camper. He looked from Jene to me and then back again. “The Guardian speaks the truth. There is no need for a battle.”
“No! I will not allow you to dishonor my family this way!” Jene screamed. “I deserve the right to battle the woman who murdered my sister.”
For once the dragon warrior looked defeated. He was stuck in the middle of a very difficult situation. If he allowed her to fight me, the council would have his head. Everyone in the room knew the truth. But if he didn’t, there would be questions on Xerxes about his ability to rule and his intentions toward his own kind. It also wouldn’t look so great if he couldn’t manage the woman in his life—though I wasn’t sure anyone could manage Jene.
“I have fought to the death for lesser reasons.” The words came out of my mouth before I even thought about it. “Arath, please open a portal to Xerxes.”
“Gorstat!” He said the word, and a portal opened in the middle of the room. “The Guardian will go first, her sisters and myself. Margunth will follow with Ginjin and Jene.”
We landed in the middle of a desert area. Not unusual on Xerxes.
Mira and Gilly were furious with me.
“The council was handling the situation. Why didn’t you just keep your mouth shut?” Gilly chided.
“Because these idiots won’t stop causing trouble until I end this.” I circled my neck. “Just please stay out of the way. No matter what happens, don’t get involved.”
“Arath, do something,” Gilly ordered him.
He shook his head. “I will not. Your sister speaks the truth. The dragons are a proud and stubborn race, and honor means everything to a warrior.”
Even if the warrior is an evil bitch whore. I was kind of glad I hadn’t said that last bit out loud, as Ginjin and Margunth landed in front of me with Jene.
“So how do you want to do this?”
Jene’s father pulled a sword from a case and handed it to her. That meant I wouldn’t be able to use my crossbow, and my bowie knife would be no match for that sword, no matter how good I was. I had the plasma guns with me, but those weren’t exactly allowed in this sort of situation. Well, technically there were no rules, but matching weapons made it a fairer fight.
Great. I could handle a sword just fine, but my injured shoulder would make it difficult if I had to bring it above my head. Wouldn’t be the first time you popped a few stitches.
Gilly handed me her favorite rapier. It was lighter than the one she normally carried, and I knew Arath had it made specifically for her. I wished I’d had some time to practice with it, but I’d make do. Guardians were taught to use whatever they had at their disposal, and though it wouldn’t be as easy as shooting her in the eye with a crossbow, it would work.
Everyone made a circle around us, leaving Jene and me in the middle. I had no idea if she could even handle a sword, but in my many years of training, I’d learned the number one rule: never underestimate your opponent.
The dragon roared, and fire shot from her mouth. My body temperature lowered.
“Hey, none of that dragon stuff.” Mira stepped forward from the circle that had formed. “If any weapon can be used, my sister can pull out her big guns.” She pointed to the plasmas still resting in my holster.
I saw my mother join her. I had a feeling she was probably just as angry with me as Gilly and Mira. Someday when I learned how to control my mouth, life would be much easier.
“Don’t worry, Mira, a little fire doesn’t scare me.” I stood in position, waiting for Jene to advance. She eyed me for a moment, and then the battle began. For what seemed like hours, but was probably more like five minutes, there was no sound except the clanging of metal. I’d drawn blood twice. Once across her chest, just missing her dark heart, the other on her right hand. So far, she’d stayed in human form, but the angrier she became, the bigger the chance that she’d go flamey.
Jene was a worthy opponent, though her anger made her sloppy at times. Of course, that didn’t keep her from catching me with a quick stab to my right shoulder, which wasn’t fully healed. I’d had to fight with my left hand, which wasn’t quite as strong, but I held my own.
I moved more quickly, making her twist and turn, and my strategy worked. She tired faster, and it wasn’t long before I found my moment. I lost myself in the battle, only tracking move for move. When the sword slid into her gut, she roared. Claws came out and knocked me back onto my shoulder. I didn’t scream, but I wanted to in the worst possible way.
The dragon charged at me with her weapon, shooting fire from her mouth as she did. Blood poured from her belly, but still she fought.
“Alex,” Mira screamed. I could see she and Gilly grabbing their weapons.
I made myself stand up, even though there was no breath in my lungs. I cooled my body, the flames didn’t even come close to touching me, and I somersaulted toward the dragon. As I popped up, I aimed for her heart. The scales made it tough, but I pushed hard. Her claws dug into my shoulder, and I felt the poison seeping in. Seemed like the red bitch had all kinds of tricks, but she wouldn’t be using them on anyone else.
Shoving with all my might, I pushed her away from me. She had to be half-dead, but she didn’t want to give up. It looked like she was getting ready to charge again, but all of a sudden she just did a face plant. A bit anticlimactic, if you ask me.
The dragons that had come with her drew their weapons.
“Justice is done!” Ginjin stood between me and the crowd of angry, scaly beings. “Sheath your weapons.” They just looked at him. “Now,” he snarled.
Reluctantly, they did as he asked.
“Jene has her justice.” He bit the words out, and his eyes flashed red at me. “This is ended.”
He shoved me toward Arath and Gilly. Mom touched the watch at her wrist and then took my hand. Gilly and Mira stood beside her. I hoped one of them would catch me before the dizziness took over and I died.
CHAPTER 26
As we stepped into the bluish haze of the portal out of sight from the others, Mira threw me over her shoulder. Seconds later we landed in the control room.
“What the—? She’s injured.” Jake took me from Mira, squeezing my bleeding shoulder against his chest so hard I almost cried out. Damn thing would hurt like hell when the healers sewed me up—again.
“That was fun,” Mira said behind me. “Let’s get you downstairs.”
Jake didn’t have to be told twice. He rushed so fast he nearly banged my head against the doorframe.
On the elevator he pushed the button for G3. I wanted to tell him I was okay, but whatever toxins had been in her claws had taken over. My breath became shallow, and my heart slowed.
“Which ones?” Jake waved to the two sides of the hall. On the right was a fully equipped medical facility with an operating theater, X-ray machines, sonogram machines, and a whole lot of stuff that I had no idea how it worked. There was also a pharmacy full of drugs so we never lacked for antibiotics, or in desperate times, adrenaline that could be shot straight into the heart to get it going. I can’t say that’s my favorite, though it’s happened to me a few times.
On the other side were several rooms where the healers worked. These were about as far from the sterile atmosphere of the hospital as one could get. Most of the healers were mages who had been trained since birth. They used a combination of magic and herbs to heal wounds and rid our bodies of toxins.
“Better get her in to the healers to deal with whatever toxin that bitch clawed her with.” Mira shouted orders to the healers as she shoved the doors open. “It may be the same sort of thing the gryphons use. Put her down on the table.”
Jake did what she asked. From there I could see his face, which was etched with worry.
“Ugh,” was all I could bite out. My throat was as paralyzed as the rest of me. My eyeballs had even frozen, which was more than freaking me out.
Mira threw herbs together along with the other healers. Someone shot something into my arm.
“Don’t you dare die.” Jake seemed angry. “Dammit. Don’t you dare.” He kept saying it over and over again.
“Jake, we’re going to need a surgeon. Go find Dr. Posten,” Mira ordered him, I think more to get him out of the way than anything.
The man didn’t move.
“Jake, now! She’s losing blood. Once we stop the poison, we’re going to need him. Go!”
He growled but did what she asked.
“That man has it bad for you.” Mira shoved a tube of something down my throat that burned and made me cough. Air rushed into my lungs, and I had to turn my head to keep from puking on her. One of the healers must have known what would happen, because they had a small bucket waiting for me.
She took a deep breath. “Thank God.” Shaking her head, she poked a needle in my arm. I’m only slightly exaggerating when I say the thing was about six inches long. Luckily, I couldn’t feel anything. “That was too damn close. Another twenty seconds, and you might have actually bit the big one, Sis.”
Jake chose that moment to walk in, and I knew he’d heard her. I watched as his face changed from panic to concern to something I couldn’t define.
I was definitely going to get reamed for almost getting killed again.
I tried to talk, but my vocal cords were raw. “Argh.”
Mira pushed my hair away from my face. “This is going to take a while to work.” She held up the empty tube. “Don’t try to talk. You aren’t going to be able to move your extremities for a few hours. It’s not a cure so much as a block. It keeps the poison from spreading further, binds it, and then eats it up. But that takes time.”
At least I could move my eyeballs now, and I saw Dr. Posten as he pushed through the door.
“Poison looks neuro. We’ve destabilized it, but”—Mira tried to sound calm—“I’m not sure how much damage she sustained before we stopped it. At least she’s breathing.” That my sister was slightly panicked and trying to hide it suddenly made me very nervous.
Dr. Posten pulled some funny lighted magnifying glasses onto his face as he leaned over me. Taking a small scalpel, he took a tiny sample of tissue and put it on a slide. He shook his head. “Young lady, I seem to remember telling you not to reinjure this shoulder.”
He shoved the glasses up on his forehead and gave me a wicked stare. “You never listen. Don’t know why I bother.”
“Melanie,” he called to one of the nurses. “Have one of the healers over to look at the slide while I start on this shoulder. We may need their help on this one.”
That’s what I liked about Dr. Posten. He didn’t mind mixing up magic with his own talents. He told me long ago that he’d do whatever it took to keep us alive.
Someone else walked in, and I saw it was the mage Robert. I’d dated him for about a day five years ago, and he never seemed to forgive me for it. He was a good-looking guy, but a little shy for my taste. I was young and had tried to make out with him. I had no idea kissing was a big deal on his world. He was part Fae and part human but incredibly talented in the healing arts.
Robby gave me his standard you-are-a-nasty-harlot look and then went about examining my arm.
“Melanie has the slide under the microscope there,” Dr. P said, nodding toward the side room.
Robby walked away and then came back. “Mira’s right. It’s a neurotoxin. I have something that will speed the healing, though I don’t think we’re going to be able to regenerate that tissue.”
I cut my eyes to see where he pointed, but Dr. Posten’s hands were in the way. Regenerate? That meant I had dead tissue, which shouldn’t have been such a big deal. I’m a Guardian, and we heal better and faster than most people.
As if she could read my mind—and let’s face it, she probably could—Mira moved to the other side opposite Dr. Posten. “Alex, you know I’m always honest with you.” Her eyes were a little watery. Oh my God. I really am going to die. Oh crap.
“The skin around the wound is black; it’s too damaged to repair,” she continued. “In other words, you’re going to have a giant honking scar.” She frowned as if this were the worst thing ever.
Tears of relief welled in my eyes.
“Oh, hon, I’m sorry. I know. But it will be okay. I promise.” She leaned down and kissed my cheek. “There’s also a lot of muscle damage, and you may have limited use of that arm. The nerves, everything is black as can be.”
If I could have laughed I would have. None of that was worse than dying.
I don’t know where she’d been, but Mom walked in. “Tell me what’s going on?” She looked to Mira, who explained what had happened so far. Mom walked over to look at the slide and agreed with Robby.
Then she stood at my head and chanted healing spells as she placed her hands on my cheeks. The magic wafted through my body, and I could feel it working. Sometimes I forgot how powerful she was.
Robby turned to Dr. Posten. “Wait twenty minutes before you suture her. Use this just before you begin.” The healer handed him a pouch. “The spells Mrs. Caruthers is casting will also help. I’d suggest continuing those throughout the operation.”
Operation?
The doctor took the pouch and nodded. “Let’s get her into room three. I need some decent light,” the doc ordered. “We’ve got hours of work ahead of us, people; let’s move.”
Hours?
A mask came down over my face, and I was being lifted by several pairs of hands. Then everything became a big white blur.
CHAPTER 27
The next day I woke up with a banger of a migraine. I went to touch my forehead but couldn’t move my right arm. It wouldn’t move. For that matter, I couldn’t feel it.
Oh, hell, they cut off my arm. A quick look showed that my shoulder was still there. I tried to wiggle my fingers and felt them move against my thigh.
Breathing a big sigh of relief, I let the tears fall to my cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” Jake was staring at me from the other side of the bed. He looked like he’d been raking his hand through his hair all night. His tie was loose and his shirt wrinkled. “Do you hurt?”
“My arm.” I choked the words out. My throat felt like it was on fire.
He put a straw to my lips, and I took a sip of the cool water.
“They said you shouldn’t feel anything for a couple of days.”
“I don’t,” I finally managed to say. “I thought they had cut it off.”
“What?”
“My arm. When I couldn’t feel it, I thought it was gone.”
The realization dawned on him, and he nodded. “It was touch and go there for a couple of hours. Your body wasn’t cooperating. They had a tough time keeping you stable during the surgery.”
“Huh. Well, I guess everything’s going to be okay.” I smiled at him, but his dark expression didn’t change.
“Your dragons are going to get you killed.”
The messy look made him sexier than ever. I reached out with my left hand to touch him, but he moved away.
Damn. He’s really mad.
“They aren’t my dragons, Jake. In fact, right now I can honestly say I hate the lot of them.”
Standing by the side of the bed, he put his hands on his hips. “It’s your job, and it’s what you were born to do. But I can’t stand the fact that you have to constantly put yourself in danger. There are better ways to handle a situation than storming in with guns blazing.”
“Wait a minute. My mind may be a little fuzzy, but I didn’t charge into anything.”
His jaw jutted out. “That’s not the way I heard it. Your sisters told me everything. The council was handling the situation, but you insisted on fighting her. Ginjin’s mate. Do you care about him? Is that what this is all about?”
I tried to sit up, but with one hand it was clumsy. The movement also made me feel sick. I refused to puke in front of him and willed my stomach to calm down. “Why are you yelling at me? I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not sure what my lovely sisters told you, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to fight Jene. She was a warrior, and there was no other way out of the situation.”
I grunted. “Me and my dragons. You don’t understand anything, Jake. I’ve watched them rip a human into pieces with a swipe of the claw. It’s my job to keep that from happening, and sometimes I do have to charge in before I have time to think. This wasn’t one of those times. Yes, the council could have put off the challenge until another day, but that wouldn’t have stopped her from trying to kill. At least I could do what I needed to in front of witnesses.”
My throat felt like I was swallowing glass, but I continued my tirade. “When you were off doing your CIA thing, did you think twice when you were in a tough situation? Did you wait to second-guess yourself before taking action?” I held up my good hand. “Whatever you do, don’t say it’s not the same thing.”
Leaning back against the wall, he crossed his arms against his chest. “I would never say that. No one knows better than me what you do to protect humanity. You and your sisters are the first line of defense against other worlds. That isn’t what I’m trying to tell you.
“I’m saying you were twenty seconds from dying. Twenty seconds—and it didn’t have to be that way. I read your mother’s report. All you had to do was stay quiet. So I ask, do you have feelings for the dragon warrior?”
“Oh my God. That you can even think that pisses me off beyond belief.” I finally managed to lean back against the headboard. Frustration was quickly turning into anger. “I’m about to lose my temper.”
He had a strange expression on his face, and I couldn’t get a read. “What you do is brave and wonderful, Alex. There is no one else like you. You embody what every warrior should be. I just can’t love you and watch you put yourself in harm’s way every day. It’s too much. You’re asking too much of me.”
There was a long silence. I didn’t know how to answer that.
“So what? You love me, but you don’t want to be with me?”
“Want has nothing to do with it. I couldn’t stop wanting you any more than I can stop loving you.”
I was ready to scream. I decided to lay it all out. “Stop it. You’re driving me crazy with these mixed signals. I love you, and I can’t imagine my life without you. What do you have to say about that, Jake?”
Worry etched his face. He took my hand and held it tight against him. Then his lips landed on mine in an I’m-taking-your-soul kind of kiss. I lost myself in him.
When he stepped away from me, it took a moment for me to realize I was no longer in heaven.
I opened my eyes, and the look on his face smashed my heart into tiny pieces.
“I can’t do it.” His voice was still hoarse with passion. “I know how unfair this is, but I can’t lose someone else I love. I can’t—” His voice caught, and he took a deep breath.
A mask came down over his face, and I knew that I’d lost him. The past would keep us apart. His past, to be specific, and there was nothing I could do about it. His wife had died, and he didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again. It ripped my heart in two, but I understood.
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. “You’re right,” I sniffled. “I can’t promise I won’t die today, or tomorrow, or thirty years from now. The truth is, you can’t make that promise either.”
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I kept going.
“I can’t even begin to understand what total suckage your wife’s death had to be for you. I know how much you loved her. I see it in the house you built with her. I heard it in your voice when you talked about her. It was obvious that first day how you felt about her.
“And it wasn’t fair what happened. Death is seldom fair, especially when it happens to the people we care most about.
“But my guess is she was grateful for every moment she had with you. I know I would be.” I forced my legs to the side of the bed. The movement made me a little dizzy, but I suddenly needed to run. Or at least fly. There was no way I’d let him see me crumble.
“I get it. Being with a Guardian can’t be easy. One of the first things they teach us is that relationships are difficult for people who have to protect the universe. I guess . . .” I hung my head for a moment. I hated that my teachers were right. “I love you, Jake. Nothing you can say, no matter how far apart I stay from you, nothing is going to change that.”
It took a great deal of effort to shift my bandages so I could move my arm just enough to touch my tattoos and disappear into the night.
Five minutes after my feet touched down at my home in Madrid, my sisters stood around me staring out into the ocean. The villa had a two-story portico that provided fabulous views, but I wasn’t interested. I felt numb.
The combination of fighting with Jake and teleporting when I was nowhere close to being healed made me feel like I was about to pass out. A sob escaped me, and I turned for a giant group hug. “Don’t touch my arm,” I cried against Mira’s shoulder.
“Gilly heard you guys arguing, and she called us,” Mira led me to a corner of the sectional sofa. “You’d better sit down; that was some serious crap you went through last night.”
“I’d call him scum for yelling at a girl when she’s down,” Gilly said, “but he’s not.”
“I know.” Another hiccup of a sob sounded like a rabid squirrel just before a truck hit it on the highway. Don’t ask me how I know that. “Well, that was weird.” I tried to laugh, but it was another weird croak.
Claire gave me a sad smile. “He’s scared. You know Jake. He wouldn’t hurt anyone, he’s—he’s just been through so much. Gilly told me what happened to his wife. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. And you have to admit your almost dying three times in a week would be a bit much for anyone to take. Hell, we’re your sisters, and it’s tough on us.”
I sagged into the seat. “I know. That’s why it sucks more. I can’t even be mad at him. It’s not his fault I’m a Guardian.”
“No, but it’s not yours either. It’s what you were born to do, and that is tough for people to understand,” Mira said. “He’s also a little man stupid. Guys can’t help it. I’m pretty sure it’s in their DNA.”
“Man stupid?” Gilly laughed. “What the hell does that mean?”
Mira leaned forward. “There are certain things that take guys a while to get over. One is the death of someone who they’ve gone all-in with their hearts. Another is that women really are their equals.”
“I wouldn’t call Jake sexist,” I interjected. “The guy is in no way a chauvinist.”
Mira smiled. “He is when it comes to you. All he can see right now is the pain he’s experienced time and again. Every time you come back almost dead, he’s having to relive what happened with his wife. It’s got to be like torture for him.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way.
“What he needs to realize is that you are obviously impossible to kill.” Gilly laughed when she said it.
Claire hit her arm. “Don’t jinx her.”
Gilly rolled her eyes. “You know what Arath and I’ve been through. If anyone’s sexist, it’s him. He’d keep me locked in a closet or chained to the bed if he could.”
“TMI!” Claire made a face and put her hands over her ears.
“As I was saying,” added Gilly, “he had to come to terms with the fact that if he’s going to love me, he has to live with the job. It’s what we do. We still argue about it all the time, but every day he gets a little more used to it.”
I pursed my lips. “You know, I keep going back to those early lessons. Damn, we couldn’t have been more than six or seven when they rammed the fact that relationships didn’t work for Guardians down our throats. Look at what happened to Aunt Juliet.” She’d fallen in love with a demon years ago, had her children stolen from her, and was forced to live apart from the man she loved.
“Yes,” said Gilly, “but you know what Arath and I’ve been through. He rules another world, and I live here. But love makes it work.”
“If you say love conquers all, I’m going to punch you,” I warned her. “With my good hand.”
She laughed. “Nah. I’m not an idiot. Besides, you hit hard. But I do think love is a good start to finding a way to be together.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I’m meant to be loved. Not really.”
Mira snorted. “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”
“Don’t hold back.” I wrapped my good arm around my knees. I meant what I said. Love was messy, and I just wasn’t cut out for it.
“Everyone deserves love, and you are no exception,” Mira continued. “Look around you. I’m not talking about us.” She pointed to my sisters. “We are a given. But everyone who works for you loves and adores you. There are friends of yours around the world and in the universe who would do anything for you.”
I sneezed, and Claire handed me a tissue. “My God, Al, think of all the people you’ve pulled out of the gutter and given a second chance. Those guys would take a bullet for you any day of the week.”
“And how many women can say that Death has a thing for them?” Mira added. “Graves definitely has a soft spot for you.” I’d never thought of it that way. I wondered if, when I did die, it would be Graves who took me to wherever the hell it was I was supposed to go. I hadn’t seen him yet, so I guessed that was a good sign. But if he had a thing for anyone, it was my dear redheaded sister.
I laughed. “Well, there is that.”
I sat up. “It just hurts, you guys. I love Jake so much, and I know he loves me. It feels like it’s just right there, and it’s falling like sand through my fingers. I can’t hold on to it. It makes me think that maybe the universe is telling me it’s not the right time. Or maybe that love just isn’t in the stars for me.”
Gilly sighed. “You are allowed to be sad and to whine as much as you want, but don’t use the universe as an excuse, Al. We’re fighting an evil like no one has ever seen before, and we have to fight for the good things in our lives. You’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. We told you, Jake needs time, but he’ll come around. We’ve all seen how much he loves you. That’s something he can’t shove up on a shelf, no matter how man stupid he is.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I want to believe you’re right.”
She put a hand on my knee and squeezed. “I am. Now do you have the makings for a Bellini in there?” She pointed toward the bar. “I could really use one.”
CHAPTER 28
“Damn dragons are wearing me out.” I pulled my hair into a loose chignon and then realized I’d have to redo the hair once I put on my dress. The glistening red gown was so tight that the only way to get into it was to shimmy. “I don’t have a brain tonight.”
“Alex, take a breath. We have a whole three minutes to get there.” My sister Gillian’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. “Lucky for us, we have these.” She pointed to her tattoos.
“Where is the limo picking us up?” I pulled the dress over my head, thankful for the tight but long sleeves that covered the new scar on my shoulder. The puckered wound would eventually heal and leave a smaller scar. Dr. Posten was pretty much a genius when it came to plastic surgery, but there was no way it would look decent in time to hit the red carpet tonight.
“We don’t have to worry about the limo. We’re going to teleport to the penthouse at the Renaissance and just walk over. Claire wants us to go green, which means giving up the big, gas-hogging cars for premieres.”
“And remind me why we’re doing this again?” I turned so she could do up the zipper in the back.
Gilly gave me a hard look. “It’s your fault. You set her up with that actor. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been roped into viewing this brain-dead action film. I hope that we at least get some decent cocktails and some popcorn.”
“Hey, you never know. It might be good. Besides, we haven’t spent any time together the past few days.”
She touched my good shoulder. “I know. My demons have been keeping me busy.”
I laughed. “More like their king.”
“Him, too.” She didn’t bother to deny it. “All set?”
After another quick look, I decided to keep my hair down. With the shaggy ends and new blonde color and the dark red mini, I looked very rocker chick chic.
“This way.” The photogs yelled as Gilly and I strolled arm in arm down the red carpet. We stopped, put our right feet a bit forward, and did the slight torso twist. This is a trick we learned early on when the tabloids first found us so fascinating. I’m not vain, but after a couple of horrible pics where I didn’t do that slimming pose, even I was depressed.
Gilly was dressed in a beautiful azure minidress that was beyond amazing with her skin color. It crisscrossed up the back and hugged her figure.
One of our reporter friends from Texas, Kristen Crane, was in the line doing interviews, and she waved us over. “Oh, my God, you two look fabulous.”
I smiled. Of all the reporters who had interviewed us through the years, she was my favorite. She knew how to tell a good story without being salacious, and she’d been more than kind to my family through the years.
“Can you give me a minute on camera?”
Gilly and I looked at each other and shrugged. “Sure,” we said together.
Kristen motioned to the cameraman, and he moved a little closer. “Now, I know you are closed-mouthed when it comes to who is dating who, but we just watched your sister Claire walk the red carpet with Colin, the star of the film. So are they an item?”
I gave a slight laugh and waved my hand. “You guys crack me up. Honestly, they both like to surf, and they just met. They’re friends. That’s it.” I winked at her. “But I guess you could say this is their first official date.” That made it seem like I was giving insider information without actually revealing anything. People loved it when they thought they were getting a real scoop.
“Oh, I know our viewers will appreciate that. Now to you.” She motioned toward Gillian. “We’ve seen Gillian running around to various events with a tall, dark mystery man that she refuses to talk about. But how about you, Alex? Any special man in your life?”
Holy crap. If she only knew. I pretended like I was thinking hard. “No. Why? Do you know of someone? I mean, how lame is it that I had to bring my sister as my date tonight?” I laughed.
Gilly tsked. “My poor baby sister can’t get a date. I know the world mourns for her. It’s cuz she’s so ugly.” She hammed it up for the camera. “Sad, so sad that she looks like this.”
I playfully slapped at her arm. “Thanks a lot.”
“Just trying to help you get a date.” She gave the camera her sweetest smile, and I couldn’t keep from laughing.
Kristen turned her attention back to Gilly. “And I understand you’re chairing the national Arts in Schools event. Can you tell us who you have lined up for the party?”
My lovely sister totally took the heat off of me, and a few seconds later we were down the red carpet and into the theater. It took us a minute, but we finally found Claire, who was giggling at Mr. Surfer Dude star.
“Have you ever seen her giggle?” I whispered to Gilly.
She snorted. “I so didn’t think he was her type.”
“Maybe he’s smarter than he looks.” I seriously doubted it. I knew it was wrong to stereotype, but the guy was too pretty to have a brain.
“Well, she’s having fun, so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.” She frowned. “Darn, they’re letting people inside.”
I laughed. “I’ve never seen anyone so depressed about going to a movie.”
Gilly sighed. “It’s Arath. He’s hooked on B movies. Hell, D movies. He loves the old-school Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme crap. It’s his way of sharing my world with me. I haven’t had the heart to tell him that the movies make me physically ill. The fight scenes alone are so fake it’s enough to make me crazy.”
I hugged her shoulders. “The things you do for love.” I grabbed a couple of vodka martinis from one of the trays carried by a waiter. “Chug these real quick. It’ll make everything more fun.” I couldn’t resist and chugged a couple down myself.
There was a reason martinis were supposed to be sipped. A half-hour into the movie, I had a huge buzz, and I could tell Gilly felt the same way. We both kept giggling at inappropriate moments. We must have been kind of loud, because Claire turned in her seat to give us a death stare.
When the film—which wasn’t as horrible as we feared— ended, we moved to the reception area, where photogs were shooting so many pictures of Claire and her man that the light was blinding.
What I saw, that I doubted few others did, was that she seemed happy. For the first time in a long time. She really did like this guy. She told me they had been chatting on the phone since that day he called me to get her number. They’d really had a chance to learn about each other, without all the weird awkward date stuff. By the time they finally hooked up tonight, they had obviously hit it off in a big way.
Good for her. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I rubbed it away with my hand. My emotions were all over the place, and just when I thought I had them under control, boom, the waterfalls would open.
Gilly turned and saw me wipe away the tear. “What’s wrong?”
I shrugged, unable to speak over the lump in my throat. “Sudden migraine.”
She knew I was lying, but she didn’t say anything. “Let’s get you back to the hotel. Give me a minute to let Claire know where we’ve gone.”
Once the cameras stopped, she whispered something in Claire’s ear.
My youngest sister gave me a worried look, and I knew she wanted to come with us. I shook my head and mouthed, “I’ll be fine. I promise.” I pointed to my head.
She frowned, then blew me a kiss.
We went the back way out of the theater and straight into our room at the hotel. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know. I just . . . don’t want to be here.” I turned so she could unzip me, then I pulled the dress over my head. “When am I going to get over him?”
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Maybe you aren’t supposed to, Al.”
I gave her an evil stare.
“I know, but you love him, and he obviously loves you. He’s been a giant, grumpy lump since you took off.”
“Well, he’s the one who doesn’t want to be with me, remember?”
“You’ve both had some time to cool off. Maybe he’s changed his mind. You won’t know unless you try to talk to him.”
I snorted. “He has a phone, Gilly. If he wanted to talk to me, he has me on speed dial. Did you know he makes Gerald call me every time there’s a dragon infestation?”
“Yes, which tells me that he’s not having any easier of a time trying to get over you than you are him. Be a big girl and go talk to him.”
I shook my head. “No. I told you, there’s more to the story.”
“I know: the dead wife.”
“Don’t be disrespectful,” I said as I pulled my T-shirt over my head.
She held up her hands as if in surrender. “Just stating the facts, ma’am.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “We both need time. Apart. I can be friends with him. It’s just going to take a while. And he’s right; he deserves someone who doesn’t have to fight dragons on a daily basis.”
Gilly laughed. “You justify it all you want, but the heart doesn’t just get over things. He’s not going to stop loving you just because it isn’t convenient.”
“I’m done, Gilly. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Okay?”
“So where are you going to run to now?” She pulled her knees to her chest.
“Madrid. I want to check on Lourdes. The company jet is going to fly her to Florida tomorrow. I also promised Aspen I’d spend some time at the castle. The wedding is so soon, and there’s still a lot to do.”
Gilly stood and took my hand. “You can keep running, but it isn’t going to help.”
“I’m not running,” I promised her. “I’m doing my best to move on with life. I’m doing what I have to in order to make it through each day. And honestly, it’s not easy for me. I want to give up and curl into a little ball and hide in my bed all day. But I don’t. So please, please, just give it a rest.”
She leaned across and kissed my cheek. “You know, it’s morning in Hong Kong, and I hear there are two new designers with fab boots. We could grab a pair before anyone ever even hears about them.” She squeezed my hand.
“Are you trying to fill my emotional void with a pair of boots?”
She nodded.
I sighed. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 29
ONE WEEK LATER
“Alex, are you in there? Is everything okay?” Aspen banged on the bathroom door. The bathroom where I’d just landed after dealing with a couple of stupid dragons. The beasts had tried to break into a church in Holland where some priceless artwork was displayed.
One of them had scratched my face, and I had desperately tried to cover my chin with concealer.
“What?” I opened the door. “Sorry, did you need me?”
She gave me a curious look. “The photographer is here, and he’s ready to begin. I need your help getting into my dress. What happened to your face?” Her hair was piled on top of her head and adorned with a beautiful tiara. The makeup artist had improved on the perfection that is Aspen, and she looked like the perfect dewy bride.
I shrugged. “You know me. Total klutz. I opened a cabinet door and wasn’t paying attention. Chucked me in the chin.” I gave her my most distracting smile. “Oh my God, woman, you look gorgeous.”
She smiled sweetly. “I feel like a princess.” Even though she was in Juicy Couture sweats, she twirled as if she were in a ball gown. “I can’t wait to do this.”
“What were you saying about the photog?”
“He’s ready. Can you come help me get into my dress?”
“You bet.” I pointed to the closet door where my dress hung. For a bridesmaid dress, it wasn’t bad. A Dolce & Gab bana gown in a coppery color, which looked even better with the new tan the bride insisted I get. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll meet you in your rooms.”
Aspen had kicked Huff and his family out of their home yesterday, and she’d taken over the castle. Some things never changed. But I had to say: the man was obviously good for her. She was such a different person from even a few weeks ago. During the festivities leading up to today, her main goal had been to make certain that everyone had fun. And we did. There had been picnics, cricket matches, and a formal ball. It had been a hectic, tiring, and lovely week.
My cell phone buzzed, and I answered it on the first ring.
“Yes?” I stepped out of the suite of rooms into the hall. The earl, Huff’s pop, ran toward me with a worried look in his eyes.
He pointed to the phone. “That’s me; you can hang up.”
“What’s wrong?” I took his arm and led him away from where Aspen’s rooms were.
Leaning against the wall, he tried to catch his breath. Portly would be the easiest way to describe him. He looked kind of like a basketball with a goatee. “I can’t get the boy out of the car.”
“What boy?” My first thought was the tiny ring bearer, who was two and quite a handful.
“My son.” He mopped his brow with a hanky.
“Huff?”
“Yes. He says he can’t get married today. But he must. The family name. Her father will destroy us.”
Family name be damned, I wasn’t going to listen to Aspen’s shrill scream should she discover the groom wanted to bail.
“Take me to him.” I lifted up my skirts to follow him out to the car. Sure enough, the groom sat in the back of a Rolls-Royce, about as white as a human being could be and still be counted as alive.
“Huff, you have to get out of the limo. It’s time to get married.” The man didn’t even acknowledge my presence. “It’s just cold feet. Everyone gets it. I’ve done a million of these things, and it’s scary right up until the time you say ‘I do.’ But then we have a big party, and it will be fun. Come on.” I reached a hand through the door. “Please.”
He stared straight ahead, not even blinking. My Guardian senses kicked in, and I checked him to make sure something magical hadn’t been done to him. Nothing.
“How long has he been like this?”
His father shrugged. “He was fine until we pulled up in front of the house. I’ve been trying to get him out of the car for twenty minutes.” I looked down at my wrist at the diamond watch the generous Aspen had given all her attendants.
“We only have ten minutes.” I tugged on Huff’s sleeve. “Come on.”
“Is there a problem?” a familiar deep voice asked.
Jake bent down and peered into the open door.
I don’t think it hit the floor, but my jaw definitely dropped. “What the hell are you doing here?” Looking so damn good in that tux. God, could the day get any worse?
He gave me a strange look. “I was invited.” His face creased with worry as he stared me up and down. “What’s wrong?” In an instant he was beside me, looking me over, paying close attention to my chin. “Are you hurt?”
I didn’t smile, but I really wanted to. He still cared about me.
“Not me.” I pointed to the seat across from me. “Huffy won’t move.”
Jake took it all in and grinned. “Huh.”
“Huh? We have ten minutes until the ceremony begins.” I shoved at him. “Convince him to get out of the car. I don’t care what it takes. If you have to, knock him out and put him over your shoulder. I’ll hold up an unconscious groom before I tell Aspen he’s bailed.”
Jake shook his head. “He doesn’t look like he wants to move.”
“Try!” I yelled.
He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Don’t freak out on me.”
Leaning forward, he touched Huff’s shoulder.
“I’m thinking you pulled up in front of the castle and it hit you, that this is the real deal.” Jake leaned forward and crossed his arms over his knees. “I honestly can’t think of anything scarier.”
“You are so not helping,” I chided. “Be positive.”
“Give it a rest, Al. I know what I’m doing.” Part of me was mad that he spoke to me that way. The other part realized he’d just called me Al. And he was here. So close I could touch him. It had been so long, and I still wanted him just as much as I had the day I left.
“But here’s what I know,” Jake went on. “I saw you two together a few weeks ago. You love her, and she’s so into you it’s not even funny. I saw the way she watched you that afternoon I first met you guys. That woman is so hot for you she burns. It’s hard to find that sort of thing, and when you do, you’d best hold tight.”
Huff’s eyes seemed to focus, and he looked Jake in the eyes.
Thank you, Jesus.
“I love her,” Huff whispered. “She drives me freakin’ insane, but God, I love her more than anything.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Jake shrugged.
“In my head, marriage is forever.” He looked out at his dad. “Mum and Dad were married forty-five years before she died. That’s a long time.”
Jake blew out a breath. “Yep, it is.”
“Aspy’s been married three times, and she’s only twenty-four.” He looked at his hands. “I’m not sure I’m the right guy for her. If she leaves me—”
“Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?” Jake cocked his head. “What if you are the guy? You just told me she’s the girl for you, and I have a feeling you can keep her in line. That’s what she needs, someone who can handle her craziness and at the same time be the rock for both of you. Trust me”—Jake looked up at me—“I know all about that.”
Huff followed his line of sight and laughed when he saw who Jake was talking about.
“Hey.” I punched Jake in the arm when I realized what he’d meant.
“Marriage is a gamble. You’ve heard it all before. But when it works, it’s a beautiful thing. I do know that if you don’t walk into that castle and marry that woman, you’ll regret it.”
She’ll also kill you. I didn’t think it would help him to remember that.
“What’s going on?” Aspen’s high-pitched tone made everyone’s spine stiffen.
“Aspen, it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” I jumped up and blocked her view into the car and Huff’s pop tried to do the same thing.
She peeked around us and then moved forward.
Picking up her skirt with one hand, she stepped off the curb and shoved me out of the way.
“Huff. Get out of the car.” The words were said in a whisper, but that didn’t make them any less intense.
He stared up at her. “I love you,” he said, his face blank.
She smiled at him and all the daisies in the world opened up in that moment. “I know. I love you, too. That’s why you have to get out of the damn car and marry me.” She reached her hand in, and he took it. “I refuse to live the rest of my life without you.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. “I’m sorry, baby.”
She tugged his hand toward the church. “It’s okay. You can make it up to me on the honeymoon.” Her look said it all, and suddenly Huff’s steps picked up.
“Oh, yeah.” He gave a wicked smile.
Turning, she kissed his cheek. “Oh, yeah.”
“Ah, love,” Jake whispered behind me.
I turned on him. “Scariest thing ever?” I gave him my best evil stare.
It wasn’t very effective. He grinned. “I was defusing a possible hostile situation and am not responsible for words said in the heat of battle.”
“Did you mean what you said to him?”
“Every word of it.” His right eyebrow rose.
“Then why can’t you take your own advice? Why can’t you take that same chance with me, that you told Huff to take with Aspen?” Stupid tears welled up in my eyes.
Why did he have to show up right now? If my mascara trekked down my cheeks, Aspen would kill me.
“I am taking that chance, Alex. I love you. Why else would I fly eight hours to a wedding for people I barely know?”
It took a moment for his words to register. “What?”
He gave me a questioning look.
“Say it again,” I whispered.
“I love you, and I want to be with you. Is that clear enough?”
I punched his arm.
“Ouch. What’s that for?”
“What the hell took you so long?”
He pulled me to him. “I had a few dragons of my own to slay, but I’m here. And I want you, Alexandra Caruthers. I want you right now more than anything else in the world. I can’t promise that your job won’t be an issue with us, but we’ll work it out. We have to, because I can’t live without you.”
Then he kissed me. His mouth was soft and teasing at first, and then he took over. My knees melted, and so did my heart. If he hadn’t been holding on to me, I probably would have passed out.
“Hey!” Aspen’s voice made me jump. She and Huff stood on the top of the steps. “You two can get a room later, on your own time. This is my wedding, and I’m ready to get married.”
Jake laughed out loud and took my hand.
“We are so getting that room later,” I whispered.
“Oh, yeah.” Jake squeezed my hand, and I entered the castle, my heart so full of love I thought it might burst right there on the spot.
Six hours later, the party was still going strong. The wedding had been everything Aspen could have wished for. She was blissfully dancing cheek to cheek with Huff. They’d been wrapped up in each other the entire day.
Jake had his arms wrapped so tight around me that I thought he might really keep his promise about never letting me go.
“How much longer until we can sneak away?” he whispered into my hair.
I smiled against his chest. “We could go upstairs now.” I raised my head so I could look at him. The hunger in his eyes made my body burn.
“I was thinking maybe somewhere a little farther away. Maybe a certain ranch in Texas.”
I pulled back a little. “I can’t just leave. Aspen will have a fit.”
“I doubt it.” He nodded toward the happy couple. “My guess is she won’t even know you’ve gone.”
I watched them for a minute. He had a point.
Taking me by the hand, he led me to an empty closet on the bottom floor.
I laughed. “How did you know this was here?”
He winked. “Security, ma’am. It’s my job to know. Okay, do your thing,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me.
I touched the tattoos together and whisked the man I loved off to Texas, where I planned on showing him just how much I wanted him.
Candace Havens is a veteran entertainment journalist who spends way too much time interviewing celebrities. In addition to her weekly column seen in newspapers throughout the country, she is the entertainment critic for 96.3 KSCS in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She is the author of
The Demon King and I,
Like a Charm,
Charmed & Dangerous,
Charmed & Ready,
Charmed & Deadly, and the nonfiction biography
Joss Whedon: Behind the Genius of Buffy, as well as several published essays. Visit Candace at
www.candacehavens.com.
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PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley trade paperback edition / July 2009
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Havens, Candace, (date)
Dragons prefer blondes / Candace Havens.—Berkley trade pbk. ed.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978-1-101-08002-3
1. Chick lit. I. Title.
PS3608.A878D73 2009
813’.6—dc22 2008055691
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