by Iris Abbott
Understanding dawned, and she smiled at him. “Of course, she would prefer felines.” She tilted her head to the side and frowned. “But guardians aren’t lions,” she said in an uncertain tone.
“No. Our creator chose the already revered and very useful domestic cat as the model for her new species of protectors, giving us the ability to blend in almost anywhere. As a final touch to her ultimate creation, she sought the blessings of the other gods and goddesses who pitched in their mystical powers to aid in our conception.”
“And guardians were the result. I’m glad she chose the cat,” Kara said. “I’ve always felt an affinity for them, such good hunters.”
Kara ran her fingers through his overlong, silky hair, loving the feel of it. Her gaze took in his magnificent cat-shaped eyes and slid down the rest of his heavily muscled, yet graceful body. “Are you one of the original guardians?”
“No, the only original still walking the earth is Lucian.”
Kara shivered at the mention of the intimidating paranormal being. She wasn’t scared of much, but he gave her chills. Now she knew why. He was the original creation of an ancient and powerful goddess. One who’d had centuries to hone his deadly skills.
“My father was one of the original twenty. He was an exalted warrior who helped keep this world safe from untold horrors before he met his final demise. Lucian fought by his side for decades, and he avenged my father’s death. The head guardian is like an uncle to me.”
Kara knew she wouldn’t be calling Lucian uncle any time soon. However, no matter how scary he seemed, she still admired his morals and skills. The immense respect she already felt for the head guardian expanded.
“I’ve seen you in action. You obviously have the heightened senses, athletic prowess, slyness, and grace of a feline. And you’re a lethal predator who stealthily stalks its prey. The word immortal’s been tossed around several times. Just how invincible are you and the other guardians?”
He fingered the claiming bite on the side of her neck. “We were blessed with nine lives, literally. As long as our body isn’t burned to ashes or our head completely severed from our body, we can recover from anything else.”
“Well, luckily for guardians, that Egyptian goddess knew what she was doing. Nine lives come in handy when you’re battling paranormal creatures consumed by evil, greed, or bloodlust.” She arched her brows. “I always wondered why it’s said that cats have nine lives. Now I know.”
“Someone with loose lips and a death wish,” Alexander said with a snarl. “Paranormal beings never reveal their secrets even upon threat of death. They are closely guarded and cherished facts only to be revealed to a true mate or child.”
She sucked in her bottom lip and arched her brows. “But Lucian verified the existence of vampires, shifters, and guardians to my sisters and me.”
He brushed his lips across hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He hugged her tight and pulled away. Wanting to hear his detailed explanation, she resisted the urge to kiss him again.
He shrugged. “Lucian did the only thing he could under the circumstances. Technically, he didn’t really tell you anything you didn’t already know. Being born into a family of hunters, you and your sisters already knew vampires are real.”
So true. A demented rogue killed their parents in front of them. At the reminder, all the heat seemed to drain from her body, and her chest tightened. There was no denying the existence of true evil after that heinous and life-altering event.
The world started to spin. Kara gripped Alexander’s shoulders, searching for an anchor. She gulped in large breaths of air and tried to center herself. The strength of his arms and the warmth of his embrace calmed her pounding heart and trembling body.
He lifted her chin. “What just happened?” He stared at her with eyes full of love, tenderness, and warmth. His heat enveloped her and chased out the coldness that made her stiff and uncomfortable.
“Thought of my parents and the ghastly way they died.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You know, that’s where my devil may care attitude and brashness came from. For the longest time after they died, I just didn’t care and had nothing to lose.”
“Your life,” Alexander said in a strangled whisper that she barely understood. He grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her. “Never again, kitten! There will be no more death wishes for you.” His heart pounded in his chest loud enough for her to hear it.
She sighed and gave his chest a reassuring pat. “That was then. I outgrew that notion years ago, but by then I was addicted to the adrenaline and craved the danger. I hunt the bad guys because it’s in my blood not because I’m looking for a way to die,” she promised.
He shuddered and tightened his embrace. “I’ve waited centuries for you,” he said in a hoarse voice.
She rubbed his cheek. “You don’t age. You still look thirty. Sometimes, I forget how long you’ve walked this earth.”
“And all of those years were without my soulmate.” His voice and words were as barren as a desert. They made her heart ache.
He didn’t have to spell out how lonely a guardian’s life could be without a mate. Hunters were solitary creatures too. She didn’t have any friends, just her sisters. Without them, she would have been all alone.
She hugged him as hard as she could, knowing she didn’t have to worry about hurting him. Her strength while greater than the average human was nothing compared to his. “You’ve got me forever.”
Alexander brushed his lips across the bite mark he’d deepened during their lovemaking. “Forever is possible,” he agreed. “With the magic and healing powers of my bite.”
She absently rubbed her arms. “Immortality is almost impossible for me to fathom. Especially after years of dodging death.”
He framed her face with his large hands and tilted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. “It’s not exactly immortality,” he grimly stated. “A hunter who’s killed more than one rogue paranormal being should be well aware of that.”
“I won’t get careless,” she promised.
He captured her gaze and refused to relinquish it. “See that you don’t! Your bodies aging process may be suspended, and barring any catastrophic injuries, you will live as long as I do if the mating bite is repeated every month, but you can die.”
She lowered her forehead to his. “I know, I know. If I’m decapitated, severely burned, or my heart destroyed I’m a goner. Just need to make sure that doesn’t happen. I fought evil for years without even that advantage, and I managed to survive.”
Kara laced her fingers with his. “I can’t give up hunting. It’s what I do,” she stressed. “A guardian of all beings should understand that.”
His grip tightened on her fingers. “About that.” He paused.
Kara’s phone rang. She was going to ignore it, but a fraction of a second later Alexander’s phone rang as well. Their gazes met. His normally bold stare clouded with worry. She was sure hers matched.
EIGHT
The sports car zipped through the night at speeds only someone with sharpened cat-like senses could control. Alexander had no problem driving with one hand, his left. His right was currently being used as a pin cushion by Kara’s nails. Her grip could rival his in strength.
He felt her shaking, heard her quiet sobs, and knew she was crying. Her pain shredded his heart. He wanted nothing more than to pull over onto the side of the road and take her into his arms, but he knew she wanted to get to her twin as soon as possible. He kept driving and tried to soothe her with words instead.
“Tara’s going to be fine.” It wasn’t an empty promise.
She sniffed. “Zoe said the same, but I won’t believe it until I see her.”
“Your twin’s been with Raphael for almost a year. It’s gonna take a lot more than an attempted mugging gone bad to end her life. Remember how gravely injured she was last Halloween?”
She let out a ragged sigh. “Yeah, how could
I forget?”
He glanced at her ashen face with its trembling lips and chin. “Well, Raphael didn’t let her die then, and she’s not dying now.”
He neared the Victorian house that was home to Raphael and Tara. He turned onto the long drive, buzzed in at the wrought iron security gate, and slowly made his way to the residence. Kara threw open the passenger side door as soon as he parked. He refused to let go of her hand, keeping her in the vehicle. “Wait!”
She struggled against him for a few seconds before giving in to his strength. “Take a few deep breaths. As a twin, Tara is probably sensitive to your moods.”
She squeezed his hand. “Yes.” She took several slow and deep breaths. After a couple of minutes, her heart rate and breathing evened out, and some of the color returned to her face. “I’m ready,” she said, giving him a wobbly smile that tugged at his heart.
He let go of her hand and caressed her cheek. “Let’s go find out what happened. Raphael wouldn’t say much over the phone, but my gut tells me something’s up. He wouldn’t call me about an attempted mugging on your sister unless they couldn’t get in touch with you, and that wasn’t the case.”
“I have a bad feeling the attack was my fault, the cult leader.” She shuddered.
Yeah, his woman was smart and had good instincts. Alexander was thinking the same thing. He palmed her face and brushed his lips across hers. He’d kiss away all her doubt and fear if he could, but he knew it wasn’t possible. “Whatever happened to your sister, it’s not your fault.”
She rested her forehead against his. “I know.” She breathed deep one more time and moved away from him. Alexander reluctantly let her go.
They exited the car and briskly walked to the front door. She outpaced him by sheer will and pushed open the door ahead of him. His heart leaped into his chest, though, rationally he knew she was safe. The house and grounds were protected by top-notch security, and Alexander didn’t sense any danger or evil lurking in the shadows.
Raphael was at the entrance by the time Alexander entered the house, closing the heavy door behind him. The two men nodded at each other. “Kara shot past me. She’s in the living room with her sisters.”
“There was never a doubt,” he said with a shake of his head. “What happened?” he hissed. Something nagged at him, but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
He glanced at his long-time friend. The vampire’s eyes glowed red with rage. Alexander didn’t blame him. He’d felt the same way when he saw the cult members surround an outnumbered Kara in that back alley.
“Drew got called out for a local job with Gannon Security. Zoe was hanging with us, and the ladies were doing last minute shopping at the festival. I had my eyes on them but from a distance.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Giving them some girl time.”
Alexander nodded his understanding. Her sisters were almost as independent as Kara.
“The back of my neck started to tingle, and I was on full alert, but it was too late. The hooded man crept from behind the booth, pushed Zoe out of the way and over a table, took out a knife, and slashed the blade across Tara’s chest before I could even take a step toward her.”
Alexander’s mouth dropped open. “And the SOB’s still alive?” he asked in a hard voice that was tinged with disbelief.
“No one else in our circle was near enough to give chase. Zoe was picking herself up, and I had to attend to Tara, do damage control. Her attacker disappeared into the large crowd headed for the parking lot. Halloween is tomorrow. Anybody seeing him would assume he was dressed in some kind of costume and not think twice about it.”
Alexander knew what damage control meant. Raphael had to get Tara away from people so he could heal her. It would never do for any paranormal being or mate to end up in a hospital. The miraculous healing would be impossible to explain. Any blood work might pick up on the abnormalities in their blood, a disaster in the making.
The vampire paced back and forth in the foyer. “It had to be the cult leader who is chasing Kara. Both of you said they wore black hooded robes. It fits.”
“He mistook Tara for my mate,” Alexander hissed out. The magic inside him answered the call of the simmering anger. It rose to the surface, and energy poured out of him. The lights flickered.
“Shit! Get control,” Raphael insisted. “Save your power and magic for the fight to come.”
Kara slipped into the room. She wrapped an arm around his waist and rubbed his back with both of her hands. He immediately calmed, and the flow of electricity evened out.
She stepped away from him. “My sisters told me what the attacker was wearing. It’s him! I know it is! How did he get to Enigma so fast?” She frowned.
“We’re all wondering the same thing,” Raphael said. “The commercial was filmed this morning. It hasn’t had time to air yet.”
The nagging feeling bothering him burst to the forefront of Alexander’s mind, and some of the missing pieces finally fell into place. His skin tightened, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. “Son of a bitch!” He yelled the expletive through pinched lips and slapped his thigh with an open palm.
“He’s psychic! Should have figured it out sooner,” he said in disgust. “One of his followers mentioned something about the cult leader seeing and hearing everything. Another blamed it on spies, but my gut’s telling me no. He knows things he shouldn’t because of his enhanced mental abilities.”
Kara’s sisters joined them in the foyer. He watched their mouths pop open. The three women gave each other disbelieving looks.
His mate rapidly blinked and turned an unfocused gaze on him. She folded her arms over her stomach. “I joked about him being psychic. I had no idea…” her voice trailed off.
Zoe held up a hand. “Wait a sec! I thought I knew everything there was to know about paranormal beings.” She narrowed her eyes. “Nobody mentioned anything about psychic powers.”
Alexander rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s rare, but true psychics do exist. Sometimes a male child born to a witch and human has supernatural mental abilities instead of a witch’s power to call forth the magic of the universe.”
Kara clutched Alexander’s arm. “And you think this so-called messiah is one?”
“Makes sense,” Raphael agreed.
Tara leaned against her mate’s side. “So, he used his mental powers to track Kara to Enigma, saw me, and attacked?”
“Most people usually confuse the two of you,” Zoe reminded them.
Alexander didn’t, and he was pretty sure Raphael never had either, but he didn’t say anything.
Kara’s nostrils flared. She lifted her chin high and bared her teeth. “He’s not getting away with hurting my sister!”
She looked and sounded like a spitting mad cat. Alexander could not have been prouder of her.
Murmurs of agreement echoed around the hallway.
“Drew’s on his way,” Zoe spoke up. “And he’s bringing his cousins.”
Alexander caught Raphael’s gaze. The other man’s stare was as hard and cold as Alexander’s. “The bastard’s going down!” He emphasized his point by smacking his open palm with a tightly clenched fist.
“One way or the other, by your hand or mine,” Raphael agreed.
“Or mine!” Kara insisted.
He felt her body tremble. His kitten was a brave hunter. Seeing her so upset was like taking a vicious punch to the gut. The man stalking her would die and soon.
Kara fiddled with the charm bracelet she bought at the festival. “Do you think he knows about other paranormal beings?” She wondered aloud.
Alexander gave her a reassuring hug. “Hard to say, probably not, but he did see the two of us take down five of his followers. I killed with my bare hands. If he knows of our existence, he may have some inkling as to who and what I am.”
“Then he’s an idiot for following Kara to Enigma,” Zoe said with a snort.
“More than likely his mother kept her powers a secret from her human lover, most wit
ches do,” Raphael informed them. “He may assume, as most other psychics do, that his mental capacity is due to a fluke of nature.”
“Let’s hope so,” Zoe spoke up. “Underestimating us will make him a lot easier to kill.”
“Amen, sister!” Tara said. She held up a hand and gave her older sister a high five.
Kara joined in, doing the same. A big smile lit up her face. It also lightened the heavy weight pushing down on Alexander’s shoulders.
“Let’s have a seat in the formal living room and wait for everyone else,” Tara invited. “It’s a much more comfortable place to strategize.”
They followed her out of the foyer. Alexander pulled Kara to his side, keeping them back from the others. “Our earlier conversation’s not done. You and me, we’re gonna have a talk about the future real soon.”
“Agreed, but let’s concentrate on taking out the trash first,” she suggested.
He wasn’t going to argue because he needed her safe, and for now, that meant getting rid of the murderous cult leader. The talk was too important to have while a cloud of worry and uncertainty hung over his mate’s head.
“And I was so looking forward to an uninterrupted Halloween party this year.”
He brushed his lips across hers. “If luck is on our side, he’ll be history in plenty of time for you to make it to the party tomorrow night.” He certainly hoped so anyway.
She hugged him and leaned her head against his chest. “I need to stay with Tara tonight,” she whispered.
Alexander expected as much, but he still tensed.
Kara lifted her head until their gazes met. “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you because I do.” She twisted her hands together and glanced down at the floor. “She could have died today because someone targeted me.”
He lifted her chin and made her look at him again. “Not your fault,” he insisted. “You know that.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, but I still need to stay here tonight.”
“No problem. I’ll work a roving patrol with a few other council members. The sooner this nightmare ends, the better.” Now that their souls had come together, he was ready to merge their lives. There was one obstacle keeping that from happening, and it would be eliminated, soon.
