As Blaéz and Týr headed for the kitchen, Aethan made his way upstairs to his third-floor quarters. He mentally unlocked the door and entered his suite.
A low rumble reached him as he crossed to the bed on the far side. Echo’s cat raised his head from where he’d once again claimed his spot on her pillow above her head. His furry, soot-dark tail stroked the arm she rested beside her cheek. She was asleep and lying on her stomach. Her raven hair had grown past her shoulders. Silky black strands concealed parts of her face.
“It’s good you keep an eye on her,” he told Bob, who gave him a cool, amber-eyed stare before shutting his lids again. Since Aethan had no plans to go to bed, he let the cat be.
Echo had shoved the covers aside, and her nightshirt had ridden up in her sleep to reveal those tiny panties she favored. The sight of her honey-hued limbs and her tantalizing bottom covered by the scraps of white silk had his blood heating like a match to kindling.
Ignoring his straining cock, he pulled the covers over her again. Unable to help himself, he lowered to his haunches and swept the hair away from her face. Gently, he stroked her cheek, skimming his fingers along the shallow dimple on her chin.
It still left him breathless that she was his, a miracle he never expected to find living on this realm. While he hadn't been thrown into Tartarus for being responsible for a tragedy of indescribable proportions, but banished to this world after the death of his little sister, he’d been trapped in a hell of his own, until Echo.
She stirred as if sensing him. Her gorgeous mismatched eyes flickered open. One a fiery amber, and the other a cool, pearl-gray, now bleary with sleep. She met his gaze, smiled, and reached out a hand to stroke his jaw. “You’re back.” Her voice was huskier with sleep.
“Yeah.” He turned his head and kissed her palm. “I didn't mean to wake you.”
“It’s okay, I—”
“No, you need the rest.” Before she put that lush mouth on his and shattered his rigid control, he pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Go back to sleep. I have a meeting downstairs.”
Aethan left the bedroom and headed back to the main level. Moments later, he stepped into the small room on the ground floor that was the archangel’s study. An L-shaped bookshelf aligned the walls in one corner, and a huge mahogany desk sat adjacent to it. Two leather armchairs took up space near the small fireplace.
With just Týr, Blaéz, and their leader present, the place was crammed. Aethan stopped at the entrance to the room and rested a shoulder against the doorjamb.
Michael glanced at him. His eerie blue irises reminded Aethan of a cracked mirror. Silvery light seeped out from the fractures. Echo had once said it was as if Michael’s soul showed through. His mate could see auras, so no surprise that she’d made that call.
A frown marred Michael’s brow as he sat on the edge of his huge desk. “This situation can become a problem for us. I can't have one of those hell-bound demons causing chaos on this realm. Yes, I know you can take him out,” he told Aethan, “but who knows what other trouble he’s been stirring.”
“Then I guess our patrol just got interesting,” Týr said, slouching in his chair. “Everything’s been too damn quiet recently.”
Aethan’s cell rang. He pulled it out from his pocket. Damon. He straightened from the jamb. “I have to take this.”
Stepping through the open French doors and onto the small terrace, he answered his call. “Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about him,” Damon said. “Rahvert is a bloody rabble-rouser, causes trouble wherever he goes. He beat up his female, and she disappeared—”
“So he’s here searching for her?”
“That’s about it.”
“What does she look like?”
“Not really sure. Dark hair, blue eyes, that’s all I got.”
Aethan hoped wherever she was, she continued hiding. “Thanks.”
The male paused, remained connected. His voice quieted. “How is she?”
Aethan knew he wasn't asking about the demoness. More, he realized there was no way Damon would make contact with Echo again, despite the fact that she’d been his ward for over a decade. No matter how many times Aethan asked him to. “She’s improving. You know, if you’d see her, just for a minute, it would make her happy.”
A slight pause that seemed endless. “Take care of her.” Damon rang off.
Dammit. Aethan stared at his silent cell. He had no idea what the hell Damon’s issue was with not seeing Echo again. But there’d been a wealth of emotion in the male’s voice. Aethan wondered briefly if the male was in some kind of trouble.
Slipping his phone back in his pocket, Aethan walked into the study. At least he didn't have to worry about any dangerous demon on the hunt for him. This one should be easy to take out.
Chapter 2
She’d died once. Then beat death and rejoined the living.
No way would a little thing like distance defeat her. Echo took a breath, and with exhausted determination, plowed her face back into the water. Darn. The pool edge was still miles away, and her arm muscles burned like they were on fire. With every meter gained, her strength dipped. Teeth gritted, she propelled herself forward, slicing through the body of water to finish the last lap.
To keep her mind occupied, she counted. One, two, three—crap, how much longer? Then her fingertips brushed the rim.
Elation flooded her. She’d yell out her delight if she could, but her chest felt like it would explode from the exertion. Instead, she clung to the edge, puffing like a winded old woman, pulling more air into her hurting lungs. Heck, she’d finally completed her sixth lap. It had taken her weeks to get here.
Nearly two months ago, she’d awakened from a coma. She grimaced just thinking about that horrid time last fall after she’d been mortally wounded. Although Aethan’s deadly power of whitefire had brought her back to life, it had taken her several months of healing sleep to recover, leaving her as weak as a baby bird.
Hell, yeah. This was her own personal victory.
Too tired to climb out of the pool, she rested her chin on her arm, enjoying the afternoon sunlight pouring through the glass walls and sunroof and warming her skin. The castle’s gray stone walls backed one side of the pool area, but the rest of it was enclosed with glass—or rather sliding doors that were now open. The fresh green scent of forest with a hint of sea air drifted inside from the Atlantic.
She enjoyed this secluded spot of the castle. It was just the rolling acres of grass bordered by the woods on the east side, and dangerous cliffs on the north that overlooked the Atlantic. Sounds of water flowing into the pool from the waterfall on the far end added to the serene ambiance. It was mid-July. Summer. A perfect day with blue skies and puffy white clouds. The Guardians’ island estate certainly had a tranquility to it.
If only she felt that way.
Everyone treated her like she was suffering from an ailing disease. Okay, fine, getting shot and dying was horrible, but darn it, she was alive now. With a sigh, Echo raked her fingers through her wet, overgrown hair. It needed a cut, but she had too much to do—so much to understand about her new life after her... rebirth?
Yeah, that’s the word. After all, she’d been dead for several minutes. And had lived between worlds for more than five months while in a coma.
“Why do you push yourself?”
At that masculine, lightly accented voice, her head snapped around, her heart pounding like mad in her chest. The man who claimed her heart and who’d refused to let her die strode across the paved floor to her. Taller than most humans, he was gorgeous and tempting as sin.
Chiseled features and powerfully built, Aethan made her melt with just a look from those piercing gray eyes. Well-worn jeans hugged his muscular thighs, and a navy tee molded his tough body, one she was intimately acquainted with—heck, he could probably wear rags and he’d still look equally scrumptious. He’d secured his striking dark blue hair into a ponytail, revealing the small silver hoops he
wore in his earlobes.
No, he wasn’t human. He was her very own Empyrean angel.
“I have to regain my strength,” she said, swimming toward where he stood at the edge of the pool. A frown marred his handsome face. Maybe she was pushing it today, but the restlessness inside her grew, making her edgy. And it had everything to do with him.
“You had a gym session earlier,” he pointed out.
“I did take a break. There—” she waved to the lounger where she’d left her towel with a book tossed on top of it. “It grew too warm, so I decided to swim.”
At her bald-face lie, his eyes narrowed. She wouldn’t put it past him to scoop her up, take her to their quarters, and make her lie down. He was quite capable of that.
“Uh, Aethan, you’re becoming a regular mother hen.” No way would she admit that even though she’d decided to cool off in the pool after her training with Hedori, the plan had always been to work on her laps. “I'm fine, really.”
In response, he hunkered before her, the denim material straining over his thighs.
“You do realize being soul joined, I can feel your exhaustion,” he said softly. He braced his arm on his thigh, pulling her gaze to the mystical tattoo on his powerful biceps. Reaching out with his other hand, he ran the back of his knuckles along her cheek.
She wrinkled her nose at him. Much as she loved being linked so intrinsically to him, feeling his warm presence inside her chest, it was a pain in the backside at times. Like now.
“Come, join me,” she coaxed, grasping his wrist. Heck, she’d swim another six laps in this Olympic size pool, burning muscles or not, if he said yes. Just to have a little alone time with him and be in his arms again.
“Not today.”
At the shutdown, her mood dipped. She dropped her hand to the pool edge. “I’ve barely seen you in the last two days—you didn't come to bed this morning—are you avoiding me?”
He went silent then shook his head. “No, I'm not avoiding you, I want you more than my next breath but you are overdoing it. And that I won't have.”
She couldn’t stop the sarcastic bite from spilling free. “Of course.”
“Echo—” He tipped her chin up with his fingers when she would have looked away. “You’ve been through a helluva lot in the past few months. There’s a time and place for everything. Can’t you see? I want you to have as normal a life as possible. Heavens know, being the Healer, things will not get any easier.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “I realize that…I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
Right now what concerned her wasn’t her new job, but her mate, and the unintentional distance he was putting between them with his overprotectiveness.
Before she could tackle him about it, he uncurled her fingers from the pool rim and raised them to his lips, effectively derailing her thoughts as he ran his mouth over her skin. Her breath caught. His restrained need consumed her like a physical stroke over her body. Her other hand tightened on the pool edge as arousal flowed through her veins, warm and thick like molasses.
Desire flared, igniting his dark irises with molten specks of white, a deadly reminder of the lethal power of whitefire residing within him. An ability that could not only destroy hordes of demoniis in a matter of seconds, but flatten and destroy the city along with its inhabitants if fully unleashed.
“C'mon.” His grip tightened on her hand, the heat in his expression banking down and concern replacing it. “That’s enough physical activities for today.”
Darn it! She wanted him to yank her out of the pool and kiss her. But his normal was to shore his desire and wrap her in cotton wool!
Biting back her ire at his utter control, she grasped his warm, calloused fingers, hardened from years of wielding his sword, and allowed him to haul her out of the pool. The waterlogged top of her bathing suit slid lower, she hastily pulled it up—too late. His gaze dropped to the scar on her chest. His mouth tightened.
“Aethan, don’t. It’s over now.” She held on to the top of her swimsuit, trying to shield her left breast, the reason why she’d taken to wearing a tube-style suit. Not that it did a good job of covering the damn scar.
He didn't say anything. Crossing to the lounger, he picked up the towel lying there amongst her things and rejoined her. His gaze skimmed over her still too slender form, which the red, one-piece swimsuit revealed in all its ghastly detail.
Much to her annoyance, it was taking time to regain the weight she’d lost while in the coma. At least the gaunt look she’d initially sported had faded somewhat—yep, Hedori had probably cooked all her food in butter and cream to fatten her up.
She reached for the towel, but Aethan shook his head and wrapped it around her. “You should cancel your lessons this evening. You're pushing yourself too hard, too soon.”
“I know the perfect way to relax,” she said in a teasing tone, hoping to pull him out of his lingering guilt. Did he not realize he’d saved her? Had given her life again?
“Let me show you.” She grabbed Aethan by his tee, pulled him down and kissed him, nibbling and sucking on his lower lip. His hands on her hips stilled, then he drew her close. She melted against his hard body, his scent of warm male, sex, and rainstorms combined in a heady note to tantalize her senses. She slid her arms around his neck and leisurely ran her tongue over his lower lip before sucking on it again.
She may have started it, but just as fast, he took control, those gray irises blazing with white specks of desire. His tongue stroked hers, and he deepened the kiss. A slight tingle buzzed through her body. She gasped, kissing him harder, her need hiking. She always felt the hum of his power when he was aroused.
A low growl escaped him. As if he’d forgotten himself, his grip tightened around her, and his breathing turned rougher. With his body, he eased hers over his arm, bending her back—hips and limbs aligned together. His erection, a hard, tempting length hit the V between her thighs. Echo grasped him around the neck as his groin grounded into her.
God, she wanted him so much—she wanted him to just take her and satiate this raging hunger inside her—one no gentle lovemaking could fulfill.
Aethan trailed open-mouthed kisses down her throat, and over the upper curves of her breast, sucking and tasting her. Her nipples ached for his mouth, and through her swimsuit he ran his tongue over a nub. She grasped his hair, dislodging the hair tie. Even though his arms kept her safely against him, desire made her shaky. The next minute, with his teeth, he pulled down the edge of her bathing suit and his mouth latched onto her stiff nipple. He sucked on the nub, pulling on it, hard. A moan broke free and her grip tightened on his hair. “Aethan…”
He lifted his head. His eyes flashing white as his power surfaced, flowing through her body in a light buzz and amping up her arousal—this was what had them both going wild—what took them over the edge. And what she wanted again. But Aethan shook his head, his breathing ragged as he eased her upright again.
Echo stared at him blankly as he straightened her bathing suit, covering her up once more, then he picked up the fallen towel. Her teeth clenched with frustration, she snatched it from his grasp and wrapped it around herself, suddenly feeling cold. No matter how hard she tried to crack that control, his inflexible will could not be broken. Couldn’t he see that she didn't want those soft caresses anymore? She wanted him wild and demanding like he used to be.
“Aethan—”
He shook his head. “Your friend’s here.”
“Hey, bestie!” Kira’s light, sunny voice intruded.
Her chest tight, the pit in her stomach deepening, Echo turned away. If she looked at Aethan any longer, she’d start a fight. Or worse, she’d burst into tears.
“Kira,” Aethan greeted with a nod.
“Hey, big guy.” Her dimpled grin flashing in her latte tone face, Kira danced over, making the black beads in her shoulder length auburn braids jangle. She dropped her blue tote and the pink striped package she held onto the sunbed.
> “Echo—” Aethan lightly touched her arm, pulling her attention back to him. He didn't react to her glower, but gave her a measured look. “Think about what I said.” Then he walked away, disappearing into the castle.
Rest. Take it easy. Right. Her lips tightened, maybe she should just ask for a darn wheelchair. In a huff, she whirled around to find Kira skimming through the A Dance with Dragons novel Echo had been reading earlier. “I didn't know you were coming over?”
“Last minute change of plans.” Kira dropped the book. She closed the small distance between them and gave Echo a quick hug. “What’s wrong? You look…frustrated.”
Kira didn't know the half of it. Echo tossed the towel aside, pulled on her baggy shorts and zipped up. “A little.”
Kira’s hazel gaze rested on Echo’s chest for a second, then she glanced at the doorway Aethan had disappeared through, a thoughtful expression on her face. “He thinks you're still healing and is treating you… er, carefully. And seeing that mark doesn't help, huh?”
Echo rubbed the spot on her chest where she’d been shot, tracing the slight pucker there. She didn't have to look to know exactly what that scar looked like. As if someone had deliberately inked a bullet hole in glass that hadn’t shattered but sported spidery cracks. Yep, lucky her. That spelled bullet had left its mark, not only at its entry but at its exit on her back, too. Now, Aethan treated her like that same darn, cracked glass!
“Then I have the perfect solution for you. Guaranteed to knock the big guy off his feet.” Kira’s eyes sparkled in mischief. She picked up the striped, Victoria’s Secret bag and handed it over. “Here, for you. Happy birthday.”
Frowning, Echo took the bag. “It’s not my birthday yet—”
“It’s in a week’s time, I know. But I'm not going to be here on the twenty-first. Gran insisted I accompany her to Seattle, so I thought I’d stop by now and give you your present.”
Echo, Mine Page 2
