by C. L. Parker
“Oh, Jesus.” Gabe had busted them, yet again. The exaggerated sarcasm in his voice was enough to break the spell.
With a disgruntled growl, Dominic sat back on his knees so that Kerrigan could sit up and pull her skirt down.
“I swear. You two little whoremongers won’t be happy until you’ve defiled every piece of community space in the house, will you?”
“Um, sorry,” Kerrigan mumbled, her cheeks flaming with residual lust and embarrassment.
Colton entered the room and stood next to Gabe. “What’s going on in here?”
Dominic sighed in frustration. “Nothing, Colt.”
Gabe guffawed. “We were just discussing redecorating the house. We can probably save a ton of money on supplies if we just use Dom’s overabundant supply of semen to paint the walls. And then, to generate extra revenue, we can hang a sign out front that says, ‘Cum one, cum all! Everyone is turned out at The House of Pussy Galore, Cocks, and More! Satisfaction guaranteed,’” he said with his hands poised in the air as a frame around the invisible sign.
Colton chuckled. “I like that. Kind of has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? But let’s leave out the semen paint, m’kay? Too seventies porn.”
“Ah, but that would depend on what he’d had to eat that day,” Gabe rebutted.
Colton’s brows shot up. “Is it really true what they say?”
“You’re fucking disgusting,” Dominic scoffed, but Colton and Gabe ignored him, carrying on their conversation as if he and Kerrigan weren’t even there.
“Then again,” Gabe continued, “it might be too sticky... until it dries. Then it would just get all crusty and peel.” He tapped a finger against his smooth-as-a-baby’s-bottom chin in contemplation. “Yes, that could be a problem, indeed.”
A knock at the front door kept Gabe and Colton from continuing their onslaught of tasteless humor at Kerrigan and Dominic’s expense. Millie barked incessantly, lurching forward and then back again in rapid succession. Kerrigan leapt to her feet with her eyes wide in excitement, the uncomfortable conversation all but forgotten.
“He’s here!” She bolted for the door, leaving Dominic where he still sat on the floor like he was yesterday’s news.
He tried not to take it personally because he knew what it meant to her to finally have another Guardian of the Light around to show her the ropes. Plus, she was already putting so much faith into the prospect of the guy being able to help out.
She opened the door. “Drew, you made it!”
“Ah, but how could I resist spending another afternoon in the company of such a beautiful woman?” His hoity-toity British accent drifted in through the doorway. Dude was laying on the charm so thick Dominic had to close his eyes and count to ten so he wouldn’t grab him by the throat to cut off his air supply.
Time to make sure the new guy had no doubts about whether or not Kerrigan Cruz was up for grabs. She most certainly was not. She was his woman, and the new guy was going to have one hell of a fight on his hands if he thought he was going to give her up.
Dominic got to his feet and sauntered into the entryway with a swagger that belayed his confidence. Drew managed to stop eye fucking Kerrigan long enough to acknowledge his presence.
“Hello there. You must be Dominic,” Drew greeted him. He was taller, with longer hair that looked like he had spent hours in front of the mirror to get every hair in just the right place. Dominic had to give that a mental snort because only douchebags, vampires, and romance novel cover models wore their hair like that. The guy was decked out like he had just stepped out of the pages of a men’s fashion magazine. Not Kerrigan’s type at all. She liked the rugged look, or at least he assumed she did.
“And you must be Andy,” he said with a sneer in his voice. He wrapped his arms around Kerrigan’s waist and pulled her into his side possessively. His eyes never left the stranger as he sized him up, not liking what he saw. Drew was too confident, arrogant in the way he stood there as if he belonged.
He didn’t.
“Actually, it’s Andrew, but you can call me Drew.”
Actually, it’s Andrew, but you can call me Drew, Dominic’s inner child mocked—heavy on the British accent. Yeah, he felt pathetic for resorting to such an immature response, even if only in his head, but he couldn’t help it. The guy was looking down his nose at him as if he was heir to the throne and Dominic was nothing more than white trash.
Yeah, buddy. I’ve got your white trash right here, he thought as he mentally grabbed his crotch and shook it at him.
Drew extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Dominic took his offering, his handshake a bit more firm than usual. He had a point to prove after all and, as alpha male in the house, territory to defend. The strength of Drew’s answering squeeze said he wouldn’t submit to the dominancy that was being asserted, and that pretty much pissed him off. The guy was on his stomping grounds, and he was trying to piss all over it like he was staking his claim.
Funny how a handshake could say so much between two men.
Neither relinquished their hold until Kerrigan stared down at their joined hands and rolled her eyes, giving them both a grow-the-fuck-up look.
“Come on in, Drew.” Kerrigan nudged Dominic back to make way for their guest.
Drew gave Kerrigan a smile that made Dominic want to punch him in the face. His back was straight and his gait wide as he stepped across the threshold and into the house, his presence seeming to make the abundant space feel cramped. He didn’t like the twinge of insecurity that bubbled in his mind. The little jealous monster inside him was greener than two horny toads singing a froggy rendition of R Kelly’s Bump N’ Grind while getting their groove on.
Any doubt he might have had about the validity of Drew’s claims before went out the window. Drew carried the Light. He could feel it permeating the air around him in thick currents of energy that undeniably accompanied a Guardian.
He knew there were others. Availia had told him that much during one of their many conversations on the subject, but none had ever visited her, and she had never called any one of them by name. Guardians were a rare breed, so the odds that one would just happen to pop up out of nowhere—in the middle of what could adequately be called a crisis of epic proportions—was slim to none.
But there he was, larger-than-life and saturated in the common bond he shared with Kerrigan. To say Dominic felt insignificant, inadequate in comparison, was an understatement.
The timing of Drew’s sudden appearance was questionable. Suspicion wove its way through every cell in Dominic’s body and triggered red flags that shot up all over the place. Something was off, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
He narrowed his eyes and gave Drew the once-over. Ironically, Drew was doing the same thing, but while Dominic was trying to see through the suave and debonair façade to find the ulterior motive that he was certain lay beneath, the Guardian was sizing him up like he was assessing the competition. The man had a lot of nerve, he’d give him that much.
And a little too much confidence for Dominic’s liking. The new guy was throwing off I’m-innocent-and-good-looking-so-trust-me vibes like his life depended on it. Little did he know, it did. Dominic wouldn’t hesitate to take a motherfucker out if it became necessary in order to defend his family.
“Drew, this is Dominic’s brother, Colton, and you’ve already met Gabe,” Kerrigan said, making the introductions.
Probably feeding off of the tense vibes coming off his older brother, Colton gave Drew a stiff nod in greeting. Gabe rushed to Drew’s side and linked his arm through his. “Hey, Drew-boo! Why don’t we all just move on into the sitting room and get all comfy cozy so we can get to know each other a little better?”
“Good idea,” Kerrigan said even as Gabe was already escorting their guest into the living room. “Can I get you something to drink, Drew?”
“A spot of tea would be nice if you have some brewed,” he answered, all prim and proper
.
“We have beer, water, or iced tea.” Dominic’s tone was less than friendly.
“Iced tea then, please.”
“Sure thing.” Kerrigan gave Dominic a pointed look. “Dominic, will you help me?”
He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter while she pulled out a couple of tall glasses and filled them with ice.
“I don’t like him.”
Kerrigan took the tea pitcher from the refrigerator. “He just got here. You haven’t even given him a chance.”
“Don’t need to. He’s a Guardian, that much is clear, but I still don’t like him.”
“And why is that? Would it have anything to do with all the testosterone that you two are slinging back and forth at each other in there? I swear it was like watching two chimps sling their own dung at each other.”
“Well, maybe if he wasn’t eye fucking my girl...”
Kerrigan set the pitcher down and put her hand on her hip. “You’re kidding me, right? You, Dominic Grayson, the man who exudes confidence from every pore, the man who makes my toes curl and my body sing... you’re actually jealous?”
“Not jealous,” he corrected her. “I just find it highly disrespectful, and I don’t like being disrespected. He’s walking a thin line, Querida. That’s all I’m saying. And he might want to be careful before he teeters over onto the wrong side and ends up getting his neck snapped.”
She stepped to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Please, Dominic, this is important.”
“He wants you.”
“And I belong to you. Nothing’s going to change that.” She ran her fingers through his hair.
“Damn straight you belong to me.” Of course he knew he didn’t own her, but he did possess her heart. He had never learned to share, and he wasn’t about to start now.
She smiled and then lifted up on her toes to kiss him. “Will you at least try to act civil toward him?” she asked, replacing the tea pitcher back in the refrigerator. “Because if there’s any way that he can help, I don’t need you scaring him off before I can benefit from it.”
“Sure, as long as he’s not expecting any benefits in return.”
Kerrigan gave him a look that said he had better behave, picked up the glasses, and started back toward the living room with Dominic following. As they sat down, Colton and Drew were already in full conversation about the success of England’s public healthcare system versus the money-driven private healthcare system in America.
“It all comes down to the doctor,” Drew was saying. “I mean, how can one justify cleaning a tyke’s ear out with a cotton swab and then labeling it as surgery and charging the insurance carrier ninety dollars to do so? It’s absurd.”
Colton nodded. “I agree, but the driving force of those inflated charges is the rising rate of malpractice insurance as a direct result of patients suing doctors for everything under the sun... whether it’s because of a careless mistake or simple human error, or even just an unwanted side effect of the procedure for which the patient was forewarned but didn’t heed. For Christ’s sake, we’re not gods.”
Drew chuckled. “I know some doctors who might disagree with that statement.”
Dominic shot Colton a look of accusation that screamed traitor, but he was too engrossed in his clinical conversation with Drew to see it. Dammit.
“Drew’s a psychologist,” Kerrigan whispered into his ear as if he hadn’t already figured that out.
Having apparently overheard her, Drew turned toward where he and Kerrigan were sitting on the love seat, their fingers entwined as he fidgeted with the bracelet her grandmother had made for her. “So, what is it that you do, Dominic?” Drew asked.
A wicked idea popped into his head, and before he could think twice about it, he blurted, “Kerrigan. I do Kerrigan.”
“You got that right,” Gabe muttered, earning an amused chuckle from Colton.
“What he means to say,” Kerrigan said in a tight, controlled voice, “is that he’s my protector of sorts. Like a bodyguard.”
Drew arched a brow. “Oh? Have you had trouble?”
“You might say that,” she answered, not going into detail. “My grandmother passed not long ago and she kind of enlisted Dominic to keep watch over me.”
“I’ve been helping her train,” Dominic clarified.
“But, you’re not a Guardian.” Whether it was a question or a statement, it didn’t matter. The point he wanted to make rang loud and clear: How could Dominic be an effective trainer to a Guardian when he wasn’t one himself?
“No, but Availia left me with some instructions. We’ve been kind of winging it from there.”
“Oh. Well, I can help if you’d like.” It was an offer he knew Kerrigan wouldn’t want to refuse.
“No offense, dude, but we don’t know a goddamn thing about you, and I don’t trust anyone I don’t know,” Dominic said, earning a pleading look from Kerrigan.
“I completely understand. And while it is very gallant of you to be so protective of her, you’re also doing a great disservice to Kerrigan and the responsibility to which she has been entrusted by not getting her the proper training. So, if there is any way you can think that I might be able to prove that I’m trustworthy and only have the best of intentions, I’m willing to undertake the challenge.”
Okay, so Dominic really wanted to slam Drew’s teeth down his throat for the whole ‘doing a disservice to Kerrigan and the responsibility that’s been entrusted to her’ comment because he had been busting his ass to try to help her. But then Kerrigan’s words came ringing back into his thoughts, There’s only so much you can do, Dom. You’re not a Guardian.
Oh, Defeat. What a cruel, cruel bastard you can be.
“There is a way,” Kerrigan said. “I’ve already set up a meeting with a seer who’s a really good friend of the family. She knows all about what we are, but more importantly, she can see into the past, present, and future. She’ll be able to set our minds at ease.”
“Brilliant!” Drew said with a clap of his hands. “When do we go meet this seer of yours?”
Kerrigan looked down at her watch and then gave him an embarrassed smile. “Lucy’s actually expecting us now.”
“Well then, what are we waiting for?”
The ride to Lucy’s shop was uncomfortable at best. Having left Colton and Gabe at home, Drew rode in the backseat of Dominic’s Barracuda, still processing all the unsaid words exchanged between him and the man of the house.
He might have purposely antagonized Dominic a bit, because he just couldn’t help himself, but it was clear that he felt threatened by his presence. And he’d daresay Dominic might have even been a little jealous. He didn’t need his ability to read body language to see how protective and possessive he was over his little gem.
Smart man. Kerrigan was one hell of a woman, and he would do well to treasure her. Guardians were very much bound to their soul mates, but whether or not Dominic was Kerrigan’s still remained to be seen.
Drew couldn’t deny the pull he felt toward her. She was a beautiful creature, and he could only imagine what it must feel like to hold her in his arms. Perhaps the reason he was led to the other side of the continent to find her wasn’t because of her need for training. Maybe he felt drawn to her because his soul recognized hers as its mate.
Only time would tell. For now, he would concentrate on helping her, and if something grew from that... Well, he couldn’t imagine a man as possessive as Dominic letting her go without a fight. Not that he could blame the man in the least bit.
They parked in an alley around the corner from Saint George Street and Dominic immediately took Kerrigan’s hand, pulling her into his side, once again displaying his possessive nature and bit of that insecurity. It was obvious that so much had been taken from him in his past, and the man didn’t think very highly of himself, despite the cocky way he carried himself.
It was as if he thought Drew might snatch Kerrigan up, throw her over his shoul
der, and take off running. It was comical, really. He would never take anyone who didn’t want to be taken. He would have set Dominic’s mind at ease, but he had a feeling the conversation would only turn confrontational. Drew was a lover, not a fighter. An exceptional lover, from what he had been told by every woman who had graced his bed on many a lonely night.
The sun beat down on them as they maneuvered their way through the throng of tourists that littered Saint George Street. A storm was brewing on the horizon. The air smelled of rain and electricity, the humidity so thick it clung to his skin like a second layer.
An elderly man sat in the protective alcove of one of the many side alleys, playing his guitar while he sang a bluesy tune. Drew reached into his pocket and pulled out a money clip, dropping a twenty-dollar bill into the donation hat that sat at the man’s feet. Kerrigan turned and smiled at him when she saw the generous gesture. He hadn’t done it to impress her, but if she noticed and thought him heroic, he considered it a bonus.
Rounding the corner, they came upon the water fountain nestled among the quaint little corner of shops. A woman and her small child walked out of Silver Feather. Dominic held the door for them and waited for Kerrigan to go ahead of him. The smell of sandalwood incense wafted through the doorway along with the welcomed relief of the manufactured cool. The shop felt cozy, like walking through the doors of a caring home.
“Hey, Lucy!” Kerrigan greeted the woman behind the counter as she bounded over and gave her a tight hug.
“Hey yourself,” she said, leaning back to regard her with a curious expression. “Dominic, will you please turn over the sign on the door?”
“Sure thing.” Dominic edged his way past Drew and flipped the sign to “closed.” When he was done, he gave Drew a gloating smirk like that of a favored child, and went to greet Lucinda.
As had become customary, Dominic offered both of his hands for her to take. Lucy always felt that she was being intrusive if she read him without asking for permission, and she didn’t like to ask for fear that she would be seen as a nosy old biddy. Dominic didn’t trust many people, but Lucy always kept what she saw between the two of them. And, like Availia, she didn’t dole out information about the future either. She believed that by doing so, she would disrupt the natural order of life and create paths that might not have existed had she not interfered.
