Guardian Unraveled

by Georgia Lyn Hunter

  Heat streaking her face, she bit into the rye bread and roast beef and tasted a hint of mustard as she chewed.

  It was the longest, weirdest meal ever. Once she’d finished the sandwich, he held out a chicken drumstick. As she chewed the succulent flesh, his gaze tracked her every movement. Then she recalled everything he’d lost when he was changed, and her heart faltered in compassion.

  “Don’t,” he said quietly. “I find I enjoy watching you eat.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  He frowned, then said slowly, “I did in the beginning when I was first trapped in that arid wasteland, but it has been millennia, so no.”

  He dropped the bone on the tray and wiped his fingers on a napkin before he reached for something else on the tray. Every time he moved, his sex twitched inside her.

  Lord! She bit back a moan, desire flooding her like a breaking dam. His gaze shifted to hers.

  Ack. With his heightened hearing, he probably—no, he definitely heard her whimper. He didn’t ask what was wrong, not with her face probably brighter than the strawberries in the bowl. He handed her the water bottle.

  Shae gulped the cold liquid, hoping it would cool her—nope, it didn’t work. She thrust it back at him since she couldn’t very well turn around and set it on the table, not when he had her pinned—

  A slice of melon touched her lips. His hand slid beneath the tee she wore, and his fingers stroked her bottom.

  Damn. Well, then, if he could sit there so calm and unaffected, so could she. She took the fruit and deliberately sucked his finger. His eyes narrowed. Still, he said nothing, but he leaned closer, his bare chest brushing her t-shirt-clad breasts. Her nipples protested the taunt, wanting his hands or his mouth on them. But, apparently, he was more interested in choosing her next selection of food.

  A strawberry.

  With his body flush against hers, and being so intimately joined, her breathing became ragged. She shook her head, her brilliant plan to unsettle him falling flat like a pancake.

  “Had enough?”

  Of making love? God, no—wait, he probably meant the food. “Yes.”

  He lifted her off his lap and, instantly, she felt empty as he set her on the table in front of him. Shae watched him warily. Because Dagan, she was coming to understand, always had some diabolical card waiting to be played when it came to her.

  Still silent, he reached for the red wine on the tray, leaned back against the chair, and took a sip from the glass. His gaze drifted over her, then back up to her face. “Go ahead.”

  “What?”

  He fingered the hem of the t-shirt she wore. “Take this off so I can feast on my banquet.”

  “It’s cold.” The words tripped out.

  “I’ll keep you warm.”

  Oh, man. She shouldn’t feel shy. Heck, he’d seen every part of her. Still…

  “I’m waiting.”

  Slowly, she drew the shirt over her head and dropped it on the table beside her. Drink forgotten, he reached out and rolled her nipple, and she shuddered.

  “My beautiful wildcat,” he murmured, his tone low, rough. Setting the glass aside, he dragged her to the edge of the table. With a palm on her chest, he pushed her down to the wooden surface and put his mouth between her thighs again. She grabbed his hair as his tongue teased and tormented her, impossible desire spiraling through her.

  He sat down and brought her onto his lap again, and at the thick, hard flesh pushing into her, stretching her, a moan broke out.

  A rough whisper of need, of longing drifted into the night air. “Ride me, my Shae-cat…”

  Chapter 16

  Curled up against Dagan’s warm body, his even breathing and heartbeat soothing sounds, Shae stared drowsily through the night-dark windows, her heart expanding with happiness. Dagan was finally hers.

  A light flickered past the window like a… A falling star? She wondered as sleep hovered…

  The smell of wood and ash crowded her nose. Shae frowned, looking around the room—a workshop of sorts. Shelves lined the walls, but the tall, dark-haired man standing near the window caught her attention. Lines of strain etched the corners of his hard mouth. Those yellow eyes she adored, burned with such harsh intensity, her stomach knotted in worry.

  “Dagan?” she whispered. He didn’t appear to hear her.

  Another figure wandered into her line of view, a tall, striking woman with honey-gold skin and a thick swathe of cinnamon-hued hair. She circled the worktable and picked up a half-finished, ten-inch, wooden wolf.

  “I don’t understand how you can stand drinking from these stinky creatures.” With a little moue of disgust, she tossed the wolf aside and selected a gouge, stroking the edge of the blade.

  “Oh, would you look at that? I nicked my finger.” She dropped the tool onto the table as blood pooled on her fingertip and dripped to the floor.

  Dagan stiffened. His fangs lengthened, piercing into the flesh of his lower lip. A nerve pulsed furiously on his jaw. “Kaerys…”

  She looked up, her gaze cool. “I’m not in the mood. Go find a mortal female to feed you.”

  He squeezed his eyelids tight and choked back an agonized groan. “You win.”

  A gleam of excitement lit her face as she leaned against the table. “You know what I want. Give me all, Dagan. And you can take whatever you need.”

  A growl emitted from him. The woman laughed as he slammed her against the worktable, his fangs sinking into her neck. He gulped on her blood like a starving, wild animal…

  Nooo! Shae bolted upright, breaking through the lethargy trapping her, anguish ripping her chest open. She grabbed her head, trying to shut off the images pinging inside her skull.

  “Shae?” Dagan jackknifed up at her side, the covers bunching around his lean hips. “What’s wrong?”

  Inhaling harshly, her emotions running too high, she pressed her cheek against his cool chest instead, trying to will away the pain.

  “It’s okay.” He tenderly stroked her hair back from her heated face. “I will find the one who killed your sire, I promise.”

  She held him tightly. How could that horrible woman have done that to him? Despite Dagan’s cold appearance and solitary preference, one she now understood, he had a heart that cared.

  A shuddering breath escaped her. Why couldn’t her blood sustain him, why couldn’t she be what he needed? Then she could spare him the humiliation he’d endured at the hands of that conniving goddess.

  He lay down again, pulled her close, his arm wrapping around her. “Everything will be okay.”

  Will it? She needed a damn miracle. But she was running short of those.

  Late-morning sunlight streamed into the room. Shae awoke alone in bed. She groaned and rolled over, wishing she could pretend that the horrible dream hadn’t happened, but the heaviness inside her said otherwise.

  With a sigh, she climbed out of bed, and after a quick shower, she changed and took the excavated steps to the upper level, needing to see Dagan—see that he was okay.

  As soon as she opened the first door in the dim corridor, the smell of wood, sawdust, and a hint of cherry tobacco teased her nose. But he wasn’t there.

  A sense of déjà vu settled over her as she stepped inside his workspace.

  Shelves lined one wall with completed animal sculptures of various sizes. Larger ones were pushed in the corner. Reverently, she ran her finger over a pouncing cheetah. The brilliant craftsmanship of each creature stunned her. Several pieces of furniture made of different woods were stacked near the wall.

  Now she understood the mismatched furniture in the kitchen.

  A familiar scarred worktable in the center held a few unfinished works. She picked up a half-finished gazelle from the table and traced the fluid lines of the carved figurine. Frowning, she put it down on the wooden surface then yanked back her hand as the truth hit her like a punch in her chest.

  Oh, God! Bile rushed to her throat. Her stomach heaved. This was the table from her nightmare�
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  “Shae?”

  She spun around. Dagan stepped into the room. “I was looking for you.”

  “And you found me.”

  Amusement brightened his eyes at her comment. He strode across, put his mouth on hers, and kissed her. But her heart was too heavy to enjoy it. He eased back, his gaze searching hers. “What’s wrong?”

  Tell him she’d seen his encounter with that horrible goddess? Everything inside her rebelled at that thought, but she had to. If she didn’t, it would fester inside her and cause a rift between them. And they already had one thing that hung like a black cloud between them.

  She pushed away from him and wandered to the window overlooking the back courtyard, rubbing the chills spreading over her arms. “Last night, my dream…” After an emotion-laden pause, she faced him. “It wasn’t about my dad. I saw you with her. With Kaerys. In this room.”

  Instantly, his expression shut down. “What else?”

  Shae bit her lip, hating to reveal what she’d seen, more, loathing that he’d been with the goddess in that way for so many centuries. It took everything in her not to rub the piercing ache in her heart. “She said you knew what she wanted, and if you gave her everything, then you could have what you needed.”

  A nerve jumped on his rigid jaw. He leaned against the table, gaze lowered to his sneakers. But she’d seen the anger in his eyes.

  “She wouldn’t let you feed because you wouldn’t sleep with her?”

  “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  He was apologizing? “You didn’t ask for any of that to happen to you.”

  Silence lengthened dark and heavy. Just when she thought he wouldn’t speak, his gaze lifted to hers. The shame there—God, to see her big, brave warrior so utterly humiliated stole her breath.

  “When I finally realized I could only feed from immortal females without killing, Michael arranged for a few to be donors. But they wouldn’t come. Only Kaerys did. She refused any monetary payment—”

  “Because she wanted you.”

  He nodded. “I thought it a small price to pay until she started using it to control me…”

  “Why would she do that?”

  His mouth tightened briefly. “Resentment because I ended our betrothal.”

  They’d been engaged? Shock held her immobile. Of course, he would have had someone. He’s centuries old for Christ’s sake. But that his ex was still in the picture…the hole in her stomach deepened.

  “My grandsire, An, is the ruling god of the Sumerian pantheon,” he said then. “It was an unpardonable thing I did.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re…like royalty?

  A terse nod. “I was with Kaerys for a while. She wanted a commitment, so I agreed to the betrothal. Except my sister, Inara, became the Goddess of Life, and I her protector. Away from home, I realized my life would never be my own, so I broke off the arrangement, wanted her to find a male more suited.”

  “But she didn’t want that. She wanted you and what you represented.”

  “Perhaps.” He exhaled heavily. “I realize now, had I mated her, I would have missed out on finding my destined mate. Despite the dark path my life took, it led me to you. For that—hell, I never thought I’d be grateful to the damn Fates for anything.”

  Her eyes misted at his words. “And your obsidian dagger stayed with me when I first used it.”

  “Yes. Only the Guardians possess those blades, a gift from Gaia. We had no idea what it meant then, thought it just another weapon to aid us. Her cryptic words didn’t help much either.”

  “What do you mean?”

  His gaze drifted over her face. “Gaia called it, the embodiment of my one weakness.”

  She was his weakness? Her smile trembled, and her heart expanded at his words, then dipped. She didn’t want to be his weakness. If anything, she longed to be his strength.

  Straightening her backbone, she crossed to him, stopping an inch from his foot. “Dagan… Feed from me. Please.”

  “Shae—”

  At his refusal, she hurriedly pushed on. “How will you know what will happen if you don’t try? With us being soul-joined, surely you’d sense if I was dying?”

  “No.” Steel edged his quiet voice. “When I’m in the throes of bloodlust, I lose cognizance. I am aware of nothing except feeding the hunger that never ends. You’d never survive me, and I refuse to take that chance. I won’t lose you.”

  Her gaze dropped, dejection settling over her like a thick black cloud.

  He drew her into his arms. “I’ll find another way.”

  Another way? He meant someone else. Another immortal woman.

  Pain flowed, and she buried her face against his neck. She would always have to share him with someone. At the thought, her stomach hurt so much, and she had no idea what to do. She looked over his shoulder, her gaze settling on the scarred table they rested against. Images from last night broke free. Jesus! Despite knowing that none of this was his fault, she pushed away from him, needing distance so she could breathe again.

  “Shae?”

  She simply shook her head. “I-I have to go. I haven’t eaten yet.”

  “Dammit, Shae—” He grasped her arm when she would have walked away. “Don’t lie to me. I feel you inside here”—he slapped his chest—“and sense your pain. Tell me what’s wrong?”

  She cast him a distressed look. “I hate that I’ve seen you with her, and even though I understand why, but every time I look at your table…” She pressed her lip together, trying to stop them from trembling.

  Instantly, Dagan straightened. The next second, the wooden sculptures and tools clattered to the floor, the table compacted into itself and rained down in a shower of splinters. Her shocked gaze rushed to his grim ones. “I won’t have you hurting. And that damn thing was upsetting you.”

  With a wave of his hand, the shards of wood rose and landed in the small fireplace. He struck a match on the granite surface and tossed it on the wood. Seconds later, fire crackled and roared to life, brightening the room. A hand resting on the mantel, he stood there, staring into the leaping flames.

  Shae hurried across and slid her arms around his waist. Yes, her family and Harvey cared about her. But, Dagan, no matter their unorthodox meeting, he made everything right, better.

  “Shae….” His lips brushed her brow in a soft kiss. “I’ve lived millennia. And after what I became, I never thought I would ever find my mate, let alone be happy. Then you stumbled into my path”— a smile—“greeted me with a punch that made me reel.”

  She leaned back as far as his arms would allow, wrinkling her nose. “Yes, well, I was pissed at you.”

  “I know.” His gaze softened. “I never expected you, and now that you’re here, I will remind you often that you and I were meant to be.”

  Chapter 17

  The sounds of swords clashing echoed over the mountaintop. A deadly katana winged in the air—shit! Dagan jumped back before half his face landed at Nik’s feet.

  Chest heaving, he held up a hand and called a halt to the training, his mind still on how Shae had found out about him and Kaerys. With her penchant for causing trouble, he wouldn’t put it past Kaerys to induce the fucking dream Shae had.

  Frustration gnawing at him, he pulled out his cell and messaged Angelus.

  “Just an hour and you’re quitting?” Nik drawled, dropping his sword to the ground. He picked up his t-shirt and pulled it on, covering the myriad of tatts on his body and his nipple piercings.

  “Angelus can take my place.” He hauled off his shirt, wiping the sweat off his face and chest, then gingerly pressed a hand on his stinging wound. It was probably bleeding again. “I gotta go.”

  Showered and changed, Dagan headed to the kitchen where he sensed Shae. Her back to him, she appeared to be staring at several grocery items on the table.

  He slipped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her nape. Just holding her eased the upheaval inside him. “What are you doing?”


  She turned in his arms, a smile brightening her pale face. “Baking. I thought you’d be hours with Nik.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll make it up later. I needed you more.” He lowered his head to kiss her but cupped her chin instead, eyes narrowing. Despite the gold specks warming her stormy gray irises, pain edged them. “What’s wrong? Is this about…Kaerys?”

  She shook her head. Her throat worked as she swallowed and waved a hand at the table and the things she had there. “Mom used to make this stacked applesauce cake my dad and I loved…”

  “I’ll make everything right for you, Shae. Just give me a little time.”

  She didn’t say anything for a second. Then she stepped back and frowned, sending her gaze down his torso and up again. Everything inside him went into slow burn. He’d made love to her twice last night—didn’t dare risk anything more until he got his damn thirst locked down. Now, he hungered for her again.

  “Are you going out?”

  Her voice pulled him back to sanity, and the work he’d elected to do. “For a short while. I want to check out the church’s parking lot after the fight last night. Why don’t you come with me? Afterwards, we can stop in at one of those little sidewalk cafés you like.”

  “Really?” Her eyes sparkled in excitement, then faded. “But you don’t eat.”

  “Solids, no. I can consume liquids. All right, let’s get all the fallacy about me out of the way. I won’t burst into flames in sunlight, but it tends to weaken me. My eyes are extra sensitive to it, so dark shades help. Liquor doesn’t inebriate me with my quick metabolism. A stake in the heart won’t kill me, but beheading? Yeah, that shit will probably kill anyone. However, we have never been caught in that situation, so it remains to be seen. But certain angel weapons and our Gaian ones can kill an immortal.”

  “Silver? Crosses? Holy water?” she threw in fast like there was a time limit to him answering.

  He cut her a sardonic look. “Only if you’re the undead. I still have a heartbeat. I didn’t die, Shae. My DNA simply changed over time.”