Protector

by Nancy Northcott

  “We’ve got it,” she agreed. At least she didn’t give Josh one of those bossy stares.

  “I’ll see you in a bit.” Harper grasped the curtain hanging between the beds. “Open or shut?”

  “Up to you,” Josh told Edie.

  “Open, then.” She smiled at him.

  With the curtain to his right pulled shut, a wall on her left, and empty beds across from them, they had as much privacy as they could expect in an infirmary ward. The nurses’ station, best he could remember, was by the door.

  “Are you okay?” Worry shadowed Edie’s eyes.

  “Relatively, yeah. You?”

  “Not too bad.”

  Her wry smile wrenched his heart. She had to be scared, but she was holding up as well as any soldier.

  “I don’t want you feeding me power,” he informed her. “I appreciate it, but don’t.”

  Her brows rose. “So it’s fine for you to deplete yourself dangerously on my account but not the reverse? Shall we guess what your sisters would say about that?”

  “It’s not sexist. It has nothing to do with sexism.” Though a sneaky little voice in his head said she was right about Em and Cath. “Women always play that damned card.”

  “It’s frequently the right one.”

  “Not this time. I’m the equivalent of mage military. You’re a civilian. I protect you, not the other way around.”

  “Uh-huh.” Her eyes softened, and she smiled. “You’re such a good guy, Josh. I wonder if you even see that.”

  The tenderness in her face generated warmth deep in his chest. She was a sweetheart, brave and strong and kind.

  “Have you noticed,” she began quietly, “we’re not snapping back as fast this time?”

  “Or nearly as far.”

  Their gazes met, and hers reflected the same dread, the same determination, battling inside him.

  “I’m so sorry, Josh.” Edie’s eyes teared. She hastily turned her head away. “This is my fault. If I hadn’t brought that thing onto the chopper, you would be fine now.”

  “Don’t. Edie, don’t cry. You’re not to blame for this.” Doctor’s orders be damned. Josh shoved back the covers and pushed himself up. His head swam for a second but then steadied. He slid out of the bed.

  She shot a teary glance at him. “What’re you— Get back in bed, Josh. I’m fine.”

  “My ass.”

  He sat on the bed by her hip to grip her shoulders. “You listen to me. You want to blame somebody, the ghouls deserve it. And whatever demons they’re in league with. That thing has dark magic to draw a person.”

  Biting her lip, she shook her head. He used his thumb to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. The moisture wrenched at his heart.

  “If we’re not blaming the ghouls,” he suggested, “we could blame me. If I’d set the chopper down ten feet or so from where we were, you wouldn’t have seen that orb in the first place.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  At least she was glaring, not crying. “Back atcha, angel. This is neither of our faults. It’s a wrong place, wrong time situation. We went out there to save a life, remember? And we did.”

  “Yeah.” Edie wiped her eyes. “That counts for something.”

  “Especially to that guy’s family.” Josh tugged her up, into his arms. “C’mere.”

  She came without protest, nestling into his shoulder as though she’d done it a hundred times before. He rested his cheek against her soft, sunshine-bright hair. Holding her felt right. Comforting. As it had when he’d turned to her three years ago.

  Why hadn’t he gone back to her that night? Not meshing long-term didn’t mean he couldn’t cherish what they’d shared. To have a woman like Edie attracted to him was a gift in any circumstance.

  Her arms locked around his waist. “I do care about you, Josh. Whatever happens or doesn’t, I doubt that will ever change.”

  The words wrapped themselves around his soul. He pressed a kiss into her hair and drew back to look at her. “I feel the same way about you.”

  Edie cupped his cheek. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, then rose again as her hand slipped behind his neck.

  Yes reverberated in Josh’s bones as he lowered his head.

  Her soft, warm lips welcomed him. He brushed his mouth over hers, tasting and savoring, before fitting his lips to hers. Edie’s breath brushed his cheek. His body hardened.

  Needing more, he flicked his tongue over her mouth, then between those sweet lips. Edie sighed. She sucked his tongue, and his cock throbbed. Josh stifled a groan.

  He pressed soft, warm kisses over her jaw, then down her neck, and reveled in her tremors of pleasure. Edie arched against him, fingers digging into his back and neck. One finger found the tender spot behind his ear, and Josh shuddered.

  Edie kissed his jaw, then his ear. He fought for sanity. They were in the frigging infirmary.

  She looked up at him, and the same realization dawned in her eyes. Her cheeks flushed crimson. Staring past him, she said, “You should return to your own bed.”

  “Yeah,” he murmured. Did she realize she still had her hands at his waist? “Before that nurse comes to give us an infusion and I’m busted.”

  He didn’t want to let go of her. Not ever. But that was why people had brains, to keep their hearts from leading them down the wrong paths.

  Josh kissed Edie’s hair again. “Like I said before, Harper’s the best. We’re going to be okay.”

  “Of course we are.” She smiled, but doubt shadowed her eyes.

  She didn’t believe what he’d said any more than he did.

  7

  Edie sat on the couch with her hand in Josh’s. The lavender candles put out a soothing scent, but it did less to keep the fear at bay than his presence beside her. She couldn’t think about him too much without becoming aware of his wide shoulders so close or his muscular thighs so near.

  He kept his eyes trained on the television, but they were unfocused. His mind was likely far away.

  Why shouldn’t it be? The two of them needed magic boosts every three hours now. If Harper couldn’t figure this out soon, it would be too late for her and Josh.

  He glanced at her. “Whatever happens, Edie, I’m glad we had this time.”

  “So am I.” The desire and reluctant affection she felt for him welled into her throat. Edie leaned toward him as his eyes darkened.

  Warm and beguiling, his lips touched hers. She kissed him back. If they could comfort each other now, they could deal with the future later.

  If there was a future.

  “Don’t,” Josh murmured.

  “Don’t what?”

  “You’re thinking too much. You went tense on me.” His lips brushed her nose, then her forehead, then her eyelids with bittersweet tenderness.

  “You were thinking a minute ago.”

  His lips touched hers, then hovered. “Waste of time when I have a beautiful woman in my arms.” He kissed the left corner of her mouth, then the right.

  Edie caught his head and tugged his mouth back to hers. Flicking her tongue against his lips, she cupped his nape.

  Josh’s tongue flicked back, teasing. Flirting.

  He chuckled, and Edie laughed. She let her hands run over his wide shoulders and down his back.

  Josh pulled her closer. His mouth captured hers, invading, demanding, seducing. Edie moaned.

  He turned her so she lay in his arms, her breasts pressed to his hard chest. His hand kneading her butt sent flashes of fire between her legs.

  Sliding her hand into his open shirt collar, against his warm, solid chest, she rose on her knees to straddle him. Josh pulled her down against his hard cock, and a flood of heat made her gasp. As though of their own accord, her hips rocked against that exquisite bulge.

  Josh groaned and cupped her breast. Red haze rolled over her sight. Clutching his shoulders, she arched to press against his hand. Her tight nipples ached. More was all she could think.

  “Whatever you
want, angel,” he muttered.

  The words jolted her. She must’ve spoken that plea, but this wasn’t smart. Edie struggled against the pleasure and need rolling through her body. Then Josh pressed his open mouth to her neck and laid a trail of hot kisses down it, and she stopped thinking.

  She surfaced with her hands in his hair and his fingers at the top button of her shirt, directly over her breasts. His eyes sizzled with possessiveness and passion. “Say yes, Edie.”

  Quivering with need, she tried to think. He was hard against her sex, even through their jeans, his hands were on her, and God, she wanted—

  The doorknob turned.

  Edie choked. Josh flushed. She sprang off him and pulled her knees up.

  Holding a small duffel bag, Harper walked into the room. He looked from one to the other of them and raised an eyebrow. “Is this a bad time?”

  “No,” Edie said quickly. He’d saved them from certain folly.

  “Of course not,” Josh said hoarsely. He used the remote to shut off the television.

  Harper’s expression gave nothing away. As a doctor, he probably had developed a superb poker face.

  He sat in the easy chair to Edie’s right. “The good news is, we think there’s a strong chance this ritual will boost your magic and a decent one that it will sever your ties to the orb.”

  “Is there a downside?” Josh asked.

  “Not that we can see, but we’ll have to hurry if we want to do this tonight.” Soberly, he said, “The sooner we can free you of that thing, the better.”

  Edie nodded. “So what do we do?”

  “The beauty of it,” Harper replied, “is that you don’t have to do anything but sit there. Josh, you know the grove where we do the year-end conscience ritual.”

  Conscience ritual? Before Edie could ask about that, Josh responded.

  “The one where the armorer picks deadfall for beginner wands. Sure.”

  “That’s the one.” Harper leaned forward in his chair. “Oak, ash, hawthorn, birch, and hazel, all trees of power, grow there. No other kinds. With fires kindled at the cardinal points, the clear quartz platform in the center emits magic in waves, like a tuning fork emits sound, that can attune a mage’s power. You’ll sit on the quartz, with your weapons or whatever other object you use to focus power.”

  Crap. Edie cleared her throat. “I’m a firefighter. I don’t use a weapon. Or focus magic. I don’t need to.”

  Harper gave her a reassuring smile. “That’s no problem. I can give you a clear quartz crystal to hold. Feeling it vibrate with the magic will help you. I treat plenty of mages who don’t regularly practice energy manipulation.”

  Josh squeezed her hand, and his silent support vibrated in the weak magic current between them. She could too easily become accustomed to that support.

  Of course, she wouldn’t need it as much once they were back to normal.

  “I’ll be back for you in about an hour. Eat something in that time and change clothes. I brought you garments of undyed linen. The natural fabric won’t interfere with the magical currents in the grove.

  “Any questions?” Harper asked.

  When they shook their heads, he said, “The High Council will trigger the grove’s magic at moonrise and then leave. I’ll wait with you because I don’t want you unattended and far from the infirmary until we’re sure this is done.”

  Edie couldn’t help wondering if Josh was thinking the same thing she was, that when the rite was over, whatever this was between them also would be. She wasn’t as glad about that as she’d expected to be.

  * * *

  In the hall, Stefan found Griff leaning against the wall beside Will. The two straightened when he appeared.

  Will jerked a thumb at Griff. “He came to drag us out of the archives, with food as a bribe.”

  “Yours or Val’s?” Stefan asked Griff.

  “Hers. I’m not crazy. My fiancée was a better cook when she was ten than I’ll ever be.”

  “His fiancée.” Will snickered. “Bro, you don’t need a wedding. You are so married already.”

  Griff smirked. “You’re jealous I found her first.”

  “More like she settled for you because I’m so booked up.”

  “Like she’d ever take the runt of the litter when she could have the pick.” Griff sauntered toward the elevator.

  Will and Stefan fell into step with him.

  “More like she needs glasses,” Will replied. “But I’ll step aside for you. Why pick one when there are so many gorgeous, bright women just waiting for some friendly benefits?”

  Stefan tuned them out. After six years on the mage most-wanted list, Griff deserved his happiness, and bantering with his friends was part of it.

  They took the elevator to the ground floor and hurried through the rain to the main building, which held the staff quarters.

  The three men entered the lobby area, its reception desk vacant at this hour. Griff led the way to the east door and palmed the lock plate. If he’d had his magic, he could’ve opened the door with a touch.

  When Will pushed the elevator button, the doors opened. The trio stepped into the car. Griff glanced at Stefan. “You okay? You’re quiet tonight.”

  “I’m hungry. Some of Val’s cooking will take care of that.”

  “Absolutely,” Griff said. “We’re having tilapia with Valeria’s homemade mango chutney.”

  Stefan mustered a smile. “Even better.”

  “Hey,” Will began, “did you catch the ball game the other day? Cardinals rule.”

  “The Braves’ll clean their clocks,” Griff said.

  Stefan left them to their debate.

  There was something building between Josh and Edie. Maybe it would last beyond this crisis, and maybe not, but it was definitely there. He wouldn’t have needed more than a glance to see it even if their clothing hadn’t been awry and their hair rumpled.

  In the same way, he needed only a glance to see the love between Val and Griff when she greeted them at the door. There’d once been a woman who looked at him that way, one he’d hoped was his future. He hadn’t seen her in nine years, hadn’t thought of her in at least four or five, but she was on his mind today.

  He let Val usher him and Will in, and he accepted the glass of wine Griff poured. He sat at the bar and let his friends’ conversation flow around him without joining in.

  Maybe it was seeing Josh and Edie and worrying over them. Maybe it was being part of Griff and Val’s happiness as they built a life together. But something kept pulling Stefan’s mind back more than a decade.

  He’d met her on a rainy night, in the church basement where the local folk music club met. She’d been a rising sophomore, he a second-year med student. They’d ended up at the coffee station during a break. With rain pattering on the window, as it did now, he’d offered to pour for her.

  The shining curtain of her dark brown hair hung down to her shoulder blades. Bright coral lipstick highlighted her sweet mouth with its full lower lip, and she’d looked up at him with wide, gray eyes that were friendly and keenly intelligent and held just a hint of vulnerability.

  “Thanks. I’m Camellia Wray,” she’d said, her clear alto wrapped in a soft southern drawl.

  He’d been smitten on the spot and had barely managed to get out his own name. Within three months, they’d moved in together. Within the next two, he’d started thinking about forever.

  A hand touched his shoulder. He looked into Val’s concerned hazel eyes.

  “You okay?” she asked. “Griffin said you were hungry, but everyone’s at the table and you haven’t moved. You look tired.”

  “Sorry. I’m distracted.” His youthful mistake wasn’t her problem, so he managed to smile. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

  “Anytime. Now let’s eat.”

  He followed her to the table. Cami was the past. In the present, people depended on him. Best for everyone if he focused on healing Josh and Edie and not on what might have been.


  * * *

  “I feel like a dork.” Josh scowled at the linen kilt around his waist.

  “Maybe, but you look hot.” Edie jerked her eyes away. She hadn’t meant to say that.

  She’d been so concerned about her short sarong that she hadn’t thought about what he might wear. The sight of him had punched hot desire into her belly, but she didn’t have to share that with him.

  The kilt left his long, muscular legs and ripped torso bare. Gripping the basket hilt of a broadsword, he reminded Edie of an ancient warrior.

  Unfortunately, he also looked tired, despite the magic boost they’d each received fifteen minutes earlier. So much was riding on tonight.

  Embarrassment lingered in his eyes, but Josh grinned. “Back atcha, angel.”

  Edie’s cheeks warmed, and she bit her lip to keep from smiling.

  Josh said, “I get the whole ‘natural fabrics not interfering with the magic flow’ thing, but those natural fabrics could be made into pants.”

  This from the man with sexy legs. “Just be glad we’re not Wiccans and don’t have to be skyclad for this.” Being nude outdoors together, with medical staff on hand, would way surpass embarrassing. Nude outdoors together but without the medics, on the other hand…

  Josh’s smile turned mischievous. “I could go with you being skyclad.”

  “If I were, you would be.”

  “Deal.”

  He crossed the few feet of carpet between them to tip her chin up. Cupping her cheek, he studied her with solemn eyes. “We both know tonight is probably our last chance. Whatever happens, I want you to know I’m grateful for the time we’ve spent together.”

  “So am I.” Even if they ended up paying a high price for it.

  Josh kissed her softly. When he looked down at her, the longing and tenderness and hope washing over his face matched the emotions roiling within her. She drew his head down for another kiss.

  This one caught fire. His free arm whipped around her waist, pulling her to him, and his tongue slid into her mouth in a raw, hot demand. With a moan, Edie answered it, stroking his tongue with hers until Josh let out a strangled groan.

  The heat of his body penetrated the thin linen. His bulging cock pressed into her belly, and she ached to touch it. Warm and smooth under her hands, his sleek back invited her to explore.