by Aliyah Burke
“They weren’t after you for that reason.” No message on the walls or desk as far as he could see. He bent and opened drawers, hoping for some kind of answer.
“Really? And what reason could it have been then? I don’t know them and I certainly don’t know people who travel with fugly things with leathery wings that breathe fire.”
“They’re after you because you are part of the prophecy.” Nothing in the drawers either.
“What? What prophecy?”
He faced her. Those dark brown eyes of hers were unwavering as she stared at him.
“The one. The battle which They know if they kill you their side has a better chance of winning.”
She scowled at him. “Really? And how exactly did I get imposed into this prophecy? Did I sign up somewhere? Apply? Or is it random and they just took a stupid game a little too far?”
“This is no game, Calida.” He held her gaze. “Did Mrs. Chen give you something?”
The barest flicker of apprehension crossed her face and he knew, had he not been studying her so intently, he would have missed it.
“No.”
A lie. He placed his hands on the surface of the desk and took a deep breath.
“You want to know more?”
“Might be nice, you know, given I’m apparently now part of it. You going to tell me?”
“Okay. Shut off the light.”
She hesitated a few seconds before she did. The room descended into darkness. He knew exactly where she was and stood close enough to touch her, but didn’t.
“Tell me you don’t see the flames and trail of gold dust, Calida.”
They grew brighter after his question. Floating from him to her and back again. The gold remained around her but the pinpricks of flame moved. Eventually they grew so bright he could see her eyes.
“They can see this around you. It tells Them you’ve been marked for one of the Guardians.”
She reached up and touched the ends of his hair. The flames slipped through and around her fingers like water would had she held her hand beneath a faucet. “Marked for one of the Guardians? That doesn’t sound good. What does it mean?”
He gave in to his need and slid his fingers through her hair, alight with gold and flames. Tugging her head back, he moved until their mouths were nearly touching. Until their breath mingled with one another. “It means, Calida Michaels, that you’re mine.”
Calida didn’t believe she’d ever heard anything so transparently possessive in her life. Somewhere inside her she knew she should be offended. Indignant. Or any number of other things for him daring to claim her as if she were a piece of property. However, what she was, was turned on.
His hazel eyes smoldered with barely restrained passion and desire as he held her gaze. That alone was enough to get her pussy wet with want. But he hadn’t stopped there, no—his voice had dropped to a low rasp that made her think sex. And only sex.
Even now she didn’t trust her voice so she swallowed and dampened her lips with her tongue. More heat flared in his eyes at her motion. Her heart pounded out of control as she allowed his cool strands of hair to flow through her fingers. The pinpricks of flame didn’t burn her. Quite the opposite. They were cool and soothing.
“No comment?”
Temptation. That was how she’d describe his voice. Pure temptation.
Embracing the moment and going with how she felt, she gave him a slight lift of her lips. “What does that mean for me? What comes with being yours?”
He spun her and laid her across the desk, grinding into her. His hardness had her wanting more. Widening her legs, she hooked her ankles around his waist and pulled him in closer. Wanting way more contact.
“Everything,” he rasped before nipping the shell of her ear.
His kisses moved from her jaw down her neck and to the start of her shirt. She writhed beneath his touch, desperate for more. He kept his hands wrapped in her hair and she slipped hers along the wide breadth of his shoulders. Nothing but muscle beneath her fingertips and his shirt.
As he sucked on her skin, she trembled. Tightening her hold on him, she said, “That leaves a lot of room for my imagination.”
“I will never cheat on you. You are the only woman for me. I will protect you with my last breath.” His words were low, and they rumbled along her skin.
He nipped and laved until she was a quivering mess. Would it be wrong of me to allow a man I barely know to screw my brains out? If it’s Tiarnán, I’m going to go with a no for an answer.
“Sounds like an awful lot to promise someone you just met.” Lord, her voice sounded so weak it was shameful.
“You were picked for me.”
Cold water splashing upon her face couldn’t have sobered her up any faster. She stiffened beneath him before moving her hands to push on his chest. “Let me up.”
His eyes, warmed to molten gold, watched her closely as he did as ordered. “What’s wrong?”
She thought fast. Now was not the time to rant about him saying what he did out of responsibility. She needed to get answers. “A woman died in here. I… This doesn’t feel right to me.”
Well, only part of that was a lie. It didn’t feel right, and while the reason may not fully be because someone had died there, it added to it. Who wanted to be getting down and dirty when there were bloodstains from someone else on the floor? Add to that the knowledge of this person having been tortured…not so romantic to her.
Not that it’s romantic to him either, so perhaps it would have worked out fine. At least I would have gotten an itch scratched.
“Let’s head back then.”
Subdued and a bit hurt by the revelation, Calida followed him through the once again darkened store. With little fanfare, they slipped back through to the outside and she took a deep breath, grateful to be gone from there.
He stood still for a moment, scanning the sky before he reached out for her hand. So surprised by his move, she allowed him to continue holding it. Together they began down the street toward the park and subsequently, his truck.
She kept quiet and just tried to imagine she was out on a date with someone who cared about her and not someone with whom she was apparently tied because of some gold dust and flames.
Back to that whole feeling like property thing again.
“You’re awfully quiet.” He glanced briefly at her.
“What’s Guardian mean?”
“I’m part of a group picked to protect the earth when the time comes.”
“Protect it from what?”
“I’m going to assume you recall what you saw earlier and realize there’s more to this world than just humans. It’s a battle that’s been raging since the beginning of the earth’s existence. Possibly longer.”
“And more people don’t know about this why?”
“It’s not common knowledge. And we don’t go around telling everyone.”
“Yet here you are telling me and we barely know one another.”
He stopped and turned her toward him. “I’m telling you because you’re part of it. You’re connected to me and have a right to know.”
“That’s right, I’m yours.” Okay, didn’t hide the sarcasm in my voice very well just now.
“Yes,” he stated, deadpan. “You are.”
It didn’t matter if he were hot or not, she wasn’t about to be in a relationship because someone told her to be. Or some mysterious things floated around her. She started walking again. “So, there’s this battle,” she prompted.
“Each side fights for the right to keep the world how they want it. Right now, the side of good is winning.”
“And if they kill you and the ones like you, evil prevails.”
“Exactly.”
“Right. I heard stories like this all through my childhood. The ongoing battle for our souls.”
“This isn’t about our souls, Calida. This is about the earth. And who will control her destiny and, in doing so, will control the destiny of the entirety o
f beings living here.”
“So it’s not about saving souls?”
“No. If we fail, it won’t matter what your religion is. Chaos and anarchy will arise and take over everything.”
Okay, she really didn’t like the sound of that. Taking her hand from his, she put them in her pockets. He didn’t dispute her action.
“Why is it happening now?”
“It’s not on our timetable. It’s on Theirs. And the prophecy. You have to remember They’ve been battling for amounts of time we don’t even think about. What we live is barely a blip to them.”
He held the door to his truck for her, and she slid along the seat before buckling herself in. She watched him climb up and start the engine.
“So how many of your warriors are there? I mean for a battle so big, you need to have a lot. Right?”
“No.” He glanced at her. “You need to come with me, Calida.”
“Come with you where?”
“To my home.”
“And why must I do that? Because I belong to you?” More of that sarcasm. Gosh, I’m getting good at it.
“Because you’ll be safe there. And yes, because you are mine. Mostly because you will be safer there.”
Angling herself to see him easier, she canted her head to the side. “So let me get this straight. Because you say something is so, I should give my life up and go with a man I’ve known for—wait for it—less than forty-eight hours. Do think I’m stupid? Not happening, buster.”
He frowned at her but she didn’t care. He could scowl, frown and piss ‘n’ moan all he wanted. It wasn’t going down like that. Not so long as she was breathing.
“You are endangering your friends,” he said.
“Are you threatening them?”
He began driving. “No. I’m saying that those things will be back for you. They will find you and they won’t care how many of your friends they kill to get to you.” A pointed look. “And whatever Mrs. Chen gave you.”
“So you go to her place, search high and low for some artifact thingy, yet when you can’t find it you assume she gave it to me. A person she met once before she died. Makes perfect sense.” She rolled her eyes. “Let me ask you a hypothetical.”
“Go ahead.”
“Assume she did give me something. Why would I give it to you? How do I know you’re not one who is looking to end the world?”
The look he leveled at her warned her of his growing ire. “Why wouldn’t I just kill you then and take what I wanted?”
“Because we’re assuming you don’t know I have that which she possibly gave me.”
Lightning flickered in his eyes. “But I know you have something from her.”
The words fell thick with warning. Or was that promise? She wondered if he didn’t know she’d been given something. Still, she’d maintain ignorance until she figured out what to do.
With a slight yawn, she shrugged. “Again, this is a hypothetical. I’m just saying you’ve really done nothing to tell me you’re on the side of ‘good’ as opposed to not.”
“Saving you doesn’t give me points?”
“Points? Um, no. For all I know it was a set-up.”
A low rumble filled the interior of his truck and she shivered. “I wouldn’t allow myself to be poisoned just to get into your good graces.”
“Don’t you sound all indignant for a hypothetical.”
“I can’t prove anything to you, Calida. You have to trust yourself and what your instincts are telling you. But I am not lying to you.”
“You say that as if you believe I’m doing it to you.”
“You are.” He never looked at her, just parked the truck in the complex’s parking lot.
“What?”
He jumped out after shutting off the engine and moved to her side of the truck before she could climb down. Opening her door, he watched her before leaning in, blocking her.
“We both know Mrs. Chen gave you something. I know this to be true, so no matter how many times you lie to me about it, I know the truth.”
Her heart pounded hard and she shifted slightly. “How do you think you know such a thing?”
“The artifact leaves a trail. It was in her office but faint. However, it is strong around you. That means, Calida, you were the last one to touch it.”
Shit. That’s what the gold means? She hadn’t known that.
Thankfully some of the children saw her and began yelling for them. She waved him back with her hand and jumped down.
“Maybe you should have your eyes checked then.” She strode off to meet the kids, trying desperately to calm the nerves that were running crazily inside her.
Chapter Four
Tiarnán scrutinized Calida as she interacted with her fellow tenants. He could see how close they were. All walks of life, races and nationalities. None of it mattered as they joked and laughed amongst one another. He stood to the side, arms crossed, and tried to figure her out a bit more.
This was the most relaxed he’d seen her since he’d met her. Granted, as she’d pointed out, it hadn’t been that long, but still. He’d been allowed to see her in a variety of situations.
Her laughter lightened his soul and he found himself smiling as he watched her dancing with one of the older gentlemen who lived there. It saddened him to think she had to leave all of them. And despite what she’d said earlier, he knew she would leave. Her love for all of them was obvious and it was obvious she didn’t want them hurt or killed.
He rotated his shoulders, trying to get his muscles to loosen up a bit more. Not entirely healed, he still had some pain. Cale was the best healer among the Guardians—each of them could heal but it was Cale’s specialty.
As the night progressed, the party eventually dwindled down. He swore there was as much food now as when they’d first arrived. Shaking his head, he followed Calida up to her place.
“Can I fix you something before you go?” she asked.
“Where am I going?”
“I assume you have something else to do.” She paused. “If you need a place to crash, feel free to stay. You can have my bed and I’ll take the couch—I don’t think you’d be comfortable on it at all.”
“I’m not taking your bed from you.”
“We’re not sleeping together.”
Was that a challenge he heard in her voice? He stepped closer to her. “You wanted me not to long ago, Calida. What’s changed?”
She sniffed and backed away from him. “Yes, your declaration. How sweet and romantic. Why don’t you go find a girl who is fine with all that being because they were marked by some long ago prophecy wanting thing. Great to know it has nothing to do with how you feel.” She waved her hand in the air. “Not that I expect anyone to fall in love with me so quickly, but I definitely can find someone who isn’t with me because it was ordained from something he can’t even fully explain to me.”
She stormed off down the hall leaving him alone. And confused.
“Dracen?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t understand women.”
Her laughter, while instantaneous, wasn’t as robust as he recalled it being. This thing with Lian was obviously getting to her.
“What did you do now?”
“I told her what being my mate meant.”
“What else?”
“I told her she was picked for me.”
“After your claims?”
“They are not mere claims, Dracen. I meant every word I uttered.”
“Tiarnán?”
He grunted and went to get a glass of water. “Yes, after.”
“You know you basically told her that you would say those words to anyone who’d been picked for you.”
“I would. She is the other half I need in my life.”
“Not how a woman would view it. You’re giving her lip service. It’s not special because it’s her, it’s just what you need to say since you two are tied together.”
“You know that’s not true, Dracen.
”
“I know that, but I’m one of the Guardians. She’s just entered our world. This has nothing to do with prophecy for her. It has to do with a woman and a man. And in this case, the man—that would be you—has said something stupid. And now the woman—this would be her—feels shame because the words he uttered mean nothing.” Her words were full of reprimand and dry wit.
“You can truly be an ass, Dracen.”
“Did you want sympathy?”
“From you? Heavens no.”
“Good. Then get your woman and get home.”
“How is he doing?”
“I’ve never seen him like this, Tiarnán. It’s like the life is being sucked out of him. You will have a hard time recognizing him if you don’t get back soon.”
Those words sent fear into the marrow of his bones. “Do you think something is siphoning off his life force?”
“We have all checked him best we can. None of us found anything to indicate such a thing. Billy’s mate is staying with him most of the time. She tells us he is healthy according to every test she’s run. But he’s not. He’s fading away. There’s just not anything for her to test for.”
“We’ll be on our way as soon as we can.”
“Be safe, brother.”
“You as well, sister.”
“What was that?”
Calida’s question came as a surprise. “What was what?”
“You had this smoky look around you. Especially your shoulders. Is this more indication that something else is coming?”
“No. It’s fine. You’re safe for now.”
“But you’re not going to tell me what it was.” She huffed and went to the couch.
“We have other things to discuss right now.” He lowered himself to one of her other chairs.
“And what’s that?”
“The fact you need to come with me.”
“Christ, are we back to that again? I’m not going anywhere. My life is here.”
“And I told you, they will be back for you. They will use any means necessary to get to you and if that includes torturing your friends who live here, they will. You’re endangering them by staying, Calida.”
