Wounded Wings

by Ariana Hawkes

  Eden heard the front door open and then her father’s voice came again. “Oh, Notus, you’re here already.”

  “Hello, Todd. Yes, I’ve just been inspecting the security of the building from the outside.”

  “Excellent! Well, listen, I must go I’m afraid, but Eden is here. I’ll let you two get acquainted,” her father said.

  Eden decided against going to greet him at the door. She wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. She knew it wasn’t his fault, but she wasn’t about to roll out the red carpet for him or anything.

  The door closed, and a few heavy steps came her way.

  “Hi. I’m Notus,” a deep, yet pleasant—kind of good-natured—voice said.

  As he rounded the corner and came into view, her jaw dropped at the sight of the tall, broad-shouldered man standing in front of her. Crap! It was that lunatic from the shooting range, the one who’d gone ballistic when she’d had that little mishap with her gun.

  “You?” Eden demanded, sitting up straight and narrowing her eyes. “You’re my new bodyguard?”

  “Once bitten, twice lucky,” he said, raising an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. She couldn’t tell if he was surprised to see her. He had one of those unreadable faces.

  She let out a deep sigh. “No, no, no!” she exclaimed. “First you yell at me at the range, and now you’ll be living in my house. This is not happening!” She drained her glass and slammed it down on the coffee table beside her.

  He let out a snort—a deep, animal sound, and she started. Suddenly, she couldn’t see him clearly, he was kind of blurry. She rubbed her eyes. The edge of his lips curled up in a rueful smile as he waved at the air in front of him with a huge hand, and she could see clearly again. Was that a wisp of smoke, now drifting across the room?

  She planted her hands on her knees and scrutinized him. He was very brawny and tall, maybe six-foot-five, maybe even taller. He had a thick, powerful chest and huge upper arms, which were bulging beneath the fabric of his dark blue checkered shirt. He was all powerful and masculine, and his face was actually very handsome. He had deep indigo eyes, a chiseled jaw, full lips, and messy blond hair curling casually around his face that looked even sexier than it had earlier at the range. It was annoying how good-looking he was. But he was obviously an asshole, so it wouldn’t be difficult to dislike him despite that.

  “So my dad said you’re injured, huh?”

  Something passed across his features—pain? But it was gone too quickly for her to be sure, then his gaze dropped to the ground. “A few months ago, I suffered a catastrophic injury to my wing, so I can no longer fly. Consequently, my alpha has seen fit to assign me a personal protection detail,” he said in a monotone.

  “Great. So, not only do I have a crazy-ass dragon watching my every move, but a one-armed one at that!” she snapped, the words out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying.

  The bones in his face broadened and he bared his teeth. He crossed the distance between them in quick strides, and his hand shot out and slammed into her rib cage. The next thing she knew, her head was spinning and she was suspended seven feet off the ground, his splayed fingers jammed into her stomach. He was holding her over his head at arms’ length, apparently effortlessly, while her arms and legs were flailing.

  “I can’t breathe,” she gasped, since all her weight was hanging off the palm of his hand, which was pressing right into her diaphragm.

  He shook his head, looking up at her with something like amusement. “Don’t be so dramatic. The first thing you need to learn, even if you’re going to be in my protection for just a few hours, is to never doubt me or my abilities. I’m very good at what I do, and I may hate being here, but I love my job, and I would have never come if I had hesitations about my ability to protect you.”

  “Put me down,” she protested and grabbed his forearm, trying to lever herself out of his grasp. But it was no use, and she was stuck, flapping helplessly, while he didn’t seem the least bit fatigued.

  “Just so you know, I could hold you up like this for a good couple of hours at least,” he said, and without warning, he tossed her higher into the air. With a scream, she landed face down in both his arms, and then he flipped her—he actually flipped her—onto her back and continued to hold her.

  She tried to wriggle free, but his grasp was so firm that she just ended up thrashing helplessly against him. She hated being so weak and small in his arms. “How can you be so strong?” she squeaked.

  “Because I’m a dragon,” he said in a low, almost menacing tone.

  She inhaled his smell of soap and spicy cologne, and all of a sudden became very aware of all the ways that her body was pressing against his—his forearm, tight as steel, on her ass; her breasts crushed against his chest. That handsome face inches from hers. Her pulse quickened. Stop!

  “The second thing,” he continued. “Is to take this situation seriously. It’s not a game. You’re in danger.” Still holding her in his arms, he walked toward the window and stared out at the view. She didn’t feel a single ounce of strain in him from carrying her around.

  “I said put me down,” she repeated. He was so maddening.

  “I’ll put you down whenever I decide,” Notus said. At last he walked over to the sofa and deposited her there, unceremoniously.

  A wave of heat climbed up Eden’s chest. Avoiding his eyes, she pulled herself upright, then straightened her orange blouse, which had ridden up, and adjusted her jeans.

  “Since you’re on about rules, I have one myself,” Eden said.

  “I’m listening,” he said and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  “I need you to always be honest with me. If something happens, I need to know immediately. I can’t stand being kept in the dark.” She had reasons—she’d been badly scared in the past—but she wasn’t going to expand on that now.

  “Deal.” He nodded, looking like he meant it.

  She instinctively believed him, which was strange because she didn’t trust easily at all. In fact, the only person she fully trusted was Martine, her best friend. This man was annoying, but there was something about him that inspired her confidence.

  “Show me around the house,” he demanded. “I need to familiarize myself with the space and check all doors and windows.”

  “Living room and kitchen,” she said, spreading her arms wide.

  Notus went around the sitting area and then to the balcony to check the doors. He turned and walked across the length of the room to the opposite side, where the kitchen and dining area were, and checked all six windows that lined the entire wall. He then went into the foyer on the left of the dining area and checked the entrance door again.

  “Next,” he said, coming back into the living room.

  Eden led him back to the foyer and opened the door that was opposite the entrance door.

  “Study,” she said, and he walked in to check the windows.

  “Next,” he said.

  She crossed the living room and led him down the hallway to the bedroom. There were two doors in front of her, one on the left and one on the right. She went to the left and opened it.

  “Guest bedroom,” she said without entering the room. Notus walked in, checked the windows of the bedroom, and then went into the en suite bathroom.

  “Next,” he said, barely fitting into the frame of the guest bedroom door.

  “That’s it,” Eden said.

  He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Where’s your bedroom?” he said and looked to his left where the other door was.

  “You’re not going into my bedroom.”

  He leaned against the door frame, and fixed his blue eyes on her expectantly.

  “Fine.” She turned on her heel, marched into her bedroom, and stood in the middle of it, hands on her hips. “Don’t touch anything!”

  At the door, he glanced around, examining the room slowly. His eyes fixed and lingered on her four-poster king size bed. Then he looked at her dressing table that
was opposite the bed, the sofa on the far side, and then back to her bed.

  “Stop staring at my things!” Eden demanded.

  He snorted, walking into the room. He checked the windows behind the sofa, and then went into the en suite bathroom on his left.

  When he’d completed his circuit, he said, “The way you fought me when I picked you up earlier, you don’t seem to be capable at all of taking care of yourself. “I can understand why your father wants you to have a bodyguard.”

  Eden’s face flushed at the unexpected insult and she clenched her fists. “I’m well capable of taking care of myself. I’ve done martial arts classes and I have my own business.”

  “Do you? And what business is that?” Notus asked, his deep voice full of confidence.

  “It’s a cupcake business, if you must know.”

  “What’s a cupcake?” he asked.

  “A cake which is the size of a cup.”

  “And you call that a business?”

  “Asshole!” Eden waved a hand at him. “I make money from it.” The truth was that she was ashamed of it herself—it was a business that her father imposed on her, saying that she could be as klutzy as she wanted without making a failure of herself. She pressed her lips together. Notus was so infuriating, curling his lip at her like that, eyes full of skepticism. He could have been sexy if he didn’t have such an annoying personality.

  Notus sniffed. “Are you cooking something?”

  “Oh, damn it!” Eden said and ran to the kitchen.

  She opened the door of the oven and pulled back quickly as a cloud of black smoke poured out. How could she have forgotten about the stupid chicken? Between being so upset about having a bodyguard forced on her and arguing with said bodyguard, it’d completely slipped her mind. And it had happened just when he was mocking her for not being able to take care of herself, and she was determined to show him it wasn’t true. Her face felt hot, and she had an impulse to run away and hide.

  She turned off the oven, slipped her hands in the oven gloves, and pulled out the tray of burned chicken. Notus came and peeked over her shoulder. She avoided his gaze, preparing herself for his stinging comments. Argh.

  “Hm,” he said and turned away. He opened two of the kitchen windows and then the balcony door to create some draught and let the smoke out.

  What now? He was just going to humph and not say anything? He’d already been putting salt in her wound; why not give her a double dose? Maybe he felt bored by how predictably incapable she was. Or was he trying to be kind because he felt bad for her? No, that couldn’t be it.

  Eden dumped the chicken in the bin and put the baking tray in the sink. She laid the oven gloves on the kitchen counter, stormed over to her bedroom, and slammed the door.

  She threw herself on the bed and buried her head in her hands. Why the hell did that have to happen just now? Why did these stupid things always happen to her? She was so sick of people thinking she was a klutz who wasn’t capable of taking care of herself. Especially her father, who was always telling her she was a liability to herself. And now, even the dragon-man who couldn’t fly thought that of her. But why was she so bothered about what that bodyguard thought of her, anyway? He was just someone who worked for her father. Who cared about his opinion?

  If it was true that she wasn’t good at taking care of herself, it was all her father’s fault. He was always so overbearing and overprotective. Always in charge of everything. How could she become more mature when he made all the decisions in her life? How could she learn and grow when there were always so many rules and restrictions? He’d gotten even worse after her mother passed away. More anal. Not because he loved her, no. But because he saw her as some tedious responsibility that he had to take care of. Most probably just out of respect for the spirit of her dead mother.

  She suddenly got an idea, which gave her a burst of excitement. She got up and looked around her room for her phone. It wasn’t there. She must have left it in the living room. Whatever. It was probably for the best since it was more of a personal tracking device than anything.

  She was going to escape. Get away from this life of surveillance once and for all. She’d climb out of the bathroom window and down the side of the garage wall, and she’d go hide at her friend’s place. At Dana’s. Yes, that was a good idea. Her father didn’t know that Martine had left town, so they’d expect her to be there, but she’d outsmart them. And tomorrow, she’d just drive in a random direction, far away, get a motel room, and hide there.

  She tried not to jingle her car keys as she put them in her pocket. She went into the bathroom, unlocked the window, and pulled it up slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. She stuck her head out and scanned the outside world, making sure that none of the neighbors were out. It was clear.

  She sat on the frame of the window and then, carefully, she stepped out onto the roof of the garage, one foot at a time. She walked toward the edge of the roof, taking each step slowly, moving as quietly as possible. She examined her surroundings again and didn’t see anyone. Reaching the edge of the building, she turned to face her window, knelt, slid her right foot down along the wall of the garage and stepped onto the wooden frame that lined the wall. Holding onto the edge of the roof with her hands, she took another step down with her left foot. She was more than halfway down now, so she’d just push herself off the wall and drop down quietly onto the grass.

  She took a breath, counted to three, and… two hands grasped her firmly by her hips. She recognized the familiar smell of soap and spicy cologne, and groaned. She kicked back with her legs and swung with her arms, trying to free herself, but Notus turned her sideways and drew her toward his body, immobilizing her.

  “Leave me alone!” she protested. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  He paid her no attention, but began to carry her to the house. How the hell had he heard her? She’d been so quiet. He was transporting her on her side, like a plank of wood, her ass pressing against his stomach, which she registered was flat and taut.

  He put her down in the house and locked the entrance door. “I’m doing my job,” he said at last. “The question is, what do you think you’re doing?”

  “It’s none of your business,” Eden replied.

  “It’s all of my business when it’s my responsibility to protect you,” he snapped. “The threat against your father is very serious, so stop acting like a child unless you want to get killed.” His voice shook with anger. “And you don’t have to sneak out to see your boyfriend. You can just ask me to take you.”

  “Fine.” She spun around and sat down on the sofa, facing away from him. She wasn’t going to correct him about the boyfriend thing. Let him think there was someone in her life who could kick his ass. She hoped it’d make him jealous.

  He walked over to her and handed her a sandwich on a plate. “I used whatever was in the fridge. You should eat,” he said.

  She took the plate silently. She was starving. She lifted the top layer of bread. It was cheese, tomato and cold cuts. “Thanks,” she mumbled and bit into it.

  He ignored her, sat on the far end of the other sofa, as remote from her as possible, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  She finished eating her sandwich in silence and put her plate on the coffee table.

  “Time for bed now,” he said, standing up. “I’ll sleep in your room.”

  “What?” she screeched, jumping off the sofa.

  “You heard me. Until you give me a reason to trust that you won’t try to sneak out on me, I’ll be sharing your room.”

  “You’re unbelievable,” she hissed and stormed to her bedroom. She grabbed her pajamas and went into her bathroom to prepare herself for bed.

  She couldn’t believe it. Who did he think he was, demanding to sleep in her room? Especially when he thought she had a boyfriend. She sniffed. The way he’d been treating her, he probably didn’t see her as female. She was just an assignment. Big deal. She didn’t see him that way eithe
r. He wasn’t her type at all, this uptight meathead who lived for order and discipline. She liked her boys rebellious and passionate. There was nothing dragon-y about him either. No spontaneity, no animalism. He couldn’t even fly.

  She went back to her bedroom. He was lying on the floor at the far end of the room by the door with his arms crossed under his head. She tucked herself under her covers and pressed her eyes shut, willing herself to fall asleep, and praying they’d catch whoever made the threat against her father as soon as possible, because she couldn’t stand to live like this.

  Chapter 3

  Notus

  Eden gave Notus a sideways glance as she passed him on her way the fridge the next morning. “What happened to you?” she asked in an uninterested tone, yawning widely.

  Notus grunted. “Shaving accident.”

  She took a carton of orange juice out, poured herself a glass, and regarded him, her eyes narrowed in disbelief. “You haven’t even shaved.”

  “Well, I had an accident,” he lied again.

  “Whatever.” She yawned again, revealing a lot of her straight, very white teeth, and the tip of her small pink tongue.

  No way was he going to tell her the real reason behind the scratch on his face and have her make fun of him again. He actually kind of liked her honesty and the fact that she didn’t walk on eggshells around him like everyone else. She called things by their names and she didn’t treat him as if he was fragile, which was refreshing. Her insult, that he was a one-armed dragon, had hurt but it had also restored his spirit, forced him to prove himself. But he’d be exposing his vulnerable underside if she knew that he’d tried to fly last night but had fallen and scratched his face up.

  After they’d gone to bed, he’d tossed and turned for hours, unable to fall asleep. He kept thinking about how turned on he’d been earlier when he carried her, her fragrant hair in his face, her body pressed against his so tightly. She’d given him a massive boner both times. Thank Ethereum, he’d managed to conceal it from her, but it was all he could do to control his dragon.