by Brianna West
Not to mention completely gross.
No, I had to wash away this dream.
I left the bathroom, clothed in my usual pajamas, and crawled back into bed. Lucas quickly took his turn in the shower and was immediately at my side minutes later. He pulled me into a tight embrace and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“Goodnight, Izzy,” he said deeply.
I smiled against the building anxiety I felt in my chest. “Goodnight, Lucas.”
Chapter Ten
It was hardly prison like, I decided as we walked the pathway towards the large building that was surrounded by a vast expanse of water. There were no bars, that I could see, and the building itself seemed to be a bit too run down to harbor a mass of Dark criminals.
Lucas had a tight hold on my waist, inadvertently reminding me of our night together. The heat painted my cheeks as we closed in on the entrance. I patted them gently, determined not to let my pervert show.
If his hand even so much as rubbed me lightly, a series of delicious shivers would course through me and threaten to destroy the state of mind I had so arduously contrived before our coming here.
Two large men greeted us at the entrance. Though they were several inches shorter than Lucas, that did not detract from the clearly intimidating stance they had taken when we stopped before them. I could also tell almost instantly by the very little variation in their faces and bodies that they were twins.
Their shaggy brown hair was just ear-length and was accompanied by glistening amber eyes. The sun-kissed flesh that was roped heavily with laboriously earned muscle peeked from all black attire.
It was clear that they were a force to be reckoned with in both the world of fighting the Dark and the world of women.
Twin hottie alert.
My thoughts derailed to all the possibilities.
“Lucas,” one said with a southern drawl before breaking out into a face-wide grin, “who's the little lady?”
“Yeah,” the other one chimed in eagerly, “she's a cutie.” He leaned forward, holding his palm out to me. “Howdy, milady, it is an honor to meet you. I am Bernard.”
Bernard.
I smiled before offering my hand, “Hey, Bernie.”
Lucas pulled my hand from Bernie's grasp, conveying there would be no more touching.
The first of the Cowboy Twins chuckled before coming forward and offering his hand in a slightly more American greeting. “Bernard here suffers from a particularly severe case of asshole. I'm Carl.”
Carl and I were going to be great friends. I could tell instantly.
“Hey, Carl,” I greeted with a firm shake of his hand, “I know plenty of people that suffer from that syndrome. Actually, I am pretty sure it runs in my family.”
“There are support groups,” Carl said with his ruggedly handsome smile.
Yep, we were best friends already.
“Do they have cake?” I inquired with a subtle grin of my own.
Carl smirked and crossed his arms while tossing Lucas an approving nod. “For you, little lady, anything.”
“Hey,” Bernie chimed in, “stop stealing all the good lines. I saw her first.”
“Tell me one time you've come forthright with any good lines,” Carl shot back with a sideways grin, “and I'll take off all my clothes right here and dive into the lake buck-naked.”
“There was that one time in Austin with that blonde bartender,” Bernie started before Carl was interrupting with a resounding chuckle.
“Oh, you mean when you said, and I quote, 'Hey, honey, I was feeling a little off today but you definitely turned me on.'”
Oh, that was one hell of a cheesy line. Bernie suffered from a serious case of lame. Somehow, I imagined that he and Pavel would be the best of buds, sharing in their one-line glories.
Lucas had remained silent beside me, so I sneaked a peek to find him watching with a small smile. He nodded, as if to say that I was doing a good job, and we continued our interesting chat with the Cowboy Twins.
It was lucky for us that Victor had somehow orchestrated that we visit Pavel while the council was away on business. We still needed to be careful since there were sure to be ears everywhere, and this was the age of technology.
I closed my eyes when we arrived in front of the room they were holding Pavel in. I thought of all those times that I had ever been denied something I felt desperate to have, and I centered myself on those feelings. I opened my eyes just as they unchained the magic-suffused door.
Pavel sat in the middle of the room, his arms bound behind his back by some kind of magical energy. He scarcely looked like I remembered.
He was still roping with muscle and ungodly handsome, but there was an emptiness to his eyes that alarmed me, and his face seemed a little emaciated from the slight hollowing of his eyes and cheeks. His pale hair hung around his face, shadowing the hard lines and hiding away the ice-blue of his eyes. I wanted to reach out and brush it away; I wanted to comfort him in any small measure because despite being such a large man, right now, he looked so very small.
Lucas ushered me inside with a hand gently pressed to the small of my back. I tried to remember the anger I had first come inside with but was having difficulty when Pavel didn't so much as greet us.
Something was not right—really not right.
I glanced towards Lucas, my anxiety peaking when I noticed his eyes had narrowed and his jaw had grown incredibly tight. He had come to the same conclusion I had.
“Pavel,” I called, my voice failing to sound as firm as I had intended. “Why did you do it?”
Blue eyes finally found my own but barely registered my appearance. My hand trembled with the urge to touch him, to feel him, and possibly understand what I was seeing.
The air around us felt empty of his usual power, which I had initially attributed to the magical bind on him, but now I wasn't so sure.
“I wanted you for myself,” was his empty response.
I stiffened at the lackluster energy in his voice. “Why?”
“Because I wanted your power,” came his immediate reply.
Something was definitely off. These responses seemed too derivative and simple for Pavel. Where was his naturally perverse flair? Pavel would never succumb to such general responses. His responses always contained some sort of hidden agenda and inappropriate body language. Even if his arms were bound, those blue eyes would always convey the level of ulterior motive.
Currently, I saw nothing in them, no spark or light that I now identified with Pavel.
I turned towards Lucas who was watching Pavel carefully. His eyes strayed over to me, jaw tight, and they expressed the same feelings bubbling inside of me.
Victor.
Izzy, did you speak with Pavel? came Victor’s instant reply.
Yes, but he's...there is something wrong with him.
I focused images into my thoughts and did my best to share them with Victor. I was still new to this connection we shared so I wasn't exactly sure what I could and couldn't do.
Leave. You need to leave now.
The seriousness in his voice was making me incredibly uncomfortable. There was an urgency in it that caused the hair on my body to stand on end.
Suddenly, there were shouts of distress from outside the room. Lucas stood immediately, his hand closing around my wrist before the door was bursting open. An unbearable heat scorched my flesh, making me cry out in surprise.
“Kill the Guardian, but I want the woman for myself,” a voice ordered.
I could see the unconscious forms of the Cowboy Twins behind the shadow of the man, their huge forms tied together by a magical binding, keeping them bound despite their being comatose. The man carrying out the orders hid his face behind a mask that was painted with a gold star that bled red down to his chin.
It was a startling sight.
The rest of the group looked like, for a lack of a better way to put it, ninjas.
What was a group of ninjas doing at a Guardian compound? W
hat the hell did the bleeding gold star mean? Were they some kind of terrorist group?
I was really starting to hate ninjas as, one after the other, they readied their weapons.
Lucas was growling when they came at us, bodies merging and magic clashing. My body responded with intense pulses of energy, sending many of them catapulting to the floor. Grunts and groans of pain echoed in my ears as my body continued to pulse with steady currents of energy.
“We can't get to her,” a man cried out angrily. “She's too powerful.”
“Do not lose your focus,” I could hear Lucas saying as he pulled me into his embrace. “I'm going to move us, and you will need to continue the barrier.” Is that what I was doing? I didn't know as the steady pulses increased, sending any person that came close hurdling outwards. “Just like that, Izzy.”
“Out of the way,” someone growled. “Must I do everything myself. Incompetent imbeciles!” There was a rush of light that broke out around us. It circled us entirely, blocking the exit.
Well, this sucked.
“Whatever you do,” Lucas instructed, “do not let go.”
He maneuvered me effortlessly onto his back, and after grabbing Pavel and heaving him over his shoulder like a bag of luggage—which he made look a little too easy—he surged forward as if walking through the air. His speed was immeasurable, increasing and causing my surroundings to blur instantly.
My barrier broke through the light blocking our path, light bursting like fireworks around us as the two clashed. Apparently, mine was much more powerful, and it easily singed our enemy's to expose the exit.
After adding the Cowboy Twins to our ever-growing pile of refugees, Lucas dodged through the labyrinth of hallways, breaking through anything that obstructed our path. I clung desperately to him, hearing the voices following us as we navigated the building until we broke through the entrance and out of the compound.
We probably looked quite the sight. Three large men and a woman held only by Lucas, flying through the landscape. I might have laughed if not for being absolutely terrified of what was possibly following us.
No one was nor could they.
Lucas' speed was even more incredible than I remembered. Thankfully, I wasn't dining on bugs this go around, though I doubt I would notice if I did.
My body continued to pulse, protecting us with a thick layer of energy as we sailed through high brush into a forest of trees. The Cowboy Twins hung bound and lifeless—held only by one of Lucas' hands—their heads knocking and lolling with every subtle bump in Lucas' step.
Pavel was hanging unconscious over the vampire-angel's shoulder. It was unnerving to see him so lifeless. I hoped desperately that we would be able to revive him to his previous state.
I needed my Russian bastard back.
–
Deeming both locations traceable, Lucas sought to stay somewhere he paid for with cash and under an alias. It was amazing to me that Lucas handled everything with such finesse, hiding the three unconscious men and speaking with the owner of the motel as if nothing was amiss.
Just a normal work day.
When we entered the poorly kept motel room, I quickly contacted Victor with my mind; this connection we shared was becoming incredibly useful. He arrived to help look over Pavel's condition, murmuring to himself after seeing the state of him.
“You say that he was like this when you arrived?” Victor questioned as he placed his hand on Pavel's forehead.
“Yes,” Lucas replied as he stood beside me, holding me close and refusing to let go. “There was a definite disconnect when we arrived.”
“Hm,” Victor hummed before pulling away. “His mind has been wiped; for what reason, I am not sure. I had carded through his memories when we first brought him in. It would seem that what I found was a fabrication or even possibly a portion of truth.”
My mouth felt dry. “Is he going to be okay?”
When Victor nodded, my relief left my lips.
“I can return most of his memories, and though slightly malnourished, he is otherwise in good condition. As for Carl and Bernard, their injuries are minor, and they will regain consciousness soon,” he said easing the built up anxiety in my chest. “I am curious to hear more about what transpired at the compound, though I have seen a great deal of things from Izzy's memory of it. It would seem that there may be more than one powerful alliance after you. If I am correct with my memory, the mask is an indication that a group we had believed defeated in its entirety is still very much active.
“For now, I will need you five to remain hidden. Arrangements will be made, and all contact will between Izzy and me. I cannot give away my involvement. If we identify the persons who attacked you, we might be able to secure the uncorrupted parties in the council in order to seize the true individuals responsible,” Victor finished evenly. Must be hard to be the boss. I gave him my most sympathetic look. He merely waved me away with his hand, chuckling deeply. “I assure you that I am quite use to this line of work.”
Yeah, because he was this ancient and crazy powerful angel that ironically reminded me of Legolas from Lord of the Rings. A seriously buffed out version of him, anyway.
“And Pavel?” Lucas interjected.
Victor shook his head. “It would seem he was merely a pawn that had been manipulated in some fashion to watch over you. I am not convinced he was truly aware of what his actions would lead to. If I am correct in this assumption, then it is likely he thought that he was doing it for the good of the Guardians.”
I smiled as I gazed over at Pavel's sleeping form. I knew it. I was incredibly glad to be right this time.
When Victor disappeared, I found that my legs were no longer strong enough to stand. I collapsed onto the bed beside the three large men still slumbering. It was actually quite humorous to see these large men reduced to spooning because there wasn't enough bed space to fit them comfortably.
Big, masculine men spooning. This was too good not to take advantage of.
I took out the cell phone Lucas had replaced my previous one with and snapped a picture. I giggled a little too wickedly to myself, earning a look of wonder from Lucas.
“You did very well,” Lucas began as he sat beside me and brushed some of the stray hair from my face. His fingers traced my lips briefly before pulling away. “You are growing stronger every day. It is quite impressive.”
“Yeah, well, don't get used to it,” I returned quickly with a smile, “I'm normally pretty lazy”—and prone to bouts of binge eating and drinking heavily. “That was some kind of crazy though,” I continued as I wiggled closer to him, wrapping a loose grip on his arm. “I never knew you guys had ninjas. Seems a little unfair to keep that from me. I may have traded my cape in for better looking garb.”
“You want to be a ninja?” Lucas inquired with a chuckle.
I pouted. “Don't mock. Ninjas are cool. I could be the Great Pink Ninja, defender of the people, keeper of the peace and all that crap.”
“Amazingly, I can envision it quite well,” Lucas admitted with a small grin.
So could I. Pavel could be my little masculine ballerina sidekick. We would defend the peace while spreading glitter throughout the world. I was snickering by the end of my fantasy.
The prospect of once more putting Pavel into ballerina attire was quite enticing. Maybe I could get him unbelievably drunk, manage a photo shoot out of it, and send it to all our friends.
“You have a very wicked expression on your face, Izzy,” Lucas commented with an amused smirk.
I looked upwards, catching the glint in his eyes that promised he would offer his assistance should I tell him what I was thinking.
“I'll have to tell you after all this is over. It will be something worth looking forward to,” I offered with a sweet, innocent smile.
“No doubt,” Lucas replied with a small chuckle.
–
It was later that evening when Victor finally contacted me with the location of our new hideout. I had beco
me so familiar with the frequent relocating that leaving our current place of residence was barely noticed.
Pavel and the Cowboy Twins stayed unconscious during the relocation. Lucas had separated them into their own rooms when we arrived at the estate in London by private jet.
I now hated flying. Turbulence was a bitch and planes scared the crap out of me. Something about being stuck in a hot box that could easily malfunction and drop out of the sky made my vision swim and heart palpitate with intent to vacate my chest.
Lucas assured me that in the event of a possible plane crash, he would easily get us to safety. Must be nice to be a vampire with super human strength. Not to mention, he seemed to be impervious to this godawful headache that jet lag was giving me.
I was amazed by the location, having thought that we would remain in America; I was astonished to find us now making our home in a foreign country.
The house was just as impressive as they all had been. No expense spared, the sheer size of it and its lands expressed how little money meant to them.
Before becoming a Guardian, I would have never imagined myself in a house of this size nor would I have believed the reality even possible. Living in the lap of luxury wasn't really my style. I liked my broken down, entirely too small apartment.
Guess it reminded me of my happier days with my family. We lived in a house barely big enough to give us our own rooms, but it was comfortable and happy.
Large houses felt empty. At least these ones did. Besides, being Dizzy Izzy meant that I was totally capable of losing my way in here.
Dear lord, there were doors everywhere.
I leaned around the corner of a long hallway.
Seven doors. I counted them, pondering how you could possibly need seven doors in just one hallway. This wasn't even the only hallway. There were another two.
Rich people.
“Where's my room?” I questioned as I turned towards Lucas.
