by S. J. Wright
Bill’s dark eyebrows rose, “You sure about that?”
I thought about everything that had happened in the last few weeks. The pain, the confusion, the on-going crush of anger. I nodded with a sigh and slid my credit card across the smooth surface of the bar, “Start me a tab, Bill.”
Halfway through the first Hurricane, I felt my arms and legs go heavy with the amount of alcohol beginning to flow through my bloodstream. Having not made a habit of ingesting alcohol on a regular basis, it hit me rather quickly. By the time I finished the second one, Bill had confiscated my keys, and the guy sitting next to me had begun to chat me up. Unfortunately, he was pretty disgusting and three times as drunk as I was.
“Sarah?”
I turned a little too fast on the barstool and almost took a nosedive into the lap of the guy next to me. Instead, I ended up half off the stool and hanging precariously onto the edge of the bar. Kara was standing behind me with a familiar smirk on her face.
“Hi Kara!” I lurched forward and grabbed her up in a big bear hug, “It’s so good to see you!”
“Gee, are we a little drunk tonight?” She wiggled her carefully plucked red eyebrows at Bill, who shrugged and chuckled.
“I am not drunk.”
“Bill, did you take this girl’s keys yet?”
He held them up with a pinky finger, “You going to drive her home?”
Kara regarded me doubtfully as I grinned at her. She was my best friend. I just loved Kara. A couple times during our senior year, we skipped our last class of the day and went to the park by the school to trade sips from her Dad’s flask of Bacardi while we talked about her latest boyfriend. Those were the days.
“I’ve missed you so much.” I noticed with a vague sense of hilarity that my words kept coming out slurred. I giggled at myself and grabbed Kara by the arm, “Let’s play pool!”
“Well, look what the cat dragged in.”
I turned my head to the tall guy who had spoken. My mood plummeted almost immediately. Son of a bitch.
Kara rolled her eyes, “Oh, shit. Here we go.”
Trevor Kincaid was eyeing me with a mix of pleasure and derision. Rob and Dave Miller were apparently his wingmen for the evening. The Miller brothers were notorious party boys even though Rob was technically married with three kids. That did not exactly stop him from flirting, but it should have kept him from picking up younger women on the side when his wife of twelve years was sitting at home, miserable and tired after a long day working as a sixth-grade teacher. I had always felt a particular revulsion to Rob ever since he had made up a rumor about me performing a sexual maneuver on him when we were still in high school. He was essentially a pathological liar. Therefore, he and Trevor were perfect BFF’s.
Stepping up to Trevor, I poked him hard in the chest with my index finger, “You picked the wrong night to come to this bar, asshole.” I hiccupped loudly.
“Sarah, don’t go there.” Kara whispered.
“Oh, I want to go there. This guy here, he’s a complete fucking loser.”
Trevor chuckled and gripped my hand to stop my poking, “Chill out, Sarah. No need to stir up trouble.”
“Damn, bitch. Just let it go.” Rob said.
“And you.” I wrenched myself away from Trevor, loser-asshole-of-the-world, to take on Rob, cheating-lying-piece-of-crap-with-a-bald-head dude, “Where’s your wife tonight, Rob? Sitting home alone again while you pick up sluts to bang in your truck? Tell me this. When Tracey finally gets her head out of her ass, takes the kids, and leaves your sorry ass, where do you think you’ll be? Alone in a bare apartment with nobody to talk to except the anonymous bitches you hit up on the internet.”
“You stupid little country fuck…” He countered.
“Brilliant comeback, Rob.” I giggled. Yes, he was a genius.
“We’re leaving now.” Kara announced, dragging me to the front door. I wanted to stay and finish my Hurricane. I wanted to kick Rob in the balls and smack Trevor. However, when the chilly night air struck me, I wobbled weakly and leaned against the brick wall near the door. It was so cold out there. In addition, my stupid legs were not working right.
“Are you going to throw up?”
I shook my head, which made me giggle, because everything looked strange when I moved like that. I heard Kara sigh in frustration and then the jingle of her keys, “Look, I’m parked three blocks down by the shop. Do not go anywhere.” She held my chin in her hand for a second, “Sarah? You heard me, right? Don’t go back in the bar. I’ll be right back to pick you up.”
“Oh, sure.”
When I heard her heels clicking away into the distance, I looked around and noticed things seemed unusually quiet. I staggered across the sidewalk towards the curb and belched. That was when the door opened behind me, and the silence in the street was destroyed by the laughter, music, and pandemonium that echoed from the bar.
“I think we need to talk.”
Great, I thought. Trevor again. Another belch tried to make its way up from my stomach.
“You shouldn’t be talking to me at all.” I said, trying to sound serious.
Things changed. Trevor’s face, the energy around me, the air itself. He reached out and grabbed me around the waist, yanking me away from the front of the bar and into the alley that ran back towards the parking lot. I fought him. I scratched, kicked, and even ripped the pocket on his designer-label shirt when I tried to twist away from him.
“Let me go, you asshole!”
He shoved me up against a brick wall and pressed his forearm against my throat. I felt like I was going to be sick. His eyes were chilling, swirling with rage, and fear rushed over me in a black cloud. He was serious. And he wanted to hurt me.
Chapter 7
“I’m getting so sick of you, you cocky little bitch.” He growled, slamming a knee into my left side. I dropped like a rock, gasping and sputtering with pain. It was suddenly hard to draw a breath, and each one blazed through me like a torch. I curled up onto my side on the dirty pavement and desperately tried to keep from screaming.
Trevor kneeled down and grasped a handful of my hair, “I’m not taking any more of your shit, Sarah. Are we clear on that?”
I blinked. During the little instant while my eyelids were closed, something else had happened. When I opened my eyes, I saw that a hand gripped Trevor’s arm, and Alex’s familiar form stood poised beside my attacker. His eyes were blazing with rage.
“You need to let go of her hair right now.” His voice was hard and cold, but a challenging little smile was on his face.
Trevor turned his head to look at Alex, “Mind your own business, dick.”
Then I saw Alex’s other hand curl around Trevor’s wrist and squeeze. Trevor’s brown eyes went wide with shock and pain, and he let go of my hair. However, Alex did not let go. I saw his features brighten with a bizarre and menacing expression. Then I heard a loud crack, and Trevor roared in anguish, staring down at his arm in abject horror.
Below his elbow, the arm had been broken in half. His hand dangled, lifeless and useless. Above, a sharp rod of white bone had jabbed through the skin. Blood dripped slowly onto the pavement in the alley as Trevor’s screaming escalated.
“Oh, my God!”
Alex swept me away from the scene. The cold air rushed through my hair and over my chilled skin. Before I even had time to react, we were inside my truck and Alex was behind the wheel. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror as I stared at him. He began driving so fast that I had to hang onto the dashboard to keep from flying around the inside of the cab.
“Alex, slow down! We have to call an ambulance. Why did you do that?” I screeched at him.
“Just hush for a second. I have to think.” He replied, flying up the dark road towards the Inn.
The gate was open, and the rear end of the truck slid sideways in the gravel as we came onto the property. I suddenly realized that Michael had been right. Alex did not need permission to enter or leave the containment ar
ea. He had no limits. It was a frightening thought, especially after seeing the damage he had done to Trevor’s arm in my defense.
He slammed on the brakes in front of the house. I stared ahead through the grungy windshield, suddenly feeling numb and strangely unattached to everything around me. I kept seeing the way Trevor’s broken bone had poked through flesh of his arm. The blood. Oh, God.
The passenger door jerked open. Alex grabbed me by the arm and began dragging me effortlessly toward the front door.
“Stop it! Let me go!”
He did not do as I asked until we were past the front door. Nelly came rushing in from the kitchen, wringing her hands, “What happened?”
I jerked away from Alex, “I can’t believe you did that. His fucking arm is broken, Alex!”
“Language!” Nelly hissed.
Alex turned simmering green eyes towards her, “Some jerk was attacking her. I had to do something.”
“Who?”
“It was Trevor.” I tore myself out of my cardigan and stalked into the kitchen. Everything was happening too fast for me. First the confrontation with Michael, then the fight between him and Alex, then the bar incident. I flopped down into a chair at the kitchen table and stared at the wall.
The chair next to me was moved back, and Alex sat down next to me. I heard him sigh before he started talking. I did not really want to hear what he had to say, though. The violence of the events I had witnessed over the course of the evening had left me exhausted and sad.
“Sarah, I’m sorry if I went overboard with that guy. But he was going to hurt you.”
I crossed my arms on the tabletop and dropped my head, preferring not to respond.
“I can’t let anything happen to you. Don’t you understand?”
Turning my head finally, I watched him through the locks of my hair draped over my arm. It was so hard to digest the fact that such an angelic-looking creature could do so much damage. I studied the curve of his jaw, the tiny little cleft in his chin, the way his thick brown eyelashes drew the gaze towards his amazing eyes. I loved the fact that his mouth was just soft enough to kiss, but still looked so masculine.
But I hated what he was capable of doing.
“I need you to go away for a little while, Alex.”
His eyebrows drew together in confusion, “But Sarah, I can’t leave you by yourself.”
Holding up one hand, I shook my head, “A few days. That’s all. I just need a little time.”
“You have visitors, Sarah.” Nelly called from the entryway.
I shot a curious look at Alex and got up. It could not be Michael. When I made it to the front hall, Nelly was standing by the door with an odd look on her face, as if she had seen something she could not quite process.
“Who is it?” I asked her.
When she did not answer, I pulled the door open all the way. Victoria and my mother were standing on the porch. They had cleaned themselves up since the fight, but the expressions on their faces were forbidding. Great. It seemed like the longest night of my life. I took a deep breath and turned to Nelly.
“Just go up to bed. I’ll lock everything up.”
A tinge of anger sparked in her blue eyes, but she kept her head and went upstairs without another word to anyone. I certainly was not expecting it to be that easy. Turning back to my guests, I stepped out onto the porch. Alex had followed me, and he closed the door behind us then took up an uneasy stance beside me.
Victoria nodded briskly at both of us, “I’m glad you’re both here. Michael needs blood.”
I felt Alex’s warm fingers tangle with mine, and I did not pull my hand away. Victoria noticed the move with a darting glance down at our hands and then sighed, “I am going to Indianapolis to meet with a contact that can provide him with bagged blood until he fully recovers.”
“How badly is he hurt?” I asked.
“He’ll be fine. As long as he doesn’t try to attack Alex again.”
He shifted beside me, “I had to defend myself.”
Victoria held up her hand, “I don’t think you understand the power inside you. Whatever happened out there, you will need to control it if you’re going to help Sarah.”
I groaned inwardly when I remembered what he had done to Trevor. It was very unlikely that asshole was going to keep his mouth shut about the unnaturally powerful guy who had broken his arm. Trevor’s father was an attorney at a lucrative firm in Bloomington. The whole thing was going to become very complicated. Another huge complication.
“I need your permission to go.” Victoria said.
Nodding, I pulled my hand from Alex and wrapped my arms around myself, “You have my permission to leave the containment field.”
She reached out with a white card in her hand, and looked at me somberly, “My cell phone number. Call me if you need anything. I should be back in a day or two.”
I pushed the card into one of the back pockets of my jeans. When she turned to go, my mother did not follow her. She stood there and watched me with a frown creasing her mouth. Alex touched my arm, and I knew what he was asking before he even said a word.
“Yes, I’ll talk to her alone.” I murmured.
He disappeared into the shadows of the yard like a ghost, barely touching the ground. I listened for the sound of leaves under his feet, but heard only the dull thud of my own heart. What could I say to this woman? Did it matter if she offered any excuses or apologies?
“I’m leaving too.” She began smoothly, “Alex is well equipped to deal with any problems that might develop. I understand that you two have become… closer?”
I sighed and studied the dark shapes of the trees against the horizon, “Things have changed. He may be in some danger after tonight.”
She laughed, “I don’t think so. By giving him your blood, you’ve given him true immortality.”
“What?”
Her lips arched in a mocking smile, “The Breath-Giver gave him his humanity back, but she also gave him something else. When Michael and Victoria drained him completely, what they didn’t know was that he couldn’t be killed. He didn’t need to be resurrected.”
“So he’s what? A god?” This further bit of information was alarming.
“He’s a Guardian.” Irritated at my lack of understanding, she rolled her eyes, “Look, the Breath-Giver is a Seraph. An angel, fairy, or whatever. She chose Alex for you. When Michael turned him, she was furious. She was the one who influenced the Council to punish him. What she didn’t count on was him being sent here.”
“Holy crap.” Michael was locked up because he had turned Alex. No wonder there was such animosity between them.
“Exactly. Therefore, when Alex was hurt, it was not serious. He would have recovered. But they gave him their blood. Then he had your blood as well.” She sighed and turned her gaze on the dark trees before us, “Now what you’ve got is a Guardian angel vampire who can never be killed or repelled.” She focused on me again and reaching forward, wrapped her fingers around my upper arms. Her eyes were hollow and dark as she stared at me, “If his temperament changes, if he becomes angry and difficult, no one can stop him. You’ll need to keep him happy, Sarah.”
Well, shit. She let go of me slowly and then moved away.
“I know you probably hate me. That’s fine. I doubt that I can change that. But you need to know that I’m still looking out for you.”
Heat had begun building inside my chest as she spoke. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her, so many insults I wanted to hurl at her. More than all that, I had to know why. Why did she give us up? How could it have come down to that? Bitter tears began to flow from my eyes, and I turned away to keep her from seeing them. No one should see me cry. Especially not her.
After a few minutes had passed and I heard nothing further, I looked and saw that I was alone once more. A cool breeze flowed against my face, blowing my hair back off my shoulders. I smelled leaves dying. I felt the earth beneath me go frigid. What I feared was that it was m
y own heart that was taking its last breath.
When I curled up in my bed later, it was almost dawn. My left side ached where Trevor had kneed me. My ankle was throbbing lightly. Alex had not returned, and I was relieved. I wished I could just leave everything behind and be alone. However, if I relinquished my role as Warden, it would fall on Katie.
When the yellow walls of my rooms began to grow brighter with the coming light, and my eyelids could barely open, a familiar manly figure slipped in through the door. He moved carefully and quietly, undressing in the pale light and sliding between the sheets of my bed. He wrapped a golden arm around my waist and sighed softly.
I was too exhausted to argue and far too comfortable to push him away. The warmth of his body lying nestled against me was a balm to my battered soul. I fell asleep in the arms of a god.
Chapter 8
“Sarah…”
Firm, urgent fingers stroked over the skin of my stomach and then lower, sending waves of pleasure to my head. Michael’s face was so clear, so poignant and wracked with desire that my body responded blindly. A warm tongue lapped delicately at one of my nipples. I stretched, moaned, and slowly became aware that I was not dreaming.
The light coming in through the windows was limited by the clouds in the sky and painted dull shapes across the floor and walls, but it was obviously late in the morning. The golden locks of hair that brushed against my breast told me that my dream may have been about Michael, but it was Alex who was carefully and thoroughly stoking the desire rising within me.
“No biting.” I whispered. I was not entirely sure what kind of power I had given him when he drank from me, but thought it would be better to hold off on that particular activity until I could find out more.
There was a moment of hesitation before he began again, pushing me closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy, then backing off and just stroking my arm lazily, his mesmerizing green eyes locked on my flushed face. When he rose from the bed, he stretched slowly and gave me an impish little wink before pushing his boxers down over his hips and knees.
