by Aliyah Burke
“I still don’t know what I’m doing in the middle of all your craziness.”
“You were chosen for me.” He tipped her chin towards him as he told her that bit of information.
“So you say,” she muttered.
“So you know.”
He kissed her again and moaned deep into her mouth. When she tangled her tongue with his, he drew back. He wanted her so much, his cock was painfully hard. Instead of following his desire, he cupped her cheek and brushed a thumb along her skin. Such soft, smooth skin.
“We should get going,” he said, refusing to release her gaze.
She shook her head as she climbed away from him and off the bed. “I must be absolutely insane for believing this, not to mention that I’m going along with it.”
Cale watched her pace back and forth. The rainbow of colours had faded and only lingered in her hair. She was close to losing it, he knew that. And he understood it. This wasn’t easy for anyone to accept. Add to it the running for her life, and he knew she had reached the end of her rope. Dark circles were prevalent under her eyes.
Strapping on his weapons, he continually peered up at her. She hadn’t tried to leave the room and she wasn’t cursing him. Bag in hand, he walked to her and the door.
“You can sleep more in the car.”
“Whatever,” she muttered, chewing on her thumbnail. She wouldn’t look at him, just waited for him to open the door.
He did and stepped out first, keeping her inside. Senses alert, he searched for any lingering stench that accompanied those damn things. Nothing reached him, but he wasn’t entirely sure there weren’t members of The New Order out there waiting. Humans smelt like humans. He couldn’t always distinguish good from The New Order.
They walked swiftly across the parking lot to where his stolen vehicle waited. As she climbed in, he continually checked the sky. Although the prime of the morning was still nearing, he didn’t trust that the treetops didn’t hold some creatures out to stop them.
He got them on their way and watched her from the corner of his eyes as she eventually slumped over and fell asleep. With each second he spent in her company, his protectiveness grew exponentially.
“We should be there by afternoon. I have to be careful, driving a stolen car.” He sent the call out to his siblings.
“And your woman?” Roz posed the question.
“Currently sleeping. She’s exhausted and wiped from everything that’s happened. It hasn’t helped she has been running from her cousins who want to kill her as well.”
“I’ll get a room ready for her. Or is she staying with you?”
“She can have her own room, Roz.” Even as he sent the words, he wanted to growl in frustration. He wanted her in his room with him.
“Are either of you hurt?” Dracen asked.
“We got injured in the attack but I healed her, and by the time we get there, I should be fully healed. I need more shruiken though, I lost a bunch in those we fought.”
“Travel safe, brother, and we’ll see you when you get here.”
“See you soon, Billy.”
He was closest to Billy. They shared almost everything, and Cale would feel better when he was back surrounded by his friends and family.
Turning on some music, he kept it low so as not to disturb Taylor. He could see the chain that held her pendant clasped in her hand. It brought her strength—a blind man would be able to see that.
* * * *
She woke when they went over some bumps. Careful not to show she had awakened, Taylor sneaked a glance through cracked lids. It was dark out and she couldn’t make out much more than a parking lot and a few lights.
Cale parked them in an empty spot, in the back, then shut off the engine and killed the lights. She sat up.
“What are we doing here?”
“Waiting for a ride.”
Her belly clenched, but she ignored the nervousness which grew. “From?”
“Billy.”
She might be tired, but that name was familiar. Another of the Astral Guardians and a man he considered a brother. The knowledge helped to calm her a bit. Right, unless you’re being taken to a place for some kind of sadistic, freaky murder ritual thingy, her subconscious chimed in with that most unwanted piece of news.
Keeping her head against the rest, she closed her eyes. Suddenly her life didn’t seem so bad. Her old one. Running from those who wanted to kill her to running from others who wanted to as well. The ones she knew gave her a bit of an edge. These New Order psychos she knew nothing about. Nor the demons that were suddenly after her as well.
“Come on.”
Cale got out, grabbed his bag then walked away.
“Don’t bother waiting for me, or anything like that,” she muttered. Following suit, she stepped from the interior only to run smack into Cale’s chest. “Oomph.”
She grabbed at him to keep from falling backwards. He slid a hand behind her, drawing her close to him.
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Tell me you can’t read my mind.” If he could, she was in so much trouble.
“Heard you muttering. Although with the way you say it, makes me wonder what kind of things you’ve been thinking about, Taylor Kenyon. And just how much they have to do with me.” He leaned close and kissed the tip of her nose. “I can’t wait to find out.”
“I’ve not thought about you at all,” she blatantly lied.
“Don’t start lying now, sweetie. You talk in your sleep.”
She’d forgotten that. And on the way here she’d had some lovely dreams of her and Cale in bed together. Okay, so it wasn’t just in bed. Shit, I really need help. On a massive scale.
“I can’t refute what may or may not have been said while I was asleep. For all I know, you’re full of it and I didn’t say anything.”
“She knows you well. You have always been full of it.” A new voice entered the conversation.
Taylor jumped and stifled her scream. Cale chuckled and that was all he did. Must be Billy. She loosened her grip on Cale and waited for him to do the same. He didn’t.
“Billy.” The man’s name was said with affection.
A leanly muscled Asian man stepped into the small shaft of light there. His inky black hair had a rakish, messy look. The wide grin on his face immediately put her at ease.
Cale released her and the men embraced. None of that half-assed one-arm thing men tend to do when they’re worried how showing affection will make them look. This told everyone of their affection, and it told her how deep it ran.
When they separated, both men glanced at her.
“Introduce us, Cale.”
He didn’t hesitate at the order. “Billy, this is Taylor Kenyon. Taylor, meet my brother, Billy Kwan.”
She offered her hand, but Billy gave her a grin as he shook his head. “I’m getting a hug. And it’s lovely to meet you, Taylor.”
True to his word, he enveloped her in his embrace. Tentatively, she put her arms around him in return. Cale stood by watching with a matching grin on his face. Billy didn’t keep her there long—there was nothing untoward about it. He smelt like the outdoors and a hint of spice. It was nice.
“I like her, Cale. Don’t fuck this up. Come on, let’s get home.”
Billy walked away to the waiting SUV and hopped in the driver’s seat. Cale guided her to the back and held the door while she climbed in. Before he shut the door on her, Cale leaned close and murmured, “Just so you know, I have no intentions of fucking this up, but I have every intention of fucking you.”
She flushed and ducked her head. His chuckle lingered as he made his way to the passenger side to sit in front of her. Their soft chatter had her dozing off and on. The sun was just peeking over the horizon when they turned onto a road with a large sign that read Tennesol Winery.
Taylor sat up and stared out of the window. A thick mist covered the ground, but she could see the vines through it. Hills and flats added to the scenery.
The majesty of it took her breath away.
Holy Hannah. This looks like something out of a magazine from Italy or France. She felt calmer the deeper onto the property they drove. Around a final corner and she stared at the house.
“It is so like the X-Men mansion,” she said. “Or maybe Hogwarts.”
“We’re still not mutants,” Cale replied. “Nor witches and wizards.”
“Picky picky,” she retorted.
Truth was, it wasn’t like either. The estate was massive and gorgeous, however. I feel for whoever has to clean this place. She sat back and tried to absorb it all as they reached the door. Billy shut off the engine and got out, as did Cale. Taylor took her time before stepping out onto the drive.
The minute she closed her door behind her, the front one to the mansion opened and a man stepped through, his right hand curved about a cane. Middle-aged with a spot of grey at his temples, he too, was Asian. His race didn’t bother her, what did was the way he watched her, as if he were assessing her. He carried himself with such presence, she felt overwhelmed. There was endless knowledge in his dark eyes.
“Cale,” he said affectionately.
Cale went up the steps, taking them two at a time. The man’s entire visage changed when the two embraced. She swore there was fatherly pride on his face. This man had to be one of the six. He seemed so strong and imposing.
And I’ve not said a word to him.
Together he and Cale walked down the steps, the man’s gaze fixed upon her the entire time.
“Welcome, Taylor.” A bow. “I am Lian Yang. It is my sincerest pleasure to finally meet you.”
Drawing on her youth—growing up how she did—and the people she’d met then, she offered him a bow in return. “Thank you. It is also mine to meet you, Mr Yang.”
A slight smile turned up the corner of his mouth. She laced her hands in front of her and waited. Cale moved back to stand next to her and she couldn’t ignore the feeling in her that told her to lean against him. It told her how much she wanted him.
“Do come in. We will allow you to get settled then we must talk.”
Mr Yang spun around and walked back up the steps he’d just come down.
I should have gone to him so he didn’t have to walk them not once but twice. Disgusted with herself, she remained mute when Cale guided her up them as well.
The inside of the mansion took her breath away, as had the outside. Opulence was the name of the game here. And she’d thought her grandmother’s home had been nice. While it had been, the fact remained it would have fit inside this place.
A coldness filled her as she recalled never being able to do anything in that house for fear of breaking some vase or knocking something over. She shook her head slightly. It would work, she wasn’t about to go running through a house now. Supposedly I’ve grown up and therefore won’t be a danger to all these items, which look very expensive, or priceless. How did the children here handle it?
“You’re awfully quiet,” Cale remarked as they walked up the curved stairs to the second floor.
“This place is huge. Do you ever get lost?”
“I did when I first arrived. Don’t worry, it’s not that bad. Plus, there are always kids around you can ask.”
“Kids?” Okay, she had been beginning to wonder if the young ones were in a different building.
Cale nodded as they continued to another set of stairs onto the third floor. “He takes in troubled kids. Didn’t I tell you that?”
“You said there were children, but I didn’t know the place was like this at the time.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“I wasn’t allowed to do anything inside for fear of knocking something over and breaking it. And my grandmother’s place looks poor compared to this. He’s okay with them all running? What about his wife?”
Cale sobered. “His wife is no longer here, she passed a while ago. I never had the opportunity to meet her.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He brightened again. “They’re kids. Accidents will happen. Not a lot of playing inside, though. There are plenty of acres around the house, stables for riding and so much more.”
Sounded like Heaven.
“Here you go.” He pushed open the door and allowed her to step through first.
Taylor stared in pleasure at what awaited her. Soft colours on the walls created a soothing feel. The queen-sized bed was piled high with pillows, the pastel green blending with ease to the other colours. The furniture itself was a dark gold hue. The window overlooked rolling hills and she even had a small balcony with a chaise longue on it.
“Beautiful,” she said on a sigh. “Thank you.”
He turned her towards him and tipped her chin up. The look in his eyes should have told her what was coming, but it still shook her anyway. His lips brushed against hers and she inhaled sharply as his tongue slipped along the seam of her mouth. Wanting what he had to offer and more, she opened beneath the slight touch.
Need hit her. Hard. She wound her arms around his neck and arched into him. Craving more contact with him, she pressed as close as she could get. He swallowed her moan as he lifted her and encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist. Rocking against his hardness, she tried desperately to control the raging hormones coursing through her.
It didn’t work—even her blood cried out for him. In and out he thrust his tongue, driving her closer to the precipice she desperately wanted to fall from. Suddenly he stopped and tore his mouth from hers.
Swiping her tongue along her lips to capture all his taste, she unhooked her legs from his waist. She held his gaze and didn’t understand why he had ended the exchange between them. Perhaps things were different now that they were here.
In his eyes she could read his hunger and that appeased her a bit. He did want her, at least.
“There are clothes in the closet for you to wear. Your bathroom is over there as well.” His words came out deep and raspy. Gravelled.
Before she could say anything else, he whirled around and left her alone in the room. The slamming of the door jolted her, making her aware of the fact what they’d been doing hadn’t been behind a closed door.
Body humming with a mix of frustrated desire and exhaustion, she showered then dressed in some clothing she found. Then she lay down on the mattress and moaned. After living how she had been, this bed was akin to Heaven. She closed her eyes, thinking of how it would be once Cale was in it with her.
Chapter Five
Cale practically kicked open the door to the room they gathered in for planning. Danger room. Taylor’s words popped in his head. A slight smile graced his lips momentarily before he wiped it clear.
“What was the smile for? You seemed like you wanted to kill me when I called you.” Billy smacked him on the shoulder as he passed by and took his typical seat.
“Just thinking about Taylor thinking we’re like the X-Men. She’d probably think of this as part of the Danger Room.” He sat. “And yes, I did want to kill you for calling me. Still do.”
It had been hell letting her out of his arms. He really should have told them he’d be there in ten and ripped her clothes off. Taken her against the wall. The door. Anywhere, just so long as he was allowed to be buried deep inside her.
His cock throbbed and he shifted in the seat, searching for a more comfortable position. It wasn’t easy to find one.
“So, what’s the urgency?” he asked, wanting to get back to Taylor.
Tiarnán and Lian entered the room seconds later. Cale stared at the oldest Guardian. No smile on his face—Tiarnán didn’t have much of a sense of humour. His thick black hair hung free around his shoulders and he had dressed in his typical attire of jeans, cowboy boots and a plain white shirt. His loose-limbed gait had a way of throwing off his opponents. The man was the fiercest warrior of them all, although Dracen was a close second.
“Good to see you.” Tiarnán sat after his welcome.
&nbs
p; “You too, man.” He directed his attention back to Lian, who took his seat at the head of the table.
“I am sorry, Cale, for pulling you from your guest. I need everyone to be extra vigilant.”
His tattoo moved, rippling along his skin. The flare of power in the room suggested the others’ had as well.
“What’s going on?” he asked, suddenly alert.
“I’ve seen marks around the property which lead back to those who want our destruction. So they are starting to creep closer.”
“Is this because of me finding the artefact? And Taylor?”
Lian shook his head. “I can’t answer that. Sometimes they know before we do. All we can do is prepare the best we can and be ready.”
Cale didn’t like that answer. Crossing his arms, he asked, “Where are the others?”
“Aminta got called back to service. Roz is gone for a while as well. Dracen is out picking up three more children who will be staying here,” Billy said.
He nodded. “Taylor doesn’t believe what I’ve told her. Hell, she doesn’t believe what she’s seeing with her own eyes.”
Lian stared at him. “She will come to terms with it when she’s ready. She has been through a lot lately, being on the run from those she should be able to trust. Give her some time.”
“We don’t have time if they’re sniffing about,” Cale bit off.
Lian lifted his brows and gave him a look he’d not seen since he’d first got here. Immediately he snapped his mouth shut.
“If she isn’t ready, it won’t matter anyway. You need to learn patience, Cale Mattox. You are always going, never slowing down. Learn what it is to do nothing and allow what you seek to come to you.”
What the hell does that mean? Instead of voicing his question aloud, he nodded.
Lian continued to talk, and Cale focused the best he could. Honestly though, he was having a hard time. All he could see was Taylor and that pale green bedspread. How would she look sprawled naked upon it for him to enjoy? He would start at one end and work his way to the other, turn her over and work back. Then start all over again.
“Pay attention.”
