Jaded

by Danielle James

  Oh, hell no!

  Angel put himself in front of Michael and stalked his way. “What are you doing here?” he snapped.

  “Hi, Angel,” Michael said cheerfully, allowing his feet to touch the ground and folding his wings.

  “What are you doing here?” Angel snapped again.

  Michael grinned. “I came to apply for a job,” he said.

  “A job?” Angel repeated.

  Michael nodded and was going to continue to talk to Angel. He was. Really. But then, he saw her. Jade was standing back, allowing her father to do his business, but her eyes were trained on Michael. He was captivated by her beauty. Long, flowing red curls framed the face of a girl he used to know. Except, the girl he knew was just that–a girl. This was a woman in every sense of the word.

  Her ample breasts threatened to break out of the tank top she wore. They would fill his hands and he could almost feel her skin against his palms. Her frame slimmed near her waist and then flared out for her hips again. Hips that would be perfect to hold on to while fucking her until she forgot her own name. Those hips were attached to a pair of long legs and those boots should be illegal!

  He felt her stare as if she were touching him. He didn’t miss the flash of fangs when she licked her lips. Fucking hell, he was hard! And naked. With an audience. Immediately, Michael covered his raging hard on as best he could with his hands and forced himself to pay attention to Angel.

  The leader was staring at him with one brow raised. He wasn’t stupid and probably heard all the naughty thoughts Michael was just having about his daughter. Fuck. Michael nodded and said, “Yes, a job.”

  Angel pretended to think on that a moment and then said, “Does your mother know you’re here?”

  Well, double fuck.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “You have to call her and tell her that you’re here!” Angel bellowed. “If you don’t do it, then I will.”

  “You don’t understand,” Michael rebutted. “If I call her now, they will insist that I come back home, which I won’t do. I cannot go back home. I can’t keep living like that! I would just like to apply for a job. If you are interested, I would be happy to call her and tell her where I am. Then I have a great reason to be here. And if you have offered me a job, then she can’t insist that I come home.”

  Snickers and giggles drifted into the kitchen from the living room where Jade’s family had gathered. Angel and Michael were alone in the kitchen, but no one was ever really alone in a house full of supernaturals.

  Michael rolled his eyes. “I can refuse to go home, but if I don’t have a job lined up, then I will have to tell her that I don’t want to go home and that will hurt her feelings. I can’t stand living there, but I love my mother and I don’t want to hurt her unnecessarily.”

  “How would you feel if I wanted to leave home, Dad?” Jade asked as she entered the room.

  “I thought I told you to stay in the living room,” Angel snapped at his daughter.

  Jade was unaffected and continued as if her father had not spoken. “You would be crazy with worry. At least, if I could tell you that I had a purpose in leaving home other than my parents were overbearing and driving me to insanity, you would be more willing to accept it.”

  “You are not the one in question here, Jade,” Angel said without taking his eyes off of Michael.

  “Just give me a chance to prove that I am worthy of a position on your team,” Michael pleaded. “If I don’t make the cut, then I will go and I will even call my mother.”

  Jade put her hand on Angel’s arm lightly. He heard her say please in her mind on Michael’s behalf. “Ok, but you have to pass the same test everyone else on the team does. There will be no special considerations.”

  A huge grin spread across Michael’s face. “Thank you,” he said, “I won’t let you down.”

  Angel turned his back and grumbled something like, “that is yet to be seen.” Then he turned his head and looked directly at Michael. “You can bunk in the guest room. Stay in the guest room. Your test starts at dawn.”

  ***

  Michael followed Rebel to the guest bedroom and dropped his backpack on the floor. “You better stay out of trouble,” Rebel told him before shutting the door quietly. Michael sighed deep in his chest. All the lessons his mother had given him on how to block his thoughts had flown right out the window when he saw Jade. It was as if she turned all of his common sense off and reduced him to a puddle of drool and lust. And of course, this had to happen right in front of her father.

  Michael mentally slapped himself and set about getting himself clean. The guest room had its own bath and a shower sounded really nice at that point. He turned the water on and stripped himself down to his birthday suit and stepped into the hot spray.

  He tried to think of anything but Jade and how much she had changed since he last saw her. The young lady he once knew was now a stunning woman. No, think about something else. He finally decided to sing at the top of his lungs to distract his mind until the water ran cold and he had no choice but to get out.

  He wrapped a towel around his hips and stepped into his room. After scrubbing his hair dry, he shoved his long legs into a pair of cotton sleep pants and quickly brushed his hair. Then he flopped down on the bed and picked up the remote.

  He clicked through channel after channel, wondering just how many there were. Hell, he was in the Knight estate. The man was rich beyond comprehension and there was no limit to what he could buy. Finally, Michael settled on a channel that was playing the original Wizard of Oz.

  Just about the time Dorothy met the Tin Man, someone knocked lightly on his door. “Come in,” Michael answered without getting up.

  The door opened and the first thing Michael saw was silky red curls. Jade stepped into his room and pushed the door until it just touched the jamb, but not closing it all the way. Smart girl, he thought with a smile. “Hey girlie,” he greeted her while pushing up on his elbows. “What brings you by?”

  Jade graced him with a stunning smile that showed only a hint of fang. Was it him, or did time literally stop when she smiled like that? “I came by to see if you were all right,” she told him. “I mean, after dying and all.”

  Michael grinned. “I was worried for a minute,” he admitted. “I hadn’t died before that. I wasn’t sure I would come back. Good thing though, I think Mom would have somebody’s head on a platter if I didn’t.”

  “She isn’t the only one,” Jade muttered as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry my dad is acting like an ass,” she continued. “He can be quite overprotective at times.”

  Michael smiled at her again. “No worries,” he said. “I would be too if I had a daughter and there was a naked man standing in front of her. Sorry about that, by the way.”

  “Oh, don’t be sorry, it’s part of who you are. Dad just needs to calm down a little bit.”

  “He isn’t going to kill me for you being in here with me, is he?” Michael asked.

  Jade snorted. “No.”

  “You sure about that?” Michael asked on a grin. “He was furious.”

  Jade just shrugged her shoulders. She could easily tell him that she would never allow any harm to come to him, that he was her mate and she would die to protect him, but there would be no fun in that. Besides, she already let someone kill him once. One day in his presence and she had already failed her mate. Guilt washed up in her gut and she silently vowed to never fail him again. But she still wasn’t ready to tell him that he was her mate.

  She looked up into his orange eyes. What an unusual color to have! His dark hair fell over those eyes and almost obscured them from sight. The contrast was unmistakable though, no matter how hard he tried to hide them. They seemed to almost shimmer like the flames on his wings. It was like staring at the sunrise. This magnificent man was hers; created by God himself to fit her in every way. He was beautiful to a fault and she knew that things would be perfect between them, just like it was for the other mated
couples in her home. Her fingers itched to touch him, to brush that hair out of his face and feel his smooth skin under her palms. Her fangs itched to mark him as hers. But not yet. Just because she knew he was hers, didn’t mean that he did. And he was a man, after all. Men just didn’t accept these things right away.

  “Jade?” Michael asked, breaking her thoughts.

  “Hmm?” she replied.

  He chuckled. “I asked if you wanted to watch the movie with me,” he reminded her. Damn, he had been talking to her while she was out in la la land.

  “Sure thing,” she answered and scooted herself up on the bed so that her back rested against the headboard.

  “What kind of testing do they do to new people around here?” Michael asked her as he positioned himself right beside her.

  Jade rolled her eyes. “I gotta tell ya, they are not going to be nice to you. You need to be on your game. You thought something that my dad didn’t like and he is going to put you through the wringer. But you will do it.”

  “How do you know?” he asked.

  Jade shrugged her shoulders. “I just do. I know things. Always have.”

  “Yeah,” Michael agreed, “I heard you could do some powerful shit with that mind of yours.”

  Jade grinned a wide, knowing smile. “Oh,” she exclaimed, “I love this part!” She motioned toward the TV and they spent the evening watching old movies.

  CHAPTER SIX

  "If he wants a job here, he has to earn it like everyone else. I don't care who his father is,” Angel said to his brothers just before dawn. He had gathered the men in the house to discuss the “test” Michael would have to pass.

  “What kind of test are we going to make him do?” Sebastian asked. “We have never done this before.” It was true. All the other employees were hand-picked by Angel or Sebastian based on previous knowledge of their skills.

  “I am getting the feeling that you want us to be extra hard on him,” Rebel pointed out. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that Jade spent most of the evening in his room, does it?”

  Angel snorted. “Of course not.”

  Gage held back his laughter. “No, never that.”

  “You didn’t hear all the things he was thinking about her,” Angel growled.

  Sebastian shot Gage a dirty look and then focused on Angel. “Listen, my friend,” he said, “Jade has grown up. She is a beautiful, powerful vampire, and she is going to get those kinds of reactions from men.”

  “Well he doesn’t have to think them in front of me,” Angel snapped. “I don’t need to hear that shit.”

  “Then don’t listen,” Gage retorted.

  Angel’s head snapped around and he growled. “Shut it, Gage, unless you want that fucking crown shoved right up your ass.” Gage put both of his hands up in surrender. King of vampires or not, Angel would kick the shit out of him.

  “We are just saying to give him a chance,” Rebel continued. “Whether you care or not, Michael is Phoenix and Kelly’s son. It does make a difference. You know they raised him right. They have been our friends for years.”

  “Well, that may be,” Angel said, “But if he wants a chance at my daughter, he is going to have to try extra hard.”

  “I say we make him go up against Leigh,” Samuel suggested. He winced inwardly as he remembered his own training. Leigh had beaten the crap out of him until he learned to control his powers and use them when he needed them. It had been hard, painful, and well worth it.

  “Good idea,” Angel confirmed.

  “He should have to keep one of us from getting on the property too,” Jacque piped in.

  “Absolutely. And not one he would expect. Someone who could get in around the wards.”

  “This is going to be fun,” Sam said with a sly grin. “I can’t wait. Let’s go wake his ass up.”

  ***

  Michael never heard them coming. All he knew was that he was unceremoniously dumped off the cozy mattress he had been sleeping on and onto the hard, unforgiving floor.

  “Ow,” he grumbled as he shoved to his feet. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Time to get up, Princess,” Gage said with a sweet smile.

  Oh this was going to just be a freaking riot. Michael could already tell. “Right, dawn,” Michael grumbled. “Let me just get some coffee in my system.”

  “No time,” Gage said way too cheerfully for the ungodly hour. “You gotta make rounds with Shane, and since he is not a daywalker, then you have to go before the sun rises. Better put some clothes on though. It’s a bit chilly this morning.”

  Michael groaned to himself as he hurried and put on his jeans and a t-shirt. A quick glance at the clock told him it was only four in the morning. Since Jade had stayed with him until a little after one, that meant he might have gotten about three hours of sleep. Nice. Well played, Angel, well played, he thought in his head, knowing that the leader would hear it.

  He ignored the pain in his back as he stretched his wings and followed Gage down the stairs and into the main foyer. A tall, dark haired vamp stood at the door waiting for him. In fact, it was the same vamp from the front gates the night before. If Michael had any doubts at first, they were squashed by the smug grin the son of a bitch was wearing. He wondered if it would be considered unprofessional to punch the bastard in the jaw before they started work.

  Gage snickered under his breath as Shane raised an eyebrow and Michael silently cursed himself for not shielding his thoughts.

  “It wouldn’t really matter with me anyway,” Gage informed him. “If I want in, I can get in. You may not like it. I have heard that it is quite painful when I force my way into someone’s head, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it if I feel it’s necessary.”

  As they approached, Shane held out his hand and Michael reluctantly took it in a firm shake. “Nice to see you got in,” the vamp grinned.

  “No thanks to you,” Michael grumbled.

  “Hey, just doing my job, the same job you’re gonna have to do if you wanna work here. So, let’s start on a clean slate?”

  Michael agreed and followed Shane out into the yard. “This is the yard,” he began.

  “No shit,” Michael grumbled.

  Shane chuckled. “Yeah I feel ya. Tonight I am going to show you around and make sure you got a good lay of the land before the real training begins. Of course, you know about the wall and the front gate. What you don’t see is that on any given night, or day for that matter, there are anywhere from ten to twenty weres circling the perimeter outside the wall. Most of them blend in fairly well with the general public, and since the guys are not in the public limelight so much anymore, there are not as many as they used to be. This is Jim,” Shane told him as he motioned to a place on the wall. Michael looked in the direction he pointed to, but all he saw was wall.

  Then someone spoke. “You know that isn’t my name, Leech,” it said. Then the wall moved and a man stepped out away from it. At first, Michael thought the design of the wall had been painted onto the man’s skin, but as it faded away and was replaced with normal looking skin, he was at a loss.

  “Whatever,” Shane continued. “Jim here is a chameleon shifter. His real name is so fucking long no one can pronounce it right, so we just call him Jim.”

  Jim stepped forward and shook Michael’s hand. “Good to meet you man,” he said. “When do you start?”

  “Um, I don’t know. I have to pass the test first,” Michael answered. He didn’t miss the odd look Jim sent to Shane and then Shane shaking his head in response. He pretended not to notice. “I bet that little trick of yours comes in real handy sometimes,” Michael continued to Jim.

  “You have no idea,” Jim laughed. “I can blend into the background of whatever situation I am in. Almost like being invisible. What about you? What’s your specialty?”

  Michael thought about that for a moment. Other than flight and fire, he really had no special talents.

  “Pfft,” Shane said from behind him. “He is
real talented at not dying.”

  “Really? Do tell,” Jim urged him.

  Michael shrugged. “I am a phoenix. I live and die by the fire. My father can heal and I suppose I can too, but I never tried it before.”

  “So when you fly, you catch fire?”

  “Sure,” Michael answered.

  “Well? Let’s see it!” Jim told him.

  Michael didn’t see what the big deal was. They had probably all met his father, or at least heard of him. Besides, next to all the power in the house, his was teeny tiny. “I’m not going to get smacked down by a spell am I?” he asked Shane before spreading his wings.

  “Naw, you should be good.”

  Michael opened his wings and let the fire begin its march over his feathers. He pushed off the ground with his strong legs and shot into the sky. He flew as high as he could while still allowing the audience below to see him. He moved faster and faster until the flames trailed out behind him. He moved so fast that he was creating a circle of fire in the air, re-lapping his track before the flames could extinguish themselves. Then, he dropped out of the sky and landed nimbly on his feet in front of the two men.

  “Now that is wicked,” Jim said with a smile. “I think you will do just fine.”

  ***

  Jade watched from her bedroom window as Michael shot into the sky like a bullet from a gun. She rested her chin in her palms and sighed out loud. Yes, her mate was one hell of a man. He didn’t even know it. She almost wished that he could see what a fine specimen he was, but then decided that was one of the traits she found most endearing about him.

  As she watched the display he created in the sky, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life they would have together. Jade had always known things. She knew things she didn’t want to know. But when it came to her mate, she was blank.