“It’s not funny. And what do you mean ‘thank the Heavens?’” She scowled. “It scared me half to death.”
Christ, she was going to kill him. He dropped the dagger on the bed and pulled her into his arms, feeling as if he’d stepped out of fog and into sunshine. “You heard that?”
She nodded, looking up at him, then her gaze widened. “You didn’t say that out loud? How can I hear your thoughts?”
“Only through a soul’s joining would our telepathic path open. You can talk to me wherever you are.”
“Soul-joining?”
He nodded. “When we made love, I claimed you as mine. Our souls merged and bound us—”
“You mean that surge of light that flowed from you into me — that was us soul-joining?” Her gorgeous eyes widened in shock and wonder.
Another nod.
She stilled then as if taking stock of her herself. “I don’t feel tired or weak any more… it’s all gone. What does this mean?” she whispered, looking so afraid to hope.
Tenderly, he stroked her cheek. “It means you now share my soul. You won't leave me, won't die, unless I do.”
“I won't die?” she repeated, looking as scared as he’d been moments ago to hope. “We’ll be together for always?”
“For eternity, a leannan.”
Her eyes swimming with unshed tears, she squeezed him so tightly, he knew exactly how she felt. With a growl of happiness, Blaéz swept her off her feet and dropped her on the bed. “Mine, little sun. You’re all mine. Forever.”
Chapter 33
A grumbling tummy woke Darci to a room flooded with late morning sunlight and a warm body plastered against hers.
She turned and found Blaéz still asleep. The peaceful look on his face filled her heart with love and tenderness. After all that had happened in his life, sleep had been a rare thing for him, and now it was finally catching up.
Also, there was the fact they hadn't actually slept until the early hours of the morning. The man was far too resilient. He never tired of making love to her. There wasn’t an inch of her body he hadn’t touched, or didn't have his mouth on.
But the arm he’d thrown over her waist and his thigh between hers had her trapped against him. With some dexterity, she carefully eased away from him and made her way to the bathroom.
After a quick shower, she slipped on the silky underwear then pulled on gray capri pants, and grimaced. Parts of her were a little too tender, but she didn't care. Blaéz had been insatiable. A smile curving her mouth, she drew on a strappy sky-blue top, stepped into flip-flops, and walked back into the bedroom. As she reached for her cell phone on the bedside table, a heavy arm snuck around her waist and tumbled her back into bed.
All hard muscles and warm sexy man, Blaéz nuzzled her neck.
“Blaéz—” she protested.
He lifted his head. Warm blue eyes roamed over her. But nothing could take away that edge of danger chiseled into the striking planes of his face.
“Why are you dressed?”
She tried to frown at him and failed. A smile broke out. “I'm going down to the kitchen. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Okay?”
“No, it’s not. I want you in bed with me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I want a drink, and to stretch my legs a little.”
“Stretch your legs?” A black brow cocked. Blue eyes heated. “Guess I haven’t been doing a very good job all night long? Let me rectify that…” He nipped her lower lip, his hand sliding between her thighs.
Her cell rang. He growled.
Laughing, Darci reached for her phone, her movement dislodging his hand. When she saw her brother’s name on the display, guilt flooded her that she hadn't been to see them in the past week.
“Hey, Dec,” she said, sitting up on the bed. “How are you? Is Grace all right?”
“Much better. Are you okay?”
“Yes-yes, I am.”
“Well, Grace wanted to tell you the good news…” He broke off. Sounds of shuffling reached her then laughter. “Darci?” Grace came on the line. “We saw the doctor this morning. He’s so pleased with my progress. He says my placenta’s stronger — healthier — a miracle really. Prayers do help, huh? I should carry to full-term, but he’s still going to keep an eye on things.”
Hearing the happiness in Grace’s voice, Darci’s chest swelled in gratitude. So, The Morrigan had kept to her end of the deal.
Declan came back on the line. “Can you come over?”
She glanced at Blaéz, who still watched her with that heated stare. God, the man scrambled her brains. He nodded in response to her brother’s question.
“Yes, of course. This afternoon?”
“That’s fine.” A short pause. “So he hasn’t killed you yet?”
She sighed. “Dec, I'm fine. Everything is all right.”
More silence. Obviously he didn't believe her. No way would she ever reveal the full truth to Declan or Grace. “I’ll see you later, okay?” Shaking her head, she ended the call. “I guess he’ll just have to see I'm fine. Mule-headedness must be a male thing.” She shot off the bed as Blaéz dove for her. Walking backwards, she smirked. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
He settled back against the pillow, an arm behind his head. “You’re marrying me you know.”
Darci stopped dead, her blood swishing in her ears. “Wh-what?”
He smiled. “I don’t leave things half done. You became mine in my way when we soul-joined, now we’ll do it in yours. I want all my bases covered — don’t want your brother after me for living in sin with you.”
Just like the engagement, she hadn’t expected this. She shook her head, even though her heart pounded in excitement, said softly, “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Only over you, mo chridhe — only over you.”
Reeling at his words, Darci left the room in a daze. Then her smile gathered momentum.
God, it felt so good to have nothing to worry about. No demented-demon after Blaéz, and knowing Grace would have a healthy baby. Well, there were those law-keepers, and a moment of disquiet seeped through her. She pushed it away. Even they wouldn’t come here to the Guardians’ castle.
Nora, she didn't want to think about.
Her flip-flops slapping on the marble floors, Darci ran down the stairs, eager to get back to Blaéz. The rich aroma of already brewing coffee filled the silent kitchen, along with the smell of something freshly baked. Muffins cooled on a rack.
The door near the prep area opened, and Hedori entered. He quickly masked his surprise at seeing her, but she saw the relief in his eyes. “M’lady, I am glad you are well.”
“Thank you.” She knew then they all worried about her but more because Blaéz was their brother — family. “And for the tea. But please, never, ever give that to me again. It tastes awful, though I appreciate the mint in it.”
He laughed. “Lunch will be ready in a hour. Or I could make you something quick?”
“Oh no, don’t worry about me. I’m just going to grab coffee and a few of those wonderful muffins.”
She poured two coffees and set Blaéz’s aside to take upstairs, then added Sweet N Low to hers. The scent of thyme, mint, and other herbs growing abundantly in clay pots drifted to her from the open windows. Inhaling their piquant aroma, she stared out the trellised walkway heavy with creeping vines bearing tiny purple flowers and took a sip of her beverage as Bob skulked between the potted herbs, stalking the butterflies.
Her cell beeped. Retrieving her phone from her pocket, she swiped the display and opened the text.
Words cannot convey how sorry I am that I hurt you to exact vengeance on my brother. But I couldn’t take a chance of Mal knowing how much I valued you. When your heart stopped beating, I feared the worst. I’m glad the warriors brought you back. If you can ever forgive me, call me. Always your friend. Nora.
Darci’s mouth flattened, her hurt and betrayal still too fresh.
A plaintive meow caught her ear. Deleting the message, she searc
hed the pathways, then glanced up the trellis and laughed when she found Bob caught in the diamond shape of the wooden structure again, his pudgy body hanging out on her side. Smiling, she set her cell on the counter and walked out onto the terrace.
“Now how did you get up there, huh?” She eased him free and stroked his thick, smoky-gray pelt. His tail flicked happily against her arm as if in thanks. “Didn’t Blaéz tell you to find a new route to the garden?”
She hugged Bob, glad to be alive and in full health, to be able to carry a heavy cat without gasping for breath. It truly was all over. Darci marveled at the lightness inside her chest as she meandered back toward the kitchen.
Movement in her peripheral view had her spinning around. Two figures took form.
One was a brunet and the other a pale blond. Tall as the Guardians, they both wore brown, rough-hide pants and some kind of doublet. Her grip tightened on Bob as they approached, looking as mean as hyenas. A sword appeared in their hand, exactly like the ones she’d seen once. Black tipped silver blades.
Darci stepped back, her gaze pinned on the brunet, so sure she’d seen him before — oh shit! It was the law-keeper whose nose Blaéz had broken!
Darci?
At the sudden intrusion of Blaéz’s voice in her mind, everything happened so fast she didn't have a chance to respond. She stumbled, tripped. Bob sprang free as she fell on her backside, his caterwauling hiss exploding in the late morning air. His paw lashed out. The man lunging for her reared back at Bob’s unexpected attack, his thrusting blade missing her chest by inches. Three streaks of red appeared on his face and healed just as fast.
The brunet glared down at her like she was a slug beneath his boots.
“You were warned, mortal,” he said. “The fallen has forfeited his life by mating you.”
She scowled at the insult, her fingers digging into the grass. The fact he would think nothing of ending Blaéz’s life shot her anger sky-high. “Where were you lot when he suffered the horrors of Tartarus for centuries? The moment he’s found peace, you would kill him?”
“Enough. He knew the laws and he broke them.”
Blaéz materialized in front of her, barefoot, wearing only black Gi’s, his body a pale gold in the midday sunlight. The brutal scars on his back didn't detract from his magnificence. But the air around him shimmered with ice. “You dare to trespass on the Guardians’ estate and attack my mate?”
The blond hovering in the back strolled forward. Sneered. “You have broken the Absolute Law, fallen one. Took a mortal to mate. The penalty is death. And don’t expect help from your friends, we are shielded.”
Blaéz stiffened at seeing the pale-haired man but remained silent. He held out his hand to her. She grasped his fingers and he drew her to her feet. His stance remained casual. But Darci knew what a lie that was, just how fast and deadly he could be. Blaéz’s chilly gaze remained pinned on the blond.
“Did you truly imagine I’d allow you anywhere near my mate without repercussions?” As Blaéz spoke to those two, she heard his voice inside her head, Get back into the castle the moment I engage these fuckers and don’t leave its protection.
She nodded then realized he couldn’t see her. Okay, okay. Please, be careful.
Always.
With impossible speed, Blaéz lashed out with a flying kick at the brown-haired guy. Heart in her mouth, Darci spun around and ran straight into the tip of a sword as a third law-keeper took form. Oh. Shit.
The frosty-haired man holding the six-foot-long sword stared at her. Eyes empty, devoid of emotions. The tip of his sword pricked her belly. She winced. If she moved, he would run the blade all the way through her body. Of that she had little doubt.
With the steel point pressed into her stomach, he continued to observe the fight. He probably waited to kill her so he could make Blaéz watch.
***
Damn shits! Not even a day of bonding with his mate and these bloody sods were here. A familiar blond entered his sight. Blaéz wasn’t surprised. He should have known Finnén would join these dicks.
“Finally.” The same brunet law-keeper whose nose he’d broken flew at Blaéz, sword swinging. Blaéz ducked and snatched the blade. He rammed his fist into the brunet’s jaw then speared him straight in his heart with his deadly slayer sword. An outraged cry echoed. The law-keeper shimmered and vanished in a stream of blue light, straight up into the sky.
Finnén trampled Hedori’s herb-garden several feet away, eyes like gray stone, rage contorting his lean face. “At long last, I get to finish you.”
“You didn't succeed then, and you really think now you will?” Blaéz nailed a cool stare at his twin. “Leave or I will kill you.”
“Not so fast, fallen one,” a new voice snapped from behind him.
Blaéz spun around. At the sight of the law-keeper trapping Darci at sword point, not by a flicker of an eye did he reveal the fury tearing through him. Blaéz pushed into his mind, but hit a wall. The bastard was shielded.
“Did you think we’d come just in pairs?” Snow-hair asked.
“You look like you’d need someone to hold your hand,” Blaéz drawled, keeping an eye on Finnén.
Snow-hair catapulted into the air, his sword winging just as Finnén flung his dagger straight behind Blaéz. Heart in his throat, he spun around and with his mind, he shoved Darci out of danger’s path. The dagger embedded into the wooden trellis where she’d been seconds before. White-hot pain lanced Blaéz’s shoulder.
Blaéz pivoted, flinging the sword he held, and nailed the snow-haired fucker in the stomach, and into the castle wall.
Weapon in hand, Finnén stalked toward Blaéz and sneered, “Just you and me, servant.”
Blaéz said nothing at the provocation, but he didn't count on his mate. Darci darted in front of him and hurled her dagger with all the fury in her. The weapon plunged halfway into Finnén’s chest. “Don’t ever call him that!”
Shocked, Finnén gaped blankly at the blade.
Dumbstruck, Blaéz stared. “I didn't know you could pitch a blade.”
“Me neither,” she said, a tremor in her voice. A smile formed on Blaéz’s lips, but he shut it off and pushed her safely behind him. “I have this, love.”
She had good aim, but he had to build up her strength so she could take out the fucker in one throw. He felt her shaky fingers hook into the back waist of his pants.
Growling, Finnén yanked out the obsidian blade and tossed it aside. He rushed at Blaéz.
“Enough!” The Morrigan took form in a swirl of navy cloak.
Great, a goddamn family reunion.
Blaéz pulled Darci to his side, his arm around her, keeping her close.
Finnén scowled at The Morrigan.
She didn't look pleased as she strode toward them, her cape parting and revealing dark-green pants and bustier. A furious flurry of wings and hundreds of crows dropped from the skies to roost on nearby shrubs, appearing like soot had fallen on the greenery. They could all turn into deadly warriors at her command.
The invisible shield keeping the other Guardians out broke. In a blink, Týr, Dagan, and Aethan flanked him.
The law-keeper pinned to the castle wall twisted and struggled to pull the sword from his bleeding belly. The arsehole was lucky Blaéz hadn't aimed that damn sword for his heart. Freeing himself, the law-keeper stumbled. Glowering with cold rage, he stalked toward Blaéz.
“I said enough.” The Morrigan’s voice carried a compulsion, stopping the assassin dead in his tracks. She pinned those lethal blues on the law-keeper. “My son is no longer bound by our laws. Leave him and his mate in peace.”
Blaéz stiffened. She’d called him “son” in front of everyone?
Too late, he wanted to tell her. Too much had happened for him to ever think of her as his mother. But shit, no matter that eons had passed, her words unfurled and spread, easing a little of that one fractured facet still inside him — one of acceptance — but only a little.
Darci stroked
his chest, clearly picking up on his emotions.
“He is no family to us,” Finnén snapped. “He brought shame to our pantheon. And taking a mortal to mate? He should die.”
Guess that meant his twin finally knew who Blaéz was and still came after him. Blaéz eyed him coldly. He would kill Finnén in a heartbeat if he ever took one step Darci’s way. The Morrigan probably read his intent. Not that he was hiding what he’d do to her other son.
“I said enough, Finn. Now leave.”
Snarling at The Morrigan’s verdict, Finnén vanished.
The white-haired assassin’s mouth curled in irritation. His eyes narrowed as he lowered his sword, blood seeping from the slow-healing wound on his abdomen.
The Morrigan was the goddess of war and death, not many would want to take her on. Besides, she was part of the council at the Gates of the Gods that made those damn archaic angelic laws that were once applied to the Watchers absolute.
“Wait,” Blaéz said as they prepared to leave.
The Morrigan glanced back, her gaze softened a fraction. “What is it?”
“Not just me, all the Guardians, too. I want that decree lifted. They are not to be touched by the Absolute Laws.”
“I will do what I can.” Then she and her birds vanished.
But the white-haired law-keeper remained. His gaze fixed on Darci.
“Do you want to die?” Blaéz snapped.
His dark eyes shifted back to Blaéz. “What is it about the mortals that you would risk your life by mating one?”
Darci went rigid against him. Blaéz tightened his hold on her, pressed his lips to her brow then said, “Something you would never understand.”
After another narrow-eyed stare at them, the law-keeper shimmered and vanished.
Blaéz turned to Darci. At the smudge of red on her t-shirt, he pushed up her top, and there, just above her navel was a small cut where the sword had pierced her. At the sight of the blood on her smooth, tanned skin, he wanted to go after the bastard and skewer him with his own sword.
“Blaéz, I'm okay. It’s just a scratch. A little antiseptic and I’ll be fine.”
Eyes narrowed, he laid his hand on her and healed the scratch. “Now, I'm satisfied—”
Breaking Fate Page 33
