by Brianna West
Were-tigers had an ability to heal, but for some reason, I hadn’t yet. Of course, I’d just grin and bear it like I did any injury that didn’t heal immediately. There had been a few that took several days to disappear, so I wasn’t a stranger to pain. Especially not in my line of work.
Finishing what I could, I towel-dried with a small grunt, the feeling of something still lodged in my backside keeping my movements stilted and unusually slow. Without any sort of pain relief available, I pushed on and dressed myself while the Irishman slept. Some of my power returned, I fixed the shredded shirt I’d worn and cleaned the grime from my clothing. With my body tender in a lot of places, it took several minutes to work my legs into the pants. Magic had failed me when I tried to dress with it.
I’d never glared so hard at someone in all of my years as I did in those painfully slow minutes of dressing.
Leaving the happily slumbering bastard in the room, I traveled down the corridor to a phone sitting on a tabletop. I’d seen it the evening before when we were shown to our room. Clenching my jaw bitterly, I picked it up and dialed Victor’s personal line. If I’d called the night before, or this morning for that matter, last night would’ve never happened.
The emotional chaos twisting up my insides was pushed down momentarily as I waited for the supervising angel to pick up the call.
*
I waited outside, propped up against a wall at the far side of the house. I didn’t dare go back inside, because I truly feared the memories I was sure to relive from the night before. Shame had taken hold of my stomach and chest in a vice grip and hadn’t let go all morning. Not to mention, I might actually assault my superior at this rate.
My breath billowed in a dense fog with every exhale into the frigid morning air, the sight of it bringing the recollection of Conall’s heavy panting and low groans filtering back into my head. His voice had been so deep that the very thought of it raised the gooseflesh on my arms.
Conall’s luminous red-green eyes had been so consumed with ferocious desire that the memory of them still sent hot jolts down my spine. The feeling of Conall’s mouth and fangs had plagued me all morning, and the memory of his naked body and my shameful eagerness to touch it circled inside my head. Shutting my eyes tightly, I dispelled the images with every bit of strength I could muster.
Anger bellied. Conall had taken advantage of the situation in more ways than one. I’d been weakened both magically and physically. My emotions had been raw and overwhelmed by not only finding out that Niko was alive and well, but discovering his connection to the Dark had been voluntary. The man I’d idolized for all the years I’d known him, and long after, was the very thing he fought not to be. His sense of justice had been warped, and he was intent on dragging the Guardians back into it, along with myself.
Emotions running high, I’d been unfortunately more vulnerable than I wanted to admit. The pleasure Conall had offered me was an escape I hadn’t been able to reject. Now, I’d dearly pay for the error in my judgment.
Last night was a huge mistake, one I didn’t intend to repeat. Whatever the reason, it had happened and that wasn’t going to change. There was no sense in picking it apart and overanalyzing how it had occurred. Men were naturally inclined to think with their lower halves and, no matter how much I wanted to believe otherwise, I wasn’t any different. So, I planned to make sure that whatever this magnetic pull between the Irishman and I was, it was smothered out today.
Last night couldn’t happen again.
In all my years, I’d never given into temptation. Although no one had pursued me quite as persistently as Conall had, there had been opportunities to act on my desires. Not once had I given in. Navigating this would require a great deal of effort on my part, and nearly all of my cleverness.
Cradling my jaw, I stared intensely at the ground below before the abrupt shift in the air and a familiar scent forced my head to lift with a jerk. His presence calmed my frayed nerves; the other person’s scent somehow putting my chaotic thoughts at ease. Lifting the side of my mouth in a small, greeting smile, I nodded my head at the Guardian who had arrived.
Aidan’s caramel eyes fixed to me, his large body encased in a dark coat and tight pair of jeans. His immense size looked somehow small as he hunched his shoulders forward, hands buried in his pockets and an unusually reserved manner about him.
Running fingers through his dark hair, the other Guardian walked hesitantly forward. “Where’s the old man?” he asked, his eyes never truly meeting mine.
Fixing my posture, I straightened my spine and ignored the pain in my lower half with the tight clench of my jaw. “Inside,” I responded evenly.
I sensed his disquiet and attributed it to how our battle had ended only a couple days ago. It was probably weighing on his mind that I’d been taken from right under his nose and, though I would never hold him responsible, I understood that sort of upset.
Not too long ago, someone dear to me had been taken when I’d been knocked unconscious. She was later recovered, but barely. We’d nearly lost her. I knew the sort of guilt that consumed every thought when someone was hurt as a result of the inability to do more. She’d offered me forgiveness, which I hadn’t deserved, but I’d now make sure to do the same when the opportunity presented itself.
Aidan finally nodded, his eyes trailing over to the quiet home before finding my silent gaze. “He’ll be dead to the world for another couple of hours, and I’m sure you’re hungry. Let’s go find somewhere to eat, yeah?”
I glanced over my shoulder at the house, hearing the rumbling snores of the Irishman inside. Smiling to myself, I turned back to look at Aidan, taking a few steps towards him. “Only if you’re buying,” I teased lightly, passing him on my way to his luxury Mercedes.
Aidan’s eyes danced with delight, losing the forlorn note to them as he chased my retreating form. “Oi, what makes you think you can get a free meal out of me?”
Grinning and opening the car door, I peered over the top of the hood at him. “Don’t you at least owe me that much for that little nap you took while I was left to do all the work?”
Clicking his tongue, Aidan smiled in a way that made my only recently settled heart race again. “Are you taking the piss? I was only taking a short breather. Come on, you cheeky devil.”
When I buckled my seatbelt, I looked up just as my precious Glock was being offered to me. Aidan’s jaw went taut for a second before he sighed softly.
“I thought you might want this back,” he said, gazing at me intently. “It’s important to you, yeah?”
Taking the gun into my hand, I relished the cool feel of its metal and weight inside my palm. “Thanks.”
“I’ve brought some of your clothes and things,” Aidan relayed as he reversed out of the drive, heading away from the bed and breakfast. His eyes were focused on the road as I picked through the clothes he’d brought. “So what happened with that blonde tosser?”
Chuckling, I shook my head and peered out of the window at the passing landscape. “Not enough.”
Aidan’s grip tensed on the wheel of the car, his jaw clenching in the reflection of the window. I glanced back at him as his nostrils flared briefly before he looked over.
“He bit you again,” he mumbled, eyes falling to where the wound was probably exposed on my neck.
Startled by the sudden anger in his movements as his large body became visibly rigid and his grip grew white-knuckled, I looked away and back out the window. “Yeah.”
“That bloody wanker.”
There was no sense in denying it. My body hadn’t healed from the injuries like it normally would have, and there wasn’t any point in trying to fool Aidan to believe otherwise. I couldn’t, however, understand why his reaction to it made me squirm in my seat, or why I felt inclined to apologize to him for it.
Touching my Glock for the first time in days, I absently smoothed over the surface with my fingers. “Conall did teleportal jumps, so he was weakened considerably when we arriv
ed.”
Sighing lightly, Aidan loosened his grip on the wheel and nodded once. “Suppose that’s true. But the old man’s gone and done it now. Logan went bloody mental.”
Assuming that Logan was their supervising angel, I listened intently on what might be done about Conall’s insubordination and reckless actions.
“He had to jump through hoops and schmooze the Council just to keep the old man from losing his place as team leader. But he managed it. Conall will be kissing his arse for the next couple years for this one,” Aidan divulged with a deep, rumbling chuckle.
Sighing with relief, I relaxed into my seat, having been on the edge of it most of Aidan’s speech. “It was reckless, so I understand Logan’s reaction. I myself lectured Conall the second he mentioned he was there without clearance and without his team.”
Aidan’s jaw clenched as he hunched, hands once more gripping the wheel. “It was bloody suicide, is what it was. I’ll be ringing his neck once we get back, but I…” his eyes trailed over to where I was, nostrils flared again, “—you smell like him.”
His unexpected observation set my nerves on edge, a hot jolt running the length of me. “We had to share the room, so I imagine I would.” Turning away from the perceptive eyes pinned to me, I peered out the window again with stiff shoulders.
Aidan’s voice was deep as he growled out an unexpected response, “Not how I meant it.”
My jaw tensed as the echo of pain throbbed in my lower back. “I’m not sure what you’re implying.”
My voice was uncharacteristically soft as I denied catching onto his meaning, but I knew. I could tell by the way he looked at me that he’d already concluded what had occurred the night before. Guilt-ridden, I shut my mouth and kept my body turned away from him, bent on controlling the emotion burning the length of my throat.
“It’s none of my business,” Aidan started gently, his voice expressing his wish to apologize. “I’ve just known the old man a long bloody time, and I think you’re a good bloke. The kind of bloke that deserves someone who’d treat him well. Conall’s…not the relationship type.”
I wasn’t sure what it was about Aidan that made it difficult for me to be angry at him, but even with his impeding on my privacy, I wasn’t upset. Honestly, it was a relief to know that there was someone else who could save me from myself. It wasn’t in my nature to rely on others, but like with Lucas, I felt I could trust Aidan to support me for some odd reason. Much like he had during the withdrawal I’d gone through the night Niko abducted me.
“Not that I have any right to talk on the subject,” he added, sighing deeply. “I take whoever bloody comes and never chase those that go. I just feel you deserve more, and the old man isn’t it.”
I couldn’t put into words what his concern meant, having never really had anyone but family worry over me quite like he currently was. I’d gotten used to being the one to worry—the one who bore the burden of concern over those I cared for.
“Thank you, really.” I expressed my gratitude with a genuine smile at him before looking back out the window. Swallowing around the constriction in my throat, I kept my eyes to the horizon. “It was a terrible mistake. One I won’t be repeating.”
“I know the old man hasn’t found a place for you to stay yet,” Aidan started, his eyes darting from me to the road, suddenly anxious, “But I’ve got an extra room at my place, and I’d pose no problem to have around. I can wipe my own arse and everything.”
I laughed at his unexpected confession, glancing his direction with a smirk. “Well, guess I know everything I need to know now.”
“Yes, you do,” he countered with a slight, barely-there grin. “But the room is yours if you want it. Promise I don’t bite.” Lips lifting into a terribly alluring smile, Aidan snuck a small, amused glance at me. “Oh, wait a tick, I guess I do.”
Glad for the playful banter, I shook my head with a chuckle. “Well, in that case, where do I sign up?”
*
“So, this amulet that blonde tosser was on about,” Aidan said over a mouthful of steak, the entire room of women glancing our direction as the huge man in front of me somehow fitted himself into the compact diner we’d found, “Seems like the angels are really eager to get their hands on it. They asked Logan to hunt him down. ‘Course, they don’t plan to agree to any terms, or any of that bloody nonsense.”
I eased back into my chair, drinking the weak coffee the diner had to offer and thinking back on what Niko had compelled Aidan to do. “What does the amulet do?”
“Dunno,” Aidan responded with a shrug, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and peering up as a woman slid past our table with her eyes batting down at him, a flirtatious smile hanging on her lips.
Aidan ignored her, shoving more of the plateful of steak and eggs into his mouth before grunting with satisfaction. “Why the bloody hell are these so good?”
Smiling to myself, I sipped from my black coffee and peered around the packed diner. “I suppose that’s why it’s so crowded here,” I suggested with a grin before watching Aidan smack his belly, content. “How is Logan planning to track Niko?”
Aidan set his fork down on top of the plate with a clatter before stretching out his long, over-muscled limbs, the chair he sat on creaking in warning that his weight would surely break it at any given moment. “He didn’t say. Suppose he’ll tell us when we get back.”
Standing, I took the bill and headed for the counter. Thankfully, Aidan had brought my wallet along with my clothes, and at a rest stop along the way, I’d been able to dress in my usual attire. Glad to look more like myself, I paid the bill.
“Oi, I thought it was my treat,” Aidan complained as I smiled at the waitress, her eyes instantly becoming orb-shaped and her cheeks pinkening.
She scribbled quickly on my receipt, signing her name and number just below a ‘thank you’ and cutesy heart. Being the gentleman I was, I took the proffered receipt with another smile, watching her pink cheeks deepen in color before pocketing the receipt.
“Thank you, Veronica,” I said sweetly, making her eyes sparkle, clearly besotted.
“Oi, are you ignoring me?” Aidan demanded as I nodded my head in goodbye.
Glancing over my shoulder at him, I shrugged. “After you complained about it and called me cheeky, no thanks. I’d rather have you owe me two favors.”
Laughing, the large Guardian ran fingers through his full-bodied hair before his eyes widened and his lips twitched. “Wait a tick, why two?!”
“For the nap, and now the meal,” I said, smirking.
“Oi, what about my tender nursing from before? Doesn’t that get me at least something?” he teased, expressionless face masking the sarcasm enough that the public around us would never know it was playfully said.
Tickled by his emphasis on his care while I dealt with the withdrawal from Conall’s bite, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Tender, you say?”
“Cheeky,” Aidan mumbled before following me as I headed towards the door.
Aidan’s size coupled with his good looks were the center of attention as he moved towards the door. Before he could reach me, a woman about half his height cut him off and peered up the length of his body with overt desire.
“You’re gorgeous,” she said, pressing her chest up and out in order to expose her ample cleavage. “Are you here alone? Fancy a chat?”
Aidan’s face was impassive as I waited by the door. The woman was definitely a looker. She’d worn a dress that left very little to the imagination, which was probably the result of a night out that hadn’t completely ended, seeing how we were currently in a breakfast diner and the attire was anything but normal.
I remembered that Aidan had mentioned he didn’t turn away those that came nor chase the ones that went. So, I imagined he’d take her up on her offer and let me find my way home. Spitefully, I’d take his car. I wasn’t sure what the sudden pang in my chest was, but I ignored it all the same.
But to my surprise, Aidan maneuv
ered his way around the flirtatious woman and tossed an arm around my shoulders. “I’ve actually got someone, thanks.”
He pulled me through the door and breathed a deep sigh before leading me back to the car with his arm still slung around my shoulders. I matched his pace, unsure how to interpret his actions, but deciding to attribute them to Aidan’s need for a quick out.
After spending exuberant amounts of time with Bernie and Pavel, who never passed up a pretty face, I’d assumed that Aidan would be the same way. But as it turned out, it appeared that the hard-to-read Guardian prioritized his responsibilities to his team and companions instead of his lower half.
It was an unexpected development, but a welcomed one. It was usually an effort to get anything done with the types of Guardians I’d been set up with as of late, especially my brother. Conall had proven just as difficult, even though he was incredibly talented. It felt unusual and slightly off-putting to have things run smoothly with Aidan, who was someone that didn’t require my chiding to do his job properly and without distraction.
Suddenly very sorry that I hadn’t taken Aidan up on his offer the first mission we’d worked on, I silently vowed to accept him without hesitation or thought if he suggested the partnership again.
Chapter Ten
“You two went and had yourself a meal while I was here, alone?” Conall whined, acting as he normally did. “Did you at least bring me something?”
“Piss off, Old Man. I’m still bloody raging right now,” Aidan growled angrily, throwing a bag at Conall almost as if he intended to knock the man out with it. Conall managed not to topple over with the impact, but only barely. “Go get dressed. Logan wants us at headquarters by this evening.”
“Oh, did he seem…his usual self?” Conall asked, probing with a little uncomfortable glance. “How mad are we talking?”
Aidan huffed contemptuously, patting my shoulder gently. “I’ve called for a lift, so you can come with me while the old man sits and thinks about what he’s done.”
