Watcher Compelled: Dark Angels Paranormal Romance (Watchers of the Gray Book 6)

by JL Madore

  Layne blinked. “I’m a big fan.”

  “Anchovies?”

  “Disgusting.”

  “Pineapple?”

  “Hawaiian rules. Thin crust. Extra cheese.”

  Bo nodded. “Agreed. Beer or girlie mixed drinks?”

  “Wine. Red.”

  “Desserts.”

  “Brownies all the way.”

  “Ice cream, marshmallow, and fudge sauce?”

  “Good, but not necessary. Brownies are standalone.”

  Bo’s stomach rumbled. “Okay, I have a plan.”

  Layne blinked up at him and frowned. “You’re not taking me to lock me up somewhere? I thought I’m your prisoner?”

  The idea had merit, but his idea of locking her up was less punitive and more genitive. “We need to leave here, so we might as well get something to eat at the same time. You’re under Viking arrest more than being a prisoner. I’ll make one quick call, and then we’ll stretch our legs.”

  “Can I take a quick shower and get dressed?”

  He gestured to her bedroom. “Dinner awaits. Hop to it.”

  When she headed off to get ready, Bo sucked a deep lungful of air into his body. This would be harder than he thought. The scent of her had him sporting a raging hard-on and his emotions going batshit. He thought maybe holding his breath might help, but that just made him dizzy.

  Fresh air. That’s what they needed.

  Pulling out his phone, he got his thumbs moving and texted a favor to Kyrian and a question to Danel. The affirmative replies came back almost immediately, and Bo breathed a sigh of relief. Done deal.

  Man, his brothers rocked. He’d say they were heaven sent, but that was obvious. He fucking loved his family.

  All right, while he waited for his delivery, and for his female to get herself cleaned up, he toured the apartment. He checked out the titles of the books. She liked contemporaries, not classics. He studied the pictures framed in sterling silver on the mantle. Most were of Layne, and a young boy he guessed was Jhaia’s deceased son, Taid. He peeked in all her drawers and cupboard doors. It was more than being nosy. He wanted to know everything there was to know about her.

  No—he needed to know.

  Layne breezed into the room like she could take on the world. In a black turtleneck and jeans that shrink-wrapped her figure, her hair freshly blow-dried, and color in her cheeks, she was downright delectable.

  Shiiiit, his girl had fire.

  “We’re going to need ground rules,” Layne said, drawing a circle in the air at his face. “Because that look is off limits. What happened in Purgatory was my doing. I accept that. The way you’re looking at me right now, yeah-no, that doesn’t work for me.”

  “You’re a beautiful female. You can’t blame a hot-blooded male for finding you attractive.”

  She sidled toward him, slow and sexy. “It sickens me that you’ve been inside me. Don’t get all doe-eyed over a little sex. It meant nothing.”

  Bo dropped his mouth to hers but paused just before their lips met. Her eyes flared, and her arousal hit him like a one-two punch. “It was more than a little sex. You’re mine, little Djinn. You know it. I know it. And before too long, you’re going to be mauling me like the wildcat you are.”

  Layne swallowed and stared at his lips. “I hate you.”

  A knock at the door brought a smile to his lips. He stepped back and chuckled as her body swayed to follow. “Come in,” he said, turning to greet his brother. “Hey, D. Thanks for stopping by.”

  Danel shrugged and took a long, appraising look at Layne. “So, Zander filled us in.”

  Bo wasn’t surprised. “We’ve got a long way to go, my brother. Any chance you can get things started?”

  Danel pulled out the ancient handcuffs which began the whole mating trend back with Austin and Zander. “Ready when you are.”

  Bo pulled on his jacket and held out his non-dominant wrist. If anything surprised them tonight, he wanted his right hand free to draw his weapons. He secured the link on his side and turned to Layne. “Grab your coat before you lock in. It’s damned cold out there.”

  “Seriously?” Her green gaze bounced from him to Danel and back again. “You’re going to handcuff me like a common criminal?”

  Danel chuffed. “You conspired with the rebellion and invaded Bo’s mind, right? You compelled him to drop our defenses and let armed thugs terrorize Zander’s guests for the Otherworld Council planning session? That was you, right?”

  Layne stuck her chin out and shrugged. “We see things differently. I acted to protect my people. To free them from the violence and oppression of bloodthirsty thugs who do nothing to protect them in exchange for mindless obedience.”

  Danel chuckled and looked to him. “She doesn’t think too highly of us, Viking. It’s going to be one bumpy ride for you.”

  Bo nodded. “I’m aware.”

  “Okay, sweetness,” Danel said, wagging the empty cuff. “Last chance to wear a coat.”

  The two of them waited until Layne gave up the fight, shrugged on a gray peacoat with black buttons, and then held out her wrist. Danel clicked the cuffs closed and rubbed his thumb over the runes, uttering the spell to activate them.

  “All righty then, we’re good to go.” Bo jingled the chain that now linked them.

  “Yup. If you have any trouble getting them off, text me, and I’ll fly right over.” To emphasize his point, he spread his wings and gave them a flutter.

  “Stop that and get out of my house before you break something.”

  Bo chuckled at Layne’s change of demeanor. Had she honestly thought he would let her waltz through the night on the promise of good behavior? Hells to the no. She wouldn’t leave his sight until she realized she was his mate.

  “Sooo,” he said, a giddy flutter of hope tickling his insides. “Who wants pizza?”

  Thea met Seth in the foyer as he, Zander, and Phoenix emerged at the top of the tunnel steps. She’d heard the Hummer rumble past a few moments ago and had to laugh at what males found fascinating. A new shiny tank for them to drive around. What fun. She helped Seth with his jacket and hung it in the closet while he unlaced his red leather boots. The errand with Zander had taken up most of the daylight, and she was anxious to spend some time with her husband before he had to head out after dark.

  “Is Zane down for a nap?” Seth straightened his boots on the rubber mat and flashed her a hopeful grin.

  “Just,” she said, biting her lip. “If we’re lucky, he should sleep until dinner.”

  The growl his beast let off hit her right between her thighs. She squealed as Seth tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. “Sorry, my brothers. Sex when the baby sleeps and all that.”

  Zander laughed behind them. “I think it’s sleep when the baby sleeps, Egyptian.”

  Seth chuckled, rounding the landing on the second floor and heading up to the third. “Whatevs. Sex, sleep, same diff.”

  “If you think that, you’re doing it very wrong.”

  Thea laughed as she bounced upside down, her hands on Seth’s jeans pockets to keep from flopping around completely. When they were securely locked in their room, she shed her skirt and blouse as quickly as she could.

  Seth beat her at getting naked. “How was your morning?” he asked, reaching around to unhook her bra. He nipped along her bare collarbone and pulled her shoulder straps off her arms.

  “Good. Diapers. Bottles. A few calls. I missed you.”

  Seth pushed her backward. She flopped across the mattress, and her hair splayed out in every direction. Gripping the elastic of her panties, he tugged them down and tossed them over his shoulders. “Spread your knees and show me how much you missed me.”

  Thea’s cheeks warmed as she obeyed. Seth was a giving lover, but there was nothing subtle or private about him. He said what he thought, and she knew what he wanted, which she adored. Propping herself up on her elbows, she spread her ankles and let him have a good look at the moisture dampening
her core.

  “See? Now, come let me enjoy the return of my warrior.”

  He shook his head. “Now I need to taste how much you missed me.” Crawling up the bed between her open knees, he drew his tongue along the inside of her thighs.

  When he got to the heated juncture of her core, he growled and swept his mouth over her sex. She swallowed, her hips rising to his tongue as his hands slid under the round globes of her backside.

  His Mark burst into the stunning blue of his beast, and he looked up at her over the curves of her body. “I’m thirsty, Angel. Let me drink your sweet nectar until I’ve had my fill.”

  Thea dropped back on the bed and sighed. “Well, all right, but only because hydration is so important.”

  Bo slid his gloves on and waited for Layne to do the same. She was royally pissed about the cuffs, which, honestly gave him a small sense of justice. She seemed so sure about things, repented nothing, annnnd needed to be taken down a peg.

  “Doesn’t us being bound by weird Otherworld handcuffs risk exposure? We are supposed to go unnoticed, aren’t we?”

  Bo nodded to the guard at the Djinn gatehouse, and the guy opened things up for them. “We’ll have an outing, fill our tanks, and if anyone asks, the cuffs were ill-advised sex-play that we regret now that we’ve lost the keys.”

  Layne’s scowl made him laugh out loud. “We are not saying that. I wouldn’t—”

  When her rant cut short, he took a shot at finishing her thought. “What? Have sex with me? Get wild, with toys and tools? But kona, we did. Over and over. And under. And from behind, if I remember correctly. Mmm, and I do.”

  “You remember whatever strokes that entitled Watcher ego of yours. I used you. Nothing more.”

  Bo embraced the burn.

  The mention of their skin-on-skin sessions in Purgatory stirred his cock to life. The effect she had on him was addictive and not one-sided.

  “You lied about your identity and your reason for hitting the horizontal with me, but we both know how hard you came. The screaming. The scratches. The multiples. You pumped me for more than info. The sex was mind-numbing.”

  “The drugs. The booze.”

  Bo laughed. “Under the influence? Fair enough. I can claim the same, except here we are, and the scent of your arousal is *the headiest aphrodisiac I’ve ever taken into my lungs. You’re hungry, and I’d bet it’s not for pizza and brownies.”

  “You underestimate my love of chocolate baked goods.” When she crossed her arms, his hand got pulled along for the ride and brushed her breast. She whipped around and back-fisted him to the gut. “Paws off. I hate everything about you.”

  Bo chuckled and let their joined hands fall between them once again. “The words don’t match the heat you’re throwing off. If I pulled you into the shadows and pressed you up against one of these buildings, I bet you’d cream before I even get into those painted-on jeans.”

  The almost imperceptible whimper she let off proved his point. She was fighting the pull, but it was a battle. Good. She deserved to suffer a bit.

  As they strolled along the damp, windblown streets, the houses got smaller, the roadways got wider, and the humans got more plentiful. The city was alive around them, sirens bouncing off the buildings in the distance, traffic on the Gardiner rumbling along, and leather-clad clubgoers replacing the sports fans as the night grew older.

  Bo thought about what Zander and Gheil said. Yes, Layne led a privileged life, but he didn’t think she was spoiled as much as insulated. Uneducated in the truths of their role, a Darkworlder might think he and his brothers were the scourge of the Otherworld. Having never witnessed anything to the contrary, the bedtime horror stories and cautionary tales became her reality.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Dinner.”

  She cast him a sidelong glare, and he bit back a smile. Even if she were mute, he’d hear what she told him. She telegraphed every angsty emotion in high-def clarity.

  Her Nephilim prejudice had nothing to do with him as a male. “Trust me. You’ll love it.”

  She laughed. It was a harsh, cold slap to his face, but he expected it. “I don’t trust anybody.”

  “Nobody? Not even Jhaia?”

  She shook her head, the emerald green tips to her ebony hair flying in the wind as she did. “When push comes to shove, she always sides with Gheil.”

  No one stood in her corner unconditionally?

  Even he—a hated assassin of the Otherworld, a cursed bastard child of an Archangel, a duty-bound servant to the Choir—knew no matter what came down or how much they disagreed, his brothers had his back.

  “That sounds lonely.”

  Layne shrugged. “If I needed someone else, maybe. I don’t, so it isn’t. I’m good solo. Speaking of going it alone, don’t you dogs usually travel in packs?”

  Now it was his turn to laugh. “We patrol the streets in pairs or trios, but that’s for the safety of the innocents we protect. One person secures the victims while the others fend off the danger. We’re quite capable of escorting a beautiful female to dinner without backup.”

  “Hey, asshole,” she snapped, raising her cuffed wrist to jingle the chain connecting them. “This ain’t a date.”

  “The sentiment stands. Believe it or not, Nephilim live lives and have interests, friends, and loved ones. We’re not mindless assassins who comb the streets searching for daemons to dispatch.”

  “Says you. From where I stand, that’s all you are.”

  Good, he thought. There were plenty of misguided notions to unravel. With new strength in his stride, he led her down into the subway and checked the track information.

  Reaching out with his gift, he released the turnstile and walked through. Sweeping his free hand in the air, he gestured for Layne to follow.

  “Isn’t that stealing? Aren’t you here to uphold the law?”

  Bo frowned, joining the flow of the crowd heading toward the track. “I uphold Otherworld laws. That covers policing feeding quotas, protecting the innocent, and exposure. Nowhere in our duty descriptions does it mention ponying up for subway rides.”

  “Evening, Watcher,” a Crossroads Demon said, giving him a nod. Posing as a busker, she leaned up against a tiled column with her guitar in hand and its case open on the platform floor. A female alone at night in the depths of the city might have thought twice about their safety but he knew this one, and she was a cobra ready to strike.

  “Hey, how’s your night going?”

  “It’s quiet. The weather keeps people indoors, but the night is young.”

  Bo tossed a twenty into the case and turned to Layne. “Any requests?”

  Layne looked off into the building bodies and thought about that one. “You know any Ed Sheeran?”

  The screech of the train’s arrival had them melting into the crowd, the Celtic beats of “Galway Girl” sending them off.

  “It’s not going to work.”

  Bo stepped into the car and grabbed the chrome pole in front of an open seat. She slid onto the plastic bench without pause, and he met her suspicious gaze. “What’s not?”

  “This ‘we’re just ordinary people’ show you’re putting on.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Do you honestly think I’ll nod and say, yeah, I get it, you’re right. My convictions and reputation mean nothing next to your lack-luster efforts to save my nephew. Sure, you’re supposed to be impartial guardians but go ahead and kill an entire race of males because they refused to bow. No one noticed.”

  Bo scrubbed a hand over his mouth, muffling his curse. “You’re judging us for wiping out a nest of Leviathans?”

  “They were Serpentines who you slaughtered into transition. So really, you murdered them twice.”

  The intensity of their convo drew the attention of a few neighbors, and he straightened. The next two stops passed in heated silence. When the doors opened at the third stop, he led her out and pulled her around a quiet corner.

  “Those Serpentines k
idnapped the Mistress of Shedim for no reason and threatened her life as bait to lure us into that fight. Then, the Leviathans that spawned kidnapped an Angel of Powers from a known safe zone, and dragged her to Hell to sell her to a Blood Dwarf.”

  He knew by the widening of Layne’s green eyes she hadn’t gotten the full story.

  “Then, the gang leader of that bright idea, Stryker’s bitch of a daughter, found out the angel was giving birth. She waited until the child was delivered to steal him, and then had his mother pegged to the ceiling of a cave and bled dry to make more of those fucking red alloy weapons your friends cherish.”

  Bo forced himself to pull back, his temper getting the better of him. Thinking him a monster was one thing but to judge him based on the elimination of Darkworld scum was another altogether.

  “Nothing we do is random, Layne. None of what happened was unwarranted. Zander left the Serpentine females and the children with a place to live and a plea that they raise the next generation better. This mentality of blood for blood has to end.”

  “And the child?” she asked, her tone genuine. “Were you able to recover him?”

  Bo let the fury drain out of his cells and nodded. “You held him in your arms. Zane is a wonder. The only member of the Otherworld to have Light, Dark, and Nephilim genes. He’s going to be a fucking gift to the world. But we want a different world for him to grow up in.”

  Layne stared at him, and he could see his words were sinking in, like she was refiling some of the things she knew.

  “But your story makes my point. You saved your nephew and slew those responsible. You annihilated an entire race and then judged me for demanding the same justice. Doesn’t my nephew deserve avenging? Shouldn’t Taid’s tormentors be dispatched for their actions?”

  “Absolutely, but we’ve got nothing to point to who did it. There were no survivors, the building blew up, and all Darkworld energies were cleared. We’ve checked the security cameras of the neighboring buildings. We checked satellite feeds. The company that owned the building was a dead end. Until someone comes forward, how do we solve a mystery with no leads? We’re warriors, not magicians.”