UnGuarded (25 page)
Authors: Ashley Robertson
Somehow I managed to roll him over. Now I
was on top, my legs still straddling his waist. I held him down by
his shoulders as I gazed at his beautiful, flawless chest. His skin
was soft, yet the muscle underneath was solid as stone. The creamy
whiteness reminded me of vanilla ice cream, and the thought made me
want to lick him all over. I scooted down his body to where my legs
wrapped around his thighs, and when he tried to sit up, I just
pushed him back down, my fingers digging into his pectorals with
the force. “My turn!”—my voice rough with demand as I leaned over
and my lips reached just above the line of his jeans, below his
naval. His body shuddered as my tongue touched his skin, but I held
him steady with my hands still pressing into his pecks, sliding all
the way up to the top of his chiseled, hairless chest. Then I moved
to the side and went back down his body, mindful to lick places I’d
missed before.
And for whatever reason, that’s when fear
seized me. In a rush, I jumped to the side, frantically buttoning
my shirt. “We can’t go any further”—my words breathless and raspy.
“I won’t be able to stop if we do.”
Cole sat up, his brows arching. “I promise I
will stop us. I won’t let you be punished even more for our love.”
His facial expression softened as he opened his arms. “Come here.
Let me hold you.”
I crawled into his awaiting arms with tears
streaming down my face. “I’m so sorry. How can you want to be with
me? We’ll never be able to go any further than what we just
did.”
“Why?” was the question he asked, and at the
moment it was my question too.
Cue my generic answer. “Because I’m a
guardian angel. I wasn’t made for anything else.”
“But there is so much more to who you are,
Selene,” he said, his voice firm and authoritative. “I’m sorry they
don’t get who you really are.”
A dry chuckle escaped my lips. “And what’s
that?”
His arms tightened around me, pulling me
closer into him. His lips were against my ear when he answered,
“The most beautiful, amazing woman I’ve ever known. I’ll be with
you no matter what rules we have to follow, and I’ll love you with
everything I am for as long as I’m on this earth.”
A fresh wave of tears flushed my cheeks and
I needed a moment before I could speak. “I love you, too,” I
finally said. “I just wish I could give you all of me, but I
promise I’ve given you everything I can.”
“Well, maybe not everything.”
I turned to face him. “What? What do you
mean?” I sounded as confused as I felt.
“Your blood isn’t off limits, is it?”
The creature’s shrieking was closer, jolting
me out of that memory and straight back to my reality of hell. The
ground rumbled and loose pieces of rock rained down from the
ceiling. I threw my arms over my head and ducked, hoping to protect
myself as best I could. A screeching howl sounded once again—this
time at the entrance of the cave. Luckily, the beast’s large size
would prevent it from coming any closer. Another quake thundered
around me, causing bigger rocks to break loose and fall with a
crash barely a few feet away. I pressed my back closer against the
stone wall behind me, crouching into the smallest ball I could
form. But it wasn’t enough. Another shake of the earth and I heard
something creak and snap above me. Still holding my arms over my
head, I peered through them just in time to see the massive boulder
falling.
MY LASHES FLUTTERED OPEN and I was
surrounded by a sea of familiar gray. But it wasn’t the cave; it
was the basement where Luke lived, and I quickly made a mental note
that my vampire ally must be controlling what I dreamed. I sat up
in a rush and saw Luke sitting on the sofa where my head had been.
“Why was I lying on your lap?” I asked, appalled that he’d done
such a thing, especially after our last conversation.
“You needed blood again, but this time you
required a lot more of it.” He shrugged his shoulders, then added,
“Is it a crime that I got comfortable while you drank it?”
More blood? I became fuming mad, glaring
straight into his eyes. “No more blood, Luke! I mean it! I don’t
care what condition I’m in!”
“But Angel, you were really, really messed
up. I couldn’t just leave you like that.”
“I don’t care!” I snapped back.
“But I do!” he nearly screamed.
Feeling the need to diffuse, I got up and
headed to the table in the back of the room. I took a deep breath,
exhaling as I sat down. Luke was watching me, still seated on the
sofa. “You can’t,” I started, but then rethought my choice of
words. “I appreciate your concern. I really, really do. But you
can’t keep giving me your blood. What if…”
He gave me a moment to finish, but when I
didn’t he asked, “What if what? Spit it out, Angel.”
Hesitantly, “Something’s happening to
me.”
“Obviously,” he chided, folding his hands in
his lap. “Look at you every time I seek you in your dreams. You’ve
been a mess.”
“Exactly my point. My body should be healing
all on its own, without any help from you. But it’s not.”
“Which is why I’ve been giving you my
blood,” he noted matter-of-factly.
“Right”—my voice doubtful. “But what if your
blood in my system is the reason I’m
different
? I mean, I’m
quicker now…and more alert. If it weren’t for that, I’d be
completely human, even though I’m in my angel form. What if”—I
stole a second, collecting my thoughts—“What if that’s why I’m in
this hellhole of a world?”
His gaze hardened. “All the more reason for
me to get you the hell out of there then.”
“But how?” I wailed, a wave of depression
washing over me. “I still have no idea where I am!”
Luke stood up, and slowly approached me.
“There’s a way you can help me find you.” He scooped up my hand and
gave it a tight squeeze. “But you’re not going to like it.”
I craned my neck upward, finding his eyes.
“How? You know I’ll do anything to get out of here.”
The way his eyes seemed to deepen confirmed
I probably didn’t want to know what he was going to say. So I
braced myself the best I could as chills raced up and down my
spine.
“Huron would have a better shot at tracking
you…if I had some of your blood in me. He could use it—”
“No way!” I yanked my hand out of his grasp
and folded my arms over my chest. “No freakin’ way! You’re not
drinking from me!”
“But it could—”
“I don’t care! The answer is no!” Then I
remembered how he’d already bitten me twice when I thought he was
Cole and hotly reminded him of it.
“I couldn’t get your blood then since you
believed I was someone else. You must willingly give it to
me
.” He ran a hand through his hair, seeming extremely
frustrated. A few moments passed and when I didn’t say anything or
soften my glare, he snapped, “Fine, have it your way!” a hint of
disgust in his voice.
“Has there been any progress with the
Underworld?” I asked, sounding slightly hopeful.
Luke sat down in the chair beside me, then
shook his head. “Not really. Some have come forward, but their
information didn’t add up.”
Not wanting to lose hope, but running out of
options, I stared at the floor feeling sadness compress my
heart.
Luke rubbed my back lightly. “Angel, we’re
going to find you no matter what. I was just trying to speed things
up. I’m sorry. I knew you wouldn’t like that idea, but I had to
ask.”
Then an idea floated to the surface of my
mind. And it was definitely worth mentioning. “What about Cole?” I
looked at him, feeling a renewed sense of optimism. “He has my
blood in him. Can’t Huron use that?”
Luke leaned back, fingers rubbing his chin.
“Let me get this straight. You want me to find that jerk-off and
convince him to come with me to Huron’s?”
“Yes! Cole needs to know what’s happened to
me anyway, and I have no other way of communicating with him…except
through you.”
I watched Luke as he considered my
request—somewhat painfully I might add. When he didn’t say
anything, I added, “Please,” in the most desperate voice I could
muster.
“Oh-all-right! I’ll do it. But if I can’t
find him, like I couldn’t find your charge, then there’s nothing
else I can do.” He smiled, then added, “Unless you give me your
blood directly.”
My heart sunk, my mind reeling over the part
he’d just said about Caitlyn. “What do you mean you couldn’t find
her? You’re a vampire for goodness’ sake! Can’t you track her?”
Anger sharpened the angles of his face and
he let out an appalled snort. “I
did
track her. But her
scent stops immediately outside the hospital!”
“Did you check our dorm? Or Bridgeton
Institute?” Would they really have discharged her that quickly?
He shook his head. “I didn’t know those
locations. Give me the addresses and I’ll check them out.”
I gave him the info. “Are you going to
remember all of that, or should I write it down?”
He cocked his head. “Angel, don’t insult me.
I’ve got it all right here.” With two fingertips he tapped the side
of his head. “It may be a little while before I return. Try not
getting hurt, or killed. Will ya?”
I nodded with a small smile. “Promise me, no
matter what. No more giving me blood.”
Uncertainly. “Fine. Whatever you say.”
It felt like a few more days had passed.
Thankfully, I’d managed not to get injured so far. My cave was a
bit messier—with rocks and boulders strewn all over and a nice
layer of dust settled on top of them—thanks to the incident several
days back. It actually felt a little more cramped, but I was
perfectly fine in this environment. It beat going out and running
head to head with one of those worm-things.
My mind was on overload. Worrying about
where Caitlyn was, and if she’d recovered. Wondering if Luke had
found Cole yet, and what his reaction was to me being missing.
Wishing Raphael would respond to my cries for help. Of course,
there was also plenty of time to fret over my new vampire-like
senses. And why my angelic powers were nonexistent. At least I
could find a little comfort in believing I wasn’t fallen. Unless
that worm thingy was my demon overlord, but I doubted it. That
oversized caterpillar seemed more like a guardian of this hellish
world than anything else. A hungry one, I might add.
Once the sting of the cold night air hit my
skin, I knew it was time to force myself to sleep, hoping this time
Luke would be there with good news. I leaned against the rocky wall
and closed my eyes. Several minutes passed of my pleading prayers,
and then I sat impatiently waiting to fall asleep.
After what felt like an hour, I started
dozing off. I was in a cave—but not my cave. Somewhere else. All
the walls were black, slick stone, definitely manmade. Antique,
rustic-looking fixtures hung from the rock ceiling, casting faint
yellow light throughout the enclosed space. There was a solid slab
of grey granite in the center of the room, appearing like some type
of ancient altar. As I moved closer, I saw red splattered stains on
the top. Curious, I ran my fingers across it, feeling a crusty
residue. Dried blood. But whose? I cast a wary look around and
noticed someone standing against the wall, mostly hidden within a
shadow. “Luke?” I said, my voice echoing eerily.
“Hello, Angel,” he said, then in a swish of
motion was next to me.
I startled. “I hate when you do that.” I
looked around, then asked, “Where are we?”
“We’re in Huron’s basement.”
“This place is below Huron’s bar?”
He nodded, taking my hand. “We’re so close,
Angel. Huron is working on Cole as we speak.”
I let out a deep sigh, feeling a wave of
relief wash over me. “You found him. Thank goodness.”
Luke half laughed. “No easy feat.”
I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I owe
you, Luke. Thank you.”
“We’re not out of the woods just yet. A lot
has happened since I last saw you.”
“What do you mean?” I tugged my hand free
and stepped back, finding his eyes.
“I had a little confrontation with a couple
of shadow sliders.”
“Shadow sliders?” I asked, shocked. Shadow
sliders were one of the few types of lower leveled demons that
could easily shift from world to world—kind of like the way angels
could orb. They’re demons, stuck forever in shadow form, but they
come in pretty handy when dishing out threats. “Who sent them?”
“Your friend back there on Rhea. I can’t
believe the nerve of him!”
“Ezariah?” I asked stupidly. I knew it was
him. “But why would he send them to you?”
And how would he have
any control over demons?
I wondered.
“No, no. Not for me, Angel. For you. But
since no one can find you, I was their next target.” He shrugged
his shoulders. “In a nutshell, they want the scrolls returned.”
Of course they did. Obviously I’d had no way
to get them back to Rhea since performing the ritual. But excuses
never went over that well with shadow sliders. “Well, as soon as
you get me out of here, I can take them back.”
“They brought a messenger spirit along with
them, and it was pretty pissed to be leaving without the
scrolls.”
Unlike shadow sliders, messenger spirits
could take physical form. “I’ll never hand the scrolls over to a
demon!” was my huffy reply. “This could be a trick. How would
Ezariah have the power to control demons? It just doesn’t make any
sense.”
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “I got a
feeling there’s a lot more going on here than what that old man
told you.” He shrugged his shoulders. “How would those demons even
know you had the scrolls?”
“Maybe they were spying on us in the cave,”
I offered.
“His magically protected cave?” He snorted
in disbelief. “Yeah sure.”
I slumped back and felt the cold, hard stone
slab against my tailbone. Startled, I jumped forward, rubbing my
lower back. “I don’t have a good explanation right now, but I’m not
giving the scrolls to a messenger spirit, no matter what their
threats.”
Luke grabbed my shoulders, peering down into
my eyes. “Angel, somehow, I’m not sure exactly how, but they claim
to have your charge.”
“What?” I shrieked, pulling out of Luke’s
hold. “That isn’t…that isn’t possible!”
“They had this.” He dug into his jeans
pocket, then held out his hand, revealing a small vinyl hospital
band. I took it from him and read the patient information typed on
it:
Caitlyn Harris
.
I shook my head, coldness slithering up my
limbs. “No, no, no.” My whole body trembled with fear and remorse.
I was falling before I realized I’d lost my footing—or was it that
I’d just become too weak to stand? The moment before my knees
crashed into the chunky rock floor Luke was there, helping me stand
back up.
“It’s going to be okay,” he reassured, but I
couldn’t find a way to believe him. All of this was my fault. If
I’d never left Caitlyn unguarded, she’d never have been hurt so
badly. I could’ve protected her. No, I should’ve protected her. But
instead I was trying to save Cole. And that was all my fault too. I
slumped against Luke’s chest, allowing him to hold most of my
weight. The amount of guilt pressing deep in my heart was making it
harder to breathe, impossible to think, and made me feel more
broken than ever before.
I gave a long, desperate sigh, but couldn’t
find the words to say.
It wasn’t long before Luke broke the
silence. “There’s nothing you can do until we get you home. Are you
ready to give that a try?”
I nodded, rubbing the moisture under my
eyes.
Abruptly, I was sitting on the altar.
“Why did you put me on this thing?” I
exclaimed as I tried to get off.
Luke blocked me, saying, “You need to lie
down. It’s the only way for Huron’s magic to work.”
Reluctantly, I nodded and scooted back. A
casual glance downward gave me too good a view of the dagger in
Luke’s hand. “What are you doing with that?”
“Blood is the only way for black magic to
work. Don’t worry, I’m not going to be tasting any of it. I
promise.”
I felt uneasy, but I knew this was my only
option. “Okay, what do I do?”
“Lie back. Keep your arms at your sides,
palms facing up.”
After I did what Luke instructed, he went to
the base of the altar and moved my feet. “They need to be a little
more than shoulder-width apart,” he explained. I didn’t fight him,
and my dress fell neatly between my legs.
I stared up at a massive iron fixture until
Luke told me to close my eyes.
“Now take deep, slow breaths,” he advised.
“This may sting a little.”
“What—”
“Angel, be quiet!” he interrupted. “You need
to do what I say. Please.”
My desperation forced me into submission,
even though I had a bad feeling about this. Here I was, an angel of
light, preparing for dark, black magic. But I had no other options.
There was no other way. We had to try this, now more than ever.
That’s when a sharp stabbing pain erupted
from the heel of my hand as the tip of the knife sliced through my
flesh. Since I was in my angel form, that should have been
impossible. But I’d already determined something was happening to
me, something was different, and now I had more proof—if I even
needed any.
Once Luke finished carving my right palm, he
swiftly moved over to my left and repeated the same movement. When
he was done, his voice filled my ears, echoing throughout the cave.
“With blood, we call upon Huron to enter this plane.” Luke’s
fingers rubbed my palms, then smeared the blood across my forehead.
“Blood of the angel, all powerful, all spiritual. Here lies the one
who calls forth Huron. Her blood welcomes him to this plane. And
with my blood, I complete the calling.” I heard him moving, but
dared not open my eyes. Moments later, I felt power all over me,
searing my skin as if I were burning, pressing into my chest,
tightening and constricting. My deep, slow breaths increased to
sharp, intense pants. My palms were stinging; my forehead felt like
it was stuck in a furnace. Panic seized me and I tried to sit up,
but my whole body was paralyzed and I couldn’t move at all. Then,
everything started trembling. I screamed out, hearing my voice
reverberate off the cave walls. Suddenly, my voice was halted and
my whole body went numb. I couldn’t speak; I couldn’t feel
anything. My eyes shot open but everything was black, then
suddenly, I could feel my body pulsing as if my human form was
being yanked to the surface.
Something stroked my forehead. With each
movement light was filtering in. But I still couldn’t see
anything—not even a silhouette of the person touching me. I opened
my mouth to speak, but quickly realized I still couldn’t talk. A
second later, I also found out I still couldn’t move.
“I call upon the darkness…” Whose voice was
that? I didn’t recognize it. Definitely masculine with its deep,
low tone, but not Luke’s.
“…summon the power to return…bring down the
walls that imprison…”
The words spoken by whomever this mysterious
voice belonged to were interspersed with the sounds of my pounding
heartbeat and ragged breathing. Then, all of a sudden, it felt like
I was sucked into a vacuum, surrounding me with an eerie silence
and complete darkness.
Huron was the first person I saw, his long
black hair was pulled back, a hat made of bones and feathers
adorning his head. A proud-looking smile spread over his face.
“Selene, it’s nice to have you back,” he said, giving that
mysterious voice from before its identity.
I slowly sat up, not surprised to find I was
in my human form as I cast a wary gaze around and saw I was still
in the voodoo Indian’s basement. “Did it work? Am I really awake,
or am I still in that dream?”
“Angel, it worked!” Luke came forward and
stood next to Huron.
“Selene?” I swung around at the sound of
that voice and found Cole standing on my other side.
I felt completely overwhelmed, and
skeptical. Glancing back at Huron I asked, “Is this real?”
He nodded. “You are back on Earth now. How
were you in Nempha? That is where I found you.”
“Nimb-fa?” I asked, unsure of the name since
I’d never heard of the place.
“Yes. It is below the Underworld. Hell’s
hell.”
A chill prickled through me. “I don’t…I’m
not sure.”
But that was an excellent question
, I added in my
head.
And then, out of nowhere, I was sucked into
the vacuum again.