Guardian's Grace, page 17
She’d heard the expression on a television show, and she blushed, her face heating. Flirting was new to her, and she was a dork about it. Man, he was cute. Like the boys on television but taller and stronger. She kicked a pebble. “You got a lot taller.”
He nodded, sweeping an arm out. His hands had gotten bigger, too. “What do you think this means? That we can meet again?”
“I’m not sure.” For a while, they’d tried to communicate over the internet, but the grownups had found out and shut them down. It had been nearly two years since they’d talked. Were they still friends? Their people were enemies, but they were going to change that someday. Somehow. The wind whipped up, feeling unfriendly.
Drake grasped her arm and tugged her closer to the rock wall. “Let’s sit.”
She sat with her back to the rock and her legs extended, watching the churning water spread out to the far distance. Drake sat next to her, and for the first time in a long time, she felt right. Was he gonna hold her hand? Should she grab his? What if he didn’t want to hold hands?
He took her hand in his, and her stomach got all squishy. “How are Pax and Libby?” They’d all met once, and all had gotten in trouble because of it, too.
“They’re both good.” Pax wouldn’t want Hope telling Drake about Pax’s dad, mainly because Pax didn’t like Drake. At all. Hope held very still so Drake wouldn’t let go of her hand. His was big and warm, and really nice. “Do you think it’s bad that I’m a prophet?” She’d never forget the look in Pax’s dad’s face when he called her names. He’d hated her. Really hated her.
“No. Why?” Drake asked.
“Some people don’t like it. They think I’m a freak,” she whispered. Was she? She could do a lot of things others couldn’t, and fate talked to her.
“You’re not a freak.” Drake stiffened. “Who said that to you?”
The anger in his voice made her feel all warm. “It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to know what you thought.” How many people out there hated her just because of a marking she’d been born with?
“I think you’re special, and that’s a good thing.” He didn’t look at her. “Hope? Our lives aren’t gonna be easy, and we’ve known that for a long time. We’re gonna have to make hard decisions that other people might not like.”
Yeah, like ending the war between their peoples. Like finally finding peace. Some people didn’t want peace. “But we’re still friends, right?”
“Always,” Drake said, tightening his hold on her hand.
Her mom and dad had met in dream worlds, and they’d ended up saving everybody. Now it was her and Drake’s turn to make things even better. Or it would be when they were grown up. “Promise me we’ll always be on the same side,” she whispered.
He sighed. “I’m not sure we’ll always be on the same side, but we’ll end up on the right path. I’ll make sure of it.”
A scraping sounded over by the cave, and they both turned to see a figure come out.
Hope jerked her hand away from Drake’s, her face burning. “Uncle Sam?” Her dad’s younger brother looked around as if he didn’t see them. He shook his head, his dark hair flying, his eyes blazing green. Then he disappeared. Her mouth dropped open.
“That was weird,” Drake said, nudging her in the arm. “Let’s wake up now.”
She sat upright in bed, her heart beating hard against her ribcage. What had her uncle Sam been doing there? In a freaking dream world? He wasn’t anywhere near Realm headquarters, but she’d have to contact him the next day. He always took her calls.
Sucking in air, she looked around her bedroom to see Libby on her side, facing away, sleeping soundly. But Pax wasn’t in his sleeping bag. Instead, he was sitting on her window seat, his arm around his legs, looking out at the snow.
“Pax?” she whispered, slipping from the bed. “Are you okay?”
Pax turned, his eyes blazing in the darkness. “You went back to a dream world.”
She stiffened but kept approaching him. “Yeah. How did you know? Did I talk in my sleep?”
He shook his head, and his long hair flew. “No. I’ve always known when you go in. There’s a change in energy or something in the room. In my head.” He sounded disappointed but not angry. As if he was too tired to be angry. “When did you start traveling in your sleep again?”
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Tonight. It’s the first time in a couple years.”
“Great.” He rested his head back on the wall and closed his eyes.
Her hand shook, but she reached out to touch his arm. “Don’t be mad at me.”
“Did you see the Kurjan?” Pax muttered.
“Drake. You know his name.” She shook her head. Why did Pax have to be so stubborn all the time? “Yeah, I saw him and he said to tell you hi.”
“Bullshit,” Pax said.
Hope jumped. Paxton never swore. Like never. “Paxton Phoenix. We’re all gonna be friends someday, and you know it.”
“The Kurjans don’t want to be friends, and you know it,” he returned. “They hate us, Hope. That can’t change, no matter how strong you think you are as a prophet.”
“My mom and dad—”
Paxton opened his eyes and held up a hand. “I know they met in dream worlds and saved the Earth and lived happily ever after and had you. That’s not what’s going to happen with Drake. You need to open your eyes and see what’s in front of you instead of what you think fate has in mind. There is no fate, there is no destiny, and there is no path that has already been set for you. For any of us.”
Wow. That was a lot of words from Paxton at one time.
He grabbed her hand, his own warm and calloused. Maybe even bigger than Drake’s. “Do you love him?”
She nearly swallowed her tongue. “No. I don’t love him. Geez, Paxton.” She’d never even kissed a guy before, although she was thirteen. On television kids kissed and fell in love at her age, but that seemed weird. If she did fall in love when she was really old, then it probably would be with Drake, the way it happened with her parents. But maybe they’d all just be friends and save the world.
Although, she had liked holding his hand. “You know that you and I are always going to be best friends, right?” No matter what, she and Pax would last.
He sighed, his bony shoulders dropping. “Yeah, I know. Best friends.”
If they all had to get mated, maybe Paxton and Libby could be together. A weird shiver went through Hope, hitting her in the stomach. She didn’t want Libby to have Pax. But she loved Libby—they were like sisters. Shouldn’t she want Libby and Paxton to be together?
He was watching her, still holding her hand. “What?”
“I don’t know,” she said, wishing things were as simple as they used to be.
Then, Paxton kept her hand and leaned forward. His mouth was on hers before she could take a breath, and she blinked, shutting her eyes. Curiosity kept her still, and when he moved his lips, she moved hers too. Tingles swept along her mouth and through her arms, even to her fingers.
Paxton leaned back, his eyes dark now.
Wow. She’d just kissed Paxton. Or he’d kissed her. “Um, I have to go back to sleep.” She let go of his hand and turned to go back to bed, settling in and watching as he moved off the window seat and slid back into his sleeping bag. It took a long time, but he finally started breathing smoothly, falling into sleep.
Libby rolled over, her eyes wide open. “Did Pax kiss you?” she whispered.
Hope nodded. “Pax kissed me and I held Drake’s hand in a dream world.”
Libby’s head jerked and her jaw kind of dropped. “You have two boyfriends?”
“No.” Hope pressed her hand against her mouth to keep from giggling. “I don’t have any. We’re all just friends.”
Libby snorted. “Girlfriend, you’ve had a big night.” Her accent copied a girl from television and sounded like she was from the South.
Hope giggled, unable to stop. It had been a weird night.
Libby smacked her arm. “Shhh. You’ll wake up Paxton.” She stopped smiling. “You’re gonna have to choose one of them. They already don’t like each other. This will only make it worse.”
Hope shook her head. “I’m not choosing either of them. We’re friends, and that’s all. You know I can’t date until I’m sixteen.” Her dad had been more than clear about that, and for the first time, she was actually glad. She didn’t have to make a choice.
Libby snuggled down, her face in the pillow. “Did you like kissing?”
Hope thought about it. “Yeah. It was nice.”
It really was.
Chapter 23
When Grace didn’t move fast enough, Adare reached over and plucked her from her chair. “Are you always going to be this difficult?”
“Probably.” She perched on his lap as if she wasn’t sure where to put her hands. A lovely flush slid from her neck up to the smooth skin of her face, turning her pink and making her green eyes shine. “Before we go through all of this, don’t you think we should discuss this suicide raid you insist on undertaking?”
It was a fair question, and a topic he’d like to get out of the way. “My job is dangerous and my path is bloody. That isn’t going to change.”
“I understand.” She let her body relax into his heat. “It’s just, why not take more of a force with you?”
“Strategically, two of us makes more sense. We’re not starting a new war—it’s more of a random attack. I mean, the Seven know we’re at war, but many of the other groups don’t, and we’d like to keep it that way.” Her scent wrapped around him, awakening nerves and an awareness that caught him off guard.
“Why?” she whispered, leaning back so she could meet his gaze.
He held her securely. “The ritual we created to become the Seven violated several laws and twisted the heck out of physics. Many people would want us put down for breaking those laws.” It was a fact he’d always known, one that had made keeping the vow of silence pretty damn easy. “The longer we keep the Seven a secret, the longer the Keys are safe, too.”
She rubbed her nose. “This all seems so farfetched, although I’ve seen your back and know your torso is fused. But why Ulric? I mean, why does he want to kill all enhanced females? Are you even sure that’s his plan, if he ever makes it back here?”
“Yes.” He didn’t want to frighten her, but she had to understand the gravity of the situation. “Ulric killed a hundred enhanced females and used their blood to fuse his entire body. It was an abomination of the worst kind, which is why one of his early victims created the Keys before dying. A psychic witch who saw the end but couldn’t stop it.”
“But why kill all the remaining enhanced women?” she asked.
“So he can never be killed.” Adare shook his head. “Our theory is that all of the Keys have some enhanced blood in them. Even Mercy. If all three of you die at the same time, legend says the Keys will end. Legends are often wrong. But if all enhanced females die, then…”
“No more Keys for certain,” she murmured, rubbing her right temple. “Life was a lot easier when these kinds of stories happened just in books and not in reality.”
He grinned, smoothing her hair away from her tempting neck. “Where do you think fairytales come from?” Every fairytale he’d ever read had been rooted in history, even if the author got most of the facts wrong. Like vampire legends. In real life, vampires didn’t sparkle, they didn’t hide under the cover of darkness, and they didn’t take blood to survive. But still…they did exist. “We’ve talked long enough. Are you ready?”
She swallowed. “Yes. Just one more question. If the Cysts want to get rid of all enhanced females, why are they trying to kidnap them all across the globe?”
He should’ve shaved, but it was too late for that. “There are a couple of possible reasons that we’re exploring, and I’ll share those when I know more.” He didn’t want to discuss it.
“No.” Her teeth played with her bottom lip as she thought through the problem. “Do you think they have some sort of cure or protection for their own mates from whatever Ulric has in mind? That would make sense, right? They could gather as many enhanced females as they wanted.” She cleared her throat. “Um, can a human be mated without consent? I mean, completely?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” She turned pale. “I didn’t know that.”
“It’s against the Realm laws and the laws of all the other nations, except the Kurjans,” he said, needing her to understand the danger out there. “I think the Cysts have spent the last centuries trying to figure out how to save the females they wanted and destroy the rest of us. If our mates die, we might as well, too.” He brushed a knuckle down the side of her face, marveling at the delicate bone structure. How had she survived that coma?
She leaned into his touch. “So that’s why?’
“Yes.” He really was finished discussing this topic.
Her gaze narrowed. “There’s more you’re not saying.”
He exhaled. Was she trying to stall his bite? “Do you want to do this or not?”
She ignored him, a variety of expressions crossing her face. “Wait a minute. You said Ulric killed a hundred enhanced women and used their blood to create true immortality for himself.”
“Yes.” Man, she was like a dragon with a bucket of gold. Although, he did admire how quickly her mind worked. Every moment he spent with her made her more intriguing.
“Immortality would be lonely,” she whispered. “He’s going to make more immortal Cyst soldiers—by killing hundreds more enhanced women.”
Adare didn’t need to reply. It had been his theory for a while, and it made sense. “So you see why we need to take out the Kurjan base in Arizona.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I see.”
He leaned back, stretching his legs further. Apparently there would be no biting tonight. Fine with him. Although, with her tight butt on his legs, his body was getting other ideas. Fast. “How are you feeling?”
She wiggled a little. “Tired, concerned and a little aroused.” She bit her lip again. “Maybe a lot aroused.”
His body woke up with a growl he felt to his toes. When the woman decided to be honest, she sure as shit did it with a vengeance. The biting was back on. He shifted her slightly for better access. “You sure about this?”
Gulping, she nodded, angling her neck toward him. “Take a lot. I really don’t want to kill you.”
Sweet words, really. His fangs dropped, and before she could ask any more questions, he struck.
* * * *
Adare’s fangs struck deep into Grace’s neck, and she gasped, her eyelids closing instantly. Pain and numbness and pleasure collided inside her, spiraling out in every direction. Sparks flashed behind her eyelids and she moaned, leaning into his touch. Into his heat and hardness.
Smoothly, with his fangs remaining in place as he drank, he turned her to face him. One hand twisted in her hair to pull and elongate her neck even more, and he went deeper, overwhelming her.
Her blood electrified and rushed through her veins faster than ever as if to get to him.
Her thighs gripped the outside of his, and she pressed herself against the obvious bulge in his jeans, crying out as electrical shocks zinged across her engorged clit.
His fangs retracted and his rough tongue scraped across her neck, sealing the wound.
She partially lifted herself away. “You didn’t take enough.”
His hand twisted more, and his mouth crashed down on hers. The tip of a fang caught her lip as it retracted, shooting hunger through her every nerve. He went deep, hard and fast, kissing her with indescribable ferocity. He tasted of male and spice and a hint of sweet metal.
She moaned, opening her mouth, taking more of him.
His free hand gripped her hip, pulling her even closer against him, forcing her to ride the hard ridge of his erection. Pressure built inside her.
Wait a minute. Wait. She plastered a hand against his chest and pushed, wrenching her mouth free. “Stop.”
He stilled.
She panted, tried to get herself under control, and then groaned. “We have to stop. Emma said you’d need twenty-four hours to assimilate the blood you just took.” Her hands shook with the need to rip off his shirt and go to town on his magnificent chest. Instead, she pushed away, sliding across his thighs to stand. Her sex ached for him, and she partially bent over, trying to ease the pressure from her own jeans. “This is so hard.”
“That’s what she said,” he rumbled.
Her head snapped up. Even in pain, she stood, her mouth agape. “Did you just make a joke? A real joke?”
Lust sizzled in his eyes and agony darkened his high cheekbones. “I’m very funny.”
She chuckled. “I didn’t know that.” If she didn’t die from lust, it was going to be interesting getting to know him better. Getting to see a side to him that nobody else ever saw. The side that cracked a joke when they both were so aroused the air thickened around them. The desire slowly ebbed so she could at least walk. “I’m, ah, going to go eat something. A lot of something.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough. There’s a burner phone over by the desk. Take it with you and call your friend Bobbi. She promised not to call the cops on me if you phoned before midnight.”
Bobbi and Brian. Crap. Grace had forgotten all about them. “After I passed out in the restaurant, she must’ve been terrified when you just took me.”
He nodded. “She was, but I assured her you’d be okay and promised that you’d call. Did you remember anything while you were with her?”
Grace shook her head. “No. A lot of places and things felt familiar, but no memories came back.” Did it even matter any longer? “If this mating works tomorrow, I guess I’ll have plenty of time to remember.”
