Agon (4 page)

“
I should still like to
check to make sure that you have not been harmed in some way. As
for your other protector, I do not know who he is so I cannot tell
you.” This time when he moved, it was to be standing within a foot
of her. “Can you tell me who hurt your friend?”

He wasn’t sure he liked the way his
voice sounded. Agon had a deep voice that matched his size, he’d
been told. But looking at the woman in front of him, he was both
pleased and a little overwhelmed that she could almost look him in
the eyes. Agon found he wanted to pull her closer to him until she
was flush with his body, but didn’t understand why that sounded so
appealing to him either.

“
I don’t know his name
yet, but he came here when I expressly told them that I didn’t want
anyone watching over me. I think he was sent by my…do you think you
could back the fuck up?” Agon told her he could but didn’t move.
“The point is, I don’t want you this close. Not here at all, as a
matter of fact, but since I know you won’t go until I have to hurt
you, backing up would be nice.”

“
You’re very tall, are you
not?” She didn’t move immediately, and when she started to back
away from him, he was pleased to see that she had nowhere to go.
“Look at me, please?”

“
Go away.” He lifted her
chin up and felt her heat through his fingers. He’d never touched a
human before and was surprised at how warm they were. Her breath
touched his skin, and he felt as if he could breathe her into him.
It was a strange yet appealing feeling, and he wanted to explore
more of it.

The urge to kiss her had him lowering
his head. Agon, like all protectors, had no experience with the
human form and even less with females. But this woman had him
thinking things, even wanting to act on them, that he’d never felt
before. Just before his lips touched hers, a sound behind him had
him shoving her behind him as he spread his wings to protect
her.

“
Oh.” He stared at Kala
for some seconds before he realized that he’d shown himself to a
human, the woman behind him. When the woman skirted around him, he
wanted to reach for her again, but she was out of his reach before
he could. Looking at Kala, he felt his face heat with shame. He’d
nearly broken a protector law. And to be honest, he wasn’t even
sure that he cared that he had.

“
Christ, it’s like Grand
Central around here. If you’re here about the dead man, save it.
This guy is just leaving and so are you, as a matter of fact.” Kala
looked at the woman when she spoke, then at him. Agon wanted to
tell her he was going nowhere, but the look on Kala’s face had him
pause.

“
What has happened? Is it
the baby? Have you been harmed by the man who killed this one?” He
took a step toward Kala and stopped when the woman stepped in front
of her. Agon had never had someone think he’d harm someone before.
“You think to protect her from me? I would die for her.”

“
And you just might if you
don’t back up. Have you ever had someone say that to you as much as
I have? If so, then you might want to read up on people’s bubbles.
It might help you a great deal.” He took a step back, wondering at
the violence this woman would resort to just to protect someone she
didn’t know. But he could see that no matter what, she would try
her best to kill him—or anyone, for that matter—if they tried to
hurt Kala. He nodded as he took several steps back.

“
I will stand here.” Kala
laughed when the woman huffed at him. Agon had no idea why, but he
wanted to pick the young woman up and take her somewhere that was
private. He felt his cock harden more, and he stepped behind the
table to adjust himself. He’d never felt this…this hard
before.

“
I came to see if you
could help me with a project. But I can see that you’re…and are you
aware there is a dead man on your floor?” There was humor in Kala’s
voice, and Agon had a feeling she’d seen more than he’d thought. He
wondered if she would tell anyone that he’d been about to kiss the
younger woman, but then realized Kala knew her.

“
I came back here and I
found him…David was supposed to be picking up product. I let him
have the lockout code so that I don’t…why are you here again?” The
woman looked at him. “Why are you still here? I think I’ve made it
abundantly clear that you are not wanted or needed
here.”

Ignoring her for the moment, he looked
at Kala. There was still the smile that gave him chills for some
reason, one that told him she knew something that he did not. Agon
was not used to people looking at him this way.

“
I wish her name, please?”
Both women looked at him, and he smiled as charmingly as he could.
“It would help me in my duties if I did not have to call you woman
all the time.”

Kala was nearly brimming with
laughter, and Agon smiled more. There was something going on here,
and he wanted to know what it was. He liked a good joke and laugh
as much as the next person. Before Kala could tell him anything,
the woman spoke.

“
I don’t care what you
call me so long as it’s not where I can hear you. I think I’ve
asked you like a dozen times to leave here, yet here you still are.
Don’t you have anything better to do with your time?”

“
I do not.” He leaned back
against the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “I have been
assigned to care for you. I take my duties very seriously. The fact
that I wish to kiss you is a bonus.”

“
You most certainly will
not be kissing me.” He watched as her tongue came out and moved
along her lips, wetting them, seemingly, for him. He felt his cock
stretch more and wondered about that as well. He’d never in all his
life had a reaction like this to anyone. He looked at Kala when she
cleared her throat.

“
Her name is Judith.
Judith Craft. She was out at the house yesterday helping me
identify the plants in the herb garden.” Agon watched Judith’s face
and wondered what it was about her that had him wanting to run for
his life and take her into his arms at the same time. When
something occurred to him, he straightened up suddenly.

“
Oh no.” They both looked
at him as the realization of what was going on started to wash over
him. “Oh, I will not let this happen to me. I do not want a female
in my life. I will not…I knew that there was something going on
when I was asked to come and watch her for a few days. I will not
have it. I do not…I shall speak to Boss about this. You will…this
is not going to…I will not have a wife.”

Kala shook her head and started
forward when he backed away from them both. It was Michael. He’d
done this to him. And Agon was not going to be trapped as Riss had
been. He closed his eyes and willed himself to his room, only to
open his eyes and see that he was still with the woman. Before he
could try again, a sound from the outside had him leaping to both
women and pulling them beneath his opening wings. Gunfire sprayed
the front of the house even as he protected them. Agon had no idea
what had happened, but there was no way he was leaving her until he
had some answers. She was his to protect for the moment, but there
would be no marriage between them.

~~~

Riss held Kala to him even as the rest
of the protectors helped clean up the mess of the front of the
house. He had not been there when she needed him was all he could
think about. And his child…their child…had been in harm’s way as
well.

“
We’re fine.” He nodded
but didn’t let her go. “Riss, I have to go and see to Judith. She
looks like she’s going to scream at any moment. I don’t think she’s
very good around crowds of people. The poor girl looks so unsure of
herself and I feel sorry for her. And poor Agon; you should go and
talk to him.”

He could see that as well. Judith’s
entire body looked strung tight, like at any moment she would snap.
The police gave her a wide berth, but they each kept their eyes on
her. He started for Agon when Kala pulled away to go to Judith. But
Benny cut him off, and he decided to speak to him first.

“
I don’t know what
happened, so don’t even ask me. Agon has asked me a dozen times in
the few minutes I’ve been here.” Riss looked at his friend, who,
while standing close to Judith, seemed to be keeping his distance
as well. Neither of them looked all that happy. “She said she
doesn’t know what’s going on either, but I know she’s lying. If
anyone would know, it would be her. And the guy that was killed in
here, he was a friend of hers, and I think she’s feeling guilty
about that, too.”

“
Kala said Judith could
see things and that she helps you on occasion with your
investigations. Is that true?” Benny nodded and looked around the
room when he did. “She is terrified, is she not? Not of the bodies
strewn about the street and room, but of you as well. Because there
are so many of you, correct?”

“
I would say that’s a good
assessment. And she doesn’t do well with people on a one-on-one
basis, but this is going to make her blow up.” Riss nodded and
looked at Judith again while Benny continued. “Someone wanted her
dead, I would say, or at the very least, for her to come help them,
too. And had we not been on our way here anyway, I’m not sure what
would have happened. The three dead men outside opened fire on my
men the moment they got out of their cruisers. I think they were
going in to finish the job, whatever that might have
been.”

Riss watched Kala speak to Judith, but
it was apparent that the woman wanted them all gone. He was going
to talk to her as soon as the body was taken away. Agon walked
toward him like a man who had been told he was about to do
something he did not want to do.

“
She will not let me near
her. I am not sure I want to be, but I have a need to comfort her.”
Riss knew the feeling very well. “I think I am also being targeted
by Michael. I believe he thinks she is going to be my wife. I was
just on my way to speak to him when the men started to fire into
this room. She was lucky not to have been injured.”

Riss looked at Judith, then back at
his friend. If there were two more ill-suited people, he wouldn’t
want to meet them. Where Agon was outgoing and friendly, Judith was
standoffish and, well, not friendly. He decided to see Michael as
soon as he could.

Benny was talking to Judith when Riss
moved toward her. There was something very cautious about her, and
he knew it had little to do with today.

“
She was hurt more than
you can know.” He looked at Michael when he appeared beside him.
“Do not speak to me. No one can see me but you. I’ve come to tell
you that Agon is correct and that Judith is what he believes her to
be.”

Riss moved toward the back door and
into the smallish yard behind the house. It was small because of
the huge building that occupied nearly all of the space. There were
perhaps three feet between the door he’d just come out of and the
one that led into the building. He looked at Michael when he
appeared before him.

“
He is not happy with you.
And I would say he will do everything within his power to keep his
distance from her.” Michael nodded and smiled. “I know it will do
him little good, but he might make her more upset before it comes
to pass. She will not be happy either, but he will harm her heart
if he continues to shove her away and pull her close to
him.”

“
I do believe that Miss
Craft can fend for herself, do you not?” Riss nodded and smiled.
“She is a little more headstrong than I would have chosen for him,
but they will suit as well as you and Kala have. Their relationship
will be livelier than yours, but I think no less happy for the
match.”

“
He has told me that he
will not take to this. And I do not know how to help him.” Michael
told him not to. “What if he should come to me? What should I tell
him?”

“
He will come to you. If I
were you, I would advise him to stay away from her and to keep his
distance. It worked for you. The more you were told to stay away,
the more you wanted the young Kala.” Riss flushed when he thought
of how many times he’d been warned to stay away from his charge,
only to seek her out more and more. He looked at the house again
and felt sorry for his friend.

“
Agon will be most
displeased with us.” Michael nodded. “I shall stay out of it, but I
would enjoy being made aware of things. It might help me in
answering his questions.”

“
I will tell you what I
can.” As Michael disappeared, Riss sat on the tiny bench near the
building. He wanted to go inside. The smells coming from the open
window of the building felt as if they were calling to him. There
were so many scents floating around him that he closed his eyes to
imagine the beautiful plants that he knew they came
from.

“
What are you doing here?”
He looked at Judith as she stood in front of him. He’d not heard
her coming out of the house and stood up. She backed up several
steps, and Riss felt badly about scaring her. “I asked you a
question.”

“
I came out to get some
fresh air and to speak to a friend of mine.” She looked around, and
he chuckled. “I’m afraid he has gone back to work. Are things
straightened out with the police? I shall have some of the
protectors replace the windows that were broken out if we
can.”

“
They’re gone, finally. I
don’t know how straightened out they are, but they left anyway.”
She looked back at the house. “That man, Agon, can you make him
leave me alone? I’ve tried to explain to him that I don’t want him
here, but he insists on staying for some stupid reason.”