Skin Walkers: Angel Lost (9 page)

Chapter 20

Eden sat at a table in the cafeteria pushing lumpy mashed potatoes around her plate with a fork.  Tonight was her last night at StoneCrow.  Tomorrow, she was going back to the city at her request.  Monroe had secured her an apartment, yet the prospect of leaving this place suddenly seemed terrifying.  Worse, her “bodyguard” Aries Drago was ghosting her everywhere without actually engaging her, and right now, Eden needed a friend.

“What it do, fool?”

Eden’s eyes snapped up as a short female with dark, spiky hair claimed a seat across from her.  She was wearing tight jeans tucked into combat boots and a baggy hockey T-shirt twisted into a knot at her hip.  It took her a moment to register that it was the woman who’d waited on them at the Crow’s Nest.

“Uh…, hi?” Eden frowned.

The woman smirked before looking down at Eden’s tray and curling her lip in disgust.  “Uh, yuck.”  She grabbed Eden’s tray and shoved it aside.  “If you want good food, you need to come up to the Crow’s Nest.”  Her brows furrowed as she shook her head. “What is that lumpy shit?”

“Potatoes.” Eden replied.

“I sincerely doubt it.”

Eden set her fork down.  “Umm, who are you?”

“Oh!”  The woman smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, forgot that you forgot.  I’m Cindy KillsPrettyEnemy.”

Eden’s mouth fell open.  “Your last name is KillsPrettyEnemy?  Seriously?”

Cindy winked. “Bad as fuck, right?”

Eden nodded with a grunt. “Yeah.”

“Anyway…” Cindy leaned forward as if about to divulge a secret.  “I think you need a girl’s night.”

Eden glanced at where Aries stood by the wall, watching their interaction curiously.  “I don’t think I...” 

“Oh, you can.”  Cindy turned and pointed directly at Aries before waving the woman over.

“Hey, Cin,” Aries offered.  “What’s up?”

“Drinks.  Lots and lots and lots of drinks.”

Eden looked from Cindy to Aries and waited.  It took about two seconds for Aries to start shaking her head.  “No. 
Fuck
no!”

“It’s already done.” Cindy smiled devilishly.  “I’ve got a car, I’ve got us an escort, and…” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of cash.  “I’ve got first round.”

“Are you trying to get us fucking killed?” Aries hissed.

Cindy looked at Eden, her brows raised as she huffed, “Exaggerate much, Aries?”

“Exaggerate?”  Aries dropped into the seat across the table from Eden and Cindy, leaning in, “Imagine for a second…Just.  One.  Second.  What Monroe would do if we snuck Eden into town.”  She shook her head again.  “I like my teeth in their current location, thank you very much!”

Her words made Eden frown.  “Monroe wouldn’t hit a female…”  She looked at Cindy. “Would he?”

Cindy grinned and stared pointedly at Aries.  “He might make an exception. Still…”

“NO!” Aries shoved up from the table.  “No, Cindy. I fucking mean it.  No!  No, no, NO!”

Thirty minutes later, Aries had her sweaty little hands in a death grip on the steering wheel of the truck she was maneuvering on the icy roads toward town.  Beside her, Cindy was shuffling through her smart phone seeking out a playlist.

“Ooooh,
Guillotine
it is!”  Music blared to life through the truck’s speakers.  Cindy clapped her hands and pointed at Aries before leaning in and singing to her.  Aries’ response was to frown hard at Cindy while checking the rearview mirror for the hundredth time.  In the back seat, Eden watched the two women.  What had moments before been mild amusement, blossomed on her lips into an outright smile.  The two women in front were such a contradiction that it was actually comical.  Cindy was carefree, and so excited that it was contagious, while Aries’ eyes kept flicking to the rearview mirror, her poor little knuckles going white as her grip tightened on the steering wheel.  Something about watching the two women had Eden leaning forward to yell over the loud music, “HAVE WE DONE THIS BEFORE?” 

Cindy turned the volume down slightly.  “Fuck yes!  Aries isn’t always at StoneCrow, so Lilly or Jenny usually comes with us, but we try to sneak into town at least once a month. ”

Aries visibly relaxed a fraction as she grinned.  “
Try
being the operative word.”

Eden looked at Cindy expectantly, and the woman acquiesced.

“Conn and RedKnife worry about us going to town,” she jerked the thumb between herself and Aries.  “But Monroe…” she blew out a breath and rolled her eyes. “He blows a gasket every single time.”

“Why?” Eden shook her head.  “What’s the big deal?”

“You!” Aries snorted.  “You’re the big deal.  I mean sure, Conn and RedKnife are protective, but Monroe’s protective instincts where you are concerned are off the charts!”  A grin finally lifted Aries’ lips.  “The first time the three of us snuck off, he sent four teams, and
both
helicopters!”

“Holy shit!” Cindy shook her head, her smile slipping when she stared at Aries.  “When we were surrounded by the teams of Sentries!”

“I know!” Aries breathed. 

“Wait!”  Eden held up a hand.  “Four
teams
?  And a
helicopter
?”

Cindy and Aries looked at each other, Cindy’s mouth falling open and holding for a second before she grinned. “Rich people!”  She rolled her eyes.  “I mean, who hires
teams
of bodyguards for their wife, right?”  She snorted and pulled a face at Aries.  “He uses the helicopters for business, but made an exception that night.”

Eden mouthed an ‘O’ and nodded, but something felt off.  Why would a husband hire teams of bodyguards for his wife?  It didn’t make sense.

  “I don’t see any headlights behind us.”  Aries checked the rearview mirror, looked back to the road, then checked the mirror again.

“Good,” Cindy snorted, earning her a hard look from Aries.

“You
said
we had an escort!”

Cindy shrugged one shoulder negligently.  “RedKnife is on mission, and the Estate is short-staffed.”  She winked at Aries.  “Good time to sneak out, right?”

Aries’ fists tightened on the steering wheel and she ground out, “Worst time! Worst
possible
time!”

“What’s the big deal?  You’re a Sentry.  I’m a scrapper.” Cindy jerked her head toward Eden in the back. “And we’ve got the queen.”

“Queen?”

Both Aries and Cindy ignored Eden’s question.

“That,” Aries accused, “is
exactly
why we shouldn’t have done this!  It’s only going to end badl…”

The truck was suddenly engulfed in bright, white light.

“What the!” Cindy leaned forward in her seat, looking up.

“Son of a bitch!”  Aries slowed the truck to stop, the unmistakable ‘whomp, whomp, whomp’ of chopper blades finally registering over the music.  “We’re dead!  We’re
all
officially
dead
!”

Eden tensed in the back seat, fear flooding her. “What is it?  What’s happening?”

“Relax,” Cindy pouted, jerking her head toward Aries.  “Just us.  We’re the dead ones.  You’re fine.”

A huge, black helicopter landed in the middle of the road facing the truck.  A door opened, and Monroe ducked his head as he climbed out, buttoning his jacket as he strode toward the truck.

“Shee-it!” Cindy mumbled.

Aries dropped her hands from the steering wheel.  “Holy fucking Christ!”  

“What?”  Eden asked.  “It’s good, right?

Cindy was shaking her head, the very picture of gloom. 

The back door of the truck opened, and Monroe held out his hand.  Unsure what else to do, Eden placed hers in his and let him help her from the truck.  He tucked her to his side and turned to Cindy and Aries.  “Ladies.  When you’re back at the Estate, I’d have a word.”

He shut the door and Aries shot Cindy a scathing look.

“What?” Cindy shrugged her shoulders to her ears.  “I just wanted drinks,” she said quietly.

Chapter 21

Monroe wanted to hold back, but he couldn’t.  Cindy and Aries’ actions had delayed his leaving the Estate to hunt the Megalya, but worse, the thought of what could have happened shot fear through him with such intensity he couldn’t help but to lash out.  “You’re either
on
my side,
by
my side, or in the fucking way.  Choose!” He barked.

Aries and Cindy both cringed, but after a moment, and to her credit, Aries lifted her chin, hands twisting together behind her back.  “I’m with you, my Dominant.”

He took a challenging step closer to Aries, and Eden lost it.  “Monroe, stop it!”

His gaze cut to hers, where she stood near the empty hearth in their quarters.

“Cindy and Aries took me for drinks.  Period.  They weren’t trying to offend you, they weren’t trying to get away with anything, and they certainly weren’t trying to put me in harm’s way.”  She planted her hands on her hips.  “Christ!  We’ve done this a dozen times!  I don’t see what the problem is, or why you had to accompany the Sentries this time!”

Suddenly, Aries broke her posture, staring gape-mouthed at Eden.

“Holy shit!” Cindy whispered.

Monroe took in both their expressions, and suddenly, he knew.  He
knew
that something Eden said was her remembering.  His eyes sliced back to Eden when she mirrored Cindy’s, “Holy shit.” 

Brow furrowed, Eden lifted a hand to her temple and looked at Monroe.  “I remember that!”  She was blinking rapidly now.  “I remember sneaking off the Estate and going into town.”

She paced away from the group, and Monroe followed. 

“We like to start out at that classy place, Dante’s.”  She chuffed a laugh and turned to point at Cindy and Aries.  “And by the end of the night we’re at that loud-ass biker bar that smells like piss…the Loader!”

Cindy and Aries both smiled and nodded in unison. 

“Yeah,” Cindy beamed through tears.

“What else,” Monroe prompted, rushing to her and grabbing her hand.

She looked down to where their hands met, then slowly up at him.  “They’re always worried. The girls.  They’re afraid that you’ll send Sentries and drag us back home.”

Monroe watched her intently, his eyes never leaving hers.

“But I’m…” She rubbed the hand at her chest over her heart.  “I’m always
excited
.”  Her head snapped up as recognition hit.  “My stomach always gets all fluttery, and I’m always
hoping
you find me!”  She canted her head, looking from him to the girls. “Is that right?”  Then to herself, “It feels right.”  She turned to stare at Monroe with wonder on her face.  “You loved me!” 

She said it with such disbelief that Monroe frowned at her.  “Is that so shocking?”

“No.” She was shaking her head.  “It’s the way you loved me.  You-you loved me more than anything!”

His frown slipped.  “I still do, Eden.”

“Did…”  Eden’s brows furrowed as she rubbed her chest absently.  “Did I love you like that?  The way you loved me?”

“Yes.”

His rapid response had Eden smirking.  “Don’t you mean you
hope
I did?”

Monroe didn’t even grin.  “I know you did, Angel.  You told me I was
him
.”

“Him?”

“The man you were waiting for, the man you hoped for, the man you prayed for.  Not a day went by that you didn’t tell me how much I meant to you, and how grateful you were that the Gods put us together and gifted us our beautiful children.  No one on this Earth was happier than we were, and no man alive has ever been, or ever will be, luckier than I.  There has never been a love like ours.  Ever!”

Something inside her warmed at his words, and she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from his.

“What else,” Cindy interrupted excitedly.  “Do you remember anything else?” 

Eden’s brows scrunched further, and she pulled her eyes from Monroe’s to puff out her cheeks.  She was quiet a long time, finally lifting the hand from her chest to her forehead.  “Getting a headache.”

“Everyone out,” Monroe barked turning to Cindy and Aries.  “You live to drink another day, ladies!” 

Cindy and Aries didn’t hesitate to flee the room. 

Eden kept her head in her hand, sighing wearily before moving to follow.  Monroe’s hand  held firmly to hers though.

“Not you, Angel.  You’re here with me from now on.”

She knew he was worried about her sneaking off again, but her temples were beginning to pound.  “I’m sorry we…”

“It’s alright,” he soothed as he led her from the sitting room.  “You’ll lie down for a bit.  I’ll get you some water and aspirin.”

Too worn to argue she nodded, following him to the bedroom.

Something about the way he’d let her off the hook though, had her asking, “Did you know I left with the girls?”

A corner of his mouth kicked up.  “Maybe.”

She was fighting a grin.  “So… why all the hullabaloo if you knew?”

His grin disappeared. “They didn’t know I had eyes on you.  It was dangerous for them to take you from the Estate, especially when you’re like this.  What if you’d gotten separated?  What if you’d been taken?”

“Who in the world would want to kidnap an old woman?”  She’d meant it as a joke, but Monroe jerked to a halt, catching her before she slammed into his chest. 

“You’re extremely powerful, Eden, and that alone makes you valuable.  Add to that the fact that there isn’t any length I wouldn’t go to in order to keep you safe, and that puts a target on you.  It’s one of the reasons I balked at a relationship with you.”

“You…you didn’t want me?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up.  “Oh, I wanted you more than I wanted to breathe.  Still do.  I just knew that, if I were a better man, my avoidance of you would have been to your benefit.”

“Soooo,” she prodded, evoking an outright grin from him.

“I’m smart, but marginally more selfish.  I wanted you so damn bad I couldn’t see straight.  Couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep.”  He shrugged negligently. “I had to have you. There was no denying what was between us.”

When he made to pull away, Eden caught his forearm with both her hands.  “Hey.”

Monroe looked down at her hands, then back to her face.

“Maybe we should…”  Eden sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, the action drawing Monroe’s gaze jerked to her mouth.  She released her lip.  “Is it okay if we, um…  Could we try…?”

“Stop,” he growled, the sound more animalistic than he’d intended, evoking a startled gasp from Eden as she tried to pull her hands away.  He placed his hand over both of hers, making sure she kept touching him.  “The answer is yes.  Whatever your need.”

Heat suddenly stained her cheeks, and Monroe canted his head, his curiosity piqued.  The Eden he knew,
his
Eden, only ever blushed when they were engaged in, or discussing, something sexual in nature. Hope flared to life.  “Eden?”

She dipped her eyes, but then looked straight up at him, lifting her chin with confidence like she used to.  “I thought that, maybe if we kissed it might…you know.”  She licked her lips. “Conjure something.”

It felt like his heart slammed into the wall of his chest.  Without hesitation, he caught Eden around the waist and pulled her to him, ignoring her nervous laugh and reveling in the feel of her hands as they splayed across his chest. 

One strong hand lifted and collared her throat in a gesture he’d done a thousand times. 

Eden frowned a little and then blinked, a smile ghosting her lips as if she were about to protest the move, then suddenly recognized something in it.  Lifting a hand, she traced her fingers gently over Monroe’s where he held her throat.  “This.” She licked her lips.  “This means something, doesn’t it?”

He stared down at her, knowing his clear blue eyes had transitioned to his black when Eden’s lips parted and a faint gasp left her.  “It means you’re mine.”  Then his lips were on hers.  Unlike the last time, this kiss was gentle.  His lips brushed against hers, and when he licked at the seam, her lips parted to grant him access.  Elation soared as his tongue found hers and he kissed her deeply, pouring all his love, adoration, and need into the kiss in hopes Eden would feel it.

Monroe kissed her long and deep, and a satisfied growl rumbled in his chest when her arms wrapped around his neck.  He pressed his body into hers and devoured her mouth.  

They kissed for long minutes, his erection pressing into her belly.  The scent of her arousal bloomed and nearly buckled him, but then she was pulling back from their kiss.

Eden looked up at him, a tinge of awe in her expression.  She parted her lips, and was about to say something, when the silence was broken by a nearly inaudible, high-pitched whine.  A bright flash of ethereal light exploded from the halo around Eden’s neck, and she gasped as her body bowed, forcing Monroe back.  He barely caught her around the waist before her knees gave out and a loud scream escaped her. “AGHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“EDEN!”

Her body writhing in agony, he lowered her to the floor trying to hold her still with his hands on her shoulders.  It didn’t work. She thrashed, and then clamped both arms around her middle before curling into a tight ball with a loud, anguish-filled moan.  “UGHHHHHHH!”

Monroe summoned Jenny through the mist and picked Eden up, rushing her to their room to settle her on the bed where she rolled to one side and rocked herself, still holding her middle. 

While he waited for the Jenny to arrive, Monroe raced to the en suite and came back with a damp cloth.  He tried to hold it to Eden’s forehead, but she shoved his hand away with a groaned, “Nooo.”

What felt like an eternity later, Jenny rushed into the room.

“We kissed, and then this!” Monroe thrust his hands toward Eden.  “Do something!”

Jenny hurried to the bed, her nurse Stoney coming into the room carrying two medical bags.  All the while Jenny took Eden’s vitals, Monroe paced, both hands dug into his hair as fear assailed him.

“Holy shit,” Jenny gasped, turning from where she sat on the edge of the bed to stare, slack-jawed and in clear awe at Monroe.

He felt dread pit in his stomach.  “What?  What is it?”

“She’s…”  Jenny blinked hard, shaking her head.  “Eden…Eden is afflicted.”

Shock tore through Monroe, to be quickly replaced by wild desperation.  “Me?  She needs me?”

Jenny slowly nodded, still blinking rapidly as if in a daze.  “She’s human,” she muttered, as if to herself. “And she’s
afflicted
!”

The doctor’s disbelief was warranted.  There was no documented case of a human ever experiencing the affliction.  No, it was a phenomena that had only ever affected Skin Walkers when they’d come to recognize their mates. 

Relief overwhelmed Monroe, and he longed to sink to his knees and toss his head back with a triumphant roar.  Concern for his mate was the only thing holding him back.  He’d been afflicted, and it had been horrendous.  His body had needed the one thing his heart wouldn’t permit him to force. And while Eden had just asked for his kiss, she still wasn’t convinced that she was his, which meant that she certainly wasn’t ready for what she needed to curb the affliction.