UnGuarded (4 page)

Beck ran up beside me. “But they’re saying
that you and that vampire are going to run off together. Or at
least try to run off together. But if you do that Raph—”

“Cole and I are not running off together.” I
threw my hands in the air, already feeling exhausted. “Besides,
where in all the worlds could I even go and not get caught?
Nowhere! There’s nowhere I can go that stays under the radar. I’d
have to run forever, and quite frankly I’m not a very good
runner!”

“You could do it if you weren’t on
assignment.”

That stopped me in my tracks. I turned and
looked at Beck. “Do you really think I would do that? If I wasn’t
on assignment, then I’d either be in limbo, or…” My stomach turned
with disgust. I shook my head violently. “No, no, no! I just talked
about this with Raphael!”

“Selene, please talk to me!”

There was a tightness in my throat that kept
me from wanting to talk. Beck must have sensed it because his face
softened. He put his arm around me. I stayed in his embrace a short
while and then we walked in silence together. A couple of white
doves flew by, dipping in and out of the cloud. There was a
waterfall somewhere beneath us: you could vaguely hear its water
surging over the cliff and crashing into the rocks. The sound
brought back memories of Cole.

We were somewhere in the Denver
backwoods. There was a waterfall close by calling out to us. The
night wrapped around our bodies like a velvety liquid. My hands
caressed Cole’s stone-cold cheeks. I stood up on my tiptoes and
crushed my lips against his. His kisses were no softer than
mine
—
firm, moist, and sensual. He gripped the back of my
head and brought me closer, nearly suffocating me. Gasping for air,
I pulled away. “It’s not fair!” I panted. “Why do you make me feel
this way? Like everything is perfect and right with the
world.”

He gently cupped my face. His hands were
cold and hard like marble, and yet there was a softness to his
touch that reminded me of silk brushing across my skin. “Because I
love you,” he said, voice rich and intensely erotic.

The heat of those words burned inside me. My
heartbeat accelerated. I could hear it slamming in my head.

He lowered his hands just below my jawline.
“You’re my greatest temptation,” he murmured. “I can feel your
desire for me.” His right hand drifted down my neck, rubbing that
sensitive area just before my shoulders. His left hand stayed
pressed against the raging vein in my throat.

“
I’ve never wanted anyone or anything
more.” I traced his lips with my fingertips, trailing down his
chin, and then lower. I grabbed his tee-shirt collar and pulled him
a little closer. I could feel his face drifting toward mine, but he
found my ears instead of my lips. He nibbled on my earlobe, making
tiny electric shocks zing through my body. I gasped, stumbling
backwards. There was a tree behind me that caught my fall. Before I
could catch my breath, Cole was there helping me stand up straight.
“Thanks.”

“
Of course.”

“
Maybe we should sit and talk for a
little while.” I slipped out of his grasp and stepped toward the
sound of the waterfall. “It’s obvious I can’t handle you touching
me right now.”

He half laughed. “Sure. I’ll follow you
anywhere.”

And he did. The waterfall was just a short
walk away. There was an oval-shaped pool the rushing water spilled
into. A faint cloud of mist hovered over it. The trees and thick
brush receded, leaving a small open field. A blanket of greenish
brown grass covered the ground, a few flowers scattered about. I
closed my eyes and concentrated on those flowers, pushing a tiny
amount of my energy into them. They instantly brightened like
sparkling stars.

I watched Cole sit down a few feet away from
the water’s edge. His brown hair swayed across his face like a
curtain, drifting just below his chin. His beautiful dark eyes
gleamed in the faint light. He wore gray jeans, black boots, and a
black tee with a dragon etched on it in red. He bent his legs in
front of him, hands coming to a rest on his shins. “Nice light
show.”

I chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed.
Both of us could see in the darkness. That wasn’t what my little
light show was for. Actually, it seemed that whenever it was dark,
we both got into a lot more trouble. “Thanks.” I walked over to
him, sitting down about a foot away. A little space would be good,
as long as we kept that safe distance.

He stared into my eyes, a desire that
penetrated deep into my heart. “I would give anything to be with
you freely. The thought of your punishment hurts me beyond
words.”

A chill gripped my spine. I swallowed hard.
“Some of my power has been stripped away. But that’s done. I cannot
earn it back. Please don’t feel guilt or remorse. That is not the
reason I chose to be with you.”

He reached over and started touching my hair
with slow, caressing strokes. “I know you say that. How can I love
you and not feel some remorse for your losses?”

“
You could call this off at anytime! You
know that.” I tensed and tried to pull away, but he grabbed a
handful of hair and wouldn’t let go.

“
I don’t call it off for the same reasons
you don’t.” He pulled my face closer, finding my lips with soft,
teasing kisses. In the blink of an eye, he flipped me on my back,
holding my wrists above my head with one of his hands. His other
hand started tickling along my rib cage. I was laughing so hard I
couldn’t breathe, begging for mercy between gasps. Finally he
stopped and let me go.

I swung upward, punching him in the chest,
but he didn’t feel a thing. “I hate when you tickle me!”

“
But you love me and everything about
me.” He cocked his head and then wrapped his arms around me,
cradling me like a baby.

My head nestled against his chest.
“Cole?”

He glanced down as I craned my neck to look
up at him, our eyes locking onto each other in some harmonic
trance.

“
I love you. I love you more than I
should. I love you more than life.”

He tenderly rubbed my cheek. “I love you
too.”

“Selene! Did you hear a word I just said?
Selene!” Beck’s hands were on my shoulders, shaking me back and
forth.

“Wh-what? Stop shaking me!” I let out a
deep, frustrated sigh.

“You didn’t hear what I just said, did you?
What were you thinking about?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“I thought you would’ve at least laughed
when I got to the part about my charge getting locked out of his
room with no clothes on.”

I smiled. “I’m forever tainted by the image
you just put in my head.”

The sound of wind chimes went off in the
distance like metal bells jingling melodically in currents of air,
and Beck’s body started glowing brighter. “Well, I guess I gotta
go. See ya later, Selene.” Beck shimmered and then vanished,
returning to his charge…and leaving me alone with my thoughts of
Cole and what I was about to do to save him.

4

IT WAS EARLY IN THE EVENING back on Earth,
somewhere near Virginia Beach. I could hear a busy highway close
by—engines blazing, an occasional car horn, and a motorcycle that
found a clearing and then accelerated to see how fast it could go.
I stood on the corner of a residential area. Condos and apartments
stretched back from the street, making me feel like I was walking
through a maze. Several of the windows were lit, some revealing
dark silhouettes of people moving behind them. The streetlamps
lining the street looked more like glowing yellow lollipops. The
type you might find in a horror movie, luring young children
closer, then stealing them into the shadows never to be seen
again.

The amnesia from orbing here had finally
worn off, but I still felt groggy and disoriented. I looked down at
my clothes, making sure everything was in order. Distressed black
jeans, a grey tank top, and a pair of black boots with a two-inch
heel. Long, wavy strands of my hair fell to the side, loosely
pulled together with a ponytail holder. I walked slowly,
cautiously. Somewhere in these shadows was the vampire ally I was
looking for—along with a whole slew of vampires and demons that I
wasn’t. And since it was a vampire I needed, I had to be human.
Demons were the only species that could see angels in their purest
form.

There was movement in my peripheral vision.
I swung around but didn’t see anything. That eerie feeling of
someone watching me made my heart slam in my throat. Then there
were hurried footsteps, getting closer and closer, echoing,
vibrating. I looked all around, not finding anyone. I stopped
walking, took a deep breath. No matter what I encountered here, it
couldn’t hurt me. I was safe. I was still protected from demons.
Limos had already proved that. Vampires would be a little trickier,
though. I’d definitely have to use my powers. Hopefully it wouldn’t
come to that.

Out of nowhere something big slammed into
me, taking me to the ground. I spun around and rose as fast as I
could. My attacker was nowhere in site. I went from afraid to
pissed off in a matter of seconds. “Watch yourself!” I called out.
“You do not want to challenge me!” It’s funny how anger brings
along confidence.

I waited for a response but didn’t get one.
“Show yourself! I command you to show yourself now!” I held my
right hand out in front of me, fingers stretched, then hesitated. I
didn’t want to use my powers, but the clock was ticking and it
seemed to be the only way I’d get any cooperation. Unfortunately if
I used too much energy, it would send a signal back to Raphael.
When an angel uses enough of their magic, it’s like activating a
built-in GPS with a flashing light that says, “Here I am.” Most
superiors pay no attention to this, but my boss had threatened to
spy on me too many times. Was he bluffing? God only knew. Obviously
I’d prefer Raphael not knowing my whereabouts right now, so
limiting my energy use was my only sure way. But if I lingered here
too long, he’d eventually figure it out anyway, hence the ticking
clock.

To my surprise, two vampires and a demon
came out of the shadows, standing several feet away. The vampires
were both male. One had long black hair, black leather pants, and a
matching leather vest with no shirt underneath. The other was
several inches taller and a lot more attractive, with brown hair
and dark alluring eyes, and wore blue jeans with a white tee shirt.
He sort of looked like Keanu Reeves. The demon was in human form,
which I was thankful for, even though the sex was questionable. It
was around five feet with short, pale yellow hair and clothes
matching the vampire in leather’s except for the rust-colored tee
shirt.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Who’s the
wise guy that knocked me down?” I already knew it wasn’t the
demon—demons can’t touch angels—so that left one of the vampires as
my culprit.

The vampire in leather stood very still,
stone-faced and threatening. He took a step closer, black eyes
drilling holes in me. The brunette vampire’s features were softer.
He seemed to watch me with fascination instead of loathing. Neither
of them answered me, though.

A wry smile stretched across the demon’s
face. “Who’s asking?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have time for
this. I’m looking for Luke.”

“Well he ain’t here,” the demon said.

“But you obviously know him,” I
observed.

The vampire in leather licked his lips,
inching closer still.

The demon half laughed, shrugged its
shoulders. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

“I really don’t have time for games, guys.”
I exhaled slowly, a little surprised I’d been holding my breath. “I
know Luke is somewhere around here.”

“We don’t have to help you!” the demon
hissed.

“I can be Luke, if you want?” Leather Boy
said.

I gave a sidelong glance at the brunette
vampire. He was staring at me, eyes curious. “Can you help me out
here?” I asked him.

“Leave him out of this, Blondie! I done told
ya that I’d be your Luke!” In a whir of movement Leather Boy was
standing in front of me, barely an inch away. He was slightly
taller than me with my boots on—maybe five foot nine—and his body
was rounded and thick. The black leather outfit had given him a
more slender appearance from a distance. His face was hard with
craggy features. His inky black eyes bore down on me, sucking at my
mind like a vacuum.

“No!” I exclaimed, closing my eyes. I wanted
to run but I didn’t. Running away would only intensify his hunger
for me. All vampires love a good chase. I used to love it when Cole
chased me. He always caught me pretty quickly, but only because I
let him. The moment he caught me was always the best part of the
chase.