UnGuarded (8 page)

My body was shaking. I felt pressure on my
shoulders and face, and heard a voice so distant I couldn’t
understand what it said. I tried to look, but couldn’t see beyond a
blurry wall. Iridescent light flitted around a dark roundish shape,
as if it—or I—was underwater. The voice grew louder, but was still
muffled beyond recognition. My heart pounded so hard, I could feel
its vibrations in my ears.

The voice got closer, louder, and the
ringing in my ears faded. There was a molten, coppery taste in my
mouth, warm and wet. I blinked, and finally could see more clearly.
A man was above me, shaking me with one hand while his other arm
pressed firmly over my mouth. “Angel! Angel! Wake up!” he was
yelling. I recognized his voice, but it wasn’t enough to confirm
who he was.

I pushed his arm off my mouth and scooted
back, my elbow grinding against concrete. “What are you doing?” my
voice demanded with a hint of outrage.

His lips compressed, but he didn’t answer.
Yet the look he was giving me spoke volumes: confusion, worry, and
relief.

I cast a wary gaze at my surroundings, then
glanced back at the man. We were in some sort of alley, but I
wasn’t sure where. There were sounds of a dance club off in the
distance, the pulsing music no more than a soft buzz drifting along
a light breeze, which also brought musky scents of old trash,
urine, and booze. My senses started swirling out of control,
anxiously seeking my memory; all the while I was trying to keep my
cool and not freak out, because I knew this guy, and I knew I was
supposed to be here with him. I closed my eyes, relaxing my mind
and suppressing my panicked emotions. It took a few moments to find
that calm, soothing place in my head, but once I was there, it was
as if nothing else was around me. Then, I opened my aura, willing
it to find that piece of me that was lost—the part that had been
stripped away when I’d been caught orbing places I wasn’t supposed
to go. And that’s when I remembered where I was and who I was with.
Luke—a vampire. And he had just given me blood.
His
blood. I
was gagging the next instant, trying to spit it out. “You can’t
give me that,” I hissed. “It’s poison to me!”

“I thought you were dying.” He sounded
concerned, with a soft, uneven voice.

“Angels don’t die,” I replied dryly. I spit
a few more times, trying to get as much of his blood from my mouth
as I could. But a metallic flavor lingered deep in my throat, and I
knew I’d ingested some of it. No angel really knew for sure what
the blood of a dark one would do to them, since none had ever drunk
it. Fear crawled up my spine, but I pushed it to the back of my
mind, knowing time was of the essence. And I’d already wasted
enough of it with my little blackout-amnesia stint.

“Then what the hell happened?” he demanded,
folding his arms together in front of him.

“Don’t worry about it!” I stood up but lost
my balance and started to fall. In a flash, Luke was there holding
me up.

“What’s happening to you, Angel? You better
tell me right now! You better not jeopardize
our
plan!”

I shook my head, then leaned against his
chest. It was hard like marble—just like Cole’s was. “I won’t screw
this up! I want Cole back too!”

“Well, you’re in no condition to go anywhere
right now. You can’t even stand without me helping you.”

I didn’t say anything back because he was
right. I couldn’t stand on my own—not good. The blackouts and
amnesia were even worse. The thought of orbing again scared the
hell out of me, but I’d be doing it soon to return to Caitlyn.

I couldn’t tell Luke what was happening to
me…or should I? I let out a deep sigh and asked, “How long was I
out?” Nope, better to not tell him.

He gave me a suspicious look, then released
me. I didn’t fall this time. Goody for me. “Just shy of thirty
minutes.”

“Thirty minutes?” I repeated to him,
sounding shocked. That only left me thirty minutes. Would that be
enough time? If I needed a similar recovery period, then I was
already screwed.
Just great. Too late to turn back now.
I
turned on my heel and headed down the deserted alley.

“Where are you going?” All of a sudden Luke
was next to me, holding my hand.

“I just need to be moving, that’s all.” I
pulled my hand free and kept going, feeling suffocated by the
stress of my situation, a situation that could, once again, quickly
become a debacle.

“Well you’re going the wrong way if you want
to meet Huron.” Luke retrieved my arm and pulled me back the other
direction.

He didn’t let go until we arrived at some
hole-in-the-wall bar. I immediately closed my eyes, bringing the
shield over my aura. Since there wasn’t a sign anywhere, I had no
idea what this place was called. The minute we walked in, cigarette
smoke and stale vomit crowded my nose. There was a pool table—with
barely enough room to actually play—and a bar area in the back.
About a dozen barstools surrounded the old wooden countertop. There
were six others in here, including the bartender. We sat down and
waited for service. No one paid us any attention until the
bartender made his way over to us. His appearance told me that
there was some American Indian in his family tree—at least when
he’d been human—and I knew this must be the friend Luke had told me
about.

“Luke,” the bartender said in a friendly
tone, confirming by observation, “good to see you, my old friend.”
They shook hands.

“Huron, this is Angel,” Luke replied, then
looked at me. “Angel, this is Huron.”

Huron’s chubby cheeks pulled into a smile as
he reached a hand toward me. “It’s Selene. My name is Selene.” I
took his hand in mine, returning the smile.

“Nice to meet you, Selene.” He let me go and
looked back at Luke. “So what is it you need me for again? You said
someone was in trouble?”

“I won’t bore you with all the details.
They’re not important anyway.” Luke shifted in his seat and leaned
closer to Huron. “An otherworldly demon took a friend of mine, and
me and Angel here have a plan to get him back, but we need your
help with that.”

“What do you need me to do?” Huron asked,
watching Luke with solemn eyes.

“I need you to rally a few vamps, and demons
too, that are willing to go to Charon. That’s how we’re getting our
boy back.”

Huron rubbed his chin. “Well, the vamps
won’t be a problem, but the demons might. Charon, huh? Won’t the
boss have a problem with that?”

Luke laughed. “The boss is already on
it.”

“But your plan isn’t part of the boss’s?”
Huron inquired. What a smart undead man he was.

“The less you know, the better, ole
buddy.”

Huron flashed a knowing smile. “How long
before you need ’em?”

Yesterday
, I thought.

“Yesterday,” Luke replied. Was he reading my
mind? Impossible! I quickly shook off the thought.

Huron nodded and let us know he’d be in
touch as soon as he could. Luke and I had left the bar, heading
back to the alley so I could discreetly orb back to Caitlyn, when a
terrible, stabbing pain struck my chest. An agonizing cry rushed
out as I pressed my hand over my heart, collapsing to my knees.

“Angel, what’s wrong?”

I couldn’t answer. It hurt too bad. I’d
never felt anything like this before.

Luke picked me up in his arms. “Hold on.
This might make you feel dizzy, but I gotta get us somewhere more
private.”

There was a whir of movement all around,
flashing lights, and then more of that horrendous chest pain. My
fingers massaged through the cloth of my shirt, desperately trying
to find relief. But the pain was deep inside, throbbing spasms
cutting through the center of my heart. I remembered Caitlyn, my
deal with Moros, and immediately I sensed something was wrong. It
was as if the wind was knocked out of my lungs, and I struggled to
find my next breath. Something had happened to her. I just knew it.
The sharp, shuddering pain intensified, and it felt like I was
about to pass out. I was disoriented beyond words, leaving me
speechless. Where was Luke taking me?

When the dizzying movement stopped, I saw
concrete walls everywhere. Even the floor and ceiling matched the
gray décor. It reminded me of a basement. Luke laid me on an old,
scratched-up sofa, gently placing a pillow under my head. “Just lie
here a minute, I’ll fetch you some water,” he said.

I sat up, still in pain but finally able to
speak. “No. It’s not necessary. I’m fine.”

“The hell you are.”

“It’s not your concern,” I hissed, feeling a
pressing urgency to return to my charge. “I’ve got to go. Send for
me when we’re ready.” I closed my eyes, placing all my focus on
Caitlyn. Everything warped around me, then went completely
dark.

It was twilight. Oversized red rocks
surrounded me as I ran. The ground was hard, with an inch of dusty
orange sand on top—which slowed me a little. I could sense the
clearing coming up ahead, then the amphitheater just beyond that.
The Red Rocks Amphitheater, I thought. I could hear a man laughing
in the distance. The voice was ever so familiar. Cole.

I kept up the pace, not daring to look back
for fear it’d slow me down. Cole might seem far away now, but he’d
be on me in seconds if I weren’t careful. Then I’d never hear the
end of it. Although I’d let him, he’d already caught me the last
six times. It was time for me to break his winning streak.

I rushed past the clearing, shape-shifting
my boots into a pair of sneakers, then leapt on the top row of
stadium seating. The amphitheater was built on the side of a
mountain, and the seating sloped downward from the direction I’d
come. I lunged for the next row of seats and something crashed into
me from the side. Just before I hit the ground, there was a swish
of movement. My face felt cold against the rushing air, but it
didn’t last more than a second. Then I was standing at the base of
the stadium and not particularly happy about it.

“
I won,” Cole said from behind me,
wrapping his arms around my waist.

“
Dang it! I almost had you!” I exclaimed
in defeat. “A little magic never seems to be enough!”

Cole half laughed. “So tonight it’s your
magic’s fault. Or at least your inability to use more of it.”

I elbowed behind me, hitting his rock-solid
abdomen, feeling a slight aching tremble spread through my arm from
the impact, and I wished even more that I could use my powers. “I’m
just saying, you’d never have won if you weren’t using your vampire
magic.”

“
Ha,” he scoffed, gripping me a little
tighter. “Selene, you’re a sore loser. Admit it!”

I wiggled around and looked up into his
eyes. “I wouldn’t say I was sore about this.” I stepped up on my
tiptoes and kissed him. My hands went straight to the back of his
head, pulling his face closer. I smashed my lips against his, my
tongue sliding back and forth on them. He accepted my invitation
and opened his mouth. My tongue moved in a practiced motion,
staying clear of his sharp fangs. It didn’t take long for him to
take over and do a little mouth exploring of his own. My body felt
dangerously hot all over, my breath coming in short bursts between
kisses.

He pulled my hair to the side as he left my
mouth and trailed down to my neck, leaving a cold wet trail on my
skin as he moved. I could sense his mouth on top of my vein; could
feel the smallest prick of his teeth, but not enough to break the
skin. “I know that’s what you want,” I purred.

His reply was a muted growl as he gently
sucked on my neck.

I grabbed a handful of his beautiful brown
hair and pressed his face harder against me. “Go ahead. It’s okay.
Just don’t take enough for them to notice.”

“
I can’t. We can’t,” he mumbled. His
sucking traced the edge of my chin, then back up to my
mouth.

He kissed me hard and violently. His fingers
instantly found the button on my jeans. I grabbed his hand as he
unfastened them, and moved it around to my butt. He pulled back and
looked at me, disappointment flashing in his eyes. “That’s not
fair.”

I stepped away, pulling free of his hands.
“None of this is fair. I want you so bad. I want all of you. And I
want you to have all of me. But this”—I pressed two of my fingers
against the vein in my neck—“is all I can offer you.”

“
You know I want to taste you more than
anything, but I love you even more than that.”

“
But I can give you the best blood you’ve
ever had. I can make it taste exactly how you like it.” I sighed
and turned around.

Suddenly Cole was in front of me, forcing
me to look at him. “Selene, I want to, but even you said it was a
horrible idea. If they found out—and you were pretty sure they
would—they’d finish you off for good. What if they didn’t send you
to Earth? What if they sent you to another world, and then I’d
never see you again? We can’t risk it.
I can’t
risk
it.”

He was right. Every single word. Tears
welled up in my eyes. “But I want to feel even closer to you. I
love you, Cole.”

He put his hands on my arms. “I want to feel
closer too. But you shouldn’t tempt me. Next time I might not be
able to stop.” His lips crushed mine, making that little reality
check become a blur.

Then everything around me was hazy. There
was nothing around me. Cole was gone. “Cole!” I screamed. “Cole!”
Panic seized me. I couldn’t breathe. Then I remembered Cole was
missing. We’d been at the Red Rocks last month. I’d been looped in
a memory from my past.

I closed my eyes, then opened them. I was on
a cloud—in Europa. Raphael stood several feet away, his back facing
me. “You’re finally awake,” he said without looking.

I swallowed hard and nodded. Then I realized
he couldn’t see that and said, “Yes.”

He slowly turned. His hair didn’t flow like
it usually did. It lay flat to the sides as if it was wet. He
stared at me with flaming blue eyes. “You have no idea what you’ve
done.”

I cowered at his voice and instantly knew
something was wrong with Caitlyn. “What’s happened?” I asked, my
voice small and weak.

“Did you even sense she was in danger? Did
you?” he roared, and his body flared in golden hues.

I shook my head. My throat was so tight I
couldn’t answer aloud.

“I didn’t believe it at first! But then I
discovered you were nowhere to be found! Moments later, I could
feel you orbing and I snatched you!” He moved closer, glaring down
at me. “Stand up and face me, Selene! Right now!”

I didn’t move at first. I just gaped at him,
completely scared out of my mind. But then I grew more afraid of
what he’d do to me if I didn’t obey him. Slowly, I stood up, but
I’d never felt more small. My eyes stung with the threat of tears
as I looked up at Raphael’s face. I’d never seen him so upset.
“What happened? Please tell me,” I begged.

Suddenly, blue flames shot out of his eyes
and burned straight into mine. I gasped, but couldn’t move,
standing paralyzed as the heat filled my body. Unbelievable pain
shot out with the blaze, torching my insides like dried wood. In my
head I pleaded with him to stop, but was so distracted by the pain
I couldn’t push my thoughts into his mind. The heat intensified and
I felt nauseated and wobbly. Pressure swirled around me, warping
and twisting like a tornado crunching metal. This must be what it
was like right before
falling
.

And just when I thought I’d be orbed to
another world, Raphael stopped. The blue flames left me and receded
back into his eyes. My whole body shook as the heat within it
simmered. Then Raphael spoke, loud and authoritative: “Return,
Selene! Return to Earth and see for yourself what you have
done!”