She stripped off her gloves and keyed the lock. “Thanks for sticking around.”
Ansara stepped in behind her. His gaze swept the small space and his brow furrowed.
“It’s not much, but it’s all I got,” she said, tossing her gloves on the kitchen counter.
The studio apartment was less than four hundred square feet with a galley kitchen. The kitchen counter was piled with newspapers and empty pizza boxes. In the living room, the sofa bed was open, the covers in disarray. The wall-mounted, flat-screen television was running and the lamps on the end tables were burning bright. Since Kela had taken up vampire hunting, the lights remained on all night and housekeeping had moved to the bottom of her to-do list. Spending night after night searching for Roland combined with fretful sleep during the daylight hours had destroyed any semblance to a normal, happy life and had brought on a slow-grinding mental fatigue.
Her apartment was a reflection of her life.
“Sorry about the mess,” she said, taking off her ruined jacket and dropping it on the floor. She was too damn tired to care what Ansara thought about her life. She picked up the remote and turned off the television. “Would you like something to drink or eat?”
His gaze flicked around the apartment, settling briefly on the bed before focusing on her. His eyes were extraordinary, shimmering facets of liquid silver.
“Water.”
Kela walked into the kitchen, plucked a bottle of water out of the fridge and tossed it to him.
Instead of drinking the water, Ansara drew his sword from the sheath hanging on his belt and poured water along the blade. A thick fog of white smoke rose from the sword and spread across the room. Ansara kept pouring until the bottle was empty and the room was filled with a white mist.
The mist touched Kela’s face, neck and arms, thousands of tiny sparks dancing on her skin.
“The vampires won’t bother us tonight.”
The mist faded and her skin ceased tingling. “It’s gone.”
“You can’t see it, but the holy particles surround us. Vampires who enter this protected space will be incinerated.”
Kela’s heart skipped a beat. “Holy particles?”
“My sword was forged in the Sacred Fire. Any water that touches the blade is blessed.”
Kela shook her head. First vampires, now sacred fire and holy particles, no way! “Are you saying you’re a god?”
“I’m a guardian, I serve the warrior angels.”
A nervous giggle boiled up, but Kela bit it back. She wasn’t going to lose it now. “Like the vampires serve the demons?”
“Guardians serve by choice. Vampires are victims. Fodder in the war the demons wage against the heavens.”
Angels and demons. Guardians and vampires. Dead women all over the city. Too fucking much!
Needing a minute, Kela raised a hand and walked into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth, refusing to think about the guardian in her kitchen. Was he for real? If he was really from the heavens how come he spoke English? Wouldn’t he talk in angel speak? Was she just imagining the whole thing?
Her brain was too damn tired to absorb the information. Wrapping her head around the fact that Roland had
creations
was difficult enough, but with the arrival of Ansara a strange world was unfolding around her. Kela swallowed the wail forming in her throat. Trembling, she fought to keep it together.
She walked out of the bathroom. The servant of the warrior angels was still there.
A grin touched his lips. “Did you think I would disappear?”
“Given the circumstances, it’s a possibility,” she said, swaying on unsteady legs.
Ansara grabbed her forearms, keeping her upright. “Are you okay?”
Fuck no!
“How is it you speak my language?”
“I’ve been to Earth before. I speak several of your Earth languages. Your armies train. Guardians also train. The warrior angels understand every language and are familiar with every place in the universe. When required or needed the knowledge is delivered to the guardians.”
“Are there really angels?”
He released her arms. “You don’t believe in angels?”
“I’ve never believed in the wings, harp and halo thing, but I didn’t believe in vampires until I saw Roland’s fangs.” Kela shivered and folded her arms protectively across her chest. “I know vampires exist, but I’ve yet to see an angel and I damn well don’t want to see a demon.”
“Warrior angels have wings, but no halos. I’ve never met one who plays the harp,” he said. “If I do my job you won’t encounter a demon.”
“What exactly is your job?”
He glanced around. “Do you have any spirits?”
“Vampires are the only dead souls I know of.”
“Wine. Ale. Bless the angels, it’s been a very long day.”
Kela checked the fridge and the pantry. “Red wine or light beer?”
“Wine.”
While she poured the wine, Ansara removed his boots and plumped up the pillows on the sofa bed before making himself at home.
Kela handed him a glass, toed off her shoes and sat beside him.
He thanked her and sipped the wine. “My job is killing demons.”
“I’ve been hunting Roland, but I don’t serve anyone. I’m on my own.”
“You haven’t experienced the Scared Fire, but like me, you serve a higher authority.”
“I’ve never been a religious person.”
Ansara caressed her cheek with his forefinger. “You’ve seen evil and you know it must be vanquished. All guardians have that in common.”
Recalling how fearlessly he’d taken on the pack of vampires, she said, “I’ve seen you fight. I’m no guardian.”
“You have the heart of a warrior. The rest is training.”
Her mind spinning, Kela sipped her wine. “Will you teach me how to destroy vampires? One in particular needs to be vanquished.”
“After I’ve completed my assignment, I’ll try. I don’t have control over my orders.”
“What is your assignment?”
“To destroy the demon Vakkar.” His gaze dropped to her chest. “May I ask how you received the cross?”
Kela grasped the cross, locking her fingers around it. “You want it too?”
“I’m not trying to take it from you, Kela. I’d like to know how you obtained it.”
“My father gave it to me on my twelfth birthday.”
“Tell me about your father.”
“He was a biblical archaeologist. He found the cross in the remains of an ancient temple he’d excavated. He made me promise to wear it always. He said it would keep me safe.”
“Why did he think you needed to be safe?”
“He was frightened of something. He said everything was fine, but I knew he was afraid. A few days after he gave me the cross, our house caught fire. He never made it out. Arson was suspected, but unproven. I was at school. Wearing the cross is like having part of my father with me. It’s all I have.”
“What about your mother?”
“She worked at his side for years. During the temple excavation, the ground caved in and my mother was killed. Most of the uncovered temple was destroyed. I lost both of my parents within the span of a few months.”
“Do you know anything about the cross?”
“I know it burns vampires. Is that why you wear crosses?”
“Some are weapons,” he said, running his fingertips over his belt. He held up his hand to show a band of crosses around his wrist. “Some I have earned.”
“Like army medals?”
He nodded. “This war is ancient. I’ve been fighting it for a very long time.”
Kela touched the cross dangling from his ear. “And this one?”
“It denotes the power I serve.”
“Which archangel do you serve?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re familiar with the structure of heaven?”
“The temple my parents excavated was filled with frescoes. My father was very excited about the depiction of a male angel with huge wings, holding a sword. It wasn’t Michael, but an unknown archangel.”
“Warrior angels rarely reveal themselves to humans.”
“The frescoes were destroyed when the temple caved in. My father believed the excavation was deliberately destroyed, but he couldn’t prove it. The loss of my mother and the temple was a heavy blow to his spirit. He gave up fieldwork. We returned to the states. He was writing a book and often gave lectures about good and evil, heaven and hell. He believed both places existed.”
“But you don’t?”
“Faith didn’t save my parents. My belief in hell, in pure evil has returned. How long have you been a guardian?”
Ansara set his empty glass aside. “Using Earth time as a measurement, it’s been centuries.”
“You’re immortal?”
“I can die only at the hand of a demon.”
“I was hoping you were invincible.” Kela finished her wine and set the glass on the end table. “The vampires had me. If you hadn’t shown up, I would have died, or worse.”
Ansara clamped a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “You’re not alone in this battle.”
For the first time since this ordeal began, Kela had someone who didn’t think she was crazy. Someone to stand by her side. She buried her face against Ansara’s chest. The rhythmic beating of his heart soothed her as much as his words.
You’re not alone.
She’d lost her parents, her fiancé and her best friend, but now she had a guardian.
Kela slid her arms around Ansara’s neck. She needed the warm contact, the physical connection to another being. Maybe she just wanted to make sure he was real. There were far too many hours when she’d doubted her sanity.
Ansara wrapped his arms around her, providing the strength and security she needed. The heat of his skin penetrated her tired muscles and all Kela wanted to do was to remain in his arms.
Ansara kissed her forehead, his lips hot against her cold skin.
Seeking his heat, Kela tilted her head and pressed her lips to his. Heat flashed through her, firing muscle and bone, searing every sensual sensor.
He tightened his hold and deepened the kiss.
His size and strength fueled a desperate fire. A needy moan tore from somewhere deep inside her. Drawn to his heat and strength, Kela wanted Ansara. She needed him to banish the cold and the fear dwelling in her soul.
She pressed her breasts to his chest, her invitation obvious.
When he raised his head, ending the kiss, Kela opened her eyes. She expected the heat in his eyes, but not the set of his mouth.
“You’re exhausted,” he said. “You need sleep more than sex.”
“Sex helps me sleep.”
“Don’t tempt me, Kela.”
“Guardians can’t have sex?”
“Let’s not talk about sex,” he said, stripping her down to her underwear.
Kela hoped he’d change his mind, but he tucked her into bed and pulled the blanket up and over her shoulders.
“So guardians do have sex?”
A grin touched his lips. “We have all the necessary equipment.”
Kela wanted to see that equipment, but Ansara was right. She was so tired she was cross-eyed and he had a demon to kill. “Can you stay, just until sunrise? When it’s light, I’ll be good to go.”
He stripped off his vest, bracelets, belt, sword and boots. “I’m not leaving.”
Kela closed her eyes and heard the rustle as he removed his pants. As long as Ansara was here, she could let down her guard and rest.
He climbed in beside her and spooned his big body against hers. His heat warming her, Kela sighed and slept.
Ansara awoke with the rounded softness of a woman’s butt cradled against his groin. He trailed fingertips along the curve of her hip and slid his palm along a slender length of thigh.
Kela, vampire hunter.
He cupped her breast through the soft fabric of her underwear. Beneath his palm, her nipple peaked. Bless the stars, she felt wonderful. Desire throbbing deep in his loins, his cock stretched. Ansara wanted this fragile Earth woman with the heart of a warrior burning fiercely in her chest.
Last night she’d been willing, but so terrified and fatigued she would have clung to anyone.
Now that the sun had risen, Ansara wanted her to cling to him, to give herself to him without the looming fear of vampires guiding her actions. But sunrise also brought responsibilities. He hadn’t been sent to Earth to indulge in personal pleasure, but to destroy a demon. Resisting the temptation of Kela’s soft curves, Ansara rolled out of bed.
He showered and laid claim to a new toothbrush he’d found in the vanity drawer. After raking his fingers through his damp hair, Ansara wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom. Kela was in the kitchen, making coffee. After several visits to Earth, he’d acquired a taste for the brew.
She wore white underwear, devoid of lace or sheerness. She looked good.
“Good morning or should I say good afternoon,” she said, walking up to him. “Thanks for staying the night. I really needed the sleep.”
“My pleasure.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” she said, releasing his towel with a flick of her wrist.
Then she kissed him, her lips soft, yet demanding.
Ansara wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. He cupped her ass and half-carried her to the bed.
She fell back on the mattress, taking him with her and pulling him on top of her.
He released the front clasp of her undergarment and sighed as his hand closed around her soft flesh. The firm point of her nipple beckoned his mouth.
He kissed a path down her neck to her breast. He suckled, drawing eagerly, each lush tug making his heart pound, his blood race and his cock hard as stone.
She moaned and ground her belly against his erection.
Sweet heaven.
She was hot, her moves inspiring him to explore. He caressed her thigh, ran his hand along her hip and his fingers beneath her underpants. He pushed his fingertips through the curly thatch of hair to the fleshy slit between her legs. She was soft and damp.
Bless the stars, he wanted her. She was feisty and too damn brave for her own good. Ansara was definitely in the mood for feisty.
Maybe they both needed a bit of indulgence.
He released her breast. His cock throbbed painfully as he waited for her to open her eyes. He drew a deep breath to cool his fire, but her scent fanned the flames.
Finally, she looked at him. “Change your mind?”
Her scent alone was enough to drive him crazy. What was it about this Earth woman? “I must know you want this.”
She groaned. “You have a doubt?”
“Guardians must have verbal consent.”
“Kinda kills the spontaneity.”
Body humming, he grinned. “But not the desire. Tell me your desires, Kela. Let me fulfill every need.”
“Vampires, demons, warrior angels and a man who asks for directions. Life is full of surprises.” She grinned and threaded her fingers through his hair. “I want you to fuck me with your tongue, your fingers and especially with that big, hard cock between your legs in a variety of positions and in any order of your choosing. Clear enough?”
“Crystal clear,” he said, pulling off her underpants. Then he buried his face between her thighs and his tongue deep inside her pussy.
She was hot, wet and lush and bucking beneath him.
He captured her clit and sucked it until she trembled and her pussy creamed.
“That was so damn good.”
Ansara climbed between her legs, nudging her moist flesh with his cock. “It so happens that I’m very good at following directions.”
Then he thrust, sliding into her tight, wet folds.
Sweet heaven.
If he breathed, he’d come.
She rocked her hips, urging him to action.
He thrust, hard and fast, liberating the sexual energy he’d restrained since their first kiss. She gripped him, squeezed him so tight Ansara nearly climaxed.
She nipped his biceps. “God yes.”
Moving his hips, Ansara pushed deep into her lush wetness, each stroke punctuated by Kela’s sighs of pleasure.
He wanted to give her the fuck of her life and slowed his strokes. When he climaxed, he wanted her with him.
She felt so good, so amazing. Her breasts were soft, her skin silky, her muscles sleek and strong, her movements natural and passionate and her pussy so fucking hot and tight, Ansara’s senses were on sensual overload.
She clenched, grabbing at his length.
She fucked with the same intensity, the same energy with which she fought, but in bed she wasn’t a stumbling neophyte. She knew what she wanted. In this partnership, she was his equal.
Enjoying the sensual give and take, he nipped her shoulder and thrust hard.
She pulled his hair and rolled her hips.
The pressure built behind his balls to the point where it was impossible to hold back. He thrust again and exploded.
She clenched down hard, pulling and tugging on his cock.
Then her cry of pleasure joined his groan of satisfaction.
After a few minutes of catching their breaths, Kela looked at him and smiled. “You take directions very well.”
* * * * *
Steaming mugs of coffee in hand, Kela joined Ansara on the bed. The hunky guardian looked great naked. She handed him a mug. “Careful, it’s hot.”
After battling blood-sucking vampires, sharing naked time with a demon-hunting warrior felt almost normal. She needed the downtime as much as she’d needed the sex.
“Roland is a vampire. Tell me how the demons got to him.”
Kela closed her eyes, seeing Roland before his transformation. She tensed. Had their happiness just been an illusion?
Ansara rubbed her shoulder and she instantly relaxed.
“He was a promising artist. A few months ago he met a gallery owner, Andre Karr.” She explained how flattered Roland had been by Karr’s patronage. “He moved out of the house we shared to live in Karr’s building. I wish the two had never met. I never liked Karr. He gave me the creeps.”
“Roland had a different reaction?”
“The opposite reaction. He was drawn to Karr and his paintings began to sell. Roland started calling himself only by his last name, his artist name, Chabeau. The last time we were together I realized he had changed in personality and in looks. His skin was cold and bone white. I thought he had bought into the persona of the cool, urban artist. I had no idea he was a vampire. I didn’t think they existed.”
Kela shuddered at the memory of the last evening she spent with Roland. “I had sex with a vampire. And to think Roland wanted me to give him my cross.”
“Roland asked for the cross?”
Kela sipped her coffee, then continued.
“Karr admired my cross. Roland wanted me to give the cross to Karr for his birthday. Like I’d ever part with it.”
“Had Roland shown any interest in the cross before meeting Karr?”
“None. He thought of it as jewelry, but he knew what it meant to me.”
“When did you find out Roland was a vampire?”
“A few weeks ago, I saw him with a woman in the parking lot of the Devil’s Warehouse. I watched them have sex, very aggressive sex right there in the club’s parking lot, going at it against a luxury sedan. I was so angry I got out of my car, ready to tell him off. Then I saw the woman go limp in his arms. Roland picked her up and dumped her onto the front seat of the vehicle.
“I yelled at him. When he looked at me, I was shocked. He had blood running down his chin. His eyes were red and he hissed at me. That was the first time I saw his fangs. I was so stunned I just stood there as he got into his vehicle and drove away.”
She finished her coffee and set aside the cup.
“The following day a woman’s body was found dumped in a local park. I called the police. I told a detective that Roland was a vampire and he was responsible for the woman’s death. He thought I was just a crazy angry bitch who had been dumped by her fiancé. Roland’s been killing ever since.”
“Do you love him?”
She shook her head. “The man I loved is gone. I know what Roland is and I have to stop him.”
“
We
have to stop him.”
“I hope you have a plan because I think Roland wants me dead.”
“I think Vakkar has taken over Karr’s body and he’s using Roland to get your cross.”
She touched the ornate cross dangling between her breasts. “What’s so important about my cross?”
Ansara set his coffee aside. He leaned down and kissed her left breast, then he kissed the cross. The stone glowed blood red.
“You made the ruby glow with your magic?”
“It’s a Thasian cross and that’s not a ruby. The blood of a fallen warrior is dropped into the Sacred Fire. A crystal is formed and placed in the center of a cross, powerful magic. Roland’s not strong enough to kill you, but Vakkar is another matter. If he gets possession of the cross, his demon power and his status increase. Even I’ll have a difficult time destroying him.”
“So Karr, I mean Vakkar understands the power of the cross?”
“Vakkar is very familiar with Thasian relics. Have you ever wondered why you haven’t been bitten? Why you haven’t ended up like Roland’s victims? Have you questioned why you’re a vampire hunter?”
“Roland has to be stopped. It’s the right thing.”
“Kela, you’re not a trained soldier and you fight vampires with wooden sticks.”
“Stakes. Sharp stakes. You think the cross is protecting me?”
“What did your father tell you when he gave you the cross?”
Promise me, Kela. You’ll always wear the cross. You’ll never take it off.
I swear, Daddy.
The cross will keep you safe. Wear it and I’ll always be with you, protecting you against evil.
I will, Daddy. I promise.
“He told me it would keep me safe, but he didn’t warn me about vampires.”
“What about demons?”
“Evil. He said it would protect me against evil. He told me good and evil coexist and I must always stand for good.”
Tears welled in Kela’s eyes. She bit her lip to hold them at bay. Now wasn’t the time to cry.
Ansara drew her into his arms. “Are you okay?”
Her guardian was big and warm and he made her feel safe. “Do you think he knew about the cross’s magic?”
“Your father understood the cross had the power to protect you against evil demons and vampires.”
“All of this is surreal and horrible. I wish I had my father’s old books, but his library and his research burned in the fire. Everything was destroyed.”
He rubbed her back, his touch gentle and soothing. “I’m your guardian and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Resting her head against Ansara’s chest, Kela closed her eyes and listened to the steady beating of his heart. She wanted to remain in her guardian’s arms forever.
She ran her hand over his ridged abdomen. His skin was smooth and his muscles hard. Not a hint of softness anywhere.
His heart rate increased and he shifted slightly beneath her.
Kela opened her eyes and looked up at him.
Ansara leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.
“Let’s make love,” she whispered.
“It’s okay. I enjoy holding you in my arms.”
Kela glanced at his erection, then crawled onto his lap. She needed to feel alive and push the bad memories away. “Make love to me, guardian.”
“Giving directions again?”
“Suck me and fuck me. Make me forget about vampires. Make me scream.”
He cupped her breasts in his big hands and sucked her left nipple into his mouth. Fire raced straight to her pussy.
Kela grasped his cock and stroked him. He was thick and long, hot silk over iron. Straddling his hips, she sank down on his cock. Wet and warm, flesh slid against flesh.
He grasped her hips, urging her to ride him.
She raised her hips, sliding up his length, then sinking down to the thick root. Up and down, she moved her hips, taking what she needed.
He suckled, deep and strong, tugging on her nipple with an intensity that inspired her hips to move. She rode him faster, loving his heat, his hard muscles and the perspiration dewing his skin. Ansara was alive, healthy and all male.
He reached between her legs and thumbed her clit, drawing tiny circles that curled her toes and sent shivers down her spine.