UnGuarded (39 page)

I awoke to searing flesh on my wrist. The
night was now a suffocating darkness with no moon or stars casting
down any light. I was cuddled against Cole, his arms snuggly
holding me. His trench coat was wrapped around us, and as I sat up
in a rush, I realized we were still naked. “What’s wrong?” he asked
as I fumbled for my clothes.

“Nothing,” I lied, my mind racing with
panic.

“I’ve always been fond of the truth,” a
familiar voice echoed throughout the alley.

I startled, and then in a flash Cole was
standing, snarling, fists clenched in front of him.

My chest tightened as I looked up at my
vampire lover. This was the moment I’d dreaded, and all along I
knew it was coming. At least I was able to experience what it was
like to be with him, and the memories of our special moments would
stay with me forever. I swallowed hard and held up a hand toward
Cole, gesturing for him not to move. Then I turned, letting my gaze
roam the alley until I found
him
lurking in the shadows.

Darius—in his human form—moved closer, his
boots crunching the ground with each step. I braced myself for the
fight, because I surely wouldn’t let Cole go without one. “Get
dressed” was all my guide said as he folded his arms in front of
his chest.

“Who are you?” Cole demanded through a
growl.

Darius half laughed, his eyes glowing like
red beacons in the darkness. “Who am I, Selene?”

I swallowed hard, rushing to pull up my
pants. “This is…um…my boss,” I informed him as I pulled my tank
over my head. Then I retrieved Cole’s jeans and handed them to him.
“Put these on.”

“No!” Cole spat. “I won’t weaken my position
for him to attack.”

“Just do it”—my voice laced with warning.
“Now!”

Once Cole got his jeans on, Darius took a
few steps closer. That’s when I noticed the flaring ankh on his
wrist.

“I called for you,” I stammered, my gaze
locked on my guide. “Cole was dying. I couldn’t…” I shook my head,
panic swirling inside me.

Darius held his arm up, exposing his
flashing tattoo to us. “I will never sacrifice this power!” he
cried, his voice roaring throughout the alley. “I will fight for
its honor always.” His eyes locked on me as he continued, “I warned
you not to show yourself to anyone. I even showed you what happens
to those who see you.” He gave a long sigh, his shoulders slumping
as he lowered his arm.

“Selene explained everything to me,” Cole
exclaimed. “I would never betray her. You must know that!”

Though I was pretty sure it wouldn’t matter,
I still confirmed his words with my guide. “He wouldn’t!” I called
out as I stepped forward. “And I will not let you take him without
a fight.”

“I will crush you!” Darius warned.

“You won’t touch her!” Cole yelled, moving
beside me.

I pressed my hand against my lover’s chest,
cautioning him not to move. “You are no match for him. Please,
Cole, stay out of this,” I begged.

“I will not,” Cole shot back, his gaze
narrowing. “I love you and I can’t lose you again. I’d rather truly
die than be without you. That’s why I had those men stab me.”

“Your wish is mine to grant,” Darius said as
he moved toward my lover with death in his eyes.

“No!” I screamed, throwing myself in front
of Darius, falling to my knees before him. “Please, spare him. Kill
me instead. Please.”

“I’m sorry, but you are too valuable to
lose.” Darius thrust me to the side with an enormous blast of
power, sending me hurtling into the concrete wall. After a few
seconds of stars dancing in my head, I jumped up and swung around.
My guide struck at Cole, but missed when Cole dropped to the ground
and kicked out his leg. Darius effortlessly jumped up as Cole’s leg
swooped under him, then my guide leapt back and shoved his hands
outward, firing an energy ball and landing it on Cole’s chest. My
vampire lover flew back several feet and landed on the ground with
a
thud
. He was out cold, and Darius was moving in to finish
him.

I closed my eyes, harnessing all of the
power inside me. My body tingled with electric vibrations and all
the hairs on my arms rose up. I willed the energy to my awaiting
fingers, then pushed all of it into Darius. Upon impact, my guide
was knocked back several feet, and he crashed to the ground, his
arm breaking his fall. “What are you doing?” he demanded as he got
back up. His body was shaky and his balance seemed off. Good, I’d
meant that to happen.

Keeping my eyes on Darius, I went to Cole.
He was still out, but I could sense that he was okay. No major
damage had been done—yet. “I will not sit back and watch you kill
the man I…” As I said “love,” I blasted another wave of power
toward my guide, but he was ready and blocked it with an invisible
shield of his own. Then he thrust a diaphanous orb of energy at me,
knocking my head back hard enough I’d have whiplash if I were
human. Something moist and tangy dripped over my lips. I licked it,
tasting my blood, and smiled. “Is that all you got?”—my voice laced
with ice. With the speed of a vampire I rushed Darius, while my
power vibrated off my skin like sound waves. His gaze hardened,
then he shot toward me at the same speed. Energy pulsed out from
his body, and as we collided, there was a spectacular explosion of
white flames. He swung high, I ducked, but he was ready with an
uppercut that landed in my gut. Air flew from my lungs, and though
I was gasping, I jumped up and kicked out my heel, crushing my
guide’s cheekbone. I fell back into a warrior’s stance: my right
leg a foot in front of my left, knees slightly bent, and my fists
raised in front of my chest. Astonishment flashed on Darius’
face—obviously he didn’t think I’d have the momentum after he’d
given me that punch, and I was happy to surprise him. He rolled his
head to the right, then the left, releasing a few pops from his
neck. Then he rushed forward, throwing out a right hook, but I
dropped and slid out my leg to take him down. He sprung upward,
sending another blast of energy when he thrust out his palms. I
threw my arm over my face to block it, feeling tingles racing just
beneath my skin with the force of my power. Then, sensing where my
guide stood, I used my free hand to send a series of energy waves
at him. As soon as I couldn’t feel his power against my shield, I
pushed up, did two forward flips, then kicked him in the chest as
hard as I could. That’s when I smelled his blood. In a raging whir,
I was on him like a savage animal, fighting to hold down his arms
so I could get to his neck. Blood dripped from the corners of his
lips as he screamed for me to stop. My power was building and
building, seeping out of my pores—and penetrating through all of my
guide’s invisible defenses. Sensing his moment of weakness, I
pressed my mouth into the soft flesh of his neck and bit down with
the force of a vampire. Even though I didn’t have fangs, blood
gushed into my mouth, coating my tongue and warming my throat.

Darius roared with anger, screaming for me
to stop. His power was pulsing at the edges of mine, but he wasn’t
strong enough to break through. And that meant he couldn’t stop me,
so I kept drinking, the warmth of his existence filling me
completely. And when I finished, I moved my lips to his ear and
said in a mocking voice, “I have tasted your power and you are no
match for me. I will crush you if you do not grant my desire.”

“What…what do you want?” he stammered, his
voice weak and out of breath.

I licked my lips and swung my gaze to where
Cole was just beginning to stir. “I want him to live.”

Darius followed the direction of my eyes.
His lips compressed, but he didn’t say anything. I pressed his arms
harder into the ground as I shook him. “Your answer!” I demanded
through a growl.

“Selene, what are you doing?” Cole called
out. I heard movement behind me and I knew he was approaching.

“Stay out of this, Cole!” I warned icily
without taking my lasered gaze off my guide. “What is your
decision?”

He swallowed, then nodded. “Your vampire
will not die by my hand.”

“Swear it!” I roared. “I want your word with
blood!” Then I glanced at Cole, who was standing directly behind me
with wide eyes. “Bring me the dagger,” I instructed him.

He did as I requested without a word. I
released Darius to take the blade, and sat up, slicing my tattoo
once more. Even though it was blazing hot, my skin still split open
with ease and blood instantly pooled to the surface. Power and heat
throbbed while blood flowed in streams of dark red. When I grabbed
my guide’s arm, he resisted at first, but a hardened glare from me
seemed to help him loosen up, and as I raised his wrist, I brought
the blade through its fiery center. Crimson spilled out, trailing
down his arm as I brought our glowing ankhs together. Sparks of
power shot out from us as the tender flesh of our wounds rubbed
together, bonding his promise to me in blood. “Cole’s afterlife
will be spared, on your honor,” I said, staring into Darius’
flaming eyes.

“On my honor,” he repeated with defeat in
his tone.

Pulsing waves of heat shot out from our
wrists, visible the way heat simmers off asphalt roads in the dead
of summer. The throbbing in my cut increased, sending sharp pain up
my arm. Darius jerked away, gingerly rubbing his wound. Though it
was coated in blood, I could still see the dullness of the tattoo’s
ink and I quickly glanced down at mine. A long sigh pushed from my
lips when I saw the fire was out on my ankh too.

Cole helped me stand, then pulled me inside
his arms. Relief flushed over me and I released a deep, warm breath
against his bare, cool chest. We held each other a brief moment,
then I pulled back enough to turn around. Darius was standing, his
eyes focused intently on us, frowning. “I had such a love once,” he
said by way of an explanation. “They all eventually die. No one,
nothing, can outlive us. We are the true immortals. Remember
that.”

I stepped forward, feeling a tightness
spread out in my chest. “What are we?”

“We are defenders of balance.”

I shook my head, my gaze falling to the
ground with disappointment. He’d already told me that version of
what we were at least a hundred times now.

“We are
Immortals
, Selene,” my guide
went on. “We can take physical and spiritual form at will. And with
the power of the ankh, we are unstoppable.”

“But I tasted your death,” I wondered
aloud.

“Yes, but it was only the death of my
physical form,” Darius replied.

“You can die one way, only to live in
another?” Cole asked, stepping beside me and taking my hand.

Darius nodded. “Something like that.”

“But if you’re both undefeatable,” Cole
pressed on, “how did Selene overpower you?”

My guide and I stared at each other, both of
us knowing the answer, but neither willing to be the one to say
it.

I felt Cole’s eyes burning the side of my
face, so I slowly turned to him. “There was vampire blood inside me
when I was cast down into this existence.” I swallowed hard, seeing
the pain in Cole’s eyes. “Because of that, I’m not
exactly
like Darius.”

My lover grimaced. “Luke.” His brows
furrowed. “Did you bring him back from Rhea?”

My head bobbed slowly up and down, unable to
speak over the lump in my throat. I glanced away, the pressure of
his gaze too intense to look at. That’s when I noticed my guide was
gone. He’d orbed away undetected with my mind fully on the vampire
in front of me. But that was the least of my worries at the moment.
Though it was forced, Darius and I had an understanding, and until
he understood my extra powers, he definitely wouldn’t be
challenging me.

Cole gripped my shoulders, shaking me
roughly, regaining my full attention. “Has he seen you…”—he
shrugged—“like this?” His gaze slid up and down my body, suggesting
my new look.

“No,” I shot back defensively. “I have not
shown myself to him.” I struggled to find my next words and knew no
matter what I said, it just wouldn’t sound good. “But I think Luke
was able to sense my presence.”

“Sense your presence?” Cole released me and
ran a hand through his hair. “How could he…?” Realization dawned on
his face and he raised a brow. “It’s the bond of his blood inside
you.”

My stomach clenched as I nodded. “But if I
reveal myself to him…”

“Then you’ll have to kill him,” Cole
finished for me. “Or the other Immortal will do it for you.”

I nodded. “But there is a small chance that
Luke wouldn’t be affected since he can already sense me. It would
be risky to try it, though.”

Cole frowned and cupped his hands on my
face. “I don’t want you to see him again. Though, honestly, if it
meant his death I wouldn’t be upset.” The chill of his fingers
pressed deeper into my skin, his blue eyes burning into mine.
“Please. Baby, I love you. We can get on with our new lives
now…without him.”

My teeth grazed my bottom lip as I
considered his request. Could I really abandon Luke and never see
him again? Our blood bond was strong and I hated how Cole and I
didn’t have that same connection. Was that really the only reason I
was holding on to Luke? Would I care for him the same if he hadn’t
given me his blood? Yet, I’d never be able to answer those
questions since there was no way to rewind the clock. But there was
a way to deepen my bond with Cole. “I want to drink your blood,” I
said with conviction.

“Selene,” he growled, his eyes swirling like
bottomless pools of mystery. “Are you sure?” he asked as he brought
his wrist to his mouth.

“I want to be one with you,” I said,
watching his fangs rip through his skin, blood trickling over his
hand.

At once, he grabbed my face. I could feel
the tips of his fingers smearing
his
blood on my cheeks. I
felt my eyes widen with anticipation as his glistening red lips
lowered toward me. The first drop of crimson moved from his tongue
to mine, and my whole head zinged with delight. My body felt light
as feathers as our kiss deepened, bringing a raging hunger to the
surface. When he pulled back, I gasped with need, but then he
brought his wrist to my mouth and I greedily bit into it. As I
ravaged him, slurping and sucking his blood, I could feel our bond
growing, the final door opening between us. A groan slipped through
my lips, muffled against his skin. I’d never felt more in love with
him, and the intensity of those feelings pressed into my heart,
constricting it with unbreakable passion.