Page 9 of Torn Between Two Worlds

“We’re in a doorway, you brute. Your doorway, to be exact. Think of it as the only entrance or exit to ever matter. You’d better check those manners at the door, cause she sure as shit isn’t used to being treated that way. You’re replacing a perfect Guardian. A Guardian, who, if not for his growing attraction to her, would still be her damn Guardian. He wasn’t strong enough, an attraction would be lethal in an attack. He was slipping anyway in his duties because he was too busy wanting her and their union wasn't the right one. Yours is. Again, check the shit at the door, literally, if I can figure out how to open what she did.”

“Wait a minute, Mr. All-powerful- trench coat-bastard, can’t open a little human’s door? If some big hot shot like you can’t open it, how the hell do the bad guys?” He crossed his arms over his chest, grinning like a fool at the turn of events.

The man turned to him, and his face contorted, eyes glowing red and fangs protruding. Stryder felt the strike, and then the bone-breaking slam as he hit one of the swirling white walls, which were not as soft as the swirls made them look. The man stomped over to him, and Stryder tried to push himself up to avoid another attack, but he couldn’t stand.

Well shit, this guy might actually win thisand that didn’t sit well with War.

“Fuck!” the man’s curse rang out and seemed to roll and echo off the limitless wall. “Don’t move, you brain dead fuck, I broke your back.” Reaching down to Stryder, he placed his hand on his back and closed his eyes.

Stryder was expecting to feel a tingle or something, but he didn’t feel anything at all, actually. One minute, he was sitting on the ground, and the next, the guy was helping him stand.

“She’s blocking you. This is your godforsaken door! I don’t know how she’s blocking, but if she can do this against those that have attacked her, once she knows who they are, your life is going to be a lot easier as her Guardian. Now, please don't talk. Stand there and look like you’re sorry for her loss.”

“What loss?”

“The one you’re about to fill. Now, shut up.” He grabbed Stryder’s arm and dragged him straight into the door.

Stryder braced his body for the impact that never came. Her room. It appeared in from of him, but it wasn’t what almost brought him to his knees. It was the girl, in the middle of the floor—huddled there, really. Her black hair cascaded over her face, blocking it from him, which he supposed was a good thing, or he would have not had the courage to ignore the sight of her crumpled in a ball.

If he listened carefully, he could hear the soft sound of her crying, and it broke him. He was walking toward her before he knew it until her voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” She lifted her head and turned to stare at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and wet. Her face was puffy as hell and red. Her shirt was covered in tears, but her cheeks wetter still. “I can sense you a mile away. I could sense you both at the doorway,” her voice was gravelly, laced with pain, but her tears fell slower. “I could always feel him, too.Always.I don’t want to be able to feel you. Get out. I’ll just close the door on everything. I don't know how, but I will, or maybe I just won’t read anymore.” The last part came out as a nasty sneer, and as the other male walked toward her, she flung her hand out. “I said,I wouldn’t do that,” she repeated.

An icy stare from her made him stop cold, and thank the gods, it wasn't directed at him,yet, because he'd be damned if he was going to leave her. He would fix her, get rid of that other man and take her home with him forever.

The other guy wasn’t moving. He looked baffled as hell, but he wasn’t moving. He wasn’t sure if she’d been trying to stop him or slam the door on him, but either way, the guy was going nowhere anytime soon. Damn if it didn't make Stryder chuckle seeing the asshole in the trench coat confused as shit.

The tears were falling again, and he couldn’t remain there impassive. Something was screaming at him to go hold Ciara.

Probably my fucking conscious.Great, five-thousand years since I was created,and nowI get protective of someone other than my brothers.Wonderful.

His feet were walking and his arms grabbing onto her, lifting her up into them before she could snap at him again. She thrashed violently, trying to get away before a small gasp escaped her, and she stopped struggling and went utterly still in his arms.

6

“How did you do that?”

No one from the books had been able to touch her if she was paying attention to them. Her guard had to be down in order for them to be able to reach across the plane, even those attacking needed her to be distracted for a doorway to open and allow them through. The only other way she knew of that would allow her Guardian to touch her when she didn’t want it was if she was in their world.

She had been staring right at him as he’d been walking toward her.Shoot. She’d even been thinking about how much she didn’t want him to pick her up and locked her eyes with his. Then he’d been holding her, and she was infuriated.

Not hearing an answer or feeling him let go, she looked up at him, and a second gasp pushed past her lips. The intensity in his eyes was enough to kindle a small flame, and he was looking at her. She thought about shifting her position and putting their bodies in better alignment to deal with the heat passing between them.

Realizing what was happening as she began to shift her weight, she just stopped struggling again. There was no way in hell her body was doing that just a few hours after saying goodbye to the longest relationship of her life, and after Alcott had torn from her by the very same man. Even not being completely irritated and disgusted by his presence annoyed her. Or maybe that was the explanation of why it was all happening.

Loneliness.

A low, raspy voice that sounded more like a growl brushed over her ear. “Sweetheart, the only thing I know is that if you move again…fuck…if I don’t put you down, you and I are going to end up in that bed of yours.”

She couldn’t do anything but stare into his eyes. They were a solid black, soulless and empty. She thought if she stared back hard enough into the depths of them, she’d see something, but nothing human appeared to be in his eyes at all. Another voice in the room managed to tear her gaze from his.

“Ciara, I need you to breathe and be calm. I am sorry. I do not have the answers to the questions swirling through your head. Nor do I have the answers that you need to have. All I can tell you is that we need you in our worlds, and you need us to protect you. So, an amicable relationship is going to happen, despite your frustration.”

Her mouth gaped open at him, and he waved a hand as if to dismiss what she was about to say before she even managed to say it.

“Stryder has been picked. You both picked each other, actually. You had a platonic hold over Alcott, I can assure you that won’t be the case now and that it will be the sexual hold that will help him save you when you need him most.”

She just looked at him, blinking stupidly, and the man up and disappeared.

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