Page 113 of Guarded
Finding Noah was my karma for surviving. And if I knew that being with him was what I’d have at the end of it?
I’d relive every damned day of it.
I’d expected some ribbing from the other Seraphim when we finally emerged from Noah’s bedroom. Some teasing, perhaps. A few bawdy jokes.
What I hadn’t expected was a full fucking standing ovation.
Both Noah and I froze on the threshold to the kitchen as applause thundered around us. All of the Seraphim were present, along with Sam and Nox. They’d stood upas we entered, clapping their hands together and catcalling.
Only Micah and Benji remained sitting, the latter quietly munching his cereal as he read something on his iPad.
Noah flushed beside me as a twin slapped him on the shoulder. “Fucking finally. It’s about time you got laid.”
I was tempted to point out that it wasn’t the first time we’d had sex, but if we’d been quiet enough to get away with it last time, I wasn’t about to enlighten them.
Evidently their supe ears had heard it all last night.
The other twin grabbed me in a headlock. I held my demon down as he choked me slightly. “Hurt Noah and we’ll gut you.”
“Nate, let him go,” Noah barked.
Nate, who was apparently the twin strangling me, didn’t listen. If anything, he tightened his grip. “I mean it. I wouldn’t even need the others to help me.”
There was a blast of light and then I could breathe again. Rubbing my throat, I straightened up to see Nate collapsed on the floor with Noah towering over him.
“I don’t give a fuck whether you think you’re protecting me or not,” Noah hissed, vibrating with anger. “You do not touch my mate. Ever. You got that?”
Nate blinked innocently. I’d never seen anything less convincing in my life. “I was just giving him a proper welcome.”
Theo sighed beside me. “And they say I’m the troublesome twin.”
I side-eyed him. From what I’d gleaned from Noah, they were as bad as each other.
Micah joined Noah to glare at Nate. “Enough. You’ve made your point.”
Nate pouted. “But fucking with newly mated pairs is so much fun.”
“No, it’s immature.” Micah exchanged a glance with Sam, who got up and went to the back door. “And you know what happens when you act this way.”
Nate’s faux pout turned into a real scowl. “Oh, come on. This isn’t worthy of taking a lap.”
My lips twitched. I still couldn’t believe these angels saw a simple walk as punishment. Mind you, I owed him one today, so maybe I shouldn’t point that out.
“Up.” Sam jerked his chin at Nate, his foot tapping on the floor. “If you behave like toddlers, you get treated like toddlers. Don’t keep me waiting or it’ll be two laps.”
Okay, I took it back. Sam might have been human, but the glare coupled with his tone was quite the combination.
Nate muttered under his breath, dragging his feet as he went to the door. But he went. Sam blew a kiss in Zeke’s direction before disappearing after him.
Benji was frowning at us intently. “You two aren’t mated though, right? I can’t sense a bond.”
Noah stiffened like the question bothered him. I moved to put my arm around his waist. “We’re not, but not for any nefarious reasons. This is very new, and we’ll take that step when it feels right. It doesn’t change the fact that we’re together. Our relationship is as important as the fact that we’re fated mates.”
I smiled at Noah, who was staring at me with wide eyes. “We don’t need a bond to prove that we’re fully committed to each other. As far as I’m concerned, Noah is mine and I’m his. It’s as simple as that.”
Benji shrugged, returning to his iPad. “Fair enough. I only asked because Nate said about fucking with newly mated pairs and I thought I’d missed something.”
I flushed. Oh. There I was, making a grand statement, and it was just a miscommunication.
