Page 140 of Guarded
I grinned. “I’ll take all the laps with you, don’t worry.”
My gaze snagged on his wings. The ones that weren’t moving. Mine weren’t either, which meant… “How the fuck are we airborne right now?”
Surprise blipped through the bond. Fuck, that was going to take some getting used to. We both looked down simultaneously, trying to figure out how we hadn’t crashed to the ground.
When I saw why, I almost choked on the feeling that rose up in me. Every one of the angels below us had their hands raised to the sky. They’d created a massive shield, holding us in place while we shared this moment.
I studied every face. The joy. The tears. The gentle excitement. The hope.
All of them quietly being there for us.
That was when I spotted a final angel. One who was not celebrating our love. Lyle was on his knees, glaring at us with malice and vengeance.
That’s right. We weren’t done here yet.
There was one more loose end to tie up.
Chapter 36
Noah
Ifelt Jeremiah’s intent through the bond, but I wasn’t fast enough to stop him. He pulled out of my arms and shot to the ground. He landed on top of Lyle, slamming his head into the ground with a sickeningthud.
They rolled a few times over the bones, with Jem ending up on top. He growled before letting his demon loose. His fists flew, hammering into Lyle’s face repeatedly. Blood and teeth sprayed as Jem’s fury flooded the new bond between us.
I could feel how far Jem was slipping. His demon was at the forefront, and he was letting him take control.
Fuck. It wasn’t that I cared about Lyle’s well-being, especially not after he’d almost executed me. In any other scenario, I’d perch on a rock and cheer Jem on. But we couldn’t execute Lyle. It put too many others at risk.
I shot down after him. Atlas and Micah were both shouting, trying desperately to get to them. But Jem had thrown up his shield, pouring all his power into it to keep them at bay.
“Let me,” I said as I landed. The two of them steppedaside. I could see them both facing the same conflicting emotions I was. All of us were enjoying seeing Lyle get the beating he deserved…but it couldn’t go further than that.
I put my hand against Jem’s shield. “Jem.”
There was no response. I wasn’t sure he even knew I was there. “Jem, baby. Let me in.”
I released a pulse of power. Not to attack, but to interact. Jem’s shield absorbed it before expanding to wrap around me.
Huh. Seemed that was a handy bonus of being mated.
With nothing between us, I rushed to him. Lyle was dead but not executed. Despite the vigour Jem was attacking him with, he hadn’t touched his power except to stop the others approaching.
I didn’t try and grab his arms. Instead, I stepped up behind him and laid my hand between his wings, right over his heart. Touching a demon or angel there was inviting death.
I wasn’t scared. I had complete faith in Jem. He was no more capable of hurting me than he was himself.
Mating bond or no.
“Jem,” I repeated, “he’s not worth it.”
Jem snarled, his pace not slowing. Lyle’s face didn’t resemble anything human now, but still he continued.
“Leave it,” I said quietly. “He’s not worth it. It’s just you and me, Jem. There’s no room between us for anyone else.”
I wasn’t sure how the bond worked exactly, but I tried to send my emotions down it. My serenity to counter his anger. Acceptance against his determination.
It seemed to work. His hands stilled, and he turned his head and blinked up at me. “Noah?”
