Page 7 of Guarded
It would be God’s. Swapping one all-powerful boss for another was not an item on my bucket list.
That was why I’d run. Why I’d flown as hard and far as possible. Why I’d stayed away for as long as I could.
I can live however I want. Knowing my fated mate is out there doesn’t have to change anything.
That was what I’d told myself. Every minute of every day. It didn’t matter if fate was ready for us to meet—I wasn’t. It was as simple as that.
Or so I’d thought.
Turns out, fate is a fucking stubborn bastard. The pull I’d felt when I’d seen the house hadn’t eased over time. It didn’t lessen with the miles I put between us. If anything, it became stronger, more demanding.
I’d tried to ignore it, I really had. I’d cut my hair short, changing the look I’d cultivated for so long. I’d travelled through countless countries, trying desperately to enjoy the culture. The feel of the sun on my face. Rain. Wind.
I was free. Finally free.
But it meant nothing. Not with the hole in my chest growing every day, expanding until it took over everything else.
My mate was out there, waiting for me. I wasn’t ready, but fate was.
I fucking hated it. Once again, my life wasn’t my own. Iwasn’t the master of myself. Maybe I never would be. It was a fucking depressing thing to admit.
When Nox reached out, begging for help, I knew I should ignore it. Realistically, he’d be fine. His housemates were the strongest beings on any plane. Add in the fact that our friends, Dahlia, Quill, and Darius, had agreed to help and they really didn’t need me.
But I couldn’t ignore that my mate was there. Whatever troubles Nox was facing involved my mate too…whoever they were.
That knowledge had had me flying hard and fast from Japan, travelling quicker than I ever had before. The wind had pushed me faster, as though the entire universe was urging me there. To my mate.
If asked, I would’ve insisted I’d only returned for Nox. No one would’ve questioned it. Why would they? He was one of my oldest friends, one of the few who understood what it was to finally be free.
Like me, he’d found his mate within the Seraphim compound. He’d tried to fight it too, but his mistake had been staying in the same country. The same city, even.
It wasn’t one I’d been about to repeat.
Then again, Nox knew exactly who his mate was. I didn’t. I had no idea what he looked like. What colour his eyes were. His hair. I didn’t know the sound of his laugh or what made him moan in bed.I didn’t know his favourite foods, his childhood secrets, or even his name.
All I knew was that he was an angel and part of the Seraphim.
And that he was mine.
I think everything might’ve been okay if I’d managed to not learn anything about him. If I could’ve continuedblindly stumbling through a maze of what-ifs instead of being confronted with the stark reality.
Now though…I knew. I knew exactly who I was running from.
Noah.I’d mouthed his name in the dark of night many times, not allowing myself to say it in the cold light of day. My mate.
I imagined that many people who discovered their fated mate was as beautiful as Noah might be scared for a different reason. They might believe they didn’t deserve him. That he was too good for them. Don’t get me wrong, that was fucking accurate as hell. But I was a demon. A demon who coveted pretty men.
Noah was the prettiest man I’d ever seen. I think my heart stopped beating during the few glances I’d allowed myself. He was tall and willowy, his delicate bone structure like what humans imagined elves or fae to have. His high cheekbones framed his golden eyes. Lilac tresses flowed over his shoulders, as long as mine had once been.
No, he wasn’t pretty. Noah was beautiful. A god amongst immortals. He was born to make people worship him on their knees. In any other circumstances, I would’ve gladly done that. I’d have done whatever it took to charm him into my bed.
But I didn’t. How could I, when I knew what it would mean for me?
Instead, I’d run away. I’d seen his heart breaking, how he’d reached out for me.
I hadn’t offered him anything other than a silent apology. An apology for not being stronger. For fate giving him a mate so unworthy of him. A silent promise to let him live in peace.
I’d flown a thousand miles in the oppositedirection, not letting myself look back for a second. If I had, I would’ve returned to him. Would’ve fallen at his feet to beg him for another chance.
