Page 3 of Guarded
Gloria’s intentions became clear when she tried to insist Sam cross the wards without Ezekiel. “Enough of this posturing. Human, you have thirty seconds to step over here, or we will take it as a declaration of war against Heaven and God herself.”
Fuck her. If that was what it took to protect our own, that was what I’d do. From the expressions on every face around me, they felt the same damned way. There was no way we were letting her hurt Sam. No fucking chance.
But the threat hit Ezekiel differently. It was his mate under threat. His mate being exposed to danger.
And he was losing it.
Sam noticed it first, which made sense given their bond. He grabbed Ezekiel’s chin, forcing his gaze to his. “Zeke, it’s going to be okay.”
Zeke. The name only Sam was allowed to call him. I tensed as I felt the crackling power rising in Ezekiel.Shit.The name wasn’t enough to pull him back, not now.
Micah noticed as well. “Sam, take a step to the side.”
I raised my shield, along with several others. Ezekiel was approaching that place we were always warned about. The one where you lost control of your powers, taking out everyone around you. Our second had always struggled with his temper, but he’d never crossed that line.
But with his mate’s life under threat? He was closer now than ever.
Ironically, Lyle had stepped over that line while trying to drag Nox and Micah back to Hell. Micah had been shocked when he described it to me. I hadn’t been shocked. Knowing Lyle’s temperament, I was amazed it hadn’t happened earlier.
Ezekiel was roaring at Micah as our leader tried to reason with him. Lightning was crackling around his hands as his control slipped further.
I exchanged a look with Nate, tilting my head towards Sam. He nodded in understanding. Our powers reached out simultaneously towards the human, ready to protect him. It’d leave us exposed, but that didn’t matter.
Saving Ezekiel’s mate did.
Watching Sam’s face as closely as I was, I saw the moment realisation dawned. When a plan clicked into place. “Zeke, stop.”
“What’s the holdup?”Was it just me, or did Gloria have the most fucking annoying voice ever? I understood why we couldn’t kill her yet, but fuck, I wanted to. “Ten seconds and counting.”
Igave a low growl, letting my power rise. If I unleashedit at the right moment, I could execute the soldiers before they even saw it coming.
But I wasn’t the only one with a plan. Sam turned to the twins, a cunning gleam in his eyes. “Nate, Theo, she didn’t say anything about you coming, right?”
They answered by pulling out their swords, matching evil grins on their faces.
Sam spun to Ezekiel, who was still trembling, his hold on his power tenuous. The plucky human grabbed his mate’s face in his hands. Most people wouldn’t dare approach Ezekiel with how close he was to losing it. But not Sam. The trust he had in Zeke was absolute. What must that be like, to have complete faith in the one you loved? “Zeke, take a lap. You hear me? Take. A. Lap.”
Take a lap.That was what Sam had been making Ezekiel do every time he lost his temper. He’d forced him out into the grounds, to walk laps around them until he’d calmed down. If we got through today, it was a strategy I could see him using on some of the others.
The others being the twins. Maybe Rami. They were the ones most prone to fits of temper.
With those words, Sam stalked towards the boundary of the wards, the twins hot on his heels.
Sam’s instructions seemed to have worked. Ezekiel’s power spooled in tight, leashed once again. He assured Micah he was in control before turning his attention to the rest of us.
“Up to the boundary,” he barked, unsheathing his sword and letting his power crackle from his other hand. Now, it was clear who was in control of it…and it wasn’t Gloria. “She said I can’t cross, but like Sam said, she didn’t say anything about the rest of you.”
Game on.
The twins and Ezekiel already had shields over Sam, and the rest of us added ours in quick succession. I drew up behind them, falling into formation with the rest of the Seraphim.
I didn’t pay much attention to what happened next. I left the diplomacy and threats to the others, silently waiting for the moment when I’d be needed. My power was coiled tight. Once it was unleashed, there’d be no stopping it crashing through my targets.
When it became obvious that Gloria wasn’t walking away without a fight, Ezekiel joined us, pulling his mate into his chest. The sight caused both joy and jealousy. This was a man prepared to lose it all for the one he loved.
I’d never had that.
I mean, sure, that was technically what we were all doing. But we were being driven by loyalty. Love too, but not the kind Sam and Ezekiel shared.
