Page 92 of Guarded
“And find out where the fuck the vampires are,” I groused. “I’ve got places I need to be.”
Rowan nodded and left the room. Atlas and I expanded our shields, pouring more power in than ever before.
Lyle had enough awareness to understand that we were vulnerable now, and the knowledge seemed to give him a fresh burst of energy as he attacked with renewed vigour.
“Where do you need to be?” Atlas grunted, his stare fixed on Lyle.
The door opened behind us and I almost wept in relief. Hopefully it would be a few of the others so I could pause for a second. My hair was sticking to my neck. I wished like fuck that I could lower my hands long enough to tie it back. “I have a date.”
Behind the shields, Lyle stopped to sneer. “A date? Who the fuck would date a waste of space like you?”
Vibration started in my hands as my hold on my power slipped a little. “Fuck you, Lyle.”
“No, I fuck you.” The venomous piece of shit flashedhis teeth. “And it’ll happen again, Noah. We all know you’ll come crawling back to me. As soon as yourdaterealises what a worthless little slut you are, he’ll dump you. He’ll leave you alone just like everyone else does. Just like you deserve.”
Someone spoke behind me. Someone I definitely wasn’t expecting.
Someone, I was horrified to realise, who’d heard every word of this exchange.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” A shimmering orange shield settled over the top of mine and Atlas’s. It sought out the weak spots and reinforced them until a veritable wall stood between us and Lyle. “Noah deserves everything. Unlike you, I actually realise that and plan to give it to him.”
He’s here. Jem’s here.
Warm hands gathered my hair, lifting it off my neck. I shivered as cool air hit my skin.
I couldn’t think of what to say first. Did I try and explain what was happening? Apologise for presumably standing him up? Ask him to forget the hateful words Lyle had said?
When the question left my lips, it wasn’t one I’d been expecting. “You had a hair bobble?”
“Yep,” Jem said, securing my hair in a neat ponytail. “Used to have long hair and haven’t got out of the habit of carrying one.”
“I never knew that.”
He pressed his lips to my neck, just below my ear. “Why don’t you rest, Noah? I’ve got this.”
“I can’t,” I whispered. Lyle was roaring now. Whether that was because he’d realised Jeremiah was a demon, or because of the tender way said demon was touching me, I didn’t know. “He’s too strong.”
“Too strong for you because you’re exhausted.” Jemstepped up next to me, and tears welled up at the sight of him. Everything I’d been suppressing was trying to break free now that he was here. “I, however, am fully rested.”
He lifted a hand and a blast of flame breached the shield. It was too fast for Lyle to defend against. He went flying backwards into the wall, but the flames didn’t stop, burning ferociously as Lyle screamed.
Panicking, I grabbed Jem’s arm. “Stop. You can’t execute him.”
“I’m not.” Jem winked at me. “Trust me, baby, I know where the line is between death and execution. Lyle’s going to spend some time hovering there with me.”
Lyle’s screams cut off abruptly as he lost consciousness. Atlas and I watched in stunned silence as the skin on his face began to melt and blister.
The whole time, Jeremiah aimed his flames with a serene smile on his face.
True to his word, the instant Lyle died, the fire vanished. It would only be a few minutes before he reincarnated, but I planned on using every last one of them.
I didn’t bother aiming for a chair, just collapsed on the floor. Beside me, Atlas did the same, saying, “Fuck. He’s so much worse.”
I grunted, rubbing at my tired eyes. “I’m not sure what the vamps will be able to do, Atlas.”
The other arch closed his eyes and shook his head. “I know. Time is all I’m hoping for. A little longer for us to get our house in order.”
A bottle of water and a protein bar appeared in my field of vision. “Here. You need to eat and drink.”
