Fallen Embers (Fallen Guardians #9)

Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

Nia groaned and rolled off the bed, her nightshirt damp from perspiration. Her head pounded like the devil’s army caroused in there.

She wiped her damp face with her forearm and stumbled toward the bathroom. But the heat enclosing her like a furnace had her halting midway.

A fire crackled in the small corner hearth with half-burned logs. Nia blinked, so sure she hadn’t lit the thing before she fell asleep. God knew being high up in the mountains, it was bitterly cold. But with her abilities awakening, she was her own damn heater.

Did Lore come in and light the fire?

She remembered the night a few days ago, when she’d fallen asleep on the floor, only to awaken on her bed, and her heart skipped a beat. “No-no, stop ,” she grumbled at the stupid organ that couldn’t care less about her demands. “That angel is not for us.”

This was her downfall, always drawn to the dangerous type. First Kas, who turned out to be a malevolent asshole, and now Lore, a dreamy but frustrating asshole.

For the sake of her sanity, she had to stay away from him. But, of course, at the mere thought of the jerk, heat pooled in her core. God, she groaned, stumbling into the bathroom and into the shower stall, clenching her inner muscles. She turned on the water to icy…

A half-hour later, the churning heat and arousal had subsided a bit. Her teeth clattered, and she shivered as she hastily changed into her new clothes, then stalled. She didn’t want to go downstairs, but hunger gnawed a hole in her belly since she hadn’t eaten last night.

Blast it. She wasn’t going to hide from the darn angel, who confused her even more with his little acts of thoughtfulness, like lighting the fire she didn’t need.

Downstairs in the sunken living room, sunlight poured through the windows. It had to be around midday.

At the silence engulfing her, hope rose. Lore wasn’t around. Maybe she could have a stress-free meal with no one watching her, no new rules to follow, and no stupid training schedule stuffed down her throat.

The scent of coffee brewing saturated the air as she entered the quiet kitchen. Did Race come by again?

Frowning, Nia poured herself half a cup of the steaming brew. While she wasn’t a fan of it, she’d drink it if she had to. She topped it with milk from the fridge and grimaced at the murky dishwater in her cup. She didn’t see Race as a weak coffee lover, more like a consumer of the paint thinner she suffered through the other day…

Did Lore make this?

Nah! Dismissing the thought, she opened the plastic container on the counter to find a scrumptious chocolate cake decorated with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and cherries. Perfect.

With no sharp knives about, she grabbed a butter knife from the dish rack and cut a slice. The rich, decadent aroma had her salivating. She scooped it up. Crumbs fell as she took a huge bite.

God! Sooo good ? —

“When you’re finished, meet me outside.”

A spasm of coughing erupted as the cake went down wrong. So sure her lungs would burst, she dropped the dessert in the container, dived for her mug on the table, and guzzled the tepid coffee.

When she could breathe again, she dashed her watery eyes and glared at him. “Must you do that?”

“Are you all right?” A frown creased his brow.

“Do I look all right?” She coughed again, drinking more of the horrible beverage to soothe her sore throat. “And about meeting you outside?” She grabbed the hem of her sweater and wiped her eyes. “It doesn’t work for me.”

“Why not?”

Nia released her sweater, her gaze lifting to his hard, handsome face.

Because you confuse me!

She blurted, “And have you criticize my fighting skills again? Yeah, no thanks.”

Now if he could just take his sexy ass out of the kitchen, then she could enjoy her breakfast in peace. She found a box of cereal in the cupboard and grabbed a bowl from another shelf.

“I thought you might like to get out of the abbey for a while.”

Ohhh , no . She didn’t trust this…this accommodating, almost friendly side of him. But darn, if it meant getting away from the mountain for a while…

Her resolution to stay away from him crumbled into pieces.

“Fine. But one insulting word about humans, and I swear, I won’t just stake you this time. I’ll carve out your heart and feed the pieces to the birds.”

He stared at her for an endless second, then shook his head and finally nodded. “Noted.”

Nia side-eyed him as he walked out, so sure she glimpsed a tinge of amusement in his striking eyes. Nope, it was probably her inane attraction to him messing with her head.

With no time to eat her cereal, she grabbed her half-eaten slice of cake and stuffed it in her mouth. As she chewed, she glanced at the cold coffee and shuddered. “ You don’t tempt me one bit unless I’m choking.”

Nia got a glass of water, gulped some, then tidied up her breakfast mess.

Once done, she grabbed her jacket from the coatstand in the corner, put it on, and hurried outside into the freezing air. Light snowflakes drifted down, settling on the overnight layer of snow already covering the ground.

Lore leaned against the precarious balustrade in the front courtyard, ankles crossed, arms folded over his chest, unbothered by the chill or snow. He looked up as she approached. His gaze traveled down her jeans and boots and back to the thick cream sweater she wore under her open jacket.

That very male look had her blood warming, a look she doubted he was even aware of. Her throat dried up, but that infernal heat within heightened.

“Where—” she rasped, cleared her throat, and tried again. “Where are we going?”

He straightened from the railing and held out a hand, bits of snowflakes sticking to his hair and shoulders. “To practice.”

“What? Holding hands?”

His mouth compressed as if holding back a smile. Her heart skipped. Ugh, it was probably her overworked imagination screwing with her mind.

“So I can keep you safe when you call on your teleporting power.”

“What?” Her nerves shriveled into a ball. “I thought we were getting off this mountain for a while?”

“We are, but you will take us.”

Jesus. She rubbed her buzzing temples. “Hate to break it to ya, but I don’t think that’s gonna work. I’m not irritated enough with you.”

As usual, he ignored her snippy comment. “You have to be prepared for anything. Being mortal, your safest defense is to get away from tougher opponents.”

“You mean demons.”

“And otherworldly beings, once they sense the growing power within you.”

When he put it like that…shit! Her belly twisted, and her mouth took over to cover up her fear. “Yay, me,” she muttered. “Well, wherever you went, it sure changed your personality—not by a lot. I mean, you’re still like a remote glacier but a tad better. Hmm…I like this new you more.”

He blinked as if she had come out of left field and clocked him on the head. Nia wanted to laugh.

“Thank you for the endorsement. Now concentrate.”

“Wow. You’re actually talking in full sentences. Color me speechless. Your visit elsewhere sure did a good job of opening this side of you?—”

“Nia.”

At the terse edge in his voice, she dropped her baiting. “Okay, fine. I’m concentrating.” She shut her eyes. “What do I do?”

“Imagine a place you want to go to. Nearby ,” he stressed. “Now, go to the deepest part of yourself. You should feel an energy…a pull that wasn’t within you until recently. Focus on that.” He grasped her hand, his grip warm and reassuringly safe. “I will be with you to make sure nothing happens. Remember, keep the image of where you want to go in your mind.”

Right. She inhaled deeply, and with the river in her mind, she latched onto the core of the darn agitating heat within her?—

Everything around her dispersed like the wind…and her feet left then retouched the ground. She stumbled, a little disoriented, but strong arms came around her, steadying her.

Nia grabbed Lore’s shirt until her head stopped spinning. Then she glanced about and laughed. “I did it! OMG, I did it!”

Grinning, she pushed away. Yep, made it, right there on the banks of the river!

Broken bits of ice floated in the rustling water, some crashing against the rocks strewn in its way. No drifting snowflakes here. Just up at the super-cold abbey.

“Now what?” She spun back and found him watching her.

“Now you do it again. Without me. Get yourself there.” He nodded across the river to the snow-crusted bank at the foothills of the soaring mountain.

A twinge of wariness slipped through her as she eyed the fast-flowing river. What if she fell in? “I don’t think I can.”

“Yes, you can and will. In a dangerous situation, it’s the only escape you will have.”

At the reminder, she blew out a deep breath. “I would have been so much happier living my feeble human existence without knowledge of the supernatural or these powers.”

“You cannot hide from this, Nia.” His stern tone had her scrunching her nose. “You’re stronger than that.”

She would have reveled in his praise, but a deeper part of her sensed there was more. Why would Lore suddenly change from just watching out for her to making sure she was well-versed in combat and having her hone her growing abilities?

No, he wouldn’t say anything unless she chiseled it out of him. Oh, but she would find out.

Nia shut her eyes again, imagining the opposite bank, and willed herself there. A brisk whoosh of air drowned out the sounds of nature, and she stumbled as her foot touched the snowy ground on the opposite bank. Her eyes shot open.

“Whoa! I did it!” She fist-pumped the air.

“Good.” Lore appeared at her side in a scatter of silver. “Always visualize where you want to go as you summon the ability, so you’re there and not stuck in the middle of a rock.”

Jeez. She grimaced at the grisly image and started walking, sidestepping the huge boulders, probably chunks that had fallen off the mountain. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“If you feel uneasy about anything, tell me.”

Right. She carefully navigated the rubble and rocks poking out of the snow, the rushing water a soothing sound. “What if you’re not here? I mean, when you left, you said, I’ll be back shortly . Your shortly was two days later.”

“I forget while time is irrelevant to us, it is not so for humans.”

“Yeah, we are finite,” she drawled, side-eyeing him and finding him frowning. “Have you spent any time among humans at all?”

“Not exactly.”

She groaned. “Expand, pleeeease . I beg of you.”

His lips twitched. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he deliberately gave his minimal responses to get a rise out of her.

“A female.” Before jealousy planted its seed, he said, “She’s mated to one of the Guardians.”

“Hey, you actually answered.”

The twitch became a smile. Her breath caught, and her feet forgot how to move.

He stopped, too, his gaze lowering to her mouth. “You have one of these…” He lightly brushed her chin. “A dent.”

Nia forgot what she wanted to ask him. The gentle caress of his warm fingertips against her skin sent a rush of heat through her, pooling low. He’d never once touched her this intimately. Well, except for her wrist.

“Yeah, it’s called a dimple.” It came out in a croak. Desperate to regain her fast-fading equilibrium, she pivoted. “Oh, shiiiiit !” she squealed, skidding on the ice-covered bank, arms flailing. There was no way to save herself?—

A hand grasped her arm, stopping her from landing in the icy water or, worse, in an undignified heap at his feet.

Inhaling rapid breaths of air, Nia looked up, and her throat seized at his intense stare.

This was as far as things typically went with them. Him, just looking, while she lost a little more of her functioning gray cells.

“Thank you.”

“No…” His gaze drifted over her face again, lowered to her lips, and came back to her eyes. He settled her on a low boulder he’d cleared free of the snow. “Thank me the way you did the other day.”

Caught in a surreal haze, Nia gaped as Lore hunkered down near her. His black dress pants stretched over powerful thighs, and his muscled body blocked the cool sunlight.

“Wh-what?” she breathed, feeling as if there wasn’t enough air in the forest, as if the winds had swept in, stealing it all. She stared at him, dead sure this was all a dream and the intractable, know-it-all angel she knew would suddenly reappear, squashing the heated mirage to smithereens.

His head lowered to hers, his sunset red strands sliding forward, but those mesmerizing metallic green eyes held her spellbound. His warm lips brushed hers, and the little air trapped in her lungs escaped in a gasp.

“That.” He eased back.

She dragged in lungfuls of air into her burning chest. Nope, she must be the butt of some angelic joke?—

He waited.

Oh, shit! “You’re serious?”

“I am before you, waiting. I don’t know how much more serious this can be.”

Her heart crashed against her ribs. He wanted her to lead? Wait! She was likely his first kiss. Aaand like a moth drawn to a flame, she met him halfway and pressed her mouth to his.

He remained motionless.

She eased back an inch and met his intense stare before languidly gliding her lips along his mouth, letting her tongue slide gently along the seam.

Where he’d been still before, his tension now radiated as if he teetered on the edge of a cliff.

Her heart raced. One wrong move, and it would be over, which was the last thing she wanted. Drawn as she was to him, if this were all she’d have, she refused to question it.

She pressed her mouth to his again, firmer this time, but an impish part of her couldn’t resist. She sucked his sensual bottom lip, then tugged it a little.

His breathing grew rougher. He palmed her nape as if to keep her there.

Nia moved off the boulder, knelt on the snow-covered ground, and gripped his shirt. The mere inch between their bodies felt like kindling lit, about to sear.

Holding his intense gaze, she sucked his lower lip again, slowly, decadently. God, he tasted amazing…

Taunting him became her very own torment as her blood heated and desire coiled her body tighter and tighter. She shut her eyes and deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth, finding his, and sucking?—

A rustle erupted in the quiet. She pulled back as his wings spread open. His eyes smoldered. Slashes of moonlight streaked in those forest green depths as he stared at her, lips wet from their kiss.

Unable to stop herself, she wrapped a swathe of his unbound hair around her fingers.

His grip tightened on her waist, his breathing harsh. And then he was moving, shifting to his knees and dragging her to him. He kissed her, sucking and exploring her mouth with his tongue as if determined to discover every facet of her.

With a moan, her body melted against his hard one. Only his arm banded around her waist kept her from sliding onto the snow like one bigass puddle of goo. His other hand tangled in her hair, he kissed her as if he had finally found the best sustenance for life. Then Nia forgot where she was, lost in him…

It was her burning lungs that had her breaking their kiss.

Breathing hard, she clutched his shirt. His eyes glowed silver, and he stared at her as if seeing her for the first time.

Desire gripped her like a fist, and she struggled to tamp down the growing need.

God knew she liked him, but she was sensible enough to accept that he was divine, and nothing could come of this attraction.

And he’d probably kissed her because of…curiosity?

“Why?” she whispered.

Lore blinked, his expression clearing as the lust or whatever he’d felt banked. He suddenly shot to his feet, dragging her up and pushing her behind him, his entire being morphing to stone.

What the heck?

To prevent herself from stumbling, she grasped the back of his shirt and peered under the massive wing hiding her. Her heart stuttered.

Oh, shit. They weren’t alone.