Fallen Embers (Fallen Guardians #9)

Chapter 34

Chapter

Thirty-Four

The quiet in the kitchen after the males had departed gave Lore a much-needed respite. Mostly because he felt like shit, and he wasn’t up to handling the warriors. Never mind, he’d be joining them soon enough with his new job.

More, he didn’t want Nia to know the true extent of the pain tearing through his shoulder blades.

He glanced at his mate and found her texting on her cell.

What are you doing?

Sending you a dirty text.

He blinked, and she cut him a teasing sideways look. It’s just a quick message to Ely. She hit send and dropped her cell on the table.

This female.

Kira hurried over and placed a steaming silver bowl in front of them. She removed the lid and set it aside. “You guys barely had anything to eat since you came here, so dig in.”

Something fragrant with herbs drifted to him. The scent had often teased his nose from the potted plants out on the kitchen terrace. His belly constricted…hunger. Another new normal for him.

“It’s chicken broth,” Kira said. “I thought it might be easier for an angel’s first meal. Nia, there’s roast beef if you prefer.”

“No, I’ll have the same, too,” she said. “Thanks.”

“Okay, good. Enjoy then. Shae, c’mon,” she called out. “Let’s go keep our guys from maiming each other.”

Lore didn’t pay them any heed, his attention on the steaming concoction.

“Let me do that, honey,” Nia said, ladling some of the thin broth onto the soup plate. She set it in front of him, then helped herself to some. “You can eat it with buttered rolls. It tastes really good. Shall I make you one?”

He shook his head. “I think it’s one step at a time for me.”

“That’s fine.” Her lips curved in a tender smile, and she patted his thigh. Nia slathered a roll for herself and took a bite, her lips closing around it. All he could think was he wanted her luscious mouth on him again. But she was hungry, and he wanted their next time to be perfect, not have his body gripped in hellish pain.

A chair dragged. Lore looked up to find his former student dropping onto the seat next to Nia.

Echo leaned her arms on the table, her worried gaze shifting between Nia and him. “You both will be staying here from now on, right?”

Nia didn’t answer but glanced at him.

“Wherever Nia wants to live is fine with me.”

“Generally, Michael likes all the powerful psionics to live here on the island,” Echo said. “It’s safer.”

He was on board with that. Nia’s safety was the only thing that mattered.

“I’d like that. I mean, living here with my family,” Nia said. “We have so much to catch up on. However, I still have to finish my residency to get my veterinarian license. I have a few months left…” Her brow furrowed.

“I’m sure it shouldn’t be a problem,” Lore said. “We’ll revisit this situation once everything is dealt with and things are safe.”

Her eyes brightened, and she smiled. “Oh, good.”

As if he would ever stand in the way of what she wanted.

“Great.” Echo jumped up, beaming. “Let me get you something to drink.” She hurried to the kitchen.

Nia glanced back at him and bit her lip. I’ll have to get a job to pay for my studies.

He frowned. Michael did mention I’ll have remuneration from now on, so I’ll see that your studies are paid for.

Tears welled in her pretty eyes. Thank you. She grasped his hand. “Oh, I still have to go to New Orleans to pick up my puppies from the clinic and speak to my friends.”

“I’ll take you?—”

“Or I could teleport myself.”

“Not without me.” He used a tone that allowed no argument.

She rolled her eyes, her lips pressed together, hiding a smile, and his heart expanded at her playful teasing.

“Eat.” Nia nodded at his untouched plate.

Echo returned with sodas and a jug of golden liquid. “This…” She smirked and poured a glass, setting it near him. “Is a heavenly punch. It does taste good and helps us feel heaps better.”

“I would have thought you’d have your dagger at my throat,” he said absently.

“What?” Then she burst out laughing, eyes sparkling. “Just because I stabbed you once?—”

“What?” Nia’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“Well, he was being a, er…” Echo scrunched her face the same way he’d seen Nia do. “He was being his usual disdainful self,” she muttered, cheeks flushing. “I mean when he was my tutor. I like this version of him much better. So, great job, Nia.”

His mate laughed. “Well, any which way, I adore him. But I was there, too, faced with his aloofness in the beginning.”

Lore shook his head as Echo regaled Nia on how she flung her dagger at him and nailed him in the belly in the early weeks of her lessons. He finally tasted the broth. A concoction of flavors flooded his mouth…herby and…and he wasn’t sure how to describe it. But it was palatable.

“Good?” Nia asked with a smile.

Not as good as you taste when I go down on you. Out loud, he said, “Not bad.”

Stop, she grumbled, her cheeks red. Or Echo will know what you’re doing.

She is mated. She must know.

Echo bit her lip to stop her smile, clearly already catching on. Nia groaned and shoveled more broth into her mouth, making him want to laugh.

Then she settled her attention on her sister. “You should eat something too. Have some soup.”

Echo grimaced. “I’m stuffed. I had a snack earlier.”

Nia frowned as she took another bite of her roll.

What troubles you, my mate , he asked.

I’m not sure. Does she look sick to you?

It’s hard to say. I cannot scan her with my powers dormant. On the surface, she appears her usual self, just a little wan.

Lore drank some juice, and a sweet tartness flowed over his tongue. Though he used to drink the heavenly nectar for nourishment every once in a while, he couldn’t recall what it tasted like. This beverage gave him an overload of flavors, which would take some getting used to.

He set the glass down.

“You finished?” Nia asked.

He glanced at her, not surprised she kept an eye on him. “I am for now.”

The outside doors opened, and Michael strode inside. “Oh, good. You’re up. You doing okay?”

“Better than yesterday. What happened?” he asked.

“What do you think?”

A plaintive, muted meow had Michael turning. He opened the door, and a huge, overweight, furry gray cat with an orange ruff stopped dead on the patio, one paw still raised to enter, its unwavering amber stare on them.

“Oh, he’s so beautiful!” Nia shot up and darted across.

Michael lifted an eyebrow, but she was already outside and on her knees, stroking the feline’s back. The cat purred.

She laughed. “Hello, you gorgeous boy. Who do you belong to?”

“That’s Bob,” Echo said, rising and joining her sister outside in the darkening afternoon. “I belong to him.”

Nia laughed. “I have two tiny stray pups—a dachshund cross—that I’m adopting. They’re still at the clinic…” She continued caressing the purring cat. “How’s Bob with dogs?”

“Well…” Echo laughed, crouching next to her. “We’ll just have to see.”

Michael headed for the fridge and grabbed a can of soda, cracked the tab, and drank some.

Lore rose and joined the archangel, watching Nia and her sister through the window. “What happened?”

“She killed a seraph, and they’re not happy. With you being of higher rank and falling, and then Jehoel’s death… It’s chaos.”

He scowled. “They should have thought twice about coming after me. I won’t let them touch her. I will kill them.”

Michael nodded. “You should know, before you fell, Jehoel gave you the death touch?—”

“So, I would have had no chance at coming out alive at all,” Lore muttered through clenched teeth, recalling the seraph patting his shoulder in the final minutes.

“Indeed. And that’s why he appeared at the cave to complete his order since you managed to somehow overcome it.”

Lore straightened, too annoyed to remain still. “They won’t rest until it’s done, until my mate and I are dead.”

“Yes. You broke the higher-ups’ sacrosanct rule.”

“Never succumb to the weakened mortal coil like our brethren,” Lore repeated the last added codicil of the ancient decree, his attention shifting back to Nia and Echo. His mate was now carrying the purring feline.

He reached out through their soul bond and took comfort in her warmth. She glanced up and smiled. His resolve hardened. “They should know better. Remember who I was.”

He rolled back his taut shoulders. Pain flayed his back, and he gritted his teeth, wishing the wounds would heal already.

“It still hurts?” Michael nodded to his back.

Lore considered denying it, then nodded. “The goddess healed every broken bone I sustained from falling, but these back injuries aren’t doing so well.”

“I’ll get the Oracle to send you something else to aid you.” He set his soda aside. “You’re not on duty yet, but be on the lookout. Call the others if you sense anything first. They are aware of the situation. Two will remain here until it’s over.”

Call the others?

Irritation surged through him. But without powers, if he tried to take down the Seraphs or the thrones, he might as well just hand himself over to Chamuel to finish the job.

Lore pulled his emotions deep into him.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll handle this—dammit!” Michael cursed.

Lore stilled. “What is it?”

“Race. Demons are running rampant in the small villages near the Himalayas. The Fallen who watch over that hotbed need help. I have to go.” Michael disappeared in a flash.

Lore was aware Michael had a group of fallen angels working as protectors for this realm, too. Whether they’d pledged their allegiance to Gaia as her Guardians, he wasn’t sure.

Soon enough, it would be his job to keep humans and this world safe, as well.

Same job, different situation. With this one, at least, it would be protecting those who were weaker and in need rather than the snobs he’d worked for.

Lore headed for Nia.

As he stepped onto the terrace, she looked up, her amber eyes brighter than the cat’s she carried. Her ready smile faded. She set the feline down and joined him, her gaze searching his. “Are you okay?”

He grasped her hand and pressed her fingers to his mouth. “I’m fine, just getting used to this new me?—”

A soft gasp split the quiet.

“Echo!” Nia cried out, darting forward as her twin swayed.

Lore grabbed the female before she hit the ground. He scanned her, but his abilities weren’t at full power yet, and he couldn’t seem to get through to find out what was happening to her.

He settled her onto one of the wooden benches between the potted plants.

“What’s wrong?” Nia demanded, sitting next to her.

“It’s nothing.” Echo swiped a hand across her brow. “Just felt a little weak for a second, is all. I’m okay now. Please don’t tell Aethan. I don’t want him to worry.”

Lore frowned. If Nia was unwell, he’d want to know.

It surprised him that Aethan wasn’t there already.

“Shall I call Nate, then?” Nia asked.

Echo huffed, but Lore saw the effort it took for her to smile. “I don’t think I need him. Maybe a little of Hedori’s strengthening juice would help.”

“Coming up.” Nia hurried into the kitchen.

“You should tell him,” he told Echo quietly, watching her pet curl around her ankles.

Sighing deeply, she stroked Bob’s furry back, then looked up, her bicolored eyes dark and troubled. “I know, but I don’t want to worry him. He already feels so much of whatever I go through, and it’s a dangerous distraction when he’s out on patrol. It’s hard to block it when you’re soul-joined, you know?”

He could understand that. “Is that why he isn’t here yet?”

Red streaked her cheeks. She inhaled a shaky breath and picked up her pet, hugging him. “I love that he wants me to be one hundred percent well at all times, but sometimes I just want to take a Tylenol for a headache without the attention. If this was really bad, I would call him in a heartbeat.”

Lore remained silent, absorbing what she said.

“Here.” Nia returned with a glass of the golden liquid.

As Echo drank some of it, he asked, “Is it truly the heavenly juice?”

She lowered the glass and huffed, more color returning to her wan features. Her pet leaped off her lap and went to investigate the potted plants. “No, I was teasing you earlier. It’s actually a revitalizing drink Hedori makes. It’s a great pick-me-up if one’s recovering from wounds, etc. I’m okay now.”

Glass in hand, she stood. “I’m gonna head indoors and find my man. Hopefully, we aren’t paupers now,” she said with a wry smile. “Oh, Lore, if you do decide to join the guys in their games, set the bet at a dollar from the get-go. It’s all about winning with them.”

He stared at Echo’s retreating back, frowning.

“Worried?” Nia teased.

He met her sparkling eyes. “No. I’d rather you teach me more of your bed games.”

Her golden skin turned a shade darker, but her quick mouth was on track. “Then get better fast, and I’ll show you. Do you feel up to a stroll?”

“I’m hardly an invalid if I’m standing here.”

She snorted and hooked her arm through his, and they ambled around the castle in the deepening twilight.

“I see you have an admirer.”

“What?” She glanced back, and finding Bob following along the snow-trodden path, she laughed, the sound light and infectious, making him smile. “He’s adorable.”

“Just as well he’s a cat, or I might have to vanquish him to another realm.”

“Don’t you dare,” she huffed, then asked, “Are you up for a visit to the boathouse?”

“I hadn’t planned on going so far.”

“Well, I could teleport us there. I want you to meet someone.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see.” She smiled, reveling in her surprise.

The happiness in her eyes reached out and wrapped around him. He couldn’t deny her. “All right.”

“I’ll see you later, Bob.” She knelt and caressed the purring cat. Then she leaped up and grasped his hand. The next moment, the pathway and castle vanished in a swirl of air, and they reappeared at the foot of the wooden steps leading to the boathouse. Dark clouds gathered over the beach.

She laughed, sweeping back loose strands of her hair. Her excitement overshadowed his discomfort at having his body dissolve and reform, causing agony to erupt in his wounds and a headache to start. He clenched his jaw, refraining from rubbing his sore temple.

“What is it?”

“You did really well,” he said, ignoring her question.

“Why, thank you, kind sir.” She gave him an elaborate bow.

Despite his discomfort, the need to possess her smiling mouth gripped him hard. He moved into her, and she hastily pressed up against the wall.

“Lore,” she half laughed, half groaned, her hands pressed to his chest as if that would stop him. “What are you doing?—”

“Stop talking, and what’s the word you use? Yes, fuck my mouth with that tongue of yours.”

She moaned. “I’ve created a monster, and you’re avoiding my question?—”

“Very well, I’ll do so.” He cupped her face with both hands, slipping his tongue into her mouth, seeking hers. With a soft sigh, she caved and leaned into him, sliding her arms around his neck. She responded with a desperation matching his own need for her…

“If you both need more time,” a dry voice said, “let me know, Nia.”

“Darn.” She broke their kiss and buried her face in his chest. “Nate, give us a minute. Please…”

Lore glanced at the tall, dark-haired male on the landing before he strolled off, his amused laughter drifting to them.

So, he was Nia’s brother?

Aaand he was also the same male Ely had begged Lore to save a few weeks ago, who lay dying on the foyer floor in the castle.

He hadn’t.