Bound by Revenge (Guardian Series) (33 page)

“Thanks.” Leus’ voice was hollow as he shut Alex out of the room.

The whole house was quiet for the next week. Everyone kept to themselves, interacting only when they’d accidentally cross paths in the kitchen or while passing through the house. Tom stayed mostly in the room Alex set up for him next to the master suite.

Tom’s mind muddled in the guilt he felt. Being the cause of his father’s death was too much to bear. The agony melded slowly with his rage and the teenage hormone did nothing to hinder the charging of emotions in the young man’s body.

Alex had his hands full with preparations. His father had set up a contingency plan at some point before his death. And everything was in place for announcing his death by natural causes. There were angels in the city hall willing to fake the records and demons at the newspaper willing to post the obituary. Bradley’s lawyer, a human as far as Alex could tell, had everything they needed to change ownership of Andrean Consultants over to Alex and keep the business running in his absence.

Leus spent the majority of his time down in the training room. He was given a beautiful spacious room, just like the others. But he mostly used it to sleep. Almost every waking moment was spent in the gym. Working on his strength and speed. He had been stronger than a human, all leanthans were. But it was nothing compared to the boost he felt now that he had become a guardian. He was determined to spend his time testing his limits, finding his weaknesses and discovering any new strengths. Now he had two family members to avenge.

Abby watched Leus, almost all the time. She couldn’t get past his involvement with the demons. There was no way she could trust him alone in the house. How was she ever going to trust him fighting by her side? And every time he discovered a new strength or weakness in his body, Abby discovered it as well. She would be ready to bring him down as her enemy any second she needed to. He wouldn’t ever see it coming.

What time she spent to herself, not hovering in the shadows, behind doorways or down long halls following Leus, she spent in her room in tears. Missing the man who meant the world to her. The man who introduced her to everything wonderful in life. The only man she would ever trust.

And Sam tended to Vance. Washing and bandaging. Coaxing his body to relax and get the rest he needed. Keeping him in bed when he wanted nothing more than to go downstairs and train. She nursed his body slowly back to health. And to the strength that he had possessed just a week before.

Sam pulled the gauze back from Vance’s side one last time. She wiped the adhesive off with an alcohol swab and looked down at the place the gaping wound had marred his perfect skin. A small scar was all that was left of the deadly gash. She had taken the stitches out just the day before and there weren’t any markings left from that process. The scar would be gone soon too. Leaving only memories of the close call that had threatened their happy future.

“I don’t think there’s anything I can do to keep you cooped up in bed any longer.” Sam let out a sigh as she stared up at Vance.

“I can think of something.” He said, pulling her down on the bed on top of him.

His warm breath touched Sam’s lips before she dipped down and took his bottom lip between her own. Two days worth of stubble scratched against her cheeks as she explored his mouth.

She had spent so much time over the last week tending to his body. Nursing him with her tender touch. Only now that his body was strong did she feel the full impact of the time they spent together. Her desire multiplied with each day that passed. The loving attention she doled out burned inside her as lust. And his body reacted just as quickly to her touch overwhelming her with throbbing passion.

She had complete control of Vance, as she sat over his body. She ravenously devoured his skin, as she licked and nibbled her way down his neck and his chest. She hesitated over his abdomen and ogled at the muscles that were taught in anticipation, before skimming her lips across his stomach causing the skin to erupt in goose bumps.

Satisfied that she’d teased him till he was hard and aching she moved lower taking his tip into her mouth and lapping at the salty skin.

Vance groaned as he shifted his body underneath her easing her down to take more of him into her mouth. Sam took his cue and teased his length with her lips and her tongue. Tasting every inch of him. She could feel his body pulsing in her mouth and she pulled back to make him wait just a little longer.

He looked at her with loving intensity and not the pure lust that had marked their first time. There was no denying the connection that had been forged over the past week. And what better way to commemorate their new love.

Sam stepped of the bed and made a show of stripping off her black sweater and jeans. Her snow white lingerie fell to the floor before Vance even had the chance to appreciate its beauty.

She was back on him in a single bound. Her legs straddled his hips and her loins pressed up against his.

She leaned forward over him and they kissed with the ferocity of an animal. Their lips stayed linked as Vance reached down and positioned himself underneath her and pulled her hips down onto him.

Her body accepted his with an all-consuming hunger. She took him in all the way to the hilt and rode him slowly pulling them both to the verge of climax.

Vance put his hands on Sam’s face. Holding her steady and looking directly into her eyes. “I love you.” The two came together before falling limp on the bed.

“I love you, too.” Sam dragged her fingers across his chest and reveled in the afterglow of their lovemaking. She tried desperately to keep reality far out of her mind.

Chapter Twenty-four

“You need to get over this. You’re father told you that you could trust me.” Leus’s words stunned Abby. She didn’t think that he had noticed her standing in the dark corner of the gym.

“What do you think you’re really going to gain from stalking me like this?” He asked. It was a good question and Abby wasn’t even sure of the answer. She just couldn’t stop herself. In many ways Leus reminded her of Max. He was intriguing and handsome and surely he couldn’t be trusted. She’d been burned one time too many to believe that he’d have anything but vile intentions.

“I just don’t think that you should be left unattended in our home.” She stepped out of the shadow and into the bright lights of the room. “You’re the enemy. What reason do we have to believe that since you have our marking now, you’re suddenly on our side?”

He hadn’t given her any reason to believe him. He’d done nothing to prove himself. They hadn’t left the seclusion of Alex’s house since they left the warehouse. If it weren’t for the kindness of delivery boys they’d all be starving to death.

Leus stepped off the treadmill, and tossed a towel around his neck to collect the sweat. “Tell me to leave, then.” He challenged her. “If you’re not gonna trust me and let me be part of the team then tell me to leave and I’ll make everything right by myself. I don’t need your help to do what I’m going to do.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m gonna get my family out of this and make sure the demons pay.”

He didn’t say that he’d go back to join the others, Abby noticed. Strange. If he was working with Morgan, he should go back to her as soon as he’s free from the guardians.

“You wouldn’t go back to Morgan?” She asked him, wondering why.

“My fight isn’t with the humans. It never was. It’s with Morgan and her group of demons. They’re the ones inciting the humans. They’re the reason my wife was killed.” He threw his towel down on the floor in a huff and stalked across the room to the door.

“Wait. I’m not done.” Abby demanded and grabbed Leus’s arm as he tried to pass.

“Are you letting me leave or are we working together?” He inquired with a degree of annoyance.

“I’m certainly not letting you leave. I can’t believe a word you say. I don’t know what to think.”

“So, then, I’m in. Like I said, my fight is with the demons. My only priority is my family. That means avenging my wife and son and protecting my surviving children. And I will do anything I need to.”

“I’ll be watching you every minute. Believe me, I’m not going to turn my back and let you put a knife through it. And I won’t let you touch any of the others. I’m going to be your own personal tail. Don’t even bother trying to shake me.”

“Have it your way little girl. I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m just gonna get back to work.” He said yanked shirt off over his head and exposed his perfectly formed chest and rock hard abs.

He caught Abby’s quick glance over his physique. “Enjoy the view.” He winked at her and turned back to the machines.

Abby stewed in her anger while she watched him run. She was mad at herself for allowing her lust to take over, even for a moment. And she was mad at him for catching her admire his stunning body.

Each time his foot landed on the belt of the treadmill, Abby’s hatred and mistrust spiked. She could only hope to find the strength to hold on tightly to the intensity of her emotions. He seemed to always know the right thing to say. Using his family to endear himself to her and the others was a cheap move.

“You don’t think that they kidnapped Leus, do you?” Arratta asked Morgan when the two of them were finally alone in her room. She had gotten annoyed with all the others and banished them from her suite. She made up fictional errands to send them all off on and to keep them away.

“No. I’m sure that they didn’t.” Her voice was as sweet as always but her demeanor was anything but.

“I don’t think they were working together before. He’s been a handful but he started this war, behind my back. He wouldn’t have done that if he was one of them.” Everything he said was true. Yet it didn’t matter in the least. When he turned guardian didn’t make a difference to her. What mattered was that he had gone from a valuable ally to a dangerous enemy.

“He fought hard. I saw that. But they have a psychic. You forget the power of such an immortal. They can change the course of a fight with one vision.” Morgan would kill for that kind of power.

“Maybe we should just end it all. Now that Leus joined them, we don’t need to fight. The only reason we’re in this at all is because he went after the arms warehouse. Now we don’t have to account for his actions. We can go back to our peaceful existence.” Arratta suggested hopefully.

“You can’t get out of this now, Arratta. You’ve made a deal with the devil and now you have to keep it. Just think of how many ways I could destroy you.” She counted on her fingers as she spoke. “First, you’ll look like a weak leader to your army. They’ll see Leus as the true leader, strong enough for force you to retreat. Second, your army trusts me; I can tell them all that you’ve betrayed them. That you gave Leus to the guardians to save yourself. Third, I have access to all of your family. I could kill them one by one until you had no one left. Should I go on, or do you think you get the picture?”

Arratta stared at Morgan in disbelief. He had known better to get involved with the demons; especially a group that didn’t live by the code’s set down by the creators. But the benefits swayed him in a terrible moment of weakness. Now he had no other option than to fight. Fight against his grandson, fight in a battle that he didn’t believe in, and lose innumerable members of his species in the process.

He gave Morgan one last scalding look before leaving the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

Morgan loved every moment. She thrived on the chaos, the tension, the anxiety and fear. This was why she did this. And now that the leanthan general understood who was actually in charge here, she could start plotting out her real mission.

She was going to kill the guardians. Each and every one of them. Because without them, she’d have free reign to do whatever she wanted, wherever she pleased without any interference.

“Is she still alive?” Sam couldn’t hold back anymore. Vance was just getting back to his full strength, but he was healthy enough to sense a former consort. And while she hated to think about Vance doing anything with Morgan other than kicking her scrawny ass, she needed to know for sure.