Bound to Blackwood (32 page)

Thorn just stood there, his nose within touching distance of Lena's bedroom door, in complete amazement. He winced as he heard her roar like the she-lion she was, and felt her anger at him ripple through the oak.

Somehow, Lena had defied a direct order and told him to piss off in the space of a couple of minutes. He should be angry with her, furious in fact. Instead, much to his chagrin, he'd never been more turned on in his life. Lena was hot-headed and defiant and it made him want her all the more.
Shit.
 

The details of how he'd ended up standing in her doorway were sketchy at best. After the Keeper of the Watch had all but called him an arse-hole for the way he was treating Lena, Thorn just couldn't stay away from her any longer.

He could always rely on Kaden to tell him the truth, and his friend was right. He couldn't carry on ignoring Lena. Of course Kaden didn't know what had happened at House Bowman and Thorn was pretty certain the Keeper of the Watch would swing for him if he found out, but that was beside the point. Leaving Lena to her agony, alone, was not acceptable and Thorn knew it.

Blood-lust still rode him hard which was why he'd told Lena not to come near him, but he just hadn't been able to stay away. Like a pathetic lost pup, he found himself opening Lena's door, with no real memory of how he got there.

And she'd shot him down in flames and then some.

She was as she'd always been. Angry, rebellious, strong. For a brief moment, Thorn thought he'd seen a need in her, but he was wrong. There was no sign of her suffering anything but irritation at his intrusion.

Shaking his head, he turned to leave. A sob from Lena's room made him stop. "Lena?" he asked through the door.

Another sob, more muffled than the first, was his only reply.

Thorn didn't wait; he barged back into the room.

His fearsome lioness was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found Lena curled in a ball on the bed, red tears streaming down her face as she clutched her stomach. The pain she suffered was tangible and Thorn struggled to stay upright as he ran to her. He collapsed to his knees at her bedside, not having the slightest clue what to do. He reached out a hesitant hand but another sob racked Lena's lean frame and Thorn snatched his hand away for fear he was doing more harm than good.

"Don't leave me," she whispered.

Thorn's breath caught in his throat at the desperation in her voice. "I'm here, Guardian mine," he replied as he reached out for her again. He pushed her sleek locks away from her face and combed his fingers through them with slow, gentle movements.

Lena sighed with relief, as if the contact was all the balm she needed. Thorn watched in awe as all the tension seeped from her and the pain that was palpable only moments ago diminished with each stroke of his hand. Without thinking, Thorn's hand moved from Lena's hair to her cheek. His thumb caressed her face as she moved to look up at him. Searing heat surged through him as Lena's midnight-blue eyes changed to a striking aqua-marine and her tantalising scent hit him full force.

He couldn't help it; he inhaled, taking her
miris
deep inside him. The exotic spices ignited a fire within him. His groin hardened and his fangs punched down as he growled. For a brief moment, he regretted such a visible reaction as he saw Lena's beautiful eyes widen. His worries disappeared though as she gave him a little smile before she licked her bottom lip.
 

Unable to contain himself any longer he crushed her lithe body to him as he kissed her. Her tongue danced with his as their kiss deepened. Thorn moaned as her hand speared through his unruly hair and pinpricks of pain exploded over his scalp as she tugged at his locks. Hunger burned under his skin as his blood-lust rekindled.

Breathless, Lena broke away. Thorn watched her as she frowned, searching his face. He couldn't help it as his gaze drifted to her neck and the blood that sang for him there. He wrestled with himself, trying to wrench his eyes back to her face, but it didn't last. He couldn't do it. The blood in her veins called to him, demanding that he take it. Lena was so close, he'd hardly have to move to claim her. Just one taste and she would be his.

Lena's hiss made him refocus. His eyes snapped up to meet hers and his jaw went slack at the indisputable horror he saw in them. Lena retreated further across the bed looking more and more like a predator caught in a trap. As her back slammed into the antique head-board, she growled whilst her hand came up to her throat, cutting off his view of that delicious sight.

She knew.

Thorn shook his head, trying to clear the blood lust. "Lena...I..." His voice dwindled to barely a whisper then disappeared altogether.

"Get out," Lena spat at him.

Thorn winced at the unadulterated venom in her words but he knew she was right; he needed to leave. Problem was, he didn't want to.

He reached for her with slow, cautious movements, trying to show he wasn't a threat. It was clear Lena wasn't having any of it as she vaulted off the mattress to put the huge oak-framed bed between
the two of them. Her lithe body adopted a defensive position, hands raised, legs ready to move. Ready to attack.
 

Fury etched in every line of her beautiful face, her nostrils flared as she spoke again. "I said, get out!"

The strength of her voice surprised him and Thorn actually took a step back. His brow knitted as the words vibrated through him. It wasn't a request. It was an order. And his body screamed at him to obey.

Anger doused the flames of his lust as he fought against it. "Have a care, Guardian!"

"I won't tell you again, Thorn. Leave. Now!"

Stunned at her insubordination and the ferocity of her order, he was almost at the door before he recovered himself. Thorn felt something pushing him away, but he span round to see Lena still hadn't moved from her defensive position on the far side of the bed. Her chin lifted, eyes now obsidian black with defiance and strength humming through her; she was positively Amazonian. She was as deadly as he'd ever seen her.

He needed to explain. He needed her to see he didn't want to harm her.
"That's not true though, is it?"
his subconscious asked. No, it wasn't.
Shit.
 

Shame enveloped him and Thorn's shoulders slumped in defeat. Without another word he turned heel and ran from Lena's room.

Lena crossed the room and slammed the door so hard that it rattled in its frame. Now that Thorn had left, her strength deserted her and she sank to the floor with her back against the heavy oak. Running a shaky hand through her hair, she tried to make sense of what just happened.

The physical relief she'd felt at Thorn's touch was truly wondrous. That first gentle hand he laid on her hair had been like finding home for the first time. Even now she sighed at the memory of it. The passion of his kiss had ignited a heat within her and made her want to crawl over him like a cat. Something she would surely have done if not for… Lena swallowed hard… if not for the dangerous change she sensed in Thorn.

He'd met her passion in equal measures. His rich musk enveloped her as their tongues explored each other. His fiery hot hands had been like fire brands, scorching her as they danced over her back and down to her bottom. Lena shivered again as she remembered his moan as she tugged at his unruly black hair.

Then everything changed.

Lena squeezed her eyes shut as if that would block the memory. It didn't work.

She could smell the change in him even now. The hunger he had for her became something ugly, something frightening. Blood-lust so raw, so angry, so unexpected had risen within Thorn and Lena had been truly scared. In that moment, Thorn Blackwood didn't just wanted her body, he wanted her soul too.

The thought disgusted her. They were Vampire, not Fallen.

What the hell was Thorn thinking?

Pulling herself up, she grabbed her phone from the dresser. She needed to get the fuck out of here.

Kaden strode out of House Ashby with Mercury and Phoenix in tow. Neither of the Guardians said a word and it was just as well. Kaden's jaw twitched as anger rode him hard. Just as he thought they'd finally caught a break with the Greenshire case, history conspired against them again.

Eden had been here. For a night. Nearly two hundred years ago. The Clayden's were indeed bannermen to House Ashby and they had sought shelter with the youngling. House Ashby had
offered it unconditionally, but she had not stayed long. Fearing for her safety, Eden had been moved almost as soon as she had arrived. And nobody knew where she'd gone next.
 

"Someone must know somethin', Boss. A kid can't just disappear," Mercury said.

Kaden wished it were true, but human newspapers reported child disappearances all the time. He could count on one hand the amount of follow up stories that read
Missing Child Reunited with Delighted Parents.
 

Shaking his head, he replied. "They can and they do, Mercury."

"You sure they told us all they know?" Phoenix joined in.

"Yeah. You?" Kaden replied, his eyes shifting from Phoenix to Mercury and back again. Both men replied with a solemn nod.

Dammit.

"What do you think 'bout the other name on the list?" Mercury asked.

"What other name?" Phoenix replied.

Kaden puffed out a sigh. "London."

Kaden watched the Guardian process the information before his eyes widened. "London? As in Marin of House London? Have you lost your mind?" Phoenix screeched.

Anger welled in the pit of Kaden's stomach. "Watch your mouth, Guardian."

Phoenix would not be swayed. "Are we talking about the Marin I think we are?"

"You know another Marin?" Mercury quipped.

Phoenix stuck his middle finger up in response.

In all honesty, Kaden didn't relish the thought of going anywhere near Marin London, much less actually speaking to him. Technically Marin was still a Guardian. In practice, the guy was an arsehole who walked so close to the line it was a wonder he even knew where the line was.

Kaden made sure he spent as much time away from the Order as possible. No one else had seen Marin in a couple of centuries. Unfortunately for him, Kaden couldn't say the same. He made a yearly trip to Marin's base in Norway.

Some days Kaden felt sorry for him, being so isolated. But then one conversation with the guy, and sympathy went out the window. Marin was, at best, antisocial. At his worst, the man was unhinged. Marin had been the solitary Soul Bearer for the Nordic region for nearly a millennium, but on more than one occasion, Marin had held onto the souls for too long. He'd never actually
Fallen
, but he was close. Until Marin turned though, the law prevented Kaden from doing anything about it.

"Well that's just brilliant," Phoenix said, bringing Kaden's thoughts back to the here and now.

Phoenix had a point. "C'mon let's get out of here," Kaden said.

Phoenix and Mercury just nodded before dematerialising.

Kaden was about to follow them when a shrill beep from his back pocket made him pause. Sighing, he dug his phone out and pressed his thumb to the print reader on the back. He hissed as the screen displayed a message from Lena. "Gotta get out of here. Going home."

Great.

Chapter 22

Unpacked and showered, Lena sank down onto her leather couch. It felt good to be home. Better than she thought it would. Yet she still felt empty, like she'd lost something.

Sipping on her lukewarm chocolate, her thoughts inevitably turned to Thorn. Her body still craved his touch, the aching need that simmered within her a constant companion. But now, there was revulsion too. A stomach churning horror enveloped her every time she thought about it.

Blood-lust was natural, but Thorn had shown her something different, something loathsome. Something wrong. Lena shuddered at the memory.

No one would ever own her soul. Not while she still breathed.

Lena shook her head before pulling herself to her feet and heading for the door. Grabbing her phone and jacket, she left. She needed a distraction and Soho would provide it.