Bonded (4 page)

Every single inch of the man
seemed to be roped muscle … and deadly. She didn’t know why, but she saw him as
far more deadly than her jaguar. Every move he made was purposeful. Without
question, he had the gait of a predator. Smooth, lethal, and completely
focused. He looked like a man on a mission.

Closing her puzzle book, she
watched him watching her. Her pussy was slick with the heat of need. Her palms
were damp under her gloves, and her flesh seemed to break out in chill bumps.
The way that he gave her the once-over was enough to make any man or woman come
without a moment’s hesitation. He licked his lips, one side kicking up ever so
slightly in a crooked grin for a small moment. After that, his expression was
one hundred percent serious, and his focus seemed even more intense.

Holy.
Hell
. Emily was
glad she was seated, because if she hadn’t been, she was sure she would have
jumped the counter to attack him the second his tongue ran over his lower lip.
Then that lip quirked up in a cocky smirk.
Oh
damn, he knows just what the hell he’s doing to me.

She cleared her throat a couple
of times. When he approached, she cocked her head and put on a smile.
Thank God, I have a sweater on that covers
my hard nipples.
Or life would have been very embarrassing when she asked
him, “Can I help you?”

Oh, Emily wanted to help him all
right. She wanted to help him out of his leather pants. And out of his silk
shirt.

When he spoke, Emily was certain
she came a little in her panties. “Are you Emily Duncan?” His voice was deep.
His gaze latched onto hers, and she was sure there were sparks or flames
spitting between them.

If sex had a voice, if sex had a
body, it was this man.
Holy. Hell
.
“Uhm.” Normally, she would know if someone was there for her services. She had
a sixth sense. But she didn’t feel it with this man. “Yes?” Okay, so she could
have been more certain in her tone, in her reply, and it showed by the
expression he gave her.
Who knew that a
smirk on a man could be so damn sexy?

“I know how dramatic this will
sound, how cheesy, and as much as I hate to quote movies, I’m going to.” His
voice was whiskey-soaked honey, smooth yet with a kick. “If you want to
continue to live, you need to come with me. What’s coming for you will walk
right through that cat of yours and destroy you. It would be a shame to allow
someone as beautiful as you to be harmed by the darkness that’s even now
stalking you.”

“Seriously?” That fast, it was
as if a cold bucket of water had been spilled over her body. “Do you hear how
overly dramatic that sounds? I mean, seriously? Do women buy that trash you’re
spouting?”

Emily was positive she heard him
growl at that.
What the hell?

“I’m not being overly dramatic.
I never have been in my life, and I never will be. I’m being deadly serious. I
know what you can do, Emily Duncan, and I know that there’s at least one killer
out there who’s looking for you right now.”

Seeing the honesty in his eyes,
Emily frowned. “How do I know you aren’t just blowing smoke up my rump to get
me out of here so you can take me and do nefarious things to me?”

He grinned, a real and honest
smile that lit his eyes. “Oh, trust me,
venustas,
there is danger out there.” Leaning in, he got as close to her as he could,
his lips at her ear as he whispered, “And when I do nefarious things to you,
ma petite,
you are going to enjoy them.
You will scream my name … Gaius, by the way. That’s the name you will cry out
in pleasure.”

Where his lips touched her, a
sizzle raced along the shell. But it was the licking, then the small bite, that
had her practically melting right there before him.

* * * *

Gaius watched her carefully. She
was a wary one, and that was good, but the little taste he helped himself to
was enough to make his cock so hard that he could have driven nails with it. He
wanted her. No, he
needed
her. Something inside of him was calling out
to her. This case that had all but been shoved into his lap had become so much
more than he could have imagined. It had become personal the moment he’d walked
into the little shop.

The moment his medallion had
heated, he’d known that he would never be whole without her. All he had to do
was get her out of the shop and to safety. Then, he would have the time to explore
the connection he was already feeling to the exotic beauty.

“Come with me, little one. Call
a friend to come and look after the cat, then come and let me shelter you. I’ll
tell you everything, even though you won’t believe me. I’ll protect you with my
life. That is my solemn vow. I’ll never allow anything, or anyone, to hurt you
as long as I’m there to prevent it. You are mine to look after, Emily.”

And he would kill Mercury or any
of his underlings if they tried to take this woman from him. Gaius was well
aware of just how the others often thought of him. They all disliked and
distrusted him on some level, even though he had given his life for the cause
and fought just as hard as everyone else did.

Because of the
fame
of his name, they believed him to be
what history painted him to be … which was false. Of all of them, Mercury
should know that best. But he was becoming soft in his old age, staying hidden
away in his mountain bunker from the actual war they were fighting.

Gaius watched as Emily darted her
pretty, pink tongue out over her sultry, full lips. He itched to lean in and
kiss her, but couldn’t. Not until he had her secure. When he was certain she
was going to be safe in his care, he would show her exactly how a Roman emperor
loved his woman. And she would be his, in every way a man could own a woman.
What she didn’t yet realize was that she would own him, too. For all of time.

“I don’t know if I should,” she
said to him.

“You know you should. You have
doubts, though. I understand and can even respect that. Touch my hand to know
the truth. Know me, Emily,” he whispered softly to her. “I know you must have
someone you trust that will come get your cat. It was to protect you until
another came that could do a better job. That’s me. Let me do what I was born
to do.” Gaius held his hand out to her, palm up, as he studied her. He assumed
that she had some sort of plan for what to do with the large cat in case of an
emergency.

“I do, the man who gave him to
me will take care of EF.” She was watching his hand, still wary. “I have an
intricate escape system for EF should it be needed.”

There was still hesitation in
her eyes. Gaius sighed and shook his head. She had the right not to trust him,
for now. He would allow it for a time, but only for so long. She was his. He
knew it, and soon enough she would know the truth of it, too. “Take off a
glove, sweeting. Touch my hand. Know the truth.”

Fortunately, the shop was
completely void of other customers since his arrival had chased them off. He
worried a little about her reaction to whom and what he was. “Know my truth.
Know the truth that history has skewed. Know me, Emily.” She would be the
first.

He whispered his request very,
very softly, so that she had to lean in closer to hear him. Her sensual scent
wrapped around him. His body tightened, need thrumming through his veins.

Gaius had to fight the urge to
reach for her, yank her into his arms and take her as every fiber of his being
was screaming for him to do. She was too skittish, not ready, yet none of that mattered
to the inner demand. This woman was his, and he would have her, sooner rather
than later. All he had to do was get her to take that first, scary step.
Lifting his hand a little more, he tipped his head to the side.

* * * *

Emily wanted to know him. She
truly did, which was a massive surprise to her. She didn’t want to know anyone,
not deeply like she wanted to know this man. She wasn’t so certain this was a
good idea, not with the knowledge that would come to her from a touch but when
she looked up into his eyes she felt the warmth spreading into her very soul,
almost felt as if he were reaching out to pull her in, soul to soul. Taking a
deep breath, she steadied her nerves and told herself that whatever was going
to happen was going to happen, one way or another. She was going to go with her
gut and with her heart that was whispering to her for the first time ever.
Peeling off a glove without taking her eyes from his, she held out her hand to
him. “Then touch me,” she breathed out and leaned against the counter. Not many
people would offer their skin up to her if they knew what she could do, and it
was clear in the way he had stated his words that he knew exactly who she was.

When he laid his heavily
calloused hand on hers, palm to palm, Emily shook. Her eyes closed
automatically, and she lived through his lives. Not one life, oh no, this man
was so much more than that. He was also so much clearer than any being before
him had ever been.

A flash of light revealed a
group of people gathered around her …
no,
him
. He was speaking, and they were listening in awe. The manner of dress
was something she could only relate to movies. Then the scene changed, and she,
as Gaius, felt the
whoosh
of a sword
slashing down, the rush of air to her face as she stood looking down a
mountainside at an approaching army bent on destroying everything in their
path.

The clothing transformed in
flashes, the times altered in a blink. Cities rose, others fell, but the
passage of the decades was clear.

Without opening her eyes, she
whispered, “How?” Right then that was the only question she could articulate.
Her mind was whirling. She was in an utter and complete fog.

“Emily, come on, love, open
those gorgeous brown eyes of yours.” Gaius’s words pierced through the haze in
her mind.

Shaking her head, she cleared
the rest out with his voice as her tether. “Wow. You weren’t kidding. History
painted you completely wrong, didn’t it?”

“For the most part. But that’s
unimportant. What
is
important is
you, Emily. Grab your bag, and let’s get out of here. I’m assuming that the
person who gave you the cat has keys to the place?” When she nodded, he smiled.
“Good. Give the jaguar a goodbye for now, and let’s get out of here. Later, we
can send for the beast if you want him to live with us.”

“Hold the phone—live with you?
I’m all for the protection that you’re offering right now because I sense the
presence of the monsters that you’re saying are after me. But moving in with
you? Isn’t that just pushing it a little too far?” She was quiet for a moment.
She felt it then, that the darkness he had been battling all of his life was
the same dark feeling she had felt earlier. Odd. But still, moving in with him
after just meeting him was odd, too.

“Emily, sweet Emily. You’re the
most important being in the universe to me. You complete me in a way that I
didn’t know existed, and I just met you. Trust me when I tell you that you will
move in with me and that I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”

Damn,
how can a girl turn that down?
She gulped. “I’ll come with you, but we’ll revisit the
whole living with you part.”

He smiled that cocky smile that
made her melt.

“Give me two minutes, and I’ll
be ready. I can shoot a text to the man who gave me Elmer Fudd to come get him.
But I think I’ll leave EF out and prowling.”

“Good idea. Allow the beast to
roam. I’m assuming he won’t attack his previous owner?”

“No, not at all. EF really is
just a big, overgrown kitten with really sharp claws. Well, most of the time.
If you mean harm to me, he’ll rip out your throat.”

“Then I think we’ll definitely
send for him later so that you have an additional protector.”

That had her smiling. What was
it about this man—this man with one hell of a past—that made her all gooey
inside? But she knew. Deep down, she knew. It was that instant connection her
grandmother had spoken of. Her great-grandmother had been Romani. Emily’s
grandmother had been raised in the true Gypsy heritage. Not so much the glitz
and glam as the pure power of it.

When Gaius pulled away from her,
Emily reached under the counter and grabbed her bag. She left a Post-it note on
the cash drawer, asking her friend to take the contents in it to pay at least a
small portion of what she would owe him for keeping Elmer happy, then gave the
cat some love. “Make sure he knows to take your steaks, too,” she told him. She
knew how silly it was, but she was positive that he could understand her.

Walking back to the front of the
shop, Emily looked over her shoulder. It was odd—this sudden feeling of
sadness, a knowledge that she would never again see this home. Taking a deep
breath, she did the only thing she could. She turned and moved toward Gaius.
Toward her future.

Chapter Four

Gaius watched her all but say
goodbye to the world she had built for herself. He felt bad about it. But the
simple truth was that it was time for her life to change. It was time for her
to move forward, and they both knew it.

He felt her anguish at all she
was leaving behind like a living, breathing entity in his chest. Pressing a
hand over the medallion, he frowned as she moved around tending to last minute
details before they could depart.

He’d watched other guardians
with their women. The bond they’d had was truly something to behold. They had
always seemed so connected to their females, on a level that he’d never once
expected to share with someone all his own. Most were now long gone—not
everyone lived forever, after all—but the memory of the love they’d shared was
something he’d always wondered if he could have for himself. While the love
that a guardian had for his VV was awe-inspiring, it was also their Achilles
heel because should anything happen to the woman, the man would give in and
pass into the abyss of the afterlife as well.

Gaius wasn’t sure how he felt
about a soul mate, though. The pull was strong, but it didn’t make losing his
independence any easier. He was sure all men felt the same at some point in
their lives. He’d been autonomous for a long time, though, and he knew there
would need to be adjustments and allowances made.

Emily would need to know about
his work as a guardian—what they did, what they faced, or potentially faced,
every time they left their stronghold. He had his own home away from the
Mountain but now that he had her in his life, the Mountain was the safest place
for her until the darkness was taken care of and they could live forever in the
light. Whether she could handle it was something else. A worry he hadn’t yet
considered, yet knew was all too real. He’d seen other guardians’ soul mates
fight tooth and nail every time their men had gone out the door to face God
only knew what.

And he had borne witness to what
happened when they didn’t return. The anguish, the pain, the blame, and the
heart-rending tear of the bond before the female perished from a broken heart
and a lost soul.

He never wanted that for Emily,
but he couldn’t let her go. Gaius made himself a promise to take extra care
from now on. No way was he letting her go. No way was he dying because of a
distraction waiting at home, and no way was he going to leave her behind to
mourn. Turning to face her with a new determination in his heart, he went to
collect his woman.

With her hand in his, he took
the bag from her and led her out of her shop and home. He got her settled in
the SUV before slipping his sunglasses back on and taking a glance around once
more. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, which had never boded well
for him in the past. Gaius had always had a highly sensitive sense of
self-preservation. It had saved his hide more times than not, except for the
one that had counted.

Shaking off a dark memory from
the past, he refocused on the present. Sliding into the specially designed
vehicle, he started the engine and felt the wall of magic wrap around them. As
long as they were in the car, they were good. The hard part would be when they
stopped. He would deal with that later, though.

Looking over at Emily, Gaius
said, “You’re taking this far better than I had anticipated. Do you have
questions?”

The look she sent him was one of
pure disbelief. “Do I have questions? Are you serious right now? Of course I
have questions. Who wouldn’t? But I’m also a smart woman, and I sure as heck
know when to get the hell out of dodge and rely on someone else for
protection.”

He snorted. “I’ve known women
who were a lot more hard-headed than you’re being right now. And that
indignation you’re resonating is only making you more appealing than you can
possibly know.”

Emily just looked at him and
shook her head.

When she leaned back in the
seat, Gaius grinned and drove through the city, out to the edges of it. He
wanted to get her to the safe house before night fell. “After we stop, there
are things that I need to tell you. Things I need to explain to you. There’s
far more than the evil of man out there, and you need to be aware of it all.”

“Fine,” was all she said in
response.

* * * *

As they drove, Emily watched the
passing scenery. She was fascinated by this man, but she refused to tell him
so. When she’d touched him, she had seen and felt everything he had lived
through. She knew the truth of who and what he was, and it was only that truth
that had convinced her to go with him.

She would have been able to
escape him. Sure, he had some serious mojo going on, but he’d been on her home
turf, so to speak, and she wasn’t completely defenseless. No, Emily was far
more than she appeared. She could do a hell of a lot more than read people, but
that was her secret. One she was keeping to herself, for now. She didn’t think
that the people of the world would take too kindly to not only her ability to
read people and things with a touch, but also being able to climb into their
minds and make changes to what they were thinking at that moment in time.

Unable to take the silence
another moment longer, she asked, “Where are you taking us? We’re well out of
the city, so where are we going? How far?”

“We’ll be stopping at a safe
house, and then I’m taking you to the Mountain. I know—not an original name for
our home base, but it’s the truth. It’s literally a mountain.” He shot her that
crooked smile, which sent her heart racing again.

“A mountain. Really?”

“Yes.”

“Crap on a cracker. Wonderful.
So I’m going to be in a mountain in the middle of nowhere, and I have no way
out?”

“You’ll always have a way out,
Emily. I would never allow you to be trapped anywhere.” There was truth in his
words—she could feel it running over her entire being. “If it’ll make you feel
better, I’ll let you have the keys to the SUV when we get to the safe house and
then again when we reach the compound. I just ask that you come get me before
leaving, because I sure as hell don’t intend to allow you to be harmed by
running off alone.”

“What makes you think I’ll want
you to come with me? That I won’t be running away from you?”

“Oh come on, sweetheart, you
know you like me. You felt it in that touch. Admit it.”

Time for a change of topic
because yes, yes she had felt something in that touch. Touching him had been
like finding a piece of heaven. “You know, history painted you as a much
different man.” Right then, she was in full-force deflection mode.

“And they will always have that
wrong, but that is their problem to contend with, not mine. All that I can do
is live in the now.” There was a heavy sigh followed by his softer words.
“Before the moment when I touched you, I was simply living and existing on a
code of honor. It wouldn’t have been much longer before I would have become the
things that I hunt. That’s a harsh truth, but it’s just that—truth. I honestly
don’t know if I would have been able to return to my leader in order to end my
existence before I lost my honor and turned to the darkness in full.”

“You would have.”

When he looked at her, there was
certainty in his eyes. “No, Emily, I wouldn’t have.” It was a stark and honest
fact. The way that he said the words made the truth flow over her.

Emily didn’t know what to say to
Gaius after that. She mulled over his admission. But she knew the truth. With
or without her, he never would have turned. The honor inside of him was far too
deep.

Finally, they made it to their
destination. Once they stopped, she studied the unassuming home, which looked
at odds from her mental picture of what a safe house was supposed to be like.
“This is your safe house?” she asked with a frown. “This looks like a building
from right out of suburbia.”

“This is our safe house,” Gaius
confirmed, the look on his face one of indulgence. “There should be food
inside. If you like, I can make us a nice dinner.”

“You cook? Seriously?”

“Yes, you wench, I can cook.”
There was laughter in his tone. “I’m good at it. You would be surprised at just
how good. I’ve had many, many years to hone the craft.” He slipped out of the
vehicle.

Emily just watched him. She
couldn’t help herself. He was incredible.
He’s
not only drool-worthy but able to be domestic?
She wanted to pinch herself
just to make sure she was actually awake and not dreaming.

When he came to her door and
opened it, she slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. “So, what makes
this house so safe?”

“See the path?” He placed her
upon the stone walkway that was nestled between two rows of colorful lights.
“Don’t step off of it. The lawn is layered mines and to step off the walk would
kill you instantly.”

“Right. Got it. Don’t step off
the path.”
Now I’m scared out of my mind.
The lawn can kill me. Fan-freaking-tastic.

“Don’t worry, Em, I won’t allow
you to be harmed.”

The heat of him surrounded her
and made her feel that he was telling her the truth. That he wouldn’t allow
anything or anyone to hurt her. That made her ache. It made her need, and it
made her realize there was a great deal more to this man and this connection
than she had originally assumed.

Moving to the porch with him,
she watched as he entered a strange code on the keypad with odd symbols, then
once again on another door. “Two doors? Isn’t that overkill?”

“Not with the things we track.
Believe me, this is nothing compared to the compound.”

“I’ll take your word on that.
Will you tell me more?” She walked into the surprisingly open-concept and
beautifully designed living space. “Wow, this is incredible,” she said with
wide eyes and a shocked expression. “You guys seriously do not play around when
it comes to comfort and all that fun stuff, do you?”

“I’ll tell you more, later. For
now, let me get us locked down before full night falls. I’ll make you dinner
while we talk.”

“You weren’t teasing about
food?”

“What’s with the questions?”
There was a smile on his face.

“I’m curious.”

He snorted in laughter as he
walked away from her.

* * * *

Oh, it was a lucky day indeed.
And listening to the sounds of the venom that was spewed from such a beautiful
mouth made it all the better. With a new target in mind—now that the man down
the street was handled—it was time to hone another perfect weapon. Time to
create another slice of justice.

Breathing in and out, the killer
simply smiled. A pearly white grin behind thin lips. It was a grotesque
expression. “Glorious,” was all that was said as the heavy gloves were pulled
on. The canister of frozen nitrogen was pulled out, and the mold was filled.
Ahh, it’s the simple things in life
.

Once the knife was crafted, the
special cooler was lifted to the worktable area and it was placed inside. The
wrappings on the end there to ensure that no frostbite harmed the hand that
held the blade of justice.

Glory
be.

The vicious streak of cursing
crossed the ears of madness once more. A wince was the only indication that the
words were heard. Closing the cooler after placing the specially designed ice
packs inside, the killer moved from the workstation and to the vehicle nearby.

This one was far more personal,
closer to home than all of the others had been. For this, there was going to
have to be some artful rearrangement. Oh yes, this one was going to be a
creation, a testament to the determination to rid the world of the nastiness
that seemed to breed—even in fine and upstanding homes such as the one that
this monster was raised in. It was going to be a fine cleansing!

Too bad his dear, darling wife
had had to let go of such foul and intense language when he had been punishing
her for not seeing to it that dinner was perfect when he’d had guests over.
That was most unkind of her, showing his business associates that he didn’t
have full control over the woman in his life. No, he’d had to punish her, and she
had known it the moment that the meal was presented and there were cloves left
in the ham.

Hands rubbed together. A gleeful
snicker escaped a pair of thin, pink lips. Joy. All from the planning of a
murder.

It wasn’t truly murder, though.
It was a cleansing. A way to rid the world of the evil that walked the earth.
People who used vile words instead of a true vocabulary were beneath them.
Those sorts of beings didn’t deserve anything except hate and the retribution
that they had been handed as their goal in life.

No, he was doing God’s own
bidding. He knew when he finally left this wretched world that he would stand
before Peter at the Pearly Gates and be welcomed for the bastion savior that he
was. This was truly God’s work.

The killer thought of the first
time he had been tasked to take out the ones that spewed vile obscenities from
their lips. When God had stepped before him and demanded that he begin this
quest, he had accepted it freely because he had always known that he was
special.