Earth Warden (3 page)

“Is that so?” he muttered, his lips inches from hers.

Eyes locked with his, she lost the ability to think. His eyes were beautiful. Mesmerizing in their intensity. Darkness swirled in the depths, joined by a heat that made her go weak at the knees. Her body reacted in seconds, heat flooding her cheeks as the nipples beneath her cotton T-shirt tightened to hard buds that rubbed against his broad chest. Lord, he had to feel that, there was no way he could miss it. His eyes darkened further, lips parting to drag a swift breath in, the look starting a flutter deep in her abdomen.

Oh god, I'm a tart…

She should have felt threatened, but didn’t. One look in his eyes, so close to hers, and she knew he wouldn't hurt her, not physically anyway. Emotionally…that was an entirely different matter.

Please let him kiss me… so close...

"S… Sorry, you were saying?" she asked, realizing he'd said something.

A slow grin spread over his lips and took her breath away. Snarling and surly he'd been cute as hell, but smiling? He was drop-dead gorgeous. Lyssa barely managed to restrain a whimper as he leaned down, his lips almost brushing hers.

"Doesn’t matter...."

His voice was a soft whisper, lost to Lyssa's ears as soon as his lips touched hers. Not the demanding, hard touch she expected but a softer, gentle exploration. His lips slanted over hers, his hand sliding to the nape of her neck and tilting her head to just the angle he wanted.

His lips wandered. Softly at first, sliding caressingly before his tongue brushed against the full curve of her lower lip. She gasped, opening instinctively for him, and then moaned as he deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing along hers in a slow, sensual mimicry of love-making.

Oh, hell, can he kiss or what?

Lyssa had never been on the receiving end of such an explosively sensual kiss before. All her normal reserve deserted her. She needed more. Everything. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed herself against him to wrap her arms around his shoulders. A small sound of frustration broke from her throat when he lifted his head to look down at her. She fought back the pout. He couldn’t stop now.

"Oh...wow," she managed, blinking in surprise. She opened her mouth again, but before she could speak, all hell broke loose.

Chapter Three

Hawk sensed the attack less than a heartbeat before it happened. His normally sharp instincts were dull, all wrapped up in the tempting little package in his arms. He had a fraction of a second to react, wrapping her in his arms and turning toward the car to protect her with his body. He ducked his head as the fireball hit, and his last spell shield flared brightly, lighting the alley lit up like daylight for a second.

He opened his eyes. No time to think about the curvy figure pressed against him, nor the response of his body, a heavy need near obsession. A feeling made worse as she squirmed against him, oblivious to his distress.
Not making a comment
, he told himself firmly. A promise that was easy to keep as he saw the fear in her eyes.

“You’re up, sweetheart,” he prompted. She was the Warden here. Spells and hocus-pocus were right up her alley. Quite literally in this case.

Lyssa looked up at him, a blank expression in her eyes. “Huh? What do you expect me to do?”

Another spell broke across his back, and Hawk grunted as he braced his legs against the force. “Much as I like getting all up close and personal, my back is getting a little toasty here, and that shield’s not going to hold out much longer. You want to make it snappy with the abracadabra?”

“I
told
you I’m not a damn Warden!” she snapped, panic and confusion in her voice as she flicked a glance over his shoulders.

The shield took another hit, and a loud crack echoed around the alley. From the changing color surrounding him every time it got hit—moving from cool moss-green to sickly yellow-green—Hawk knew it wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Just get us out of here!”

She wasn’t going to do anything.

Shock filled Hawk as she looked up at him pleadingly, as though trusting him to do something. Trust, that’s what did him. He was a Warrior; his duty was to protect those weaker than himself, and a terrified Warden-girl that looked like she weighed less than a wet kitten definitely fit into that category.

Caught, he was mesmerized by her large violet eyes when another spell hit, breaking over his back with enough force to make him grunt and snap out of it. What maggot had gotten into his head? He’d never been be-spelled by a woman. If he didn’t know better, he’d be checking her for a set of fangs.

“After the next hit,” he told her, yanking the keys from the car door. “It’ll take him a while to set up the next incantation.”

She nodded at his words, her eyes as wide as saucers. Then the expression in them changed, became more thoughtful. “Eight seconds is average to cast an incantation. Give or take,” she whispered, surprising him. How many people, even Wardens, would have known that?

“What are you? Some kind of spell nerd?”

She flushed but didn’t get time to answer as another fireball splashed across his back.

“Now. Go. In the other side.”

As one they moved, Hawk using his bigger body to protect her as they took cover on the other side of the car. The bulk of the vehicle between them would give them some extra protection if the warden attacking them was faster than her estimate.

He was. They rolled into cover behind the small car at the same moment another fireball skittered across the hood in their wake to splash against the wall behind them. Fueled by magic instead of anything earthly, the thing flared and spread in a bright circle, burning for a few seconds before the enchantment ran out.

“Shit, they must have prepped scrolls or something,” she shouted, ducking her head as another two spells hit the car, flames licking over the roof and reaching for them. Instantly he pulled her into his side, protecting her until the flames died. The spell-shield whined, then faded away. Worn out.

Hawk winced, rolling his shoulders as he tried to dissipate the heat. Whoever it was attacking them obviously weren’t used to dealing with the Warrior kind. The attacks—while numerous—were weak. Anyone with experience knew that if you wanted a Warrior dead, then you took him out in a single hit because you sure as hell didn’t get a second.

No, you had to hit hard and fast, hard enough to break through all the magical protection a warrior wore. And they only wore the best money could buy. Hell, half of them clinked when they moved, thanks to the sheer number of amulets and rings required to provide even the basic protection. Hawk wasn’t a jewelry kind of guy, but his own fingers were covered with rings of every size and description.

The Wardens who made them, though, had a twisted sense of humor. Most of the high-level protection stuff Hawk and his brothers needed had a distinctly feminine look to them. Warriors and Wardens didn’t get along too well, and since Warriors tended to be almost exclusively male, he suspected it was intentional.

They had no choice but to grin and bear it. The only other option was to have the wards inked in. Trouble was, it wasn’t like getting a normal tattoo. A ward couldn’t just be drawn. Well, they could, but all that would be was a drawing of a ward. To make it work, to make any ward work, whoever drew it had to draw on the witching at the same time to infuse it with power. An ordinary tattoo artist just couldn’t do that, and no Ink Warden had ever set up outside the Havens. If one did, and Hawk heard about it, he’d have been camped out on the guy’s doorstep to get inked.

Hawk frowned as a weird high pitched whistle echoed around the alley. Beneath him, his companion froze.

“Shit,” she swore, fighting to her feet even as Hawk tried to keep her down under cover. “That’s a Heracanius curse…
run!”

He had no idea what a Heracanius was, but from the sheer desperation in her expression and the speed she took off down the alley, he figured it was a bad thing. Instinct had him on his feet and running after her in a heartbeat, boots pounding the broken asphalt. Not a moment too soon. The whistle built to a scream and a whoosh. Hawk glanced back over his shoulder as the biggest fireball he’d ever seem slammed into the car behind them. It hit like a rocket, the little vehicle exploding in a storm of fire and scream of twisting metal. Shit, if they’d been behind that…

That thought faded as another took its place. They were out in the open with no protection and a homicidal warden on the roof. All in all, he’d rather face a pack of Keres demons again.

“
Fuckfuckfuckfuck…
” The litany fell from Hawk’s lips as he tried to keep himself between the warden and the woman running in front of him. He was big enough to provide at least a little cover, enough for her to get to some kind of safety. Maybe.

“Keep running!” he yelled as she slowed, looking over her shoulder at him. The concern on her face speared him to the core. Concern. From a warden. For him. “No matter what, keep going!”

Another whine picked up behind them and Hawk started to count what was left of his life in seconds. This was it. He would die in some grubby little back alley somewhere, just as he’d always known he would. And, surprisingly, he didn’t mind. He had no regrets about his life, one spent killing bad things so good people like his little warden could live.

The only regret he had was that he’d only had one taste of her lips.

Right when he thought everything was lost, an SUV careened into the alley in front of them. It spun in a tight arc, tires kicking up dirt and dust and the door swung open to reveal a heavily built male in the driver’s seat. Caleb, a warrior Hawk had partnered with before, and an awkward son of a bitch at the best of times. Right now though, Hawk could kiss him.

“Get in,” he yelled, revving the engine. “Before they reload.”

Hawk didn’t waste time answering. Instead, he caught up to the warden woman and bundled her inside with more haste than finesse and crammed his larger frame in after her. Holding the door shut behind him, he looked at Caleb.

“For fuck’s sake, get us out of here.”

The small vehicle shot out of the alley and careened across the small parking lot and took a corner sharply. Hawk closed his eyes as the car started to lift onto two wheels. He’d survived battles with the nastiest demons out there, he’d hunted vamps right into their lairs, and he’d even baited a Valkyrie or two. But now he was about to get totaled by a maniac of a driver.

“Wheels. Road. More contact would be good, asshole,” he managed as another fireball hit the side of the car. The flames splashed across the side windows in a display that would make a pyromaniac wet with need. “Try to keep us in one piece?”

“Who’s driving this damn thing, me or you?” Caleb threw back, swearing and ducking to the side as flames curled around the windshield. “Who the fuck are these bastards? Some sort of freaky Rambo version of wardens?”

Then the flames were gone, the magic burned out before the fire could gain purchase on another fuel source. Two fireballs splashed across the asphalt behind them, but they were too late. Caleb put his foot down, the engine roaring, and took a sharp left. Hawk twisted to look out of the back window as they merged with late night traffic. Spotting a figure high on the rooftops behind them, he lifted his hand and gave a one fingered salute.

“Take a left,” he ordered when he turned back around. “Random changes of direction and we should lose him, even if he’s got a Hermes charm.”

Caleb nodded and threw the car into the next turn like all the hounds of hell were after them.

“Hey, hey!” Hawk grabbed for the suicide strap, holding tight to his little warden to stop them sliding around the back seat of the SUV. “Slow it down a little, mate. Gonna do us no good to get pulled over by the cops now. We’d be sitting ducks if that spell-slinger catches up with us.”

Caleb flicked him a glance in the rear view, but slowed the car. Crazy bastard always did have a thing about speed. Cars, bikes, planes. If it was fast, then Caleb was all over it like a bad rash. Just like he was all over a pretty woman, given half the chance. Hawk caught his curious glance through the mirror at the quiet woman sitting next to him and shook his head in silent warning. Caleb’s eyes widened, and then he nodded, male understanding passing silently between them. Hawk had seen her first, he had prior claim.

“You okay?” Keeping his voice low he reached for her hand, squeezing in reassurance, and received a nod in reply.

She was as pale as any ghost he’d ever seen, watching him and Caleb with wide eyes as if she’d never seen a couple of warriors before. She probably hadn’t. Havens these days had taken to keeping their women under lock and key. This was probably the first time she’d been near one warrior, much less two.

“Yeah, I’m good. Thank you.” She frowned, lips pursing for a second. The expression was so cute Hawk wanted to kiss it away. “The thing I don’t understand…Is why a Second Sigil would want to attack me and a Goth?”

“You and me both, babe.”

She slid a glance sideways, confusion wreathing her features. Hawk shrugged his coat to a more comfortable fit on his shoulders. He half turned, craning his neck to look down his back.

“Great, it’s toasted the leather. Do you know how difficult it is to get a jacket like this these days? Hang on, Goth? “

She waved her hand at him, indicating his appearance. “You. Pale skin, all the black, and you’re wearing more jewelry than a Wiccan’s market stall. Goth. And then there’s the leather thing you’ve got going on…”

Hawk lifted one eyebrow, shooting a glare at Caleb, who was sniggering.

“Do I look like the sort of guy who wears make up to you?”

“Biker then?” she suggested.

“Nope.”

She shrugged. “So sue me, you certainly fit the stereotype. You sure you’re not wearing makeup? No one’s that pale naturally.”

He shook his head, a little discomforted by the suggestion that he was wearing makeup. Him. Makeup. What did she think he was, some sort of fucking metrosexual? “I’m pale because I work nights. I don't get out in the sun much.”