Wicked Road to Hel (League of Guardians 1)

She felt that moment come, and God help her, her mouth parted slightly as desire flooded her, hot and heavy. His hands slid around her neck once more and she didn’t care. They dug into the thickness of her hair, anchoring her body so that she couldn’t move.

And then the warmth of his breath was on her lips.

“How the hell do you know Bill?” Each word was pronounced slowly, carefully.

Her eyes flew open. Shit. She’d fucked up. All desire fled until she was empty once more, and she gazed upon eyes that looked down at her with distrust and contempt.

Her lips tightened. “I don’t—”

“Bullshit,” he interrupted. “You mentioned him earlier and I’m guessing your Bill stands about five feet fuck all, with a gut as round as a basketball and a shiny bald head to match.” He pushed away from her, and the ground began to tremble. “Does the sun shine out of his ass if he turns the right way?”

Ana opened her mouth to retort, but the ridiculous image Declan had just painted was so bang-on, she fought a hysterical giggle instead.

“Never mind.” Declan hopped over the fence before she could stop him. “I know someone who will answer my questions. If he refuses I have no problem making him.”

Fear sliced through her and Ana sprang after him, her body flying past his in a blur until she stood between Declan and the door.

Kaden was just a boy—no match for a sorcerer with Declan’s power.

“You will not touch him.” She could barely get the words out, so great were her fear and anger. There was no way she’d let the Seraphim get hold of Kaden. She’d given her word that she’d keep him safe. “Do you not know what he is?” she asked, exasperated.

“Should I?” he retorted angrily, his eyes wavering from hers to drift upward. “Seems to me I don’t know shit.” He glared at her. “I watched you die two years ago. In my mind I buried you.”

She watched him closely. Saw the myriad of emotions that crossed his face. His beautiful dark eyes flattened as his anger increased.

“Looks like I got that all wrong.” Declan sounded bitter, and she winced.

Ana had a hard decision to make. Bill had entrusted Kaden’s safety to her. She’d been his dirty little secret for the last two years, running covert missions Bill wanted no one to know about.

He was one of the Seraphim and they were hard-core. They believed the end always justified the means. In the constant war between good and evil they were willing to spill the blood of innocents if they thought it would further their own agenda.

Bill saw things a little differently. He knew the end didn’t always justify the means, and though he wasn’t always honest with her—he doled out information on a need-to-know basis . . . his need to know—Ana knew his cause was noble and in this instance he had her abject allegiance.

Ana would die protecting Kaden. In the space of six months the boy had come to mean everything to her. He was so like O’Hara it was eerie, and she supposed on some level, the teenager represented all that she would never have. A child . . . a family.

She exhaled slowly and rubbed her temple. What to do? The arrival of the ghouls this night told her that she was on borrowed time. Samael wouldn’t be far behind—the damn demon lord had been dogging her every move for weeks now—and with the Seraphim finally showing interest things were going to get ugly.

Both Heaven and Hell were gunning for Kaden.

Right now Declan O’Hara was her enemy. He’d been sent by the Seraphim to retrieve the boy. It was obvious he had no clue who the hell he was hunting. She supposed she could thank Bill for giving him such vague orders.

She gazed up at the sorcerer. Would he try to take Kaden if he knew the truth?

“Come.” She opened the door and stepped aside, her gaze wandering the quiet streets. The bats that protected her boundaries had made quick work of any remnants left in the street. It was clean of debris.

The night was quiet, serene even, as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired. She thought of the humans tucked away in their beds, blissfully unaware of the drama that was unfolding. The world that should stay hidden was suddenly spilling into the human realm once more. Sooner or later they’d find out that their nightmares were true.

That monsters such as herself really existed.

“We need to talk,” she said quietly, and held her breath as Declan’s eyes narrowed.

He hesitated, ran his hands through the thick waves that hung over his left eye, and then walked past her without a word.

He moved with a grace that was sinful, his tall frame shrinking her world as she closed the door behind him. Declan’s fists were clenched at his side, humming with dark energy.

He didn’t trust her, and she supposed there was no reason for him to.