Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian 5)

"I'll ring."

"Good." He rose and kissed me good-bye. It was a light kiss, a gentle kiss. Like I was a porcelain doll that was so very fragile.

Only I had never been - and never would be - fragile. And if Kellen wanted that in a relationship - wanted someone he could protect - then he was chasing the wrong woman. Not that I didn't want someone to love and protect me. I just needed someone who could love me as I was. And that included the part of me that was a trained hunter. A trained - if somewhat reluctant - killer.

I might have told Kellen what I was, but until tonight it hadn't really connected on any deeper level. And I could only hope that the realization of who and what I was didn't spell the end for us.

Because I didn't want to lose him. beyond the cemetery gates, the tension that had been so much a part of the last few hours slithered from my body, and I was suddenly able to breathe easier, It wasn't just Wilson - and the knowledge of what he could have done - that had wound me up so tight. It was the awareness of all those other souls. The feeling that I only needed to open myself up a little and all their hopes, their dreams, and their anguish would be mine. That the sum of their beings could easily overrun me, until I was nothing more than a conduit for their pain.

I shivered. I mightn't be able to entirely avoid dead people given my job, but cemeteries were definitely off my list of places to visit in the future.

I slipped back into the flow of traffic and glanced at the dashboard clock as my stomach rumbled a reminder that it actually hadn't been supplied with sustenance in a while. It was nearly one, so most of the fast-food joints would be closed by now, but the restaurants near the Blue Moon would still be open. In fact, most of them ran twenty-four hours a day, just to make the most of the constant flow of patrons coming to and from both the Blue Moon and the Rocker. And the close proximity of the clubs meant I'd be able to case a deeper ache after filling my belly.

Except that I'd made a promise.

With a sigh that was only slightly filled with frustration, I dug my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Kellen's number.

"Hey," I said, when he answered. "You feel like something to eat?"

"Rilcy, it's nearly one in the morning."

"So?" I glanced in the mirror to check there wasn't a. cop car behind me. It wasn't exactly legal to be talking on a cell while driving - not without using hands-free, anyway - and while as a guardian I could probably get out of the fine, it would create a whole lot of paperwork. And that would only make me and Jack grumpy.

"So some of us do actually cat at regular hours." Amusement lurked in Kellen's rich tones. "Hell, some of us even keep regular sleeping hours."

Which explained the sexy, just-woken-up tone I was hearing under the amusement. "So you're not interested in coming out for a snack?"

"That depends on what else is on the menu."

"Now there's a typical male response," I said dryly, "Won't come out for food, but will make the effort if there's sex involved."

"Absolutely right," he said. "When and where?"

"I'll be at Eddie's in ten minutes," I said. "I'm feeling like a burger, and he makes the best."

"Order me a coffee," he said. "And add lots of sugar. I've got a feeling I'm going to need the energy."

"You surely will."

He chuckled softly, and hung up. After a glance at the road to see what the traffic was doing, I pressed another button and dialed the Directorate. Naturally, Sal answered.

"What an unmitigated pleasure to speak to you again so soon," she cooed.

Right. "So Jack's in the room, huh? Why don't you just shag the man?"

"Because I, unlike some, have a little class, and I prefer to build up to a relationship rather than take the wham-bam approach."

She might be a few hundred years old, but it seems her human prejudices had survived the crossover well. "If class means remaining a frustrated old cow, then give me crassness any day."

"Oh, you can be sure you have that market covered." Her tone was still so very pleasant, even if her words held the familiar hint of snark. It had to be killing her.

"And with the sort of charm you're currently oozing, it's a wonder Jack isn't just falling at your feet in lust."

"Oh, he surely will."

"You want to bet on that?"

"No." She paused, then added, "And we can cut the crap now - what do you want, bitch?"