Absolute Surrender (22 page)

No
!
She flung open the french doors, leading from the library to the sweeping terrace, and sprinted toward the horde.

Oh Jesus, please—please, let him be all right
. How could he hope to defeat them with that horrid wound on his shoulder?

A
demonii
headed for her, his gaze filling with lust the moment he got a whiff of her scent, and for the first time Echo thanked God for her pheromones.

Her moves instinctual, she attacked, going in low and sweeping the
demonii
’s legs out from under him. She grabbed his hair and slit his throat in one swift motion. Sticky black blood spurted from his neck as she plunged the blade into his heart. As the
demonii
fell, one grabbed her from behind. She elbowed him in the belly, swung around, and kneed him in the crotch before driving her blade into his chest.

She went for the third but a dagger came winging through the air embedding into the
demonii’s
chest.

Aethan flashed to her side, his eyes blazing in fury. He grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder.

“Dammit, Aethan, let me go! Let me help you!”

He ignored her furious yells, the pounding of her fists on his back, and dematerialized. Echo gasped as she was sucked into a whirlpool of nothing. Her body felt strange, weightless. The next moment they were back in the library. Aethan set her down.

Echo moaned and tried not to hurl as the room continued to spin. She grabbed the back of the couch, dizziness swamping her.

“Keep her here,” he told Hedori, his voice so cold, a shiver darted along her spine. He vanished again before she could speak. Echo swallowed her nausea and stumbled to the window.

Craning her neck, she searched desperately for Aethan. She saw the dark-haired man and Týr leaving dead
demoniis
in their wake as they worked their way out of the hordes. But there was no sign of Aethan. Once clear of the swarming mass of
demoniis
, the two vanished.

Echo’s eyes widened. They’d left him alone with all those
demoniis
? Her heart thumped in fear, her anger at Aethan dissipating. What the hell was wrong with them?

No matter. She’d help him. She shoved open the door, but hands grabbed her and held her back before she could take a step out of the house.

Echo twisted around and snarled at Hedori. She’d forgotten he was there.

“Let me go. He’s out there fighting alone! They left him.” She struggled against his grip. “I must help him.”

“No, my lady,” Hedori said, his voice as calm as his expression, as if he’d seen this many times before. “He has to do this unaided.”

“
Unaided
!”
she yelled at him
.
“Can’t you see—” Before she finished her sentence, a familiar glimmer of light caught her attention. Her gaze snapped back to the chaos on the lawn. A white glow expanded from the center of the horde. The
demoniis
stopped abruptly then began scrambling away.

Then she saw him. And her eyes widened in shock. His body glowed, filling with light. His hair drifted around him as if he was underwater, his body silhouetted against the pulsing energy.

Aethan disappeared as an explosion of white light left him. In a silent wave, it spread through the gloom of early morning, incinerating all in its way. But it never touched the house, staying within the parameters of the grounds. Like a veil, it surrounded and destroyed every
demonii
.

There was no black goo left behind when it was over, just ash that scattered about. The light wavered and Aethan became visible, the fading white glow absorbed back into him.

“Oh God,” she whispered. “What was that?”

“It’s who he is. This way there is no escape and the
demoniis
can’t regenerate,” Hedori said, releasing his grip on her arm.

Aethan stood in the center of the lawn, his head dropped as he stared at the ground. She could feel his weariness bleeding out of him, as if it were her own. She took a step forward, wanting to rush out there and comfort him. When he turned and looked straight at her, Echo finally understood the caliber of the man she wanted so badly. He scared her, yet the thought of being without him became an unbearable pain in her chest.

Now, faced with the magnitude of how utterly lethal he was, Echo struggled to breathe. At long last she understood the reason for his rigid control. How did one—how did
she
handle a man like him?

“Don’t, my lady.” Hedori’s quiet voice stopped her.

Echo blinked, surprised to find she’d stepped back, away from the window and Aethan.

“I’ve known him since he was a young lad. Because of this power, he suffers much.”

“What’re you talking about? Didn’t you see what just happened? He–he took out a freaking army of
demoniis
in a matter of seconds
.
”

“Because he was afraid for you,” Hedori pointed out. “Those wounds on your arm led them here. However, they didn’t know you were inside. The castle is warded against supernatural invasion of any sort, but you left its protection.”

Annoyance replaced her shock and wariness. “Why didn’t he just say so? Why must he order me about?”

“It’s what he is.”

“What? Arrogant and bossy?”

“No.” Amusement flared briefly in Hedori’s orange-green eyes. “He’s protective of the one he...ah, cares about.”

She snorted. “Like I said, bossy and arrogant.”

The fight drained out of her and she sat down. But all she saw in her mind was the white light taking over Aethan’s body. It had been the most frightening, most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Why did he bother with a sword when he had such power?

She turned to the butler. “Hedori, that sword on his biceps? What is it?”

For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer. “It’s a gift he received when he became a Guardian. Like the sires, Týr and Blaéz.”

Her gaze strayed to the window again. She saw Týr, with the dark-haired man, heading for Aethan. She chose to hunt
demoniis
, wanting to exact revenge on the one who’d killed Tamsyn. Had Aethan made such a choice, too?

“But who would give such a gift? It looks painful.”

“Gaia.”

She turned back to Hedori, frowning.

“And no, it’s not painful,” he smiled as if to reassure her. “Not when evil is present. Only then does it become sentient. It’s important that, as Guardians, they are always armed.”

“Gaia?” she repeated.

“Yes. I guess humans would refer to her as Mother Nature. She er...drafted him in as one of her Guardians. His abilities serve him well in what he does.”

“Mother Nature? She’s real? She actually exists?”

Hedori nodded.

Echo wanted to pinch herself to make sure this conversation was real and not a dream. But after all that happened this morning and what she just saw, how could she doubt any longer?

She looked out of the window and saw Aethan and the others were looking around the grounds, talking. As if nothing earth shattering had happened just minutes ago. For them, this must be a normal occurrence, she realized.

She glanced at Hedori. “You said you’ve known Aethan since he was a little boy. Are you like him, too?”

“I would never claim to be one such as he.” There was a reverential tone in Hedori’s voice. “But yes, I am from Empyrea. When Aethan left, I followed.”

“Why did he leave?”

There was a moment of heavy silence before Hedori spoke. “He didn’t leave. He was banished.”

“Why—who would do something so cruel?” she asked, horrified.

“The high ruler of Empyrea.” Hedori stepped away from the window. “My lady,” he said softly and with a nod, he slipped out of the door.

Echo pushed to her feet.

Aethan entered the library, his gaze pinning her to the spot. The impassivity of his expression had her trepidation coming back in full force, reminding her of what he truly was. Instinct, made her take a step back.

He was immortal. Deadly. He wasn’t like her.

“You–you took out an entire army of
demoniis
,” she whispered.

“Yes.” There was no apology in his tone. For a taut moment, his gaze held hers. “Go to bed, Echo. I can taste your fear. Your heart pounds so fast, I’m afraid it will give out on you.”

The next minute he disappeared. There was no coercion, no emotion beneath his words. Either he was very, very angry with her or she’d hurt him with her fear.

Left alone in the silent library, Echo bit her lip. No, she wasn’t afraid of him. Hesitant, perhaps. Awed definitely. But afraid? No. Her heart pounded not in fear, but from knowing how much she wanted him.

Unwilling to start their relationship on doubt, she headed for the stairs and jogged up to the third floor. By the time she reached his room, a landed trout would have undoubtedly sucked in air with more grace than she did.

Echo rushed into the bedroom as he came out of the dressing room wearing sweats and Nikes. He held a T-shirt in his hand.

“Aethan, wait,” she panted. “I know I shouldn’t have gone outside—”

The gaze he turned on her flamed with silver ice.

Oh yes. He was furious.

“You should have never left the safety of the house, Echo. And now, you should have stayed away until I calmed down. I’m seconds away from making good on my promise.”

Her back stiffened. “I’m not some possession to be packed away because you fear it breaking. You want a relationship with me, you need to accept me for who I am.”

“At the expense of putting your life in danger? Don’t push me on this. You won’t like the trade-off.”

She bit back on the deluge that would have spewed out at his threat and said, “I don’t like you very much, right now.”

At her words, something shifted in his stance, his gaze. The chill in his eyes went into a slow burn, reminding her of a dangerous predator. He flung his T-shirt aside and prowled closer.

Hastily, she backed away. She wasn’t a fool. Whatever he planned wouldn’t be good for her. Then she met his eyes and fear gave way to anticipation. Breathing became harder, aware she’d unleashed this dangerous side of him.

“You don’t like me, do you?” He stalked her until her back hit the wall. Hands planted on either side of her head, he locked her in. “Let’s see about that, shall we?” His eyes glowed fiercely, filled with possession. He bent his head. His nose trailed lightly down her jaw to her neck.

Echo stilled, unprepared for the sensual feeling of his lips lightly grazing her skin. The heady scent of rainstorms, his masculine heat, and raw sex surrounded her. She could almost taste him on her tongue.

“Aethan,” she whispered, desire surging in her veins. If he could do that without even touching her, she truly was in trouble. But she didn’t care. She only knew if he didn’t kiss her, she would burn up from her own heat and die, and then he’d be sorry. She angled her face toward his, seeking his lips.

Soft laughter reached her ears as though he heard her thoughts. “Still don’t like me, do you?”

“Aethan, please,” she moaned, her hands sliding up the heated skin of his chest. His body was too hard, too big to tug closer. So, she grabbed his hair, wrapped the silky strands around her hand and drew his head to hers.

But he picked her up and braced her against the wall, her legs anchored around his waist. The warmth of his naked stomach against her center, the temptation of all those powerful muscles holding her up, made her heart beat faster. Unable to resist, her hand trailed down his chest and circled his flat male nipple. The shudder rippling through his hard body and the seductive sound of his groan caused the tiny hairs on her arms to rise.

His hot, possessive eyes skimmed over her hair, her face, to latch onto her mouth, then slid lower. Bending his head, he licked her nipple through her tee and blew on the damp patch. Her body tensed, her breath caught in her throat. He bit down gently before sucking on the nub and driving her out of her head with mind-numbing pleasure.

He let go of the tight bud and covered her mouth in a kiss so hot, it branded her to the very depths of her soul. Flames gathered, rolled, and pooled between her legs. A flood of moisture dampened her panties.