Bound Guardian Angel (13 page)

Even as she said it, she knew moving Trace
right now wouldn’t happen. She wasn’t so clueless that she didn’t
understand how badly Trace needed to rest after his stay in her
brother’s dungeon. But damn it, she should have been there on time.
She should have been the one responsible for making sure he got out
of that nasty place and safely into Micah’s hands to receive the
care he needed. It hurt her heart that she had failed at something
so important. Something that
felt
important.

“Damn straight, you can suck my ass.”
Aggression blazed in his navy blue eyes as he took a menacing step
forward.

“Stop!” Sam jumped between them. “Micah,
back off. Cordray, let me handle this.”

Sam had no fear, jumping between two tigers
about to shred each other.

Cordray took a deep breath and stepped back
before turning away and squeezing her eyes closed. She’d seen
inside Micah’s mind. She knew what he and Trace had done to one
another. Or rather, what Micah had done to Trace. He’d made Trace
come. He’d kissed him. They’d held each other like lovers in a bed
the size of Chicago.

And knowing that hurt.

She didn’t want it to hurt. She didn’t want
what Micah and Trace had done together to carve out her insides
like she was a Thanksgiving turkey. But that didn’t stop the ache
from gnawing at the inside of her chest.

Something about Trace threw everything
inside her into upheaval, and tears stung her eyes at the idea that
he and Micah were so close they could be as intimate as lovers.

And then there was Sam. She and Micah were
so in tune with one another. Cordray stole a glance over her
shoulder. Sam had pulled Micah aside, her fingers massaging the
pulse point in his neck, their foreheads touching as she spoke
soft, coaxing words to calm him.

At one time, she had had that. A long time
ago, with Gideon, before she had lost her sense of feeling, she had
loved and been loved that deeply. And then it had all been stolen
from her.

She turned away again, breathing through the
emptiness, hugging herself as she willed her tears not to fall.
Forever had passed since she’d last cried, which had been over
losing Gideon.

Now she was crying over Trace. Damn him!

She cleared her throat and dropped her arms
to her sides. “Go get him,” she said without turning around,
forcing iron resolve into her voice. “Bring him to me now.”

“Trace is resting,” Micah said between
clenched teeth. “And he will remain resting until he decides he
wants to get up.”

“Well, I’m not leaving without him.” Cordray
faced him and crossed her arms, doing her best to put on a
steadfast front. She was good at putting on tough façades. After
all, she’d been doing so for eight hundred years. Another five
minutes shouldn’t be too hard.

“Then I hope you’re ready to get good and
comfortable.” Micah took Sam’s hand and ushered her toward the
stairs. “Because he stays until I say he’s ready to leave.”

“Fine.” Cordray jutted out her chin and
squared her shoulders. “I’ll wait then.”

Sam held her tongue, although Cordray sensed
she wanted to speak. Perhaps she remained quiet because she wanted
to hurry Micah away before another outburst occurred.

“Don’t go downstairs,” Micah warned,
pointing his finger at her as Sam tugged his arm. “I swear to God,
Cordray, if you go near him and fuck with his head, I’ll beat your
ass into next year. I don’t care how tight you are with King Bain.
You’ve caused Trace enough problems. You don’t need to cause him
any more, so just park your ass on the couch and don’t fucking
move.”

Cordray threw eye daggers at him. If only
Micah knew her true relationship to King Bain, he might not be so
arrogant about threatening her.

Issuing a mock salute, Cordray stepped
toward the couch and plopped down, keeping her gaze locked to
Micah’s as Sam pulled him up the stairs. Only when he disappeared
from view did Cordray allow herself to exhale. Her entire body
slumped forward as she dropped her head into her hands. Her long
hair hung over her face, the ends sweeping the floor.

For the past eight hundred years, she had
prevented anyone from getting close enough to hurt her the way
Gideon had, but now Trace threatened to do just that.

Part of her wanted nothing more than to let
that happen.

Another part of her simply wanted to run the
way she’d run away from the cabin in the woods when she found
Gideon with another female.

Her whole life ceased to exist that night.
Now Trace threatened to resurrect her heart. She was stuck between
fight or flight. Should she fight for what she wanted, or should
she flee before he could destroy her completely?

She didn’t need a Magic 8 Ball to tell her
the outlook wasn’t good.

* * *

Sam sighed irritably as Micah closed the door to the
upstairs bedroom. A small, dim lamp on the nightstand served as the
only light. The blackout blinds and curtains were secured over the
windows, shutting out the sun.

“How long has she been here?” Micah said
quietly, almost as if he were hissing.

Sam brushed her hands over both sides of his
neck, massaging his pulse points in a continual effort to keep him
calm. “About an hour. Maybe a little longer.”

Micah purred and leaned his head into her
right hand before turning and kissing her palm. “I’m sorry I left
you with her.”

“She wasn’t so bad. I,
uh . . . I actually kind of—”

Micah’s eyes shot open, and his gaze spun
toward hers before she could get the words out. Obviously, he had
seen in her thoughts what she was about to say. “You like her?”

She still wasn’t used to having her mind
read twenty-four seven, but she was beyond chastising him for it.
It wouldn’t do any good, anyway.

Sam huffed and crossed her arms as she took
a step back. “Yes, I like her. Have you got a problem with that,
Mr. Bossy Pants?”

He raked his fingers through his hair as he
let out a frustrated growl and looked away. “Whose side are you on
here, Sam?”

Now it was her turn to get frustrated. “I’m
on my
own
side. Look, I know you and Trace don’t like her,
but I think it’s because you’re both too close to the situation.
I—” Micah began to pace away, but she grabbed his arm. “Don’t you
walk away from me when I’m talking to you.”

His gaze burned into hers. “I can’t believe
you would take her side over ours.”

She bopped him V-8 style on the side of the
head. “You aren’t listening to me.”

He blew out an irritated breath. “Fine. I’m
listening.”

She took a step toward him and caressed his
cheek, which was covered with black stubble. She loved how he
looked when he hadn’t shaved for a couple of days. “Hear me out.”
He rolled his eyes, but some of the steam had left his chimney.
“You and Trace are looking at Cordray all wrong.”

“And how would you suggest we look at her?”
Then, under his breath, he added, “Especially when neither of us
wants to look at her at all.”

She fought back a grin at his flippant tone.
Micah was so damn stubborn, but part of her loved that about him.
“You’re the genius, Micah. You’re the one who can see all,
remember?” She tapped the side of his head.

“Yeah, but I can’t see inside
her
mind. She’s got a wall up, same as Trace. You know that. I’ve told
you that before.”

“You are such a man.”

He narrowed his eyes as he slinked closer
and placed his hands seductively on her hips. “I’ll remind you
again, I’m not a man. I’m a male. All male, baby.”

“And don’t I know it?” She trailed her index
finger down his jaw to his neck. “But right now, you’re being a
total
man
. Because men can be total douche bags when it
comes to
females
.”

“Okay, fine, baby. What’s your point?” His
hands slid up the sides of her hips, and then inward to the robe’s
sash tied around her waist.

“My point is, if you can’t see inside her
mind, then open your damn eyes. Think. Use your common sense.” She
leaned in and kissed the side of his neck as the robe fell open and
his hands slipped inside. “Baby, your mind probe abilities are your
greatest strength, but they’re also your biggest weakness. You
depend on them too much to tell you what you can easily see for
yourself if you just look.”

“Mmm, what are you telling me, baby?” He
nuzzled the side of her neck. “That you’ve figured Cordray out in
less than an hour, and I haven’t because I’m too hung up on being
pissed off at her . . . and because I can’t see her
thoughts.”

She nodded. “Something like that.”

He backed her toward the bed and eased her
down. “Look who’s the smarty-pants now.” He crawled over her as she
lay back against the pillows.

“Damn straight, Skippy.”

He chuckled and nibbled her collar bone.
“Okay, I’ll bite.”

She giggled at his double entendre and
pushed her fingers into his long hair. “I hope so.”

His fangs teased the side of her neck. “So,
what have you figured out about Cordray that I haven’t?”

She wrapped her legs around his hips as he
slid the thin strap of her nightgown off her shoulder. “That she’s
seriously misunderstood.”

“Okay?” Micah licked her shoulder.
“And . . .?”

“That she’s been hurt before and has a wall
up to protect herself from getting hurt again.”

Micah pushed himself to a sitting position
and tugged her onto his lap. “What makes you say that?”

“Women’s intuition.” She straddled his hips
and brushed her palms over his shoulders as he nipped the side of
her neck. “She reminds me of the way I was after I left Steve.”
Micah tensed at hearing Steve’s name and pulled away to look in her
eyes as she continued. “Until I met you, I pushed everyone away
when all I wanted was to pull them closer. I was so alone. I
desperately wanted a friend, but I couldn’t risk letting anyone get
too close for fear of Steve finding out.”

Micah caressed her cheek, his gaze intensely
protective. “You don’t have to worry about that asshole anymore,
baby.”

“Thanks to you, but I still feel the effects
of what he did to me. I still fear letting anyone get close.”

“You let
me
get close.”

She smiled and ran the backs of her fingers
down the side of his face. “You’re different.”

“Damn straight I am.” He reached around and
patted her on the rump. “But what’s this got to do with
Cordray?”

“I think she’s been through the same thing.
Or at least something similar. Which is why she’s so abrasive.”

Micah’s eyes narrowed as his brow furrowed.
Sam had seen that look before. He was processing Sam’s logic and
running through everything he knew about Cordray to validate what
Sam had just told him. A moment later, he pursed his lips and
raised one eyebrow as he sighed. “Okay, I’ll concede you might be
on to something.”

“So, do you think you and Trace can cut her
some slack?”

Micah grinned. “Not a chance.” He dove in
and sucked a mouthful of skin at the top of her breast into his
mouth, causing her to shriek and fall into uncontrollable
giggles.

“Micah! Stop it! I’m trying to be serious
here.”

He released her and lapped his tongue over
the place he’d just given a love bite. “So am I.” A lusty growl
broke inside his throat. “God, I need you so badly right now.” He
lifted his face and hit her with a gaze fiery enough to burn down
Chicago.

“I take it things went well with Trace.” She
tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

“Mmmm, yes. Very well.” His fingers hooked
the other strap of her gown and drew it down her arm. “So no more
talk about Cordray. She’s killing the mood.”

With that, he claimed her mouth with enough
steam to push all thought of anything but him from her mind.

The atmosphere in the room grew thick with
arousal. Heavy waves of it pulsed from his body like ocean surf as
he continued to undress her. His fingers trembled with such force
as he unfastened his belt that the metal prong vibrated against the
buckle, and the more time that passed, the more urgent he
became.

Whatever had gone on in the dungeon had
definitely worked Micah’s sex drive into a frenzy. She hadn’t felt
such heady surges of energy from him since his calling.

When he finally entered her, he held her
wrists over her head with both hands as he devoured her body with
his, until finally he sank his fangs into her shoulder and
shuddered through the most earthshaking, mind-blowing climax he’d
spent on her in months, sending her body into the stratosphere as
she blew apart beneath him.

* * *

In the afterglow of what had been the strongest
orgasm he’d had since his calling, Micah held Sam against his body,
drowsy, lazily caressing her arm with his fingertips. He wasn’t
finished. Sexual need still vibrated up and down his spine, the
lust-filled tide already rising again. He would have his mate once
more before falling asleep. Maybe even twice.

Sam kissed his chest, and he could feel her
eagerness for more as her hand traveled south along his
abdomen.

“One more thing about Cordray,” she said
softly against his chest, somewhat distracted.

He didn’t want to talk about Cordray. Maybe
Sam was right and Cord was hiding some awful, painful past that
turned her into a bitch with devil horns to keep people away from
her, but he didn’t care about that right now. At this moment, he
only cared about the female in his arms—his perfect, sexy mate—and
Trace.

Undeterred by his silence, Sam continued. “I
think she likes Trace.”

Micah’s eyes shot open, and he sat up,
pushing Sam up with him. “What?”

Sam frowned. “Oh come on, you can’t tell me
the thought hasn’t crossed your mind.” She stared at him then
gaped. “Oh God, it hasn’t.” She straightened and crossed her legs
so that her knee rested on his thigh. “It’s so obvious, Micah. I
can’t believe you didn’t see it.”