Downs, Jana - Angel Bound [His Guardian Angels 1] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove - Serialized) (4 page)

Dex glanced at the ceiling and squinted, his eyes darting back and  forth. Madigan cocked his head and stared. What the heck was he  looking at? His heart began to pound. Was it Mr. Indigo and his  buddies again? He didn’t hear flapping wings but—

“Be of ease, Madigan,” Dex said calmly, not looking in his  direction. “I’m receiving a message from your father.”

Madigan’s eyes widened. “Um, no offense, but I don’t see  anything.”

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“You wouldn’t see anything,” Cross assured. “It is a gift that only  the messengers possess. Those of Gabriel’s choir are the only ones  with the ability. We don’t see it, either.”

“Oh,” Madigan chirped. He felt so awkward around these men. He  never felt so out of place in his life.

After a few more minutes of Dex staring off into space, he turned  to them. “We are to go to Madigan’s mother’s house.”

“But it’s like three in the morning!” Madigan protested. “I don’t  want to wake her up. Plus, what if those angels follow us? How are  you going to protect my mom?”

“I assure you they will not harm your mother,” Cross said easily.  “She’s mortal and as such is off-limits unless the angel involved is  willing to fall. Those of the choirs who hunt nephilim would never do  something to warrant such an action. It goes against their morals.”

“Killing me is fine, but fucking with other humans is morally  abhorrent?” Madigan asked dryly. The sarcasm was thick in his voice.

“He speaks just like Bren at times,” Michel noted with another  crooked grin. “They resent things in a very similar way.”

“Enough of this.” Cross interrupted yet another slide into a  philosophical conversation. “If Lord Raphael says to go to your  mother’s house, Madigan, then to your house we must go.”

“Thank you so much for coming into my life and taking over. I  really appreciate it, Red,” Madigan grumbled, crossing his arms over  his chest.

“My name is—”

“Yeah. Yeah. I know your name is Cross.” Madigan let his breath  out in a slow hiss of sound and tried to keep both his hysteria and his  temper in check. He felt like the world was spiraling out of control.

“Hey,” Michel spoke, grabbing his attention. “Don’t be mad at us,  cutey. I promise that this is for your own good, and just as soon as  you get settled, it’ll be a lot better. We’ve just got to get somewhere  safe first.”

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Before Madigan could form a proper thank-you, Cross interrupted. “You don’t have to take time to explain things.” The redhead pointed at the nephilim. “His protection takes priority over his opinions of what we’re doing.” Apparently, his patience had finally run out.

Madigan saw red. “All right, I’ve had it! Beat your chest all you want, you Neanderthal, but I will be consulted before we do anything major. I am not a doormat.”

A muscle in Cross’s jaw ticked. In a calmer voice, he spoke. “I never claimed you were, Madigan. I apologize, but there will be instances when I don’t need you to argue with us. I will need you to act as ordered for your protection.”

“For my sanity, I will not just agree to everything you say.  Period.”

“Do you have a death wish, mortal?” Cross’s voice was the  epitome of calm and mature while Madigan had to resist the urge to  stomp his foot in annoyance.

“This is getting us nowhere,” Michel interrupted. He took  Madigan’s hand. “Come on, cutey. Fly with me. I’ll make you forget  that we’re bossy.” Madigan found himself smiling at the teasing tone  that Michel used. The angel spread his pretty white-and-gold wings,  letting Madigan look his fill. “What do you say?”

Madigan inhaled sharply as the rich smell of rowan wafted up to  his nostrils. A tiny shiver of pleasure went through him. “Sure thing.”  He stepped into Michel’s arms, and the smell surrounded him. “Those  look soft,” he murmured, reaching his hand out and touching the  curve of the wing as it disappeared into Michel’s back. The angel  visibly shuddered.

“Hey now, cutey, don’t touch those unless you’re planning to  spend the rest of the day flat on your back.” Michel shifted his grip  and wrapped his massive arms around Madigan’s waist. Their bodies  became flush together, and Madigan blushed as he felt the hard  evidence of what his touch had done to the angel.
 
I’m so going to hell.

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There has to be a place in the Bible that says that giving guardian angels hard-ons is definitely punishable by eternal hellfire
.

“Sorry,” he said aloud. The angel just chuckled against his temple.  Madigan found his laid-back attitude utterly appealing. He didn’t make him nervous like the rest of them.

“Not a problem, Madigan. You can get me frazzled later.” Michel  winked. “Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight.” It was  nice getting flirted with. Madigan nodded and did as he was bid. He  spared a glance at Cross. The other angel’s expression was perfectly  blank.

“Dex, follow them out. Make sure that no one attacks from

behind. The rest of us will surround them and ensure his safety. I’ll

lead.”

“What about Bren?” Michel asked as Cross took flight.

“He’s outside cooling off,” Dex answered, leaping into the air and

flapping his own wings. “He’ll fly beside you.”

“You sure about that?” Michel shot back.

“He will not abandon his mission.” Dex sounded really sure of

himself.

“I don’t care if he comes,” Madigan murmured. He still wasn’t  ready to forget the snappy, smart-ass comments Bren had made when  they’d first met.

“Don’t judge him too harshly, cutey. He’s not used to  socializing,” Michel chastised. He started pumping his muscular  wings, creating a downdraft that felt like the wind that came off of a  helicopter. Madigan’s stomach rolled and dropped to his feet as they  rose the first three feet off the ground.

Just like when an airplane took off, after the initial resistance, the  flight wasn’t too bad. It was different because he could feel the cool  wind on his skin as they moved faster than he thought should be  physically possible considering the nearly vertical nature of the lift.  Somehow though, it felt natural. Like something he’d experienced in  a dream or something.

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After they’d cleared the lip of the cave and rose into the still-cloudy sky, Madigan felt like he could finally breathe again. He definitely liked the open space of the sky better. The other angels were close enough that he got the impression of movement if they swung in a little close, but for the most part he could barely see anything. Michel’s face was heavily shadowed.

Fighting the resistance of the wind was getting harder the faster they moved, so Madigan finally gave up the fight and rested his head in the crook of Michel’s neck. The hands wrapped around him shifted slightly as if seeking a firmer grip.

“You need me to move or something?” he spoke into Michel’s

ear.

“Wrap your legs around my waist. It’ll make it easier.”

“You’re going to have to slow down.” Madigan squeaked as  Michel’s arms shifted, and he felt like he was slipping.

“I’m not going to drop you, Madigan. Put your legs around my  waist.” The teasing note was back in the angel’s voice. Madigan  sighed and used his forearms to get a little more vertical so that he  could drag his legs up and wrap them securely around the angel’s  muscled waist. It took a lot more effort than he’d originally imagined  it would.

“You okay?” Michel asked as he suddenly changed direction and  made a sweeping turn to the right. Madigan swallowed a scream as  his stomach dropped to his toes. After a few seconds, he leveled out  and Madigan could once again breathe.

“I–I’m okay,” he stuttered. He was getting cold now, and it had  started to mist. His teeth began to chatter. The grip on Madigan’s  torso tightened.

“You don’t feel okay. Your temperature dropped. You’re cold?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Madigan reassured, snuggling closer. The  heat that was coming off Michel’s skin felt great.

“We’re almost there.”

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Madigan shuddered as he inhaled the scent of rowan and pressed every inch of his body against Michel, crossing his ankles behind the angel’s back. He felt safe here. Even miles up in the night sky, clinging to the hard muscles of a creature that until tonight he didn’t think existed, and in fear for his life from other crazed angels, he felt safer than he ever had before. It made him wonder about the state of

his sanity.

Then they began the fast dive back toward the Earth, and Madigan  couldn’t think about anything but his fear of falling. He screamed  then, but it was dispersed by the howling wind as they plummeted.

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Chapter Three

Cross watched the two entwined figures fall from the sky, Dex and Bren right after them. Even though he knew without a shadow of a doubt that his fellow guardians would take care of the most precious mission ever given to him, his heart plummeted all the same. They had come too close to losing Madigan tonight to the hunters. If  Madigan had been seconds slower, they would’ve killed him before they could’ve reached him.

The group landed with a soft thud in the front yard beside him.  His eyes flicked over them. Bren had his signature I-don’t-give-a-care expression on his face, his arms crossed across his muscular chest.  Michel and Madigan were still tangled. Madigan’s long, lean legs were wrapped snugly around Michel’s hips, just above the very prominent erection Michael’s angel was sporting.
 
The lucky bastard
.

“Come along. We need to get out of the air,” Cross murmured, waving toward the front steps. The lights were already on in the house as if Madigan’s mother was waiting for their arrival. He wondered if his Lord Raphael had contacted the human. Michel’s grip didn’t loosen. That annoyed him for some reason. The urge to protect him apparently didn’t just extend to those angels desiring to kill Madigan but those desiring to mate with him as well. It was grossly inappropriate for any of his guardians to want him in that manner…wasn’t it?

It was then he caught the slight tremor in Madigan’s limbs. Cross frowned. Was he afraid? “We’ll take care of you, Madigan. Be reassured that our powers will protect you no matter the situation.”

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Madigan finally lifted his head from the crook of Michel’s neck.  He gave a shaky smile. “I’m not worried about that. Just cold.” He put his head back into its newfound niche. Cross glanced up. It was a little chilly for a human. Angels ran a little hotter than their mortal counterparts. The damp air probably wasn’t helping. He cursed softly.  He should’ve thought of that.

“Way to go, oh great leader,” Bren sneered, climbing the steps ahead of them. “You’ve nearly frozen our charge to death, and it’s only day one.”

“There wasn’t exactly time—”

“Time to grab a blanket? A jacket? Are you sure there wasn’t time, or did you just forget?” Bren interrupted. Cross gritted his teeth at the insolent tone. Lucifer’s angel threw a wicked grin over his shoulder. He was messing with him again.

The front door swung open without preamble, and all the angels tensed. A small, petite woman all but threw herself out the door and onto the slick porch. She skidded on the damp stone and tackled Bren on the third step. They both fell backward into the yard. Bren seemed completely stunned as he landed on his back with the small woman on top of him.

“I’m so sorry!” the woman squeaked, scrambling to get off of him without rolling all over his wings which were bent behind him at odd angles. She floundered for a few moments, constantly apologizing as she did. Michel blatantly laughed at Bren’s thunderous expression.  Even Dex cracked a smile at the picture.

“Get off me, you clumsy mortal!” Bren snarled. He used his wings to push himself and the human into a seated position and then used his arms to set her off of him. He rolled to his feet with an indignant expression plastered on his face.

“I’m so sorry!” the woman said again. She had to be Madigan’s mother, even if they looked nothing alike. Her eyes slid across all of them until they lit on Michel. “Madi!” she squealed, scrambling toward him.

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Madigan pushed on Michel’s shoulders, and the angel eased his grip on the human so that he could slide to his feet. He had the good sense to blush lightly as Madigan slid down and encountered the hard length of Michel’s interest. Cross crossed his arms over his chest and glared openly. He caught Michel’s eye, and Michael’s angel took a hasty step back. It was going to be a real challenge making sure that the other angels kept their hands off.

Madigan’s appeal was undeniable. The smell alone was enough to make them all painfully aroused. Maturing nephilim emitted a pheromone that drew angels to them for mating. Even human males reacted to the smell like it was a drug. He didn’t know what Lord  Raphael had been thinking by assigning Madigan a group of angels that not only would react to Madigan’s scent but shared his sexual preferences as well.