Chapter 25

Raven couldn't frickin’ concentrate, and they all knew it. His mind focused on only one thing—Tayla.

Was she still in his bed? Was she still naked? The feel of her soft breasts in his hands, the way her body writhed with need as he stroked her and slid in and out of her heat.

Countless times, he'd glanced at the mansion and considered bolting straight back to his room to throw her down on the bed. Or lean her over the dresser. Or against the tiles in the shower.

Instead, he'd fought to keep his feet glued to their spot on the grass.

What the hell was wrong with him? This had gone too far. Focusing on his mission should be his priority.

What an epic fail.

Last night, he’d claimed her in his mind—and his body. No way he’d be able to let her go. If she was destined to be with someone else, Fate would have to fucking deal with the fact it wouldn’t happen.

He was done for. Tayla had well and truly brought him to his knees, and he loved every minute of it.

He braced his forearm against a tree trunk and scanned the grounds. EJ and River stood at the edge of the forest engaged in target practice with newly forged Purah arrows. River skilfully shot them through the tree line to slam into the center of a large red circle painted on a trunk.

Raine and Aric sparred to his right, and it was a frickin’ comedy act.

Raven bent at the waist and laughed as Raine knocked Aric to the ground for the second time. He couldn't help it; it was too damn funny. But his laughing only fed Aric's rage and he launched himself back onto his feet, his eyes turning a murderous shade of black, a low growl emanating from his chest.

Aric was out for blood, but Raven wasn't sure he’d get it.

They’d all made the mistake—big fucking mistake—of going easy on Raine, but she’d showed each of them, not only had she held her own, but she served up their asses on a platter while doing it. A natural warrior; strong, fast and lethal, but her skin-tight leather and long blonde hair gave the illusion of easy prey. Ha! Easy wasn’t a word a male could use around her and escape with their balls still nestled between their legs.

Raven had pulled his punches while they sparred earlier, he’d felt a bit weird about fighting a female—one who wasn’t a Fallen—but she'd gifted him with the fracture in his now swollen cheekbone.

He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Raven had then engaged River in a duel, testing his skill with a sword, while EJ got the same lesson from Raine.

River had been as confident and lethal as Raine, and even though arrows were his weapon of choice, he could do some serious damage with a sword, too.

Raven had let his mind wander at one point—well, maybe more than once, but who was counting—and River advanced, managing to add some slices to the tops of Raven's arms.

Nothing that wouldn't heal, but it did manage to snap him out of his daydreaming damn quickly.

Raven ducked as a throwing star whizzed past his ear, narrowly missing the left side of his head and lodging in the tree trunk behind him. Speaking of daydreaming…

Aric glared at him. “That’s for all the fucking laughing.”

“You deserved it,” he snickered. “She kicked your ass.”

Aric gave him the finger as he chugged down a bottle of water.

Raven dislodged the throwing star from the trunk and bounced it in his hand, testing the weight. The Purah tingled the center of his palm and the five points glistened with a kaleidoscope of colors in the morning rays. He gripped a point and glanced at Aric. The moment Aric lifted the bottle to his lips, Raven drew back his arm and threw the star. It shot through the air with the precision and accuracy of a bullet. At the last second, Aric whipped out his dagger and sliced it across the front of his body, colliding with the throwing star. Raven expected it to shatter but instead, it held its form and slammed point down in the dirt.

Aric slid his dagger into the sheath strapped across his chest and glared at Raven with an as-if-I-would-miss smug look on his face.

Raven smacked his thigh and laughed. Dunno if it was the fresh air, the sun warming his skin or the fact he'd spent the night—and morning—pleasuring a gorgeous woman, but he hadn’t felt this good since—

“Watch out!” EJ shouted.

Raven turned just in time to drop to the ground and kiss the grass as an arrow shot passed his head.

His head, goddamn it! “What the fuck?” he shouted.

“Sorry, Rave. I might need some more training with these.”

“You think?” Raven grunted to his feet and brushed the dirt from his jeans.

Now Aric laughed at him.

Raven glared back, giving him a piece of his own medicine and flipped him off.

“I think that's enough for this morning before someone gets decapitated,” he scowled at EJ. “That’s something even the sun can’t heal.”

The group converged, and Aric threw around bottles of water. “Maybe it’s safer if you use foam arrows, EJ?”

“Like the little kid Nerf guns I saw on TV,” River snorted.

EJ rolled his eyes, picked up the arrow off the ground, and shoved it in a quiver.

Now was probably a good time to tell them about Tayla—his latest screw-up. Raven’s stomach churned as he prepared to come clean.

“Listen, while you’re all here.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I'm gonna ask Tayla to stay here for a bit. It’s the safest place to protect her from the Fallen, at least until we figure out her path. I’m guessing it’s fucking important, given her previous Fallen attack at the university and my run-in with one last night. Plus, it’s hard to overlook the fact Blaine reappeared at the exact same time; he doesn’t come out of Hell for nothing.”

Aric nodded. “Or maybe those twisted fucks are just excited to have a Chosen to flip for a change, rather than a standard mortal.”

“Why would they prefer a Chosen over an ordinary mortal?” River asked. “I mean I know they enjoy messing with Fate’s plans, but why is a Chosen so much better?”

Raven cleared his throat. “All mortals are created by Fate, but only Chosen are born with a hint of Fate’s power inside them, which means they possess the brightest soul and have the purest concentration of faith for a mortal. Infecting a Chosen’s soul would not only put a serious kink in Fate’s plan, but also dwindle her power, almost like a piece of Fate was infected as well. Plus…” He ground his molars. “Apparently, Chosen souls reap the biggest rewards in Hell.”

No way would he fail Tayla and allow Hell to capture her soul. The thought of her tortured by filthy Devoids awakened a rage in him he didn’t know existed.

River slowly nodded. “Righty-o, that is a big draw, isn’t it?”

Raven raked his hand through his hair. “Yeah. So, does anyone have a problem with her staying?”

He exhaled a long breath when they all shook their heads.

“You gonna let her out of your room long enough to meet us?” Aric raised an eyebrow.

Raven ignored the dig. Of course he’d have to let Tayla out of his room, he wasn’t stupid enough to think he could hide her away. Not that he wanted to hide her away; quite the opposite, he wanted to parade her around as his to the whole fucking world.

But most of all, he wanted their support before approaching Tayla with his proposition.

“I’m cool as long as she doesn't have your taste in movies.” EJ smirked.

Raven rolled his eyes. “What exactly is your problem with Jason Bourne?”

EJ raised an eyebrow. Whatever.

“Right, that’s settled.” He glanced at Raine, arms crossed, leaning against a tree with one leg lifted, pushing her heel into the trunk. Not a scratch on her, or even a smudge of dirt, for that matter. “Great work on the new weapons, Raine.”

She gave a curt nod while maintaining her damn death stare.

But she did acknowledge him, and that was progress.

EJ lifted his nose in the air. “Mmm, I smell coffee. I’ll tell you what, that has to be the best reward for an eternity of banishment.”

“I would’ve thought you’d consider females your biggest reward.” Aric smirked.

EJ sniggered. “Females and coffee.”

The group fell into comfortable banter—except Raine, of course—as they collected the weapons and headed inside through the rear entrance for breakfast.

Breaking off from the group, Raven bolted up the rear staircase to the third floor, mentally listing all the wicked ways he could explore Tayla’s body. He burst into the room—

Where the hell is she?

He gaped at the empty bed, sheets remade, duvet folded at the foot and a small pile of clothes folded neatly at the end. He grabbed a shirt from the top and held it out, recognizing it from the clothes he bought her the last time she’d spent the night. But how did they make it to his room?

He walked into the bathroom. A fresh scent of spring-rain drifted in the air while steamy fog lingered on the basin mirror. She showered without me. Pity.

He backtracked to the bedroom and took another glance at the folded clothes.

Damn it. Ellen must’ve brought them up for her. His heart sank at the thought of her sitting in the dining room for breakfast and four Guardians, covered in weapons, bursting in.

He raced out of the bedroom and leaped down the stairs, racing to the dining room on the ground floor. The smell of bacon drifted through the air as he rounded the corner. Voices rumbled from the other side of the double doors.

Shit. He was too late.

He skidded to a halt at the doors—so he didn't look like a complete lunatic—before pushing them open. The sight nearly floored him.

The bustle of conversation filled the room, the clank of cutlery, plates and dishes served and passed around the table. Exactly what he’d longed for. The previously too-large table somehow now filled the room perfectly.

He froze in the doorway like a complete idiot, taking in the faces around the table. Aric sat in his usual spot on the opposite side, shoveling mounds of bacon onto his plate before returning the tray to the center and moving to the pancakes. River sat opposite him, listening to something Aric said, a glass of OJ in his hands and only a few smears of sauce left on his plate. EJ backed through the kitchen doors, carrying a tray of eggs, laughing as he placed it on the table. Aric’s face lit up.

But what caused his chest to swell and his knees to buckle was the sight of Tayla, sitting at the head of the table—in his usual seat—chatting with Raine to her left.

Wait…what? He did a double take. Yep, she chatted with Raine.

God that was it. No way was he letting Tayla go after this. The sight of his woman—yes, he'd admit it—sitting at the head of the table, engaged in a conversation with an angel who had done nothing but throw mental daggers since arriving, absolutely floored him. He had no frickin’ idea how she managed it.

Ellen arrived beside him in the doorway. “Good morning, Raven.”

“Morning, Ellen.”

“Raine seems to like her,” she said softly.

He grinned. “How could she not?”

“Almost seems like she’s meant to be here.”

What? The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind but now that Ellen mentioned it, it made a helluva lot of sense…but it couldn’t be true.

He glanced at Ellen across his shoulder. “You think her path is meant to involve us, in more than a protective role?”

She smiled. “Perhaps her path is meant to involve you.”

He glanced back at Tayla. “You know that meant-to-be crap doesn't apply to us.”

“You keep saying that, Raven, but do you truly believe it?”

He couldn't answer. All he knew was the sight before him caused a flutter in his belly, and his shoulders somehow felt lighter. He knew too well how dangerous hope was—powerful enough to bring immense joy, but also capable of tearing a soul to shreds.

A chair scraped the floor, snapping Raven to attention.

“Raven, are you going to join us?” Tayla waved him over.

She slid her plate to the side and pulled out another chair to sit. No fucking way. He was at her side a second later, planting his ass on his usual seat. He gripped Tayla’s hips, and she giggled as he pulled her onto his lap. He’d get Ellen to buy a new table so he could fit two chairs at the head side by side. No, scrap that. Tayla didn’t need a separate seat; her position was here, on his lap.

Tayla reached forward and piled food on a plate. She slid the plate beside hers and glanced over her shoulder. Her wicked grin only spurred on his raging erection. Ah, fuck. Would it ever be satisfied? Definitely not.

Twisting around, she hung her legs off the side of his lap and passed him a fork. He wasn't interested in eating—well, not food—but grabbed it anyway and did his best at one-handed eating while his free hand stroked the small of her back underneath her shirt, never breaking contact with her soft skin.

Raine pushed out from the table and slid on her fingerless leather gloves as she stood. “Nice to meet you, Tayla.”

“It was lovely to meet you too, Raine.”

Raine ignored everyone else in the room, including him, while she stacked her plate and cutlery. Her ridiculously high heels—capable of gouging an eye out—clicked on the wooden floor into the kitchen.

“She's really nice.” Tayla smiled.

What the fuck?

Tayla laughed. “What? She is nice.”

“If you say so.” Were there two Raines in the house and he was yet to meet the nice one?

“Is she a Guardian like you?” Tayla whispered in his ear.

EJ chuckled. “No point in whispering, Tay-Tay. We could hear you from the living room.”

Her cheeks reddened. “Oh, sorry.”

“Ignore them. Especially EJ.” Raven tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We’re all Guardians, except Ellen.”

She smiled. “Yes. I met Ellen earlier, by the way. Well, I met her again. You know, I kinda feel like you set this all up from the start.”

Busted. “I couldn't trust anyone else to help you settle in. It would’ve been a catastrophe me posing as a receptionist.”

She giggled. “It would’ve been funny seeing you try.”

He brushed his fingers along her jaw. “You're not angry?”

She shook her head. “No, how could I be? Ellen has been nothing but kind to me and made me feel so welcome when I moved here, which was exactly what I needed. I'm glad she helped.” She frowned. “I know it's silly, but I'm still a bit confused about something.”

“Tell me.”

“Well, how exactly did you make me move here, to Cedar Lodge? I mean, did you post that flyer and just hope for the best, or did you use your mind-control thingy on me?”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “No, that wasn't me, honey. Fate led you here.” To me.

Hey, man, we're gonna head out now, you still coming? Aric’s voice echoed in his mind.

Raven glanced around Tayla to address Aric. “Give me a minute.”

“We'll meet you outside.” Aric nodded to Tayla. “It’s good to have you here, Tayla.”

Tayla smiled. “Thank you.”

When the others had left the room, Raven gently squeezed Tayla’s hip. “Listen, how would you feel about staying here for a bit?”

“As in today?”

His heart pounded inside his chest, and his breakfast churned in his stomach. “More like the coming days. And nights.”

Tayla’s lips parted.

“Tayla, I don’t wanna scare you, but as a Chosen, the Fallen will constantly target you. Your soul is bright and a source of power for them. Plus, Blaine already knows where you live, and although he hasn’t hurt you, you can’t trust him. It’s safe here at the mansion, and you’ll be free to roam around as though this is your house, too.” He kissed her forehead. “As you said, it would be easier to protect you if I was with you.” He wasn’t above using her own words against her.

She smirked. “That seems like sound logic.”

“So…is that a yes?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He exhaled a breath. “Good. I've got some things I need to get done, but when I'm finished, we'll go grab some of your stuff.”

“That’s okay, I can go and save you the trip.”

His lips thinned. “I can’t protect you if I’m not with you.”

She smirked. “Fine, Mr Protective. I'll wait for you.”

Tayla slid off his lap and stacked their plates on top of each other.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her back onto his lap. “Glad you agree,” he grumbled before pressing his lips against hers. Their kiss heated, and he once again considered lifting her up on the table, but instead, he eased back. “I won't be long.”

“Take your time,” she sighed with flushed cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere.”