Chapter 1

Fate was a bitch. And man, did Raven know it. Thanks to Fate, he found himself hunkered down amongst the dark shadows, several stories above a shady university courtyard, watching her, his assigned Chosen.

The weathered building provided the perfect cover; chipped midnight concrete tiles lined the pitched roof and tall twin Gothic spires stretched toward the cloudless sky, their shadows extended past him like long ghostly fingers reaching over the edge. Fatigue cramped his thighs from the two or so hours he'd tortured himself in this position.

God, he was weary of it.

Of all of it.

He’d lost count of how many hours he spent perched in this very spot, protecting her. While she ate lunch at the wooden benches, nestled between the ancient pine trees or curled up on a rug reading one of her many novels. Countless times, he’d longed to stretch alongside her as she basked under the warm rays.

Today, she said farewell to her colleagues and life as she knew it. Put the horrors of that night in the courtyard behind her.

Having her closer was gonna make his job a helluva lot easier. A bonus not to have to fly so goddamn far.

Now the hard work began, for both of them.

If only he could shake the nagging ache in his chest. He should want nothing more than for her to follow her destiny. As a Chosen, it was what she was born to do. A rare mortal created by Fate to fulfill an extraordinary destiny, one who would succeed in tipping the scales back in Fate’s favor, contributing to her greater plan. Whatever that was.

And he was the Guardian Fate had assigned to keep her alive so she could fulfill her Chosen path. His number one task was to protect her against the Fallen; those pieces of shit dark angels who chose to fall from the Heavens and reside in the fiery pits of Hell. Their sole mission: Capture the brightest souls and lure them into the darkness. Each soul taken tore apart Fate’s plans, and there was no brighter soul than one of her Chosen mortals.

No way would that happen on his watch.

But lately, this pull, this unfamiliar tug in his chest grew. And it clouded his judgement.

Time spent hiding in the shadows, watching over her, had only consumed him with the need to know her; her likes, dislikes, what she thought as she twirled a strand of chestnut hair between her delicate fingers.

Hunger to touch her consumed him. To step free from the shadows and let her see him. Truly see him.

Raven massaged the back of his neck, again, not that it helped. He couldn’t stop the heat scorching through his veins each time he spotted her, the pounding in his chest at the mere mention of her name. His inability to focus without her near.

No. He couldn’t risk causing a ripple in her path, prolonging—or worse, altering—her destiny.

Pissing off Fate wasn’t wise; he’d learned that lesson a long time ago.

After this long, he was thankful to have a Chosen to protect, a distraction from the centuries of fighting the Fallen.

Snap the hell out of it, Raven.

Raven glanced down at the courtyard; an oversized space covered in brown-green grass that didn't know whether it should grow or prepare to die off for the coming winter. Paved pathways weaved between ancient pines like a maze one had to decipher before being granted entry to any of the three buildings.

Raven’s pulse quickened as sunlight glistened in her hair. Today, she’d tied it up in a messy ponytail, like she'd put it up as a last-minute thought and loose wavy strands fell across her face. He cursed his hand for reaching forward to tuck them behind her ear. A pair of rust-colored skinny jeans and a navy short sleeve blouse framed her slender figure with a matching silk scarf tied round her neck.

His mind wandered—again—imagining his fingers releasing her ponytail, gliding slowly through her silky hair as it cascaded over her shoulders. In unhurried motions, he’d untie her scarf, nudge her closer, press the heat of her body firmly against his—

A familiar swoosh interrupted his daydreaming, quickly followed by a series of creaks as the roof tiles protested the weight of another Guardian landing on them.

“Knew I’d find you here.” Aric edged down the steep incline to crouch beside him.

Raven greeted him with a nod, without diverting his gaze from her.

“Today’s the day, huh? Will be nice for you to have her closer.” Aric tucked his jet-black wings tightly behind his back.

Raven massaged the back of his neck. Why isn't it helping? He should be bouncing with energy after the hours he’d spent healing under the sun this morning. Maybe that connection was dwindling away, too.

“Oh man, I know that look.” Aric slowly shook his head. “It's written all over your face.”

“It's fine. I'm handling it.” No, I'm really not.

“Whateva you say, man.” Aric’s strong hand briefly squeezed Raven’s shoulder. “Anyway, I came to see if you needed anything. Caffeine, bourbon? Maybe a night out on the town to let off a little steam?” Aric tilted his head at Raven and frowned. “Exactly how long’s it been since you got any action, that didn’t involve your sword in a Fallen’s chest?”

Like he needed a reminder of his record-breaking drought, but the suggestion of a seedy mortal club and a one-night stand coming from Aric was just comical.

Raven peered back at Aric and raised an eyebrow. “Is that the remedy you use?”

Aric’s lips thinned. Case closed.

After all these centuries, maybe Aric regretted the decision to join him. Would he have chosen differently had he known the consequences?

Maybe they all would’ve.

Aric settled in beside Raven, planting his ass on the cold concrete roof tiles and folded his forearms on top of his bent-up knees. “EJ had another vision this morning.”

Great. That was all Raven needed.

He glanced across his shoulder at Aric. “Anything new?”

Aric shook his head. “Nah, same as the last however many. He must be getting sick of foreseeing nothing but destruction and end-of-the-world shit. Bet he’s silently wishing he got the tranquil vision of a Chosen assignment, instead of you,” he chuckled.

“Doubt it,” Raven scoffed. “Might interrupt his busy social calendar.”

Aric roared with laughter. “Yeah, he’s definitely taken full advantage of our exile, that’s for sure.”

Raven leaned his head back and peered up at the bright blue sky as comfortable silence stretched between them.

What the hell was he doing there? He should be out fighting Fallen, leading his brothers in the never-ending war to rid Earth of those scumbags. Not to mention the impossible mission Fate tasked him with in the first place.

Now was not the time to crouch on a roof like a stalker, fantasizing about his female, risking ripples in her path.

His assigned Chosen.

Christ, Raven, she’s not your female.

The sun peeked out from behind a lonesome cloud and Raven scooted backward to remain in the shadows.

Aric softened his voice. “We're here for you, man.” He continued to stare at the mortals below, weaving around the university courtyard going about their daily ritual. “You’ve just gotta keep the faith.”

That's the problem, isn't it?

Raven returned a fake smile. He and his comrades were tight, to be honest, they were brothers more than comrades. The reason he couldn't stomach telling them the truth, wedging a knife between the three of them forever.

His confused feelings for this Chosen were nothing compared to that bombshell.

Raven rose; his knees cracked and joints popped, voicing their complaints as he straightened his legs. The burning in his calves cleared his head a little.

He turned to Aric. “Let’s get outta here. I'll meet you back at the house.”

Aric stood and gave Raven a brotherly handshake before Aric crept to the rear of the roof and stepped off the ledge with grace that didn't match the size of his body or wings.

As a Guardian, Aric had a warrior’s build; over six feet of solid muscle and raw strength. He kept his jet-black hair short on the sides, longer on top, and spent all his free time maintaining the narrow, thin line of three-day growth trailing his square jaw, up the cleft of his chin to his bottom lip.

Raven returned his gaze to her.

Tayla.

The thin strap of her chocolate leather satchel crossed the front of her body and she leaned in, embracing a female colleague. After a friendly kiss on the cheek, the colleague turned and cut across the courtyard toward a parking lot, where a few cars remained.

Tayla stood still.

What is she thinking?

After a few minutes, she continued her unhurried stroll to the front gates of the university, but at the end of the pathway, she paused and turned around.

Raven tracked her every move. Her gaze roamed the courtyard in front of her and her hazel eyes dimmed with a wash of sadness. He ducked his head to peer under a thick weave of branches to catch a better glimpse. The ache in his chest intensified in time with the deep rise and fall of her chest.

His arm absently reached out to brush his thumb over her dusty pink cheeks, even though he couldn’t reach her. Or touch her.

Tayla straightened her shoulders and her beautiful smile returned. She twisted around to leave, but stopped midway to glance over her shoulder as though something had caught her attention.

She leaned forward, narrowing her eyes as though trying to focus on something. Or someone.

The drumming of his pounding heart echoed in his ears.

She stretched her neck and her gaze lifted, up and over the top of the trees, directly toward the roof he crouched on.

Raven double-checked his position. Without the ability to mask his presence, he needed to remain hidden. Too many lives were at stake for him to screw this up. He sank farther back in the shadows. She couldn’t know he watched, but at his movement, she turned and looked.

His breath caught, trapped while their gazes locked.

Shit. Had she seen him?