Goose bumps puckered Sadie’s arms and prickled her neck. “What the hell are you doing?”
Halena’s mouth moved, but still nothing got through.
With a quick motion, Sadie tugged out one bud to catch the end of the sentence.
“…tough chick, are ya?”
“Excuse me?” Sadie bent her legs, ready.
“Master black belt, huh?”
“And your point?”
“Not too bright having your back to the door, music so loud you couldn’t hear me approach.” She glanced at Sadie’s gloved hands. “Not to mention those.”
“Screw you, Halena.” Sadie hit her padded fists together. “Back off.”
Halena widened her stance, fingers curling into a fist.
Oh, so it’s going to be that way.
“Bring it, bitch,” Sadie said as she stepped toward the ring, taking off her gloves.
The two met in the center, legs bent. “This is going to be fun,
chérie
.”
Halena lunged, but Sadie was ready. She dived to the side and hopped to her feet. A flash of arrogance ignited in Halena’s eyes as she regarded Sadie, but Sadie held her gaze. She’d seen enough bullies growing up in the group homes—this skinny little French girl needed a lesson.
Big time.
Halena looked all perfect with her long red hair just past her shoulders and her tight tank top with black fatigues and combat boots, and Sadie would love nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk off her face.
Tomboy
, Sadie told herself, but she recognized the real feelings behind the thought. Halena was beautiful. Thin, fit, sexy, and French. She was tough, too. How could Theo not take a second look at her? Hell, she did.
“What’s your issue?” Sadie asked, eyeing her opponent as they circled each other.
“Just coming to get you. Theo wants to get you fitted.”
“With…?”
“I can’t believe how clueless you are.” She shook her head. “Yet he lets you, a mere human, dictate our next move?”
This woman had no clue, but Sadie wasn’t going to enlighten her. She’d rather just knock some of that swagger from her attitude.
Halena blurred toward Sadie, superfast. Sadie dodged and jumped onto the side of the ring to get some height. Halena rebounded from the near miss and Sadie pounced, landing on Halena’s back, elbow to the neck, near the shoulder.
They both tumbled, but Sadie hopped to her feet in time to see Halena’s hands reaching for her. She deflected with her forearm, then rammed her free palm into Halena’s chest.
She shot five feet into the air. Her back slammed into the ropes surrounding the ring, then she bounced toward Sadie, who moved to the side, spun, and splayed her hand in the middle of Halena’s back, forcing her to the padded floor, pinned face first.
“Only human, huh?” She pushed off Halena and stood.
Halena scissored Sadie’s leg, and the floor met her ass with a zinger that traveled the length of her spine.
“
Very
human.” Halena’s fist followed her sweet French accent to Sadie’s face.
Sadie palmed the fist and squeezed. The knuckles shifted beneath the force and Halena grimaced. She cranked the Shomrei’s arm out, offering a wide space for a solid punch to the gut, then the chin.
A spray of blood arched through the air, but Sadie held on, keeping the crazy woman close for another assault. Halena tried to pull out from Sadie’s grip, but she held fast. Halena looked at Sadie’s hand gripping hers.
“Strength?”
“Surprise.” Sadie held on, having learned her lesson to not ever let her guard down around this chick. “Now, you better tell me what the hell is going on, or I’m going to keep squeezing. I know Theo will heal you, but it’ll feel good while I’m doing it, you bitch.”
Halena’s green eyes widened. “But you’ve not mated.”
“That makes you a little happy, doesn’t it, sweetie?” She tightened her hold. “Am I going to keep squeezing, or are you going to behave?”
She didn’t answer for two long breaths.
“Stand down, Halena,” Sadie said.
Halena dipped her head. “
Shuuryou
.”
Sadie honored the yield, released her foe, then stepped out of striking distance. The trained Shomrei maintained eye contact, save for a quick glance around to take in her surroundings.
“Start talking,” Sadie said.
“I did come to get you for Theo to fit you with some electronics.”
“And…” She waved Halena to continue.
“If you’re going to be with Theo, you need to be strong. And when I saw you so ill-positioned…”
“Because this is a safe place. Protected. At least until
you
arrived. I was here blowing off steam.” Sadie ducked under the ropes and hopped to the floor.
“
Never
let your guard down.” Halena landed on the floor, several feet from Sadie with a grunt. “Never.”
Sadie held Halena’s stare, not saying a thing. Duly noted. At least while Halena was around. Something wasn’t right about that girl. Her gaze shifted over Sadie like an X-ray, pausing on her left hand, then continuing downward.
“Done with your inspection?” Sadie asked. “Or do you want me to strip down, too?”
Halena smoothed her hand over her tank top. “Go meet Theo in the study beside the kitchen. He’s waiting.”
“Actually, he’s here.” Theo’s voice boomed into the room. In a blur, he rounded Sadie and plowed into Halena. Once she was effectively pinned to the wall, his fangs dropped, and he roared mere inches from her face.
She turned her head, exposing her neck, and shifted her gaze to the floor. Her hands were up, not touching him, palms facing forward.
Sadie had recognized that behavior in Justin, too. But what scared her more was that it was animalistic. She’d learned that watching freaking
Wild Kingdom
, for crying out loud.
What the heck were these Shomrei creatures anyway? And was she ready to become one?
Chapter Thirty-nine
“You’re pretty quiet,” Theo said as he shifted in the airplane seat beside her.
She’d been quiet since Halena’s attack.
Damn that Gatekeeper.
“Not a fan of flying, remember?” she said, not making eye contact. Her knuckles blanched as she gripped the armrests.
He set his hand on hers to take the edge off, but she yanked it away. “Don’t. I can do this. I need to.”
“I won’t. Just let me hold your hand.”
She returned it to the armrest, and he settled his atop hers, reveling in the soft feel of her skin. He’d never tire of that.
“I said don’t take it from me. I—”
“I’m not, love. Just relax.” He grinned at the warmth radiating from her.
“But I feel it. You’re doing it.”
“I’m not, actually. It’s how we interact.”
“It tingles. Feels good.” She closed her eyes and rested her head back.
Across from them, in a mock living room set up on his jet, cotton-candy pink clouds moved past the windows as the sun began to set. He’d spent three hours researching the name and address of the woman working the night Sadie was dropped off. Thankfully, he’d found a few possible locations for her. A quick call dispatched some PIs to investigate while Theo and the gang could make their way to Colorado.
Hopefully, they’d have news when they landed. He glanced at his watch. Only a half hour left. Justin and Dasha sat in the front end of the cabin, watching a movie. Halena insisted on acting as copilot, which was fine by Theo. Anything to keep her out of his sight.
Which, hopefully, he’d made loud and clear when he invaded her mind down in the gym. When he’d walked in on her abusing Sadie, he’d nearly come unhinged.
And that was when Sadie clammed up. He needed to be patient for her to learn her new world, but it was so difficult waiting. Even now, touching her like this thrust his body into turmoil.
He fingered the ring she wore. He’d hoped it would have moved things along by giving her a part of a human tradition so many females coveted. It seemed to, until what happened in the gym.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“No. I’m good, thanks.” She squeezed his hand.
At least she’d let him heal that cut above her eye Halena had given her. Anger roiled through him again.
“It’s okay, Theo. I kinda kicked her ass, you know.” She arched her eyebrow and curved the corner of her mouth up.
“You shouldn’t have to. She was out of line to challenge you like she did.”
“Challenge, huh?” She sighed, still not opening her eyes. “So that’s how it works with Shomrei Gatekeepers? Was she trying to stake her claim on you?”
“Hardly. She knows she’s not my Mate.”
“Then do you care to explain what happened in the gym?”
“I’m sorry about her actions. She’s not fond of humans.”
Sadie chuckled. “Well, lucky for me I’m not human, right? But I was more asking about the whole
Animal Kingdom
behavior. I’ve seen it with Justin, too. When he yelled at me in the kitchen and you intervened.”
Theo swallowed down the nerves. “It’s just part of us. We have a hierarchy that needs to be honored. It’s how The Great One made us. We’re not human. Our minds and bodies work on a different level than yours. Respond differently to situations.”
“And simply
telling
Miss Congeniality to chill out wouldn’t have worked?”
“No. She needed to feel my wrath for anything to sink in. Like I said. She takes her job very seriously. To a fault, almost.”
“But Justin. He’s your brother.”
Theo dipped his head. “And when it came to disrespecting you, my aggression was triggered. You should ask him about the diner incident some time.”
“Yikes.” She smiled. “But I get it, I guess. Am I going to go all alpha on people once I’m changed?”
“Did you notice you nearly did already?”
She sat up. “What?”
“When Halena poked her finger to my chest…well, nearly did…you tensed, even let out a growl and told her to respect me.” And he remembered feeling so proud of her at that moment. His Shomrei Mate protecting him. Daring anyone to challenge him.
“I did, didn’t I?” She gulped. “And in the gym. I felt it. I felt the challenge, Theo.”
“Does that scare you?”
“Hell yeah.”
“You’ll get used to it. You’re strong, Sadie. Already stronger than a Shomrei like Halena.”
“So, this whole process with me is a little different than other Shomrei Mates, isn’t it? Like Justin said before.”
He nodded. “But don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”
“As long as we’re together, right? And no one gets all up in my face or yours.” She laughed.
He swirled his thumb over the back of her hand, drinking in the energy. What could she be? He’d always assumed the power radiating from her was because she was his Mate. But maybe it was more. He did feel quite a jolt of energy, just standing near her, but touching her…that was more intense than he could ever describe.
“Just ignore Halena. She should be leaving you alone now.”
“Not believing that so much, sorry.” A rattle jolted through the plane, and her body tensed. She pressed her head against the headrest, and her jaw clenched. “I’ll keep my guard up around her, even though I thoroughly kicked her skinny ass.”
He didn’t say it, but that was smart. Halena was a little feisty and had challenged Theo several times.
He leaned to the side and nipped at Sadie’s earlobe. She wore a snug bright-red tank top that hugged every single curve of her body. It was torture. Pleasurable torture, but torture nonetheless.
“That feeling is addictive.” She craned her head to the side, exposing more of her neck. “It’s like tiny electrical shocks.”
“The Great One’s life force is within us. I’m not surprised. But you’re right. It’s addicting. And I need my fix.”
She giggled. “You’re just like any human guy, aren’t you?”
“Don’t you feel it as well?”
“That’d be a yes.”
“Then explain why you deny it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so very thankful you have not given yourself to another and you can be all mine, but why can’t we be together? You have a ring. We have our Marks. You’ve accepted your role as my Mate.”
“That’s all good and fine,
Mate
. But think about it. Five days ago, I was just a soon-to-be-eighteen-year-old, plain Jane college student getting ready to graduate and start a killer job. Things shifted pretty quickly, you know? I’ve got to let my brain catch up.”
He lifted the armrest separating him from her and edged closer. “You don’t make it very easy for me to wait. I’ve never known such pleasure.”
Her eyes shot wide, and her nostrils flared. “That scares the shit out of me, too.”
“Nothing scares you. You’ve faced Hades to rescue me. Jumped into a splice to accompany me on a demon hunt.”
“Exactly.” She turned to face him, and he reached to unlatch her seat belt. “I can fight with the best of them. Kick ass. Be tough. But damn, this”—she gestured back and forth between them—“is difficult for me.”
“It scares you.” What they had between them didn’t scare him in the least. Then again he’d been waiting for centuries to find her. Their union was ordained, so he knew everything else would be fine.
“This connection. It’s totally illogical. But it’s there and so intense I can’t deny it.”
He traced his thumb along the subtle curve of her high cheekbone to the corner of her mouth, then nudged her face up more with his finger beneath her chin.
“This Shomrei world is very confusing,” he whispered against her lips. “I get that it goes against that beautiful, genius brain of yours.”
She offered a slight nod, then moved forward enough for them to connect. She took in a sharp breath, and her eyelids slid shut.
He traced his tongue along her bottom lip and tasted the watermelon lip gloss she had put on. Mixed with the sugary taste of the Pepsi she was drinking, he was in heaven. She opened, and he slid in. He glided over the slick surface of her teeth and chased the ridges of the roof of her mouth, learning every dip and valley.
Every rough-edged tooth.
The deeper he went, the tighter she held on, turning more toward him. Her soft tongue sparred with his until he receded and let her take control of the kiss. He wasn’t sure how much time passed before she eased away—he’d been too lost in her. She stayed close so their foreheads and the tips of their noses touched.