Redemption (5 page)

He scoffs. “Life is normally lived within
the details. I will give you credit though, you are devoted and
unwavering in your allegiance and that, love, is the sign of a true
mate.”

“Asher has my steadfast loyalty and trust.
Until he breaks it.” I stand firm.

“Well, then, let’s hope the dark prince
never breaks it.”

I lift my chin and push my shoulders back.
“He won’t.”

“Love is blindness, that’s for sure,” Gage
says, moving past me toward the running trail.

I exhale my agitation and lift my eyes,
catching McKenna’s narrowed ones. Deciding to ignore her usual
death glare, I spin to follow Gage on the footpath, but he’s
already too far in front of me to catch up.
Damn gargoyle
speed.

Halfway through the run, my lungs are
burning. Even though I’ve been conditioning daily, I’d forgotten
how grueling actual trails are. If the muscle cramp in my side is
any indication, I probably need to rest before continuing. I stop
and bend over, taking in several deep breaths before standing
upright. Gage is by my side in an instant.

“You okay? Need a break or water?” he
questions with an even breath.

“I’m fine. Let’s keep going,” I wheeze out
in defiance.

“Eve, WAIT!” Keegan shouts from somewhere
behind me as I take two steps forward. Without warning, I’m
falling.
What the hell?
My body is projecting at a fast pace
toward lime green earth. I let out a choked scream before slamming
my eyes shut in preparation for the impact of my body against the
ground.

Abruptly, my plummet is stopped. Two strong
arms wrap around my waist in a firm hold. With hesitation, I open
my eyes to see Gage’s staring back at me in fright. I release a
grateful breath that it’s him before I realize we’re stuck in
mid-air, his grey wings spread as they glide us toward the
ground.

“I’ve got you, love,” he says in a
controlled voice.

I just swallow and nod. It’s all I can do
not to pee my pants. After Gage places us firmly on the ground, he
stands taller and sets his hands on his hips.

“Did you not hear Keegan say, WAIT?” Gage
questions.

“What the hell just happened?” I whisper
shout.

“Portal,” he answers in a bored fashion.

I arch a brow at him. “Come again?”

“A portal. Gateway. An invisible entrance to
another realm. It was on the trail. Only supernaturals can see
them, and you, human girl, ran right into it. Hence the plunge from
the skies,” the massive gargoyle says while scanning the area.

Holy crap! My life really does keep
getting crazier
. “Did you jump in after me?”

Gage’s eyes meet mine. “Yes. I told you,
love, I’m your new protector.”

“Temporary,” I correct.

“Semantics. I was doing my sentinel job,
which is starting to prove to be a challenge. You know, love, you
get yourself into more unrealistic jams than most humans,” he
accuses, slightly amused.

“Did Keegan and McKenna follow us?” I ask,
refocusing the conversation.

“No. They were shut out of the portal before
they could follow.”

My eyes go wide. “I’m alone…with you?”

Gage smirks seductively. “It would seem that
way, love. Stay here for a moment while I scan the area.” He moves
to walk away before narrowing his eyes at me. “I mean it, Eve.
Don’t move until I get back.” His tone is hard.

“Wait. You’re just going to leave me here?
What if I get attacked?” I screech.

“As I recall, you have daggers and are
clearly not inept when using them. The faster I can do a sweep, the
sooner I’ll be back.” The hot gargoyle shoots into the blue sky.
Leaving me standing, in a field, unprotected…without my daggers.
Worst. Protector. Ever.

“Crap,” I throw offhanded to no one as I
take in our surroundings.

If it weren’t for the unexpected nose-dive
to my death two minutes ago, I would admit the land is lovely. It
looks like a page right out of a storybook. As if we’ve landed in a
miniature version of Ireland with moss, rocky cliffs and
cobblestone paths. The grass is lime green and the rolling hills
are filled with clovers, making deep valley patterns.

In the distance, there’s a large rock wall
with a gentle waterfall cascading down it, pooling at the bottom
where wild horses are grazing. The sky is crystal blue, not a cloud
in it. Large mushrooms line the earth, buried amongst the tall
blades of grass and moss carpets.

My eyes continue to roam, landing on a
section of forest where I notice a small village of bonsai trees
everywhere. Although upon closer inspection, these aren’t ordinary
bonsai trees. They look like tiny homes. The tree houses are
connected with small bridges and ladders, creating a large woodland
community.
Where the hell are we?

I move closer to the shrubbery settlement
and discover that each dwelling is ornamented with minuscule doors
and windows. The way the bark curves and moves makes the vegetation
look like tiny castles and cottages. There must be at least a
hundred dwarfed trees in this section of the land.

I keep my eyes trained on the woodland
village and exhale. “Please tell me we’re not near goblins,” I beg
quietly. My recent run-in with a rather rude goblin, Godry, has me
hating all small mythological creatures.

“It’s actually far worse, love,” Gage states
from behind me, startling me.

I cover my heart and spin, narrowing my eyes
at him. “Crap. You almost gave me a heart attack. Announce your
approach next time.”

He ignores my dramatics. “We’re in the Land
of the Leprechauns.”

I just hold Gage’s gaze for a moment before
breaking into hysterical laughter. “I’m sorry, like rainbows,
unicorns and pots of gold? Those leprechauns? Seriously, where are
we?”

Gage schools his features. “Love, I would be
careful with how I react in certain realms. Not everything is what
it seems.” His warning is stern.

“What it ‘seems like’ to me is that a
Smurf
mated with a box of
Lucky Charms
,” I reply.

“
Smurf
?”

“
Smurf
. You know, the cartoon. Little
blue creatures that live in mushrooms?”

“I’m not familiar. But little blue creatures
living in mushrooms sounds more like you’re on a bad acid trip than
truth,” Gage states in a thorny manner.

I cross my arms rebelliously. “Oh. I see.
Smurfs
are totally not believable. Yet I am supposed to
believe in gargoyles, fairies, angels, selkies, goblins and now
leprechauns?”

“You know, love, you have the attention span
of a goblin. Has anyone mentioned that to you before? It’s actually
mind-blowing that you can’t focus for more than five minutes.”

My mouth falls open. “There’s no need to
insult me by comparing me to a goblin Gage,” I huff as something
sharp pricks my knee.

I drop my hand to the spot where there is a
microscopic gold knife embedded into my leg.

“Christ,” Gage spits out. His wings snap out
before he snatches me in his arms, and harshly throws me down on
the ground, covering me with his body as thousands of the
toothpick-sized gold daggers begin flying at us, making tiny
whooshing noises as they approach.

“Stay down, love. We’re under attack,” he
warns while shielding me with his hard body.

“Under attack? What’s in my knee that stings
so badly?” I ask, gritting through the pain.

“They’re pugiones being pitched at us by the
leprechauns.” Gage groans.

“Pugio? Like the dagger that killed Julius
Caesar?”

“The very same.”

“Why would leprechauns want to harm us?
Aren’t they magical and fart rainbows or something?” I question.
Gage grunts as the little beings take aim at him.

“These are assassin leprechauns. Part of the
Dark Army. Christ, we’re surrounded. Hold on, love. I’m going to
flash us out of here. Don’t let go,” Gage orders.

Holy hell
. I seriously am never
eating
Lucky Charms
again.

4
Death Wish

I land with a hard thud in ice-cold liquid. I
begin to tread water in a panicked state. Forcing my head upward, I
hit the pond’s break-line. My lungs suck in air, replacing the cool
liquid and causing my coughing to become violent.

Once I’ve gathered myself together, I look
around and see Gage relaxing on a rock next to the water. Watching
me fight for each breath. He’s casually ringing out the excess
water from his tank top, which is now clinging to every muscle on
his chest.
Asshat.

I force myself to swim to the shoreline and
pull my body out of the water before I collapse on the soft grass,
out of breath.

“No need to assist me. I’ve got it, ” I say
sarcastically through uneven pants.

“I can see you have it under control, love,”
he says, giving me a sideways glance before taking off his top and
twisting out the remainder of the water.

I crawl the last little bit onto the grass
and roll onto my back while continuing to pull air into my lungs.
“Why am I always getting wet around you?” I ground out of my tight
jaw.

Gage moves so he is standing over me. “Do
you really want me to answer that?”

I girlie growl at him—actually girlie growl.
“I’m really starting to hate you.”

“Hate me or just semi-dislike me?” he asks
while placing his soaked shirt back on.
Sad.

“Is there a difference?”

“A large one.”

Just as I’m about to retort, Gage kneels
down to examine my leg.

“What are you doing?”

My eyes follow every one of his movements
with unease and curiosity.

Little cold beads of water drip from his
hair, landing on my leg. “The pugio has poison in it. I have to get
it out,” he states calmly as he moves closer to my tingling
leg.

“Poison?” I repeat. “What about you? They
must have hit your wings like a thousand times?” I sit up,
attempting to control the fear spreading through my body.

“It’s only dangerous to those who have a
soul.” Gage is focused on my knee.

“How do you get it out?” My leg is now
beginning to pulse painfully.

Gage’s eyes meet mine. “I need you to trust
me, love. Can you do that?”

Well, shit. This can’t be good.
I
pause, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

“No. But it hurts like hell so do what you
need to,” I concede.

He nods once. “I need to remove the knife
then suck the poison out.”

“Suck? As in…mouth on wound and suck?”

“It’s the only way to drag the poison out
before it hits your bloodstream. Once it does, it will paralyze
you.” His sea green eyes hold mine for what feels like forever.

Suddenly, my leg goes from a dull throb to a
full-on burn. God, I wish Asher were here. Sighing my annoyance and
fighting the urge to scream, I agree. “Just do it,” I order through
my clenched teeth.
Shit! How could something so small, cause so
much goddamn pain?

Gage gives me a half apologetic smile before
wrapping my leg tightly in his arm, chokehold style. Once my leg is
secure, he yanks out the small weapon. It hurts like hell. I bite
my lip, muffling a scream as my eyes water.

“Take a breath, love. Almost done,” Gage
encourages.

Through my ragged inhaling, I watch his
every movement with an unhealthy fascination. Inch by inch his
mouth moves closer to the wound. When his lips are within a breath
of my knee, he blows lightly on the open cut, easing some of the
discomfort. My stomach drops at the sensation. I release a soft
sound of appreciation.

His eyes lift watching me between his long
blond lashes while his breath soothes the sting. Slowly, his tongue
darts out and runs over the small wound. First running it
lengthwise and then in circular motions. At the contact, I pant out
a ragged breath.

“I’m going to suck it now, love.” The double
meaning sends tremors up my spine.

Gage’s mouth closes over the wound, and in a
gentle motion, he begins to suck the lesion. The longer he does it,
the less my leg burns. Finally, the pain is gone completely and I
have feeling back in the limb. He licks the sensitive spot one last
time and plants a soft kiss on it before lifting his head.

Seeing my comfort, Gage pulls back and
smirks. “All better?”

I nod. “Thank you,” I whisper with a dry
throat.

“With your healing abilities, you should be
fine in a few minutes. Enough time for us to devise a way out of
here,” he says, sitting straight up and scanning the empty
land.

“Do you need help?” I point to the last of
the daggers on his arm as he plucks them off.

“No, thanks. Most of them fell out when we
hit the water.”

“Won’t the poison in your system hurt you?”
I question, a bit shaken.

He moves his head back and forth. “As I
said, it only affects those with a soul. We should go before the
leprechauns come back.”

With Gage’s assistance, I stand and meet his
stare. “So, what’s the plan? How do we get out of the Land of the
Leprechauns and back to our realm?”

“Carefully and strategically. They’re
assassins, trained by Lucifer’s army. So we need to be mindful and
focused,” Gage states. “The only other gateway I know is on the
south side of the realm. We’re on the north so it’s a bit of a
hike. You up for it, love?” He motions his chin toward my knee.

“My leg feels better. I’m ready.” The lie
rolls off my tongue. It’s still really sore.

“We need to get to higher ground though.
We’ll never make it on foot. If I teleport us, the leprechauns will
sense our continued presence in their realm and be able to
determine our location,” he explains.

“Why higher ground?” I ask, testing the
pressure on my leg.

“Leprechauns are afraid of heights,” he
answers offhanded as if I should know this.