Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
EAMON
I held Charles against me for as long as I dared, breathing in the scent of his skin mixed with flour and sweat and the lingering musk of our lovemaking. His heart was still racing against my chest, and I could feel the slight tremor in his hands as they traced idle patterns on my back.
“I love you,” he’d said. Simple words that had shattered every wall I’d built around my heart in three centuries of existence.
And I couldn’t say them back. Not because I didn’t feel them—Christ, I felt them so deeply it was like drowning—but because saying them would make the inevitable goodbye even more devastating. For both of us.
“We should clean up,” I murmured against his hair, though every cell in my body screamed at me not to let him go.
“Mmm,” Charles agreed, but made no move to pull away. “Just a few more minutes.”
Those few minutes stretched into several, both of us reluctant to break the spell of intimacy that surrounded us. But eventually the practical reality of our situation—naked, in a kitchen, covered in flour and other things—forced us to move.
I helped Charles down from the counter, steadying him when his legs proved less than reliable. The sight of him, rumpled and satisfied and still flushed from our lovemaking, made something primitive and possessive roar to life in my chest.
Mine, my angel nature whispered. Protect. Cherish. Keep safe.
But even as the thought formed, another sensation hit me like a physical blow. A familiar presence approaching, one that made every supernatural instinct I possessed snap to attention.
Gabriel. He could hide his presence from anyone, but he’d chosen to announce his arrival, meaning it was urgent.
And he was close. Very close.
“You okay?” Charles asked, noticing my sudden tension. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
If only he knew how accurate that assessment was.
“Fine,” I managed, forcing my expression back to neutral. “We should probably get dressed before the neighbors complain about the show.”
Charles laughed, the sound bright and warm in the quiet kitchen. “What neighbors? The nearest house is miles away.”
“Still,” I said, already reaching for my scattered clothes. “Better safe than sorry.”
We cleaned ourselves as best we could with a washcloth, then dressed quickly, Charles still smiling and relaxed while I fought the growing sense of urgency thrumming through my veins.
Gabriel’s presence was getting stronger, which meant he’d be materializing any moment.
I needed to get outside before that happened.
“I should check on the firewood,” I said, pulling on my jacket. “Make sure we have enough for the next day or two.”
Charles frowned, pausing in the act of setting his dough aside to rise. “The firewood? I thought you brought in enough yesterday to last us for a few days.”
“Better to check now than wake up freezing in the middle of the night because we ran out.” The lie rolled off my tongue with practiced ease, even as it made my stomach churn with guilt. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Charles said slowly, but I could see the questions in his eyes. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No need. You should probably get that bread sorted anyway.” I pressed a quick kiss to his forehead, trying to ignore the way he leaned into the touch. “I’ll be right back.”
The moment I stepped outside, Gabriel materialized from the shadows between the trees, and the fury radiating from him hit me like a physical force.
I’d seen him angry before, but this was different.
This was the cold, controlled rage of someone who was barely holding back from doing something apocalyptic.
“Gabriel,” I started, but he cut me off with a sharp gesture.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice deadly quiet. “Don’t say a single word until I’m finished.”
I closed my mouth and waited, every muscle in my body tense.
“The NYPD operation is blown,” Gabriel continued, his golden eyes never leaving mine. “Their undercover agent went missing twelve hours ago. They suspect there’s a mole in the department feeding information to Carlo.”
Ice flooded my veins. “How much does Carlo know?”
“Enough to be dangerous. And without eyes inside his organization, we’re flying blind.” Gabriel stepped closer, and I could smell the expensive cologne he favored mixed with something that might have been ozone. “Which means your protectee is in more danger than ever.”
“We should move. Find a new safe house, somewhere Carlo can’t—”
“No.” Gabriel’s voice was sharp. “Moving now would expose you both. This location is defensible, remote. We’ll see anyone coming from miles away. Better to make a stand here than risk being caught in the open.”
I nodded, though every protective instinct I possessed was screaming at me to grab Charles and run. “What’s our timeline?”
“Unknown. Carlo could be mobilizing as we speak, or he might take days to organize a proper search. His intentions are unreadable as of now.” Gabriel’s expression darkened further. “But that’s not why I’m here.”
Something in his tone made my blood turn to ice water. “What do you mean?”
“I can smell him on you,” Gabriel said quietly, and there was something almost disappointed in his voice. “Your protectee.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, then closed it again. What was the point? Gabriel’s senses were far more acute than mine—he could probably detect what Charles and I had been doing from a mile away.
“Yes,” I said simply.
“After everything I told you. After every warning about maintaining professional distance.” Gabriel’s voice was getting quieter, which in my experience was far more dangerous than if he’d been shouting. “You slept with him anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Gabriel stepped closer, invading my personal space. “After the warning I gave you, you went and did it anyway.”
Something hot and defiant flared in my chest. “I know exactly what I’ve done.”
“Do you? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve thrown away three centuries of guardian training for a few hours of physical pleasure with someone you barely know.”
“It’s not about the sex.” The words came out harsher than I intended, but I was past caring about Gabriel’s delicate sensibilities. “And I do know him. Better than I’ve ever known anyone.”
“You’ve known him for less than a week—”
“And I love him.” The admission hung between us like a gauntlet thrown down. “I’m completely, utterly, hopelessly in love with him, Gabriel. So if you’re planning to lecture me about professional boundaries, save your breath.”
Gabriel stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “I could pull you from this assignment right now. Send in another guardian.”
“You could try.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I met his gaze steadily, surprised by my own calmness. “It means I’m not leaving. Whatever consequences you want to threaten me with, whatever punishment assignments you have in mind, I don’t care. I’m staying with Charles.”
“Even if it means the end of your career?”
“Even if it means the end of everything.” The words came from somewhere deep inside me, from a place I hadn’t even known existed until this moment. “I won’t abandon him, Gabriel. I won’t leave him to face this alone.”
Gabriel went very still, studying my face with an intensity that made me want to squirm. When he finally spoke, his voice was different—softer, almost wondering. “Close to three centuries of assignments, and you’ve never once said those words.”
“This is different.”
“Yes,” Gabriel said, and there was something that might have been satisfaction in his voice. “It is.”
I frowned at his tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re finally starting to understand what this has all been about.” Gabriel’s expression was almost gentle now, which was somehow more unsettling than his anger had been. “What your real purpose has been all along.”
“My purpose is to protect humans. That’s what guardians do.”
“Is it?” Gabriel tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he was finally starting to solve. “Or is there something more to it than that?”
“Stop talking in riddles,” I said, frustration bleeding into my voice. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“Some lessons can’t be taught, Eamon. They have to be learned through experience.” Gabriel stepped back, his form already starting to waver at the edges. “You’ll understand soon enough.”
“Gabriel—”
“The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are going to be crucial,” he said, his voice taking on an official tone again. “Carlo is desperate, which makes him unpredictable. Be prepared for anything.”
“What about backup? Other guardians?”
“You are the backup. We have no extra guardians available right now. Everything depends on the choices you make in the coming days.”
“That’s not exactly reassuring.”
Gabriel’s smile was enigmatic. “It’s not meant to be. The test isn’t over yet, Eamon. In fact, I’d say it’s just beginning.”
And with that cryptic pronouncement, he was gone, leaving me standing alone in the snow with more questions than answers and a growing sense that I’d been missing something important about this entire assignment.
I stood there for a few more minutes, trying to process everything Gabriel had told me.
The NYPD operation was blown. Carlo might already be on his way.
And somehow, my willingness to sacrifice everything for Charles was apparently part of some larger plan I didn’t understand.
What the fuck had that been about? Why was it impossible to get a straight answer from Gabriel? The man had spoken in complete riddles.
Worse, I couldn’t tell Charles about any of this.
Not just about my true identity, but also about Carlo and how real the danger had become now.
We’d had such a perfect day, and how could I ruin that by bringing reality back into it?
It would shatter what we had built in this safe little cocoon.
I wasn’t willing to do that. Not until I absolutely had to.
When I finally went back inside, Charles was in the living room, curled up on the couch with a book. He looked up as I entered, and I saw the worry in his eyes immediately.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” I lied, settling beside him on the couch.
“You were gone a while.”
Charles was too observant for his own good. “I did a quick walk around the property as well. We’re good.”
He nodded, but I could see he wasn’t entirely convinced. “Is there something you’re not telling me about our situation here? You seem… I don’t know, more tense since this morning.”
The urge to tell him everything was almost overwhelming. To confess the truth about what I was, about the danger he was in, about the way I felt when he looked at me like I was something precious and worth protecting.
Instead, I pulled him closer, breathing in the scent of his shampoo. “Just being cautious. It’s what I’m paid for, remember?”
“Right,” Charles said, but he didn’t sound entirely convinced. “Your job.”
The way he said it made something twist painfully in my chest. Because this had stopped being about the job days ago. This was about love, and sacrifice, and the growing certainty that I would do anything—absolutely anything—to keep Charles safe.
Even if it destroyed me in the process.