“That,” I said, stepping closer, “was all the security I need. How are you supposed to defend me when you can’t sense all of the threats?” I crossed my arms and stared at her with a satisfied smile.
“The rogues aren’t ghosts, Gwen,” Dorian supplied.
“You’re right,” I told him. “They’re worse, they’re demons. Can she detect those?” The ghost swirled around her, a haunting breeze stirring up her hair. Lauren’s eyes darted in every direction, her knuckles tightening around the handle of her blade.
“You’re being petty,” Dorian reprimanded. “Yes, they are demons, but they’re in a host body. Lauren will not have a problem fighting them.”
He was right. But I didn’t trust the Playboy vampire. Whatever wiles she used on Dorian weren’t working on me. I eyed both of them, my gaze landing on the skittish blonde and then back to the Dorian. His defense of her soured in my stomach a little, and I tried my damnedest to ignore the unsavory feeling. Dorian and I were friends, and I had no claim on him, or him on me. Still, that didn’t stop me from smiling at the fear on the badass assassin’s face. She talked a good game, but when her threats were invisible she looked about as menacing as a baby bunny. Her big blue eyes were wide orbs as she listened to the whistling of icy cold wind surrounding her.
“What the hell?” Eddie appeared beside Dorian, his hands crossed in front of his chest. “You guys are gossiping like a bunch of girls while I was hiding? Thanks for telling me.”
Dorian spared him a glance before looking back at me. I ignored the indignation on his handsome face and instead brought my attention to the ever-complaining ghost.
“You cheated,” I accused.
“Wha—did not,” Eddie shot back.
“You’re supposed to find a spot and stay there,” I told him.
“I found a better spot,” he shrugged and I shook my head.
“Who the hell are you talking to?” Lauren asked, her eyes still volleying around the shadowed landscape.
I looked at Dorian and rolled my eyes. Hadn’t Lauren been debriefed on who she was protecting?
“We’re in a cemetery,” I told her with a bit of sarcasm.
“Yeah?”
“And I’m a spirit walker.”
“Yeah?”
“Add it up, Barbie.”
“So you really can speak and control ghosts?”
I shot another you-have-to-be-kidding-me look to Dorian. “For a vampire assassin you’re a little slow.”
You would think a bunch of supernaturals wouldn’t fear much, and you would be wrong. For some reason, spirits put them on edge. Maybe it was because a lot of supeswere over confident with their super powers. Vampires are quick, lethal and fast healers. However, they can’t fight what they can’t see or touch. If a ghost were evil enough, it could hurt them and they wouldn’t be able to protect themselves. Vampires didn’t like feeling vulnerable—hence the fear. As for the other supes, it was pretty much the same—the idea of not being able to see what was around them. Hell, I had just gotten use to the idea of seeing them.
I didn’t wait for either one of their responses. I shoved past Dorian and headed back down the path that would lead to the exit, releasing my control of the spirits as I went. Lately I had been very agitated: a ball of angry nerves threatening to go over the edge. I had done a good job at keeping my emotions under control, but I could almost feel the damn walls tremble under the pressure of putting on a fake smile. I hated it, hated feeling so unsure of myself.
“Gwen,” Dorian called behind me. I looked over my shoulder but I kept walking. When he caught up to me, his hand closed around my arm, yanking me to a stop. I was furious with him and that confused me. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but looking at him made my insides burn, and not in a good way.
“If I didn’t know better I would say you’re jealous.”
I snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. I just don’t trust her. And you shouldn’t let that head,” I pointed to his crotch, “think for you. Something’s up with her.”
He stepped closer, his hand still on my arm. With his free hand he brushed my hair back and tucked a strand behind my ear. His soft fingertips caressed the sensitive skin, leaving tingles in their wake. My shoulders shook as a shiver skirted up my spine, and I hoped it appeared that I was cold rather than affected by his touch. I still wasn’t sure how much I could trust Dorian.
“The only person that head is thinking of is a stubborn brunette with azure eyes.”
I stared up at him, wondering if I should be offended or turned on by his statement. Dorian might have been an angel but there was nothing holy about him. He did what he wanted, took what he desired and raised his middle finger to the world—all while charming it with that damned smirk.
“Appealing as always,” I mumbled, tugging out of his grasp. A small smile ghosted across my lips. I began walking again and was tugged backwards. Dorian’s large hands encompassed my face, his fingers slipping beneath my hair. He leaned forward and before I could put two and two together his mouth was on mine. Out of shock my body wanted to fight, until his tongue slipped through my lips and weakened my knees.
My insides relaxed and my body slumped against Dorian’s hard frame. My veins hummed with a strange buzz as his tongue did clever circles around mine. He smelled like lavender and some sort of spicy wood, cedar maybe. It was divine. The surge of energy rushed through my body like a live wire, zapping and awakening my desire. I sighed against his mouth when he wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me closer still. His body was solid, hard muscle against my soft frame.
“Down!” Someone yelled and it pierced through the little world Dorian and I had created. My eyes slowly peeled open and I looked up at him, seeing my hungry gaze reflected back in his aviator sunglasses.
Dorian’s eyebrows drew together, his mouth forming a hard line. His arm shot out, shoving me behind him so quickly I stumbled over my feet and fell backwards. A blade sailed through the air, right where I had just been standing. My breath hitched when I saw the large man Dorian was fighting. Grunts and snarls sounded up ahead. Lauren was fighting another large man, his skin so dark it blended into the night.
Quickly standing, I reached out and latched onto the surrounding spirits without a second thought. But before I could direct them to take care of the rogues, heavy footsteps echoed through the night. Five more men were running through the graveyard, daggers drawn and fury in their obsidian eyes as they rushed toward us.
Chapter Seven
A twig snapped just behind me, the sound more menacing than the scene before me. Hot, sour breath assaulted the back of my neck. I whipped my body around, bending down and sweeping my leg out. The rogue hadn’t been expecting it. His feet went out from underneath him and he tumbled to the hard earth. His coal eyes pinned me in my place, emanating enough hatred and fury to chill me to the bone. But I couldn’t hesitate when dealing with these bloodthirsty monsters. I took off running for a clear space, hoping that none of the rogues were chasing me. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, amplifying my fear as I reached the clearing. The attack at Broomsticks was still fresh in my mind, making it difficult to focus. A flash of my reflection at the hospital flitted through my mind, the ugly sneer of my attacker and the hopelessness I had felt. It was enough to push the fear away and snap me back to reality.
I eased my rapid breathing, sucking in deep breaths and releasing them slowly. Off in the distance Dorian and Lauren were occupied with their own rogues. Lauren moved so quickly it was difficult for my eyes to track her. Dorian held one rogue by the throat while holding his arm out to the other. He wasn’t touching the rogue, but he stopped in his tracks all the same. His inky eyes shot wide, his lip curling over his teeth in a feral snarl. White and black mist lifted from his body, twirling and spiraling in a sluggish cyclone. The man fell to his knees, a piercing screech breaking through his trembling lips.
Another man, no taller than 5’3”, was heading my way. Fifteen feet separated us and I was running out of time. I stretched my senses, willing the hiding ghosts to my side. Using my spirit walker powers were a lot like using my normal witchy ones. Both buzzed beneath my skin, but while my witchy magic was warm, my spirit walker magic was cold. My skin prickled and itched as the coldness filled my hot hands.
White mists twirled around me, slow but agitated. The spirits’ foggy energy continued to surround me, picking up speed the closer the rogue got. He stopped just outside of the protective ring, his eyes squinting as he tried to make sense of the display in front of him.
My hair whipped out around my shoulders, and my chest rose and fell heavily as I fastened onto the power surging within me. A satisfied smile bent my lips as I locked eyes with the rogue. I wasn’t defenseless this time. This rogue would not get a chance to hurt me like the other had.
He stepped forward, his hand securely wrapped around the handle of his dagger. Stopping just outside the line of the swirling ghosts, he stabbed his knife forward and into the misty bodies. The dead sped up, whirling around me like an angry tornado. Strands of my dark hair blew across my angry eyes.
The rogue stepped forward, and I lifted my chin the slightest bit. The spirits rushed forward and the man was flung back and thrown a good ten feet. I stomped toward him, fury racing through my veins and warming my skin.
“Gwen,” Dorian called as he ran over to me. “Stop.”
My eyes flicked up at him and then back down at the snarling man. The spirits pinned him to the frozen ground. His onyx eyes were like black glass. Bending down, I tried to grab onto his shirt but my hand fell through his chest cavity. I was instantly filled with a sense of despair and depression. I fell forward, clutching the earth as tears filled my eyes and fell over my heated cheeks. Thin inky vines crawled up my forearm, encircling as they ascended up my arm. My shoulders shook with my sobs and then I was yanked away.
I lay on the ground in the fetal position, my body shivering as the overwhelming depression ebbed. A screech sounded just behind me, making me wince. Someone knelt in front of me, fingers sweeping my hair out of my face. I looked up and into a pair of blue eyes. Lauren smiled, her blond hair falling over one shoulder.