Nightfall slipped in, casting shadows over the monastery as Shae pounded her fists into the punching bag Angelus had strung up from the thick branch of a tree in the backyard. Soft lights from the monastery wall reflected small circles on the ground.

Her biceps burned, and her fingers ached. She swiped her sweaty brow with her arm and blew out a frustrated breath, her concentration in knots. God! Two hellish days of training had passed. Angelus had worked her to the bone while Dagan helped her strengthen her shielding abilities. But there was a distance between them, which just battered at her.

She couldn’t do this anymore—she needed a break or she was going to crack. She undid the laces on her glove with her teeth and pulled them free, all the while aware that Angelus sat on a wooden bench beneath the tree, watching her. Undoubtedly following Dagan’s orders to keep an eye on her while he was gone on patrol.

The sensation of being trapped grew.

“You’re finished?” he asked, smiling.

“Yes.” She tossed the gloves on the bench near him and rubbed her sore knuckles. “Let’s go to the village.”

The smile faded. “Shae, I cannot. Dagan will be furious if I break his order.”

“You won’t. He said to stay with me, right? So, wherever I am? You. Stay. With. Me.”

“I cannot.” He rose and tied back his mahogany hair. A sword appeared in his hand, and he started a solo workout.

With the urge to keep moving growing, she trudged around the building to the front, stopping at the granite handrail enclosing the courtyard. There was nowhere else to go. She gripped the cold barrier, trying to center herself.

“Shae?” Angelus appeared at her side.

She didn’t respond, cutting him a strained look instead. His dark eyes skimmed over her face, and he exhaled heavily. “Very well, but just an hour.”

So sure she hadn’t heard right, she blinked. At his wry smile, relief swept through her. “Thank you. Let me go change.”

Ten minutes later, they took form in the dense trees surrounding the village, and as they headed toward the hub of the main street, Shae frowned at Angelus. He didn’t have those stunning good looks she’d gotten used to, and his tapered ears appeared ordinary—like human ones. His usually vibrant hair was a dull shade of brown. “What did you do to yourself?”

“Glamour.” A smile tipped his mouth. “So I could fit in here.”

Shae didn’t bother to tell him, even glammed down, he was still too pretty. Curious, she asked, “Don’t you have wings?”

“I do. But while in the human realm, they are invisible. Humans see a fae’s wings, and they become entranced. It is one of the laws that have to be adhered to before coming to this world.”

Now she was prying, but who cared? “Do you know what Dagan is? I mean, you’re fae. And him?”

“He’s a Sumerian god. His grandsire, An, is the supreme high god.”

She stopped dead in front of a closed bookstore, her jaw hitting the dirt. “No way!”

“He is.” Angelus halted beside her. “As are all the Guardians, except for Aethan. He is an Empyrean, an angel, but not like the sire, Michael. He’s the archangel.”

Whoa. As far as otherworldly beings went, sure, she had a demon best friend and knew about them, demoniis, and Fallens, who gave up their wings to live a different life. Beyond that? She hadn’t given much thought to what else lived in this world.

Dagan was a god—a Sumerian god.

Her heart skipped a beat when she recalled the difficult time she’d given him after he abducted her. And smiled. Heck, she wasn’t even sorry. Most fun she’d had in a long time.

Shae continued walking. It all fit now, his enormous size, the height, his hair…the aloofness, and those hauntingly beautiful, inhuman, yellow eyes.

But he was a vampire, too.

How did that happen?

The noise and laughter from farther up the street drew her attention to a blinking red sign. Club Samhain. The thing was a beacon for party revelers. Hopefully, dancing and getting lost in the music would help ease this restlessness inside her.

Fees paid and wrists stamped, they walked inside. Heavy metal music rocked her eardrums. Perfume and liquor infused the cool air. Shae got a table in the back since it was still early. Drinks ordered from a passing waiter, she smiled at a wide-eyed Angelus. “So?”

“It is incredible. We have dances, but nothing like this.”

“What?” She arched a teasing eyebrow at him. “No one jumps around like they’re hooked to adrenaline?”

He laughed, his gaze still on the dancers. “Our music is different, too.”

She could just imagine, people dancing daintily in circles around a ring of flowers, or was it mushrooms? The waiter set their drinks on the table.

“Want to give human-style dancing a shot?”

“It looks like fun. A moment—” He shifted on the chair and pulled out a cell phone from his pants pocket and read a message. Shae blinked. Heck, she didn’t know he even possessed one. He looked up. “Dagan will be here.”

Her mouth snapped shut, betrayal forming a hard lump in her tummy. “You told him? Why?”

“I had to.” A red tinge washed his grave features. “You have dangerous foes after you, Shae. If anything happened on my watch, I’d never forgive myself.”

Realizing she could do nothing, she drank some of her vodka tonic. Apparently, all immortals were single-minded when playing guard. At least, he hadn’t mentioned she was a job. God, she was starting to hate the word.

Desperately needing a few minutes alone, she pushed to her feet. “I’m going to the restroom.” The one place her guards couldn’t trespass. She hoped.

Angelus rose. “Where is it?”

Hell, she had no idea. Lied. “Just past the bar. I won’t be long.” She spun away and cut through the thickening crowd.

“Shae?”

At the unfamiliar accented voice, she looked around and forced a smile as the friendly pharmacist detached himself from the bar.

“What a pleasure meeting you here,” Vasile Petre said, stopping near her. “Are you alone?”

“No. I’m with a friend.”

Cautiously, he looked around, no doubt recalling Dagan’s aggressiveness the afternoon outside his store.

“I’m with friends, too.” He stuck a thumb over his shoulder. “When you’re free, call me, maybe we can have drinks?”

She doubted that would ever happen when she had babysitters twenty-four-seven.

Prickles of awareness skated over her skin like an electrical spark. She didn’t have to look to know who it was. Still, it was impossible not to. She rubbed her arms and glanced across the club to the busy entrance. Being so tall, Dagan stood heads above the partygoers. Like magnets, their gazes connected, then his slid to her side. He went motionless, even the air around him stilled.

A hand touched her arm. “So you’ll call me?”

She looked blankly at Vasile and must have nodded because he smiled and ambled off to his friends. But at the hard set of Dagan’s jaw, she swallowed a sigh. People cleared out of his way as he strode to her. Yeah, he’d think the worst.

A woman in tight jeans and a halter-top stepped into his path, stopping him. He cut her a brief look. Though nothing showed on his face, Shae realized she couldn’t even blame him. With a double dose of god and vampire magnetism, everyone was drawn to him. Even the damn rats.

How else could a predator tempt his prey to him?

But when the woman and held out a paper napkin, probably with a phone number, the abyss inside her deepened, knowing as far as he was concerned, there was nothing between them. He’d made that clear.

No matter the attraction, he was a Guardian, and she, his assignment. She was a fool to think otherwise or wish for more.

Desperate to get out of this suddenly airless place, and with no way to avoid him, Shae hurried past. Callused fingers snagged her wrist, halting her flight. “Let me go,” she hissed at him. “I’m leaving.”

“You are leaving.” His cold expression morphed into hard anger. “With me.”

The woman glowered daggers at Shae, still clutching the paper napkin.

Dagan hauled her to the exit, the crowd instantly parting, giving them way. He strode down the cobblestone street and into the shadowy thoroughfare just off the main road.

Angelus discreetly hung back.

Shae pulled free, rubbing her wrist. He stood there in front of her. Head lowered. Hands on his hips as if trying to get himself under control.

“Did you have to drag me again?”

Slowly, he lifted his head. “Drag you?” Ice edged his tone. “Your powers are escalating, your life’s in danger, and you’re in a club?”

Hurt flooded her that he refused to understand how hard this was on her. With her mother gone, the appearance of her new power, along with this impossible attraction to him, everything was caving in on her. She blinked back the burn in her eyes.

“I had to get out. I was suffocating on that mountaintop, doing nothing but train—for two full days—”

“Because you have to learn to shield. Your ability could have manifested, and the heavens know where you would’ve ended up with your shaky shields.”

“I know what’s at stake, and I’m not completely helpless,” she snapped, anger sparking at his inflexible attitude. “If you think I’m such a damn liability, why the hell don’t you lock me up?”

“Don’t tempt me, Shae—” His nostrils flared. “I’m this close to losing—”

“What? Your temper? You wouldn’t know how if it bit you in your—oomph!”

His mouth slammed down on hers in a searing explosion of fury. Her breath escaped in a rush of shock. His one arm banded around her waist, the other tangled in her hair. He may be kissing her in anger, but she couldn’t deny that she savored the feeling of his mouth on hers. Dear God, it was like a drug to her senses. She slipped her hands around his neck and kissed him back.

“Gods, Shae…” A tortured groan escaped him, the sound impossibly seductive. “You drive me beyond sanity with that mouth—”

He deepened the kiss. Wild. Decadent. A dangerous kiss as his fangs brushed against her lips and tongue. And every nerve in her body flared alive with sensation, desire hijacking her thoughts. He kissed her deeper, drawing her tongue into his mouth, sucking on it, intensifying the exquisite ache pooling between her thighs.

He picked her up and backed her against the building wall, not breaking their kiss. Her skirt slid up as she wrapped her legs around him. His rigid sex rubbed against her panty-covered core, creating a friction that had her body in flames, craving the release only he could give.

She could barely think straight. Yet, some deep part of her realized she’d pushed him because she wanted this—wanted his mouth on hers, wanted him to want her—not those other women.

He’s a vampire; he’s always going to seek them.

At the icy slap of reality, desire fizzled.

“No—” She tore her mouth free. “Let me go, I’m not one of those women you pick up every night.”

“What?” His chest heaved, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Reeling with jealousy she had no right to feel, she shook her head. “Let me down.”

A tic pounded in his jaw. He lowered his mouth to her ear, his erection pressing into her core. “If that asshole pharmacist touches you again, human or not, I will kill him.”

She tried to push away from him, but the damn wall behind her, and his hold on her hips, kept her trapped against him. “No, you won’t. Why do you care anyway? I’m just a job to you, remember?”

He stared silently at her for a long second. “You are my mate.”

The word, so full of promise, pierced her in the heart like a dagger. Anger, fast and furious, exploded. “Whoa! You don’t get to use the mate card when it suits you, you took that off the table the moment you realized the truth. As if I want to be tied to the most anal-retentive man—pardon—immortal ever.”

With a growl, Dagan dropped her. Shae tripped, but he grabbed her arm. She shoved off his hold. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” He rubbed his unshaven jaw wearily. “It’s why this is so damn hard.” He pulled out a cigar from his pocket, struck a match on the wall, and lit it.

Her mouth opened then shut. She pivoted and stumbled out of the thoroughfare, bleakness sweeping through her at his words.

No, she didn’t hate him. Somewhere in the last few days, she’d gone from being impossibly aggravated with him to wanting him. Yes, he desired her, but he refused to do anything about it because he didn’t want a mate.

“Angelus?” Dagan’s low voice drifted to her. “Take her back. Keep her safe.”

“Of course, sire.”

Blinking her burning eyes, she headed toward the copse of trees, wishing this emptiness inside her would somehow ease.

* * *

A sound pulled Shae out of her troubled dreams. Something hit the wall with a dull thud. Her eyelids cracked open. Cautiously, she peered around the dark bedroom. Faint light seeped from beneath the closed door to the next room.

He was back. Memories of what had happened earlier that night had her groaning. Normally, she was a get-up-and-face-the-world kinda girl, no matter the setbacks. Now, she buried her face in her pillow, wanting to hide in bed for the next several months.

At a low, harshly muttered expletive, she jerked upright, her heart thudding in apprehension. Was he hurt? With the kind of job he did, chances were he could be…and, no, he wouldn’t seek help. He was as stubborn as the day was long.

She eyed the adjoining door warily—dammit, she couldn’t not help if he was hurt.

Despising her weakness, she got off the bed and made her way across the room, her socks-clad feet silent on the granite floor, and opened the door. A dense gloom cloaked the room, but a short, fat candle burned on the nightstand, casting a pool of light over the man on the four-poster bed. She took another step inside and stumbled to a halt.

Dear sweet Jesus! Shirtless, Dagan rested against the headboard, eyes shut. His bronze pecs and biceps gleamed in the soft light. His one knee was raised, his leathers unzipped, and his big palm was wrapped around his cock as he stroked himself. It was the sexiest, most erotic thing she’d ever seen. He was so beautiful.

Held in the throes of the sensual spell, she swallowed hard.

His head turned, his movements slowed. Through half-mast eyelids, those molten yellow eyes fastened on her like a sleek predator’s. He didn’t speak.

Shae rushed into speech, her face on fire. “I heard a noise, and thought… never mind. I’m sorry—”

“Don’t go.”

His low words stopped her retreat.

“The moment you left me tonight, I couldn’t get you out of my mind.” His palm slowly worked his erection in mesmerizing strokes. Up. Down. Up. Down. “The way your body felt against me, your mouth on mine. I thought this would take away the impossible craving I have for you, but it’s just a poor fucking substitute and doesn’t even work…”

“Why? The woman in the club—”

He shook his head. “I don’t want any of them.” He didn’t? “I tried to do the right thing and leave you alone, but I cannot. Come here, Shae.”

Her heart stopped then started again, her fingers clenching her nightshirt. However, it was his stare—heavy with desire and edged with yearning—that trapped her. As if under hypnosis, her feet took the steps across the room toward him.

“Give me your underwear.”

“W-what?”

“Now.”

The softly uttered word held an undercurrent of steel. And because she’d lost her ever-loving mind, and he was all she’d thought of since they’d stepped through the portal, she slipped her hands beneath her nightshirt and drew her panties off.

He took them from her shaky fingers and dropped them on the pillow beside him. “On the bed, opposite me.”

Swallowing hard, she climbed up and pulled her nightshirt down, her knees pressed together.

A dark brow rose at her actions, but he didn’t say anything. As his hand moved again, her focus lowered to his groin, and at the sight of him stroking his long, thick sex, heat licked through her veins.

His fingers slowed their pumping motion. Her gaze rushed to his. Those sun-bright eyes burned with carnal heat. He crawled over to her, spread his knees, and caged her—his leathers still undone. With slow, deliberate movements, he unclenched her ice-cold hand from the hem of her nightshirt, put her two fingers into his warm mouth, and leisurely sucked them.

Her heart tripped. As if it were a direct line to her core, arousal flared as he lapped her fingers. Anxiety fled. Grasping her ankles, he put them over his thighs and pushed her nightdress up, opening her to his gaze. He brought her fingers down between her legs.

At the sensuality of him—of them both—stroking her most intimate flesh, her breath caught. She became aware then that his gaze wasn’t between her thighs but on her face, watching her every expression. A flush scorched her cheeks.

“Don’t think, just feel.” He ran their fingers up her folds again, his thumb brushing her clit. Arousal grew. He let go of her hand and took over, his fingers stroking down her cleft and up again, slowly circling the bundle of nerves.

Dear. God. She closed her eyes, lust gripping her in a stranglehold, her fingers fighting for purchase on the bare mattress.

“No. Look at me, Shae.”

She opened her eyes, it didn’t occur to her not to, and met his piercing stare.

He leaned forward and sucked her lower lip, his thumb rolling her clit. Desire spread like a flame. Slowly, he dipped a finger, then two, inside her before adding another. She whimpered against his mouth, craving more of the incredible sensations building between her thighs. Her inner muscles quickened, her body tightened. She broke free from his sensual onslaught on her lip. “Dagan, please…”

“No.” He withdrew his fingers, frustrating her, and then licked her wetness off them, shocking her. “I may not eat much”—his eyes blazed a brilliant yellow—“but this orgasm belongs on my tongue.”

Before she could get her desire-laden mind to connect, in that impossibly fast way of his, he shifted and slid his huge body down the bed, pulling her astride his face. Instantly, she braced her palms behind her on his chest, her knees spread wide. His warm, open mouth settled on her core.

Her thoughts fractured. He licked her as if she were the most decadent dessert before lapping at her clit; then he changed to hard, sharp flicks. Shae nearly came off him, but his grip on her hips kept her nightshirt up, and her exactly where he wanted. Another lick and with a whimper, she fell forward, her palms pressing down on the mattress above his head. His big hands squeezed her bottom before he eased a long, callused finger into her, then another. In and out, he began to thrust.

Ohhhh, God! At the combination of his pumping fingers and his mouth sucking her clit, Shae felt as if she’d been tossed into a whirlwind. She pushed harder into his mouth.

A low rumble of satisfaction reverberated against her. A hard tug on her flesh with teeth and lips, she cried out, her orgasm breaking, sweeping through her like a tidal wave...

Rough, warm palms caressed her hips as she struggled to find a way back from where he’d taken her.

Shae moved to get off his face. But Dagan pulled her down his body, to lie on him, his blue-black hair a tangle of silk on the mattress. Then he kissed her. Deeply. Sensually. She tasted herself in their kiss, his tongue licking inside her mouth before sucking hers. She shifted, and his thick, warm, bare sex pressed against her inner thigh. He was rock-hard.

Shae sat up, straddling him, and wrapped his heavy erection with her fingers. The tip of him was seductively wet. As she stroked the soft, smooth skin over his rigid erection, his big body shuddered. With each harsh breath he inhaled, the play of muscles on his stomach rippled beneath his bronze skin like waves. God, he was magnificent in his aroused state. He shut his eyelids for a brief second, and then he was shaking his head. “No.”

Despite the raw desire in his gaze, he removed her hands, put her aside, and leaped off the bed.

Hurt took hold. “Why not?”

He paced to the window like some caged animal. The skin over the bones of his handsome face stretched tightly as he tucked himself into his leathers and zipped up. His fangs had emerged. Longer. Lethal-looking. And they pierced into the flesh of his lower lip. He rasped through them, “I want you more than anything else in this godsforsaken life of mine, but my control is tenuous right now. When I come, and with you so close, I’ll want your blood, too.”

She swallowed in trepidation then straightened her spine. Okay, she could do this. “All right.”

His gaze swiveled to her, searing in its intensity, a tinge of red streaking his irises. “No.”

“What do you mean no?” She slid off the bed.

His chest heaving, he grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it on, his movements jerky. “Because you don’t know what I’m capable of!” His words were thick with bitterness and fury. “And you don’t go around offering your blood to anyone, especially not the likes of me!”

And then he was gone.