They stepped through the portal onto the Guardians’ island on Manhasset Bay, leaving behind the Romanian sunshine. Dusk and a chill enclosed them, night insects hummed in disharmony. The castle was ablaze with lights as if in welcome. Despite the warm feeling it gave her, her stomach remained in a knot after Harvey’s call.

“Remember, you can’t go back to the penthouse, Shae, not until we know what’s going on,” Dagan said as they headed toward the castle.

Like she wanted to bump into Aza. A few dates, and now the delusional Fallen believed she was his mate. God. She rubbed her cheek. Could this day get any worse?

“Dagan, wait. I have to call Uncle Lem, let him know I’m okay. What do I say about why I’m not at home yet?”

His brow furrowed. “Text him that you’re delayed because of work, it should give us a few days leeway. We’ll go see him together, then you can tell him about us.”

“He’ll freak out.”

“Then I’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t.”

Shae stopped in the shrub-lined pathway and shot off a text to Lem, praying that Harvey had found something they could use to locate the woman who might be her mother. If the lead didn’t pan out, then it meant her mom did hate her and had simply left. Much as it pained her, Shae preferred the latter. She didn’t want some evil demon holding her mother captive…hurting her—Christ! Bile burned her throat at the thought.

Dagan stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “It’s going to be okay.”

She looked into those bright eyes—so calm and steady—inhaled a deep breath, and nodded.

As they neared a terrace with a wrought-iron table and chairs, he put his hand on her waist and ushered her through the open French doors and into an enormous rec room. A flat-screen TV took up space on one side with leather recliners facing it. Adjacent to it stood arcade games and a foosball table.

The blue-haired warrior, Aethan, looked up from the pool table, so did the one with the cropped black hair. Blaéz. He smirked. “And another one bites the dust.”

Snorting, Dagan crossed to the inner door then asked, “Is there a meeting this evening?”

“Yeah,” Aethan answered.

“Right. I’ll see you there, then.”

The door shut behind them. Dagan led her down the softly lit passageway lined sporadically with paintings by old masters, along with rather authentic body armors from medieval times that sported dents and slashes. “I’ll show you to our quarters, then we can get an update from Hedori.”

“Hedori?” She frowned. “Shouldn’t we be talking to Harvey?”

Dagan didn’t answer as a tall, dark figure stepped out of the kitchen, chugging down a soda.

“Hey, Nik,” she called out, happy to see a familiar face. “When did you get here?”

His gaze shifted to Dagan then back to her. “Moments before you two did. You okay?”

She smiled. “I am.”

Dagan remained silent, and Nik cut him an amused smirk that did little to warm the coldness in his eyes. “And the other?” he asked.

Her smile dimmed. There was still one treacherous ravine to cross. With Dagan as unbending as a steel arrow, she had no idea how to get him to change his mind about feeding from her.

Ignoring Nik, Dagan tightened his grip on her hand and headed for the grand staircase in the front. Shae had to hurry to keep up. “He cares about you, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, it’s what saved his neck from my sword with what he let you do.”

Sighing, she let it go for now.

As they took the stairs up, the blond warrior who looked like the heavens had been having a seriously good day when he was created loped down. He slowed. Dagan didn’t even glance his way.

Shae had no idea what was going on between them. Still, she couldn’t ignore him. “Hello.”

Sexy, masculine dimples appeared briefly, even though the warrior’s smile didn’t reach his toffee-brown eyes. “Shae.” And then he was gone.

A tic pulsed hard on Dagan’s jaw as they headed for the third floor. He pointed across the landing and said something about the other wing belonging to Aethan and Echo. She barely heard him, her mind on the obvious friction between the two men. “You and Týr don’t talk?”

“It’s not important.”

“I think it is.” She eyed his rigid expression thoughtfully. “I once asked you about who you consider a friend, and even though you said Nik, I always thought you meant to say another name. It was him—it was Týr, wasn’t it?”

He finally looked at her. Those beautiful, inhuman eyes were haunted and filled with desolation. “He was my sister’s protector. He failed her.”

“What?” Shae halted in front of an intricately carved, wooden door. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “How—why?”

“It doesn’t matter how or why. We have things to do.”

“Tell me.” She stepped in front of him when he would have opened the door.

His expression tightened. “Inara was not yet eighteen and far too young when she became the Goddess of Life—her safety had to be absolute…” He told her what had happened the last day in the Sumerian temple—about Lucifer’s attack. “Týr was her guard that day. And I trusted him.”

Shae didn’t know what to say, but the anger behind his flat words troubled her. More, she’d seen the shadow of torment in Týr’s eyes, too. “Did you speak to him? Find out what happened?”

Silence. It wrapped around her like barbed wire.

He opened the door into a massive bedroom and stood aside. “That’s not important right now. You are.”

Knowing it was a painful subject for him, she didn’t push. She stepped past him, and her eyes widened. Gorgeous, vaulted ceilings rose high above her, and two doors flanked a massive fireplace accented by a beautiful, earth-toned Aubusson carpet. Above the mantel, several old-looking swords were mounted.

“Oh, how lovely.” She wandered to the wall of windows with undrawn, champagne-colored drapes and retracted blinds and looked out into rolling gardens as dusk encroached.

Her worried mind slipped back to her mother. She pivoted to him. “What did you mean when you said we needed to speak to Hedori? What does he have to do with my mom?”

“About that…” He shut the door behind him. “Hedori’s been checking things out for me while we were in Romania. We don’t believe your mother ran off.”

Unease prickled her skin as he made his way to her. “What do you mean?”

“The last time we were at the penthouse, Hedori picked up on anguish and despair. Not yours, but definitely female. It didn’t connect with a woman who’d want to take off and live her own life. Now, with your demon friend’s news, it increases my suspicions.”

Anger swelled. “We were in Romania for several days, and you didn’t say a word?”

“You’re too emotional when it comes to your parents. You’d have dashed back to New York and into danger the moment you knew. And with your growing power, you’d have every evil thing out there after you.”

Even though he was right, betrayal still cut deep. “You should have told me, should have given me a choice, not made it for me. For so long, I thought…” Tears and frustration formed a hard knot in her throat. “I thought she took off because she couldn’t stand to look at me, that she hated me for what I’d done, for hurting her when my laptop exploded. And you kept quiet about something so important?”

“I couldn’t take a chance.”

“You didn’t trust me!”

“And you just proved my point when your friend called.”

God! She inhaled a shaky breath and pivoted to the window. Getting upset wasn’t helping. Maybe he had a point, but she was used to doing things on her own. She was all her mother had left after her father died.

“Shae.” He came up behind her, his hands settling on her waist. “I only have your best interests at heart.”

“How can I believe you when you keep things from me?” She swiped the perspiration beading on her brow.

“You are my mate. And human. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, even if I have to bear the brunt of your anger.”

The heat inside her hiking, she broke away, opened the door, and stepped onto a small balcony overlooking the trimmed lawn at the back of the castle. The cold night air swept over her, cooling her damp face. She inhaled deeply, making sure her psychic shields were locked in place, then got out a dextrose from her pocket and chewed it.

Dagan stepped up behind her. “All my life, I’ve failed the people who mattered most to me, those whom I’m supposed to protect. I will not lose you, too.”

At the raw pain in his voice, she pivoted. She had a feeling he wasn’t only talking about his sister. “Who?”

The grief on his chiseled features morphed into stone. “Enki, my sire, was a whoring son of a bitch despite being soul-joined to my mother. After one of his many indiscretions, he was killed—”

“Wait, I thought once soul-joined, you never strayed?”

“You usually don’t.” He stared into the night as if lost in the past. “Finding one’s bonded mate is rare among the gods, and treasured. Many want it, very few find it. He hated the Fates tying him to one female and was determined to do as he pleased. Being the progeny of the ruling god An, no one dared stop him. Even in death, he had the last laugh, sealing my mother’s fate.”

“What do you mean?”

A vein throbbed on Dagan’s brow. “Once soul-joined, if one mate dies, so does the other. Before she succumbed, she begged me to keep Inara safe. And I failed her. I godsdamn failed them both!” He slammed his palms on the metal balustrade, and the thing shuddered.

“Dagan!” Shae grabbed his arm.

He pivoted. “It’s why I won’t let harm come to you. You are my mate, Shae. Maybe I should have told you about my suspicions regarding your mother, but I didn’t want to worry you or get your hopes up if I was wrong. I made you two promises. I’ll find Jenna, and the one who wielded that dagger.”

A thought struck her then. “Wait. You can see a person’s thoughts when you touch an item of theirs, right? If I gave you something of Mom’s, would you know why she left?”

“Depends on what she touched last. You have anything here?”

Her heart slid to her feet in disappointment. “No, but at the penthouse…”

He shook his head. “We can’t draw undue attention to ourselves, not with a Fallen having access to your kin’s place and possibly waiting for you.” He pressed his lips to her brow. “We’ll find another way. Come. Let’s go down and see if Hedori found out anything else.”

* * *

Shae sat at the giant oak dining table in the kitchen, her anxiety growing while Hedori reiterated all that Dagan had revealed. She forced herself to eat one of the two sandwiches he’d made for her.

The last bite sticking in her throat, she pushed her plate away and picked up her cell from the table. “I have to call Harvey.”

Dagan nodded and leaned a shoulder on the jamb of the French doors leading out to the small, herb-scented terrace.

Harvey answered after a few seconds. “Hey, Shae.”

“Any news on my mom?” She put her cell on speaker and set it on the table.

“No, nothing yet. But the demon I told you about goes by Luka. He’s as tight-lipped as a closed porthole with his cronies around. I tried following him a short while ago, but the bastard took me on a wild goose chase. He was highly amused when he cornered me, and I had to freakin’ pretend I had an itch for him.” His surly tone made her smile. “Said I ruined his fun. The butthead was trailing after some human girl he had the hots for—”

“Wait—” Hedori stepped closer to the phone. “This Luka, is he a little on the thin side? Dark hair, average height, with an eight-point star tattoo on the side of his neck that goes up to his jaw?”

At the silence coming down the line, Shae hastily said, “Sorry, Harvey, I should have told you, the Guardian, Dagan, and Hedori are here.” She’d tell her friend the truth about her and Dagan later. “They’re helping me with this, too.”

“Okay,” Harvey muttered. “Yeah, it’s the same asshole.”

Hedori nodded at Dagan. “I trailed him to the Bronx last night, but then he did a turnabout and vanished. Probably sensed he was being followed.”

A light, ocean-scented breeze with a hint of amber swept through the kitchen from the open French doors. Frowning, Shae looked up as Michael took form on the night-darkened terrace and strode into the kitchen, his shaded gaze sweeping over them.

“I’m assuming there’s been a change in your situation and you’re not here for the briefing before patrol?” he drawled at Dagan.

“As if there were any doubt,” he countered.

“Harv, I’ll call you back.” Shae hurriedly ended the call. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she had the distinct impression that Michael was amused.

He pushed his shades to his brow, revealing eyes like shattered blue gems. Shae gaped. The silvery light seeping out of his cracked irises gave him an otherworldly appearance. No wonder he wore dark shades all the time.

A moment of surrealism hit her square in the face. Hell, she was in the presence of a being most humans thought a myth—the leader of all the archangels. Her gaze skipped back to her own immortal.

Dagan lifted a brow in question. She shook her head and slid her cell into her jacket pocket.

The kitchen door opened, and Týr and Aethan entered.

“Nik and Blaéz took off to check out a disturbance in the Bowery,” Týr said, dropping onto a chair at the end of the long table. Aethan took the one opposite him.

Michael nodded. Then Dagan filled them in. “We may have a lead on Shae’s mother. If it pans out, then the demons have her.”

Unable to sit still, Shae jerked to her feet and paced the short side of the table. “Why would they take her? She’s one of the gentlest people I know.”

“We’ll find her, Shae—” Dagan broke off, tiny vertical lines creasing between his eyebrows. “Damn, I should have asked you this. Is your mother psychic?”

She slowed to a halt. “Yes. She has flashes of precognition, and she senses Others like I do.”

At the sudden stillness in the room, she glanced at the silent men. Her gaze darted back to Dagan. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s about those murdered men I first asked you about.” He explained about the psychic killer he’d been tracking for several months who’d left a trail of Fallen and human bodies. “Whoever’s killing them, is doing it by turning their insides to liquid. We thought at first a demon or Fallen could be using you to do that, but your powers aren’t like those of the killer.”

“You thought I was the killer?” she whispered, feeling as if he’d slapped her.

“Shae—”

“No.” Then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter—”

“It does to me.” He dropped his hand, his irises flaring in frustration. “Nothing like this has ever occurred before. Fallens don’t possess those kinds of powers after they fall, but the rising psionics would.”

She understood their caution. Heck, she was aware she could destroy them, too, with her new ability, and she had killed. But illogical as it might be, the fact that he’d thought, even for a second, that she could deliberately harm anyone…it hurt her. “My mother is what matters. I have to find her.”

“I’m going to meet Shae’s demon friend,” Dagan told the others, his tone flat. “And get a location on this Luka.”

“He’s not going to say a word to you,” she countered.

His hard gaze met hers—yeah, he was still upset. “I have my ways.”

“Yes, bloodshed always solves everything. Dagan, he dies, we have nothing. But I know a sure way to find out where she is.”

He folded his arms over his chest. Waited.

That stance didn’t bode well at all. It didn’t deter her, though. Ignoring the stares of the silent warriors—damn, they’d most likely be of the same mind as Dagan—she said, “I’ll be bait.”

“Absolutely not!”

At his unequivocal veto, she pressed on. “How can you say no? It makes perfect sense.”

“I won’t heedlessly put you in danger, even if you can’t see straight in this regard,” he bit out. “And especially not with that Fallen after you.”

“Dammit, Dagan—”

“I don’t think they’ll readily spill their secrets,” Hedori said quietly, glancing between her and Dagan. “At least not without some incentive.”

“No, they won’t,” she agreed. “Not to you guys, anyway. But to a woman they wanted to impress or hook up with? Why not?”

“It’s not happening!” Dagan’s eyes burned with suppressed fury. “You aren’t placing yourself in danger.”

She notched up her chin. “You know it’s the best way.”

“Hold on a sec…” Michael slowly rubbed his chin. “Perhaps another female.”

“Ely,” Aethan added, leaning back in his chair. “We should call her in for this meeting.”

Shae had no clue who this Ely was, but she detested the idea. For months, she’d been in several dangerous places, underground clubs, following leads on her mother. Now, when she was so close, Dagan would deny her this?

“No, Ely won’t work,” Týr said, tipping his chair back on its two back legs. “Those demons will know she’s immortal—and a Guardian to boot since she already took her pledge. They’ll sense a trap, and if they do have Shae’s mother, well, they could disappear with her for a really long time.”

Much as elation coursed through her, dread followed sharply on its heels. She glanced at Dagan, her biggest obstacle, and held his gaze. “That leaves only me.”

The twitch was back in his jaw. “We might be going into a place that could just be a cover-up and drop us straight into Hell.”

Did he enjoy scaring her? But at the thought of her mother being held in such a place, she straightened her backbone and met her mate’s frustrated gaze dead-on. “Dagan, I’ve done this enough times while searching for my mother, playing bait. Besides, you know if trouble comes, I can take care of myself.”

He shoved away from the door crossed the short distance to her, hand fisted as if trying to keep from dragging her off and locking her up. He slowed. Expression flat, eyes hardening. “On one condition only.”

He agreed? Shocked, she nodded. “Anything.”

“When we get the information we need, you will remain behind and let me handle the rest.”

Remain behind? Ugh, she didn’t care for his terms one bit, but he’d agreed, and that was all that mattered. She’d find a way around his codicil when the time came.

“Call the demon back and arrange this for tomorrow night,” he said.

She nodded. Much as she wanted to march out there now, she didn’t want to risk antagonizing him further and have him change his mind. Besides, knowing Dagan, he’d probably want to stake out everything first.

As Shae left the kitchen, the other warriors rose. Týr’s voice drifted to her. “Ely’s ready for her duties, Arc. She fights with more power and skill than we expected. Hell, she dropped me on my ass a couple of times. Don’t you think she’s ready to go out on patrol with us?”

“She’s still ruled by emotions. And that can be deadly for her—”

The door shut on the rest of Michael’s response. She stood there for a second, inhaling deeply. The door opened again.

“Shae?”

She turned to find Dagan behind her. The words burst out, “Did you honestly think I was the psychic killer?”

“Not even for a minute, but it’s my job to check out everything, no matter what.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. And the churning inside her eased. “I’m going out on patrol. I’ll see you in the morning. You need me for anything, I don’t care how small, even if your abilities take hold, call me.”

At his grim demeanor, she sighed. “You’re still upset that I want to do this?”

“How can I not be? Shae, you are my mate, I just found you. Now, you’re planning to go out there, alone—”

“I’ll be fine.” She caressed his chest, trying to win him over. “Besides, I’ll have my big, bad warrior close.”

His expression didn’t change. “I’ll be invisible and with you.”

Invisible? Well, she didn’t know about that ability.

Not liking this distance between them and needing the comfort of his touch, she grasped a handful of his shirt and pulled him down—God, she loved that he was taller than her—and put her lips on his. A groan escaped him, he deepened the kiss. His tongue licked inside her mouth, his arm banding around her waist, every inch of his hard, delicious body aligned with hers. The tips of his fangs grazed her lips—a perilous kiss—one she relished. Desire coiled low in her stomach. Moaning, she ran her tongue over his extended incisors.

He jerked back as if burned.

“Dagan?”

Breathing hard, lips tight, he paced a few feet away from her. Her heart sank, realizing she hadn’t imagined it. “You made love to me last night, you kissed me, but not in the way you first did outside the club in Romania,” she whispered. “Even outside the church today.”

He scrubbed a hand over his shadowed jaw and pivoted to her. His gaze burned fiercely, his fangs still visible, revealing just how close to the edge he was. “Yes, I was careful with you. I’m always careful with you. You know this.”

Right. Struggling to stop the widening pit inside her, she countered, “Then I guess I’ll have to expect less than I thought I’d get in a committed relationship.”

He growled. “I give you everything—”

“But one!” she cried. “Even though Nik promised he’d be close to stop you if things went wrong, you refused. But then you have her, right? You don’t really need me.”

He stiffened. “That’s a low blow, Shae, and you know it. I have to go. We’ll talk when I get back.”

Emptiness seeped through her. She cast her gaze down the long corridor, knowing he wouldn’t change his mind. “Do you know where Echo is?”

“Library. I’ll show you—”

“I’ll find it.” She walked away, feeling as if she were plummeting into an abyss with nothing to break her fall.

After several minutes of wallowing, she slowed to a halt and dashed the blurriness from her eyes. She wasn’t going to let this pull her down, finding her mother was all that mattered.

Shae looked around at the elegant but unfamiliar corridor with abstract paintings on the walls. Okay, she was lost. Besides, if Echo were this all-powerful Healer, then she’d pick up on Shae’s distress.

How could she explain her messed-up life? Explain she was mated to a man she was half in love with, but she wasn’t what he needed. No, she couldn’t bear anyone’s pity. She pivoted to head back the way she’d come when laughter reached her.

Feminine laughter.

Like a hypnotic pull, it lured her. She pushed open a huge, black door and stopped short, just inside the entrance of what appeared to be an enormous, two-level library with countless towering bookshelves and a stunning ceiling mural.

Four women were in the seating area, each going through a magazine. Two reclined on the couch in front of the huge, lit fireplace, and one lounged in an armchair. Echo sat on the floor near the coffee table that held a tray with an assortment of cookies and cake, and a few more magazines.

“Darci, everything in here looks so wonderful,” the redhead sporting a headful of skinny braids, a glimmer of gold flickering through her hair murmured. “Did you decide on the flowers and cake yet? What about a venue?”

The curvy brunette sighed and pushed back her curly bangs. “No. Blaéz gave me two weeks to get everything organized. Two! Now, all I see is a huge number two, and no time to pull off anything.”

“Don’t worry,” Echo said, flipping a page, “we’ll help any way we can—” She glanced up and her gaze flickered toward the doorway. “You’re back!” Her smile widened, and she jumped up.

All eyes turned to Shae. Echo waved excitedly, beckoning her inside. “Come. Meet the rest of the gang. You guys, this is Shae Ion. She could be like me, but I can’t read her aura yet, so we wait…”

Shae slowly crossed to them, pulling her shields tighter around her, not wanting to reveal even an inch of her despair to anyone.

“Shae, that’s Darci.” Echo pointed to the tall, curvy brunette with the pale caramel skin and long, curly, honey-brown hair seated on the couch. Her eyes reminded Shae of sunflowers. “She’s mated to Blaéz. They’re getting married soon.”

Now the bridal magazines made sense. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Darci smiled.

“And that’s Elytani, another Guardian.” Echo pointed to the slender, six-foot, blonde goddess next to Darci—because, really, there was no other way to describe just how beautiful she was with her lightly tan skin and pale, moonlit hair, which she’d pulled back in a high ponytail.

“A Guardian?” Right. Aethan had mentioned her.

Echo laughed. “Yup. We lowly humans aren’t strong enough.”

Elytani rolled her bright, copper-hued eyes and snorted. “Yes. It’s why I’m still stuck at the castle and not out on the streets yet. Shae, lovely to meet you.”

“Oh, stop complaining, you know the big guy wants you safe.” The redhead shot Shae a grin. “I’m Kira, by the way.” She jumped off the armchair, her movements making the black beads on the ends of her multiple braids jangle. Her hazel eyes sparkling in delight, she grabbed a plate piled high with mouthwatering, chocolate-coated biscuits off the coffee table. “Have a cookie. And welcome to this dangerous world.”

Feeling a little overwhelmed, Shae selected one, aware she hadn’t eaten anything for a while and took a bite. She didn’t understand Echo’s sympathetic look. She chewed and almost choked at the dry, cardboardy taste that not even the chocolate could save.

“Sorry,” Echo mouthed, handing her a soda. Shae quickly popped the Fanta and gulped some, washing away the awful taste.

“It’s good, huh?” Kira asked, setting the plate down and plopped back on the couch. “I made them—it’s a new recipe.”

“Er, yes, love the chocolaty taste,” she croaked, consuming more soda.

“Did you find whom you were looking for?” Elytani asked softly, dragging Shae’s attention back to her.

She frowned. “What?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard you when I walked past the kitchen earlier.”

And that brought her right back to the friction between her and Dagan. The knot in her stomach tightened further. She briefly told the women about her missing mother and the plans for tomorrow night.

“And they agreed you can be bait?” Echo asked, her bi-colored eyes bright with shock.

Shae grimaced. “I didn’t give them much choice.”

“Had you been mated to one of them…nope, you wouldn’t be doing it because you’d be locked up for sure by now,” Kira drawled.

“I second that.” Echo grimaced.

Before Shae could tell them the truth about her and Dagan, Darci asked, “Have you decided on what to wear?”

“From what I’ve seen in nightclubs, lots of skin is best,” she said dryly, thankful Dagan had sent her things over with Angelus.

The girls laughed.

“Come on, let’s go help you look for something sexy.” Kira leaped up. The others glided to their feet and ushered her out. Farther down the corridor, they stopped near a wood-paneled door. Kira stabbed the button to summon the elevator.

Her fingers clenching, Shae eyed the door as it slid open. “Er, do you mind if we take the stairs? Enclosed spaces and I don’t go so well together.”

“No problem.” Darci gestured to the way they’d come. “We’ll take the back stairs. It’s closer.”

Echo led the way up the narrow, spiraling staircase, and stepped onto the first level, probably for the guest room Shae’d first used. “Not here,” she said. “Actually, I’m on the third floor.”

All eyes turned to her, frowns followed.

“But that’s where my and Aethan’s quarters are,” Echo said, then slowly added, “and Dagan’s.”

Heat flooding her face, Shae nodded. “I know.”

“Say what now?” Kira gasped, her mouth hanging open. “You and the ultimate hardass. Wow! He never speaks to any of us.”

Shae didn’t say anything. She, more than anyone, now understood why.

“That’s wonderful,” Echo said. “I had wondered when I first saw you two together—the tension and sparks flying. I’m so happy for you.”

“And that man’s hair,” Kira continued, seeming to enjoy herself, “does it touch his ass when loose?”

Shae smiled as they started up the stairs again. “It does.”

“I can’t believe he’s actually letting you do this—be bait,” Elytani, the voice of reason said. “I know my kind. When they find their mates, they can be a tad protective—”

“Tad? You’re kidding, right?” Darci laughed as they spilled out of the narrow staircase into the softly lit landing on the third floor. “But you’re excused since you just got back from another realm and training and have no idea how bullheaded they can be about keeping us safe. When you find your mate, you’ll see. There’ll be constant complaints about you going out and putting yourself in danger, even if it’s just shopping. So, enjoy this freedom while you can.”

Though Ely smiled, Shae caught a hint of wistfulness in her gaze. It disappeared the next second. “I don’t plan on being mated to anyone. And, before you ask,” she told Kira, “no, I’ll not even consider any of the unmated Guardians, too much intractability for my liking. But, in the unlikely event I do think of taking a mate, not only will he have to accept my job, it will also have to be a soul-joining—like you all have. I won’t settle for less.”

“Yes, that is the best type,” Echo and Darci agreed in unison, sharing a smile.

Shae inhaled a shaky breath. She and Dagan might be soul-joined, but it hurt more, knowing she could never have the intimacy these women obviously enjoyed. There would always be that one barrier between her and him.

“When are you going out on patrol?” Echo glanced at the blonde as they traipsed the wide corridor.

Elytani sighed. “Michael said two months in-house training with the Guardians first. I’ve been here for almost that length of time, so hopefully soon.”

“Maybe we can train when you have time?” Shae asked her.

Surprised brightened her coppery eyes. “You fight?”

“I’m a lot stronger than I look. My best friend is a demon, he helps me train.”

“That’s wonderful,” Echo chipped in. “Now, I have another sparring partner. I adore Hedori, but I like having different people to train with.” Then she scowled. “Aethan is still hanging back in fear he’ll hurt me.”

Feeling a lot more at ease now, Shae glanced at Darci.

“Oh, no, don’t look at me,” she protested. “I’ll do the treadmill if need be, but you guys are quite welcome to slice and dice each other.”

“I’m right there with ya.” Kira slung an arm through Darci’s. “All that bloodshed—ack, not for me.”

As their friendly banter and laughter continued, Shae entered her and Dagan’s quarters, her mind slipping back to him, her heart heavy at the conflict between them.