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I rounded on Davenport. “And you heard nothing. You were here the entire time and heard nothing, saw nothing. What the hell was so intriguing that you didn’t hear someone break in and get to her bedroom?”
To his credit, he did look fairly sheepish as he held out his hands and answered, “Well, the TV was pretty loud, and it was my night off, West.”
“We don’t get nights off,” I spat at him. “You think those hunting her down will take nights off?”
He looked straight at me, his jaw tightening. “No, I think the dude in charge would make sure he had enough people to keep her safe so that we could rotate and give everyone a rest from time to time. It isn’t always just about her safety, West. You should remember that.”
I restrained the urge to punch him and pushed the door open so hard, it swung back and nearly hit him and Zayn in the face as they followed me out.
“Her safety is paramount, and other duties should be performed with that in mind. Keep your mind on the job and not on your cock. I thought I’d made that clear.” Out of sight of the house, I dragged my dark coloured jumper over my head, taking the shirt with it.
“Right, yeah, sorry, boss,” Davenport answered, doing the same. “I guess I’m just so good at the other duties that she was screaming my name a little too loudly for me to hear an intruder that you let past.”
An image of her in his arms swept through my mind, and the rage I was already feeling burst out of me. I swung around, catching him across the jaw with my fist. He staggered backwards, but he didn’t come for me. I stood there glaring at him, breathing hard. He glared back, and I could see his hands clenched at his sides. I almost wanted him to come for me. I wanted to hit something hard, and right now, he’d do.
Zayn stepped between us. “Maybe we should be concentrating on finding the intruder rather than squabbling like teenage boys? If the intruder is even still on the grounds, we only have a short window before they get away.” He looked over at Davenport who nodded and turned away from me, pushing his trousers down his thighs.
“Fine,” I snapped. I stripped the rest of my clothes off and shifted. Bones cracked and muscles bunched and lengthened into my new form. I felt my fangs descend, and the thirst for blood and violence filled every thought. Without waiting for the others, I sprinted into the darkness as soon as my paws hit the ground. I needed to run, needed to let off steam. If I caught the intruder in this state of mind, I would probably rip his fucking head off before I calmed down enough to question him. It could have been her in the bedroom. They could have got past us all and slipped into her room, and then it could have been her lying dead and cold on the bed. Fire flowed through my veins, and I roared.
Answering roars came from the other side of the lawn and around from the front of the house. Davenport and Zayn had shifted and headed off in different directions. I took a breath, trying to steady myself. If there was any sign of this soon to be shredded attacker, we would find it.
My paws hit the soft grass as I raced through the grounds. Although the estate had a lot of sweeping lawns, there were large expanses of woodland as well, and it was to the nearest of these that I headed. Anyone breaking in and out would need cover, and they would know we patrolled the grounds, so the woods were definitely the best option for someone sneaking back out. British deciduous trees were in full leaf, hiding the ground from the moonlight, and huge rhododendron bushes meant there were plenty of places for someone to hide.
I slowed as I reached the shadowy woods, my paws silent on the ground. My senses were already heightened in this form, but I boosted them further with my magic. Not too much, however, as I was running low on reserves and I needed blood to replenish myself. Her blood. A memory of the tunnels formed in my mind, the way her blood had tasted like water to a man who had wandered the desert for days. The sound she had made as my teeth pierced her skin, not too different from the one she had made when she had come, rubbing her pussy against my cock. I could still taste her and feel her soft skin, the brush of her hair against my arms. The way she’d melted into me like she belonged there...
I shoved the thoughts away, as much as I wanted to replay it over and over in my head. Thoughts like that were a distraction. She had Davenport and Zayn to deal with those needs, maybe even Wesley as well, if he ever stopped blushing and got on with it. She didn’t need me. Not like that. And I’d made damn sure she certainly didn’t want me like that. I’d tried my hardest to keep the boundaries clear. Her awakening hadn’t changed things. I might be her high priest, but I was her bodyguard too. She needed me to keep her safe, to concentrate on protecting her, and keep my head in the game. Not like last time. I wasn’t going to let that happen ever again. Not to her. Not to any of them.
I paused, lifting my head to sniff the air. Nothing. There was no human scent except for a very faint odour that I knew had come from my own patrolmen earlier in the evening. I couldn’t hear anything either, just the rustle of the trees above my head. A quiet growl came from my chest. A mix of frustration and weariness. I’d not taken any time off since we’d been home, sleeping an hour here and there, but never enough to feel rested. Strong coffee was keeping me going. I’d sleep when she was safe. Right now, I either had to be patrolling or trying to discover who this threat to our goddess was. I kept coming up against brick walls, and bashing my head against them wasn’t getting me anywhere. I felt helpless, and I hated that.
Davenport was right. I needed more priests to guard her and keep her happy and occupied. Distracted. She’d always been a challenge to protect. She loved her freedom too much, and I couldn’t blame her, though in this lifetime she was definitely pushing me to my limits. The truth was that thousands of years ago, I had loved her for it. I had loved that she was a wild, untamed thing. She freed me, released me from drudgery, a mundane life, and showed me how it felt to run, feed, and fuck until I thought I would explode with pleasure. She had challenged me and dared me to do crazy things, to really live life. But that was then, when the gods ruled Egypt and she was all powerful and worshipped by thousands. The world had changed, and so had our situation, she just couldn’t—no, wouldn’t understand that, and it made me crazy. Yes, it had been a wild ride, but the ride was over.
I didn’t want to admit it, but gods didn’t fit in this new world. She didn’t fit, and I needed her to understand that, to understand why I needed to be harsh and controlling to keep her safe, to fulfil my oath to her. She’d understand, I told myself as I reached the small stream that marked the boundary of the estate. She’d understand when she remembered our last life together. Though whether she’d forgive me, I didn’t know. I just needed to find more of her priests and bring them in. I needed to call them to us, but right now, I barely had the magical strength to boost my senses, let alone send out a magical beacon that would also alert everyhatayto our whereabouts. That was the last thing we needed. Right now, I was hoping more would show up of their own accord. Her own magic would bring them to her side and her bed...
Her image filled my mind again, glittering in gold at that ball we’d gone to. I’d known the duke’s son was going to propose, and it had been damn hard to see her all dressed up to promise herself to someone else when I knew she was ours. And then she’d done the unthinkable and turned him down flat in front of everyone. I’d watched her take off and run through the woods. Davenport had gone after her, but I’d been concerned, so I’d followed them, not letting her see me there. It had torn me up, seeing how upset she was, but there in the woods, as her hair tumbled down and her shoes fell away, I’d seen the wild creature she was underneath, and I’d felt my heart cry out to her. I’d spent ten years seeing her as nothing more than a child I was guarding. As she became a young woman, I made myself look for her flaws, the irritations—her impulsiveness and determination to do whatever she wanted and to hell with the rest of us. I’d made myself find whatever I needed to make myself look away. I wouldn’t fall for her this time. I refused to. I needed to keep my cock under control and my heart cold, or I was as good as useless. Even if she hated me, she’d be protected.
But by the light of Ra, deep down inside I ached for her touch, her smile, her love. My emotions raged through me, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. I shifted back, mid-roar, and slammed my fist into a nearby tree again and again, letting out the anger, the frustration, and the desire for her body that was driving me insane. I kept hitting the trunk until my knuckles split and blood ran down my fingers, dripping to the ground.
I was so incensed at myself, so distracted by my self-loathing that I didn’t hear it approach. I didn’t sense it or know it was there until its sharp fangs sank into my calf muscle with a sharp shock of pain, exploding into sheer agony as the venom swept through my veins. I staggered back, and the creature slithered away into the darkness. I turned towards the house and managed a few steps before the venom reached my major organs and my body gave way, crashing to the ground. Pain cascaded through me, and I cried out. I tried to crawl, but my limbs were seizing. Panic ripped through me. I had failed again. I had let her down, let myself be taken away from her when she needed me most. Darkness filled my vision and tears ran from my eyes as the light faded. She’d never know.
Seven
TORY
Myfatherhadthesafe room built when I was a child. With rising terrorism threats in the UK, and my mother’s tenuous links to royals in the Middle East, we’d been advised to have it constructed by the Home Office as a precaution. We’d never used it, but I’d had the code for the door memorised since I was twelve. The room could only be opened from the inside once it was sealed, and my eyes kept flicking back to the keypad as I paced up and down the room.
It was well kitted out, with a separate shower/toilet, a small kitchenette with tinned food and running water, and a bed where Wesley currently sat watching me. Screens covered one wall, linked to the security cameras. It was designed so if you knew how, you could shut off the feed to the security room downstairs and run the cameras from in here, but I didn’t know how to do that. I watched, however, as West’s men explored the house, checking rooms and hallways, so I saw when they radioed in that the house was clear.
West wouldn’t have replied, I knew that. From the note in his voice, I’d guessed he’d planned to have the priests shift to hunt down this intruder. The hate in me hoped they’d tear the fucker apart for hurting my pets, while a darker part I didn’t quite want to acknowledge longed for them to bring whomever it was back to the house so I could tear them apart myself.
“Tory? Come and sit down. They could be a while yet.” Wesley’s voice was soft, but there was a slight tremor in it, and I realised he was nervous.
“They’ve searched the house,” I replied, still pacing as I watched the screens. They showed only the immediate gardens near the house, and our land stretched for a few hundred acres. Would they search it all?
Wesley seemed to come to the same conclusion. “If they search farther out, even in lion form, it will take them hours. Come sit down. You’ll wear yourself out worrying.”
“I’m not worried,” I protested, and then realised that made me sound callous as hell. I turned and gave in, sinking down onto the bed next to him. “I’m not worried. I know West, Jack, and Zayn can handle anything. I’m just… really, really pissed.”
Wesley reached over and took my hand, stroking his thumb gently over the back, and I felt my anger fade slightly into the background, leaving a space for the grief I’d pushed away to come to the forefront.
