Lux
"Did you have to knock her out?"
"Sorry, I can't mutter a bunch of fancy words and put her to sleep. Guardians use their fists when their Talents don't serve their purpose. Unless you wanted me to make her think she was on an acid trip. I had a lot of fun doing that back in the seventies."
"Percy."
Lux squeezed her eyes together and stifled a moan, uncertain if she wanted the people sniping at one another to know she was awake. Though, two of those voices sounded familiar. The second speaker sounded like a gruffer version of Travis, and the other...
Her eyes flew open, and she shot upright. And immediately regretted it as the room spun, and the faint scent of popcorn made her stomach turn. Three men stood in front of her. Three pairs of eyes glued to her- moss green, crystalline blue, and the most beautiful, soft brown.
She said his name on an exhale, the syllables breathy and pleading. "Declan."
Green eyes huffed and crossed thick arms across a broad chest. If Travis was a gym rat, they could be twins. "How do you know his name?"
"Excuse me?" she said, wincing and touching the back of her head. Lux opened her mouth to let the man have an earful when she noticed Declan wasn't reacting to her with the same enthusiasm she'd shown for him.
The man with blue eyes circled her. As much as she wanted to drink in the sight of Declan, she followed his figure as he moved. If her heart wasn't taken, she might have enjoyed watching him. Never had she seen such a beautiful man before, not even Hanish. Only the scar running across his face ruined the perfection, but it suited him. Without it, he might be too much to look upon.
There was no doubt he was a predator. She wasn't the best warrior in her Circle, but she'd been practicing long enough to recognize when someone's stance was ready for a fight. Every movement, every shift of his eyes warned her he was ready for whatever she might do.
"Do you still sense her essence?"
"I do," Declan replied, his jaw tight and his right hand clenching and unclenching. Lux knew that meant he was angry- no, not angry. Furious. And he directed it toward her.
"Declan-"
"You're a witch," he said, cutting her off.
"You know that."
His head tilted, confusion clouding the rage. "Your magic isn't right. It smells earthy, but beneath, I smell hers. Are you a Bloodborn? Did you steal someone's magic?"
Her mouth fell open. Was he serious? Fingers curled in her hair and jerked her head back. The predator stood over her, looking at Declan and waiting for his command.
"Check her for jewelry."
"Wait a second," she shouted, her legs flailing in front of her as she tried to scoot away from the approaching redhead, but the other man's grip grew tighter, making tears sting her eyes.
Tired of this madness, she pulled on the power in her center, and slapped her hands on the ground. She heard nothing, but all the men threw their hands over their ears as the vibrations she sent out struck them. It would be the same as being near a bomb when it detonated.
Jumping to her feet, she put her hands on her hips while the fools stumbled around. It didn't take them long to shake off the effects- a benefit of battlefield training. Of course, she could only speak with certainty about Declan's training, but anyone could look at his companions and figure it out.
"Enough! Declan, what is this about? I-" she stopped short as she caught sight of herself in a polished chrome door. A giggle slipped past her lips, followed by a trickle of a few more, until she was bent over at the waist laughing until tears streamed down her face.
"She's mad," the redhead muttered.
"Sorry," Lux said, waving at the men with one hand before reaching for the earrings disguising her genuine nature.
Before she removed the last one, the door banged open on a gust of frigid wind, and Lux tumbled to the ground as a glowering Hanish swept into the room. When he saw her sprawled on the ground but alive, he looked less likely to murder the others, though from the fire in his eyes, maiming was still an option. A fire that flickered and faded when he saw Declan.
"I'm confused," he muttered.
"He isn't the only one," the man who'd grabbed her by the hair said. If she had thought him intimidating before, it was nothing compared to how he looked as he took in the Fae who was now helping her to her feet. "Since when did the Fae align themselves with witches, though if she is Bloodborn, I suppose it makes sense."
"Not all of us bow to a queen, Guardian," Hanish spat.
"Guardian," Lux repeated, wondering why that felt significant. Her mind struggled for a connection, but just as she found it, it slipped away again.
"Lux, are you okay?" Hanish asked.
"I'm fine." She enjoyed the look of astonishment on everyone's face as she removed the last earring. Especially Declan's. But then she couldn't see his expression any longer because she was in his arms.
And then his lips found hers. It wasn't the chaste peck she was accustomed to receiving in public. Declan's old-fashioned upbringing was both charming and frustrating, and she took full advantage of his enthusiasm while he was less than aware of their surroundings. She had dreamed of this moment for a year, and she would not let something as insignificant as an audience stop her from playing out her favorite fantasies.
Arms locking behind his neck, she leaned into the kiss, pressing her breasts against his chest as he moved his hands across her face, through her hair, and down her back. His hands stayed where her spine curved in, his fingers bunching in her shirt as his tongue swept against her bottom lip, teasing and tentative. Asking permission.
Just as she opened up to him, rising on her tiptoes, hoping to move his touch lower, someone coughed. Once softly. And then again, much more forcefully. Declan and Lux didn't jump apart like embarrassed children, but they drew apart slowly. Only their lips- their hands finding their partner.
"Damn if I don't need a shower," the redhead muttered. Even Hanish looked a little flushed. Declan's third companion looked almost unaffected, but Lux thought she detected a faint bit of envy in those icy blues.
Declan grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Lux, the man with no filter is Percy, and this solemn fellow is Calum. They're Guardians I met while..."
"While you were gone?"
All the hurt she'd forgotten when he'd grabbed her came rushing back as her hormones settled down. She trusted him. Declan left for good reasons, but if he didn't think she wouldn't demand a list of every single one of those reasons, he was out of his mind.
"Yes. Lux, I promise I'll explain everything, but can we please start with why you were wandering around the mall in a glamour, smelling like an earth witch?"
"Why did you think I was a Bloodborn?"
"Why are you answering a question with a question?"
Hanish tilted his head, causing a strand of silvery blonde hair to fall into his eyes. "Declan, did you sense Lux beneath the magic?"
The man at her side tensed, and he expelled a pent up breath. "I did. We were on our way to Sweetwater, but we decided we needed to stop and eat. Percy wanted to see if his favorite sub shop was still here-"
"Newsflash," Percy said, patting his flat stomach, "it still is."
Calum flattened his lips, but the shaking of his shoulders made Lux think his irritation was more put on than it was genuine.
"Anyway, I couldn't shake the feeling that Lux was here, and when I saw the girl walk out of the shop, I knew your essence was coming from her. I-I thought she'd killed you and stolen your power."
Declan was trembling now, and she cupped her hands around his face. "I'm fine. Nothing happened."
"I couldn't bear to lose you," he whispered, dipping his head for a brief kiss that conveyed all the fear and desire he was feeling.
"We survived Daphne. Have a little more faith in me," she said, flattening her palms and patting his cheeks- just hard enough to let him know she was teasing. Then she sighed. "But I'm afraid you boys weren't far off."
The Guardians straightened, and Declan's brow dipped as he asked, "What do you mean?"
"We found evidence of another active Bloodborn in Sweetwater."
"And you're looking for her in a mall?" Percy scoffed.
"We weren't so much looking for her as we were laying a trap," she admitted, taking a step back from Declan and drawing her hands to her chest.
She knew the next question he would ask, and he wouldn't like the answer. Tough. He left her behind, and that meant she had to do things her way.
"A trap usually needs bait, Lux," he said, his voice low like thunder as storms moved into his eyes.
"Mm hmm," she said, taking another step back as he moved toward her.
"And what was the bait?"
"Me."