Fifteen

Serena woke with a killer headache, knifelike stabs of pain shooting through her skull. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Josh, sitting in the dark, in a chair near her bed, face buried in his hands.

“Josh?”

His head snapped up and then he was at her bedside, kneeling next to her. “Serena. How do you feel?”

“What… what happened? Where am I?”

“The hotel room. I dimmed the lights so you could rest.” He carefully touched the backs of his fingers to her face. “You okay? Does your head hurt?”

“Like someone took a sledgehammer to it. I haven’t felt this way since…” She let her voice trail off, not wanting to tell him about her childhood misery. But this was weird. What was going on with her charm?

Groaning, she sat up, but Josh pushed her back and fluffed the pillow before letting her head rest on it. “You need to take it easy. You took a blow that would have brained a rhinobeast.”

“That’s not possible,” she said, though it was a stupid thing to say, because clearly, something had happened.

“Why not?”

“I just don’t remember, I guess.” It wasn’t a lie; she truly had no idea how she’d been injured.

“You don’t remember anything?” he asked, and she thought he sounded relieved.

Closing her eyes, she let herself drift to the last thing that stuck in her mind. “We were at Philae. There were noises.” An ache started between her eyes as a screeching sound rattled through her memories. “Demons attacked us.” Her heart pounded as though she were still there. Josh grasped her hand.

“I’m here. You’re safe now.”

But when she opened her eyes and saw the glint of fury in his gaze, she knew that she wasn’t safe at all. The memories flooded back, of Josh plowing through the creatures like a machete through tall grass, and how, of all of the dangerous things on the island, Josh had been the most deadly. She shivered and drew her hand away from his.

“Obviously, I’m not,” she snapped, unsure if she was talking about Josh or the fact that she’d been hurt twice now, and could be hurt again. Maybe even killed.

Crushing memories of her mother’s broken body on a cold slab in a hospital morgue squeezed away her breath. She’d snuck away from Val to see her mother one last time, her nine-year-old brain unable to process what death truly meant.

Until she’d seen her mother’s corpse.

Josh scrubbed a hand over his face, the hand that had just been holding her, caring for her. Abruptly, she felt bad for snapping at him when he was only trying to protect her.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’m not used to being injured. Guess I’m not a very good patient.”

“Ditto.” His hand continued to make long, tired passes over his eyes.

“Are you okay? You seem a little off.”

“Got some bad news from my brothers earlier. Nothing you should worry about.” He rose from the chair and started prowling around the room. “So, what do you remember after you got hurt?”

She sat up, wincing at the stabs of pain in her brain. “Not much. Everything went black.” She frowned. “Did you take me to a hospital?”

Josh wheeled around to stare at her. His eyes seemed to glow in the dark with an eerie luminescence. “No. Why?”

“I don’t know… I had these weird dreams. I was at some sort of scary hospital. It was dark, and there was this strange writing on the walls.” She shuddered. “And chains hanging from the ceiling.”

“That conk on the head messed with you,” he said. “But I brought you straight here. No hospitals.”

She shuddered again. Too much time spent in hospitals as a child had given her an intense hatred of them.

The smells, the sounds… everything about hospitals made her skin crawl. Little wonder that her dream had turned a hospital into a place of torture and horror. “It wasn’t all bad though. Right after that, I dreamed I was on a beach. Which is weird, because I’ve never really been a beach person.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Josh muttered.

“Okay, so how did I get hurt?”

That dangerous light sparked in his eyes again, gold flints flashing in the dark. “Byzamoth.”

A knot twisted her stomach. She’d known he was a threat, but she’d ignored it, had put Josh in danger of being seriously injured or killed, and all because of her arrogance.

“I’m so sorry, Josh.”

“Hey.” He sank down on the bed and drew her into his arms. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“You tried to warn me. You tried to get me out of there, but I didn’t listen, even though I knew he was after me.” She swallowed hard and pushed away from him. “Even though you’ve been right from the beginning.”

“Let that be a lesson,” he intoned, but his eyes glinted with mischief. “I’m always right.”

God, he was perfect. He was a little moody, but with a past like his, who could blame him? He was also kind and smart and deadly.

He deserved better than what she’d given him, which was a whole bucketful of lies.

He’d been a Guardian, for heaven’s sake. He could handle the truth. He fought for the side of good… and since he was protecting her, he should know.

“Josh… I need to tell you something. It’s going to sound crazy—”

He put his finger to her lips. “Trust me, I know crazy, and whatever you say won’t fit into that category. I -promise.”

“Yeah, well—”

“I’m always right, remember?”

“You’re also pretty full of yourself,” she muttered, but she was teasing, and he knew it, and rewarded her with a smile that could stop the Earth from rotating.

“Lay it on me,” he said, sitting back on the bed and watching her expectantly.

“Remember our talk in Alexandria? About the humans charmed by angels?” She took a deep breath. “Well… I’m one of them.”

“Seriously?” His expression didn’t change, even when she nodded. He merely looked curious. “So, shouldn’t you be immortal and immune to injury?”

“Well, I can be hurt… but only if I want it or feel like I deserve it.” At his raised eyebrows, she said, “Like, once I lied to a nun, and I felt bad about it, so I let her rap my knuckles with a ruler. That hurt. A lot.”

“I could think of more fun ways to get hurt,” he said with a wink. And then he sobered. “But how do you explain Byzamoth?”

“That’s the million-dollar question. I was hoping to do some research… guess it’ll have to wait. Maybe you could feel around some of your Aegis contacts until I can get to a secure Internet connection?” When he nodded, it was her turn to narrow her eyes at him. “You’re accepting this pretty easily. Why?”

“I work in a hospital that uses magical cures.” He shrugged. “And there’s the Aegis thing.”

The tension poured out of her. It was such a relief to be able to confide in someone other than Val. Someone who cared about her on a different level than the man who hovered over her like she was a toddler learning to walk.

Josh’s brow creased. “I know about Marked Sentinels because of The Aegis, but the details are sketchy. Researching Byzamoth might be easier if you tell me the purpose of the charm. I mean, angels don’t run around charming people for shits and grins.”

“No, they don’t. Anyone who is charmed is in possession of something that needs to be kept out of the hands of evil.”

“Like the coin you found in Alexandria. That was what the charmed guy carried.” At her nod, he continued. “So what are you protecting?”

Her hand automatically went to her necklace. “This.”

“What is it?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s called Heofon, Old English for Heaven. But that’s all I know. The guardian of the coin we found was the last Sentinel to have a full understanding of what it was he was holding. According to Val, Sentinels were no longer allowed to know exactly what their object’s purpose was, for fear that they’d reveal it to the wrong person, or that they would use it improperly, as the coin’s guardian did.”

“But didn’t he think he was helping souls cross over or something?”

“Yes, but by killing himself and leaving the coin unprotected, he risked allowing evil forces to retrieve the coin.” She now had to keep the coin with her until it could be given over to The Aegis. According to Val, once such an object was safely in the hands of Guardians, a new Sentinel would be chosen to guard it.

“So the Byzamoth guy… he’s been after you, hasn’t he? Not the tablet.”

“I think he definitely wanted the tablet to keep The Aegis from closing the Harrowgates, and I’ve no doubt he’d take the coin as a bonus, but yes, I think he’s after me. I’m sure he wants the necklace and my charm.”

“How could he get them?” Josh’s voice had gone deep and dangerous, and she shivered with both dread and feminine appreciation.

“Sex. That’s why I’m celibate. That’s also why Val is so protective.” She looked down at her lap and then back up again. “That’s not all. If Byzamoth takes the charm from me, I’ll die.”

She couldn’t read his expression. At all. With a curse, he got up and paced again, his hands in fists at his sides.

“Josh, look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner—”

“It’s not that,” he snapped. His fury was a storm in the room, an electric surge that stood her hair on end. “Dammit. Goddammit! I hate this!”

She hugged herself, rubbed the goose bumps that pebbled her arms. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, okay? We just need to get out of here.”

“Agreed,” he growled. “I already booked us on the next train.”

“When is that?”

He looked at his watch. “Tomorrow. Five p.m. Actually, today. It’s after midnight.”

She’d been out of it for longer than she thought. Which would explain why her stomach was growling. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Where’s my knapsack?”

“Uh-uh.” Josh held her in place with a palm splayed between her breasts. “You need to rest. I’ll get your bag. What do you need?”

“I need to not be babied,” she said, but she was only half serious. It felt good to be cared for like this. “And I need a granola bar. I always keep a couple in my bag.”

“I figured you’d wake up hungry, so I had the kitchen prepare some grub for you.”

He went to the dresser, lifted the lid off a large plate sitting on a bed of ice. When he brought it to her, she practically drooled at the delicious sight of the meats, cheeses, and fruits. No matter what the circumstances, she’d always been able to eat.

And then, like a big baby, she began to tear up. “That was so thoughtful.” She covered his hand with hers. “You really don’t need to take care of me like this, but I can’t thank you enough. You’ve done so much. You’re a good man, Josh.”

“There are so many reasons you’re wrong,” he said quietly.

“I doubt that.”

“Yeah, well… you don’t know me.”

She tightened her grip on his hand when he would have pulled away. “I know you saved my life.”

“I did what any guy would do.”

“No, any guy wouldn’t have done that. They would have run screaming from those demons. You fought them, and you saved me from Byzamoth. I can never repay you or thank you enough.”

He slid her a troubled glance she didn’t understand. “I should let you eat and get some rest. I’ll be out in the front room.”

“Please,” she said. “Stay. I don’t want to be alone.”

Her fear was stupid and childish, a kid afraid of the dark, but after everything that had happened, she felt safe with him. And not so utterly alone, especially now that he knew the truth.

“Yeah. Okay. I’m just going to do a sweep of the hotel floor—” His entire body convulsed, and he stumbled backward before catching the back of the chair with one hand and the wall with the other.

“Josh?” She tossed the tray of food to the bed and leaped up, ignoring the spinning in her head. “What’s the matter?”

“Stood… too… fast.” He breathed deeply and braced his forehead against the wall.

“You got hurt in the fight, didn’t you?” She ran her hands over his body, looking for injury, but he hissed—honest-to-God hissed—and spun away from her.

“Stop,” he croaked. “I’m fine.”

She reached for him again, catching him by the wrist. His tattoos felt like they were on fire, and the one on his face stood out starkly against skin that had gone ashen. “You are not fine.”

“I’ll live.” His voice was gruff, but his touch gentle as he peeled her fingers off his arm. “I just need to do a check for demons who might want to rape you, and then shower.”

Whoa. He was worked up. “Be careful. Please. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

Letting out a long breath, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. “Damn you,” he breathed. “Can you stop worrying about me? Stop caring?”

“Can you stop being an ass?”

His head snapped up. “What?”