Darkest Before Dawn (A Guardian's Diary Book 1)(13)

“I win,” he whispered huskily before his lips kissed my neck seductively. I wrapped my legs around his, and tightened them right before I flipped him over. “Mmm, I like fighting with you,” he rumbled with a wicked smile curving his lips. “I’m guessing I’ll like fucking you even better.”

I looked down at him with a disgusted look on my face. “In your dreams, buddy,” I countered.

“That’s a given,” he said as he flipped me easily, as if I weighed no more than Sarah. He gripped my hands, and held them both easily above my head before lowering his mouth to my ear. “I’ve already dreamt of fucking you, and that was before I knew what beauty you hid behind the mask.”

I swallowed and closed my eyes. He’d just said I was beautiful, and while it was a little disturbing that he’d dreamt of me, I was turned on by it. “Sure you don’t have a mask fetish?” I asked and then cried out as his teeth nibbled against my soft lobe. His tongue traced where his teeth had bitten. The sensation was erotic, and sent heat flushing through me.



“I have an Emma fetish,” he grinned against my ear.

“Obviously,” I said as I tried to scoot my ear from him, which wasn’t easy considering he was holding me down with his body, while his mouth violated my ear and his hands held mine captured above my head. “You do know there’s a baby here, right?”

“She isn’t interested in us,” he assured me. “Look at me, Emma,” he commanded, hoarse. I trembled from his tone as his hot breath fanned where he had just nibbled. I knew I shouldn’t, but I looked up and was instantly aware of a few things.

 One, he was hot!

Two, his eyes turned darker when he was turned on.

 Three, there was something between us, and it was growing.

Four, it was hard, hot, and pressing against me in a place I was pretty sure had floodgates that had been opened.

 “This is how it will work. I’m going to kiss you. You’re going to kiss me back, and make those delicious little noises while doing so,” he rumbled decisively.

“Is that so?” I asked. I couldn’t recognize the voice that came out. It wasn’t mine, that much I knew. This voice was thick, lusty, and full of seduction. I could have turned my head, but I found myself captured and held prisoner by his eyes. His lips grazed mine. His teeth nibbled my lower lip before sucking the fatty tissue between his teeth. He groaned right before he released it, and invaded my mouth. His kiss was searching, and the moment I moved my tongue against his, he growled and the kiss became hard and fevered.

My body ignited as he pressed his growing erection against me. I moaned and parted my thighs as if my life depended on it. His hands released mine as he pulled at the vest I wore. It was a reality check that snapped me out of this compliant, drug-like state. I pushed against him as his lips left mine. “No,” I whispered as I fought to get up; he allowed it. I moved to sit beside Sarah, who was sleeping blissfully.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said as he sat opposite of me. “You should sleep. I’ll keep first watch.”

I blinked at him as I absently trailed my fingers over my swollen lips. He’d kissed them hard enough to leave his mark on them, and he kept doing it. I knew he had to be suffering right now from his erection; having felt it against me, I was certain of his discomfort. Hell, I was suffering for stopping it. But no way in hell was I losing my virginity in a hunter’s perch, with a stranger to boot.

I lowered myself to the wooden floor of the perch and curled my legs up as I cradled the sleeping baby. I wasn’t sure how I would manage to sleep with over six feet of I’m-so-sexually-charged-male sitting inches away from me. I could feel his eyes watching me, and the reminder of what had just happened was there where his hands had touched me. My kiss-swollen lips, where his mouth had left scorch marks from the heat of it.

Eventually my mind drifted to Sarah. What kind of life would she have? I’d found her, and wasn’t sure if this world was fit to have a child in. I had one can of formula, a bottle, and a dozen diapers. What would I be able to give her after that? I touched her cherubic cheek and watched as her small lips puckered, for more food probably. She was so tiny and defenseless.

“She has a brave protector in you,” Jaeden said as he smiled.

“I saved her, but for what? This isn’t a world kids should grow up in. It’s hard enough to find food for the group, but for an infant?”

“You shouldn’t worry about what will happen tomorrow, only what you can do for her today.”

“Winter’s coming and finding supplies will be hard enough; now I have to look for formula and diapers. I’ve never wanted to be a parent, but with my brother it was different. I had help, even if my father was busy prepping for the end of days; he still made time for him. This little one doesn’t have parents, and will never know her parents loved her enough to give up their lives. It just seems this world is too cold for such a small little thing.”



“So you think, but even in the tragedy of her parent’s death, she found you. She found someone to care for and protect her. You have a shelter, and a place to keep her safe. You’ve managed to help others, and I’m guessing if anyone can keep this child safe and loved, it’s you. Now stop worrying and get some sleep, you can only do what you can, until you can’t.”

“You’re an asshole, you know that, right?” I whispered with a small grin.

“So I’ve been told,” he wiggled his eyebrows but it was short lived as growling sounded from below us.

I sat up and looked down, and almost screamed. I somehow managed to prevent it from tearing from my lungs, but wasn’t sure how. Below us prowled at least seven wolves, with glowing red eyes. What the friggin’ honey buckets! “What the hell are those things?” I whispered unevenly.

“Rogue pack,” he said in the same quiet voice I’d just used. My heart hammered wildly as I continued to look into blood-red eyes.

“Wolves with rabies?” I wondered out loud.

“Worse,” Jaeden said as he stood and looked down at them. “Sit down, Emma, and protect the child.” He walked to the other side of the little shelter and pulled out a cell phone. He punched in a number and a beeping noise sounded from the other end of the phone.

“Your phone works?” I asked with wide eyes. How the hell did it work? All the towers had been down for weeks, and even the internet had crashed.

“It works well enough,” he said as he watched the surrounding woods as the wolves continued to growl.

“But how? The towers are down, right?”

“I’m magic,” he said without looking at me. What was he waiting for? I didn’t have long to wait for the answer as twenty minutes later, shots rang out in the distance, and moved closer. He turned to look at me and smiled. “You should reconsider having children,” his eyes lowered to where I held Sarah protectively against my chest. “My people are coming. I thought we could wait until morning, but that doesn’t seem the best course now. I’ll have them follow us back to your shelter, but you and the babe should ride in the SUV with me.”

“I’m not telling you where I live,” I said defensively. He stepped closer with a twisted smile on his lips. “The other day wasn’t the first time I had seen you. I’ve followed you home a few times,” he replied. “I’ve known where you sleep,” his voice dropped low. “You are curious by nature, sweet Emma, but if you want to know anything about me, all you have to do is ask. I’ll even show you to my bedroom and let you play with my toys.”

“That’s kind of disturbing,” I admitted.

“I like to know everything about the women I plan to fuck, and Emma, I plan to fuck you.”





Chapter 7





A week had passed since I’d been stuck in the hunter’s perch with Jaeden. Sarah had found a new champion in Cat, as she preferred to be called now. She gave up Cathleen, as the name reminded her of the family she’d lost. The moment she’d seen me carrying in the small infant, she’d offered to help with her. Since then, she’d revealed that her breast milk had yet to dry up and even though I thought it a little weird for her to be feeding Sarah, it solved the issue of formula.

She’d taken to loving the child, and had agreed to be the one to watch over her. It was as if fate had handed her a second chance with being a mother. I watched her as she held the little girl up and whispered sweet encouragements to her. I guess they would eventually both heal one another’s wounds as time moved on. Toxic; this world was toxic right now, but even with the toxicity, hope was blooming even with the diversities.

“I’m heading out,” I told Addy as I grabbed a mask, and slipped into my vest.

“Alone?” she asked, and I nodded. “You’ve been going out a lot on your own lately,” she said with a knowing look. “Does this have to do with a certain, hot male?” she smiled.

“No,” I said emphatically and when she laughed, I winced. Okay, even I didn’t believe myself.

“You know, Emma, you deserve it. You spend all your time trying to be this super worker bee, but you deserve some sexy time too.”