Gilded Wings(54)

Was it Ethon?

I hadn’t seen, felt, or spoken to him since Bane dropped me off that night at the barrier. From what Alaine and the others had said, he and the goons hadn’t been in the tower. I didn’t even know if he was alright, or had been injured. Alaine said she spoke to Bane about Lucian setting the Underworld creatures free outside, but directly after he gave the information, he left as well.

Maybe they were in danger and needed to find another place to hide since Lucian’s Fallen and his creatures were out there now. They weren’t protected by any barrier, and would be easy targets. It could have been Ethon doing a fly-by just to check and make sure the barrier was still intact. Or maybe he was making sure I was safe.

But then again, maybe it wasn’t him. It could have just been one of Lucian’s Fallen. Hopefully it wasn’t Samuel. He couldn’t come on to the property and would be a sitting duck outside the barrier. I searched the other screens for any signs of a winged, but the skies were dark and empty. I still worried about Ethon. The bond wouldn’t allow me not to.

My mind started to run through even more scenarios, and this time I wondered if Bane had been telling me the truth. Up until the time he was sent by Ethon to take me to safety, he didn’t like me, and it was very obvious. Had he been trying to drive a wedge between us? It was too hard to judge the Fallen. For centuries they had been deceivers. I had no clue what to think anymore.

The only time Ethon lashed out was when I had hurt him by mentioning Kade. We were bonded, so it was understandable. But Kade was also a factor. A huge factor. I couldn’t just forget him and brush him off to the side like he didn’t exist.

“Hey,” Kade said, stepping in front of me, breaking my eye contact with the monitors and momentarily silencing my crazy mind.

I looked up into his beautiful eyes.

“You were in deep thought again. What’s bothering you?”

“How do you always know when something’s bothering me?” I questioned, gawking at him.

“Your brow was furrowed and your lips were turned down. I can read you like a book,” he replied.

“How?” I asked.

“You’re pretty easy,” he noted, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, I think you’re pretty easy too,” I countered.

“Alright then,” he said, stepping forward until he was about a foot away. He knelt down in front of me until we were eye to eye, and then placed his hands over mine.

His touch sent waves of pleasure through me.

Speaking in a very sexy, very slow voice. “What am I thinking right now?”

His hazel eyes locked onto mine and captured me. I swallowed hard, “That you want to—to…” I paused, my mind went blank.

“That I want to – what?” he asked, leaning forward.

“That—”

I tilted my head to one side, studying the expression on his face. If I was reading him correctly, the feeling was mutual.

I placed my hands on either side of his face pulling his sinfully beautiful mouth to mine. His protective arms coiled around me, his sweet mouth eagerly slid against mine as his velvety tongue entered my lips. Desire tingled through my insides When we finally parted he trailed warm kisses along the underside of my neck before resting his forehead against mine.

His breath was heavy. “I guess I am pretty easy to read.”

“Very easy,” I said breathless.

“Just for your information, I’ve never been easy to read until I met you,” he confessed.

Kade’s hand brushed down my cheek and landed on my chin. “I still vividly remember the first day I laid eyes on you. As soon as I walked into the hospital, I was incredibly nervous, when I asked the nurse which room you were in. It was the first time, after guarding you for over a year, I was going to finally meet you in person. I’d never previously met any other mortal I had guarded. You were the very first, and I never, in a million years, expected my bond to be attached to you.”

I smiled, remembering. “You must have been just as shocked as I was.”

“Shocked is an understatement,” he laughed. “When I walked down that hall, twenty feet from your door, I was slammed with a wall of feelings I couldn’t explain. It was as if I was being electrocuted, and the buzz continued to surge through my body. I had difficulty breathing, and although it was confusing, I knew it must have been the bond.”

“Didn’t we touch when you saved me from the car, the night of the crash?”

“If it did happen, I wasn’t aware. That night was a blur and a complete nightmare. My adrenaline was pumping, and my whole focus was set on keeping the car from crushing you. It killed me inside that I was helpless to save your parents. You were screaming and in pain, so I had to put the sleeper on you and then quickly escape as help arrived.”