Shadow Guardians: The Promised

“What the hell are you so giddy about?” D asked Uriah as they strode into the bass blizzard of Nova after a night of demon slaying.

Zachiel scoffed. “Giddy isn’t the right word. He’s a live wire.”

As much as Uriah wanted to hang with his brothers, he’d much rather go straight home to clean up. Mari was probably already home.

His urge to keep her safe and care for her was a runaway train. As if she were a priceless artifact in a museum, he was turning fifty shades of neurotic about keeping her out of harm’s way.

And he had to help her feed. He craved feeding her.

He kept fantasizing about her fangs sinking into his neck, the warm sucking sensation he would feel as she took from him, and the restful, languid feeling afterward when he would cradle her in his arms. If she were a post-trans, he would make sweet love to her while they did it.

The lovemaking idea fried his braincells...

He cleared his throat and shifted around uncomfortably on the chair. Fuck. Fortunately, there were too many people and too much going on in Nova for anyone to notice.

“I’m, ah, just thinking,” worrying, “about Mari.”

They sat around their usual table, and a sexy, muscled, short-haired waitress came over with a mile-wide grin. “What can I get you boys?” Arlena asked in a smokey voice.

Draven smirked and rolled his eyes over her. Damn, she was hot in that leather crop top and skinny jeans. “How about a night in the VIP section?”

She sat on his lap, still holding her notebook.

She liked working here some nights instead of going hunting. Draven gave her shit for it in the beginning, but she was adamant about having her own money, along with her well-earned independence.

“Well, big boy, I’m sure we can work something out. You must be a special one, I don’t go around doing this kind of thing for just anybody.” She gyrated against him, and he let out a low growl. He just couldn’t seem to help himself, and he groped her ass.

That show was too hot not to affect the rest of them.

Arlena kissed him, and then she got off and went about her business like nothing happened. “Can I get you guys anything?”

“Ice,” Z said, and they laughed.

They ordered drinks, all except for Uriah. And since he liked scotch so much, curiosity just rose at why he was suddenly acting holy.

When Arlena left, they all shifted in their seats and adjusted themselves, and then it started.

“What the hell is wrong with our females?” Z asked. All the women have been very, hungry, for the past few weeks.

“Are you complaining?” D lit up a handrolled to calm himself the fuck down. “You like banging Ophelia, you’re the baby machine, remember?”

Z slanted him an unamused look.

Magnus shifted around and scratched at the wooden table with his fingernail.

Suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on him.

“What?”

Draven’s eyes narrowed, Zachiel leaned closer, and Uriah crossed his arms and just inspected the three of them.

“How are things with you and Katherine, Magnus?” Draven asked neighborly.

“Great.” Magnus replied, minty-cool.

“How great?” Zachiel asked.

Zachiel, of all people, knew that when Ophelia was in her first few weeks of pregnancy, Arlena and Katherine’s hormones were on overdrive. Because females tended to sync every phase of their cycles.

And pregnant females, well, they were especially hot and bothered.

Ophie’s hormones would spiral into the other females, and theirs affected their males, which ended up with them sneaking off with Magnus and D every now and then into all kinds of corners in the house. The bedrooms were too far away at times.

Basically, one pregnant female could turn the whole place into a raunchy funhouse.

Before Magnus could answer, luckily, Arlena came back with their drinks, laid them out, and left with a wink in Draven’s direction.

Then the attention turned to Uriah, who had exchanged his usual scotch for tonic water.

“What’s with you, bro? You turning celibate?” D asked.

Uriah rubbed his neck, unsure if he really wanted to share what was going through his head. But maybe they could give him advice. Was it normal for him to feel so overly protective right now?

Was it normal for Mari to begin having urges so early? The dim neon lightning of Nova hid his reddening cheeks, thank gods. What if she was just picking up the vibe from the other females? He might go too far with her too soon.

“Uhm,” he hesitated, “ah, it’s nothing.”

No one said a word for a minute.

“Okay, fine,” Uriah relented. “She, ah, she’s beginning to feel bothered, and she’s craving blood. I don’t want to have alcohol in my system when I give to her.” He blurted out.

And while he was at it, he added, “it’s not because of you guys, right? If there’s something going on with the others... ”

Zachiel shook his head. “No. Whatever she’s feeling is her own right now. They only sync when they’re post-transition.”

Uriah breathed relief.

“You gotta let her breathe, man,” Draven said. “I know your instincts are probably telling you to lock her up in a glass box and spoon feed her.”

Uriah scowled and shrugged. “I’m not that bad.”

Damn it. He totally was that bad. If he could put those beautiful, small feet of hers up on a stool and don an apron he would be estatic.

Draven seemed to catch his thoughts and smirked.

“Oh, shut up.” Uriah muttered.

They laughed at him.

Well, he might as well admit it. “She mentioned something about going out with some girl friends from her class. She’s never gone out with anyone before.”

“And that irks you?” Magnus asked, taking a sip of whisky.

“Jealous?” Zachiel asked, amused.

“Concerned... ” Uriah corrected.

“Sprinkled with jealousy?” D sneered.

“Fuck. Is this gonna get better?” Uriah asked.

“No.” All three of them declared as one.

Uriah dropped his head in a defeated gesture.

“We just learn to live with it. You gotta try to rein it in. Generally, females love when they’re given attention, but if she wants her own time, you have to bend.” Magnus said.

“Let her go out with her friends.” Draven added, “Shit, Arlena would cut off my balls if I tried to chain her in any fucking way.” He licked his lips. “She’s the one that chains me.”

“We seriously do not want to hear about the weird shit you’re into, brother.” Z shook his head.

“Too much spice?” Draven asked cockily.

“She’s never had friends before. She’s never even talked about them, why would they invite her now?” Uriah asked. “She’s been there for close to four years, and now they notice her?”

How many nights had she come home, and he had to lend her an ear when she admitted how lonely she felt among them? How many times had she done assignments and homework for them while they were out doing gods knows what, or allowed them to copy hers in the hopes of making a friend?

Yeah, he was fucking irked about it, alright, because they didn’t deserve his beauty. Mine.

He noticed nobody was talking, and when he looked up, they were all staring at him.

“What?” he asked, still annoyed.

“You were getting that look in your eye,” Zachiel said.

“What look?”

“The I’m-gonna-kill’em-if-they-even-breathe-on-her look.” Draven said, “Fuck, I wonder if we look like that sometimes.”

“Yup,” Magnus said.

And all of a sudden, they remembered Magnus. “So, about you and Katherine...”

“Jesus fuck,” Magnus said, shaking his head and knocking back his whisky. He held up a hand so Arlena could bring him a refill.

“Did you knock her up, brother? We gonna have another terror in the house soon?”

An involuntary smile tugged at his mouth.

Yeah, he did. He so did. And it was bliss. Inevitably, his mind went back to that time. It was a miracle his back was still aligned and that, well, she was still in one piece.

“You did! You bastard!” Draven clapped his hands.

“Oh geez,” Z said as he rubbed his forehead, and Uriah just smiled.

“What the hell are you all on about? Christ, I’m 700 years old. That’s like middle-aged. It was time! Otherwise I was going to have a goddamn mid-life crisis.” Magnus laughed.

“Man, you could’ve warned us. Wait, it was planned, right?”

“Draven, how the heck are things like that not planned with our kind? We can smell when they ovulate! Or is there something wrong with your nose?”

Draven shrugged.

“Congratulations, Daddio.” Uriah said, smirking. This was nice and all. But he was anxious to get back.

Then his phone vibrated, as if on cue. He opened the text.

Mari: Home safe. Don’t worry about me. 🥰 I’m 🎨🖌 and hanging out with Kathy and Ophie. Have a good time, and RELAX. 💋💞

Uriah’s grin was wide as a football field, and tension left his shoulders. His brothers didn’t notice. Magnus was the new object of their banter.

Still, he couldn’t wait to get home. He had it bad.