“You will, Álainn, in time.”
He gave a soft smile and closed the distance between them. Her breath caught in her throat. There, in the depths of his eyes wasn’t only the lust she’d spotted earlier tonight at the vampire club, but there was something…more.
She wondered why he suddenly seemed so interested in her. She had noticed his long examining looks before, but tonight he was blatantly obvious about it. However, what she wondered more was why, when he looked at her with such intensity, did it melt her bones.
With the lightest touch, he ran his finger slowly up her arm, earning a shiver from her. He stopped when he reached her shoulder and tucked his finger under her chin, caging her in his piercing gaze. Fire flicked through her body.
She became all the more curious, too, since she did not intend to move away from him. Even more so, for whatever reason, she wanted him to come even closer. His touch didn’t make her uncomfortable, nor did it seem wrong—his touch was perfect.
Desperate to get a hold of herself, she asked, “I’ve heard you call me that name before. Álainn. What language is it?”
“Gaelic.”
Her breath rushed from her lungs. “What does it mean?”
“Beautiful.”
Heat crawled over her cheeks, and somehow knowing he’d been calling her that for weeks now meant more than his gesture of bringing her to her willow. She wanted to say something in return, but found she couldn’t say much. He leaned in toward her and she became cemented on the spot.
Is he going to…
Two things shocked her simultaneously: first, that he didn’t reach for her lips, but instead, trailed his nose along her jaw. Second, the slow disappointment she felt that he hadn’t kissed her, which didn’t make a lick of sense.
When had this happened?
Perhaps because Kyden did all sorts of shockingly sweet things tonight, including being the exact opposite of who she thought him to be. She’d expected a guy like Kyden not to take things slow and that he’d go right into the hot and heavy. Even Graycyn had practically drooled on his feet, and Nexi didn’t doubt for a second he had warmed many beds.
She wondered if she’d misread him. She had, in fact, sent him chasing after her and that had to be upwards of annoying. Maybe he’d merely been frustrated with her. Now mulling it over, she realized he hadn’t been a douche tonight.
He clearly wanted her to know of his interest, since his touch indicated that well enough. He had asked her questions wanting to know about her. Now he wasn’t acting like a man who could get any woman he wanted, he was simply being sweet and gentle.
He trailed his nose along her neck, all the while drawing in a slow long breath. “You smell like gingersnap cookies, did you know that?”
“No,” she rasped.
He took another deep sniff before he leaned away and stared up at the starry sky. “You do.”
Chapter Six
In the Guardians’ Hall— a downsized version of the Council’s Hall cathedral located in the Guardians’ House—Nexi questioned her sanity. She scanned the training room used to educate the up and coming guardians, admiring the curved archways, large stained glass windows, and huge flamboyant pillars supporting a lierne vault.
Even if the view impressed her, she decided maybe Drake was onto something. Perhaps the werewolf attack against her had left lingering trauma. Because only an insane person would agree to fistfight a guardian who was capable of pulverizing her.
A guardian who presently approached her in lengthy strides through the small gothic cathedral. Her heart stuttered. Dressed in his typical guardian gear with sword strapped to his bare chest, Kyden somehow made her black capris and T-shirt look ridiculous.
However, a bigger problem presented itself.
Last night at her willow, he’d gone and made himself likeable. Maybe even made himself appear more real, and not just an overbearing, incredibly sexy supernatural. A very dangerous situation, indeed, considering she needed to keep focused on her training.
Once he settled in front of her, he pressed one hand against her lower back and the other onto her shoulder. “Keep your back straight and your shoulders square over your hips. Being centered is the key to holding strong against your opponent.” He stepped back and gave her a once-over. “Widen your legs a bit more—shoulder-width apart.”
She wiggled them out. “Like this?”
He shook his head, squatted in front of her, nudging at her calf. “Wider.” Once she complied, he glanced up at her with eyes so hot they could melt ice. “That’s it, nice and wide.”
Trying to maintain her appropriate thoughts, she cleared her throat. “What next?”
He straightened, placed his hands on her shoulders, and pushed them back. “Your shoulders need to always be square over your hips, and your back straight.”
Sliding his hands down her arms, he tickled her in places that shouldn’t be tickling. “Bring your left arm up close to your body.” Once she followed his instruction, he squeezed her bicep. “This arm will block any body hits. Use your right arm to block any hits to your face.”
He dropped his hands. She exhaled the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. If he touched her again like that, she might shudder in front of him.
A leisurely smile spread across his face, as if he knew her thoughts, played on her struggle to keep cool, and enjoyed seeing her squirm. “The main points to remember are: Never take your eyes off the enemy. Never let your guard down. Keep your arms and elbows close to your body. And always react first.” He waved her forward. “All right. Let’s have a hit.”
Shedding the sensation of his hands on her skin that seemed imprinted on her body, she refocused her thoughts. “You do realize this is ridiculous? I’ve never hit anything in my life.”
“Well, there’s always a first for everything.” He waved her forward again. “Come on. Hit me.”
Begrudgingly, she raised her arm, swung it back, and hit his shoulder. The impact didn’t even make him flinch. “See, told you.”
He chuckled. “You have to learn proper position first, and then you’ll see the power behind it.”
Taking her hand in his strong, calloused grip, he curled her fingers in her palm. “Keep your fingers tight within your hand. If they’re loose, you’ll likely break them and the pain will distract you from the fight.”
He kneeled in front of her and ran his fingers along her calf in an undeniably sexy whisper of a touch. “Transfer your weight onto this side.” Once she did as he asked, he grinned. “There you go.”
She shivered at the flare of heat in his eyes, and damn him, his smile widened. What happened to the jerk that he used to be, the one who seemed equally as irritated with her as she was him, the one that seemed to vanish after the night at Briggs’s cabin?
Although, she kinda liked this Kyden.
He stood and circled around her, making her breath hitch. She swallowed when he ran his hand up her shoulder with a gentle touch. “This arm needs to be level with the floor and keep your palm facing down. In a fluid motion, rotate your body and use it to follow through with the hit.” Returning in front of her, his eyebrow lifted. “Understand?”
She inhaled sharply, overwhelmed by his piquant scent. He stirred something in her that had nothing to do with the burn to fight him. Warmth slid all the way from where he touched her arm right down to…
Focus.
Amusement glittered across his features. “Do you understand the position?”
“I think so,” she muttered.
“Good. Try again.” He nodded approval. “This time use the strength behind your body. It’s your best weapon.”
Having little confidence she could succeed, she stepped back, concentrating on his advice. Fingers tight, arm up, pivot back and hit. With a grunt and firm push from within, she thrust her fist toward him. Her hand connected with his shoulder with such force, it sent him tumbling backward.
Even her eyes didn’t believe it.
She looked in awe at her fist, expecting to see sparks of power shooting out of it. Much to her disappointment, it appeared as it always did, tiny. Lifting her head to Kyden, she gasped, “How did I do that?”
“That’d be the guardian power.” He pushed off the floor and circled her slowly, as if on a hunt. “Once you know how to use the power, and center it, your strength is unparalleled.”
Whoop-de-mother-effin’-doo.
What she did care about was him looking like a lion getting ready to pounce on a big juicy steak. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Preparing to fight.” He closed in on her and her blood ran ice-cold, then he stopped mid-step, laughing. “You look absolutely terrified.”
“News flash. I am terrified.” She stepped back, having a sudden bout of a reality check. What in the hell was she thinking? “I’m half your size, for cripe’s sake, and you’re pure muscle. I can’t do this. Drake’s right—I am insane.” Her heart hammered, palms grew sweaty. “I’ve changed my mind—”