She took the sword from his hands, which was surprisingly light considering how long it was. The handle had a black leather grip with what looked like silver sparkles—she assumed that was the magic—and the blade was a deep shiny silver.
Spinning the sword in her hands, she noticed Guardian was engraved in gold on one side of the blade with Nexi on the other.
My sword.
Talon turned to the crowd. “Welcome, our new Guardian of the Otherworld.”
The crowd erupted in hoots and hollers, and Haven rushed forward, plowing into her. She wrapped her arms tightly around Nexi, and a rush of intense happiness coursed along the strands of their bond.
“You did it,” Haven exclaimed, squeezing tight. “I’m so proud of you.”
Finn barked a laugh as he settled in next to Nexi, and gave her a proud slap on the back. “I thought Zade was going to make a meal out of you.” He raised his brows, shaking his head. “That was utterly brilliant. Stupid, but brilliant.”
Now reminded of the brilliant, but stupid plan, sharp pain laced her forearm. Biting back a groan, she looked down and her blood dripped onto the floor. The cut on her arm was much deeper than she’d thought, split right open, and she also noticed the bite marks on her thigh from Holten, all declaring her in bad shape. “Ugh. Haven, you better let go, I’m bleeding all over you.”
Haven jumped away, cringing at the puddle of blood on the floor, and a hot wave of disgust sped through the bond. “Eww.”
“Here, I’ll take care of that,” Zia said, approaching from the side. “What a silly thing to do.”
Taking Nexi’s injured hand, the witch squeezed tight and as Zia’s eyes fluttered closed, a sharp sting, followed by a horrible throb, erupted through Nexi’s forearm and thigh. A scream tore from her throat, even if she did her best to mask it. Deep cuts obviously hurt more than bruises to heal because this…sucked.
Within seconds, the pain vanished, and she hissed through her teeth to release the breath she’d held. Turning her arm from side to side, she noticed it had completely healed. “That’s so cool. Hurt like hell. But still, very cool.”
Zia smiled. “Just think of me as a giant Band-Aid.”
Nexi chuckled, lowered her arm, and scanned the room. However, the one face she sought had vanished, too. Why she needed Kyden to congratulate her was beyond her, but apparently she did, and seeing him gone had a similar effect as a blow to the gut.
“May I hug you?”
Drake’s soft voice jerked her head to the front, and she discovered him standing there with a warm expression. “Pardon?”
His eyebrows drew together. Was his chin quivering? “I know we’re still getting to know each other, but if I may, I’d like to hug you.”
No one had ever asked her such a question. “Err…okay.”
Drake gathered her in his arms and held her tight against him. “I’m so proud of you. Your mother would be so proud of you. You’ve handled all this with grace when most would’ve crumbled. And you fought with such bravery.”
Sinking into his embrace and leaning her head against his chest, she didn’t realize she wanted his hug, or needed it, but being in his arms comforted her. The warmth that touched her heart made her smile. Maybe she needed Drake more because Kyden’s absence brought forth emptiness.
Why had he left?
Chapter Twelve
The medley of rich flowery scents delighted Nexi, as she walked along the cobblestone pathway in the Otherworld’s garden and let her hands graze along the tops of the bushes. The flowers were in full bloom and everything looked wonderfully alive.
Once the pathway curved to the left, she arrived at the pond, and she sat down on the bench, watching the fish swimming. Before tonight, she’d have thought the worst things about Kyden and what a jerk he’d been by leaving her like that.
Now things had changed.
Maybe the acceptance of her supernatural self had shifted something inside, which made Kyden’s reactions clearer. Whatever it was, she didn’t only see herself differently, she saw Kyden in a new light, too.
He cared for her.
Tracing the willow tree on the hip of her kilt, and knowing every step he made—even if some of it involved chest-beating—had been done with thoughts of her in his mind, made her stomach tighten with guilt. Even his lesson last night had the desired effect. No longer could she deny how much he restrained his forceful side for her.
She highly doubted it was the guardian’s way to allow a woman to make the first move, yet Kyden had swallowed his pride and done so anyway…for her. Perhaps he had some caveman tendencies within all those muscles, but he wasn’t a douche bag. Besides, when had she thought of him of like that—over herself?
Not once.
She’d been so wrapped up in her own fight, her need to prove herself in this new supernatural world and in her desire to hunt the werewolf, she hadn’t thought of anyone but herself. Which was, in fact, totally douchebaggery.
A sudden rock skipped along the pathway in front of her, dragging her out of her thoughts. She glimpsed sideways, discovering Kyden striding down the path toward her with that same fierce look on his face. A flare of happiness engulfed her a second before he grasped her by the hand and yanked her to her feet.
In an attempt to match his gait, she had to run next to him. Her short legs couldn’t keep up with his long stride. “Where are you taking me?” she gasped.
He didn’t answer.
He simply continued with his big strides until he reached the castle. Once they entered through the large doors into the Guardians’ House, they passed by way too many guardians who laughed at Nexi’s current predicament, sending her cheeks to warm.
Kyden didn’t seem to notice, or didn’t care.
He never slowed his steps until he reached her residence. There, he threw the front door open, tossed her in, and slammed the door behind him. He turned to her, eyebrow arched. “Let’s get a few things clear, shall we?” He had accentuated each word, ensuring she took him seriously.
She did.
Stalking her, he exuded power. “First, I’m insanely proud of how you fought tonight.” His head tilted, expression was beyond intense. “Second, I apologize I left like I did, but it was either that, or having this conversation with everyone watching.” His mouth twitched. “I suspected that might piss you off.”
He finally reached her and she stared into his piercing eyes as he added, “Third, so there’s no misunderstanding any longer, this is how I feel about you—” His features firmed, so confident and aware. “I love your strength. I respect it. Admire it.”
She liked hearing all those things coming from him, but she stayed silent and allowed him to continue. “I don’t get bossy for no reason.” His eyes searched hers with raw emotion in their depths. “I’ve never wanted to protect anything so much in my life, so yes, my responses when you’re in danger might come out brash.”
Pushing his warm, hard body into hers, he forced her to walk backward. “We’ll probably butt heads over your safety…often.” A slow, sexy smile filled his face. “I’m okay with that. I like when you get frisky.”
Her breath hitched at the sheer intensity he had unleashed in his expression—deep passion she’d never seen before. When they strode backward past her couch, she realized why it looked foreign to her. He herded her toward the bedroom and a sudden case of nerves stormed into her, as well as a slew of hot tingles. “Kyden, I…”
One sleek eyebrow arched, and she shut her mouth as he added, “I tried to do this right. How they say you should in the Earthworld, not rush things and take our time. I wanted to give you that because that’s what you’re used to and what I thought you needed.”
The back of her legs hit something, causing her to gasp, and when she glanced down she noticed it was the side of her white, iron-framed, king-size bed. Lifting her head, she stared into his gorgeous face.
“We’re not doing this your way any longer.” His eyes positively glowed. “Now we’re doing this my way.” He leaned in, crowded her space, and he looked dead serious. “You are mine, Nexi Jones. Get used to that idea. We’re together now, and yes, that means your safety is of the upmost importance to me.”
It somewhat surprised her she didn’t smack him upside the head for telling her they were a couple. Deep down, though, she knew why—she wanted him equally as much. Truth was, she had accepted Kyden last night, and tonight, that choice had only been strengthened.
She had already picked him, even if he didn’t know it.
His spicy scent overwhelmed her, and she wondered how to put all this into words. Then she realized, like most things in the Otherworld, some things were better shown than said.
Grasping his face, she brought his mouth down to hers, then pressed her lips against his. She didn’t give him a sweet simple kiss of affection. She gave him the kind of kiss to bring Kyden to his knees.
He groaned, as if her intensity surprised him. That only lasted a second before he quickly caught up and stormed into her mouth. There was nothing gentle about his kiss. His tongue was forceful as it tangled with hers, his lips violent as they crushed against her mouth.