Shadow Guardians: The Promised
Chapter 23

They trekked the two miles to the main road. Uriah didn’t stop once to rest with Marionette. His arms would just have to hold her, because getting her to a safe place where she could rest was paramount.

The plan was simple, play human and hike.

Not long after they reached the road, a ramshackle, dropside truck came by that was miraculously still running.

The vehicle slowed, and Zachiel went to the window. An elderly human man sat behind the wheel.

“Good day,” Zachiel said in an amiable tone. “Would you mind giving us a ride? We had some trouble, and my brother’s wife isn’t feeling too good.”

Joe, the driver, scrutinized the big blonde guy, then all the ones behind him.

He heaved a sigh at their all-leather outfits. Youth these days...

But the big oak seemed friendly enough.

Joe looked over his broad shoulders at the man carrying the petite woman.

“Want me to get you to a hospital?” He asked, thinking they were probably in a crash somewhere, considering how filthy they were.

Zachiel gave a closed-mouth smile. “No. She just has, ah, really bad flu. We just need to get to a decent hotel. I’ll pay for your fuel.”

Ain’t nothing wrong with that, Joe thought.

“No room in the front,” Joe said. “Why don’t you folks climb in the back?”

“We really appreciate it.” Zachiel said, then nodded them over.

The back of the truck was loaded with what appeared to be scraps that were covered with woven cloth.

Shoving rusted metal aside, somehow they all cramped in together, which was handy for Mari.

Uriah still held her on his lap, with the females in the middle and the males in a circle around them, shielding them from the wind with their broad bodies.

It was a long drive into town, and clearly the truck’s rear leaf springs and shocks were kaput because they were jerking and tossing around even on asphalt.

Uriah tried to hold his body still as much as possible, providing some stability for Mari, but it was useless, and every so often her fingernails dug into his back when the bouncing became too much for her tender body.

They arrived in the town of Thetford, with their spines mostly straight, an hour or so before dusk.

“Thanks, Joe.” Zachiel said, handing him a roll of notes. “For your trouble.”

The old man’s eyes ogled a little, and he drove away with a massive smile on his scrubby face, leaving them in front of the 4-star hotel.

Inside the lobby, they were greeted by a grand chandelier that cascaded down from the ceiling, casting warm, golden light on the polished marble floors. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the scent of lavender, which wafted from the nearby fragrance diffuser.

There was a grand staircase that led to the upper floors, where the hotel’s guest rooms and suites were located. The staircase was adorned with elegant wrought iron balustrades, adding to the poshness.

Behind the reception desk sat a gaunt young woman with very round glasses and a ruler straight nose.

She paused her shuffling of papers and peered over her glasses at the guardians, her lips turning into a pout.

“I’m sorry, we are a four-star establishment,” she said derisively. “You may try the motel two blocks down. We don’t take... your kind... in.”

“Excuse me?!” Arlena threw out, stepping closer with her fisted hands.

Katherine held her back with an arm and stepped up with a charming smile. “Hi,” she piped, taking out another roll of notes that had astoundingly survived the fight. “Maybe this will help?”

The receptionist cocked a brow at the cash and cleared her throat.

“We’d like four 2-sleeper rooms, please.” She said, emphasizing the please, and, in doing so, reminding the receptionist of her manners.

Finally, with the accommodations handled, they split up and were escorted to their rooms upstairs.

“You okay, beauty?” Uriah asked, kicking the door closed. He went into the bathroom and settled her on the floor against the wall, then started running a hot bath.

“Hm-mm.” She mumbled, pulling his trench tighter around her. She was freezing.

Uriah eyed the bottles of scented oil on the small tray. He picked up the vanilla and turned it over, checking the ingredients.

“Good quality,” he said, pouring a few drops into the water. “Staff could use a lesson in etiquette, though.”

When the water was ready and the entire bathroom had been steamed up, he dropped his trench from her shoulders. She didn’t blush; she only stared at him with weary eyes.

He carefully settled her into the water and started washing her with a very pink loofa.

Of course, seeing her naked gave him a very eager erection. He sighed and reminded himself that a healthy, well-fed male vampire would get a hard-on even for a sack of apples.

He hesitated before washing her privates, checking first if it was okay with her, but still she gazed at him with those tired eyes and didn’t protest.

With a single stroke of his hand, he dragged the soapy loofa between her legs, and she drew in a breath, closing her eyes in a very sensual way. He shook his head and focused on the task of washing her hair.

Finishing up, he lifted her out of the water and dried her with a plush towel before covering her in one of the two robes hanging on the door. He took her back, laid her down in the bed, and drew the champagne-colored covers over her.

“I’m so tired,” she mumbled, her tongue dragging. “Is that normal?”

Uriah thought back to his own transition. “Very. You’ll feel better after rest.”

He kneeled by the side of the bed and held her hand, careful not to get his filthy clothes on the linen. “Do you want to talk about what happened, Mari?” he asked.

Her lower lip started quivering, but she lightly shook her head. “Not yet.”

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No. I just… feel like I don’t know myself anymore. My life was a lie.”

Uriah sighed and looked at their intertwined fingers. “Yeah. I know how you feel.”

It was a very cliché thing to say, but in that moment, Mari realized that he truly did know. He’d gone through the same thing she did and had lost both parents, just like her, to the war.

She thanked the gods in that moment that she didn’t see her parents corpses torn to pieces like he did with his. She wasn’t sure if she could have lived with that.

“We’re both orphans,” she said solemnly.

He gave a nod. “But at least we’re orphaned together.”

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

It took no time at all for her to drift into sleep, and when she did, Uriah went out and called one of the staff, a friendly young woman with a much better attitude than the one at the reception desk.

“How can I help you, sir?” she asked, wearing a hospitable smile.

“Is there a clothing store open at this hour?”

“I think so, sir.”

Uriah took out the money he’d asked for from Katherine. “I’d like you to go to the store and buy my wife some decent clothing. Size small. Underwear too. We were,” he thought of a quick excuse, “in an accident, and so all our clothes are messed up.”

Her eyes expanded, and she gasped, bringing a hand to her heart. “Oh my, are you alright?”

Uriah smiled lightly. “Fine. Just please get her some warm clothes.”

“What about you?”

He arched a brow. “It won’t make you uncomfortable to buy it for me?”

She shook her head. “I do laundry for many male clients every day, sir.”

He gave his size, and she seemed bowled over when he mentioned it, but said nothing else and left with the money. He went back inside the bedroom to clean himself up.

In the middle of the night, Mari stirred next to him for the first time since he put her in bed. Uriah spooned her from behind.

“Baby? Are you okay? Do you need something?”

She gulped back nerves. Her dreams had been filled with him. And in that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to be as close to him as she could be. She wanted him not just to hold her and be one with her, but to actually hold her together.

“I-I want you to make love to me,” she whispered.

She could’ve sworn she heard his breathing stop for a moment.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to until you’re really ready. Maybe you’re just sad, beauty.”

“I am sad. That’s why I want you. If I could, I would crawl inside you.”

Neither of them said a word for a while.

“Please,” she whispered so softly that she wondered if he even heard her.

And then he was on top of her, careful not to settle all his weight on her. He nipped at the pulse in her neck.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered gruffly.

“You won’t.”

His sucking and biting in her neck turned greedy, and her sweet scent emptied all thoughts from his mind until there was nothing but her. He nudged open her robe and bent his head to take her nipple into his mouth, while his palm spanned her delicate ribs.

Her delicacy was such an illusion…

She arched under his touch, and he drove them both mad with need, shooting their systems into chaos with his nibbling and ravishing of her. She fisted his hair and arrowed up when he joined with her ever so slowly.

He had to give her time to adjust. With herculean restraint, he teased her body into accepting him. By the time it relaxed enough, they were both damp and out of breath.

And tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Did I hurt you?” he panicked.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head, then folded her arms around his neck, her legs over his glutes, and pressed down.

“I just want to feel you. To stay close to you.” She murmured.

“Feel us, beauty.” He lowered his forehead to the pillow next to hers.

He stayed still for a while, steeling himself against the need to move.

When he did, he was gentle with her. There would be plenty of time for them to live out all their fantasies with each other, but for now, he wanted to show her how much he loved her. He intertwined his fingers with hers, and she met him thrust for thrust.

The world fell away around them as they were locked into each other, as he drove them both through their own storms with the healing salve of them. Seeking more, she locked her mouth with his, swallowing his groans. Until they plunged.

They remained joined throughout the whole of the night and slept deeply.

A few days later, Mari met with the crew in the library of the coven house. Even Terronth was allowed to attend, and she was surprised to learn that he had learned how to make the ‘r’ sound somewhere along the line, so he actually pronounced her name correctly now. He sat on the floor and cuddled Salem, a perfectly good little angel.

Actually, he’d been remarkably calm and good since his little adventure, except for some reason Ophelia had said that they needed to work on his laugh.

Mari understood it all better when they told her what happened. She was too zoned out at the time to pay attention.

“Are you still certain about your decision?” Magnus asked, taking into account everything that had happened.

She gave a nod. She’d talked with Uriah in the last few days, and together they had come up with a plan.

“I still want to study medicine,” she said, thinking back briefly to her father. “And continue painting.”

Both would help her keep her parents close to her heart.

Magnus nodded. “I’ve no problem with that.”

“None of us do,” Ophelia said.

“I do want to fight,” Mari admitted to everyone’s surprise. “Sometimes,” she added.

“Whenever you want, beauty.” Uriah said, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek.

“We’ve talked about the land in England,” he said, looking at Magnus. “We’re going to need your help.”

“Oh?” Magnus said.

“Maybe some good lawyers. We want to take back her father’s lands. His estate. Maybe set up our own coven house there to manage.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Katherine asked, sitting up straighter on the desk.

“No, of course not,” Mari replied. “But that land belongs to us, and we won’t be moving there, so setting up a coven house is the best option for making use of it and keeping it in shape.” She cleared her throat. “I can put back all the trees…”

“That’ll require some digging in Georgiano’s things, but I think I know a guy who can sort that out.” Magnus answered.

Mari blew out breath, relieved that they had accepted the idea.

“Who’s up for pizza tonight?” Draven asked. “Anyone wanna take a small vacation?”

Uriah and Mari replied with yes please! while everyone else answered hell no!

“Well, we’ll excuse you two. You’re on honeymoon.” Ophelia winked.

Once the meeting had adjourned, Uriah and Mari went for a walk in the gardens.

“So, what’s next?” he asked her as they ambled hand-in-hand down the pathway.

She considered it for a moment. “You know, I think I want to paint portraits of our parents.”

“I like that idea.”

“I also think I want a wedding ceremony…”

“Wait, like in a white gown and everything?”

She drew her mouth to the side. “More like purple.”

“I think you’d look lovely in purple.”

“Maybe I should wear a leather dress.”

He paused to check if she was being serious, and she started giggling.

“You scared me for a moment,” he said as they resumed their stroll.

“Well, I’m not the aristocratic lady I once thought I was.” She said.

They stopped by the lavender roses, and he drew her into his arms.

“No, but you are every bit a noble lady to me, my Queen.” He said, taking a bow.

She giggled. “I love you.”

“And I you. Always have and always will.”

She touched her lips to his and laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh, staring into the horizon as dawn approached.

“I’ve found you,” he said, his heart thudding against hers. “We’ve finally found each other.”

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