Wicked (Eternal Guardians #9) - Elisabeth Naughton Page 0,5

could see.

Holy gods, he was huge. Miles of roped muscle over an abundance of raw, coiled strength. She wasn’t small for a female—close to six feet even without her boots—but he made her feel small. Feminine. Petite in a way no one else ever had. And his scent, a mixture of spice and citrus and rum, filled her senses, making her blood hum even faster. Making her body that much hotter.

Pulsing lights flickered over his chiseled face and broad shoulders. He didn’t speak as she drew to a stop, only watched her with those eyes she now knew weren’t just dark, they were black as sin and tinged with a wickedness her whole body ached to feel.

She still couldn’t tell what he was, but as electricity arced between them, her heart beat hard and fast. And as she took in every delectable inch of him, she knew without question he was the wild ride she’d been hoping for tonight.

She pushed any doubts to the back of her mind, licked her lips, and moved closer.

“Lys?” Max headed for the back table where his cousin Elysia sat in the Grand Library, surrounded by ancient tomes and towering bookshelves. “There you are. I’ve been looking all over the damn castle for you.”

Elysia lifted her head, her chocolate hair swaying around her face as she narrowed her dark brown eyes on his. “Has something happened? What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” He stopped in front of her table, glancing over the research she was clearly doing as part of her studies in all things royal. “The Argonauts and your mother refused Talisa’s request to begin formal training.”

“Skata.” Elysia pushed to her feet and dropped the pen in her hand.

She, being Talisa’s cousin as well, knew just how much Talisa had been hoping this time they’d let her into the boys’ club. While Max’s guilt with regards to the situation came from the fact he was being allowed to train with the Argonauts when he knew Talisa was just as skilled, Elysia’s stemmed from the fact her mother was the one blocking Talisa from exactly the same thing.

“Where is she?” Elysia asked. “Have you talked to her yet?”

“I tried. She wouldn’t listen.”

Elysia quickly gathered her papers. “You know how reckless she can be when she’s upset.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Max reached for Elysia’s arm, stopping her frantic movements. “She already left for that club.”

“Oh skata.” The color drained from Elysia’s face. She glanced around the quiet library with its dark wood shelves and tall stone pillars then back at him. “Someone needs to go after her. She’s not safe in the human realm alone.”

“I know.” He dropped his hand. “I’m going. I just wanted to let you know, so if anything happens—”

“Alone? No way.”

His lips thinned. “I’ll be fine. I know how to take care of myself. Plus, you know if anything tries to come at me, I can access whatever gift they’re using and turn it around on them.”

“Assuming you aren’t distracted.”

He frowned. “I won’t be. We know she’s at the club. We know why. I’ll go there, get her, and bring her back before she alerts anyone to her presence. Odds are, we’ll be back within the hour. I’m only telling you so you can cover for us in case it takes a little longer.”

Elysia moved her books to a nearby empty shelf then turned to face him. “You’re still not going alone. We talked about this, remember? That’s how people get abducted.” She waggled her brows, reminding him that was exactly what had happened to her when she’d run off on her own. “Or dead. I’m going with you.”

“You?” His eyes widened. “Not a chance. If your father or your mate found out I let you tag along, they’d both kill me.”

Elysia’s father Demetrius was a highly skilled Argonaut and the darkest of the bunch, and Elysia’s mate Cerek, while a whole lot softer around the edges than her father, was just as deadly with a blade. Though both knew Elysia was a skilled fighter in her own right, neither would approve of her crossing into the human realm.

“You let me tag along? As if.” Elysia grasped Max’s arm, turning him toward the arched doorway. “As far as my father and Cerek are concerned, we just won’t tell them. And since we don’t want word to spread and Talisa to be punished for this stunt, that means you can’t alert any of the other Argonauts or their mates. Which means I’m all you’ve got. I’ll watch