Page 36 of Guarded (Hopeless Blessed #3)

Noah

T he vampires were late.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Lyle seemed to sense that I was leaving soon.

He appeared to want to inflict as much pain and humiliation before then as possible.

Every word that left his mouth was a taunt.

Every time he moved it was to attack. There was no doubt about it—Lyle was determined to make this as difficult as he could.

Which included smashing my phone.

Okay, so he hadn’t done that intentionally. I’d foolishly had it in my back pocket when he’d sent me flying into one of the stone walls.

I’d looked down at the broken screen and almost cried. My one lifeline to Jeremiah. I’d only just got it back and now it was gone again. Trust fucking Lyle to find a way to take it from me, even if it was inadvertently.

Lyle wasn’t experiencing any periods of lucidity now. Well, he was coherent enough to spew venom at me and know exactly where to hit me hardest, but that was about it. I would have felt bad for him if he’d stopped attacking me for long enough to process anything .

Right now, it was taking Atlas, Rowan, and me to contain him. He’d become so violent that I couldn’t manage him on my own. Not after two weeks of this.

I was exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally drained.

The three of us had been stood in this position for hours now, hands raised, shields holding Lyle.

Normally, a supe wouldn’t have to direct his power in this way, but we were all struggling.

Sweat dripped down my face in a continuous stream as I kept my power steady.

My former lover was more animal than supe at this point, teeth bared as he threw himself repeatedly against our shields.

I shouldn’t be here.

I should be with Jeremiah.

I had no idea what time it was. I fucking hoped I wasn’t late. I was close enough to breaking already.

Picturing Jeremiah waiting for me in Richmond Park, checking his phone, wondering if I’d stood him up…I couldn’t bear it. I couldn’t think about it. Not unless I wanted to collapse to the ground and let Lyle kill me.

I couldn’t do that. Not with Atlas and Rowan in the room. My powers were depleted, but my shield was still the strongest. My shield wasn’t faltering like Atlas’s. My hands weren’t shaking like Rowan’s.

I could do this. For them. And once it was done, I was leaving.

Leaving Lyle. Leaving this room and praying it wouldn’t haunt my nightmares for years to come.

I’d walk away, knowing the darkness was well and truly behind me.

I’d seek out the light that was Jeremiah.

My future. If nothing else, this experience had shown me just how special Jem was.

Even if he were in a similar state to Lyle, he’d never hurt me. Not with his words, powers, or fists.

I just had to hope these past two weeks hadn’t fucked things up between us. He had to be pissed about my silence. He’d made it clear early on how important communication was to him, and I’d thrown that back in his face. Worse, I was potentially missing a date I’d sworn I’d be there for.

All because of my ex. A person Jeremiah knew very little about, thanks to my silence.

Jem had every right to be pissed. To be furious that I’d prioritised the needs of others over him. That I hadn’t been open before about who Lyle was to me and why I’d left the unit. That I’d broken my promise to him.

This could be the end of the burgeoning relationship between us. I wouldn’t blame him for it. If the situation was reversed, I wasn’t sure there’d be anything Jem could say to soothe my ire.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try though. As soon as these vampires arrived, I’d be tracking Jeremiah down. I’d go to my knees and grovel before him. I’d beg him to give me a chance to explain.

It wouldn’t be debasing or humiliating. No, those were feelings I’d experienced in this room with Lyle. Nothing I could do with Jeremiah would make me feel the same way. Nothing .

I’d spent too long chasing after the wrong man, but I’d spend eternity chasing the right one if that was what it took.

Maybe I could leave now. The vampires can’t be far away.

Just as I had that thought, Rowan gave a low curse beside me. My gaze snapped from Lyle to him. His powers were coming in small blasts now as his whole body shook.

Atlas was eyeing him too. “Ro? You good, man?”

Rowan nodded before stopping to shake his head with another curse. “No. Fuck. I’m burning out. I can’t hold him much longer. ”

Lyle paused in his barrage of punches and blasts. He cocked his head to the side and gave us a sinister smirk. The sight had my stomach twisting.

Atlas raised a brow at me and I nodded. I was already sinking deeper into the well of my power. The bottom was closer than it had ever been before, but I wasn’t out.

Not yet, anyway.

“Go,” Atlas said as he shifted sideways slightly. “We’ve got this.”

“You sure?” Rowan panted.

“Yes.” I mimicked Atlas’s step. It’d leave us more open, but we’d be able to hold him. “Go and rest.”

“See who else is around,” Atlas added. “We need at least one more in here. Ideally two.”

“And find out where the fuck the vampires are,” I groused. “I’ve got places I need to be.”

Rowan nodded and left the room. Atlas and I expanded our shields, pouring more power in than ever before.

Lyle had enough awareness to understand that we were vulnerable now, and the knowledge seemed to give him a fresh burst of energy as he attacked with renewed vigour.

“Where do you need to be?” Atlas grunted, his stare fixed on Lyle.

The door opened behind us and I almost wept in relief. Hopefully it would be a few of the others so I could pause for a second. My hair was sticking to my neck. I wished like fuck that I could lower my hands long enough to tie it back. “I have a date.”

Behind the shields, Lyle stopped to sneer. “A date? Who the fuck would date a waste of space like you?”

Vibration started in my hands as my hold on my power slipped a little. “Fuck you, Lyle.”

“No, I fuck you.” The venomous piece of shit flashed his teeth.

“And it’ll happen again, Noah. We all know you’ll come crawling back to me.

As soon as your date realises what a worthless little slut you are, he’ll dump you.

He’ll leave you alone just like everyone else does. Just like you deserve.”

Someone spoke behind me. Someone I definitely wasn’t expecting.

Someone, I was horrified to realise, who’d heard every word of this exchange.

“That’s where you’re wrong.” A shimmering orange shield settled over the top of mine and Atlas’s. It sought out the weak spots and reinforced them until a veritable wall stood between us and Lyle. “Noah deserves everything. Unlike you, I actually realise that and plan to give it to him.”

He’s here. Jem’s here.

Warm hands gathered my hair, lifting it off my neck. I shivered as cool air hit my skin.

I couldn’t think of what to say first. Did I try and explain what was happening? Apologise for presumably standing him up? Ask him to forget the hateful words Lyle had said?

When the question left my lips, it wasn’t one I’d been expecting. “You had a hair bobble?”

“Yep,” Jem said, securing my hair in a neat ponytail. “Used to have long hair and haven’t got out of the habit of carrying one.”

“I never knew that.”

He pressed his lips to my neck, just below my ear. “Why don’t you rest, Noah? I’ve got this.”

“I can’t,” I whispered. Lyle was roaring now. Whether that was because he’d realised Jeremiah was a demon, or because of the tender way said demon was touching me, I didn’t know. “He’s too strong.”

“Too strong for you because you’re exhausted.” Jem stepped up next to me, and tears welled up at the sight of him. Everything I’d been suppressing was trying to break free now that he was here. “I, however, am fully rested.”

He lifted a hand and a blast of flame breached the shield. It was too fast for Lyle to defend against. He went flying backwards into the wall, but the flames didn’t stop, burning ferociously as Lyle screamed.

Panicking, I grabbed Jem’s arm. “Stop. You can’t execute him.”

“I’m not.” Jem winked at me. “Trust me, baby, I know where the line is between death and execution. Lyle’s going to spend some time hovering there with me.”

Lyle’s screams cut off abruptly as he lost consciousness. Atlas and I watched in stunned silence as the skin on his face began to melt and blister.

The whole time, Jeremiah aimed his flames with a serene smile on his face.

True to his word, the instant Lyle died, the fire vanished. It would only be a few minutes before he reincarnated, but I planned on using every last one of them.

I didn’t bother aiming for a chair, just collapsed on the floor. Beside me, Atlas did the same, saying, “Fuck. He’s so much worse.”

I grunted, rubbing at my tired eyes. “I’m not sure what the vamps will be able to do, Atlas.”

The other arch closed his eyes and shook his head. “I know. Time is all I’m hoping for. A little longer for us to get our house in order.”

A bottle of water and a protein bar appeared in my field of vision. “Here. You need to eat and drink.”

I blinked away tears as I stared up at my mate. “How did you find me?”

“Nox,” he said, crouching down so our eyes were level. “He and Micah filled me in on some stuff. Stuff you should’ve told me, Noah.”

I closed my eyes and leaned my head on his shoulder. “I know. I have so many things to apologise for, but that’s at the top of the list.”

His hand rubbed the back of my neck and I almost moaned at how my muscles relaxed. “I don’t want your apologies, Noah. I want you to let me in. Now isn’t the time to talk about that though.”

“It’s not.” I opened the bottle of water and downed it in one before tearing open the protein bar. “Where’d you even get these?”

“Asked the bloke who let me in.” He chucked another of each to Atlas, who caught them gratefully. “From what Micah told me, I suspected you might need them.”

Heat burned behind my eyes at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”