Page 37 of Guarded (Hopeless Blessed #3)

“I told you I’d do anything for you, Noah. This right here? It’s the bare minimum.”

His lips brushed over my temple before he got to his feet. “Don’t worry, by the time I’m finished with you, you’ll know you expect and deserve so damn much more.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Atlas’s jaw swinging open. He was probably wondering who the fuck Jem was, and how I’d found him.

Fate led him to me. He’s mine.

That was what I wanted to tell him. But now wasn’t the right time or place. Not with Lyle beginning to stir.

There was a feral gleam in Jem’s eye as he slowly turned to face my ex. “This will be fun.”

I got to my feet shakily, cursing at how weak my muscles were. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Jeremiah raised a brow. “Um, what are you doing? ”

“Helping.” It took me two attempts to summon any power, but eventually my palms flickered. “You can’t hold him alone, Jem.”

“I don’t need to hold him.” Jeremiah stroked my chin and grinned. “You angels are far too nice and forgiving.”

Lyle groaned, his eyelids fluttering. Before they had the chance to open, Jeremiah slammed another wall of fire into Lyle. He instantly slumped back against the wall as death overcame him again.

“The trick is to keep them dead,” Jeremiah explained with a mischievous grin. “He can’t fight back if you don’t give him a chance to.”

Atlas and I exchanged dumbfounded glances before he asked the obvious question. “Why the fuck didn’t we think of that?”

Jeremiah chuckled, putting his arm around my shoulders and squeezing. “Like I said, you lot were raised to be nice. To respect your superiors and fight fairly. I, on the other hand, was not.”

Atlas snorted. “You’re saying you don’t respect Lucifer?”

“I don’t.” Jeremiah met his gaze levelly. “Why would I respect someone who rules through fear and manipulation? He doesn’t deserve my respect any more than Lyle deserves yours.”

Atlas’s lips parted in shock. My old friend was reeling from the truth Jem had laid down.

“Go rest,” Jem said, kissing my temple. “I’ve got this.”

I smiled at Atlas. “He’s right. We can handle it.”

“Um, not to be bossy, but I meant you too,” Jeremiah said to me. “You need to rest, Noah.”

He was right, but this wasn’t his problem. “I’m not leaving you alone with him. ”

Jeremiah sighed, and Atlas smirked as he walked past us. “Good luck, demon. You’re going to need it with Noah.”

“Thanks, brother,” I muttered darkly as he vanished from the room. “Don’t listen to him. I’m a delight.”

Jem chuckled as he pulled me into his arms. “You are. You’re a delightfully stubborn angel, who I’m realising will take on all the world’s problems if it means protecting those around him.”

I tried to frown, but Jem’s chest was too snuggly and warm, and it turned into a yawn instead. “Because it’s my responsibility. Juniper are my family as much as the Seraphim. I have to protect them.”

“We can argue about that later, when you’re more awake,” Jeremiah said, stroking along my spine in soothing movements.

It had me longing for a flat surface beneath us.

Not for sex, but so I could curl up on him and give up the fight with my eyelids.

“For now, just know that you’re my responsibility.

You’re mine to protect and care for, Noah. Please let me do that.”

I stiffened. “Because I’m your mate?”

“No.” He leaned back so he could see my face.

“Because I care about you, Noah. Because being away from you over these past four weeks made me realise I never want to be parted from you again. Because you’ve spent two weeks putting everyone else first—including me, I suspect.

Because you look two minutes away from falling asleep standing up. ”

He kissed my cheek softly, his lips lingering. “Is that enough reasons, sweetheart?”

My voice was thick as I replied, “More reasons than I deserve.”

Jem hummed, dropping butterfly kisses along my cheekbone.

“If what I heard when I came in earlier is anything to go by, I can guess why you think that. Don’t worry though—I’m far more annoying and persistent than that twat.

I’m going to keep showing up for you. One day, you won’t be surprised by it anymore. You’ll be expecting it.”

I was too exhausted and overcome to stop the tear from falling. No one had ever shown up for me before. Not like this. And here was Jeremiah, offering to do it over and over again.

Jem kissed the first tear away, then the next. “Go and sleep, Noah. I’ll be fine, and you need rest. I hate to think how little you’ve had if you’re this exhausted.”

He wasn’t wrong. Supes could function on very little sleep, but that combined with the stress of the situation and the amount of power I’d been using had added up to this—me swaying on my feet with drooping eyelids. Was this how humans felt every day?

I didn’t know how they could stand it. It was almost enough to make me leave. Almost.

“He’ll say awful things,” I said. “About me, I mean. I don’t want you to hear them. I don’t want him to taint anything between us.”

“That’ll never happen, sweetheart. I know exactly who I’m falling for. Nothing anyone else can say will change what my heart knows to be true.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as I clung to him. As I let his words be the antidote to the poison Lyle had been filling me with. It wouldn’t leave my system completely, I knew that. But maybe if I let Jeremiah in completely, he could be my cure. My salvation.

I just had to be brave enough to do it.