Page 53 of Rekindled Prophecy

The crowd under the gazebo was oddly quiet as Greylyn walked Jasper to his car. No one even tried to feign disinterest.

Taking his cue, Jasper began to gesture wildly with a pleading look on his face. Greylyn, in turn, pretended to speak softly, but firmly, hands on her hips for effect along with an occasional dramatic wave of her hands and shake of her head. They must have been convincing because her sensitive hearing picked up the shocked comments from the young ladies of the wedding party. The buxom blonde was more than dismayed that the hunk appeared to be leaving.

“Oh, what is wrong with that girl? He’s divine!”

Jasper even audaciously glanced over at the woman and gave her a wink. Sure enough, it gained him what his ego wanted to hear, a soft gasp as she was drawn into his orbit without him even needing to take a step closer. The woman looked as if she would swoon any second now. One of her friends reached out to grab her by the elbow.

Yes, Jasper had yet another female under his thrall.

“Works every time,” he breathlessly whispered as they reached the car.

Just as he turned to give Greylyn a quick kiss on the cheek, the back door to the main house swung open. Every fiber of her being screamed. The way the little hairs stood up on the nape of her neck and her body temperature rose by ten degrees or more, she knew. Kael.

He despised Jasper as much as the male guardian angel hated him. She sent up a silent prayer that he did not pick this moment to unleash his dark guardian wrath.

Jasper clenched his jaws together so tightly she heard his teeth grinding. “You sure, hon? I can stay and kick his ass for you.” Greylyn shook her head. “Your loss” He sunk into the leather seat of his sleek sports car, gave her a reassuring pat on the hand, and revved the engine to life.

“Hey, by the way, what happened to the Harley?” The Mercedes was new.

“Trying to show-off for the crowd. Didn’t think a hog would be appropriate for a wedding.” With that, he slammed the door. For show, he gunned the car down the driveway. Tires screeched as he veered sharply onto the main street.

At this point, she breathed a sigh of relief that the two male guardians had not bloodied each other in full sight of everyone. No one in the gazebo uttered a sound.

As she turned back towards the Carriage House, her eyes met Kael’s. An icy chill crawled down her spine. Everyone else was watching her or trying to appear that they were not. If they turned around, they would be faced with an inexplicable picture … his normally warm, seductive eyes blazed a deep crimson hue. He was enraged. So much so, he did not have control over the one trait that could visibly identify him as something other than human. The eyes. It was always the eyes.

The back door to the inn opened again as Matthew came out to join the group under the gazebo. As the door shut, Kael blinked, his eye color returning to a dark topaz. Thankfully, no one witnessed the maroon-eyed demon. However, the scowl he still wore would have frightened any creature, human or otherwise. The groom slapped him good-naturedly on the back, oblivious to the tension, and dashed to the gazebo as rain started to fall.

Without taking his gaze off her, he nodded towards the Carriage House to indicate they should convene there – now.

Every step he took toward her deepened the pit in her stomach. Still trying to play the part of the gentleman, Kael held the door open for her as they arrived at the Carriage House simultaneously. White-hot fury radiated from his body in shock waves so strong, it slammed into her chest.

With a look back towards Matthew, he raised a finger to indicate,Give me a minute.

As soon as the door closed behind them, he pinned Greylyn against the wall. He leaned in so close that she could smell the wine on his warm breath. He seethed between clenched jaws, “What washedoing here? Please tell me that you don’t allow that poor puppy dog excuse for a man to … to … to touch you.”

Flames ignited in his eyes as he continued. “If he so much as lays a finger on you,I will kill him!”

Oh yeah, enraged was an understatement.

Greylyn did not like the possessive tone he used. But then again, a small part of her did. What she did know was that she needed to calm him down quickly. The situation could rapidly escalate into something ugly. They were here to protect Kelly and her child, not ruin everything with a lovers’ quarrel.

Trying to maintain a soothing, placating tone, she faced him down. “Please just listen to me. You are acting irrationally!”

Based on the way his eyes narrowed at her, she guessed her approach needed some adjustment.

“You know as well as I do that we are not a romantic item,so in private you can stop the mummer’s farce. We need to play nice together … for Kelly and Matthew. Remember. This is not about you and Jasper in the grudge match of the millennia. This is about protecting Kelly and the baby.”

His tense scowl relaxed a fraction, but he did not let up on his grip.

“It was your brilliant idea that we work together on this. Focus on the endgame, Kael. Jasper is gone, so let’s get past this. Please. I need you …”

Staring into his eyes, every ounce of her willed him to see reason. It took a moment for her words to sink in, but he eventually backed off and let go of her arms. There were red marks on her biceps where his fingers had dug into her skin. His breathing slowed as he paced the tiny foyer, all the while raking his hands through his thick chestnut locks. The way his auburn highlights glinted as his hair fell back in place just above his right eye riveted her attention. Resisting the urge to reach up and comb that hair with her fingers, Greylyn mentally thrashed herself for not focusing on the task at hand. Again, Kael got to her in a way no one else had, could, or ever would.

Now that he was calmer, she explained Jasper’s presence and that she had sent him away because of her little pact with him.

“Jasper Moreau would never voluntarily leave you here with me,” he smirked. “I bet he loved being told to take a hike.”

Yes, Kael was gloating. The good guardian had been forced to leave, while the evil one remained. Score one for the bad guy!

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