Page 39 of Rekindled Prophecy

He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead, his lips barely brushing her pale skin. He inhaled her sweaty scent that even now contained the slightest hint of jasmine.

She would wake up mad, of course, but at least she would wake up.

A Tenju? A Japanese demon and harbinger of war. Why would Greylyn be tussling with one of those nasty creatures? The last time he saw one of the monstrous birds who could morph into human forms when needed, it was hiding deep within the Ishigaki Island Limestone Cave. The demons preferred to remain out of sight and only came out to steal young boys from the countryside during lunar eclipses. Why would one even be in the United States?

This was the second time since her arrival at Gaelic Haven she had been attacked and injured. He had been reassured no harm would come to her, but it had. Someone owed him answers.

Chapter 16

In the Light of Day

Carriage House

Greylyn woke from a sound, dreamless slumber. The luxurious cotton sheets and heavy comforter cocooned her in warmth and peace. Stretching out like a cat, it took a couple of moments for the fog of sleep to depart. Her eyes blinked back the sudden onslaught of sunshine filtering into the room.

She shot up in horror. Kael’s room. On the bed, and …

Where the hell are my clothes?

The old-fashioned clock hanging above the nightstand read 9 AM.

Unholy fires of hell! What happened?

Gingerly moving to swing her legs off the bed, her muscles protested slightly, and her spine cracked when she stretched. Overall, not too bad. A little sore, as if she had completed the IRONMAN triathlon in record time, but otherwise, okay.

A soft husky chuckle caught her attention. Blinking a few more times to clear her vision, a tall form came into full, vivid focus. Kael stood just inside the doorway, carrying a tray of food and a tall carafe of coffee. There was even a Killarney rose draped over a cloth napkin.

“Good morning, Sunshine!” Kael chuckled again as he lay the tray beside her on the plush comforter.

Oh! Her favorite breakfast dish—Eggs Benedict with creamy hollandaise sauce, two slices of Canadian bacon, a small bowl of cantaloupe and honeydew melon balls, and fresh English muffins. The bold, aromatic coffee from a tall steaming carafe was heaven to her groggy senses. The meal presentation was exquisite with a tall mug with the Celtic Trinity Knot, or Triquetra, embossed along the sides, and a silver canter of sweet cream.

The breakfast of champions.

Embarrassingly, her stomach betrayed her by letting out a huge growl. “Guess we better feed that tiger,” he snickered.

He reached behind her to grab a couple of pillows to prop her up against the headboard. Still weak and paralyzed by a sudden onset of shyness, her elbows buckled underneath her, and she fell back to the bed. Without a word, but with a devilish grin, Kael lifted her from under her arms and gently helped her to sit up. Her eyes roved over his chest where his muscles strained against the fabric of his snug shirt. Damn, even in her weakened condition, her body betrayed her.

Kael, with a slightly comical flourish, placed an ivory linen napkin across her chest and the tray of food on her lap. He poured sweet cream into the mug followed by the robust coffee, exactly the way she fixed her own.

Why hadn’t hetaken advantage of her weakened state to kill her? Twice, in as many days, he had helped her instead of killing her. She was not sure what to make of this new version of dark guardian.

Her tummy spoke up again. Rather than overanalyze the situation, she dove into the feast set before her. If he had wanted to kill her, he would have done it already. Not waited to poison her over breakfast.

After taking a few bites of the eggs and draining the coffee mug, she looked up to find that he had pulled a chair over to the bed. The gold flecks in his eyes danced as his mouth curved up on one side, emphasizing his dimples.

“Okay, what’s so funny?” Handing him the mug for a refill, she took another heaping bite of the delectable eggs. Sauce ran down her chin. A chuckle escaped Kael’s lips.

“What’s not funny about this entire situation?” he asked as he threw another napkin at her. “I just served breakfastin bedto a bloody guardian angel, who, by the way, wears my shirt better than I do. Always wanted to know what you looked like the morning after.” There was more than a hint of humor in his voice.

The fork clanged onto the plate as his innuendo struck her. What had happened after she passed out? Greylyn glanced down. Definitely not her formerly white-now-pink tank top. Instead, a soft yellow button-down shirt covered her arms and torso, mostly unbuttoned. At least her pants were still on.

“Relax, your virtue is still intact. I may be on the darker side of the afterlife, but I would never take advantage of an unconscious woman. Particularly one with the ability to retaliate in a most vicious manner, which I’m sure you would.” His wicked smile made her heart stop for a beat.

An evil guardian with a sense of chivalry? Odd.

Hoping her hair covered enough of her face to hide the encroaching blush creeping into her cheeks, Greylyn turned the conversation back to a safer topic. “Where’s your breakfast? Sorry, when it comes to Maureen’s Eggs Benedict, I’m not really the sharing type. But you’re welcome to what’s left of the fruit.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I already had breakfast at the main house with Matthew and Kelly. They were asking about you. Maureen also seemed concerned, particularly because she fixed your favorite.”

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