Page 39 of Awakening Storm

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Aidan escorted Rhiannaback to the Falcon station, which had become their home base. She was stumbling as they went, and he supported her with his arm beneath her ribs.

He was worried about her. She needed rest and food to keep going. And she’d had little of either since Theodora had seized her yesterday.

“You need to rest, just for a little while,” he said to Rhianna.

She shook her head weakly. “I can’t sleep. There’s too much at stake. We only have six days before the next Game Day.” She groaned. “And that’s only if Theodora sticks to the same schedule she’s been using.”

“Two hours,” he pleaded. “We won’t lose that much for you to catch two-hour nap.”

She pulled away from him. “Nope.”

When they got inside the station, it was empty. Steve, Sean, and Dillon hadn’t returned. He plopped onto the sofa and patted the worn, faded cushion. “Have a seat,” he said. “They’ll probably be back any minute.”

“Do you think they are all right?” she asked, furrowing her brow.

“Sure. They were here before you, right?”

She sat by his side and, with his guidance, rested her head on his shoulder. Her cinnamon scent filled his nostrils. Her softness teased his fingertips, and he listened as her breathing relaxed and slowed. She fell asleep within minutes.

Having her there beside him felt so right. He couldn’t believe he’d lived his immortal life alone. And while she would sadly be more or less immortal now, this was not a life. He wanted so much more for her—love, joy, laughter.

She moaned and clutched him tighter as she flung her arms around his ribs.

He dipped his head and gently kissed her. “Any other time, and I’d make love to you.” His lips tugged on hers and his tongue traced the inside of her mouth. They groaned in unison. “I promise you, we’ll continue this another day. When we’re free of this place.”

He cradled her against his chest and closed his eyes. He didn’t sleep, but his mind ran through potential scenarios for how to get them out of this before the next Game Day.

* * *

Awhile later, Steveand the others came shuffling in. Aidan pressed his index fingers to his lips. Rhianna was still sleeping.

Dillon nodded, and set a small plate of chicken and rice on the table. The guys each dropped into one of the mismatched chairs scattered around the room. Sean’s seat slid and squeaked.

Aidan held his breath. Rhianna stirred but didn’t wake.

He exhaled.Good.His job was to be a Guardian. He’d done it for hundreds of years, and now he needed to protecther.

He fisted his hands at his side. The weight of being alone for so long had finally been lifted, only to be replaced by the fear of losing Rhianna. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

The passage of time was a strange thing without the normal rise and fall of the sun. Rhianna, along with the guys, dozed for a few hours, barely moving. But when she did, Aidan stroked her back to rouse her. He wanted to take a stab at the perimeter before the rest of the population stirred. If he found a way out, he felt compelled to return and help the others escape this torturous existence also.

“Rhianna, wake up,” he nudged.

She kicked her leg over his waist, slid on top of him, and snuggled down into the sofa. He hissed in a breath. God, she felt so good.

But now was not the time, he reminded himself.

He jostled her. “Hey, we have to see if we can find a way out.”

As she came awake, she sat abruptly, pushed off him, and stood in one motion. “You let me fall asleep,” she accused him, her face turning red with fury. “Even after I told you I didn’t want to.”

He lifted both hands and shrugged. “You’re not the only one.” He jutted his chin to indicate the other three men, each sacked out on a chair, looking uncomfortable but dead to the world.

She waved a finger at him. “No. You knew perfectly well what I wanted and you disregarded it.” She made a growling sound deep in her throat. “Look at the time we’ve wasted!”

He stood, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his chest, a discomfort that worsened the angrier she got. He wasn’t used to having a female mad at him. Part of him didn’t know how to react.