Academy of Protectors (The Protector Guild Book 1) Read online

  “Sorry,” Wade muttered, a fierce blush coloring his tanned skin. He covered his eyes with his hands, rubbing furiously like he could make the moment disappear if he tried hard enough. “Shit, I shouldn’t have—I’m sorry, can we just—would it be okay if we just forget that happened?” He peeled his hand away, looking at me sheepishly. “Please?”

  I nodded, smiling back, somehow both happy and sad that I’d stopped him in time.

  “Seriously, Max, I’m so sorry. Here I am warning you about guys who move too fast with girls and then—” he shook his head, his jaw muscles clenching with tension as he avoided my eyes. “I don’t usually drink too much and after getting chastised by my brother in front of everyone, I went a little harder than usual before showing up here.”

  “Consider it forgotten, Wade, really.” I paused, processing his overzealous words. “Wait. Your brother?”

  “Atlas.” His hand swept the back of his neck as he nodded. “I don’t know if you remember him, but he was the grumpy guy running the sparring session earlier.”

  Did Wade think it was possible for anyone to forget who Atlas was? The dude’s commanding presence was enough to make even Cyrus take notice.

  I took in Wade’s deeper skin and light eyes, unable to trace many similarities between the two. And as for their personalities? They couldn’t be more different if they tried. “Atlas is your brother? Seriously? How did that happen? You’re so friendly. Sweet even. And he’s, well, not.”

  He chuckled softly, embarrassment still lightly coloring his features. The look on his face was so handsome and open that I momentarily regretted not letting him kiss me properly. “Yeah, he’s a complicated person, but not usually as bad as he seemed today. He’s had an especially rough few months.” His hand squeezed the side of my arm and he turned back towards me, squaring his shoulders. Blue eyes glazed over slightly, and there was pain there—and frustration—that I hadn’t seen before. “And to be completely honest, I’m not all that sweet. I’m going to go get some water, maybe some fresh air, and head back home before I say or do anything else I’ll regret tomorrow. We’ll talk in training, okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I need a break from dancing anyway. Do you know where the bathrooms are?”

  He pointed to the back hallway, said goodnight, and started to walk away. After two steps, he turned around and grabbed my hand. “In case I don’t have the courage to do this tomorrow.” He kissed my cheek, his lips somehow both soft and firm, and my stomach lurched at the warmth left lingering on my skin. That small touch somehow had my body tingling in ways that Michael’s kiss didn’t. “Goodnight, Max Bentley.”

  With a soft smile, he left me on the dance floor, my stomach twisted in complicated knots.

  Knots that only got more tight and twisty when my eyes met Atlas’s across the floor. He was holding a beer which he drained in a single sip, his jaw muscles tensing. The signature glare I was becoming familiar with had me frozen in place. I dropped my eyes, no longer able to meet his stare and found Reza’s arms wrapped around his right bicep. She was fawning all over him like she was an added appendage, and while he didn’t seem to notice or mind that every atom in her body was glued to him, I couldn’t help the small bubble of frustration brewing in my gut.

  He followed my gaze and smirked when he noticed my leveled glare at Reza. Disentangling himself from her limbs, he grabbed her hand, turned his back on me and walked to the bar to presumably grab another beer. Sheesh, these brothers were going to drain the bar of booze by the end of the night. And clearly alcohol impaired Atlas’s judgment if it made him fine with allowing Reza to linger in his company like a fangirl.

  Swallowing hard, I shook my head in frustration. They were both free to do what they wanted. But some part of me couldn’t reconcile the fact that someone related to Wade could want someone like Reza.

  Then again, Theo was Izzy’s brother, so what the hell did I know?

  “That was pretty hot, Max. Wade isn’t usually so forward.”

  Speak of the devil and she will come. I smiled up at Izzy.

  “Everyone is forward and every girl is desirable when you have a little liquid courage, Izzy.” I gave her a small grin before nodding to the back of the bar. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. I’ll meet you and the rest of the group in a little while, okay?”

  She nodded as my eyes found Ro in a back corner talking to Arnell. They were huddled close together, warm smiles across both of their faces. It was adorable and I silently hoped that whatever was brewing between them would continue. I obviously didn’t know Arnell well but, like Izzy, there was something about him that was just innately loveable.

  “And keep an eye on Ro, will you? I don’t want to be an auntie just yet. Especially not before I’ve had a chance to level Arnell with my intimidating you-hurt-my-brother-I-hurt-you speech.” I laughed before making my way through thrashing bodies to the back hallway.

  There were several doors lining the wall, so I latched onto the handle of the first door on my right. It wasn’t locked, so I walked in, the heavy weight of the door closing behind me, and felt along the wall until I found the light switch.

  And then I wished with every fiber of my being that I’d left the room to the dark and kept scavenging along the hall until I found the actual bathroom.

  Because this sure as hell wasn’t it.

  Soft moaning made its way to my ears and I blinked rapidly when I found my gaze leveled on a man’s back, his pants dipped precariously low on his ass while he thrust into a petite redhead, her face smeared with matching red lipstick and a satisfied glow. It was the salesgirl from the boutique.

  To my absolute mortification, I couldn’t seem to look away. I’d seen sex scenes in movies, obviously, but it wasn’t quite the same as the real thing. I wrinkled my nose briefly. I didn’t think sex would be associated with a smell, but it was. There was a distinct scent encasing the room.

  A laugh made its unwelcome way through my lips and I slapped a hand over my mouth when the redhead’s blue eyes opened in embarrassment.

  “Shit. I’m so, so sorry. I thought this was the bathroom, and clearly it’s not and so I’m, you know, just going to go now. Good to see you again, though! You, you know, carry on. As you were. Happy orgasming and what not.”

  At the glower on her face, I immediately realized that my hand should have resumed its place over my mouth after the whole ‘I’m sorry’ part. Obviously, this wasn’t a time to make new friends or start a conversation. Even I had enough social awareness to register that.

  With a deep chuckle, the man turned his head and I was met with Eli’s stare—his eyes dancing with mirth. “I thought that was you, beautiful. Care to join us?” Noticing my jaw drop, his smile grew and he winked. “Or, you know, you can wait maybe two minutes and then have me to yourself, if you prefer?” There was a hunger in his expression that had my heartbeat pounding. “Or, tell you what, I kick her out right now, and no waiting necessary. Your choice, really. If you’d like.”

  I turned around, finding my way back to the door, hearing only the sound of his bellowing laughter and a soft slap that made it abundantly clear the redhead wasn’t overly enthused with his offer. She started bickering, but after what sounded like skin slapping on skin, her grunts of protest turned into a different sort of grunt.

  Oh god, I needed to get out of here now. There were just some things you couldn’t unhear or unsee. And this? This was definitely one of them.

  “Leaving now this is me leaving, La La La, can’t hear anything.” I plugged one of my ears as my free hand tripped the switch back off. I clumsily made my way to the door, struggling to find the handle. In retrospect, I should have turned off the light after I found the door. I tucked that bit of advice away for later in case I was ever so unfortunate as to find myself in a situation like this again.

  After a few agonizing moments that felt like years, my hands grasped onto the cool metal. Why didn’t protectors have night vision? Evolutionarily speaking, that would’ve been really freaking helpful. I opened the door, Eli’s mocking laughter still rattling around in my head.

  I turned immediately, not ready to go back into the club after witnessing that interaction, my mind practically numb with the image of the woman’s legs wrapped around Eli’s waist. It was weird how I could easily take down a guy twice my size, but the second you put me in a situation like that, I was complete toast. Then again, I didn’t think even growing up in a huge city, with a stellar social life, could have prepared me to handle Eli’s knowing smile and laugh. And I hated myself for being partially intrigued by his taunts.

  Making my way along the hall, I found the back exit. The club opened onto a narrow alley and I walked along the old brick walls, a soft yellow light from the main street brightening my way. The brisk night air did wonders to help me regain a grip on myself and I took several long breaths in and out, as the music from the club beat through the thick walls in a distorted rhythm. None of the guys back home ever had me feeling all twisty and gross like this. Then again, I didn’t exactly have regular contact with the guys back home either. Maybe this was normal? If it was, Cyrus might have had the right idea, living in isolation on the side of a mountain. Much safer that way.

  After five minutes, my heart stopped its erratic pounding and I found myself acutely aware that I still had to pee, never having actually made it to the bathroom. When I turned to walk back into the club, I was face to face with a lanky man in a stylish suit blocking my way to the door. His dark hair fell in soft curls down his neck, and while the alley was too dark to discern the exact shade of his eyes, I knew with certainty that their focus was on me.

  “Um, hi. Sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else was out here. I’m just heading back in now.” I smiled nervously, waiting for him to step aside and open the door for me like a proper gentleman.

  He lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow and took a step closer instead, the scent of rich spices washing over me. “Stay a while, pretty girl. I can promise we’ll have so much more fun out here.”

  “That’s okay, I’m fine with having just normal amounts of fun on the inside of the building. You know, where there’s other people. Besides just you and me.” My voice trailed off and my eyes travelled around the vicinity, noting any potential weapons. Cyrus always told us we should be prepared to make the world our fighting ring, and after Wade’s warning about the men at The Guild, I was a little on edge. “Not to mention that this whole alley thing is a little too Norman Bates for my taste,” I whispered to myself, but the smirk on his shadowed face told me he’d heard me too. Probably not human, then. Taking down another protector would be more difficult, but definitely possible if my training session today proved anything.

  He stalked closer, and I took in the dark stubble lining his perfectly chiseled jaw, the glimpse of his starkly white teeth peeking between his lips. It was strange how a man could look so beautiful and dangerous at the same time. Then again, living amongst a bunch of protectors, I would hopefully get used to that soon. I wondered, briefly, if he was part of The Guild or some other organization. The grounds were huge and I’d only met a couple handfuls of protectors today—it could take me months to familiarize myself with everyone.

  Still, even if he was one of us, I didn’t intend to stick around. I’d seen enough horror films to know that the girl who wandered off by herself into creepy dark spaces always died first. That was so not going to be me. Especially not on my first day living in the real world. I might not have a ton of worldly experience, but as I told Wade, I wasn’t ignorant either.

  Not wanting to stick around for another moment with his alarming stare, I stepped to the side and made my way around him. Just as my hand reached the crisp metal of the doorknob, a much-too-strong hand pulled me back against a chest that felt like it was made of granite. While I assessed my surroundings, I felt the soft brush of two elongated teeth along my neck.

  Holy shit.

  Okay, so this wasn’t just a creepy serial killer, this was a full-on Dracula. I stopped breathing for an impossibly long moment, my brain going fuzzy with fear. I was going to die here. Alone. I mean, even Cyrus struggled with taking out vamps when he didn’t have a full team backing him up.

  Fine. I would die here, but I was not going to go down quietly. Ro deserved a better story of my death than that.

  Pity party over, I steeled myself before bucking my head back. I dislodged the man’s hold before his fangs could pierce skin. That’s what he got for playing with his food instead of snapping my neck first. He wasn’t easily shaken off, however, and before I could get away, he pulled me back by the crook of my elbow, throwing me against the wall. The force of the maneuver knocked the wind from my lungs and I could feel the coarse brick biting into the skin on my back. He was stronger than anyone I’d encountered. Much stronger. Cy’s limp made a world of sense now.

  The vampire’s hand encased my neck, lightly squeezing my windpipe, while he assessed me. My hand slid discreetly down my leg, the vampire’s eyes shining with curiosity as I slid my fingers between the seams of the high slip. Using sex appeal to distract a guy almost never failed in the movies. Who knew they were obtuse enough to fall for it in real life too?

  I winked, disarming his attention briefly, while I wrapped my hand around the hilt of my knife and pulled it in front of me.

  Without hesitation, I slashed the blade up, aiming for his chest. He moved at the last second, so fast that it was impossible to correct my attack. Instead of landing into his heart, the knife fell into his shoulder, up to the hilt. Before I had a chance to grab it back, he flung me to the ground, much harder than any protector could ever manage. As my right arm cracked against the concrete, I understood why it was such a big deal that Cyrus handled two of these guys on his own. They held far more power than we could ever dream of obtaining—no matter how much time we spent training.

  I jumped up, keeping my right arm held tight against my chest, while I squared off. Ro and I practiced sparring with one arm, while injured, many times—Cyrus taught us to be prepared for everything. I kicked off my heels, vowing to never wear them again if I survived this. Using my speed and strength to advantage, I ran towards the wall before ricocheting off of it with my bare foot and climbing up the vamp’s back in a move that mirrored one I’d used hundreds of times on Ro. The surprise attack left me enough time to retrieve my knife from his shoulder, but not enough to successfully land a hit in his chest.

  As soon as my fingers closed around the hilt, I kicked off from his back, landing hard on the cement. A fresh slice cut my knee open as I tried to right my balance, but wound up in an awkward kneel.

  His left fist came hauling straight towards my head, so I slid between his legs and kicked out his knees, barely concealing my smirk when he landed hard against the ground. I peeled my left arm back, which wasn’t my most accurate of the two, and plunged the knife upward from the top of the vamp’s stomach into his heart. The angle helped me avoid running into any of his ribs, but judging by the fact that his face contorted with anger instead of death, I must’ve hit just left of his heart. Crap. This was so much easier to do on a stationary practice dummy.

  I backed away while he jumped up and closed the distance between us in a blink of an eye.

  “Shit, you dudes are fast.” I cursed and pulled my knife out of his chest, but not before he pinned me back against the wall, holding both of my arms with one of his hands. It was like my strength was nothing to him—I was a limp doll in his grip. I whimpered as the pain in my right forearm exploded all the way to my shoulder, sure that it wouldn’t heal for at least a day or two. And even then, only if it was properly set first. And even then, only if I managed to survive this whole altercation. And that wasn’t looking too likely at the moment.

  I thrashed a few times, but couldn’t get him to budge an inch. “What the hell is a vamp even fucking doing in protector territory anyway,” I growled, frustration leaking out of me as I tried to scramble for my next idea.

  The leech started quietly laughing, but hard enough that his body rocked against mine, each of his ribs clacking against me like the world’s most macabre instrument.

  I screamed as his fangs pierced my neck successfully this time, drawing a long pull of blood. He inhaled deeply and his body went into a frenzy, lapping up my blood. I kicked out, pushing against him as much as possible, but he was using his whole body to pin me down against the wall. If he were just a protector, I’d stand a chance, but Nosferatu here was stronger than five of me stacked together. Maybe even five of Ro.

  Right when I was sure this was the end, that I was breathing my final breaths, the vamp was pulled from my body. The force, coupled with the awkward angle of his fangs’ exit, gouged a large chunk out of my neck. Gross. The blood loss alone was enough to make me instantly dizzy.

  When I looked over, expecting to see my rescuer—a thought that pissed me off, since I was no damsel—I found myself instead staring at the pony-sized dog that helped me out in the whole werewolf transgression. This big guy had a habit of showing up right when I needed him. I thought of myself as more of a cat person, but this Fido was slowly changing my mind.

  His body held the vampire pinned beneath him, his teeth and claws ripping into the vamp’s chest. I found myself momentarily sorry that such a fine suit would likely be in shatters. I shook my head softly to bring myself back to the fight—clearly this blood loss was messing with my brain. Welcoming the tag-teamed distraction, I grabbed my knife off the ground where it’d fallen.