Earth Warden Read Free Page A

look. “I didn’t say that. Move your leg please, you’re blocking my way.”
    “I know.”
    Hawk’s smile faded a little as his side reminded him that it had holes in it. This one was damn hard to charm. Normally all he had to do was flash a smile, twinkle the old baby blues, and it was instant panty remover. He tried again, his tone more serious.
    “Thing is, I have some very specific needs.”
    “I don’t want to hear about your fetishes. Excuse me.” Her lips pursed tight as she began to brush past him. He shot his hand out and grabbed her arm, stopping her as he flicked his jacket open to reveal the ripped T-shirt and the deep, barely healed wounds furrowing his side. “I need a Warden. Seen one hereabouts?”
    A gasp and a wince of sympathy escaped her lips. Her gaze flicked from his wounded side back up to meet his eyes.
    “I’m not a Warden,” she said, the reply too immediate and automatic for him to believe.
    He shook his head.
    “You got a mark on your back which says otherwise, sweetheart. And I really need a Warden right about now.” His voice was tight but not begging. Not yet. Give it a little longer and he would be. “Or I’m not going to last the night.”
    Her fingers tightened around the empty mug, and she nodded. “Okay, I’m almost done here. Meet me outside. But I can’t promise much, understand?”
     
     
    In the shadows outside the diner, Hawk eased into a more comfortable slouch against the wall to wait for the Warden. Propping one foot against the brickwork, he thrust his hands deep into his pockets and recalled their conversation. She’d been so open, every emotion visible on her delicate face. Irritation with him, and an interest she’d tried hard to conceal, seemed to be the main contenders.
    There had been something else though. An odd pull as if he recognized her somehow, which was madness since he knew he’d never seen her before in his life. He put the thought to the back of his mind for now. All that mattered was that his little waitress was a Warden. He’d always believed the Fates were total bitches, eager to screw any guy over, but here they were, dropping a Warden right in his lap right when he needed one.
    Perhaps they weren’t that bad after all.
    The door opened, and Hawk looked up, vision sharp in the darkness of the shadows. His little Warden stepped out the door of the diner, looping her purse over her shoulder until it lay across her body. She was a pretty little thing; slender and petite with an ethereal air that did things to him on a very primitive level. An image flashed in his mind. That dark hair spread in a halo around her on the bed, her violet eyes dark with passion....
    One night, she’d said. Sanctuary.
    She couldn't refuse him. It was what Wardens did. Warriors fought the things that went bump in the night, and Wardens took care of the magical side of things. They pedaled protection spells, amulets and potions. If he or any of his brothers needed a magical circle and a circle of salt just wasn't going to cut it, then they called a Warden in. They came, they saw, they left graffiti all over the floor. Whether painted, or carved into stone or wood, nothing got past a Warden's circle, and that was just a magical circle, a temporary protection. Havens—a Warden's home ground—were reputed to be impenetrable, the magical equivalent of Fort Knox.
    “Car’s this way,” she said as she passed him and headed for the alleyway at the side of the diner. Hawk pushed off the wall with a grunt and followed her, his gaze dropping to admire her ass. It was an automatic reaction. He was male and she had a great ass.
    His brows snapped together when they turned the corner and into the darkened alleyway. Typical of the inner city it was an odd shaped gap, just large enough for a couple of Dumpsters and a small car. It was only saved from being badly lit by not being lit at all. The single lamp over one of the doors was out of action and had been for some time