Unchained: An Eternal Guardians Novella Read Free

might not have young yet, but she would be an incredible mother one day, and Prometheus was bound to be here when that happened.
    He sighed as he watched the happy scene. She was the real reason he stayed in this realm. So he could make sure she was safe. So he could watch over her the way he should have watched over her long ago. A paternal urge to join her in that field pulled at him, but he ignored it. His daughter had long ago forgiven him for being the world’s shittiest father, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be part of her life.
    “Find me. I’m waiting. I’m waiting only for you ...”
    The throaty feminine voice caused Prometheus to turn his head. All other sound drifted to the background as he focused on one thought:
    She was back. The mystery apparition from his dreams. The one he’d desperately wanted to touch and taste and devour yesterday in his castle.
    “Find me...”
    He pulled the stalk of wheat from his mouth, dropped it on the ground, and pushed to his feet. A flitter of white disappeared in the trees.
    His heart rate shot up. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he followed, his blood warming with every step. He’d lain awake long into the night rationalizing she was a hallucination. At best, he figured she was a ghost. Either way, he wanted to know why she was haunting him, and there was no better time to find out than right now.
    The light faded as he entered the copse of trees. Leaves rustled in the warm breeze. Grass and rocks gave way to a carpet of moss. The rippling edge of white chiffon disappeared behind a tree, the fabric’s movement like a lighthouse beacon drawing him home in the dark of night.
    He stepped around the trunk of the tree and drew to a stop when he spotted her, standing barefoot in the distance, the straps of the white gown hanging from her delicate shoulders, following the curves at her waist and hips. Ribbons of sunlight filtering through the canopy caught in the fire-red hair spilling down her spine in gentle curls, the color of heat, of flames, of desire and passion.
    Slowly, she turned and smiled at him with candy-red lips and eyes that gleamed like emeralds. Her nose was straight with a tiny flare at the tip, her cheekbones high, her skin so pale it looked like newly fallen snow. And even before she spoke he felt himself falling under her wicked spell all over again. The same way he had in his dreams. The same way he did every time he closed his eyes. The exact same way he had yesterday when she’d begged for his help then poofed out of his library with no explanation.
    “Who are you?” he whispered, stepping forward.
    Her smile faded. “Yours. I’m yours. Find me...”
    Her words lingered in the air as she turned and ran.
    His adrenaline shot into the stratosphere. “Wait!”
    She didn’t stop, didn’t slow, and without even thinking he pushed his legs forward to follow.
    She was fast for a hallucination. His muscles burned as he hustled to keep sight of her through the forest. She weaved her way around brush and trees. A small river rippled somewhere to the right. She darted in that direction, following the meandering water along its bank. He rounded a corner and slowed when he spotted the end of the path. A waterfall loomed ahead, the ground rising on both sides. Past the waterfall, a stone bridge spanned the river, and in the distance, a stately gazebo with marble columns and a domed ceiling overlooked the pristine sight.
    Prometheus’s breathing slowed as he searched for the female, but he couldn’t see her. Long seconds passed with the only sound the water tumbling over rocks. Panic pushed in; panic that he’d lost her, that he’d never see her again, that—
    A blur of white rushed across the bridge, moved into the trees, and zigzagged up the hillside toward the gazebo.
    His heart kick-started all over again, and he looked toward the cliff ahead. The forest was dark here, but the rocks seemed to form...
    Yes, they formed steps leading up the cliff