Free UnGuarded by Ashley Robertson Page A

me. “It’s Selene. My name is Selene.” I
took his hand in mine, returning the smile.
    “Nice to meet you, Selene.” He let me go and
looked back at Luke. “So what is it you need me for again? You said
someone was in trouble?”
    “I won’t bore you with all the details.
They’re not important anyway.” Luke shifted in his seat and leaned
closer to Huron. “An otherworldly demon took a friend of mine, and
me and Angel here have a plan to get him back, but we need your
help with that.”
    “What do you need me to do?” Huron asked,
watching Luke with solemn eyes.
    “I need you to rally a few vamps, and demons
too, that are willing to go to Charon. That’s how we’re getting our
boy back.”
    Huron rubbed his chin. “Well, the vamps
won’t be a problem, but the demons might. Charon, huh? Won’t the
boss have a problem with that?”
    Luke laughed. “The boss is already on
it.”
    “But your plan isn’t part of the boss’s?”
Huron inquired. What a smart undead man he was.
    “The less you know, the better, ole
buddy.”
    Huron flashed a knowing smile. “How long
before you need ’em?”
    Yesterday , I thought.
    “Yesterday,” Luke replied. Was he reading my
mind? Impossible! I quickly shook off the thought.
    Huron nodded and let us know he’d be in
touch as soon as he could. Luke and I had left the bar, heading
back to the alley so I could discreetly orb back to Caitlyn, when a
terrible, stabbing pain struck my chest. An agonizing cry rushed
out as I pressed my hand over my heart, collapsing to my knees.
    “Angel, what’s wrong?”
    I couldn’t answer. It hurt too bad. I’d
never felt anything like this before.
    Luke picked me up in his arms. “Hold on.
This might make you feel dizzy, but I gotta get us somewhere more
private.”
    There was a whir of movement all around,
flashing lights, and then more of that horrendous chest pain. My
fingers massaged through the cloth of my shirt, desperately trying
to find relief. But the pain was deep inside, throbbing spasms
cutting through the center of my heart. I remembered Caitlyn, my
deal with Moros, and immediately I sensed something was wrong. It
was as if the wind was knocked out of my lungs, and I struggled to
find my next breath. Something had happened to her. I just knew it.
The sharp, shuddering pain intensified, and it felt like I was
about to pass out. I was disoriented beyond words, leaving me
speechless. Where was Luke taking me?
    When the dizzying movement stopped, I saw
concrete walls everywhere. Even the floor and ceiling matched the
gray décor. It reminded me of a basement. Luke laid me on an old,
scratched-up sofa, gently placing a pillow under my head. “Just lie
here a minute, I’ll fetch you some water,” he said.
    I sat up, still in pain but finally able to
speak. “No. It’s not necessary. I’m fine.”
    “The hell you are.”
    “It’s not your concern,” I hissed, feeling a
pressing urgency to return to my charge. “I’ve got to go. Send for
me when we’re ready.” I closed my eyes, placing all my focus on
Caitlyn. Everything warped around me, then went completely
dark.
     
     
    It was twilight. Oversized red rocks
surrounded me as I ran. The ground was hard, with an inch of dusty
orange sand on top—which slowed me a little. I could sense the
clearing coming up ahead, then the amphitheater just beyond that.
The Red Rocks Amphitheater, I thought. I could hear a man laughing
in the distance. The voice was ever so familiar. Cole.
    I kept up the pace, not daring to look back
for fear it’d slow me down. Cole might seem far away now, but he’d
be on me in seconds if I weren’t careful. Then I’d never hear the
end of it. Although I’d let him, he’d already caught me the last
six times. It was time for me to break his winning streak.
    I rushed past the clearing, shape-shifting
my boots into a pair of sneakers, then leapt on the top row of
stadium seating. The amphitheater was built on the side of a
mountain, and