Free See No Evil (Alpha Guardians Book 1) by Vivian Wood

suddenly become the center of his universe, that he instantly trusted her more than he did them, despite only knowing her for a matter of hours.
    To be fair, it was nonsense. But it was nonsense that he couldn’t and wouldn’t sort out now, not when Echo was doing something to him that was mind-shatteringly painful.
    He concentrated on keeping himself still and quiet, and in another minute Echo was finished.
    Rhys tried to move a little, grimacing at the intense pain that remained, but he could tell that he was mostly healed. He turned his mind inward and forced himself to shift back, focusing on making sure that his human form was intact, complete with clothing and weaponry. A distracted shift often resulted in someone ending up bare-assed and ashamed, and Rhys wasn’t in the mood for that just now. He was too damned worn out.
    Gabriel came up to check on Echo, helping her to her feet as Aeric helped Rhys up.
    “There she is!”
    All heads whipped toward the street, where five more black-suited goons sprinted toward them. Aeric and Gabriel started to push Rhys and Echo back, but Echo growled and pushed Gabriel away.
    “No! No more!” Echo said, tossing back her blonde mane. Her hands shot out and her head snapped back as she released an enormous wave of power. Orange this time, instead of the white healing power she’d used on Rhys.
    Each of the approaching men staggered and dropped to the ground, still as stones.
    “What in the—” Rhys began, but he was cut off when Echo’s eyes rolled up in her head. She simply collapsed, like a marionette whose strings had been cut, every inch of her body going limp and lifeless. Rhys actually had to throw himself in her direction just to keep her head from hitting the ground, landing with her in an awkward heap.
    Rhys looked up at Gabriel and Aeric, who were staring at all the bodies on the ground. A battered red Toyota turned onto the block, stopping at the sight of five unconscious bodies. True to New Orleans form, the car just backed up and drove off without a word.
    Aeric and Gabriel looked at each other and sighed, then began pulling bodies from the street to the yard across from where Rhys and Echo lay. After they’d tidied that up, Aeric came back to stand over Rhys.
    “I’m going to clear the house, make sure there are no injuries or casualties,” Gabriel said, heading toward the bungalow.
    “I’m going to have to help you with your woman,” Aeric told him, the other Guardian’s gaze warning Rhys not to fight it.
    Rhys gave an assenting nod and Aeric scooped Echo up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She didn’t so much as twitch, which spurred Rhys’s fear to new levels.
    “Careful with her,” he growled at Aeric, who only stared back at Rhys with a blank expression and hitched Echo higher on his shoulder.
    “Alright,” Gabriel said, returning. “The house is empty. There are photos of your girl on the refrigerator, though, Rhys. She must have run straight here.”
    Rhys nodded, wondering why the house was so empty. If Echo had been visiting a friend or a family member, where was the homeowner now?
    Gabriel pulled up the SUV and helped Rhys to his feet. Rhys got in first and accepted Echo’s unconscious form from Aeric, cradling her on his lap as they returned to the Manor once more. Every fiber of his being thrilled at the chance to touch her, though he was also concerned about her state.
    He checked her pulse on the drive back and found it normal. From that, Rhys determined that she’d likely just given herself a nasty case of magic burnout, which happened when a witch wielded and expended very large amounts of energy from their inner wellspring. Magical energy was usually derived from a natural source of power, perhaps a mystical object such as the power stone buried in the Manor’s back yard. It could also be gained by harnessing the energy from certain natural phenomenon like large waterfalls, or from darker sources like