Free Her Warrior for Eternity by Susanna Shore

her face met a muscled chest, and she would have fallen if a strong hand hadn’t taken a good hold of her arm. “Where’s the fire?”
    The impact stunned her for a second. Then she panicked. He could be one of them. She tried to shake the hand off, but his grip only tightened. Frantic now, she charged at him – and then she was completely calm. The change was so sudden it had to be preternatural. He must have caused it. It should have frightened her, but try as she might, she couldn’t muster the emotion. She couldn’t feel anything.
    Unnaturally calm, she studied the man. He was a large, solid piece of muscle, and his outfit, a black leather jerkin and trousers, made him look like an extra in an epic fantasy series, only deadlier. His face was scruffy and harsh, and an ugly scar ran at the side of his cleanly shaven head above the right ear. But his eyes made her pause. They were intense and cold, but there was something familiar about them that made her decide he wasn’t the enemy.
    “Do you know Jeremy Grayson?”
    Immediately alert, he released her so fast she almost fell. “Which way?” He didn’t wait for details; he simply took off to the direction she pointed at.
    As he left, he released her from the spell. She would have been free to flee, but another man in a similar leather outfit materialised by her side, startling her badly. Then she recognised him from the club. A warrior like Jeremy. A vampire.
    Now that she was aware of it, she could sense him too, the strange coolness about him that marked him a vampire. It wasn’t unpleasant, just different, especially after the evening spent with the leopard-shifters who all felt warm and vibrant.
    He lifted his hands, calming. “Relax. I’m here to keep you safe. Jas and Jem can take care of the enemy.”
    “But there’s three of … them against two.” She was more worried for Jeremy than she was for herself, now that she wasn’t fleeing blindly anymore. Those men had looked like mean brutes.
    Her guard was a huge man, bigger than Jeremy, and the black leather uniform emphasised his size. But he was far less scary looking than the first warrior with his refined features and nicely cut reddish hair. He smiled. “Those two can take care of a mere three of … them .”
    Their skirting around the truth felt ridiculous. “They were renegades, weren’t they?”
    He startled. “You’ve got your memory back?”
    A growl rose from deep within her, but she was so exhausted after her spurt that it came out as an indignant squeak. “No, I did not get it back. Does everyone know about it?”
    He shrugged. “Pretty much, yes. Jem doesn’t often take such interest in a human woman.”
    “Well, I don’t like it.”
    “It was necessary.”
    “And useless.”
    “True,” he admitted easily. “But if you didn’t go wandering around the City after dark, you’d have been perfectly safe.”
    “If I’d had my memory, maybe I would have remembered I wasn’t supposed to do that.”
    He smiled. “Touché. I’m glad you’re not my responsibility.” He touched his ear and she noticed he was wearing a communication device. He listened to the other end, and nodded. “Acknowledged.” He took her by the arm. “Come, let’s get you home.”
    “I’m not going anywhere until I know Jeremy is safe.” She had been furious with him only a short while ago, but she didn’t want him to get hurt. If anyone was to hurt him, it would be her.
    “The last renegade is giving them a chase. It could take a while.”
    “Is Jeremy fit to run?”
    The affronted look on his face was almost comical. “Of course he is. He’s a Circle warrior.”
    “But if he’s been tailing me the whole day, he’s already run here from Greenwich, and there too.”
    He burst out laughing. “Poor Jem. But don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”
    She allowed him to escort her to a nearby car, a huge vehicle that could accommodate a man his size. He made to start the engine, but she halted him.