Chapter Eight
Tayla Mancuso hadn't been sure what to think when she'd gotten the call from the head of The Aegis's Portland cell. Sure, Guardians transferred all the time, but the Regent, Shawn, said that this was a special case, and he wouldn't elaborate.
Then, when one of the Guardians he'd called about, Andrea, contacted Tayla and asked to meet at the apartment Tay shared with her husband, Eidolon, instead of at the New York City cell's headquarters, Tay had gotten real suspicious. There were very few reasons a Guardian wouldn't want to meet at a cell's highly fortified headquarters, and topping the list would be if said Guardian couldn't make it past the wards that prevented underworld beings from entering. Or if the Guardian was worried about being recognized by cell members for some reason.
Or if the Guardian wanted to get Tayla alone, somewhere unprotected.
Tayla went through all of the scenarios, and though she was suspicious, her internal danger alarm hadn't triggered. She'd meet Andrea, but she'd make sure Eidolon was safe.
Tayla never lied to E, but before she agreed to see Andrea, she'd made sure he was working a shift at Underworld General, the hospital he and his brothers ran for anyone who couldn't be seen at a human medical facility.
Eidolon was a demon, a rare breed of incubus, and there was no way Tayla was allowing a demon slayer into the apartment with him there.
Granted, Tayla was half-demon herself, and no doubt rumors were already spreading since she'd revealed the fact to some Aegis bigwigs in Egypt last month, but she was also a Guardian, and she was fully prepared to take on Andrea if this was some sort of trick.
Or assassination attempt.
So yes, she'd agreed to meet Andrea while Eidolon was at work. Not that he couldn't defend himself -- he was a powerful fighter. But Tayla wasn't taking any chances.
Funny how protective she'd gotten. When they'd first met, she'd tried to kill him.
Now she was walking down the hallway of the expensive Manhattan apartment they shared, her fingers flexing over the stang at her hip. The double-bladed S-shaped weapon was an Aegis special, the first weapon she'd been trained on, and she wanted it at hand if there was trouble.
Because she suddenly had a hinky feeling, and she sensed that behind the door was more than just a woman wanting to transfer from the City of Roses to the Big Apple.
She opened the door, and her hand flew to the stang at the sight of a black-haired woman Tay assumed was Andrea...and a blond male who Tayla had no doubt was a vampire.
Neither Andrea nor the vamp missed Tay's hand action, and though they stiffened, they didn't make any aggressive or defensive moves. Wise, since Tayla also had a wooden stake at her ankle, and the ability to turn into an unstoppable monster if the situation called for it. Which she hoped didn't happen. Shifting into her Soulshredder form, with her veiny black wings and six-inch claws, stung like hell and made her cranky for hours afterward.
"I'm Andrea." The female, dressed in jeans and a bulky sweatshirt that no doubt concealed a buttload of weapons, took the vamp's hand, and he tugged her protectively against him. "And this is Kaden."
Suddenly, Tayla got what was going on. A slayer had fallen for a vampire. How very Buffy.
As if Tayla had room to talk, given that she'd slept with Eidolon before she'd learned that she was also a demon.
"So," Tayla said, "I'm guessing that you know about me and my situation, and you're hoping that by coming to me, you'll find a cell sympathetic to your situation."
"It's a little more complicated than that," Kaden said, his voice as dark as his leather pants and jacket.
Still wary, Tayla gestured for the couple to enter, and then she followed them to Eidolon's study, where they took seats on the leather couch. Kaden sat stiffly, his body language making clear that he was ready to throw down if Tayla made a move against Andrea. Having an overprotective mate herself, Tayla understood his precaution. Having dealt with prejudice inside The Aegis on a daily basis, she also got his paranoia, so she'd give him a break. She wasn't however, stupid, and she took a casual stance near the door.
"Okay," she began. "So how is your situation more complicated?"
"I'd like to know the answer to that, as well." Eidolon's deep voice made Tayla jump, and she whirled around to see him moving toward her in that smooth, confident gait that always made her hot. "What, you think I didn't know you were hiding something from me? We're bonded, remember?"
She sighed. Yeah, they were bonded. Linked by a blood ritual and the matching glyphs on their arms. They could sense each others' emotions and needs...especially the sexual needs, given that he was an incubus.