Profiling Nathan: Romancing the Guardians, Book Five Read online

  He had a sinking feeling that she was definitely not okay with his request for time.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Talia lay awake staring into the darkness, feeling like Nate had just stomped her heart into a million pieces. Logic told her his rough childhood – the loss of his mother, a stepmother who had shown him no love, and a father who’d failed him – could have left him incapable of loving anyone.

  Yet, he had proven himself to be a good, caring man time and again since they’d met, causing her to wonder if his plea for time was really his way of putting her off because he didn’t love her and never would. But if that was the case, why did he believe she was his true mate? It made no sense.

  Much as his apparent rejection hurt, she decided to give him the time he’d requested. What choice did she have unless she wanted to hop a plane home to D.C.? No, she had too much of herself invested in the man lying beside her. She refused to give up on him just yet. However, if he expected any repeat of tonight before he owned up to loving her, if indeed he did, then he was in for a reality check.

  With her decision made, she fell asleep.

  *

  Nate knew the next morning that Tally was upset over his refusal to tell her he loved her last night. Not that she brought it up. On the contrary, she said very little as they showered, dressed and breakfasted with Michaela and Dev. Her silence continued as they headed west across Texas. He kept hoping she would loosen up as the day rolled on but saw no change by the time they stopped for the night in a small town near the New Mexico border. After a meal of authentic Mexican fare in a shabby cantina, they retired to their room, Dev and Michaela doing the same.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” Tally said.

  “Okay.” He flopped on the bed, leaning against the headboard with a couple pillows stuffed behind him, while she rummaged through the beat up duffle bag he’d supplied for them both – a relic from years past kept under his bed back in Tampa.

  She came up with a t-shirt of his that she’d claimed to sleep in and made a beeline for the bathroom. After the small, indistinct sounds of her undressing, the shower turned on. Nate switched on a cheap radio sitting on the nightstand beside him and listened to country tunes until she came out several minutes later wearing the t-shirt.

  “The bathroom is all yours,” she said, hanging her clothes in the dinky closet. “Sorry it’s steamed up. The ceiling fan doesn’t work.”

  “No problem.” He took off his shoes, rose and padded across the worn carpet to the bathroom. “I won’t be in there long.”

  “Take your time. I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day.”

  “Right.” He waited to see if she would make any move toward him, to kiss him goodnight at least, but she didn’t even look at him as she loosened the bed covers. Frowning, he went ahead and showered. It took him maybe five minutes. Stepping out of the now very steamy bathroom, he stood naked as a jaybird, toweling his hair dry and watching Tally. She lay on her side in bed facing away from him, covered up to her chin.

  Tossing his clothes on a chair, he stretched out beside her. He started to drape his arm around her but she stiffened at his touch.

  “I really want to get some sleep, Nate,” she said.

  “Sure,” he bit out, not caring for her cold-shouldered routine. Rolling onto his back, he crossed his arms under his head. If that’s the way she wanted to act, fine. Two could play at this game.

  The next day passed in much the same way, with them barely speaking to each other. Michaela gave them worried glances and pulled Nate aside when they stopped to get gas and use the restrooms.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “Did you two have a fight?”

  He scowled. “Not exactly. Leave it alone, okay? We’ll work things out.”

  She did as he asked and evidently advised Dev to do the same, although he shot Nate a narrow-eyed frown in the rearview mirror now and then.

  Before they’d started out that morning, the big ox had warned the day would be long because he wanted to reach their destination by nightfall. He wasn’t kidding. Their route took them across New Mexico and into Arizona, where it turned north, leading at last to the entrance of Canyon de Chelly National Monument. By now, dusk was upon then, the sky in the west glowing red-purple.

  “This is where the Guardians are hiding out,” Dev said, slowly driving into the gap in the high desert. “Canyon de Chelly is part of the Navaho Nation.” He pronounced it de Shay. “A number of Navaho live in the canyon. One of them, Leon Tseda, has a daughter named Josie who served in Afghanistan as a chopper pilot. That’s where Conn O’Shea and I got to know her. Thanks to Josie, her father took us in.”

  As they proceeded into the canyon all they could see were dark rock walls rising on either side of a narrow, shadowed valley. Dev turned on his headlights, but seeing the rough road, if it could be called that, was not what concerned Nate. Bumping over ruts and rocky rises, he heard Tally gasp and knew she was in pain.

  “Hey man, take it slow,” he told Dev. “All this bouncing up and down is hurting Tally.”

  “Oh, sorry, Snow. I’ll slow down but I can’t do anything about the bumps.”

  “It’s alright, Dev, I can stand it,” Tally said. But she reached out for Nate’s hand, the first move she’d made toward him since Fort Worth. He squeezed her hand, offering what comfort he could.

  Finally, Dev turned off onto a narrow dirt path bordered by dark fields, leading to a strangely shaped, low-domed building, no more than a black silhouette against the deepening night. “That’s Leon Tseda’s place,” he said. “Leon’s off on a mission for Lara, but Josie should be here.”

  “Josie and Dev flew down to Colombia a while back to contact Gabriel Valdez and bring him back here,” Michaela added.

  “Sounds dangerous,” Nate said. “The last I heard, Gabriel was fighting a private war with some drug cartel down there.”

  “He was,” Dev confirmed, “and the fool woman talked me into leaving her there when I headed back to make sure my girl here was okay.” He squeezed Michaela’s shoulder. “Josie had quite a time finding Gabe and convincing him to fly back with her.” As he spoke, he pulled his SUV to a stop outside the small, dark structure.

  Stepping out of the vehicle, Nate hurried around to help Talia out. She moved slowly and wove on her feet. He circled an arm around her, relieved when she didn’t push him away, and led her after the other couple into the building. Dev switched on a dim bulb mounted on the wall inside the doorway, revealing a multi-sided room with a wood-burning stove in the center, a primitive sleeping platform against one wall, and some portable beds folded up against another wall.

  Directly across the room was another door. Striding over to it with Michaela, Dev tapped once, opened the door and stepped over the threshold, calling out, “Hey y’all, we’re home and we brought company.”

  Nate heard excited female voices from within as he led Tally into what appeared to be a modern house attached to the hogan. They were greeted by Gabriel Valdez and a petite, pretty Navaho woman who had to be Josie Tseda. Behind them appeared Charlotte Dixon, a young Guardian Nate had met only once at the last conclave. With her was a sandy-haired man who laid his arm casually across her shoulders. She introduced him as her mate, Tristan Jameson. Nate, in turn, introduced Tally, saying she had just lately become his mate.

  Josie glanced around the group and grinned. “Seems like all of you Guardians are suddenly meeting your mates. Including you, handsome,” she teased, elbowing Gabriel in his side. Getting a laugh out of him, she said, “I wonder if my father will return from France as Delilah Moreau’s mate.”

  “Your father went after her? Good lord, don’t wish that witch on him!” Nate burst out. They all laughed except Tally. She’d drawn away from him to stand on her own, but he could see she was ready to drop in her tracks. “Uh, I think Tally needs to lie down,” he said. “We’ve been on the road all day and she’s nursing some wounds.” He started to tell them about her being attack
ed, but Josie raised her hand to stop him.

  “You can explain later,” she said. “We don’t have anymore bedrooms open, but Gabe and I picked up some camp beds with mattresses. We’ll sleep on a couple of them in the hogan. You and Tally can have our room.”

  “No, I don’t want to put you out,” Tally protested in a tired voice. “We can sleep in the hogan, right?” She aimed the question at Nate.

  He frowned. “Honey, maybe we should take Josie up on her offer,” he said, gently gripping her arm. “You’re still recuperating.”

  “No!” She twisted her arm free. “Just bring in our things, please. Then visit with your friends. I’ll go lie down.”

  Although perplexed by her stubborn refusal, he did as she asked, bringing in their meager luggage while Josie and Gabriel set up the camp beds and Dev started a fire in the wood stove. Michaela and Charlotte brought pillows and bed linens. Leaving them to make up the narrow beds and help Tally get settled, the men gathered around the kitchen table, where Gabriel set out glasses and a bottle of bourbon. The whiskey helped to calm Nate’s worry for Tally.

  A short while later, the three other women joined them and the group filled Nate in on their experiences of late. He was shocked to hear of Charlotte and Tristan’s narrow escape from the Hellhounds in New York, along with Lara Flewellen and Conn O’Shea, who’d gone to locate Charlotte and escort her back to the canyon.

  Asking where the new High Guardian and her protector were now, he learned they’d left to find Adam Dvorak, the seventh member of the Comhairle – the High Guardian’s Council. A botanist, Dvorak was working on an agricultural project in some far-off African country, exactly where they weren’t sure.

  When Michaela announced that she now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nate had not betrayed them to the Hellhounds, he stared at her in mystification. “Of course I haven’t, but what makes you so positive I didn’t?”

  Lowering her gaze, she toyed with the ties of her peasant blouse at her throat. “I’m a mind reader, in case you forgot. The night we spent in Fort Worth, I went to your room. I was going to knock and ask permission to look into your thoughts but I, um, decided not to disturb you and Tally. So I stood in the hall and –”

  “You spied on me!” he exploded, angrily slapping the table. “How dare you?”

  “Hey, take it easy,” Dev barked, placing a protective arm around Michaela, who flinched at Nate’s outburst.

  “I’m sorry, Nate!” she said. “But Dev and I needed to know if it was safe to bring you here.”

  He glared at her, clenching and unclenching his jaw. Then he exhaled a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, I get that. But there are times when a man and woman want privacy.”

  The blonde woman lowered her eyes and turned red beneath her golden skin. “I-I know. I backed out of your head as soon as possible, I swear.”

  Josie cleared her throat. “So the upshot of all this is the Moreau woman my father went to collect is most likely the traitor who tipped off the Hellhounds about Michaela’s location and later Charlotte’s.” She raised her dark eyebrows and glanced at each of the Guardians. “Unless you think it’s the botanist?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I cannot believe Adam would betray us. He believes passionately that we hold keys to the future of this world. I recall him saying we must guard the ancient prophesies with our lives.” He shrugged. “Besides, if Lara and Conn are having difficulty locating Adam, surely our enemies can have no idea who he is or where to find him.”

  “That makes sense,” Nate said, “but I don’t see how Delilah could have told the Hellhounds where to find any of us. Only the High Guardian is supposed to know our locations.”

  “You’re right, Nathan,” Charlotte said. “My mother told me it’s a precaution to protect the group. In case one of us was ever captured, he or she wouldn’t be able to reveal the others’ whereabouts.”

  Michaela squirmed in her chair and wrung her hands on the table. “That’s true, but I’m afraid the precaution wasn’t always effective in my case.”

  “What do you mean?” Josie asked.

  “Jesus!” Nate swore. “You found out where we were by reading our minds. That’s why you were afraid of breaking and giving away our locations if Dev hadn’t rescued you when you were kidnapped.”

  “Yes, but I never intended to pry,” Michaela quickly said. “And I only know where two of you live. I learned your location, Nate, that time when I stitched you up. You were so inebriated that every thought you had flew at me.” Michaela turned to Charlotte. “And I found out where you were at our last conclave. You were so nervous. I reached out to try to calm you and –”

  “And I let you see where I was living,” the redheaded young woman said, wearing a horrified expression.

  Nodding, Michaela bent her head. “I’m so sorry, all of you,” she said, voice thick with regret.

  “You couldn’t help it, Goldie,” Dev said, gently stroking her hair. “We all know that.” He aimed a cool stare around the table.

  “Did Malcolm know?” Gabriel asked.

  “Yes, I felt duty-bound to tell him.” Michaela looked up and smiled. “He didn’t get angry, didn’t even seem surprised. He said I was not the first in my line to face the same problem. He advised me to keep it to myself and pray I would never be forced to divulge what I know.”

  “And you weren’t, thanks to Dev,” Nate said, tipping his head to the big guy in gratitude. “Which brings us back to who is working with the Hellhounds.” He sighed. “I wish Malcolm was here. Maybe he’d know.”

  “Perhaps, but Lara is doing her best to bring us all together,” Charlotte asserted. “And she was her uncle’s choice to succeed him.”

  “I know, but Malcolm had just begun to train her. Is she ready to lead us? Do any of you know if she has a plan for defeating our enemies?” He crossed his arms, frowning doubtfully.

  “Yes, she does have a plan,” Michaela replied, regaining her composure. “Once all of us are gathered here, Lara intends to issue a challenge to the Hellhounds. I don’t know exactly how she plans to do that, but she wants to draw them into a trap. Then it will be up to us, all of us, to defeat them.”

  “Sounds like a tall order,” Nate said, still skeptical.

  After a few more minutes of discussion, they called it a night. Nate walked out to the Hogan to find Tally sound asleep. Pushing his camp bed next to hers, he stripped and slid under the covers. The narrow mattress wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he didn’t care. He had his woman near him, all that mattered.

  Thinking of how close the other Guardians obviously were with their mates, he came to a decision. Tomorrow he would make sure Tally knew exactly how much he needed her and, yes, loved her. He was done with letting the past rule him, done with being afraid to trust her with his heart.

  *

  Talia woke up on her back with Nate’s arm draped across her midriff. Turning her head, she saw him lying on his stomach with his bed tight against hers. Face half buried in his pillow and hair disordered, he looked younger, almost boyish. She smiled lovingly at the sight of him.

  Her next heartbeat brought the memory of his refusal to say he loved her, putting her off with his lame excuse of needing time. Just how long was she supposed to wait for him to make up his mind? The more she thought about it, the more hurt and angry she became. She lifted his arm off her none too gently.

  Throwing back her covers, she instantly started shivering. The hogan had no heat source other than the small wood-burning stove, and it stood cold and dead at the moment. Rising, she quickly dressed, brushed her hair and made a dash for the door to the main house. She was just stepping inside when Nate called her name in a groggy voice. Ignoring him, she shut the door behind her.

  The aroma of coffee, frying bacon and something delicious with cinnamon in it wafted from the kitchen where Tristan stood at the stove wielding a spatula. Charlotte was taking plates down from a cupboard. Both glanced her way at the sound of the closing door and off
ered cheery greetings.

  “Good morning,” she replied, hugging herself. “It sure smells good in here.”

  “You look half frozen,” Charlotte said, setting her stack of plates on the table. “That hogan gets pretty chilly when the fire in the stove goes out. Let me find a sweater for you.” Rushing toward the back of the house, she returned within moments and handed Talia a bulky gray sweater. “That should warm you up. I heard the others moving around. They’ll be out soon, I expect. What about Nathan?”

  “I think he’s awake.” Gratefully donning the sweater, Talia offered to help with breakfast preparations, but Tristan said he had it well in hand.

  “He’s a chef back in New York City,” Charlotte proudly informed her. “Wait until you taste his cinnamon rolls. I guarantee you’ll love them.”

  She wasn’t exaggerating, Talia discovered once everyone had assembled around the table, including Nate who sat next to her. Doing her best to hide her annoyance with him, she enjoyed one of the scrumptious rolls, complimenting Tristan on his baking skills. He acknowledged her praise with a smile and a nod.

  “Tristan’s cinnamon rolls are famous around here,” Josie said, earning a few chuckles. After a brief silence, she asked, “How are you feeling today, Tally?”

  Sensing all eyes upon her, Talia paused with her coffee cup halfway to her mouth. “I’m feeling much better. Thank you for asking, Josie.” She set the cup down and glanced at the others. “I apologize for my poor manners last night. It was inexcusable.”

  “Not so,” Michaela said, reaching across the table to pat her hand. “You were exhausted and hurting. We wore you out getting here, and the bumpy ride through the canyon did you in. We all understand.”

  Agreeing comments rang out from the group. Grateful for their kindness, Talia nevertheless felt like an outsider as conversation swirled around her about their absent comrades and what battles lay ahead with their enemies. Would her skills as an FBI profiler be of any use to these people? She doubted it.