Tempted by Elise Marion

lingering in his soul. War was an ugly business, one that left people changed forever. Jackson had seen more than his fair share of death.
    “ Had enough?”
    Sarah swiped a hand over her tear-filled eyes. She’d never cried before, in either her angelic or human forms. The tears flowed freely now, her heart broken at what she had just witnessed. She wanted to turn away, to tell Leliel that she’d had enough. Instead, she shook her head and took a deep breath.
    “ Show me more.”
     
     
     
     
    They were coming for him. Jackson didn’t know how he knew, but he did. As he lay sleeping on his cot in the desert, he tossed and turned. They were coming for him; he could hear their footsteps outside, hear their voices whispering as they conspired together.
    They were deciding how to kill him, deciding how to get retribution. He’d killed their men, and they would have their revenge.
    Jackson went completely still on his cot, listening as their footsteps grew closer. He heard them enter his tent and stalk toward him stealthily. He could hear them breathing. He forced himself to lay still and wait until one of them was within reach. They might outnumber him, but damn it, he was not going down without a fight.
    He felt it when one of them came and stood beside the cot, felt the burning of the man’s eyes on his face. He held his breath and waited for him to make a move. As the man’s hand came toward him, Jackson reared up in the cot and opened his eyes. His arm lashed out to catch his enemy’s in midair, and he twisted it behind the man’s back painfully. Jackson leaped from the bed and took the man down, wrapping his hands around his throat.
    His eyes were open, but he was caught somewhere between a dream and reality. He saw only the face of his enemy as he leaned over the man, squeezing the life out of him. He faintly heard the sound of gagging and choking and felt the scrape of fingernails against his face and neck. It wasn’t until a blinding pain exploded in his crotch that he rolled from on top of his victim with a pain-filled cry.
    The pain had jerked him into complete wakefulness, and now he was lying on the cold hardwood floor of his bedroom. The patterned rug beneath the four-poster bed was familiar to him.
    He rolled to his side as he struggled for breath, his eyes clashing with those of his wife. Rochelle sat just a few feet away from him on the floor, her hands pressed against the ugly bruise around her neck, crying and gasping for air…
     

Chapter 8: The Morning After
     
    Jackson groaned aloud when he exited his apartment building the next morning. She was waiting for him. He quickly turned to the left, guiding Mason in the direction he took every morning. The dog loped along beside him obediently.
    “ Guess I didn’t make myself clear last night,” he said as Sarah fell in on his other side. “I thought I told you to hit the bricks.”
    “ You do not command me Jackson,” she said with a shrug. “I take my orders from Father and no one else. His orders were to protect you at all costs until you’ve made your decision.”
    “ Tell your Father that I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
    Her arm lashed out and her small hand wrapped around his bicep. Jackson flinched from the pain of her tight grip; he kept forgetting that the little thing was an angel. She was probably as strong as ten men when she wanted to be. He halted and stared down at her.
    “ You are a target for a very dangerous demon,” she said, her eyes wide. Jackson couldn’t help but notice the long spiky lashes framing the hazel depths. His eyes dropped down to her parted lips, tinged their own natural shade of pink. “You need to take this seriously, Jackson. Being a Guardian could change your life forever, give you a purpose. You’d be a fool to pass it up.”
    He snorted. “Trust me, I’m not the guy you want. When people give me responsibilities I mess things up, every time. My mistakes have