A Very Levet Christmas (Guardians of Eternity) by Alexandra Ivy Page A

sophisticated weapons.
    He was walking, talking death.
    Which meant very few bothered to notice the dark eyes that held a razor-sharp intelligence or the starkly beautiful features beneath the elegant markings.
    Something that rarely bothered Fane. For the past decade he’d been a guardian to Callie Brown. All people needed to know about Fane was that he would kill them the second they threatened the young diviner.
    Now, he . . .
    Fane blew out a sigh, replacing the weights on the bar so he could wipe the sweat from his naked chest.
    Three months ago Callie had nearly died when they’d battled the powerful necromancer Lord Zakhar, and during the battle she’d fallen in love with a human policeman. Or at least Duncan O’Conner had been passing as human. Turned out he had the extra powers of a Sentinel and was also a soul-gazer, which meant he could read the souls of others. He was perfectly suited to take over the protection of Callie.
    Fane’s hand absently touched the center of his chest where he’d once felt the constant connection to Callie. They’d transferred the bond last week, but he still felt the strange void, which was wearing on his nerves.
    He needed a distraction.
    The thought had barely passed through his mind when a shadow fell over him, and he glanced up to discover a tall, lean man with copper-tinted skin and ebony eyes. Wolfe, the current Tagos (leader of all Sentinels), had a proud, hawkish nose, with heavy brows and prominent cheekbones that gave him the appearance of an ancient Egyptian deity.
    It was a face that spoke of power and fierce masculinity. The sort of face that intimidated men and made women wonder if he was as dangerous as he looked.
    He was.
    Just as arresting was the shoulder-length, black hair with a startling streak of gray that began at his right temple. There were whispers that when Wolfe was a babe he’d been touched by the devil.
    Something Fane fully believed.
    Swallowing a curse, Fane tossed aside his sweaty towel. Damn. This wasn’t the distraction he’d been wanting.
    Wolfe was dressed in jeans and a loose cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had his arms folded over his chest and was studying Fane with an expression that warned he wasn’t pleased.
    Around them the gym went silent as the other Sentinels pretended they weren’t straining to overhear the potential confrontation.
    “I heard through the grapevine you’ve taken a position as a trainer,” he said. That was Wolfe. Always straight to the point.
    Fane scowled. It’d been less than twenty-four hours since he’d made the decision to take a position as trainer in a monastery halfway around the world. How the hell had word spread so fast?
    “The grapevine should mind its own business.”
    The ebony eyes narrowed. “And I shouldn’t have to listen to gossip to learn when one of my Sentinels is leaving Valhalla.”
    Fane met Tagos glare for glare. “I have no direct duties here, at least not anymore. I’m allowed to return to the monastery without clearing it with you.”
    The air heated. Sentinels’ body temperature ran hotter than that of humans, and, when their emotions were provoked, Sentinels could actually warm the air around them.
    “Don’t be an ass. This isn’t about duties; I’m worried about you.”
    Oh hell.
    This was exactly what Fane didn’t want.
    He’d rather be shot in the head than have someone fussing over him.
    “There’s nothing to worry about. You know that I was a trainer for years before coming to Valhalla. I’m simply returning to my brothers in Tibet.”
    “You’ve just endured the removal of a long-standing bond. A traumatic experience for any guardian,” the older man ruthlessly pressed. “And we’re your brothers, you thankless son of a bitch.”
    Fane gave an impatient shake of his head. Wolfe was a hunter Sentinel, not a guardian, which meant he could never understand the truth of the bond.
    “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re