Gates of Rapture (Guardians of Ascension #6)(40)
Author: Caris Roane

“Is that you, James? Are you in the bathroom? Jesus, I can smell you. Did you bathe in wine or what?”

Casimir weaved on his feet. The scent was back, that intense wildflower scent, the one he had first smelled when he arrived at the observation deck.

And the scent belonged to this woman.

Oh, my God, it was a breh scent. He couldn’t be mistaken about that, because right now all he could think about was how to get this woman on her back. Worse, her scent was about a hundred times stronger than he’d ever experienced with Grace.

She wore jeans and a snug tank top that displayed beautiful br**sts. She was as tall as Grace, which was perfect for sex. Her h*ps flared and her lips were full, two of his favorite attributes in the female form. She had a deeply sensuous look. Her hazel eyes looked familiar somehow, but he couldn’t quite place her. Her long light brown hair lay in waves over her shoulders.

Some of his former hedonism took root, and for a long moment all he could think about was stripping her down and taking her to bed.

But the newer part of who he was asserted itself. He forced himself to calm down, then he made himself visible.

Her eyes widened when he appeared, but she didn’t look too shocked, like maybe invisibility was more normal on Third Earth. “Who are you?” she asked. “And what are you doing here and did you bust up a bottle of vino or what? The entire room reeks of it.”

A wine scent. Grace had said he smelled of mulled wine.

He wondered what this woman would think of breh-scents.

He moved forward holding her gaze. “I’m Casimir of Fourth Earth. James brought me here to guard Warrior Leto.”

She blinked several times as though processing what he’d just told her. “So, you’re Casimir. I mean, I know of you because James and I talk a lot. And you took Grace to Fourth Earth as your breh.”

So she did know about the breh-hedden. “Then you know all about Leto and Grace? And you know about me, about events of five months ago?”

She nodded. “I felt so bad for my Grace. She was so torn, but James assured me that there were strong reasons for your presence in her life. I hear you entered Beatrice’s redemption program?”

He nodded. “I did. It’s been extremely difficult but the right path for me absolutely. I have two little boys—”

“Kendrew and Sloane.”

He smiled; he couldn’t help it. “Yes, apparently James does talk a lot.”

“But what’s this about you guarding Leto?”

“Apparently, he’s in his rite of ascension to Third and for some reason I was chosen to get the job done, I think because Greaves wants him dead.”

“Leto’s ascending to Third? But won’t that change things for Grace?”

“I don’t think any of us understands what’s going on. Leto’s supposed ascension just isn’t following the norm—starting with the fact that I was assigned to guard him. How does that make sense?”

“I see what you mean. So while you’re guarding him, you’re staying here?”

“James’s idea.”

She looked around. “Exactly how are you guarding him if you’re up here?”

He tapped his head. “I have my voyeur window tracking him constantly. I wasn’t going to follow him around at the Seattle Colony or wherever else he happened to go. Besides, he and Grace are engaging with the breh-hedden now, and I don’t want to intrude.”

At that, she cocked her head. “James told me a lot about you. All I can say is that Beatrice’s program really must be working for you to be staying out of their business.”

He smiled wryly. “Then you really do understand my previous reputation. And you called it exactly right. In fact, I would have made a point of annoying the hell out of him by constantly suggesting that we make it a threesome.”

At that, the woman laughed, a full-out laugh that made his heart soar. “And that would have bugged Grace as well.”

He felt himself drifting back into dangerous waters, because right now he wanted to tease this woman, say some risqué things, see if he could get her worked up. Given that she was still cascading her wildflower scent in his direction, it wouldn’t take much.

He turned to stare at the wall just to gain some perspective. He wanted to stay on the right path.

When he glanced back, he could see that she was eyeing him. He shrugged. “I’m trying to be good.”

“You know, this is really strange that I’ve caught your scent like this.” She blinked twice and enlightenment dawned. “Holy shit,” she said, eyes wide. “Are you my breh?”

“I think it’s possible that I am. You smell of wildflowers, by the way.”

She waved her hand in the air. “Sorry, but your wine scent is getting to me.” Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes dilated, her lips swollen. She fanned her face and looked around.

This time she glanced at the wall, but she said, “I know there’s a Murphy bed in there. Were you aware of that?”

“Yes.” The word came out strangled.

Casimir knew temptation, because her wildflower scent was really working him. His jeans were feeling as though they’d shrunk. He also knew how easy it would be to take her to bed.

“So, how do you know Grace?” he asked.

She laughed that bright laughter of hers again. She slapped a hand against her chest. “I’m Patience, Grace’s twin sister.”

“Holy shit. Holy, holy shit.”

“Yeah, and double that.”

He stared at her for a long, long moment. The nature of her scent, so similar to Grace’s, now made sense. And that she said he smelled of wine. He also marveled at what he considered a significant twist of fate—the kind of synchronicity he’d never really believed in, yet here was some kind of proof.

“As for the bed,” he began, “believe me, Patience, if I’d caught your scent even three months ago, that bed would already be out of the wall. But I’m not that man, or I’m trying not to be that man. If you are my breh, and I’m yours, then fate has brought us together and I don’t want to screw it up.”

She nodded. “I get where you’re coming from. But I hardly know what to think. Third Earth is a shitfest, and the last hundred years have been a trial. The one good thing that has come of it is that I was able to serve as a Militia Warrior, something Thorne fought against my whole life.

“But I never felt like I belonged here. I never quite fit in, probably because I have no family in this world. I’m not anchored.” She then tossed her hands in the air. “But, hey, you’ve got a lot on your mind and I just came over to check on the portal. And I have to get back to my barracks. Maybe we can reconnect once you get Leto ascended. How does that sound?”