Brady's Hellion by Linda Wisdom Page A

better.
Now, what I need is your services as a bodyguard."
    "But you have something like a thousand bodyguards
down here already," Brady pointed out. No way would he stay down
here on a daily basis. He'd melt to nothing in no time.
    "I need someone to watch over a family member." He
grimaced and belched again. "While I love Renalda's bloodworm pie
it doesn’t love me," he muttered. "I chose you because I require
someone discreet for this job. And while you are rough around the
edges, you are excellent at what you do plus you know how to keep
your mouth shut when it is necessary."
    Brady shifted in the chair that seemed to shift with
every move his body made. If he wasn’t mistaken something was
slithering up toward his crotch. "Sure, I do private security
sometimes, but your people," he paused wondering if it was PC to
call them people since by no stretch of the imagination had they
ever been even remotely human, "they might be better suited for
whatever you want."
    "They wouldn’t be at all appropriate for this kind of
work." Shar leaned back and pressed his fingers together, the
razor-sharp tips resting just under his rounded chin. "I’ll be
honest with you, Brady. While my private security guards are
excellent at what they do, they are used to coping with situations
Below, not up above. They aren't equipped to handle a situation
like this one even if it's nothing major. I feel a human would
blend in better. And since you have the skills, I immediately
thought of you."
    Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! clanged inside Brady's
head. The only reason he thought of me was because I owe him that
damn favor and he knew I’d have no choice but to do whatever he
needed. Shar doesn’t like it when someone says no.
    "What do you need me to do?” He had visions of his
having to ride herd over the Hounds of Hell or worse.
    Shar smiled. "It has to do with my baby sister,
Raven."
    "You have a sister?" Okay, not too tactful a way to
put it. Even dark lords could have family.
    "Actually, she’s my stepsister.” Shar glared at a
pile of paperwork that magically appeared on a corner of his desk.
The papers immediately burst into flames. "The politics down here
have become unbearable." He rested his arms on the desk, hands
laced together. "You could even consider this a vacation. My
stepsister is visiting an island resort in the Pacific and in a
sense, I would like you to look after her."
    Brady stiffened. "That sounds more like a babysitting
job.”
    "Not babysit, I just want you to keep an eye on her
and keep her out of trouble. Make sure no one bothers her." Shar
made a face, which for him meant his face shifted in multiple
directions as if it was fashioned from warm wax. "Raven has a mind
of her own. She doesn't realize that the mortal world isn't like it
is down here. I’m willing to allow her this time away, but I still
want to know that she will be all right up there. I know you will
keep an eye on her, but of course, she can never know I hired you.
The consequences, well, she does have a temper." He tapped his
fingers on the surface of his desk. A slip of paper silently
floated upward. Shar handed it to Brady.
    The number of zeroes he looked at was enough to quiet
any misgivings he had about the assignment that literally was from
hell. His smile was a lot more affable.
    "When do I start?"
     
     

Chapter One
     
     
    "Hello baby," Brady ignored the nasty tingle on his
butt. It was bad enough Shar insisted on marking him, but did he
have to mark him there? Brady's argument that Raven would recognize
the mark on his wrist for what it was was met with a "that can
easily be taken care of" and next he knew the mark was burned onto
his ass. Shar's argument that it was purely for Brady's protection
was bullshit, but no way you could argue with a dark lord and
survive being torn limb from limb after losing said argument. Plus
since there were no photographs of Raven, he was assured the mark
would alert him when she was close by. He was