Surrender by H.M. McQueen Page A

the key the demons might be looking for.”
    Wendy pepped up. She wouldn’t admit it to Emma, but the main reason the confinement loomed even more torturous was that she hadn’t seen or heard from Kieran in two days. The last two nights had been long. She’d spent half of the night pacing and worrying about him. She didn’t know how Emma did it. Loving a Protector was hell.
    After they spoke for a few moments, Emma disconnected, and Wendy went to the back door to let the dog out. She eyed the pooch as he plopped down on his haunches to wait for her to open the door. He was house-trained and well mannered, never jumping on the furniture, and even understood basic commands.
    “Hmm, how about Einstein? You’re so smart. I think that would be a good name for you.” The dog leaned his head to the side, seeming to consider her suggestion. Wendy frowned. “You’re not wagging your tail, so I take that as a no. How about Albert?” The dog stood up and wagged his tale. “Albert it is!” Wendy opened the door for him. “Enjoy your day, Albert.”
    Jake entered the kitchen and went to the refrigerator to get a soda. “How about another game?”
    “How about you show me some more self-defense moves?” Wendy countered. “I need to be ready in case any demons attack us.”
    “You’re on.”
    He headed out to the screened-in back porch, and she followed, smiling. Hitting Jake would relieve some stress and help her forget about Kieran for a few moments.
    In a ready stance, Wendy waited for Jake to grab her from behind. She elbowed him and pivoted from his grasp, enjoying how easily she avoided being captured. But the smile left her face immediately when she found herself pinned against him, his arm around her neck.
    “What are you doing?” he asked her, his voice stern. “You’re supposed to be ready for a second attack, not gloating at how well you avoided the first strike. Let’s try it again from the beginning.”
    “Crud,” Wendy mumbled, waiting for Jake to come at her from behind again.
    As soon as Jake’s thick hand landed on her shoulder, she went through the evasive maneuvers again and remained ready for his second attempt.
    A deep growl followed by Jake being slammed against the wall made her jump into action.
    The demons!
    Blindly, she jumped on the assailant’s back and pulled his hair. At the same time, Albert ran into the room, barking and wagging his tail.
    Then, it dawned on her. It wasn’t an assailant. She was on Kieran’s back.
    “You want to explain what you’re doing?” Kieran’s voice vibrated, deep and menacing.
    “You want to move that sword,” Jake replied, eyeing the blade at his throat.
    “Oh, for chrissakes,” Wendy said, sliding off his back to her feet. “Jake’s teaching me self-defense. Don’t hurt him!”
    Kieran’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he slowly moved away from Jake. The men stared at each other; neither spoke a word.
    “Apologize to Jake,” Wendy said, tapping on Kieran’s arm with her forefinger. “You could’ve given him a concussion as hard as you slammed him against the wall.”
    Jake rolled his eyes, obviously not liking Wendy pointing out how hard he’d been hit. Kieran seemed to ignore her, but then he turned and looked at her. There were lines of exhaustion around his mouth and eyes. She spotted soft purple bruising on his jaw. Sweeping her gaze down to his shirt, she noted several bloodstains and gasped.
    “Are you alright?” Wendy asked, reaching to touch him, only to pull back when he leaned away from her touch.
    “Sorry,” Kieran grumbled toward Jake before going inside. Albert followed the Protector, his tail wagging furiously.
    “Traitor,” Wendy called after the dog.
    When she and Jake followed Kieran inside, he was not in the kitchen. He’d gone to his room, the slamming door a clear indication that he didn’t wish to be bothered.
    Wendy sat in a dining room chair and tried to decide what to do next.
    “I’m going home.