{"id":390,"date":"2011-09-19T23:01:00","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T23:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/?p=390"},"modified":"2011-09-19T23:01:00","modified_gmt":"2011-09-19T23:01:00","slug":"teaseday-her-guardian-angel-angel-romance-novel-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/19\/teaseday-her-guardian-angel-angel-romance-novel-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaseday &#8211; Her Guardian Angel &#8211; angel romance novel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Teaseday time again. I&#8217;ve been busy these past few weeks so I haven&#8217;t been posting new teases on Tuesday. Forgive me? Sometimes writing just gets in the way, but I&#8217;m sure you would all prefer me to be writing than updating my blog. I&#8217;ll make more effort to get my Teaseday posts up each week.<\/p>\n<p>Continuing the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebookseries.php?series=Her%20Angel\"><i>Her Angel series<\/i><\/a> theme, I&#8217;m posting a tease chapter from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel\"><b>Her Guardian Angel<\/b><\/a> this week, my latest release in this best selling angel romance book series. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel\"><b>Her Guardian Angel<\/b><\/a> is the fourth book in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebookseries.php?series=Her%20Angel\"><i>Her Angel series<\/i><\/a>, and also the first novel. I&#8217;m currently planning the next novel.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel\"><b>Her Guardian Angel<\/b><\/a> is now available in paperback too, so I&#8217;ve included links to where you can buy it in a more tangible form for those who prefer to hold a book in their hands.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"><img decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/images\/uploads\/picDetailherguardianangel.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel\"><b>Her Guardian Angel<\/b><\/a><br \/><b>Felicity Heaton<\/b><br \/>A simple mission becomes a fight for survival in this fantastic instalment in the Her Angel series.<\/p>\n<p>A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven  asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior  orders him to gain Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trust through seduction, Marcus starts to  question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has  watched over since her birth.<\/p>\n<p>Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a  gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he  doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s  more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three  demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world\u00e2\u20ac\u201da world where  God and the Devil exist, and only one angel can save her from  death\u00e2\u20ac\u201dMarcus, the angel she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s falling in love with.<\/p>\n<p>On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by Marcus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s  angel friends and their amazing women, fighting for survival against  the odds, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.<\/p>\n<p>A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.<\/p>\n<p>ebook price: $3.99<br \/>paperback price: $9.99<br \/>genre: paranormal angel romance book<br \/>length: 110000 words<br \/>rating: sultry<br \/>released: July 2011<br \/>Book 4 in the Her Angel series<\/p>\n<p><b>Available in e-book from:<\/b><br \/><b>Author&#8217;s website:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel\">http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle Germany:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1104775871\">http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1104775871<\/a><br \/><b>Kobo Books:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Her-Guardian-Angel-Her-Angel\/book-lVb0k7lC80OOiMBAOa-Ldg\/page1.html\">http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Her-Guardian-Angel-Her-Angel\/book-lVb0k7lC80OOiMBAOa-Ldg\/page1.html<\/a><br \/><b>Smashwords:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/77776\">http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/77776<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Available in paperback from:<\/b><br \/><b>Amazon.co.uk:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1463788363\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1463788363\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon.com:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1463788363\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1463788363\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1032773836\">http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1032773836<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia,\"Times New Roman\",serif; font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #c27ba0;\">EXCERPT<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Marcus stretched his left arm out above his head on the pillows of  his double bed, buried the fingers of his right hand into his overlong  black hair and stared into the inky dark of his bedroom. The open window  to his left allowed pale light to filter in from the street far below  but it barely cut through the gloom and it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the reason he had  lifted the sash around midnight. The stifling summer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s day had given way  to a humid night that showed no sign of cooling down before dawn broke  and heralded the next unbearably hot day. A light breeze washed in  through the open window, refreshing him as it caressed the left side of  his bare body. The heat wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the only thing robbing him of sleep.<\/p>\n<p>The banging came again, more persistent this time, and Marcus clenched  his teeth to contain his growing irritation, his focus wholly on the  hall outside his apartment. The man had been attacking the door of his  neighbour for almost twenty minutes now, rousing Marcus from sleep and  throwing him straight into a bad mood that had gradually deteriorated  into a desire to beat some sense into the mortal.<\/p>\n<p>He drew in a long breath, held it a moment in a vain attempt to regain  control of his temper, and then exhaled slowly. The man hurled another  string of impotent threats at his neighbour\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door and Marcus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s anger  spiked right back up. His silver-blue eyes slid towards the digital  clock on his bedside table. The display mocked him with the ungodly hour  this man had chosen to air his bitter disappointment to not only the  female but the entire apartment block. Three in the morning.<\/p>\n<p>Because of the humidity that showed no sign of abating and had made it  impossible to get comfortable, Marcus had only been asleep for a scant  few hours. He hated waking early, especially when he was stuck in the  hell known as the mortal realm.<\/p>\n<p>The man banged again, rattling the wall with a tremor that reached  Marcus. He was no threat to the woman because she wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t foolish enough  to answer her door, but it grated on Marcus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nerves nonetheless.<\/p>\n<p>His temper frayed when the man shouted foul accusations at her.<\/p>\n<p>All of them false.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus had known Amelia all of her life, although she had only known  him this past month. He had watched over her and she was a pure soul  with terrible luck when it came to men, and the man knocking down her  door didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deserve her.<\/p>\n<p>Unable to bear another second and sensing Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s increasing fear  through the wall that joined their apartments, Marcus rose from the bed  and slung on a pair of dark grey jogging bottoms. He walked through his  unlit apartment with ease, not bothering with the lights as he could  easily map a safe path around the furniture without seeing it, and  unlocked his front door. He yanked it open and stepped out into the dull  cream hallway on the other side, his gaze immediately fixing on the  mortal that was daring to break his sleep and threaten Amelia.<\/p>\n<p>The dark haired man looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus coolly stared back.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your problem, mate?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fingers curled into fists at his  sides. Marcus noted everything about him in under a second.<\/p>\n<p>He was drunk. He was itching for a fight. And he was a fool who thought  this sort of abuse would win Amelia back. On the surface, the man  wanted to upset her and hurt her, but Marcus could see beyond the fa\u00c3\u00a7ade  to the pale hope in this man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heart that Amelia would be his again.<\/p>\n<p>That was something Marcus would never allow.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbed sleep from his  eyes, and then leaned back against the doorjamb, folding his arms across  his bare chest and crossing his legs at his ankles.<\/p>\n<p>The man regarded him for a moment and then turned back to Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think you should leave now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marcus stepped forwards, bringing the  man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention back to him so he wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bang on the door again and  cause Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear to increase. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Before things get out of hand.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>The man smiled, amusement touching his dark brown eyes. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What you gonna  do about it? She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my girlfriend\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 not yours. Piss off back inside and  get your nose out of my bloody business before I break it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus sighed. He had warned the man. He had done everything by the  book. His patience wearing thin, he looked the man over again, taking in  his dark jeans and the loose t-shirt that covered a physique half his  own and the way his fists shook as he shouted at Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door. Without  resorting to violence, Marcus wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure how to convince the man to  leave. He could compel him, but using his powers on such a base creature  was beneath him and would do nothing to teach the man a lesson in  manners towards women.<\/p>\n<p>The man banged on the door again before Marcus could stop him, hard  enough this time that the white painted wood creaked under the attack,  and he heard Amelia gasp.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That is it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marcus took another step forwards and the man swung at  him. Marcus dodged his fist, clamped his left hand down on the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s  wrist, and twisted his arm behind his back. The man bent forwards to  stop his shoulder from popping out of its socket, facing away from  Marcus, and grunted in pain. Marcus glared at the back of his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I  said to leave.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>The man struggled in his grip but stilled when Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apartment door  eased open a few inches and she peered around it. Marcus stared at her,  frowning at the tears that streaked her flushed cheeks and the fear in  her grey eyes, and tightened his grip on the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arm until he let out  another deeply satisfying grunt.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What do you want?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she whispered, voice hoarse and trembling.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like Amelia to look afraid of anything. Marcus had seen her  fight it out face-to-face with her exes without showing a trace of fear  but this one had rattled her. Weariness shone in her grey eyes, lending  them a cold edge he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen before. Her gaze tracked up Marcus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s  arm, lingering a moment on his bare torso, and then reached his face.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry if he woke you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Her gentle tone dissolved some of his anger.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus loosened his grip on the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wrist but held on to him. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a problem. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stand by and do nothing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>The man twisted enough to look back at Marcus over his shoulder and then turned his head towards Amelia.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, I see how it is. Dump me and then move on to the next bloke,  right? You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve probably been fucking him from the moment he moved in.  Well, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure Mr Muscle is a great catch\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The man wrenched free of  Marcus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grip and stumbled forwards a few steps before righting himself.  \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m gonna have to fuck up that pretty face of his.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus reacted on instinct and launched his left fist at the man to  counter his attack. The moment he did, he felt the strength drain from  his arm and pushed harder. He had been holding back to avoid seriously  injuring the mortal but now that Heaven had stripped him of his immortal  strength he needed to do the opposite and give it everything he had.<\/p>\n<p><a name='more'><\/a><br \/>He leaned back to avoid the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s punch while still pushing forwards  with his own and slammed his fist hard into the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s jaw, cracking his  head to one side and sending him crashing into the cream wall. The man  bounced off it, hit the dark banister opposite and then collapsed into  an ungainly heap on the wooden floor of the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Pain shot along every bone in Marcus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand and up his arm to his elbow. It had actually hurt.<\/p>\n<p>The man groaned and dragged himself to his feet and Amelia hesitated in  the doorway of her apartment, looking as though she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t decide  whether to assist him or keep back. Marcus shook his hand and waited for  something to happen. Instead of the instant punishment he had expected,  there was only silence as the man stared hard at both him and Amelia,  and then stumbled down the stairs to the next floor.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus still waited.<\/p>\n<p>Part of him couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that he had struck a mortal and the rest couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t being punished.<\/p>\n<p>Heaven had limited his power the moment he had subconsciously decided  to hit the man, leaving him with only the strength of a mortal and  therefore open to attack himself. The punch had hurt him. Perhaps that  was punishment enough. Perhaps all of this was punishment for his  misdeeds.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus sagged against the wall and blew out a sigh, clutching his  injured hand to his chest, convinced that Heaven would call him in to  reprimand him soon enough. He had committed an act of violence against  what could be considered an innocent human. Marcus couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think of the  man that way. He was vile and cruel, seeking to scare Amelia and hurt  her. Marcus had only done his duty by protecting her.<\/p>\n<p>He opened his eyes and looked across at her where she stood at the  banister peering down into the stairwell, her hands clutching the wooden  railing.<\/p>\n<p>His gaze drifted down over her shoulder-length straight dark hair to  the plum-coloured slip that only emphasised her sensual curves, to the  lean lengths of her legs. She was so soft and pure. Delicate yet strong  of heart. Her fear was gone now, leaving behind the confident woman he  was used to seeing in her.<\/p>\n<p>She looked across at him and his eyes dropped to her bare feet. He  frowned at the tattoo on her left ankle. A cherub? The plump winged babe  sat just above her ankle bone, staring back at him. He smiled. Is that  what she thought his kind looked like? The image humans had of angels  couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have been more wrong. It amused him, stealing away his pain and  pushing it to the back of his mind.<\/p>\n<p>His strength returned and the pain dulled further, leaving only a  gentle throbbing and bruised knuckles behind as a reminder of what he  had done.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I really am sorry about that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s soft voice stole into his  thoughts and he glanced up at her. She crossed the hall to him and  peered at his left hand. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You should put some ice on that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus studied his red knuckles. Is that what humans did in this sort  of situation? In his world, they had angels with the ability to heal  others. Such an angel could easily fix this issue for him. Even if he  couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find one, the red marks would be gone in less than a day, his  body\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s superior healing ability quickly erasing them.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Would you like to come in for some coffee or a drink? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the least I can do as payment for being my hero.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus stared at her. Coffee was payment for being a hero? He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t  indulged in such drugs in a long time and while he knew about the  sexually stimulating effects that caffeine had on his kind, he had no  interest in drinking coffee with Amelia. If he did that, he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure  what would happen between them, but it would certainly be embarrassing  for him.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, thank you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said and when she looked as though she needed a reason for his refusal, he added, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It will keep me awake.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>She still didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem satisfied. She shifted foot to foot, her gaze  darting down to her hands in front of her, and then looked right into  his eyes again.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How about I ice those knuckles instead then?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus glanced into her low-lit apartment and then back at her, and  caught the fear in her eyes as she looked down at the stairwell. She was  afraid that the man would return and begin harassing her again. He  would accept her offer but not because he needed her to assist him with  his healing. He would go with her because he could see that the man had  won and had shaken her up, and that she was asking him to stay with her a  while because she was scared.<\/p>\n<p>It was his duty to protect her. Tonight, that duty could extend to  guarding her a little more closely than usual. Once she had settled and  was comfortable with the idea of being alone again, he would take his  leave.<\/p>\n<p>He nodded when her attention returned to him.<\/p>\n<p>Amelia led the way into the apartment, leaving him to muse what he had done tonight and his duty.<\/p>\n<p>She deserved better.<\/p>\n<p>A better life.<\/p>\n<p>That was the reason he was here\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto keep her safe and watch over her. To protect her from the creeps and from something else.<\/p>\n<p>To give her that better life.<\/p>\n<p>He was sure of it.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus followed her towards the kitchen, noting that the layout of her  apartment differed slightly to his as he passed through the pale square  lounge. There were no windows in it, just like his one, because the  bedroom and bathroom lined the exterior wall opposite him. Their  positions in the apartment were reversed in his. He stared through the  open door of the room to the right. Her bedroom was next to his and the  head of her bed rested against his wall. She slept so close to him, yet  he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel her when he was in bed, couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sense her on the other  side. At such proximity, he should have been able to even when her  signature was dulled by her sleeping. His gaze fell to rest on the long  cream couch angled towards the television set to his right in the corner  of the lounge. A pillow occupied one arm of the sofa and a scrunched up  dark blue blanket sat at the other end.<\/p>\n<p>Did she sleep on the couch?<\/p>\n<p>He looked through into the bedroom again, frowning at the smooth covers on the double bed.<\/p>\n<p>Was that why he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel her when he was in his bedroom?<\/p>\n<p>Back when he had been watching over her from Heaven, she had always  slept in her bed. Had something happened recently to change that? If it  had, it must have occurred in the past month when he had been in the  mortal realm. When he was here, he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t watch over her as he had in  Heaven, able to view her through buildings using the power granted to  the angels of his division. He had to physically see her.<\/p>\n<p>Amelia came back out of the room to his left. He dragged his gaze away  from the bedroom and the bathroom next to it, and finished crossing the  room to the open double doors that led into the kitchen. Her small  kitchen was brighter than his, the cupboards a pale type of wood, with  stainless steel appliances.<\/p>\n<p>Some former owner of his apartment had deemed it stylish to have a dark  kitchen. Marcus deemed it impractical. It was a nightmare to keep clean  so he had given up feeding himself shortly after moving in and had  resorted to eating take away food, instant meals or eating out.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus leaned against the kitchen counter, his hand throbbing. It had  been a while since he had felt physical pain. He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember the  last time it had hurt to punch something.<\/p>\n<p>He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember the last time he had fought someone.<\/p>\n<p>Amelia placed a red and white chequered tea-towel down on the side and  emptied out several trays of ice cubes into it. She gathered the ends  and twisted the bulk of the cloth around to keep the ice in, and then  came over to him. He started when she took hold of his hand, gently  slipping her fingers under it so they brushed his palm, and raised it.  Heat travelled up his arm and it had nothing to do with pain this time.<\/p>\n<p>She rested the ice pack on his knuckles and he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel the cold at  all. He stared at their joined hands, urgently trying to decipher how  she had warmed him with only a light touch and alarmed by the hard beat  of his heart against his chest. She looked up into his eyes, her grey  ones full of warmth again, softening her delicate features and holding  his attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thank you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She glanced away again, her gaze briefly dropping to their  hands and the ice pack, and then met his eyes. His pain faded in an  instant, driven away by the heat of her touch and her concerned  expression, and he marvelled at the effect she had on him. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t  real. It couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be. She was his duty and that was all she could ever  be. Once he had fulfilled his mission, he would finally request his  transfer and would never see her again. Her thumb brushed his and fire  shimmered over his skin. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I really am sorry that he woke you and that  you had to hit him.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I said it was nothing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marcus hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t needed to hit the man. He could  have compelled him to stop but he had reacted on instinct, and for some  reason that instinct had been to punch him. He could think of a million  situations with mortals when he had been in danger and had compelled  them. Why not this time?<\/p>\n<p>Had Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence as a witness deterred him?<\/p>\n<p>Or was she the reason he had struck the man?<\/p>\n<p>He had been consumed by anger, enraged by what the man had said about  himself and Amelia, driven to violence by a handful of words.<\/p>\n<p>He was Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s protector. Her guardian.<\/p>\n<p>He was not her lover.<\/p>\n<p>Her fingertips grazed his palm as she removed the ice pack and  inspected his left hand. A shiver tripped up his arm and down his spine,  and his shoulder blades itched. He took his hand away from her and  rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension building there.<\/p>\n<p>His wings wanted out.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How are they feeling?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head snapped up, his eyes immediately locking on Amelia. His  wings? She nodded towards his knuckles and relief swept through him.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fine,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said absently and breathed slowly to steady his racing heart.<\/p>\n<p>There was no way she could know about his wings but, for a moment, it  had felt as though she had been reading his mind. It had been a while  since his wings had wanted to come out. After five centuries of living  with them sealed away, he had grown used to them not being there. It had  been strange becoming accustomed to them again when the binding curse  had started to lose effect over thirty years ago. Most of the time, he  was content to physically put them away as he was now. It took  concentration to maintain their disappearance but it used less energy  than hiding them from human eyes with a glamour, and it was far easier  to move around in the mortal realm without worrying about accidentally  knocking things over with them.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you alright?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Amelia ducked towards him, interrupting his view of  his knuckles and replacing it with an altogether more pleasant one of  her face and her cleavage.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus stared at her plump full breasts, his pulse picking up again,  and then averted his eyes. Women had no shame. It was little wonder his  master had decided that they should not serve him. They were wily,  manipulative, a distraction, and considered by most as the source of all  sin.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fine,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marcus repeated and took the ice pack from her, ramming it onto  the back of his hand when all he wanted to do was stick it down his  jogging bottoms to bring his libido under control.<\/p>\n<p>His fellow warriors had warned him about women, especially ones as  beautiful as Amelia, and he wholeheartedly believed every word that they  said. Women were dangerous. He would not falter though. Amelia was his  mission and his allegiance was to his master, his loyalty to his duty,  and nothing would change that.<\/p>\n<p>Once this irksome mission had ended, he would return to Heaven and  request his transferral as originally planned, and would join the ranks  of the soldiers who protected the realm of Heaven from intruders and  wars. He would defend that which he believed in. Not this mortal world,  but his world.<\/p>\n<p>He had never physically guarded a human before but was certain that his  assignment to act as her next door neighbour was a sign that his  mission was progressing and soon he would be free of it.<\/p>\n<p>He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait to return home.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How are you feeling?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marcus took the ice pack away from his hand and set it down in the stainless steel sink beside him.<\/p>\n<p>Amelia shrugged. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Better, I guess.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look better. The weary edge was back in her eyes, draining  them of warmth, and he found himself desiring to comfort her.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come back.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d His words had the desired effect and she brightened for a brief moment and then it faded again.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She closed her eyes and shook her head. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I do pick them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus turned and ran his hand under the cold water, letting it wash  away the trace of blood on his knuckles. When he reached for the tap to  shut it off again, he felt Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes on his bare back, boring into  his shoulders, and lingered a moment. Would she mention the marks he had  revealed by carelessly turning his back on her?<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be long before I drive you away too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Those words, softly spoken, caused him to look over his shoulder at  her, a frown drawing his dark eyebrows tightly together. She dropped her  gaze and then met his with resolution that didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t surprise him. This  was the Amelia he had come to know these past three decades. Strong,  able to face anything head on, unflinching.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What makes you say that?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marcus turned back to face her, aware now  that he was bare from the waist up and was probably only encouraging any  attraction she might feel towards him. He should have put on a t-shirt  before leaving his apartment but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d had one thing on his mind\u00e2\u20ac\u201dgetting  the irritating bastard in the hallway to shut up so he could sleep.<\/p>\n<p>Or was it purely so he could sleep?<\/p>\n<p>He stared at Amelia, taking in the way her cheeks coloured as he did so and how she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hold his gaze.<\/p>\n<p>He had thought only of protecting her.<\/p>\n<p>Defending her.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The last bloke who lived alone next door to me left only a couple of months after moving in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus knew for a fact that the man had been forcibly evicted due to a  minor error in payments caused by Heaven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s intervention but had later  won money on the lottery that had allowed him to place a down payment on  the house of his dreams. The young man had been the easiest target to  remove in order to place Marcus close to Amelia. The old lady who lived  in the apartment on the other side of Amelia was frail and had lived in  the building for over twenty years and relied on those around her to  assist her. She also slept heavily, meaning that Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ex-boyfriends  didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wake her when they came to knock down her door. Marcus would have  had a contender in the guardian stakes if the young man had remained  living next to her and they had moved the old lady.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You do live alone, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d There was a tremble to that question.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus nodded without thinking and then considered the implications of  his answer when Amelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grey eyes warmed again. A loaded question. She  had cleverly used it to discern his availability.<\/p>\n<p>He briefly considered making up a girlfriend in order to obliterate any  attraction she might feel towards him so he could continue his mission  in peace but couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get the words out when he looked into her eyes  again.<\/p>\n<p>The space between them shrank until it felt as though she was barely  inches from him. Her soft breathing filled his ears, drawing his  attention down to the sensual bow of her dusky pink lips. The tip of her  tongue swept across them, leaving moisture in its wake, luring him in.<\/p>\n<p>How long had it been since he had kissed a woman?<\/p>\n<p>Not in this lifetime, that was for sure.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus dragged his eyes away from her, shutting down his emotions at  the same time. Amelia was a mission. He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allow things to become  complicated. Not when he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even sure why he had to protect her.<\/p>\n<p>He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get involved with her.<\/p>\n<p>He had to maintain his distance.<\/p>\n<p>No matter how impossible that seemed now.<\/p>\n<p>No matter how much he wanted her.<\/p>\n<p><b>Available in e-book from:<\/b><br \/><b>Author&#8217;s website:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel\">http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle Germany:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.de\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon Kindle UK:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B005EUJIG8\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1104775871\">http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1104775871<\/a><br \/><b>Kobo Books:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Her-Guardian-Angel-Her-Angel\/book-lVb0k7lC80OOiMBAOa-Ldg\/page1.html\">http:\/\/www.kobobooks.com\/ebook\/Her-Guardian-Angel-Her-Angel\/book-lVb0k7lC80OOiMBAOa-Ldg\/page1.html<\/a><br \/><b>Smashwords:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/77776\">http:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/77776<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Available in paperback from:<\/b><br \/><b>Amazon.co.uk:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1463788363\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/1463788363\/<\/a><br \/><b>Amazon.com:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1463788363\/\">http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1463788363\/<\/a><br \/><b>Barnes and Noble:<\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1032773836\">http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton\/1032773836<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" height=\"97\" src=\"http:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/images\/signature.gif\" style=\"background: none; border: 0px; padding: 0;\" width=\"225\" \/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Teaseday time again. I&#8217;ve been busy these past few weeks so I haven&#8217;t been posting new teases on Tuesday. Forgive me? Sometimes writing just gets in the way, but I&#8217;m sure you would all prefer me to be writing &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/19\/teaseday-her-guardian-angel-angel-romance-novel-2\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,5,54,9,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-angel-romance","category-her-angel-series","category-her-guardian-angel","category-paranormal-romance","category-teaseday"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.felicityheaton.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}