《Salvation (Guardian Angel #3)》


 Page 1

    SURPRISE


    Life comes at you hard and fast, it doesn¡¯t slow for anybody. It weathers you, destroys you. It breaks down your mind, body, and soul until there¡¯s nothing left. Then what? I wasn¡¯t always like this¡ªbitter and alone, I mean. I once had a loving mother and stepdad. I once had friends and someone¡ªa guardian angel¡ªthat I had fallen head over heels for, but then I had to leave to protect them. As much as I wanted to be normal, I wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Service, please?¡± came a nearby voice, pulling me from my thoughts.


    It was a quiet night at The Turquoise Bar and I was wasting time by cleaning the same cup over and over again. I turned to face the man who had asked to be served and my heart dropped into my shoes. It took all of my strength not to say his name out of shock. Hunter.


    I hadn¡¯t seen him since the night of my escape at Gerald Harbor. Not since he saved Eli¡¯s life¡­ yet here he was at the small, smoky bar I worked at. He wore a black button-up shirt and a dark leather jacket. He wore his black hair in its usual unkempt style. I glanced awkwardly around the room. So many emotions coursed through me¡ªfear. Sorrow. Anger. Helplessness. My heart raced, hammering hard against my ribcage. He glanced at my chest¡ªhe could hear it. I leaned on the bar. If there was a time to test out this charmed necklace, it would be now. He regarded me curiously, sensing my unease.


    I swallowed hard. ¡°What will it be?¡± I asked, forcing confidence into my voice.


    ¡°You smell familiar.¡± He glanced at my name tag. ¡°Amy.¡±


    Suddenly, going under a fake name didn¡¯t sound so stupid.


    ¡°That¡¯s a creepy thing to say.¡± I faked a smile. ¡°What will it be?¡±


    He chuckled under his breath. ¡°Just a beer.¡±


    I turned my back to him and bent down to get a beer from the fridge. I found the fear and shock transform into anger. My hands began shaking. They were shaking so much that I had difficulty pulling the cap off the beer bottle. When I managed to get it off, I turned back to his analyzing face and striking blue eyes. I slid his beer along the bar and he caught it in his hand. I rubbed my hands on my jeans. I was nervous and who could blame me? I hadn¡¯t seen or heard from Hunter or Lucian in a year.


    ¡°You¡¯re a goddess?¡± he asked. Hunter kept his eyes fixated on me as he sipped his beer.


    I crossed my arms over my chest. ¡°And you¡¯re vampire.¡±


    His lips turned upwards into a calculating smirk and I pulled a green lighter from the back pocket of my skinny jeans and struck it. The small orange and blue flame danced on top of the metal and I leaned across the bar.


    ¡°Try anything and I will turn you to dust.¡±


    Amusement flashed in the dark depths of his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re brave. I like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested and I have work to do, so, is there anything else I can get you?¡±


    I needed to get out of here. I needed to get as far away from this town as possible. Mr. Aleksandrov and Aaron had dropped me off in Gerald, the small town twenty minutes from Gerald Harbor. I was supposed to go find a nice secluded town and hide out but I figured this was the safest place for me to be. I had killed the resident vampires. There were no vampires that I knew of in this town anymore, that was, until tonight. Hunter and Lucian had come back to Gerald in search of me. My guess is that they couldn¡¯t find another Heelian and they had reason to believe I¡¯m here. It was time to move on and quickly.


    ¡°That¡¯s all, thank you.¡±


    Quickly, I wiped down the bar and left Sandy, our new girl, in charge. Sandy was a cute, short blonde who wore her hair in high pigtails too often. I glanced over my shoulder as I stepped away from the bar and headed toward the staff room. As I expected, Sandy made her way toward Hunter, wrapping her hair around her index finger in a flirtatious gesture. Hopefully she would keep him occupied long enough to¡ª


    ¡°Unh.¡± I grunted as I was slammed against a wall and the wind was knocked out of me.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while. You look different, Ruby.¡± Hunter purred into my ear.


    I felt the tremor of his breath on my neck and a nauseating feeling twisted my stomach. I gasped, trying to force air into my lungs.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but you have the wrong person.¡±


    He brushed the tip of his nose along my jawline, inhaling as he went. I gritted my teeth.


    ¡°I could never mistake you for someone else, even with the charm.¡± His hand slid up the contour of my body, over my left breast, and then he tugged at my necklace until it snapped. ¡°There you are.¡±


    I shoved Hunter backwards, reclaiming my personal space. He stumbled and I snatched my necklace back, squeezing it tightly in my hand. As long as it touched my skin I could hide my real appearance.


    ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve been searching everywhere for you. How long has it been?¡± He tapped his chin in sarcastic thought. ¡°About a year now, so you can imagine how pissed Lucian is.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the devil, where is he?¡±


    ¡°A few streets down, sniffing out some goddesses. He¡¯s hungry.¡± Hunter paused. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re here alone. Where is De Luca?¡±


    I glanced down at my shoes and then back into his blue eyes. I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to admit I was here alone or that I hadn¡¯t spoken to Eli in over a year.


    ¡°None of your business,¡± I growled. I scowled at Hunter as he fought off a smile.


    ¡°You are all alone here, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I swallowed as Hunter stepped closer. His body came into contact with mine and he pressed my back hard against the wall. I used all of my strength to push him away but he wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Hunter, stop playing games. We have things to do, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I froze. Everything froze¡ªmy breathing, my thoughts, and my heart. Everything. The cold voice floated through me, chilling my organs and my bones as it went. I couldn¡¯t kill them, not here. There were at least eight people in the bar, they might get hurt. Lucian looked right at me¡ªright into me. For a moment, I thought he could see through my charm, but when he turned on his heels and went out the door, I knew it had worked.


    ¡°Ooh, that was close.¡± Hunter chuckled.


    ¡°What are you playing at?¡±


    Hunter had every chance to turn me in to Lucian, but he didn¡¯t ¡­ why?


    ¡°You and I have history.¡± He ran the back of his hand down the side of my face and I tried hard not to recoil. ¡°I want to have a little fun before I turn you over to Lucian.¡±


    His cold lips touched mine and then he was gone. I wiped the back of my hand across my lips and peered around the corner of the wall. Sandy was absentmindedly wiping down the bar, in the same spot, round and round.


    I strolled over to her and waved my hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her daze. She blinked, her big blue eyes met mine, and then she glanced awkwardly around the room in search of Hunter. He had used lure on her.


    ¡°Can you cover for me? I¡¯m not feeling well and it¡¯s quiet in here, anyway.¡± I asked. I needed to get out of here. If I could get home, it would be safer for me. I hoped.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    My studio apartment, on top of the local grocery store, was a mess. It was littered with dirty laundry, open books, and empty wine bottles. I never was a big alcohol drinker, but since I left my friends behind, I had developed the taste for a delicious blend of red wine. I hurried over to the storage cupboard that was tucked subtly away in the laundry. There I found a small backpack big enough for only a few important items.


    ¡°Okay, clothes¡­¡± I exhaled, tucking my unruly hair behind my ears as I hunched over a pile of clothes on my bed. I shoved a few tops and pants into my bag, followed by clean underwear, a hairbrush, and my new cell phone. Then I was ready. As soon as daylight came, I would get as far away from Lucian and Hunter as I could. Getting out of Gerald was the easy part, finding a place to go¡ªnot so easy.


    I crossed over to the kitchen. On the bench was a small netbook that my boss had given me. She was throwing it out because she got a new Book Mac or whatever she called it.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon,¡± I urged the small machine. ¡°The sooner I figure out where I¡¯m going, the better.¡±


    Sure enough, that was easier said than done. When I made it to the Google search page, I had no idea where to start. I couldn¡¯t exactly type in ¡®best vampire-free states to live in¡¯ or ¡®goddess safe towns¡¯. I tapped my keyboard and sighed in frustration. After a few minutes I clicked on the email icon and logged into the email account that I hadn¡¯t used I years.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± I gasped.


    Why would he be emailing me? I didn¡¯t know whether to be scared, nervous or excited. I resisted the urge to rub my screen in case the name I saw was dust. I knew it wasn¡¯t. I clicked on the name that appeared in big bold letters in my inbox¡ªIvan Aleksandrov.


    From: Ivan Aleksandrov


    Subject: Invitation


    Date: December 9th 10:36pm


    To: Ruby Moore


    Dear Ruby Moore,


    I cordially invite you to celebrate a special event at Sage Sanctum this weekend.


    Don¡¯t worry about our safety if you return. Sage Sanctum is heavily protected ¡ª even more-so than before.


    Please reply with your phone number. I cannot give you the directions but I can arrange for you to be picked up.


    Warmly,


    Mr. Ivan Aleksandrov


    I stared at the screen, re-reading it over and over. Even if I wanted to go back, I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t face Eli or the other guardians, and Mila would be upset that I had ceased contact with her. It would be easier on everyone if I didn¡¯t go anywhere near Sage.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡±


    I slammed my laptop shut and turned abruptly. Hunter¡¯s tall, lean body leaned against the windowsill.


    ¡°H-how¡¯d you get in?¡± I stammered.


    Hunter walked over to my bed, pulling a pair of black underwear from my bag. I stormed over to him and snatched my underwear back, placing it back in the bag and zipping it quickly. I grabbed my bag off my bed and set it on my kitchen stool, away from Hunter¡¯s prying eyes.


    ¡°Your window was open.¡±


    I stared at him blankly. His gaze met my chest and he bit his lip, exposing a small portion of one of his fangs¡ªhe could hear my heartbeat increase.


    ¡°My window was open and you took it as an invitation?¡±


    He laughed and my palms began to glow. I could kill him now. There were no innocents around. Hunter would die and no one would get hurt. He watched me intently, waiting for me to kill him¡­ so why couldn¡¯t I? I exhaled and placed my hands on my hips.


    ¡°You still can¡¯t bring yourself to kill me, huh? How sweet.¡±


    I gritted my teeth. ¡°It¡¯s not without great difficulty. Unfortunately, I feel responsible for your death and I owe you for saving Eli¡¯s life.¡±


    He walked toward me. My apartment wasn¡¯t big, so within a few steps he¡¯d be within arm¡¯s distance. After a vampire-free year, I wasn¡¯t ready to be in close quarters with one.


    Driven by desperation and a trickle of fear, I sprinted for the door. I grasped the round handle and yanked it open, but before I could step out, the door was slammed shut in my face, my hand still lingering on the cool metal. We were alone, no one was around to hear our conversation, nor would they hear him kill me. Hunter smiled smugly and pressed his back against the door.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to spend some quality time with me? Well, that hurts my feelings. Do you really think I would ever hurt you intentionally?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious?¡± I scoffed. ¡°The last time I saw you, you were going to bite me!¡±


    ¡°That was over a year ago. I¡¯ve changed.¡±


    A nervous chuckle escaped my lips. He straightened and took a step towards me, but I turned and headed toward the kitchen. He zipped in front of me, blocking my path and grasping my shoulders. He pressed himself against me for the second time tonight and I shivered. Even through my clothes I could feel the coolness of his skin. His eyes softened, and for a split second, he looked like his old self. Hunter lowered his lips closer to my ear as if he was afraid someone would overhear him. His breath blew coolly on my neck.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you and I don¡¯t want Lucian to hurt you, but I¡­I can¡¯t fight him. He owns me.¡±


    ¡°You may be a vampire, but you still have your own brain, Hunter. You can make your own decisions. I know you can because I¡¯ve seen you do it. You saved Eli¡¯s life! I know you¡¯re capable of good.¡±


    He ran the back of his cool index finger down my face and I stepped away from it. His fingers were ice-cold. His eyebrows rose slightly and I saw the corners of his mouth twitch with the beginning of an amused smirk, but he stopped it and his lips returned to an impassive line.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I go against Lucian or not. I¡¯ll never be what you want, I¡¯ll never be him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be him. I want you to be you, not this cold, calculating monster.¡±


    His breath hitched and he took a step away from me. He ran his fingers through his hair, appearing frustrated by what I¡¯d said.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m a monster?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve killed people, you drink blood, and you tried to bite me,¡± I reminded him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so god damn high and mighty, Ruby. You¡¯ve killed people for blood, too. If I¡¯m a monster, then you¡¯re a monster.¡±


    I felt my chin drop and my mouth open in astonishment, but no sound came out. I closed it again. I closed my eyes and rubbed the bridge of my nose.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± I looked up and he was gone. I ran over to the window and peered into the street. The only indication that he¡¯d left was the purple curtain that blew outside the window frame. A brown owl was the only thing I could see in the narrow street. He was gone. I pulled my curtain back into my house and shut the window, making sure it was locked. I ran over to my kitchen drawer and pulled a few stakes out. They were dodgy, makeshift stakes from an old oak tree by the Gerald playground, but they¡¯d work just fine. I opened my laptop, and suddenly, going back to Sage didn¡¯t seem as scary as waiting in the dark for Lucian to find me.

 Page 2

    From: Ruby Moore


    Subject: Invitation


    Date: December 9th 11:13pm


    To: Ivan Aleksandrov


    Thank you for the invite. I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world.


    See you when I get there.


    I added my number to the end of the email and clicked the send button with no hesitation. ¡°And now I wait.¡±


    THE DRIVE


    Being back at Gerald Harbor sent shivers down my spine. I focused on rocks, sticks, birds¡ªanything to get my mind off that horrible night. In the back of my mind, it was like I could still hear the fighting. Eli¡¯s face as he neared death flashed through my mind, followed by my scream. I shuddered, sticking my pinkie finger in my ear and wiggling it around in an attempt to make the noisy memories go away¡ªit helped a little.


    I exhaled loudly and sat on the same rock I¡¯d sat on when I told Eli I was leaving. Once again his face flickered through my mind. I remembered the way his eyes watched me as I said it¡ªtense and angry. I felt nauseous. My nerves were overwhelming¡ªthey felt worn out. It was all too much. I pulled Eli¡¯s guardian angel whistle from the side pocket of my bag and stroked it lightly. I hadn¡¯t looked at it in a while, I couldn¡¯t stand to. Every time I looked at it I saw his face as he watched me leave. I¡¯d told him that I loved him and then I left. My actions spoke louder than my words, there was no way he¡¯d believe me if I told him I still loved him. Not that I would, I hurt him too much. I wouldn¡¯t put him through that again.


    I told Mr Aleksandrov I¡¯d be here at lunch time, it wasn¡¯t very specific. That could mean eleven, twelve or one o¡¯clock, those seem to be average lunch times. It¡¯s a twelve hour car ride from Sage Sanctum to Gerald Harbor, so, if they left as soon as I replied to Aleksandrov¡¯s email, they should be here within an hour or two.


    ¡°Or now...¡± I mumbled, disregarding my estimate and stuffing the whistle back into the side pocket. The sound of rocks and sticks cracking under tires filled my ears and I jumped to my feet.


    Please don¡¯t let Eli be the one Mr Aleksandrov sent to pick me up, I prayed silently. It wasn¡¯t a shock to me when a guardian-issued black SUV rolled to a stop in front of me. As usual, everything about the car was black save for the rims and extra trimmings. I could feel a line of sweat bead on my forehead. My heart began to race as I felt the prickle of more sweat on the back of my neck. Nervously, I clenched my fists, only to discover they were damp. I wiped them quickly on my jeans. When the door opened and a big guardian boot hit the rocks, I almost brought up the sausage roll I had for breakfast. When I saw the short blond hair and unfamiliar face, I relaxed.


    ¡°Ruby Moore?¡± he asked.


    I nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m Xavier. Are you ready?¡±


    I had never seen Xavier before. He seemed young, around twenty-three, maybe. He drew a hand over his face in an attempt to wake himself up. The tired lines he attempted to hide settled into deep crevices between his brows and on either side of his mouth. They aged him instantly, piling on at least ten years in a matter of seconds. I picked up my bag and walked toward the car as he ran his fingers through his fluffy hair.


    ¡°Would you like me to drive? I bet you¡¯re tired?¡± I offered.


    He laughed and the lines deepened and bags grew bigger. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡±


    I climbed into the passenger seat and placed my bag on the floor. I reached for my seatbelt and clicked it into place. He ran another hand over his face and took a few deep breaths. Suddenly, I was afraid Xavier was going to pass out behind the wheel and kill us both. He turned the key and the engine jumped to life with a vibrating hum.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get back to Sage at midnight if we leave now.¡±


    Slowly, he reversed his way out of the harbor and past the abandoned warehouse. I exhaled subtly. I hadn¡¯t realized how badly I wanted to get out of this god-damn town.


    ¡°There is a lot of heated discussion about your return,¡± Xavier said as the tires hit the smooth highway.


    ¡°I can imagine. How have things been?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Same old.¡±


    I paused, pondering whether or not it was too soon to ask how Eli was. I didn¡¯t have to ponder for long. The words were out my mouth in seconds. Once I asked, I dropped my gaze to my hands. I was afraid that if I looked at him, my eyes would give away how much I actually cared.


    ¡°Eli is¡­ Eli, I guess. He doesn¡¯t seem to socialize with me, or anyone for that matter, and since Gerald Harbor he seems more¡­ anti-social than usual.¡±


    My brow furrowed. I¡¯d never seen Eli as a loner who preferred to be on his own. In the beginning, when I was a vampire, he did come across a little reserved and hard, but that quickly melted away and we grew close. By leaving, did I deter him from socializing with his co-workers? Had I broken him down to the point where he felt the need to alienate himself? I swallowed hard. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought. What if I saw him and he never wanted talks to me again? In a way, I guess I wouldn¡¯t blame him.


    ¡°Well.¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°Gerald Harbor was hard for everyone.¡±


    Silence fell in the car. I bit my lip, fighting against my flood of questions.


    ¡°You have a guardian whistle?¡± Xavier asked, glancing sideways at the tip of the whistle sticking out of the side pocket of my bag. I pulled it out again and hung it in front of me, admiring it.


    ¡°Yeah, I, uh, I forgot to give it back when I left.¡±


    Xavier¡¯s face was stern, but the tiniest spark of sympathy flashed in his dark brown eyes. I stuffed the whistle back into my bag and folded my arms across my chest.


    Xavier twisted his hands over the steering wheel nervously. ¡°Permission to speak freely?¡±


    I choked back an awkward chuckle. ¡°Say whatever you want, I¡¯m not a queen.¡±


    That¡¯s the thing with guardian angels; they always acted so professional around us. They worked for us, mostly, as protection against vampires and they risked their lives to protect us regularly. They always put us first¡ªplacing us up high on a pedestal, like they owed us something. They owe us nothing, if anything, we owe them.


    ¡°Some say that you and Eli¡­¡± He paused and a strange, nervous pang hit my stomach. ¡°Were involved?¡±


    I opened my mouth to speak but only an exasperated gust of air came out. I guess some of the guardians at Sage were aware of my and Eli¡¯s previous situation.


    ¡°No, yes¡ªI don¡¯t know. It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    I shoved the whistle back into my bag, hoping he¡¯d drop the subject.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to pry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just strange talking about it. It feels like so long ago.¡±


    ¡°Well, for the record, I think it¡¯s a great thing that you guys stood up to the higher power. Who has the right to force you to love someone you don¡¯t want to? You love who you love and that¡¯s who you love. It¡¯s not easy to just switch it off. Things have changed. The higher power was a vampire, for crying out loud. It¡¯s about time everything else changes, too.¡±


    I smiled to myself. Xavier spoke with such passion and understanding, like he was going through the same internal struggles that Eli and I had gone through.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± I pried.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The goddess you so obviously have feelings for.¡±


    Briefly, he glanced at me, wide eyed.


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± I nudged him. ¡°There was way too much emotion in your voice to pass it off as a random thought. You¡¯re going through the same kind of thing, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The corners of his lips twitched as he fought against a smirk. ¡°Fine. Maybe there is a goddess I may have feelings for.¡±


    I enjoyed playing along with this conversation. It kept my mind from obsessing over my upcoming personal battles.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    I wondered if I could put a face to a name. He smacked his lips together and tapped the steering wheel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should tell you. She¡¯s kind of my boss¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, doubly forbidden. If you¡¯re worried I¡¯m going to tell someone, don¡¯t be. I¡¯m not exactly the poster girl for following the rules. You can trust me, I won¡¯t say a word.¡±


    I did the cheesy ¡®cross my heart¡¯ gesture and he chuckled.


    ¡°Her name is Mila Aleksandrov. She¡¯s Ivan¡¯s niece.¡±


    Oh. My excited smile faltered and he glanced at me nervously.


    ¡°Well, this is awkward.¡± I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    I tapped my fingers against my knee. ¡°Mila is my best friend.¡±


    Xavier ran a hand through his hair, clearly irritated. ¡°It seems that information about you is on a need-to-know basis. Look, you¡¯re not going to tell her, are you? What if she tells her dad and he fires me, or worse, banishes me?¡±


    His voice was fast and a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. I was confused. What did he mean by Aleksandrov banishing him?


    ¡°Aleksandrov can¡¯t banish you,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re on a need-to-know basis as well,¡± Xavier replied flatly. ¡°Ivan Aleksandrov is the new higher power. Tomorrow night is a celebration in his honour. Mr Aleksandrov informed the council that the previous higher power had been corrupted, that he was no longer pure and was a vampire.¡±


    ¡°The council?¡±


    He glanced at me sideways, as if questioning if I was even a goddess. ¡°The four gods and four goddesses that run the show. You have heard of them, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Of course I should know these things, but I didn¡¯t, and I was okay with that. In my experience, knowing things made your life more stressful, perhaps ignorance is actually bliss.


    I frowned. ¡°I thought the higher power ran the show?¡±


    ¡°The higher power is more or less a figurehead. There¡¯s always a bigger fish.¡±


    In my seat, I crossed my legs and stared out into the blurry forest.


    ¡°How was Lucian able to hide the fact he was a vampire? If they¡¯re so mighty, they should have known.¡±


    ¡°According to Eli, Lucian has various estates across the world, the most recent one being on top of Mount Kuuce. He likes his privacy and he was doing his job, so the council didn¡¯t feel the need to interfere. So, now you can see that Aleksandrov can banish me if he finds out about my feelings for Mila.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t banish you. He¡¯s on our side. He wants us to be with who we love, or at least, that was the impression he gave me when I saw him last.¡±


    Xavier shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not going to risk it.¡±


    His statement saddened me, if not for love, then what else? I was willing to risk everything for Eli except one thing, and that was his life. Leaving him was the most selfless and selfish thing I¡¯d ever done, but I didn¡¯t regret it.


    When eight p.m. rolled up on us, I forced Xavier to pull over. I was already nauseous, I didn¡¯t need the cars swerving and jerking to make it worse.


    ¡°This is my first real mission. I just want to impress them,¡± he admitted, brushing a hand roughly over his face.


    He glanced at me, his brown eyes no longer wide and semi-alert, but two tired slits.


    ¡°If I die before I get there, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be too impressed.¡±


    I unclipped my seatbelt and wrapped my fingers around the door handle. ¡°Let me drive for the next few hours and we can switch back before we get to Sage. They don¡¯t need to know that I drove while you slept.¡±


    Xavier exhaled, deep in thought. Realistically, I was giving him an ultimatum not an option, and I think he knew that. There was no way I was going to let him drive another centimeter and if he didn¡¯t get out of the driver¡¯s seat now, I was ready to put on my toddler pants and throw a tantrum. I¡¯m good at those.


    ¡°Fine, but wake me when we get to the Sage forest line.¡±


    I nodded and slid out of the passenger seat. Xavier laid down on the back seat and immediately fell asleep. I didn¡¯t have to adjust the driver¡¯s seat like I had to when I took over from Eli once. Xavier was my height, so the seat was perfect.


    The highway was empty at night, which made the drive that much more relaxing. The road was only visible in the long patch of brightness from the headlights. The white lines that separated the lanes blurred into one. The forest along both sides of the road was like a black wall that grew thicker the further I drove. Afraid of hitting an animal, I flicked my high beams on.


    My knuckles turned white as I squeezed the steering wheel tightly. I was antsy and running out of things to take my mind of Eli. I propped my elbow on the window and rested my head on my hand. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going back. I told myself that even if Lucian and Hunter were gone, I still wouldn¡¯t go back. Not after all the pain my disappearing would¡¯ve put Mila and Eli through.


    ¡°No turning back now,¡± I whispered.


    I hit the gas pedal hard as I drove down the highway. The quicker I got there, the quicker I could get this over and done with.


    LONG-TIME NO SEE


    Like I promised Xavier, I pulled over at the beginning of the Sage forest line and woke him. He was still tired, a few hours¡¯ sleep wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy his fatigue, but it was enough to get us to Sage. I was feeling tired now, and as a result, neither of us spoke the rest of the way.


    Sage Sanctum was as I remembered it except for the new, huge wrought iron gates that now replaced the boom gates at the entrance. If this was the only safety measure they took, it was pointless. Let¡¯s just hope those charms were enough because I¡¯m sure any vampire could scale the fence without breaking a sweat. It was midnight, and the bright lights that shone down onto the car park blinded any natural light from the moon. The car park was a sea of black Audi Q5s. After much searching, we finally found a space right at the back.

 Page 3

    Xavier turned off the car and its low hum disappeared. Then it hit me, really hit me. I was at Sage Sanctum for the first time in over a year. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was just me being weird or if the atmosphere actually did feel different.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll take you to your lodgings so you can get some rest.¡±


    Thankfully, the gate to the teacher¡¯s area was close to the car park and I didn¡¯t have to walk through the student campus. I signed a few release forms and then entered. Xavier walked me past Eli¡¯s house. With every step I took, I grew more and more tense. There was a faint glow under his cream curtains and my heartbeat sped up. I dropped my stare to my white running shoes, making sure it didn¡¯t linger on his house for too long. I didn¡¯t want Xavier making any more comments on ¡®loving who you love¡¯ or whatever he said.


    I didn¡¯t have to walk far from Eli¡¯s house to get to my own. A few short streets down and we reached the visitors¡¯ lodgings. They were piled next to each other, like giant pieces of Lego. Being so close to him but not seeing him was torture. Xavier put my bag down on the small, white porch and pulled a cell phone out from his pocket. He dialed a few numbers and then hit call. I leaned against a light brown support beam that held up the porch. It was hard, but I could¡¯ve easily fallen asleep against it.


    ¡°Mr Aleksandrov sir¡­ yes¡­ she¡¯s here¡­ Okay¡­ will do¡­ bye.¡± He hung up and put the black touch screen back into his pants.


    ¡°Mr Aleksandrov will be here soon. You might want to go in and unpack a little.¡±


    I picked up my backpack and slung it over my shoulders. I opened the door and rubbed the cold wall, looking for a light switch. My fingers ran over the switch and I flicked it on. To the left of the door was a small living room area with a couch, a bookcase, and the smallest fireplace I had ever seen. Tucked against the wall to my right was a small kitchen, fitted with a dishwasher, stainless steel sink, and a coffee machine. In the back left corner was a door, which had to be the bedroom. There was no other door, so my guess was the bathroom adjoined the bedroom. I stepped inside and almost instantly the place made me feel more welcome and relaxed than my shitty apartment did in a whole year. I felt at home.


    Xavier entered behind me and stood by the front door, arms folded tightly across his chest, looking all professional like in his guardian uniform. Impressive? Yes. I admire their dedication and professionalism, but no guardian angel could wear the uniform the way Eli did and provoke that thrilling feeling in my stomach.


    The cool metal of the door handle felt right in my hand and I turned it. Creaking slightly, the door opened. To my surprise, the room was quite spacious. Like the rest of the house, the walls were white. The light of the moon filtered in through the semi-drawn blinds, making patterns on the light blue duvet of the double bed. I threw my bag down onto the bed and started unpacking. It would only take a few seconds to pull everything out and put it in a drawer. I didn¡¯t bring much and I was planning on leaving again after Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s party. If they found me in Gerald Harbor, there¡¯s no doubt they¡¯d find me here. Besides that, I needed something¡ªanything to distract me from running down to Eli¡¯s house and begging his forgiveness. A soft knock brought my attention back to the door.


    ¡°Ruby?¡±


    I turned and met Xavier¡¯s smiling, but still so very tired, face.


    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±


    Unable to contain my excitement, I crossed quickly to the front room. The muscles surrounding my mouth began to ache. It became apparent I was smiling too hard. In the living room, I met Mr Aleksandrov. Four guardians, including Xavier, stood behind Ivan, but there was no Eli, and I was unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed.


    ¡°It¡¯s so nice to see you again.¡± He extended his hand and I placed mine in his. Mr Aleksandrov glanced down at the necklace I had wrapped securely around my wrist.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive and well, so I trust the charm is serving you well?¡±


    I smiled awkwardly, unsure of whether to tell him that Hunter discovered it last night.


    ¡°Very well.¡± It wasn¡¯t a total lie. It did work well for a year or so, and Lucian had no idea I was there in Gerald the night he stepped into the Turquoise Bar.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I brought you a welcoming gift.¡±


    As he stepped aside, the worn ends of his dark gray robe made a slight ¡®whooshing¡¯ sound as it glided across the tiles.


    ¡°Ruby!¡± Mila squealed and she dove at me, sending me stumbling backwards a few steps. When I caught my balance, I wrapped my arms around her and I was engulfed by her usual candy-scented perfume. What used to make me nauseous now made me homesick.


    ¡°Mila can stay with you tonight. That is, if you¡¯re up to it.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied, releasing my grip on Mila.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you two catch up. Xavier, no doubt, needs his sleep, as do you, Ruby.¡± He shot Mila a warning glance. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    As quickly as they came, they were gone, leaving Mila and I alone.


    ¡°Mila, I¡¯m sorry I¡ª¡±


    She interrupted me by raising her hand in front of my mouth. ¡°Nope, none of that right now. Let¡¯s just catch up and sort out the depressing details later.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to skip the apology, I needed to say it. It would help lift some of the stress off my shoulders. She twirled the end of her side braid around the tips of her fingers.


    ¡°What do you plan on wearing to the party?¡± she asked, her eyes searching the room for some kind of outfit.


    I looked down at my joggers, skinny jeans and red polo shirt. ¡°This?¡±


    Mila¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? Ruby, it¡¯s a black tie event. You can¡¯t wear¡ª¡± She stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm herself. ¡°Luckily, I came prepared.¡±


    Her sandals slapped the tiles as she ran out the front door. Seconds later, she returned with three long, black bags.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked, pulling my dark hair into a messy ponytail. It was quite humid and my hair was sticking uncomfortably to the back of my neck.


    ¡°Uncle¡¯s party is tomorrow and we¡¯re going to bond over dresses.¡± Her voice was high and her eyes wide with excitement.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t share that excitement. I mean, Mila was talking to me, so I should be thankful and happy, but instead I felt uneasy. She deserved an apology, an explanation. Why was she avoiding it? She used her long, silver-tipped nails to open one of the black bags. She pulled out an amazing silver gown. In the light, it shimmered like moonlight on a clear pond.


    ¡°This is what I¡¯m wearing.¡±


    As she held it in front of me, I examined the gown. It was strapless and slim, a rhinestone brooch adorned the dress at the center of the bodice, and from the brooch draped some kind of chiffon fabric, giving it a summery feel. She slung the long bag and silver dress over the back of the couch.


    ¡°You have to choose between red¡­¡± She unzipped another bag and pulled out a beautiful floor-length red gown. ¡°Or¡­¡± She unzipped the last bag and from it came an indescribably beautiful gold gown. ¡°Can you wear gold?¡±


    I took a few steps toward the dresses and ran my fingers along the fabric of each. The red one felt cool, like satin, beneath my fingertips. The other looked like liquid gold and felt just as smooth. The golden straps that upheld the sweetheart neckline were pebbled with shiny beads and the soft, silky material flowed smoothly to the floor. If there was any reason to choose the gold over the red, it would be because every girl, at least once in their lives, should get the chance to feel like literal gold.


    ¡°And it¡¯s backless,¡± Mila added, smiling triumphantly at me.


    Once the dresses were sorted, Mila made us hot chocolate and we sat on the lounge room floor. She caught me up on all the gossip I¡¯d missed. Apparently, Raina got her claws into Ava, and she now ran around with that crew, which sucked. I had wanted Ava to keep Mila company while I was gone.


    ¡°Ava was desperate for friends.¡± Mila shrugged. She tried to pass it off as no big deal but I could see how upset she was in her stormy eyes.


    ¡°Her loss,¡± I stated confidently.


    ¡°It seems no one can stand being around me.¡±


    Ouch. I knew she was referring to me as much as anyone else.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± I protested. ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± She paused. ¡°No, let¡¯s not do the whole apology thing now.¡±


    Again, she shut down my chance to apologize.


    ¡°We can talk and clear the air once Uncle¡¯s party is over and things go back to normal.¡±


    ¡°About that,¡± I started. ¡°I¡¯m leaving again after the party. Me being here isn¡¯t safe for anyone.¡±


    ¡°Says you.¡± Her tone was harsh. ¡°You decided it wasn¡¯t safe for us. You¡¯re not the only one with powers and it¡¯s not like Eli can¡¯t handle himself against a vampire.¡±


    I frowned into the brown liquid. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to protect the people I care about.¡±


    ¡°When will you realize no one needs protecting? Sure, Lucian can try and kill us all, but he would never be able to take us down all at once. Behind these walls we¡¯re safe, we have numbers. Add your sun power thingy to the bunch and we¡¯re untouchable.¡±


    I forced myself to look at her. Her eyes were shimmering with tears. She swallowed hard, trying to force them back. It seemed my leaving hurt her more than I¡¯d thought. Was it foolish of me to return and expect things to go back to normal? That I could waltz into these people¡¯s lives for a night and then waltz out again with no hard feelings? Yes, I suppose it was.


    ¡°Eli almost died,¡± I mumbled, recalling that night.


    When her eyes widened, I realized that maybe Eli hadn¡¯t told anyone that story.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We were at Gerald Harbor¡­ and I was fighting Lucian.¡±


    Images of Lucian crying in pain with two wooden stakes stuck into his body filled my mind. ¡°Instead of killing him with my powers, I tried to fight him one on one and I almost did it, but Eli came into the room. He was more worried about me than he was about his surroundings and he was stabbed.¡±


    I heard Mila gasp but I couldn¡¯t see her. I was too immersed in the horrific visions of last year. I closed my eyes in an attempt to shake Eli¡¯s haunting face but I couldn¡¯t. My cheek tingled as a single tear traced down it.


    ¡°There was blood everywhere and I panicked¡­ I let Hunter feed Eli his blood in order to save him.¡±


    The visions dissipated and I looked at Mila, who was holding her hand over her mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I had to leave. In the few moments I thought Eli was going to die, I couldn¡¯t handle it. It felt like my heart was ripped from my chest, it hurt so much. Hunter told me that when the time comes, Lucian will kill everyone I¡¯ve ever loved, and if I want to protect the ones I love, then I need to face it on my own. I couldn¡¯t have anyone¡¯s death on my conscience.¡±


    Mila scooted closer to me and I couldn¡¯t decide if her perfume was comforting me or making me nauseous.


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to isolate you; they know they can¡¯t take on everyone.¡± She glanced down and twirled the end of her braid around her finger again. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill Hunter when you had the chance?¡±


    There it was. The question I¡¯d been asking myself since the night at Gerald Harbor. I kept telling myself it was because I felt guilty or that I was the reason he was a vampire in the first place¡ªand it was true to some extent, but that wasn¡¯t the whole reason, which was a stupid thing to say because I didn¡¯t even know what the whole reason was.


    ¡°Because¡­because I care for him too much. I couldn¡¯t do it.¡±


    Her brows knitted together, she didn¡¯t understand. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t try to. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. ¡°If it helps¡­I was never mad at you. I don¡¯t want your apology because I feel like I owe you one. There¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡±


    My heart sank and my stomach knotted. A million thoughts engulfed my mind¡ªwas it Eli? It explained why he wasn¡¯t the one to pick me up and why he wasn¡¯t Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s right hand man tonight.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I prompted Mila urgently.


    ¡°Uncle is going to make Eli my guardian angel.¡±


    A jealous pang hit my stomach and I frowned. Eli was my guardian angel, I mean, not anymore, but I still felt possessive of him. The thought of him sharing the bond we had with someone else was unnerving.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hate me.¡± Mila knelt in front of me demanding my attention. ¡°I¡¯ve been putting it off, Eli has as well. I wanted to tell you myself¡­ I didn¡¯t want you to find out from anyone else, but come Monday, I will be tattooed and bonded to Eli.¡±


    I knew it was a great idea, I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone other than Eli with Mila¡¯s life and I knew he¡¯d protect her no matter what, but I still couldn¡¯t shake the jealous feeling.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in,¡± I breathed, finally.


    Mila nodded.


    ¡°But I trust Eli and I know he¡¯ll keep you safe. That¡¯s all I want.¡±


    She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close.


    ¡°I am so glad you¡¯re back, besty.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Me too.¡±


    IT¡¯S GOLD


    Sleep didn¡¯t come easy last night. It could be because I opted to sleep on the too hard couch instead of the double bed or because I couldn¡¯t rid myself of Eli¡¯s presence. He was only a street or two away and it was killing me not being able to see him. Not that I¡¯d know what to say when I saw him or if he¡¯d even talk to me. I guess my lack of sleep could also be narrowed down to my jealousy of Mila and her soon-to-be bond with Eli.

 Page 4

    ¡°If you keep moving, I¡¯m going to stick you with a pin,¡± Mila mumbled, her mouth full of hairpins.


    It was late afternoon; we were getting ready for Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s party, a party that would make it into the history books of our world. For as long as anyone could remember, only a god has become the higher power, but tonight a wizard would become the ruler of our kind. Most people were skeptical of wizards. They claimed wizards could be bought and that they sided with those who paid more, but those who knew Mr Aleksandrov knew he wasn¡¯t like that. To the council, Ivan Aleksandrov has proven his eligibility and loyalty by being headmaster of our school and revealing that Lucian was a vampire. Adding the cherry to the top, the fact that Mr Aleksandrov went out of his way to help me, a goddess, gave him top marks in their books.


    I caught a glimpse of Mila in the mirror. Her beautiful blonde hair was pinned up in an elegant bun that sat perfectly on the top of her head, adorned with a glistening floral-diamond hairpin. Her make-up was done to perfection, making her look spicier. I¡¯d never seen Mila look so¡­ not innocent. I was proud.


    ¡°There.¡±


    Mila placed the remaining pins on the bathroom sink and sat back, admiring her work. My hair was pinned back in a shower of ringlets. I tilted my head downward to admire my very own shining hairpin.


    ¡°Now for the dresses!¡± Mila squealed in excitement as she tore from the room.


    I was excited to wear something so elegant and gorgeous, but it wasn¡¯t enough to trump my nerves. No amount of pretty dresses, hairpins or shoes were going to change the nausea-provoking fact I was going to see Eli tonight. Or at least I thought I was.


    The dress felt as amazing sliding down my body as it did when I ran my fingers along its fabric the previous night. It fitted perfectly, clinging to all the right places while maintaining its modesty. In all truthfulness, I felt like a million dollars. I assessed myself in the mirror and gold was all I could see, my body was drenched in it. The gown was so beautiful I could hardly take my eyes off it. In this dress I was no longer the stressed adolescent running away from things that only existed in nightmares. I was a gorgeous goddess, overflowing with grace and confidence. I was going to rock this party.


    Mila and I followed closely behind other elegantly dressed visitors as we headed toward the dining hall. As the moon made its appearance, the air became sweet and calming. The cool breeze pressed my satin dress against my legs and made my hair dance freely against the fabric of my coat. I pulled my coat tighter around me, hoping the dining hall was warmer than outside.


    ¡°The other students would have finished dinner an hour ago,¡± Mila said.


    ¡°So we¡¯re going to be the only under-twenties?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I think so.¡±


    The thought relaxed me. The last thing I needed were students gawking and gossiping.


    With a matching gold clutch in my hand, Mila and I walked through the huge dining room double doors.


    The party was breathtaking. The ceiling had been charmed to mimic a starry night, the usual rows of wooden tables and chairs were gone, replaced with countless elegant sofas and coffee tables. The sheer beauty of the room took my breath away and the color scheme was perfect¡ªnavy and white. I offered a few greetings to a few guardian angels and teachers that I knew. Mila went to greet her uncle and I headed toward the coat room¡ªa spare room that was connected to the main hall. I hung my coat on a hook and smoothed out my gold gown. I turned around and my heart leapt into my throat as our eyes met. He was just as handsome as I remembered, if not more. Eli stood before me dressed to the nines in a stylish, yet simple black suit with a white shirt. My lips separated, I was going to say something, but I couldn¡¯t. Embarrassingly enough, only a breath of air came out. His full lips were set in a straight line, his green eyes watching me, rooting me to the spot and making it hard for me to breathe. Looking at him, I could tell that he was experiencing the same ¡®stuck¡¯ feeling I was.


    ¡°How are you?¡± I asked. I cringed, slightly. That wasn¡¯t what I wanted to say.


    ¡°Good. Thank you.¡±


    The sound of his voice twisted my stomach into a knot of guilt, sadness, and longing. He adjusted his tie and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black dress pants, clearing his throat. ¡°How are you?¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°Good.¡±


    Could this possibly get any worse?


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    With an awkward, but still so very breathtaking smile, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. I stared after him. Well, at least it was better than the reunion I imagined¡ªat least he spoke to me.


    When I caught my breath and waited for the cold sweat to disappear from my forehead, I exited the coat room and headed toward the back of the hall to the bar. If I was going to get through this, I needed a drink. Or three.


    I pulled a glass of wine off a tray sitting on top of the bar and I took a small sip as I glanced around the room. Most of the men wore black tuxedos with the occasional oldie wearing a tail coat. More impressive than the gallantly dressed men were the gowns. Reds, blues, and every shade in between weaved their way through the overwhelming sea of black.


    ¡°Ruby?¡± a deep voice called.


    I turned my attention toward the voice, meeting Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s smiling face and kind eyes. He gestured for me to come over. Nervously, I placed my glass down on the bar and made my way over.


    ¡°This is Miss Ruby Moore,¡± he said, introducing me to an elderly couple. ¡°Ruby, this is Paula and Frank James. They¡¯re big fans of yours.¡±


    Paula put her hand on my arm and leant closer to me. I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose at her too-strong perfume.


    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re to thank for all of this.¡± Her voice was quiet, too quiet. I found myself delving deeper into her scent, trying not to miss a word.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Frank interrupted. ¡°You were the one who discovered our ruler was a vampire. Who was the other?¡± Frank clicked his fingers in thought. ¡°De Luca? Yes, Eli De Luca. You two saved our kind from eventual destruction. Where is that young lad, anyway?¡±


    His beady, grey eyes searched the room. Silently, I prayed he couldn¡¯t see well enough to spot him.


    ¡°Ah, there he is.¡±


    Damn it, just my luck.


    ¡°Mr De Luca?¡± the old man called out.


    I kept my sights on the floor as Eli joined our conversation, standing dangerously close. The old woman¡¯s dreadful perfume was replaced by Eli¡¯s scent and my head spun. What a scent it was.


    ¡°You two¡­¡± Frank sighed. ¡°We¡¯re lucky¡ªso lucky¡ªto have you on our side.¡±


    I peered sideways at Eli. He was smiling politely at Frank, but the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    ¡°Are you two still bonded?¡± Paula asked.


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡± Eli responded. ¡°The bond was reversed a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s too bad, you make a great team.¡±


    Eli and I chuckled half-heartedly. I glanced toward the door, wondering if I could get outside for a few minutes for some much needed air.


    ¡°Hi Paula, Hi Frank,¡± a high voice greeted.


    I brought my attention back to the conversation and Mila was smiling at me. ¡°Ruby, can I borrow you for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Sure. It was nice meeting you,¡± I said to Paula and Frank.


    ¡°Likewise, darling, save me a dance later?¡± Frank asked.


    I laughed. There was no way I was getting on the dance floor, but I nodded in agreement anyway.


    ¡°Thank you, that was painful,¡± I groaned as Mila and I sat down on a long white sofa.


    As a waiter passed by, Mila jumped up and pulled two champagne flutes off a passing tray and I eyed her judgingly. She¡¯s a student; alcohol is off limits regardless of age.


    ¡°Relax.¡± She pressed the glass to my chest and I wrapped my fingers around the chilled flute. ¡°I¡¯m old enough and uncle is too busy to notice anyway.¡±


    Unintentionally, I found Eli¡¯s face. He was talking to Xavier. Xavier appeared uncomfortable that Eli had given him the time of day. I smiled. Eli was so much bigger than Xavier, in all senses. Eli was taller, wider and more muscular¡­ I sipped my wine, hoping it¡¯d quench the growing desire in my stomach. Looking at Xavier reminded me of the conversation we had in the car on the way here.


    ¡°So, how is Gabriel?¡± I asked, curious as to whether they were still in love or not.


    Mila sighed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk to me anymore.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    Her light pink lips touched her glass as she took a sip of wine.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m friends with you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gabriel blamed me for Hunter¡¯s ¡®death.¡¯ Of course he did. I took a big gulp of wine. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, it wasn¡¯t your fault. Hunter was going to follow you regardless of whether anyone tried to stop him or not. Gabriel is just being childish.¡±


    I shrugged and took another sip of the delicious wine. ¡°Do you have any other suitors?¡±


    My vision blurred for a few seconds. Damn it, I knew I should have eaten something before I came tonight, but Mila forbade it, she said the last thing a woman in an exquisite gown wants is to look bloated. So naturally, the champagne was going straight to my head, creating a false sense of confidence within me.


    Mila shook her head and glanced subconsciously at Xavier. ¡°No other suitors.¡±


    I nudged her shoulder. ¡°Liar!¡±


    A loud laugh erupted from Mila, drawing the attention of a few couples close by. The way they turned their noses up at us showed their distaste at having ¡®students¡¯ at the party.


    ¡°I tell you what, let¡¯s get out of here and I¡¯ll tell you everything about my love life.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see your uncle being awarded or crowned¡­ whatever it is they do?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back in time, I promise. Meet me out in front in like ten minutes, okay?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Mila bounced off, disappearing into the crowd. I rose to my feet, my head spinning slightly. After a few deep breaths, I was ready to go. I took a few steps away from the sofa and classical music filled the air.


    I groaned. ¡°Oh no.¡±


    I picked up my pace, marching quickly toward the door. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible, there was no way I was getting onto that dance floor with Frank. I walked as fast as my legs could take me¡ªin the opposite direction of the dance floor. My face cringed as a soft hand grabbed my arm. I turned, meeting Frank¡¯s gray eyes.


    He smiled. ¡°You said you¡¯d save me a dance.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied, clearing my throat. ¡°How could I forget?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to dance. I couldn¡¯t and there was no doubt a man of Frank¡¯s age would surely know how to dance. I hung my gold clutch from my wrist and linked my arm around Frank¡¯s. The moment we stepped onto the floor my cheeks flushed. We were the only dancers. Smiling faces and cheers encircled us as Frank placed my hand on his shoulder and put his own hand high on my back.


    ¡°Dancing is easy. Follow me.¡± He started off slowly, one slow step forward, two slow steps back. After a minute or so, it became apparent they were the only steps to the dance and I was able to relax.


    Whatever song was playing went for too long. When it was over, my entire body sighed in relief. I thanked Frank for the dance and went outside to find Mila. Like she said, she was waiting out the front of the building¡­with a bottle of wine.


    ¡°Where are the two guardians that are supposed to be watching the door?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Xavier was talking to Eli and the other one was dragging a few students back to their dorm.¡±


    I placed my hands on my hips. I didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble, I was only a visitor.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t allowed to go gallivanting about the school, Mila.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a party pooper and come on.¡±


    Mila turned her back to me and headed toward the sports field. I glanced around awkwardly. This felt wrong¡ªit was wrong, but I owed it to her to spend some time with her, didn¡¯t I? I followed. I decided I¡¯d let her have her fun and do whatever she wanted to do and then come back. No harm done.


    The sports field was dark, sending shivers down my spine. The last time I was here, it was the morning before I left for Mount Kuuce. A thick fog had rolled in, making the entire length of the field unseeable.


    ¡°Come, sit,¡± Mila called, plopping herself down on the grass.


    I bent over and ran my hands across the damp grass. ¡°I¡¯m not sitting on wet grass and you¡¯re going to ruin your dress.¡±


    She exhaled, rose to her feet and leaned against a tree. With a loud pop, the wine bottle opened and she took a big gulp.


    ¡°You promised me an explanation about your love life,¡± I said, taking the wine bottle from her.


    She laughed. ¡°Okay, Gabriel and I are finished. We have been for almost a year now.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I told you, as soon as we were told Hunter was dead, he blamed you and I refused to. You know, for a nice guy, he sure has a mighty temper.¡±


    I stepped closer to her, my shoes sinking into the grass. ¡°And that¡¯s it?¡± I took a few mouthfuls of wine, pleased as it went down smoothly.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°What about Xavier?¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I saw you glance at him when I asked you if there was anybody else.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Xavier has been good to me and we flirt a lot, but he¡¯s a guardian angel and I¡¯m done with guardian angels. It¡¯s too difficult being sneaky and dishonest, I can¡¯t do it. Besides, they carry a lot of baggage. They¡¯re always so serious and on edge.¡±

 Page 5

    I smiled. ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


    At least half an hour passed and the wine bottle was finished¡ªthanks to Mila¡¯s efforts mostly. Mila¡¯s words were slurred and she had taken off her shoes in an attempt to do cartwheels in her dress. It was my fault, I suppose. I¡¯d told her it was impossible. Sure enough, she was able to complete one full cartwheel even if she did end up on her ass.


    ¡°We should head back,¡± I called out to her.


    ¡°No, no! Please!¡± She ran over to me, her skin was cool with sweat and her hair was no longer perfect and elegant. ¡°You¡¯re leaving again soon and I want to spend as much time together as possible.¡±


    Her lips drooped in an attempt to convince me to stay. I sighed. ¡°Fine, five more minutes but then we¡¯re leaving. What do you want to do?¡±


    She perked up as if I¡¯d said something interesting.


    ¡°Swim!¡± she shouted. ¡°I want to swim!¡±


    I cocked an eyebrow at her. ¡°We¡¯re on a sports field. Where are you going to go swimming?¡±


    ¡°The waterfall!¡± She jumped to her feet and began running across the field. I stared after her, there was no waterfall here.


    ¡°There¡¯s no waterfall here! The closest waterfall is¡ª¡± My heart dropped into my stomach and she disappeared from sight.


    The closest waterfall was outside the protection of the charms. I kicked off my shoes and sprinted across the field, oblivious to any of the alcohol¡¯s effects.


    ¡°Mila!¡± I yelled after her. ¡°Mila!¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov and Eli were going to kill me.


    I PROMISE


    Up in the sky, the moon shone down upon me. I looked back and forth, searching for Mila amongst the mass of tangled branches and thorn bushes. My feet crushed over a bed of dried leaves, filling in the haunting void of silence. My breathing quickened and my head spun as I tried to navigate through the woods. My clutch was still hanging off my wrist by its small strap. I grabbed for it desperately, pulling out Eli¡¯s whistle. I had brought it to the party to give back to him, but I hadn¡¯t had enough alcohol to work up the courage to do so. As I held it, it occurred to me that I¡¯d never used the whistle before, I wasn¡¯t even sure how it actually worked, but I blew it anyway. I¡¯d rather deal with Eli¡¯s wrath than Mila¡¯s death. The forest was alive with nocturnal scurrying noises. I couldn¡¯t see her, but that didn¡¯t change things. I knew she was out here somewhere. It wasn¡¯t until I saw her silver dress shimmer in the moonlight that I relaxed a little. She was leaning against a tree. The forest had fallen silent and her sobs filled the air. I ran over to her.


    ¡°Mila?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lost,¡± she cried.


    ¡°I know. Let me take you back.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back¡­ I hate it there!¡± Her voice was loud and broken.


    ¡°Just come with me.¡± I reached out and touched her shoulder.


    She turned abruptly and her eyes narrowed in on me. ¡°Come with you? Why? So you can leave me again?¡± A funny slur altered her speech.


    My mouth dropped open and an offended gust of air came out. I thought all was forgiven last night. Alcohol¡ªmagnifying bad feelings since¡ªforever. ¡°Mila, why are you doing this? I thought we sorted everything out?¡±


    ¡°Because¡ª¡± she bent over and pulled a leaf off the ground, splitting it with her long nails. ¡°I can¡¯t stand my life. It¡¯s boring. Since you left, things have gone back to normal. I hate normal. I have no friends and no real family¡­ nothing.¡±


    It had never occurred to me to question where Mila¡¯s parents were. It had always been just her and Mr. Aleksandrov.


    ¡°You have me.¡±


    ¡°What good is a friend who¡¯s only there for you a few weeks at a time? Who ignores you for a whole year?¡±


    I reached for her arm. ¡°We can talk about this when we get back to the school.¡±


    She recoiled away from me, angry at something I¡¯d thought we¡¯d gotten over.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m taking a page out of the Ruby Moore handbook and I¡¯m running away from my problems.¡±


    I flinched at her words. She doesn¡¯t mean it, I thought, fighting against the part of me that wanted to leave her here. She¡¯s drunk. I wonder how accurate the saying ¡®a drunk man¡¯s words are a sober man¡¯s thoughts¡¯ actually is?


    ¡°Mila? I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll stay with you if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    Mila collapsed into a crying heap on the forest floor. ¡°It should be what you want, not what I want. Don¡¯t you want friends? A life?¡±


    I knelt beside her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close to me. I do want all those things. I want to have a normal life¡ªmore than anything in the world. ¡°It is what I want. I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±


    ¡°Do you promise?¡± She sniffled.


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    She leaned into me and fell silent, content with the promise I made.


    I didn¡¯t know how long it was until snapping twigs and crunching leaves filled my ears. It had to be Eli, but I stayed quiet in case it wasn¡¯t. In the faint light of the moon, I saw his white shirt stand out from beneath his tux. Shadow covered most of his face, but I could still make his relieved expression.


    ¡°Is she okay?¡± he asked, kneeling down and touching her forehead before towering over us again.


    ¡°She¡¯s okay now. She¡¯s had too much to drink and decided she wanted to go swimming.¡±


    Although he had disapproval written all over his face, he didn¡¯t say anything. He wanted what I wanted¡ªto get Mila home safely.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take her back to your house. I don¡¯t want to ruin Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s night,¡± he suggested, checking his cell phone.


    I nodded, not sure what else to say.


    ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± said a voice from behind Eli.


    I was too busy focusing on Eli¡¯s looming figure to notice Xavier standing behind him.


    ¡°Um, yeah¡­ Can you get her off me?¡±


    Xavier stepped past Eli and scooped Mila up in his arms. Eli extended his hand to me and I took it. As he pulled me to my feet, I ignored the electrical current that pulsed through me.


    We followed closely behind Xavier while he carried Mila effortlessly, as if she was a feather.


    As we walked, my head spun slightly, causing me to miss my step over a rotten piece of wood. Unable to catch my footing, I fell. Eli reached out and caught my arm, pulling me toward him. Somehow, we¡¯d ended up with our bodies pressing firmly together. His eyes watched me intently, waiting for me to pull away¡­ or kiss him, I couldn¡¯t tell. After a few long seconds, he spoke. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    I nodded slowly, completely incapacitated by his touch. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Thank you.¡±


    I expected him to let me go, but he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°You still have the whistle?¡± he asked in a low tone.


    ¡°I was going to return it tonight, but then this happened.¡±


    Much to my dismay, he released me from his grip and my heart sent a weird shock throughout my body.


    ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    I steadied myself and started walking again. ¡°She wanted to get away and have fun.¡±


    ¡°And you encouraged it?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. I wasn¡¯t going to say no to her, not after everything I put her through.¡±


    Beside me, Eli fell silent. That was it for conversation until Xavier laid Mila down on my bed. Eli and I waited in the living room. I pulled leaves and sticks out of my hair and Eli was leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him, watching me in amusement. I glowered at him. Even after the run through the forest, his hair was still perfect, his skin was clean, and there was barely a mark on his outfit.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°It is a bit funny.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Because no matter what you do, you can¡¯t stay out of trouble.¡±


    A small laugh escaped me. I had to give it to him¡ªhe spoke the truth¡ªto an extent. He didn¡¯t take his eyes off me as I attempted to remove a hairpin from my hair. I kept my eyes on the floor, too nervous to make eye contact. If I did, there was no guaranteeing I¡¯d be able to stay on this side of the room. My lips twitched, I was trying hard not to smile. This was how it should be between Eli and I. Our conversations should be light-hearted and normal, not stressed or forced. I yanked one final time on my hairpin, but couldn¡¯t get it free.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡± Eli offered.


    I exhaled and pointlessly straightened my dress. ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    Slowly, he walked over to me, his leather dress shoes tapping slightly on the floor. I tilted my head down so he could access the pin. As he got within inches of me, my breathing quickened and my heart rattled against my ribcage. After a year of being without Eli, he still had the same effect on me. Somehow, he managed to get my hairpin free. I held out my hand and he placed it on my palm. When he didn¡¯t step back, I glanced up at him. His eyes were intense and warm, flickering as if he was fighting some internal struggle.


    ¡°She¡¯s down for the count.¡± Xavier entered the living room.


    He smiled awkwardly when he noticed how close together Eli and I were standing. ¡°I¡¯ll wait outside.¡±


    I cleared my throat and stepped away from Eli and his crazy gravitational pull. I walked over to the kitchen bench and pulled out the remaining hairpins, setting them down on the hard surface. I ran my fingers through my hair and it fell nicely around my shoulders.


    ¡°Before I forget,¡± I crossed the room and took his whistle out of my purse. ¡°Here¡¯s your whistle. I should have given it back sooner.¡±


    ¡°No, you keep it. It¡¯s yours.¡±


    I held it against his chest. ¡°You need to give it to Mila.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°She told you?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m mad¡ªjealous maybe, but not mad.¡±


    The corners of his lips twitched into a smile as he took the whistle from my hand and stuffed it into his pants pocket. ¡°Do you have another dress?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Why?¡±


    ¡°Because we have a party to attend.¡±


    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ve had enough excitement for one night and I really should stay with Mila.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Aleksandrov will be worried if both you and Mila aren¡¯t at the party. Come. You can tell him she was feeling under the weather and has gone to bed.¡±


    I clicked my tongue against my teeth in thought. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m going to say goodnight to Mr. Aleksandrov and then I¡¯m coming straight back.¡±


    Eli smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you outside.¡±


    I ran into the bathroom and when I saw my dress in the mirror, I almost burst into tears. It was torn and covered in grass stains and dirt. It had wet patches on it and smelled strongly of wine. My skin was just as bad. Quickly, I slipped out of my clothes and jumped into the shower, careful not to wet my hair¡ªit¡¯d be easier to brush if it was dry.


    When I got out, I pulled the red dress from its bag hanging on the back of the bathroom door and slid into it. The strapless gown hugged my curves and I spun around on the spot to get a view of the back. It was good enough.


    I put on a fresh layer of make-up, brushed my hair, and left the bathroom. I was tired now, my legs ached, and the alcohol had worn off. Bed seemed like the best thing to do, but alas, here I was, shoes on, dressed up, and ready to party again.


    In the rush of it all, I forgot to retrieve my coat from the dining hall, so as I stepped outside and the cool night air blew against my skin, I felt it.


    ¡°You two go. I¡¯ll stay in case Mila wakes up.¡±


    I eyed Xavier suspiciously, unsure of his motives.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay outside,¡± he added.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    I turned my attention to Eli, who watched me admiringly. He didn¡¯t say anything, only watched. My cheeks heated under his gaze. Maybe the dress wasn¡¯t as mediocre as I first thought. We didn¡¯t talk until we got to the dining hall, despite the light conversation we had before Xavier entered, Eli was still closed off to me.


    ¡°There you kids are!¡± Frank called from across the room.


    His sudden, loud voice drew attention to us. Some people watched us with big smiles and friendly eyes; others watched us cautiously¡ªlike we were here to ruin the party. Frank made his way through the crowd and over to us.


    ¡°Maybe my eyes are failing me but I could¡¯ve sworn that you were wearing a gold dress earlier?¡±


    ¡°It got dirty.¡±


    Frank rolled his eyes at Eli. ¡°Women, I can¡¯t even begin to understand them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t try to,¡± Eli responded, his voice light with humor.


    Frank chuckled at Eli¡¯s response and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°People are dying to see our saviors share a dance.¡±


    Saviors? That was a bit farfetched. We hadn¡¯t saved anyone, really, and Lucian was still alive.


    ¡°No, no dancing. I¡¯m looking for Mr. Aleksandrov. It¡¯s getting late and I want to go to bed,¡± I replied dully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± said Paula, appearing out of nowhere and pulling me forward by my elbow. ¡°It will only take a few minutes, then you can go to sleep.¡±


    And just like that Eli and I were ushered to the dance floor. Beside us, Paula and Frank danced in a big show of twirls and giggles. Eli placed his hand on my back, much lower than Frank had, and took hold of my hand. I placed my free hand on Eli¡¯s shoulder, ignoring the nauseous yet thrilling feeling that circled my stomach.

 Page 6

    ¡°I like your dress.¡±


    I felt a strange surge of pleasure. He watched as my lips curved into an involuntary smile. ¡°You didn¡¯t like the gold one?¡±


    He brought his mouth down to my ear. ¡°Oh, I liked the gold one, but red is my favorite color.¡±


    A warm flush spread over my body and I was happy, but I could tell by the way Eli¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes he was itching to get something off his chest. We danced in silence for a few more seconds before he sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive, so I assume Hunter and Lucian haven¡¯t made an appearance?¡±


    I paused, unsure of whether to tell him Hunter had found me. I¡¯d kept things from Eli before, and it didn¡¯t turn out too well. Honesty is the best policy, or so they say.


    ¡°They blew into town two nights ago. Hunter came to the bar I was working at. Lucian fell for my charm but Hunter knew it was me.¡±


    ¡°And he didn¡¯t give you up to Lucian?¡±


    ¡°No, it seems he wants to make it as torturous for me as he can.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°After that, he broke into my house.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me you killed him when you were alone, at least?¡± The harshness in his voice startled me and I didn¡¯t dare look away from his eyes.


    I shook my head. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    Under my hands, Eli¡¯s muscles tensed and he gritted his teeth. ¡°Then I will.¡±


    I pulled him closer to me. ¡°He saved your life,¡± I whispered hastily under my breath.


    A dangerous glint lit up Eli¡¯s eyes, making me regret my words the moment they fell from my lips. Eli leaned closer to my ear.


    ¡°The only reason I took his blood was because you begged me to. Had I known you were going to leave me, I would have chosen otherwise. Death would have been easier than what you put me through.¡± Ouch. I flinched. His words cut through me deeper than any knife could have.


    He ran his hands through his hair and let out a breath. ¡°This is ridiculous. I don¡¯t play cat and mouse. You¡¯ve made your choice and now I¡¯m making mine.¡±


    He let me go and stormed away, leaving me drowning in the swaying sea of colorful gowns. I stared after him for a moment. I wasn¡¯t going to chase him, but my legs seemed to have a mind of their own. They were being controlled by my heart and so, I ran after him. It was up to me to make things right. All of his pain, his anger, and distrust existed because of me. A high-pitched tinging noise echoed throughout the hall, like someone was tapping on a wineglass. I ignored it.


    ¡°Could I have everyone¡¯s attention for a moment, please?¡± Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s voice rang clearly, forcing me to stop. I watched as Eli disappeared out the door. Frustrated, I reluctantly brought my attention back to the front of the room. This will only take a moment. I hope.


    ¡°Firstly, I would like to thank you all for celebrating this big accomplishment with me. As your new higher power, I hope to interact with you all regularly, you¡¯ll get no secrecy from me.¡± He paused and his eyes searched the crowd until they rested on my face. ¡°My first act as the higher power is instating Ruby Moore as one of my head guardians.¡±


    Loud chatter erupted throughout the room and it wasn¡¯t until a hundred eyes settled on me that I realized he¡¯d said my name. The air was sucked from my lungs. Breathe, I reminded myself. What am I supposed to do? I was unable to speak, totally stunned as his sentence bounced around the inside of my skull. There must be some mistake. Out of sheer panic, I sprinted from the hall.


    SECURITY MEASURES


    I swung my legs off the couch and took a moment to pull myself together. I pulled on a pair of loose sweats, a tank top, and tied my hair into a ponytail before slipping into my joggers. One of the guardians had mentioned a gym in the teachers¡¯ area last night¡­that¡¯s where I wanted to go. It had been awhile since I¡¯d worked out and I figured it would help me get rid of some of the stress and anger that had built up. Last night was unexpected and I still wasn¡¯t unsure how I felt about being put on the spot like that. Mr. Aleksandrov had no right announcing something so big without talking to me first. Was he even giving me a choice?


    The cool morning breeze caressed my skin, causing goosebumps to erupt across its usually smooth surface. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon, casting subtle rays of light between the houses. My body recognized the sun, embracing it.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one up this early, last night¡¯s guests were leaving and a few guardians jogged around the streets. As one particular jogger got closer, I realized it was Xavier.


    ¡°Out and about looking for trouble, are you?¡± he panted, coming to a stop in front of me.


    A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead and the fluffy hair he had yesterday was flat against his scalp.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to the gym¡­Do you know where it is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you.¡±


    The gym was four streets down. It was a small building, but Xavier promised it housed state of the art equipment. Three guardians stood on the old wooden porch, casually chatting and laughing. I waved Xavier off and proceeded up the stairs, hoping the intimidating angels continued to ignore me.


    ¡°Ruby Moore?¡±


    Crap. I turned to face the tall, dark-skinned guardian that spoke my name. He took a step toward me and my stomach knotted nervously. Had I done something wrong? He extended his hand to me. I glanced at it, unsure of what to do next. Slowly, I placed my hand in his.


    ¡°Welcome to the team,¡± he said, shaking my hand. ¡°My name is Lyric.¡± He turned slightly and gestured to his friends. ¡°That¡¯s Paul and his twin brother, Markus.¡±


    Paul and Markus were twins. Both of them were at least six foot four, they had the same chestnut brown hair with a light spattering of freckles across their cheeks. I tried not to stare, but I¡¯d never seen twins in real life before.


    ¡°So, going from a student goddess to the higher power¡¯s right hand man is a very big, honourable step,¡± Lyric added.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t set in stone,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do all right,¡± Paul assured.


    Markus added, ¡°Yeah, they say you¡¯ve killed more vampires than most guardian angels get to in a lifetime.¡±


    I shrugged and glanced longingly toward the gym door. I didn¡¯t know exactly how many vampires I¡¯d killed, I hadn¡¯t really thought about it, nor have I ever wanted to keep track. Why would I want to be reminded of the lives I¡¯d taken? They may have technically been dead at the time I killed them, but they were all humans at one point.


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed my fair share.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being modest. That¡¯s admirable.¡± Lyric¡¯s voice was deep and smooth, like velvet. Nice to listen to, but extremely intimidating. ¡°We gotta go now¡ªsentry shifts and all. It was nice meeting you.¡±


    I nodded in response and the guardians left the porch. I entered the gym. The air was thick with body heat. Immediately I was overwhelmed by the smell of sweat and blood. I ignored glances from a few guardians as I turned my nose up at a few odd socks and rags before climbing onto a treadmill. After five minutes of ruthless running, I turned it off. It hadn¡¯t helped with my frustration and being congratulated by Lyric kind of made me angrier. I didn¡¯t want to be a head guardian. I walked over to a rack that was bolted to the far wall, next to the boxing ring. It held several different sizes of boxing gloves¡ªperhaps punching things would help me? I didn¡¯t work out when I was living in Gerald. I had no motivation to, but I still remembered everything Eli had taught me. I punched the bag over and over, working on the various combinations I¡¯d learned at Mount Kuuce. After several minutes, my arms burned and I cursed myself for not training while I was away.


    ¡°I was wondering if you still had good form.¡±


    His voice seeped into my skin, affecting me from the inside out. Subtly, I took a deep breath and grasped the punching bag, stopping it from swaying and spinning. In light of what happened after Eli stormed out last night, I¡¯d put the situation between us on the back burner. I had bigger things to worry about. I turned to face him. Of course he looked freaking amazing in his tight tank top and his sweat pants hung perfectly from his hips. Not to mention those eyes that smiled slightly at me. I caught my lip between my teeth and then let go of it with a burst of air from my cheeks.


    ¡°Me too, seeing as though I haven¡¯t trained since Mount Kuuce.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow and the corners of his mouth turned down in disapproval. ¡°I¡¯m going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear that. I¡¯m hearing your name a lot this morning. What did you do?¡±


    I scoffed. Why do people always assume the worst? I turned back to my punching bag and threw a few more combinations. Eli walked around to the opposite side of the punching bag and took hold of it, preventing it from swinging around.


    ¡°I thought you were mad at me.¡±


    ¡°I am mad at you, but I¡¯ve said all I wanted to say. Now that you know, we can continue on with our lives.¡±


    I hit the bag harder and faster.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± he prompted.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask the almighty higher power?¡± I slowed down my punches and then stopped completely as Eli pressed his lips together, staring at me through confused, narrowed eyes.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    He let go of the punching bag and slung his gym towel over his shoulder. ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Aleksandrov wants me to be one of his head guardians and it appears I don¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡±


    Eli crossed his arms disapprovingly. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°He called me out in front of everyone last night and Lyric welcomed me to the team this morning, so yes, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    He ran his hands through his messy hair. ¡°I had no idea.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone did.¡±


    He walked away from me, heading toward the door. I pulled my gloves off and the air felt cold against my sweaty hands.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I called after him, rubbing my hands on my sweat pants.


    ¡°To see if I can change his mind.¡±


    I dropped my gloves on the floor, making a mental note to come back and hang them up later. I jogged up behind him, catching up before he got to the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Eli glanced at me, his eyebrow cocked. He parted his lips, about to protest, but instead he agreed. Eli and I strolled from the gym, collecting glances as we walked. Some watched us admiringly, others were green with envy, and the rest were uncomfortable, as if we were breaking some kind of rule they wanted no part in.


    ¡°They know?¡± I wondered aloud.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°They know how we feel¡ªfelt about each other.¡±


    ¡°They think they know.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°But they don¡¯t know a damn thing.¡±


    Before long, we were heading down the path we had walked when I first arrived here¡ªthe path shrouded by trees. I remembered how he grabbed me by the wrists and forced me to look at him. I remembered how passionate he was¡­ I glanced sideways at him. If he was thinking the same thing I was, he sure wasn¡¯t giving anything away.


    ¡°Stop!¡± a hidden voice shouted from nearby.


    I froze dead on the path.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I whispered to Eli.


    ¡°Security measures.¡± Eli¡¯s voice held a bored tone, like he had been through this a million times already.


    Two men appeared from the bushes, pointing black machine guns at us. I felt the blood drain from my face. Sensing my discomfort, Eli took a slight step in front of me¡ªprotecting me from staring down the intimidating barrel. The men were camouflaged from head to toe in thick black and brown clothing. Even their face was covered by fabric and goggles.


    ¡°Mr De Luca, are you expected?¡± the man with the machine gun shouted, his voice muffled through the thin veil of mesh that covered his face.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then turn around.¡±


    Eli took a step toward them.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I whispered hastily, grabbing at his forearm.


    ¡°Tell Ivan that Ruby Moore and I would like to see him.¡±


    He peered around Eli to get a better look at me. Being under his hidden gaze was nerve-racking. The masked man pulled a cell phone from one of his bazillion pockets and dialed a number. A few seconds later, he spoke.


    ¡°Ruby Moore and Eli De Luca are here to see you, sir.¡±


    The loudspeaker was on and Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s voice played clearly. ¡°Send them through.¡±


    The gunmen stepped aside. In the trees, I spotted more people with guns, just waiting for an intruder...but what kind of intruder? Guns don¡¯t kill vampires, unless it was a wooden bullet to the heart.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I asked when we¡¯d made it to the open field next to Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house and my heart slowed down.


    ¡°The higher power¡¯s new security team...¡±


    ¡°I thought Sage was safer than ever?¡± There was no point in a security team for Mr. Aleksandrov, he said himself the school was safer than ever.


    ¡°It is, but the council seems to think that nothing is concrete with magic.¡±


    I frowned. They were willing to set up people with guns to protect a single grown man that already had god knows how many guardians at his disposal, but nothing to protect the students. That didn¡¯t seem fair.


    We approached the steps and I stared into one of the cameras, just waiting for the door to open. With an annoyingly loud buzz, it did. We were greeted by a young Indian woman, in her mid-twenties at most. Her hair was as dark as night and braided down the side of her head, stopping at her waist.


    ¡°Please come in. Mr. Aleksandrov is in the tea room.¡±

 Page 7

    We thanked her and headed toward the tea room. Last time I was here, the house was empty. Mila and Mr. Aleksandrov were its only inhabitants. This time, there were guests, reporters, camera men, maids¡ªthe list went on and all of them eyed us strangely because we were in our gym clothes and Eli still had his towel slung over his shoulder. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that maybe Mr. Aleksandrov had let all of this go to his head. One person doesn¡¯t need so many people to depend on. We approached the tea room and the maid held the door open.


    ¡°Ah, Eli and Ruby, please, come sit down.¡±


    The doors were closed behind us and the busy whispers disappeared. I was happy we could talk alone with Mr. Aleksandrov, away from his vast entourage. Eli and I took a seat across from him. I glanced around the room and noticed it had been remodelled. The beautiful antique gold-edged table we had sat around last time was replaced by a long, dark wooden table with chairs to match. It didn¡¯t feel inviting or warm, it felt intimidating, like we weren¡¯t worthy of his presence.


    ¡°Excuse the mess and the people. The council is still sorting everything out.¡±


    I wanted to chastise him about the men with the guns, the maid at the door, the reporters, the camera man, and even the tea room, but those didn¡¯t affect me directly. However, Mr. Aleksandrov making me one of his head guardians? That affected me, big time.


    ¡°I hear you made an important announcement last night,¡± Eli said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ivan turned his attention toward me. ¡°You ran out.¡±


    ¡°As you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock to me,¡± I mumbled.


    Eli leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. ¡°Goddesses aren¡¯t meant to fight,¡± he stated fiercely.


    M. Aleksandrov grabbed a pen from its holder, scribbled on a piece of paper and slid it over to us.


    ¡°You forget she isn¡¯t completely a goddess. She has special abilities that are very important to the council and to me. My decision is final.¡±


    Sprawled onto the paper in black ink was a warning: We can¡¯t talk here. I¡¯ll come find you later.


    Mr. Aleksandrov used his wand to pull the flame from the tea light candle and burned the paper. Eli and I rose from our chairs and waltzed from the tea room. There was something going on here, something to do with me, and we had to wait for Mr. Aleksandrov to tell us.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± I whispered to Eli as we walked across the field and back toward the armed security team hidden in the shrubbery.


    ¡°We wait.¡±


    When I arrived back at my place, Mila was awake and making breakfast. She didn¡¯t look too good. Her pale-green complexion told me she¡¯d been hugging the toilet bowl all morning.


    ¡°Ruby!¡± she greeted me. ¡°There you are. I¡¯m making bacon and eggs f¡ª¡± Cutting her sentence off, Mila placed a hand on her mouth.


    I cringed, taking a step back. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll take over breakfast¡­¡±


    Mila sprinted from the room and I chuckled to myself. Somehow I had become immune to hangovers. That didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d forgotten my first one. It was the morning after the dance and I felt disgusting. The bacon sizzled in the pan, making my stomach growl. The eggs were done to perfection, they were light, fluffy, and salted just right.


    With a freshly washed face, Mila re-entered the room and leaned on the bench. I pushed the plate of eggs over to her and I could¡¯ve sworn she turned a shade greener. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have toast instead.¡±


    I turned away and popped two slices of bread into the toaster.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you were too drunk to remember last night?¡± she asked sheepishly.


    I shook my head. ¡°Nope, I¡¯m surprised you remember, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to do that to you¡­ I remember the promise you made me, it doesn¡¯t count. I want you to do whatever you want.¡±


    I smiled at her. Looking at her face now, I could tell she wanted me to keep my promise. A drunken promise was still a promise.


    After breakfast, Mila went to the library. She needed to grab a few books for her upcoming plant essay. I wasn¡¯t allowed to go; visitors weren¡¯t permitted to wander around the school campus, so I showered instead.


    The first droplet of water hit my skin, immediately releasing built-up tension. It had only been an hour or so since my work-out session and already my muscles were becoming stiff. I closed my eyes and the hot steam enveloped my body. So many voices were rolling around my mind. ¡®My first act as the higher power is instating Ruby Moore as one of my head guardians.¡¯ Was it his decision? The note he wrote suggested otherwise, perhaps the council was running the show? Steam clung to the shower glass, blocking out the rest of the bathroom. I tilted my head back, letting the water run down my hair. ¡®We can¡¯t talk here. I¡¯ll come find you later.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t be misinterpreting the situation¡ªit seemed so clear, so undeniable. What did the council want with Mr. Aleksandrov, better yet, what did they want with me? A goddess had never protected anything before¡­ they weren¡¯t meant to. There was a chance the council genuinely thought I could protect Mr. Aleksandrov, but as the higher power, he¡¯ll have the best guardian angels protecting him¡­ he wouldn¡¯t need me.


    After the shower, I got changed and headed to Eli¡¯s house. It had been over two hours since we left Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house and I hadn¡¯t heard anything. Eli didn¡¯t have my number, so how would he be able to contact me? My running shoes scuffed against small pebbles as I made my way to his house. I knocked on the door and after a few seconds, Eli and I were face to face. A delicious, clean scent wafted up my nose. His semi-dried hair was ruffled and a drop fell onto his white t-shirt that still clung to the damp patches on his body.


    ¡°Hey, has Mr. Aleksandrov contacted you yet?¡± I asked, forcing my gaze from his hair to his eyes.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m still waiting.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    I glanced awkwardly around the porch. Now what? Eli¡¯s left eyebrow twitched in amusement and he fought back a smile. ¡°Would you like to come in?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ sure,¡±


    Eli leaned against the wall, leaving a gap for me to pass. I stepped inside and my arm swiped his. The electricity I felt made me gasp involuntarily. A hot blush flared through my cheeks, but I kept walking, hoping Eli didn¡¯t notice my amateur reaction.


    Jeez, relax. Freak. I chastised myself. The door closed behind me and I was completely encased by his clean, crisp scent.


    I still had a strong physical attraction to Eli and being away for a year only increased my desires. At Mount Kuuce we almost ¡®did it¡¯ and it was perfect¡ªor at least it would have been. It didn¡¯t matter to me that we never had sex. What mattered to me was that I¡¯d finally found someone I was comfortable with, drawn to, and absolutely, without a doubt, in love with. And I blew it.


    ¡°Would you like a drink?¡± Eli asked, walking over to his fridge.


    I frowned. It was way too early for alcohol.


    ¡°This early?¡±


    His lips curved into a delectable smile at my disapproving tone. He pulled a water bottle out of the fridge and I suddenly became embarrassed.


    ¡°Oh, you meant water.¡±


    He tossed the water bottle to me and I caught it before sitting down on the couch.


    ¡°When do you think Mr. Aleksandrov will come?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It could be anytime.¡± Eli leaned on the breakfast bar and watched me. His face was unreadable, he appeared to be deep in thought and I wasn¡¯t sure if I was overstaying my welcome.


    ¡°I can go¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay.¡± He walked over and sat on the couch beside me. ¡°I feel as though we should clear the air.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. You made everything clear last night and you¡¯re absolutely right. I¡¯ve let you down and I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I said some pretty harsh things last night. I should be the one apologizing.¡±


    ¡°You have every right to be mad. Last year I told you I loved you. I forced you to say it back and then I ran.¡±


    A silence fell in the house and I became increasingly uncomfortable. I shifted in my seat and tried to rise to my feet, but Eli grabbed my wrist, forcing me back down.


    He frowned at me, his eyes taking on a darker edge, like he was in pain. ¡°Have your feelings changed?¡±


    My heartbeat sped up. His green eyes watched me intently, painfully, waiting for an answer. My throat went dry. What answer did he want? His face was so stern, so serious¡­I couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°No, my feelings haven¡¯t changed.¡±


    His eyes reflected his relief, but his face remained unreadable. Had his feelings changed?


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡± I cleared my throat. It had suddenly gone dry. I swallowed in an attempt to moisten it. ¡°I tried to forget about you, but I couldn¡¯t. Every night before bed I¡¯d tell myself how much of an idiot I was for leaving you, and yet at the same time I was chastising myself for letting things get so far. We can¡¯t be together, and as long as you¡¯re an angel and I¡¯m a goddess, it can never happen. I¡¯m tired of dragging you along. I don¡¯t want to be selfish with you. I want you to be free, to marry an angel, have children¡­¡± The sentence was bitter on my tongue. ¡°If we¡¯re together, you¡¯ll probably get killed eventually, and I don¡¯t think I can handle that.¡±


    He sighed and sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. ¡°You¡¯re as susceptible to death as I am. I share the same fears that you do, but if we live in fear, we¡¯ll never be happy. We should appreciate every second that we¡¯re alive, that we¡¯re together, because who knows when it¡¯ll be the last time? As for marriage, I do want to get married and have children, but if being with you meant I couldn¡¯t have those things, then I¡¯d give it up in a heartbeat.¡±


    Eli took my hands between his and shifted his weight so his face was mere inches from my own.


    ¡°I love you, Ruby. I tried to convince myself that I didn¡¯t, and for a while there, I even believed it, but then I saw you again, looking as beautiful as I remember, and all the walls and barriers I built came down.¡±


    I ran my thumb along the back of his hand, ignoring the way my skin tingled in his grasp.


    ¡°Mr. Aleksandrov is on our side. Is he working on getting the intimate relations ban lifted?¡± I told him about the conversation Aleksandrov and I had in the car a year ago, when we drove away from Gerald Harbor.


    ¡°He wanted to lift the ban to help Mila, but she and Gabriel are over. I don¡¯t know how high that is on his priority list now. All I know is, there¡¯s no way the council will lift that ban. It would cause too much of a riot,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Why? It doesn¡¯t affect anyone who isn¡¯t involved with a guardian.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. People are just used to things being this way. They¡¯re programmed to think it¡¯s wrong. It¡¯ll take a lot more than lifting a ban to change their minds.¡±


    I thought back to when Mrs. Ploit told me how wrong and disgusting it was to be involved with a guardian angel. ¡°Mrs. Ploit said that it has been that way for centuries¡­ How long did Lucian rule for? We age like humans do.¡±


    ¡°A higher power can rule for as long as they want to. They use witches and charms to dramatically slow down the aging process, if they age at all. Lucian ruled for three centuries, I think.¡±


    Three centuries? That¡¯s three hundred years! I cringed. Lucian didn¡¯t look a day over fifty. Although, being a vampire stops aging and no one knows exactly how long he¡¯d been a vampire.


    ¡°What will happen to us if the ban doesn¡¯t get lifted?¡± I mused.


    Eli shifted onto the floor and knelt in front of me. ¡°Then we run away together.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said¡ª¡±


    ¡°Forget anything I have ever said,¡± he interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t care if I get banished. If we spend the rest of our lives running, then so be it.¡±


    Then he took my face in his hands and kissed me earnestly, his willing lips moving against mine. I was shocked, too shocked to respond appropriately, and so he pulled away, analyzing my reaction. My blood boiled under my skin and burned in my lips. I wanted to kiss him back with as much passion and desire as I could muster, but there was something I needed to clear up first.


    ¡°Last night, you made your choice and you left. What made you change your mind?¡±


    ¡°After I left you, I remembered something my father told me when I was young. I had a small toy horse, and by accident, I snapped its leg off. Out of frustration,1 I threw it in the bin. Later that night, my father brought it back to me and told me that if I cared for something enough and it breaks, I should fix it, not throw it away.¡±


    Eli took my face in his hands. ¡°When I got home last night, I realized how irrational and childish I¡¯d been. I care about you so much. So much that I feel like I¡¯m in physical pain whenever you aren¡¯t around.¡± He placed a kiss on my forehead. ¡°This is what I want. You are what I want.¡±


    Without warning, I kissed him hard. My heart pounded out an uneven rhythm while my breathing quickened. My fingers moved greedily through his damp hair. I wanted to stop. It wasn¡¯t fair to him, not after what I did, but I couldn¡¯t stop. My body was being over-run by feelings I¡¯d never experienced before. I ignored my inner voice chastising me Selfish, selfish, selfish! it said. This was okay, I was staying now, I promised Mila that I would and I could make it up to Eli. He pulled me to my feet, pressing his body against mine so he could feel every line. I tensed my leg muscles, preventing myself from melting into a soft pile of flesh.


    ¡°Aleksandrov could arrive at any minute,¡± Eli mumbled as we broke apart for air.

 Page 8

    We stared at each other momentarily before I wrapped my arms around his neck, forcing his lips back onto mine. He lifted me, wrapping my legs around his waist, and carried me all the way to his room... It smelled nice, like vanilla infused with lavender. I pulled away from his lips. His room was dim; the thin line of light that filtered through the curtains allowed me to get a better look at my surroundings.


    ¡°This is your room?¡± I breathed, marvelling at how clean it was. I was expecting smelly socks and shoes strewn all over the floor, but all I saw was impeccable cleanliness. As for d¨¦cor, Eli had good taste. The room had a natural color scheme, the chest of drawers were a light brown, the curtains were cream, the Persian rug had some kind of elegant brown and black pattern woven into it and his bed was low, with an elegant black frame. ¡°It¡¯s so clean.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep unless it¡¯s clean.¡±


    He laid me down on his firm bed, kissing me softer this time. Everything happened so fast, his shirt came off and so did mine. Eventually, our clothes ended up all over the bedroom and then, just as it was about to happen, there was a knock at the front door. I¡¯ve never wanted to scream and punch things as much as I did right at that moment.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be freaking kidding me,¡± I growled, covering my face with my hands.


    He laughed under his breath and planted a soft kiss on my right shoulder.


    It was a risk, doing what we were doing, especially when we were expecting Mr. Aleksandrov to drop by. Maybe because Mr. Aleksandrov was the higher power, I felt less threatened. He wouldn¡¯t banish Eli if we became intimate, he knew how we felt about each other and hadn¡¯t done anything about it so far.


    Eli and I rushed around the room locating our clothes piece by piece. It was hard trying to keep our chuckles and swear words to a low hush. Within minutes we were dressed and ready. I ran to the couch and sat down, Eli answered the door. Mr Aleksandrov stepped inside with Lyric and Xavier in tow.


    ¡°Ruby, you¡¯re here. Good.¡±


    As they stepped past Eli into the living room, Eli winked at me and I bit my lip trying to fight off a smile.


    ¡°Great timing,¡± Eli said.


    Heat climbed into my cheeks and I cleared my throat, preventing a nervous laugh from escaping. It was a personal joke, only we knew what it meant.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have long.¡± Mr Aleksandrov sat beside me. ¡°Ruby, I¡¯m sorry to have put you on the spot like that last night. I never intended for you to become a head guardian but the council had other plans.¡±


    ¡°What are their plans?¡± I asked.


    Mr. Aleksandrov sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know all of it, only what I¡¯ve pieced together myself.¡± He pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°They made me the higher power to get you back to Sage¡ªthat much I know. They knew you wouldn¡¯t have come on your own.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°You overcame being a vampire, you¡¯re part Heelian, and in Gerald Harbor, you wiped out a lot of vampires. The council sees you as valuable, and by gaining your trust, they can use you.¡±


    ¡°Why make me your head guardian, though? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I can¡¯t figure out.¡±


    Eli joined us on the couch. Xavier and Lyric stood against the wall, arms folded, their guardian uniforms pressed to perfection, their eyes watching nothing and everything at once.


    A loud knock thundered on the door and I jumped.


    ¡°It seems I have to go,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov mumbled.


    Lyric opened the door and there stood four men dressed in white uniforms, almost identical to the black ones the guardians wear at Sage.


    ¡°Mr. Aleksandrov, the council wishes to speak with you.¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov rose off the couch and straightened out the creases in his robe.


    ¡°Have a good afternoon,¡± he called over his shoulder as he strolled out the door. Lyric and Xavier followed him, leaving Eli and I alone again. The sexual tension between us was dampened.


    ¡°Who were the men in the white uniforms?¡± I wondered aloud.


    ¡°Elite guardians of the council, or as everyone else sees them, a bunch of morons with annoyingly high egos,¡± Eli explained.


    ¡°So the council is here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d say so.¡±


    I pondered the idea of storming up there and demanding answers myself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± he warned, pulling his eyebrows together. ¡°The Elite guardians will kill you before you make it to the front door, regardless of who you are.¡±


    I smiled innocently. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to bother them.¡±


    I shifted my weight onto my left leg. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you want to continue what we started?¡± I arched an eyebrow toward his bedroom and Eli laughed loudly. He stepped toward me, took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead.


    ¡°Go home and relax. When the time is right, it¡¯ll happen on its own.¡±


    We walked to the door and Eli held it open for me. I stepped out into the light and squinted slightly. A crisp, flowery scent blew with the breeze and I inhaled.


    ¡°I¡¯m going on duty soon so you probably won¡¯t see me until tomorrow,¡± he said.


    I turned to face him. ¡°Well that sucks.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Have a good afternoon.¡±


    Eli stepped back inside and with a sweet smile, he closed the front door. I headed down the porch steps feeling heavy and frustrated. We¡¯d gotten so close and yet here I was, still no closer to being equal with Eli on every level.


    Damn it.


    SALVATION


    Once I left Eli¡¯s house, I had nothing else to do, so I sat around my house snacking on grapes and replaying the moment between us over and over. Mila wasn¡¯t coming back tonight¡ªshe had class in the morning. If I was in Gerald, I¡¯d be working right now, pouring beers and shots, wiping the bar, flirting with drunk old men, trying to get them to buy even more alcohol. Even I have to admit this was better than what I could have been doing.


    I laid on the couch, throwing grapes in the air and trying to catch them in my mouth. My phone buzzed. I leaned over to the coffee table, knocking a few grapes out of my bowl, and grabbed my phone. It was a text message from Eli.


    Shift over. I¡¯m going down to the school¡¯s dining hall for dinner. Would you like to come? ¡ª Eli


    How¡¯d he get my number? I smiled and a warm feeling spread through my chest, but there was no way I was going anywhere near the students.


    I¡¯m not ready to see any students right now, especially Raina and Rylan.


    I waited a few minutes and got no text back. I saved his number into my contacts list and went back to catching grapes in my mouth. Playing and eating grapes was fun¡ªuntil it got boring. I sighed. I guess it was an early night for me. I hadn¡¯t eaten dinner. I couldn¡¯t be bothered cooking it and I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to start now. I went to my bedroom instead. Tonight the air was warm, the opposite of last night¡¯s cool breeze. I slid out of my checkered boxer shorts and climbed into bed. Almost immediately I began to sweat. I pulled my singlet off¡ªstill didn¡¯t help. I exhaled in annoyance. The house had air conditioning, but I didn¡¯t know how to use the remote to start the damn thing.


    In the silence, I heard a knock at my door. I put my pajamas back on, flicked on the lights and ran to the door. As my hand touch the cool metal, I stopped. What if it wasn¡¯t Eli? What if it was the council or Mr. Aleksandrov taking me away to do some kind of top secret mission? I peered through the peep hole but I couldn¡¯t see anything. I ran my hand along the wall until I located the porch light switch. I flicked it on and the person cloaked in the shadows was revealed. I opened the door.


    ¡°Eli? What are you doing here?¡±


    He glanced at me, the beginning of a smirk forming on his lips when he saw me in my pajamas.


    ¡°I thought we could eat together,¡± he said, holding up a few plastic containers. My knees threatened to give way at the sight of him in his guardian uniform.


    ¡°Sure, come in.¡±


    As Eli took off his big guardian boots, I walked to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for plates. When I found them, I sat them on the bench and Eli opened the containers.


    ¡°Unfortunately, they were only serving chicken salad for dinner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect, I half filled up on grapes before you came anyway,¡± I replied, reaching into the drawer and pulling out cutlery. I felt tense and nervous. I wasn¡¯t uncomfortable. Eli doesn¡¯t make me uncomfortable, but it was a strange feeling I couldn¡¯t explain. Then it hit me. Eli and I have never really spent time together under normal circumstances. There was always something big, something life-threatening in the works. Now, even though we¡¯re convinced the council is up to something, we¡¯re spending time together for the sake of each other¡¯s company, not because it might be the last time.


    ¡°Is everything okay? You seem nervous,¡± he asked, leaning over the bench and touching my arm.


    ¡°I realized that we¡¯ve never spent time together under normal conditions.¡±


    He opened his mouth to say something and then stopped when he came to the same realization.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s make tonight unforgettable.¡±


    I blushed, wondering if I had imagined the dangerous gleam that flickered in his eyes. He scooped food onto the plates and we sat on the floor in the living room, eating and talking about life away from each other. We didn¡¯t talk about how much it hurt us to be apart, instead we focused on funny things that¡¯d happened to us. When we finished, Eli stood up and prepared to leave.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go just yet. We could talk for a little while longer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late. I don¡¯t want to keep you up.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be keeping me up.¡± I cleared my throat and fidgeted with my fingers. ¡°You said you wanted to make tonight unforgettable¡­¡±


    He pressed his lips together, trying to hide his amusement. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the chicken salad enough?¡± he replied sarcastically, taking a few slow steps toward me.


    I scowled at him. ¡°The salad was fine.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me, what would you deem unforgettable?¡±


    I felt embarrassed. I didn¡¯t know what I was meant to say. There were so many things I could have said, done, but I played it safe.


    ¡°Would it be inappropriate for me to ask you to stay with me tonight?¡±


    He ran his index finger across his bottom lip. ¡°It¡¯d be dangerous in more ways than one.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯d be unforgettable, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Every moment with you is unforgettable.¡±


    I smiled. His line was totally cheesy, but totally romantic.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay, but I can lay down with you until you fall asleep,¡± he offered.


    It made me feel like a child, but no way in hell was I going to pass it up. We entered my room and I flicked on the desk lamp on the far side of the room. Its dim light illuminated the room poorly, but I only needed enough light to see his face. I climbed into bed, unable to bring myself to pull the blanket up. It was still hot, hotter now that Eli¡¯s body heat was adding to mine.


    ¡°Do you know how to work the air conditioner?¡± I asked.


    Eli disappeared into the living room and after a few beeps, a low vibration hummed throughout the house. By the time he returned I was in bed, pulling the blanket up to my chest. Eli lay beside me, staying on top of the blanket. Within minutes the air cooled, making being under the blanket more bearable. He stroked my hair, but I couldn¡¯t sleep. Here we were¡ª undisturbed and alone in my bedroom¡ªdoing nothing.


    ¡°If you have to go, I don¡¯t want to keep you,¡± I mumbled, trying to suss out how much time he could spare with me.


    ¡°You¡¯re not keeping me from anything. I prefer your company over being alone.¡±


    ¡°When I was gone, did you find¡­ other company?¡± I stared at the ceiling, selfishly praying for him to say no.


    ¡°No. I couldn¡¯t do that to you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know whether to feel happy or guilty that he hadn¡¯t sought the company of other girls. The thought of him being alone was just as unbearable as the thought of him being with another girl.


    ¡°It would be so much easier for you if you fell for a nice guardian angel instead of me. I¡¯ve done horrible things to you, yet here you are doing everything for me¡ªagain.¡±


    Eli rested his head on his elbow and I copied him.


    ¡°I feel so guilty for harassing you and demanding your attention,¡± I added.


    ¡°Even if you did a million horrible things to me, I¡¯d still find that one reason to be with you.¡± He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. ¡°And you didn¡¯t harass me or demand my attention. From the moment I saw you, you had me, and I knew I¡¯d do anything to protect you. Not because you were the daughter of the goddess that my father died protecting, but because I knew just from looking at you that we could help each other¡ªthat we could be each other¡¯s salvation.¡± He swallowed hard. ¡°That¡¯s why I was so hurt when you left. I thought that if anyone could help you, it¡¯d be me. You were the only shred of light that I had left in this dark existence.¡±


    I sat up and pulled him toward me, he opened his mouth to talk, but I silenced him with my lips. I brushed my tongue against his bottom lip and our innocent kiss turned passionate. Every aspect of his body¡ªhis lips, his hands, his scent¡ªmagnified and overpowered me. I pulled away, our eyes met, and I was lost, drowning in a sea of green. His eyes were alight with an emotion I¡¯d never really seen in him before. It wasn¡¯t love or admiration, no, those I¡¯ve seen. This time he looked at me¡ªinto me, with such lust and passion, like I was the only girl in the entire world, even in my pajamas. It impossible for me to pull away from his crushing sex appeal. I became powerless, I was his and he knew it. I couldn¡¯t fight him any longer and I didn¡¯t want to. I leaned forward slightly, permitting him to press his lips against mine. This time there¡¯d be no interruptions. This time there¡¯d be no going back. His lips touched mine and he entwined his fingers in my hair before pulling away ever so slightly.

 Page 9

    ¡°We might not be interrupted this time,¡± he muttered quietly, his lips grazing against mine as he spoke.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He hesitated for a moment, analyzing my face, trying to read my emotions.


    ¡°You know what to do?¡± I asked, suddenly nervous. ¡°You¡¯ve done this before?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve done this before.¡±


    I forced down the jealousy that crept up and I wrapped my hands around his neck, urging him closer. It didn¡¯t matter if he¡¯d been with other girls¡ªhe was hot as hell, so of course they¡¯d notice him. What mattered was he was here with me now. Piece by piece our clothes fell to the floor. He shifted his weight, pushing me down on the bed. My hands moved over his skin, my heart drumming so hard in my chest that it ached. His arm wrapped around my waist, and the other hand caressed my cheek, moving slowly down my arm, tracing the contour of my body along my hip and down my thigh, igniting my blood as he went. He pulled my thigh up so it wrapped around him. Then it happened¡­I was having sex.


    When it was over, I lay back against him. My body hurt with aches and sensations that I¡¯d never felt before¡­ yet at the same time, I felt content and beyond happy. I¡¯d never expected my first time to be so error free and exhilarating. Then again, I never expected my first time to be in a school with someone seven years older than me, but at the end of the day, none of that mattered. What mattered was it was with the person I love more than anything. It was with the one person who saved my life, risked everything for me and forgiven me for the all bad things I¡¯d done. I was with Eli De Luca¡ªmy guardian angel, my savior and my soul mate. I rested my head on Eli¡¯s bare chest and he ran his fingers through my hair.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± he asked, planting a kiss on my forehead.


    I yawned. ¡°I feel¡­ amazing. How was that for you?¡±


    He ran his fingers down the side of my body and released a low growl from the back of his throat as his hand trailed over my bare hip. ¡°Perfect.¡±


    There was no awkwardness, only contentment. We sat in silence for a few more moments, absorbing each other¡¯s warmth.


    ¡°The longer we lay here, the higher our chances of being caught.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°I know, but we need to savor this moment. Who knows when we¡¯ll have another¡­¡±


    With my index finger, I drew small circles on his hard stomach.


    ¡°Tell me something,¡± Eli said, his voice sounding faint, as if he was going to doze off.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Anything,¡± he supressed a yawn, ¡°tell me about this bar you worked at.¡±


    I knew he was fishing for information to see how safe the bar had been. I smiled.


    ¡°It was cosy. Nothing too flashy¡ªit¡¯s a small pub, if anything.¡±


    ¡°And the clientele?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Harmless old men. There were no young, drunken bachelors dressed in expensive business suits in Gerald.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and he pulled me closer, squeezing me firmly against him. Even though we¡¯d had sex, the slightest touch of his skin still sent a crackle of electricity through my body.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°No, let¡¯s run away together.¡±


    My emotions didn¡¯t register. I propped my head on my elbow and stared into his eyes as his words rang in my ears. Was he serious? The way he looked at me told me he was.


    ¡°What about what you said about your family?¡± I asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried you¡¯ll disappoint them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that anymore. I know my family, they¡¯d be more disappointed if I sat by and let bad things happen to you.¡±


    My heart ached for Eli. I wanted nothing more than to exist with him, alone in our own home. I imagined him mowing the lawn and I¡¯d bring him fresh lemonade. In my vision, we had a kid or two. Life would be perfect, but I couldn¡¯t do that, not now. I promised Mila I¡¯d stay with her and I was going to keep that promise, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I promised Mila I wouldn¡¯t leave her again.¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t possibly remember that, she was beyond drunk.¡±


    ¡°She does remember it, and even if she didn¡¯t, well, I remember. I owe it to her.¡±


    Eli¡¯s face was unreadable. It was hard to determine whether he was relieved or disappointed. ¡°And then there¡¯s Mr. Aleksandrov. If the council is up to something, then I need to protect him from it.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t go against the council, Ruby, that¡¯s suicide.¡±


    ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t kill me. Why would they go through the trouble of making Mr. Aleksandrov the higher power? They broke tradition for me¡­ I have something they want¡ªmy powers, no doubt. Besides, I¡¯ve done the impossible twice now. I¡¯ve killed Hank and escaped Lucian¡ªthird time¡¯s a charm.¡±


    Eli exhaled, not bothering to lecture me.


    ¡°You know I¡¯ll be there for you no matter what you choose to do, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    He planted another kiss on my forehead. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    We lay together for a while after our conversation, wrapped in each other¡¯s arms, not saying much. I wish we could have stayed like that forever, but someone was bound to show up eventually, and if they found us like that, things would certainly get real ugly, real quick.


    After we located our clothing, got dressed, and exchanged a few more kisses, Eli left, leaving me smiling stupidly to myself. Although it was late, I decided to shower. My muscles ached, and if there was anything that could help my tight, aching muscles, it¡¯d be a hot shower.


    In the shower I stood still, letting the water roll over my skin, burning me as it went. I couldn¡¯t shake the images of what happened between us from my mind. If someone had told me last week that I¡¯d be back at Sage and having sex with Eli, I would have laughed in their face. But it happened.


    When I got out of the shower, I put on a night gown and climbed into bed. I tried to get comfortable, but something hard was digging into the back of my head. I lifted my head and reached for the object¡ªit was Eli¡¯s whistle. I pulled off the note that was attached to it. This is yours. I love you. I grabbed my pillow and covered my face. Once again I was smiling stupidly to myself. Tonight was so surreal. Eli and I were bonded in ways that magic couldn¡¯t replicate.


    I was his.


    INTRUSION


    The sound of my front door slamming startled me out of a deep sleep. Quickly, I sat up in my bed and waited in the dark until a shadow leaned against my bedroom door. I had to squint just to make out his¡ªor her¡ªsilhouette. The whistle was warm in my hand and I contemplated blowing it.


    ¡°Mila?¡± I called.


    Silence.


    The mysterious shadow stepped forward and I could see that the shadow was tall. My breathing quickened and my heart pounded in a choppy, irregular pattern.


    ¡°Eli?¡±


    Silence.


    Dark, scared thoughts trickled into me. Heat rushed into my palms as they lit up, giving the dark room a bright new glow. The moment the room lit up, cool breath hit my face and the stranger leaned into me. It was Hunter. My heart lurched and my light turned off. In the darkness, I sprawled backwards until I slammed myself against the wall. He didn¡¯t come closer nor he did he talk. He simply straightened up and stood there. I pinched myself. Was I dreaming? Sage was meant to be safe. It was meant to be protected. My breathing was deep and heavy, I tried to slow it down, but I couldn¡¯t. Hunter crossed the room. When his back was to me, I blew the whistle quickly before stuffing it under my pillow. The lamp turned on and I blinked quickly a few times, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the change.


    Hunter stared at me. Aside from being a vampire, he wasn¡¯t doing anything particularly fear invoking, yet I could still feel my pulse beat in my ears. I stared back. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes away from his, if I did¡ªif I broke the connection¡ªI was sure I would die. I¡¯d never felt more certain of anything.


    ¡°How did¡ª¡±


    Hunter raised his hand and silenced me.


    ¡°You left your laptop on and I read your emails.¡±


    I glowered at him. Of course he¡¯d gone back to my apartment.


    ¡°How are you here? Sage is protected.¡±


    Hunter chuckled. ¡°Aw, that¡¯s cute. You honestly thought you were safe here? Hanging with Lucian has its perks, you know. I¡¯ve made connections¡ªpowerful connections.¡±


    My hands glowed and Hunter gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me hurt you, please,¡± I begged.


    ¡°I¡¯m not making you do anything.¡± Hunter stepped forward.


    I flared my sun power and he jumped back. His black eyes darkened and narrowed in on me.


    ¡°I came here to warn you, but the overwhelming scent of guardian angel in here tells me I should reconsider and just kill you myself.¡±


    I was sure my blushing could be seen vividly against my scared-to-death, pale skin. Could Hunter tell that Eli and I had been intimate? Was the scent of it still in the air? Did sex even have a smell? Subtly, I inhaled¡ªI couldn¡¯t smell anything. Hunter turned his back to me. This was my only chance. I leaped from my bed and dove for the door, but Hunter was faster and he shoved me hard, so hard that I slammed into the wall. In the few seconds that my vision blurred, Hunter managed to attach something cold and heavy to my wrist. When my vision returned I jumped to my feet and shoved him backwards. I tensed my muscles but the heat that usually came with my sun power didn¡¯t show. I glanced at my hands¡ªat my wrist. A cold, thick metal bracelet adorned my wrist. In the middle was a large, black stone. Somehow this ugly bracelet was preventing me from using my power.


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to win me over with jewelry, you¡¯re definitely going about it the wrong way,¡± I growled, tugging at the bracelet. It wouldn¡¯t come off. ¡°What did you do?¡± I yelled, my fear and anxiety turning into anger.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Seey?h stone. When I was in the Middle East, Lucian had a witch make it for you. It blocks your Heelian power.¡±


    ¡°Get it off me now!¡± I demanded through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Sorry, there¡¯s only one way to get that baby off and it¡¯s through a specific witch. Unfortunately for you, I killed her.¡±


    I was mad¡ªno, I was beyond mad. My blood boiled and my vision was tinted with red. I might not be able to use my Heelian powers but I had four other abilities at my disposal. Granted, my other abilities don¡¯t do as much damage as my sun power, but it was better than nothing. I took a few deep breaths and filled my mind with thoughts of crisp, clean air. That was when the screaming started. Hunter dropped to the floor in pain. I sucked more air from his ears. He pulled his leather jacket up over his head, shielding his ears. This was my only chance to escape. I tore through the dark living room and hit my toe on the couch. I fell to my hands and knees. Get up! Get up! Frantically, I climbed to my feet and managed to get the front door open. As my feet came into contact with the porch, I was grabbed from behind and pulled back into the house. Hunter threw me inside and closed the door. My head hit the ground and my vision faltered, but I got to my feet anyway, using the couch arm for support. He rushed over to me and spoke into my ear.


    ¡°Once Lucian comes for you on Wednesday, he¡¯ll take us away from here. Then we can run away from him and be together.¡±


    I ignored him and wiped the single tear that rolled down my cheek. I took a step backwards. He grabbed my wrist tightly and pressed his cold, hard body against mine. I tried to push off him but I couldn¡¯t. He was too strong. His index finger slid under my chin and tilted my face upwards, forcing our eyes to meet.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he whispered. His eyes softened, but it was too late for that. I cared for Hunter¡ªmore than I should. I still cared for him even though he¡¯d all but signed my death sentence.


    ¡°Hunter. Let me go,¡± I said, my voice barely audible.


    He buried his face in my neck and I tried to push him away from me, but once again, I couldn¡¯t. The door opened and for a split second fear exploded in me.


    ¡°Let her go,¡± Eli demanded.


    Hunter spun around. He lifted his head and a bold smile played on his lips. ¡°Of course you¡¯re here to save the day,¡± Hunter said in annoyance.


    I couldn¡¯t see Eli¡¯s face because my front was still pressed firmly against Hunter.


    ¡°I said let her go,¡± Eli demanded. Even I flinched at his hostility.


    ¡°Please,¡± I whispered to Hunter. ¡°He will kill you.¡±


    Hunter inhaled deeply and let me go. Instantly, I turned on my heels and ran to Eli. Eli stepped in front of me, pushing me out onto the porch, shielding me from Hunter¡¯s jealous gaze.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t find anyone your own age?¡± Hunter spat at Eli.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, you¡¯re not even alive.¡±


    Hunter chuckled.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get in?¡± Eli asked.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡±


    A low growl rumbled through Eli¡¯s chest and he dove at Hunter. Hunter wasn¡¯t expecting it and Eli was fast, so naturally Eli took Hunter down. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to intervene. If I did, I¡¯d lose Eli. If I didn¡¯t intervene, I¡¯d lose Hunter. A wooden stake was drawn and pressed against Hunter¡¯s chest¡ªdirectly above his heart. I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn¡¯t want to watch. I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°How did you get in?¡± Eli growled again.


    ¡°Kill me, because I¡¯ll never tell you.¡±

 Page 10

    I opened my eyes. Hunter gasped as Eli pushed the stake harder against his chest. My hands started shaking and my chest hurt. There was no way Hunter would be able to get away, so for the benefit of my soul¡ªI ran to my room and closed the door.


    Suddenly, the air grew thicker or my lungs grew heavier, whatever was happening to me hurt. I collapsed on my bed and cried silently into my pillow. A short while later, my door opened. I didn¡¯t lift my head. A warm body sat down next to me and stroked my hair. I rolled over and looked up at Eli.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him,¡± he whispered.


    The air thinned and I was able to breathe easier. I hated myself for it.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do it to you.¡± He pushed a dark lock of hair out of my face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t leave because I was angry¡­ I left the room because I came to terms with it and I didn¡¯t want to watch. Hunter is a vampire and our job is to kill vampires. His death is inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Maybe his death is inevitable, but not tonight.¡± He planted a lingering kiss on my forehead and stroked my arm. His fingers hit the metal bracelet.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he asked.


    I groaned. ¡°Hunter clipped it onto me and I can¡¯t get it off.¡±


    He tugged at it and tried pulling it over my hand, but it still wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°It won¡¯t come off. Hunter said a Middle Eastern witch spelled it, and then he killed her.¡±


    Eli exhaled, running his hands through his hair. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. I¡¯m sure Aleksandrov knows how to remove it without the witch¡¯s spell.¡±


    I nodded and he planted another kiss on my forehead. ¡°I need to report to Mr. Aleksandrov and we¡¯re going to need to comb the school and make sure there are no more vampires lurking anywhere. Hunter said he was the only one, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡±


    I felt sorry for Eli. Fatigue lines had carved their way through his usually smooth skin and after the night we¡¯ve had, I could see that all his body wanted was a long, unbroken sleep.


    ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± he asked.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. Was I okay? I felt okay. I mean, I was lost in shock and my body ached even more than before, but was I really okay? Sage Sanctum was no longer my safe haven. Its guaranteed safety was void. Vampires had somehow breached the charms.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll be okay,¡± I muttered, rubbing the whistle between my index finger and thumb.


    ¡°Do you want me to send someone to keep watch?¡±


    I could tell he wanted to stay with me as much as I wanted to stay with him, but unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t an option.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Eli stroked my hair and rose to his feet. He strolled over to the door and glanced at me over his shoulder before turning out the light. I lay in the dark, caressing Eli¡¯s whistle. I was relieved Eli hadn¡¯t staked Hunter, even though he had every right to. Twice tonight Eli had proved how much he cared for me without uttering a word. I hugged my pillow closer to me and tried to fight off sleep, but the heaviness of my lids won out and I let my dreams take me away.


    THE GYM


    When I woke, the sun was bright outside my window with a small spattering of clouds that scuttled too quickly across the sky. After breakfast, I braided my hair down the side, got dressed and stepped out onto the porch. My eyes adjusted to the brightness of the morning light. The air was pleasant and warm. A breeze blew across my porch, sending little dust fairies everywhere. The sun hung bright in the sky, coating everything in golden light. Cicadas chirped and birds sang all around me. Despite the events that took place after Eli left the first time last night, I felt different¡ªmore alive¡ªcould sex even do that? I couldn¡¯t explain it¡­colors seemed brighter and nature appeared more beautiful than it had yesterday or any other day before that¡­ Or maybe I just took the term ¡®awakened¡¯ a lot more literal than I should have.


    Guardians moved up and down the street, giving orders and talking in hushed tones. It was about last night, no doubt. Despite the urge to find out what they were talking about, I ignored them and headed for the gym. As I stepped off the porch, my bracelet smacked the support beam. I glanced down at my wrist. I tugged at it one more time¡ªit didn¡¯t budge. I clenched my fists and walked quickly toward the gym. If I was going to get through the day without breaking down and punching someone, I needed to take my anger out on a punching bag. I didn¡¯t know what would happen when Mr. Aleksandrov found out I couldn¡¯t use my Heelian power. I was meant to protect him, but I couldn¡¯t, not without my sun power.


    The gym was empty, for the most part, anyway. Xavier was lifting weights in the far corner with headphones in his ears and the only other person was pulling his boxing wraps off and storing them in his gym bag. I made my way over to the boxing bags and gloves situated at the far end of the room by the boxing ring. I put the gloves on and chose the punching bag that looked almost brand new.


    My punches were hard and fast, but I was quickly burning out. I grunted as I packed as much ferocity as I could into my last punch. Even as I heard the chain that held the bag creak and threaten to snap, I still felt no satisfaction, no quick fix for the anger inside me. Sighing, I lay down on the floor and closed my eyes. I heard the sound of sneakers scuffing the overly buffed floors and I cringed as the horrible sound sent shivers down my spine.


    ¡°Ruby! Ruby, are you okay?¡±


    My eyes shot open and Xavier was leaning over me, his usual fluffy golden hair flattened against his forehead with sweat.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I mumbled warily. ¡°I¡¯m taking a break.¡±


    Xavier exhaled in relief. ¡°Thank god, I thought you hurt yourself.¡±


    I eased myself into a seated position, ignoring the ache in my arms. Xavier sat on the floor next to me, panting heavily.


    ¡°So, uh, a vampire came into the school last night.¡±


    I flicked my braid over my shoulder, avoiding eye contact. ¡°Yep, I know.¡±


    I focused on fraying the cotton on the end of my shoelaces. Xavier leaned in closer and I glanced at his red, sweaty face.


    ¡°Was it really Hunter?¡± His voice was barely louder than a whisper.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°People talk and I¡¯m still on a ¡®need to know¡¯ basis.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Yes, it was.¡±


    Xavier sensed how uncomfortable the topic made me, so he changed it. ¡°Cool bracelet,¡± he said, tapping my wrist.


    ¡°Not so cool, it cuts off my Heelian power.¡±


    Xavier¡¯s mouth dropped open and his brow furrowed. ¡°Hunter did that to you?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll make it easier for Lucian to capture me.¡±


    I bit my lip. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was in thought or out of fear. My Heelian power was the only thing that kept me¡ªand Eli¡ªalive in Mount Kuuce and Gerald Harbor. I would have never had the chance to stake Lucian without weakening him first. Lucian made the mistake of trusting me¡ªa mistake he wouldn¡¯t make again. Xavier tapped his index finger on the floor.


    ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I have no idea. I¡¯m hoping you and the rest of the guardians are as strong as you claim, because when this all goes down on Wednesday, I¡¯m not going to be able to help you.¡±


    Xavier climbed to his feet. ¡°Things are in motion. Plans are being made for Wednesday, and if things go to plan, no one is going to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°What are the plans? You¡¯d think since I¡¯m Aleksandrov¡¯s head guardian, I¡¯d be included.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯ll find out.¡±


    I gave him my cell number, and with a few more assurances that he¡¯d see what he could do, he left for breakfast. I went back to punching the bag.


    I didn¡¯t punch for much longer after Xavier left. Physically, I couldn¡¯t. I was drained in all senses of the word and I couldn¡¯t shake the nauseous feeling that churned my stomach or the headache that relentlessly pounded behind my eyes.


    I left the gym with my head down. I was focused on the piece of frayed shoelace when a girly voice called for my attention. I raised my head. Mila was running toward me, her blonde hair swishing like a horse¡¯s tail behind her. A thin sheen of sweat glistened against her forehead and her cheeks were flushed in a light pink.


    ¡°Ruby,¡± she panted. ¡°There you are! I¡¯ve been looking everywhere for you.¡±


    Mila didn¡¯t seem panicked or scared. Her voice had a shaky element to it, but I¡¯d say that was from the running. My brows furrowed. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Mostly. I mean, except that a vampire got into the school last night, everything is fine.¡±


    My muscles tensed. I wasn¡¯t aware the students knew about last night. Suddenly a suspicious, a deep crease formed in Mila¡¯s forehead as she watched me. ¡°There¡¯s something you¡¯re not telling me.¡±


    I pushed her shoulder playfully. ¡°Hey, you found me. Tell me what¡¯s up with you first.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was wondering¡­¡± She paused to straighten her ponytail. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say yes, I know how difficult it might be for you, but¡­¡± She exhaled and scuffed her shoes against the concrete.


    I nudged her shoulder again. ¡°Come on, spit it out.¡±


    ¡°Eli and I are getting bonded today. Well, right now, and I thought that maybe you¡¯d like to come? It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to, I understand.¡±


    I¡¯d forgotten that Eli and Mila would be bonded on Monday, which I¡¯d also forgotten was today. Whether I chose to forget or genuinely forgot, I didn¡¯t know. Mila¡¯s deep brown eyes watched me and suddenly I was afraid to say no. She seemed fragile, and if I said no, I was afraid she¡¯d have another meltdown. I swallowed my emotions and agreed to go and watch my guardian angel be signed over to someone else. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and squeezed.


    ¡°Thank you so much! I¡¯m so nervous and you¡¯ve been through this before, which eases my nerves, like, a lot.¡±


    I smiled, but even I could tell it was fake. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was happy for her¡ªI couldn¡¯t think of a guardian angel more dedicated than Eli De Luca, but¡­ but¡­ I didn¡¯t really have any other excuse as to why I wasn¡¯t happy. I was jealous. End of story.


    Mila, Lyric, Aaron, and I made our way across the open field. The security team let us pass without interruption since Mr. Aleksandrov was expecting us. No one said a word. I don¡¯t know if we didn¡¯t speak because there was nothing to say, or because Aaron was one scary guardian. He was wide and tall, he even towered over Eli, but that wasn¡¯t his scariest feature. A thick, long scar carved its way down the left side of his face. Shivers rolled down my spine as I thought of Scar-face, the vampire Lucian had ordered to bite me. He¡¯d almost succeeded.


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Mila asked me.


    I laughed. ¡°You¡¯re asking me if I¡¯m nervous?¡±


    Lyric snickered. Mila hooked her arm around mine and shrugged.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not nervous.¡± And I wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Good, because I can totally back out of this if you want me to¡ªLyric would step in as my guardian angel, wouldn¡¯t you, Lyric?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he replied.


    I glanced sideways at Aaron, who appeared oblivious to our conversation, his eyes always scanning ahead.


    ¡°Or you could have Aaron, he isn¡¯t much of a talker, but he seems to be a good listener.¡± I had to say it and I couldn¡¯t help the laugh that exploded from me a moment later.


    I thought I was funny. Aaron hardly spoke, which meant he listened¡ªor at least appeared to listen. Aaron laughed, too, surprisingly, his scar creasing with his face. Mila stared at him in amazement. I assumed she¡¯d never heard him make a sound. Everyone is known for something¡ªNeil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon. Tom Whittaker, the first disabled man to conquer Mount Everest, and then there¡¯s me¡ªRuby Moore, the girl who made Aaron laugh. Now there¡¯s something that should be put in the history books. I know they aren¡¯t on the same levels of greatness, but either way, I¡¯ll wear my accomplishment with extreme pride.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure both Lyric and Aaron are fantastic guardians, but Eli has saved my life countless times. If I trust anyone with your life, it¡¯d be him.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Aaron added. ¡°Eli is a great guardian angel. He never puts himself first. He¡¯s loyal, kind and determined. If there¡¯s anyone I look up to¡ªit¡¯s him.¡±


    I wanted to crack a joke about how Aaron doesn¡¯t have to look up to anyone, but I didn¡¯t want to push my luck.


    ¡°Things change,¡± I added. ¡°I don¡¯t need Eli as my guardian angel anymore. You¡¯re the higher power¡¯s niece. You need him more than I do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you have the ex-higher power-vampire wanting to kill you¡­ nobody is targeting me.¡±


    I wanted to say ¡®not yet¡¯ out loud, but I didn¡¯t want to scare her. She might not be a target yet, but as soon as Mr. Aleksandrov made a bad decision, who knew what would happen to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to be safe,¡± Lyric said, taking Mila¡¯s attention off me. ¡°Besides, Ruby has her Heelian power, she¡¯s safer than any of us.¡±


    Subtly, I tugged at the damn bracelet. In defeat, I blew out the air I¡¯d been holding in my cheeks. I was screwed.


    BONDS


    When we reached Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s house, we were ushered into an elegant sitting room. I¡¯d never been in it before. It was immaculate. I felt like I was in the house of a king rather than a wizard. The walls were panelled in a mahogany colored wood. In the corner of the room, a small fire burned. Near the fire, a small stool and a flimsy wooden table were set up¡ªobviously for the tattoos. Mila and I shared a dark leather armchair, she comfortably ensconced in the seat and I balanced precariously on the arm. Lyric and Aaron stood against the wall, waiting professionally¡ªthey were on duty, after all. I looked down at the beautiful red and black Persian rugs. I¡¯d always wanted a Persian rug. They seemed so elegant. I bet it feels good on bare feet, too.

 Page 11

    The door opened and Eli stepped in. Our eyes met and my whole body lit up as if he were lying right next to me, caressing me. My heart raced and I felt my cheeks flare white hot. I dropped my gaze back down to the Persian rug, hoping my cheeks cooled off fast. Eli kept his cool. I thought once you had sex, the desire was gone and it became a normal thing. Why wasn¡¯t that happening to me? Why did I want him even more than I did before?


    Eli was off duty and therefore he wasn¡¯t wearing his uniform. He still looked amazingly drool-worthy in his loose jeans and plain white t-shirt that clung to his chest and arm muscles.


    Mr. Aleksandrov entered the room with a large smile on his face. Gwydion stumbled in behind him. I had forgotten what Gwydion even looked like, but when I saw him in his deep blue robe, it all came flooding back. The short white hair and matching short beard, his chubbiness, and his little knitted bag that hung over his shoulder and across his chest. Behind Gwydion came the tattooed man that had bonded Eli and I together¡ªThe Shar. The Shar pushed past everyone without any greetings and set up his tattoo machine on the flimsy table.


    ¡°Ruby, you remember Gwydion, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov pulled my attention to Gwydion. I pushed off the armchair and stood up. I extended my hand to Gwydion. He took it before pulling me into a hug. I held my breath, there was something off about his choice of cologne. It smelled moldy¡­ like wet earth.


    ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you!¡± he exclaimed.


    ¡°You too.¡±


    Gwydion was oblivious to my reaction and squeezed me for a few seconds longer. I felt a small twinge of pain on edge of my hair line as my hair got caught on something. I glanced at Eli, his face was completely professional and composed, but I swear I saw something flickering in his eyes, a look of amusement or pleasure. I glowered at him¡ªthe strange smell of this man was not amusing. At last, Gwydion released me and stepped toward Eli. There was no hug for Eli, only a handshake. Once Gwydion had exchanged pleasantries with almost everyone in the room, he turned his attention to Mila, who was nervously tapping her finger on her knee.


    ¡°Are you ready, dear?¡± Gwydion asked.


    Mila glanced at me and then at Eli, who gave her a reassuring nod. She nodded quickly, her lip snagged between her teeth. She chewed it nervously.


    From his knitted bag, Gwydion produced a small scalpel and a vial to catch the blood. As he stepped toward her, she flinched away from the knife. I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.


    ¡°Mila, it¡¯s okay. He only needs a little blood.¡±


    She swallowed hard, her brown eyes cloudy. ¡°I know, I just didn¡¯t think he¡¯d need a knife to get it.¡±


    Gwydion waited at a distance while Mila gathered her thoughts. Eli sat down on the small stool beside The Shar, presenting his wrist on the table. The big, scary, tattoo-covered Shar tapped his leather boot on the rug impatiently.


    Mila¡¯s breathing deepened and I knelt in front of her, forcing her to look at me and not the scalpel Gwydion held in his hand.


    ¡°It will only sting for a second, I promise.¡±


    She used her index finger to push her lip against her teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold your hand if you want,¡± I offered.


    She nodded and extended her hand toward Gwydion. Gwydion wasted no time in slicing her hand¡ªafraid that she¡¯d change her mind and we¡¯d have to hold her down. I grasped her hand and she squeezed her eyes shut. She winced as the scalpel came into contact with the palm of her hand. Like I promised, it was over in a second. Quickly, Gwydion pulled a small vial filled with clear liquid. I recalled the smell of it¡ªpetrol. He unscrewed the lid and everyone turned up their noses¡ªexcept Gwydion and The Shar. They seemed accustomed to it. He poured the liquid into the palm of her hand and she gasped at both the stinging of the liquid and how rapidly the cut healed.


    Subtly, I glanced down at the faint scarring of my feather. It had been so long, I couldn¡¯t remember the exact feeling of the burning liquid or the tingling burn that came from the tattoo gun. Gwydion took the small vial of blood over to The Shar. The Shar mixed the blood with the ink and the machine buzzed to life. Like last time, Eli¡¯s face remained content as the tiny needles cut his skin. Every now and then, he¡¯d look at me¡ªto make sure I was okay. I was proud of myself. Not once did I swallow hard out of sadness or jealousy, even though I wanted to tear the tattoo gun away from his skin and run away with him.


    When it was over, it was Mila¡¯s turn. Nervously, she exchanged places with Eli¡ªdragging me along behind her. I knelt on the floor beside the stool and held her hand. Gwydion gave Eli¡¯s blood to The Shar and once again the machine whirred with life. Mila squeezed my hand and I cringed under the pressure. I had no idea that petite, girly Mila had so much strength. My fingers ached. Once the initial ink entered her skin, her grip slackened.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as I thought,¡± she confessed.


    I squeezed her hand to let her know she was doing well.


    Twenty minuted into Mila¡¯s tattoo, Mr. Aleksandrov announced that he needed to discuss business with Aaron, Lyric and Eli. As they stepped out of the room, my phone vibrated. I pulled my phone form my pocket. I had a text message from an unknown number. I opened it.


    Ruby. They¡¯re planning to evacuate the school today. That¡¯s all I could find out. ¡ªX


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mila asked. I realized I was staring at the door after Mr. Aleksandrov and the others.


    If the school gets evacuated, where do we go? I couldn¡¯t imagine there were too many charmed places that could protect us. I rose to my feet.


    ¡°Where are you going? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mila asked urgently.


    ¡°I need to talk to your uncle, I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    I jogged from the room. I was Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s head guardian. They couldn¡¯t keep things from me. I burst through the doors of the tea room with my ¡®I¡¯m a head guardian, include me¡¯ speech ready to go. They were scattered about the room and all eyes were focused on me and my hasty entry.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re here,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov said.


    My speech caught in my throat and I became confused.


    ¡°You wanted me here? I was about to give a speech about not being included.¡±


    They all laughed and I was pretty sure it was at me and not with me.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted you here, but I couldn¡¯t ask in front of Mila. There are things I don¡¯t want her to know,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov replied. ¡°First things first, Ruby, how are you feeling? Last night would have been difficult for anyone.¡±


    I flushed, irritated by being called out. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± My response was abrupt, but I didn¡¯t want to appear weak in front of the others. Mr. Aleksandrov nodded.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move on, then.¡± Aleksandrov straightened his robe and stroked his long white beard. ¡°As we speak, the school is being evacuated. Sage Sanctum is no longer a safe place for our students or staff. They¡¯ll be sent home or placed in other schools until we can guarantee their safety. Luckily, the council left before the intrusion last night. I¡¯d like them to remain in the dark about this situation. The security teams have been informed and they have assured me they won¡¯t say a word.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement. Aleksandrov continued. ¡°I want this school to be prepared by nightfall. Hunter told Eli that Lucian is coming on Wednesday, but who knows what the vampire¡¯s real plans are?¡±


    ¡°We have Ruby, so this should be an easy fight,¡± Lyric interrupted.


    ¡°Our greatest asset in this fight is gone,¡± Eli responded, folding his arms across his chest. ¡°Ruby has a bracelet on her arm that blocks her from using her Heelian powers.¡±


    ¡°I can still fight,¡± I interjected.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± both Mr. Aleksandrov and Eli said at the same time.


    I placed my hands on my hips. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something we should discuss in private,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov answered. ¡°Right now, your survival is top priority.¡±


    Eli¡¯s face hardened and curiosity flashed in the depths of his eyes.


    ¡°When the bonding is done, you will all go back to the school and help evacuate the students¡ªRuby, you can help. Your uniform will be in your house when you return. Now, we have a bonding session to get back to.¡±


    I sat cross-legged on the floor with my arms folded across my chest, watching as Eli and Mila held hands while The Shar bound them together. I was frustrated¡­ not because of the binding, but because of my sudden irrelevance in protecting Mr. Aleksandrov. Yes, I¡¯d lost my Heelian powers. Yes, I was a nineteen-year-old girl, but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t kick ass. I rose to my feet as The Shar hummed his chant. Slowly, I strolled over to Mr. Aleksandrov, who was sitting in a deep leather arm chair. I knelt beside him.


    ¡°What if I can prove to you I¡¯m more than capable of handling my own?¡±


    I glanced at Eli, who regarded me curiously. My lips twitched, he knew I was up to something.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t risk it,¡± he mumbled back to me. ¡°There was a vampire in your house last night and he managed to clip a bracelet to your wrist and escape with his life. With all due respect, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re as prepared for this as you think you are.¡±


    ¡°He is¡ª was¡ªmy friend.¡±


    ¡°Friends don¡¯t sign each other¡¯s death sentence.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have full control over himself. You can¡¯t blame him entirely,¡± I replied quietly.


    Mr. Aleksandrov leaned closer to my ear. ¡°You¡¯re more foolish than I thought.¡±


    I ignored him. ¡°Please, sir, let me prove it to you. If I can stand up against Eli, or any guardian of your choosing, will you let me fight?¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov tapped his lip in thought. ¡°You want me to arrange a fight between you and a guardian just so you can prove you¡¯re capable of killing a vampire?¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to prove anything. I was under the impression that I¡¯d proven myself already. I was capable of killing a vampire. I¡¯d killed loads of them, more than most guardians. Granted, most of them were killed with my Heelian power, but I¡¯d staked and burned vampires as well. I didn¡¯t repeat my thoughts to Aleksandrov. Instead, I nodded.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°No.¡±


    I blew the air out I¡¯d been holding in my cheeks and slumped down. I was sulking and I hated sulking, but it enraged me to think that Lucian was coming for me and I couldn¡¯t do anything to help.


    ¡°We¡¯re done,¡± said The Shar, and like last time, the tattooed man packed up all his things and left in a hurry.


    Mr. Aleksandrov rose to his feet and straightened his gray robe. Mila walked over to us, caressing her bandaged wrist.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s done, we all have work to tend to. Lyric and Eli, if you could take Mila to her dorm to help her pack her things and bring them back here, that¡¯d be much appreciated. Aaron and Xavier, go help the others with the students. Ruby, stay with me. There are a few things we need to discuss.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, right?¡± Mila asked me, squeezing my arm gently.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll catch up.¡±


    Mila, Eli, and Lyric headed off, followed by Aaron and Xavier. When they disappeared out the door Mr. Aleksandrov stepped closer to me, his voice low and urgent.


    ¡°I know what the council wants with you.¡± I leaned in closer, afraid to miss anything. ¡°They want to use your Heelian powers to cure vampires¡­¡±


    I was almost speechless. Almost. Mr. Aleksandrov fell silent and watched me intently as I thought it through.


    ¡°Is¡­ is that even possible?¡± I stammered, thinking about all the lives I could save ¡­ not the just the lives of strangers, but Hunter¡¯s life, too.


    ¡°The council¡¯s research team has been working on a cure for many years. They developed a formula they thought worked, but it only disoriented the vampire. It couldn¡¯t tell if it was human or vampire, even though all the signs pointed to vampire. When they discovered you couldn¡¯t be fully turned because you literally had the sun coursing through your veins, they became fixated on the idea that you were the key and they wanted to test their theory¡­ They¡¯ve asked me to take some of your blood and send it to them for tests.¡±


    ¡°If I give them my blood and it works, what does that mean for me? Will I be strapped into a chair and be a test subject? Will I need to donate blood every day, week, or month for the rest of my life? What do you want me to do?¡± I asked Mr. Aleksandrov.


    He smiled sympathetically at me. He was as conflicted as I was. ¡°I want you to do what you think is right. It¡¯s your body¡ªyour blood. I¡¯m not forcing you to answer right now.¡±


    Subconsciously, I rubbed the thick metal bracelet locked on my wrist.


    ¡°I can fix that,¡± Gwydion said, pointing to my bracelet.


    ¡°You can fix it? How? Hunter said Lucian killed the witch that made the binding spell.¡±


    ¡°Binding spells are hard to break, but not impossible. I¡¯m one of the oldest wizards in the world. Over the years, I have acquired some helpful and powerful spells.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. We need to be smart. Play this out to our advantage.¡±


    I stared at him, wide-eyed. ¡°Are you kidding me? If I get my powers back, this will give us the upper hand! I can help¡ªyou know I can.¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov put his hand on my shoulder, calming me instantly. I shuddered. Mr. Aleksandrov hadn¡¯t used his empathic powers on me since I first arrived at Sage and it felt funny.


    ¡°The council made me the higher power because you trust me and they trust me to protect you. Let us handle it. All I need you to do is stay here with Mila.¡±

 Page 12

    My mood turned peaceful. I became agreeable and nodded my head slowly. Mr. Aleksandrov turned on his heel and exited the room with Gwydion in tow. Seconds later, the uneasy, angry feeling crept back into my chest and I was filled with the urge to fight again.


    I stormed from the house muttering curse words under my breath. My emotions were all over the place. I felt hard done by and weak. What happened to me being so bad ass that they made me a head guardian? Was that all a ruse to force me to stay here so I could be experimented with? I didn¡¯t like the council. They¡¯d been nothing but an inconvenience¡ªas for trusting them¡ªno way. They were secretive and sneaky. If they wanted me to help, they should have asked instead of going through the trouble of breaking traditions and making secret plans behind everyone¡¯s back.


    I stopped in the middle of the field and tugged on my bracelet. I pulled so hard that my chest and stomach began to hurt. I could feel heat rising in my cheeks and there was no doubt my face was turning as red as a tomato. I screamed in frustration and grabbed my knees, bending over to catch my breath.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give yourself a hernia.¡± Eli chuckled, approaching me from the side.


    I straightened up and scowled at him, but that scowl turned into a smile. It wasn¡¯t his fault I was a walking vampire antidote.


    He folded his arms as his green eyes narrowed in on me. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t going to claim that¡¯s a real smile.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all I can do right now. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be helping Mila?¡±


    ¡°She has Lyric, she¡¯ll be okay.¡± He sighed. ¡°Is everything okay with you?¡±


    My chest grew heavy as all of the events from the last year bore down on me. You¡¯re not going to cry. Don¡¯t do it. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and pinched the bridge of my nose. I managed to fight back the tears.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I¡¯m over-reacting.¡±


    Eli took a step toward me, but didn¡¯t touch me. I bit my lip in disappointment. Even though we had sex, we still couldn¡¯t be in love in public.


    ¡°You¡¯re not over-reacting. Last night¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why do people keep talking about last night?¡± I interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m fine! Last night had no effect on me.¡±


    ¡°A vampire got into the school. The one place where you were meant to be safe is now under threat. That has no effect on you?¡±


    I pursed my lips together and shook my head.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±


    ¡°I just want you to be honest with yourself. Let your heart feel pain, it makes you stronger.¡±


    A single tear rolled down my cheek. He was right. I was so conflicted about everything. After my year as a vampire, Sage took me in and changed my life. Sage Sanctum became my home, the one place I could be safe away from the monsters that hunted me. Now that¡¯s gone, what was I supposed to do? Where were we supposed to go?


    ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡±


    Eli stroked my arm with his index finger. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not going to let anything happen to you. I promised you that when we were in the cells when you first arrived, remember?¡±


    I nodded. His warm finger brushed along my jaw line and then under my chin, tilting my face upward. I stared into his eyes. In the sun, they glistened like a lake on a lazy afternoon. He didn¡¯t care that we were standing in the middle of the field outside of the higher power¡¯s house and neither did I. I rubbed his arm.


    ¡°I love you,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    A GUARDIAN ANGEL


    My guardian uniform was hanging from the handle of my front door. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little giddy. I was the only goddess in history to wear one, so this was a big deal for both me and our world. It gave me hope. If the council was willing to budge on the whole ¡®goddesses don¡¯t fight¡¯ and ¡®only gods can be a higher power¡¯ thing, then maybe there was hope for me and Eli. Maybe one day, Eli and I could be together in public and have the freedom to kiss, hug, and go on dates like normal people.


    I brought my new uniform inside and slung it over the back of the couch. I strolled over to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, and drank it back. I was excited about the uniform, but it wasn¡¯t enough to trump the now guilty feeling I had for not telling Eli I had the chance to bring Hunter back. I was worried¡ªI didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d react. Would he want Hunter to be saved or would he forbid me to do it? I¡¯d never pegged Eli as a jealous guy. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Eli.


    Are you free? We need to talk.


    I sat on the couch and waited for forty minutes before a soft knock sounded at my door. I rose to my feet and stumbled over my big guardian boots on the way to the door.


    When I corrected myself and straightened my shirt, I opened the door. Eli¡¯s oh-so-gorgeous face met my gaze. Momentarily, I changed my mind about telling him. You need to do it. I inhaled deeply, praying that this went down well.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he greeted me as he stepped inside.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    We stood there awkwardly for a little while, or at least I did. I looked everywhere except at his face. I could still feel his curious gaze burning into me, though.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I didn¡¯t tell you¡­ when we were standing in the field.¡±


    He leaned against the door and folded his arms, his gaze not easing up.


    ¡°Mr. Aleksandrov found out what the council wants with me.¡±


    Eli straightened up and stepped closer.


    ¡°They want to use my blood to heal vampires.¡±


    Eli¡¯s smooth forehead creased and his brows furrowed as he stared at me for several long seconds. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Vampires are dead. It isn¡¯t a disease that can be cured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the only living case that couldn¡¯t be fully turned because of my Heelian side. I was cured. The council thinks that if they extract my blood and mix it with the formula they¡¯ve created¡­ then we can cure vampires.¡±


    He took a long time in replying, his eyes weighing me heavily.


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± he asked.


    I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. ¡°I want to save them. I want to save Hunter.¡±


    To my surprise, he reached out to touch my chin and tip my head back up. His gaze caught mine, allowing no escape. ¡°You do what you need to do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    His lips twitched. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now it was my turn for my brows to furrow. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I expected.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect?¡±


    ¡°Well, a lot of shouting and chastising, for one.¡±


    ¡°Ruby, you want to give people a second chance at life. It¡¯d be selfish of me to be angry over something so selfless.¡±


    ¡°And the part about saving Hunter doesn¡¯t bother you?¡±


    He bit his lip in thought. ¡°It does bother me. A lot. But we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it.¡±


    I pouted. ¡°Why are you so nice and understanding?¡±


    Eli chuckled. ¡°One of us has to be.¡±


    After our surprisingly pleasant conversation, Eli went home to shower and change. I did the same. In my reflection, I saw my cheeks were pink from my overly hot shower, so I splashed cool water on my face. The mirror showed me a girl with bloodshot eyes and small bags hanging underneath. I looked sleep-deprived. I hadn¡¯t gotten much sleep last night for both good and bad reasons. Now I needed to be in my uniform and helping the other guardians evacuate students from the school. I¡¯m not going to lie, I was nervous¡ªokay, I was more than nervous. Butterflies in my stomach¡ªwhat an understatement, it was more like jackhammers, and they were in my chest, mostly, threatening to come up my throat. Why was I so nervous to see the students? It wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d grown close to any of them. Most of them probably wouldn¡¯t recognize me¡ªI don¡¯t even recognize me. I¡¯d lost a bit of weight, nothing too drastic, and my hair was longer¡­ on second thought, perhaps I didn¡¯t look as different as I felt.


    The uniform fitted nicely and it clung to my body perfectly¡ªblack was definitely my color.


    I tucked my pants into my boots. The boots were a little heavy and I felt like I had strapped a brick to the bottom of each shoe. Ignoring that, I went outside. The midday sun shimmered in the sky and suddenly I felt out of place in my uniform. I was the first goddess to ever wear a guardian uniform¡ªwhat if I wasn¡¯t doing it properly? A few passing guardians stopped to stare at me with smiling faces. One of them was Sera. Her auburn hair glistened in the sun.


    ¡°It suits you. Welcome to the team.¡±


    I nodded and smiled back. That was a good sign at least¡ªI hoped the other guardians felt the same way. I stood on my porch, unsure of what to do next. I know I was supposed to go to the school and help, but was I supposed to go alone? Slowly, I stepped down onto the grass and proceeded to walk toward the school. I passed small groups of guardians, all of whom gave me approving nods and cheers. It boosted my confidence tremendously, but it wasn¡¯t until I saw Eli that I realized his was the only approval I needed. He was standing with Xavier and Aaron in front of his house. I flushed as Xavier cheered and clapped loudly, drawing more attention to me. I focused on Eli. A hot flush spread over me. The look in his eyes made something flutter inside of me.


    ¡°Well, well, well, look who¡¯s officially a guardian,¡± Xavier cheered, slinging an arm over my shoulder.


    I smiled sheepishly.


    He ignored me. ¡°What do you think, Eli? Does she reach guardian standards?¡±


    His sexy gaze bore down on me, saying more than words ever could.


    ¡°She surpasses it.¡± He cleared his throat and averted his gaze.


    ¡°Aaron?¡± Xavier prompted.


    ¡°Xavier, this isn¡¯t a fashion show,¡± I muttered.


    Aaron answered anyway. ¡°You look fantastic in your uniform. You are officially one of us now. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xavier clasped his hands together enthusiastically. ¡°Shall we go evacuate the students?¡±


    The student campus was a lot quieter than I expected it to be. There was no screaming or crying¡­ nobody was running around screaming for dear life, in fact, there was no one there at all.


    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s lunch time, they¡¯re gathered in the hall,¡± Aaron replied.


    ¡°What about the evacuation?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll continue it after lunch. You can¡¯t evacuate a school on an empty stomach. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I fell behind the three boys as they walked. I really didn¡¯t want to go into the dining hall. I had better chances of avoiding the school¡¯s student body hiding out in Mila¡¯s room. Aaron and Xavier entered the hall, but I stopped on the steps.


    ¡°Ruby? Are you coming?¡± Eli asked.


    The jackhammers pounded away in my chest relentlessly. ¡°Yeah, I just need some more air.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about the students?¡±


    ¡°No, not really¡­ I mean, yeah, I guess so. It¡¯s been awhile, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m a little embarrassed, god knows how many times I¡¯ve disappeared and then just showed up out of the blue.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You¡¯re the head guardian and you¡¯re years younger than our student senior guardians¡­ look at how much you¡¯ve accomplished.¡±


    I chewed the inside of my bottom lip. ¡°Will you stay close to me?¡±


    ¡°As close as I can without being banished for it.¡± He winked at me and I laughed.


    I joined Eli at the top of the stairs and we entered the dining hall.


    All the students sat together, eating and socializing, faces alight with whatever current gossip was circulating around the school. As soon as my shoes touched the wooden surface of the dining hall¡¯s floor, the loud buzz of conversation stopped instantly, like someone had hit the mute button. I stopped and stared back at the hundreds of eyes that watched me. Eli nudged my elbow and I forced myself to walk. One foot in front of the other¡ªthat¡¯s all. I kept my gaze fixated on Mr. Aleksandrov by the teachers¡¯ table. Hopefully, once I got there, the meaningless gossip between the students would resume¡­ boy, was I wrong. The students continued to stare and whisper as I sat at the table, between Eli and Xavier.


    ¡°Tough crowd,¡± Xavier murmured.


    I glowered sideways at him. Mr. Aleksandrov cleared his throat and stood up, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Good afternoon, students. Many of you are probably confused as to why Miss Moore is wearing a guardian uniform and sitting at our table.¡± He paused and surveyed the whole room. ¡°She is officially a head guardian¡ª¡± an eruption of chatter interrupted Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s speech. He tapped his spoon on his plate and the students quieted. ¡°And you will treat her with the same respect as you would a teacher or any other guardian at this school. Is that clear?¡±


    The students nodded and mumbled in agreement. Mr. Aleksandrov sat back down and the sound of voices filled the room again. The kitchen staff brought out plates of roast chicken and vegetables for us. My stomach groaned happily as the scent filled my nostrils. As I ate, I looked around the room, hoping to spot Mila. I saw her, sitting by herself at the back of the room. I grabbed my plate and made my way over to her, ignoring the whispers and stares.


    ¡°Hello, you!¡± I greeted and slid into the space in front of her. ¡°How¡¯s your tattoo?¡±


    She placed her fork on the table and rubbed the bandage. ¡°It¡¯s a little itchy, but other than that, I think it¡¯s okay.¡± She glanced over my shoulder. ¡°Rylan is staring at the back of your head.¡±

 Page 13

    I shrugged and secretly prayed he wouldn¡¯t come over. ¡°Are you excited to be moving back into your house?¡±


    ¡°Not really, I like staying on campus. It¡¯s fun and I don¡¯t have to walk as far.¡±


    It was a bit of a hike to and from Mila¡¯s house, but at least she¡¯d be safe. Loud giggles erupted from the pack of girls sitting at the end of our table. I turned my head toward them¡ªof course it was Raina and her posse. It always was. As Mila had said, the newest addition to the clan was pretty, dark-skinned Ava. Ava glanced nervously at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re glowering. You aren¡¯t going to start a fight, are you?¡± Mila asked.


    I brought my attention back to Mila. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s not worth it, besides, I can¡¯t complain now that I get all your awesomeness to myself.¡±


    Mila laughed. ¡°You really are my best friend.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Mila reached out and grabbed my wrist. ¡°Cute bracelet! Where¡¯d you get it?¡±


    I pulled my wrist out of her grasp and into my lap.


    ¡°It¡¯s a really long story.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re stuck in here for another twenty minutes¡­ is that enough time?¡±


    I sighed and gave in. ¡°Last night when a vampire got into the school, it was Hunter.¡±


    Mila gasped dramatically and covered her mouth.


    ¡°He came to my house and¡ª¡± I waved my wrist in front of me and lowered my voice. ¡°Strapped this stupid thing to my wrist.¡±


    Her expression became confused. ¡°He broke into Sage to give you a gift?¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Some gift. It blocks my Heelian power.¡±


    Her blue eyes narrowed in on me. ¡°You¡¯re not serious?¡±


    ¡°Dead serious.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like something Hunter would do¡­ intentionally hurt you, I mean,¡± Mila said as she twirled a lock of her long blonde hair around her index finger.


    I shrugged. ¡°He isn¡¯t himself anymore. It isn¡¯t his fault entirely, though. He¡¯s trapped in some kind of sire-master bond thing with Lucian and he does everything Lucian asks of him. He also seems to think we¡¯ll run away together once Lucian takes me away from here.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s a vampire and he¡¯s delusional? There¡¯s no way Eli would let Hunter, or Lucian, take off with you. Neither would any of the other guardians here.¡±


    I shrugged again. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s better to cut your losses and stop any further damage.¡±


    I focused on a small scratch that ran across the otherwise perfect varnish of the table. Hunter ruined my only chance of staying alive and I worried that if my blood couldn¡¯t cure vampires, then maybe they¡¯d leave me for dead.


    After lunch, it was time to evacuate the dorms. I waited as Mila and the students poured from the hall. When the crowd dispersed, I exited the hall and stepped out onto the cracked pavement.


    ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡± a deep voice growled at me. I turned around and met Gabriel¡¯s sullen face. He still had the same blond hair and light splattering of freckles across both cheeks.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You show up and the next minute the school is being evacuated. What¡¯d you do this time?¡±


    I turned away from him and walked in the direction of the girls¡¯ dorms. His hand pulled me to a stop, twirling me around. Our eyes were level and his were angry.


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished talking to you.¡±


    ¡°No? Well, I¡¯m finished talking to you.¡± I tried to turn away, but his hand squeezed my shoulder, preventing me from turning fully. I shrugged his arm off. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°What, you think because you have that guardian uniform on, you¡¯re better than everyone else?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Tell me. What¡¯d you do? Who died for you this time?¡±


    ¡°Nobody,¡± I growled.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you come back? Things were back to normal, then you show up and as always, there¡¯s someone after you. Wherever you go you bring nothing but pain and death.¡±


    Greif rolled through me, jamming at the base of my throat. I wasn¡¯t going to contest him¡­ not when everything he said was true. I¡¯ve caused death since the night my mother was murdered. I tried not to cry because Aaron was standing behind Gabriel, arms folded, looking as scary as ever, and also because it was my first day as a guardian. I wasn¡¯t going to ruin it by crying.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Aaron barked.


    Gabriel didn¡¯t turn around. He kept his blue, angry eyes focused on me. ¡°Too many people have died and yet the cause still lives. You tell me how that¡¯s fair.¡±


    He pushed past me, nudging my shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Aaron mumbled, uncomfortably. ¡°In our world, people die all the time. That¡¯s just the way it is.¡±


    I nodded, even though I agreed with every word Gabriel said.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯re going to the girls¡¯ dorms,¡± he added.


    I followed Aaron, fighting back tears the whole way. In the lobby of the girls¡¯ dorms, Mrs. Ploit sat behind her desk, sipping on a cup of tea. ¡°Ahh, Mr. Foley. If you could supervise rooms 108 to¡ª¡± She cut off her words as she saw me step out from behind Aaron.


    ¡°Miss Moore, what a pleasant surprise.¡± I could tell by the tone of her voice she really meant horrible surprise.


    ¡°Likewise,¡± I replied, thick with attitude.


    ¡°Rooms 108 through to 123 need to be supervised.¡±


    Aaron nodded and headed in that direction. I turned away from her glowering eyes and narrowed brows and followed Aaron.


    ¡°The school is being evacuated,¡± she said, keeping her tone low enough for only me to hear. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d pop up somewhere.¡±


    I ignored her. I didn¡¯t want my anger getting the better of me. I assumed it¡¯d reflect pretty badly on Mr. Aleksandrov and the whole guardian team if I punched a semi-old lady regardless of how much of a bitch she was.


    We waited in the halls, supervising as students jammed their belongings into boxes and suitcases. Unfortunately for me, I didn¡¯t get to supervise Mila¡¯s room. Instead¡ªas luck would have it¡ªI was stuck staring into the girly depths of Raina¡¯s room. She glanced at me occasionally as she folded her pretty dresses and over-decorated shoes into her suitcase. Awkwardly, I skimmed my gaze up and down the hallway. I hadn¡¯t seen Raina since I first discovered my Heelian power and gave her a rather bad case of sunburn. Looking at her now, I still didn¡¯t feel sorry for her¡ªI still hated her for being the reason Eli was sent away and for pitting Rylan and Hunter against each other. In fact, she was technically at fault for this whole mess. I tightened my ponytail, placed my hands on my hips, and watched as Raina struggled to close the lid of her bright pink suitcase.


    ¡°Can you help me?¡± she asked sheepishly.


    I stared blankly around the hallway, processing what she¡¯d asked me. I studied her curiously. She watched, appearing uncomfortable under my stare.


    ¡°Nothing is going to jump out and kill me, is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I should be more worried about you killing me.¡±


    My lips twitched. ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    Raina pulled her long, blue dress up to her knees and sat on her suitcase, forcing the lid down. I knelt beside it and grasped the warm metal zipper. It jammed a few times, but after a few tries it managed to close completely.


    ¡°I overheard Gabriel¡­¡± Raina blurted, ¡°¡­talking to you.¡±


    I ignored her. I hadn¡¯t noticed anyone standing near us other than Aaron, but it didn¡¯t surprise me if she was lingering around to get some new gossip and make my life even more of a living hell. I rose to my feet and took a step toward the door.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you,¡± I heard her mutter.


    I turned abruptly. ¡°What do you want, Raina? You¡¯re crazy if you think we¡¯re friends because I helped you close your obnoxious suitcase.¡±


    Her expression changed, she seemed offended by my outburst. ¡°Nothing¡­ I don¡¯t want anything. I thought I¡¯d let you know that I don¡¯t blame you. This isn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is it? Hmm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡±


    A gasp escaped me. I thought it was her fault, but I never in a million years thought she believed it was.


    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t jealous of you, or Mila, this never would¡¯ve happened. I¡ªI didn¡¯t plan for this¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She dropped her gaze to her hand. I wrapped my arms around myself, confused, trying to wrap my head around Raina¡¯s words and decipher whether she was sincere or not. I wanted to point my finger at her and make her shout at the top of her lungs that this was all her fault, but in reality, we were each just as much at fault as the other.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point sulking over what happened in the past. It¡¯s too late. It can¡¯t be changed or forgotten, so take that as a lesson¡ªlearn from it and move on. If you¡¯re truly sorry, you¡¯ll make sure the past doesn¡¯t repeat itself.¡± I stepped back into the hallway and turned around to face her. ¡°And it isn¡¯t me you have to apologize to, it¡¯s Mila.¡±


    ¡°Ruby, we supervise from outside of the rooms,¡± Aaron called from down the hallway.


    I gave him the thumbs up, indicating that I understood him. In my back pocket, my phone vibrated twice, letting me know I had received a text message. I pulled it out and read the text. Apparently, the parents had started showing up. I looked at Aaron, who was glancing down at his phone as well¡ªI guess it was a group text.


    Several guardians helped escort students to the car park¡ªme included. Sports cars in every color weaved their way around the predominately black car park. It was so surreal. For reasons I couldn¡¯t explain, I assumed that everyone at this school was orphaned. It didn¡¯t cross my mind that they had parents and siblings that missed them. Needless to say, the parents were pissed off, and thankfully, none of them seemed to know who I was. The evacuation was total chaos. There wasn¡¯t enough room in the car park for parents to pick up their children, so the guardians set up a no stop pick up zone. As a car pulled up, a guardian would get the name of the student that needed to be picked up and call it out. It was a big mess at first, but once everyone realized that if they wanted to get out of here before dark, they needed to be quiet and wait for their name.


    After an hour of standing in a line with the other guardians forming a wall between the school and the car park, I was getting bored. There were still hundreds of students left to go.


    ¡°Is this all you do?¡± I asked the tall guardian next to me.


    Using the word tall to describe this guy was an understatement. He was so tall he made Kareem Abdul Jabbar look short¡ªI was exaggerating, slightly, but I think I made my point. I wondered if he could hear me from all the way down here.


    ¡°Standing together provides a united front.¡± His voice was deep. ¡°And it¡¯s professional.¡±


    I brought my attention back to the cars and sighed. I hope I don¡¯t have to do this for too much longer. In this extremely short time of being a guardian, I realized that it sucked.


    FIRST NIGHT


    Nightfall was approaching quickly. The last rays of the late afternoon sun were just disappearing below the trees. Once all the students and teachers left, the guardians kicked into gear and began preparing for the attack. It was only Monday and Hunter said Lucian was coming on Wednesday, but who knew if that was the truth? Nobody wanted to be caught off guard, so they¡¯d be prepared every night until Lucian shows.


    In the dining hall, a handful of guardians were circled around a table with a huge map of the school spread out in front of them. They spoke in phrases and terms that I didn¡¯t understand¡ªsome head guardian I turned out to be. When they decided the best way to go about things, Eli addressed the whole room. He stood in front of us, his arms folded tightly across his chest, looking godlier than any real god ever could. Eli skipped the pleasantries and got straight to business.


    ¡°We are fifteen minutes out from nightfall. We¡¯ve agreed that plan B is the best defensive plan. The students are no longer here, so our attention must be focused mainly in the areas of our homes¡­¡± Eli¡¯s gaze fell on me, ¡°¡­and Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house. We don¡¯t know how many vampires Lucian will bring.¡±


    All the guardians nodded in agreement. I was the only one looking like I had no idea what the hell he meant. I stood silently and watched the guardians organize themselves with amazing efficiency as Eli began sending groups of them away to different segments of Sage Sanctum. They grabbed silver chains and weapons that were customized to inflict as much damage to a vampire as possible. The guns came with silver bullets, the knives and swords had silver blades, and the stakes were tipped with silver for extra reassurance. When the guardians thinned out, I stepped forward.


    ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± I asked Eli.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll take you to Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s before nightfall comes.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I thought that you of all people would let me help¡­¡±


    Eli laughed, but stopped when he saw I wasn¡¯t particularly amused. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re serious.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you can help.¡± I perked up. ¡°I¡¯m on my way to the field by Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s, why don¡¯t you come with me and keep Mila company?¡±


    I exhaled and slumped my shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he added, lowering his voice. ¡°I can¡¯t let you get hurt. If you¡¯re around Mila, then I can find a way to protect you both, but if you separate, well, I have to protect her¡­¡±

 Page 14

    I nodded. I understood where he was coming from. If it ever came down to choosing between Mila and I¡ªhe had to choose her. It was illegal not to, and if he broke that law, he¡¯d lose everything he had worked so hard for.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go before it¡¯s officially night.¡±


    Eli and I left the hall. Everyone had disappeared into the emerging shadows, taking their positions. He walked fast, I was barely keeping up. The only indication that it wasn¡¯t quite night yet was the faintest glow of orange light that illuminated the sky.


    No words were spoken until we reached the middle of the field near Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house. Eli stopped and turned to me. He pulled me into him, wrapping his arm firmly around my waist. He tugged my ponytail slightly, tilting my face upward. He dipped his face down, bringing his mouth close to mine. My breathing intensified and he smiled slightly.


    ¡°I need you to listen very carefully. You stay with Mila and you do not go anywhere, do you understand?¡± His voice wasn¡¯t angry or frustrated. He seemed to be pleading with me, begging me not to do anything stupid. Although his eyes were hidden by shadow, I could still picture how they¡¯d look right now¡ªsoft, and gentle.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Promise me.¡±


    ¡°I promise. I¡¯ll stay with Mila.¡±


    He pressed his lips against mine. They were full and soft. Fire ignited in my core, sending waves of happiness and desire crashing into my stomach and spilling over my ribs. He ran his fingers through my ponytail and then cupped my neck. His hands skimmed the contour of my body, and without consciously thinking about it, my hands found his hair and entangled themselves in it. He pulled away from me.


    ¡°We have forty seconds until the sun sets. You need to get to the house. You¡¯ll have plenty of protection there.¡±


    He didn¡¯t let me go and I didn¡¯t try to get away. We stood silently, looking into each other¡¯s eyes¡ªtrying to read each other¡¯s thoughts. I broke the silence first.


    ¡°Be careful, please,¡± I muttered.


    Eli planted a soft peck on my lips and turned away.


    I bit at my nails anxiously as I paced Mila¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°You¡¯re making me nauseous,¡± Mila groaned, her head hanging off the side of her huge four-poster bed. She stuck the pencil she¡¯d been using into her mouth and chewed on it.


    I stopped pacing and leaned against the new pure silver bars that had been placed on her window sometime today. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, preventing myself from doing my nails anymore damage. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m nervous. It¡¯s been two hours.¡±


    ¡°Which is a good sign. Lucian probably won¡¯t even show up tonight, so relax.¡±


    I exhaled and strolled over to her, collapsing on the bed next to her. ¡°Tell me something to get my mind off it.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I kissed Xavier.¡±


    I jolted upright and my mouth dropped open. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just kidding.¡± She laughed. ¡°But at least I got your mind off it.¡±


    I scoffed and nudged her playfully. ¡°Liar!¡±


    Mila sat up and opened her drawing pad. ¡°Maybe this will get your mind off it.¡±


    I stared at the squiggles momentarily as they made up a picture of Eli and I from the hips up. We were holding each other just as we had in the field a few hours ago. His hand wrapped around my waist, the other held my ponytail, forcing my head to tilt toward him. Our bodies were pressed against each other as my hand rested on his shoulder. Our features were perfect, and the way we stared into each other¡¯s eyes¡­ it was, well, like I said, perfect. ¡°How¡¯d¡­ Where¡¯d¡­.?¡± I was at a loss for words.


    ¡°I saw you two in the field earlier. It was pretty dark, so I could hardly make anything out, but I still think I did a pretty good job at capturing...¡± She paused, looking for a word that fitted her sentence. ¡°¡­Everything, between you two.¡±


    As I soaked up her words, it hit me and suddenly I panicked. ¡°Who else saw?¡±


    ¡°Only me¡­ I think.¡±


    I relaxed. ¡°I hope so.¡± I sat, admiring the drawing for a few more seconds. ¡°Can I keep it?¡±


    ¡°I drew it for you. It¡¯s yours.¡±


    Mila leaned over and tore it from the book. I held it in my hands, examining it closely. It wasn¡¯t a real-life drawing or anything. It had a cartoony, comic book kind of edge to it. How had I not seen Mila¡¯s incredible talent before now?


    ¡°You are amazing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve felt the need to draw, and then I saw you two looking so in love and perfect, and it sparked a need to draw it.¡±


    I reached across and pulled her into a hug. As usual, her sweet, candy-scented perfume enveloped me. Suddenly I felt better about tonight. That was until a big bang sounded in the distance, forcing Mila and I to jump apart.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I folded up her drawing and cringed. I didn¡¯t want to crease it, but I wanted to keep it safe. I stuffed it into my back pocket and approached Mila¡¯s bedroom door. As I pulled it open, Sera was standing there about to knock.


    ¡°What was that noise?¡± I asked urgently.


    ¡°They¡¯re here. I need you two to stay in this room. There are plenty of us in and around the house, so if they, touch wood, get in, you should still be well protected.¡±


    She hurried down the staircase. I watched after her until she disappeared from sight. Suddenly, I felt anxious and I was desperate to know what was going on. How many vampires had Lucian brought? Where were they? Was Hunter with him? I wanted desperately to be with them, to fight and do my part, but I couldn¡¯t. I rubbed my wrist; the ugly metal bracelet was still there. There was nothing I could do except wait and make myself sick with worry. It still seemed unreal¡­ vampires attacking Sage. It was supposed to be our safe haven. I looked at Mila, who was sitting on her bed, her glazed eyes looking out the window. I paced over and shut the long, sheer curtains.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, everything will be okay.¡± I joined her on the bed.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just hard to believe¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Mila was petrified. She shook in fear and she looked like she was going to vomit at any second. I realized my duty wasn¡¯t killing vampires and risking my life. Right now, my duty was to be a good friend.


    ¡°Can I have a go at drawing?¡± I asked, picking up the pencil.


    It was my attempt at distracting her from thinking about Lucian.


    ¡°You draw?¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not, but I want to try.¡±


    With a small twitch of her lips she opened her drawing pad.


    ¡°Give me something to draw.¡±


    ¡°A puppy,¡± she suggested.


    I put the sharp lead pencil to paper and attempted to draw a dog¡ªattempted being the key word. I wasn¡¯t even halfway through when Mila exploded into a fit of laughter.


    ¡°What?¡± I giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s horrible! It doesn¡¯t even look like a dog!¡±


    I threw the pencil at her. It looked like a puppy to me. ¡°What does it look like, then?¡±


    She looked at the paper and wiped tears from her eyes. ¡°I have no idea, but it definitely isn¡¯t a puppy.¡±


    Mila claimed her pencil back and drew a quick sketch of a puppy¡­ an actual puppy. It looked so realistic and so animated. I could watch her draw all day and be completely at peace. What a beautiful talent. A few more bangs sounded, and every now and then we¡¯d hear a distant scream. Soon, not even drawing could take our minds off the horrible sounds of battle. We curled up next to each other at the head of her bed, praying that everyone made it out safely.


    ¡°Ruby?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    She knew I was thinking about Eli. I was, but I was also thinking about everyone¡ªMr. Aleksandrov, Gwydion, Aaron, Lyric, Xavier, Sera, and even Paul and Markus. I wanted nothing more than for them to come out safely.


    I nodded, swallowing the hard lump that formed in my throat. ¡°I know.¡±


    BROKEN


    Mila and I didn¡¯t sleep. Instead, we sat in silence, listening and waiting for any sign the house had been breached. It hadn¡¯t. The hours didn¡¯t fly by, but they did eventually pass. As soon as the first murky, gray light peered through the sheer fabric of the curtain, I sat up, feeling tired and bleary-eyed, but I was ready to find Eli. To my surprise, Mila was as well. Despite the slight bags that hung underneath her big, blue eyes, she still looked beautiful.


    ¡°I think the angels are meeting in the hall, do you want to come?¡± I asked her.


    She bobbed her head and pulled the bandage from her wrist and exposed a two small angel wings.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s healed.¡±


    An excitement grew in my chest. ¡°Can you feel him?¡±


    She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. After a few moments she opened her eyes.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. When we get closer to the hall, you¡¯ll feel him.¡±


    We exited her room. The house was quiet, no one was home.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already gone to the hall?¡± I wondered aloud.


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    Outside was gloomy and depressing. Clouds hid the sun and light rain spat down on us. A hint of smoke lingered in the air and there were no noises. No birds. No crickets. Nothing. The closer we got to the hall, the more nervous I became. Mila and I watched as guardians swept up tons of piles of dust and set them on fire. They greeted us with sympathetic nods and awkward glances. I didn¡¯t read into it. Eli is okay, I told myself over and over.


    Mila grasped my elbow and walked close beside me. ¡°I can¡¯t feel him, Ruby,¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Maybe your tattoo isn¡¯t in full effect yet,¡± I replied, refusing to believe any other explanation.


    ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± Her tone was thick with doubt. I ignored it.


    In the hall, stretchers were laid out everywhere as guardians were helping each other with their injuries. Some were sporting injuries as small as scrapes, others as horrific as, well, death. There were so many people, it was hard to find a familiar face. I squeezed in between people, searching for the one face I needed. When all was lost, I spotted Mr. Aleksandrov and my anxiety eased up. I was happy he was alive and well.


    ¡°Mr. Aleksandrov!¡± I called out.


    When he spotted me, his face fell slightly. My stomach knotted, but my heart refused to react.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see that you¡¯re well.¡± I smiled when I reached him.


    ¡°As well as one can be in a situation like this,¡± He replied, gesturing to all the pain and suffering.


    I couldn¡¯t hold the burning question back any longer.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Eli?¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov looked me dead in the eyes. I tilted my head to the side, trying to understand what his eyes were trying to tell me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ ¡±


    My heart shattered into a million pieces, I no longer heard it beating. I shook my head and bit back the tears, forcing my body into a sense of numbness.


    ¡°They¡¯ve taken him.¡± Even as he said it out loud, I refused to believe him.


    ¡°When are we going to rescue him?¡± I asked, expecting some kind of plan.


    Mr. Aleksandrov shook his head. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to.¡±


    I felt my face crumple. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. We¡¯ve lost enough guardians. We can¡¯t afford anymore.¡±


    Each breath I took hurt. The urge to cry was there, but I swallowed it down.


    ¡°We can save him!¡± I shouted furiously, the words exploding out of me.


    ¡°Even if we knew where Lucian was, we couldn¡¯t risk it,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov rebutted.


    I stared, uncomprehendingly, into his eyes. He stared back, his gray eyes filled with regret. Guardians tried not to stare at me, the girl who was in love with her guardian angel. How pathetic I must¡¯ve seemed.


    ¡°Please.¡± My voice was just a whisper now. My body finally registered that Eli was taken and awareness began to seep through me. ¡°Please¡­¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov dropped his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±


    He turned away, leaving me staring into an empty space. My whole body went numb and Mila pulled me into a hug, but I refused to cry.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± she mumbled, her voice shaking with emotion.


    I pulled away from her as my chest tightened. I could feel a panic attack coming on, and I rushed outside. I bent over and placed my hands on my knees, inhaling as much air as I could. Soon, my heart beat slowed down, but only enough for it break again and again. Then I felt it¡ªthe pain. The aching pain radiated from my chest and into the pit of my stomach. I wanted to vomit and scream, all at once, but instead, I ran. I sprinted as fast as I could¡ªas fast as these guardian boots would allow me¡ªand I didn¡¯t stop, not until I made it back to my little house. I burst through the door and stormed into my room. I was so angry and hurt, this wasn¡¯t meant to happen. I screamed. I screamed until my voice disappeared and my chest burned. I grabbed my lamp and threw it across the room, shattering the light bulb. I pulled the sheets off the bed and threw them on the floor. There wasn¡¯t much else in my room, so I gave up. I collapsed onto my knees and dropped my face into my hands, then the tears came and boy, did they come full force. Once they started, they wouldn¡¯t stop. I cried so hard I was gasping for air. When I was certain my lungs were going to explode, my tears slowed down and eventually stopped. Once again I became numb and angry. Why weren¡¯t they preparing a search party? Eli was a great asset to the team¡­ Didn¡¯t they want him back?

 Page 15

    I was exhausted, absolutely spent. I lay down on my crumpled blanket on the floor, but I was shaking too hard to hope for sleep. I curled into a cramped ball and faced the horrifying facts. Eli was taken by vampires¡ªprobably dead¡ªor worse, a vampire.


    THE PLAN


    Sometime later, a knock on my bedroom door woke me up. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d actually fallen asleep¡­ maybe I did and my dream was me lost in the same unthinking daze as my waking life.


    ¡°Ruby, are you okay?¡± Mila asked, her voice barely audible.


    I didn¡¯t reply, not because I couldn¡¯t, but because I was afraid I didn¡¯t have any voice left. Mila tip-toed in. She ignored the state of my room and sat down next to me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s dead,¡± she said. Her was voice light with hope.


    ¡°How positive of you¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°My tattoo is still here, that¡¯s a good sign¡­ right?¡±


    Realization dawned on me. The tattoo! Eli wasn¡¯t dead or a vampire. As long as Mila¡¯s tattoo stayed on her skin, it meant he was alive. A flicker of hope ignited in my chest.


    ¡°Uncle is preparing for tonight. He thinks they¡¯ll keep coming until they have you.¡±


    I sat up, crossed my legs, and tucked the lock of hair that had escaped from my ponytail behind my ear. ¡°Do you think Lucian will bring Eli? To lure me out?¡±


    Mila nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what uncle thinks.¡±


    I thought long and hard. There was no doubt about it. I¡¯d exchange my life for Eli¡¯s, no questions asked. I was the reason he was in this mess in the first place.


    ¡°There¡¯s one other thing,¡± Mila began. ¡°Uncle wants some of your blood. He wants to test the cure.¡±


    I frowned; apparently Mila was now aware of what the council wanted with me.


    ¡°Does he think Lucian will turn the guardians into vampires?¡± I asked her.


    Mila shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s preparing for everything. Why else would Lucian carry them away?¡±


    The thought of Eli as a vampire made me ill. It was hard enough seeing Hunter as one.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give him some blood.¡±


    ¡°Now. He wants to make a batch now. Are you up for it?¡±


    I got awkwardly to my feet¡ªI was stiff from lying still for so long. I limped on my dead leg to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. My eyes were bloodshot and slightly swollen from crying. Mila¡¯s tattoo showed he was still alive and I needed to get him back. I detangled my hair and tied it back into a high ponytail.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Mila called from the living room.


    When I was sure I no longer looked like I had literally cried a river, we headed toward Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house. It was difficult. Everything reminded me of Eli, and although he was alive, it broke my heart seeing all the familiar things anyway. I did my best to keep my face hard and unfazed, and most of the time I was sure it was believable. Underneath it all, however, I was a mess.


    Guardian angels nodded to me, like they owed me an apology for the way things had went down. Did everyone know Eli and I were involved? If so, why were we allowed to be around each other? If they knew, why hadn¡¯t Eli been banished already? Pushing my questions aside, I did my best to nod back and appear unhurt by the situation. It was horrible.


    Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house was abuzz with loud chatter and plans. From what I overheard, they believed Lucian would come back tonight, and if he did, they¡¯d do their best to trap him or Hunter with silver and find out where the stolen angels were.


    ¡°One of them will talk. Eventually,¡± a guardian said as I walked past the open tea room door.


    I stopped just outside the tea room, hoping to catch some more information about tonight¡¯s plans, but Nita the housemaid interrupted me.


    ¡°Miss Moore? Mr. Aleksandrov is ready to see you.¡± Her Indian accent was thick and deep.


    Nita turned and walked up the stairs. I stared after her, unsure of where we were going. I usually met with Mr. Aleksandrov in the tea room. She turned on her heel and placed her hands on her hips impatiently.


    ¡°He¡¯s in his office,¡± Mila murmured into my ear.


    I proceeded up the stairs. This house had so many rooms, it shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise to me that Mr. Aleksandrov had an office. I assumed we were going to his bedroom, a place I never wanted to go regardless of what he wanted from me.


    Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s office was three doors down from Mila¡¯s room. Nita flattened the front of her light blue dress and knocked on the door. She paused for a few seconds, stroked her long braid, and then opened the door. I turned sideways and shot Mila a skeptical look, which she returned with a careless shrug. It seemed I was the only one that found her ritual strange. The room was immaculate. The walls were paneled in wood, the floors carpeted in thick, deep crimson. The far wall wasn¡¯t even a wall¡ªit was a window that allowed you to see the lush forest that surrounded Sage. Black leather couches were arranged in a cosy grouping by the window, and the glass coffee table held a red crystal vase filled with pale roses. Suddenly I had the urge to take off my shoes and feel the carpet between my toes¡ªMila did. As soon as her toes touched the carpet she appeared to be relaxed. She floated over to the window and watched as two crows fought over an insect. As she walked, her feet made prints in the carpet. It was one of those cool two way carpets that you could draw pictures in. I copied her. I slid my boots off and then my socks and stepped on the carpet. As soon as I entered the room, I was completely at ease. The anguish I felt disappeared and the small feeling of nausea left me. Just like that nothing bothered me. Then, I remembered that Mr. Aleksandrov could influence emotions.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not touching me?¡± I wondered aloud.


    ¡°I charmed my office. It makes my guests more at home.¡±


    I had a strange urge to feel the carpet with my face, so I lay down. The carpet was unbelievably comfortable and as soon as I was lying flat on my stomach, I was fighting off sleep. I rolled onto my back and began making snow angels in the carpet.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you charm things everywhere you go if you¡¯re so good at it?¡± I wondered aloud again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t play god. I don¡¯t want to control people¡¯s emotions all the time. It¡¯s healthier to feel what your body wants to feel.¡±


    I felt amazingly relaxed, so relaxed that I wasn¡¯t even embarrassed by my immature behavior.


    ¡°Perhaps we should talk now?¡± Mr. Aleksandrov suggested.


    I stopped swinging my arms and legs and sighed as I climbed to my feet. I admired my work from an aerial view. It didn¡¯t look like much of a snow angel, but I was proud of it nonetheless. I fell into the comfy arm chair opposite Mr. Aleksandrov. He seemed quite intimidating behind the big oak desk. From a drawer, Mr. Aleksandrov pulled out a small box of vials, each of which was filled with a clear, off-yellow liquid.


    ¡°This is the formula. The council was nice enough to lend me a few vials. If we mix this with your blood, we¡ªhopefully¡ªcan cure vampires and help save our species in the process.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it will work?¡± Mila asked, sitting on the arm of my chair.


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s worth a shot.¡±


    Momentarily, I spaced out. The clear lines of the world disappeared and were replaced with blotches of blurry colors. A shiver rolled down my spine, accompanied by a strange warm sensation. As soon as it was over, my vision came back. I glanced around, confused. What was that?


    ¡°Ruby?¡±


    I blushed. It wasn¡¯t often that I spaced out in the middle of a conversation. ¡°What were you saying?¡± I asked, brushing off the strange sensation.


    ¡°I was saying that you¡¯d have to be the one to administer the injection and we¡¯re hoping that Hunter will give us that opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Hunter? You want to test it out on Hunter?¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov nodded.


    ¡°And what will happen if it fails?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a good chance he¡¯ll die, but,¡± he added quickly, ¡°if it works, you¡¯ll save his life.¡±


    I wanted to ask a million questions and I wanted to make sure I knew every single detail about the formula, but the over-relaxed vibe of the room was making it difficult to see any negative sides to the plan¡ªso I agreed to it.


    ¡°Excellent. Hopefully, we can do it tonight.¡±


    ¡°Why tonight, though? Why not next week or next month? What¡¯s the rush?¡± The questions rolled out from Mila¡¯s mouth and I wondered why I never asked them.


    ¡°After this, when are we going to get another chance to be up close and personal with a vampire? As soon as this is over, the council will know, and the school will be examined, and most likely renovated to make sure this type of thing doesn¡¯t happen again. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they have it bulldozed and force us to go elsewhere.¡±


    I frowned at the thought of Sage Sanctum no longer existing. It was¡ªis¡ªmy safe haven. It might not be at this precise moment, but I swore I¡¯d claim it back.


    Mr. Aleksandrov reached into his drawer again, pulling out two large vials attached to syringes. Most office people have notebooks, pens, and calculators in their desk drawers. Here, people have strange magical concoctions, guardian angel whistles, and pieces of silver to protect themselves against vampires. He rose from his chair and adjusted his long, pale green robe. It wasn¡¯t the nicest color, unless you consider over-steamed peas a nice color. It made his skin and hair seem more washed out. He undid the belt holding his robe together and I squeezed my eyes shut, afraid to see whatever was underneath it. Mila laughed at me and nudged me hard in the shoulder, forcing me to open my eyes. I was wrong. Underneath his robe he wasn¡¯t naked at all¡ªthank god. He was dressed¡­ normally. He wore classy black business pants and a white formal button-up shirt. Take away his absurdly long hair and beard and he¡¯d look like any ordinary business man you¡¯d see in the city. He closed his robe and tied the pea-colored fabric belt around my arm. Mila moved back over to the window.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to watch this,¡± she groaned.


    Mr. Aleksandrov waited for my veins to make an appearance. When they did, he stuck the needle right in the middle of one and released the tie, filling the vial quickly. By the time the third one was filled, my head spun a little.


    ¡°All done.¡±


    I grasped both arms of the chair and pushed myself up. Mila placed her hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down.


    ¡°Maybe you should sit for a little while¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t argue. I was feeling too relaxed and calm in this room to want to leave, anyway.


    ¡°You girls make yourselves at home; I¡¯m going to take these to Gwydion.¡±


    As my body worked hard to replace the blood taken from me, I slumped backwards into my chair and played with the ends of my hair. Mila dropped herself into Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s chair, opposite me. She crossed her dainty feet on the table and smiled at me.


    ¡°What? He said make ourselves at home. Besides, I¡¯m never allowed in here, so I¡¯m going to make the most of it.¡±


    She opened one of his drawers and pulled out a long brown wand.


    ¡°Whoa.¡± I stared at the wand.


    She swung it wildly around her, chanting ridiculous rhymes. Every time she pointed it at me, I ducked out of the way.


    ¡°Will you be careful with that thing? I don¡¯t want to be turned into a frog.¡±


    Mila laughed. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not a wizard, it¡¯s nothing more than a stick, really.¡±


    She placed the wand back in the drawer and I watched her as she searched through all of the strange things. Then her face fell and her eyes darkened.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, sitting up and leaning closer.


    She lifted a small photo frame closer to her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s my parents.¡± Mila¡¯s lips twitched slightly, as if she were going to smile.


    She turned the frame around so I could see it. Mila was an only child, by the looks of it. Her parents were gorgeous, her mum more beautiful than any goddess I¡¯d ever seen. A waterfall of platinum blonde hair draped from her head down past her shoulders, straight and shiny. She had blue eyes like Mila, and if it weren¡¯t for the obvious age gap, I¡¯d swear they were twins. Her dad¡¯s hair had more of a golden edge to it, like baked bread. He was tall, handsome, and held a happy glint in his green eyes.


    ¡°Now I see where you got your freakish beauty from,¡± I pointed out.


    Mila chuckled. ¡°Yeah, they were very beautiful people, inside and out.¡±


    I glanced at her, her eyes were glazed over like she was reliving some distant memory.


    ¡°How¡¯d you end up in your uncle¡¯s care?¡±


    It was my indirect way of asking ¡®how did your parents die.¡¯


    ¡°One night, when my parents went out to dinner, they were jumped and killed by vampires in a parking lot. Their death was one of those ¡®wrong place at the wrong time¡¯ kind of stories.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I was being babysat by my uncle when we received the news. From that night on, he became my legal guardian.¡±


    ¡°How come Ivan is a wizard, yet neither of your parents were?¡±


    ¡°My grandmother found him when he was little¡ªabandoned. She tried her hardest to find a place for him, but no one was allowed to take him. After months and months of discussions with higher authorities, she was granted an adoption certificate and that¡¯s how he became my mother¡¯s brother and my uncle.¡±


    ¡°What a story.¡± I exhaled.


    ¡°Believe it or not, Mr. Aleksandrov is actually younger than my mother. He¡¯s only thirty-five now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡±


    ¡°Seriously, ask him yourself. Wizards look older than they are, their bodies¡¯ age faster than ours.¡±

 Page 16

    I stared at the photo again. It was impossible. Mila¡¯s mother looked at least twenty.


    ¡°My mother was twenty-seven there. If she were alive now, she¡¯d be thirty-eight.¡±


    I shook my head in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Mila agreed.


    Mila and I jumped as Mr. Aleksandrov came back into the room. Immediately, I lobbed the photo frame back over to Mila, who cringed apologetically at Mr. Aleksandrov. She jammed it back into the drawer and slammed it shut.


    ¡°I see you took my make yourself at home statement quite literally.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Mila whispered under her breath.


    I was feeling a lot better. I stood up and my vision swayed slightly, but after a split second, it righted itself.


    ¡°Gwydion is mixing the vials together. It should be ready this afternoon. If they come tonight, you will only have one shot at curing them. The window for that one shot will be small, and if you fail, well, there¡¯s a high chance we¡¯ll never see you again.¡±


    I knew what he meant. If I failed, I¡¯d be captured by Lucian and whisked away to his next secret hide-out.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fail.¡±


    With a polite nod, Mr. Aleksandrov stepped aside and we left the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose hope,¡± he called after us down the hallway. ¡°You¡¯re still our secret weapon, Ruby.¡±


    I smiled back at him.


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Mila wondered aloud.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    Maybe it had something to do with Hunter¡¯s infatuation with me. Since leaving the office a few seconds ago, my calm feelings slipped away and were replaced by those stinking jackhammers and sorrow. I didn¡¯t have the brain power to decipher Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s cryptic message right now. Instead, I focused on ways I could lure Hunter in and stab him with the cure. No pressure or anything.


    AFTERMATH


    The day dragged on and everyone felt it. If Mila stopped moving, she fell asleep, so right before lunch, she left me to go home and have a nap¡ªwhich I was grateful for. Now that I wasn¡¯t a screaming mess, I wanted time alone to think about everything rationally, and boy, was that difficult. Everything I thought about led back to Eli. I pictured him holding strong against the vampires and getting his ass beaten. I thought about them feeding on him and torturing him. A few times I convinced myself he was dead, but I didn¡¯t have Mila¡¯s tattoo here to confirm it.


    I tapped my index finger nervously on the arm of my couch. My gaze was fixated on the clock, willing it to tick faster. I needed nightfall to come and I needed it to come now. But it didn¡¯t. It was still lunch time. I sighed and hopped to my feet. I needed to occupy my mind with something other than the thought of losing Eli.


    I didn¡¯t want to eat, my stomach could barely hold down its own acid, so I went to the dining hall to help with the injured.


    Guardians filtered in and out of the hall, some patched up and healing, others in need of medical assistance. It was hard to think that only yesterday I was sitting down here having lunch. The polished wooden floors were stained with dark patches of blood and bits of fabric. I winced at the sobs of guardians in pain and the familiar feeling of grief jammed at the base of my throat. I¡¯ve never been good with pain or death, but who is, really? It sucks. Pain and death are things that make you feel like shit no matter what side of the spectrum you¡¯re on.


    ¡°Good, we need more hands,¡± a tall female guardian said, shoving pure alcohol and a few bandages in my hand. I took a moment to admire her beauty. Even with the dried blood on her face and her long dark hair tied into a messy bun, she was beautiful.


    ¡°Wait, are you injured?¡± she asked, blinding me with a small torch light.


    I had been so caught up in admiring her that I must¡¯ve looked like I had a concussion. I swatted her torch away. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Start with the cut guardians in the far left corner.¡± Her voice was fast and husky. ¡°Pour alcohol into the cut, layer it with gauze, bandage it, and send them on their way. Judge who to help first by the pain in their screams.¡±


    How insensitive. She turned away from me.


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious?¡±


    ¡°Left corner, now,¡± she called over her shoulder.


    I squeezed in between guardians and stretchers, making my way over to the far left corner. Luckily for me, there were only three people there. Two guardian angels I didn¡¯t know and Xavier. He smiled sympathetically at me as I approached. I smiled back.


    The first guardian I had to heal had an extremely high pain threshold. As I poured on the alcohol, he kept his gun-metal colored eyes fixated on me. I ignored how uncomfortable it made me feel.


    ¡°You¡¯re done,¡± I informed him as I finished fastening the bandage around his forearm. He slicked his chin-length black hair out of his face and off he went. The next guardian angel had a lower pain threshold. As I poured the alcohol on, she squeezed my shoulders¡ªalmost popping them out of their socket.


    ¡°There you go,¡± I said through clenched teeth. Man, she was strong. With a quick shake of my hand she was gone.


    ¡°You¡¯re up, Xavier,¡± I called.


    He slid across the bench. His shirt was off, exposing his well-developed chest. He looked great¡ªfor the most part, anyway. The only thing hindering the view was the long, narrow cut that started on his left shoulder and trailed down to the right side of his stomach, past his belly button.


    ¡°Jesus Christ,¡± I gasped.


    ¡°You should see the other guy.¡±


    ¡°Dead, I hope?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Thanks to Eli.¡±


    I looked at the alcohol bottle. I unscrewed the lid and wet a cotton ball. Xavier winced as I patted his cut.


    ¡°I¡¯m the reason he was taken, you know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°It is my fault. I was by the gym, waiting for the attack, only it didn¡¯t come¡ªat least, not right away. I put my silver into my pocket and sat down. Two hours later, I grew more and more tired. I placed my stake on the ground, convinced there would be no threat and that¡¯s when I was jumped by two vampires. I didn¡¯t have any time to react. They were so fast and strong. They took my stake and dragged it through my flesh. They didn¡¯t want to kill me or eat me, they wanted to torture me.¡±


    I closed my eyes, certain that Eli was going through the same thing now, wherever he was.


    ¡°I was as good as dead,¡± he added and I opened my eyes. ¡°But then Eli came, and with a few quick moves, the vampires were nothing but piles of dust on the ground. The vampires kept coming, and I¡¯m talking at least twenty of the suckers. In the beginning, it seemed like he could take them all. He chopped through them with his stake, but the numbers multiplied and I couldn¡¯t help him, I was too injured¡­ so he sent me away and I left him. I walked away and left him.¡±


    I took a few deep breaths and placed my hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t make it your fault. Eli is the kind of guy that helps people, regardless of whether it backfires on him. He¡¯d kick your ass if he knew you were sulking, so chin up.¡±


    I stuck the gauze to the flesh and it held nicely, but there was no way I could bandage it. Xavier handed me some sticky tape. ¡°I thought you might need this.¡±


    I took it from him and began taping the edges of his gauze down.


    ¡°By the way, you might want to be more careful with this.¡± He handed me a folded piece of paper. I put the sticky tape down and opened the paper. When I saw a drawing of Eli, I quickly folded it back up. I felt my back pocket, nothing was there.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get this?¡± I demanded in a hushed tone.


    ¡°I found it on the hall steps. I thought it might be important, and it was. Luckily for you, I don¡¯t think anyone else noticed it¡ªor stepped on it.¡±


    I tucked it under my shirt and into my bra. It was harder to lose if I stored it there.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful picture. Whoever drew it has talent and an incredible imagination.¡±


    I finished taping his bandage. Inside, I was smiling, because I knew the drawing hadn¡¯t been created from someone¡¯s imagination. It¡¯d actually happened.


    ¡°I use the term imagination lightly, by the way.¡±


    I smiled at him. He knew Eli and I were involved and he was fine with it¡ªsupported it even, because he also had a forbidden infatuation. He loved Mila and he was just waiting for the day the ban was lifted to make his move. Xavier slid off the bench and grabbed his shredded shirt.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Rubes. Let¡¯s hope we get him back tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    After the hall, I went home. I threw myself back on my couch. I pulled out Mila¡¯s drawing from inside my shirt. Slowly, I opened it. Seeing the picture made my stomach ache. I craved seeing him, with his short, classic hair that he styled so messily, and his eyes¡ªthe bright green eyes that made it hard not to drown myself in them. I sighed. Life was worth living yesterday.


    I stayed at home until the sun began receding below the tree line, then I made my way to Mila¡¯s. There were no guardians to be seen, they were all in their positions, waiting. Walking through the shrouded path before the open field by Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house was eerie. I knew there were people with all kinds of guns fixated on me. I quickened my pace to a jog, for some weird reason I felt more comfortable facing a vampire than a gun. I jogged across the field, reminiscing about the kiss I¡¯d shared with Eli in the same spot only yesterday. A hard lump formed in my throat, and I tried to sprint away from it, away from the memory, I suppose. I ran up the three big white steps and pounded on the door. Sera answered with a sympathetic nod and stepped aside. I nodded back and continued up the stairs. It wasn¡¯t much, but something as simple as a nod can still show you care.


    I knocked on Mila¡¯s door and it opened. Mila¡¯s face look fresh and new, I envied her. I might have gotten some sleep this morning after I tore my room apart, but I wasn¡¯t sure. Either way, it certainly wasn¡¯t enough to have me looking as well-rested as Mila did, and I prayed I wouldn¡¯t fall asleep tonight. The last thing I needed was to miss the opportunity to save both Eli and Hunter because I fell asleep. Briefly, I glanced at her wrist. Relief filled me when I saw the tattoo was still there.


    ¡°You look horrible.¡± Mila frowned.


    ¡°Gee, thanks.¡±


    She stepped aside and let me in, closing the door behind me. I kicked my boots off and sat cross-legged on her bed. A pain began to accumulate behind my eyes due to lack of sleep. I ignored it.


    A knock sounded on the door and Mr. Aleksandrov entered the room in a hurry. Thank god, he¡¯d replaced that distasteful pea-green robe for a classic black one. He extended his hand to Mila.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the vial. Good luck.¡±


    He turned and I dived off the bed, stumbling slightly. ¡°Wait!¡± I called as I gained my balance. ¡°Only one vial? I gave you a lot of blood.¡±


    One vial was a lot of pressure on me. That meant I had to make sure I didn¡¯t lose it and that I hit the right spot on the first go.


    ¡°You only have one shot at this, besides, the vial doesn¡¯t last for too long. In a few hours, it will begin to decay. Once that happens, it won¡¯t work. Lyric or Aaron will text you every hour and update you on the situation. If you don¡¯t receive a text message, then consider the school under attack. The guardians will try to push Hunter into the house. When he¡¯s inside, figure out how to inject him.¡±


    Mila folded her arms across her chest.


    ¡°What about Mila? She can¡¯t be here when a vampire¡¯s in the house¡­ what if I fail?¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov pulled out his wand from a pocket inside his robe.


    ¡°Silvera Silver,¡± he chanted and touched the door.


    Mila and I stared wide-eyed as silver leaked from the tip of his wand, covering the entire door in a coat of silver. Strangely, it didn¡¯t stop there. The walls became silver, the floor became silver and the roof became silver.


    ¡°If she¡¯s in here, she won¡¯t be harmed. No vampire would risk it, it¡¯d be too painful.¡±


    I agreed, recalling the immense pain that came with being burned by silver.


    ¡°You can¡¯t lock me in here!¡± Mila protested.


    ¡°It¡¯s for your own safety,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov rebutted and closed the door.


    Mila scoffed at me. ¡°What the hell? Nobody encased me in silver last night.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to lure a vampire into the house last night. Besides, we have fewer numbers now and Lucian probably has more than they anticipated.¡±


    ¡°I hate being treated like a defenseless child.¡± She sighed and slid down the cold, silver wall.


    I knew how she was feeling. There was a time when I felt like that and a lot of days I still did, but if there was one thing I realized during this whole thing, it was that I wasn¡¯t seen as weak and defenseless. I was seen as someone needing protection because I meant that much to someone.


    I sat down next to her. ¡°You¡¯re all Ivan has left. You can¡¯t blame him for wanting to protect you. If it was me, I¡¯d wrap you up in silver chain mail and stick you in a silver yet-somehow-breathable coffin and bury you at the bottom of the ocean somewhere until I removed every last vampire from the earth.¡±


    Mila laughed and rested her head on my shoulder. ¡°I guess now we sit and wait for that text message every hour.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± I reached into my pocket and panic rushed over me. Mila felt my muscles tense. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I wanted to beat the shit out of myself for being so stupid. Today was not going my way at all.


    ¡°I left my phone at home.¡±


    LOVE AND OTHER¡­ DRUGS?

 Page 17

    Mila swore and paced the bedroom, hands folded behind her narrow back. ¡°How could you forget it?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m the one that should be freaking out here,¡± I replied dryly, sitting against the wall. I rolled the strange red vial around in my hands, careful not to let the needle pierce my skin. God knows what it¡¯d do to me.


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m trying to think, but I can¡¯t when you¡¯re pacing up and down the place, swearing your head off.¡±


    Mila exhaled and fell backwards onto her bed. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Abruptly she sat up. ¡°Let me go get it.¡±


    My face wrinkled as I shot her an incredulous stare. ¡°Are you insane? You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±


    Mila knelt in front of me. ¡°I know it sounds crazy, but I can do it. The guardians won¡¯t notice me. I¡¯d be the last person they¡¯d expect to be running around.


    ¡°There are people with guns just across the field from here waiting for intruders. They¡¯ll shoot you dead before you even step onto the path.¡±


    ¡°I know shortcuts and secret paths¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, if the guns or guardians don¡¯t get you, then the vampires will. No. You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±


    Gosh, now I knew how Eli felt when he constantly had to say no to me. What a drag. Mila slumped down and pouted. I rose to my feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to see if there are any guardians in this house that can send Lyric or Aaron a message. You wait here.¡±


    I opened the door and slid out. The house was dimly lit, sending an eerie shiver down my spine.


    ¡°Sera?¡± I whispered urgently. I tip-toed down the hallway. In the silence, my movements seemed deafeningly loud.


    ¡°Sera?¡± I called again. ¡°Anybody?¡±


    A sharp sting seared into my hand and pain crepitated through my skull as I was slammed hard against a wall in the hallway. Whatever it was, I didn¡¯t see it coming.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing, Moore?¡± the voice demanded.


    I realized that I had my eyes squeezed shut. Slowly, I opened them. Aaron peered down at me. I focused on the scar that carved through his flesh. I¡¯m not going to lie, I was absolutely petrified.


    ¡°Just the man I wanted to see.¡± I smiled, trying to hide the scared stutter from my voice.


    ¡°This is no time for games. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I left my phone at home. I¡¯m just letting you know that I don¡¯t have it, so don¡¯t text me. That¡¯s all.¡±


    His brows knitted together and he let me go. I dropped to my feet. I hadn¡¯t even realized he was holding me off the ground.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve have killed you. I thought you were a vampire. Next time, don¡¯t sneak around a house when we¡¯re expecting an attack.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come to you if the vampires show up.¡±


    Again I nodded. As quickly as Aaron showed up, he disappeared and I was curious to know exactly how many guardians were hiding in the house. I walked back to the room quietly. The last thing I wanted was to be staked in the heart because a guardian thought I was a vampire.


    ¡°Good news.¡± I exhaled and closed the door. ¡°We don¡¯t need my phone, Aaron¡ª¡± I turned away from the door. ¡°Mila?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see her. I took a few steps toward the bed. ¡°Mila, this isn¡¯t funny.¡± I walked around the bed, but she wasn¡¯t there. She was gone. Panic constricted my chest. She had gone to get my phone. There was no other explanation as to why she¡¯d leave the room.


    ¡°No, no, no!¡± I shouted, picking a book off her desk and throwing it at the wall.


    I was so mad. She hadn¡¯t listened to me. I needed to warn as many guardians as I could that Mila was running around the place. How did she get out? Did she manage to slip past Aaron and I while we were talking in the hall? If she did, surely she¡¯d know I had sorted the problem out. I couldn¡¯t let anyone know she¡¯d gotten out. Mila would be in big trouble and I¡¯d no doubt have to give my uniform back, which was depressing because I looked damn good in it.


    I turned off the bedroom light and slid out the door, closing it behind me. As I crept down the stairs, they began to move¡ªvibrate to be more exact. In the distance I could hear a man chuckle. What a melodious chuckle. Forgetting about Mila, I focused on the sound and followed it into the sitting room. Nothing was there.


    ¡°Ruby?¡± I heard the deep voice call. It was familiar. The sound of the voice alone was enough to make every hair stand to attention¡ªin a good way. Rapidly, the sitting room began to change color and flicker. It filled with people that gyrated against each other. And then I saw her¡ªMila. She squeezed through the people and exited out of the door.


    ¡°Mila?¡± I called, as loud as I could, my voice inaudible even to me.


    When there was a clear gap in the crowd, I sprinted from the room. The front door twitched and glitched out of sight before returning back to normal. I stared at it as it repeated itself over and over.


    ¡°Ruby?¡± The deep, soothing voice chanted again. I shook my head and ignored it. I stepped toward the door and black, gooey hands rose from the floor and grabbed at me, trying to pull me in, but I fought against them and managed to break free. I spotted her, Mila in a pretty white dress, sprinting across the field.


    ¡°Mila!¡± I screamed until my voice broke. ¡°Mila!¡±


    I tore off after her, the gooey hands following closely behind. But then he zipped in front of me, blocking her from sight.


    ¡°Ruby,¡± he said fiercely.


    My lips parted with a sharp gasp. ¡°Eli?¡± He was the one chanting my name.


    He stared down at me, his skin as pale as snow. He leaned closer to me, and the moon brightened on us like the sudden high beam of a car. I saw everything, I saw what he was¡ªwhat he¡¯d become. A vampire.


    In the blinding light, I focused on his eyes. They weren¡¯t green¡ªthey weren¡¯t any color¡ªonly the darkest shade of black. They held the soulless, malicious gleam that all vampires did. That I once did.


    ¡°No,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. A wry-vampiric smile contorted his otherwise handsome face. ¡°And guess what I want?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You.¡± He bared his fangs and launched at me, but I dodged him. I couldn¡¯t fight Eli, not now. I needed to stop Mila before¡ªmy thoughts ended as a gunshot rang in my ears. I dropped to my knees and watched as someone approached me.


    ¡°Ruby, it¡¯s okay,¡± Aaron stated calmly, walking towards me with his arms out in front of him like I was some kind of feral animal. ¡°Come back into the house, it will be okay.¡±


    Eli was gone. The high beam moon shut off, leaving me in total darkness¡ªhearing only Aaron¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Mila is dead,¡± I whispered, tears spilling over my eyes. ¡°Eli is a vampire.¡±


    ¡°No, none of that is true. Mila is safe, she¡¯s in the house. I¡¯ll show you.¡± I felt his fingertips brush my forearm and I recoiled away from him.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± I screamed. ¡°Why are you lying?¡±


    ¡°Ruby, it will be easier on the both of us if you just do as I say.¡±


    ¡°Mila!¡± I yelled in between body shaking sobs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    And then darkness claimed me.


    HANGOVER


    My eyes jerked open and I sat up, gasping for air. It was daylight, the bright sun seeped in through the sheer curtains, filling the room with light. My head pounded so relentlessly into the back of my skull I swore it was trying to escape. I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth and tried to swallow. My mouth was so dry and sore. Two long, thin arms wrapped around me. I was confused. Last night, it was so real. Mila was dead, Eli, a vampire¡ªI swear it happened.


    ¡°Oh Ruby!¡± Mila cried. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay. We¡¯ve been so worried about you.¡±


    I took in my surroundings. Aaron leaned against the wall opposite the bed and watched me curiously. Sera leaned against the doorway and a random guardian perched on Mila¡¯s desk.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Aaron asked.


    I dropped my gaze to the bed I was lying on¡ªMila¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I gasped, yanking the green bed quilt up, covering my light pink sports bra. I flushed and glanced around my room. The guardians appeared unfazed by my indecent exposure. Eager to take the awkward tension off me, I answered him. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I think.¡±


    ¡°So, you totally flipped out last night,¡± Mila said, handing me a glass of water. She climbed onto the bed and crossed her legs. I greedily drank the cold water and gave her back the cup.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened¡­ I was fine one minute and then¡­ totally messed up the next. I can¡¯t explain it.¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov interjected as he entered the room.


    He walked over to me and handed me an empty vial. I took it and examined it, careful not to drop my quilt. I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s empty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can see that.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why it¡¯s empty?¡±


    I shook my head. Mr. Aleksandrov raised his right hand and tapped his palm with his index finger. I lifted my right hand and in the middle of my palm was a small, circular band aid. I groaned in embarrassment. ¡°I stabbed myself?¡±


    ¡°Bingo,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov replied. ¡°I guess it worked as some kind of hallucinogen.¡±


    ¡°You must have injected yourself when I attacked you last night.¡± Aaron narrowed his eyes. ¡°I apologize.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it was my fault.¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t sure what would happen to you, but once your fever died down, you appeared normal. Now, here we are and you¡¯re as good as new.¡± Mila smiled.


    I stared at the green bed quilt, absorbing all the information. ¡°This is real?¡± I asked, glancing around the room.


    Everyone nodded. ¡°Mila is alive, and that means Eli isn¡¯t a vampire.¡± I placed my hand on my forehead and exhaled. ¡°Oh, thank god.¡±


    ¡°Luckily for you,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov began, ¡°Lucian was a no show last night.¡±


    Yes, that was lucky. I laid back down. I was afraid that if I sat up any longer I¡¯d fall out of bed or vomit.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you rest, but I¡¯ll be back later to check on you.¡±


    Mr. Aleksandrov signalled the rest of the guardians to leave as well, and soon it was only Mila and I in the room. She laid down next to me, her long blonde hair whipping me in the face.


    ¡°Ow!¡± I half groaned and half giggled in pain.


    ¡°Oops.¡± She laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Mila flicked her hair over her shoulder and propped her head up on her elbow.


    ¡°Sorry if I scared you last night,¡± I muttered turning to face her.


    ¡°By the sound of it, I scared you more than you scared me.¡±


    I remembered how lost I felt when I thought she had died.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I stabbed myself.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault, Uncle should have made little caps for the needles. What if you had to defend yourself against Hunter before you could inject him? It would end horribly if you pricked yourself in that situation.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. ¡°How¡¯s your tattoo?¡±


    ¡°Still fresh and tinted.¡± She smiled, presenting her wrist to me.


    Mila loved being the only one that could ease my stress. I covered my face with the blanket. The light in the room was unbearable. It made my headache beat harder and faster.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe I stabbed myself,¡± I groaned.


    Mila chuckled. ¡°It isn¡¯t the end of the world.¡±


    I yanked the blanket off my head in protest. ¡°It could have been. If vampires attacked last night¡­ who knows what could¡¯ve happened?¡±


    ¡°But they didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry yourself with what ifs and buts. It isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I thought it was real¡­ it felt so real.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡±


    I sat up and crossed my legs. There was so much I wanted to know about last night, but I didn¡¯t know where to start.


    ¡°When¡­ when I came back into the room, were you here?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I was sitting on the bed in plain sight, but you couldn¡¯t see me. I called out to you over and over¡­ you didn¡¯t respond. I thought you were trying to play some kind of prank on me. It wasn¡¯t until you got angry and threw my book that I knew something was wrong.¡±


    As she spoke, the events came to my mind, hazy like a bad dream.


    ¡°You tore from the room, and stopped on the stairs, cautious of something¡ªI couldn¡¯t work out what it was. As you walked into the sitting room, a few guardians showed up and then you screamed my name loudly and desperately.¡±


    She told me how the guardians tried to stop me from leaving the house, like the gooey hands, but I managed to break free. She informed me that I had a conversation with Eli and then broke down. Aaron had ordered the other guardians to leave me alone. He was afraid they were overwhelming me.


    ¡°He tried to calm you down, but you wouldn¡¯t listen. He tried to convince you I was okay, that I was standing right in front of you, but you couldn¡¯t see me.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°And then he had no choice but to knock you out.¡±


    Subconsciously, I rubbed the aching area on the back of my head. It was swollen to the size of an egg. I winced. It explained the headache, at least. How freaking embarrassing.


    My phone vibrated, making the whole bedside table shake. I jumped. The thought of the vibrating staircase last night made me ill. I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone. It was a text message from¡ªEli! I opened it.

 Page 18

    Tonight.


    I launched out of bed and sprinted down the hall¡ªignoring the fact that I was A, in my underwear, and B, cursed with the biggest hangover I¡¯d ever had in my life. I barged into Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s office. Everyone in the room stared at me awkwardly as stood there practically naked, but I wasn¡¯t embarrassed. I had an amazing body. My eyes fell on Xavier, whose arms were folded across his chest as he gawked at me, wide-eyed. I turned my attention back to Mr. Aleksandrov.


    ¡°Lucian is coming tonight.¡± I marched across the room and slid my phone across Aleksandrov¡¯s desk.


    Mr. Aleksandrov read my text and handed my phone back. ¡°Ruby, I need a moment alone with the guardians.¡±


    I became confused. ¡°Am I not a head guardian?¡±


    No one said anything. I glanced at Xavier and then back at Aleksandrov. ¡°So now I¡¯m the one on the need-to-know basis?¡±


    He looked at me sympathetically. ¡°Please.¡±


    I turned on my heel and stormed from the office. From the ground floor, guardians stared up at me. You¡¯d think no one had seen a girl in her underwear before.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I grumbled at them before slamming Mila¡¯s door behind me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, sitting up eagerly for some kind of news.


    ¡°Lucian is coming tonight. Eli texted me.¡±


    Her mouth opened. ¡°He texted you?¡±


    I nodded and climbed back into bed.


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you going to text him back?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too risky.¡±


    ¡°Ruby, it¡¯s daytime.¡±


    ¡°What if he¡¯s kept in some underground cell? And is being watched?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Lucian and the vampires are close by. I don¡¯t think they have a set up like that.¡±


    I chewed my bottom lip in thought and opened the text message. My fingers bounced around the screen as I typed the text message, but I paused before I hit send.


    We WILL get you back. See you tonight.


    I hit send and shut my eyes. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him and missed him¡­but I couldn¡¯t. If someone read it, then he¡¯d be in serious trouble. Despite how much we loved each other, we weren¡¯t allowed to be together. My phone vibrated immediately and Mila squeed in excitement.


    Don¡¯t do anything stupid. You promised me. <3


    I smiled. Even in text his authoritative tone came through loud and clear. The heart wasn¡¯t much, but it was still evidence that could be used against us. So I deleted it. I didn¡¯t reply. I didn¡¯t want to risk it and I was content with sending just the one text.


    ¡°Hopefully one day the law will be changed and you two can be together,¡± Mila said.


    ¡°Hopefully. I don¡¯t want anyone else.¡±


    ¡°When you save Hunter and it works¡­ what happens then?¡±


    I opened my mouth to reply, but I didn¡¯t have anything to say. On one hand, I had Eli¡ªthe guardian angel and love of my life, the guy who had saved my life countless times and who¡¯d I¡¯d literally given everything to. On the other, I had Hunter¡ªI liked Hunter, more than I probably should. I was the reason he became a vampire, so in a way I owed him¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hunter is who I¡¯m supposed to be with, but Eli is who I want to be with. If I was allowed to be with Eli, there¡¯d be no competition.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s stopping you from being together, really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the law. Goddesses only marry Gods.¡±


    She nodded vigorously. ¡°I know, but what¡¯s stopping you from escaping and living with some kind of renegade angel tribe or something?¡±


    I ran my fingers through my hair, combing out the knots with my fingers. ¡°Because running away isn¡¯t the answer¡­ If we¡¯re meant to be together, it¡¯ll all work out.¡±


    PREPARATIONS


    I stayed in Mila¡¯s room until late afternoon. Having slept most of the day, I was energized and ready to take on vampires, but of course that wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    ¡°We go with the same plan as last night,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov ordered.


    I paced his office impatiently.


    ¡°And look how last night turned out,¡± Mila muttered.


    Aleksandrov ignored her. Funny, ignoring people is what he seemed to do best lately.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get our taken guardians back, but with you involved, I¡¯m worried it won¡¯t go smoothly.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    He rolled his eyes at me like I was oblivious. ¡°I know how you feel about Eli and I know how he feels about you. Lucian is going to want to bargain with me to get the guardians back and you¡¯re the only leverage I have. I need to be able to call his bluff without you running in and sacrificing yourself like a lovesick puppy.¡±


    I leaned on his desk, palms spread. I chose to ignore the part about how Eli and I felt about each other. Sure Mr. Aleksandrov knew, but that didn¡¯t mean I was going to confess my love for Eli to him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to jeopardize your plans, just let me be there.¡±


    He stroked his beard. ¡°I can trust you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t do anything stupid?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡± I had promised Eli I wouldn¡¯t.


    He nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±


    I exhaled and stood straight.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Mila protested, storming toward us from the window. I turned towards her. She pulled her hair over the left side of her shoulder, exposing more of her frustration. Mila wanted to be in on the action. She was tired of being treated like a precious little girl. I noticed she was wearing jeans and a black tank top, something I had never seen her in before.


    ¡°I¡¯m just as capable as Ruby.¡± With a flick of her hand, she sent Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s glass of water flying into the wall. It smashed into tiny little pieces. I grabbed her wrist, but she shook me off. Mr. Aleksandrov pinched the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°Mila, darling, smashing a glass of water is nothing compared to facing a vampire. You¡¯d be killed. Instantly.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed. I stepped closer to her, unsure of what she was planning. Behind me, the window shattered and tree branches and vines crept rapidly into the room. Within seconds, guardian angels kicked the door down and barged in. Mr. Aleksandrov raised his hand, signalling them to stop. They were confused.


    ¡°Mila,¡± I warned her, my voice low.


    ¡°I¡¯m strong. I know I am,¡± She growled.


    I was shocked and had no idea how to handle the situation. I¡¯d never seen goddess magic used to such a degree nor had I witnessed Mila so forceful and scary, but I knew Mila. If it came down to it, her fear would immobilize her and her powers. She¡¯d be killed before she had a chance to react.


    ¡°I will not be bullied into this,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov replied.


    The branches and vines curled upwards, tearing big holes in the roof, leaving only the area by the door and his desk intact. Mr. Aleksandrov rose to his feet.


    ¡°Go ahead, destroy this entire house. I can replace it. If you die, I can¡¯t replace you.¡±


    The branches stopped growing and retracted slowly. Mila¡¯s hands were clenched into balls by her sides. She ran, pushing through the guards, and sped off down the hall. I ran after her. Her door slammed in my face before I could enter.


    I knocked. ¡°Mila? Can I come in?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer.


    Slowly, I opened the door. Mila was on her bed, crying into her pillow.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair!¡± she said between sobs.


    I closed the door behind me and joined her on the bed. I didn¡¯t touch her¡ªI was afraid she¡¯d lash out and damage more of the house.


    ¡°He¡¯s just looking out for you. You¡¯re the only family he¡¯s got left.¡±


    ¡°So that gives him the right to baby me? I¡¯m nineteen years old!¡± she cried.


    A pang of guilt coursed through me, I¡¯d missed Mila¡¯s birthday.


    ¡°And I¡¯m capable of handling myself. No, I can¡¯t take a vampire in a brawl, but I can guarantee I¡¯ll kill one before it gets within six feet of me,¡± Mila continued.


    I didn¡¯t respond, mostly because I didn¡¯t want to upset her even more. I agreed with Ivan, Mila is a goddess, she shouldn¡¯t be fighting vampires¡ªthat¡¯s what guardians are for, and if they¡¯re good at their job, she should never have to see one. Ever. And of course with everything there is an exception to the rule¡ªI am that exception. I¡¯m half Heelian, I can harness the power of the sun¡ªor at least I could, and if a vampire ever ends up in close quarters with me, I¡¯m pretty sure I could take them.


    ¡°I hate it here. It¡¯s boring. Nobody besides you likes me, and I can¡¯t make my own decisions. I wish I did run away the night of Uncle¡¯s party.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that.¡±


    She lifted her face from the pillow. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her irises were no longer a clear blue, but clouded with tears. ¡°Oh, I do!¡±


    I felt sorry for her because I knew where she was coming from. I get pissed off when nobody includes me in plans because they don¡¯t want me to get hurt¡ªthe feeling sucks and it isn¡¯t until you¡¯re on the other side, wanting to keep a certain person safe, that you realize how necessary it is.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you clear your head,¡± I mumbled as I slid off the bed. ¡°But remember, it isn¡¯t the fact that he doesn¡¯t think you¡¯re capable. It¡¯s the fact that he doesn¡¯t want to lose you.¡±


    The door shut with a gentle click behind me. I proceeded down the hallway to Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s office. I had plans that I needed to be filled in on.


    It was night. The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of cloud, shedding no light on the earth below it. I was more nervous than I¡¯d been any of the previous nights. Tonight I knew for a fact that Lucian was coming and I needed to be on top of my game. I needed to end this once and for all¡ªwithout the help of my sun power.


    I felt the outside of my pocket over and over¡ªmaking sure the needle was still in there. I didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or embarrassed that Mr. Aleksandrov had caps made for them. Actually, I was embarrassed.


    I hid in the sitting room, watching the open field from the window. As usual, the night brought a depressing gloom with it. Everyone knew someone was going to die, regardless what the plans were. Vampires couldn¡¯t resist our blood and they¡¯d put their bloodlust before any orders Lucian gave.


    I shuddered at the thought of being anywhere near him. Sure, Lucian didn¡¯t treat us that bad during our brief stay at Mount Kuuce. He¡¯d provided us with beautiful rooms and mountains of food, but that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d developed a form of Stockholm Syndrome and felt sorry for him. The guy was a raving lunatic and I needed to kill him. End of story.


    A loud scream broke the deafening silence and I sprinted from the sitting room to Mila¡¯s bedroom. She told me to let her know when it¡¯d started. I opened her door and Mila wasn¡¯t in her room. I stared at the empty room in disbelief. Had I stabbed myself again? I reached from my pocket and pulled out the syringe¡ªit was still capped, which meant Mila had actually escaped her room. I pulled out my mobile phone and sent a text to Aaron.


    MILA IS OUT THERE!


    I put my phone back into my pocket and returned to the sitting room. I had no idea if he¡¯d even receive it in time. I was torn between sticking with the plan and waiting for Lucian to come to the field or venture out and find Mila myself. I watched out the window. I had no idea how far Mila had gone, where she was, or even which direction she¡¯d headed. The moon peered out from underneath a cloud and I saw them. Him. Lucian. They approached the house in a number too large to bother counting.


    ¡°Ruby?¡± The cold voice blew into me like ice. ¡°I¡¯ve come to take you home.¡±


    I gasped when I saw Mila in Lucian¡¯s grasp at the far end of the field. He had her by the hair, tilting her head back slightly as he dragged her along beside him and I could see it on her face. She¡¯d frozen, she was too scared to fight back and use her powers. In my head, I urged her to use her powers with as much force as she had earlier today, but she didn¡¯t. Forget the plan! I lurched forward, but a hand wrapped around my elbow, forcing me backward. I turned abruptly. Mr. Aleksandrov pressed his index finger to his lips.


    ¡°He has Mila,¡± I whispered, if I could even call it that. My voice was so low I couldn¡¯t hear it myself.


    Mr. Aleksandrov nodded. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. If Mila survived this, she sure was getting an ass-kicking tomorrow¡ªfrom her uncle and me. I turned back to the window.


    ¡°Come out, come out wherever you are,¡± he chanted in his usual exaggerated tone. ¡°I can hear your heart racing. I can smell your blood!¡±


    I gritted my teeth. Lucian was so full of cockiness and enthusiasm¡ªit irked me to no end. But he would die tonight and the earth would be free of him and his annoying god complex.


    ¡°Do you remember,¡± Mr. Aleksandrov whispered into my ear, ¡°when I told you that you were still our secret weapon?¡±


    I nodded. Mr. Aleksandrov didn¡¯t elaborate. He grabbed me firmly by the elbow, pushing me out of the sitting room and toward the front door.


    ¡°What are you doing? This isn¡¯t the plan!¡± I whispered hastily.


    ¡°Consider this plan B.¡±


    He kept pushing me until I was standing in the field, twenty yards away from Lucian. A shiver rolled down my spine. No matter how many times I came face to face with a vampire¡ªany vampire, it was difficult. My mother¡¯s face flashed through my mind and my chest ached. I missed her dearly, and I promised myself that when this was over, I¡¯d find out where she was buried and I¡¯d go see her. I smiled slightly. Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I needed, to see my mother.

 Page 19

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you find this amusing.¡± Lucian chuckled, tilting his head to the side. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    My smile broadened. ¡°Killing you.¡±


    A deep roar of laughter echoed around us. Let¡¯s see how funny they found it when we killed every last one of them. The guardian angels closed in on the field, surrounding it from every angle.


    ¡°Cute,¡± Lucian said, as he glanced around. ¡°I¡¯m almost worried.¡±


    Lucian may have loads of vampires, but we had almost double that in guardian angels.


    Mr. Aleksandrov held me tightly by the elbow.


    ¡°You forget that I have leverage.¡± He pushed Mila in front of him and then kicked her to her knees. The ground began to shake. An earthquake was happening. I glanced around as everyone wobbled, trying to keep their balance. Momentarily, Lucian lost his smug fa?ade. The earthquake stopped. I tried to jump forward, but Mr. Aleksandrov¡¯s grip was too tight.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± I shouted, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°That¡¯s your niece!¡±


    He ignored me. I thrashed against his grasp¡ªgod, he was strong for an old man, but then again, he wasn¡¯t an old man. Fighting him was futile and I was forced to watch Mila whimper in fear and pain while she struggled to lift herself from the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re a strong goddess,¡± Lucian muttered as he crouched down beside her. ¡°I could use you.¡±


    ¡°Leave her alone!¡± I growled.


    Lucian straightened up and slicked back his hair. That movement alone made me want to tear his head from his body.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business, then, shall we?¡± He took a few steps closer. ¡°I come bearing gifts.¡±


    Behind Lucian four vampires led out the taken guardian angels. There were eight in total. I scanned the faces of seven unknown guardians until my eyes met Eli¡¯s. He looked in perfect condition save for the dirty uniform, a cut on his bottom lip, and a scrape on his arm.


    ¡°I want to play a game,¡± Lucian announced, addressing the whole crowd. ¡°I want to prove something to you all right now.¡±


    He pulled hard on Mila¡¯s hair, forcing her to her feet. He nudged her forward and she took a few steps.


    ¡°Keep walking,¡± he said to her. She took more steps, getting closer and closer to us. Mr. Aleksandrov let go of my arm and I got ready to run to her.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Lucian demanded when Mila got halfway between us.


    She stopped and stared at me, wide-eyed. I looked past her and focused on Lucian. He was smiling smugly at me, causing a nauseous feeling to course through me. Surrounding us, the guardians grasped their silver and poised for attack. Lucian extended his long, pointy finger and gestured for me to come forward. I didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lucian chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you. Not yet, anyway.¡±


    I still didn¡¯t move. I wanted to. I wanted to sprint over to Mila and protect her, but if I did, that meant I¡¯d be playing into Lucian¡¯s hands and that was the last thing I wanted. In a rage, Lucian bared his fangs and tore the throat from a guardian angel to his left, keeping his eyes locked onto mine. The vampires chuckled while we gasped and forced ourselves to stay rooted in position. No one wanted to, but it was our order. As the unknown guardian fell at his feet, Lucian moved on to the next one. Blood dripped from his lips and down his chin. The next guardian angel was a tall, red-haired female. She watched me, her expression petrified. Before he bit into her neck, he paused and glanced up at me. ¡°Well?¡±


    Slowly, I moved forward and Mr. Aleksandrov didn¡¯t stop me this time. Cautiously, I made it over to Mila. Beside me, she whimpered as she tried to fight down the sobs that forced their way up her throat. Lucian let go of the pretty guardian and gestured for me to move ten yards to the left. I did as he said. Next, he grasped Eli by the shoulder and nudged him forward. Eli did as he was told, moving quickly in between Mila and I. I frowned, feeling stupid because I couldn¡¯t work it out¡­ but then, Lucian ordered two vampires to the front of the pack and I realized what he was doing. Lucian was making Eli choose between me and Mila, and as the vampires ran at us, Eli did the unthinkable. He chose to save me.


    FINAL SHOWDOWN


    ¡°No!¡± I screamed at him, tears burning my eyes. Eli intercepted my vampire and tore the head from its body. I stared at him, horrified by his decision. He told me he wouldn¡¯t save me and so I didn¡¯t expected him to.


    A squeal made me snap my head toward Mila. She was alive. Before her stood Hunter and a pile of dust. He¡¯d staked the vampire, somehow. Relief flooded me. Grinding against that relief was my anger at Eli. Mila could have been killed. He was her guardian angel, not mine. Eli remained in front of me, not saying a word. My skin burned under his gaze. I¡¯d missed him and he¡¯d missed me, the look in his eyes alone told me that.


    ¡°Well, well, well.¡± Lucian clapped. ¡°Isn¡¯t this interesting?¡±


    Eli and I glanced around at the surrounding guardians that had witnessed Eli choosing me over Mila and Hunter killing one of his own.


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± I uttered under my breath.


    We were going to be in so much trouble once this was all over.


    Lucian narrowed his eyes on Mr. Aleksandrov. ¡°This is what happens when guardian angels fall for those they are meant to protect. If it wasn¡¯t for Hunter, your niece would be dead. Whose child will it be next time? Hmm?¡±


    My brow furrowed. Was this all a show to get Mr. Aleksandrov, the higher power, to keep the relationship laws intact?


    Lucian focused on Hunter. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d betray me. However, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯ve lasted this long.¡± Lucian ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°Now!¡± he boomed, setting his sights on me. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business. I¡¯ve come to claim what¡¯s rightfully mine.¡±


    A growl rumbled in my chest. I was already mad, so referring to me as some kind of business deal got close to tipping me over the edge. Lucian turned to his minions, placed his hands on his hips and sighed. ¡°Kill them all and bring me the Heelian.¡±


    A loud roar broke out from the vampire crowd as they used their super speed to zip over to the surrounding guardians. Gunshots went off. I pulled the stake from my back pocket and staked a tall vampire as she lunged at me. Eli was beside me, fending of three ravenous vampires. As they got closer, I realized the vampires were starving and a lot of them were new¡ªthey had translucent skin, making it easy to see the thick veins that pulsed underneath. They weren¡¯t worried about me¡ªthey were in a frenzy, driven by the overwhelming scent of the guardian angels.


    Smoke entered my nostrils¡ªMr. Aleksandrov¡¯s house was on fire and the vampires began tearing it apart. I realized Mr Aleksandrov and Mila were gone. I didn¡¯t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but I did know Mila was the only edible goddess around for miles and that was not a good thing. Using my fire element, I pulled fire from the house and burned the vampires attacking Eli. We stood side by side as more vampires ran at us.


    ¡°You promised you wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± he growled as he jammed his stake through the heart of a giant blond vampire.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± I replied in a huff. Eli grabbed my wrist and pulled me close to him, staking the vampire to my right. ¡°Not yet, anyway.¡±


    He pushed me out to the right, keeping a hold of my wrist as he staked a vampire to my left. From another point of view, this probably looked like we were dancing some form of aggressive, murderous tango. There was a break in the wave of vampires and Eli brought me close to him once again.


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for a lect¡ª¡± He cut my words off by pressing his full lips against mine. We broke apart and he dove into the thick of battle. I stood there staring after him, dumbstruck like an idiot. I wanted to worry about him, but I couldn¡¯t. I needed to stay alive, inject Hunter with the serum, and kill Lucian¡ªall in a day¡¯s work.


    I took a step toward the fight when something hard and fast slammed into my side. I dropped my stake as I hit the ground. I tried to spring to my feet, but the cold body had me pinned to the ground. My eyes were squeezed shut and slowly I opened them. Staring down at me were two bottomless, black eyes and blood dripping fangs. That¡¯s all I saw, my fear wouldn¡¯t let me see anything else. Pain seared over my scalp as he pulled my hair and yanked my neck to the side, exposing my throat. I thrashed underneath him, but he was too strong. A scream vibrated through me and caused my ears to ring¡­ but none of that compared to the pain of his teeth sinking deep into my flesh. My scream turned into a gasp and my body started shaking¡ªI was losing too much blood. I grew weaker and weaker as my life force drained from me. Through long tunnels, I could see him evaporate into a pile of dust on top of me. The pain was gone, replaced by a sickening nausea and a light head. I watched the cloud-filled sky as I felt cold arms scooped me up and the noise of the battle faded into the background. The moon was blocked by the canopy of the forest. I couldn¡¯t see the vampire that had taken me. Around me, sticks cracked and dry leaves crunched. Cold leaves slapped my skin and twigs pulled at my hair and clothes. It had happened. Lucian had won and I was being taken away. In my lethargic state, I managed to pull the vial from my pocket and pop the cap off with my thumb. If Lucian wasn¡¯t a vampire anymore, then I¡¯d have a better chance at getting away. I stabbed him in the chest and he groaned in pain, dropping me on the hard forest floor. I expected he was going to drop me, but I didn¡¯t have enough time or energy to position myself properly, so when the fall happened, I landed on my back. The wind was knocked out of me and I gasped for air like a fish out of water.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± the voice groaned. It wasn¡¯t the voice I was expecting. ¡°I¡¯m trying to save you.¡±


    I dropped to my knees and touched the vampire¡¯s hair and face.


    ¡°Hunter?¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± he demanded fiercely.


    My voice was soft and tired. ¡°I injected you with a serum and my blood. It¡¯ll cure you. You¡¯ll be a god again¡­¡±


    He rolled over onto his stomach and tried to get to his feet¡ªhe couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°It might not be.¡±


    His brows knitted together. ¡°Might? You mean you don¡¯t know for sure?¡±


    I shook my head. Hunter tried to get to his feet, but he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What happens if it doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°¡­you die.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± He slung his arm over his face and I knelt beside him. From my pocket, I pulled out my phone and put it on his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you once this is over. Here¡¯s my phone.¡±


    I turned around and crawled away. I had barely enough energy to stay on my hands and knees, but I pushed through it, forcing myself to carry on. I stumbled uneasily through the forest until I made it back to the clearing. I wasn¡¯t in any shape to fight. I¡¯d lost too much blood and I felt dizzy.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d lost you for a moment there,¡± a cold, emotionless voice said in my ear.


    My lack of strength interfered with my ability to stand properly and my knees buckled.


    I started to fall, heading straight toward the hard ground, head-first. I squeezed my eyes closed, it was going to hurt. Only, I never made contact with the ground.


    Lucian had me by the shoulder, keeping me upright on two legs. He grabbed my hair and tugged my neck to the side.


    ¡°Sorry about that. When battling against newborn vampires with bloodlust, orders can only go so far.¡±


    I slumped down. It was over. Lucian had me. He wouldn¡¯t have if it wasn¡¯t for that stupid vampire that bit me and almost drained me of my blood.


    Lucian began pulling me toward the forest, but I dug my heels in. He pulled harder and harder, dragging my feet through the dirt. I kicked and thrashed against him to no avail. While I struggled with Lucian, I pulled Eli¡¯s whistle from my neck and blew it hard. I watched the battle, and as we got closer to the forest line and I thought all was lost, Eli sprinted toward us, moving faster than I¡¯d ever seen him move before.


    Lucian dropped me and squared off with Eli. I crawled onto my hands and knees, I needed to get away, but Lucian kicked me hard in the ribs, forcing me back down to the ground. A searing pain shot through my chest and it hurt to move. Even the slightest breath caused me pain beyond anything I¡¯d ever felt. Eli took Lucian¡¯s distraction as a chance to attack. He dove at Lucian, but he evaded Eli¡¯s attack by mere inches. Eli growled in frustration. I watched as a wry smile spread over Lucian¡¯s face. He pursed his lips together and whistled. I lay on the ground, clutching my ribs and whimpering as four vampires joined the fight, outnumbering Eli. Lucian took a step back and the four vampires dove at Eli. With one swing, Eli managed to stake two of the creatures at once, leaving nothing but dust to blow in the slight wind. Vampire dust went into my mouth and I coughed. I clenched my ribs harder as the need to cough increased. As I coughed, I cried, praying my ribs weren¡¯t broken.


    Lucian grew angry as Eli killed another vampire, leaving only one. Lucian re-entered the fight and I knew Eli was in trouble. He seemed injured. His left forearm had a huge gash. In the moonlight, the dark liquid trickling from the injury glistened. To my left, a thick stick lay on the ground. I grabbed for it, gritting my teeth against the pain in my ribs. I forced myself unsteadily to my feet. Eli saw me and knew immediately what I wanted to do. I held the stick out in front of me and braced myself for impact. Lucian dove at Eli, but Eli dodged him, shoving the fourth and final vampire into me and onto the stick. I thrust forward and pushed the stick right through the vampire¡¯s chest. With an ear-piercing shriek it disintegrated...

 Page 20

    Lucian laughed hysterically. ¡°You two¡­ you two just don¡¯t know when to quit, do you?¡±


    He whistled again. This time five more vampires came. My hope died. I had no energy left to fight and by the way Eli sagged and breathed heavily, I could tell he was spent as well. But regardless of how he felt, Eli stood in front of me, protecting me. He crouched slightly, ready to attack.


    Lucian launched himself at us and Eli copied. They exchanged punches and kicks that were too fast for me to see. I felt a cough building up in my throat. No, no, no, no. I willed myself. I tensed my muscles as the cough exploded out of my mouth. In response, I grunted in pain and fell to my knees.


    That was all it took.


    Eli was distracted by my grunt and Lucian grabbed him and threw him into the five ravenous vampires.


    ¡°No!¡± I squealed, ignoring the pain of my ribs. Suddenly, my heart hurt more.


    Lucian pulled me to my feet by my hair and I watched as Eli thrashed under the five vampires.


    ¡°Do you plan on causing any more delays?¡±


    My sobs were loud.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Rage built up in my body, and I felt all warm and tingly. It was a feeling I hadn¡¯t felt since the night Hunter broke into my apartment and I was going to kill him. It was my sun power. My body felt it, recognized it. I glanced down at my wrist. Was the power of the bracelet wearing off?


    Lucian glanced at my bracelet. ¡°It¡¯s good to see Hunter came through on that, otherwise this¡¯d be a lot more difficult.¡±


    He let go of my hair and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward the forest.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± I shouted, unable to keep the panic from my voice.


    He tugged harder. And I snapped. I screamed so hard that it burnt my chest and I lit up like a Christmas tree. Lucian shrieked and dropped my arm. I wasted no time in jumping at him. I knocked him to the ground and he writhed in pain beneath me. His black eyes watched me in fear and pain¡­ and I liked it. I liked being the one to bring him pain, to be the reason for his death. I watched as his skin began burning. Before long, he disappeared into a pile of dust beneath me.


    Still running on adrenaline, I jumped to my feet and ran to Eli. He didn¡¯t need my help. Three of the vampires took off when they saw that I had used my Heelian power. The other two stupid enough to stay were staked by Eli. Somehow. A few bite marks adorned his arms and he seemed a little bit dazed.


    ¡°Ruby?¡± he asked cautiously, more worried about me than himself.


    He seemed unnerved by the fact that I was still glowing. I didn¡¯t want to stop. While I used my Heelian power, I felt no pain.


    ¡°You can stop now,¡± he said, taking a few steps towards me.


    Something broke inside of me. I don¡¯t know what it was. Fear? Anger? Pain? Blinking back tears, I said, ¡°I can¡¯t. If I stop¡­I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to die.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die.¡± He extended his arms to me. ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡±


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    ¡°I know, let me help you.¡±


    He took another step toward me. I was afraid I¡¯d burn him, so I turned my power off. The pain came back instantly, knocking me to my knees. I bent over in pain, clutching my ribs and my neck. Waves of darkness tried to overcome me, but I fought them off. Eli knelt beside me, careful not to move me. He stroked my hair and planted kisses on my head.


    ¡°You did it,¡± he murmured. ¡°Lucian is gone.¡±


    As his words hit me, a new kind of feeling rushed over me. A feeling of freedom.


    FREE


    My eyes opened to a bright, white light. I was in a large, semi-familiar room. Over my head, the glaring lights blinded me. Nearby, there was an annoying beeping sound that brought a headache on instantly. I lifted my hand to rub my temples, but stopped when I noticed the mess of clear tubes and cords that were attached to my right arm.


    I exhaled and attempted to sit up. The sharp pain that shot through my chest turned my exhale into a brief, painful yelp. I stayed locked in place until the pain subsided and then I slowly relaxed my body.


    I took in my surroundings. The Gothic styling and high ceiling was familiar. The walls were stone and the carpet red. I clicked my tongue against my teeth, trying to figure out where I was and then it hit me. I was in the teachers¡¯ medical building. I¡¯d been here once before, it was the day after Hank had attacked the cabin I¡¯d been staying in. Nothing had changed.


    The door creaked, pulling my attention. In stepped a short chubby wizard in a lemon yellow robe. I couldn¡¯t have been more happy to see him. I managed a wave without putting myself through too much pain.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Gwydion asked, walking over to me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡± I croaked.


    I licked my lips to moisten them, but my tongue was just as dry, if not more. Gwydion picked up the glass of water on the bedside table and handed it to me. I took a big mouthful and handed it back. He sat down on the small armchair beside my bed.


    ¡°How long have I been out for?¡±


    ¡°Two days.¡±


    ¡°How is everyone?¡± I asked, praying for no bad news to come my way.


    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± He picked the bracelet that blocked my powers off the bedside table. He examined it closely.


    ¡°It stopped working,¡± I said.


    Gwydion chuckled. ¡°Yeah, thanks to me.¡±


    I frowned, confused by his comment. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°When we met again in Aleksandrov¡¯s sitting room, I took some of your hair and mixed it with a few potions and spells.¡± He flicked his hand open, exposing his palm. ¡°Voila. And there you have it¡ªthe bracelet no longer binds your powers.¡±


    Subconsciously, I stroked the wrist the bracelet used to sit on. I recalled the day in the sitting room when I had hugged Gwydion. I assumed my hair got caught on something. What a sneaky little wizard.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had your Heelian power back for a few days now,¡± he tapped his chin. ¡°Since Tuesday. You would have felt it.¡±


    I thought about Tuesday and tried to recall anything strange. I remembered spacing out in Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s office¡ªmy vision blurred and a strange warm sensation accompanied it, but it only lasted a few moments.


    ¡°If I got my Heelian power back¡­ why didn¡¯t Mr. Aleksandrov let me blast them all from the get-go?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the plan, I suppose. He didn¡¯t want to risk Lucian getting away. He wanted to catch Lucian by surprise. The less people knew, the better. Only Aaron, Xavier, Sera, and two other guardians knew about your power. If you knew, you wouldn¡¯t be able to control yourself. For such a small girl, you have a mighty temper.¡±


    I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°The night you stabbed yourself with the vampire cure and went crazy, everyone was worried you¡¯d use your sun power and ruin our only element of surprise. Luckily, the vamps never showed. Then when Mila foolishly left the safety of the house and got herself caught, that had me gripping the edge of my seat. Thankfully, you used it at the most perfect moment and turned him to dust.¡±


    I recalled the events perfectly, I didn¡¯t need a recap¡ªalthough I have to admit, I did enjoy hearing about Lucian¡¯s demise.


    Vampire cure. I jolted slightly, biting my lip against the pain of my ribs and the ache of, well, every other muscle in my body. ¡°How¡¯s Hunter?¡± I groaned, pulling myself to an upright position. Gwydion stacked my pillows behind me and I was able to lie back against them.


    ¡°He¡¯s okay. He¡¯s locked in Sage¡¯s underground cells. He doesn¡¯t seem to be a vampire anymore. The sun doesn¡¯t burn him, he won¡¯t touch blood, and his eyes are back to blue¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Gwydion pulled my phone from his pocket and set it on the bedside table. ¡°But he refuses to eat and drink until he sees you. We keep telling him you¡¯re not well, but he refuses to believe us.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ll go see him?¡±


    Gwydion shook his head slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. His emotions are all over the place. He¡¯s angry, sad, and happy all at once. It¡¯d be dangerous sending you in there.¡±


    ¡°If he couldn¡¯t hurt me as a vampire, he isn¡¯t going to hurt me as himself.¡± I turned my body toward Gwydion, wincing at the pain.


    ¡°Have they given you anything to help you heal?¡± Gwydion asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve been asleep, remember?¡±


    Gwydion pulled a clear vial from his pocket and cracked it into my water. He handed me the glass. ¡°Drink this. It should heal you by this afternoon.¡±


    I drank the glass of water, greedily making sure I drank every last drop. I needed to get rid of the pain as soon as possible.


    The door creaked again, signalling someone else¡¯s arrival. I felt a warm flush spread over my entire body when I saw Eli step into the room. Gwydion cleared his throat.


    ¡°Well, I better get going. I should see you later this evening if the medicine works quickly.¡±


    With a swift nod in Eli¡¯s direction, Gwydion exited the room. Eli looked great, the cut on his lip had healed well, and there was barely a scar. Same thing went for the bite marks on his arms. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt that clung perfectly to every dimple and groove in his chest muscles. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and fell into the chair beside me. His green eyes watched me and I couldn¡¯t tell what he was feeling. I squeezed my fingers nervously, waiting for him to say something. Anything.


    Already I could feel my ribs repair themselves. The swelling and tenderness seemed to fade away, giving me extra room to breathe.


    ¡°You¡¯re not saying anything,¡± I mumbled.


    He gave me a small grin. I ran my tongue between my teeth to prevent myself from sighing loudly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you how I feel. I want to show you how I feel.¡± He moved his hands from his pockets and placed them behind his head. ¡°But you¡¯re injured and I don¡¯t want to make it worse.¡±


    My chest deflated in disappointment. Damn ribs.


    ¡°In the meantime,¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯ll settle for asking you how you feel.¡±


    ¡°Like hell,¡± I groaned. ¡°Although, it is a happier hell now that Gwydion has given me some of that magic healing juice. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Better now you¡¯re awake.¡±


    I smiled at him.


    ¡°You know, Hunter has been asking for you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Do you plan on seeing him?¡± His face darkened a touch.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    He nodded and smiled, but even I could tell it was fake.


    ¡°I cured him. It¡¯s my responsibility to make sure he¡¯s okay with that. I know it¡¯s hard to understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I understand. I¡¯m only worried that he¡¯ll hurt you. He isn¡¯t exactly himself, he seems hostile. He holds a lot of resentment against all of us¡­ and you.¡±


    This I assumed already. He must be in such an emotional place. ¡°Like I told Gwydion, he didn¡¯t hurt me as a vampire, so I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll hurt me now.¡±


    He ran his fingers through his hair, evidently frustrated with me. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting logic.¡±


    ¡°Eli, what¡¯s really bothering you? It¡¯s not because you¡¯re worried I¡¯ll get hurt. You know I¡¯m capable of handling myself.¡±


    He leaned toward me, resting his elbows on his knees. ¡°What¡¯s bothering me is the fact that this guy is in love with you and the whole time he was a vampire, you couldn¡¯t bring yourself to kill him. He¡¯s a god now, your other half, and legally, you can be with him.¡±


    His green eyes watched me, anticipating my reply. I never picked Eli as the insecure type. He always seemed so confident in himself.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I want to be with him. Eli, I love you. You have nothing to be insecure about.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not insecure,¡± he growled defensively. ¡°I¡¯m realistic.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re silly.¡± I laughed. ¡°After everything, do you honestly think I would be able to forget about you?¡±


    He knew what I was implying. By ¡®everything,¡¯ not only did I mean his good looks, charm, and sweet personality, I also meant sex. It¡ªhe¡ªwas unforgettable. Eli De Luca was the first person in the world to make me feel special and alive. I¡¯d never try to find that anywhere else¡­ not when I have the best.


    ¡°Oh I know you¡¯ll never forget about me.¡± His eyes held a cheeky gleam and I flushed. ¡°I just want you to see where I¡¯m coming from. Hunter has gotten under your skin and I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s hard to forget people that have done that.¡±


    Hunter had gotten under my skin and I cared for him way more than I should, but no one could replace Eli. No one. It didn¡¯t matter how far under my skin Hunter had gotten¡­ he could never reach my heart.


    I stared into his face, making sure I chose my next words carefully. I knew what I wanted to say, but I needed it to come out eloquently, so it washed away all doubt that he had about Hunter and I.


    I said. ¡°My heart doesn¡¯t tear. It doesn¡¯t crack or split in two. It remains whole for one person and that person is you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t intend for it to come out in rhyme and I felt silly that it did. His green eyes softened and a cute smile spread over his mouth. My god, was it possible? Had I made Eli De Luca flush? A giggle made its way up my throat. My ribs were feeling better, so I sat up unaided and gestured with my index finger for him to come closer. He leaped out his chair and cupped my face in his hands.


    ¡°You are something else,¡± he whispered as our foreheads pressed together.

 Page 21

    I threw my hands around his neck and squashed my lips against his. Forget cloud nine, I was on cloud infinity. My current happiness was limitless and that¡¯s exactly how I wanted to keep it. My ribs moaned at me, but I ignored them. I pulled at his neck, urging him onto my bed. To my delight, he complied. He hovered above me, careful not to put his weight on my bruised muscles and busted ribs.


    He pulled his lips away from mine. ¡°This is a strange situation.¡±


    ¡°Could be worse,¡± I breathed, pulling his mouth back to mine. I ran my hands down the edge of his body and began pulling his shirt up. A low growl escaped from his chest and he caught my hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt. We aren¡¯t going to do this now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I lied¡ªwell, kind of lied.


    He pressed his index finger against my rib and I gasped in pain. He cocked his eyebrow and grinned in triumph. ¡°You don¡¯t sound fine.¡±


    ¡°I will be soon.¡±


    He planted a kiss on my forehead and climbed off my bed, leaving me burning for him. Eli adjusted his shirt and turned to face me. I sat up and exhaled dramatically.


    ¡°I have to go now. Mr. Aleksandrov needs my help.¡±


    I pouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pout at me. We¡¯ll finish this later.¡± He winked and left the room.


    I sighed and dropped back onto my pillows, waiting for the medicine to fix me and quick.


    ¡°You can go now,¡± the pretty, dark-skinned doctor said as she lowered her torch from my eyes.


    I smiled, happy that I now had a clean bill of health. I waited until the white circles dispersed from my vision before I slid off my bed and onto the floor. While I was sleeping, Mila had brought me a nice floor-length black funeral gown for me to change into once I got out of the ghastly, gray and blue hospital gown. Apparently, a funeral was being held for the guardian angels we¡¯d lost. I glanced at the clock. The ceremony started in twenty minutes.


    I thanked the doctor and left the room. There wasn¡¯t much to the dank, colorless hallway and it saddened me a little. The rooms were extravagant and beautiful, completely opposite from the hallway. I made my way outside, inhaling the warm afternoon air. There was no pain when I breathed.


    ¡°You look better.¡± Eli smiled, eying my black dress longingly. He leaned up against the medical building, looking gorgeous in his black suit.


    ¡°Black is your color, but you¡¯re forgetting one thing.¡±


    He walked over to me and gestured for me to turn around. I did and he put the whistle around my neck. I stroked it. It was back where it belonged. I turned to face him. The air between us was electric, both of us wanted to continue what we¡¯d started in the hospital, but out in the open, we weren¡¯t allowed to touch.


    ¡°I thought we could go to the funeral together.¡±


    ¡°Would that be okay?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve done enough damage to my reputation. I don¡¯t see why I should stop now.¡±


    I laughed at him and he extended his elbow. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    I hooked my elbow around his and we walked to the sports field. I felt strange being so dressed up in the afternoon. Sure enough, though, that feeling passed when I saw everyone else wearing similar clothing.


    The field was set up beautifully. I counted a total of twenty-six coffins that were laid in even rows, adorned in black cloth and flowers.


    ¡°Are they going to be buried here?¡± I whispered to Eli.


    ¡°No. They¡¯ll be sent home to their families. If they don¡¯t have families, they¡¯ll be cremated and sprinkled in the ocean.¡±


    I nodded, acknowledging his information.


    The ceremony was beautiful. Other guardian angels got up and paid their respects by giving speeches and final farewells. Once it was all said, we lined up and walked down every row, placing a hand on each coffin to show respect for the guardian angels that died in battle. It was sad, regardless whether I knew them personally or not. They died for me. That hit me the hardest. Eli squeezed my arm in reassurance when I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing back my tears.


    When the ceremony ended and everyone was invited for dinner at the dining hall, I decided I¡¯d go see Hunter, before it got dark.


    ¡°Ruby!¡± Mila called to me from in the middle of a small crowd. She excused herself and ran over to me. Her black gown was gorgeous, covered in what looked like shining diamonds. She pulled me into a hug and I noticed she¡¯d changed her perfume. Lavender? Orchid? I couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°I am so, so happy you¡¯re okay!¡± she squealed.


    ¡°I could say the same thing about you.¡± I was still mad that she¡¯d run off and got herself caught by Lucian.


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m sorry, I wanted to help and it failed. You can¡¯t say it has never happened to you.¡±


    I smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s over. Lucian is dead, so I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    She smiled back. From behind her came Mr. Aleksandrov.


    ¡°Ruby, so good to see that you¡¯re alive and well.¡±


    ¡°You too,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Your blood worked,¡± he added. ¡°Once Hunter¡¯s mood goes back to normal, we can run tests and sort out regular donating intervals. That¡¯ll keep the council off your back.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡±


    If donating blood every week or month meant I didn¡¯t have to meet the council and I could give people a second chance at life, then it was worth it. Mr. Aleksandrov and Mila were expected to host the dinner, so they bade us farewell us and followed everyone else to the hall. I turned around to face Eli.


    ¡°Are you going to see Hunter?¡± he asked.


    Was I that obvious?


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    He hooked his arm around mine and we headed toward the outskirts of the school. The cells were concealed underground on the outside of the safety border. We didn¡¯t talk for the most part. Eli held sticks out of the way for me and helped me over logs and big boulders. I was capable of doing this myself, but I enjoyed the way his hands ignited my blood and sent goosebumps over my skin. He noticed, too. Every now and again he¡¯d bite his lip or growl seductively when we got too close. It was a miracle we made it to the cells without ripping each other¡¯s clothes off, really.


    An eerie chill rolled over me as we approached the tunnel that burrowed deep underground. I glanced around the entrance, but I saw no one guarding it. Maybe they felt like they didn¡¯t have to. Hunter wasn¡¯t a vampire anymore.


    ¡°There are no guards?¡±


    ¡°There are guards. They¡¯re concealing themselves¡ªwatching from a distance.¡±


    I peered over my shoulder, but couldn¡¯t see anything obvious. Eli nudged me down into the cells first and as we walked, he kept a firm arm around my waist. The air grew thinner, denser, and I was finding it hard to breathe. Ignoring the rising panic in my chest, I picked up my pace, eager to find more space. I thought it¡¯d get easier when I stepped into the open space of the cell, and it was to a certain degree, but my chest was still heavy.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Eli asked, noticing my breaths deepen.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just get this over with. I don¡¯t want to be down here for long.¡±


    He pulled me in front of the double mirror and I saw Hunter, slouching over the side of his bed. His head was buried between his knees.


    ¡°You sure you want to go in there?¡±


    I nodded. Eli proceeded to open the door. A big clanking noise vibrated through the cell, piercing my ears. I stepped in and Hunter didn¡¯t look up. Eli closed the door behind me, but left it open a crack so he could come in if he needed to.


    ¡°Hunter?¡± His name came out a lot quieter than I intended and I realized it was because I was scared of him and what he might do.


    Slowly, he lifted his head up. Involuntarily, I smiled at him when I met his blue eyes. He was back, it had worked. Joy flooded me and the confined space of the cell was a distant fear.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you come?¡±


    I was confused. ¡°Because you asked for me...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been asking for you for the last two days. Why now?¡±


    I stepped closer to him. ¡°I only got out of the hospital half an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± he shouted, standing up.


    I swallowed hard. ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you.¡±


    He stared at me, his face hard and difficult to read. He seemed as unstable as Gwydion explained. There were so many emotions behind his eyes and I couldn¡¯t predict how this meeting was going to go... He launched at me, slamming me into the wall and pressing his mouth against mine. I pushed against him with all my strength and he stumbled backwards.


    Now it was my turn to shout. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kissing you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why? Because De Luca is on the other side of the mirror?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I placed my hands sternly on my hips. ¡°Don¡¯t kiss me because I don¡¯t want you to.¡±


    His lips curved into the cheeky smile that he used to have before he was a vampire. ¡°Don¡¯t lie. You forget that I¡¯ve heard how fast your heart beats when you¡¯re around me.¡±


    ¡°You were a vampire. I was scared.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t fear. It was love. You love me.¡±


    My words didn¡¯t come out as confident as I¡¯d meant them to. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    He ran at me, slamming me against the wall and slapping his palms against the concrete beside me. ¡°Damn it! Admit it!¡±


    Tears choked me and I didn¡¯t know if it was because I was scared or guilty. ¡°I have nothing to admit to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± he whispered. ¡°You couldn¡¯t kill me because you love me, and once I¡¯m out of here, I¡¯ll prove it to you.¡±


    ¡°Eli?¡± I called, my voice cracking. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough. I want to go.¡±


    The door creaked and Eli stepped in. He paused for a moment, his arms folded firmly across his chest. He looked like he wanted to kill Hunter, but Hunter ignored Eli¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you bring me back? Hm?¡± he growled, narrowing his blue eyes at me. ¡°So I can sit and watch Eli have the happy ending that I want? I¡¯d rather be a vampire.¡±


    I pushed against Hunter, but he wouldn¡¯t back off.


    ¡°Let her go,¡± Eli ordered.


    Hunter grinned. ¡°Or what?¡±


    ¡°Or I¡¯ll come over there and make you let her go.¡±


    Hunter snorted. He pushed his tongue into his cheek and weighed his options. Hunter wasn¡¯t dumb enough to take on Eli. It¡¯d be a pretty hard battle to pick a winner, they both had their strengths, but with the experience that Eli had, he¡¯d definitely come out on top


    ¡°All right,¡± he sighed. He stepped away from me and I ran out the door and up the tunnel. The walls seemed to be closing in on me and I felt sick.


    ¡°I¡¯ll prove it!¡± Hunter called after me. ¡°I¡¯ll prove that you love me.¡±


    When I reached the top, I gasped for air and let my body absorb the sun¡¯s warmth¡ªit calmed me. I stood alone for a few moments, waiting for Eli to join me at the top.


    ¡°Are you finished here?¡± Eli asked, appearing at the mouth of the tunnel.


    I nodded my head. I studied Eli as he watched me. He seemed content. He wasn¡¯t angry or sad, he wasn¡¯t anything. We walked back the way we came, only this time we passed by my mother¡¯s cabin. I stopped.


    ¡°Can we go in?¡±


    Eli looked up at the sky. ¡°It¡¯s getting dark.¡±


    He was right, the sun was beginning to set, but I¡¯d say we had at least two hours until complete darkness.


    ¡°It¡¯ll only take a minute,¡± I replied, inching toward the cabin anyway.


    He followed behind me. Unlike the first time I came here, the door was unlocked. I stepped inside. Everything was the same as I¡¯d left it, except the smell. The decomposing wood smell was new. I was a vampire the last time I was here. A sickening shudder rolled down my spine at the thought of it.


    ¡°I want to take a few things of my mother¡¯s back to my house, if that¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    I circled the room, touching everything and trying to decide what items would have the most sentimental value.


    ¡°Do you want to talk?¡± Eli asked.


    I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my tongue. I had hoped he wouldn¡¯t bring the cell up, at least not until I wrapped my mind around it. I turned to face him and sat on the bed.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I managed to reply in a somewhat cheery tone.


    Eli crossed the room and leaned against the bathroom door. His green eyes peered down at me and I felt uncomfortable.


    ¡°That must¡¯ve been difficult for you,¡± he said.


    ¡°It was. I couldn¡¯t get through to him and I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you love him?¡±


    ¡°What? No, I don¡¯t love him.¡± No, you don¡¯t. My heart concurred.


    ¡°Somehow, I¡¯m not entirely convinced,¡± Eli added.


    Neither was I. I sighed. ¡°Look, I¡¯m in such a messed up place right now. Do I like Hunter? Yes. Do I like him more than I should? Yes. Do I love him? Would I choose him over you? No. No, I wouldn¡¯t.¡± I glanced down at my hands. ¡°Are you mad?¡±


    Eli joined me on the bed and took my hands in his. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. We can¡¯t control our emotions. Sometimes this kind of thing happens. We¡¯ve been through a lot, but so have you and Hunter. You¡¯re fooling yourself if you think there¡¯s nothing there.¡± He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. ¡°I¡¯m not saying act on it and I¡¯m not telling you not to care for Hunter. I¡¯m simply telling you to let yourself feel what you want to feel, because if you don¡¯t explore your emotions, it¡¯ll mess with your head.¡±

 Page 22

    I smiled up at him. As per usual, Eli was understanding and helpful. I didn¡¯t love Hunter, I was sure of that, and the relationship between us needed adjusting, but for right now, my relationship with Eli needed my whole attention. He chose to save me over Mila. Consequences must come with that.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± he asked me.


    ¡°About Wednesday night, you chose to save me over Mila¡­¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He frowned. ¡°I figured I¡¯d rather be banished than live in a world where you didn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°I doubt Mr. Aleksandrov was very happy with you.¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t. He doesn¡¯t think I should be her guardian anymore.¡±


    I glanced down at his wrist. I didn¡¯t know what tattoo he had before, but whatever it was, it was barely a scar now. I felt guilty.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. It wasn¡¯t your fault. You couldn¡¯t have known what I was going to do.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s Mila dealing?¡±


    ¡°Fine, actually.¡± He chuckled. ¡°She said she prefers being independent¡­ whatever she means by that.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°And what happens to you? Every guardian in the school saw what happened. Someone is bound to tell someone higher than Mr. Aleksandrov.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Aleksandrov is doing his best to contain what happened. He doesn¡¯t want to banish me, but if it does spread¡­ there¡¯s no telling what the council will do.¡±


    I cupped his face in my hands. ¡°If it comes to that, we¡¯ll run away together.¡±


    He let out a skeptical laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    He pushed his weight onto me, pressing my back firmly against the slightly dusty mattress.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll have to take Mila as well,¡± I added. ¡°I promised I wouldn¡¯t leave her again.¡±


    Eli smiled. I wasn¡¯t sure if it meant he agreed with what I said or not. It didn¡¯t matter, I didn¡¯t care whether he agreed or not¡ªI would follow Eli to the ends of the earth if I had to. He kissed my lips softly, awakening something inside me. The same desire that burned through me in the hospital rose again. Eli¡¯s breathing deepened, he felt the same.


    ¡°Whatever happens, we¡¯ll get through it together,¡± He said against my lips.


    ¡°Mmhm.¡±


    Eli tangled his hands through my hair and trailed small kisses and nibbles along my jawline and down my neck. I shivered under his touch and wrapped my hands around his neck. His hand trailed underneath my dress, making goosebumps erupt over my skin. His hands kept going up, further and further until they settled on my breasts.


    ¡°Eli?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°You promised to kick my ass when we got back from Mount Kuuce.¡±


    He chuckled against my skin. ¡°Well, once we¡¯re finished with what we¡¯re doing here, I¡¯ll take you to the gym and kick your ass.¡±


    I laughed as his hands suddenly became ticklish. He ran his hands over me faster, making me wiggle underneath him in an attempt to get away. He hitched my thigh up around his hip and nuzzled my neck.


    ¡°I like hearing you laugh,¡± he whispered. ¡°You should do it more often.¡±


    I ran my fingers through his hair and stared up at the ceiling. This was so different from the other conversations Eli and I had shared after a showdown. The other times had ended in heartbreak and pain, but this time it was loving and sexy¡ªthis time gave me hope for the future.


    ¡°I love you,¡± I said into his dark hair.


    He looked at me. His eyes were filled with such passion and love.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡±