《Sun Kissed (Guardian Angel #2)》 Page 1 Remnants I dream about him. I see his face, his smile, and his deep green eyes. Momentarily, I am in heaven. It usually doesn¡¯t take long for my blasting alarm clock to bring me back to reality. I wish I didn¡¯t dream about him, perhaps then he would be easier to let go. Was he dead? I tell myself every day he¡¯s coming back, that he¡¯s alive and well, but with every passing week, my hope lessens. ¡°Are you ready yet?¡± Mila called through the bathroom door. I glanced down at the remnants of the feather tattoo on my wrist, a tattoo that once bound Eli and I together. It just washed away in the shower like it was nothing more than dirt on skin, leaving merely a scar. I pulled my hair to the front so it draped around both of my shoulders and down my chest. My straightened hair seemed darker against the royal blue fabric of my dress. Tonight was the school¡¯s dance. I didn¡¯t want to go but it was compulsory and I was still treading on very thin ice. I opened the bathroom door and suddenly felt insecure. Mila looked beautiful. The long gold gown she wore molded to her perfectly slim build and seemed a lot more elegant than my strapless, above-the-knee cocktail dress. ¡°Wow,¡± Mila gasped at me. ¡°Don¡¯t wow me, I feel cheap next to you.¡± ¡°If I had the boobs and legs to pull off that dress I would¡¯ve bought a dress like yours. This silly gown is annoying.¡± I opened my mouth to protest her ridiculous observation but a knock on the door stopped me. Every time a knock sounds upon my door my heart races and my hope rises, it could be Eli. ¡°Oh my goddess, you look beautiful.¡± It was Gabriel. Gabriel was a student guardian angel we had met a few months ago in the dining hall; he was also Hunter¡¯s best friend. A fake smile spread across my lips as I hid my disappointment, something that came naturally now. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to lock the door; I don¡¯t want my new laptop to get stolen. We¡¯ll see you there,¡± Mila said, closing the door behind her. Mila and I now share a room. Somehow, she convinced her uncle, Ivan Aleksandrov, that she could help me stay on track and out of trouble. We were moved to the far end of the dorm, in Sam and Cloud¡¯s old room. It was double the size of single dorms; it was perfect. I pulled on a black pair of heels, they were a lot higher than what I was used to. I wobbled unsteadily to my feet. With the first step, I found my groove and managed to walk confidently over to the door. I switched out the light and locked the door behind me. ¡°Goddess.¡± I turned abruptly, my heart jumping into my throat. ¡°Jesus Christ, Hunter.¡± He adjusted the toothpick that hung out of his mouth and smiled. He looked so smart in his black suit pants and long sleeved, button up royal blue shirt. What are the odds that we had both chosen to wear the same color? ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I gasped. His sudden appearance put me in a bit of an awkward situation. We hadn¡¯t spoken since he kissed me and I told him to leave me alone. I assumed he was annoyed with me, like everyone else. ¡°We¡¯re going to the dance.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going alone.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m heading that way anyway, we can walk together.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± We walked side by side; his black dress shoes hitting the tiled corridor floor with quiet taps. Mine made a much louder click with every step. ¡°Why are you chewing a toothpick?¡± Starting a conversation was the only thing I could do to take my mind off the incessant beat of my five inch heels. They had me wondering if I was walking properly. ¡°I quit smoking. It helps with the cravings.¡± I thought about the time I discovered his smoking spot by accident when I was looking for a subtle place to teach myself how to use my elements. It was only a few months ago, I was impressed by his progress so far. ¡°You know, at least Gabriel showed up announced like a gentleman. He even told Mila that she looked beautiful. You and your toothpick just show up, scaring me half to death,¡± I stated as Hunter and I signed out and exited the girl¡¯s dorms. ¡°You don¡¯t look beautiful.¡± Hunter smiled as the cool night air hit my face. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You look sexy.¡± I rolled my eyes. Hunter was that type of person, I suppose. He was very raw and uncensored. He was a smartass and he knew it. He doesn¡¯t care about boundaries; Hunter knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. He was the exact opposite of Eli. Eli was respectful and charming, a real gentleman. He knew how to sweep a girl off her feet classically and he knew how to make her feel like there was no one else in the world but her. I kind of like that he said that to me, though. I¡¯d been so lonely the last few months here without Eli. Knowing that someone here cared about me was like being given a box of matches when you¡¯re stranded on a cold, deserted island. We approached the dining hall. My head was thumping along with the club beats pouring out of the open windows and doors. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Hunter asked. ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡± The room that was usually filled with long tables was now filled with balloons, streamers, punch bowls, and rows and rows of snacks. It was dim and loud; I could barely hear myself think. ¡°Enjoy yourself,¡± Hunter shouted in my ear. He began to walk off but I grabbed his arm, preventing him from taking another step. I did want to come alone initially, but now that I¡¯m here, I don¡¯t feel like standing in the corner praying for the event to end. Some company would be nice. ¡°Wait.¡± Hunter smiled an impudent smile, like he knew I was going to stop him all along. ¡°Let¡¯s get a drink.¡± We ducked and squeezed past sweaty teenagers and over to one of the many punch bowls. Hunter pulled a small flask from his inside jacket pocket and proceeded to empty its contents into our cups, concealing the clear liquid with passionfruit punch. ¡°Hunter, what are you doing?¡± I whispered hastily into his ear. ¡°Relax. It¡¯ll help loosen you up.¡± He pushed the cup closer to my chest. Momentarily, I stared at the strange smelling liquid, weighing the pros and cons. ¡°Ruby, it¡¯s okay. Who¡¯s going to know?¡± I grasped the cup and I thought about the consequences. If this all went wrong, I would no doubt be expelled from Sage, and yet that threat doesn¡¯t scare me anymore; there was nothing for me here. A lot of students still hated me for what I did a few months ago, and guardian angels went out of their way to ignore me or glare. I did get their colleagues and friends killed, after all. If I did do this, then for one night I could forget about everything and have fun. The smell burnt my nose as I brought the cup to my lips. Surely it doesn¡¯t taste as bad as it smells? As it began pouring down my throat I realized it did taste as bad as it smelled. My throat began burning, it was like I was drinking some kind of cleaning chemical straight from the bottle. ¡°That¡¯s too much,¡± I coughed. Hunter smiled. ¡°That¡¯s the way I like it.¡± It didn¡¯t take long for my body to feel the effects of the alcohol and I was having a good time. The best time I¡¯ve had in a while. ¡°Dance with me.¡± Hunter gestured to the dance floor. A slow song played through the speakers and Hunter flicked his eyebrows towards the dance floor. ¡°It¡¯s just one dance. We can¡¯t stand and chat all night, let¡¯s have fun.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m just scared that ¡­¡± I paused. ¡°If I walk, I¡¯m going to fall.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll support you.¡± He wrapped an arm around my waist. It was a relief when we made it to the dance floor without any embarrassing falls or stumbles. He pulled me closer, putting both arms around my waist. His body pressed slightly against mine as he started moving with me to the slow beat of the music.. It was nice, comforting even, but it didn¡¯t feel ¡®electric¡¯ like it did when Eli touched me. I stared awkwardly around the room as Hunter kept his eyes solely on me. Eventually, I gained enough confidence to look him directly in the eyes. ¡°You miss him?¡± he mumbled. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Eli.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess,¡± I said, trying hard to sound indifferent. If only anyone knew how much I missed Eli ¡­ maybe then Eli¡¯s departure would have been easier on me if I had someone to talk to about it. ¡°I noticed your wrist, the tattoo is gone ¡­¡± I swallowed hard. It was extremely difficult talking about it. I also think the alcohol magnified all my bad feelings by a thousand. ¡°It washed off in the shower ¡ª do we really have to talk about this?¡± ¡°Not if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± He didn¡¯t bring it up again and we danced silently through another slow song. It wasn¡¯t an awkward silence, it was peaceful. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going with anyone.¡± A voice snapped behind me. I turned to face the voice; it was Rylan, just my luck. His face creased, reminding me I¡¯d told him that I wasn¡¯t going with anyone. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Does it count as going together if Hunter showed up at my door? ¡°You¡¯re even wearing matching colors.¡± As I stepped forward, preparing my mind-your-own-business speech, I lost my footing and stumbled backwards a little. Hunter grabbed my arm, steadying me again. ¡°Have you given her alcohol?¡± Rylan barked at Hunter. ¡°Ruby, what were you thinking?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± growled Hunter, stepping closer to Rylan. ¡°You don¡¯t own her; she can do whatever she wants.¡± A few students dancing near us stopped to see what was happening. It was my fault, I should have known better than to come to the dance tonight. Drama always reared its ugly face when I¡¯m out and about trying to have a good time. I turned quickly on my heel and headed for the exit. I felt claustrophobic as I pushed my way through people standing only centimeters apart. Mrs Ploit would have to let me into my dorm if I wasn¡¯t feeling well, wouldn¡¯t she? When I got outside, I took a moment to lean against the brick wall, hoping it would stop my head from spinning. The cool air worked wonders and sobered me slightly. I glanced up at the stars. I loved the way the small diamonds glistened against the black sky. There wasn¡¯t much natural light out tonight, the moon failed to shed enough light on the dark grounds. ¡°Ruby?¡± Rylan called, exiting the building and leaning against the wall next to me. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ruined my night enough?¡± ¡°You said you weren¡¯t coming with anybody.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t initially, and even if I did, it¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Rylan, are you coming?¡± a female voice called. It wasn¡¯t hard to match the annoying, high-pitched voice to a face. I turned my head towards the entrance of the dining hall and there stood Raina in a pink, poufy dress that looked like it belonged to an eighteenth century princess. What an idiot. ¡°You came with Raina? You are unbelievable. You don¡¯t approve of me coming with Hunter, yet you show up with her?¡± I spat. I¡¯m not jealous, just confused. When I had first arrived at Sage Sanctum, Rylan and his friend Zavion had expressed their distaste in Raina, but it looks like Rylan has changed his mind. Perhaps it was all a joke to impress me. ¡°Ignore her. Ruby, I like you, you¡¯re beautiful, funny, and charming. I just want to know if you have ever felt anything for me ¡­ do I have a chance with you?¡± I felt horrible. I didn¡¯t want to break his heart but I had no choice. I didn¡¯t have any romantic feelings towards Rylan. Sure, he was cute and nice and everything other girls look for, but my heart was someone else¡¯s. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I saw his broken heart reflect in his eyes and Rylan lingered for a moment before turning and joining Raina at the top of the stairs, but not before sparing a saddened glance my way. ¡°That would have hurt.¡± My eyes shot up to an approaching figure in the darkness. The voice was familiar but it couldn¡¯t be him. ¡°Eli?¡± Unexpected Reunion My heartbeat sped up and my breath was sucked out of my lungs as the anonymous figure stepped into the light. His piercing green eyes were the first thing I noticed, followed by his full, lush lips ¡ª delicious. I stepped forward. I needed to see I wasn¡¯t imagining him. As my foot came into contact with the ground, a pain radiated through my ankle and I found myself meeting the hard terrain. ¡°Have you been drinking?¡± Eli asked, helping me to my feet. ¡°No.¡± He was back five seconds and I was already lying to him. He knew I was lying, he could probably smell it. ¡°Ruby, you ¡ª¡± ¡°Stop! You can¡¯t waltz in here after three months and start telling me what to do.¡± Was I imagining the slur that had attached itself to my words? I turned to storm off, but I fell. This time Eli caught me, cradling me with one arm. My ankle throbbed in pain but I was too caught up admiring Eli¡¯s face to even care. I felt whole suddenly. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins. I inhaled and my lungs filled with his sweet scent. This was not how I imagined our reunion. I imagined hugs, beautiful words, and maybe even a kiss. I didn¡¯t picture me being overly tipsy, rolling my ankle, and falling over. He straightened me up, both my feet firmly on the ground. I winced at the sharp ache that pounded in my ankle. Eli kept a hand on my shoulder, keeping me steady. Page 2 ¡°You¡¯ve rolled your ankle. You can¡¯t go to the medical building; they¡¯ll see you¡¯ve had alcohol. I imagine you¡¯re still walking on thin ice with the school?¡± ¡°Very thin.¡± I sighed. He leaned down and wrapped his arm around my waist, shifting most of my weight onto him. I ignored the electricity I felt when our skin touched and the way my stomach muscles tensed. His cologne surrounded us. I took a deep breath as it entered my nostrils, it was so intoxicating. Oh how I missed it. Eli and I had to sign into the girl¡¯s dorms before we were allowed in. After my little adventure, all students and teachers had to sign in and out of dorm rooms, every single time. ¡°Mr De Luca, it¡¯s good to see that you¡¯re back. Miss Moore has already managed to use up your time, I see.¡± Mrs Ploit peered over her reading glasses and looked down her nose at me. I glared at her; Mrs Ploit still held a grudge against me. After my ¡®stunt¡¯ she got into a lot of trouble for letting a student out. ¡°I¡¯m just glad to be back. Ruby was walking and rolled her ankle. She¡¯ll be fine; I¡¯m just assisting her to her dorm.¡± Eli smiled. ¡°In those heels I¡¯m surprised she didn¡¯t break her neck.¡± Mrs Ploit scowled. ¡°Yes, they are a bit high, aren¡¯t they?¡± I rolled my eyes. I hated being spoken about like I wasn¡¯t there. Teachers, parents, and bosses do it all the time. ¡°I¡¯m in room four zero two now,¡± I interrupted. Eli raised an eyebrow and nodded his head at my change in dorm rooms. ¡°I take it Sam isn¡¯t coming back?¡± Eli asked as we reached my dorm. ¡°Not for a while, and Mila managed to convince Aleksandrov into letting us share a room.¡± I pulled the dorm key out from my bra. His lips twitched, fighting a smile. ¡°What? I don¡¯t have a purse that matches my dress.¡± We entered and Eli sat me down on the bed with a purple satin duvet, my bed. ¡°Do you have a first aid kit?¡± I pointed to the bathroom. ¡°Under the sink.¡± He got the kit and returned, then he kneeled before me and removed my shoe. I swear I could hear the electricity that crackled along my skin as an aftermath of his touch. How does he do this to me? He began bandaging my foot and my skin erupted in goose bumps as his skin glided against mine. ¡°Is this what you¡¯ve been doing whilst I¡¯ve been gone?¡± A hint of frustration laced his words. I knew he was talking about the drinking. ¡°No, this is a first,¡± I muttered, intimidated by his cold voice. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to help me, Hunter wou ¡ª¡± ¡°Hunter? He was feeding you alcohol all night. He wouldn¡¯t have done anything other than take adv ¡ª¡± his words were cut off by a deep exhale. He closed his eyes, regaining his composure. Eli¡¯s lips were held in an impassive line. ¡°He didn¡¯t force me to drink it, he offered it and I took it. I just wanted to stop thinking about you and¡­ have fun.¡± Damn you, alcohol, for magnifying my emotions. I pressed my tongue hard against the roof of my mouth. I read once that it stops you from crying, so far so good. When Eli had finished bandaging my ankle, he sat on Mila¡¯s bed, opposite me. ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell me you were going¡­ if it was payback for what I did to you, then fine, I get it, but you were gone for three months.¡± Tears began welling in my eyes and my words choked in my throat. ¡°Three months, Eli. I had no idea whether you were alive or dead, and my tattoo washed off in the shower ¡­ How was I supposed to take that?¡± His usual bright green eyes turned bleak as he ran his fingers briefly through his dark hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I put you through that, but now I¡¯m not your problem and you¡¯re not mine.¡± I flinched at the harshness of his words. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means that I¡¯m no longer your guardian angel. You¡¯re no longer being targeted by anyone specifically, you don¡¯t need me.¡± ¡°I do need you.¡± I hated sounding so needy and childish, but I did need him. I tried for months to convince myself that I didn¡¯t, but seeing him tonight made me realize that I needed him more than anything. ¡°Because of you, I was interrogated for months on end! I was treated like a prisoner. I¡¯m not going through that again.¡± Eli¡¯s voice was loud and angry. Frustration marred his face. All his careful control evaporated and afterward, we were stuck in a long silence. ¡°What did the higher power want?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see him. I saw a bunch of gods and goddesses and they wanted a reason why I killed Tay; you aren¡¯t allowed to kill a fellow guardian angel. Even a guardian angel that has committed the worst crime is entitled to a hearing. I also had to defend an inappropriate relationship between us.¡± He paused as he contemplated what to say next. ¡°I¡¯m just thankful I got us both out of that shit-storm.¡± His calm demeanor returned and relief flooded my body. Now I was certain Tay wouldn¡¯t come after me, but at the same time, sorrow battled against the relief. I could see how upset Eli was that Tay was dead, and I was the reason why. ¡°I have to go and register with the school again.¡± He left the bed and walked over to the door, pausing before he opened it. ¡°Stay out of trouble.¡± I nodded and watched as he shut the door behind him. Tears spilled over the rims of my eyes. Eli was back, so why was I feeling so depressed? I had imagined I¡¯d be happy ¡­ This was the day I¡¯d been waiting months for, and yet I wanted it to be over already. I hopped over to my cupboard, feeling like an idiot. I think bed was the best option for me at this point. I unzipped my dress from the side and stepped out of it as it fell into a rumpled heap on the floor beneath my feet. I slid a nighty over my head. The silk fabric was cool against my skin, causing goose bumps to raise a little. Knock Knock. I paused for a few moments. I was unsure if I wanted to see anyone, even Eli or Hunter. I hobbled over to the door. If it was Eli, it would be nice to drink in a few more of his features before going to sleep. The smile I met on the other side of the door wasn¡¯t Eli¡¯s. ¡°Ruby, there you are!¡± Hunter smirked, glancing amusingly over my choice of bed clothes. ¡°Hunter, what are you doing here? And how did you get past Mrs Ploit?¡± Or Eli. He leaned up against the frame of my door. ¡°I told Mrs Ploit I needed to check up on my date. I only have ¡ª¡± He checked his watch. ¡°Three more minutes before she ¡®drags me out by my ear.¡¯ Although, she did mention that Eli had already made sure you got back okay.¡± He glanced briefly at the bandage on my ankle. The last part of his sentence was tainted with frustration ¡­ or jealousy. I¡¯ve only heard Hunter speak in a joking, sarcastic or smart ass manner, and that made it difficult to determine the new tones I was hearing. ¡°I rolled my ankle and Eli showed up and helped me.¡± He grabbed my hand. ¡°How convenient,¡± he muttered. ¡°Come to dinner with me tomorrow night, at La Hope?¡± La Hope was a romantic restaurant and dessert bar in Sage town. ¡°Hunter, I went to the dance with you. We had fun and we danced, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to date you.¡± Does it? ¡°Would your answer be different if Eli hadn¡¯t come back tonight?¡± I opened my mouth but the words wouldn¡¯t come out. I was caught off guard. Hunter¡¯s grey gaze held mine, it was unnerving. Would my answer be different? my subconscious asked. Despite how tonight turned out, it started out pretty good and I had a lot of fun with Hunter. Hunter was the opposite of Eli, he spoke what he thought. He did whatever he wanted and he was a school Prefect, even though he had no regard for the rules. ¡°Goodnight, Ruby,¡± he whispered, kissing my cheek. He turned and headed down the hallway and I was stuck thinking about the time he kissed me a few months ago. I had been off and on with Hunter, and I can¡¯t say that I haven¡¯t led him on, because I have. ¡°I¡¯ll go to dinner with you,¡± I exhaled. ¡°As friends.¡± ¡°I already made the reservations,¡± he called over his shoulder. Of course he did. Angel Love I raised my hand to catch the white and red rose petals that glided down from the sky. I watched in awe as they landed peacefully on the ground. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, making the flowers on the forest floor dance. This place looked peaceful and alive, like it was torn directly from a fairy tale. I glanced down at my clothes. I was wearing a white gown that flowed all the way down to the floor and then along the ground for a meter. ¡°Ruby? Are you okay?¡± I recognized the voice. I glanced at my companion. Hunter. He stood beside me in a tuxedo, looking very handsome. ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± I looked around; suddenly we were standing in front of hundreds of people in the middle of a rainforest. Trees were decorated in white and red, the crowd was split up into two big groups and separated by a long red carpet. I had no idea why it took me so long to piece it all together, it was painfully obvious. I was at a wedding, my wedding. ¡°You may now kiss the bride,¡± said an old man that stood before us. Hunter leaned towards me and I couldn¡¯t move. My mouth was moving but the words wouldn¡¯t come out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall figure standing at the back of the crowd. ¡°Eli?¡± I called out. My eyes were focused only on him; he returned my stare with a hard gaze, his face pained and hurt. ¡°Eli!¡± I called, but only my mouth moved. Hunter moved towards me in extreme slo-mo. I turned and ran down the red carpet. Eli stood at the end, shaking his head, urging me to turn around. The carpet grew longer and longer, keeping Eli just out of arm¡¯s reach. ¡°Stop, Ruby,¡± he begged. ¡°We can never be together. Go back, Hunter loves you. Don¡¯t do this to him.¡± ¡°No, Eli!¡± I cried as he faded into darkness. ¡°I love you!¡± I woke up with a gasp. The dream replayed in my mind as my heart beat rapidly in my chest. The early morning light peering through my window was enough to force me out of bed. ¡°Ahh, shit!¡± I stood on my sore ankle. It was feeling a lot better since last night but it was still quite tender. ¡°Ruby? What time is it?¡± squeaked Mila. I glanced over at the alarm clock. ¡°Seven.¡± Mila sat up in her bed, rubbing sleep away from her eyes. ¡°And what are you doing? You¡¯ve never been up this early.¡± ¡°Bad dream. I¡¯m going to have a shower and then I¡¯ll probably go to breakfast.¡± Thinking about breakfast made my stomach groan and my headache worse. It felt like someone was using a jackhammer on my skull. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get dressed. I want to hear all about last night! The word is that you went with Hunter!¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s what people are talking about? Why can¡¯t it be that Eli has returned or ¡ª¡± ¡°Eli¡¯s back? Wait! Don¡¯t say anything. Have a shower, get dressed, and we¡¯ll talk about it over breakfast! How exciting!¡± I couldn¡¯t bring myself to argue right now. My brain and my stomach wouldn¡¯t allow me to. If I had known what a hangover felt like, I never would have touched the alcohol. The shower was a godsend. I had fallen straight to sleep after Hunter said goodnight. I never got a chance to think things through. What better way than standing under warm flowing water beating down on my back? So starting from the beginning; Rylan and Raina, Eli returned and tonight ¡­ oh god. I completely forgot I had agreed to go to dinner with Hunter tonight. He said he¡¯d already made reservations, which meant he would have got a clearance and a guardian angel chauffeur to take us. I sighed. I guess I can¡¯t back out at the last minute now. Getting dressed and arriving at the dining hall was a blur. My mind was preoccupied with too many things, like Eli and Hunter and trying not to vomit at all the ¡®breakfasty¡¯ breakfast options ¡ª bacon, eggs, yogurt, milk, cereals and toast. My stomach lurched at the thought of any of those. ¡°Let¡¯s sit over there,¡± Mila suggested. Of course she was pointing over to Gabriel and Hunter. ¡°No, please!¡± I begged. ¡°I already have to spend dinner with him, can we leave breakfast out of it?¡± She glanced longingly at their table. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t tell you all the gossip when they¡¯re sitting right next to us.¡± ¡°Fine. Here will do,¡± she said with a pout. It wasn¡¯t like our seating choice mattered anyway. Within minutes, Gabriel and Hunter flung themselves into the seats next to us. ¡®Good morning, ladies,¡± Hunter greeted, sliding a bowl of fruit salad in front of me. My stomach groaned. ¡°Good morning,¡± Mila replied so cheerfully it made me want to vomit even more. ¡°Not feeling too crash hot this morning, Ruby?¡± Gabriel asked. ¡°Eh,¡± I groaned. Gabriel and Mila engaged in conversation and giggles as I slid the bowl forward and put my head down face first onto the table. ¡°I assumed you¡¯d be someone who could handle their alcohol ¡­ and hangovers.¡± Hunter chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve never touched alcohol in my life before last night.¡± Hunter brushed hair out of my face and I turned to face him. ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± I shook my head. Page 3 ¡°I¡¯m sorry ¡­ I thought you ¡­ really? Never?¡± ¡°Never.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I was your first ¡­¡± he said mockingly. Eli had said that exact statement before he left. He¡¯d said he was proud of me and I told him no one had ever said that to me before. Hunter had eavesdropped in on the conversation, giving me shit about it a few minutes later and again now. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It was one of those jokes that aren¡¯t actually funny, but when you say it at the right time, it suddenly becomes funny. ¡°Ruby.¡± Eli¡¯s voice hit me and I lifted my head toward him like a hypnotized cobra. Of course he looked amazing; he had the ¡®just-got-out-of-the-shower¡¯ clean skin and crisp scent, styled messy hair, and the sky blue shirt he wore made his skin look deliciously tan and his deep green eyes stand out. ¡°How¡¯s your ankle?¡± he asked. Oh, don¡¯t get me started on his voice ¡­ deep and husky, yet smooth like velvet. ¡°A lot better this morning ¡­ thank you.¡± He nodded and continued walking towards the other guardians, who greeted him with handshakes and hugs. My eyes fell onto the wooden table. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Mila mumbled to me. ¡°Everything is fine,¡± I replied. ¡°It¡¯s just weird seeing him again after the whole Tay thing.¡± It wasn¡¯t a total lie; it was weird seeing him again. Not only because I was the reason that he¡¯d murdered his friend and fellow guardian angel, or because I was the reason he was stuck with the higher power for three months, but also because I was head over heels in love with him. I had never admitted that to myself before now. I love Eli De Luca. ¡°I actually ran into him after leaving your dorm last night,¡± Hunter said. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yeah, he, uh, was quite angry with me.¡± ¡°What happened? What did he say?¡± Mila pried. ¡°The usual ¡­ don¡¯t go into the girl¡¯s dorms, blah, blah, blah.¡± There was no doubt that Eli would have been pissed off at Hunter. I spared Hunter a thank you glance for keeping the whole alcohol thing to himself. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust Mila, I do, but I couldn¡¯t risk Raina finding out anything else. Raina had been very quiet lately. I got no snarky comments or smirks when I walked by her, in fact, her beady blue eyes don¡¯t even make contact with mine. When Raina is attacking me, I¡¯m a lot more stress free. She attacks me with insults like vamp girl or whore because she has nothing else on me. It¡¯s the silence that makes me nervous ¡­ I know she¡¯s planning something, something big. ¡°Ruby and I were going to have breakfast together ¡­ alone. I have a few things I want to talk to her about, so ¡­¡± That was Mila¡¯s way of telling them leave. ¡°Say no more,¡± Gabriel began. ¡°We have training to get to, anyway.¡± ¡°See you tonight.¡± Hunter winked. ¡°He¡¯s such a gentleman.¡± Mila sighed, watching Gabriel¡¯s back as he and Hunter walked away. ¡°He¡¯s also a guardian angel,¡± I reminded her. ¡°I know. We¡¯re just friends ¡­¡± ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t believe that.¡± ¡°Anyway ¡­¡± she continued, changing the subject. ¡°I heard you went to the dance with Hunter last night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I wasn¡¯t intending on going with him, but he showed up and we walked together. Rylan showed up, then he got mad, and then Eli came back and I ended up rolling my ankle ¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°It was one big mess.¡± ¡°Wow. You do have the most interesting life.¡± ¡°Interesting? Hardly ¡­ It¡¯s more complicated, if anything.¡± If only she knew. ¡°And now I¡¯m going to dinner with Hunter tonight,¡± I added. ¡°How exciting! Do you think you guys will be boyfriend-girlfriend?¡± I cringed at the sound of it. It was so childish. ¡°No. I agreed to it last night, under the influence of alcohol and guilt.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you aren¡¯t interested in anyone at SS ¡­ There are plenty of gods to choose from.¡± I shrugged. The sad reality is I don¡¯t want a god, I want an angel. ¡°I¡¯m just not interested right now. I¡¯m still getting over things. I need more time.¡± ¡°Well, when you decide to date ¡­ keep me in the loop!¡± She giggled. We finished breakfast and exited the hall. Today was Saturday and we had nothing to do. On weekends we can choose from a variety of activities from sports like soccer, cricket, touch football, and so on, or quieter recreational hobbies such as art, knitting, or necklace making. I liked to spend my Saturdays with Mila in the library or by the pond; there Mila would try to teach me how to conjure water balls. No luck so far. Originally, Hunter and I had planned to meet up and he was going teach me how to use my magic, but after the whole Hank thing, I didn¡¯t want to risk being caught. After I told Mila about it, she decided she¡¯d help me instead. She figured if we were caught, nothing too bad would happen because I was with her. ¡°To the library?¡± ¡°I suppose ¡­ there isn¡¯t anything else to do.¡± The library was empty. This made it harder to blend in and practice unnoticed. The smell of old and new dusty books filled my nose. It was a smell I usually love and inhaled willingly, but today it was a smell that repulsed me, forcing me to hold my breath. I paced quickly through the library and breathed in the fresh air as I stepped onto the balcony. ¡°Are you going to be sick?¡± Mila asked. ¡°No ¡­ at least, I don¡¯t think so. The smell was too much.¡± ¡°Serves you right.¡± She chuckled. ¡°They ran out of cups so I can¡¯t get any water. We¡¯re going to have to read instead.¡± It was easier said than done. I tried hard to focus on the words but my mind wouldn¡¯t let me. The writing sprawled out on the paper before me, spinning out of control, making my stomach even more upset. ¡°I can¡¯t do this today. I need to rest.¡± ¡°You need fresh air; we¡¯ll go to the oval and relax on the grass. It¡¯s Saturday, I can¡¯t imagine too much would be going on down there. Maybe a soccer game, but we can sit away from that.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine too much would be going on down there.¡± I mocked her as we came to a stop on the edge of the field. The oval was filled with topless gods and guardian angels fighting each other. ¡°Mila!¡± I groaned, when I realized she¡¯d only suggested the oval so she could watch Gabriel train. ¡°This is too far. He¡¯s a guardian angel, you might want each other, but it can never happen. Don¡¯t think about yourself, think about Gabriel. You might be able to get on with your life once the higher power interferes, but what about Gabriel? He¡¯ll be banished to live among humans and he¡¯ll have all his abilities and wings taken from him. Is that worth risking?¡± I quieted my voice as I came to my own realization. Mila¡¯s eyes fell onto the grass. I don¡¯t know the exact time the relationship between Eli and I escalated to the point of him risking his life for me, killing for me, and lying for me, but it was my fault. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, going to go back to the dorm. All this sun is giving me a headache,¡± Mila replied. She forced a fake smile, turned her back to me, and began strolling in the direction of our dorm. I dropped onto the grass in defeat, my head on my knees. It was as hard for me to say as it was for her to hear. Pieces of my dream kept floating into my head as the sun bore down on me. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I didn¡¯t have to lift my head to know it was Hunter, but I did anyway out of courtesy. ¡°Just catching some sun and checking out what the school has to offer,¡± I said playfully and forcing a smile. ¡°Look no further, the best is standing right in front of you.¡± Beads of sweat rolled down his bare chest and I laughed. At least I could count on Hunter¡¯s upbeat attitude to pull me out of a slump. ¡°Hunter, training now. Girls later,¡± Aaron called. Aaron was the guy who was in charge of training the gods, just like Eli was in charge of the guardians. Aaron was tall and built like a truck. I¡¯ve never heard him speak, only shout orders. Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be as scary if he didn¡¯t have a long thin scar running down the left side of his face from his eyebrow to his jaw line. Apparently it was caused by a vampire fang, but no one actually knows the real story. They¡¯re too afraid to ask. Hunter winked at me and jogged back to his training partner. I didn¡¯t want to be here, Mila was the one who brought me, and yet I¡¯m the only one sitting here looking like a pervert. I rose to my feet; I needed to talk to Mila. I didn¡¯t want to play the one-sided card anymore. I was sick of treating her like she was the only one with wrong urges. I wouldn¡¯t go into details, but she had to know how I feel about Eli. I brushed the grass off my behind and started walking up the small slope and back into the main part of the school. ¡°Great,¡± I groaned under my breath as Eli and a few other guardian angels paced towards me. ¡°Ruby? You¡¯re not supposed to be down here.¡± ¡°Mila ¡ª¡± I began, forcing my eyes from his tight black tank top to his eyes. I gave up; I didn¡¯t have the energy to explain anything. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You seem to have a hard time following the rules,¡± a leggy, blonde female guardian angel beside Eli said. ¡°Unintentionally.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll meet you on the field Eli.¡± They trotted off, leaving Eli and I standing opposite each other on the slope. ¡°Did you come to see Hunter?¡± Eli¡¯s eyes burnt fiercely into mine. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Eli jealous before. He had no reason to be, he was the one I wanted. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know anyone was going to be on the field. I just came to relax ¡­¡± He rolled his eyes, of course he didn¡¯t believe me. ¡°It¡¯s only natural for a girl to want to spend time with her ¡ª¡± He swallowed hard. ¡°Boyfriend.¡± Boyfriend? ¡°What? Hunter isn¡¯t my ¡ª Did he tell you I was his girlfriend?¡± ¡°Ruby, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s good for you to date someone who is a god. Although I wish it was someone better for you than Hunter.¡± ¡°Hunter isn¡¯t my boyfriend.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t put all your trust in him.¡± Eli brushed passed me and left me staring into the space where he was standing only seconds before. ¡°Eli,¡± I called after him, my eyes meeting his face again. What do I say now? I want to tell him that even though he¡¯s here in the school, I still miss him and that I want to feel his warm skin and breathe in his scent. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back even though it doesn¡¯t seem like I do.¡± Close enough. I forced myself to turn away from him. I began heading in the direction of the girls¡¯ dorms, pushing myself to put one foot in front of the other. Eli¡¯s words repeated in my mind, ¡®Don¡¯t put all your trust into him.¡¯ Was there something I didn¡¯t know? Was Eli jealous? Perhaps he meant in terms of a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Even I wasn¡¯t stupid there, it was clear by Hunter¡¯s ¡®up-himself¡¯ attitude that he has (for lack of a better term) ¡®been around.¡¯ Not that any of it really matters. Hunter and I weren¡¯t dating. We were just friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend. The dorm was quiet, which I expected. Mila was pretty upset by what I said to her. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her. I didn¡¯t want her to think her obvious infatuation with Gabriel was wrong, because it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Mila?¡± I called, closing the door behind me. The bathroom door opened slowly and a red-eyed Mila stepped out. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I covered the distance between us and pulled her into a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry ¡­¡± She pulled away from the hug and crossed over to her bed. ¡°I should stop spending time with him.¡± ¡°Mila, I haven¡¯t been totally honest with you. I keep giving you these speeches about how wrong it is to like someone who isn¡¯t like us, but it isn¡¯t wrong.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that. I love him, Ruby.¡± She sniffled. ¡°Oh.¡± It was all I could manage to squeeze up my throat. I knew Mila was into Gabriel but I didn¡¯t know the full extent of it. ¡°¡­ and he loves me, too.¡± I threw myself down on the bed. ¡°Shit ¡­ Mila.¡± Her saddened puppy eyes glanced at me before hiding behind a piece of tissue again. ¡°Okay ¡­ you two need to keep things on the low until I can figure something out.¡± ¡°Ha! Please, we¡¯re doomed to marry someone we don¡¯t want to, a god. Don¡¯t waste your time trying to fight the system. Many have tried and failed. At least you have Hunter, your problems are solved.¡± She sobbed, sitting next to me. I scrunched my face at the sting of her words. My problems weren¡¯t solved. They were magnified by tenfold. ¡°Eli.¡± Immediately I regretted the word the second it fell from my lips. ¡°Eli what?¡± ¡°I, he, we ¡ª¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± She gasped. ¡°You have feelings for Eli De Luca?¡± ¡°Stop.¡± I spoke in a hushed tone as I pushed the palm of my hand against her mouth. ¡°Does he know?¡± She giggled, slipping out from underneath my hand. Page 4 Should I tell her more? What if it gets out? I can¡¯t be the reason he¡¯s sent back to wherever they took him last time. Telling Mila everything was a risk my heart couldn¡¯t bear to take. ¡°No. He has no idea.¡± Mila¡¯s expression filled with disappointment. I rose from her bed and moved to mine. ¡°I¡¯m going to nap, but when I wake up, we should really discuss things about you and Gabriel.¡± Mila nodded before getting comfortable on her own bed, I guess she wanted a nap as well. I forgot all about this morning¡¯s drama and sleep overtook me rapidly; my brain was entering repair mode, along with my liver and kidneys. When I woke up, I needed to speak to the one man I trust, one who can give me advice on how to help Mila, and maybe it could end up helping us both. Secrets ¡°Ruby wake up. We¡¯re late for lunch.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°We overslept. C¡¯mon, before Uncle sends half the school¡¯s guardians down here to get me. You know he¡¯s looking for excuses to get me back in the house.¡± I climbed out of bed and headed for the door. I didn¡¯t want to go back to being alone in a room. Since I¡¯ve been sharing a room with Mila, I haven¡¯t had a single panic attack and my depression has yet to make a return. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to fix your hair?¡± I didn¡¯t need to look in a mirror, I could tell by her face that it must have looked wild. I pulled the black band that was holding my long hair up and unleashed the beast. My hair was glossy and long, like the hair you see on those shampoo ads. Lucky me! I was hoping that I looked like I was trying to ¡®style messy.¡¯ ¡°Not bad.¡± Mila chuckled. ¡°If I have my hair tied up and I pull it out I have to re-brush it. My hair is so thin it tangles easily.¡± It was hard for me to picture Mila with tangled hair, it always seemed so perfect, even more perfect than my ¡®shampoo ad¡¯ hair. Just as we reached the steps of the dining hall, we were stopped by a group of guardian angels. Mila shot me a ¡®told you so¡¯ look. ¡°Miss Aleksandrov. Your uncle wants to speak with you, immediately.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but admire the way guardian angels work, they were so quick and professional. Guardians on duty wore an all-black army looking get up, whilst off-duty guardians wore anything they wanted. Guardians were always so stern and serious; it was unusual to see them laid-back. ¡°Miss Moore. We suggest you go and be seen before anyone suspects you are up to something again.¡± The man¡¯s deep voice was intimidating and the tone he used annoyed me slightly. Most guardians still resented me, I don¡¯t know how much longer it will last, but for now, what I did was still fresh in their minds. I nodded and entered the hall. The usual lively chatter circled the room and I spotted Eli almost immediately, and saw him exhale in relief as I entered. I suppose everyone would be relieved I¡¯m still drifting around Sage Sanctum. After all, it did mean I¡¯m not out being killed or causing people to be killed. I sat down with a garden salad at the end of a table. It was nice to eat alone for a change, and since my headache no longer dominated my brain, I was able to think properly. ¡°Can I sit down?¡± Rylan asked. There went my quiet meal and thinking time. ¡°Fine,¡± I said, putting a juicy cherry tomato into my mouth. ¡°So Raina ¡ª¡± ¡°Rylan, please tell me you didn¡¯t come here to chat about Raina. I neither care for her, or your love life.¡± ¡°No, it involves Eli ¡ª¡± ¡°Everything does, apparently.¡± ¡°¡­ and Hunter.¡± Immediately my mind snapped to attention. I fought hard to come across as indifferent. If this was what Eli was talking about earlier, when he said I shouldn¡¯t trust Hunter, then I needed to soak up every word. ¡°Well done. Now I¡¯m curious.¡± I sighed. A bitter expression crossed Rylan¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t like that Hunter¡¯s name made me want to listen. ¡°I overheard Raina telling her group of airheaded followers that she talked Hunter into filing a statement against Eli to the higher power.¡± ¡°Wait. What?¡± ¡°She said that Hunter was worried there was something going on between you and Mr De Luca, and she convinced him to get Eli out of the picture. Hunter then filed an inappropriate relations statement. That¡¯s not all. Mr Aleksandrov had taken the fall for Tay¡¯s death, but Hunter thought he¡¯d do double the damage by reporting foul play between the two guardians.¡± ¡°Wh- why are you telling me this?¡± ¡°Because De Luca is ¡ª was your guardian ¡­ regardless of the short period of time he served you, there would still be some kind of bond between you and he saved your life, many times. As for Hunter, I just don¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°How do I know Raina didn¡¯t put you up to this? Or maybe you¡¯re just trying to get me to back out of going to dinner with Hunter tonight.¡± ¡°I ¡ª You¡¯re going to dinner with him? Ruby, this guy is not to be trusted; he¡¯s sabotaging people you care about. He¡¯s ruining their lives because if they¡¯re around, it means he can¡¯t have you. You¡¯re falling right where he wants you.¡± Rylan stood up and left me at the table with too many questions. He crossed the hall and joined Raina. She shot me a glance, but it was different than her old glances. It was guilty, like she felt sorry for me. The appetite I had when I came into the dining room had diminished. In its place was disgust and disbelief. ¡°You excited for dinner?¡± Hunter sang as he slid in next to me. My eyes met Eli¡¯s, but as quickly as they met, he turned back to the conversation he was having with a fellow guardian angel. ¡°Yeah ¡­ I, uh, I¡¯m not feeling well. I¡¯m going to get some water.¡± I slid off my seat and went over to water cooler to fill up a cup. ¡°I¡¯m back! Uncle was worried, but I told him we were napping and he¡¯s fine now,¡± Mila cheered happily. I guzzled my glass of water. ¡°Can we eat? I¡¯m starving.¡± Mila grabbed a garden salad from the serving table and we walked over to where I was sitting. Hunter was still there. ¡°Are you two excited for dinner?¡± Hunter¡¯s toothpick went to the corner of his mouth as he smiled. ¡°Very,¡± I lied, forcing a fake smile. ¡°See you at six.¡± He winked at me and left. Nausea radiated throughout my stomach. I wanted to find out the truth, but I couldn¡¯t be certain. What if this was all part of Raina¡¯s plan? What if she wanted me to sabotage my relationship with Hunter? And Rylan had his own motives, he obviously saw Hunter as a threat. Thinking it out thoroughly made it seem even more ridiculous, but I couldn¡¯t shake Eli¡¯s words from earlier out of my head: ¡®don¡¯t put all your trust into him.¡¯ Does Eli know? Surely he would have done something about it or at least told me? ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mila asked, breaking my line of thought. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m just thinking about what we discussed earlier,¡± I lied. ¡°Shhh,¡± she hushed as she glanced over her shoulder cautiously. I rolled my eyes. I gave nothing away by using that sentence. Who would hear what I said as ¡®Mila loves Gabriel¡¯? ¡°Chill out. I¡¯m obviously not going to talk about it in a room full of people.¡± ¡°But still ¡­ be cool.¡± I rolled my eyes at her. Once lunch was over I became increasingly nervous. I knew I had to confront Hunter about it and I didn¡¯t want to ruin dinner, but I had to do it when there was no one around, making dinner my only option. Students poured from the dining hall, Mila included, but I decided to hang back to speak to Eli. I couldn¡¯t give Mila the right advice but I know Eli can. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Eli asked as we walked out of the dining hall side by side. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you here. We need to find a quiet place.¡± ¡®Ruby, I don¡¯t think ¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Mila.¡± Eli¡¯s fingers wrapped around my forearm and he guided me to the side of the dining hall by a pretty gardenia bush. I ignored the goosebumps his touch gave me. ¡°Is she okay?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine, I think ¡­ she¡¯s in love ¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal.¡± He interrupted, slightly frustrated with me. ¡°With a guardian angel.¡± ¡°Oh. Does he ¡ª¡± ¡°I guess so. They spend a lot of time together.¡± Eli brushed his hand through his hair and I bit my lip, trying to fight back the urge to do it myself. ¡°Gabriel?¡± I nodded. ¡°I thought you would be able to help me help them.¡± ¡°Help them? There is no helping them. They need to stay away from each other, it¡¯s wrong and against the law.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t force them to stay away from each other, it¡¯s not right ¡­ I¡¯m going to find a way out of this.¡± ¡°Ruby, don¡¯t go off on one of your little missions again. It doesn¡¯t help; you only make things worse for yourself and others.¡± I flinched at his words but I didn¡¯t bite back at them. I needed Eli on my side, not against me. ¡°Eli, I ¡ª¡± ¡°No. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± He stepped away from me and began walking away. ¡°This is why I never told you anything the first time,¡± I admitted. He stopped in his tracks, turning abruptly to face me, his hard stare burning into mine. ¡°I knew you would leave me out of it and handle things yourself. I don¡¯t want it to add to your stress. I¡¯ve done enough damage to you. It was a mistake coming to you for help or advice, forget I said anything.¡± I didn¡¯t think I would regret telling Eli about Mila and Gabriel, but I did. Would he tell Mr Aleksandrov? Or report Gabriel to higher authorities? All this time I was scared of telling Mila my secrets in case she told someone, perhaps she should be more worried about me telling her secrets. It hasn¡¯t been half a day and I¡¯ve already told someone. Does it make it okay if I thought he could help? I pushed past Eli but he stopped me by wrapping his warm hand around my waist. His touch electrified me and my heart raced. I used all the muscles in my body to keep myself where I was and not hurl my body at him. ¡°You did the right thing by telling me. I¡¯ll do some research about goddess and guardian angel student relations. I¡¯m sure I can find a loop hole. It won¡¯t be easy, but at least it¡¯s something. Keep them away from each other until I get back to you with more information.¡± I nodded. He retracted his hand from my waist and attached it to my wrist, giving it a quick rub with his thumb. ¡°Thank you for telling me. I shouldn¡¯t make you feel like you can¡¯t tell me anything. I may not be your guardian angel anymore or bonded by a tattoo, but I¡¯ll always be here for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I never thought a guy could affect me the way Eli does. When I¡¯m away from him, I tell myself I¡¯m exaggerating, that I¡¯m building his looks and his personality up too high, but then I see him again, hear him again, and he¡¯s even more perfect than I imagined before. I hadn¡¯t realized my thoughts had brought me all the way back to my dorm door, unnoticed. The door screeched loudly as I opened it and stepped in. ¡°What the ¡ª?¡± I gasped. So far, so bad. Mila and Gabriel were lying on her bed; Gabriel pulled his face away from hers. His lips glistened in the light that poured in from the door; lip gloss covered most of his mouth and the surrounding skin. ¡°You need to get out of here now,¡± I warned. ¡°Ruby!¡± Mila snapped. ¡°Mila, you know the rules.¡± I sounded like Eli. When I first arrived at SS and Rylan brought my text book back to my dorm, I invited him in, not knowing the boy/girl policy. If it was up to me, I¡¯d leave and let them finish whatever it was they were doing or were going to do, but it wasn¡¯t. I told Eli I¡¯d keep them away from each other and that was something I was going to do. Gabriel kissed Mila¡¯s forehead and left the room, sparing an apologetic glance in my direction. ¡°What are you thinking? Are you crazy?¡± I said, closing the door. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to be rude.¡± ¡°Mila, I¡¯m risking our asses here trying to help you. Pulling stupid stunts like this is going to ruin everything. What if it was Mrs Ploit at the door? What if it was your uncle? Think, Mila! Don¡¯t ruin Gabriel¡¯s life or your own. Give me time to figure something out. Eli ¡ª¡± ¡°You told Eli? Ruby, what were you thinking?¡± Mila jumped off the bed and began pacing the room, biting nervously at her fingernails. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mila, we can trust him,¡± I assured her. ¡°Trust him? He works for my uncle; he recently spent a few months with the higher power, he ¡ª¡± ¡°Your uncle was the one who started this. He gave you clearance to go on a date with Gabriel. He made no effort to prevent this situation, so relax,¡± I interrupted, frustration lacing my tone. ¡°What if Eli rats us out?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Eli brought me back from being a vampire when he could have killed me; he saved me when Hank attacked our cabin, he risked his own life to save mine, he killed a fellow guardian angel for me ¡­ He wouldn¡¯t rat us out, I know him.¡± Page 5 ¡°That was when you guys were bonded, when he was your guardian angel. That was his duty, what¡¯s stopping him now?¡± I knew what was stopping him; he cared about me. If he reported it, I would get in trouble for knowing and not reporting it. If anything happened to Gabriel, it would destroy Mila, and in turn, destroy me. No matter what he did, it would link back to me and I know he didn¡¯t want that. I wanted to tell her all of this, but I couldn¡¯t. The timing was too risky. ¡°¡­ Nothing.¡± The Best Laid Plans¡­ ¡°You look fine.¡± Mila sighed whilst flicking through a Vogue magazine, not sparing a glance in my direction. I was standing in front of the mirror analyzing my outfit. The short red dress I got from Camilla and Aunt Jen for my birthday looked fantastic against my finally tan skin. The heels I chose to wear were much smaller, only an inch or two off the ground. I didn¡¯t want to roll my ankle again. ¡°Why are you getting so dressed up? I thought you didn¡¯t care about dinner.¡± ¡°I do care.¡± It was only dinner with Hunter, but I still wanted to look nice. It had been years since I¡¯ve eaten at a restaurant and I wanted my return to be special. ¡°It¡¯s just been a while since I¡¯ve eaten at a restaurant.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Hunter knocked gently. ¡°Are you ready?¡± he asked softly through the cheap wood of the door. His voice was as sweet as honey, yet mixed with caution, as if he was expecting me to cancel. I opened the door, ready to exit, but stopped in shock and confusion. Eli and Hunter were standing in front of me. Eli (standing a meter behind Hunter) was dressed in his guardian all black army-like uniform, arms crossed, looking unbelievably sexy. ¡°They match your dress,¡± Hunter said as he handed me a bunch of deep red roses. I took my eyes from Eli and placed them on Hunter. ¡°Thank you, they¡¯re beautiful. Sorry. Um, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We need a guardian escort to town and the school provided us with your lovely ex-guardian angel,¡± Hunter explained, gesturing towards Eli. Hunter¡¯s voice was polite and friendly but his face expressed the same awkward expression mine did. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the universe was playing a sick joke on me. It was going to be even harder to convince Eli that Hunter and I weren¡¯t together now. ¡°Now that I¡¯m back, the school thinks it would be a good idea to start with small guardian tasks.¡± ¡°Oh. I forgot my handbag, excuse me,¡± I said, retreating back to the safety of my room. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mila asked, as the door clicked behind me. ¡°Eli is escorting us to dinner.¡± Mila¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°It¡¯s like a cheesy sitcom.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why they bother with escorts. The town is under a charm, anyway,¡± I stated, ignoring her comment. ¡°Yeah, but rogue gods, goddesses, guardian angels, or even humans could be working for vampires. Who knows what could happen? With rapidly decreasing numbers in both of our species, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡± Her words sent chills down my spine. I thought of Tay and his secret obsession with becoming a vampire, becoming immortal. He kept it under wraps so well, who knows what the ulterior motives people have. I found my red clutch lying on my bed. I grabbed it, and in its place, I left the roses. ¡°Aw, they¡¯re beautiful,¡± Mila cooed. ¡°Yeah ¡­¡± I was awed by the thought of Hunter giving me flowers but knowing that he might be keeping something terrible from me prevented me from enjoying their full beauty. The car ride was as awkward. Eli drove whilst Hunter and I sat in the back, his hand upon my knee. No words were spoken until we reached the restaurant. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Eli announced. Hunter climbed out of the car and extended his hand towards me, helping me out. The red neon lights that adorned the restaurant were pretty. My eyes followed them as they ran along the wall, curving into a rose beneath a sign that read ¡®La Hope.¡¯ ¡°You two have fun,¡± Eli said as he came around to the front of the SUV and leaned against it. I peeled my eyes off him as Hunter guided us in through the front door of the restaurant. Inside it was dark and red. The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings and green plants. From the outside, you wouldn¡¯t think it was capable of five star quality. Of course we had to get the table right by the wide front window, right by Eli. I glanced sideways toward the car, he was gone. ¡°For you,¡± Hunter said as he pulled my chair out. ¡°Such a gentlemen.¡± I smiled, sitting down on the comfortable dining chair. It was much better than the wooden ones in the dining hall that deaden your butt muscles if you sit for too long. A tall, skinny waiter around the age of fifteen brought us our menus. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon to take your order.¡± Hunter opened his menu. ¡°What do you feel like?¡± I was too nervous to choose a big meal. The grilled chicken Caesar was probably the most alluring meal on the menu for someone in my shoes. ¡°The chicken salad,¡± I said. Hunter shot me a sceptical look. ¡°Eighty precent of the school''s food is healthy. The one night you can have anything you want, you choose a healthy option?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling very well. Something light on my stomach is probably what''s best right now.¡± ¡°Aw, are you nervous being here with me?¡± Hunter raised his eyebrow as he spoke and flashed his usual devil may care smile. ¡°Something like that,¡± I replied. The young waiter strode towards us, carrying a bottle of wine. ¡°Hunter, we ¡ª¡± ¡°You''re eighteen¡­ You can drink outside of school legally.¡± ¡°I know, but I don''t want to.¡± Hunter signalled for the waiter to go away. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± There was no use in keeping it to myself any longer. The stress it was putting on me was poisoning my body, I could feel it. ¡°Hunter, we need to talk. Today¡ª¡± ¡°Wait, at least until after dinner,¡± he suggested. I wasn''t happy about it. I just wanted to put everything out in the open. Dinner conversation was quiet. I was having a hard time deciphering what he was thinking. His face didn''t betray his emotions, it stayed hard and calculating. The silence was killing me, I couldn''t hold it in. ¡°Did you file a report against Eli?¡± I asked abruptly, unable to keep the anger out of my tone. I didn¡¯t realize how desperately I wanted it to not be true. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± There was a long pause, Hunter thought about his next choice of words carefully before calling the waiter for a glass of wine. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Yes. I did.¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. I pushed my chair out from under myself and stood up slowly, my arms trembling. Rage boiled inside my heart, and I clenched my hands into tight fists at my side, nails digging into my skin. Hunter rose from his chair and took a step towards me. I could feel my blood pounding in my ears. ¡°But I didn''t send it. I withdrew it. Ruby, I wouldn''t do anything to hurt you, I couldn''t.¡± He stroked my arm and I recoiled away from him. ¡°You must have, he was sent away! I lost my guardian angel, someone who has saved my life numerous times, all because of your jealousy. He was right ¡ª I shouldn''t have trusted you.¡± I pushed past Hunter and stormed out the front door. I didn''t go to the car; there was no way I was going to breathe the same air as that snake. I thundered off down the footpath. My heels made fast clicks as they echoed through the quite town center. ¡°Ruby, wait! Please, I didn''t do it.¡± I kept walking ignoring his plea, his lie. ¡°Take the car,¡± I heard Eli order Hunter. ¡°I''m not leaving her.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a SS garage two blocks east, get a guardian to take you back to Sage.¡± I didn''t turn around to see if he did what he was told. ¡°Ruby, stop,¡± Eli called after me. I slowed, giving him time to catch up. I leaned against the inner wall of an alleyway. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, coming to a stop in front of me. ¡°I get the feeling you already know.¡± ¡°You found out ¡­¡± ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡± ¡°I planned to tell you about Hunter. I was so mad at him, but when I saw you again ¡­ I just couldn''t bring myself to break your heart.¡± I scoffed. Hunter couldn''t break my heart. He never had a piece of my heart to begin with. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, it''s over now. I''m back.¡± It was over and Eli was back, but I didn¡¯t feel as forgiving about this as he was. As far as I was concerned, Hunter was dead to me. The small alleyway forced Eli and I to be close to each other. The atmosphere between us changed, charging with a voltaic, exciting anticipation. His scent alone was enough to jumble my train of thought. I dropped my eyes to my hands and fiddled with my fingers. I hate feeling nervous. ¡°When you were gone ¡­ Did you miss me?¡± I uttered, taking the conversation in a completely different direction. I didn¡¯t mean to say it, it just came out. Still, it was a question that had been eating at me since Eli''s return. His long index finger slid smoothly across my chin, tilting my face to look up at him. ¡°Immensely.¡± My breathing altered as my heart raced. His words unleashed butterflies in my stomach. He tucked a long, dark lock of hair behind my ear. In movies, the hair tucking is so clich¨¦ and you cringe, because it looks cheesy, but when it happens in real life, it''s perfect. We stared into each other¡¯s eyes lustfully as he put his hand on my waist, pulling me closer. Is this really happening? His smell was intoxicating. His crisp ocean breeze cologne mixed with clean sweat filled my nostrils and I inhaled, appreciating it. ¡°I missed you,¡± I whispered. The corners of his mouth twitched as he bit his bottom lip in an attempt to hide his smile. My knees grew weak and he noticed. A small laugh escaped him and he slowly bent toward me, his lips grazing mine softly, like he was testing my boundaries. With him, I didn''t have any. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked him. Eli had a habit of immediately regretting our kiss when it was over, so I gave him an opportunity to get out of this one before it happened. His hand met the side of my cheek, urging my lips harder against his. An electrical feeling rolled over my skin as his hands traced the contour of my body. I pulled away ever so slightly to breathe, trying not to show just how vulnerable I was. My gaze moved from his eyes to his lips and once more his mouth was against mine. Instinctually, I wrapped my hands around his neck and entwined my fingers in his short hair. Each intake of breath was another reminder of what was really happening, his cologne, the way his hands entangled in my hair, the press of his lips against mine in an urgent pace. I knew this was wrong, but I couldn''t bring myself to stop. My thoughts didn''t last as I was consumed in our forbidden passion. The kiss slowed and then came to a stop, much to my disappointment. ¡°We should go,¡± he said, our foreheads resting against each other¡¯s. I nodded. As we stepped out from the alleyway, I dared to peek at him. His face had assumed its usual serious expression but his eyes were different. His eyes reflected the joy he felt deep down, something I¡¯d never seen before. My face reflected my own joy, the grin that was spread across it was impossible to hide. ¡°The long road between the school and the town is unprotected by charms; it¡¯s too dangerous to walk at night. We''re going to have to walk the two blocks to the SS garage and get a car.¡± ¡°Oh god, in these heels?¡± Eli laughed and I swooned at the sound. ¡°At least they aren''t as tall as your other ones, but if they''re that uncomfortable, I can carry you.¡± I pictured Eli''s strong arms wrapped around me, my face close to his. I would take him up on his offer, but only to feel him touch me again, not because I couldn''t physically walk. ¡°Nah, I''ll tough it out.¡± We began walking east. There weren¡¯t many other people on the streets. There was the occasional old lady walking her dog and a drunken guy who wolf whistled at me, after that, nothing. ¡°Ruby, I ¡ª¡± ¡°Is this the part where you tell me the kiss was a mistake and that it won¡¯t happen again?¡± I interrupted. ¡°What? No. What we did was wrong, yes, but I refuse to regret something that has made me the happiest I¡¯ve been in a long time, even if it is against our laws. The thing is, we can never be together ¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we can figure something out.¡± ¡°There are no loop holes for us; being your guardian angel is the closest I¡¯ll be able to get. That¡¯s the next best thing.¡± ¡°You become my guardian angel and then what? That makes matters more complicated. Let¡¯s just be together. Who cares if you get banished? I¡¯ll come with you. We can be together amongst the humans.¡± Eli¡¯s face grew dark, his eyes became speculative and his mouth straightened into an impassive line. ¡°No, you¡¯d still have your magic and I¡¯d have nothing. I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect you.¡± He took my hand in his and I ignored the current pulsing up my arm. ¡°And what about my father?¡± he continued. ¡°Or my grandfather, or my great-grandfather? They were all great angels. I couldn¡¯t bring shame to my family by breaking faith and running away with the one thing I have sworn to protect.¡± Page 6 I sighed. Living in this world was complicated. The higher power was very particular in his rules and was known for doing everything he could to enforce them. A goddess can only marry a god or no one at all. If a guardian angel and a god/goddess have intimate relations and/or fall in love, he banishes the angel to live amongst the humans, binding their strength and speed with magic, rendering them weak. Most guardian angels seek out vampires and become immortal to get a sense of power again. Eli dropped my hand as we walked side by side up Calamdale Street. I assumed this was the street the garage was on. We reached the garage before I had a chance to think up another idea that involved us running away together without the consequences. Damn, two blocks wasn¡¯t very far at all. My happiness was sucked out and replaced with the anger I¡¯d felt earlier as I saw Hunter leaning against the gate, smoking. ¡°I¡¯ll go inside and get the car. Talk to him.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say,¡± I grunted. Eli entered the gate, leaving Hunter and me alone. The bright white skate shoe that Hunter was wearing stomped out the cigarette as he threw it on the ground. Slowly he stepped towards me, scuffing his shoes against the rocks. ¡°You left this,¡± he said, handing my clutch to me. ¡°Thanks.¡± I really was thankful he brought it back; Mila would have killed me if I lost it. As I was getting dressed for dinner, Mila went on and on about how hard it was for her to find it, blah, blah, blah. I felt sick just talking to him. I snatched my bag from his hands and started to walk past him. ¡°Ruby, I know how you¡¯re feeling ¡ª¡± ¡°You know how I¡¯m feeling? Ha!¡± I interrupted, turning to face him; the car Eli had got to take us back to the school pulled up behind me. ¡°For months, I felt depressed and alone. The one person who didn¡¯t judge me when I was a vampire, who saved my life countless times, who knew everything about me ¡ª¡± I paused to take a breath. I didn¡¯t want to cry. I dropped my eyes down to the gravel beneath my feet and scuffed my heels against the small rocks. ¡°My guardian angel was gone, and you may or may not be the reason why. It destroyed me, and I couldn¡¯t say anything to anyone in fear of malicious rumours, or worse, Eli¡¯s death. You know nothing of how I¡¯m feeling; you¡¯re selfish, you¡¯re a liar, and you¡¯re cruel. I want nothing to do with you.¡± My voice was shaky and tears threatened my eyes. ¡°Just hear me out, please?¡± he begged. ¡°You have ten seconds and then I¡¯m getting in the car.¡± ¡°Raina was in my ear about you and Eli and I got jealous. I shouldn¡¯t have. I¡¯m sorry. I was blinded by my selfishness, but I didn¡¯t send that report. You have to believe me.¡± Hunter¡¯s expression was desperate and pained. I wanted to believe him. Hunter was the only light I had when I was surrounded by the darkness of Eli¡¯s disappearance, even if it had only been for a few weeks. My heart wanted to believe him but my brain wanted to castigate him, the evidence was too damning. Tears spilt over the brim of my eyes and rolled gently down my face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t.¡± I climbed into the back seat of the car. Eli shot me a sympathetic glance through the rear-view as I wiped tears from my eyes. Hunter got into the front seat and didn¡¯t spare a glance in my direction, thankfully. After getting clearance from the guardian angel at the gate, the car rolled into the car park. Before it came to a complete stop, Hunter was already out of the car and heading towards the student campus. The tears I¡¯d shed at the garage were now dried up, leaving only trails of slightly smeared mascara. ¡°Was it really that bad for you?¡± His eyes watched me through the rear view mirror. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°When I left¡­ was it really that bad?¡± I opened the car door and paused, thinking about my life three months ago, a month ago, last week. Not having Eli around was horrible. I had no one to vent to, no one to make me smile a genuine smile, or give me butterflies. ¡°Bad? No ¡­ it was horrible. Not knowing if you were alive or dead was the worst part.¡± Eli climbed out of the driver¡¯s seat and came around to my door, his face filled with sorrow and regret. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I didn¡¯t mean to put you through that.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault. As far as I know, it was Hunter¡¯s or Raina¡¯s fault, and they¡¯ll pay for it.¡± ¡°Ruby, I¡¯m back, I¡¯m here with you.¡± The back of his hand softly stroked my cheek. ¡°Getting back at them will accomplish nothing. There¡¯s no need for revenge.¡± ¡°Would you do it for me? If someone hurt me, would you want revenge?¡± ¡°No, because I wouldn¡¯t give them a chance to hurt you.¡± ¡°But if they did?¡± ¡°If they did?¡± He paused in thought. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stop until I had hurt them ten times the amount they had hurt you.¡± Eli extended his hand to me and I took it, sliding out of the car. He didn¡¯t step back and it forced our bodies to press together. I gasped involuntarily; it felt like I had touched an exposed wire as tingles shot through my body. I glanced up at his face, his gaze was intense. All the forbidden, unfamiliar feelings I had earlier in the alleyway were trying to resurface. I swallowed hard in hopes the feelings would go down with the saliva. Nope. ¡°This is dangerous,¡± I whispered. ¡°I know.¡± He still didn¡¯t move. We stood, adoring each other in extremely close proximity. ¡°I want to kiss you again,¡± he growled seductively. ¡°Then ¡­ do it.¡± Eli didn¡¯t bother glancing around to see if anyone was coming or watching; instead he took my hands, caressing them with his thumb. I tilted my mouth towards his and he leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine. This time, the kiss was different, it wasn¡¯t animalistic or hungry. It was tender and blissfully slow. I pulled away from his lips and tried to gather my thoughts. As his hard body rested against mine, it made thinking impossible. If I could be anywhere in the world, it would be in Eli¡¯s arms. I don¡¯t care if we were someplace expensive and exotic or right here in the school. Being with him was all I needed. ¡°I- I should go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll walk you.¡± Once again we walked side by side, his face stern and mine ¡­ I don¡¯t know. I should be happy and I was, but I couldn¡¯t shake this feeling of guilt deep down. Mrs Gaines, the newest recruit to the lobby monitors, sat dipping chocolate biscuits into her tea. ¡°Guardian De Luca here to take Miss Moore back to her room,¡± Eli said as he approached her desk. ¡°Sign here and here.¡± Eli signed the sheet. ¡°Good. You have five minutes to be in and out.¡± We thanked her and made our way down the hallway, my knees shaky and my stomach full of butterflies. Finally we came to a stop at my door. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± We watched each other, soaking in each other¡¯s appearances and smells before he walked past me, his cologne wafting behind him. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight,¡± I replied. I entered my room and leaned up against the door. It was dark; the only light that illumined the room was the small study lamp on Mila¡¯s desk. Why was I feeling so shitty? My heart and soul wanted to be on cloud nine, but my mind wouldn¡¯t let me make the leap from cloud four. I threw myself onto my bed. I hadn¡¯t realized how badly the ceiling needed to be re-painted. I followed cracks with my eyes as they ran a few inches away from the corner, veering off into various directions. ¡°Ruby?¡± Mila was sitting up in her bed, wiping her eyes with her hands. How does someone who has just woken up still look so perfect? ¡°How was it?¡± I groaned instead of talking. ¡°That bad, eh?¡± ¡°You have no idea.¡± I rolled over and faced the wall, Mila took the hint. I just wanted to sleep all the bad things about tonight away and relive all the good things in my dreams; the kisses, the talking, and the love. I didn¡¯t bother getting changed or showering, sleeping was my priority. Don¡¯t Protect Me ¡°Wakey, wakey!¡± Mila called, pulling me from my dreamless sleep. A burst of sunlight hit my face; I scrunched my eyes up as tight as I could before pulling a pillow over my face. ¡°It¡¯s breakfast.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± My voice was muffled through the pillow. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go anywhere. Mr De Luca helped me bring breakfast to you, with my uncle¡¯s approval, of course.¡± I lifted the pillow slightly, still managing to block the sun. The smell of toast and vegemite made my stomach growl with hunger, but the fruit was the most appealing. ¡°I thought we could have a private breakfast and you could tell me all about last night.¡± My mind fell on to the events that unfolded last night. Eli and I kissed twice. The first was passionate and hungry, the second was kind and loving. ¡°I love Eli,¡± I blurted absentmindedly. I didn¡¯t look her in the face when I said it, but I wonder how low her mouth dropped. Slowly I forced my gaze to her face. Her mouth had formed a perfect ¡®O¡¯ shape. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve never heard of a goddess falling in love with a guardian angel before.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I, just, uh ¡­ I didn¡¯t see this coming.¡± She nervously popped a piece of watermelon into her mouth, buying herself some time to think about what to say next. ¡°You decided this last night whilst on a date with Hunter?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve felt this way for a while ¡­ last night just confirmed it.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± She passed me the bowl of watermelon and sat down on the floor beside my bed. I wasn¡¯t going to go into detail, but then I thought about Mila and how she opened up to me. If she told anyone my secret, hers would get out, too. We would both be screwed and so would the men we love. ¡°We kissed. Twice.¡± Her mouth dropped open and she began to giggle. ¡°Oh my god! You¡¯re lying!¡± she squealed in a hushed tone. When she saw my face was serious, she asked how it was. ¡°Exciting. Loving. Perfect,¡± I replied, naming the first descriptive words that came to my mind, one by one. ¡°How did that happen? You were having dinner with Hunter; how did he not see?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long story.¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s Sunday. We can relax in here until lunch time, so spill.¡± I sat up in bed and Mila handed me a piece of watermelon. I popped it into my mouth. It was so juicy and delicious. I explained all about Rylan and how he approached me at lunch, telling me everything. ¡°He¡¯s so hung up on you he¡¯d do anything to spoil what you and Hunter have. You didn¡¯t believe him, did you?¡± ¡°I did, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t. Earlier that day, Eli told me not to put all my trust into Hunter, which tipped my scale to actually thinking it might be true.¡± ¡°Ohhh.¡± I told her how I asked him straight out and he admitted to it. ¡°What? No. He wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°I was hoping he didn¡¯t, but he said he filed a report and then withdrew it.¡± ¡°Maybe he did.¡± ¡°So what if he did? He still wanted to get rid of Eli.¡± I told her I left Hunter at the restaurant and started walking, but Eli caught up to me. I explained the steamy kiss in the alleyway and again getting out of the car. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe it!¡± She gasped. ¡°Why now? How come you guys never wanted each other before? Maybe Eli was jealous that you were with Hunter.¡± I didn¡¯t bother telling her about the kiss and the feelings we had for each other when I had first arrived. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I didn¡¯t pick Eli for the jealous type. Maybe he just did a good job hiding it most of the time. She did have point, why did he kiss me last night? Why did he want me? Usually he was very closed off and serious. He never even looked at me wrong in case people got the wrong idea. Perhaps he was jealous of Hunter, but then why was he so eager for me to make up with him? ¡°It¡¯s all so confusing.¡± I sighed. ¡°Something doesn¡¯t add up, though.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°So Raina convinced Hunter to file a report, which he did, but then he withdrew it. Everyone knows that the sealed envelope it¡¯s sent in doesn¡¯t get opened until it gets to wherever the higher power is.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well, someone would have had to watch Hunter retrieve it from the outgoing box and take it from him, whether it was in a bin or in his room.¡± ¡°Or he just changed his mind and decided to send it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a possibility, but I can¡¯t see him doing it.¡± I couldn¡¯t see Hunter purposely hurting me, either, but what choice did I have? I wasn¡¯t going to go against hard evidence. Hunter was my main suspect, and until I figured it out, he¡¯d be treated like one. Mila and I hung out in our room the rest of the morning, talking and giggling about boys. It was nice to finally relax and have fun, it had been a long time since I¡¯ve been able to really bond with another girl. Girls need girls; you can¡¯t talk about boys, shoes, make-up and dresses with boys, they don¡¯t understand. After Mila and I finished giggling and gossiping, I headed for the shower. The hot water stream collided into my skin and I moaned it felt so good; it released tension that had unknowingly built up between my muscles. I closed my eyes and the hot steam enveloped my body. Page 7 Choosing an outfit wasn¡¯t hard. There was no way I was going to wear anything tight or short, and a pair of white joggers seemed the best kind of footwear on a day like today. They matched my cute black tracksuit perfectly. The sun was high in the sky. It beamed upon my face and my gaze locked onto the cloudless sky, a shining blue. People forget how beautiful the world is, they don¡¯t appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. We¡¯re encircled by so many colors, so much life, and yet we spend most days inside, sulking about pointless material things, instead of making the most of a beautiful day. The air was warm, and the cool breeze that glided over my skin was refreshing. A clean sweat broke out along the bottom of my hair line, causing my hair to cling to my skin. I pulled it into a high ponytail and continued on my way to the dining hall. I had no purpose going there. Lunch wasn¡¯t for another hour, but I just wanted to walk and bask in my own company. I should have known it wasn¡¯t as simple as that. A crowd was gathered by the front of the dining hall. ¡°Fight, fight, Fight!¡± they chanted. I turned away from the commotion. The last thing I needed was to be associated with some fight. ¡°You did this! I know you did,¡± someone yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me because Ruby found out how much of a snake you are,¡± growled the other one. Oh shit. I sprinted over and pushed through the crowd. ¡°Move!¡± I shouted as I went. Hunter and Rylan were in attack stance, maneuvering around the circle. ¡°Stop it!¡± Rylan would never stand a chance against Hunter. They were two completely different builds. Hunter was tall, lean and muscular, and even though Rylan was tall and lean, his body didn¡¯t look like he worked out much. Hunter trained every day. I¡¯ve seen him train, and it¡¯s brutal. I leapt in front of Hunter, protecting Rylan. ¡°Don¡¯t blame other people for the mistakes you made!¡± I growled through clenched teeth. Yet again I was angry at Hunter; you don¡¯t fight people who are obviously weaker than you. ¡°He did this to you, not me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing this to me!¡± ¡°Ruby, I ¡ª¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to say that you¡¯re just trying to help, don¡¯t. You¡¯re not helping, you¡¯re making things worse.¡± I wasn¡¯t aware the crowd was still around us. I looked at all the faces that burned with gossip, their ears stretched towards us as they waited for more. I grabbed Rylan by the arm and escorted him out of the circle, away from Hunter and his obsession to clear his name. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to be dragged into this,¡± I apologized. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Hunter is a mad man.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s not. He¡¯s just having a hard time. After last night, I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t tried to take down the whole school.¡± I exhaled dramatically as I sat down on a bench along the path way. I glanced back where the gathering of students once stood. Everyone was gone. ¡°It was brave of you to ask him about it.¡± ¡°I had no choice, I wanted answers ¡­ unfortunately, I need more.¡± ¡°What more do you need? He admitted it; you saw how he¡¯s acting.¡± ¡°He admitted to writing a report, but he didn¡¯t send it.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. He could be acting up out of desperation to clear his name.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t him, who else would have done it?¡± ¡°Raina ¡­ maybe, I don¡¯t know, and I have no idea where to start to find out.¡± Rylan placed his hand on mine; I couldn¡¯t decide whether it was a friendly gesture or if he meant more by it. Slowly I pulled my hand away, hoping I didn¡¯t offend him. ¡°Ruby!¡± Eli came jogging down the path towards us. Sweat beaded his forehead as he came to a stop in front of us. Although his perspiration made me think he¡¯d been running all over the place to find me, his lack of shortness in breath made me wonder if he had run at all. ¡°Oh thank god, I was looking all over for you.¡± ¡°Rylan, could you ¡ª¡± ¡°No problem. Ruby, Mr De Luca.¡± He acknowledged us with a nod of his head and left. ¡°Eli, are you okay?¡± Something didn¡¯t feel right in my stomach; If Eli had run to find me, it had to be serious. I gestured for him to sit down next to me and he did. ¡°It¡¯s the higher power.¡± I gripped Eli¡¯s arm. Please, no. I didn¡¯t want them to take him away again. ¡°Mr Aleksandrov received a phone call, the higher power is coming to Sage. He¡¯ll be here by nightfall and he wants to meet with you.¡± My stomach sank; it was a feeling I had become terribly familiar with in the last year or so. I exhaled and fought back the urge to break down into a panicking cry. ¡°Wh- what? Why?¡± Eli¡¯s face reflected the my horror. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I know it¡¯s about us. I thought I threw his suspicions off, but I mustn¡¯t have. Ruby, I need you to tell him everything I did to you when he asks. Don¡¯t protect me; it¡¯ll be worse for you. You have to tell him I took advantage of you.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid!¡± Eli snapped. I flinched at his words, he exhaled and his urgently calm fa?ade returned. ¡°Please, Ruby; I need you to do this. If you don¡¯t, his minions will take whatever he wants by force. I¡¯ve seen it, and believe me, it¡¯s something you don¡¯t want.¡± I thought long and hard about his words. There was no way I was going to throw Eli in the deep end to save myself. It wasn¡¯t his fault we ended up like this, it was mine. I nodded in agreement to make him happy, but I wasn¡¯t going to follow through with it. There was no way. The Higher Power Night was approaching quickly and Mila was pacing our room nervously. ¡°What if it¡¯s because he knows you¡¯re trying to help me and Gabriel?¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± She collapsed on the bed in defeat and looked down at me. I was lying on my back on the floor. The fluffy purple rug was ridiculously comfy, it made me feel safe. The fan pushed a warm breeze around the room, cooling my burning skin. ¡°What if ¡ª¡± ¡°Mila, stop stressing yourself out, it¡¯s making me more nauseous. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing, or at least it has nothing to do with you. Relax.¡± My tone was a little harsh, I suppose. I didn¡¯t mean to be frustrated with her, but I was trying to control my thoughts and emotions. If the higher power started questioning me, the last thing I needed was for my emotions to work against me. ¡°I can¡¯t relax. The higher power doesn¡¯t just leave his secret hiding place to visit a random school in the middle of nowhere. Something is wrong.¡± I closed my eyes as I felt my nerves twisting around my stomach and making their way up my throat. My muscles tensed as I tried to swallow my throat-burning anxiety. ¡°Ruby, look!¡± Mila whispered urgently. I opened my eyes. All around me, tiny balls of water from Mila¡¯s glass of water floated above me. All the anger, nervousness, and love I had felt the last few months were sucked out of me and replaced with awe and pride. Finally, I had managed to conjure water balls. They were small, but I still did it. I sat up abruptly to get a closer look; my thoughts were interrupted and the little balls of water fell onto me. My skin and clothes quickly absorbed them. I felt a proud smile spread across my face. ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡± I stood up, grabbed Mila¡¯s cup and ran to the bathroom. The cold clear water gushed into the cup and I grew more and more excited. It took my mind off the whole higher power thing. When I entered the room, Mila had laid a waterproof table cloth on the fluffy rug to protect it from getting too wet. I glanced out the window. Only a portion of the sun was visible over the horizon. I didn¡¯t know what was going to happen to me later, but for now I was content. I raised my hand above the cup and thought about a calming, deep blue ocean and palm trees. A beach with no waves was a perfect beach. I opened my eyes slowly, and underneath my hand floated a clear ball. I kept the calm, watery thoughts in my mind. I wanted to stare at it for as long as I could. I was doing it. The water ball collapsed with a splash over the cup, wetting our legs. I repeated it again and again, each time needing less and less concentration. I swept my eyes from the cup to the window; there was no light now, unless I counted the light from the foggy light posts outside. Mila let out a small squeal as a knock thundered on the door. I stood up, straightening my track suit and tightening my ponytail. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Ruby?¡± Mila mumbled. I turned to face her and she leapt at me, pulling me into a tight embrace. Jeez, anyone would think she thought she¡¯d never see me again. I opened the door and met Eli¡¯s face on the other side. His full lips were pursed into a straight line and his beautiful green eyes burnt into mine. He was wearing his guardian get-up, the big combat boots, and the baggy black cargo pants that were tucked into his shoes. The tight black t-shirt he was wearing was tucked into his pants, making it tight around his upper body, leaving nothing to the imagination. I swooned over every line of his muscle remembering last night, when he held it against me. I dropped my eyes to the floor rapidly, trying to keep my composure. I needed to act and believe it never happened. It was the only way to save our lives, if it came to that point. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ruby,¡± said Mr Aleksandrov, who was also standing in the hallway. I stepped out into the corridor. The door to my room creaked loudly as I closed it. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine being locked in a cell, big cast iron doors being slammed behind me as I rocked myself helplessly in the corner. The thought must have stopped me in my tracks because Eli and Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s expressions reflected my worry. ¡°It will be okay,¡± Mr Aleksandrov assured me. ¡°You¡¯re a student of Sage Sanctum, my school. I won¡¯t let any harm come to you.¡± It meant a lot to hear Mr Aleksandrov say that. I had thought he didn¡¯t actually care. ¡°Thank you,¡± I mumbled. Grass cracked and rustled under my feet. He approached the border of the school. The ten foot stone wall surrounding the campus had a small cast iron gate in the middle of it. Mr Aleksandrov pulled a long stick from his robe, it was a wand. Mr Aleksandrov said he was a wizard, I thought it meant he could do spells and charms. I had no idea he could wield a wand. He whispered and flicked the wand slightly at the gate¡¯s lock. The gate creaked open. Despite my nerves, I smiled, amazed by the world I was involved in. It was a dangerous and overwhelming world, but it was filled with so much opportunity for adventure and beauty. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked when the three of us were on the other side of the gate. The trees were cloaked in shadows and they creaked slightly above us. I wrapped my arms around myself, hoping it would tone down the scariness of the bushes. It did help a little. The trees¡¯ thick bases and low hanging branches made me feel claustrophobic. All of these were scary, but the one thing that made it absolutely frightening was the silence. The sounds of any other living creatures were absent. ¡°In the middle is a clearing, he has set up camp there,¡± Mr Aleksandrov replied, pulling me from focusing on my fears of the bush. ¡°But that¡¯s outside of the protection charm.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t want to share accommodation with students or our faculty members. The higher power is a very strong man, capable of fighting off a bunch of vampires without breaking a sweat,¡± Mr Aleksandrov explained. ¡°Have you ever met him?¡± ¡°Yes. Once, and it¡¯s not something I want to repeat.¡± ¡°He usually sends his minions to do things for him. You might not even see him. I didn¡¯t,¡± Eli added. I felt a little better, it would be less intimidating if I was lying to a bunch of lowly servants than to the ruler of our kind himself. We pushed through the bush unflinchingly as spider webs broke over our skin. It bothered me slightly, but in the scheme of things, being bitten by a spider and passing out or dying seems a lot less stressful then having my brain pried through or put under a spell which exposes all my deepest secrets. When we reached the clearing, I couldn¡¯t believe it. Right in the middle was a giant tent; it was at least two stories high and the same length wide. If I had a portable tent of this scale, I would have stayed in it, too, instead of being cramped up in a high school filled with smelly boys and high-pitched girls. ¡°This is Aalin. She¡¯s here.¡± I jumped and turned around; I felt Eli¡¯s hand rest on my shoulder, easing my racing heart. Before us stood three very tall men with sniper rifles and night vision goggles. They wore a hard-out stealth army outfit. Every inch of their body was covered, not one section of skin was exposed to the cool night air. ¡°Send her in.¡± A woman¡¯s voice came through the walkie talkie that was strapped to Aalin¡¯s chest. The stealth guys grabbed me, forcing me to stand between them. ¡°You aren¡¯t coming?¡± I asked both Mr Aleksandrov and Eli. ¡°Ruby, we ¡ª¡± ¡°The higher power has requested only you, Ruby Moore,¡± the anonymous middle guy said. They pushed past Eli and Mr Aleksandrov, pulling me closer and closer to the tent. I couldn¡¯t help but look back at them as they stood watching, Eli¡¯s eyes burning fiercely into mine. I think he had a plan if things went south for me. At least, I hope he does. Page 8 The inside of the tent wasn¡¯t a tent at all. I was in a brightly lit, undistinguished room. It was like a normal open living house. The floor was hard and a deep crimson color. It was warmer in here, for which I was grateful. The walls were off-white and sturdy; there were no windows or any gap for air or light to flow through, but regardless of its set up, it still had that ¡®tent¡¯ smell. I stood in the main room; it wasn¡¯t much different than an actual living room and my eyes met the curious gazes of several people. The low discussions that filled the room when I entered were gone. My stomach dropped down into my intestines, sending my heart up into my throat. I wasn¡¯t surrounded by gods, goddesses, or guardian angels. I was surrounded by vampires. My stomach turned to ice and a cold sweat began to form on my forehead. I tried hard to swallow the panic rising rapidly in my throat. Vampires can smell fear; they know when your heartbeat increases, I know because I¡¯ve experienced it. It explained why they were staring at me, amused and hungry. A woman sitting to the left of me rose from her chair and approached the guard that escorted me in. ¡°Thank you, Aalin,¡± she whispered seductively, running a long, pointy index finger along his chin. He nodded and exited the tent, leaving me alone with the vampires. The woman slowly walked towards me, her long pale legs stretching out from underneath her dress. I bit the inside of my lip in hopes of calming my nerves. What was going on? Had vampires taken over? I shuddered at the thought of them killing the higher power. Mr Aleksandrov said he was strong enough to take on loads of vampires, maybe it was merely talk. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just delectable?¡± she growled, licking her lips. Her fangs clicked out. I shut my eyes as images of myself as a vampire filled my brain. I ran my tongue along my teeth to reassure myself they were, in fact, gone. She ran her long nailed finger against the skin on the back of my neck and I clenched my jaw as an ice cold trail followed her touch. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± I snapped. I couldn¡¯t help it, the words leapt out of my mouth before I had the chance to fight them. There was a ghost of a smile on her lips and her eyes were alight with humor, as if she was enjoying some kind of private joke. ¡°But we¡¯re sisters.¡± A slight Russian accent laced her words. My heartbeat accelerated, it drew her eyes to my chest and she smirked. ¡°Stop teasing the girl, Ludiia,¡± a man snarled as he entered from a side flap in the wall. Ludiia strolled back to her seat, but my heart rate didn¡¯t ease off. The man was very old, older than Ivan Aleksandrov, but his hair was cut just above his ears and no beard occupied his face. The only connection between the strange vampire and Aleksandrov was that the vampire wore a long, pitch black robe that rustled as it dragged along the floor. ¡°Why¡¯d you bringing her here, Lucian? Exposing yourself puts everything you¡¯ve worked for at risk.¡± I should have guessed the strange man would have a strange name. Lucian shot the random vampire a threatening glare and the vampire slunk back into his seat. ¡°So, you are Ruby Moore?¡± His attention returned to me. ¡°I thought I was meeting with my people?¡± I asked, forcing confidence into my tone hoping that it would, in turn, make me confident. No such luck. ¡°We are your people.¡± Lucian chuckled, his deep coal eyes pierced mine. ¡°No. My people help the world, not destroy it.¡± The room erupted in laughter, but I didn¡¯t take my eyes off Lucian. I wanted to. I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut and wait for someone to save me but I couldn¡¯t. I needed them to think I wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°I can see why the guardian angel is so captivated by you.¡± He approached me and circled me slowly. ¡°Absolutely stunning.¡± He twirled my ponytail around his finger and I shivered at the thought of him being so close to me. ¡°Where is the higher power?¡± ¡°Oh my dear,¡± he said, coming face to face with me. ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± No. It couldn¡¯t be. The higher power was supposed to be a god. He was supposed to be on our side, not theirs. Everything was in fast-forward and I was motionless in the middle of it all. How could this happen? ¡°I- I don¡¯t believe you,¡± I stammered. ¡°Not many people do.¡± He sighed. He clicked his fingers and a vampire handed him a manila folder. Lucian clicked his tongue against his teeth as if in thought. ¡°Here are a few reports that were made against you, Miss Moore.¡± He cleared his throat and opened the envelope. ¡°It seems a few of your peers have a problem with you.¡± ¡°So I recently discovered.¡± Although I had no idea there was a few. Lucian glanced at me in amusement. ¡°You got into a fight with a goddess, ran away from school, hunted a vampire, which cost the lives of three guardian angels ¡ª¡± He paused and smiled a fang-filled smile. ¡°And then there is the issue of Eli De Luca, your guardian angel.¡± ¡°Ex-guardian angel,¡± I corrected bitterly. ¡°Oh yes. I ended that, didn¡¯t I?¡± An icy chuckle seeped through his lips, causing my skin to erupt into goosebumps. My fists curled into balls at my side as I remembered the morning my tattoo washed off like dirt. ¡°Protocol. Sorry.¡± Lucian¡¯s grin widened and his eyes held a devious gleam. ¡°Ah, speak of the devil.¡± He pointed behind me, bringing my attention to the opening. Eli was escorted in the same way I was. ¡°Yummy,¡± moaned Ludiia. I ignored the urge to scowl at her. ¡°What is he doing here?¡± I couldn¡¯t keep the panic out of my tone. Lucian¡¯s charcoal eyes narrowed in on me as Eli came and stood beside me, but I still couldn¡¯t bring myself to relax, in fact, it made me tenser. I could feel the tension radiate off his body. I glanced sideways at him; he was just as nervous about the surrounding vampires as I was. I could tell by his clenched jaw, his clouded, intense eyes, and his lips that were held in an impassive line. ¡°You look a little ¡­ uncomfortable, angel,¡± Ludiia purred. She zipped over to him. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could find a way to relax you.¡± She began running her long fingers over his shoulders, causing jealousy to burn relentlessly in my chest. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you.¡± His voice was strained and cautious. Ludiia¡¯s lips stuck out in a pout, but she didn¡¯t take her hands off him. ¡°Well, Miss Moore. It just so happens to be your lucky day. I want you to work for me.¡± The Job I couldn¡¯t think straight, I was too confused. The higher power was no longer one of us, he was one of them. I would die before I helped out any vampire. ¡°No. I¡¯d rather die.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to say it. The words just fell from my lips. Lucian drifted forward rapidly, his movements too fast for me to realize his cold fingers grasped my jaw tightly. I winced at the pressure I felt under his grasp as all pretense of civility disappeared. ¡°Be careful what you wish for,¡± he hissed. The eyes that bored into mine were deep and black. I shuddered as they searched every inch of my soul. They held no emotion, no life. I felt a lump form in my throat as I thought back to the night my mother was killed, when I was turned against my will. I closed my eyes, swallowing hard in an attempt to hold back the tears that threatened my eyes. ¡°Let her go,¡± Eli growled. Lucian chuckled and released his grip. I opened my eyes as a single tear fell down my cheek. ¡°Interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lucian said, addressing the entire room. The surrounding vampires chuckled and agreed. ¡°Perhaps, you would do it if I ¡ª¡± He kicked Eli to his knees and exposed his throat. Ludiia giggled and knelt on the floor beside Eli. Lucian¡¯s fangs shot out of his gums and nicked the skin of Eli¡¯s throat. ¡°Stop!¡± I shrieked, my voice echoing in the silence. Ludiia looked up at me, smiling with pleasure. I couldn¡¯t bear to see another loved one killed in front of me and the smile that spread across Lucian¡¯s face made me nauseous. ¡°Tell me about this proposition,¡± I stammered. I swallowed, reminding myself to force confidence back into my voice. ¡°Atta girl,¡± a random vampire cheered. Lucian appeared in front of me once again and Eli rose to his feet, standing closer to me. I could feel his body heat radiating onto me and I relaxed in it. It made me feel safer, it offered me protection, and it soothed my soul. Ludiia appeared behind Lucian, keeping her spiteful eyes on me. ¡°Ruby,¡± Eli muttered into my ear. ¡°You don¡¯t have to negotiate with these people.¡± I ignored him. ¡°Your plan?¡± I prompted Lucian. He clicked his fingers and a big rust colored chair was brought out for him. I bit the inside of my lip in nervous anticipation as he got comfortable. ¡°You might not know that vampires outnumber your species a hundred to one. If you want to survive, you¡¯ll take this offer I¡¯m about to explain to you.¡± I nodded. ¡°I want to harvest both your species¡¯ blood.¡± I stared at him in astonishment. He couldn¡¯t be serious? Did he actually think I¡¯d go along with that? Eli fumed beside me. I could hear a rumble in his chest, building toward a growl. ¡°If I can provide my kind with your blood without many deaths to your species, then your kind can thrive longer. Your kind will also remain oblivious to what I really am.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this? Why do you care if we live or die?¡± ¡°When you were a vampire, did you ever taste god or guardian angel blood?¡± I shook my head, but I remembered the smell distinctly. They had the sweetest scent I¡¯d ever had the pleasure of smelling. ¡°What a shame. No vampire would give your blood up, but if I can harvest it and sell it, your species will survive. If goddesses, gods, and guardian angels survive, then as the higher power, I¡¯m doing my job and no one will know.¡± ¡°What do I do?¡± Eli inhaled sharply, no doubt confused why I was even considering his job offer. ¡°You will travel to various vampire sectors and impose my will upon them¡ª No goddess, god, or guardian angel deaths until I say so. As for your kind, I will issue mandatory blood donation. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Don¡¯t you worry about the technical side of things.¡± ¡°And if the vampires don¡¯t want to conform to your new law?¡± ¡°Kill them.¡± A nervous chuckle left my lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fight and I can barely use my magic. You chose the wrong girl.¡± ¡°Did I?¡± His lips separated into a smile, exposing his fangs. I shivered as he stared at me, like he knew something I didn¡¯t. ¡°You have no idea who your father is, do you?¡± What was he talking about? I repeated his words over and over in my mind. Why wouldn¡¯t they make any sense? What did my father have to do with anything? ¡°Did anyone tell you why Hank¡¯s venom couldn¡¯t fully turn you? Did they tell you why he came back for you a year later?¡± I heard a low growl escape from Eli¡¯s chest. ¡°Mr Aleksandrov told me a charm had been put on me as a baby, preventing the venom from turning me completely.¡± ¡°How creative.¡± Lucian snickered, the other vampires joined in. ¡°And incorrect.¡± I chewed the inside of my cheek in thought. I hadn¡¯t thought about my father. My mother told me he¡¯d bailed on us, plain and simple. I didn¡¯t ask any more questions because I didn¡¯t care. As for Mr Aleksandrov, why would he lie to me? What would he get out of it? ¡°Why should I believe a word you say?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m the only one telling you the truth.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but glance at Eli. He was watching me curiously, apologetically. ¡°Did you and Ivan lie to me?¡± I asked quietly. The vampires shifted in their seats, leaning closer, making sure they didn¡¯t miss anything. Ludiia dashed over to Eli and leaned against him, claiming him. The jealousy she forced into my chest distracted me from keeping my eyes solely on him. She was smirking at my frustration. The territorial feeling that surged through my body felt alien-like. Only Eli De Luca could make me feel things I¡¯ve never felt before. ¡°Ruby, you don¡¯t want to get into this.¡± His voice was hard. ¡°What¡¯s the real story?¡± I asked Lucian, ignoring Eli¡¯s comment. I didn¡¯t know if I could trust what Lucian said, but I had a backup plan. Eli wouldn¡¯t lie to me now, not after everything we¡¯d been through together. ¡°Tamzin!¡± Lucian called. A tall Indonesian man walked in through a flap in the side of the door. He wasn¡¯t like me or Eli, he wasn¡¯t even a vampire. He was human. Tamzin¡¯s skin was a deep olive; his hair was slicked back, exposing a narrow face and high cheekbones. ¡°Bring him in.¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t do this, Lucian. If this goes wrong, you could destroy everything,¡± Eli shouted. ¡°Do you think you can order me around? You¡¯re nothing more than a lowly guardian. You¡¯re disposable, replaceable.¡± His voice was icy and flat. All I could get out of my brain were words. Not formed in sentences or anything that made sense. Was he going to bring in my father? Was my dad a vampire? I couldn¡¯t help but feel like my brain was short circuiting and it needed rebooting. ¡°Wait,¡± I called to Tamzin. He turned to face me. ¡°I accept.¡± ¡°Ruby!¡± Eli growled at me. ¡°But on a few conditions.¡± ¡°Name it.¡± Page 9 ¡°You do not touch anyone at Sage Sanctum. You do not tell me anything about me until I ask. Any more information and I¡¯m going to have nervous breakdown. Lastly, you give me a week to say goodbye to my friends.¡± ¡°And you reinstate me as her guardian angel,¡± Eli added. ¡°No.¡± I panicked. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you do this alone.¡± Everyone else in the room faded away. I wasn¡¯t paying attention to them. It was just Eli and I talking now. ¡°I won¡¯t put your life at risk again, please,¡± I begged. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you a choice,¡± Eli said through clenched teeth. His eyes were filled with frustration, a pleading frustration. I couldn¡¯t leave without him and he knew it. ¡°And Eli is to be reinstated as my guardian angel,¡± I muttered to Lucian. Lucian rubbed his index finger across his top lip in thought. ¡°I may be a vampire, Miss Moore, but I still stand strongly against Guardian Angel and God-slash-Goddess relationships.¡± ¡°There is no relationship between Mr De Luca and I.¡± ¡°Please,¡± Ludiia scoffed. ¡°The sexual tension is suffocating me.¡± I scowled at her. ¡°Ludiia is right. It¡¯s painfully obvious the feelings you have for each other. Your actions speak louder than your words. It¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°I have a boyfriend. His name is Hunter and he¡¯s a god,¡± I lied, dropping my gaze to the floor. I hoped it would better our chances and take the scrutiny off Eli and I. I was still mad at him for what he did, but if dropping his name helped, it was the least he could do for me. ¡°Hunter Reeves?¡± I didn¡¯t know Hunter¡¯s last name but I nodded anyway. I glanced up at Lucian, who was rubbing his chin, pondering my conditions. ¡°Fine. You have a deal. I expect you back here on Friday. You have six days to get your shit together.¡± I exhaled, but I wasn¡¯t relieved, although I should celebrate every small victory I get over a vampire. Vampires aren¡¯t usually known for negotiating. I must have something he really wants. ¡°If you breathe a word about this to anyone, I will destroy your school and everyone you know.¡± In entered the masked men with guns that escorted us in earlier. ¡°Oh, can¡¯t I keep him?¡± Ludiia complained. ¡°Not anymore.¡± Lucian replied. I turned and met her eyes before we exited. She no longer smiled her impudent smile. She glared at me, her jaw clenched. Out in the open the trees rustled loudly against the cool night breeze, giving an eerie feel. For a moment I forgot where we were. The tent seemed like a permanent structure, not a temporary one set up just outside my school. My home. The sounds of the dry crackling leaves beneath our feet were sending shivers down my spine. I was on edge. I glanced over my shoulder and the three anonymous men were gone, leaving Eli and I alone in the bush. The tress cast freaky shadows on the clear path. I tried to force the unwanted images of being mauled to death by vampires from my mind. I needed to get to the safety of my dorm. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eli¡¯s voice was low and rough with anxiety. Was I okay? Well, it wasn¡¯t the first thing I expected him to say. Where was the chastising I was so positive I¡¯d receive from him? ¡°I-I¡¯m okay.¡± I stuttered nervously. He fell silent once again. I could see the school in the distance. So close, yet so far away. ¡°I have to admit, I thought you would be a lot angrier with me.¡± I caught a glimpse of Eli¡¯s face briefly as the gap in the trees made room for the moonlight. His lips quirked up into half a smile, something I wasn¡¯t expecting. ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to be angry. What¡¯s done is done. I¡¯m just glad we got out of there alive, for now, anyway.¡± He felt so distant. I resisted the urge to cling to him, forcing us together. ¡°You think we¡¯re going to die?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a high possibility, I suppose.¡± He was polite, as if he were barely interested. His words hurt, not literally, of course. It was just difficult for me to hear. Eli was always so positive and strong. I¡¯d never seen him doubt himself before now. I swallowed hard, forcing the annoying questions I wanted to ask back down my throat. I should be mad at him, shouldn¡¯t I? As far as Lucian was concerned, Eli and Aleksandrov lied to me. There was another reason why I hadn¡¯t fully turned, why Hank wanted me so badly. ¡°Will you tell me?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said curtly. He knew what I was talking about. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s my life, I deserve to know.¡± ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to hear any more information.¡± ¡°Not from him. I want to hear it from you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Eli exhaled in annoyance. Why couldn¡¯t he tell me? Why couldn¡¯t Mr Aleksandrov tell me? More importantly, why was the enemy the only one wanting to tell me? ¡°Because, Ruby, it will destroy you, and if things go bad, then it will destroy everything. You already have such a hard time controlling your anger. If this other thing gets out¡­ there¡¯s no hope,¡± he replied cryptically. I gave up as we approached the border of the school. Its tall stone wall cast long shadows over the ground, swallowing Eli and I as we got closer. The only light was the moon seeping through the wrought iron gate. Eli held the gate open for me and closed it as he stepped through. A bright purple light illumined the gate, sending small lightning bolts along the metal. I watched in awe as the gate was sealed. It was a beautiful thing to witness. I don¡¯t know what it was, the school seemed so alien to me. Perhaps it was the fact everyone here was lying to me with the exception for a select few. In the short time I¡¯d been here at SS, I¡¯ve grown to love it. It has become my home, my future. Without it, I¡¯d still be a vampire, alone and hunted by Hank. Maybe this secret was why they were so eager to bring me back. My thoughts brought me all the way to my dorm room. Eli watched me curiously as I pulled a key from my jacket pocket. ¡°What?¡± I asked, returning his curious stare with a nervous one. ¡°Why did you agree?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. He would have forced me anyway and he would have killed you.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have been able to force you to do anything. I would¡¯ve rather he killed me than endure what we¡¯re about to go through.¡± ¡°Eli, you asked for this. I didn¡¯t want you to be reinstated as my guardian. Your death is the last thing I need on my conscience.¡± I glanced down at my fingers and fidgeted with them nervously. Even without eye contact I could feel Eli¡¯s eyes burning into me. ¡°You know how I feel about you. You know I could never live with myself if something happened to you and I did nothing to help.¡± I did know how Eli felt about me. I didn¡¯t know if it was to the extent I felt for him. He was willing to risk his life for me again. Did that mean he loves me, too? ¡°Goodnight,¡± he whispered, then paced back down the corridor. I stared after him until he disappeared and then I entered my room. On the noticeboard attached to the back of the door, I saw a note. It was in Mila¡¯s handwriting: R, Uncle asked me to stay at his house tonight. We have a family friend visiting. See you tomorrow, hopefully. Love, M. I threw myself onto the bed. I didn¡¯t take into account the fact I¡¯d be leaving Mila behind. I didn¡¯t think I could. Raina would no doubt go back to harassing her. She¡¯d most likely move back in with her uncle and have no one to talk to about Gabriel. I realized I was shaking. I couldn¡¯t stop the tears. It was as if suddenly everything hit me all at once. I was leaving here, leaving everything behind. I reflected on my current lifestyle, knowing it would all be gone soon. I needed to figure out a plan. I couldn¡¯t let Lucian get away with this. We were human beings (well, kind of). We weren¡¯t vending machines or a spring of infinite blood that he could just harvest willy-nilly. If I had any chance of fixing this, then I needed to know the secret. Hopefully it could help. Pain and Temptation Escaping from the girls¡¯ dorm was easy. Mrs Ploit took a toilet break, leaving the exit unmanned. I felt guilty once more for sneaking past her, but if I could get back unnoticed, then what was the harm? The teachers¡¯ campus was quiet. Getting past the guardian in the booth wasn¡¯t a problem, either. Although the gate by the booth was the only official entrance, the rough cut of the seven foot Cumbrian stone wall that divided the community from the student campus was easy to climb. It offered natural stepping stones, allowing me to pull myself up and over. I approached Eli¡¯s house. The moon reflected on the side of his Audi Q5 SUV. As I neared, the front door opened and Mr Aleksandrov stepped out onto the porch with two other guardian angels. I dove beside the SUV, hoping the guardians didn¡¯t hear me. I peered through the dark glass, my stomach twisted into knots as the one closest to me shot a glance my way. When he turned back to the conversation, my body relaxed. The dialogue between Eli and Mr Aleksandrov was quiet and muffled. Whatever they were discussing, they didn¡¯t want anyone else to hear. They shook hands and Mr Aleksandrov and his guardians descended the steps before turning down the street, walking at a leisurely pace. I didn¡¯t move, not until Mr Aleksandrov disappeared out of sight. Once they did, I waited a few more minutes before I found myself at Eli¡¯s door; my arm was poised and ready to knock, but suddenly I was unsure if I should intrude. I had put him through so much tonight already. Maybe I should go? I turned my back to the door but a creak made me turn back. ¡°Ruby? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I ¡ª uh ¡ª¡± I took a big gulp of air, trying to buy time to piece a sentence together. What was I doing here? It kind of just happened. One minute I was crying uncontrollably in my bed and the next I was scaling a stone wall. I guess I wanted to know about me more than I thought I did. ¡°Can we talk?¡± I asked. Eli stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter his house. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I glanced around nervously. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Lucian already has us.¡± His lips pursed into a passive line. His beautiful bright eyes were bleak and he hunched slightly. I stepped into his house cautiously; I couldn¡¯t shake the forbidding feeling. I was expecting Mr Aleksandrov or Lucian to jump out at me and scream ¡®busted,¡¯ but of course, nothing happened. As soon as I stepped in, I was in the living room. It was so elegant and modern. Not what I had expected at all. Eli struck me as the kind of decorator that would have animal heads on the wall, not pretty landscapes. The floors were wooden and shiny, the walls were white. The dark pleather couches that were perfectly spaced made the room less sterile and cold. A red-brown Persian rug covered most of the floor. I was reminded of my mother¡¯s cabin; Eli¡¯s home had a similar layout. It had an open living style, except his room and the bathroom were hidden behind wooden doors. ¡°You have a beautiful home.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He smiled but the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. He waltzed over to the bar separating the living room from the kitchen. I admired paintings of an unknown countryside adorning his wall. ¡°Vidzeme.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The paintings. They¡¯re of the countryside in Vidzeme, Latvia.¡± ¡°Beautiful,¡± I whispered. I had no idea Eli enjoyed paintings or the countryside, and then it dawned on me. I knew nothing about Eli. His likes, dislikes, favorite music, or favorite foods. ¡°You¡¯re of legal age, so I suppose I should ask you if you would like a drink?¡± Eli held up a bottle of wine. Even though I¡¯d promised myself I wouldn¡¯t drink again, I nodded my head anyway. I needed something to take the edge off. Eli would be in a lot of trouble with the school if they knew I was in his house or that he was offering me alcohol, but I assumed he didn¡¯t really care at this point. I sat down on the couch and Eli handed me my drink. He sat on the couch opposite me. He was still in his ¡®on-duty¡¯ uniform and I flushed at the sexiness of it all. ¡°I didn¡¯t pick you as the drinking type.¡± He smiled a genuine smile this time and I relaxed. ¡°I was quite the drinker a few years back, but I¡¯ve changed. I do appreciate a good glass of wine every now and then, though.¡± Eli ran his finger across his bottom lip as he eyed me curiously. I sat my wine glass down on the smooth dark wood of the coffee table and adjusted myself in my seat. I bit my tongue against the flood of questions that rose in my throat. It was a good time to get the answers I sought, but I was feeling a little off by Eli¡¯s mood. He seemed down about our situation, I imagine. ¡°Mr Aleksandrov knows?¡± I asked. Eli nodded and took a sip of his wine. I assumed as much. ¡°Does he have a plan?¡± ¡°Somewhat. It¡¯s still in the early stages.¡± ¡°Eli, are you okay? You still have a chance to get out of this. I won¡¯t be upset. This is my fault.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about me,¡± he replied, leaning forward in his chair. ¡°This is about you. I couldn¡¯t care less if it was me that was chosen to kill vampires. I do that all the time. I¡¯m angry that Lucian would come for you when he has your ¡ª¡± Eli cut his words off by slamming down what was left of the wine in his glass. He rose to his feet and drifted back over to the bar. I got up and followed him. I took a hold of the wine bottle as he began to pour it, taking it from his grasp. Page 10 ¡°You don¡¯t need this. Talk to me.¡± ¡°If I tell you, will you promise to let me help you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No matter what?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I had no idea what I was promising, but if it helped Eli, then I was willing to honor any promise I made. He took me by the hand and brought me back to the couches. We sat down next to each other. ¡°Where to begin?¡± He sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the real story. Why wasn¡¯t Hank able to turn me?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a charm.¡± That much I gathered. ¡°Your father is a Heelian.¡± I had no idea what that even meant. Surely he didn¡¯t mean another species? ¡°Heelian?¡± ¡°They¡¯re kind of like us. They¡¯re against vampires, but a long time ago, they disappeared. Most of them were killed by vampires but the rest ¡­ exploded.¡± ¡°Exploded?¡± ¡°The thing about Heelians is that they¡¯re easily aggravated. When they get too angry, it¡¯s like an overload for their system.¡± Eli mimicked an explosion with his hands. ¡°And most of the time it¡¯s unstoppable.¡± The couch creaked as Eli tilted his body towards me. I inhaled his scent, taking a moment to relax myself. Being overwhelmed is never a good feeling for me. ¡°Your father came across your mother when she was staying on the outside of the safety border and they fell in love. Vampires came for him, but he and your mother escaped.¡± Guilt struck my chest as I recalled Eli¡¯s dad was the one who suffered for it. I dropped my eyes from Eli¡¯s face to my lap. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look him in the eyes. ¡°Heelians can harness the power of the sun.¡± My gaze met his again. That didn¡¯t make sense. How can someone harness the power of the sun? ¡°Is that what stopped Hank from turning me? The sun?¡± Eli nodded his head. ¡°The sun runs through your blood, it counteracts the venom- to an extent.¡± ¡°So my dad and I are the only ones left?¡± Eli nodded. ¡°We think so.¡± ¡°Why did Hank want me?¡± ¡°Well, Heelian blood, your blood, makes vampires even stronger than they already are¡­ temporarily. Hank must have found out about you later on and decided to come back for you. You were his only chance to stand up against Lucian.¡± ¡°Why would Lucian risk another vampire becoming stronger than him? Why send me out?¡± ¡°Because Lucian has your father ¡­ Lucian is using him as his very own power station. Your father is older than you and a full blood, therefore he¡¯s stronger than you, much stronger. If someone kills you and takes your blood, it doesn¡¯t matter, they still won¡¯t be as strong as Lucian.¡± The new information swirled around my mind. I clenched my jaw as I tried to fight off a thumping headache. ¡°Why can¡¯t Lucian just send¡ª¡± I paused and thought about my father¡¯s name. What was it? I don¡¯t think Mum ever mentioned it, nor did I ever think to ask. ¡°Mithras,¡± Eli added. Mithras? I wonder where that name originated from. A warm feeling surged in my cheeks and I nodded at Eli. It¡¯s embarrassing not knowing what your parent¡¯s name is. ¡°Aleksandrov told me that Mithras is addicted to vampire bites. He¡¯s delusional, much like the woman you saw when you first arrived here. He wouldn¡¯t be much help.¡± The woman¡¯s face flooded my memory. I remember her rocking and humming to herself. She had begged me to bite her, and when I did, she moaned in ecstasy. I was bitten by a vampire once. It was a horribly painful experience and not something I ever want to go through again. I shuddered at the thought of vampire fangs being anywhere near my skin. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay.¡± Eli¡¯s voice pulled me from my thoughts. His smooth thumb wiped a tear away from my cheek. I had no idea I was crying until the room started to blur. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m crying.¡± I sniffled. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°It is¡­ almost every bad thing that has ever happened in your life was because of me or by one of my relatives.¡± Two large, warm hands wrapped around my face, forcing my gaze from the floor. I met his eyes. Even in the dim light of the floor lamp they reflected such a nice green color. ¡°None of this is your fault.¡± He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear and I bit my bottom lip out of nervousness. I always feel out of control when I¡¯m around Eli. I hate being out of control. Slowly, I pushed my face closer to his; he didn¡¯t pull away. His eyes rested on my lips as I released the bottom one from my teeth. He ran his thumb along them before pressing his own lips against mine. Eli¡¯s soft lips seemed to fit perfectly onto mine, making my heart race and the butterflies in my stomach flutter uncontrollably. Eli was so gentle, so cautious. The intensity of our kiss increased as our breathing became ragged. Only Eli could make me feel like this. I inhaled sharply as he pulled me on top of him so my legs straddled his thighs. The cool skin of his hands ran under my shirt and jacket, feeling the contour of my body, skin on skin, leaving my skin tingling in its wake. I ran my fingers through his short, soft hair as he trailed his kisses from my lips to the base of my neck and along my collar bone. ¡°Eli?¡± I panted. ¡°Hmm?¡± he mumbled, applying more kisses to my throat. ¡°I-I¡¯ve never done this before.¡± My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I squeezed my eyes shut; hoping it would make me feel less embarrassed. The kisses slowed as they came back up my neck and to a stop, his hands still holding firmly onto my waist. ¡°I know.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can tell.¡± I flushed. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I feel your body tense when I touch it. It¡¯s a foreign feeling and your body is confused.¡± I exhaled in embarrassment and slid off him, back to where I was previously sitting. My skin still tingled from his touch and my lips were already having withdrawal symptoms from his kisses. ¡°I want to do this with you,¡± I muttered. I love you, my subconscious added, but the three words fell silently into the back of my mind. I was ready to say them but I doubt Eli was ready to hear them. He took my hand in his, caressing it with his thumb. ¡°No, you don¡¯t, not like this. Your first time should be with someone you can be with, someone who is allowed to spoil you and make you happy before making such a leap.¡± Eli brought my hand to his lips and kissed it softly. I closed my eyes; the kiss seemed too private to watch. He wants me to be with someone who is allowed to spoil me and make me happy. Little does he know that someone else could buy me the world, the stars, and the moon, but it still wouldn¡¯t make me as happy as he did just being in his presence. ¡°I should go,¡± I whispered, opening my eyes and meeting his. ¡°That¡¯s a wise decision.¡± He smiled, his eyes alive with a cheeky gleam. I smiled. It was nice to see him perk up, seeing him so down was depressing. Reluctantly I dragged myself off the couch; his body heat was working like a magnet against me, trying to pull me closer. Damn you, hormones. The walk to the front door seemed too short. I didn¡¯t want to leave, even though it was best. ¡°So I¡¯ll see you tomorrow,¡± I said, stepping out onto the cute porch. ¡°Sure, and breakfast is at eight.¡± I headed down the steps and onto the driveway. ¡°Sleep well,¡± he called. I waved my hand behind me in acknowledgment. I entered the lobby of the girls¡¯ dorm. I wasn¡¯t in the mood for sneaking, I was just going to walk right up to Mrs Ploit and tell her that I snuck out. ¡°I was with Mr Aleksandrov, my uncle.¡± My head flicked up and Mila was standing in front of Mrs Ploit. Perfect. Maybe I could get out of this without incurring a detention. ¡°Mila!¡± I called. ¡°You kept walking; I had to tie my shoelace.¡± I tried hard not to giggle, her face was priceless. She had no idea what I was going on about. ¡°Ruby? I have your signature here from earlier this evening. When Mr De Luca brought you back?¡± Oops. I forgot about that. ¡°Yes but then I went back out; I was expected for dinner at Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s home. I must have forgotten to sign out. Why you didn¡¯t remind me when I walked past?¡± ¡°I mustn¡¯t have noticed. I¡¯ve been feeling a little off lately.¡± She adjusted the reading glasses on her face.¡± Mila faked a smile at Mrs Ploit but it didn¡¯t reach her eyes. Mila was either angry I¡¯d snuck out again, worried about what the higher power wanted with me, or was curious what I was up to. We signed in and headed toward our room. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming back until tomorrow?¡± I asked. ¡°Ugh. I couldn¡¯t stay there and talk about politics for another second. What about you?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Mila glared at me as I unlocked our room door. With a gentle push it opened and Mila entered the room. I was going to tell her about the higher power but then I remembered his warning. ¡°So tell me, what happened?¡± I wracked my brain for a story as she began brushing her teeth in the bathroom. ¡°I have good news and bad news. The bad news is ¡­¡± I swallowed hard, trying to push the lump in my throat down. ¡°That I am going to be away for a while.¡± Right on cue she stepped out of the bathroom, her expression clouded. ¡°The higher power wants Eli and I to work for him for a little while. A few weeks at most.¡± I hadn¡¯t completely lied. I was going away to work for the higher power, I just didn¡¯t include that he was a vampire feeding off my father¡¯s blood and wanted to turn our blood into a business. I also didn¡¯t mention I could be dead by the beginning of next week. ¡°The higher power came all the way here to offer you a temporary job?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I pulled my hair from my ponytail. I felt sticky and hot. I needed a shower. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good thing. Maybe you could request a certain career path when you get out of school.¡± If Lucian was making me do this now before I¡¯d even finished school, I could only imagine what he¡¯d make me do after. ¡°What¡¯d he look like?¡± Mila wondered aloud, disappearing into the bathroom again. ¡°I didn¡¯t see him,¡± I lied. ¡°I spoke to a few assistants, but that¡¯s all.¡± I couldn¡¯t bring myself to lie about his appearance. What would I say? He¡¯s a nice guy, a little old, but like us in every way. No. He was the complete opposite, an abomination. Mila exited the bathroom, knotting the tie from her dressing gown. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a shower.¡± I dove into the bathroom before she had a chance to ask about Eli. There was no way I was going to be able to keep my cheeks from flushing crimson after what happened between us. I was still having a hard time believing it myself. I turned the tap closer to ¡®hot.¡¯ I needed to clean the cold clammy feeling of death off me. The first drop hit my skin. The clear glass of the shower became foggy as the steam built up. I stood there without moving, the pounding water massaging my muscles. When I finished in the bathroom, Mila was tucked into bed, sleeping like a baby. Her long hair wrapped around her, keeping any exposed flesh warm. It made me long for my bed, and when I climbed in, the world instantly faded out, leaving me at the mercy of my dreams. Jealousy Kills The dreary shapes before me became sharp objects of reality as I opened my eyes to the glare of morning sun intruding through my window. Ugh. I really needed to get better curtains. ¡°Good morning,¡± Mila cheered, pulling a sweater over her pink t-shirt. ¡°We have to get to breakfast and then to class.¡± I forgot I still had to go to class. What a waste. I¡¯d rather be doing something fun my last week of life. The dining hall was alive with conversation and gossip about the dance last Friday night. It seemed that Hunter, Rylan, and I were a main topic about said dance. I ignored the snickers and comments whispered under hushed tones as Mila and I found seats. ¡°Well, well, well, it seems like someone had an interesting Friday night,¡± a girl next to us chuckled. ¡°Complicated, not interesting,¡± I corrected her. Her curly black hair bounced cheerfully on her shoulders as she let out a hearty laugh. There was no denying it, her optimism was contagious, and I found myself smiling back at her. ¡°I¡¯m Ava.¡± She extended her hand to me and I took it. Her light brown skin was so soft. I should moisturize my own later. ¡°I¡¯m Ruby and this is Mila.¡± Mila smiled. ¡°I know, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you both. You, Ruby, in particular.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t believe everything you hear, especially if it comes from the mouths of Raina and her posse.¡± I smiled politely. ¡°Noted.¡± Ava was a very pretty girl. I hadn¡¯t seen her in any of my classes, was she new? ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around before,¡± I commented. ¡°I¡¯m relatively new. I¡¯ve been here about a month or so.¡± I watched her curiously; I couldn¡¯t tell if she was a goddess or a guardian angel. Her frame was petite like a goddess, but there was something about her confident attitude that made me feel like she was a guardian angel. ¡°Goddess.¡± She smiled at me. I nodded in acknowledgement. ¡°So how did you get in? Sage Sanctum doesn¡¯t usually accept mid-year enrollments. Special cases being the exception.¡± Mila batted an eyelid in my direction. Page 11 ¡°My parents never wanted me to come here. They wanted to stay cloaked by humans in big cities where vampire activity was low. Unfortunately, they went out one night and never came back.¡± ¡°Vampires?¡± Mila whispered and I threw her a don¡¯t-be-insensitive look. Ava nodded. ¡°Sorry ¡­¡± I mumbled. ¡°I know what you¡¯re going through.¡± What are you doing? I chastised myself. I¡¯m supposed to be detaching myself from the students here, not making new friends. ¡°Do you have Fire Science next?¡± Mila asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You can sit with us, if you want.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that. I haven¡¯t made that many friends. It would be nice to talk to anyone other than myself.¡± So much for detachment. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing, I suppose. Mila didn¡¯t have any other friends here except Gabriel, Hunter, and maybe Rylan. Cloud died, Sam left, and everyone else treated her like a leper because Raina told them to. Perhaps having Ava around wasn¡¯t such a bad idea. The rest of breakfast was filled with chatting and fruit. There was no drama, for which I was grateful. The last thing I needed was more stress. Fire Science was full this morning. At the back of the classroom were two free seats, which I humbly gave up to Mila and Ava. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ava asked. She was hesitant. ¡°Absolutely.¡± Hurrying their friendship along made me feel better. She¡¯d have someone by her side to shield her from Raina. The only other available seat in the smoky, dim classroom was an empty one next to Rylan. ¡°Hi,¡± I greeted as I fell into the seat next to him. ¡°Hi there.¡± He smiled. The teacher hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Mr Kroon was never on time for classes but he made up for it by his grand entrances. I glanced at the door, still no Kroon. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to find a seat next to you. Are you and Miss Wicked-Witch-of-the-North having a disagreement?¡± I smiled smugly. I couldn¡¯t care less about the relationship between Rylan and Raina, but my ¡®inner friend¡¯ thought it would be nice to see if everything was okay. ¡°Raina and I are finished.¡± A slight chuckle left his lips. Rylan didn¡¯t seem beat up about it at all. My eyes drifted to the front of the room, to Raina. She returned my gaze with a hard, jealous glare. There¡¯s the Raina I know and love, my subconscious stated sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at her. I knew I was in for trouble because I was sitting next to Rylan. Lunch should be interesting. In walked Mr Kroon, carrying a small tea light candle. The flame was small, roughly the size of my thumbnail. He waved his hand, pulling the flame from the candle wick. I watched in awe as he separated the single flame ball into twelve minuscule balls and sent them to hover above the small tea light candles on everyone¡¯s desk. Mr Kroon pinched his hand shut and the flames attached themselves to the wicks and burned normally. The room erupted into claps, whistles, and cheers as he bowed modestly at the front of the class. Mr Kroon was happy. His cheeks squeezed against his face as he smiled, they were so big I was afraid they were going to burst. ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± He laughed before clearing off the blackboard. The smell of chalk mixed with the already potent smell of smoke and I cleared my throat of the dust that entered with every shallow breath. ¡°Yes. I suppose we should open a window.¡± Rylan said, rising from his seat and opening the window closest to us. ¡°Thank you,¡± I whispered. Mr Kroon stood at the front of the class, explaining how to split the something-or-others of fire. Truth be told, I had no idea what he was saying, I wasn¡¯t paying attention. No matter how hard I tried, my mind kept reeling back to the higher power and these poor students. They had no idea what they are working for, what they are supporting and praising. A vampire. A dirty, sneaky, greasy, cold vampire. ¡°I need to tell you something,¡± Rylan muttered under his breath. I didn¡¯t turn my head, I glanced sideways briefly. He was concerned, apologetic, but he didn¡¯t elaborate. I guess he wanted to tell me after class. I couldn¡¯t imagine it pertained to anything other than Raina. I didn¡¯t want to know, but if I could help in the slightest, it was the least I could do before leaving. The cool air hit my skin and my body sighed in relief. I hadn¡¯t noticed how thick and warm the air had been in the classroom. ¡°We have Angelology now, are you coming?¡± Mila called, Ava coming to a stop beside her. ¡°I¡¯ll, uh, meet you there,¡± I replied. Mila and Ava walked off, giggling and talking. I envied their simplicity. Rylan came to a stop in front of me and I met his blue eyes. I should tell him I was going away for a while. Fire Science and Botany were the only classes we shared, this might be my only time to say a proper farewell. ¡°So ¡­ there¡¯s something I ¡ª¡± ¡°Can I just say something to get it out of the way?¡± I asked. He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going away for a while.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to work for the higher power for a little while¡­ He¡¯s here.¡± Uh-oh. Judging by Rylan¡¯s terrified facial expression and stiff posture, I assumed no one else knew Lucian was here. ¡°Oh no. This is bad,¡± he whispered. ¡°Rylan, it¡¯s okay.¡± I knew otherwise. ¡°No, Ruby, you don¡¯t understand ¡­ shit.¡± ¡°Rylan, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I was starting to get frightened by his behavior, had something happened? Does Rylan know? Rylan sprinted past me, heading in the direction of the boys¡¯ dorm. ¡°Rylan!¡± I called after him, but he didn¡¯t turn back. I spent the whole Angelology class worried about Rylan. I didn¡¯t know the students had no idea the higher power was here. What if it spreads and creates some kind of mass panic? Why was everyone so afraid? If they¡¯re this scared now, imagine what they¡¯d do if they found out what he really was. Lunch couldn¡¯t come fast enough. When it did, I was waiting anxiously outside the dining hall. ¡°Have you seen Rylan?¡± I asked anyone that might have known him. I was met with shakes of the head. ¡°Ruby, what are you doing?¡± Eli asked, alarmed by my worried expression. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Rylan. Have you seen him?¡± ¡°No. Is everything okay?¡± He eyed me cautiously but I was glancing nervously past him. ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡ª I mean, I think so ¡­ can I talk to you later?¡± He nodded and entered the hall. I felt bad for brushing him off, but I needed to sort this out. Then I spotted Rylan stalking slowly towards me. ¡°Rylan!¡± I called, jogging over to him. His face was sad. ¡°Rylan, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ruby, I did something terrible ¡­¡± My stomach knotted, his words could mean anything. ¡°I ¡ª¡± He hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can tell me.¡± He exhaled in defeat. ¡°I filed a report against Eli and one against you.¡± I was stunned. My brain throbbed, trying to understand. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I chuckled nervously in disbelief. ¡°I ¡­ Raina told me she filed a report against you but nothing happened. She didn¡¯t want to send another one because it would look suspicious, so she talked me into filing one against Eli that included you. After that, she convinced Hunter to send one, but he changed his mind and tore it up, leaving it in the bin in his dorm. I broke in, took it, and sent it. Raina thought if I dated her, you would be jealous, and then perhaps you¡¯d want to be with me ¡­ I wanted Eli and Hunter gone, not you, Ruby.¡± My mouth was dry. I closed my eyes. It didn¡¯t bother me as much as it would have yesterday. The higher power already had me, so I wasn¡¯t scared. What upset me was I had treated Hunter like crap. I accused him of so much and ruined dinner all because of Rylan and Raina and their jealous vendettas against me. ¡°How ¡ª¡± My voice shook and I swallowed hard, trying not to cry. ¡°How could you do this to me?¡± ¡°Ruby¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you.¡± ¡°You did!¡± I shouted. ¡°You hurt me so much, and this whole time I¡¯ve been defending you! I¡¯m being forced to leave my school to work for a ¡ª¡± I cut my words off on purpose. The word ¡®vampire¡¯ was too close to the tip of my tongue. ¡°And it¡¯s all because of you!¡± Tears fell from my eyes, forcing me to squeeze them shut against the mascara that burned them. I wonder if Lucian would have found me if no one filed a report against Eli or me. For every slight step Rylan took forward, I took one back. I felt no sympathy for him; his furrowed brow didn¡¯t affect me. I was mad and there was no coming back from that, not until I was satisfied with my revenge. ¡°Rylan, is everything okay?¡± The voice screeched down my body like fingernails to a black board. I hated her. I hated Raina more than anyone I have hated on this earth. If I could choose to revive Hank and kill Raina instead, I would. I turned abruptly to face her. Raina looked scared, her skin was pale and she fidgeted with her fingers. ¡°Unh,¡± she gasped as I dove at her, tackling her to the ground. My legs straddled her waist and I had her by the throat. ¡°You¡¯re a manipulative, deceitful, pathetic excuse for a goddess!¡± I growled at her. My eyes were solely on Raina¡¯s, and it fuelled my anger more. ¡°Ruby, stop!¡± Rylan called as Raina¡¯s breathing became ragged. I began filling with heat, the core of my being became hotter and hotter. It was the Heelian power. I could feel my body absorbing the sun, making me angrier and angrier. Grass and vines wrapped around me, both Rylan and Raina we¡¯re using their magic to force me off her, but every time they got a grasp around me my body flared and it burnt their progress. I enjoyed hear Raina tense in pain every time my body burnt hers. Every time Rylan reached out for me, I flared a golden light, burning his hand. If I hadn¡¯t been pulled off Raina, I might have killed her. All my problems, my anger, my grief, flooded into me and I lost control. ¡°Ruby! What are you doing?¡± a voice shouted. It was a familiar voice, a voice that I didn¡¯t feel worthy of hearing. Hunter¡¯s. ¡°Take Raina to the guardians. They can take her to the medical building.¡± My eyes were squeezed shut as I curled into Hunter. My brain was hot, causing a migraine to blare relentlessly in my head. Raina¡¯s sobs blew away with the wind. I was on the ground, folded into myself in Hunter¡¯s arms. Even with my eyes closed, I could see my world blurring and spinning. Then darkness claimed me. Grudges Slowly I awoke from the depths of oblivion, then awareness came to me in a flash and I wasn¡¯t in my comfort zone. What happened? How did I get here? Where was here? So many thoughts and questions scrambled to the surface in my mind. At first everything was so disorienting, I didn¡¯t recognise the pure white ceiling. The ceiling of my dorm was off-white, so I wasn¡¯t in my bed. I moved, and whatever I was lying on squeaked. A pleather couch. As I glanced around the room, my eyes met paintings of the rolling Vidzeme countryside. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Eli¡¯s voice was hard. He didn¡¯t seem too happy with me. ¡°Go easy on her,¡± a voice muttered. It was Hunter. ¡°I think I¡¯ll do the talking,¡± Mr Aleksandrov interjected. Slowly, I sat up. Hunter grasped me by the elbow, helping me to a sitting position. Mr Aleksandrov, Eli, and Hunter now stood around me. I didn¡¯t make eye contact with anyone, I was too embarrassed. I no longer had a migraine, it had downsized to a small ache in the back of my head. Hunter slid in next to me but I kept my eyes on the floor. ¡°Ruby, how are you feeling?¡± Mr Aleksandrov asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been better.¡± ¡°Do you remember what happened?¡± I nodded. ¡°Raina is okay, she¡¯s quite sunburnt but nothing too serious, luckily.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± I remembered her face, scared and wide-eyed as my hand clenched tightly around her throat. ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop.¡± ¡°Apparently you¡¯re like a UV grenade.¡± Hunter chuckled. I was happy to see him, but his upbeat attitude was making me nauseous. ¡°We¡¯re lucky that¡¯s all it was.¡± Mr Aleksandrov sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t know how dangerous that situation could have become, Ruby.¡± I combed my fingers through my hair. ¡°I know I¡¯m in a lot of trouble right now, and I accept all consequences, but can I go back to my room? I¡¯m not feeling well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand the severity of your actions,¡± Eli replied. I dropped my head into my hand. The minor ache at the back of my head had turned into a full blown headache and was getting worse by the minute. The words that filtered through my ears became painful, intolerable. ¡°Please, can I go?¡± I spoke through clenched teeth. Every word that left my mouth caused my brain to throb harder against my skull. I did understand. I attacked a student with a power I have no control over, a power that I didn¡¯t know how to stop. The only information I had was that if I got too angry, there was a possibility I might explode. ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well, perhaps we should get you down to the medical wing¡­¡± Mr Aleksandrov thought aloud. ¡°No. I just need to rest. I need my bed.¡± Page 12 ¡°I¡¯ll take her.¡± Hunter grasped my arm, pulling me gently to my feet. I wobbled momentarily but found my footing. ¡°Good. Mr De Luca and I have things we need to discuss, anyway.¡± Hunter began walked me toward the door. I glanced back over my shoulder towards Eli, who was watching me intently. I could tell by the way he looked at me, he wanted to take me back to my dorm, he wanted to look after me, not leave me in the arms of someone else. I gave Eli a reassuring nod and he turned back toward Mr Aleksandrov. It was dark outside. Clouds cluttered the sky, blotting out the stars. I pulled up the hood of my jacket, stopping the wind from whipping me with my own hair. ¡°He likes you, you know?¡± Hunter said as our feet came into contact with the grass opposite Eli¡¯s house. My head groaned in agony. ¡°Nah, He¡¯s just protective. He wants me to make the right decisions and ¡ª I don¡¯t know ¡­ I guess he just worries too much.¡± I could feel a slight smile hint at my lips as I thought about Eli and I bit the inside of my cheek to hide it. ¡°I guess I should apologize. I shouldn¡¯t have assumed that it was true. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I added. Hunter¡¯s lips smiled, exposing his perfect teeth and cute dimples. He ran a hand through his unruly hair, slowing his pace and coming to a stop before the booth and gate that separated the students from the teachers. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I would have done the same thing. Sure, it was hell not being able to talk to you, but I knew you¡¯d find out it was Rylan eventually. You can make it up to me, though.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Breakfast tomorrow morning. It¡¯ll be just you, me, and the rest of the school in the dining hall.¡± A laugh fell from my lips. I didn¡¯t realize how much I missed Hunter¡¯s witty charm. It was the least I could do after everything. It wasn¡¯t romantic in any way, so I didn¡¯t feel guilty because of Eli. I just wanted a chance to make it up to Hunter. ¡°Done.¡± The roaring sound of the students gossiping filled my ears as soon as I entered the dining hall. It was unbearable from the steps, let alone inside. I glanced around at the student body, each face telling a different story. Some were excited, some terrified, and some were sad. My actions affected everyone in different ways, none of which I was proud of. ¡°Over here, Rubes!¡± A voice pulled my attention to the left side of the room. There Hunter sat, his hair an unruly black like crow''s feathers, and a dark blue shirt clinging tightly to his torso. ¡°Good Morning,¡± I greeted as I sat down next to him. On the table was an assortment of breakfast foods; fruit, yoghurt, coffee, juice, toast and muesli. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what you prefer, so I got a bit of everything.¡± ¡°Fruit is good.¡± He slid a bowl of fruit salad over to me and my stomach growled with hunger. I stabbed a piece of watermelon with my fork and brought it to my mouth. As I took a bite, my glance fell onto Eli, who was watching us curiously. I looked awkwardly into my bowl. Why was I suddenly feeling guilty? Eli and I weren¡¯t dating, and Hunter and I were only having breakfast together. It was the least I could do for him. ¡°Let¡¯s go to dinner together on Friday night.¡± I raised a glass of juice to my mouth and took an extra-long gulp to buy myself some time. I was going to tell Hunter I was leaving, but I didn¡¯t want to do it at breakfast. I didn¡¯t want to ruin another meal with him. However, I didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡°I, uh, I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t finished your fruit salad.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving now. I¡¯m leaving on Friday.¡± I lowered my voice so only Hunter could hear. ¡°The higher power is here, he¡¯s staying off campus. He¡¯s requested that I work for him for a while.¡± His mouth had dropped slightly and he slowly rose from his chair. ¡°Hunter, what are you doing?¡± He didn¡¯t respond, he pursed his lips into a line and I followed his line of vision as he narrowed in on Rylan, who sitting with Zavion on the other side of the room. His jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. I threw Eli a panicked expression and he understood. He left his chair and walked hastily over to us, trying not to draw any attention. ¡°Hunter,¡± murmured Eli, his voice low. Only Eli could sound so calm yet so threatening at the same time. Hunter didn¡¯t see Eli, he only saw Rylan. ¡°Hunter, please?¡± I whispered. He turned and headed out the door, leaving Eli and I staring after him. ¡°Well, there goes another meal ruined. Now I only need to ruin lunch to complete the collection,¡± I groaned. I rested my head on my arms in defeat. ¡°Don¡¯t stress yourself out with this stuff. You have a lot on your plate already.¡± I nodded and he returned to his chair. Love The rest of the week went quickly, too quickly. It was Thursday, and the predicted storm had arrived. I spent most of my time in my dorm room. After the incident with Raina, I wasn¡¯t allowed to attend classes or hang out in between meals. It was late, my clock said it was eleven p.m. and I was alone. Mila had gone to spend the night with Ava in her dorm and I was left with the storm for company. The wind whistled, causing my window to rattle relentlessly. The sky was black with menacing rainclouds until the cracks of lightning broke the darkness. The wild storm matched my mood perfectly; tomorrow night Eli and I will be officially working for a vampire. I¡¯d been in bed for hours now and sleep still evaded me. Fang-filled faces were painted across the sky with every lightning strike and each time it made my heart quicken, sending shivers down my spine. Eventually sleep came. It wasn¡¯t a full sleep, it was constantly broken by images of fangs, blood and pale skin. Nothing truly sank in until I saw yellow rays of light creep upwards. The sun peered over the horizon, its light dimmed by the blanket of clouds. The rays that managed to break through the clouds covered the grass and covered the leaves of every tree. Night fled and a new day dawned, but I didn¡¯t feel good about it. This new light didn¡¯t bring me joy, it didn¡¯t give me relief. It condemned me to a new life. A life I didn¡¯t want, one that I wouldn¡¯t wish on anyone. I took my eyes off the early morning sun and stared at the digital clock sitting on my bedside table. It read 5:30. I really didn''t need to be awake right now. I sighed, frustrated by my insomnia, I climbed out of bed and headed to the shower. It was the only thing that could pull me from this groggy state. I hadn¡¯t seen Hunter since breakfast on Tuesday. He could be mad at me, although I wasn¡¯t sure what for. I was the one leaving. In the past few days, Raina¡¯s sunburn had turned to a deep tan with ridiculous amounts of peeling. I couldn¡¯t help but smile every time I saw her. Mila and Ava seemed to be getting closer by the second and they even had their own personal jokes. Granted, it¡¯s annoying when I have no idea what they are talking about, but I knew it was for the greater good. Ava looked like she would look after Mila and that¡¯s all I wanted. My thoughts have kept me in the shower long enough, so I got out and got dressed. A pair of skinny denim jeans, a grey top, and a black leather jacket was a perfect outfit for me to wear; it matched my dark mood and the dark weather. I decided to go for a walk and see the grounds a bit before I left. Who knew when I¡¯d be back ¡ª if I¡¯d be back? I exited the girls¡¯ dorms. The weather was as depressing outside as it was inside. There were no patches of blue sky, no birds. It was so early in the morning there were no students loitering around the place. Only me. Already, today seemed so lifeless and bland. I made my way down to the sports oval. In the misty fog I saw a face, a familiar face, Eli¡¯s. He must¡¯ve had a hard time sleeping as well. As I got closer, the slight bags under his eyes confirmed my suspicion. He stood in the drizzling rain without an umbrella or coat and his hair, that had once been sculpted to perfection, was now lying in strands against his forehead. ¡°You couldn¡¯t sleep either?¡± I asked. He shook his head. ¡°Today is the day.¡± ¡°Are you ready?¡± His green eyes pierced mine. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± I uttered. ¡°But you do.¡± ¡°Is this your last attempt to talk me out of this?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it, but seeing as we¡¯re both out here, it¡¯s worth one last shot.¡± A lazy smile curled his lips. ¡°No.¡± I exhaled in defeat. ¡°At least we¡¯re dying together.¡± Eli laughed melodiously. It was a sound I hadn¡¯t heard in so long. My legs felt like jelly as I replayed the laugh over and over in my head. It was uplifting and beautiful. ¡°I have something for you.¡± The wind howled through the trees surrounding the oval. The sky overhead churned, thick with rolling clouds. I brushed my windswept hair from my face as Eli pulled out the gold whistle he¡¯d given to me when I first arrived at Sage Sanctum. ¡°I-I thought I lost this?¡± ¡°No. I kept it safe.¡± He gestured with his finger for me to turn around. My neck was bare, I had taken the necklace that Aunt Jen and Camilla got me off months ago and had forgotten to put it on since. The cool gold came into contact with my skin, sending a wave of goosebumps over the surface. The heavy whistle hung on the outside of my shirt. I ran my index finger over the golden necklace; it was still as perfect as I remembered. ¡°I don¡¯t know when we¡¯re going to be bonded, but this will help you if you need it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I turned and threw my arms around his neck. He tensed at first but then relaxed into me, wrapping his arms around my waist. ¡°Let me walk you back to your room. People get suspicious when you¡¯re out and about at random hours.¡± His voice was alight with humor. The day that started out so depressing brightened a little bit and I was happy being in his company. We entered the dorm lobby and Mrs Ploit sighed loudly as Eli escorted me in through the door. ¡°Up to no good again, Miss Moore?¡± ¡°No, Ma¡¯am ,just an early walk before breakfast.¡± ¡°Sign,¡± Mrs Ploit demanded as she handed me a pen. ¡°Before you go, there¡¯s a letter here for you.¡± She handed me a black envelope and I paused. My heart sank so far into my stomach it hurt. When did I become so afraid of receiving a letter? ¡°I can open it for you,¡± Eli suggested as he took the letter from Mrs Ploit¡¯s aged hands. He opened it and I watched his face as his jaw clenched tightly. ¡°It¡¯s about our arrangement.¡± I figured as much. He handed me the letter and I blinked fast, trying to clear my flooded eyes. The letter shook in my trembling fingers, and my heart pounded like a drum. Ruby, It¡¯s Friday and you know what that means! Today is a good day, I can feel it. We leave tonight, so please meet me at my tent at six p.m. with your angel and we will go from there. NO LATER or I will have to kill someone you love. Oh and by the way, I know you love keeping letters from Mr De Luca so I took the liberty of having one sent to his house, just in case. Lucian :) Just reading the tone of his letter made me wish he¡¯d killed me the first night I had seen him. ¡°I was going to go and finish packing my things, but I can stay with you, if you want.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr De Luca, but I cannot let you stay.¡± Eli leaned on her desk, hands spread. Mrs Ploit narrowed her eyes. Although she was trying to hold her serious demeanor, I could tell by the way her lips twitched that even she was not immune to Eli¡¯s looks. ¡°Whilst I appreciate you upholding the rules, Mrs Ploit, Ruby is going through a very difficult time right now and I will stay with her for as long as she needs.¡± Mrs Ploit wasn¡¯t the only one taken aback by Eli¡¯s assertiveness. I¡¯m sure my own open mouth displayed my shock. He was usually so compliant, so calm. I don¡¯t blame him for being a little on edge today, especially not with what we were about to go through. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You go and I¡¯ll start packing up my own things.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± He gave Mrs Ploit an apologetic nod, her plum-colored lips were poised in a disapproving pout as he exited the building. A trail of his cologne mixed with the crisp scent of the cool air outside wafted past me. My attention fell back to Mrs Ploit, who was staring at me intently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; he¡¯s just going through a few things right now.¡± ¡°Perhaps the higher power will straighten out the mess that is you and Mr De Luca.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I scoffed. ¡°Please, it¡¯s obvious, and those who say they can¡¯t see it are liars. You two clearly have a thing going on, with all the escorting back to your dorm and the coffee dates. I saw how miserable you were when he wasn¡¯t here, and since he¡¯s come back, you¡¯ve been more¡­ chipper than usual, but then, that only lasted for a day or so. What you two are doing is disgusting and it¡¯s wrong. Goddesses with gods, it has been like that for centuries.¡± I opened my mouth to speak but all that came out was an offended gust of air. A million comments, questions, and insults clawed at my throat and I clenched my teeth together, forcing them to remain unspoken. ¡°You are what is disgusting and wrong with this world.¡± I growled. How ignorant. Eli and I weren¡¯t different, except for the particular skills that were unique to both our kinds. I controlled the elements and Eli was fast, strong, and loyal. Page 13 My feet hit the floor hard, but my soft joggers made no noise against the tiles. As I made my way back to my dorm, I wondered how she would have reacted if I told her the higher power was a vampire. She wouldn¡¯t have believed me, of course, but that would make proving it that much sweeter. I skipped breakfast and lunch; I didn¡¯t have the stomach to eat anything. The day was going way too fast. I was running out of time and I still needed to say my goodbyes. The door opened and a vanilla scent wafted in. Mila had come to see me off. ¡°I have some spare time between classes, and so I thought I¡¯d come and see you just in case you aren¡¯t here later.¡± Glistening tears formed in her eyes, hovering a moment before they fell upon her cheek Mila had become my best friend here at SS. I pulled her into an embrace, her soft blonde hair felt like silk against my arms. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± I sniffled, unaware that my nose had become runny and my eyes watery. It was a lie, of course. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you!¡± she cried. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re mine.¡± We didn¡¯t let go of each other. How could we? Neither of us was sure when we¡¯d see each other again. Her goodbye was different than mine. When she held me it was a ¡®so-sad you¡¯re leaving I can¡¯t wait to see you again I¡¯m counting down the days¡¯ kind of hug. My hug was more of a ¡®thank you for everything have a good life¡¯ kind of hug. Both were emotional but on two completely different levels. Mila went to class and the dorm room became bare as I boxed the things Mila had given me when I first came to Sage and since we¡¯d been sharing a room. Mila was generous, always giving and never taking. She claimed she had too much and that she was happy to give them away. In the beginning, I was so reluctant to take anything from her, but over time, I realized that it truly made her happy. She loved doing things for others. I pulled the drawer out from my bedside table and dumped its contents into a box. A picture floated down and landed on the top of the junk. Two faces smiled up at me. They seemed so carefree, so innocent. One of the faces I didn¡¯t recognize as my own. I was smiling and was actually happy. People used to tell me my mother and I looked alike. I didn¡¯t believe them until now. This photo felt like it had been taken so long ago. I¡¯ve been through so much since then. The image felt precious in my hand and I handled it carefully¡ª afraid to bend or crease it. It was taken months before her death. I wish I could go back in time and warn them about Hank and what he would become. What about Eli and Mila? my subconscious asked. If Hank never became a vampire, my mum would still be alive, but Eli and I would have never been bonded. Would we have even spoken? And Mila, would we have become friends or would I have made friends with the likes of Raina? Maybe, just maybe, this was how things were supposed to go. Maybe my purpose was to protect the people who have helped me. I placed the photo of my mother and me into a book, Dracula, by Bram Stoker. How ironic. I¡¯m relying on a book about vampires to keep something safe. I placed the book neatly on top of my clothes and taped the lid shut. I had floated so far away into my daydreaming that the sudden hollow echo of knuckles tapping on the door made me jump. I stacked my three boxes on top of each other so Mila could still make her way around the room. ¡°Hunter, hi,¡± I greeted. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you since Tuesday. I thought you were mad at me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you ¡­ I spent the last few days avoiding you, hoping that maybe I would care less about you and not care that you¡¯re leaving tonight, but it only made me miss you more.¡± I smiled shyly. This was going to be hard. I had to let him down. ¡°Look, you¡¯re a nice guy but I ¡ª¡± ¡°Let me come with you.¡± ¡°What? Are you insane?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m in love.¡± For the third time today my mouth was left open, but this time it was so wide I could have caught flies with it. Oh no. ¡°Hunter ¡ª I ¡­ can¡¯t ¡ª I ¡ª¡± I struggled to get the words out. Why couldn¡¯t I just say I didn¡¯t have feelings for him? My stomach twisted and groaned. I couldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t care for him, because I did. I liked him more than a friend. ¡°Come inside,¡± I uttered. I had to tell him my feelings for Eli. I couldn¡¯t lie to him. I couldn¡¯t tell him I didn¡¯t have feelings for him, because I did, but not like I did for Eli. I love Eli. Hunter¡¯s blue eyes glanced nervously up and down the corridor. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m leaving today, anyway.¡± I stepped aside, letting Hunter into my room. His alluring scent filled space. I paced across the room to crack the window slightly before I swooned. Hunter sat on my bare mattress and glanced sadly around the room. ¡°You haven¡¯t said anything about what I said,¡± Hunter prompted. ¡°I know, uh, look, there is something I need to tell you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t love me back, Ruby.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± I grasped his hand and it shocked even me. My body was acting as if I wasn¡¯t in control. His eyes looked hopeful and I cringed in sympathy. ¡°I like you, I do. I like you more than a friend, but I¡¯m in love with someone else, and ¡ª¡± ¡°Eli,¡± he said matter-of-factly. I let his hand drop back to his knee and I collapsed onto Mila¡¯s bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I kinda knew anyway.¡± The long silence was deafening and I bit my lip waiting for the speech about how it¡¯s wrong to love a guardian angel. ¡°Does he know you¡¯re leaving?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t ¡ª¡± I cut my words off with a large exhale. This conversation was getting more awkward by the minute. I¡¯ve never been a ¡®tell everyone everything¡¯ kind of girl. In fact, I kept most things to myself and let everyone else figure out what they want, but I felt bad for Hunter. I dropped my gaze to the floor. ¡°He¡¯s coming with me.¡± I didn¡¯t want to look at his face when I said it. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. His lips formed a straight, impassive line and his mood shifted. His once colorful blue eyes turned bleak as he stood up and slumped into himself. ¡°I should go,¡± he whispered under his breath. ¡°Hunter, wait!¡± Without a glance in my direction, he was gone. Not-So-Empty Threats The late sun¡¯s rays had long since disappeared and been replaced by a myriad of stars dotting the inky canopy. Now that the dull weather of today had blown over, a low moon hovered effortlessly in the twilight sky, bestowing a very dim light upon the land. A light breeze rustled the leaves as the enveloping darkness blotted out all but the faintest light. I couldn¡¯t appreciate the night¡¯s beauty. I was too tense, too aware of my surroundings. In my world, darkness didn¡¯t bring safety, it brought fear and uncertainty. It brought death. ¡°Are you ready?¡± A voice as smooth as velvet cut through the harsh air. In the dim light I found a friendly face ¡­ Eli¡¯s. I nodded, my finger tracing the smooth texture of my whistle. ¡°Did you say goodbye to everyone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± I followed behind Eli as he led me over the school oval and into the thick bush behind it. The wind speed had picked up and the air grew colder. I resisted the urge to hug myself, worrying that it might make me look weak. If I was going to do this then I needed to look as fierce and unbothered as Eli. He glanced back at me with a reassuring smile, making me wonder if he heard my thoughts. The wind pushed and pulled the trees surrounding us. I kept my hands out in front of me, careful not to trip or get whipped in the face by a branch. If it wasn¡¯t for the gap in the tree canopy that allowed the moon to shed light on the ground, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed when we had come to the school¡¯s border. ¡°This isn¡¯t the way we came last time.¡± ¡°Your right, it isn¡¯t. It leads to the same place; it¡¯s just a different gate.¡± The cast iron gate squealed as Eli pushed it open. The noise sent tingles rolling down my spine ¡ª being in a spooky forest with a screaming gate is enough to put anyone on edge. We pushed further into the thick forest. The wet ground sploshed and bubbled with every step we took. The inky sky had turn pitch black. The light of the moon was fading as clouds passed in front of it, creating new shadows and dark patches around me. The wind wailed between distorted trunks, carrying the scent of rotting wood. I moved faster, ignoring the wilderness that grabbed at my jeans. The bush seemed so daunting, I couldn¡¯t help but feel claustrophobic. Then we stepped out into the clearing. Cool air chilled my lungs and my vision swayed with my dizziness for a few seconds before normalizing. ¡°Just in time.¡± I searched the darkness for Eli, but he blended too well. His voice was colder than the wind. A lavender scented gust of air blew past my face. I glanced sideways at Eli, who was staring into the darkness of the clearing, his jaw clenched. Wrapped around his arm was Ludiia, smiling up at him. ¡°I missed you,¡± she purred. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go,¡± I stated. One by one, pale faces began appearing out of the forest, surrounding us. I reached out and grabbed Eli¡¯s arm for support I was so scared. Why weren¡¯t we leaving? Why were we being trapped in a circle of vampires? I didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Uh-uh-ahh. You can look but you can¡¯t touch,¡± Ludiia hissed, pushing my hand off Eli. Eli shot me a sympathetic glance. Even Eli wasn¡¯t dumb enough to cause a scene right now. The moon slid out from behind a cloud, making the pale faces glow. Each vampire had their own freaky look. Some were tall, some had scars, and some had no hair, but none of them were as scary as Lucian. I inhaled sharply as he stepped into view. Even in my nightmares he wasn¡¯t this frightening. Although he looked normal, his presence and power made his features seem scarier. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± ¡°By one minute,¡± Eli replied curtly. ¡°Two minutes,¡± he corrected sternly. ¡°But who¡¯s counting?¡± Only Lucian could sound so sarcastically upbeat and threatening at the same time. Most vampires were angry and serious, but Lucian was enthusiastic. It made me more cautious. At least with an angry vamp, you already know what¡¯s going to happen. Lucian lured you in on a false sense of security before pulling the rug out from under your feet. ¡°You were going to attack the school because we were two minutes late?¡± I asked in disbelief. The empty space in front of me was filled with a body, Lucian¡¯s body. The vampires move so quickly I can barely track them. ¡°Am I that predictable?¡± He didn¡¯t go out of his way to hide his hideous fangs as a wide, greasy smile spread over his face, but then again, why would he? He enjoyed making me uncomfortable. He knew what Hank did to me. ¡°You do need to pay for wasting my time, though.¡± My spine shook with every shiver that spiralled down it. I pondered what he could do to me. He wouldn¡¯t kill me, he needed me, but he didn¡¯t need Eli, and the best way to get at me would be to hurt Eli. ¡°We should go, Lucian,¡± said a vampire with a long scar from his furrowed brow to the top of his lip ¡ª immediately he was stored in my brain as Scar-face. ¡°We¡¯ve had nothing but possums and the occasional hiker to feed on. We¡¯re getting restless.¡± The vampires that circled us mumbled and moaned in agreement. Lucian watched his feet as he took slow steps over to the mouthy vampire. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re hungry are you?¡± Scar-face nodded slowly, regretfully. ¡°Go on, take a bite.¡± Some vampires spat in jealousy, other vampires inhaled sharply in shock and my stomach dropped as Lucian flicked his head in my direction. I felt Eli tense next to me. If this vampire came anywhere near me, Eli would tear his head off. Scar-face eyed Lucian and me suspiciously, unsure of what he should do. His charcoal eyes searched Lucian¡¯s for any hint of a joke, and when he couldn¡¯t find one, he slowly put one boot-clad foot in front of the other, eyeing me hungrily. A low growl rumbled through Eli¡¯s chest and Ludiia chuckled under her breath, but my attention was elsewhere. I remained riveted solely on Scar-face, who was approaching me with increasing speed. Soon he was within inches of me. ¡°Unh,¡± Scar-face groaned as Eli jumped in front of me, slamming into the vampire. The collision caused a loud crack to crepitate through the air and Scar-face stumbled backwards before regaining his balance. Ludiia purred beside me, somehow aroused by the situation. The vampire¡¯s fangs were bared as he hissed angrily at Eli. The ground squished and gurgled as the vampires slowly began moving in on us. ¡°Stop,¡± Lucian ordered. The surrounding vampires came to a halt, but I still couldn¡¯t release the big gulp of air I had swallowed. This wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°Liam, Yasmine, and Oryx ¡ª restrain Mr De Luca.¡± The three vampires dashed in a blur over to Eli. Long, pale arms wrapped around his arms, neck, and waist. Eli thrashed and tried to break free, but he couldn¡¯t. ¡°Well, Cage? You said you were hungry.¡± Scar-face has a name ¡ª Cage. I still think the nickname I gave him suited him better. Cage was wasting no time. He zipped over to me and I saw his face up close. I felt like a small fish in the deep blue sea and Cage was a Great White shark about to eat me. ¡®Take a bite¡¯ was what Lucian said, but if Cage was as hungry as he looked, then there was no way he would stop. He could drain me completely before anyone realized what was happening. His cold, hard hand grasped my shoulder and I winced under the pressure. His other hand grasped my neck. I saw his face in great detail now, his scar was a lot thicker than I thought. His damp clothes came into contact with my skin and an unpleasant earthy scent floated into my nose. I pushed against him, trying to distance myself from his fangs, but here was no point. He had a powerful grip, so I wasn¡¯t going anywhere. Close by I heard Eli grunt and swear as he tried to pull away from the three vampires restraining him. Page 14 Cage¡¯s fangs clicked loudly as they protruded further out of his gums. Hastily, he tilted my neck to the side. My heart began to beat erratically as he slowly brought his fangs to my neck, savouring the moment. Tears burned my eyes and a lump rose in my throat. I wanted to be somewhere bright and safe. Warm tears wet my cheek as I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the bite to be over with, and if I was lucky, the sweet release of death. A distinct neck snapping crack forced me to open my eyes. Cage¡¯s face was replaced by Lucian¡¯s. I glanced down and Cage was in a twitchy heap. Having his neck snapped didn¡¯t kill him, it just hurt and immobilized him. Lucian knelt beside Cage. ¡°You didn¡¯t actually think I was going to let you feed on her, did you?¡± Lucian¡¯s voice was high and amused. He put one foot on Cage¡¯s chest and his hands grasped the sides of his face. In one swift move, Cage¡¯s head was removed from his body. I jumped backwards as blood spilled out from the large orifice at the top of his neck. The vampires that circled us made no noise, they didn¡¯t dare to. The three vampires let Eli go and he ran over to me. I stared unblinkingly at the headless body in front of me. ¡°Is anyone else hungry?¡± Lucian asked. The vampires shook their heads and sunk back into themselves. How could one vampire have the masses in fear? If they all ganged up on him, they could take him easily. So many questions flooded my brain. Was he really that powerful? Could my father¡¯s blood make him that powerful? ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go.¡± Most of the vampires disappeared into the bush with the exception of a few, Lucian being one of them. ¡°Here¡¯s the address, sweetheart,¡± Ludiia whispered to Eli. I tried not to cringe as her dead, cold lips came into contact with his warm skin, and then she disappeared. We stood in silence, waiting for the green light to leave. The trees loomed over us, utterly still like statues in a museum, no leaf daring to fall. ¡°Ahh,¡± Lucian sighed. ¡°We have an intruder.¡± My skin tingled uncomfortably all over, like a million tiny bugs were running rampant all over my body. Please be over, please just let us go! my mind screamed. I nervously rubbed the palms of my hands with my fingertips. My skin felt so clammy, covered with a cold sweat. Out of the bushes stepped Liam, a tall, blonde vampire. As the rest of his body emerged from the cloak of the darkness, he had a hold of someone, someone I immediately recognized. ¡°Hunter!¡± Hunted My breath caught in my throat and instinctively I lunged forward, but Eli¡¯s hand grasped my forearm firmly, preventing me from making any progress. ¡°Hunter, what are you doing?¡± I called, my voice shaky. A large bruise had already begun to form on his upper left cheekbone. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you,¡± he stated fiercely. Hunter made eye contact with Eli briefly before turning his eyes back to me. ¡°This god killed Oryx, Yasmine, and Dane,¡± Liam spat. He killed three vampires? I couldn¡¯t imagine Hunter taking on so many. He seemed too ¡®pretty¡¯ for that. ¡°Liam are you hungry?¡± ¡°If you want me to be, sir ¡­¡± Even though I wasn¡¯t looking at him, I could feel Lucian¡¯s dark eyes searching my face. ¡°No!¡± I shouted. ¡°Please!¡± ¡°Finders keepers. He¡¯s all yours.¡± A wry smile spread over Liam¡¯s lips and Lucian kept his attention on me. The flood gates opened and tears spilled down my cheeks. I bit my lip, not giving my cry a chance to turn hysterical. ¡°Please,¡± I sobbed. Liam wasted no time. Hunter gasped in pain as the vampire sank his teeth into his skin. The bottom half of my body gave way and I fell to my knees. His eyes became dull and lifeless, then Liam let Hunter¡¯s body fall into a heap on the ground. I wanted to scream and run over to his body, shake him and pray for him to wake up, but I couldn''t. My body wouldn¡¯t move. I just knelt there, hating myself for not being able to do anything. ¡°You have somewhere to be,¡± Lucian growled at Eli. ¡°It¡¯s a very long drive and you have to be there by Sunday at six p.m. Have I not made it clear how serious I am about punctuality?¡± ¡°Ruby, let¡¯s go,¡± Eli whispered, kneeling down beside me. When he saw I couldn¡¯t move, he pulled me to my feet and shifted my weight onto him. My body was numb. I couldn¡¯t feel the warmth from Eli¡¯s body; I couldn¡¯t feel the damp leaves, or the sloppy forest floor as we passed through it. ¡°We just have to make it to the car park,¡± Eli muttered. ¡°I can walk,¡± I replied, sniffling. Eli let me go and I pushed through. It was only six-thirty; most of the kids would still be in the dining hall. We needed to make it to the car park. As we crossed the oval, my tears managed to dry up. The swelling of my eyes didn¡¯t go down, though, and the redness would surely be noticeable in the light. We managed to cross the student campus without being noticed. Sera was waiting at the car. She was a female guardian angel. I saw her in the dining room mostly, or whenever she was on shift patrolling the school. ¡°Eli.¡± Her voice was relieved and kind. ¡°Sit in the car,¡± he uttered to me. I climbed in. The car was quiet, forcing me to listen to my breathing and uneven heartbeat. I didn¡¯t want to be alone, even if it was only for a few seconds. The driver¡¯s door opened and Eli climbed in. The cool air that blew into the car carried a sad tune in with it ¡ª or perhaps I was imagining things. ¡°Sera brought your boxes and things down to the car earlier. Are you ready to go?¡± Slowly my head bobbled up and down, but Eli didn¡¯t start the car. Instead, he got out. I glanced in my side mirror; he was coming around to my side. He opened my door and more cool air blew in, causing me to shiver slightly. My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I used pain to fight back the fresh batch of tears. ¡°Are you all right?¡± His words made it impossible to hold back the tsunami that pushed relentlessly at my tear ducts. ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± I cried hysterically. ¡°Hey.¡± He pulled me into him. Usually his sweet, crisp scent and low comforting voice was enough to sooth me, but not this time. This time my pain was too fresh, too overwhelming. ¡°None of this is your fault, Ruby.¡± My chest ached as my lungs desperately fought against my distraught sobs for air. Slowly I nodded my head and my tears ran out once again. ¡°Aleksandrov has a plan. We¡¯ll get out of this. We just have to go with the flow for now, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I sniffled. Eli kissed the top of my head and guilt struck me as Hunter flashed across my mind. I cringed as I pushed the image from my head. I wasn¡¯t ready to think about him. I needed to focus on getting out of this mess and protecting what little amount of loved ones I had left. I pulled away from Eli¡¯s embrace and sat back in the leather seat. I was thankful for it, I would have collapsed without it. ¡°We have a lot of driving to do,¡± Eli said as he climbed back into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°If you¡¯re up for it, we can talk about ¡ª¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I sounded a little rude, although I didn¡¯t mean to. I just didn¡¯t think I could handle hearing his name out loud. I stared unblinkingly for long periods of time and I felt like I was going to start hyperventilating at any second. I needed to get over it, otherwise I could put many, many lives in danger. In my side mirror I saw the school disappearing rapidly behind us. Before long, we were encompassed by the forest. If you¡¯d asked me a year ago what I thought about the forest, I would described it as tranquil, serene, and quiet, but all I could think of now were secrets, dark, and evil. I looked at Eli; here he was again, helping me and protecting me. What if I lost him, too? ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡± he asked, not taking his eyes off the road. ¡°You¡¯re going to need a lot of pennies¡­¡± The corner of Eli¡¯s mouth twitched as he fought a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m thinking. It changes so quickly, I¡¯m all over the place.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal. You¡¯ve been through so much tonight, and I know this might come off as insensitive, but we need to go into this thing with a clear head, otherwise we¡¯re going to die. I know you cared for Hunter; he was there for you when I wasn¡¯t. He might have been a bad influence, but he kept you going and kept you safe. For that I will be forever grateful.¡± Mr De Luca and his words of wisdom were correct once again. ¡°You might have lost a few friends along the way, Ruby, but you still have me¡­ and Mila.¡± ¡°I know.¡± And for that I was truly grateful. I¡¯d be dead without them or worse¡ª a vampire. As I peered into the darkness, I tried to ignore the feeling someone was watching me. A twisted feeling filled my stomach, making me uneasy. I had cried so much my eyes grew heavy. I sat forward in my seat, trying to keep myself awake. ¡°You can sleep; we still have a long way to go.¡± ¡°When I wake up, would you like me to drive so you can nap?¡± Eli chuckled and glanced at me briefly. ¡°You drive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m eighteen, of course I drive. Aunt Jen taught me when I lived with her.¡± ¡°Do you have a license?¡± ¡°Yes, Eli, I have a license!¡± His lips curled into a smile. ¡°Okay. You can drive tomorrow, but only if you sleep now.¡± I slumped back into my chair and wiggled against the leather. I placed my legs on the dashboard and immediately found my comfortable spot. ¡°This doesn¡¯t bother you, does it?¡± I asked, pointing to my feet. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Good night,¡± he whispered. I closed my eyes and long sharp fangs filled my mind. I was scared, but I needed to turn that fear into anger. I needed to find something to fuel me, because if I remained an emotional mess, I¡¯d get us killed. I was pulled deep into a dreamless state, forgetting all about the horrors of my reality. D¨¦j¨¤ vu The smell of a bacon and egg muffin wafted menacingly under my nose, waking me up. The sun was bright and the air was hot. It was the perfect weather to go to the beach, but alas I had vampires to work for. ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you¡¯d want sausage and egg or bacon and egg, so I got you both.¡± Eli smiled. I wiped sleep from my eyes and grasped the bacon and egg breakfast muffin. When I had fallen asleep there was nothing but darkness and Eli and I were alone. Now we were at a pit stop on a motorway somewhere, surrounded by other people and families. It was a relief to see normal people. It had been a while since I was surrounded by humans. As I un-wrapped my muffin and Eli climbed into the car next to me, I saw a teenage a girl who appeared to be around my age. She was on her mobile phone. ¡°Well, she said you texted her. She¡¯s my worst enemy, Peter! You¡¯re my boyfriend, not her friend!¡± I envied her; her problems seemed so miniscule against mine. I wished my biggest worry was if my boyfriend was texting my enemy. What felt like the end of the world for her would be a walk in the park for me. ¡°One day.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°One day you¡¯ll be free from all of this.¡± It was like he could read my mind sometimes. ¡°I will never be free as long as I am what I am.¡± The sudden realisation put me off my food but I ate it anyway. ¡°So, can I drive now?¡± It took a little bit more persuading on my part before he managed to hand over the keys. ¡°Keep your eyes on the road and focus. I don¡¯t want to die before getting to the vampire nest.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be pretty embarrassing wouldn¡¯t it?¡± I giggled. ¡°This is my favorite car, please don¡¯t scratch it.¡± ¡°Eli, chill out. I¡¯m not that bad at driving. Go to sleep and I¡¯ll have us closer to our death in no time.¡± The engine started. If it wasn¡¯t for the soft vibration, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed the car had even turned on. It was so quiet and smooth. Eli watched uneasily as I pulled out onto the highway. When he saw I was actually staying between the lines, his eyes closed. A peaceful silence fell in the car and I peeked sideways at Eli. His body was at ease. His chest rose and fell with each breath. Focus! My mind yelled at me, forcing me to watch the road but it wasn¡¯t long until I found my eyes on him again. ¡°Eyes on the road,¡± he said, opening one eyelid. His green eyes pierced into my soul and I felt my cheeks heat up. His voice was light and relaxed but it still didn¡¯t make me feel any less silly. ¡°Oh-I ¡­Uh, I ¡­¡± I took a deep breath of air. ¡°Sorry.¡± How embarrassing. The concrete river curved its way through the bush like it grew there naturally. The trees lining the motorway flew by in a blur of green and black. Before long it was midday and the scorching sun was high up in the sky. I took my foot off the accelerator slightly as I passed a ¡®Take a break¡¯ sign indicating a service station and rest area up ahead. I was thirsty and slightly peckish, so I decided to pull in when it came time to turn off. As soon as the car rolled to a stop, Eli¡¯s eyes sprang open and he glanced around, trying to get his bearings. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s twelve already? I didn¡¯t mean to sleep for so long.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, you needed it and I was having fun driving. Shall we eat in?¡± My whole body ached as I slid out of the car. Eli¡¯s groan told me he was experiencing the same discomfort I was. After a good stretch and a quick meal, we were on the road again. Page 15 The trip was a lot quicker than I imagined, it was now six on Saturday night and we had to be there by this time tomorrow. The GPS told us we were twenty-three hours away from Mount Kuuce, which I assumed was our destination. Eli said we needed more time, so we didn¡¯t stop for dinner. It wasn¡¯t an issue; I¡¯d eaten too much at lunch, so dinner was the farthest thing from my mind. It was twilight and the moon was full, casting unmoving shadows along the horizon. The tall hillside was coarse with boulders and the fog began to roll in, making the world around us slightly more eerie. Soon the busy motorway fell away and we were travelling along an old service road leading us deeper and deeper into the forest. Eli flicked on the high beams; it allowed us to see more and watch for any animals that might stray onto the road. The trees had changed style. They were white and weathered instead of brown and hard. ¡°They¡¯re Paperbark trees,¡± Eli said, making me wonder if he could actually read my mind. They looked as though they were made with papier mache. Bits and pieces stuck out in every direction, like torn tissue paper. It was strange and eerie yet painfully beautiful. Out from behind a tree hopped a grey, long-legged animal. ¡°Eli, look out!¡± I shouted. I squeezed my eyes shut as the car lurched and I was thrown forward violently. The seatbelt bit into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. The car slid a small length before coming to a stop. Our breaths were ragged and uneven as adrenaline and fear dominated our systems. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I gasped, trying to even out my breathing. ¡°Did you hit it?¡± ¡°I think I nudged it. It hopped into that bush. I should make sure it¡¯s okay.¡± I nodded in agreement. ¡°Wait in the car,¡± Eli ordered. I watched as he disappeared into the bush. A shadow moved rapidly past my window, catching my eye. My breath became quick again, my heartbeat speeding up with it. I hadn¡¯t hit my head, so I know I wasn¡¯t seeing things. You can handle yourself against a vampire. You know how to use your magic ¡­ kind of. I decided to do the one thing I yell at silly girls in horror movies for doing ¡ª I exited the car. The moon seeped through the branches and sticks of the trees and cast scary, emotionless shadows onto the road. My eyes swept over the surrounding bushes, searching for Eli. Nothing. The fog blanketed the world in a murky-grey as I took a few steps forward. I saw him in the near distance, half concealed by the fog. ¡°No.¡± My voice was barely above a whisper. No, it couldn¡¯t be ¡­ I saw it with my own eyes. Shock shot through me as cold as ice and I ran. I didn¡¯t go back to the car. That was pointless. Instead, I took off in the direction Eli went, hoping I would run into him. I could hear his footsteps snapping sticks and crunching leaves behind me. Stray twigs and branches snagged strands of my hair but I had to go faster. My scalp stung as hair was torn from my head. I didn¡¯t scream, I couldn¡¯t ¡ª I grasped at my chest. Shit! I left my whistle in the car. How far in had Eli gone? ¡°Unh ¡­¡± I gasped as I rebounded off a hard body and fell backwards, hitting my head on the forest floor. For a moment my vision spun. When my eyes came back into focus, I panicked at the face the loomed over me, shaking me. ¡°Ruby? What¡¯s wrong?¡± It was Eli, his voice alert and panicked. A part of me relaxed in his grip but the other part was still shaking in fear and disbelief. ¡°I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡ª¡± I panted, trying to speak. ¡°I saw Hunter.¡± Eli grasped my shoulders and pulled me gently to my feet. ¡°Did you hit your head in the car?¡± he asked, examining my forehead. ¡°No ¡­ Eli, I saw him. I saw Hunter.¡± I pulled away from Eli¡¯s grasp, stumbling slightly. I felt my face cringe as a headache surged through me. He didn¡¯t believe me, of course he didn¡¯t. He saw Hunter die as well. ¡°It¡¯s normal to think you see things when you¡¯ve witnessed such a traumatic event.¡± ¡°No. I saw him. He wasn¡¯t some kind of apparition or hallucination, he was real.¡± Even in the low light of the forest I could see the concerned expression dominating Eli¡¯s features. I know what I saw, the creepy pale skin and the soulless dark eyes. ¡°He¡¯s a vampire,¡± I whispered. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go back to the car. We still have a long drive to get to Mount Kuuce. You can sleep it off.¡± We stepped out of the bush and onto the road. I kept my eyes on the area I saw Hunter. The unpleasant feeling of being watched returned to me, only this time I knew someone was watching. ¡°Ruby?¡± My attention turned back to Eli. I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d stopped walking. When we were in the car, an uncomfortable silence fell. Eli didn¡¯t believe me. As far as he was concerned, I¡¯d hit my head when he slammed on the brakes, or the trauma from Hunter¡¯s death was playing with my mind, but it couldn¡¯t be. He was so vivid and real. I saw the way the moon glinted off his deathly pale skin. His denim jeans were vibrant and his shirt an outstanding blue. His image wasn¡¯t washed out like a ghost. Against the high beams, I didn¡¯t see any color in his eyes, just blackness ¡ª a skin-crawling, hair-raising tunnel of darkness. Neither of us slept that night, we just kept on driving in silence. Every time I closed my eyes I saw his face. It wasn¡¯t the sweet, kind face I remembered. It was horrible and dark. It was exactly the same and yet totally different. I felt like he was a stranger, like I didn¡¯t know him. Maybe he was angry at me? I¡¯d let them kill him, I didn¡¯t do anything to help, and now he was a vampire. He¡¯d become the one thing he wanted to kill. A shimmering gold orb began to rise in the inky sky, pulling me from my depressing thoughts. I sat, drinking in the invisible rays that kissed my skin. Moments later, the golden sun was sitting in its rightful place, adorning the soft blue sky. ¡°Do you want to talk about last night?¡± Oh, so he hasn¡¯t lost his voice. ¡°There¡¯s no point. You don¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°Ruby.¡± Eli exhaled in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s not a simple as that. I saw him die, I saw his eyes¡­ he was way past the point of being brought back as a vampire.¡± ¡°He is, Eli. I can¡¯t prove it to you but I saw him.¡± His brow furrowed. ¡°We¡¯ll be at Mount Kuuce tonight. We¡¯ll clear this mess up then.¡± I exhaled out of my nose in frustration. ¡°Fine.¡± Mount Kuuce The forty-eight hour car trip had come to end. The winding mountain we had to ascend popped my ears and made me nauseous. I couldn¡¯t stop my trembling knees as we rolled to a stop outside a huge wrought iron gate. The twilight sky was beautiful. There were no clouds and no stars. It was peaceful, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to calm my nerves. The gate screeched as it pulled itself open. Slowly we drove forward through the wild, untamed greenery. Once we passed the first fifty meters of gravel road shrouded by thick trees, the scenery changed. The dark, mossy trees were gone, replaced by elegant gardens. The road became stable as we reached the tar driveway. I glanced sideways at Eli in disbelief. ¡°Is this the place you came to when he summoned you?¡± ¡°No. There was no beauty or color where I went, only old bricks and darkness.¡± In the distance the unnerving silence engulfed the surrounding hillside, where the castle stood elegantly against the backdrop of the inky horizon. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t a sad place, even though I could rattle off a million reasons why it should be. Still, it wasn¡¯t a happy place, either. The castle was old. It was larger than the ones we had at Sage, but this one was graceful and appealing. The aged bricks seemed to groan in pain, as if they hated the creatures now occupying it. By the looks of the glass windows that fitted nicely into the castle, it must have been renovated to fit in with today¡¯s needs. Instead of the drawbridge and moat I was expecting, there were big, wooden double doors and a fountain. As we neared the end of the driveway, we were officially face to face with our prison. While I admit it was beautiful, serene, and regal, it was forbidding enough to make my stomach leap all the way into my throat. ¡°It seems empty,¡± I commented as we pulled into the car park. ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s not quite dark enough yet. Any minute now, though, I¡¯m sure.¡± We exited the car and walked towards the door. The castle towered over us, dominating us. Eli appeared unaffected. His guardian mask was on, that meant he couldn¡¯t show his true feelings and he didn¡¯t. Five minutes later, when every one of the sun¡¯s rays had well and truly gone, the big wooden door opened. ¡°Welcome,¡± a short, smiling Asian man greeted us. ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± His thin lips spread into a wide smile and he made no attempt to hide his fangs. ¡°Thank you,¡± Eli replied politely, stepping inside. I followed closely behind him. I glanced down at the cold hard floor ¡ª it was marble and each tile was chosen with a specific taste in mind. None of them matched and yet, they seemed to paint a beautiful picture. Paintings decorated the walls and large stone pillars were placed around the castle, supporting its heavy brick frame. In front of us was a large, stone staircase which eventually split into two different directions. Flowers were carved into the stone and edged subtly with gold. ¡°The look of confusion when people see my home never gets old.¡± Lucian chuckled, descending the stairs. ¡°Is it the garden? Or the modern design of the interior? Maybe it¡¯s the fact that I¡¯m a vampire and still like beautiful, serene things?¡± I swallowed hard. Seeing his face again sent chills down my spine. One by one, vampires began popping up all over the place. They seemed to have appeared from thin air. They were quick, too quick. ¡°No answer?¡± Lucian smiled at me. ¡°You have a beautiful home. It isn¡¯t what I expected,¡± I forced out politely. By some miracle I was able to keep my voice steady. ¡°What were you expecting?¡± He eyed me curiously. ¡°Gargoyles, deep red carpets, coffins, dead trees, you know, the usual vampire things.¡± Lucian laughed loudly and the rest of the vampires joined in. I glanced sideways at Eli. His dark eyes were watching me in amusement. ¡°We¡¯re going to get along just fine,¡± Lucian exclaimed. ¡°Ludiia!¡± She appeared in an instant. She had curled her long dark hair in ringlets down her back. They matched her nineteenth century black and green gown perfectly. ¡°Please show Miss Moore to her room. Mr De Luca and I have many things to discuss.¡± Ludiia stalked toward me. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving him,¡± I blurted. I couldn¡¯t trust Lucian. What if he hurt Eli in my absence, or worse, killed him? ¡°Oh hush. I¡¯m not going to hurt him. You can come back down when it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± Ludiia grabbed my arm tightly and I winced. Her skin was so cold it felt like it was burning mine. ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t had any blood today. My skin is a little colder than usual.¡± The sadistic smirk that grew on her face told me she didn¡¯t actually care she was hurting me. The castle was big, much bigger than I had first thought. It felt like we walked past at least a hundred rooms before we reached mine. ¡°Oh, before I go, I should probably mention that Lucian has left a little welcoming gift for you.¡± She chuckled loudly before turning her back and walking back the way we came. Slowly, I opened the door. When I was sure no one was hiding inside, I entered. Vampires or not, they sure knew how to live in luxury. A Jacobean four-poster bed took up a good area of the room but it still left space for two armchairs and a desk. Through the door on the side, I assume, was a bathroom. ¡°Ruby?¡± My breath caught in my throat and my heart sank into my shoes. Slowly I turned around. ¡°No,¡± I whispered, backing away cautiously. ¡°Why are you so afraid of me? Aren¡¯t you happy that I¡¯m alive?¡± He was hurt by my fear. ¡°Y-you¡¯re not alive¡­ You¡¯re a vampire,¡± I stammered. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans. My subconscious was threatening to shut down. Hunter was blocking my exit; I needed to get out of here. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Hunter reached out to me. He was real. I folded in on myself. I curled my face into my knees and the tears began to flow. ¡°Please don¡¯t touch me.¡± ¡°Ruby, I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± ¡®I¡¯m not going to hurt you¡¯ says the vampire. I couldn¡¯t help but link his phrase to the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± A cold hand reached out and touched my arm but I recoiled away. His touch was once so warm and loving, but now that was only a memory, and in its place was the cold hand of death. My chest started tightening. Please go away, please. I was so overwhelmed. Seeing Ludiia, Lucian, and the other vampires was uncomfortable, but seeing Hunter was completely different. I thought I¡¯d lost him. He¡¯d been murdered by Liam right in front of me. Now he was kneeling in front of me, cold and calculating, dead and alive at the same time. I prayed for Eli to come and rescue me. ¡°Please, go away.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I live here. Lucian turned me.¡± I cried loudly into my lap. Not only was I stuck on top of a mountain with a bunch of vampires, I was also stuck with Hunter, my supposedly dead friend and a boy I had developed feelings for. How could I justify being torn between a guardian angel and a vampire? One was forbidden and the other wasn¡¯t just forbidden, it was wrong on so many levels. Page 16 With a gentle whoosh, the door closed and Hunter was gone. Rules and Regulations I cried hysterically into one of the white silk pillows. I was so torn; I didn¡¯t know what to do. As a friend I should be there for Hunter. I should try to help him but my past wouldn¡¯t let me. My head began to pound. I winced in response. The pain flared, pulsed, and travelled down along my skull to the back of my neck. I took a deep breath that shuddered in my lungs because I¡¯d been crying so hard. Dinner would start shortly, although I couldn¡¯t imagine that vampires could cook a decent parmigiana or steak and chips. A soft knock sounded upon my door. My body automatically tensed. Please don¡¯t be a vampire, please don¡¯t be a vampire. ¡°Ruby?¡± a soft, feminine voice asked. I turned over and looked at the girl, who appeared to be around my age, If not slightly younger. Her skin was beautiful and tan, on closer examination, she was human. She didn¡¯t have the dark, soulless tunnels the rest of them did. Instead, she had pretty grey eyes and full pink lips. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she whispered, walking slowly towards me. Her long straight dark blonde hair draped over her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I sat up and crossed my legs on my bed. I was too caught up in my own problems to be jealous of her natural beauty, although it did sting a little. ¡°You have a headache? Can I help?¡± I watched her curiously. Unless she had some Advil on her, I didn¡¯t think she could do too much for me. ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You know, I remember when I was first brought here.¡± ¡°You were kidnapped?¡± She nodded and my stomach twisted at the thought of her being taken from her home. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°He took your boyfriend from you?¡± ¡°You know about Hunter?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a nice boy. He doesn¡¯t want to be a vampire, but he doesn¡¯t have a choice.¡± She had a slight accent, it seemed Russian, but then again, I was never was good with languages. The girl sat down on my bed and straightened her long black skirt. ¡°That headache must really hurt. Please, let me help you.¡± Slowly she pulled a horseshoe from a pocket in her skirt. I watched cautiously as she brought it closer to my head. I pulled away from her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± Strangely enough, I did trust her, even though she lived here with Lucian. Somehow I just knew I could trust her. She pressed the ends of the horseshoe to my forehead. ¡°Listen and then say it with me ¡ª good metal loosed, from horse¡¯s hoof, draw from my brain, these nails of pain: cast them away, rust them away, keep them away.¡± I stared skeptically at her, maybe she wasn¡¯t fully ¡®there¡¯ in the head. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. If this is going to work you¡¯re going to have to say it with me.¡± Just say it! ¡°Fine.¡± I sighed in defeat. We began to chant together. ¡°Good metal loosed, from horse¡¯s hoof, draw from my brain, these nails of pain: cast them away, rust them away, keep them away.¡± The pounding in my head didn¡¯t go away. ¡°Didn¡¯t work,¡± I said in a told-you-so tone. ¡°Wait.¡± She closed her eyes and began murmuring in a language I couldn¡¯t make out. A few seconds later her eyes opened and my headache was gone. The hairs on my neck and arm stood on their ends, and chills prickled along my skin. A trickle of fear mixed with curiosity warmed the core of my body. ¡°I¡¯m a witch. My name¡¯s Anna.¡± She smiled innocently. Her smile began to curve downwards ¡°You¡¯re freaked out, aren¡¯t you?¡± Her eyes had a regretful gleam to them and I felt sorry for her. She probably only wanted to make a new friend. I nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s okay ¡­ It isn¡¯t your fault.¡± And then it hit me. I was so willing to befriend this girl even though I know she was different, but I hadn¡¯t even given Hunter a chance. Being a vampire wasn¡¯t his fault. If I really wanted to point a finger at someone, I should point it at myself. If only I hadn¡¯t led him on or used him for comfort when Eli was gone. ¡°I came to tell you dinner is almost ready. They¡¯re having a party and would like for you to dress accordingly. In the cupboard over there are lots of different gowns. Choose one.¡± Anna rose from my bed and strolled casually over to the door. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Despite the fact that she was a witch, she was still the most normal person here, besides Eli. ¡°It was nice to meet you. You live here now, so we¡¯ll see each other again.¡± When she was gone, I climbed off my bed, ignoring my stiff leg muscles, and opened the cupboard. I was taken aback by the array of gowns. Some were poufy and others were tight. I had so many to choose from. Red was a definite no, the last thing I wanted was to resemble blood. With that in mind, I settled on a salmon colored, halter neck gown. The chiffon fabric was so light it barely touched my skin and when it did, it felt so soft and delicate. I stood in front of the mirror on a stand that was beside my bed. Even I had to admit the dress was gorgeous. I ran my finger along one of the lines of jewel beadings and appliques that ran around the waist. Despite the beauty of the gown, I had a few small issues with it. One was that it was too low cut. It still covered my breasts well, I suppose. The other issue was that it was backless; the only thing that touched my back was the three straps of silver jewelled beadings. It looked gorgeous but it might be uncomfortable to sit in. Maybe I should change. I turned around and took a step toward the cupboard again. A cool breeze brushed my thigh. And there is issue number three. There was a long slit up the leg of the dress, exposing my thigh when I walked. I sighed in defeat. I wasn¡¯t trying to be sexy, I didn¡¯t want to attract the wrong attention. I looked through the cupboard again. It looked like I didn¡¯t have a choice. It was hard to believe, but I chose the dress that concealed the most flesh. ¡°You have two minutes,¡± the girl called through the door. Crap. I didn¡¯t have time to change or accessorize with a jacket. I couldn¡¯t afford to waste another minute. If I was late, I didn¡¯t know what Lucian would do. I grabbed a diamond encrusted bracelet off the vanity. I didn¡¯t know if it was real or not, either way, I didn¡¯t care. It slid over my hand smoothly and matched my outfit perfectly. I freed my hair from my ponytail and let it drop over my shoulders; it was messy, so I ruffled it a little bit. If I was going to have messy hair I might as well make it look like I did it on purpose. I stole one last glance in the mirror before I left the room. Classical music filled the halls of the castle. Why did this place seem so normal? Where were the cobwebs, the melted candles, the coffins? Regardless of how normal these people seemed, they were still monsters. No amount of pain, classical music, or material items was going to change that. I found myself at the bottom of the staircase by the front door. Music was coming from every direction; I didn¡¯t know which way to go. ¡°This way, ma¡¯am.¡± An old man offered me his arm. The old man walked me through a living room full of paintings. They depicted Latvia; I recognized them because they matched those Eli had in his house back at Sage Sanctum. The room was spacious; only three or four chairs decorated the room. There was a fireplace on the far left wall, although it looked like it had never been used. Vampires were scared of fires, or so I read. Maybe that¡¯s why it looked so pristine. I peeked sideways at the old man, he seemed human. His skin was normal and his eyes were a deep blue. Why would a human be willing to stay here? Maybe he was under lure? When I was a vampire, I used lure to get out of things and to get what I wanted. Kyle¡¯s face entered my mind. It had been such a long time since I¡¯d even thought about him. I hope he¡¯d made new friends or found a girl who appreciated him. ¡°My, my, don¡¯t you look ¡­ delicious.¡± Lucian smiled as the old man led me into a wide open sitting room. I returned his smile with an awkward one of my own. ¡°C¡¯mon now, there is no need to be so uptight. No one here is going to hurt you.¡± I bit my tongue, forcing myself not to reply with a witty response. What would happen if he wasn¡¯t around and one of his ¡®pals¡¯ got hungry? What if I accidently cut myself? It could start a frenzy. I doubt even Lucian was strong enough to take on a swarm of angry, hungry, frenzied vampires. My eyes scanned the room and I couldn¡¯t find Eli. ¡°Slow your beating heart, my dear.¡± He ran a long index finger across my chest, stopping above my heart. ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt him.¡± It took a lot of effort, but I managed to keep from cringing. If I had any food in my stomach it would have been hard to keep down. His skin was slightly warm, meaning he¡¯d just fed. ¡°There are so many humans here,¡± I commented, stepping back slowly. A few more humans were socializing with and grinding on vampires in the spacious room. ¡°Yes. Most of them are feeders and the others are servants. They stick around in hopes of becoming immortal.¡± ¡°And do they?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lucian chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re merely disposable help. The lot of them.¡± I wanted to be mad at him for saying that, but I couldn¡¯t be. These humans chose to be here. They were either addicted to the bites or hoping to become immortal. It was stupidity at its finest. ¡°Ahh, Mr De Luca, just in time.¡± Lucian called, gesturing behind me. I turned around and my mouth almost hit the floor. Eli was wearing a tuxedo. I¡¯d never seen him so formal. I drank up his appearance as he crossed the room. His black jacket was unbuttoned, revealing a collared, white shirt. His long black pants were tight, not too tight, but tight enough to make a fight more difficult for him. Usually he wore clothes he could maneuver and fight in. As he walked toward me, I forgot where I was, forgot that I was surrounded by dangerous monsters. It was just me and him. ¡°Did you get much rest?¡± he asked me as he adjusted his long black tie. ¡°Not really, no. Did you?¡± ¡°No.¡± The corner of his mouth twitched slightly and his eyes warmed as he looked at me. The electricity emanating off him was hard to ignore. ¡°Well, if you two are finished, I¡¯d like to discuss the plans over dinner.¡± Lucian led us away from the room. I tried to relax. It was evident by now that Lucian wouldn¡¯t hurt me but I couldn¡¯t trust him, his word, or his cronies. Lucian led us into a dining room. The floors were tiled a nice rusty-brown color and a long dark wooden table rested in the middle. Twenty big wooden chairs were spaced evenly along the span of the table. I fell into step beside Eli, my eyes resting on the silver, unlit candelabra that decorated the table, and then onto the food. There were mountains and mountains of all kinds of foods. Chicken wings, mashed potatoes, salads, bread rolls, and vegetables. My stomach growled. I hadn¡¯t eaten since Eli and I had stopped off at the diner. ¡°Please sit.¡± Lucian dashed over to the seat at the head of the table. It was bigger than the rest of them, like a throne. A servant took me by my arm and guided me to the opposite side of the table. Another servant sat Eli down across from me. ¡°The others aren¡¯t joining us?¡± I asked. Lucian clicked his fingers and a short Middle Eastern woman poured him a glass of red¡­ wine? Blood? I couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°I don¡¯t like to share the details of my plans with too many people.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s so much food,¡± I countered, barely meeting Eli¡¯s face over the salad. ¡°Eat what you can. The rest will be disposed of.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be a little sad. There was so much starvation in the world and yet here I sat with literal mountains of food in front of me. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± As Lucian spoke, servants scooped piles of food onto our plates but I was past the point of hunger. Nausea was the most dominant feeling in my stomach now. ¡°As of tomorrow, you will start your training.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need training.¡± ¡°You need training,¡± Eli interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re impulsive, uncertain, and scared. Not to mention you have no idea how to use the elements properly nor do you have any control over your Heelian side.¡± ¡°But I ¡ª¡± ¡°You need to train.¡± Eli wasn¡¯t playing around, he was serious. His usual bright green eyes were dark and they narrowed in on me. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll train.¡± Lucian rubbed his index finger along his top lip, watching us intently. ¡°Good. It¡¯s settled, Ruby you will receive training and we just happen to have ¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll train her.¡± Lucian chuckled. ¡°No, that isn¡¯t going to happen.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t giving you an option.¡± Lucian leapt from his chair in a blur too fast for my eyes but Eli was ready for him. Lucian came to a stop and they were inches apart. Vampires busted in through the surrounding doors, hissing and growling. Lucian raised his hand in a gesture for them to stop. ¡°I¡¯m her guardian. I will decide what¡¯s best for her,¡± Eli warned him. Then I saw the thick piece of wood pressing on Lucian¡¯s chest, directly above his heart. In the heat of it all, I hadn¡¯t realized I had risen from my seat as well. ¡°Eli can teach me how to defend myself and you can sort out who helps me with both my sides of magic. Deal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± Eli replied, not taking his eyes of Lucian. ¡°I suppose that would be okay.¡± Lucian grinned. Page 17 ¡°Then let¡¯s continue, please?¡± Lucian slowly backed toward his chair, not taking his eyes off Eli. Once he was seated, Eli dropped back into his own chair, concealing his stake in the sleeve of his jacket once again. ¡°Go,¡± Lucian ordered the vampires, and as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared. I exhaled loudly and dropped back into my chair. ¡°What is your next request?¡± ¡°You shift your time to vampire time. Meaning, you will sleep during the day and be awake during the night.¡± We resumed our conversation under civil pretences but the tensions and anger in the room were obvious. ¡°I want to train during the day.¡± Lucian clenched his jaw in frustration and exhaled loudly out his nose. ¡°Without supervision? Not a chance.¡± ¡°We¡¯re on a mountain, at least twenty-four hours from the nearest town. We aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± ¡°You two running away is not my biggest concern.¡± He glanced sideways at Eli, who was eating a chicken drumstick. I knew what his biggest concern was. He didn¡¯t want Eli and I to have unsupervised sessions because although he was a vampire, he still had strong feelings against goddess and guardian angel intimate relations. ¡°I can assure you that that should be the least of your concerns. Eli and I care for each other but it¡¯s strictly professional.¡± I may have bent the truth a little. ¡°Besides,¡± I said, swallowing hard. ¡°I just lost my boyfriend.¡± Of course he knew that, he was the one who gave the order to take Hunter away from me. I had to play that card. When Lucian first arrived at Sage, I told him Hunter was my boyfriend. ¡°A one hour session at dawn is all I¡¯m allowing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for.¡± Lucian rattled off more rules and routines I was expected to follow. At no time during the night was I able to walk the house or grounds alone. When I was in my room, my door had to be locked from the inside and I wasn¡¯t allowed to open it to anyone that hadn¡¯t specified beforehand they needed to see me. Under no circumstances could I offer a vampire my blood or drink blood from a vampire. Well, that¡¯s a no brainer. By now it was very late. I ate my dinner; once I started it was hard to stop. I ended up being a lot hungrier than I thought. My heavy stomach made it almost impossible to fight away the sleepiness that was catching up with me. ¡°Is that everything?¡± I asked. ¡°For now.¡± ¡°Then if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to go to bed.¡± ¡°Both of you should sleep. Take her to her room, but keep in mind that I will know if you linger,¡± Lucian warned Eli. Eli, too tired for words, simply nodded. We walked back through the lively sitting room. The party was still very much alive, only this time there were less clothes. I kept my eyes on the floor. I had only been in this room for a few seconds and I¡¯d already seen enough blood and breasts to last me a lifetime. We passed quickly through the orgy and into the living room. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I blurted when we reached the staircase. ¡°A blood orgy,¡± Hunter replied, floating down the stairs toward us. No other term could describe the way he moved, he appeared weightless. His black eyes watched me curiously as I instinctively stepped closer to Eli. Hunter¡¯s face flinched, hurt by my movement. I thought about treating Hunter a little better than I had been, but I needed more time to adjust. I was a little relieved to see he wasn¡¯t a part of the blood exchanging orgy in the next room. I wasn¡¯t in the mood to say ¡®I told you so,¡¯ but I could tell by the way Eli tensed up when he saw Hunter he was in as much shock as I was when I first saw him. ¡°Don¡¯t look too surprised, De Luca, surely you were hoping for something like this to happen to me.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t wish that on anyone, let alone you, Hunter.¡± Eli¡¯s voice was sympathetic and polite. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± he snorted. Hunter came to a stop a few steps in front of us, towering over us. He flicked his fangs out. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m hungry.¡± He brushed passed me and I was left staring. Eli tugged gently at my hand and step by step, we made it up the stairs and back to my room. ¡°Now I believe you,¡± he finally said. His words annoyed me. ¡°You should have believed me when I told you the first time.¡± ¡°I saw him die. He wasn¡¯t moving. Then I wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d hit your head or not when we crashed and ¡ª¡± ¡°Well, now you know I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Move on.¡± I heard the ice cold voice before I saw the vampire. Behind Eli was the tall, blond vampire that had killed Hunter. If I recall correctly, his name was Liam. Eli turned away from me and Liam stepped away to let Eli pass. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at dawn.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s only a few hours away,¡± I called after him. Eli looked back at me with a smirk; his eyes alight with humor. I closed my door, avoiding Liam¡¯s cold stare. I turned and noticed my stuff in boxes on the bed. When I found the box with my clothes in it, I pulled my dress off and slipped into a pair of checker-patterned boxer shorts and a navy blue tank top. I wasn¡¯t going to have a shower, what was the point? In four hours I¡¯d have to wake up and get dirty. I¡¯d shower after my training session with Eli. I pulled a small alarm clock out from a box and set it for five a.m. and then set it down on the bedside table. I pushed the boxes off the bed and over to the window before sliding in between the silk sheets. I stared up at the pretty chandelier. I didn¡¯t turn it off, I wasn¡¯t comfortable enough to sleep in the dark here. On the other hand, I didn¡¯t think I was tired enough to sleep in the light, either. I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to come. When I saw Mila, Hunter, Camilla, Mr Aleksandrov and Eli smiling at me, I knew sleep had taken me. Training I was awoken from my peaceful slumber by a few light knocks on my door. Ugh. Who the hell would be knocking on my door at this hour? As I began to deliberate whether to answer it or not, my alarm went off and the realization hit me. It was time to train. I hate being woken up so early in the morning. I guess it was worth it, though. With a tired groan, I forced myself out of bed, stumbling over to the door. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I opened the door and was greeted by Eli¡¯s serious face. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°No.¡± I yawned. ¡°I¡¯ll get dressed.¡± ¡°Not a chance. Put your shoes on.¡± ¡°Eli, I need to get changed.¡± ¡°You should have set your alarm earlier.¡± ¡°I assumed you would be lenient. C¡¯mon, it¡¯s my first day. I''ve only had a few hours¡¯ sleep. Why do we have to start training now? Let me go back to bed,¡± I whined. Eli smiled sideways at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to be far from lenient with you.¡± I sighed in defeat. It was too early to fight him. By the door were my joggers, so I pulled them on. Eli grabbed me by my wrist, pulling me from my room. My vision was a blur as sleep still nagged at my eyes. It wasn¡¯t until the warm morning sun welcomed my face that I knew we¡¯d made it outside. I rubbed my eyes and squinted at my surroundings. A beautiful garden full of colorful flowers of every hue swayed gently in the breeze before me. I inhaled the sweet scent of jasmine. ¡°What is this?¡± I gasped. ¡°The backyard.¡± I descended the few steps and my feet hit the perfectly mowed grass. Everything was planned out so beautifully. Eli walked past me. I followed him along the concrete path and through the garden until we reached a huge clearing outside the castle¡¯s main walls. Even though I was no longer surrounded by the breathtaking garden, a strange citrus smell still lingered in my nostrils. The wild greenery that surrounded us outside the castle walls was depressing. The way they curled and twisted, fighting each other for a glimpse of sunlight. Most fought their way toward the beautiful garden but appeared to be cut back every time they breached the wall. ¡°If we¡¯re going to do this, you need to pay attention.¡± My eyes and attention reverted back to Eli. ¡°Right. Sorry,¡± I apologized sheepishly. Eli had already set up a small training area in a small courtyard at the back of the house. The walls were rubble mostly, but a few slabs of rock remained. My eyes skimmed over the barbells, dumbbells, dummies and other things. Eli pulled off his shirt and I couldn¡¯t help but stare. When he kept the tank top he wore under his shirt on, I fought back a disappointed pout. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± I sighed. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± Training was way more brutal than I thought it would be. First we started off with stretches and then a quick jog around the castle. By the time we made it back to where we started, I was dying. Sweat was pouring profusely down my face and my breathing came out in heavy gasps. ¡°Please.¡± I breathed, wiping sweat from my forehead. ¡°Please, say we¡¯re finished.¡± Eli laughed and handed me a bottle of water. I envied him, he had a few small sweat beads on his forehead, but his breathing was normal and his skin tone stayed a warm tan, unlike my overheated pink. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re finished.¡± Immediately I felt myself perk up. I thought about having a nice cold shower and then going back to bed. ¡°We¡¯re finished warming up.¡± My excitement drained out of me. ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± He shook his head, his eyes lit up with a humorous gleam. He pointed over to the weight set. ¡°Weights.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m dead serious.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll start you off on five kilo bicep curls and seven kilo bench press, just to see how you go.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing that, Eli. I¡¯m not weak. I¡¯ve staked a vampire before, you know.¡± Eli grabbed a long wooden stake from his sports bag and brought the dummy to an upright position. His face was tense as he handed me the stake. ¡°Do it, then.¡± I threw my water bottle on the ground. I was determined to show him I could do it. My long fingers wrapped around the stake, pulling it from his hand. I walked up to the practice dummy and shoved the wood through its chest, but it barely went in. In fact, when I let go, it stuck in for a little while but then fell to the ground. I glanced at Eli, who was watching in an I-told-you-so kind of way. ¡°Again,¡± he called. I picked up the stake and tried again, but this time it didn¡¯t go in as far as my first attempt. ¡°Again.¡± A frustrated growl escaped my throat as I slammed the wood as hard as I could into the hard, jelly-like surface of the dummy. ¡°I staked Hank, why isn¡¯t it working on this silicon dummy?¡± I shouted, punching it in the chest. ¡°Because you¡¯re not strong enough. With Hank, you got lucky. If I hadn¡¯t driven him onto the stake as you connected with his flesh, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to pierce his heart.¡± ¡°Let me get this straight. You¡¯re saying I can¡¯t do this?¡± ¡°You can do this, you just need to train.¡± ¡°So the point of this session was to make fun of how pathetic and weak I am?¡± ¡°No. The point of this session was to show you that you need to train, that you¡¯re not as invincible as you think.¡± I dropped my eyes from his face to my shoes. ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°This session,¡± he continued, ¡°was also to show you how strong you are. Despite where you are and what¡¯s going on around you, you got out of bed this morning¡­ and that makes you the strongest person I know.¡± ¡°Just not in the physical sense?¡± ¡°Right.¡± I dropped onto the ground and laid down. I ignored the way the spiky grass made my skin itch. Eli towered over me, looking down into my eyes. ¡°But you can become strong.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be strong, Eli. I don¡¯t want to fight vampires.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Eli laid down next to me and we watched the sky through the gaps in the tree leaves. ¡°How do you do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Train and fight vampires?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever known, really. My father was very strict on me. I trained twice a day, three if I slacked off in any session.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t so bad. It made me strong. I killed my first vampire when I was fourteen, but he wasn¡¯t alive to see that.¡± I tried to picture Eli as an innocent, young teenager taking on a vampire. It would have been traumatizing. I wrapped my fingers around his. ¡°How come you aren¡¯t as anti-vampire as your dad was?¡± ¡°My mind won¡¯t let me. I can¡¯t condemn someone based on what they are. My dad tried to fix me but he couldn¡¯t, and that¡¯s why I was such a disappointment to him.¡± ¡°Fix you? You¡¯re not broken ¡­¡± ¡°To him I was.¡± Eli closed his eyes and his chest rose and fell. ¡°I wish I could be as calm and as forgiving as you,¡± I admitted. ¡°It¡¯s not without effort.¡± He rolled over and rested his head on his hand. ¡°You¡¯re talking about Hunter though.¡± I was? I hadn¡¯t intended to, but I guess that¡¯s what I was referring to with my comment. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand being near him. It freaks me out.¡± Eli rose to his feet and extended his arm to me. ¡°Do whatever makes you comfortable but remember he was your friend. He was there for you when I left, when you had no one else. He¡¯s probably feeling just as alone as you were, if not worse.¡± Page 18 I stared at the ground. Eli was right, he was there for me, but since his transformation I¡¯d been so horrible to him. A warm index finger ran along my jaw line, tilting my face upwards and forcing eye contact. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that although he¡¯s a friend, he¡¯s still dangerous, Ruby. You¡¯re a goddess and a Heelian, both are irresistible to a vampire ¡­ be careful.¡± I nodded, but Eli didn¡¯t remove his finger from my face. Instead he surveyed my lips and my eyes. ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡± I asked, using his line on him. His lips curved into a slight smile and he bit his bottom lip in an attempt to hide it. God I love it when he does that. ¡°In my day it was customary to ask the father for permission before you court his daughter.¡± Our attention flicked toward the opening to the castle back gardens and a skinny, old man was leaning against a weathered wall. ¡°Dad?¡± The old man took a few steps toward us. They said he was addicted to vampire bites but he looked normal to me. I pictured him skinny with wrinkly, sun-deprived skin. I imagined him all hunched and sickly, like the woman in my cell when I first arrived at Sage Sanctum. ¡°Your prolonged absence means you forfeited that right a long time ago,¡± Eli stated. My eyes didn¡¯t stray from the man that looked too much like me. Our facial structure was the same, from the high cheek bones and blue eyes down to the full lips and long legs. Mithras¡¯s long dark hair was tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. ¡°Ahh, little Eli. You¡¯re all grown up, I see.¡± They knew each other? How did Eli know my father when I¡¯d never even met him? ¡°Perhaps you could give my daughter and I some privacy?¡± ¡°Not going to happen,¡± Eli growled defensively. ¡°If you have to say something to me, then you can say it in front of my guardian angel.¡± ¡°Oh goody,¡± he mumbled sarcastically. ¡°Lucian wants me to train you on how to control your sun power.¡± Eli¡¯s jaw clenched. He didn¡¯t like that idea any more than I did. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯d much rather fight a vampire with my bare hands or use my elements.¡± Mithras chuckled. ¡°Stubborn, just like your mother.¡± He took a few steps closer and Eli stood slightly in front of me, shielding me from the stranger that was my father. Ugh. What did my mother see in him? I¡¯d known him barely five minutes and I could already say he was ignorant, cocky, and bossy. ¡°I don¡¯t think it wise to come between me and my daughter, Mr De Luca.¡± ¡°He¡¯s already told you that you forfeited any parenting rights a long time ago,¡± I stated dully. His hands began to glow. What was he up to? He pushed his hands towards Eli and a blinding light shot out from his palms. I felt Eli tense as he braced himself for the impact. I didn¡¯t know what would happen to Eli but I wasn¡¯t going to risk it. I dove in front of him and the light hit me instead. At first it burned and a scream tore free, but when the initial burn was over, my body welcomed the rest, absorbing it like a plant absorbs water. ¡°Ruby!¡± Blinking, I focused on Eli¡¯s face. He was leaning toward me, his hands gripping my shoulders ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯m fine.¡± My eyes flicked over to where Mithras had been standing. He was gone. Slowly my vision began to falter. The sharp lines of the world began to blur. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I groaned. Two strong arms wrapped around me but it wasn¡¯t enough to pull me away from the approaching darkness. Possessive and Jealous My head was pounding hard against my skull before I even opened my eyes. When I did, shapes and colors blurred around me. I squinted and slowly things became clearer. I was in a strange room. My eyes focused on a big painting. Immediately I recognized it as one of the Latvian ones Eli had in the living room of his house at Sage. The only place I had seen those types of paintings here was in the sitting room. ¡°Where am I?¡± I moaned. ¡°Wakey, wakey. You¡¯re in the sitting room.¡± The cold, empty voice flowed through me, chilling my spine and sending a shiver down it. ¡°Ruby, are you all right?¡± A blurry face loomed over me. I blinked a few times and the blurry lines became visible. Dirty blonde hair dangled just above my face. It was the witch girl. ¡°I- I think so,¡± I mumbled, sitting up. Her hand rested on my shoulder, preventing me from sitting up fully. ¡°You need to lie down.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Eli?¡± I asked. ¡°He¡¯s upstairs. I heard that you met your father. He¡¯s something else, isn¡¯t he?¡± Lucian laughed. ¡°He¡¯s out of control! He tried to hurt Eli but I stopped him.¡± ¡°You could have gotten yourself killed, or worse, you could have ruined the plans I had for you, and over a silly guardian angel.¡± ¡°You talk as if they¡¯re worth nothing.¡± Lucian smiled at me, exposing the very tips of his fangs. ¡°That¡¯s a whole new topic you aren¡¯t going to want to get into right now.¡± Slowly I sat up. ¡°Anna, give us a moment.¡± Without hesitating she walked out the door, closing it behind her. I didn¡¯t like being alone with Lucian. I could tell he was frustrated with me. He adjusted his long black robe and sat beside me. Subtly, I hugged myself. ¡°Did you know that I was married a long time ago?¡± I kept my eyes on the floor. I tried to imagine him happy and in love but I couldn¡¯t. When I looked at his face I couldn¡¯t see that. Whatever humanity he had was gone. ¡°But she was taken from me ¡­¡± ¡°By a vampire?¡± It just doesn¡¯t make sense, why would he become a vampire if his wife was killed by one? ¡°No. By a guardian angel.¡± His black eyes glazed over like he was reliving some sick past memory. ¡°Guardian angels don¡¯t kill goddesses,¡± I stated. ¡°No, they don¡¯t. She wasn¡¯t killed, she fell in love.¡± I swallowed hard. His wife fell in love with a guardian angel and left him. The pieces of the puzzle I¡¯d been trying to complete since I first arrived at Sage were slowly being pieced together. ¡°That¡¯s why you made goddess and guardian angel relationships forbidden,¡± I whispered to myself. ¡°Well, I can be a very possessive and jealous man.¡± I ignored the fact that his statement sounded like a threat. ¡°What happened to them?¡± I asked hesitantly. ¡°I was turned into a vampire and I hunted them.¡± He smiled to himself, like he was proud. ¡°Now ask yourself, is it worth it?¡± I pondered whether to choose my next words carefully or to just say what I feel. ¡°I think you can¡¯t choose who you love. I also think there¡¯s nothing wrong with loving someone who isn¡¯t the same as you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re brave,¡± a voice behind us scoffed. It was a familiar voice, even though it was decidedly cold. I ignored it. ¡°I also think it would be foolish for one man to think he has control over something so big.¡± Lucian¡¯s cocky smile straightened into an impassive line. He closed the distance between us before I could blink. He wrapped his long cold fingers around my throat and I gasped for air. Hunter dashed over to us and tried to pull Lucian off me but Lucian shoved him across the room and into the wall. Hunter growled loudly and Lucian hissed back before setting his sights back on me. ¡°Just because I¡¯m using you doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re my only option. You¡¯re plan A. If this fails I have a plan B, C, D, E, and I¡¯m sure you know how the rest of the alphabet goes.¡± A coughed spluttered out of my throat and he let me go. Lucian rose from his seat and walked over to Hunter. ¡°If you so much as raise an eyebrow at me again I will end you as quickly as I created you. Do you understand?¡± Hunter nodded sheepishly and Lucian exited the room. Hunter zipped over to me, his cool fingers nipped my skin as he tucked a dark lock of hair out of my face. I was too dazed to recoil from his touch. ¡°Can I take you to your room?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to my room. I need air, I need to breathe. I feel so imprisoned here.¡± ¡°I know just the place.¡± Hunter took me by my wrist. I tried hard to picture him as the boy I cared about before his changes but it wasn¡¯t working. Gently I pulled from his grasp. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you but please don¡¯t push anything. I¡¯m not ready to reconnect with you on the level we used to share.¡± His lips twitched into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m happy with that.¡± In the moonlight I could see the red tinge of the maple trees that lined the walkway by the eastern garden. By now all warmth had left the air, leaving nothing but a cool chill behind. When the wind blew, a few leaves glided down onto the grass like drops of blood. How could a place that was supposed to be so terrible be so serene? This place is meant to be hell on earth, isn¡¯t it? A cold breeze brushed gently against the tress, making the leaves shiver under the glowing moon. I resisted the urge to hug myself in fear of it making me appear weak. ¡°Look, Ruby, I never intended on this happening. I ¡ª¡± ¡°I know,¡± I interrupted. ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s just a shock to my system, you know¡­ I thought you were dead but here you are, still technically dead but at least you¡¯re okay.¡± He smiled and leaned against a slightly rotten fence post. ¡°A smart girl once said, what¡¯s wrong with caring for someone who isn¡¯t the same as you?¡± For a moment I didn¡¯t recognize my own words, they sounded foreign to me. ¡°Yeah¡­ bu ¡ª I ¡ª¡± I exhaled in defeat. I did truly believe we don¡¯t get to choose who we love, our heart chooses for us. Why has mine chosen two? That isn¡¯t fair for anyone. ¡°You¡¯re a vampire, Eli is a guardian angel ¡­ I¡¯ll be forever alone.¡± ¡°I know Eli would give everything up to be with you and so would I.¡± I remembered the night Eli told me he wouldn¡¯t run away with me, for my own safety. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have this conversation right now,¡± I groaned, my head pounding hard against the back of my skull. ¡°A relationship with anyone is the last thing on my mind right now ¡­¡± Hunter took a few steps toward me; I felt my muscles tense instantly. ¡°Your heart is racing, it¡¯s slightly distracting.¡± I rubbed the whistle around my neck with my thumb, ready to blow it at any second. ¡°Relax. I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± ¡°Surely you can smell me.¡± ¡°Oh, I can smell you; it¡¯s the sweetest, most delicious scent I¡¯ve ever smelled in my life, but I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± He brushed an index finger along my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. You can trust me.¡± I hope so. I wanted to head back to the house now. I wasn¡¯t even a full vampire and I had craved Eli¡¯s and Tay¡¯s blood. I couldn¡¯t imagine what my blood was doing to Hunter. Every time he swallowed hard or bit his lip it put me on edge. Who knew when he was going to snap? ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Shoot.¡± ¡°The night I saw you, after an animal jumped out in front of the car ¡­ Your skin was normal. I know that means you killed a goddess or god.¡± ¡°I did.¡± I flinched at his words. ¡°But they were elderly, one was in a coma.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it okay¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± A sadness filled Hunter¡¯s eyes. ¡°Lucian made me do it, he said it was the only shot I had at making you comfortable enough to talk to me.¡± It was obviously less scary talking to a pale Hunter with black eyes than it would be talking to his real self ¡­ with the translucent skin and pulsating veins. Hank¡¯s face flashed through my mind and my spine rattled in fear. At least he was gone now. ¡°Can we head back?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± We strolled back through the garden and into the house. Immediately, I locked eyes with Eli, who was leaning against a wall with a drink in hand as Liam stood in front of him, chatting and laughing away. Eli walked away from Liam, his intense eyes burning into mine. He definitely wasn¡¯t happy with me. ¡°Ruby, can I speak to you for a minute, please?¡± Hunter winked at me and disappeared into thin air. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± His voice was low and stern. ¡°What are you talking about? You told me to be more of a friend to him.¡± ¡°Yes, I did, but I didn¡¯t expect you to run off into the darkness with him.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t run off. I needed to get some air.¡± ¡°What you did was stup ¡ª¡± His words caught in his throat as his eyes fell onto my neck. ¡°Did he do that to you?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± I asked, rubbing my neck. I couldn¡¯t feel any kind of bite. I winced in pain; it felt like I had a bruise. ¡°What happened to your neck?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡± ¡°Did Hunter do that to you?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Tell me who did it, Ruby. Who are you trying to protect?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to protect you. Lucian did this ¡­¡± Eli turned abruptly and I grabbed at his arm desperately until he turned to face me. ¡°Let it go, we¡¯ll deal with it later.¡± Page 19 Eli ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. ¡°Why are you so on edge?¡± I asked. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± Eli pulled me back out into the garden. A sinking sensation filled my stomach. It had to be something bad if it had Eli so on edge. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked him. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever had the chance to ask him that before. It was always the other way round. ¡°Aleksandrov is going to help us.¡± ¡°What? When? How?¡± ¡°When we leave for our first assignment at Gerald Harbor in three weeks¡­ Aleksandrov, other wizards, and half of the school¡¯s guardians will be there.¡± Hope, excitement and happiness filled my stomach. ¡°He¡¯s doubled up on charms to protect the school. If we can make it back there, we¡¯ll be safe. However, we can¡¯t risk it. We need to draw Lucian away from his minions. We need to kill him, just to be safe.¡± I was worried that if I spoke, it would be in a high pitched excited squeal, so instead I nodded. ¡°There¡¯s something we need from you as well.¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°You need to be able to use all of your elements and your sun power. You¡¯re our secret weapon, Ruby.¡± I nodded again. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the party.¡± Ugh. Another party. Was it going to be like this every night? I didn¡¯t go to my room to put on a dress; I didn¡¯t have to energy to. Instead I joined Eli and Lucian at the dinner table and we ate the exact same way we did the first night. When it was over, I crawled back to my room and climbed into bed, still in the pyjamas I wore last night and trained in today. Oh well, dirty or not, I still happily welcomed sleep. Bewitched Here I was again, watching red and white rose petals float down from the twilight sky. I glanced down and I was wearing a long, white gown, a wedding dress. My gaze met smiling faces as they watched me in awe. The walls of bright green mossy trees that surrounded us were so surreal, so beautiful. In the branches nestled a dozen scarlet tanagers, their deep red feathers standing out against the vibrant green moss. For every two scarlet tanagers, there was one white dove perched perfectly in between them. ¡°Are you ready, dear?¡± an old man in a white robe asked. I glanced beside me and met Eli¡¯s handsome face. I smiled at him. He was so perfect. Now he was going to be my husband. ¡°Yes.¡± The robed man began to speak. His mouth moved but no words came out. I strained my ears, I could hear the birds flutter their feathers and guests shuffle in their chair but I couldn¡¯t hear the priest. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you,¡± I said but he made no sign that he could hear me, either. The distinct sound of sticks snapping and leaves hitting skin filled my ears. I crouched down, holding my ears. Why was the sound so deafening? ¡°I object,¡± an emotionless voice called. It seemed like I was the only one to hear it. I searched the surrounding bushes but I couldn¡¯t see anyone. Then they stepped out from nature¡¯s cloak, it was Lucian and Hunter. They both stared at me, crazy-eyed. No one else could hear or see them, only me. One by one, they tore the throats from my unknown guests before dashing up the aisle to the altar where Eli, the priest, and I were standing. ¡°Eli!¡± I screamed, but he couldn¡¯t hear me. He turned and smiled down at me. ¡®I love you,¡¯ he mouthed before Lucian broke his neck and he fell into a lifeless heap. Hunter was feeding on the priest and I was left curling into myself. My dress was splattered with blood and dirt. Through my tears I looked at the trees. Crows were devouring my beautiful birds. ¡°I told you I was a possessive man, Ruby.¡± Lucian chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s my creator, I don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Hunter begged. I lay on the ground, crying up to the sky. Lucian towered over me. ¡°See you when you wake up.¡± His muddy boot came down on my face and I was knocked out. My eyes shot open and I was breathing rapidly. Sweat beads ran down my face and my hands twitched. I looked around the room, wide-eyed, making sure I was in my room. My alarm clocked blared, sending me a meter into the air. I slammed my palm down hard on top of it. Why was the dream freaking me out so much? It was, in fact, only a dream. My body ached as I climbed out of bed. My muscles screamed, informing me they didn¡¯t want to exercise today. I convinced myself a hot shower would help loosen some of the tension, and it did, whilst I was in the shower at least. I rummaged through my boxes and found a pair of track pants and a pink tank top. Good enough. ¡°Right on time,¡± I mumbled to myself when Eli knocked on my door. I opened the door and a smile broke over his face. ¡°You¡¯re a fast learner.¡± ¡°Kill or be killed.¡± I shrugged. Eli¡¯s smile faltered. ¡°I¡¯m not scared anymore.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Training was harder than yesterday. We warmed up with stretches and a jog, and then moved straight on to weights. When that was done, we practiced defensive fighting. My muscles were threatening to seize up but I fought against their threats. I needed to be in prime condition, I couldn¡¯t let anyone down. Our lives depended on it. ¡°Okay,¡± Eli began. ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you some basic defense. If we were under normal circumstances I¡¯d tell you to defuse the situation, the last thing you want is a fight. However, we aren¡¯t under normal circumstances and there¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to be able to talk a vampire into backing off. So first, before the situation escalates, you must pick the right places to hit before the attacker gains full control.¡± I listened carefully, amazed by his seriousness and professionalism. He was definitely in his element. ¡°¡­ This doesn¡¯t mean you go into a panic mode and start throwing your punches into the air like a crazy person. Conserve your energy when possible, for you need the energy to escape given the opportunity.¡± Eli came within inches of me and my knees grew weak. ¡°If I grabbed you by the shoulders,¡± he placed his hands firmly on either side, ¡°What would you do?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Ruby, this is serious.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do ¡­¡± ¡°Think.¡± I tried to shrug him off but I couldn¡¯t. I punched his chest and he gasped slightly but he didn¡¯t budge. ¡°This is no time to be civil, remember to hit where it hurts: the eyes, nose, neck, groin, knees, and legs.¡± I swung my leg hard and kicked at his knee but he dropped his hands and caught it just in time. ¡°Not bad, but if I was a vampire, you¡¯d be dead. Next session we¡¯ll focus on strength.¡± ¡°Is it my turn already?¡± Mithras called, leaning against the same weathered wall as yesterday. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± I growled. He smiled. Eli stood against the tree watching us as we meditated under the sun. My skin was hot and my hair stuck to my skin. It felt gross. ¡°You know, you don¡¯t need to be trained on how to control the power.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s natural, whatever you want the power to do, it will do. If you want it to come out of your hands, it will come out of your hands. If you want it to come out of your entire body, it will come out of every pore in your body.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? Try it.¡± I opened my eyes. My hands were resting in my lap. I thought about the sun and its warmth. Then, I imagined it coming out of my hands. My palms became illumined with a hot light and I stared at it curiously. ¡°Shoot it.¡± I extended my hand in front of me and tensed my muscles. Sure enough, the light shot out from my palm. ¡°Wow.¡± I examined my hands slowly. It was like I was in an entirely different body. My wondrous thoughts were interrupted as I was shoved over. Immediately I sprang to my feet and poised in an attack stance. Eli was doing the same thing beside me. Mithras¡¯s palms began glowing. ¡°You think you can just come in here and take from me?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Go find your own vampires!¡± he shouted. ¡°He¡¯s crazy, remember?¡± Eli muttered under his breath. Mithras had a crazy gleam in his eye. He was willing to kill his own daughter if it meant he got to keep the vampire bites to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t want your stupid bites,¡± I snapped. He screamed. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was anger or pain, but his whole body glowed. ¡°He¡¯s going to explode. We need to get out of here!¡± Eli yelled. We couldn¡¯t get past him; he was blocking our only exit back into the gardens. ¡°Get behind the wall,¡± I yelled at Eli. We turned and sprinted away from Mithras. My hands grasped the top of the wall and somehow, despite my fatigue, I managed to heave myself over the wall as a ball of sun collided with it. Please let him explode before he manages to climb the wall. Eli wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. My head was on his chest and I could hear his heartbeat. We waited for a few more seconds and nothing happened. Eli gestured to me silently that he was going to peer over the wall. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said, taking me by my hand. ¡°Your friend took care of him.¡± I peered over the edge of the wall and Anna was standing over Mithras, checking his vital signs. ¡°He¡¯ll be okay,¡± she said. ¡°Oh, goody,¡± I replied sarcastically. ¡°We should get him back to his room. We don¡¯t want Lucian to find out about this. If Mithras dies, I¡¯d hate to see what that means for you two ¡­¡± ¡°Why are you helping us?¡± Eli asked suspiciously. ¡°Because I need a favor.¡± ¡°No,¡± he replied dryly. ¡°Wait, hear her out.¡± ¡°If you ever get the chance to get out of this place, take me with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t leave me here., I need to get out of here. Please?¡± she begged. I shot Eli a sympathetic glance but his face stayed hard and tense. ¡°How do I know we can trust you?¡± ¡°Take my hand.¡± She extended her hand to me. ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡± I took a few steps toward her but Eli grasped my wrist. ¡°I trust her.¡± I pulled my arm free from Eli¡¯s gentle but firm grasp and placed my hand into Anna¡¯s. As soon as our skin connected I was transported to another world. It was night time and I was walking home from the shops. In my left hand I had a bottle of milk and in my right was a warm loaf of bread. Someone else was in control of the scene. The road was empty and the earthy scent of fresh rain hit my nostrils. My heartbeat increased as I turned down an alleyway. The moonlight cast a murky glow upon everything, making the shadows darker and more menacing. It smelled strongly of stale urine and trash. Where am I going? ¡°You¡¯re about to see how I came to live with Lucian,¡± Anna¡¯s voice echoed in my mind. Her memories seemed so real to me, the smells, the details, even the feeling of the hard ground under my shoes. I sighed a breath of relief when the alleyway was well and truly behind me. I climbed a set of stairs and fumbled in my purse for a set of keys. My hands were shaking, I was still on edge. I hated walking alone at night time, especially now with all the strange disappearances and murders that have occurred. I could hear some of Anna¡¯s thoughts from that night. The door creaked loudly as it swung itself open. Strange. My parents wouldn¡¯t go to bed after sending me out for milk and bread. ¡°Hello?¡± Anna¡¯s voice, my voice called. I ran my hand along the rough wall until I found the light switch. Click. It remained dark. Click. Click. Still nothing. I forced one leg in front of the other slowly. The floorboards creaked under my feet, forcing my heartbeat to quicken. I approached the living room door; a faint light glowed through the cracks. I stretched my hand out in front of me. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to turn the knob; I didn¡¯t want to see whatever is waiting on the other side ¡­ but I did,¡± Anna said. The door opened and another creak sounded through the otherwise silent house. I tried to squeeze my eyes shut but I couldn¡¯t. I had to see what Anna saw. A high pitched scream rang through the house as I saw two bodies ripped apart and strewn all over the room. I had no idea where the scream was coming from. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of myself ¡ª of Anna ¡ª in the mirror. She was the one screaming. I could feel my heart shatter and my chest squeeze. My knees hit the floor and I wrapped my arms around myself, curling into a ball to try to ease the ache within my chest. A cool hand brushed over my hair and I recoiled, crawling rapidly over to my parents. A loud chuckle filled the room. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m not here to hurt you.¡± I turned my face toward the door but I didn¡¯t see anyone. The man hid in the shadows and it frightened me more. I began chanting in a foreign language, one I didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°I¡¯m saying a protection spell. It¡¯s Latin.¡± Anna added. She was my own personal voiceover. I didn¡¯t want to do this anymore, It was hitting too close to home, too close to my mother and what Hank did to her. Please stop! I begged her. The door of the room slammed shut, separating Lucian and I from each other. It didn¡¯t last long. He kicked the door down, sending it flying to the other side of the room. Page 20 Please, stop! I believe you. Lucian zipped over to me and as he reached out his arms, the room faded away. A bright clear sky filled my vision. My heart beat hard in my chest, and I tried to take deep breaths to steady myself and return to my own reality. Eli now stood in between Anna and I, his warm hands grasped the sides of my face. ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth. We have to help her,¡± I gasped. ¡°What did you see?¡± I shook my head and fought back the tears that tried to overwhelm me. It was way too personal to share. That memory was something I could never unsee. It was horrifying. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do,¡± Eli said to Anna. ¡°Thank you.¡± Eli and Anna picked up Mithras¡¯s limp body and dragged it back to the house. Anna said she¡¯d only stunned him and that he¡¯d be awake any minute. When he did, she said she¡¯d be able to convince him it was only a dream. I stayed in the rundown courtyard where I trained. I couldn¡¯t shake the images of Anna¡¯s memory. It felt so real, how was she able to place me there? Would it work for good memories, too? I thought about the possibility of reliving a memory with my mother. Seeing her smile and feeling her hugs would be amazing. I really needed something like that right now. I picked up a wooden stake from the ground and slammed it into the dummy. ¡°You still suck,¡± I said. I turned my back to the dummy. I¡¯d try again tomorrow. So Close, Yet So Far After a week, my body stopped hating me. My muscles grew tougher, and my stamina increased. For the next three weeks, I trained and I trained hard. I still got my ass handed to me by Eli when we did defensive or offensive techniques but not quite as badly as I used to, which was something. It took me longer to break a sweat. When I trained with Eli, I was able to hurt him, and when I was really in the mood, I was able to pin him. Either I was indeed getting stronger or Eli just enjoyed letting me take charge. All I knew was nothing made him prouder than to see me try and improve, becoming more and more able to handle my own. After the day Mithras attacked me, I no longer needed his help. With his tips I was able to control my sun power with ease. As for my elements? Well, I can move large bodies of water and make it do whatever I want. I can fling fire balls and turn a small candle flame into a large bush fire. I can heal plants and make them grow, and lastly, I could move the air. Controlling the air wasn¡¯t much, but it would come in handy if I needed to incapacitate someone temporarily. All of this I learned on my own, with the help of Eli and Anna, of course. Sometimes If I was really stuck I¡¯d even ask Hunter for help and he had given me loads of good tips. Hunter and I had gotten close again during the last few weeks. On more than one occasion (with Eli¡¯s permission) we went out under the oak trees and hung out. During that time it felt like we were just two normal people. Although we started getting on better, it was still nothing like it used to be, but I was comfortable enough around him to have fun and joke around. Today was the day before we left for Gerald Harbor. As usual, I was waiting for Eli to collect me for training. The early starts still sucked but at least I got to go back to sleep afterwards until nightfall. Sure enough, three soft knocks landed on my door. I pulled it open and his gorgeous smiling face greeted me. ¡°Are you ready for one last training session?¡± ¡°More than ready.¡± We warmed up, we ran, and then went into our usual defense and offense techniques. Eli and I crouched before each other. I could tell by his eyes that he was going to go all out on me. It was my last training session; he needed to see if I was ready. He lunged at me and I dove out of the way. With a tumble roll I managed to find my footing immediately and I was facing him again. His face was tense but his eyes watched me with pride. He dove at me again and I was too busy admiring him admiring me to react in time. As I tried to side step him he caught my arm. The double arm grab. I knew exactly what to do. He pulled me toward him but I bent my elbow, using his strength and momentum against him. I dropped my rear shoulder, giving me extra strength in my legs. Before Eli had a chance to regain his balance, I kicked his knee. I didn¡¯t kick it hard enough to displace it but hard enough to know I meant business. As his knee gave out from under him, he bent over in pain and I pulled the stake from my back pocket, pressing against his back and above his heart. Eli stood up, neither of us panting hard enough for his liking. ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Another one,¡± I demanded. ¡°Someone is keen.¡± I took twenty paces away from Eli and returned to my crouching stance. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll attack you.¡± He ran a hand through his dark messy hair and laughed. ¡°Give it your best shot.¡± He stood waiting for me, his eyes narrowed, waiting to see my next move. I ran at him and he braced himself for impact. As I got closer, I threw a punch and he blocked it. From there, there was a series of punches, blocks, ducking and diving. He hadn¡¯t thrown a single punch in this session. When I thought about it, he hadn¡¯t thrown a single punch in any of our sessions. He was taking it easy on me. This frustrated me. I thought I was improving, but how could I if my teacher insisted on going easy on me. With a growl, I landed a punch to his chest. He flinched slightly but managed to block my second punch. He had me by both my hands. ¡°Unh,¡± I gasped as he shoved me against a wall of the courtyard. ¡°You¡¯re angry, why?¡± He didn¡¯t drop my hands. ¡°Because it took me this long to figure out you¡¯re going easy on me.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m going easy on you. You¡¯ve only trained for three weeks ¡­ I¡¯ll hurt you.¡± ¡°Hurt me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t risk that.¡± He smiled. ¡°Maybe after all of this is over.¡± ¡°Do you promise?¡± ¡°Yes. I promise to beat you up when all of this is over.¡± He laughed. I pressed my mouth to his, cutting off his laugh. One of his arms wrapped around my waist and the other entangled in my hair. Gently he pulled on my lip with his teeth and tugged on my hair, forcing my head backwards. He trailed hard kisses from my mouth, across my jaw line and down my neck. I shuddered under his touch and a weird knot formed in my stomach. He met my mouth again, only this time his kiss was loving and intimate ¡ª apologetic, even. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stop,¡± I pouted as he pulled away. ¡°I know.¡± Our foreheads were resting against each other¡¯s. ¡°Do we go back to training now?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s your last session, I¡¯ll let you off. Besides, there¡¯s nothing more I can teach you here.¡± His full lips pressed against my forehead and he turned away from me. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to see how I go with a stake?¡± I asked. Eli hadn¡¯t taught me how to use a stake properly. He didn¡¯t want me to get close enough to a vampire to stake it. It was sweet, he wanted to protect me. Little did he know that I had mastered the technique for staking a vampire. ¡°You won¡¯t need to use one. Stick with your powers, leave everything else to me and the rest of the guardians.¡± I stalked over to the dummy and pulled the stake from my back pocket. I slammed it into the dummy with every ounce of strength I had. Eli turned around and saw that the stake had went in far enough to kill a vampire. ¡°How did you ¡ª¡± ¡°Uh-uh, a magician never tells her secrets.¡± ¡°How is it possible?¡± His eyes glazed over in awe and wonderment. ¡°How is what possible?¡± ¡°How is it possible that you manage to impress me more and more every day?¡± I smiled, our passionate kiss was still fresh on my lips and they tingled when I moved them. ¡°C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get some rest and then pack some things. We leave as soon as the sun goes down.¡± Eli walked me back to my room. It was still early morning and my body was very much awake, especially after training. ¡°So I¡¯ll ¡ª¡± I threw my hands around his neck and closed the distance between our lips. The wonderful, indescribable taste of his lips pressed eagerly onto mine. ¡°Stop,¡± he said in between kisses. I knew better, if he really wanted me to stop, he wouldn¡¯t kiss me back. ¡°You stop first.¡± I giggled. He suddenly moved forward, coming into my room, and kissed me hard. I kissed him back, possibly even harder. I didn¡¯t know where this might end but I knew where I wanted it to go. Who knew if we¡¯d survive tomorrow night? I wanted to be with him romantically, to be physically intimate, and this might be my last chance. A nervous feeling began to trump the excitement that knotted in my stomach. His forearm wrapped around my waist and he lifted me up so my legs wrapped around him. He carried me towards the bed, our lips still pressed together. I was afraid if we stopped kissing he¡¯d change his mind. Gently he laid me down and he climbed on top of me, kissing me even more urgently. I needed air but refused to break away from him. I was too desperate for his taste. So much desire, need, want, passion, all raged in that kiss. Nothing else existed but us. Oh my god. This is really happening. How could anybody think that this was wrong? We we¡¯re so perfect together. I ran my fingers up and down the back of his neck. I rubbed his shoulder blades and then his arms as we kissed. His body was so firm and masculine. He pulled his lips from mine and my breath hitched. ¡°This isn¡¯t a good idea,¡± he growled seductively. ¡°So? We¡¯re probably going to die, anyway.¡± His face flinched and he rolled off me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to do this because you think you¡¯re going to die tomorrow. I thought you wanted to do it because you care.¡± I caressed his chest. ¡°I do care.¡± His green eyes met mine and he genuinely looked hurt. My chest ached, I¡¯d never seen him so vulnerable. I grasped his face. ¡°I love you.¡± His lips twitched a little as the words fell from my lips. He definitely wasn¡¯t expecting that. He didn¡¯t have to say it back, not right now. I assumed he would take time to process it. I knew he felt the same, I could see it in his eyes. They glowed with love and passion. He traced a finger along my cheek, down my neck, and across my chest just above my breasts, igniting my blood. He pulled me against him and our lips were reunited in blissful pleasure. His hand slid up my shirt, sending goosebumps all over me. Somehow he managed to get my shirt off. I was nervous and tried hard not to feel insecure in front of him. In seconds we were kneeling against each other and his shirt was off. It was all happening so quickly. I pulled my lips away and took in his entire body. I had never seen him with his shirt off before. He¡¯d always kept a tank top on, even when we were training, but now, I was exposed to his manly chest and thick muscles. More clothes littered the floor and soon we were both naked and under the silk sheets. He paused and his eyes surveyed me as his hands roamed all over. It was obvious he liked what he saw, and I secretly enjoyed the effect I was having on him. ¡°You¡¯re not going to believe this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a ¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I thought boys carry one around in their wallets all the time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in high school, Ruby. I don¡¯t carry one around, hoping I have sex ¡­¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going to risk it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any in your room?¡± He laughed. ¡°We were coming to live with vampires and the higher power, who, by the way, made it illegal for goddesses or gods and guardian angels to have relationships. The last thing on my mind were condoms.¡± I tried to hide my disappointment. ¡°Okay, so now what do we do?¡± ¡°We get dressed, we pack a bag, we rest, and then we get up at night time and travel to Gerald Harbor.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°And,¡± he continued, drawing small circles around my belly button. ¡°We continue this when we¡¯re free from all this ridiculousness.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± He bit his swollen bottom lip, fighting a tantalizing smile. ¡°I promise.¡± The Parting Surprise I opened my eyes as the last portion of the sun lowered beneath the horizon. I had gone back to bed once Eli left my room and I packed a bag of absolute necessities. Things like a few tank tops and fresh underwear, a hairbrush, a photo of my mother and I, and a toothbrush. Underneath it all was a few short wooden stakes. I was willing to part with the rest of my stuff, it was clothes mostly. ¡°Time to go,¡± I groaned to myself. I climbed out of bed, raising my arms above my head and stretching. I grabbed my bag from the end of my bed and headed down to the sitting room. That¡¯s where Lucian said to meet up. When I entered the sitting room the atmosphere was dark and tense. There were low, inaudible conversations taking place in the room and my stomach twisted. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that somehow they knew what Eli and I had almost done. I searched the room for Eli and I found him by a wall to the left side of the room. Our eyes made contact. Briefly his were reminiscent of what had taken place this morning, and then they returned to their normal guardian angel intense gaze. ¡°Well, well, well.¡± Lucian entered the room. ¡°What a beautiful night.¡± The smile he wore sent chills down my spine. It seemed so threatening and almost psychopathic. Hunter and Anna strolled sheepishly behind him. Something wasn¡¯t right. I glanced at Eli, and judging by his expression, he was thinking the same thing. Lucian¡¯s gaze fell on me. It wasn¡¯t filled with his usual sarcastic, fake happiness. He was angry and somehow his eyes had grown darker than their usual shade of black. Page 21 ¡°Do you think I am weak?¡± he asked me. The vampires in the room that stood in front of me parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path between Lucian and me. ¡°Not at all,¡± I replied calmly. ¡°Hmph. Then why do you think you can outsmart me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Lucian covered the distance between us in less than a second. Four vampires dove onto Eli, holding him back. He fought against them but there were too many. ¡°Don¡¯t play coy with; me, child. I know everything. I know that Ivan has planned an escape for you at Gerald Harbor tomorrow night. Did you actually think it was going to work? It¡¯s a good thing I have my little prot¨¦g¨¦ over there, otherwise I would have never known.¡± Oh no. I told Hunter about our plan. I only did it because I thought maybe he could help us. I looked at Eli. He stared at me in disbelief before shaking his head in response, disappointment plain on his features. I tried to convey how sorry I was, but he no longer looked at me. ¡°Hunter, how could you?¡± I yelled, tears threatening to spill over and run down my cheek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he is my creator ¡­ I ¡ª I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Lucian ran a finger along my jaw bone and forced my attention back onto his face. ¡°It appears Ludiia didn¡¯t search Mr De Luca thoroughly enough to find his cell phone.¡± Lucian clicked his fingers. ¡°No, no please! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ludiia begged. It didn¡¯t matter how sorry she was, Liam and another vampire tore her head from her body before she had a chance to explain. ¡°After everything I¡¯ve done for you,¡± he growled, his intense eyes searching my soul. ¡°Tomorrow will continue as planned. I¡¯ll bring more vampires and we¡¯ll take care of Aleksandrov and the other pesky guardians if they show.¡± He tapped his chin in thought. ¡°But how should I punish you ¡­¡± He clicked his long fingers. ¡°Hunter, come here.¡± Hunter dashed over but I avoided his eyes. ¡°Drink from her.¡± ¡°No!¡± I yelled. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Do you want her to feel pain or pleasure?¡± Hunter asked. He couldn¡¯t be serious. To tell my plans to his creator was one thing, but to try and drink from me was something else entirely. ¡°Hmmm, pain.¡± Hunter grasped my head and tilted it at an angle so I was facing Eli. Eli wore a panicked expression as he fought even harder against the vampires holding him. I heard the subtle sound of fangs clicking out of hard gums. My palms grew warm. There was no chance in hell that I was going to be bitten by a vampire ever again, at least, not if I could help it. I pressed my hands against his face and hissed in pain, stumbling backwards. My hands started to glow a more vibrant, healthy golden color. I felt powerful, I felt angry. My magic grew in size and pressure, causing my arms to shake violently. The surrounding vampires watched me in shock and fear. Eli managed to shrug off the four holding him off, pulling a stake from his back pocket. Before he could stake them, I willed the magic to release itself all in a single burst and it shot rapidly from my hands, incinerating the vampires that had held Eli. The bright glow caused the vampires to screech. He forced them to pile behind each other, cowering, as it burned their skin. When the light dispersed, the vampires came back with a vengeance. They were pissed off and there was nothing I could do. I had never used so much power at once before and it had taken a toll on me. I was finding it difficult to stand. The room began to sway. No! Not now, Ruby! Don¡¯t you dare pass out. ¡°No!¡± a voice rang throughout the room. Lucian was blocking my view, I couldn¡¯t see who it was. When I was yanked out from underneath him by Eli, I saw what was happening. It was Mithras. He was standing in the doorway, glowing like the sun. ¡°I won¡¯t let you take what¡¯s mine,¡± he shouted. He was crying. Mithras was actually crying because he thought I wanted Lucian to bite me. This man was seriously messed up. Mithras ran at me and no vampire could stop him. The vampires screeched and hissed from being burnt by the glow as he passed by. Soon enough they fled, leaving Mithras, Eli, Anna, and I alone in the room. Eli dove out of the way, if the light hit him, he would get some serious sunburn. Mithras grasped both my shoulders and I focused on absorbing his energy so it couldn¡¯t hurt me. As I absorbed it, I became more energetic. ¡°Get off!¡± I yelled as I kicked his knee out from under him. Mithras collapsed to the ground, clasping his knee and crying in pain. ¡°Don¡¯t make him too mad, he¡¯ll explode,¡± Eli informed me urgently. ¡°Here, Ruby!¡± Anna called, throwing me a little green gem attached to a silver necklace. ¡°It will prevent him from absorbing energy to use against you.¡± I placed the talisman on his flesh and his skin stopped glowing. ¡°It will only work as long as it touches him,¡± she added. Whilst he laid there whimpering, I tied the chain to his ankle. I crouched in front of him, watching to see if he was okay. That was twice now that he¡¯d attacked me, and yet here I was, still feeling sorry for him. Mithras jumped at me, catching me off guard and knocking me to the floor. ¡°What have you done to me?¡± he yelled, his hands squeezing my throat. I couldn¡¯t breathe, any tighter and the sides of my windpipe would rub against each other. Mithras¡¯s mouth dropped open and he gasped. His grip loosened and after a few deep breaths I could breathe again. It wasn¡¯t until I saw Eli stand up from behind him that I realized what had happened. Eli killed him. I crawled backwards frantically as his lifeless body fell to the ground. Eli pulled me to my feet. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ruby. I had to do it, he ¡ª¡± ¡°I know ¡­ it¡¯s okay,¡± I panted, my eyes not leaving my dead father¡¯s body. The doors burst open and in poured a mass of angry vampires. Lucian¡¯s face stood out against the rest as his eyes fell onto Mithras. I don¡¯t know how to describe his face. Anger? No. Sadness? No. Lucian was beyond those emotions, I could see it. If this were a cartoon, steam would be pouring from his ears. How could he get stronger and stay stronger now? His Heelian was dead and I was only half Heelian ¡­ My blood couldn¡¯t give him as much strength as Mithras¡¯s did. ¡°Do you have any idea what you have done?¡± he hissed. ¡°He tried to kill me!¡± I protested. ¡°Better you than him.¡± In one swift move, Lucian zipped from one side of the room to the other, shoving his fist through Anna¡¯s chest and into her body. ¡°Witches are disposable. There are plenty of them. Do you know how hard it is to find a Heelian?¡± He tore her heart from her body. ¡°No!¡± I screamed. I tried to run to her but Eli stopped me with an arm around my waist, holding me close. I tried to push away, I needed to get to her. ¡°You can¡¯t help her, Ruby. She¡¯s gone.¡± Her body fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Her eyes didn¡¯t close, they were open, staring at the floor. Lucian ran his tongue over her heart and cringed slightly. ¡°I never have enjoyed the taste of witch, they¡¯re too ¡­ acidy.¡± He dropped her heart on the floor. Nausea radiated through my stomach and I became dizzy. There was so much blood. There was also a heart on the floor, an actual bleeding, pulsing heart. I closed my eyes in hope it would magically disappear. ¡°Open your eyes!¡± Lucian demanded. I did as I was told. ¡°I want you to see what you did, what you always do. You cause nothing but death, and for as long as you¡¯re alive, you will continue to cause death.¡± A tear rolled down my cheek as the reality of his words hit me. It was true, people died around me. ¡°Liam will be your driver tonight, just to make sure you don¡¯t try anything stupid. See you there.¡± A depressing silence fell over the room as everyone headed for the front door. I didn¡¯t move. I felt like I should apologize to her, or at the very least, say goodbye, but I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to go any closer. It was too much. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ruby. It isn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°It is,¡± I sobbed. ¡°I told Hunter. I trusted him and it backfired.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not the same person anymore. Use tonight as a lesson, no matter how nice a vampire is, no matter how many times they claim they still have their humanity, don¡¯t trust them.¡± My lungs shuddered as I took deep sob-filled breaths. I couldn¡¯t see now, tears blurred my vision. Eli stood beside me. He didn¡¯t touch me, which I was thankful for. It was enough for him to just stand beside me. I cried a river, the tears flowed down my cheeks and didn¡¯t stop until they hit the wilted collar of my shirt. ¡°She was so young,¡± I whispered. I ran my fingers along her hair, caressing it gently. ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go,¡± Liam ordered. I stood up and rubbed my eyes. It was time to put my game face on. These monsters would pay for what they did to Hunter, Eli, Anna, and I. I might be able to control my anger now, but I couldn¡¯t promise that I would later. If they hurt Mr Aleksandrov or any other guardian, I would make them suffer. I would kill them all, painfully and slowly. No one else will die because of me. Road Trip There was no moon in the sky, everything seemed so dark. There were no shadows, only the light projected from the high beams in front of us. Liam drove fast, so fast it made me nauseous. He didn¡¯t care for speed limits or his safety, nothing would kill him. If we crashed, he¡¯d heal. It was one of those quiet car rides after a particularly horrible argument. Hot flashes rolled through me after absorbing Mithras¡¯s power to energize myself. Eli noticed how uncomfortable I was but all he could do was send me apologetic glances and cool bottled water. I couldn¡¯t sleep, knowing there was a vampire in the car with me. I assumed Eli felt the same, he didn¡¯t even blink for too long. He stroked his stake with his thumb, prepared for any situation. As the hours wound down and it got closer to sunrise, Liam drove even faster. He was desperate to meet the others at the rundown service station, as they had planned. If he didn¡¯t make it on time, he¡¯d be incinerated by the sun. I¡¯d do it myself, but I needed to get to Gerald Harbor and warn Mr Aleksandrov ¡­ somehow. As planned, we rolled into the abandoned service station an hour before dawn. Without a word, Liam climbed out of the car and Eli and I watched as he leaned up against a rotting wooden post. ¡°Where are the others?¡± I whispered. ¡°They¡¯re here, waiting somewhere.¡± Sure enough, a dozen vampires appeared from the wild, neglected bushland. As Lucian stepped out, I could feel his eyes pierce right through the car and into my soul. He was still pissed about Mithras and I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that maybe my punishment wasn¡¯t over. Lucian and Liam spoke momentarily and then Liam made his way back to our vehicle. He stalked around to Eli¡¯s door and opened it. ¡°Here¡¯s the address, put it in the GPS. We¡¯re going to ground. If you don¡¯t make it to Gerald Harbor by nightfall tomorrow, we will kill Ivan and all of the guardians. Is that clear?¡± ¡°Crystal,¡± Eli growled. Liam pushed on Eli¡¯s chest so he was pressed against the seat. Liam¡¯s eyes narrowed in on me. ¡°There¡¯s girl who¡¯s going to visit her aunty next week ¡­ what¡¯s her name?¡± Liam rubbed his chin with his finger. ¡°Mila?¡± He noticed my heartbeat quicken. A wry smile spread across his face. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. If you mess this up, I will personally rip her heart from her body and force you to eat it.¡± He turned and disappeared into the forest with the rest of them. Once we were sitting comfortably in the front of the car and Eli had programmed the GPS with our destination, we sped off along the deserted highway. As the sun peered over a distant mountain, Eli pulled the car over. Other trucks and cars zoomed past, making our car sway. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked, suddenly panicked. Eli rested his head on the steering wheel, breathing deeply. I¡¯d never seen him so vulnerable. He seemed so stressed and worried. ¡°I just needed a breather. I have to regroup my thoughts and come up with a new plan.¡± ¡°No, Eli, you heard him. If we try anything ¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to send my fellow guardians and Mr Aleksandrov into an ambush. I have to do something. If only you hadn¡¯t ¡ª¡± He bit his tongue. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it later. For now, let¡¯s just figure something else out.¡± ¡°We could always call Mr Aleksandrov from a payphone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about that. I don¡¯t have his number. It was in my phone.¡± ¡°I have it.¡± He turned his face towards me. ¡°It¡¯s in my bag. Mila gave it to me. She thought we might have access to phones at Lucian¡¯s.¡± ¡°Perfect. We¡¯ll call Ivan at the next service station. Which should be ¡­¡± He poked at the GPs screen. ¡°¡­ two hundred kilometers away. If we stick to the speed limit, we can be there in about two hours.¡± He pulled back onto the highway and we drove steadily toward our destination. It had been three weeks since I was been alone with Eli inside his car. It seemed like an eternity ago. The sun was higher in the sky now and I felt the urge to feel its warm rays on my skin. I pressed my window button and it rolled down silently. The wind whipped my hair everywhere. Last night felt like a distant dream, but the negative vibes from it still lingered in the air. Page 22 ¡°You haven¡¯t expressed your anger with me,¡± I said to Eli. ¡°About the whole telling Hunter our plans thing.¡± I kept my eyes fixated on the dry bushland that rushed passed us. It would be harder for me to get through this conversation if I looked at him. ¡°You can blame me, you know,¡± I added. ¡°Blaming you is pointless. It won¡¯t change anything. So our plan was compromised, big deal. We¡¯ll find a new way to handle the situation.¡± His voice was strange, like he was annoyed and holding back what he really wanted to say. ¡°That¡¯s not what I want to hear,¡± ¡°What do you want to hear, then, Ruby?¡± I glanced at him. His expression seemed indifferent but his voice gave him away. He was frustrated. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tip-toe around my feelings. I¡¯m not going to get mad and absorb too much sun and explode. I¡¯m half Heelian, so I probably couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to. Besides, I can control it. So tell me, yell at me, chastise me ¡­ do something, because this whole cool and calm demeanor you¡¯re putting on is worse than anything you could possibly say to me.¡± He scratched the shadow of stubble on his face and exhaled. ¡°I¡¯m just ¡ª¡± He paused and exhaled again. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed that you took something I told you in confidence and told another guy, who happens to be a vampire, and sides with our enemies. I knew you cared for Hunter, I did. I just didn¡¯t know you cared about him more than me, more than our lives.¡± ¡°Eli.¡± I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly. ¡°I care about you more than I¡¯ve cared about anyone in my entire life. It has always been you, it will always be you.¡± ¡°Sometimes it takes a little more than words to prove it.¡± I crossed my arms across my chest. ¡°I gave you more than words yesterday.¡± A slight smile hinted at his lips. Then he ran his index finger over his bottom lip. He didn¡¯t comment any further on the subject and neither did I. I understood his feelings about me betraying his trust and telling Hunter. What I didn¡¯t understand was the whole ¡®more than words¡¯ thing. I was willing to give him all of me ¡­ Wasn¡¯t that enough? ¡°When all of this is over and before we go any further, I want to make sure we¡¯re both on the same page.¡± ¡°And what does that mean?¡± I spat with attitude. ¡°It means we should make sure our wants, needs, feelings, etcetera, are on the same level.¡± I turned my stare back onto the dull trees. Was I the only one that thought our feelings were on the same page? I recalled telling Eli I loved him yesterday. He didn¡¯t say it back and I didn¡¯t expect him to, but now I was starting to think that was because he didn¡¯t love me. A bright red, orange, and green service station became visible about fifty meters down the road. I exited the car after we parked and pulled my address book out of my bag. I scrolled through the pages, trying to locate Mila¡¯s name sprawled somewhere amongst the bad handwriting. It was only Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s home number, but if someone answered, then maybe they could forward us to his cell phone. There, written in blue, was Mila¡¯s name. I tore the page from my book and handed it to Eli. ¡°Here.¡± Damn. I thought I¡¯d be able to keep the attitude from my voice. He took the paper from my hand. ¡°You¡¯re mad? You were the one who wanted to know what I was holding back.¡± ¡°I know, but I thought that it would be about being impulsive and stupid. I didn¡¯t think it was because you don¡¯t have the same feelings for me as I do for you.¡± ¡°What? How did you get that out of what I said?¡± I looked down at my feet. ¡°You didn¡¯t say I love you back yesterday, which, by the way, I¡¯m totally fine with. But then you said you wanted to make sure we¡¯re on the same page ¡­ I assumed you meant ¡ª¡± My words were cut off as Eli grasped the sides of my face, pushing his warm, full lips onto mine. ¡°I love you, too,¡± he whispered as our lips parted. I stood there in shock for a moment, his statement catching me off guard. A smile that felt too wide for my face spread across it. ¡°You¡¯re going to need more than words to prove it,¡± I said frankly, trying to play it cool. His strong arms wrapped themselves around me, holding me as close as possible while he bent his face toward mine, kissing me gently. ¡°This,¡± he began, planting a small kiss on the tip of my nose. ¡°Doesn¡¯t change what I said about Hunter. You need to decide where your loyalties lie.¡± ¡°I know. I just feel responsible for what happened to him.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t force him to fall in love with you nor did you make him come after you the night we were leaving. These were all his decisions. It was also his decision to tell Lucian about our plans. He chose to betray your trust. Not to mention that he almost bit you, he isn¡¯t the same anymore.¡± Unable to find a response, I nodded. ¡°Think things through. When this is all over, we¡¯ll talk. I¡¯m going to make the call.¡± I sat in the car, twirling a dark lock of hair around my fingers. If I made it out of this alive, the first thing I was going to do was get my hair trimmed. I¡¯ve got so many split ends. I jumped slightly as the driver door opened and Eli climbed in. ¡°Here, I got you some breakfast.¡± He handed me a bacon and egg roll and an orange juice. I was too nauseous to eat but I took it anyway. I didn¡¯t want to come off as rude. ¡°Did you get a hold of Mr Aleksandrov?¡± He nodded as he took a bite of his breakfast roll. He swallowed. ¡°They¡¯re still coming.¡± My stomach dropped into my shoes. ¡°What? No, they can¡¯t. Are they insane?¡± ¡°They¡¯re confident they can take all of the vampires.¡± ¡®But Lucian is coming with twenty vampires and we don¡¯t know how many vampires the leader of the Gerald Harbor sector has ¡­¡± ¡°Mr Aleksandrov is coming, Ruby. I tried to change his mind, but he won¡¯t budge. The plan is going forward. There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± I slumped further into my chair. If anything bad happened to Mr Aleksandrov, then I¡¯d lose Mila. She¡¯d blame me for it. ¡°Do you know what you have to do?¡± Eli asked, interrupting my stream of consciousness. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Tell me. I need to know that you understand exactly what to do.¡± Eli was worried about me. If I messed up, what I was supposed to do then? There was no doubt the Gerald Harbor vampires would kill me. ¡°I¡¯ll enter the warehouse and use my powers to kill as many of the vampires as I can. Sounds simple.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just hope it works out.¡± ¡°But when I use a lot of my sun power I get weak. I¡¯m not strong enough yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you just need to kill as many vampires as you can. Every dead vamp increases our odds of survival. As soon as you use your sun power, we¡¯ll come in to protect you, killing as many vampires as we can on our way in. When you and I get a chance, we head for the car and we drive until daylight. Sage Sanctum is twelve hours away from Gerald Harbor.¡± I took a bite of my roll to ease my nerves. I couldn¡¯t taste it. There was too much on my mind, so much that my brain couldn¡¯t register the taste of the egg or bacon. ¡°Will we make it?¡± ¡°We should be able to. I don¡¯t think a vampire can speed-run faster than one hundred kilometers but I guess we¡¯ll find out.¡± The conversation ended. We were both too busy thinking about the night ahead. Thoughts about losing Eli consumed me. He would die for me, he¡¯d already proven that. Gerald Harbor As the car rolled to a stop outside the dilapidated warehouse about one hundred meters from the neglected harbor, a shudder rolled down my spine. The sun had almost set, the last of its rays were warming the land before the cool air of night began to blow. No one else was here. The vampires wouldn¡¯t appear until the sun had fully set. As for Mr Aleksandrov and the others ¡­ I didn¡¯t know where they were. ¡°Where¡¯s ¡ª¡± Eli cut my words off by covering my mouth with his hand. He pointed to his ear. It was a gesture letting me know we were in the ear range of vampires. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it and get ready. We have approximately six minutes before the sun sets.¡± I nodded and opened my door. In the backseat was my bag. I had stashed two stakes at the base of it. I poured a few items of clothing onto the floor of the car as well as the photo of my mother and I. Adrenaline and nervousness pulsed through me. I grasped the two stakes and tucked them nicely into the back waistband of my tracksuit. ¡°Two minutes,¡± Eli called. I closed my eyes and slowed my rapid heartbeat, focusing on the sun. I needed to absorb as much energy as I could. I didn¡¯t know if it would do any good, but it was worth a try. When the warmth that usually filled my chest from the sun faded away, I knew it was time. I rose to my feet and joined Eli, who was leaning on the front his car. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± I asked. He shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for a long time. Nerves don¡¯t tend to pop up anymore.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± We watched the warehouse, waiting for movements or noise. For several minutes nothing happened. Then, Lucian stepped out from behind the warehouse. Hunter and Liam followed closely behind. I was confused. Why had Lucian showed up with only two extras? Where were the other eighteen? Lucian wasn¡¯t dumb, I suppose. He probably had them surrounding the place, watching his back. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to kill them all. I needed them to be inside the warehouse with me. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lucian called. Eli and I walked over to him and he pushed us forward, so they were walking closely behind us. I wanted to kill them now, but if I did, I¡¯d miss any vampires that were inside the factory I would have wasted my power. There was no way Mr Aleksandrov and his guardians could take on forty-plus vampires. We stepped onto the cracked concrete of the rundown warehouse. The distinctive odor of rusty nails and mold filled my nostrils as they urged us over to the other side of the room. I stopped in my tracks. ¡°Perhaps Eli should wait outside?¡± Lucian chuckled. ¡°No.¡± He pushed my arm, hinting for me to keep walking. ¡°I just want this to go as smoothly as possible. If the Gerald Harbor vampires get frustrated over something and get lippy or physical with me, Eli might try and intervene. You have at least eighteen vampires surrounding the warehouse. Eli won¡¯t be able to do much and I doubt he¡¯d leave without me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Eli said, playing along. He knew I could never use my full powers if he was in the room, it¡¯d hurt him and I wouldn¡¯t risk that.¡± ¡°Fine. Liam, take Mr De Luca outside please. The last thing I need is for puppy love to spoil my plans.¡± Eli and Liam headed back toward the small opening in the wall. Lucian prodded my shoulder, forcing me to the other end of the factory floor, where we stopped in front of an elevator. Lucian pressed the barely intact button to call for the elevator. With loud clanks and screeches, the old elevator responded. ¡°You¡¯re not serious?¡± ¡°Get in,¡± he ordered. I stepped inside the elevator and it wobbled unsteadily. I clasped the wall desperately to keep myself balanced. Hunter clicked the button that had number three carved into it. With a large clank and a frightened gasp from me, the lift rose. It swayed slightly, causing me to grip the wall harder. Please don¡¯t let me die, please don¡¯t let me die, I chanted silently. Lucian and Hunter watched me in amusement. Of course they didn¡¯t care if the lift was dodgy, if it broke, it¡¯s not like they¡¯d die. With an abrupt yank, the elevator came to a stop. My legs were weak and wobbly, I needed to get out of this lift. Hunter pulled the door open and we stepped out onto a mostly empty floor. A few chairs and desks littered the room but that was it. The windows were boarded up with thick sheets of plywood. The only light came from the barrel to the left of the room. Inside it was a small fire, that cast freaky shadows on the walls and floors. The floor was concrete mostly, but a layer of cracked linoleum covered the floor sporadically. All those things combined weren¡¯t the creepiest thing in the room, believe it or not. The black eyes that watched us approach were creepier. I counted ten vampires, including the big bad one that sat all high and mighty in his chair behind them. One by one I saw the vampires inhale my scent. They knew what I was. Immediately a few of them scattered, putting out the fire and tearing the boards from the window for moonlight instead. Surprisingly, the moon lit up the warehouse better than the fire did. ¡°You bought me a gift, Lucian? How kind of you.¡± The leader¡¯s voice was deep and husky. ¡°Not this time, brother,¡± Lucian replied dryly. ¡°Then what is the purpose of your visit?¡± ¡°I have a proposition for you.¡± The leader laughed and it echoed around the room. ¡°You have come to try and make some kind of arrangement with me? No thank you.¡± ¡°What if I¡¯m not giving you a choice?¡± The Gerald Harbor vampire leader shot out of his chair and over to Lucian. Up close I could see him better, he was a big man standing at least seven foot high. His arms were thick, like a body builder. ¡°You may be the previous higher power, but I¡¯m older than you, therefore I¡¯m stronger.¡± ¡°Ruby?¡± Lucian spoke not taking his eyes off Bigfoot. Page 23 This was it, this was my cue. I needed to incinerate every vampire in this whole room¡­ so then why couldn¡¯t I? I blinked and my eyes were on Hunter. I couldn¡¯t kill him. Even after everything, his face still got to me. ¡°I ¡ª I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hunter spat. ¡°If you don¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll zip downstairs and kill your precious angel.¡± I shook my head. I knew Hunter was no match for Eli. Hunter was a baby vampire and Eli was a full-grown guardian angel. I¡¯d witnessed Eli take on old vampires and win. I just needed Hunter out of the room so I could kill them all and then I¡¯d help Eli. As I expected, Hunter smashed through the window and dived out. The chilly night air blew in. There were no sounds from outside. I had no idea if Aleksandrov had arrived or not. I let my barriers down and my body began to warm. It felt so nice, so euphoric. I felt powerful and happy. The vampires gasped and then screeched as I began to glow. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lucian screamed. All of the vampires in the room began to keel over in pain and their skin burned as if they¡¯d stepped out into the sun. One by one I shot huge beams of light at vampires, turning them into dust, and before long I was only left with four vampires. Three. Two. One. Only Lucian was left. I dimmed my glow. I wanted to stake Lucian with my bare hands. He whimpered as I got closer to him. He was weak, I didn¡¯t need my sun power to kill him. I pulled a stake from my waist band and stepped closer to him. Lucian leapt from his feet and slammed me into the hard wall. My vision blurred for less than a second, but I soon recovered. ¡°You sneaky bitch,¡± Lucian growled, limping toward me. He was healing quicker than I expected, Mithras¡¯s blood mustn¡¯t be fully gone. With every step he took he was building up speed and by the end of it, he was running full bore at me. He reached for me and I dodged, just managing to slip from his grasp. Immediately he jumped at me again, catching me off balance and knocking me to the ground, pinning my arms. I tried to push him off, but he didn''t move. I watched as the last bit of burnt flesh on his forehead healed itself. Venom dripped from his fangs as he leaned his face down toward my neck. ¡°You¡¯re becoming more of a nuisance than you¡¯re worth!¡± he spat. He leaned closer and I felt his fangs graze my neck. The stake was still firm in my hand and I shoved it between us. I didn¡¯t get his heart, but I pressed it deep into his stomach. Lucian flew off me, clutching the stake. He groaned and gasped as he pulled at it. I leapt to my feet, pulling the other stake from my waistband. I ran at Lucian, my stake prepped and ready. I dove at him in line perfectly with his heart. Just before I reached him, he moved slightly and my stake went through his left ribcage instead. Lucian fell to the ground, immobilized by the pain and the wood. He grasped at the stake, trying to move it. His scream filled the night. I just watched, trying to decide which stake to pull out and stab him with. ¡°Ruby?¡± I turned abruptly. ¡°Eli? You¡¯re okay, thank god.¡± ¡°We need to g ¡ª¡± Suddenly, he dropped to his knees. Another scream filled the room ¡ª my own. Blood from his stomach began to leak onto his white shirt. He lay down, his eyes fixated on me. Suddenly everything went completely silent. All movement around me slowed to an excruciatingly slow pace. I could feel my blood moving slowly through my body. Before I even realized what was happening, I killed Liam with my sun power. Within seconds he was a pile of dust. I kneeled next to Eli, caressing his forehead with my hand. ¡°You¡¯re going to be okay,¡± I cried. ¡°You s-should go.¡± I rested my head on his and stroked his hair. ¡°Shhh, rest, please.¡± Hunter entered the room and saw what had happened to Eli. Without so much as an apologetic glance he ran over to Lucian. ¡°Just get me out of here,¡± Lucian groaned. Hunter smashed the window that led to the back of the warehouse by the forest. I didn¡¯t care if they got away. I just needed to be with Eli, I needed to keep him alive. Hunter leapt with Lucian from the window. Eli¡¯s breathing became more rapid and deeper. He touched his wound and glanced at the blood. I could see the panic on his face despite how hard he tried to hide it. A shadow loomed over us and I jumped to my feet, shoving the person backwards. It wasn¡¯t until I blinked the tears away from my eyes that I realized it was Hunter. My hands lit up as I prepared to kill him. He smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill me.¡± ¡°You seem overconfident.¡± ¡°I know you tricked me into leaving the room so you wouldn¡¯t have to kill me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret it,¡± I growled through clenched teeth. ¡°Let me help him.¡± ¡°And why would you do that?¡± ¡°Because even though I no longer have a soul, it still kills me to see you cry.¡± I let Hunter pass me and he knelt beside Eli. He bit into his own flesh and attempted to pour the running blood into Eli¡¯s mouth. Eli pursed his lips, determined not to let a drop into his mouth. ¡°Drink, please. It will help you.¡± If ingested, vampire blood can heal. Eli knew that but his pride wouldn¡¯t let him take it. I think he saw how desperate I was because he slowly parted his lips, taking Hunter¡¯s blood. After two swallows his eyes closed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Relax, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Hunter walked over to the window he¡¯d taken Lucian through. ¡°When he finds another Heelian and gets strong, he¡¯s going to come for you, Ruby, and he won¡¯t stop. I¡¯m going to help him, not because I want to, but because I have to ¡­ He is my creator.¡± ¡°Tell Lucian we¡¯ll be ready for him.¡± ¡°When the time comes, there won¡¯t be a ¡®we.¡¯ He¡¯ll kill everyone you¡¯ve ever loved. He¡¯ll kill everyone protecting you, starting with Eli. This has nothing to do with them, this is about you. If you want to protect the ones you love, then you need to face this on your own.¡± I turned away from Hunter and returned to Eli. He slept peacefully, like he had on our drive to Mount Kuuce. Perhaps I¡¯d made a good decision when I decided not to kill Hunter, Eli would be dead if I had. Would this situation be placing my loyalties in the wrong hands? Can I help them both? I know Hunter¡¯s humanity is still there. I¡¯d seen it. Eli¡¯s eyes fluttered open and I wrapped my arms around him. He hugged me back. I helped him to his feet. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes. Are you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We need to help the others.¡± Eli grabbed his stake off the floor and we ran down the stairs of the fire exit. It was a lot safer than the elevator. A few guardian bodies were strewn over the first floor of the warehouse as well as piles of dust. I forced myself not to look at them. I needed to help the others. Eli tore from the warehouse and I followed closely behind. The cool air was gone. My eyes searched the surroundings as guardian angels took on vampires. It was like the time outside the abandoned dairy farm, but I refused to get caught up in memories. A vampire grabbed at me. She was really pissed off. There was no doubt she held me responsible for all this mess. My sun power had run out, I couldn¡¯t even make my skin glow let alone warm it slightly. However, all wasn¡¯t lost. There were fires all around me, and it wasn¡¯t until I saw a few of my teachers like Mr Farley and Lillian that I knew they were for the gods and goddesses. As the female vampire yanked me toward her, I grabbed her arm, using her own weight against her. Somehow I managed to flip her to the ground. She bounced back, finding her ground quickly. I raised my hand toward the fire and a large chunk of it flew over to me. I positioned the flames between us as we circled each other. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to play with you!¡± I shouted as I pushed the flames onto her. I controlled the fire, preventing her from putting it out. Burning a vampire takes a little longer than staking or the sun, but it¡¯s still effective. Two minutes of relentless burning was enough to turn her to dust. I didn¡¯t celebrate my latest kill, I still need to help the others. I found Eli by the edge of the forest. He was preventing a vampire from fleeing, they were circling each other, throwing kicks and punches every few seconds. The vampire looked nervous, almost afraid of Eli. I pulled more fire and sent it in Eli¡¯s direction, burning the vampire. He nodded and I let the fire disappear. The vampire was dazed and Eli managed to stake him. There were only a handful of vampires left. They saw they were outnumbered and they fled, disappearing into the forest. Nobody relaxed until the sun poured into the harbor. I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s possible, but the warehouse and neglected harbor seemed more deserted and creepy during the day. Guardian angels that weren¡¯t cleaning up the mess were ordered to bring the cars they had abandoned down the road into the harbor. I heard Mr Aleksandrov tell another guardian we had to get out of here now if we wanted to make it back to Sage before nightfall. His robe was torn and dirty. He walked over to me. I was sitting on a not-so-comfortable rock by the edge of the forest. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Ruby,¡± he greeted. ¡°You too.¡± He sat down beside me. ¡°Thank you for rescuing us.¡± ¡°I told you I wouldn¡¯t let any harm come to you. I wish I could have helped you sooner but I needed to make sure the school was secure and the students were safe before I could do anything.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± We sat in silence for a few minutes. ¡°Lucian said he¡¯ll come back for me.¡± ¡°I assumed as much.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t go back to Sage ¡­ That¡¯ll be the first place he¡¯ll look. He¡¯ll hurt Mila and Eli¡­ and you. I can¡¯t let that happen.¡± Mr Aleksandrov reached into his pocket and pulled out a small necklace. It was the ruby one Camilla got me for my birthday. ¡°I had a hunch you wouldn¡¯t want to come back to Sage, so I charmed your necklace. When you wear it, vampires that know who you are won¡¯t be able to recognize you.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It works as a hallucination in a way. If you¡¯re wearing it and Lucian happens to spot you, he won¡¯t know it¡¯s you because the charm projects a new image, changing your appearance. To everyone else you look the same, but to vampires you¡¯ll look completely different.¡± I took the necklace from his hand and ran my thumb over its warm surface. This was all I needed to start a new life¡­ a life without death, vampires, and magic¡­ without Eli. I watched Eli as he strolled toward us. ¡°Everyone is ready. We should probably leave now, we can¡¯t waste any more time. Even if we leave now we still might not make by nightfall.¡± ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯ll round everybody up. Let me know when you¡¯re ready, Ruby.¡± Aleksandrov rose to his feet and walked away. I knew I had to talk to Eli about my decision to leave but I couldn¡¯t find the words. If I left him now, I¡¯d lose him forever. Is being miserable worth his safety? What a silly question. I¡¯d rather be depressed and alone than have his death on my conscience. When Lucian discovered I wasn¡¯t at Sage, then he¡¯d leave them alone. Hunter¡¯s words rang in my mind, ¡®this has nothing to do with them, this is about you. If you want to protect the ones you love, then you need to face this on your own.¡¯ If I stay away from Lucian and keep him away from Eli, Mila, and Mr Aleksandrov, then that¡¯s all I could ask for. That¡¯s all I want. I wasn¡¯t oblivious to Eli¡¯s presence but I pretended I was. ¡°You did well.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He crouched down and briefly my eyes fell onto the dry blood stain on the front of his shirt. Eli was as good as dead, I knew it and he knew it, but Hunter saved him. Hunter gave me a chance to say goodbye. ¡°Eli, there¡¯s something I need to say to you.¡± I glanced at him, his green eyes were watching me intently. There was a sadness on his face, as if he knew what I was going to say. There was no easy way to say it. I needed to get it over with. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± I forced down the lump that formed in my throat. ¡°I¡¯m going to live my life away from all of this. It¡¯s best for everyone involved.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best for everyone involved? Do you think it¡¯s best for me?¡± I bit the inside of my lip. I was so heartbroken. His brow furrowed but he kept his eyes on me. ¡°It¡¯s not safe,¡± he added. ¡°I think by now I¡¯ve proved I¡¯m more than capable of taking care of myself.¡± ¡°Ruby, why are you doing this?¡± He took my hand in his, caressing it gently with his thumb. ¡°Once we get back to the school, you¡¯ll be safe.¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t be.¡± A single tear rolled down my cheek. ¡°Lucian won¡¯t stop and I¡¯m not going to be the one preventing everyone from living their lives in peace and happiness.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, let¡¯s sort out the details tomo ¡ª¡± ¡°Eli, you were as good as dead and it was my fault!¡± My voice got the attention of a few nearby guardians but it didn¡¯t matter to me anymore. ¡°I saw your life draining from you drop by drop¡­ I can¡¯t go through that again.¡± ¡°What about us?¡± he asked, his voice was low and urgent. ¡°The way you said that says it all. If we go back to Sage, we go back to our old semi-professional relationship of brief discussions and longing stares from across the dining hall. After all we¡¯ve been through, I can¡¯t go back to that. Page 24 ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Aaron, the guardian with the scar down his face, called to us. Eli and I didn¡¯t budge. Instead, we stared into each other¡¯s eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. It was obvious he wasn¡¯t going anywhere, he was too stubborn, so I rose to my feet and trotted off toward Mr Aleksandrov. Without a glance behind me, I climbed into the back seat of Mr Aleksandrov¡¯s car. It was a lot like Eli¡¯s, only the insides were dark grey instead of white. Mr Aleksandrov got into the passenger seat and Aaron was driving. All the doors were shut and the car roared to life. Slowly the car rolled forward, my teary gaze fell on Eli, watching me drive away. His face had returned to its usual hard stare, a stare that watched nothing but everything at the same time. ¡°You¡¯re doing the right thing,¡± Mr Aleksandrov said over his shoulder. ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t it feel like it?¡± I mumbled. ¡°Someday you¡¯ll be able to return ¡­ and maybe you can be with the person you want to be with. There¡¯s a change coming, Ruby, and it¡¯ll help people in your situation and Mila¡¯s.¡± His words hit me. He knew about Mila¡¯s and Gabriel¡¯s love ¡­ perhaps he could change things. If he did, Eli and I could be together freely, but until then there was no happy ending. I could feel it. The love that Eli and I have was great, but when has any great love in history ended well? Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, or Tristan and Isolde? Each and every one ended in tragedy, be it death or banishment. Once again I was leaving everything behind and starting a new life, and yet somehow it seems harder this time around. The thick forest whipped past me and the car picked up speed as it rolled onto the smooth highway. The harbor was disappearing rapidly behind me and I couldn¡¯t help but let the tears fall. Letting Eli go was the biggest regret I have made in this life. ¡°It¡¯s all for the greater good,¡± Mr Aleksandrov mumbled. I guess only time will tell.