Her Guardian Series Box Set

by G. Bailey

  "Yes, I am," Wyatt responds. His arm slides around my waist as he talks. "Talen was never interested in music. If I remember right, he used to annoy our home teacher by playing so poorly," Wyatt says.

  "I do enjoy music now, Wyatt," Talen replies tensely, as he shoots daggers at Wyatt.

  "Why don't you play a song for us? I will keep your mate safe," the king suggests, but it doesn't sound like a suggestion. More like a demand.

  "As you wish," Wyatt says, but his eyes look down at me. I can see the worry, and I nod, trying to reassure him. As Wyatt walks off, I glance over the crowd and spot Alex standing with Leigha and Drake. Alex is handing pieces of what look like Oreos into her handbag. I know for a fact that Milo is in there. I did tell him to stay in my room, but he wouldn't have it. Alex said she would sort him out. Clearly, this is what happened. I smile as I remember how Wyatt found Milo in his bedside drawer, eating all his Oreos, and he went mad. It took a whole day to convince him that we can’t get rid of him. Milo did promise to stop eating his Oreos, but apparently, that promise didn’t mean he couldn’t get other people to get them for him.

  "Would you dance with me?" the king offers, just as Wyatt starts playing a haunting tune on the piano. I look over to see him staring over at me as his fingers move expertly across the piano. He is excellent. I nod and accept the king’s hand, and the same disgust fills me. I’m thankful that he keeps a respectable distance between us as Wyatt plays a song I've never heard. The music speaks to me, filling me with dread with every note.

  I don’t have to look up to know Wyatt has seen me with his father. The song is proof enough.

  "My son is very enamoured with you," the king says, his gaze looking at something over my head. The feeling of sickness is sliding up my throat, threatening me with throwing up all over the king’s suit.

  "I am his mate," I respond, keeping my eyes on his perfect tux instead of looking up.

  "Isn't it strange to you? To be in such a world, a world you know nothing about?" the king asks.

  "In a way," I respond. The song gets a little faster, and the king moves me more quickly in the dance for it. The sick feeling is overwhelming.

  "Ah, the innocence you give off is sweet, such a shame for you to lose it," he says, a slight laugh in his words.

  "Why does that sound like a threat?" I ask him, regretting that I look up when I do.

  "Because it is," he says, his eyes turning slowly red.

  "Can I interrupt? I was promised a dance with the new princess," Atti says next to me, his hand on my shoulder and stopping our dance. The king nods slightly at Atti behind me before walking off. The second his hand lets go of mine, the sickness goes, and I can finally breathe normally. What is with that feeling when the king touches me? It’s like my body just wants to scream.

  Atti turns me around and pulls me closely into his arms, our bodies pressed together as I look up at him. Atti is dressed in a suit under his long, black cloak. The small crown sits on his short, dark-blond hair. The song changes, still as beautiful but slower and romantic. The song tells a story only love could understand. As I dance with Atti and stare into his grey eyes, I can understand it; I understand the story Wyatt is telling with the music.

  Warmth fills me as Atti speaks into my mind, “You’re still so pale. Whatever the king said, please ignore it. You are safe, always.”

  We dance until the song ends, Atti never says a word until he lets me go.

  "A perfect dance," he says in a whisper. Wyatt jumps off the stage and walks over to me as Atti walks away.

  Suddenly, a cold, metal blade is pressed against my neck, as I watch a look of horror pass over Wyatt’s face. The blade cuts through the necklace and a large hand throws it across the floor. The blade is pressed back close to my throat.

  "I have an announcement," the king shouts behind me and presses the blade closer to my neck. Wyatt stops next to Atti as Talen and the greasy black-haired man from the council walk in front of me.

  "One more step and she dies," the king laughs, and the blade nips my throat. A line of my warm blood drips down my neck as I bite my lip from the sting. I try to pull for my power, but it doesn’t work. I don’t feel anything other than panic.

  “Let her go,” Wyatt demands, his power spreading over me and hurting my head, but the king just laughs.

  “Won’t work on me, boy,” the king says. “Atticus, if you try to flash over here or do anything else, I will kill her,” the king promises, and Atti’s stormy eyes glow a bright grey.

  Forty-One

  Winter

  I watch in fear as Wyatt is held by Talen and his friend. He lets Talen inject something into his neck that looks like a thick, silver liquid. Wyatt falls to the ground as Atti is shackled by a pair of handcuffs by two other vampires. They are white and glow yellow when they are locked around both of Atti’s wrists. They both kneel, still watching me but in pain. I can see it in their faces. The vampires are all gradually running out of the room, and the king grabs me by my arm, removing the blade from my neck. A few of the vampires are standing at the side, watching us.

  "Did you think I wouldn't know who she is?" he asks, looking directly at Wyatt, who doesn't reply. He just stares at me. I see Alex, Leigha, and Drake from the corner of my eye. They are moving slowly around the food table on the one side. Using it to hide.

  "The prophecy girl,” the king says and laughs.

  “You don’t even know who you are. Who your little family is?" the king says close to my ear. I see Wyatt try to move closer, but Talen kicks him in the chest, and he falls to the ground.

  "Time to learn some secrets, little princess, a princess I will make sure is never queen," he says and pulls me in front of him. I trip on my dress and nearly fall over, but the king catches me by my arm, his grip painful.

  "Stop!" Wyatt roars, trying to fight his way out, but whatever that injection is doing is making him weak. Talen only has to punch him once, and he falls to the ground again.

  “You’re a coward, you can’t even fight your son without the use of silver,” Atti shouts. The king doesn’t respond to him, and I just stare up at the king’s empty, black eyes.

  The king doesn't even look his way as he holds the silver dagger in his one hand and pulls my hand towards him. He cuts a deep cut from the middle of my palm up my wrist. I scream with pain, and the room goes fuzzy as blood pours out of my arm.

  Everything seems to slow as the king pulls out a large blue stone from his pocket. The stone is inside a silver circle, and it hovers inside. The king pulls my arm above it, and my blood drops on to the rock. The stone falls out of the silver circle and onto the floor. The king throws me to the side, and I land harshly on my side near Atti.

  "Winter," Atti says breathlessly. I couldn't see it before, but I can now.

  I groan, holding my arm as I watch the blue stone glow. The glow gets bigger until it's the size of a large car in width and as tall as a tree. It stretches to the ceiling of the massive room.

  Only a second later, a blurred blue figure walks out of it. The shape looks vaguely human, but it's not. It’s too tall, too broad.

  "Demon king," says Wyatt’s father, bowing his head, and the shadow laughs deeply.

  "Your body will do nicely," it says, its voice sounding like nails being grated on stone.

  "No, my son is for you," he points at Wyatt, but the demon king doesn't listen and moves towards the vampire king.

  “I have the human and vampire army you need under the castle, and we can work together. I kept my son alive all these years so you can use him. He is younger and a waste of existence, anyway,” the king screams. I glance over as Wyatt watches his father, pain stretched all over his face.

  "I help," Milo’s voice comes from next to me, and I see him walk right up to my face as I lie on the floor. I’ve never been so glad to see the Oreo-covered little demon.

  "Help Atti, he needs the cuffs off to get us out of here," I whisper, and Milo nods. I sit up painfully as he walks aroun
d me, and I grab the dagger that's fallen to the floor with my good arm. Blood is dripping all over me, but I can’t give up. I stand, just as the demon’s shadow floats into the vampire king’s body as he tries to run away. His body shakes, but he doesn't make a sound as a light-blue glow surrounds his body. An eerie silence fills the room as we all stare at the back of the new demon king. Talen and his greasy-haired friend run out of the chamber, apparently giving up on their king rather quickly. Unfortunately, there are still two guards standing next to Atti.

  A grunting noise breaks my gaze from watching them running away. I turn to see Leigha and Drake fighting the vampires that were holding Atti. Alex is helping Wyatt up, while I turn to see Milo glowing blue on top of Atti’s handcuffs. He glows like I do when I use my powers, how odd.

  "Finally, we meet," a crackly, deep voice says, and I turn to see the demon king watching me. I wouldn’t know he took over Wyatt’s father’s body if his voice hadn’t changed. The new king looks the same, but as I look more closely, I can see that his skin is greyer than usual, and his eyes are glowing red like he’s just fed. The king’s body is glowing a faint blue.

  "Who are you?" I ask.

  "King of the demons, and you are my granddaughter," the crackly voice says as a grin spreads across his face.

  "What?" I stumble back, dropping the dagger.

  "See, when your great aunt killed herself and locked me back in my dimension, the stupid goddess cast a curse. Only one of her blood line could break it," he waves towards the blue stone on the floor. The glowing, blue wall shimmers a little as five shadows like the demon king’s come out of it and just stand like ghosts waiting to be ordered to do something. What has the vampire king done?

  "Winter," Atti shouts, and I see him standing in line with all my friends. Atti has an arm wrapped around Wyatt, who is struggling to stand. Alex is holding Milo with Drake and Leigha next to her. They are all holding hands, and Drake’s hand is on Wyatt’s shoulder. I realise they are waiting for me to get close so Atti can get us out of here.

  I run over, ignoring my blood on the floor and the wave of dizziness I feel. I grab Atti's outstretched hand.

  Just before we disappear from the room, I hear the crackly voice of the king, "You will come to me, just like your mother did before she died."

  Forty-Two

  Winter

  We crash into Jaxson’s lounge in one big puddle. I recognise it’s Jaxson’s place by the glass fireplace and brown sofas. Atti pulls me close as he turns my arm over.

  "Dabriel, Jaxson!" he shouts and not long after, they come running into the room. Dabriel picks me up off the ground as he starts to glow and holds my arm in his hand. Jaxson places a hand over my hair. Atti holds a hand on my foot, rubbing circles. Wyatt stands, a little shaky, and completes the box of males around me by taking my free hand.

  "What happened?" Jaxson finally asks as Dabriel moves me away from them all, and the pain from my arm slowly disappears as he glows. Atti and Wyatt still look pale as they sit on the floor. Alex sits on Drake’s lap, with Milo sitting on her head watching me. That’s what Milo meant when he said “my family”, when I asked him about the king. The demon king is my grandfather. I don’t think I'll be joining him for family dinners. Now, the demon king has hundreds of vampires and humans his little friends can possess like he did the king. A ready-made army and a castle full of weapons.

  Leigha moves to lean on the wall by the door, just as Esta walks into the room. I haven’t seen the wolf since I last saw her with Jaxson. She looks tired and stressed, but I feel no sympathy for her. Jaxson has told me enough about her to know she kissed him to hurt me. Jealousy or not, it’s not acceptable.

  "Out," Leigha says, moving in front of Esta.

  "I came to help, I was visiting Anna," she says, and Leigha just glares at her. Alex walks over from the sofa as I watch. Milo slides down off her head to sit on her shoulder.

  "Was it you that attacked Winter?" Alex asks.

  "She was going after–" Esta starts saying.

  "I don't care, you little wolf bitch. Get the fuck out of this house before I make you," Alex says. Milo is standing on her shoulder with his hands on his hips, and the sight is funny.

  "Leave, Esta. You are not welcome in this house. Anna can visit you at yours," Jaxson says from next to me but doesn’t bother looking at her. I watch as she turns and leaves.

  "Now explain what–" Jaxson asks, but before he can finish a woman appears right in front of Atti. She looks in her fifties with long, grey hair, and she is wearing a black cloak. The front is stained with blood. The bottom is covered with dirt and leaves.

  "Mother, what happened to you?" Atti starts to ask, as his mother collapses in his arms. I try to move, but I must have lost more blood than I thought, because I feel dizzy.

  "Take Winter," Dabriel passes me to Jaxson and moves over to Atti’s mother. His hands glow as he puts them on her stomach over her black dress.

  "It's too late. The dark queen has taken over the city and has my crown," Atti’s mother says.

  "It's not working, Atti, something is blocking me from healing her," Dabriel leans back.

  "No!" Atti says as he holds his mother to his chest. I try to move to him, but Jaxson holds me tighter.

  "Take back the crown, and take the throne. I love you, son," she says as she rests a hand on his cheek. Her hand drops as Atti watches his mother. He closes her eyes with his fingers and pulls the cloak around her body.

  I watch as Atti gently lays her body on the ground.

  His tear-filled eyes meet mine, with such a mix of grief and anger. "I will kill the dark queen for this," he says, and every word drills into my mind.

  The demons and the witches have just made a lot of enemies and started a war that could destroy us all.

  How can we win?

  Winter’s Promise

  War is coming.

  The prophecy is coming true.

  When the world is close to falling, and all those she loves are in danger, what can Winter do to save everyone?

  Winter finally has the answers to who she is, but everything else in her life is in question.

  How much of her past can control her future?

  Can Winter make the decisions she needs to save the future?

  Follow Winter in the third instalment in Her Guardians series.

  **Reverse Harem Series**

  Forty-Three

  Winter

  "Winter knows, Winter knows," the childlike voice sings around the frozen field, and as usual, I can’t find the singer, but Elissa is here. I can feel her next to me before I even turn to look at her.

  “I have a lot of questions,” I say, as I look around the cold world we are standing in. The song plays over and over in the background, stuck like an old record.

  Elissa is standing completely still as the cold wind whips around her, as if she isn’t really here. I want to reach out and shake her, but I can’t. Elissa’s long black hair flies in the cold wind, mixing with her swaying white dress. Her blue eyes watch me closely, not saying a word.

  "I'm related to you, aren't I?" I ask when she doesn’t respond to me. I don’t need her answer because I’m sure I already know. I just don’t want to know.

  "You are my only granddaughter," she says.

  It’s all real, what the demon king said about me, and it makes me feel like my world is crashing down. My mother lied to me; she can’t be my mother when this woman’s daughter must be.

  "The demon king wasn't lying," I say.

  Pain haunts her face as she speaks. "Every word he says is usually a lie but not this time. I loved him and had a child with him many years ago," she says the words slowly. Her eyes are glazed with unshed tears. I want to comfort her, but I can’t. I don’t really know her; she is still a stranger to me.

  "My mother?" I ask, and she nods.

  "She was half demon and half goddess. You have a lot of her in you, but what's important is the human side you got from your father," she
says and moves closer. I hold my breath as she goes to rest a hand on my shoulder but changes her mind at the last second.

  "Why is it important?" I ask her.

  "Every little thing is important in the end," she whispers and steps back.

  "Riddles again," I mutter, trying to move forward, but it’s no use. The cold wind gets stronger and blows into my face as I hear her speak.

  "You call my spirit into your dreams, but I cannot tell you everything. Look into the past, and you will find the future."

  "That makes no sense, Elissa. None of this does, everything is going wrong! The demons are taking over, and he is back!" I shout. I have to hold my hands in front of my face, as the wind gets stronger. I can’t see Elissa anymore.

  "It's not too late. The past, Winter, find the past!" she shouts at me over the wind, and everything goes blurry as I feel myself falling.

  "Win, babe, wake up," Alex's voice comes through the haze as I open my eyes. The bed is empty where I'm sleeping, Jaxson no longer in it. His shirt is stuck to me with sweat, and my hair is all over my face. I push it out of the way as I sit up.

  Alex looks stunning as usual; her red hair is up high in a ponytail, and her makeup is done to perfection. Not that she needs it.

  "Where's Jax?" I ask her, rubbing my eyes. I glance at the clock on Jaxson’s bedside table; it says it’s only seven in the morning. What happened to sleeping in?

  "Jax is with Dabriel and Atti. Wyatt is helping Jax’s aunt with the last of the funeral arrangements," she says.

  "It's today," I mumble, suddenly remembering we are burying Atti’s mother today. The days are mixing together with my guilt over letting the demon king free and my worrying about how we are going to survive this. Atti is distant with me; well, he won’t even speak to me. Jaxson says it’s just his way of coping, and it isn’t anything to do with me. I don’t believe that.