Marked, Soul Guardians Book 1

by Kim Richardson

  Part of her felt sorry for Lilith, but she knew Lilith couldn’t harm anyone anymore as a mortal. “Even if I could change you back I wouldn’t. And I can’t. You’re going to be fine, dearest sister. You might even learn to love and appreciate being alive. It’s more of a blessing than a punishment.”

  Kara let go of Lilith and stood up.

  “No! Don’t leave me here with these monkeys! I am a demon princess! I have powers! I’m immortal!” Lilith threw herself on the ground in a tantrum, punching and kicking the ground in a fit of rage.

  “She’ll cool off once she starts to get hungry,” said Jenny, and her face brightened. “I never thought this day could end so perfectly. I can’t wait to see the look on Ariel’s face when we tell her about Lilith. God I love my job.”

  “Kara, what was it you wanted to say earlier?” asked David as he stood beside her.

  Kara stared at the faces of her friends. They all waited for her to answer. It was time to tell them—to tell them everything.

  She reached inside her shirt and pulled out the crystal timer. She let it hang over her chest. With a quick glance at the nearly empty top glass, she knew that her time as a guardian was in its last seconds.

  Jenny grasped the timer gently. “What is that?” She rolled it in her hand, examining it. But when Kara didn’t answer, she let it go gently and took a step back.

  Kara stared at her feet. She opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat. How could she tell them that it was all over for her? The oracles had warned her not to tell anyone, so she hoped they could figure it out.

  “I knew it wasn’t an ordinary necklace,” said David fearfully. “You had it with you when you came back, after you killed the Seir. This is what you’ve been keeping from me, isn’t it? There’s something bad about this necklace, isn’t there? Isn’t there?”

  Kara only nodded—frightened that she would disappear if she spoke.

  “Kara, what’s he talking about?” asked Jenny, her eyes wide with fear. “Why is that necklace bad? What’s going on?”

  Kara’s eyes flicked to David’s, but she remained silent.

  “So what happens when the sand runs out?” Peter inspected the crystal timer more closely. “It’s almost empty.” He eyed Kara worriedly.

  But Kara didn’t answer; she couldn’t. She could see terror and recognition reflected in David’s eyes. She pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling.

  “This is because of what you did to Ranab, isn’t it?” said David, his voice rising. “That second chance the oracles said they gave you...it was only for a few hours? You were on a freaking timer! But...but what’s going to happen to you once it’s empty?”

  Jenny’s eyes widened. “Kara, you’re scaring me. What is that thing?”

  A warm sensation tingled inside Kara, like warm rain. Her M-5 suit started to glow until it was consumed in brilliant little particles. She lifted the crystal timer—all the crystals lay at the bottom of the glass.

  It was over. Her time was up.

  “Kara, what’s happening to you? What’s going on?” said David, fear increasing in his voice.

  Kara gazed at her friends and smiled painfully. She forced the words out of her mouth. “I’m not supposed to talk about it, but seeing as my time is up, I might as well let you know what I can.”

  Jenny sobbed, and Kara smiled at her comfortingly. “It’s all right, Jenny. It’s not as bad as it looks. I messed up, and I have to accept the consequences. The oracles gave me a second chance with a time limit. I only had twelve hours to get the mission done. My hours are up, and it’s time for me to say goodbye. I’m going to miss you guys terribly.”

  “No!” cried Jenny. “We’re a team; you can’t go. I won’t let you, I won’t!” Her bottom lip quivered. Peter held her hand and stared at the ground.

  Kara’s soul was breaking, but she put on a brave face. “You’ll be fine, I promise. I love you guys dearly, and I’ll miss you...more than I can say. I just can’t find the words.”

  “Are we ever going to see you again?” asked Peter, his voice trembling.

  Kara shook her head. “Not as a guardian angel.”

  “This is not happening. The legion has to do something,” said David, as he pulled his hair. “I mean, after everything you’ve done, how can they do this? They owe you. I don’t accept this. It’s screwed up. I’m going to give the High Council a piece of my mind! I swear to you, I’m not letting them get away with this!”

  “This is my fault, David. I did this. It’s not the legion’s fault—it’s mine. I broke the rules, and I have to pay for what I’ve done.”

  “But it’s not right! It’s not fair,” shouted David. “How many times did you save the legion—and the mortal world? You only killed the mortal to save another mortal’s life? This is ridiculous! You saved an elder’s life. What are they thinking? I won’t let them do this to you.”

  “It’s over, David,” said Kara. “There’s nothing you can do to change this. It’s time for me to go. Promise me you won’t do anything too stupid after I’m gone. Okay?”

  David didn’t answer. He kicked the ground with his boot and turned around. His shoulders shook.

  Kara stepped closer to him. She cupped his face into her hands and kissed him on the mouth gently. For a moment, she felt as though she was in her mortal body again and back at the bookstore with David, having a normal life. But after everything that had happened, she wasn’t sure she could return to the mortal life she had before she had killed a mortal. The rules had changed. Perhaps she would never see David again...

  Finally, Kara pulled away. She looked into his pained blue eyes. “Don’t forget me,” she whispered.

  David frowned and reached out to her, but his arms fell through the air.

  Kara’s body had disappeared.

  Chapter 21

  A cold shower