Worlds on Fire (Guardians Book 1.5)

by Lexi Ostrow

Together they walked through the castle. Servants bustled about, but her parents were nowhere to be seen. She pushed the heavy oak doors open for what would be the last time and looked around the room. So much of her life this past year had been spent in this very room learning how to be a good ruler for when the time came. Now she stood in it to run away, to throw it all out and live a life with the man she loved.

  He smiled at her and brushed a hand down her cheek. Serena had no idea what he’d been about to say. A fire flashed through her body and she saw hunger in his eyes. Her body thrummed with anticipation and need just as she caught his intention. His face turned to the right and lowered, his lips capturing her own.

  A shudder of pleasure passed through her. Yes they had kissed in the courtroom, but it had been a bare touch of lips. Not the press of lovers, hot with desire. It was her that traced a line with her tongue over his lips and deepened the kiss. Julian’s response was to tangle his hands in her hair and tug her closer to him with one gentle tug. Her body pressed against his and she felt the girth of his erection immediately.

  * * *

  Wetness pooled between her legs and he could feel it, despite the layers that separated them. A needy moan came from her and he felt as if someone had stroked his dick already. He was moving them then, a casual suggestion with his body as he slowly stepped forward, causing her to step backwards. Their mouths continued to dance together, never a second missed as they moved until her back pressed against the wall. He felt her shiver when her back touched the cold stone wall. His body trembled as lust spiked in him. He slowly pulled back from the kiss and began to trail kisses down her neck, stopping when the ridiculously high neck of the gown got in his way.

  His voice was husky when he raised his head to look into her eyes. “As beautiful as you are in these clothes they’re a serious pain in the ass, Serena.”

  She laughed and turned, exposing her back to him and giving him access to take the dress off. “Then fix that.”

  His growl could have frightened her it was so pronounced at the invitation of her words. Julian wasted no time and quickly undid the ties that held the dress up. The deep green fabric slipped down her body and he wasted no time undoing the corset. He heard her gasp as he pushed it down and deliberately let his fingers play across both of her nipples. They pebbled under his fingers and he couldn’t deny himself the moment to roll them beneath his fingers. Her breasts fit perfectly inside his hand and he took a few moments to simply lave them in his own. Her moans and whimpers made it harder to hold back, but he wasn’t ready yet. He’d spent too many days away from her and he wanted to try and show her he loved her, even if they were about to do it up against a wall, in a war room.

  “Serena, I want to taste you. Turn around please.”

  There was no hesitation. Her body swayed and pressed back against the wall without a second thought. His eyes traveled up and down the length of her creamy skin and he made a note to touch every inch of her, once the nasty bruising from the assault was gone. His dick was pressing against the loose fabric of the pants and he took the moment to yank them down. He’d had no undergarments and his cock came free, bobbing against his stomach as it did.

  Her tongue licked out over her lips and he was the one that groaned. As gently as he could, he ran his fingers down her torso as he sank to his knees on the floor. She shuddered under his hands and he wondered if it was in anticipation or if she was ticklish. He filed it away for later. It wasn’t important now.

  His head brushed against her stomach as he lowered his mouth to kiss the curls between her legs. He nudged her legs further apart and swept his tongue across her entire slit. She was so wet for him already and her legs snapped closed around his head.

  The laugh that escaped him was buried between her legs and he inhaled the beautiful smell of her lust. He licked her again and swirled his tongue over her clit before letting it dip inside her folds.

  “Julian!” Her cry echoed of the stone walls and he smirked against her. He continued to suckle her and lick and drive her crazy. But he knew that another outburst like that wouldn’t go unnoticed. Her shallow pants were intermittently broken by a moan and he felt his dick respond to each and every one until he was afraid she would alert the castle or he would come before he got to be inside her.

  He let his tongue slowly lick the length of her core before using his hands to coax her legs apart. He kissed a trail back up her body before positioning his cock at her entrance and slowly guiding himself inside her.

  They both groaned together as he rolled his hips and she wrapped her legs around her waist. He leaned her against the wall, placed his hands on the side of her head and changed the angle of his thrusts. There was a slight sting as he stretched the injury, but he couldn’t be bothered with it right now. He loved the way he could hold her there with just his body and his mind danced with the possibilities of things to try.

  He took her mouth with his and stroked his tongue against hers in rhythm with the thrust of his hips. It felt as if only seconds passed before he felt the tightening of release in his balls. She bit his lip and tugged and his release shattered through him. He growled into their kiss and continued to thrust, drawing out his own pleasure and seeing to it that her own orgasm crested. It wasn’t until he felt her body no longer milking his own throbbing shaft that he leaned her off the wall. His arms wrapped around her back just as she unwound her legs from his, pulled off his cock and slid down his body.

  Her eyes were lit with passion and he kissed her again. Simply because he could.

  “Julian, I think we may have wasted a little bit of time.”

  He laughed at nipped at her neck. “I can’t believe you just called that a waste of time.” He picked up the green dress that had fallen completely off when she’d wrapped her legs around him and handed it to her. “We are definitely going to have to have a talk about that later, my lady.”

  She smirked at him and stepped into the dress before turning back to him to help her tie it. “Well I should think we would have plenty of time to try. Now I have a letter to write.”

  His eyes saw the corset to the left of them and he debated telling her about it. There was no way she’d missed putting it on and instead he toed it under the table near them. “I’ll just wait by the door. Take your time, Serena. What you’re doing, saying goodbye,” he ran a hand down the back of his neck, “it sucks that it has to be in a letter.”

  She smiled up at him and placed her hand over his. “Do not be sorry. I came back, thinking I could have belonged here after everything I experienced with you. I cannot and if I had not returned, I never would have had a chance. So some goodbye, even if it’s a letter, is better than nothing. I will not stay if we cannot be together. I had never expected my father to be so hard headed, but as he stated, he can give the kingdom to my brother-in-laws. It is not as if I am the only heir.”

  She pulled her hand off of his and walked the space of the room to the giant, dark, wooden desk against the far wall. He nodded and walked to lean against the doorframe. He knew this wasn’t something to be rushed and he would give her all the time in the world, unless they were found out.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She expected some sort of guilt to overcome her as she sat in her father’s chair and picked up his quill. But none came. Nor as she wrote did any come. She had no guilt over this choice and she would miss her family terribly, but it was time to do something for herself and not for them. Her eyes read over her words, hoping that they did not come across as a crazy rant or the rant of a child.

  Dearest Father and Mother,

  By the time you read this letter I will be gone. Not simply gone from the castle, but gone from Father’s lands. Do not attempt to find me, it would be an impossible task; though I cannot explain why. I have gone with Julian to his home. Again, do not look for us, we will be long gone and far away in a land beyond even Father’s mighty reach.

  Julian is more than you will ever see in him. He is kind. Compassionat
e. Thoughtful. He is a true knight among men and deserves better than the deal struck for him. He fought for a people not his own, not for glory, not to impress you. He did not fail, he saved me and countless others, yet you could not look beyond his status and see the Lord and land earning man that I can.

  Please know that I love you both, very much. As well as loving Marguerite and Katherine. I am safe and loved where I will be at as you read this letter. Be well and give them my love. I will always hold you in my heart and hope that one day, you can forgive me for my selfish actions. I have been selfless my whole life, and do this to find true happiness with the man I love.

  Kindest regards,

  Your daughter, Serena

  Rising, she set the quill down and took a deep breath. A part of her could not believe she had truly said goodbye on a piece of parchment. Another part of her could not believe she had been foolish enough to ever choose this life over the one with Julian. She would never be his Guardian again, someone else would fill that most important role and for that she was remorseful. It was done, as was this letter and nothing could be done to alter either.

  Serena walked to Julian, away from the letter, away from the big desk she had grown up knowing. She slipped her hand into his and looked down at the strange watch that was meant to open a doorway.

  “Take me home, Julian. I love you and I am ready.” He kissed her gently and smiled.

  “I love hearing you say that, Serena. I promise you I will live up to your expectations and should I ever pull another Guardian, I’ll make sure it’s a man.”

  She laughed and pulled him close. “Oh it had better be, mister. I much like the thought of you fighting in a war for your world, but it better not be with some sexy female warrior.”

  His laughter echoed off the walls and he grabbed her around the waist. “It’s just a quick setting of time really and we’re off.” She saw him twist the knob on the timepiece and the world in front of her blurred. Julian’s kitchen came into view and she smiled. She had done this once before in fear and when she stepped through this time her heart was full of love.

  * * *

  He watched as Serena and Julian stepped over the shimmering doorway from her world to his. He took a swig of bourbon from his rocks glass. That had been too close of a call.

  His brother hadn’t been around and no new Word Speakers had pinged into existence in some time. The sides of this war were still balanced in his favor, regardless of whether or not Julian Michelson ever pulled another Guardian. Happiness was something he wanted for all his Word Speakers and if Julian had found his in a princess then that was who he should be with.

  If the war came and he had not picked another, there would have to be some way to protect him from the fight. Julian would always be a target with his powers intact and that was something he couldn’t allow, no matter what it cost him. He would not send a warrior into the fight unprepared and without a Guardian, he would be.

  He was growing tired of this game with his brother. If a war was going to come between the two paths then it was time. His side was ready, he was ready.

  Book 2 of the Guardians, Darker Side of Worlds

  October 29, 2015

  Read on for a sneak peek partial chapter!

  Chapter One

  Dale gave a small groan as he rolled over in bed. A smile spread across his lips as he stretched his arm to the right of him. The smile immediately vanished when his hands brushed across nothing but cotton sheets.

  He was upright in bed before a normal person would have been able to blink. His heart sank as his eyes locked onto the dark purple sheets. Nessa wasn’t there. Nessa was always there. She didn’t have to be, but he and his Guardian had grown infinitely closer since he’d gained a new outlook on life thanks to Ciara transferring him her powers for her own happily ever after with her Guardian. She stuck around rather than going to back to her books, unless he went with her.

  Dale slammed his feet onto the carpeted floor as he leapt out of the bed. Don’t freak. She may just be in the kitchen or something. He twisted the shiny golden colored handle on the bedroom door and pushed it open. There was nothing out there save for the leather couch and television. He might have had a healthy paycheck, but he’d never gotten around to furnishing the condo. Washington just hadn’t felt enough like home.

  “Nessa? Nessa are you in the bathroom?” He didn’t wait for a response as he walked across the bedroom to the closed bathroom door. Dale gave a little knock and pushed the door open.

  Empty as well.

  She could have gone home, back to her world in her book. Logically, he knew that. Guardian’s were never tied to their Word Speaker’s side. They were a book character that formed a strong enough bond to protect those special enough to be called Word Speakers. Just thinking about it made Dale grin. Not only did he like to know he was special, he had the knowledge that thanks to Ciara he was likely the most special of them all.

  It had only been two weeks since Ciara had ‘died’. Long enough that he’d gone to bug her no less than seven times and had spent four nights in Nessa’s world learning about the merpeople. While he’d been learning how to channel all the excess power—elemental control of more than water, world walking and transportation— he’d never not had Nessa with him.

  His gentle mermaid had become a part of him. While he’d wanted nothing more than to throw the goody goody creature back when she’d first come through as his eleventh Guardian, he couldn’t think about a world without her. That didn’t make her the Guardian he wanted to release to fight by his side, but it made her important to him.

  Dale dropped his body weight down onto the bed and cursed. “Maybe that’s why she isn’t here. Two weeks till your birthday and not once have you openly discussed the idea of her being given the magical golden ticket.” He blew out a breath and grabbed his glasses off the nightstand.

  In two weeks he would be twenty-seven, the all important age for a Word Speaker. Once a Word Speaker turned twenty- seven the book characters that protected them from harm that would one day fight alongside him in a war, became real. Prior they might as well have been nothing more than imaginary friends since no one but Word Speakers could see the Guardians. It took desire on both parties part, so the Guardian present had at twenty-seven wouldn’t necessarily be the last. But it would be the one that determined which side of the all oppressing war a Word Speaker would fight on.

  Being a Word Speaker had seemed pretty damn awesome to him when he was eighteen and it all had started. The idea of pulling characters from a book was the perfect solution for a friendless nerd. He hadn’t even minded the idea that one day he would be called upon to fight on the side of good or evil in an Apocalyptic type war. Now that he had all the powers of the most powerful Word Speaker in ages, now he was regretting it.

  He’d never told Ciara, but he knew how the evil found out about the Word Speaker’s gifts. The brother that wore the leather jacket. He somehow always got to them and bribed them with something, sending them out of the book in attempt to murder the Word Speaker, or in Dale’s case, cart them off to the other side of the war.

  Dale’s foot tapped and he turned to look at the clock. Twenty minutes had gone by and all he’d done was dwell on the idea that Leather Jacket would be showing up any minute and Nessa was nowhere to be found. Without Nessa, Dale could have trouble protecting himself while he read and protecting himself from Leather Jacket. The brother had made it his goal to bring Dale back to the darker side of the fight; the side he’d really been on since the beginning.

  Ciara had changed all that. She’d been the friend the geeky little computer programmer had needed. She’d set him straight, called him out when he was an asshole and just overall been the light he needed to see how wrong he was in hanging out with the evil that lurked in the pages of books. However, Nessa was the one that kept him from jumping back in league with evil. He liked the way the dark power made him feel— powerful, strong and important. The same things he felt with
Ciara’s powers added to his own.

  The alarm on his cell phone blared Paradise City at him. 10:50. Leather Jacket would be showing up any minute. “That’s it. I’m not waiting to see what’s up, Nessa.” He didn’t bother to shut the stupid alarm off. Dale closed his eyes and focused on the cerulean blue waters that spilled up onto the white sandy beaches of the underwater world where Nessa lived.

  When he opened them nothing had happened. The doorway didn’t blur and distort the world in front of him to open to Nessa’s. He growled. Open doorways to the other world’s could only be done while reading or if his Guardian was from there. He and Ciara had figured out how it worked, being as she was the only one who could do it they couldn’t check with anyone. Picturing the place he wanted to be always worked.

  “Fine then. Take two.” Dale chose a different world, Ciara and Stryder’s. He was deliberately reading the book as slow as humanly possible, but it meant he could only call up the locations he knew well enough to visualize.

  The seedy demon bar in New Orleans suddenly fuzzed into view. He saw two of the Horsemen sitting on the barstools and the low wattage lighting made everything look dirty. For good measure he walked up to it and stuck his hand through. If anyone on the other side saw it they didn’t react. Dale yanked his hand back and cursed.

  “Fuck. What is going on?”

  “I have the answer to that, if you’d really like to know, Dale.”

  Dale’s stomach immediately flipped and he got queasy when he heard the voice. The brother’s might be identical twins, but one sounded much more like a demon than human. The one in the room with him.

  In the two weeks since he’d taken Ciara’s powers one of the two immortal brothers that paired up Word Speakers and Guardians had been visiting him daily. The one that wore the leather jacket, the one that liked to seduce him with the promise of dark seduction and the power to hurt the bullies who’d attacked him as young man. Every day like clockwork he showed up at eleven in the morning. He’d started by pushing books in his direction and of course Dale wasn’t able to resist the dark horror novels he traditionally read over the fantasy ones where Nessa came from.