Reluctant Guardian

by Elisha Bugg

  Taking her head between his hands, he broke her slender neck with a sickening crunch.

  It was too easy.

  He could feel his fur prickling beneath his skin, the wolf wanting to be free and kill everyone around him.

  “Thane,” he heard someone shout behind him, causing him to spin just in time to miss a sword across his back.

  He dodged, sliding across the floor, knocking over another hunter in the process.

  Using Duncan’s trick, he held the flailing man in front of him, using him as a shield as another man joined in, swinging his sword at him. The man didn’t last long, his limbs cut from his body in seconds, but it gave Thane enough time to right his footing. He threw the corpse at the others and knocked them flat, then rushed forward and took both their swords, stabbing them in the chest.

  To the right, Thane spotted another man running toward him, a small sphere in his hand.

  Hugh screeched another warning, telling him to cover his ears, but it wasn’t enough. The grenade landed just yards from his feet, causing him to fly through the air with the explosion. The sound piercing through him as sharp as any blade, knocking the wind from his lungs.

  Thane covered his ears, wincing as they continued to ring loudly. He could see Hugh shouting at him again, but he couldn’t hear the words over the loud hum in his ears.

  He spun, looking for a threat, but saw nothing until he turned back to Hugh, locked in combat with one of the men Thane had fought when being tested. The guy was big and strong, but incredibly slow.

  Hugh took several powerful hits to the face and torso before he managed to find a gap in the assault, removing the dagger from his jacket, digging the small blade into the guy's heart.

  With his ears still ringing loudly, blood slowly trickling down his face, Thane limped toward Hugh, patting him on the shoulder as they headed down the hill together to meet Lucas.

  “Are you alright?” Lucas asked Thane, the sound still muffled by the ringing, "You got sloppy. What happened?"

  “Nothing. I’ll be fine," Thane lied.

  How could he tell Lucas that he was close to losing control at such a crucial time; that the wolf wanted to take charge and make everyone pay for coming anywhere near his mate? It wouldn't matter if they were friend or foe, the wolf was lost to his blood-thirst and needed vengeance.

  “How about you?”

  “Fine,” he grumbled, holding a hand to his ribs as he turned to Hugh, “I guess you came in useful after all.”

  Chapter Thirty Four

  The three of them strolled into Edwin’s, but none of them joined in the cheers with the other Guards at their victory, all too concerned about Anya to celebrate yet.

  Thane and Lucas made their way upstairs to Edwin’s room, leaving Hugh behind in the study. Neither of them wanted him around her yet. He may have aided them in battle, and in their escape, but he was still guilty of taking and leaving her in the care of a traitor. Not only was she supposed to be Anya's friend, she wasn't human and she'd decided to join the hunters rather than her own kind.

  "I'll give you some space,” Tynan whispered, excusing himself from Anya's room as they entered. She was in safe hands now. Neither of them would let anything bad happen to her.

  Thane watched on with his heart in his throat as Lucas made his way over to her side, taking her hand on his. Her skin was pale against his warmer tone as he brought it to his lips. Love and tenderness were in his every move as he gathered her in his arms.

  “Lucas, I need to check her blood pressure again,” Heleana whispered, obviously uncomfortable asking him to move aside.

  Lucas didn’t respond, just moved up to her head, still squeezing her hand.

  Thane wanted to go to her too, to hold her safe in his arms and never let go, but this was Lucas’s time and Thane blamed himself for her being like this in the first place.

  If he had just protected her better, not pushed her away, or even if he’d gone and got her himself, this might not have happened. Not that he could blame Tynan. He knew he cared for her and would've protected her as best he could.

  “Thane?” Lucas called, finally taking his glassy eyes off of her ashen face, “It’s not your fault.”

  Lucas always had a way of knowing what Thane was thinking, whether it was because he could sense his energy change, or he too had felt something similar, Thane didn’t know.

  “I failed you. Both of you,” he replied, hanging his head in shame.

  Usually Thane wasn’t comfortable admitting his failures in front of anybody, but he’d always felt comfortable telling Lucas everything, and Heleana was used to hearing any Guard’s problems, just not usually his. “You freed me just like you promised to do, and she’s still alive now thanks to your speed and determination. She’ll pull through. She’s a fighter. Just look at her.”

  Thane did just that. Looked at her. She seemed so peaceful, her hair fanned around her pale face. Her full lips shiny and plump.

  He longed to see her smile and laugh. Prayed she would get the chance to hold her father in her arms and know him as a free man.

  “I’m proud of you, Thane,” Lucas whispered with a smile, gripping his arm, "not just as a mentor, but as a friend. I couldn’t think of anyone better for my girl.”

  Thane’s heart broke as he continued to watch her, refusing to look at Lucas. He didn’t want him to see the sorrow in his eyes, or the despair he felt when he thought of losing her.

  Lucas had felt the pain of losing his mate, he didn’t need the reminder, didn’t need to see that Thane had finally lost the courage to believe she would make it.

  “Her blood pressure seems stable,” Heleana remarked, placing a hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

  “I’m hoping that the antidote I’ve managed to scrape together works, but I won’t know more until morning. “

  “Thank you,” Lucas replied for both of them when Thane’s voice refused to work.

  How was it possible that Lucas was faring better than him?

  Thane joined Lucas, crouching down above her head, cupping her face in his hands and resting his forehead against hers.

  “It's so good to have you back, Lucas,” Heleana remarked, stroking the back of her fingers across his cheek before she left the room, closing the door quietly behind.

  Thane lifted his head and watched Anya's chest rise and fall shallowly, savouring the touch Lucas offered him as he rested a hand on his shoulder.

  “I was hoping to be freed under different circumstances,” Lucas mumbled, trying for a joke.

  “The meeting we had planned when this all started was about freeing you. Hugh just happened to take her at the worst possible moment, allowing this all to kick off,” Thane replied, scowling at the door.

  “A strong part of me still wants to kill him.”

  “What made you stop?”

  “He told me that he was trying to save her from Richard. He had no clue she’d been poisoned. He was also responsible for finding what the poison was so we could treat it. We’d have had no chance of saving her without him.”

  “In some ways, he did the right thing. If they’d attacked with her here, she would undoubtedly wish to join the fight.”

  “Better that than her being like this. I could have protected her if she was by my side.”

  “Then you would have both fell. Take it from me, we’re always sloppy when we’re worrying about something else. I saw you fighting earlier. You weren’t concentrating.”

  Lucas was right. Thane had been too busy thinking about Anya, worrying that some of the hunters may have slipped through and made it to her. The wolf had been close to seizing control. Also worrying about Hugh, concerned that he would betray them and fight alongside the hunters. But the boy surprised him, killing some of his own men, helping and warning Thane when he was in trouble. He’d also swallowed his fear and freed Lucas.

  Maybe he should cut the boy some slack.

  “I treated her badly, Lucas,” Thane sighed, brushing the hair from he
r face, “I pushed her away and made her hate me all because I was too afraid to let her in and forget the past.”

  “I may not have known her long, but I doubt she hates you, Thane. The way she looked at you before was the same way Amelia looked at me. Anger evident in her frown, but warmth and longing in her eyes."

  Thane looked up at Lucas, saw his own grief mirrored in his eyes.

  He’d lost his mate, as had Edwin. He didn’t know how either of them coped.

  Sitting here now, watching her suffering and struggling to fight death, he felt himself breaking apart.

  “She’ll pull through. Just don’t give up on her,” Lucas reassured him, squeezing his shoulder tight before he exited the room, leaving Thane alone with her.

  Thane sat in silence, just watching her, hoping that any second now she would open up her eyes.

  He sighed, pulling up a chair by her side and rested his head against hers as she continued to sleep.

  Why hadn’t he started training her already? Perhaps if he’d stopped fighting the call, he would've been able to teach her how to control her abilities and she would have been able to put up more of a fight against Hugh when she was taken, or against Keri when she drugged her.

  Thane growled, deep and long.

  When he found Keri, he would rip her throat out and watch her struggle for breath, savouring the sight as she panicked. The wolf's voice rumbled in his chest with agreement.

  A loud knock sounded at the door, breaking him free of the spiralling rage that was slowly sucking him under, putting him on the brink of losing control.

  When he looked down at the side of the bed, he saw deep gashes in the wood where he’d dug his nails in deep.

  “Come in,” he grumbled, slouching back in his chair, rubbing a hand through his matted hair.

  “Still no improvement?” Oleander asked as he peered around the door.

  “Heleana said she’s stable but she won’t know how effective the antidote is until morning.”

  “It was lucky you got there when you did. I’m sorry I didn’t notice the poison when I was there.”

  “How could you have? It’s nothing we’ve seen before. Besides, you were preoccupied with Keri.”

  Thane hadn’t forgotten that Oleander had been the one to find her. If he hadn’t stopped Keri when he had, would she have bitten her, unable to control herself around all the blood?

  “How did Keri manage to escape you?” Thane asked, furrowing his brows between his eyes as he remembered how fast and silent Oleander fought.

  “I was sloppy and she took advantage. I won’t let that happen again.”

  “She’s the reason you insisted on joining me when I went to the hunters, isn’t she?” Thane asked, deciding it best not to pry.

  He nodded, brushing his jacket to get rid of some imaginary dust. A nervous habit, Thane knew from watching others.

  “She begged me to save her life after she’d been bitten and left to die by a shifter,” he shrugged as though it was nothing to sire a new vampire, though Thane knew it took a lot of power and energy to do.

  “That explains her hatred for us,” Thane groaned, rubbing his hand across his nape, his muscles solid and full of tension.

  “I’m sorry I left you alone back there. I sensed Keri nearby and had to take the chance of following her. I should never have changed her in the first place.”

  “No. Don’t apologise,” Thane insisted, looking him in the eye, “If you hadn’t left and found them when you did, Anya might not even be here now.”

  “Keri’s still a young vampire. She’s foolish and makes simple mistakes. I’m sure we’ll catch her again soon.”

  Thane grumbled, the sound coming from deep in his throat.

  “If I find her again, Thane, I’ll call you,” he began, taking a step toward him.

  “It’s my job to put her down, but I will honour your need for vengeance and allow you to make her suffer first.”

  “What about the council?” Thane asked, knowing that any vampire death or termination had to go through their council so they could keep track of their people.

  “Let me deal with them.”

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Thane knew that Edwin was worrying about him being alone. Every now and then he sent someone in, checking he was alright, but all he succeeded in doing was pushing him closer to the edge.

  Watching over Anya, listening to their mindless chatter was grating on his nerves and making him tense.

  He didn't want to listen to their nonsense, or their small talk. He wanted to be alone so he could get control of himself.

  The wolf was pacing inside his mind, his fur scratching impatiently against the inside of his skin, demanding to be set free. But he couldn't give in, couldn't be weak. He needed to remain by her side to prove to himself that she was still here.

  The second he believed he'd lost her, everything would be over, and god help anyone who got in his way.

  "Thane?" Tynan whispered, poking his head around the door.

  Thane wanted to growl and demand he leave, but he knew by the lack of eye contact that he didn't want to be there either.

  "I don't mean to bother you, but Edwin and Lucas want to discuss what happened and what to do next. They want you there."

  This time Thane did growl, loud and deep.

  He understood their concern and the need to take action, getting to Keri before any of the hunters found her, but he couldn't leave Anya. Not yet.

  "I told them you wouldn't be happy about the idea. Perhaps I can try and buy you some more time?"

  "If Edwin wants my point of view on what happened, and my ideas, he can come to me. I will not leave this room until I know she is well. It's better for everyone this way."

  Tynan nodded and left without another word, leaving him alone once more with her, but for how long?

  Edwin was likely to storm in at any second and demand he attend their meeting, something that if anything happened to Anya would all be pointless.

  If for some reason she didn't pull through and began to deteriorate, his mind would be lost.

  He'd storm the hunters and take out as many as he could before they overcome him. Any Guard's or innocents that got in his way wouldn't stand a chance.

  Thane was right, it didn't take Edwin long to rush into the room with a stern look on his face. Only he didn't come alone.

  Marching into the room behind him were all the Guards he'd expect to see in a meeting.

  "Seeing as you won't leave, we'll bring the meeting to you," Edwin commented, pulling up a chair in the corner of the room, motioning for the others to take a seat around him.

  Thane was grateful that Edwin had listened and not demanded he leave her side. He was also grateful that he'd sat further away so that they weren't all surrounding her.

  What he didn't appreciate was seeing Duncan stroll into the room with a smug look on his face, or Hugh who shortly followed behind, his hands visibly shaking as he crossed the room.

  At least the boy felt nervous being forced into a small area full of Guardians that would likely kill him, but that didn't change the fact that Thane wanted him nowhere near her. Not whilst she slept and had no say. And certainly not after he'd taken her. A stupid move on his behalf, even if he claimed to be protecting her.

  Anya was Thane's to protect, not his. But even though having Hugh there put Thane on edge, nothing could stop the growl escaping his throat as Duncan stepped too close.

  Thane jumped to his feet and stood between the jaguar shifter and Anya, blocking his view of her frail and defenceless body.

  "Duncan, sit down. Now," Edwin roared, pushing out of his own chair with a panicked expression on his face.

  "I don't want any bloodshed in this room whilst the girl is healing. You understand me?"

  "Should have thought of that before you decided to bring them in here," Thane growled back, never taking his eyes away from Duncan.

  "For once, I'm not here to cause problems, Thane. I want
ed to apologize for what I said before about handing her to them. And I wanted to do it in front of everyone so you'd know I was sincere."

  Thane furrowed his brows between his eyes as he continued to stare at Duncan standing before him.

  Never had he expected the young alpha to bow his head and admit he was wrong, especially not in front of an audience, many of which followed him around like lap dogs.

  Thane couldn't help but feel suspicious as to why he'd decided to say this now, but as he'd said, why else would he admit his faults in front of everyone?

  "I've been speaking with the hunter," Duncan continued, scowling at Hugh as he took a seat on the floor by Edwin. "We think we know a few places to look for Keri. It's not much, but I hope it might help."

  It was one thing for Duncan to cower below another alpha, but to admit he'd discussed something so important with someone many would consider the enemy? Thane was at a loss for words. Maybe Duncan really had done some growing up after all.

  "Well I think that's a load of bull," one of Duncan's usual lackeys, Bjorn a bear shifter chimed in, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

  "How can we be expected to trust the word of a hunter?" he sneered, turning away in disgust.

  "He could be leading us all into a trap, killing a mere new recruit to win us over."

  "I have more reason to hate the boy than anyone," Lucas interrupted, shoving at Bjorn, "but I saw him fight up close. He was nauseated killing someone who I can only assume was his first. Not only that, he rushed to Thane's side when he saw him in trouble, buying him enough time to react. Without the boy’s help, the battle could have ended very differently."

  Thane finally turned from Duncan, reseating himself beside Anya as he watched on, detached from the whole argument.

  All he and the wolf were concerned with was making sure Anya was safe. That she wasn't going to die.