Ascended (Fallen Guardian Saga #2)

by Debra Ann Miller

  Carter closed his eyes and removed everything from his mind. The only thing he saw in the darkness of his mind now was a vision of her flawless face. Her smile melted his heart, her vibrant eyes stimulated his senses, and he heard her whimsical voice speak his name, “Carter.” He had her now, he was sure of it.

  Meanwhile, Vie was sitting on top of the rimrock with her new friend, Bella, waiting patiently for Carter to show. “You think he’ll ever find me, Bella?” she said while stroking her fur. The grizzly looked up at her as if to confirm her suspicions.

  “Well, I believe he will,” she said, trying to remain positive, confident in Carter’s abilities.

  “You’re not going to listen to that grouchy old grizzly bear now, are you? I told you she had it in for me,” his velvet voice spoke beside her. Bella growled at him as usual.

  “What took you so long?” she questioned with a pout on her face.

  “Let’s just say my mind was on other things,” he replied, laughing to himself about his trip to the bedroom.

  “Hmm?” Vie wondered what that grin on his face was all about.

  They went back to the reservation, thinking they were done for the night. The Chief looked at them, shook his head, and said, “Again!”

  Vie was immediately off to another place, hoping this time Carter would find her more quickly. Unfortunately he did not; at least, not on the first try. They returned again and looked at the Chief, hopeful that he was pleased with the results.

  The Chief shook his head and said, “Again!”

  They continued the exercise, and although Carter was getting better, he was still unable to find her on the first try. Each time they returned they heard him say only the word, “Again.”

  “How does he know I didn’t find you on the first try?” Carter asked Vie, miffed. She just shrugged her shoulders and the Chief grinned at them.

  “It’s like he can read our thoughts,” Carter said, and Vie laughed at him. They both knew the Chief couldn’t read Carter’s thoughts, or Vie’s, but he was in tune with all the forces within the universe, good and bad, and what he could do was feel the harmony in it.

  Though it was said Violet had been given her name because of the color of her eyes, in truth her eyes represented the synchronization of the universe. Red/Yang, and blue/Yin, in equal combination, yielded harmony; he could feel the restoration of it when they were together. Their union produced a balance of peace that emanated from within his soul. He knew. He always knew.

  “Again!” he ordered, impatiently watching over them.

  This time, Vie looked at Carter before she teleported off and said, “If you find me on the first try this time, cowboy, I just may offer you a reward.” She winked and flashed him the most erotic smile he had ever seen before she disappeared.

  The Chief pretended not to have seen the flirtation but hoped it would be enough inspiration to help Carter find her on the first try this time.

  Carter sat, closed his eyes, and pictured Vie as she’d looked just a moment ago. Swift as the wind, he was gone.

  He opened his eyes and found himself sitting on top of the Tower with Vie nowhere in sight. “Damn it!” he shouted, completely frustrated.

  “Well, now, I’m not sure if those words are deserving of that reward I promised,” a sultry voice spoke out from behind him.

  Carter stood up and turned around immediately, captivating Vie with his piercing green eyes. He flashed a suggestive grin of his own as he walked deliberately toward her.

  Every inch of her body tingled from head to toe as he moved closer. She yearned to feel his touch, his skin on hers. She wanted him; she hungered for his body, and she lusted for his soul.

  Carter grabbed her and pulled her in, tasting her sweetness as their lips collided. His strong hands cupped each side of her neck as he pulled her in again, harder and closer to his body. His mouth practically watered; he thirsted for her, wanting so badly to taste her lips on his. Their kiss was passionate, illuminated by the dim light of the crescent moon, entrenched in the beauty of black velvet sky.

  Vie felt a vibration coming from Carter’s body, one she’d never felt before. Carter opened his eyes at the interruption and slid his hand between their thighs to reach into his pocket. Vie loved the feel of his cool hand touching her gently. She realized, though, when she saw him pull a phone out of the pocket of his tight, fitted jeans, that the stimulating vibration she’d felt had not come from Carter; it had come from his phone.

  He reluctantly put his finger up to tell her he had to take the call. Carter stepped away and Vie listened closely to the conversation.

  “What’s up, Jer?” Carter’s voice was deliberately casual as he answered the call.

  Vie watched as worry lines marred the smooth surface of Carter’s face. She knew immediately something was wrong.

  “Stay where you are. We’re on our way!” Carter said before hanging up.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Vie asked frantically.

  “It’s Henry. We have to get back to the house!” he said, and they both took off running.

  Carter could not keep up with Vie; it was as though she were running for her life. Just the thought of anything happening to Henry propelled her like a hypersonic missile on a destination to the Thorne residence. Carter arrived just seconds behind her, a bit winded from trying to keep up.

  Vie flung open the door and asked, “Where’s Henry?” with a fear of the worst.

  Jeremy had just ended his call to Carter and hadn’t even had a chance to put his phone back into his pocket, and there they were. He was completely baffled and more than a little surprised by their expedited arrival as well as the intense look of terror in Vie’s eyes.

  “Where is he?” she shouted, demanding an immediate answer.

  Jeremy just pointed to the stairs, wide-eyed, like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car.

  “What happened, Jeremy?” Carter asked.

  “I’m not sure. Henry was resting upstairs and Kade went up to check on him. She said she found him kneeling on the floor and screaming at the walls.

  “Carter, something is going on. Henry’s not making any sense. He just keeps saying that ‘he’ is coming for Vivian, whatever that means. I’m really worried about him, Carter. I’ve never seen Henry like this before,” Jeremy stated.

  “Don’t worry, Jer. Henry will be fine, I promise you,” Carter vowed.

  Carter went up the stairs and saw Vie cradling Henry like a child in her arms. Then Henry stood up in a panic and began to rant about Lucian.

  “He was here! I told them—Jeremy and Kade—but they didn’t believe me,” Henry said frantically.

  “Who was here, Daddy?” Vie asked.

  “HIM! The evil bastard who took my Vivian!” he shouted, uncharacteristically crude in his anger. “We have to get her back,” he said as he walked over to Carter, hoping he would deliver on the promise he’d made to Henry earlier.

  “We will, Daddy, you have my word,” Vie replied soundly, pulling him away from Carter.

  Vie looked at him and Carter saw the unmistakable look of vengeance in her eyes. Her vibrant eyes were suddenly cold and dark. Carter could almost see the hatred within them.

  She helped Henry to the bed and told him she would be right back.

  Seeing Vie seemed to give Henry comfort, but watching her father’s suffering at the hands of Lucian was more than even Carter could bear. Henry was a great man, a generous man with a kind, pure heart who had devoted his life to his family, his community, and his faith. Seeing the anguish on his face and the agony in his soul was too much for both of them.

  Vie stepped outside his room and said, “He was here…Lucian was here? Tell me that Lucian has not been here,” she demanded.

  Carter could see she was infuriated by the very thought of Lucian being anywhere near her father.

  “Carter?” she stopped pacing and looked at him with a stern look in her eyes.

  “I believe someone has been here.
Jeremy said he keeps hearing Henry refer to him as Dimorte. Does that mean anything to you?” Carter asked.

  Vie’s heart almost stopped. She knew exactly who Dimorte was: the root of all evil, the leader of the Underworld, the Prince of Darkness…and Lucian’s father!

  “We have to get Henry out of here, now! We need to take him somewhere, anywhere that’s safe!” she shouted in terror. “Lucian, and Dimorte…we stop them now. Tonight!” She sounded as if she were completely unraveling.

  “No, Vie, not tonight.” Carter grabbed her and held her in his arms. “We will get them, Princess; I promise you, Lucian will fall. They will all fall,” he said, kissing her head while developing his plan.

  He knew if Lucian and Dimorte had come for Henry, no one they loved would be safe. Things were changing by the minute. The Guardians we coming for Vie, Henry was being tormented, and Vivian was trapped in the heinous depths of Hell. There was one common factor in all of this: one person sitting in the center of all of the chaos and tragedies that were occurring in the lives of the people they loved, and that link was Lucian.

  The gloves were off. It’s time to make him pay, Carter silently vowed while holding Vie in his arms.

  “We have to stop them, Carter. We just have to,” she said, trying to remain in control of her emotions.

  Carter agreed and continued to hold her tight. He promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to Henry or anyone else they loved.

  Vie was comforted by his promise and believed Carter was the only one who could keep them safe from the Dark Ones. As Carter pulled away, Vie could see the wheels turning in his head.

  Carter had a plan, one he was sure would keep everyone out of harm’s way for the moment. He revealed the details of his brilliant idea to Vie, and a smile of relief returned to her beautiful face. Now they just needed to convince the others to come with them—back to the reservation, to the sacred land.

  Carter went downstairs and spoke to Jeremy in private. Without giving him all the details, he told him it wasn’t safe for them to stay there any longer.

  Jeremy understood, and asked Carter what the plan was; Carter filled him in so they were all on the same page. Everyone knew what they had to do, and knew they had to move fast.

  Vie came down the stairs with Henry and a bag she had packed for him as Kade walked out from the kitchen.

  “Are we going somewhere?” she asked, confused at the sudden flurry of activity.

  “We are,” Jeremy said, putting his arm around Kade. “We’ve all been invited to the reservation to join in the celebration of Vie’s return home,” he said excitedly.

  “Now?” Kade said, perplexed.

  “Yep, now! It’s an ancient Indian custom thing, Kade. The families join together, they camp out, and there’s a ceremony of some kind that we’re all to take part in.” He did his best to look eager to go. “Come on, Kade, we can all use a break from things here in Newcastle, don’t you think?” he said, convincing even Carter.

  Vie glanced at Jeremy and back to Carter hoping Kade would buy what Jeremy was selling.

  “Okay, I guess. I just need to call my parents and let them know I’ll be staying with Henry,” Kade responded hesitantly.

  “Great, then it’s settled,” Carter said, anxious to get going.

  Kade made her phone call, and the three of them joined Vie and Henry, who were already out in front of the house. Carter gave Jeremy the keys to Henry’s car, nodding to Jeremy to let him know it was all right to take off.

  Kade asked, “Why isn’t Carter coming with us?”

  Vie said, “He has to get his family, but he’ll join us later.” She hoped Kade didn’t give it a second thought.

  She looked out the window and up to the stars that filled the beautiful night sky and silently said, Oh, Gabriel, what have I done? She felt responsible for bringing Lucian—and now Dimorte—into their lives. It was she whom they wanted, not Vivian or Henry.

  Everything that was happening was all her fault somehow, and she didn’t even know why. If she could only figure out what they wanted from her, she would give it to them in a heartbeat to keep safe the people she loved. What do you want from me? she screamed inside herself.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sacred Land

  Carter arrived at the ranch. His mom and little sister Sarah had just finished dinner when he entered the kitchen.

  Katherine could see her son had something important to talk to her about; it was written all over his face.

  “Mom, I need you to do something for me,” he started.

  “Okay,” Katherine immediately became concerned as her intuition kicked in.

  “I need you and Sarah to come with me.”

  “Come with you where?” she asked.

  “To the reservation.”

  “Oh, is that all?” she said, relieved by his request. “I actually have some packages to drop off there anyway. We can go tomorrow after I drop Sarah off at school. Gosh, Carter, you had me really worried. The look on your face was just—”

  “No Mom, not tomorrow. We need to go there now!” he interrupted her, his voice urgent.

  “Carter, it’s late. Can’t this wait?” Katherine responded, bewildered.

  “No, it can’t. I need you and Sarah to come with me now. Right now,” he said.

  “Carter, what’s going on?” she asked, frightened by his actions. Katherine dug her heels in and gave him a look that let him know she would not budge until he explained to her exactly why he wanted them to go to the reservation. Unlike Kade and Henry, Katherine wasn’t settling for the short version of the story.

  “I’ll explain everything to you on the way, I promise, but for now, can you please, please, just do as I ask?” Carter pleaded with her.

  Katherine reluctantly agreed. She could see that Carter was alarmed, and she trusted that he would explain his odd request to her on the way to the reservation as promised.

  “Oh, and you’ll need to pack a bag. We’ll be staying there for a few days,” he added.

  Katherine turned and looked at Carter again, her brow furrowed in suspicion.

  “Please, Mom, just trust me,” he said.

  She slowly turned around and headed up the stairs to pack.

  Katherine grabbed a few things, put them in an overnight bag, and then turned to Carter and said, “The truth when we get there, Carter. Deal?”

  He nodded yes and they were on their way. Carter didn’t want to leave Vie alone any longer than he had to. He knew she was safe from Lucian on the reservation, but he also knew Vie, and didn’t trust that she would stay put. Right now, getting his mom and little sister to the sacred land of the reservation quickly was his agenda. His father was out of town on business, which worked out nicely for him, seeing as how he would have made a much bigger fuss about needing to know the details of their sudden trip.

  It was then that Carter realized he had not been home to see his mom since Vie’s return. Katherine didn’t know that she was alive and well and waiting for them back at the reservation. It was a surprise he couldn’t wait to share with her, one that would she would not believe unless seen with her own eyes.

  Vie had just settled Henry into one of the cabins on the reservation. She walked outside and saw Jeremy waiting for her.

  “Where’s Kade?” she asked him.

  “She’s helping the others prepare for the celebration,” he replied.

  ‘Oh, I guess we do have to go along with the charade, don’t we?” Vie said, saddened about the story they’d been forced to invent.

  “Vie, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. You’re doing everything you can to keep the people you love safe. Don’t you ever feel bad about protecting them. Protecting us,” Jeremy stated with conviction.

  “Jer, how much do you actually know about me? Did Carter tell you everything?” she questioned.

  “He told me what I needed to know…that you came back to save Vivian, and that’s good enough for me. You can’t blame yourself for what ha
ppened with her, Vie. If anyone is to blame, it would be me,” he said.

  “You? How are you to blame?”

  “I knew Vivian was in trouble. She tried to tell me a thousand times. I just didn’t believe her,” he said, disappointed in himself.

  Vie could see he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, and could see the pain of losing Vivian in his eyes. “Well, we’re a pair, aren’t we?” Vie joked to lighten the mood. They sat together on the stoop, looking up to the sky, both wondering silently if anyone was listening to their cries for help.

  “I believe in you, Vie,” Jeremy said. “I know you were returned to us for a reason, and I have enough faith in you for both of us. And do you know what else I know?”

  Vie tilted her head and said, “What?” with a trace of a smile present.

  “I know Vivian is lucky to have a sister like you. A sister willing to risk everything to change her fate,” Jeremy finished.

  “Ah, Jer, thank you.” Vie hugged him and said, “Twice blessed, because she has both of us.”

  “Ahem,” a voice interrupted their moment. Carter was standing in front of them, not looking very happy. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, directing his question to Jeremy.

  “No, umm, I was just…” Jeremy stumbled over his words, seeing the discontent in Carter’s eyes. “Umm, I think I’ll go find Kade. You two probably have some things to talk about.” He walked quickly in the opposite direction, away from the uncomfortable situation with Carter.

  “What’s with that guy?” Carter asked Vie. “I mean, I’m gone for like, a half a second, and he’s all over you?”

  Vie laughed, taking Carter by surprise.

  “And what’s so funny, Princess?” he asked.

  “You are! Now get over here so I can give you that reward we talked about,” she said, grabbing his shirt and yanking him toward her.

  “Yeah, well don’t think you can just distract me with your …your…” he stuttered, getting lost in the movement of her body against his. Vie made him forget about everything. When they were together, it was as though they were the only two people in the entire world. She was his magic, his miracle, his life.