Salvation (The Guardian Angel Series Book 3)

by Madi, Skyla

  I laid on the couch, throwing grapes in the air and trying to catch them in my mouth. My phone buzzed. I leaned over to the coffee table, knocking a few grapes out of my bowl, and grabbed my phone. It was a text message from Eli.

  Shift over. I’m going down to the school’s dining hall for dinner. Would you like to come? — Eli

  How’d he get my number? I smiled and a warm feeling spread through my chest, but there was no way I was going anywhere near the students.

  I’m not ready to see any students right now, especially Raina and Rylan.

  I waited a few minutes and got no text back. I saved his number into my contacts list and went back to catching grapes in my mouth. Playing and eating grapes was fun—until it got boring. I sighed. I guess it was an early night for me. I hadn’t eaten dinner. I couldn’t be bothered cooking it and I sure as hell wasn’t going to start now. I went to my bedroom instead. Tonight the air was warm, the opposite of last night’s cool breeze. I slid out of my checkered boxer shorts and climbed into bed. Almost immediately I began to sweat. I pulled my singlet off—still didn’t help. I exhaled in annoyance. The house had air conditioning, but I didn’t know how to use the remote to start the damn thing.

  In the silence, I heard a knock at my door. I put my pajamas back on, flicked on the lights and ran to the door. As my hand touch the cool metal, I stopped. What if it wasn’t Eli? What if it was the council or Mr. Aleksandrov taking me away to do some kind of top secret mission? I peered through the peep hole but I couldn’t see anything. I ran my hand along the wall until I located the porch light switch. I flicked it on and the person cloaked in the shadows was revealed. I opened the door.

  “Eli? What are you doing here?”

  He glanced at me, the beginning of a smirk forming on his lips when he saw me in my pajamas.

  “I thought we could eat together,” he said, holding up a few plastic containers. My knees threatened to give way at the sight of him in his guardian uniform.

  “Sure, come in.”

  As Eli took off his big guardian boots, I walked to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for plates. When I found them, I sat them on the bench and Eli opened the containers.

  “Unfortunately, they were only serving chicken salad for dinner.”

  “That’s perfect, I half filled up on grapes before you came anyway,” I replied, reaching into the drawer and pulling out cutlery. I felt tense and nervous. I wasn’t uncomfortable. Eli doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but it was a strange feeling I couldn’t explain. Then it hit me. Eli and I have never really spent time together under normal circumstances. There was always something big, something life-threatening in the works. Now, even though we’re convinced the council is up to something, we’re spending time together for the sake of each other’s company, not because it might be the last time.

  “Is everything okay? You seem nervous,” he asked, leaning over the bench and touching my arm.

  “I realized that we’ve never spent time together under normal conditions.”

  He opened his mouth to say something and then stopped when he came to the same realization.

  “Well then, let’s make tonight unforgettable.”

  I blushed, wondering if I had imagined the dangerous gleam that flickered in his eyes. He scooped food onto the plates and we sat on the floor in the living room, eating and talking about life away from each other. We didn’t talk about how much it hurt us to be apart, instead we focused on funny things that’d happened to us. When we finished, Eli stood up and prepared to leave.

  “You don’t have to go just yet. We could talk for a little while longer.”

  “It’s getting late. I don’t want to keep you up.”

  “You won’t be keeping me up.” I cleared my throat and fidgeted with my fingers. “You said you wanted to make tonight unforgettable…”

  He pressed his lips together, trying to hide his amusement. “Wasn’t the chicken salad enough?” he replied sarcastically, taking a few slow steps toward me.

  I scowled at him. “The salad was fine.”

  “Then tell me, what would you deem unforgettable?”

  I felt embarrassed. I didn’t know what I was meant to say. There were so many things I could have said, done, but I played it safe.

  “Would it be inappropriate for me to ask you to stay with me tonight?”

  He ran his index finger across his bottom lip. “It’d be dangerous in more ways than one.”

  “But it’d be unforgettable, wouldn’t it?”

  “Every moment with you is unforgettable.”

  I smiled. His line was totally cheesy, but totally romantic.

  “I can’t stay, but I can lay down with you until you fall asleep,” he offered.

  It made me feel like a child, but no way in hell was I going to pass it up. We entered my room and I flicked on the desk lamp on the far side of the room. Its dim light illuminated the room poorly, but I only needed enough light to see his face. I climbed into bed, unable to bring myself to pull the blanket up. It was still hot, hotter now that Eli’s body heat was adding to mine.

  “Do you know how to work the air conditioner?” I asked.

  Eli disappeared into the living room and after a few beeps, a low vibration hummed throughout the house. By the time he returned I was in bed, pulling the blanket up to my chest. Eli lay beside me, staying on top of the blanket. Within minutes the air cooled, making being under the blanket more bearable. He stroked my hair, but I couldn’t sleep. Here we were— undisturbed and alone in my bedroom—doing nothing.

  “If you have to go, I don’t want to keep you,” I mumbled, trying to suss out how much time he could spare with me.

  “You’re not keeping me from anything. I prefer your company over being alone.”

  “When I was gone, did you find… other company?” I stared at the ceiling, selfishly praying for him to say no.

  “No. I couldn’t do that to you.”

  I didn’t know whether to feel happy or guilty that he hadn’t sought the company of other girls. The thought of him being alone was just as unbearable as the thought of him being with another girl.

  “It would be so much easier for you if you fell for a nice guardian angel instead of me. I’ve done horrible things to you, yet here you are doing everything for me—again.”

  Eli rested his head on his elbow and I copied him.

  “I feel so guilty for harassing you and demanding your attention,” I added.

  “Even if you did a million horrible things to me, I’d still find that one reason to be with you.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “And you didn’t harass me or demand my attention. From the moment I saw you, you had me, and I knew I’d do anything to protect you. Not because you were the daughter of the goddess that my father died protecting, but because I knew just from looking at you that we could help each other—that we could be each other’s salvation.” He swallowed hard. “That’s why I was so hurt when you left. I thought that if anyone could help you, it’d be me. You were the only shred of light that I had left in this dark existence.”

  I sat up and pulled him toward me, he opened his mouth to talk, but I silenced him with my lips. I brushed my tongue against his bottom lip and our innocent kiss turned passionate. Every aspect of his body—his lips, his hands, his scent—magnified and overpowered me. I pulled away, our eyes met, and I was lost, drowning in a sea of green. His eyes were alight with an emotion I’d never really seen in him before. It wasn’t love or admiration, no, those I’ve seen. This time he looked at me—into me, with such lust and passion, like I was the only girl in the entire world, even in my pajamas. It impossible for me to pull away from his crushing sex appeal. I became powerless, I was his and he knew it. I couldn’t fight him any longer and I didn’t want to. I leaned forward slightly, permittin
g him to press his lips against mine. This time there’d be no interruptions. This time there’d be no going back. His lips touched mine and he entwined his fingers in my hair before pulling away ever so slightly.

  “We might not be interrupted this time,” he muttered quietly, his lips grazing against mine as he spoke.

  “I know.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  He hesitated for a moment, analyzing my face, trying to read my emotions.

  “You know what to do?” I asked, suddenly nervous. “You’ve done this before?”

  He smiled. “Yes, I’ve done this before.”

  I forced down the jealousy that crept up and I wrapped my hands around his neck, urging him closer. It didn’t matter if he’d been with other girls—he was hot as hell, so of course they’d notice him. What mattered was he was here with me now. Piece by piece our clothes fell to the floor. He shifted his weight, pushing me down on the bed. My hands moved over his skin, my heart drumming so hard in my chest that it ached. His arm wrapped around my waist, and the other hand caressed my cheek, moving slowly down my arm, tracing the contour of my body along my hip and down my thigh, igniting my blood as he went. He pulled my thigh up so it wrapped around him. Then it happened…I was having sex.

  When it was over, I lay back against him. My body hurt with aches and sensations that I’d never felt before… yet at the same time, I felt content and beyond happy. I’d never expected my first time to be so error free and exhilarating. Then again, I never expected my first time to be in a school with someone seven years older than me, but at the end of the day, none of that mattered. What mattered was it was with the person I love more than anything. It was with the one person who saved my life, risked everything for me and forgiven me for the all bad things I’d done. I was with Eli De Luca—my guardian angel, my savior and my soul mate. I rested my head on Eli’s bare chest and he ran his fingers through my hair.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, planting a kiss on my forehead.

  I yawned. “I feel… amazing. How was that for you?”

  He ran his fingers down the side of my body and released a low growl from the back of his throat as his hand trailed over my bare hip. “Perfect.”

  There was no awkwardness, only contentment. We sat in silence for a few more moments, absorbing each other’s warmth.

  “The longer we lay here, the higher our chances of being caught.” I sighed.

  “I know, but we need to savor this moment. Who knows when we’ll have another…”

  With my index finger, I drew small circles on his hard stomach.

  “Tell me something,” Eli said, his voice sounding faint, as if he was going to doze off.

  “About what?”

  “Anything,” he supressed a yawn, “tell me about this bar you worked at.”

  I knew he was fishing for information to see how safe the bar had been. I smiled.

  “It was cosy. Nothing too flashy—it’s a small pub, if anything.”

  “And the clientele?”

  I laughed. “Harmless old men. There were no young, drunken bachelors dressed in expensive business suits in Gerald.”

  “If you say so.”

  I rolled my eyes and he pulled me closer, squeezing me firmly against him. Even though we’d had sex, the slightest touch of his skin still sent a crackle of electricity through my body.

  “Fine, let’s do it.”

  “Again?”

  He chuckled. “No, let’s run away together.”

  My emotions didn’t register. I propped my head on my elbow and stared into his eyes as his words rang in my ears. Was he serious? The way he looked at me told me he was.

  “What about what you said about your family?” I asked. “Aren’t you worried you’ll disappoint them?”

  “I’m not worried about that anymore. I know my family, they’d be more disappointed if I sat by and let bad things happen to you.”

  My heart ached for Eli. I wanted nothing more than to exist with him, alone in our own home. I imagined him mowing the lawn and I’d bring him fresh lemonade. In my vision, we had a kid or two. Life would be perfect, but I couldn’t do that, not now. I promised Mila I’d stay with her and I was going to keep that promise, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

  “I can’t… I promised Mila I wouldn’t leave her again.”

  “She can’t possibly remember that, she was beyond drunk.”

  “She does remember it, and even if she didn’t, well, I remember. I owe it to her.”

  Eli’s face was unreadable. It was hard to determine whether he was relieved or disappointed. “And then there’s Mr. Aleksandrov. If the council is up to something, then I need to protect him from it.”

  “You can’t go against the council, Ruby, that’s suicide.”

  “No, they wouldn’t kill me. Why would they go through the trouble of making Mr. Aleksandrov the higher power? They broke tradition for me… I have something they want—my powers, no doubt. Besides, I’ve done the impossible twice now. I’ve killed Hank and escaped Lucian—third time’s a charm.”

  Eli exhaled, not bothering to lecture me.

  “You know I’ll be there for you no matter what you choose to do, right?”

  “I know.”

  He planted another kiss on my forehead. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  We lay together for a while after our conversation, wrapped in each other’s arms, not saying much. I wish we could have stayed like that forever, but someone was bound to show up eventually, and if they found us like that, things would certainly get real ugly, real quick.

  After we located our clothing, got dressed, and exchanged a few more kisses, Eli left, leaving me smiling stupidly to myself. Although it was late, I decided to shower. My muscles ached, and if there was anything that could help my tight, aching muscles, it’d be a hot shower.

  In the shower I stood still, letting the water roll over my skin, burning me as it went. I couldn’t shake the images of what happened between us from my mind. If someone had told me last week that I’d be back at Sage and having sex with Eli, I would have laughed in their face. But it happened.

  When I got out of the shower, I put on a night gown and climbed into bed. I tried to get comfortable, but something hard was digging into the back of my head. I lifted my head and reached for the object—it was Eli’s whistle. I pulled off the note that was attached to it. This is yours. I love you. I grabbed my pillow and covered my face. Once again I was smiling stupidly to myself. Tonight was so surreal. Eli and I were bonded in ways that magic couldn’t replicate.

  I was his.

  Intrusion

  The sound of my front door slamming startled me out of a deep sleep. Quickly, I sat up in my bed and waited in the dark until a shadow leaned against my bedroom door. I had to squint just to make out his—or her—silhouette. The whistle was warm in my hand and I contemplated blowing it.

  “Mila?” I called.

  Silence.

  The mysterious shadow stepped forward and I could see that the shadow was tall. My breathing quickened and my heart pounded in a choppy, irregular pattern.

  “Eli?”

  Silence.

  Dark, scared thoughts trickled into me. Heat rushed into my palms as they lit up, giving the dark room a bright new glow. The moment the room lit up, cool breath hit my face and the stranger leaned into me. It was Hunter. My heart lurched and my light turned off. In the darkness, I sprawled backwards until I slammed myself against the wall. He didn’t come closer nor he did he talk. He simply straightened up and stood there. I pinched myself. Was I dreaming? Sage was meant to be safe. It was meant to be protected. My breathing was deep and heavy, I tried to slow it down, but I couldn’t. Hunt
er crossed the room. When his back was to me, I blew the whistle quickly before stuffing it under my pillow. The lamp turned on and I blinked quickly a few times, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the change.

  Hunter stared at me. Aside from being a vampire, he wasn’t doing anything particularly fear invoking, yet I could still feel my pulse beat in my ears. I stared back. I couldn’t take my eyes away from his, if I did—if I broke the connection—I was sure I would die. I’d never felt more certain of anything.

  “How did—”

  Hunter raised his hand and silenced me.

  “You left your laptop on and I read your emails.”

  I glowered at him. Of course he’d gone back to my apartment.

  “How are you here? Sage is protected.”

  Hunter chuckled. “Aw, that’s cute. You honestly thought you were safe here? Hanging with Lucian has its perks, you know. I’ve made connections—powerful connections.”

  My hands glowed and Hunter gritted his teeth.

  “Don’t make me hurt you, please,” I begged.

  “I’m not making you do anything.” Hunter stepped forward.

  I flared my sun power and he jumped back. His black eyes darkened and narrowed in on me.

  “I came here to warn you, but the overwhelming scent of guardian angel in here tells me I should reconsider and just kill you myself.”

  I was sure my blushing could be seen vividly against my scared-to-death, pale skin. Could Hunter tell that Eli and I had been intimate? Was the scent of it still in the air? Did sex even have a smell? Subtly, I inhaled—I couldn’t smell anything. Hunter turned his back to me. This was my only chance. I leaped from my bed and dove for the door, but Hunter was faster and he shoved me hard, so hard that I slammed into the wall. In the few seconds that my vision blurred, Hunter managed to attach something cold and heavy to my wrist. When my vision returned I jumped to my feet and shoved him backwards. I tensed my muscles but the heat that usually came with my sun power didn’t show. I glanced at my hands—at my wrist. A cold, thick metal bracelet adorned my wrist. In the middle was a large, black stone. Somehow this ugly bracelet was preventing me from using my power.