by Madi, Skyla
I nodded, acknowledging his information.
The ceremony was beautiful. Other guardian angels got up and paid their respects by giving speeches and final farewells. Once it was all said, we lined up and walked down every row, placing a hand on each coffin to show respect for the guardian angels that died in battle. It was sad, regardless whether I knew them personally or not. They died for me. That hit me the hardest. Eli squeezed my arm in reassurance when I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing back my tears.
When the ceremony ended and everyone was invited for dinner at the dining hall, I decided I’d go see Hunter, before it got dark.
“Ruby!” Mila called to me from in the middle of a small crowd. She excused herself and ran over to me. Her black gown was gorgeous, covered in what looked like shining diamonds. She pulled me into a hug and I noticed she’d changed her perfume. Lavender? Orchid? I couldn’t tell.
“I am so, so happy you’re okay!” she squealed.
“I could say the same thing about you.” I was still mad that she’d run off and got herself caught by Lucian.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry, I wanted to help and it failed. You can’t say it has never happened to you.”
I smiled at her. “It’s over. Lucian is dead, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.”
She smiled back. From behind her came Mr. Aleksandrov.
“Ruby, so good to see that you’re alive and well.”
“You too,” I replied.
“Your blood worked,” he added. “Once Hunter’s mood goes back to normal, we can run tests and sort out regular donating intervals. That’ll keep the council off your back.”
“Done.”
If donating blood every week or month meant I didn’t have to meet the council and I could give people a second chance at life, then it was worth it. Mr. Aleksandrov and Mila were expected to host the dinner, so they bade us farewell us and followed everyone else to the hall. I turned around to face Eli.
“Are you going to see Hunter?” he asked.
Was I that obvious?
“I’ll come with you.”
“Are you sure?”
He hooked his arm around mine and we headed toward the outskirts of the school. The cells were concealed underground on the outside of the safety border. We didn’t talk for the most part. Eli held sticks out of the way for me and helped me over logs and big boulders. I was capable of doing this myself, but I enjoyed the way his hands ignited my blood and sent goosebumps over my skin. He noticed, too. Every now and again he’d bite his lip or growl seductively when we got too close. It was a miracle we made it to the cells without ripping each other’s clothes off, really.
An eerie chill rolled over me as we approached the tunnel that burrowed deep underground. I glanced around the entrance, but I saw no one guarding it. Maybe they felt like they didn’t have to. Hunter wasn’t a vampire anymore.
“There are no guards?”
“There are guards. They’re concealing themselves—watching from a distance.”
I peered over my shoulder, but couldn’t see anything obvious. Eli nudged me down into the cells first and as we walked, he kept a firm arm around my waist. The air grew thinner, denser, and I was finding it hard to breathe. Ignoring the rising panic in my chest, I picked up my pace, eager to find more space. I thought it’d get easier when I stepped into the open space of the cell, and it was to a certain degree, but my chest was still heavy.
“Are you all right?” Eli asked, noticing my breaths deepen.
“Yeah, let’s just get this over with. I don’t want to be down here for long.”
He pulled me in front of the double mirror and I saw Hunter, slouching over the side of his bed. His head was buried between his knees.
“You sure you want to go in there?”
I nodded. Eli proceeded to open the door. A big clanking noise vibrated through the cell, piercing my ears. I stepped in and Hunter didn’t look up. Eli closed the door behind me, but left it open a crack so he could come in if he needed to.
“Hunter?” His name came out a lot quieter than I intended and I realized it was because I was scared of him and what he might do.
Slowly, he lifted his head up. Involuntarily, I smiled at him when I met his blue eyes. He was back, it had worked. Joy flooded me and the confined space of the cell was a distant fear.
“Why’d you come?”
I was confused. “Because you asked for me...”
“I’ve been asking for you for the last two days. Why now?”
I stepped closer to him. “I only got out of the hospital half an hour ago.”
“Don’t lie to me!” he shouted, standing up.
I swallowed hard. “I’m not lying to you.”
He stared at me, his face hard and difficult to read. He seemed as unstable as Gwydion explained. There were so many emotions behind his eyes and I couldn’t predict how this meeting was going to go... He launched at me, slamming me into the wall and pressing his mouth against mine. I pushed against him with all my strength and he stumbled backwards.
Now it was my turn to shout. “What are you doing?”
“I’m kissing you.”
“Don’t.”
“Why? Because De Luca is on the other side of the mirror?”
“No,” I placed my hands sternly on my hips. “Don’t kiss me because I don’t want you to.”
His lips curved into the cheeky smile that he used to have before he was a vampire. “Don’t lie. You forget that I’ve heard how fast your heart beats when you’re around me.”
“You were a vampire. I was scared.”
“No, it wasn’t fear. It was love. You love me.”
My words didn’t come out as confident as I’d meant them to. “No, I don’t.”
He ran at me, slamming me against the wall and slapping his palms against the concrete beside me. “Damn it! Admit it!”
Tears choked me and I didn’t know if it was because I was scared or guilty. “I have nothing to admit to you.”
“You’re lying,” he whispered. “You couldn’t kill me because you love me, and once I’m out of here, I’ll prove it to you.”
“Eli?” I called, my voice cracking. “I’ve had enough. I want to go.”
The door creaked and Eli stepped in. He paused for a moment, his arms folded firmly across his chest. He looked like he wanted to kill Hunter, but Hunter ignored Eli’s presence.
“Why’d you bring me back? Hm?” he growled, narrowing his blue eyes at me. “So I can sit and watch Eli have the happy ending that I want? I’d rather be a vampire.”
I pushed against Hunter, but he wouldn’t back off.
“Let her go,” Eli ordered.
Hunter grinned. “Or what?”
“Or I’ll come over there and make you let her go.”
Hunter snorted. He pushed his tongue into his cheek and weighed his options. Hunter wasn’t dumb enough to take on Eli. It’d be a pretty hard battle to pick a winner, they both had their strengths, but with the experience that Eli had, he’d definitely come out on top
“All right,” he sighed. He stepped away from me and I ran out the door and up the tunnel. The walls seemed to be closing in on me and I felt sick.
“I’ll prove it!” Hunter called after me. “I’ll prove that you love me.”
When I reached the top, I gasped for air and let my body absorb the sun’s warmth—it calmed me. I stood alone for a few moments, waiting for Eli to join me at the top.
“Are you finished here?” Eli asked, appearing at the mouth of the tunnel.
I nodded my head. I studied Eli as he watched me. He seemed content. He wasn’t angry or sad, he wasn’t anything. We walked back the way we came, only this time we passed by my mother’s cabin. I
stopped.
“Can we go in?”
Eli looked up at the sky. “It’s getting dark.”
He was right, the sun was beginning to set, but I’d say we had at least two hours until complete darkness.
“It’ll only take a minute,” I replied, inching toward the cabin anyway.
He followed behind me. Unlike the first time I came here, the door was unlocked. I stepped inside. Everything was the same as I’d left it, except the smell. The decomposing wood smell was new. I was a vampire the last time I was here. A sickening shudder rolled down my spine at the thought of it.
“I want to take a few things of my mother’s back to my house, if that’s okay?”
“Go ahead.”
I circled the room, touching everything and trying to decide what items would have the most sentimental value.
“Do you want to talk?” Eli asked.
I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my tongue. I had hoped he wouldn’t bring the cell up, at least not until I wrapped my mind around it. I turned to face him and sat on the bed.
“Sure,” I managed to reply in a somewhat cheery tone.
Eli crossed the room and leaned against the bathroom door. His green eyes peered down at me and I felt uncomfortable.
“That must’ve been difficult for you,” he said.
“It was. I couldn’t get through to him and I—”
“Do you love him?”
“What? No, I don’t love him.” No, you don’t. My heart concurred.
“Somehow, I’m not entirely convinced,” Eli added.
Neither was I. I sighed. “Look, I’m in such a messed up place right now. Do I like Hunter? Yes. Do I like him more than I should? Yes. Do I love him? Would I choose him over you? No. No, I wouldn’t.” I glanced down at my hands. “Are you mad?”
Eli joined me on the bed and took my hands in his. “I’m not mad. We can’t control our emotions. Sometimes this kind of thing happens. We’ve been through a lot, but so have you and Hunter. You’re fooling yourself if you think there’s nothing there.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’m not saying act on it and I’m not telling you not to care for Hunter. I’m simply telling you to let yourself feel what you want to feel, because if you don’t explore your emotions, it’ll mess with your head.”
I smiled up at him. As per usual, Eli was understanding and helpful. I didn’t love Hunter, I was sure of that, and the relationship between us needed adjusting, but for right now, my relationship with Eli needed my whole attention. He chose to save me over Mila. Consequences must come with that.
“What are you thinking?” he asked me.
“About Wednesday night, you chose to save me over Mila…”
“I did.”
“Why?”
He frowned. “I figured I’d rather be banished than live in a world where you didn’t exist.”
“I doubt Mr. Aleksandrov was very happy with you.”
“No, he wasn’t. He doesn’t think I should be her guardian anymore.”
I glanced down at his wrist. I didn’t know what tattoo he had before, but whatever it was, it was barely a scar now. I felt guilty.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what I was going to do.”
“How’s Mila dealing?”
“Fine, actually.” He chuckled. “She said she prefers being independent… whatever she means by that.”
I laughed. “And what happens to you? Every guardian in the school saw what happened. Someone is bound to tell someone higher than Mr. Aleksandrov.”
“Mr. Aleksandrov is doing his best to contain what happened. He doesn’t want to banish me, but if it does spread… there’s no telling what the council will do.”
I cupped his face in my hands. “If it comes to that, we’ll run away together.”
He let out a skeptical laugh.
“I’m serious.”
He pushed his weight onto me, pressing my back firmly against the slightly dusty mattress.
“But I’ll have to take Mila as well,” I added. “I promised I wouldn’t leave her again.”
Eli smiled. I wasn’t sure if it meant he agreed with what I said or not. It didn’t matter, I didn’t care whether he agreed or not—I would follow Eli to the ends of the earth if I had to. He kissed my lips softly, awakening something inside me. The same desire that burned through me in the hospital rose again. Eli’s breathing deepened, he felt the same.
“Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together,” He said against my lips.
“Mmhm.”
Eli tangled his hands through my hair and trailed small kisses and nibbles along my jawline and down my neck. I shivered under his touch and wrapped my hands around his neck. His hand trailed underneath my dress, making goosebumps erupt over my skin. His hands kept going up, further and further until they settled on my breasts.
“Eli?”
“Hmm?”
“You promised to kick my ass when we got back from Mount Kuuce.”
He chuckled against my skin. “Well, once we’re finished with what we’re doing here, I’ll take you to the gym and kick your ass.”
I laughed as his hands suddenly became ticklish. He ran his hands over me faster, making me wiggle underneath him in an attempt to get away. He hitched my thigh up around his hip and nuzzled my neck.
“I like hearing you laugh,” he whispered. “You should do it more often.”
I ran my fingers through his hair and stared up at the ceiling. This was so different from the other conversations Eli and I had shared after a showdown. The other times had ended in heartbreak and pain, but this time it was loving and sexy—this time gave me hope for the future.
“I love you,” I said into his dark hair.
He looked at me. His eyes were filled with such passion and love.
“I love you, too.”
About the Author
Skyla Madi was born in the small town of Port Maquarie, New South Wales in 1993. She spent half her life growing up in Wauchope, a thriving rural town at the heart of the Hastings River Valley before making the leap to the busy city of Brisbane.
Whenever this young Australian writer isn’t changing diapers, watching cartoons, cooking for her husband or doing other motherly-wife things, she is actively working on her writing and improving her writing skills.
Skyla loves to read just as much as she loves to write and since discovering that YA/paranormal romance/urban fantasy/ are her favorite genres, she has embarked on her own writing journey and is currently working on a YA series titled ‘The Guardian Angel’ series.
Twitter: @Skyla_Madi
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SkylaMadi
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/SkylaMadi
If you enjoyed this book, then be sure to look at these other great titles from Limitless Publishing
Your Guardian Angel
Sun Kissed
Grishma
The Beast Within
Awakenings
Wanted
The Game
Savior Frequency
Revenge Taken
Legacy Rising