Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4

by Melissa Delport

“I was about to do just that,” Lenora’s voice called from the doorway. As always, Isaiah’s face split into a boyish grin when he saw her. Lenora smiled back.

  “You need any help setting up?” Isaiah asked.

  “No, I think I have it all covered. The ceremony starts at five so I have a couple of hours.”

  “I’m going to take a shower,” Austin interrupted, moving past Isaiah and toward the doorway. Before he departed, he retrieved his revolver from a nearby chair and slipped it into the back of his jeans.

  “I’ve told you that’s not much use to you anymore,” Isaiah pointed out wryly.

  Austin shrugged. “I feel naked without it.”

  Upstairs, Monique watched as Cosima braided Rowena’s dark hair. The gypsy woman looked radiant. She had a glow about her that lit her up from the inside. Monique hadn’t seen Jonas all day. He was with Balthazar, no doubt, preparing for the wedding too.

  “You look beautiful,” Monique murmured shyly when Cosima finally stepped back to admire the end result of her handiwork.

  “Thank you,” Rowena smiled. Her heavy dark hair, adorned with wildflowers, trailed over one shoulder and her dress was made of raw silk, golden in colour and low cut at the front. As she got to her feet and hitched up the heavy skirt so that she could cross the room to the full length mirror, Monique giggled at her bare feet. Cosima glanced sharply across at her, but Monique didn’t notice.

  “You’re really not going to wear any shoes?” she asked incredulously.

  “Really,” Rowena grinned.

  A commotion sounded from outside and Monique moved across to the window.

  “They’re back!” she gasped, spying Quinn amid a group gathered on the lawn below. “Quinn... she’s back!”

  “Go!” Rowena urged, and Monique bolted, taking the stairs two at a time in her haste to find out what was going on.

  Outside, it was chaos, as one by one the hostages they had rescued emerged from the car. When Braddon finally helped Avery out, her legs trembling with the exertion, a collective gasp ran through the crowd and Piper emitted a small shriek of astonishment.

  Nobody said a word as Braddon led Avery forward. They were too stunned to speak, but, over her sister’s frail shoulder, Quinn met Isaiah’s amber eyes as he dropped his head in a nod of apology and respect. Quinn had been right all along, and he was acknowledging that fact.

  “These women have been through hell,” Quinn told Piper, who was nearest, and also the one Guardian who Anna and the others wouldn’t be afraid of. “Please take them inside and get them some decent food and a hot bath. Keep them away from the others until I come.” Nodding, Piper ushered the three terrified women inside, casting anxious glances over her shoulder at Avery as she went. Anna, Laura and Jen followed mutely, too shocked and weary to resist.

  Slowly the crowd parted, allowing Braddon and Avery through. Their astonishment at seeing Avery alive was second only to their amazement at watching Drake walking in the sun without any visible signs of discomfort. Quinn followed in Braddon and Avery’s wake, terrified to let her sister out of her sight, even for a second. She had already reached the hall when Daniel found his tongue.

  “Hold up,” he broke the silence as Drake stepped inside after her, “where do you think you’re going?” Quinn opened her mouth to speak, but, to her surprise, her father beat her to it.

  “Leave him be, Daniel,” Braddon growled, showing more defiance than Quinn would ever have believed him capable of. “Drake saved both Quinn and Avery’s lives. He can be trusted.”

  “Tell that to Blair,” Daniel retorted callously and Quinn noticed Austin’s head jerk up at the sound of her name. “Besides,” Daniel continued, “you promised us an explanation.”

  “Which he will no doubt give you,” Lenora’s voice called scathingly as she emerged from the library. “But, might I remind you, Daniel, that this is my home. And Drake is welcome. If you don’t like it, feel free to find alternate accommodation.”

  “Get her upstairs,” Quinn murmured, as much as it pained her to watch Avery go. She would not leave Drake and Daniel until she was certain they could resolve their issues amiably, “I can handle this.”

  Braddon nodded, guiding Avery up the staircase. Wearily, she turned to the two men facing off beside her.

  “This really isn’t the time,” she said. To her surprise it was Drake who acquiesced, sensing her desperate need to go after her sister.

  “What is it that you would like to know Daniel?” he sighed, and the crowd gathered around them all turned to gaze at the original Guardian.

  “How do I know that we can trust you?” The question burst from Daniel’s lips with no hesitation.

  “You can’t, obviously,” Drake replied, “and I am sure that nothing I could say would convince you of my sincerity, but surely you trust your fellow Guardians? If they have deemed me trustworthy, are you not at least prepared to try to do the same?”

  “I have not lived over a thousand years by being reckless.”

  “That may be true, but you will certainly not live a thousand more without my help.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “The wards are outside the City walls. You cannot protect them on your own.”

  “One vampire hardly makes a difference.”

  “You would be surprised,” Drake murmured, so low that even Quinn struggled to catch the words and Lenora pressed her lips together as if to keep from saying something. Daniel looked set to argue, but then seemed to think better of it and changed tactic.

  “How is it that you are able to walk in the sun?”

  “That is something I cannot tell you.”

  “Because the Taboo was broken?” Daniel snapped, managing to sound as smug as he was accusatory.

  “I do not live by your laws, Guardian,” Drake warned, cautioning Daniel against going too far. The Taboo was a Fae law and, as such, was obeyed only by the Fae and their allies. Uncharacteristically, Daniel let it go.

  “Are there others like you?”

  “None that I know of.”

  A silence ensued, fraught with tension, and Quinn held her breath as she waited for an outcome. Daniel could not banish Drake, not without the majority vote of the other Guardians, and certainly not without Lenora’s consent, but his opinion still mattered; to her at least. Eventually he stepped back, indicating that Drake should pass, and Quinn expelled the breath of air she had been holding in. Drake didn’t move immediately. Instead, he met Daniel’s resigned glare levelly.

  “I will not make you regret this,” he murmured, extending his right hand. Daniel eyed it warily, a scowl marring his handsome face. Turning on his heel he walked away and stormed out of the house, leaving Drake standing with his arm extended. The other Guardians, unsure of what to do, dispersed, leaving Quinn and Drake alone at the foot of the stairs. Only Lenora and Isaiah remained, watching them intently.

  “I’m sorry,” Quinn began, but Drake held up a hand to silence her.

  “Go and see to your sister, Quinn. We will have time to talk later.”

  “You can use your old room,” Lenora murmured when Quinn had disappeared up the stairs. Drake nodded his thanks and took his leave. Sensing Lenora’s agitation, Isaiah tried to explain.

  “Daniel is only doing what he feels is best for all of us.”

  “If you say so,” she snapped back.

  “I know it’s hard for you to understand...”

  ‘Don’t you dare!” Lenora cut him off abruptly. “Don’t you dare say that I don’t understand! I was there, remember? I stood by you as a Guardian and I abandoned the ways of my own people to support your cause. I gave up everything for you.” She took a deep steadying breath and continued more calmly, “Don’t say I don’t understand.”

  “Lenora,” his deep voice sent long forgotten feelings coursing through her and she turned to face him, seeing the emotion etched on his youthful face. It was criminal, she thought, that he was so beautiful, despite the years that had pa
ssed. Neither of them had aged in the centuries since they had been together as a couple, but he had always seemed out of her reach. No one had been more surprised than she when he had declared his love for her all those years ago. Trying desperately to control the feelings that were resurfacing, Lenora cast around for a change of topic.

  “Drake is a good man,” she insisted haughtily. “One of the bravest, kindest people I have ever met.”

  “You and he,” Isaiah pressed, “do you have a history?” She knew what he was asking and she answered honestly.

  “We were lovers, once,” she admitted, “a long time ago.”

  “Who ended it?” Isaiah’s morbid curiosity demanded to know, but, in truth, the fact was torturous.

  “He did.” The words were simple but they cut him to the core.

  “Do you still have feelings for him?” he asked, masochistically, and Lenora’s eyes widened in surprise as she realised why he was asking. Isaiah was jealous. The thought of her hankering after Drake crucified him.

  “No,” she replied gently. Despite her anger, she could not voluntarily cause him pain. “I never loved Drake. I cared very deeply for him, but my heart belongs to someone else.” Her implied meaning was clear and Isaiah gasped as all pretences fell away, exposing only the honest truth. Throwing caution to the wind, Isaiah gripped her slender shoulders, pinning her in place and searching her face for answers.

  “Do you love me, Lenora?” he asked. Her lips curled up in a smile, her eyes alight with mischief and something far more meaningful.

  “I do,” she replied simply, but, before she could ask him the same, his lips claimed hers, silencing her.

  Chapter 33

  Quinn sat beside Avery’s bed holding her sister’s hand in both of her own. Avery had fallen asleep before Quinn had even reached her room and Quinn was loath to wake her, knowing that she needed her rest. For now, she was content just to gaze at Avery while she slept, a constant reassurance that she was really here and that it hadn’t all been a dream. The door creaked, signalling her father’s return.

  “Everything’s calmed down,” he murmured, making his way quietly to her side. Gazing down at Avery, he placed a hand on Quinn’s shoulder.

  “I still can’t believe it – that she’s really here.”

  “She is,” Quinn’s own disbelief was second only to her elation that Avery was back. She couldn’t explain how she felt – the wonder that her sister was alive; safe, after all these years. She didn’t know where to put all the emotion bubbling up inside of her.

  “It’s all thanks to you,” Braddon pointed out, but Quinn remained silent. She didn’t want any gratitude. Avery being back was all that mattered, and, as she stirred in her sleep, Quinn sat up straighter and Braddon’s hand tightened involuntarily on her shoulder. Avery had slept most of the way here from Summerfeld, waking only toward the end of the journey. She had been slightly out of it and the car trip had not been conducive to conversation so they had learned very little of what had happened to her.

  They held their breaths as Avery’s eyes flickered, opening for just a moment before fluttering closed. A moment later she opened them again and jolted up in bed with a start. Instantly, her eyes were wide and frantic, her body rigid with fear and tension. Quinn clutched Avery’s hand, murmuring soothing words as her sister got her bearings. Taking in the warm, friendly room, Avery’s tanzanite eyes finally found Quinn’s. For a long moment neither spoke, the bond between them speaking the words that they couldn’t voice. Braddon watched as his daughters gazed upon one another – so similar and yet so different - and his heart swelled with pride and love. Avery, sweet and gentle, so much like her mother, and Quinn, compassionate, fearless, reckless, and just as stubborn as he was.

  Like a dam wall, Quinn’s restraint finally burst. Tears sprang to her eyes as she seized Avery in a fierce bear-hug, squeezing her frail body so tightly that Avery laughed in protest.

  “You found me,” she smiled when Quinn finally released her, retaining only her hand.

  “I did,” Quinn replied, brushing away a tear. “Although I wouldn’t even have known to look if you hadn’t left me that voicemail.”

  “I was worried you might have burned that phone seeing as how we were the only two people who knew the number.”

  “That’s precisely why I didn’t burn it.”

  “How long have I been gone?” Avery asked, after a long moment.

  “Nearly three years,” Quinn whispered, and the blood drained from Avery’s face.

  “Jack and Ava?”

  “They’re safe. I took them when you... when it happened. A few months ago they were returned to Summerfeld, but Isaiah sent them to safety before the City was attacked.”

  “Attacked?”

  Quinn drew a deep breath. She couldn’t protect Avery from the truth. When she spoke of Summerfeld’s fall, Avery’s hands gripped her own so fiercely that her overgrown nails dug deep grooves into Quinn’s palms. She didn’t mention Tristan, wanting to get to the end before they dealt with his betrayal, but when she fell silent it was Avery who brought it up.

  “Tristan brought them in, didn’t he?” Avery hissed, her tanzanite eyes flashing.

  “You... you know about Tristan?” This had been the part that Quinn was dreading – telling her sister that her very own husband had betrayed them – but Avery didn’t seem surprised.

  “Who the hell do you think handed me over in the first place?” she spat.

  Quinn shuddered, a shock-wave coursing through her body, and Braddon visibly recoiled. Tristan had known all along. He’d known all this time that Avery was alive – had offered her up to Charlotte, of all people. He had betrayed the Guardians, but to Quinn, somehow, this meant nothing in comparison to betraying his own wife.

  “Where is he?” Avery demanded. When neither of them spoke, she raised her voice. “Where is he?”

  “He’s still with Charlotte,” Quinn admitted. “When we fled the City he got away.”

  “That son of a bitch!” Avery’s fists clenched around her blanket, the tendons in her hands clearly visible. “Where is my crystal?” The question was unexpected.

  “I have it.”

  Avery visibly relaxed. “I knew you would figure it out.” She fell silent again but neither Quinn nor Braddon said a word as they waited for her to continue.

  It didn’t take long, and when Avery finally began speaking, the words poured out of her uncontrollably as though she couldn’t stop if she tried.

  “I don’t know how he got involved with them in the first place,” she rasped, furiously. “I don’t think he ever wanted me to know; but I caught him, red-handed. He pleaded with me not to say anything – he said he was making sure that Jack and Ava could stay with us and that I needed to trust him. He was delusional, acting like a depraved madman, but I managed to convince him I would go along with it. That’s when I hid the crystal,” she added, and the note that she had left made more sense to Quinn. “I was worried that I might not get word to you in time and he was watching my every move. I guess I didn’t have him as convinced as I had hoped. Eventually he realised I wouldn’t be swayed and he completely lost control. That’s when Charlotte arrived with a dozen vampires in tow. I tried to fight them off, but I couldn’t...” her voice broke and Quinn reached again for her hand, squeezing it tightly in silent reassurance.

  “I don’t understand,” Braddon interjected, “if Tristan did all of this in the name of his family, and to keep you all together, how did he possibly expect it to work out after you discovered his duplicity?”

  “Mind control,” Avery spat. “He wanted Charlotte to compel me to forget all about Summerfeld; about the wards, the Guardianship. Everything.”

  “But a Guardian can’t be compelled,” Quinn interrupted.

  “A Guardian can’t,” Avery agreed, “but a human can. And if the vampires win that’s exactly what we will be.” In a rush, Isaiah’s words came back to Quinn. If all the wards are destroyed the Guardians will
cease to exist.

  “He’s insane,” Quinn breathed.

  “Is he inside the City?” Avery’s voice dropped to a low snarl.

  “He’s with Charlotte and the others,” Quinn replied, sensing her sister’s intention. “You can’t get to him, Avery. Don’t even think about it.”

  Avery didn’t respond, but something flashed in her eyes; a resolute vengeance that terrified Quinn. Something had changed in her twin – there was a darkness in her, a wild, frantic hysteria that Quinn sensed was barely being held in check.

  “You need to rest, to get your strength back. Once you’re strong enough we can figure this out together.” Quinn said. Avery nodded obediently, but her body language spoke a different story.

  Disconcerted, Quinn got to her feet. “I need to check on Anna and the others,” she murmured.

  “They’re alive?” Hope flared in Avery’s eyes.

  “They are. We got them out.”

  “Thank God,” Avery sighed, settling back on the pillows. “I had to leave them. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

  “You did what you had to do,” Quinn countered. “If you hadn’t, all four of you would still be locked up down in that dungeon.”

  Avery nodded absentmindedly. Her eyes darted toward the door as though something new had just occurred to her.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, releasing Quinn’s hand and struggling to sit back up. Braddon tried to halt her progress, but Avery waved him away, her pale hand looking far too weak for the effort. “Where are we?” she persisted, “and why are there vampires among us?” Quinn doubted that Avery had been in any state to sense Drake in the car, but here in Lenora’s house the presence of vampires was impossible to miss. Knowing her sister would not relent until she heard the full story, Quinn told her the truth about Lenora and Drake and how they were helping the Guardians.

  “We’re aligning ourselves with those monsters now?” Avery demanded when Quinn was done. She looked revolted. Given what she had been through, Quinn could understand.