You’re being ridiculous, April. Pull yourself together.
Just to prove to herself that he wasn’t her Angel, she whispered his name. If he was an Angel, it shouldn’t matter if she whispered or yelled. That’s how it was in the movies anyway.
“Damian. Help me.”
“I’m here, April.” He stepped through the haze, and the blood drained from her face. It didn’t make sense. She’d been running for at least half an hour. Had he been following her all this way? Or was he...no, there was no way...
“How did you find me?”
His mouth quirked into a crooked grin. “I told you. I’m your Guardian. I can find you anywhere with just a thought.” He dropped to his knees and held her hands in his.
“Look, April. I know I haven’t been the easiest person to get along with. But I would never lie to you. You died. You were shot in the chest, and you died.”
She wanted to run. To get as far away from him as she possibly could. But his intense hazel eyes held her there. He wasn’t joking.
“I don’t believe you.” She pushed the whisper over the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to believe him.
Damian sighed. “I didn’t want to do this. But I’ve got to prove it to you.” He rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. Though his grip was gentle, and she could have pulled free, she didn’t. The warmth of his hands, the feel of his touch, soothed her.
“Don’t let go.” Damian smiled and closed his eyes.
In a blink, the haze receded, and they stood in a cemetery. The dreamlike scene was whitewashed—the sky a dark shade of ash and the grass even darker gray. She felt like she was standing in the middle of a black-and-white movie, and Damian was the only thing in color. His tanned skin and golden brown hair contrasted with the grayscale landscape, making him look like a Greek god.
“Where are we?”
“We’re in a cemetery.” Damian tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and trailed his fingers down her cheek, leaving a tingling path of heat on her skin. His touch was so gentle and kind, she inhaled deeply and leaned into his caress. The smile on his face dropped into a scowl as he pivoted and marched away.
“Damian, wait!” April called, and he stopped without turning around. She lifted her long gown and scurried after him. She couldn’t bear to be lost again.
“I know we’re in a cemetery, but why is everything black and white? Except for you...” She looked at her hands and realized her color was normal too. “Why are we in color?” She reached out to touch his arm, but he jerked it away. His rejection cut like a knife to her heart. She dropped her hand and took a step back, searching his eyes for a reason for his behavior. He met her gaze with confusion and compassion, which she didn’t understand. How could his eyes say one thing, while his body said another?
Damian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We’re in The In-Between. Think of it as another dimension. We’re on Earth, in Felicity actually, but we’re on a different plane than the rest of the world. We can see people, but they can’t see us. They can’t hear us or touch us, but sometimes they can sense us. And we can’t touch them, either. We’re like ghosts when we’re in this realm.”
“But I can feel you. I felt your hands holding mine.”
“That’s because we’re both in The In-Between. It’s how we Angels watch over our Charges without being detected.”
“And you’ve been watching over me all my life?” She took his hand in hers and stepped toward him. This time, he didn’t pull away. Something about his touch—about him—calmed her confusion and fear. The connection she felt to him was magnetic, pulling her in.
“I have.” He tensed as her body moved closer to his.
Heat radiated from his skin, and she inhaled his dark, cinnamon scent. She shouldn’t have been doing this. Logic told her to step away, but her body wanted to be closer. She was confused and possibly in shock. I’m not in my right mind. I’m not responsible for what I do. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stood on her toes and placed a tender kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered into his ear.
He swallowed hard and turned his face toward hers, their lips so close she could feel his sweet breath on her skin. Was she really going to do this? Was she going to kiss him? I shouldn’t. But oh, God how she wanted to. Heat flushed her cheeks when he leaned closer, placing his free hand on her hip. She closed her eyes and braced herself, the anticipation building until she thought she might explode.
Nothing happened. The warmth of his body turned cool, and when she opened her eyes he was gone.
“Damian? Where’d you go?” She spun around and found him standing, with his back to her, by a fresh grave. She breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t left her, and he didn’t kiss her.
She moved toward him, stepping around the tombstones as she glided across the grass.
When she reached him, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He shrugged off her touch and paced around the grave.
“For what happened over there.”
“Nothing happened.” The way his brow furrowed over his eyes told her the conversation was over. Ouch.
Well, if he was going to pretend nothing happened, so would she. Nothing did happen, after all. And she was glad he didn’t kiss her. She hadn’t broken up with Jared yet. Still, she knew she wasn’t the only one who felt the attraction. He liked her, no matter how hard he tried to pretend he didn’t. A smile tugged at her lips as she stepped around the mound of dirt to stand next to him.
“Whose grave is this?” And why did he want her to see it?
His hard expression relaxed into one of sympathy as he looked into her eyes. “It’s yours.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“It can’t be mine; I’m standing right here.” She looked at Damian incredulously, as if she was waiting for him to tell her he was kidding.
But he wasn’t.
“It’s yours, April. Look at the marker.”
She knelt by the grave and ran her fingers across the letters etched in the stone. Maybe she’d finally believe him. It was a harsh way to find out the truth, but April was stubborn. She needed to see this, or she’d never get out of denial.
“No...no, this can’t be.” The Southern drawl that she tried so hard to hide flowed into her speech like it always did when she was upset.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, she stared at the grave marker in silence, and he let her have her space. He should have prepared her for the crossing over. That was his job, and he failed miserably. He was supposed to be the best Guardian of them all. One of the original four, created by God to watch over the humans from the beginning of their existence. He didn’t make mistakes like this.
So why was he making them now?
April was different. Different from any Charge he’d ever guarded. Hell, she was different from any Angel he’d ever met, and that scared him. His own emotions terrified him.
She stood, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and turned to him. “How can I be here, with you, if I’m dead? Am I a ghost?”
“Not exactly.”
She looked at the grave and held her hand to her heart. “And Momma and Shelly? They buried me here?”
“Yes.”
“And Jared?”
He stifled a cynical laugh and gritted his teeth. “He was at the funeral.”
“Oh, this is awful. Just downright awful!” She threw herself into his arms and nuzzled her head against his chest as she sobbed.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried. She was so warm and soft, and his heart broke to see her upset this way. Upset because he didn’t do his job. Because he was so concerned with not developing feelings for her, he lost sight of his purpose. He’d never forgive himself. And as soon as April was in Mira’s care, he’d make damn sure he didn’t make this mistake again.
His body warmed with their embrace, and his heart raced in his chest. He’d comforted her like thi
s hundreds of times: when she skinned her knee, when a boy broke her heart. But, this was different. She was actually in his arms. He could feel her. And she could feel him.
He inhaled her sweet scent and held her tighter. He was doing his job. He was comforting his Charge. So holding her brought him comfort too. No big deal. He’d take her back to the Sanctuary soon, and he could forget all about his feelings for April.
Yeah, right.
He’d never forget the way she felt in his arms at that moment, but that moment was all he had. He was alone by choice now, and he planned to keep it that way.
April’s tears subsided, and she sucked in a shaky breath. “What do I do now?”
“If you’ll let me take you back to the Sanctuary, there’s someone I want you to meet.” He stroked her silky hair one last time and grasped her hands in his.
“Is that the hospital where I was before?”
“Yes. But it’s not a hospital. Let’s go. Mira will explain everything.” He closed his eyes and Jumped to the Sanctuary door. “This is it.”
He opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. Every Guardian in the room turned to look at him as he led her up the aisle. He narrowed his eyes and tried his best to ignore the inquisitive stares of the Angels. Their gazes burned into his back as he created a white wooden chair next to the bed and asked April to sit. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, and he spun around.
“What are you looking at?” His gaze locked on the Guardian closest to him.
“Looks like the mighty Damian makes mistakes too, eh?”
He gritted his teeth, trying to control the anger that burned inside him. “Mind your own business, Able.”
“Just making an observation, man.” Able raised his hands in surrender.
“I’ll show you where you can shove your observations.” He took a step toward the Guardian, but April caught him by the hand. Her touch immediately calmed him, and he regained his composure. He took a deep breath and created a privacy curtain around them.
“How do you do that?” She looked at him with wide eyes.
“Do what?”
“Just make things appear out of thin air. It’s amazing.”
“Not really.” He shrugged and created a chair for himself. “We all can do it. Though some of us are better at it than others.” He shouted that last part, just to grate on Able’s nerves. He shouldn’t have called Damian out like that.
“Mira.” His patience grew thin while he sat in the curtained off room alone with April. She sat in the chair with her hands folded in her lap and her legs crossed at the ankles. An uncomfortable silence expanded between them, and he was relieved when Mira finally swept aside the curtain to enter the private room.
“I see you found our runaway.” She smiled at April and patted Damian on the shoulder. “It’s so nice to meet you, April. My name is Mira. I trust your Slumber was peaceful?”
“My Slumber?” April looked to Damian for an explanation.
“You were asleep for three weeks after you died. Today’s your thirtieth birthday.” He shook his head. He should have explained all this to her already.
April opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. She looked from Damian to Mira. “I’m confused. Does everyone go through this when they die?”
Mira smiled. “Only Angels, dear. You didn’t make it to your thirtieth birthday, so you Slumbered until you matured. Just as the other Angels in this room are doing now.”
Her eyes widened, and Damian stood to whisper in Mira’s ear.
“Uh, Mira? She doesn’t exactly know she’s an Angel.” He cast his gaze to the floor and heat flushed his cheeks. If he’d have done his job, she would have.
“Oh, I see.” Mira furrowed her brow as she thought about the news. “But, she was only three weeks out. Surely you explained some of it to her.”
He shook his head, afraid to look either of the women in the eyes. “I was...busy.”
Mira crossed her arms over her chest. “Busy doing what?”
“Excuse me.” April stood to address them. “I don’t know what y’all are talking about, but I can tell you what he was doing. He was busy being an asshole and trying to make my life miserable. He didn’t explain a damn thing.”
He flinched at the accusation. Was that what she thought of him? “April, that’s not true. I was—”
“Enough.” Mira put her hands on their shoulders and pushed them back into their seats. “The past is in the past. What matters now is that we help April get accustomed to her new life as an Angel.”
“An Angel?”
“Right. Well, my job’s done here, then. April, it was nice knowing you.” He rose and turned to leave. The sooner he could get out of this mess, the better.
“Not so fast, Damian.” Mira’s frigid gaze stopped him mid-stride. “You’re not finished.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at April. She looked like she was about to cry. “I brought her over. It’s your job to find a Keeper to train her.”
“She’s not a Keeper. She’s a Guardian.”
“A Guardian?” April’s voice trembled as she spoke. “Like a Guardian Angel? Like him?”
Mira put her arm around April’s shoulders. “Yes, dear. A Guardian Angel.”
“You can’t be serious.” She looked from Damian to Mira. “I was...I’m not...It’s not possible.”
“No. It’s not. Mira, this has to be a mistake. She’s a half-breed.” Damian heard the anger rising in his voice, but he couldn’t help it. April couldn’t be a Guardian. No human could.
“It’s no mistake. She bears the mark... May I, dear?” Mira slid April’s gown off her shoulder. “Come. See for yourself.”
Damian huffed and moved behind her. There on her delicate shoulder lay the mark common to all Guardians—a halo encircling a crescent moon. The pale blue glow was almost iridescent, and it shimmered as she peered over her shoulder to try to see it. He touched a spot over his heart, where his own mark lay. There was no denying it; she was a Guardian.
“But... She’d have to be a direct descendent of...” The mere mention of the name made his blood boil.
“Of Micah. You’re right.”
Damian paced the small enclosure, thoughts tumbling through his mind. This couldn’t be. “But how? I Guarded Trusten, and he wasn’t...”
“Her paternal grandmother was. April is a Guardian, brother. And she is still your Charge.”
“Hell.” His face pulled into a scowl as he stared at April. She was a descendent of Micah. Of the Guardian who started it all. The reason for all the hell he’d lived through.
“Hello? I’m still here.” Panic spiked in April’s voice. “Can someone please explain what’s going on? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Mira cast him a disappointed glance. “Your grandfather died when he turned thirty, as all human Angels do. Your mother carried the gene—it skips a generation—and she passed it on to you. Had you not been shot three weeks ago, you would have passed peacefully in your sleep on your thirtieth birthday.”
“And my paternal grandmother?” Her chin quivered as she spoke. “I never knew my dad.”
“Your father also passed the gene to you, from your grandmother, who was Micah’s descendent. Because you received the gene from both parents, you developed Micah’s Guardian ability. Hence your mark.” Mira brushed the mark on April’s shoulder.
He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”
Mira inclined her chin.
“Why me? If you knew…after everything I went through.” He inhaled a deep breath to calm his rage.
“She is special. The first of her kind. She needed the best Guardian watching over her. She still needs you.”
“No, I don’t need him. I’m not an Angel. I didn’t sign up for this.”
“You are what you are, dear. Damian will teach you everything you need to know. He’ll be by your side until you are ready to be
on your own.”
April stood and clasped her trembling hands together. “But I don’t want to be an Angel. And he...well, he hates me, so I doubt he’ll teach me anything. Please, Mira. I don’t want this. There has to be another way.”
Mira pressed her fingertips together. “There is a way.”
“Mira, no.” Damian’s heart dropped. Surely she wouldn’t suggest...
Her gaze flicked to Damian before she addressed April. “You can Fall.”
“Fall?”
Damian’s jaw clenched. “No, she can’t.”
“She needs to know her options. She must have a choice.”
“Yes! A choice. How do I Fall, Mira? What do I do?” The desperation in April’s eyes crushed him. Had he been that awful to her? He’d only wanted to keep distance between them, not drive her away completely.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.” He turned to Mira. “Please, don’t do this.”
But Mira ignored his pleas. “You go to The In-Between, state your intent, and then you Fall. You’ll be back on Earth, in your old life.”
“That’s it? And I can go home? Back to my kids? Back to…Jared?” She cast her gaze to the floor.
“It’s not that easy.” He had to stop her. He couldn’t go through this again. “Everyone knows you died, April. Your mom, your friends...Jared. What are you going to tell them? How are you going to explain you’re back?”
April shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. My students need me; I have to go back.”
“Do you? Because last I heard, you were planning on leaving Felicity anyway.”
“Well, I was, but...but, I left things a mess with Jared. I have to go talk to him.”
Damian pressed his lips together in a hard line. He tried to think of something—anything—that would stop her from doing the unthinkable.
The Rest of Forever: A Guardian Angel Paranormal Romance Page 8