His tensed muscles caused his veins to stand out under his skin. He clenched his fists and snapped his jaw shut. “You know what? Fine. If you want to stay, stay. But you will come home eventually. Whether it’s on your own or if I have to drag your limp, practically lifeless body there, you will come back.”
He disappeared, and she curled up next to Shelly. Why did he hate her so? He couldn’t force her to do anything. She was done trying to please men. She’d worked her tail off with Jared, and look where it got her. If she went back, it’d be because she wanted to. Not because Damian ordered her to do it.
CHAPTER TEN
Damian raked his fingers through his hair and paced across his chamber. Mira sat on a stool in the corner of the expansive white room, her gaze following him with each hasty stride.
“Why hasn’t she come back yet, Mira?”
“These things take time. She’s mourning the loss of her old life and hopefully coming to terms with her new one. She will return.”
He huffed. “It’s been two weeks.”
“Patience is a virtue.”
“Well, it’s not one of mine.”
“It never was.”
Damian stopped and looked at the woman who knew him better than anyone. He considered Mira a sister; she was one of the original four. And she was the only Angel he came remotely close to sharing his true feelings with. The only one who was still around, anyway.
He looked in the large, oval mirror hanging on the wall and slammed his fist through it, shattering the glass. But as everything did in the Angelic Realm, it reformed like water filling in the hole a thrown pebble makes.
“Aahhg. Nothing here breaks! I just want to hit something and watch it break!”
“And you know if you truly intend for it to stay broken, it will.”
“How could I be so stupid?”
“Do you mean for not preparing April for the Crossing Over? Or for allowing yourself to have feelings for her?”
His gaze locked with Mira’s for a split second before he had to look away. “I don’t have feelings for her. She’s my Charge. Nothing more.”
“You are only fooling yourself, Damian.” She rose from the stool to rub her hand on his back. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. She will come around. You two will be very close; I can tell.”
“Thanks, Mira. You’re full of it, but thanks.”
She flashed him a warm smile and Jumped from his chamber, leaving him alone with his thoughts. And that was a place he didn’t want to be.
How could she accuse him of having feelings for April? Just because he was worried about the wellbeing of his Charge? Ridiculous. He was attracted to her, sure. But what man wouldn’t be? She was gorgeous. Smart and witty. And when she let her guard down, she was kind and sweet.
When he held her in his arms, she was warm, soft. And she smelled like a blooming meadow with a hint of vanilla. So his arms ached a little with the need to hold her. No big deal. It’d been so long since he’d held a woman, he probably would’ve reacted that way with anyone.
Right.
He sensed her lurking in the high school, watching her classes being taught by a substitute. It killed him for her to be in so much pain, but Mira was right. It would take time. He’d already tried to coax her back several times after he’d tried to drag her home by force. But she completely ignored him. Acted like he wasn’t even there. She wouldn’t speak. Wouldn’t even look at him, and the rejection stung.
But it wasn’t about him, was it? If she wanted to be alone, he’d leave her alone.
No matter how badly he wanted to scoop her up in his arms and carry her back, he wouldn’t do it. She’d come back when she was ready, and then they’d do things his way.
* * *
Ella curled one leg underneath her and lounged on a park bench—well, sort of floated above it. She’d been April’s savior the past two weeks, helping her deal with the loss of her former life and filling her in on how the Angelic Realm worked. April sat on the other end of the bench, toying with the hem of her shirt.
“Damian should really be the one helping you with all this. You’re his Charge; your mother is mine.”
“I know.” April sighed and turned to mirror Ella’s posture. “I’m just not ready to talk to him. He knows everything about me. He knows about Jared.”
“And he’s going to kill me when he finds out I’ve been involved with his Charge. This is such a no-no.” Ella grinned. She obviously didn’t mind bending the rules when it came to Damian.
“Thank you. I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
“Oh, he already knows.” Ella shrugged. “But who cares? I won’t be the first Angel he’s gotten mad at. He asks about you all the time, you know. He’s worried about you.”
April crossed her arms over her chest. “Hmph. He’s worried about his job, not me.”
“I don’t know...I mean, I don’t know him that well, but he seems to really care for you.”
“Yeah, right.” He didn’t have feelings for her. How could he? That spark she thought she felt in the cemetery must’ve been pity, not passion. Not that it mattered.
“How’s Momma doing?”
“She’s going to be okay.”
“Who are you to her? You know, like how Damian pretended to be a teacher at my school. Who do you pretend to be?”
Ella giggled. “I forget how little you know about being an Angel. Keepers can’t cross over to the Earthly Realm. The In-Between is the closest we get to our Charges.”
“Really? So, you’ve never been human?”
“I have. I was born human, just like you. I ascended on my thirtieth birthday, and I’ve been a Keeper ever since.”
“And Damian?”
“Oh, he’s always been a Guardian. But Guardians are lucky. You get to interact with the people on their level. It must be incredibly exciting. You’ll have to tell me all about it once you get your first Charge.” Ella’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. Guardians must’ve been revered among the Angels.
“And I know you’ll do great because Damian is the best of the best. He’ll be a great teacher.”
April rolled her eyes. He was the best at making her feel like crap.
“And you’re special too.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“No mortal has ever become a Guardian before. Not that I know of anyway. I mean, I’ve heard it can happen, but I think you’re the first.”
“I still don’t understand how all this works. Why do some Angels start out human, if some are born that way?”
“For a human to become an Angel, it starts with someone who Fell.”
“Why would they Fall?”
“Usually because they fell in love with their Charge. It doesn’t happen very often. But once an Angel Falls, if they have children, they pass on an Angelic gene. Every other generation, one of their descendants will ascend and become an Angel. In your case, you received the gene from both sides, and one of those sides was that of a powerful Guardian.”
Her new friend shrugged and shot her a smile. “And with all that Angelic blood swimming through your veins, you turned into a Guardian too. The rest of us become Keepers.”
April sighed and looked at her hands folded in her lap. “I need to go back, don’t I?”
Ella rested a hand on her shoulder. “Yes. You do. And be patient with Damian. This is new for him, too. He’s not used to getting close to Angels.”
“Why not?”
Ella folded her hands in her lap and looked out across the park. The flush on her cheeks implied she’d already said too much. “I wasn’t around when it happened, so I don’t know all the details. You better wait till he tells you.”
April chuckled. The more she learned about Damian, the more mysterious he became. Intriguing was more like it. He was going to be a hard nut to crack, but she was up for the challenge. If she could get sixteen-year-olds to tell her their deepest, darkest secrets, surely she could get a grown man to open up.
> She was ready. Maybe if she focused on figuring Damian out, she could forget about how stupid she seemed to him. So what if he thought she was a pathetic loser? Maybe she could convince him she wasn’t. She held her head high and rose to her feet.
“I’m going back.”
“Yay!” Ella squealed and bounced with excitement. “Do you remember how to do it? Just close your eyes and imagine Damian in your mind. You’ll be whisked right to him.”
April couldn’t fight the smile that spread across her face. She’d made up her mind. She was going to be a Guardian.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on making the Jump. Picturing Damian in her mind, with conscious intent, she Jumped to him.
Before she could even open her eyes, he smacked into her, and they both toppled to the floor. She landed flat on her back with Damian on top of her.
“For Heaven’s sake, April! You don’t Jump into someone’s home.”
“Sorry.”
He rose up on his hands, but he didn’t get up. He just looked at her. His steely gaze softened and traveled from her eyes, down to her mouth, and back up again. His hazel eyes held hers, and he looked at her like she was a lost treasure he’d finally found. She tried to convince herself the spark she felt, the heat radiating from his body, was pity. That he felt sorry for her. But she felt his arousal growing, pressing into her hip, and she couldn’t deny the hunger in his eyes.
Heat rose in her body, and just as she thought she’d be consumed by the flames, he hopped off her, pulling her to her feet. He dropped her hand and cleared his throat.
“It’s okay. I’m uh...glad you’re back.” He adjusted his pants and ran his hand through his hair. He looked at her again, his gaze traveling up and down the length of her body, and he blushed.
If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was embarrassed. Of course, she was too, and she had to tear her gaze away from him. She looked around the room—everywhere but at him.
His house was interesting. A single, large mirror hung on one of the three white walls, reflecting the lush, green field that lay just outside his window. If you could call it a window. The entire wall was made of glass, and sheer alabaster curtains hung on either side. A plush white sofa sat near the middle of the otherwise bare room. She ran her hand along the wall as she padded closer to him.
“This is where you live? Where’s your kitchen?”
The corner of his mouth tugged into a crooked grin. “Have you been hungry the past two weeks?”
“Well, of course I...I guess I haven’t. Angels don’t eat?” She moved closer to him, needing to fill the gap between them. He took a step back.
“No. We’re pure energy. No need for food.” He shrugged and took another step away from her.
“Well, that’s a bummer. I sure do like to eat.”
“Me too. We can eat when we cross over to the Earthly Realm, though. It’s my favorite thing to do.” He grinned, revealing a single dimple on his left cheek. Why hadn’t she noticed that before?
“Really? What kind of food do you like?” She plopped down on the sofa and sank into the luscious upholstery. What kind of material do they use to make stuff up here? She’d never felt anything so soft.
“Nowadays, my favorite’s Italian. Food just keeps getting better and better.” He exhaled a nervous chuckle and inched his way closer to the sofa.
“Oh, yeah? What else do you like? Any guilty pleasures? I absolutely love Twinkies.”
“I know.” He laughed and slid onto the sofa, as far away from April as he could get. Why was he acting so nervous?
“Right. I forget you know everything there is to know about me. It really isn’t fair, you know.” She turned to face him, folding one leg underneath her.
“I don’t know everything. I know what you’ve done. But unless you speak your reasoning out loud, I have no idea why. I could never read your mind.”
A tiny flush of relief loosened the tension in her muscles. He’d seen every pathetic thing she’d ever done—like staying with Jared—but at least he’d never heard her idiotic thoughts.
“Hmm... Still doesn’t seem fair. I don’t know much about you at all. Hey, I know! Let’s go cross over, or whatever it is that we do, and go have some Italian food. We can talk over dinner and you can tell me all about Damian. What do you say?”
She froze. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she hadn’t said them. Did she just ask him out on a date? She sure didn’t mean to, but the way his body tensed and his gaze shifted about the room, it looked like she’d done just that. Crap.
“That’s not a good idea. We’re not supposed to cross over unless we have a Charge. We haven’t been assigned one yet, since you’ve been MIA.”
She stared at her lap and picked at her fingernails. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” Nothing like being rejected by a super sexy Guardian Angel to crush your self-esteem.
“Doesn’t matter. If there’s anything you want to know, you can ask me now. Then we have to go see Mira so we can get our Charge.”
“Our Charge?”
“Yeah. I have to help you with your first one till he crosses over.”
“How long will that be?” A strange chill flushed through her veins, and she wasn’t sure if it was excitement because she had to spend more time with him or dread for the same reason.
“I don’t know. That’s why we have to go see Mira. Hopefully she’ll give us one who’s almost thirty. Some Guardians have multiple Charges, since there are so few of us. Maybe we can lighten someone’s load and pick up one who’s about to cross over. If the Guardian is willing to let him go.”
“Is Mira your girlfriend? Or wife? Or whatever Angels have?” Not that it mattered, but it would be good for her to know if he was available. Just in case.
Damian chuckled. “Mira? No. She’s like a sister. She works with Paul assigning Charges and taking care of the Slumbers. Mira is Paul’s wife.”
“Do you have a wife?”
“No.” His casual expression hardened. “Come on. We need to go talk to Mira.” He stood, and without looking at her, he strode to the door.
She obviously hit a sore spot with him, and she intended to find out why that simple question put him off like that.
“I’m sorry if I upset you, Damian.”
“I’m not upset. I just want to get this over with. And the sooner we get started on your training, the sooner we can finish it and be done with each other.” He opened the door and motioned for her to exit.
April brushed past him and turned to glare at him as he closed the door. So he wanted to be done with her, did he? Well, that was just fine with her. She didn’t need to waste her time on a guy who obviously hated her. The sooner she could be rid of him the better.
“Lead the way, then. I don’t want to do this any more than you do.”
Damian grunted and marched ahead with his fists clenched so hard his veins protruded on his arms.
* * *
“Welcome back. It’s so good to see you again.” Mira hugged April like she was an old friend and shot Damian an “I told you so” look.
He rolled his eyes. Mira was right. She always was. Sometimes he wondered if she had the gift of premonition along with her ability to be connected to all of the Angels. Most Angels could only connect to their Charges, Damian included. He could sense April’s moods, know when she needed his help. He could find her anywhere by simply picturing her beautiful face and fiery red hair.
He’d miss that connection when it was gone. Being that close to April almost made him feel whole again. Almost. He’d get over it, though. He had to.
“What do you have for us, Mira? April’s ready for her first Charge.”
“No, she’s not.”
“What? Of course she is.” Desperation raised his voice. He needed her to be ready.
Mira pressed her fingertips together and smiled at the pair. “She is not ready.”
“I really am, Mira. I’m oka
y with all this now. I’m ready to be a Guardian.” April straightened her spine and held her head high.
“I believe you are indeed ready to be a Guardian. But you are not prepared for a Charge. You need training. Damian will teach you everything you need to know. Then, you may have your first Charge.”
Damian groaned. He should have known it wouldn’t be so simple. Mira was up to something.
“Does it have to be him? Can’t anyone else train me? Surely there’s—”
“No.” Thankfully, Mira didn’t let her finish. The rejection hurt, though he hated to admit it. He needed to get as far away from April as possible, but all he wanted to do was to make her his.
“It must be Damian,” Mira said. “You are his Charge; you are his responsibility. Besides, April.” She put her arm around her shoulders and turned her to face him. “He’s the best. Consider yourself lucky to have his guidance. In thousands of years, he has never lost a Charge.”
“He lost me.”
The defiant look in her eyes sparked his temper. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He had to get it under control. “You know what, April? You...oh, just forget it.” Who was she to judge? He’d lost her because she was so stubborn. Because she thought she was bulletproof. She always had.
“What, Damian? Why don’t you just say it? It’s because I’m right. When I needed you the most, you failed me.”
He took a deep breath and counted to ten. I will not go off on her. She was baiting him, just like she did when she was human. Nothing had changed. He could handle her then, and he could handle her now.
“April, you have no idea how many times I’ve saved your life. You would have been dead a long time ago, if it wasn’t for me.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg, her silence an invitation for him to enlighten her.
“You remember when you were thirteen? Your sister ran out in the street chasing a ball. You pushed her out of the way before the car could crush her. But why didn’t it hit you? Both of you landed on the other side of the road, didn’t you?”
She brought her hand to her mouth. “That was you?”
The Rest of Forever: A Guardian Angel Paranormal Romance Page 11