The Rest of Forever: A Guardian Angel Paranormal Romance

by Carrie Pulkinen

  “Something like that.”

  “You know it won’t work. You two are going to have to talk about it sooner or later.”

  “I’m going with later.” April looked out at the setting sun over the horizon and yawned. “Hey, Ella? Why is that Angels don’t eat, but we still need to sleep?”

  “We don’t eat because we’re pure energy. But we still need time to recharge. We’re still connected to our Charges, and we’ll wake up the instant they need us. But everybody needs to rest. Even Damian. I bet he’ll be home soon.” Ella winked and grinned.

  April sighed. “Yeah, I should probably go back. I’ll see you around?”

  “Definitely.” Ella hugged her and made her way down the path.

  She couldn’t keep avoiding the inevitable, but she wished she could avoid the inquisitive stares from the other Angels at the lagoon. She could just Jump there. It was her home too, after all. He couldn’t get mad at her for Jumping into her own bedroom. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pictured the lavender duvet on the bed Damian created for her. When she opened her eyes, she was there.

  * * *

  Damian watched the sun set over the hills and blew out a hard breath. He knew he needed to go back to her. Not just because she was his Charge, but because he owed her an explanation. And he had no idea what to tell her.

  He took his time walking back to the house, rolling his thoughts over and over in his mind. What was he supposed to say? Should he tell her the truth? That he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and make her his forever? That his body ached to be close to her, and his heart burned with desire? That he was scared to death because he’d had his heart ripped out once before, and he couldn’t go through that again? He could lay it all out for her. Just like that.

  Yeah, right.

  He couldn’t make himself that vulnerable. Was it really what he wanted, anyway? Part of him did. Most of him did.

  Maybe she’d bring it up. She’d admit it was a mistake, and they could move on. But what if she didn’t? He’d have to figure something out soon, because he was about to walk through the door.

  He turned the knob and tentatively pushed it open, bracing himself for whatever rage April planned to take out on him.

  He was met with silence.

  “April?” He entered the living room, but she wasn’t there, so he padded across the thick, white carpet and tapped on her door.

  “Come in.”

  He crossed the threshold and found April curled up on her bed reading a book. A plain, white lamp sitting on her bedside table provided the only light in the room. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he noticed she had changed clothes. Instead of her designer skirt and blouse, she now wore a simple, pale pink nightgown.

  Her silky hair spilled around her shoulders, and her pink lips curved into a tentative smile as she rose from the bed and put the book on the table.

  “Hey.” Her voice was a whisper, but it danced in his ears like the sweetest music he had ever heard.

  Good Lord, she was beautiful. He bit his tongue to keep from telling her just that. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he forced himself to speak. “Hey. Listen, about what happened earlier...”

  “Nothing happened.” April shrugged and brushed past him on her way to the living room.

  That sure wasn’t the reaction he expected. And having his own words thrown back at him frustrated him to no end. He followed her into the living room and sat next to her on the sofa.

  “I just wanted to apologize.”

  “There’s nothing to apologize for, Damian. Nothing happened. Now, are you going to teach me anything tonight or can I get back to my book?”

  So, that’s how she’s going to be. Her stubbornness shouldn’t have surprised him. But he’d expected her to be as torn up about the kiss as he was. He’d wanted her to be.

  Or did he?

  Hell, he didn’t know what he wanted anymore.

  “It’s getting kind of late, so I thought we’d save the lessons for tomorrow. But, if you have any questions, maybe I could answer them.”

  “Nope. No questions.”

  “I mean...is there anything you want to know about me?”

  April blew out a breath. “Nothing comes to mind right now. So if we’re done here, I’d like to call it a night.” With that, she stood and strode to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  Well, hell. That didn’t go at all as he expected. Damn it, why did he have to kiss her? If he’d walked away before she got so close, he could have avoided this situation altogether. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. The warm desire emanating from her body had paralyzed him, and he’d wanted to kiss her. He gave in to his weakness, and look where it got him. Getting a cold shoulder from the one woman who drove him crazy.

  He groaned as he rose from the sofa and marched to his bedroom. He threw open the door, and it slammed against the wall with a bang. Pausing in the doorway, he half-hoped April would come out to see what all the noise was about.

  She didn’t.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The morning sun filtered through the sheer lavender curtains, washing April’s room in a soft orange glow. Was it the same sun she basked in on Earth? Or was it some distant star in a far off galaxy she’d never heard of?

  There were so many things she had to learn. So many questions raced through her head, she didn’t know where to start. Of course, the one at the front of her mind was the kiss. She shivered.

  Damian had tried to talk about it, but she’d blown him off like it was nothing. Wasn’t that how he acted after their almost kiss in the cemetery? Why would he want to talk about the one that actually happened?

  They didn’t need to discuss it anyway. All he would say was it was a mistake. He’d made that clear before he disappeared to God knew where for three hours.

  She’d just have to keep pretending it didn’t happen. So what if he was more thoughtful than any man she’d ever met? He was only being nice to her because she was his Charge. How would he act toward her if she wasn’t?

  With a heavy sigh, she threw the covers back and slid out of bed. She looked in the mirror at her wrinkled nightgown and disheveled hair. She’d gotten used to not needing to shower or brush her teeth anymore, but she hadn’t been concerned about her looks in the two weeks she spent in The In-Between. Now she was, and she was a mess.

  She started to create a hair brush, but thought better of it. If she could change her clothes with just a thought, why couldn’t she fix her hair too? Closing her eyes, she imagined herself wearing a pale yellow V-neck with denim capris. She didn’t want to stand out too much, but she wasn’t ready to give up wearing color just yet. Then, she pictured her hair flowing over her shoulders, soft and shiny and tangle-free.

  A smile spread across her face when she opened her eyes. The mirror reflected the exact image she saw in her mind.

  “Amazing.”

  She couldn’t put it off any longer. She would have to face Damian sooner or later, and she might as well get it over with. Hopefully he wouldn’t try to talk about the kiss again. She couldn’t handle yet another rejection.

  Her look of resolve reflected back at her, and she nodded her head and pushed back her shoulders. She could do this.

  She crept to the door and slowly twisted the knob. Part of her wished Damian would still be asleep so she could delay the confrontation a little longer.

  No such luck.

  He perched on the edge of the sofa, wringing his hands as he stared out the window. He wore blue jeans and a white dress shirt, untucked with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His golden-brown hair glistened in the sunlight and the emerald flecks in his hazel eyes sparkled when he turned his head.

  As soon as he saw her, he jumped to his feet.

  “Good morning, April.” He looked her up and down, and his crooked grin melted her heart.

  Get it together, April. Don’t get swept up in his charm.

  “Good morning.” She had to fo
rce her voice over the lump in her throat. “Umm...so, where do we start?”

  “Well, did you think of any questions you wanted to ask me?”

  Why did you kiss me and run away? Why do you hate me so much?

  She instinctively took a step toward him, her body aching to close the space between them. “How old are you?”

  His smile widened, and he sat on the sofa, patting the space next to him. She accepted the invitation and settled onto the couch.

  “I’m the oldest Angel in existence. Well, Mira, Paul, and I are.”

  “So your parents weren’t Angels?”

  “I never had parents.”

  April laughed, but his serious expression said he wasn’t kidding. “You’re serious?”

  He shrugged. “Yes. In the beginning, God created four Angels to watch over the people. I’m one of those four. He eventually created more, and they had children. That’s how we have so many Angels today.”

  She furrowed her brow as she tried to comprehend what she was hearing. Damian was created by God? No wonder everything about him was so perfect. Well, everything except his attitude toward her. “Wow. That’s...impressive.”

  “Not really. I’m just like everyone else.”

  “But Mira said you’re the best.”

  “The best at my job. Not the best person.” He cast his gaze down to his hands folded in his lap.

  Damian was always so confident. Cocky. Not now. Her heart fluttered at his raw honesty. I will not let myself fall for him. She almost wished he’d be mean to her, so she could squelch this burning desire to wrap herself in his arms.

  “You said there were four original Angels. Who’s the other one?”

  His jaw snapped shut, and he grinded his teeth. His hands clenched into fists as he took several slow, deep breaths.

  “Micah.” The name came out as a growl.

  “Who’s Micah?”

  He closed his eyes and went utterly still. The only movement he made was the rise and fall of his chest as he blew out a hard breath.

  “Micah was my brother. But he Fell. Everything changed after that.”

  “How so?”

  Damian groaned and shot to his feet. With long strides he paced the length of the living room. “He was the first Angel to Fall. He started it all. If it wasn’t for him, there’d be no need for Guardians. We’d all be Keepers like we were supposed to be. No one would Fall for their Charges, and Juliet...”

  He clamped his mouth shut and stared out the window. With his forehead pressed to the glass, his heavy breaths created a white fog on the pane, expanding and contracting with each exhalation.

  So that’s why he was so upset when April wanted to Fall. He was in pain. Instinctively, she rose to her feet and padded across the room to comfort him. She slid her hand across his back and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  He didn’t move. “Not your fault. I’ve got my own personal demons to deal with.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No. Let’s get started on your lessons.” Without warning, he spun out of her embrace and marched to the door.

  Once again, April stumbled with his quick retreat.

  “You’ve got to quit doing that.” She smiled at him, hoping to defuse the awkward moment.

  The corner of his mouth curved into an almost grin. “Sorry.” He took her hand and led her out the door.

  * * *

  Good Lord, that conversation had gotten too personal. How close he almost came to telling her about Juliet. What was he thinking? He didn’t talk about her with anyone. Not even Mira. The pain was too much to bear.

  But when she touched him. When she laid her head on his shoulder in comfort, he felt just that. Comfort. Like a warm blanket wrapped around his soul. It was something he hadn’t felt in hundreds of years. Six hundred and fifty-three, to be exact.

  When April touched him, he wanted nothing more than to curl up in her arms and let her take the hurt away. To let her love him till he felt no pain at all.

  Like he could ever let that happen. A Guardian was supposed to take care of his Charge. Not the other way around.

  He shook his head and led her to the middle of the grassy meadow behind his house. That would be the perfect spot to practice crossing over to the Earthly Realm. He turned to face her and took both her hands in his.

  Her emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and her plump, pink lips were so kissable, he had to look away. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

  “When you’re a Guardian, you have to be able to get to your Charge at a moment’s notice. You’ll know he needs you, because you can sense his emotions.”

  “Or hers.”

  Her teasing grin made his heart skip a beat. But their relationship had to stay professional. He needed to get through this so he could spend the rest of the day in solace—away from April and the sweet temptation of her soft skin and warm body.

  He let out a dramatic sigh and shook his head. “Or hers. Now, stop interrupting me.”

  “Do you ever Guard men? Or do you always pick women?”

  “I Guard whomever is assigned to me. I don’t choose. Mira does.”

  “Does she ever assign you to men?”

  “Yes. Now can we please get on with this?”

  Hurt flashed through her eyes before she composed herself. “Okay. Just tell me what to do.”

  “Right. Well, you have to be able to get to your Charge from anywhere. When you’re in The In-Between, it’s easy because you’re technically already there. You just have to cross over from where you are. But when you’re here, in the Angelic Realm, it’s harder. If you can do it from here, you can do it from anywhere.”

  “Why’s it harder?”

  “Because you have to imagine just the right place, without actually seeing it. And you have to be sure you cross over somewhere no one will see you do it. People freak out when you appear out of thin air.”

  “Okay. So, how do I do it?”

  “Let me show you first. You know that dirt road past the rice field behind your mom’s house?”

  “Yeah.” She gave him a wary look.

  “That’s where we’re going to go. It’s secluded enough that no one will see us. Are you ready?”

  April shrugged. “Sure.” She was trying to play it down, like she wasn’t nervous. But the sweat beading on her forehead and the quickening of the pulse in her neck gave her away.

  He grinned. “All right. Here we go.” He closed his eyes and pictured the location, and they crossed over. They appeared in the dirt beside the road, and April squealed.

  “Why’d you put us in the mud? My shoes are going to be ruined!”

  He chuckled. “You can make new ones when we get back. Remember?”

  She rubbed her arms and stared at the ground. “Oh, right.”

  “So, that’s all you have to do. And getting back home is easier. Do you want to try it? Can you take us back to the meadow? Or are you too afraid of getting dirty?”

  She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not afraid of anything, mister. Maybe you’re just afraid I’ll be better at it than you.”

  Her challenging stare made him grin. She’d taken the bait and gotten ticked off. That was the April he loved.

  Wait. Not love.

  He pushed the thought aside as soon as it entered his mind.

  “All right, then. Let’s see what you’ve got. Take us home.” He held out his hand, and she placed hers in his palm.

  She closed her eyes and drew her brows together. In a blink, they were swept into Damian’s living room.

  “Well, it’s not quite the meadow, but it’ll do for now. With a little practice, you’ll be able to get the location more exact.”

  A smug smile slid across her face. “Oh, I brought us exactly where I planned to. You said to take us home, and here we are.”

  He laughed. “Okay. I see how you’re going to be. If
you think you’re that great, then you can do it on your own. I’m going back. When you’re ready, Jump to me. Okay?”

  “No problem.”

  He Jumped to the side of the road by the rice field and waited for April. Several minutes had passed when a semi rumbled down the road. He prayed April wouldn’t Jump right when the truck rolled by. The driver might have a heart attack if he saw her appear out of nowhere. But she’d have no way of knowing he was there.

  He was about to Jump back to see what was taking her so long when she appeared in the middle of the road.

  Right in the path of the oncoming truck.

  Her eyes went wide a second before the semi slammed into her. The truck skidded and came to a screeching halt, but before the driver could jump out of the cab, Damian whisked her crumpled body into The In-Between.

  He exhaled a curse when he looked at her battered, bloodied form. She’d felt every bit of that pain, and she’d remember it. Though he’d never died himself, he could imagine what it felt like to be crushed by a massive vehicle going sixty miles an hour—excruciating.

  The truck driver jogged up the road to the place he thought he crashed into a woman. But there was nothing there. Damian watched as the guy looked around, scratched his head, and stumbled to his truck in a confused daze.

  That was a close call.

  He scooped April’s lifeless body into his arms and Jumped to the sanctuary. Mira could clean her up, but Heaven knew how long she’d have to sleep it off. She was going to blame him, but that was April for you. He actually looked forward to the confrontation.

  Laying her on a bed, he brushed her matted hair away from her face. He should have made her practice more before letting her Jump alone. He deserved to be blamed for the accident.

  Mira appeared behind him and looked over his shoulder. “What happened?”

  “She Jumped in front of a truck.” He spoke to Mira, but his gaze lingered on April’s bloody face.

  She winced. “Poor girl.”

  “Yeah. Can you clean her up?”

  “Of course.” Mira placed a hand on April’s cheek, and in a flash of shimmering light, a long white gown replaced her tattered clothes. All traces of injury disappeared, and the rosy glow returned to her cheeks.