The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (The Enlighten Series Book 1)

by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  “What?” Sidelle looked scandalized. “I didn’t say anything to anyone. But I did tell you we weren’t done talking about this. I want to get to the bottom of it.”

  “I know, but why—”

  “Zoe, I swear it wasn’t me!” She shook her head and I almost believed her. “Do ya think I would do something like that to you? I mean, yes, I joke, try to get you riled up, ruffle your feathers. Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s fun to watch you get all flustered, especially when it comes to boys. You’re kinda clueless about them. Sorry. I’m not trying to be mean about it. I’d never hurt you on purpose.”

  It was true. “If you didn’t start the rumor, who did?”

  Ashel and Abby, the other two sides of The Triangle, were huddled in the corner and looking in my direction, whispering and giggling, and doing way more than just ruffling my feathers. Enough was enough. I had to get to the bottom of this, since I’d decided I believed Sidelle. She had always been a good friend. Glaring at the girls, I left Sidelle and stalked directly toward them. They stopped talking as I approached.

  “Where did you hear Kieran and I had broken up?” I demanded, fists on my hips.

  Neither said a word, just glanced furtively at each other.

  Sidelle came up next to me and mirrored my stance. “So what’s up, ladies? Heard any good gossip today?” She glared at each girl. “We want to know where you heard it from.”

  “What’s it to you, Sidelle?” Abby asked. “Like you’re not going to be standing in line to date Kieran? You can just save the ‘I just want to help poor Zoe’ speech.” Her eyes darted to me. “Is it true, Zoe? Did you and Kieran break up? I always thought you two would end up married right out of high school, pop a few kids out, live in town, and all that. The way he always looks at you, I mean, I never understood it. He could have any girl in school, and he was with you!” She shook her head, looking disgusted. “I bet you broke his poor little heart.” Her bottom lip stuck out. “Well, he can cry on my shoulder any time!”

  I closed my eyes and puffed out a breath. I was so tired of this ridiculous talk. “I’m not confirming or denying anything.” From the looks on their faces, I figured I wasn’t going to get anywhere if I didn’t play up to them. My cheeks reddened. “Plus, you never know. We could get back together. It’s our first fight. We need some time away from each other, you know? Maybe we need to branch out so we can appreciate each other.”

  “I don’t feel bad for you at all, Zoe,” Ashel said. “I heard you broke it off with him. I mean, who does that? Have you looked at him? He’s smoking hot!” Her lips twisted to the side as she thought about it. “But I think I get what you’re saying. You have to test the waters with other people so you know for sure that he’s—” She clicked air quotes with her fingers. “‘The One.’ Anyway, whatever,” she said, giving me a wicked smile. “We heard it from Morgan.”

  Of course she had. The leader of The Triangle had always had it out for me. I didn’t even know what I’d done to her. After all these years, Morgan thought she was going to get Kieran to date her using this tactic? Stupid girl. He would see right through her little scheme.

  During my next class—AP English—I sat in the corner and didn’t talk to anyone. If they approached, I gave them a fierce scowl. All I wanted was to get through this class, grab my lunch, then hide in the library. A substitute teacher stood in Mr. Anderson’s place. He opened his book, cleared his throat, and started to read.

  “A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare,” he recited. “Act two, Scene one. Puck says, ‘How now, spirit! Whither wander you?’ And a fairy says, ‘Over hill, over dale, through bush, through brier, over park, over pale, through flood, through fire, I do wander everywhere, swifter than the moon’s sphere; and I serve the Fairy Queen . . .’”

  Only last night I’d learned fairies were real, and that they lived among us. Today in school we were reading about them? How apt. I listened more closely, wondering if anything about this could be God’s way of preparing me to fulfill the prophecy. But I didn’t hear anything particularly instructive. We each took a turn reading from the book, stopping every so often to discuss what we had read. It took forever.

  The lunch bell finally rang, ending fifth period. I holed up in the library during lunch, wondering how I’d make it through the rest of school before it let out for the weekend. Chem class was a bore, and I barely listened to the lecture on neutrons. Instead, I pulled out a sheet of paper from my backpack, needing to prepare for what I’d say to Kieran. My doodles soon turned into a list of pros and cons about him.

  Pro: Nice Con: ?

  Pro: Known all my life Con: ?

  Pro: Always been there Con: ?

  Pro: Likes me Con: ?

  Pro: Angel Con: Angel

  The list didn’t help. Why couldn’t I like him the way he liked me? It was plain to see that I should, but for whatever reason, I didn’t. There had to be something wrong with me. Everyone else was practically lined up to have a chance to date him, but he’d chosen to be my friend, only hanging out with me. Sure, he’d said it was primarily to protect me. That didn’t mean he needed to be attached to my hip at all times. He could’ve had a life of his own.

  We’d always been best friends, nothing more. I reflected on the past few months, and guessed there had been some little gestures, words, or subtle hints, but I had been blind.

  I headed toward the gym for my last class and was glad to hear we were running a mile. That would give me more time alone. More time to think. We were given the whole class period, but I’m a runner. I only needed seven minutes.

  How the hell can I defeat the devil? I giggled at my pun. OK, get serious, Zoe. How do I stop Armageddon?

  Afterward, Coach Birk blew the whistle to end class, and I hit the showers. Kieran waited for me outside the girls’ locker room, since his last class was next to the gym. We stopped at his locker to collect his books and backpack then moved to mine. Under normal circumstances, we would have been talking about our classes and the latest gossip. Not today. Since we were the gossip, there wasn’t anything to say.

  He opened my locker for me and stepped aside—of course it opened on his first try. I never realized he started opening my locker, or why I’d let him. When I’d collected what I needed, I shut the door and we walked away. Sidelle stood at her locker, watching us, but I didn’t say anything.

  We walked to Kieran’s house in silence, and he kept running his fingers through his hair. He opened the back door and let me walk through first, and I realized I’d never noticed any of these little incidents before.

  I settled onto a patio chair by the pool, not knowing what to say. “So.”

  “I think I should probably start,” he said. “I know why you’ve been dodging me today.”

  Shay’s smile instantly popped into my head, and I’m pretty sure I blushed. Oh God, he knows. “Yeah?”

  “Sure. Shay and I told you a lot yesterday. It’d be a lot for anyone to take in.”

  Oh, that. It had only been one day, but felt like ages.

  He ran his hand through his hair again. “I get that you’re mad at me for not telling you sooner, for not trusting you with the truth, for not telling you who or what I am. But you have to understand: I didn’t tell you because I was protecting you.” Before I knew it, he’d grabbed my hand. “I thought if you didn’t know, you could have a normal life for a while. I hoped by you not knowing, others wouldn’t be able to find you. But I swear, Zoe, if, for one minute, I’d known that my not telling you would put our friendship in jeopardy, I would have told you sooner.”

  I squeezed his hand. “Kieran, I’m not mad at you for that. In fact, I’m not angry at you one bit. I understand why you did it. I get it. You’ve been protecting me since day one. You’ve always kept my interests first.” I shrugged. “Was it a lot to take in? Oh, yeah. And I’m not going to deny that I was mad at first, like you lied to me all along. But I get it now. We’re good on that. I . . . I thought we wer
e going to talk about the other thing, you know?”

  His eyes fell. “Oh.”

  “Sidelle wondered why you weren’t at my locker this morning, and she started grilling me about it. She made some assumptions that were untrue, but Morgan overheard, I guess, and she totally blew everything out of proportion.” I shifted in my chair. “So I figured you thought I was mad at you for keeping your feelings from me. But you were talking about something different. You caught me off guard, and I didn’t know what to say. I felt trapped, like you’d spat it out there for everyone to hear, then you questioned my feelings for you.” I knew I was rambling, but this conversation was not going the way I’d thought it would.

  He hesitated. “I heard you telling people we’d never dated. That our . . . ‘thing’ today was a misunderstanding,” he said quietly. “We’re still best friends, though, right?” I nodded, and he let out a sigh. “I guess that . . . I was hurt. I needed to know if I was anything more to you than just your best friend.”

  “Of course we’re still best friends! I hadn’t expected you to—”

  “No,” Kieran held up his hand. “It’s okay. You don’t need to say anything more. But now you know. I do think of you as more than a friend.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I should have told you before.” He shook his head, and I saw the frustration in his eyes. “Seeing Shay with you made me realize my feelings and that I should’ve told you sooner.”

  This time I did blush. And that made it even worse.

  “Look,” I assured him, “it’s not like I’ve never thought about dating you. I care about you. Probably more than a friend should. It’s just that if we ever broke up—”

  “I know.” He smiled and leaned forward in his seat. “I need to know you still trust me. Because there will be others coming. I have to be able to protect you and not worry that you don’t trust me.”

  “Of course I do.” I paused, then said, “Shay told me he’s never far away from me. What does that mean?”

  He frowned. “He was assigned to protect you, too.” He stood and started pacing.

  “Oh.”

  “What else did he tell you?”

  “He told me about his mom and dad and how they met, about his childhood and a little more about the prophecy.” I hesitated before telling him about the flying. It seemed like something private between Shay and me, but I knew we had to be open and honest with each other. “He also took me flying.”

  Kieran stopped walking. He did not look happy to hear this. “He did?”

  “Was he not supposed to?”

  He cleared his throat and looked away, jaw clenched. “No, it’s fine.”

  Sunlight shone through my bedroom window, and I decided a good cup of coffee was needed. The stress from Friday’s school events, getting no sleep the night before, and information overload had taken their toll. I felt drained now that I couldn’t constantly talk with or text Kieran. It was just too awkward. He and I hadn’t spoken since yesterday after school, and I knew he still hurt.

  I doubted I’d go to Cali’s party tonight. Most of the girls would just badger me about Kieran, ask if I thought he would like them or go out with any of them. I didn’t want to get into any of that. All I wanted was my best friend back, for one part of my life to be normal.

  By one in the afternoon, after all my chores were done, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs.

  “Daniel and Nikki sold the house next door,” Mom told Dad as she dusted off the entertainment center. He rummaged through his toolbox, sort of listening. “Now they can retire to Florida and be snow birds—”

  “I’m going to Coffee Grind,” I interrupted. “Do you want me to bring you back anything?”

  “No, but thanks for offering,” Mom said. “Are you going straight there and back? She replaced a stack of DVDs to the rack. “Did you finish cleaning your room?”

  “Yes and yes.”

  “Is Kieran going with you?” Dad asked.

  I shook my head.

  When I reached our front lawn and looked down the cul-de-sac toward Kieran’s house, a sudden image flashed in my mind of a demon, his chest impaled. My steps faltered, and I hesitated before opening the gate. I shouldn’t risk going out alone. I hated that I had become so timid since I’d learned about them. When heavy footsteps approached, I whipped my head around, but then relaxed to see Shay trotting up my driveway.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you, especially after what happened at the warehouse.”

  I inhaled a deep breath. “That’s okay.”

  “You going someplace?” He leaned against the white picket fence.

  “I was thinking of going to the Coffee Grind.” My fingers re-adjusted my purse strap. “Then I thought that, maybe I shouldn’t go because . . . well, you know. The demons.”

  “I’ll protect you.”

  I brightened right up. “Wanna go with me?”

  “Will Kieran be there?”

  My heart sank at the question, and I shook my head. “I guess we’re not talking to each other at the moment.” When he tilted his head in question, I just said, “It’s a long complicated story.”

  “Sure.” He glanced from Kieran’s house back to me. “Why not?”

  Since no one was around, I worked up the courage to ask him more questions. “What’s it like having an angel for a dad?”

  He smiled. “Gabriel’s cool. Super nice, you know? I mean, he is an angel. He can’t lie, but he can omit facts. He’s often cryptic, but means well.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “He’s into fantasy football and I became pulled into the hype a few years ago.”

  Kieran had never outright lied to me. He’d just strategically withheld some rather important details.

  When we arrived at the coffee shop, I ordered my usual chai latte, except I asked for an extra-large since Shay was with me. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with him.

  “So what’s good here?” he asked the barista as he stepped to the counter.

  She turned on a megawatt smile as she leaned forward, showing ample cleavage. I realized I wasn’t the only one affected by Shay’s looks. Jealousy roared through me, and I stalked off with my order, finding an empty couch nestled up to the fireplace. After a few minutes, Shay sat next to me and sipped his steaming drink.

  My face must have given away my emotions. He picked up my free hand and gave it a small squeeze, instantly calming me. He gave me his trademark smirk, and I returned it. I couldn’t rationally be mad at him, and I didn’t understand where these intense emotions were coming from. It wasn’t like we were dating or anything. We sat in comfortable silence, enjoying our drinks.

  “Hey, Zoe!” One of my school friends, Rena, yelled from across the room. I sunk into my seat and groaned as she walked toward us. “I thought that was you, but I had to do a double take because—” Her mouth hung open. “That’s not Kieran.” She stared at Shay with wide eyes. “Who is this?”

  I didn’t have time to respond before she stuck out her hand. “Hi. I’m Rena.”

  Shay didn’t extend his hand. In fact, just then, he needed both hands to hold his drink.

  I smiled.

  After a moment, Rena turned her head toward me. She still looked shocked, and I had to fight the giggles. “Okay.” She blinked quickly. “So anyway, you going to Cali’s tonight? I, of course, am going, and I guess there’ll be some cute seniors there.” She looked directly at Shay, wearing a bright smile. “You can come, too, if you want. Even if Zoe can’t.”

  This time I couldn’t help my grin. That was Rena: one-track mind. All she ever talked about were boys.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Maybe we’ll be there, and maybe we won’t.”

  She glanced between us. “Okay, I get it. I’ll leave you guys alone.”

  As Rena walked away, she was already texting on her cell. I could only imagine what rumors would be spread today.

  Shay seemed totally unfazed by her flirting. He went right back to sipping his drink. “Do you
want to go tonight?” he asked.

  “I’d like to, but I don’t think my parents will let me. They don’t let me go to parties unless Kieran is going, and since he and I aren’t speaking at the moment—”

  He grinned. “If you want to go, I can meet your parents. Maybe they’ll trust me as much as they trust Kieran. Parents love me!”

  I bet they do, you charmer. “Shay, can I ask you something about Kieran?”

  “Of course.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “Well, I’ve known of him since he and I were assigned to you, seventeen years ago. We worked separately. We provide updates to the Council, and if they thought one of us needed to know something the other told them, they would inform us.”

  “So you never had any direct contact with him?”

  “Not until Thursday.”

  I nodded, digesting what he’d said. “Okay. Another question. The other night you said that you were never far away. What does that mean exactly?”

  “I was assigned to guard you from afar, but I was always within a short running distance in case you ever found yourself alone, or if Kieran wasn’t able to get to you in time.” He ran his finger along the edge of his cup. “They instructed Kieran to become your friend so there would be a legitimate reason for him to hang around you all the time.”

  I wonder if he knows about Kieran’s feelings for me.

  He picked up my free hand. “Sometimes, when you guard someone every day for years, you can develop feelings toward them. I suspected as much with Kieran. He’s with you most of the time, so I observed him interacting with you. Over the years, he started doing little gestures for you he hadn’t done before.”

  I thought of his opening doors for me. “When was that?”

  “I think it started when you were thirteen or fourteen. He saw you as a young woman and not a little girl anymore.” He paused. “And if you’re wondering if I started to like you because I’ve been watching you, too, well . . . I’ll let you figure that out.” He bumped my shoulder. “But I’m still not sure why the shock thing happens when we touch.” He rubbed his arm.