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

by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  He stared straight at me as he walked to his desk. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. From the moment he walked in the door I felt smothered.

  I leaned toward Shay, who was staring closely at him. “It’s back: that presence I feel. Like someone is watching me,” I whispered.

  “Someone is watching you, and I don’t like it one bit,” Shay muttered, still glaring at the new student.

  “Do you think it’s him doing it?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” He started to stand, then quickly sat when he heard Ms. Hart’s voice.

  “Class, we have another new student today,” she announced. “Please join me in welcoming Vash Bellator to Trinity High School.”

  Vash. What kind of name was that?

  It didn’t matter what Shay said. I was now convinced that my uneasiness stemmed from this stranger. And there was no question he was watching me. A few times during the beginning of the hour, I glanced his way, and he caught me every time. He stared or nodded as if he knew me. By the middle of class, I’d had enough. I remained ramrod straight in my chair, refusing to look in his direction anymore.

  After history, Shay walked me to math, constantly scanning the hallway. When Kieran appeared, Shay practically sprung on him.

  “Kieran, the new guy is Vash Bellator. Does that name ring any bells? I know it’s familiar to me.”

  I stared at him. Shay knows the new guy and didn’t say anything to me.

  Kieran’s brow lifted. He looked surprised, but not concerned, which was a relief. “Okay. We’ll corner him after school and see what he knows,” he suggested, then he chuckled. “And the hits just keep on coming. Before we know it, St. Joseph is going to be the meeting place for all Enlightens. At least we don’t have to worry too much about him.”

  “Too much?” I asked. “Hello? What’s going on?”

  Shay wasn’t nearly as calm about it. “Have you seen him, Kieran?” he asked. “He’s huge! I thought he was supposed to be just a young pup.” He shook his head. “He sure didn’t look little to me.”

  Kieran shrugged. “I know him. Don’t worry. We’ll deal with all this later, and I’ll bring Zoe up to speed on who he is.” He grinned, looking like he’d just figured something out. “Shay! Are you scared?”

  “Psh.”

  Nice to see they were getting along. I said goodbye to Shay, and he headed off to his next class. I’d see him again for AP English.

  “Start talking, buddy,” I said to Kieran, my arms crossed. “Who’s Vash?”

  “He’s the Beta of the area wolf pack. His father, Keegan, is Alpha of the Spiritus Pack.”

  I stared at him. “Werewolf, huh? There’s an area wolf pack?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. He’s the one Sidelle caught wind of. We’ll talk to him later.”

  Except later happened immediately. Vash walked through the door and into the room. I wondered if he’d planned to be in every one of my classes. His eyes found mine instantly, and I stared openly. A werewolf. Now that was interesting.

  He gave a nod to Kieran as he sat, acknowledging his presence. Kieran smiled back easily, then class started. As if everything was normal. How strange to think that the rest of the class was oblivious to the presence of an angel, a werewolf, and whatever I was. I wasn’t sure if I wished I were still oblivious or not.

  When the bell rang, Kieran walked me to Vash’s desk.

  Vash nodded, the movement slow and deliberate. His eyes never left mine. “Kieran.”

  “Vash,” Kieran said. He jabbed his thumb toward me. “This is Zoe Jabril.”

  Vash extended his hand and his huge, warm fingers closed over mine. “Pleasure to meet you, Zoe.” His voice was very deep, with an edge.

  I blinked a few times, saying nothing. I knew I was being rude, but something about him was disturbing.

  “We’ll have to talk later,” Kieran said, still watching Vash. One side of his mouth curled in a smile. “Shay said it was you. I was sort of surprised to hear that.”

  Vash’s chuckle was even lower than his voice. His dark eyes never seemed to blink, just held mine. “I bet. Yeah, we have lots to discuss. Tonight?”

  “Late,” Kieran replied, perhaps remembering that he and Shay were coming to my place. “We have plans for dinner.”

  When the next bell rang, I met Sidelle at the lockers. “Have you seen Vash?” she asked, looking slightly flushed.

  I nodded. “Kieran introduced us in math. He’s going to meet us after dinner tonight. Will you come? I think we’re meeting at Kieran’s house.” My locker opened on the first try.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world if Vash is there. I don’t normally go for wolves. They’re kinda hairy and slobbery, you know? But I totally could make an exception with him! Have you seen his body, all those rippling muscles?” She fanned herself with one hand. “I’m making myself hot and bothered just thinking about him.”

  I laughed. She might be a fairy, but she was still female, obviously. “Yep. I’ll admit I could get used to seeing him around.”

  “I guess I’m not the only one drooling for Vash.” She nodded toward a group of girls walking down the hall. “He is the talk of the school now. Out with Shay, in with Vash. I think we’re going to have a ton of cat fights over who he’s going to take to prom.”

  She grinned. “Get it? Cat fights over the dog? Twenty bucks on Morgan.” Still giggling at her joke, she gave me a little wave. “Gotta go. See ya.”

  “Hey, how come you weren’t in Bio today?” I asked at her fleeing back.

  Shay strolled out of his classroom and we walked toward the cafeteria. “You and Sidelle have a nice talk about Vash?” he asked.

  I smiled. “Yep. She has an official crush on him. Then she suggested we’d see some pretty good ‘cat fights’ over who the dog’s taking to prom . . .”

  He groaned. “I think she’s right, though. My reign as hottest guy at the school is over.”

  I squeezed him against my side. “You are still the hottest guy in my book.”

  That made him smile. “Then nothing else matters.”

  We entered the charred-scented lunch room and noticed a bunch of people crowded around one table.

  “Heaven is a Place on Earth is the prom theme!” Quinn shouted as we approached.

  Shay smiled at me. “I totally believe in coincidences.”

  I set off and assembled a sandwich, while Shay walked to the grill and ordered a bacon double-cheeseburger and extra fries. As we exited the register line, I spotted Vash sitting between Sidelle and Cali at our table. I had to laugh. The seating arrangements spoke volumes. Not only that—Vash had chosen to sit with us, so I could only guess what The Triangle would say.

  “Oh my gosh, Zoe!” Cali exclaimed, shifting over to make room. “Sidelle and I were talking about prom themes this morning, before they announced it. Heaven is a Place on Earth is a totally cool idea! I hope the committee does something fantastic to the gym, like decorate it in all white with stars hanging from the ceiling under a canopy of twinkling lights or something.”

  I tilted my head slightly. “I think that’s more A Night Under the Stars theme.”

  Sidelle nodded. “I know, right?” she cried. “That’s what I told her!”

  “Hey,” Cali grumbled, her expression falling. “Heaven has stars, too, you know.”

  Vash sat slightly taller. “I like it. White, stars, and lights,” he said. “I think it could go either way.”

  Shay, Cali, and I stared at him, shocked. He’d taken Cali’s side. Sidelle, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed by his comment. I watched her expression, trying to figure it out. Maybe she was already over him. Or she’d picked up something from him. She caught my eye and shook her head, twitching her nose slightly. Yup, she’d read something. I’d have to ask her later.

  Cali’s eyes were wide with shock, but Vash seemed quite comfortable. He smiled at her, and even I was almost seduced by that smooth smile.

  “I know I’m
new,” he said, “and I don’t know anyone here, but would you like to go to prom with me, Cali?”

  Now all our eyes were wide. Cali’s practically bugged out of her red face. She still didn’t say anything.

  “Cali?” I prompted.

  Nothing.

  Sidelle’s eyes danced as she waved her hand in front of Cali’s face. “Earth to Cali.”

  “Umm . . .” Poor Cali. She looked like she wanted to say more, but nothing came out.

  Vash’s chin dropped to his chest, then he lifted it again, with a sheepish grin. “Oh, uh, I’m sorry.” He grimaced. “I bet someone’s already asked you. And now I’ve put you in an awkward position.”

  That woke her up. She beamed. “Oh no! No one asked me yet. I was just kind of shocked, you know? I didn’t know what to say, and now I think I’m rambling. Stop, Cali,” she ordered herself, then her eyes blinked wildly. “Sure, Vash. I’d love to go with you.”

  Of course, that’s when the heels clicked toward us again. The Queen of Mean tossed her mane of shiny black hair. “Hi, Vash.”

  He looked up, smiling. “Hi. Morgan, is it?”

  She gave him a bright smile. “I thought you were going to sit at our table, which is over there.” She pointed at the table farthest from the cafeteria entrance.

  Vash’s smiled tightened, as if he were gritting his teeth, and his hands fisted on either side of his lunch tray. Somehow he managed to keep his voice low. “Sorry,” he said. “No one was over there, and I didn’t know which table it was. So I sat with Cali.”

  Morgan glared at me. “And it just so happens that this is Zoe’s table as well. I knew you would do something like this.”

  Sidelle leaned across the table. “Zoe didn’t have anything to do with where Vash chose to sit, Morgan, so leave her out of it.”

  Our raised voices caused the rest of the cafeteria—including the room supervisors—to glance our way.

  “Stay out of this, Sidelle!” Morgan demanded.

  Shay held up his hands. “Ladies, ladies. No need to fight.”

  “Shut it, Shay. Just because you’re dating Zoe doesn’t mean you have to fight her battles. You can’t always protect her, you know. She’s going to have to learn to fight on her own.”

  “Excuse me,” Principal Cooper said as he approached our group. “What seems to be the problem here?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Morgan said flatly then gave the principal a smile. “I was just leaving. Later, losers!”

  Vash shrugged. “I’m sorry,” he said after Principal Cooper had left. “I didn’t mean to start anything. I just . . . well, I met Cali earlier this morning. She was very helpful and nice, so I sat next to her.”

  “You picked the right table, Vash. Morgan’s just . . . Morgan. She’s always been that way,” Sidelle said. “Don’t pay any attention to her.”

  “It seems she has it out for you, Zoe,” Vash said.

  “Yeah, she does,” Cali chimed. “Every year it gets worse. She’s been mean to Zoe ever since I can remember. I don’t recall what had happened to start their feud.”

  “I only have to deal with her for one more year,” I said with a sigh. “She hasn’t always been this way, you know? She was nice when we were in preschool.”

  We dumped our trays, but Shay seemed distracted. He accompanied me to my Chemistry II class, and didn’t say anything along the way. As he started to walk away, he sort of snapped out of it and turned back.

  “Hey. Sorry,” he said when I nudged him. He gave me a smile and kissed me lightly on the lips.

  “What’s up?”

  “I’ll tell you later. It’s just that something Morgan said sort of hit home for me.”

  There wasn’t time to persuade him to say more, so I just shrugged. “Okay. Tell me later.”

  I entered the classroom, leaving Shay in the hallway, and Vash came in behind me. “I can tell you have something special with Shay,” he said.

  “How?”

  “Body language. The way he moves when he’s around you speaks volumes.”

  Something about that sounded good. I smiled at him. “I think I do. That’s perceptive of you.”

  He leaned in close and said quietly, “I also know you’re special. Shay knows it, too, and I worry his personal feelings for you may be clouding his duty.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll find out soon enough. Oh hey, sorry about earlier. You know, in history.” He grinned sheepishly and tapped my arm. “I couldn’t believe it was you. That’s why I stared. Shay probably didn’t like it much, and my response made matters worse. The way he returned my glare—like a challenge—well, I get territorial about some things. Even when they aren’t mine.”

  Once gym was over, Shay, Kieran, and I grabbed our backpacks and left the school, passing a small group of guys who had gathered around a brand-new black Camaro. Only one person I knew could possibly own that car: Vash. Morgan sashayed by, glared at me, but kept walking. She climbed into a fire-red Audi R8. The driver looked old enough to be in college. He stood next to the shiny convertible, dressed all in black, and large dark tinted sunglasses blocked most of his face. A single red feather had been tucked into his fedora hat—the exact same color as his car.

  Just before he climbed into the Audi, the stranger nodded.

  At me.

  At exactly five thirty, the front door bell rang. Stella ran to the foyer and swung the door open. “They’re here!” she yelled.

  Through the entryway, I could see the Bel Air parked on the street, and I smiled, glad to see Shay had taken my advice. Dad seemed to like him already, but extra points couldn’t hurt. Besides, it could help him sway Mom if she was still on the fence.

  “Hey, Stella. How are you?” Kieran asked. “Was that you practicing soccer in the front lawn the other day? I saw your goal dance.”

  Her face turned bright red. “Hi, Kieran.” She glanced at Shay, standing behind Kieran, blushed even deeper, then giggled as she bolted away.

  “Hey, Zoe,” the boys said.

  “Hi. Come on in,” I said. “Shay, this is my mom.”

  Shay extended his hand to shake Mom’s, but instead of taking it, she drew him in for a hug.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said, drawing away. “Stella talks about you all the time. You’d think it was her you were dating and not Zoe. Welcome to our home, Shay, and please, call me Jackie. Mrs. Jabril is too formal.” She stepped back and gave Kieran a hug. “Hi, Kieran, it’s nice to see you, again.”

  “And Shay, you remember my dad, Kevin,” I said.

  Dad extended his hand this time. “Welcome back.” He jerked his head toward the street. “I see you brought her with you tonight. Maybe we can take her out for a spin after dinner.”

  “I’d love to,” Shay replied.

  Mom turned toward the kitchen. “Hey, Jackie. I’ll come help,” Shay said while Kieran and I followed Dad into the living room.

  I grinned. Points for Shay.

  I stood on the threshold between the kitchen and living room watching Dad chat with Kieran about baseball while Mom passed dishes of food to Shay to place on the table.

  “Dinner’s ready!” Mom called a few minutes later.

  My sister barreled down the stairs, and Dad and Kieran walked in from the living room. I sauntered over to my usual chair and motioned for Shay to sit between Mom and me, leaving Kieran to sit between Stella and Dad.

  After Shay said grace, we started scooping food from the dishes directly in front of us, and Shay was the last to take the main course. He took a bite and his eyes widened. “May I ask what this is? I don’t think I’ve ever had it before.”

  “What?” Stella cried. “You’ve never had Tator-Tot casserole before?”

  I giggled.

  “No, but this is great!”

  “So, Shay, tell us about yourself,” Dad suggested.

  “My parents and his mom go way back,” Kieran said. “They’ve known each other for
years.”

  “Since, just after I was born,” Shay added.

  “And where was that?” Mom asked.

  “California, but then we moved to St. Paul before I turned one.”

  “Is it just you and your mom?”

  “Yeah. I do see my dad a lot though.”

  “Where in St. Paul did you live?” Mom dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “My folks lived a block off Summit Avenue. That’s where I grew up.”

  “And after we graduated from college, we moved into this house, then Zoe was born,” Dad said. “I used to love ice fishing on the Old Miss.”

  “Water must run through my blood because I was born by the ocean and grew up along the Mississippi River,” Shay replied.

  I listened to Shay demonstrate the fine art of lying, using real information, and felt sorry for him again.

  “Do you have plans for after high school?” Mom asked.

  Shay swallowed another huge bite of the casserole and nodded. “Planning to attend the University of Minnesota for business.”

  “I attended the U, along with Jackie,” Dad said. “That’s where we met. I remember seeing her across campus and thinking to myself that I would marry that girl. Of course, I had yet to meet or talk with her, but I knew in my gut. And twenty-two years later, she’s still the love of my life.”

  “Oh stop, Kevin. You’re embarrassing the kids.” Mom’s face glowed, but she waved a hand at him. “Kieran, what about you? What do you plan to do after high school?”

  Kieran frowned. “I’m not exactly sure yet. Maybe take a few years off and travel. This is my chance to see the places and figure out what I want to do with my life. I may start my world tour this summer.”

  Is he leaving me?

  When Shay took my dad out in the Bel Air after supper, I seized the opportunity to pull Kieran outside.

  “What’s up with the post-school traveling plans? I heard you mention them to Quinn earlier, too. How come I didn’t know about them?”

  We walked out to the bistro set and sat in the warm twilight. “I’m thinking ahead, Zoe. If we all have to disappear for a while to prepare for the war, how are we going to explain why and where we’ve gone? I’m just setting the ground work. If I tell everyone my plans are to travel, then it’s not such a huge stretch.” He smiled. “Maybe you and Shay can plan to come with me and we can ‘backpack around Europe’ or something, you know?” He shrugged and dropped his elbow onto the table, using it as a rest for his chin. “It all depends on how long the war drags out. We could still be fighting, or it could be done. But if it’s over when high school ends, I probably still won’t be able to stay here, Zoe. I’ll have to move on to my next guardian assignment.”