The Guardians Complete Series 1 Box Set: Contains Mercy, The Ferryman, Crossroads, Witchfinder, Infernum

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘Hello Davis,’ she greeted her uncle. ‘Would you like a coffee?’

  ‘Never mind coffee,’ Charles snapped, ‘I want to know what the hell you were thinking?’

  ‘I’d love a coffee, thanks Olivia,’ Davis ignored his older half-brother and smiled down at his niece.

  She began to rise from her chair when Davis stopped her.

  ‘Don’t trouble yourself Olivia,’ he smiled, ‘I’ll get it.’

  She dropped back down into her seat and picking up a piece of toast began to butter it generously.

  ‘You’re looking well,’ Davis told her affectionately.

  ‘Thanks,’ she patted her small bump. ‘Now the sickness has passed, we’re feeling good.’

  ‘Will you two stop ignoring me!’ Charles interrupted with a clipped tone.

  ‘Oh I’m sorry,’ Olivia replied blandly as she took a small bite of her toast, ‘did you want to speak with me? Because it sounded like you just marched into my home to yell at me.’

  Charles took a deep breath and tried to rein in his temper, ignoring the roiling, seething nausea in his stomach at the thought of his murderer of an ex-wife being anywhere near their daughter.

  ‘You should have told me,’ he replied quietly, his eyes flashing dangerously. ‘Instead I had to find out from Danae, who found out from Jake, five days after the fact.’

  ‘I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react exactly like this,’ Olivia replied carefully. ‘I’m not trying to keep secrets from you, but it’s not exactly a secret how you feel about mom.’

  ‘She’s dangerous.’

  ‘I know that,’ Olivia replied patiently. ‘Do you think we’re suddenly best pals again because we managed to have a conversation without one of us ending up bleeding?’

  Charles jaw tightened again and his eyes narrowed fractionally.

  ‘You shouldn’t have been speaking to her at all,’ he replied stubbornly.

  ‘What exactly should I have done then dad?’ she asked pointedly, ‘since you seem to have all the answers. We were in a public place surrounded by innocent bystanders. What exactly should I have done? Let my powers loose in front of the unsuspecting residents of Mercy huh? Let them see what a real witch can do, then mom and I could’ve had a throw down right in the middle of the museum.’

  ‘Don’t be sarcastic,’ he replied stiffly.

  ‘Then stop being so judgmental and condescending,’ she snapped. ‘I’m not an idiot and I’m not a child, so stop treating like one.’

  ‘May I?’ Davis dropped down into the seat next to Olivia and indicated the toast cooling on the small rack.

  ‘Help yourself,’ she replied, her irritated gaze still locked on her father.

  ‘Thanks,’ he replied picking up a slice. ‘I didn’t have time for anything this morning; your dad was on a bit of a tear.’

  ‘I’ll bet,’ Olivia murmured, breaking eye contact with her father. ‘Make sure you try Liddy Mayberry’s preserve, it’s her newest one.’

  ‘Plum?’ Davis picked up the jar and read the hand written label. Unscrewing the lid he sniffed experimentally, before dipping the knife in and slathering it on his toast. ‘I enjoyed the Apricot one, but it wasn’t as good as the Cherry.’

  ‘That was a good one, but my favorite is still her seedless raspberry jam,’ Olivia nodded.

  ‘Will you two stop acting like I’m not even here,’ Charles sighed in exasperation.

  ‘Sure,’ Davis took a huge bite and chewed, ‘as soon as you get your head out of your ass and stop barking at your daughter. Why don’t you try sitting down and having a conversation with her.’

  Olivia smiled at her uncle affectionately. She hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know him before she’d been thrown into the Otherworld, but since she’d been back she’d discovered he was a sweetheart with a wicked sense of humor.

  The back door opened and Theo walked through, followed by Beau who raced toward Charles enthusiastically.

  ‘Have they finished yelling at each other yet?’ Theo glanced at Davis.

  He looked up at Theo and grinned around a mouthful of toast.

  ‘I wasn’t yelling,’ Olivia shrugged as she picked up her tea and took another sip.

  ‘Morning Love,’ Theo smiled as he dropped a kiss on her upturned lips and sat down at the table on her other side. Picking up the cereal he filled his bowl. ‘So where are we up to?’

  Olivia smiled and picked up her iPad, flicking back to the screen she’d been reading when her father turned up.

  ‘Dad, stop being so stubborn and sit down,’ she told him pointedly. She watched him reluctantly give in, taking a seat between Theo and Davis before she turned back to her husband.

  ‘We’re nearly at sixteen weeks; the twins should now measure roughly 12 cm and weigh about 2lbs. Their fingerprints have almost finished forming and their fingernails are growing, they may even start sucking their thumbs.’

  ‘Really?’ Davis interrupted in interest, ‘that’s so cool.’

  ‘It is isn’t it,’ she smiled happily, turning back to Theo. ‘Their bodies are now growing faster than their heads and their skin is covered with thick downy hair, which will disappear before birth. Their legs are getting longer and all their joints and limbs can now move. Their skeletons are still soft at this point, mostly made from rubbery cartilage which is slowly hardening. Their chests move up and down to mimic breathing but rather than air, they’re taking in amniotic fluid.’

  ‘Wow,’ Theo breathed in fascination.

  ‘Also by now, their genitals may be developed enough for the sonographer to tell what we’re expecting,’ Olivia added, passing him the iPad so he could see the diagram of what their babies should look like at this stage of her pregnancy.

  ‘So when we go for your next scan on Monday they should be able to tell the sex of the babies?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes,’ she chuckled, ‘but don’t get too excited, they’ll be identical girls. No boy has ever been born into our family.’

  Theo reached over and grasped her hand gently.

  ‘I don’t care what sex they are as long as both of them and you are okay,’ he told her softly.

  Her gaze softened as she reached out and stroked his face.

  ‘You two are going to have me crying into my toast in a minute,’ Davis took another bite.

  ‘God,’ Theo chuckled, ‘it’s like having Jake and Tommy here.’

  ‘Is there anymore?’ Davis asked. ‘I’m still hungry.’

  ‘I’ll make some,’ Olivia rolled her eyes as she stood.

  ‘I’ll make it,’ Theo placed his hand gently on her shoulder and pressed her back down into the chair, his dark eyes staring at her pointedly. ‘Talk to your dad.’

  She glanced across the table at her father, who was watching her with unreadable eyes.

  ‘Dad,’ his name was a reluctant sigh on her lips. ‘I don’t want to fight.’

  ‘I don’t either,’ he replied quietly. ‘I’m sorry I shouted at you. It worried me to hear you’ve been meeting with your mother on your own. I don’t trust her.’

  ‘I don’t trust her either,’ she shook her head, ‘And you make it sound as if I planned it. I didn’t, she showed up and like I said, we were in a public place. Short of placing my hands over my ears and singing la-la-la I can’t hear you, I didn’t have any choice but to hear her out.’

  ‘What did she say to you?’ he asked softly.

  ‘Nothing that matters,’ Olivia stared down into her tea absently, ‘Just more of her justifying the choices she’s made and accusing our family of being cursed.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s all?’ he asked suspiciously.

  ‘Yes,’ she replied.

  They didn’t need to know what her mother had told her about Infernum whispering to her. She hadn’t even told Theo yet, she needed time to figure out what it meant. To tell them now would only make them freak out and to be honest she just didn’t w
ant to deal with the fallout.

  ‘Fine,’ Charles huffed, ‘but I don’t want you to see her again.’

  He almost missed the fleeting look cross his daughter’s face, but when she remained silent, his eyes hardened.

  ‘Olivia?’

  ‘What?’ she replied quietly.

  ‘You’re not planning on seeing your mother again are you?’ he asked icily.

  ‘I wasn’t planning on going looking for her,’ she replied, glancing across to her husband to find him watching her quietly. ‘But if she comes looking for me, it’s not like I can ignore her.’

  ‘ARE YOU CRAZY!’ Charles stood angrily, the chair scraping loudly against the floor.

  ‘Dad,’ she sighed, ‘I know that you’re worried about me, believe me I get that, but I think Theo’s right. I don’t think she intends to hurt me.’

  ‘SHE SHOT YOU!’ he growled angrily, ‘or did you conveniently forget the two pints of blood I had to give you.’

  ‘Of course not…’ Olivia began.

  ‘She’s a murderer Olivia,’ he shot back, ‘or have you also forgotten the nine men she killed, two of which were like brothers to me.’

  ‘No, I know…’ she tried to intervene, ‘but if you would just lis…’

  ‘You know Olivia,’ his voice dropped angrily, ‘you keep telling me you’re not a child anymore, yet you still have this childish need in you to reconnect with her. Do you think she’s the woman you remember? Do you really think you can forgive everything she’d done and have your mommy back again?’

  ‘SHUT UP, SHUT UP…SHUT UP!’ she stood just as abruptly, pounding her hand against the table to punctuate her words. ‘HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!’

  Her eyes blazed angrily as she glared at her father.

  ‘You have the fucking nerve to come into my home and shout at me?’ her voice dropped to an incredulous whisper. ‘You think you have the right to talk down to me, to call me childish, to presume to know my mind? YOU ABANDONED ME FOR TWENTY YEARS!!!’

  Charles’ jaw clenched but he kept quiet.

  ‘You think that just because we are on speaking terms you know me, know how I feel? Well, let me tell you, you know nothing about how I feel,’ Olivia drew in a shaky breath, blinking back the tears burning in her eyes.

  ‘Thanks to the pair of you I’ve spent the last twenty years on my own. I know nothing about the family I come from, I don’t know what’s truth and what isn’t. In a few months I’m going to be a mother, I’m going to have not one but two children. What the fuck am I supposed to tell them when they are old enough to start asking questions?’

  ‘Olivia,’ Charles whispered, ‘I only want what’s best for you.’

  ‘Don’t,’ she snapped. ‘You may not agree with me, you may not understand, but you are going to shut up and stop interfering in my life. You lost that right twenty years ago.’

  ‘So you’re choosing her over me?’ he replied coolly.

  ‘Oh for fuck’s sake, can you hear yourself?’ Olivia threw her hands up in exasperation. ‘It isn’t about choosing sides. I don’t forgive her, I don’t trust her, hell I don’t even like her, but like it or not I have questions that only she can answer.’

  ‘I understand that,’ he fired back hotly, ‘but letting her in, is exposing yourself and your children to unnecessary risk.’

  ‘It’s not your choice,’ she replied.

  ‘The hell it’s not,’ Charles growled.

  ‘Charles,’ Davis stood slowly, ‘you need to give Olivia some space.’

  ‘No,’ he ignored the warning, ‘she needs to see reason.’

  ‘Reason?’ Davis scoffed, ‘you mean like you do? Like you’ve never let your emotions get the better of you?’

  ‘Stay out of this Davis,’ he shouted angrily,

  ‘Jesus, it’s New Orleans all over again,’ Davis mumbled in frustration.

  ‘What happened in New Orleans?’ Olivia asked suspiciously.

  Charles stiffened, clamping his lips together into a thin line, his eyes flashing dangerously at Davis.

  ‘What happened in New Orleans?’ she repeated.

  ‘Olivia,’ Davis began, ‘you have to understand. When you were pulled through to the Otherworld, none of us knew how to get you back. Your dad was desperate to find you.’

  ‘DAVIS SHUT UP,’ Charles commanded.

  ‘Dad,’ Olivia’s eyes widened, ‘what did you do?’

  ‘What I had to,’ Charles’ expression hardened.

  ‘What did you…’

  She broke off suddenly and pulled in a shaky breath.

  ‘Olivia?’ Davis frowned, ‘are you okay? You’re very pale.’

  ‘I’m okay…I…just,’ it was getting harder to breathe.

  ‘OLIVIA!’ Theo shouted in alarm as he watched her sway slightly. Rushing forward he caught her, easing her carefully back into her chair.

  ‘I’m okay,’ she panted slightly, pulling in a deep and shaky breath. ‘I’m okay Theo.’

  Theo looked up at Charles as Olivia breath heavily in his arms.

  ‘Get out,’ his voice was coldly furious.

  ‘Olivia,’ Charles looked down at her in concern.

  ‘Just go,’ she whispered.

  ‘Come on Charles,’ Davis tugged on his arm. ‘Theo will take care of her, let’s give her some space. I think you both need to calm down.’

  Charles gazed worriedly at his daughter, clearly torn at the thought of leaving her when she was obviously unwell.

  ‘Theo will text us later and let us know she’s alright,’ Davis told Charles, tugging on his arm again, ‘won’t you Theo?’

  Theo’s jaw clenched angrily but he gave a curt nod.

  ‘I’m sorry Olivia,’ Charles whispered before turning abruptly and walking out the door.

  Davis threw and apologetic look at both Olivia and Theo.

  ‘Seriously Theo,’ Davis spoke quietly, ‘let me know she’s okay.’

  Theo’s expression softened slightly at his obvious concern and he nodded. He waited until they had both left before dropping down next to Olivia so he was eye level with her.

  ‘I’m calling the Doctor,’ he told her as he smoothed her hair back from her face.

  ‘There’s no need,’ she placed her hand over his as he cupped her face gently. ‘Dr Wilson said one of the symptoms is bouts of breathlessness. It’s not the first time its happened. I just shouldn’t have gotten so worked up, but you know me, no one pushes my buttons like my parents.’

  ‘I’m worried about you,’ he frowned.

  ‘Honestly Theo I’m fine,’ she blew out a shaky breath, ‘but I think I’ll lie down for a while.’

  ‘Okay,’ Theo stood, leaning down and scooping her easily up into his arms.

  ‘Theo, put me down I’m perfectly capable of walking,’ she smiled.

  ‘I know,’ he replied, ‘but you might as well enjoy it while you can. In a few months I doubt even the Rock will be able to lift you.’

  She chuckled lightly and lay her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  ‘I’ll give you thirty minutes and then if you’re not feeling better I’m calling the doctor,’ Theo warned her.

  ‘Fine,’ she sighed, ‘if it makes you feel better, but she’ll only tell you the same thing.’

  ‘Just humor me will you.’

  She chuckled again and relaxed into his arms. She knew everything was going to work out. It didn’t matter how fucked up her parents were because she had Theo. He was the one who held her together when the whole world was falling apart around her. He was strong and gentle and loyal. He was going to make an amazing father to their children and not for the first time she wondered how she got so damn lucky.

  ‘I love you Theo,’ she murmured against his collar.

  She could feel the shift of muscles along his jaw as he smiled.

  ‘As I love you,’ he replied softly.

  Suddenly she didn’t
want to be alone in their bed while she rested.

  ‘Stay with me.’

  ‘Always,’ he whispered.

  Charles stomped down the steps, with Davis close behind him.

  ‘Charles,’ he caught up with his brother, ‘you shouldn’t have pushed her.’

  ‘You think I don’t know that?’ he hissed, ‘you think I wanted to hurt her?’

  ‘No I don’t think that for a second,’ Davis sighed, ‘but she’s just as stubborn as you. If you push her about her mother, she’ll just dig her heels in.’

  ‘Well it won’t be an issue soon,’ Charles replied dangerously.

  ‘What are you planning Charles?’ Davis frowned.

  ‘I’m going to find my wife and I’m going to deal with her before she can betray my daughter again.’

  ‘Charles,’ Davis sighed, ‘Olivia will not thank you for interfering. You heard her in there. I may not be Isabel’s biggest fan but I think Olivia needs this, you owe her that much. Especially after what you did in New Orleans.’

  ‘What I owe her is to keep her safe, her and my grandchildren.’

  ‘For God’s sake I swear sometimes it’s like having a conversation with a brick wall,’ Davis growled in frustration.

  ‘My mind is made up Davis,’ Charles told him firmly.

  ‘I can see that.’

  ‘I need your help.’

  ‘I just know I’m going to regret this,’ he breathed, ‘but I’ve always had your back and that isn’t going to change now. But for the record I think this is a very bad idea.’

  ‘Noted.’

  Davis let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  ‘So tell me what you need.’

  Nathaniel kept a few paces behind the woman as she bustled down the crowded street. She was flushed with happiness as he’d watched her at the Black Cat motel, as she kissed goodbye to a man who wasn’t her husband. He wasn’t sure why he was following her at first and then he’d caught a tantalizing scent once again. It was a hunger like he’d never experienced before, in all his thousands of years. His mouth was dry and his chest heaved. He blinked, not quite sure at first what he was seeing, but the woman was glowing. Her skin pulsed with light.