“They want to have free reign? To kill whoever they want without repercussions?”
“Something like that. You see, the blood of the pure is like an aphrodisiac to them. The darker a human’s soul, the more bitter their blood. The wolves don’t hunt to kill, but they do need mates for their packs to continue to grow. They don’t like having to seek Federation approval.”
“If you are the good guys, then why do they want me dead? Until today, I’ve never even thought about a different world besides my own.”
I knew that she was struggling to process everything that I was telling her. It was one of the reasons the other species hid their existence from humans. They just weren’t evolved enough to accept the concept that there were others things in the world that would put them at the lower end of the food chain. They liked to believe that they were at the top, and it wasn’t a lie that our kind was ready to expose. It would mean war, as it always did with mortals. That was their answer to everything: war. I would never understand why Mother Earth tolerated such petty creatures.
“It’s because of your gift. You may think that you would never use it to harm others, but the Federation knows differently. If I hadn’t been there tonight to stop them, the vampires would have taken you and forced you to see visions of the future, ways that they could infiltrate the Federation and overthrow us.”
She shook her head. “No, I would never do that. I don’t even like my ability! There has to be another way.”
“That is what I’m trying to find now. I don’t want to eliminate you, Veronica, at least not now. I just don’t know what other options I have. I need to speak with Rhett. He will be able to shed some light on this situation.”
“Rhett? Is he another dragon shifter? What if he tells someone that I am here?”
I grinned at her. “Rhett is my oldest friend, but he is no dragon shifter.”
“And thank heavens for that!” came Rhett’s familiar voice.
I spun around, and Veronica jumped to her feet. Rhett was a slight man with a bony frame and red eyes that sent chills down anyone’s spine. His face was covered in black lettering from languages that had long ago died out. His sharp, black suit and tanned skin dripped with the stench of money. Rhett, bless his soul, had never been the most conservative of his kind.
“Mikhail, it’s been too long, old friend,” he said as he shook my hand.
“Yes, it has. It’s been what? Fifty years since we last saw each other?”
“You mean since the last time you needed help getting out of trouble, if I recall. Tell me, did that little Spanish minx ever make it back to her tomb?”
“I wouldn’t know. I let the Federation take her back to wherever she claimed to be from.”
“This one,” said Rhett to Veronica, “has an affection for those lost souls whom he deems in need of his help. Unfortunately, they do like to latch on and not let go. Who can blame them, though? He is a fine specimen of an immortal.”
“So, what are you? If you aren’t a dragon shifter?”
“My adorable little pet, I am a fae and one of the very best.”
“A fae,” repeated Veronica. “That means that you are a wizard or something, right?”
“A warlock actually, wizards are nothing more than depressing little humans who think they can do magic. You, though, my girl, you are not a fae, and yet you possess some rather powerful gifts, don’t you?”
I looked back and forth between the two of them. “Gifts? I was only told that she had the ability to see the future. What more is there?”
Veronica shrugged her shoulders and looked away from me. Fire started to burn deep inside of my body. She had begged me to be honest with her about what was happening, but she couldn’t give me the same respect? I was putting everything on the line for her, and yet she was keeping secrets from me. Rhett put his hand on my shoulder, smiling at me and shaking his head. At once, the fire was quelled, and a comforting sensation of peace filled my body. He was indeed a powerful ally to have.
“Do not be angry with her, friend. She is young and still only learning her craft. It’s not her fault that she doesn’t know how strong she is or how many gifts she has.”
“I know that I can hear conversations, even through walls if I try really hard,” she whispered, blushing a delicious red. “And if I touch someone, I can see one possible future but that’s it. I don’t think I have any other gifts and really, one is just good hearing.”
Rhett went to her. “There is so much more out there that you have yet to discover, and maybe I can help you.”
“Can you take her into your protection?” I asked.
He looked back at me, his expression blank. “Is that what you want, friend?”
I opened my mouth to tell him ‘yes,’ but something stopped me. Looking at Veronica, I hated the idea of being away from her. She was mine to protect and no one else’s. Rhett sensed my hesitation and turned away from me, pulling Veronica further into the conversation but leaving me to my own thoughts. My mind was racing back and forth. I was to be married in a short time, and I needed to deal with this situation and return home. Rhett could offer her protection that I could not, but still, I didn’t want to let her go.
“My dear Mikhail. You will need to make a decision about this sooner rather than later, I’m afraid. I believe that we will not be alone for long.”
“What are you talking about?” I hissed.
“I can sense more dragons coming. You have a few hours, but then they will be upon you, and I doubt that they will be as willing to understand your plight as I am.”
“I told them not to come,” I hissed. “Give us a moment, Rhett.”
He nodded and disappeared into thin air as Veronica gasped. I rolled my eyes. Rhett loved to make an entrance or an exit. The more eyes that were on my flamboyant best friend, the happier he was. As a fellow immortal, he had grown tired of my kind long ago and disappeared into the bliss of pedestrian life, unwilling to take sides or hurt other fae who didn’t agree with our ways. The days of war were long over, but fae have long memories, and he wouldn’t soon be in a room full of shifters again.
“I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered softly to me as I kneeled in front of her.
Her words struck a chord in my heart. She was so delicate. “I don’t think that there is any other way. I can’t protect you here any longer, it seems. Rhett will be able to keep you safe and away from my kind and the others.”
She shook her head. “But you are the one who saved me. You are the one that I feel like I’m supposed to be with.”
My eyes grew wide, but she interjected, “Something about staying with you just feels right. I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t know if our fates are linked or not, but leaving you now doesn’t seem right.”
“Veronica,” I said quietly, “you know that I am betrothed, right?”
Veronica nodded her head. “I wasn’t implying anything like that. Only that you are my protector.”
“Oh,” I muttered, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice.
She grinned and reached for my hand. As soon as our skin touched, a vibration started to hum deep inside of me. I wanted to kiss her hand and move up her body until our lips collided and I could taste the sweet essence of her body. She was like a drug to me. I didn’t know what I was missing until the threat of her leaving was staring me back in the eyes. How could I let such a powerful feeling just walk away?
“I don’t want to leave you,” she said.
I took a deep breath, hoping for strength. “I don’t want you to go either, and I don’t know why. I think that you must, though. It’s the only way to keep you safe. I promise that I will find you and Rhett. I won’t leave you forever.”
“Your forever and mine are very different.”
Grinning, I bent forward and kissed her hand softly. She sucked in a sharp breath. She wanted me as much as I was desiring her.
“I am going to wait for the men coming and tell them you ha
ve been dealt with. Then I promise that I will find you both. Rhett will know when it is safe and send me your location. You can trust him as I do. He will not let any harm come to you.”
“Do you promise me that you will come back?” she asked.
I nodded my head, struggling against the urge to kiss away the tears that were falling down her cheeks.
“How can I have feelings for someone that I just met like this? I don’t know why I am crying!”
“I don’t know why I can’t let you go.”
Without warning, she threw her arms around me, and I didn’t hesitate to wrap her small frame into my arms. There was a magnetic attraction between us that I couldn’t deny; I didn’t want to deny it! I squeezed my eyes shut and searched for answers as her tears fell onto my neck. My heart felt like it was splitting into a thousand pieces at the mere thought of her being away from me, even for a few hours. When she finally pulled away, I wiped the tears from her cheek and did my best to smile.
“We can search for the answers together, but for now, I need you to go with Rhett.”
Nodding her head, she said. “Okay. If that’s what you think is best, then I trust you. Please promise me you will come for me?”
“I promise, Veronica. Nothing is going to keep me from finding you again.”
I gazed into her emerald eyes and leaned forward, unable to control myself any longer. I had to taste her lips, even if it was only once.
“Ahem, am I interrupting something?” asked Rhett.
I pulled away from Veronica, enraged that Rhett had picked that moment to walk in. He knew just what he was doing. He had probably heard every word that was said in some other dimension. I cleared my throat and stood up, glaring at Rhett who seemed unfazed by my anger. I loved the man with all my heart as my brother, but so help me God, I was ready to punch him out for his intrusion.
“Of course, you are. You are always interrupting,” I hissed.
“I thought you should know that we are running out of time, friend. They will be here soon. If you want me to take her to safety, then we need to leave at once.”
“Then I forgive you for the interruption,” I said jokingly. “Go now. I will come when I can.”
He nodded and held out his hand for Veronica. As soon as they touched, a strange, purple spark shot out from between their locked hands. I struggled to keep my anger under wraps, unwilling to admit the jealousy that I had for my oldest friend that he was the one running off with Veronica and not me.
“It is necessary,” he said softly, looking down at their intertwined hands, “for time travel.”
“Yeah, yeah, just go. Do not let anything happen to her.”
“You have my word.”
I looked back at Veronica, searching for the words to tell her that she would be safe. I hated the image of fear that she now held. I never wanted her to be afraid of anything. Knowing that the fear was in part because she was leaving me helped some, but it also made me feel helpless. I wanted to be the one to protect her and hold her hand, not another man.
She started to speak, but Rhett began to whisper the words that were required and before she could tell me what she wanted, they were gone in a haze of smoke. I coughed and stood back, the smell of burning wood taking over the room. That was Rhett’s signature. Each time he ported in or out of a room, it was always left with the same faint smell. It had once brought me comfort and peace, knowing that he cared enough to come to my aid. Now, it lingered and reminded me that I was falling for a human that I couldn’t have.
I sat down in the same chair that Veronica had been in just seconds before. It was still warm and smelled like wild honeysuckle. I needed to clear my head, but there was no time. As quickly as I had started to enter a state of meditation, three loud knocks came from the front door, and my eyes flew open. That would be the envoy the Federation had sent. Thankfully, I was prepared for whatever foot soldier they sent to check things out. I outranked almost all others that were still active in the field. It would be easy to convince them that I’d completed my mission.
Then what? After getting rid of them, I had no idea what my plan was. I knew where my duty was at, but I also knew that my heart begged me to follow after Veronica. It was a decision that I was not ready to make. I needed time to meditate and consider my options, but that wouldn’t happen until I got rid of the envoy. Begrudgingly, I walked to the front door and straightened my clothing. They had to believe that nothing had changed, and that I had sent Veronica back to Mother Earth. It was the only way.
I cleared my throat and jerked open the door. “Thank you for coming, brothers, but I fear your time is wasted. The mission is already completed.”
I looked up, wondering which fools they had sent to help me. When I saw the face looking back at me, I knew that I was in trouble.
“Father?”
Chapter Four: Veronica
My head was swimming, but this time I kept my eyes closed. It was worse than trying to travel at breakneck speeds with Mikhail. With him, I at least knew that we were moving toward a common goal, but with Rhett, I had no idea where we were going, or when. I stumbled around, but his surprisingly strong arms kept me standing. I couldn’t see anything. It was dark, but I could smell the familiar ambience of mildew. It wasn’t strong, just like the basement at my parents’ home.
I’d always hated the basement at home. It was dark just like this room was now. I always felt a sense of unease there. I held onto Rhett as he reached around and found a light. It took me some time to adjust to the light, but when I did, I gasped.
“What are we doing here?” I whispered. “This is my parents’ home!”
“Yes, well, it would seem your powers interfered a little bit with mine. This will do just as well.”
“No! It won’t! We need to go now!”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like anyone lives here now. There must be residual power here because it’s your childhood home. This place is probably even safer than my own hideout.”
“I don’t want to be here. Please, can we leave?”
“No,” said Rhett, shaking his head. “There is a reason for everything in the universe, and if Mother Earth wants us here, then we should stay put.”
“Mother Earth? Are you all insane?”
He laughed. “Take a seat. Mother Earth is not just a coy term that humans use to smoke pot and save trees. She is living and breathing all around us. She controls the immortals and the Earth. What you think of as ‘Mother Earth’ is the tamed-down version of it. The plague, wars, famine, it’s all her.”
“So, she’s evil?”
“No! Of course not! She keeps balance in check of all creations. She is also responsible for the great minds that heal millions though medicine. She is the good that makes people care about others. She is fate.”
I tried to wrap my head around what Rhett was saying, but it was far more challenging than I could imagine. Everything that I knew seemed to be a lie. My life had been fairly normal until now. Why was all that changing? If she was tasked with keeping the balance, then should I have let Mikhail kill me to keep things from falling apart?
“Why is she changing things now then?”
“She isn’t changing anything. You are. You made the decision to trust Mikhail when you shouldn’t have. You have created a new thread of fate. I don’t think the Great Mother had this in the plans, but now that it’s happened, things will unfold in whatever way she chooses to let them.”
“What about Mikhail and the others? What’s their story?”
“They are part of the Federation, an unnatural organization, in my opinion, that is trying to control what Mother Nature created. Let me tell you a story.”
Rhett began, “Before the dawn of man, before Adam and his bride, Eve, there was only the Earth. Created by the Great Mother for her daughter, Terra, the original fae. Mother Earth promised that Terra would be there for all eternity, no matter her life-force. She would come back time and time again. This was the orig
inal and most powerful spell ever cast. Immortality without the knowledge of her former lives.
“Terra sat alone looking out at the vast empty space that she had created. Like an artist perfecting her work, she flicked her fingers out across the land in front of her. Small, green shrubs shot out from the soft earth, followed by a flecking of trees in the distance. Still, she wasn’t happy. Though the newly created birds flew overhead, and the beasts grazed over the grass, it didn’t feel complete. The voluptuous, nude woman let out a dramatic sigh and watched the small, winged dragons playing at her feet.
“‘If only you could offer me some solace, my pet,’ she muttered to the beast.
“It looked up at its creator and let out a sneeze, a small ball of fire shooting from his nostrils. Terra’s shrill laughter filled the air, and all the animals looked at her with peaceful contentment. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she leaned down, wrapping her delicate fingers around the dragon.
“‘You would make a wonderful creature, if only you were more like me,’ she said, kissing the dragon on his lips.
She whispered softly to him, singing sweet words of comfort. Without warning, Terra stood up. Large, silver, translucent wings spread out behind her faintly green skin. She shimmered in the sun, the grass around her reflecting a pale-yellow glow. Terra lifted the small dragon up into the air and let go. The frightened creature beat its wings, rising higher into the sky until it towered over the trees. A trail of golden light flowed from Terra’s palms and touched the small beast, making it grow larger until it was no longer the size of a common kitten.
“The dragon spread its wings in the sky, beating back the trees, and making the other animals flee in fear at its great girth. The wind whipped through Terra’s golden hair, a smile creasing across her face until the stream of golden light ceased to flow and the great dragon landed on the ground with a heavy thud, sending the birds into the sky once more.
“His red scales were the size of Terra’s head. He brought his head down to Terra. Terra placed a hand on the massive dragon’s head and considered his amber eyes.
The Guardian Mikhail Page 3