Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance (Tales of the Guardian)

by Brianna Merrill

  She glanced up just in time to see a man pointing the barrel directly at Alexander’s chest.

  Emily heard someone scream but realized that the voice was hers. Before the man had a chance to pull the trigger Alexander had him disarmed and lying on his back. The gun dropped to the cement as another man jumped on Alexander’s back. Emily was nervous about the continual appearance of weapons but decided this was the time to intervene. She cocked back her arm, taking her aim at a man that was circling Alexander like a coyote, determining the best place to pounce.

  Just as she felt she had her target she lost sight of the man. A figure appeared directly in her path just fifteen yards away where the fight was taking place. His back was turned to her but she could instantly tell it was Xavier.

  Her new friend wasted no time and intercepted the man who now lunged at Alexander. Emily watched with a renewed sense of hope, as Xavier was able to balance the fight. The sense of triumph was diminished when Emily noticed that the very first man Alexander had taken down had now regained his footing and was making his way toward her with angry, hungry eyes.

  She adjusted the grip on her shoe, from the throwing position to a jabbing position. Emily was confident that if needed, she could stab the man with the sharp heel and it would inflict enough pain to hopefully give her an advantage. She was surprised at how calm she suddenly seemed; how comfortable she was with the thought of wounding this man. Actually she knew she was capable of doing more if it meant ensuring Alexander’s safety.

  The man picked up his pace and Emily braced herself for the impact she was bound to feel. His forward motion was suddenly stopped as he was flung backward. Alexander grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket and tossed him like a rag doll.

  Emily met Alexander’s eyes for only a second. She had expected to see utter rage in his expression but was surprised to only see complete confidence. He was in command of his emotions, in charge of his physical power. This reassured Emily. It was nice to know that he was not panicking as she was.

  “Xavier!” Alexander shouted as he grabbed another opponent’s arm, twisting it until a loud pop resounded. “Get Emily out of here.”

  As if he wasn’t in the middle of a fight, Alexander tossed the car keys to his friend. Xavier easily caught them and quickly finished the guy he was working on, rendering the man unconscious with his final blow. Xavier ran over to Emily and grabbed her by the hand.

  She was glad she had taken off her shoes. They were about to run right past the fight and they would have to be as fast as possible.

  Xavier wasted no time. They began a full out sprint to the car, and although Emily knew he could go faster, he kept to her pace, never letting go of her hand. When one guy tried to get in their way, Xavier gave a hard backhand, his forearm slamming into the man’s head.

  They were clear of the fight zone. Emily knew her car was just a few yards away but she kept trying to look back hoping Alexander was right behind them. She didn’t want to leave him, she couldn’t.

  When they got to the car Xavier went to the driver side and slid in. “Get in Emily!” Xavier shouted impatiently.

  “We can’t just leave him,” Emily said with desperation as she looked at Xavier through the open door.

  “I’m just following his orders. I assure you, he’ll be fine. Two of those guys aren’t getting up for a long time. He can handle the other three, now get in!” he said hastily and started the car.

  As the BMW roared to life there was another sound, a terrifying sound. It was a gunshot. Emily looked up just in time to see Alexander stagger backward.

  “Alexander!” She screamed in complete horror. She paused only a moment and then darted around the car, only to run directly into Xavier’s hard chest.

  “Get in the car!” Xavier barked.

  Emily fought against him trying to peek over his shoulder to see if Alexander had fallen but Xavier blocked her view while effortlessly pushing her backward and down and into the car. Emily tried to escape but it was no use; Xavier was too strong.

  He kept her pinned to the seat with one hand and in a split second went from her side to the driver side. The change was too quick for her to react. By the time she felt the pressure of his hand vanish it was back again, holding her to the seat.

  Xavier flipped the car into reverse and speedily backed out. As soon as he had the car in a forward motion he released his hold. Emily frantically turned around to look out the rear window. The figures behind her grew smaller by the second and soon she could not make out who was who. It was just a large mess of shadows.

  As the BMW squealed around a corner, she lost sight completely. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. Another hole was slowly forming in her heart; she could quite literally feel it. The sensation was familiar because it was what she had felt when her mother had died.

  This new hole was for Alexander.

  Chapter 12

  * * *

  Visions

  As soon as the BMW slid out and onto the street, Xavier eased off the accelerator and brought the speed down to the legal limit.

  Emily was hysterical. “We can’t just leave him! He’s been stabbed and shot! We can’t leave him, we have to go back!”

  “Calm down, he’s going to be fine. You should have seen him in World War Two. That guy took five bullets and still he fought off the bad guys. He’s an absolute machine. Remember —this is what we do,” Xavier said without concern.

  “I saw him bleeding. I thought you had perfect bodies. You’ve lived for centuries, right? I don’t understand why he was bleeding,” Emily questioned with tears still rolling down her face.

  “Yeah our bodies are perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be injured. We’ve made it through all these years because we’re trained for this stuff. We spend decades learning how to handle ourselves before we are permitted to engage in the human world.” Xavier paused to emphasize his next sentence. “We’ve got skills.”

  Emily was becoming increasingly annoyed with how lighthearted Xavier was being about all this.

  “For all we know Alexander could be bleeding to death, if that is possible.”

  “Can Guardians die?” Emily stammered as she tried to gain some sense of control.

  “Yeah, we can, but only when we’re in human form. We’re not vulnerable in our other form. But don’t worry; it takes a lot more than a few bullets or knives to get rid of us. Besides, our bodies heal extremely fast,” Xavier reassured.

  “This is insane! We have to go back.” Emily made a swipe at the wheel but Xavier was faster and caught her arm in mid stroke.

  “I told you I’m following orders. If this is what Alexander wants, then so be it. I have never gone against his command and I’m not about to start now.”

  “We’ve gotten far enough away, pull over here, let me out and you go back. You’ve got to help him!” Emily was becoming desperate.

  “I don’t think so.” Xavier shook his head. “I need to stay with you. Alexander would shoot me if I showed up there and told him I left you by yourself. Quit worrying so much. What do I have to say to convince you that he can handle himself?” Xavier was beginning to show signs of frustration.

  “You’re supposed to be his friend. Don’t you care about what happens to him?” Emily accused.

  “Exactly!” he retorted. “I’m his friend and I’ve known him longer than you have. So I can tell you from my own personal experience that he’s been through way worse.”

  Just then Emily felt a slight prickle run down her spine. The one she always got when she sensed someone behind her. Instinctively she looked over her shoulder. “Alexander!” Emily shouted, as she clumsily climbed to the back of the car.

  “Told you so,” came Xavier’s cocky reply.

  “You’re hurt. You’re bleeding,” Emily commented aloud as she sized up his wounds.

  Two spots on Alexander’s shirt were covered in blood. The fabric was slit on his side where Emily had seen the knife go in. His shoulder was w
here the bullet must have hit because she could see the small circular tear and the dark stain that flowed from it. There was also a small cut on his forehead. Other than that, he looked untouched. No bruising or red marks on any part of him, like he had never allowed a blow to successfully hit him.

  “Emily, calm down,” Alexander said in his soft baritone voice. “I am fine.”

  “I’ve been trying to tell her, friend, but it’s like trying to control a sail boat in gale force winds.” Xavier laughed.

  “How can you be fine? You’ve been stabbed and shot!” Emily exclaimed, ignoring Xavier completely.

  “It looks worse than it really is. Believe me, I’ve had worse.” Alexander didn’t even grimace or wince as he shifted his weight forward to talk to Xavier.

  “Told her that too, Brother,” Xavier said as he effortlessly maneuvered the car through traffic.

  “We need to get her back to her apartment so her dad doesn’t worry. Then I have to go back to the Guardian Realm and figure out what just happened.”

  “You can’t leave; you’re hurt. You need a hospital,” Emily demanded.

  Alexander gave a slight chuckle. “Seriously, I’m fine. I’ll heal up quickly. And I’ll heal even faster in the Guardian Realm.”

  “Don’t leave, please don’t leave me. I’m so scared,” Emily rambled as she began to cry again.

  Alexander’s expression went soft, his eyes filled with pain. Seeing Emily so upset was worse than any physical ache brought on by the fight.

  “Emily, look at me…” He waited for her eyes. “I know you’re scared. I’m sorry you had to experience that back there, but everything is going to be okay. Nothing will happen to you.” His voice turned to a whisper. “I will give every breath in my body to ensure that you stay safe. And as you can see I have a lot of air left in these lungs,” he assured, patting his chest a few times. He then drew her into him with both arms, being careful not to place her on the side where he was stained with blood.

  “Xavier will look after you while I’m gone, and I will not be gone long. I just need a little time to figure some things out, which means counseling with the Five, seeing if they have any new information… Cyrenna undoubtedly has seen all this,” Alexander added, now looking into the rear view mirror at Xavier’s reflection.

  “Yeah, I bet Eden is experiencing quite the commotion right about now, or at least the Five must be.” Xavier glanced back into the mirror to meet Alexander’s gaze.

  “Why is this happening?” Emily sobbed as she cuddled into Alexander’s solid chest.

  “I don’t know but I promise you I will find out. And don’t assume this has anything to do with you. Do not start blaming yourself.” Alexander stroked her hair rhythmically.

  “How can you say that? This is all because of me. If it wasn’t, then why did those men want to attack me? You can’t tell me that was all coincidence. Not after what you told me earlier tonight.”

  “No, it wasn’t coincidence but what happened back there wasn’t your fault. If anyone were at fault it would be me. If I wouldn’t have interfered with your life and been so selfish and broken the rules, I’m sure you would be perfectly safe right now,” Alexander said remorsefully.

  “Don’t say that. My life is better because of you. My heart started beating again because of you. What…” She paused, suddenly fearful. “What are you implying is the solution then? Do you think we shouldn’t be together, like if you weren’t around that would fix everything? I couldn’t handle that.” Emily wept; the panic she now felt was for a different reason. The thought of not being with Alexander scared her more than the incident in the parking garage.

  “You know very well I can’t do that. Emily, I could never just leave you, it’s absolutely impossible. I’ve waited my whole existence to love you and I’m not going to give that up. But I do need to find out how to stop all of this.” He held her in silence for a few minutes, allowing her to overcome her intense emotions and tremulous nerves.

  The car came to a stop; Xavier got out and opened the back door allowing Emily to exit before Alexander. They had arrived at her apartment building and were parked in her usual spot in the garage basement. Getting out of the car sent shivers through her body. She wasn’t sure if it was because it was cold or if it was that the scene was similar to the one they had just sped away from.

  Xavier tossed Alexander his suit coat as they approached the elevator. Alexander placed the coat over his shoulders and let it hang so that it covered the wound marks on his shirt. It was a precaution, a smart measure to take, just in case they saw someone on their way through the building.

  When they reached her apartment Alexander quickly locked the door behind them and then went to search each room and check the doors leading out to the terrace. When he was certain the place was secure, he went back to where Emily was standing in the living room.

  “I won’t be gone long, I promise,” Alexander said as he pulled Emily tightly into his arms.

  She looked up into his bright green eyes and knew she could trust him. “Please hurry,” was all she could say without falling apart again.

  “I will,” Alexander responded and gently kissed her once, then twice.

  He turned to Xavier. “Do not leave her side until I get back. Understood?”

  “Yes, General,” Xavier replied without hesitation.

  Alexander’s voice softened a bit now. “Thank you for tonight, for helping protect her. I owe you, Brother.”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Xavier responded. “You better get going before you bleed all over this place. I don’t want to be mopping floors.”

  “You’re right, I can’t waste time,” Alexander concluded then turned back to Emily. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too,” Emily said out loud, but Alexander wasn’t there to hear it.

  *********

  Alexander took the steps to the top of the Gathering Stone two at a time. “Damarus,” he called out before reaching the top. “Damarus,” he urgently shouted again. As soon as he cleared the last step he could see that Damarus wasn’t there. Neither was Aldara.

  “See? There is no reason to call him, Mathaius. I informed you he was on his way,” Cyrenna nodded her head toward Alexander.

  “What’s going on? Where are Damarus and Aldara?”

  “They are meeting with The Seer,” Athos explained.

  “I hope they are getting answers because something is going on and I need to know what it is. Five men just tried to attack Emily, and I believe they had every intention of killing her,” Alexander said, a bit heated.

  “Yes, Alexander, we are aware. I saw the entire event. When I relayed it to the others, Damarus and Aldara immediately left to meet The Seer.” Cyrenna tried to calm Alexander.

  “Why would they go after Emily? When you all mentioned that the Opposition was mobilizing, I didn’t think you meant against Emily alone. You implied a war. Did any of you know they would come after Emily?” Alexander had forgotten all the formal rules of addressing the Governing Five and was letting his frustration clearly show.

  “Alexander, I assure you that we hadn’t the slightest idea who the Opposition would go after. We told you all we knew. If we had known that their target was Emily, we would have informed you,” Athos explained in his tuneful voice.

  Alexander believed them; they had no reason to lie. But, that didn’t ease the turmoil he was feeling inside. The feeling of helplessness was foreign to him.

  “Perhaps you should see to your wounds. We will call you when the others arrive,” Mathaius said in a surprisingly gentle tone. Alexander expected a scolding but Mathaius’ eyes seemed to be filled with more compassion than their last encounter.

  Mathaius could be hard and stern, but overall he still cared about protecting humans. The Opposition going after Emily must have softened him to the point that he no longer felt the need to focus on the laws that were broken.

  “I’m fine. The wound in my side is almost closed
. I am sure the one in my shoulder will heal just as quickly,” Alexander responded. “I need to be here the second they return.”

  “Have you removed the bullet?” Cyrenna asked, even though she knew the answer.

  “I have not,” Alexander suddenly remembered.

  “Athos, call for the surgeon. We should get the bullet out before Alexander heals completely over it. We all know how troublesome it can be to remove solid objects after we have healed over them,” Cyrenna warned.

  Alexander didn’t protest, he knew it was necessary to remove any foreign objects that had impaled him or lodged within his material body. Up to this point, all of Alexander’s thoughts were centered on Emily. He wasn’t concerned about his wounds or well-being.