My Guardian

by Alanea Alder

  Adriel turned to Aiden. "What do we do?"

  "Gavriel donated blood. It gave the shifter blood a boost and allowed him to heal," Aiden explained.

  Adriel held out his arm. "Take mine. Take whatever she needs."

  Broderick looked around the room, concern written all over his face. "She'll need quite a bit, probably more than Adriel can safely provide."

  "Do not worry, love; I will donate too." Caspian offered.

  Broderick looked relieved. "Lay down Adriel, we'll get started."

  Adriel quickly jumped up on the gurney, and he was wheeled next to Eva. Seconds seemed to drag by but, before he knew it, the IV was in and his blood was flowing into his mate. After a few minutes, Eva groaned, and her eyes began to flutter.

  "That's fine; we'll switch now." Broderick said, turning to remove his IV.

  Adriel wrapped his hand around his arm, protecting the needle. "I can give more."

  Broderick shook his head. "Adriel, she's doing much better, let Caspian donate."

  Adriel knew the smart thing to do would be to allow Caspian to donate to Eva. But even though it had not been spoken, he knew that if he allowed Caspian to donate, he and Eva would be tied together forever. Adriel did not want her tied to anyone but him.

  "No." He closed his eyes. "No one but me." He could easily give more; he felt fine.

  "Adriel, any vampire can donate to Eva, but not to you. Please let Caspian donate," Broderick pleaded.

  "No. She's mine," Adriel hissed, and his fangs dropped past his chin. Everything was getting bleary, but he remembered one thing: he could not move his hand. Broderick, Caspian, and even Aiden tried to peel his fingers away, but they could not.

  "What's he doing?" he heard a heavenly voice ask.

  "The damn fool is getting himself killed," Broderick answered.

  "What!"

  Adriel smiled at the sound of the voice. "My love."

  "I am gonna kick your ass all over this level if you don't move your hand!" the woman yelled.

  He chuckled. "So feisty." At her touch, his hand fell away. "Just going to rest for a few minutes, love."

  He closed his eyes and fell into a cold abyss.

  *****

  "Take it out!" Eva yelled, holding up her arm.

  Broderick quickly removed the IV. "He gave too much."

  Eva looked around the room; she started to hop off the table and winced, her leg burned. "Fucker bit me." Grimacing, she sat up and faced Adriel. "Okay, so who can give him blood?" Everyone around her was silent. "Well?"

  Broderick wrung his hands. "Vampires are universal donors. Because they ingest so many different types of blood, their own blood is compatible with anyone. However, in order to receive blood, a vampire needs another vampire of the same blood type."

  "So get someone down here with his blood type." She reached out and touched Adriel's cheek. He was ice cold.

  Broderick shook his head. "It's not that easy. Unlike shifters and humans, vampires have their own strains of blood, usually traceable back to their family line, their bloodline. Adriel has no family in the city. If he were a DuBois donating to a Fabre or Tremblay, it might work, their bloodlines have intermated over the centuries being of Noble or Founding blood, but Adriel isn't."

  Eva's mind scrambled. She wasn't losing him, not now, not because of her. She looked around the room; everywhere she looked she saw resignation and sympathy. Her eyes met Gavriel's. His gray eyes, just like... She gasped.

  "He's an Ambrosios!" she yelled, reaching for Gavriel.

  Gavriel's brows snapped together as he frowned fiercely. "No, he is not. I would have known. My family is gone."

  Eva shook her head. "No time to explain, he is. Please!" she pleaded.

  Gavriel's face softened. "I know you want to save him, but if I gave him my blood and we were not related, it would kill him."

  "He has the Book of Life for House Ambrosios, Gods! Look at him! You could use each other as shaving mirrors!" Eva shouted.

  Beth gasped and stepped forward; white tear streaks lined on her cheeks. "She's right, he could be your brother you look so much alike. Why did I never see it?"

  Gavriel grabbed her hands. "This is very important. Does he truly have the Ambrosios Book of Life?"

  "Yes! He said he did, it was passed to him from his great-great-great grandmother. She was human and kicked out of Noctem Falls when her vampire mate was killed. She changed her name so they couldn't find her." Eva choked on her tears. She looked up into Gavriel's eyes. "Please save him," she begged.

  Gavriel reached up and simply ripped away both his suit and shirt sleeve. "Broderick, do it." He offered up his arm.

  "Thank you, thank you, thank you," Eva repeated. Beth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He'll be just fine."

  Already, Gavriel's blood was making a difference. Adriel's skin, which had been ice cold to the touch, was warming. Eva lay back and rolled on to her side. She took his hand.

  Behind her, Beth gently stroked her hair. "Rest Eva, we'll take care of you both. You're family."

  She closed her eyes, but kept her hand on her mate; if she was touching him, then he couldn't leave her. "Just five minutes, and then I'd like some coffee and a pop tart." She heard someone chuckle and smiled at the sound; it was the last thing she heard for a while.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Eva smiled as she looked around. Her pack, true to their Texas roots, organized one of the biggest barbecues she had ever seen. The vampire vendors had outdone themselves, supplying cart after cart of food. The children played in the middle of the marketplace under the watchful eyes of both shifters and vampires. Already, the vampires were spoiling the shifter children rotten, much to their parent's surprise. When Adora heard how few children had been born in the city in the past hundred years, she organized vampire babysitters so that everyone would have a chance to play with the children; it was a huge success.

  Jorge passed her another beer. She nodded and accepted it.

  "So you found the bastard that killed our people?"

  Eva nodded. "Yeah, but he got away."

  "We'll find him, Eva. We're trying to talk Prince Magnus into letting us hunt down there in small packs."

  "What'd he say?" Both she and her mate had slept for nearly thirty-six hours. When they woke, a lot had already been discussed about tracking down Augustus. She was still trying to catch up.

  Jorge looked out over the crowd. "He wants to make sure that the tunnels are safe before large groups are allowed down there."

  "Sounds like a good idea. I was down there, Jorge, some of the walls looked like they were about to topple over."

  Jorge looked at her. "So he wasn't just trying to keep us from going down there?"

  She shook her head. "Nah, I believe him. It's pretty bad down there."

  Jorge sat back. "I feel better after hearing you say that. I'll let the rest of the pack know."

  "I'd appreciate that."

  "You do know Stefan just about came unglued when he heard you almost died."

  "Shit. I'll get with him later. Though why he's so locked on me, I'll never know."

  Jorge laughed. "You don't remember, do you?"

  Eva wracked her brain. "Remember what?"

  "Hell, he'll kill me if he finds out I told you." Jorge looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "You probably don't remember because you've made it a habit to pull wolf pups outta scrapes. But the reason why Stefan treats you the way he does is because you saved his life and mine when we were young."

  Eva frowned. "I did?"

  "Yeah. Do you remember shifting to tiger and getting between a coyote pack and two wolf pups?"

  Eva's mouth dropped. "That was you two?"

  "Yup. From then on out, to him, you were his big sister, his Eva." Jorge tilted his beer toward the crowd pointing to where Stefan was throwing kids in the air and making them squeal.

  Eva felt her cheeks blaze. "Silly pups."

  Jorge gave her a look full of love
. "Don't think I don't know it was you that fought those ferals in the desert, giving me time to get Josie to safety. You're my big sister too. We won't rest until the son of a bitch that hurt you is dead at our feet," he vowed.

  "Can't you just name your pup after me," she countered. She really didn't want to worry about Jorge and Stefan in the bowels of the city.

  Jorge threw back his head and laughed. "Hell no! There's only one Eva Mae."

  "I could not have said it better myself," a sexy voice agreed.

  "Love you too," Eva pursed her lips and wasn't disappointed. Adriel leaned down and kissed her thoroughly. After nearly dying, they never passed up a chance to show affection.

  "Do you have a moment? Gavriel, Beth, Meryn, and Aiden are waiting for us. Evidently, I have a story to tell." He held out his hand and helped her stand.

  "For you, anything." She leaned in and kissed his jaw.

  Adriel inclined his head to Jorge and led her toward the transport tunnel. Eva saw everyone waiting for them at the launching platform. They had just reached the group when a man stepped in front of them.

  "Eva wasn't it? So sorry to hear of your ordeal. How dreadful it must have been to be chewed up like that!" Ivan DeLaFontaine smiled, his eyes dancing with glee.

  "Well bless your heart," she said, smiling back.

  "I know what that means. That's southern for 'fuck you'," Meryn chirped, popping up next to her.

  Ivan's smile cracked a bit. "And there's the commander's midget. Haven't they taught you not to speak until spoken to, little girl?" he asked Meryn condescendingly.

  Eva just started to laugh. "You poor bastard." Shaking her head, she smiled up at him.

  "This. Is. Sparta!" Meryn yelled.

  Without a second thought, Eva pivoted on her foot and roundhouse kicked him in the chest. Just like the tunnel escort, he flew back into the tunnel. Grinning, Ryuu snapped his fingers, and Ivan convulsed as blue electricity raced over his body before he dropped from sight. Wolf howls and piercing whistles from the vampires exploded from behind them. Cheers and laughter erupted as the refugees chanted her name.

  "Eva! Eva! Eva!"

  Aiden, Adriel, and Gavriel grinned proudly.

  Beth laughed. "I shouldn't be laughing, but I've wanted to do that for decades! Oh Meryn, you're a delight!" Beth kissed the top of Meryn's head. She turned to her. "How did you know the net was replaced?"

  Eva blinked. "The net was replaced?"

  "She's the awesome one! Did you see that kick! POW!" Meryn took a defensive stance and karate chopped an imaginary board.

  "It will be worth the headache later, placating the DeLaFontaine family." Beth looped her arms though Eva's. "The kick was impressive."

  Eva waved at her idiotic pack and turned to her mate. "Sorry about that."

  Adriel shrugged. "I am not."

  Meryn swaggered up to her mate. "There's a new sheriff in town, partner."

  Gavriel wrapped an arm around Beth. "Ladies, I do believe that Sebastian has some special treats made for us, at my request." He winked at Meryn.

  "Treats? Magic pudding?" Meryn hopped into the tunnel and dropped out of sight.

  "Meryn!" Aiden screamed, racing to the edge. Meryn floated up and stopped at the entrance.

  Eva turned to Beth. "She forgot to tell him about the stones?" she asked casually.

  "I would say that's a safe assumption."

  Aiden pulled a floating Meryn into his arms and refused to let go. "Ai-den! It's not like Ryuu would let me drop." Meryn wiggled until he let go. "The twins gave me this cool stone so I don't have to have an escort anymore."

  Aiden turned to Adriel. "Was that wise?"

  Adriel grimaced. "Too late now, I suppose."

  "Meryn, what word did they choose for pause?" Eva asked.

  "Spatium," Meryn said.

  "Neat."

  Ryuu stepped into the tunnel to stand in mid-air beside Meryn. Gavriel escorted Beth. Adriel looked between her and his commander. She held up her stone. "Never leave home without it," she winked.

  Adriel escorted Aiden down while she and Meryn played with the different commands. Once on Level One, Beth tapped her lips. "I wonder if the twins could make me one."

  "Probably, though they have to make sure that they don't have any major magic lined up. I heard it wipes them," Meryn informed her sister.

  Sebastian held the door open for them. "My prince is waiting for you in the dining room."

  When Eva reached for her mate's hand, she was surprised to discover it trembled slightly. She let the others walk ahead of them. Once they were out of sight in the dining room, she raised an eyebrow.

  He shook his head. Nervous, he mouthed.

  She leaned in and rested her lips against his. He responded by rubbing their noses together.

  "Come on." She lifted his hand up in hers and kissed it.

  Together, they walked into the dining room and sat down in their normal chairs, but unlike before, there was a heaviness to the air.

  Magnus eyed him. "Son, I believe you have a story to tell."

  Adriel took a deep breath and stood. "I do, but first, Sebastian if you would. I delivered it this morning."

  Sebastian stepped forward a look of reverence on his face. He handed Gavriel a linen wrapped object. With shaking hands, Gavriel accepted it and gently placed it on the table. He opened the folded cloth to reveal a large ornately decorated leather bound tome. "It is real; this is the Ambrosios Book of Life." He turned to Adriel, tears in his eyes. "Thank you for guarding it. I thought it was lost, destroyed at the hands of those too blinded by jealousy to see the true gift it is."

  Gavriel opened the pages, and his eyes traveled from left to right before stopping. He inhaled sharply as tears flowed down his face unchecked. "Aylia. My mother's name was Aylia. After so many years, I had forgotten." He closed his eyes and leaned back.

  Adriel began to shake beside her. "That is impossible; she is one of the earliest recorded family members. She is one of our Originators. For you to be her son, you would have to be..." She watched as her pragmatic mate inhaled sharply and then began to hyperventilate.

  Beth wiped at her eyes. "Oh dear."

  Eva rubbed her mate's back in gentle circles. "Easy now, just breathe."

  Adriel just continued to choke on air and point at Gavriel who was watching him with a gentle smile on his face.

  "What?" Eva asked. "What am I missing? Why is my mate having a meltdown?"

  Gavriel rotated the book on the table so she could see. He pointed at the very top of the family tree. "That is my mother."

  Eva's eyes traced generations of vampire names down the page until at the bottom she spotted her mate's. She swallowed. "How many years is that?"

  "Over ten thousand," Gavriel replied.

  Meryn hopped up out of her chair and looked at the page. She began to giggle. "Look at your tiny little nub."

  Eva focused on what Meryn was pointing to. At the top of the page with no descendants listed under it like the others, the name Gavriel was drawn in script more magnificent than she had ever seen in any illuminated manuscript. It was a lonely branch at the top of the tree.

  "You are my...my..." Adriel tried to take deeper breaths.

  Gavriel winced. "Can we not count the greats?"

  Adriel just nodded. "Of course."

  Meryn bumped Beth. "You had a crush on your mate's super-great nephew or whatever."

  Beth clapped both hands over her mouth, and Meryn giggled.

  Eva chuckled. "Well, it makes sense if she was destined for Gavriel, doesn't it."

  Beth lowered her hands. "When you say it like that it does."

  Eva turned to her mate. "How are you doin'?"

  "Better, doing better." Adriel still looked a bit wild eyed but he was breathing easier. He turned to Magnus. "If I had the book, and it had been missing for thousands of years, why did you tell the Founding and Noble families you verified his identity? How could you possibly have checked his claim when I had the
Ambrosios Book of Life?"

  "This is getting good," Meryn settled back in her seat and popped a spoonful of pudding in her mouth.

  Magnus sat back. "Because Gavriel was able to recite the names of every Founding and Noble family member dating back to the creation of the books. I may not have had the Ambrosios book, but I had the others."

  "Gods, what you must have seen." Adriel stared at Gavriel in wonder.

  "Why did your family end up leaving the city? Eva said something about being kicked out," Gavriel asked.

  "My great-great-great grandmother was human. From everything I have heard, interspecies matings were not as widely accepted then as they are now. She was forced from her home, but managed to take the one thing that proved who she was, as her name was recorded as being mated to an Ambrosios."

  "I searched for thousands of years but could not find any trace of my family after the Great War." Gavriel traced the ink on the page.

  "She was smart. She knew if she kept the name Ambrosios, she would never know a day's peace. So she changed her name and made it a tradition that every generation after her would change it. To anyone in the paranormal community, we were simply a young vampire family with no ties," Adriel explained. "After the Great War, the name Ambrosios became a target after being elevated by the council to royalty. Accidents happened, many of them and before anyone realized it, the last known Ambrosios was gone and the House extinct."

  Gavriel's eyes flashed. "Do you have any idea who was responsible?"

  Adriel shook his head. "I do not believe it was any one family, more than likely a group effort by those who felt slighted."

  "After all we did trying to save as many lives as possible, that is how my family was repaid." Gavriel's face looked tired and sad.

  "Look where it got them. It's not like any of them became royalty. I mean didn't we just drop kick a Founding Family member into the net?" Meryn asked, waving her spoon about.

  Magnus paled. "You what?"

  Beth spun in her chair. "Now Unky, he really deserved it."

  Magnus covered his eyes with his hand. "Who?"

  "Ivan DeLaFontaine," she said, closing one eye and leaning away from her uncle.