The Wardens Boxed Set

by Heather D Glidewell

  I heard my mother breathe out slowly.

  “I’m being sent on a quest for a sketchbook and a sword?” I raised my eyebrows at them. “You know, normal families send their children on quests to the grocery store for a gallon of milk.” I stood up. “I am going to go back and check on Aaron, make sure that he is still breathing. Then I’m going to take a shower and change my clothes. After that Aaron and I are going to lunch in town. I have to process all of this.”

  My parents nodded.

  Why couldn’t I just have a normal family?

  My father turned to my mother. “I’m going to call my wife and tell her that I will be a few more days. I promise I didn’t lie to her completely. I just said that I would reconnect with my daughter. I left out the fact my ex-wife would be here.” He smiled and pushed past me.

  As soon as he was gone I took his place in front of my mother. “Really, Mom, you were in love with him?”

  “He… he was very… persuasive,” she stuttered.

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what it was.” I put my hands over my ears and went to my room.

  Aaron was sitting on my bed playing with his phone when I came in. I looked at him, then glanced over my shoulder. How long had he been awake? The conversation in the living room hadn’t been exactly quiet.

  “How much of that did you hear?” I asked cautiously.

  “Hear what? All I heard was you getting in trouble for having a weird boy in your bed.” He smiled. “I’m willing to tell them that nothing happened.”

  I rolled my eyes as my father walked by my door laughing.

  “I’m going to take a shower.” Aaron’s eyes brightened. “After that you want to grab something to eat?” I asked, opening my closet and pulling out a black long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans.

  “Yeah.” He stood up and put his arms around me.

  I appreciated the effort, and it felt nice, but it was selfish of me to even keep him around. I would be dragging him through an emotional Hell. I turned to face him and kissed him very briefly before pulling free and heading to the bathroom.

  I seriously had no idea what I was doing. Some might have thought that I was rushing into another relationship too quickly, or questioned what it said about how I really felt about Wesley. The thing is, I wasn’t looking for a relationship, well, not exactly. I was looking for something that could fill the void that Wesley had left behind. Besides, I had always moved on quickly in the past. What made this time any different?

  Whatever I had planned for Aaron I wasn’t sure of it at that point. I never guessed how important he would become to me in the short period that I knew him. As far as I was concerned, he was there to fill a gap, nothing more than that and nothing less. It didn’t mean that I loved Wesley any less; it just meant that I was trying to move on. And let’s not forget, Wesley had already done that himself.

  Chapter Twenty-Four:Windows

  I showered quickly and dressed as fast as I could, trying not to leave Aaron at the mercy of the creatures I called my parents. I didn’t know what my father might do to him. Probably make him pass out again, just for fun. He seemed sadistic that way, not that I thought my father would intentionally hurt anyone. He was just odd. He certainly seemed more unhinged than I remembered him being when I was younger.

  I wrapped a towel around my head and walked back to my room. Aaron was still sitting on my bed, messing with his phone. He let out a whistle as I entered and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I think you should leave the towel on,” he teased. “It brings out your inner sexiness.”

  I grabbed a brush off my dresser and plopped down on the bed next to him. He put his phone down and scooted behind me so I was sitting between his legs. He was affectionate, that was for sure. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that. I pulled the towel from my head and proceeded to brush my hair.

  “Leave it down today,” he said softly. “You always look so beautiful with it down.”

  I had to give him credit: he was working overtime on the making-me-feel-better shit.

  Ten minutes later we were good to go. I found my keys and told my parents I would see them later. Then we were off to town in Aaron’s black Dodge truck. We had a pleasant lunch at Adam’s dad’s diner and hung out for a few hours at his place before I asked if he would take me home. It was getting late, and with my father’s new-found interest in parenthood, I wanted to make sure I was home at a reasonable hour. About a mile from the house, Aaron pulled over to the side of the road and looked at me with serious blue eyes.

  “We’ve had a good two days, right?” he asked me.

  “Yeah, I think it’s been pretty good all things considered.” I forced a smile.

  “Good. I know it’s too early to ask you to be my girlfriend, but things are going relatively fast.” He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and shifted in his seat. “I like you. I like you a lot.”

  Where was he going with this?

  “I would just like to be able to step foot inside school on Monday and be able to tell my friends that we’re dating.”

  It was my turn to fidget. “I can go with dating.”

  Why was it that when I should be silent my lips kept moving?

  He gave me a warm smile. “Great.”

  He pulled the car back on the road and drove me the rest of the way home. He was just leaning in to kiss me at the front door when it flew open. My father was standing there. I was beginning to get really annoyed by his sudden need to be so involved in my life.

  “Good night, Aaron,” he growled, pulling me inside.

  I just had time to give Aaron a little wave and a smile before my father shut the door. Then I turned and glared at him.

  “What the Hell was that all about?” I demanded.

  “I know what you’re doing, Dawn.”

  “And what is that?” I boomed at him.

  “You are trying to fill a void. You want this Wesley boy to disappear. You don’t want to remember what it’s like to love.”

  How did he know all of this?

  Then I remembered that he could read my mind. That gave him an unfair advantage over me.

  “Normal fathers don’t invade their daughter’s private thoughts,” I protested accusingly.

  I was expecting a smart-ass response, but he looked me square in the face without even blinking. “I’m not reading your mind on this one, honey. I did it once. I still haven’t quite recovered from it.”

  He had to mean my mom. I had noticed that even while they could barely stand to be in the same room they couldn’t stop taking glances at one another. There was still something there, some hidden chemistry that they were hiding from one another. I didn’t say anything, however. I believed him when he said he hadn’t read my mind. He just understood, in some strange way, what was going on with me. It put me more at ease, feeling that little connection with Daddy. I had always had problems connecting with him. He was just too crazy, and serious, and a pain in my ass.

  “I would suggest you get it out of your system now before that boy falls head over heels for you and you are stuck in a situation that you cannot get out of,” he advised. He hesitated for a moment, then held me by both arms. “Don’t make the same mistakes that I made.”

  My phone started to buzz in my back pocket so I gave my father a weak smile and pulled it out. It was Adam. I wasn’t surprised to hear from him. I was sure the news would have spread by now: Gothic Vampire Queen Dating Lonely Skater Boy. I looked up at my father and lightly touched his face before excusing myself to answer the phone in my room.

  “So Aaron Matthews is the rebound boy, huh?”

  He didn’t even wait for me to say hello before jumping straight in.

  “How did you know?” I asked, laughing. I felt hollow inside, but Adam had a way of making me feel alive again, if only for a moment.

  “Everyone knows! Tell me, does he know that he’s a rebound? I mean, really, that has to suck.”
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br />   I sighed and sat down on my bed. “God, what is it with this town? You’d think I’d been going round advertising that he’s the first person I’ve gone out with since Wesley.”

  “So, your dad’s there? I hear he’s a pretty stellar guy. My mom ran into him at the bank, apparently. All she’s done since is swoon all over the place.” He stated making a gagging noise.

  “He showed up on our doorstep last night wanting to try this whole reconnecting with his daughter thing. I forgot how weird he is.”

  As I spoke I noticed for the first time that it was cold in my room. I looked over and saw that the window was wide open. Odd.

  “Well,” Adam went on, “I need to get to bed. I have a church thing in the morning, super early. I just wanted to call and let you know that it was getting around.” He started laughing. “You want to come over for lunch tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, that would be cool.”

  We said our farewells and I put my phone down. Then I smelled the familiar odor of sulfur in the air.

  “Dad!” I screamed.

  I stood up and rushed to the door but it slammed shut. I could hear my father on the other side, banging on it and trying to get in.

  It was already too late. He was in my room with that sinister grin on his face.

  “Did you miss me? Oh, it seems so long since I saw you last.” He gave me a long brooding look, licking his pale lips. “Your broken bleeding body tossed aside, used for my own amusement.” He was glaring at me now, his eyes staring straight into my soul.

  “Dawn!” My father was screaming through the door. He was panicking, trying to figure out why he couldn’t get in.

  I stood there frozen. I felt fear and anger surge through my body and the images of that night swarmed my brain cells. Every inch of me screamed to run—to run and hide, but I just stood there face-to-face with my violator, lost in horrible memories of the last time we met. I could feel his punches and smell his breath; that horrible feeling that something was being ripped from me. I pushed it down into my gut. I was not going to run. I was not going to hide.

  “Oh, Daddy’s here,” he smiled widely and took a step forward. “Sweet princess, shall we let Daddy in?”

  With a snap of his fingers my door shattered into wooden splinters and my father stepped in, his eyes black as night and his hands burning with a blue flame. He looked incredibly fearsome, like something out of a horrible nightmare, but I just stood there.

  “Jonathan Borrows. Long time no see,” my father spat.

  I could see the fires of Hell in his black eyes. If this had happened four years earlier I would have cowered, or cried myself into madness, but now I understood the amazing power that my father held in his agile body.

  “Has it been so long?” My violator spoke, switching his focus from me to my father. “You look as ravishing as ever, Damien,” he teased, still grinning.

  “What business do you have here?” My father was a mass of seething fire as the flames rose up his body, enveloping his arms and shoulders.

  “Oh, hasn’t your daughter told you?” He clasped his hands together and attempted to look innocent. “We are madly in love. We plan on getting married in the spring. Do you object, Daddy dearest?” His eyes darkened and he glared at me with such hatred in his eyes. “It just sucks that she was already impure.”

  With such a dark soul stuck in such a young body the boy was absolutely horrifying. He wore a beautiful young face, but had eyes that could rip your soul right from your body with just a blink.

  “That is my daughter you speak of,” my father warned in a deep voice.

  “Oh, don’t sound so surprised. The child of a demon is bound to overflow with sexual promiscuity. I know your secret!” He exclaimed suddenly, a laugh erupting from his throat. “You see, I know who you are!” Then he became deadly serious. “I didn’t quite make it to the Hell that you told me about. I was saved by a glorious angel. She told me things about you. Now look at you, a family man with such a beautiful daughter. Needless to say, I do see that my message was well received.”

  “What do you want with my daughter?” my father demanded. The fire coming from him engulfed his whole body, and then reached for me. “Dawn, get inside the fire. He cannot hurt you there.”

  I grabbed my father’s hand and was instantly surrounded by flame. I felt a dark pull inside of me and did my best to hold it at bay. The power was immense, and I swore I could hear the cries of all the souls my father had taken.

  How was this supposed to save me from being hurt?

  “What do I want?” my assailant echoed. “What every love-struck teenager wants—a life with the woman he loves.” He looked sad for a moment, but then a devious grin spread across his face. “Well, in this case, loved. You know, she never told me what she was, but it was already too late for her. He had already spoken to me through my muse.”

  I could have sworn I saw the boy twitch.

  “What are you talking about?” my father demanded.

  I could feel his power surging through my hand. I could hear his thoughts. I could hear his heart not beating.

  Wait. My father’s heart wasn’t beating?

  I suddenly became more concerned with my father’s lack of a pulse than with the boy standing ten feet in front of me. Then I became aware of everything around us reflecting white.

  “The girl was half-angel, you beast! A child born of purity. Who told you what she was? I demand to know!” My mother’s voice rang out from behind us. I turned and saw her blonde hair flowing like a ribbon behind her head, her eyes as white as milk, her lips as red as blood.

  John looked horrified as he stared at her. I got the feeling he hadn’t expected this.

  “That girl loved you!” my mother screamed, tears streaming down her face. “She trusted you and you turned around and did those awful things to her!”

  John stammered as he glared at my mother. “L-Lucifer himself told me through the voice of a beautiful demon. I did as he commanded: ripped her of her purity and took her life. If she loved me she would have told me!” His voice faltered. For a second I could have sworn I saw a scared boy behind those eyes.

  “Lucifer would never demand the death of a hybrid angel!” my mother retorted fiercely. “He knows that it could lead to war with the Kingdom of Heaven.”

  “I did to her what I tried to do with your daughter. My savior told me it would make her go away, that if I killed her she could be mine forever! Except, apparently, it doesn’t work the same way as it did before. Dawn is much stronger than she appears. I couldn’t pull the last of innocence from her and force her balance to falter. She is as much one as she is the other.” He looked confused as he backed away from my mother. She was pulling the truth from him by force.

  His eyes switched to me, protected inside my armor of flame. There was a second where he seemed to be pleading. Then, finally, recognition swept across his face.

  “A child of darkness and light! Oh, how she will love this! I am not prepared for this fight. She did not know what you were, oh, but I do.” He let out a sinister giggle and pointed at me. “When I am ready I will return and my hands will spill your precious halfling blood and in death you will be mine.”

  And, with that, he was gone. The only thing that remained was a slight smell of sulfur. My mother’s light went out first and her eyes turned blue and sad. She had pulled a truth from my violator, but it had been a truth that she did not want to know. The anger and hate that seared through me kept me ablaze even after my father dropped my hand. I stood there burning, vowing that I would get vengeance. First for Wesley, and then for myself. And if I had to bring the worlds of Heaven and Hell with me so be it.

  “Dawn?”

  My mother’s voice penetrated my brain, but it was like I could not hear her. I glanced at her blindly and answered in a voice that was somehow not exactly my own.

  “I need to get out of here. I need to think. He knows about me now. He’ll t
ell her and then he’ll be back. I have no idea what to do. I need to find the answers.” I could feel hot tears running down my face.

  They both watched as I left the room, my fire slowly fizzling out, leaving smoke rings behind me. I grabbed my keys and walked outside to my car. I had no idea where I was going. I put the car in reverse and drove off into the night. Wherever I was headed, I would know when I got there. Something was pulling me, a force I couldn’t understand. It had a pleasant burn to it, which was what was making it so tempting.

  Maybe it was the residual power of my father in my veins, or maybe it was the truth of what I had been told. Either way I would figure this entire mess out and prevent anything else happening. I was not going to be John’s in life or death, and Wesley was not going to fall prey to that half-demon slut.

  ***

  I wound up by the water, in my own little island of serenity, where I sat and stared at the stars. How could it seem that the world was so peaceful when in fact there was so much in it that wasn’t? The heavens looked so inviting; no wonder my mother loved being up there with the stars. I was sitting there looking up and thinking when I heard a twig break behind me. I turned to look. I saw nothing at first, then finally a foot stepped out into the clearing of my sanctuary. A tall male with blue eyes and golden hair stared at me curiously. I knew I shouldn’t fear him as he approached, his eyes staring straight into mine.

  “Child of darkness, child of light, why is there pain and fear inside your heart?” I could see the pity in his eyes.

  “Who are you?”

  “I am Ramiel.” He took a seat next to me. “Have no worries. I come from there.” He pointed up at the sky.

  “There are not many things that I fear,” I said quietly as he stretched out his long legs.

  “That is reassuring. He said you would be a strong one.” He smiled at me. I found his presence comforting.

  “Who said what about me?” I asked, curious.