Veiled Guardian: A Borne of Angels Novel (The Awakening Book 1)

by Leigha Wolffe

  I felt a sudden sharp pain in my arm and screamed as it clamped its razor-sharp teeth down and I felt the acid begin to eat away at my flesh. I grabbed a handful of skin above the mouth and pulled as hard as I could. Its flesh rent away with a sickening rip, causing it to release me, but the other was already closing in. Luckily, its blood wasn’t acidic as well, or this fight would’ve been over. I rounded on the second monster trying to come in behind me and launched myself into the air. It grabbed my ankle and bit down, but it couldn’t maintain its grip as I rose higher and higher. It fell, landing with a crunch a few feet from its friend.

  I thought surely that would be it, but it started to get up. I felt the same fire I’d felt before surge within me. Heavenly flames, I heard whispered in my mind just as I let it fly. It would weaken me, I could feel it, but it was the only way. The monsters burst into flames, but I could feel myself weakening. I was still new at this, and we weren’t as strong yet as we would be. My body sagged, and I saw more demons rounding the corner just as something sharp tore into my back.

  “No!” I vaguely heard the distant scream.

  I’d seen the massive leathery wings too late, and the talon sticking out through my stomach was all the proof anyone needed. I started to fall. I was plummeting to the earth, struggling to make my wings work to slow my descent when strong arms enveloped me. We slowed and landed on the ground below, demons on the ground and above. Ash’s concerned face appeared above me. I could feel myself healing already, and sent him a wave through our connection, telling him as much. He stood, enormous gray wings out behind him, his eyes a dangerous frenzy of flames, and I heard whispers from the few demons surrounding us.

  “Death,” they whispered in gravelly voices and snake-like hisses. They began to back away, slowly, disappearing into alleys and shadows. Even the enormous winged things above us disappeared into God-knows-where.

  I heard footsteps behind me, and I could smell Jade getting closer as Ash stood protectively above me. My skin had almost knit itself back together, but my strength was nowhere near back to normal. I tried to sit up, and Ash was there, or at least I thought he was. One look at his face and I knew exactly who was holding me. Death. My mate. So weird.

  His lips met mine gently, but everything he’d felt while Ash and Jade had searched for me, when that monster had skewered me, and during my subsequent fall rushed into my mind through our bond. He pulled away slightly and gave my injuries a quick once over before turning back to meet my eyes.

  “I thought… I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner. He and I aren’t strong enough for me to stay for long. Just know I want to be here with you more than anything. He does too, he just has some things to work through, but we will always be able to find you, now. To keep you safe. I’m sorry I deceived you, my love.” His eyes showed me everything he’d just said, and the truth of it rang through our bond into my mind.

  I struggled to sit up further, eliciting a groan and several curse words from my mouth before responding, “Ass.” I’ve never seen someone’s face light up so brightly in response to being called an ass, but his did and it was dazzling.

  A rogue-ish grin settled in place over his joyful exuberance as he responded, “I’m sorry, is that just one more in the exquisitely intricate series of obscenities to fall from your deliciously sinful lips, or are you addressing me now?”

  “You. Ass. How could you do this? How could you not tell me? Also, I forgive you. And I miss you. And I want him to get his shit together,” I almost sobbed as threw my arms around my faux Ash and clung to Death like my life depended on him.

  “He will. I swear it,” he whispered into my hair. “And until then, remember it is not forever. I will come through when I can, and I will work on our bond, his and mine.” My Angel pulled back to look into my eyes. “I will make us one. We will all be one. I love you.”

  And with that, his wings folded back into him and he was gone, leaving an awkward, terrified looking Ash in my arms. I felt the change like a hot knife on my buttery soul as it cleaved a part of me away from the rest. Temporary or not, it hurt.

  I attempted to release the Ash I was currently holding, but he grabbed me tightly and wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug. I let him. His heart was pounding, and he was shaking. Whatever issues we had to deal with, he cared about me too, and he had been just as worried. His concern for my well-being had been the reason he’d released his inner demon in the first place. It wasn’t what I wanted but it was something, and I had to believe we’d get there, eventually. We had to.

  “I’m okay. I promise. He saved me,” I whispered. “You saved me,” I clarified for his benefit. I’m not certain the message got through, but Ash pulled back and regarded me silently for a moment. I was mostly healed, inside and out now, so I attempted to stand, stumbling and ending up in Ash’s arms, yet again.

  “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” he said with a weak grin, and my face fell in shock. Did he remember? “You know, the shower? Sorry, bad timing,” he mumbled awkwardly, backing away and running a hand through his tousled golden curls.

  No. He didn’t. It didn’t matter. We had bigger fish to fry at the moment. Jade was looking between us like she was watching the strangest soap opera ever to grace the small screen, but she shook her head and snapped out of it. I stood and turned toward them, intending to explain that we had to keep moving, more people needed our help, but then her hands were on our shoulders and… Poof. Home.

  Well, Ash’s home. It might never be mine I reminded myself and felt the prick of hot tears. But I couldn’t allow myself to grieve just yet. There were so many things I wanted to grieve, so many, but there was just no time. People were dying, so many people, and we had to help as many as we could. I rounded on Jade, who was already backing away with her hands up.

  “Alex, I had to. I know you want to help those people, but you can help far more by coming to Germany with us and re-anchoring the Veil.” Her eyes were wide, and she looked a little nervous. I’d never seen Jade nervous. Of course, that was probably because she was a goddess. I mean, what on Earth could make a goddess nervous? Oh, yeah. Me, apparently.

  I stopped for a moment to consider her words and what we were trying to accomplish. One demon at a time wasn’t going to do it. They would just keep coming through, a never-ending barrage of monsters just waiting to get through the dying Veil.

  “You’re right.”

  “I know,” Jade responded without missing a beat. “Admittedly, a little surprised you do.”

  “No, you’re right. Plug the leak and save more people. But we need to go, now. Where are the wolves?”

  “I’m here,” someone called from across the yard.

  “Stefan? Where are the others? Lukas? Peter? Niklas?”

  “I don’t know. After you guys left last night, they decided to go to the club you mentioned. They were still gone when I woke up this morning.” I had a weird feeling about the missing wolves. Why would they go to the club when their people were dying? Unless they were following us. Or reporting to someone.

  “Stefan,” I called, making eye contact with the wolf who was a stranger to me. “How well do you know the others?”

  “Not well. We live in different areas of the territory, different communities. I’ve met them in passing, but that’s about it.”

  “Awesome,” Jade said, poofing away and back. She returned holding several bags which she offered to us. “Well, that does not bode well, but we don’t have time to worry about it right now. We’ve gotta get that Veil anchored before everything goes to shit.” When nobody moved, Jade continued, “We’re talking Revelations style Apocalypse here, people. Let’s move!” This time she was waving us all to her.

  “Hands in everybody!” And as we all reached for her, she reached out, making contact with all of us and... poof, we were gone.

  Or rather, we were here. We were... No. No, no, no.

  “Jade. Why are we at Tennyn Castle?”

  “I know, but this is it,
baby. There’s a reason the wedding was held here. This was the site of the original Anchoring. There is immense power here, which is why they do the anchor transfers here in the first place. We have to be able to tap into it if we’re going to re-anchor a fallen Veil.”

  “Everybody be on alert. If my father is involved in any way, this could go south fast,” Ash said. I didn’t look at him. I didn’t need to, since I could feel him now, but also, I just couldn’t. The world was ending, and my little mate problem was, well… not on the top of the priority list at the second. But if I looked at him, I wasn’t sure I could keep myself focused. Maybe after we stopped the whole end of the world nonsense.

  Just then a group of men and women, wolves from the smell of them, rounded a corner onto the path in front of us and stopped in their tracks. In their defense we were a little on edge and a few choice noises might’ve escaped several lips. That combined with my awesome wing display when they shot out wide behind me brought them to a dead stop. Every one of them was staring at me in silence until someone cried, “My Goddess!”

  To which Jade replied snarkily, “Yes?” under her breath, and I couldn’t hold it in. Laughter burst forth from me, completely unrestrained. This entire situation had come full circle. We were literally back where we started, and the utter ridiculousness of the entire situation seemed to have become too much for my increasingly fragile mind to bear.

  They ignored her, not realizing who she was. “It’s true!” The same man yelled. “A true Guardian. The first in millennia!” They all hit their knees, bent at the hips, hands and foreheads to the ground with a resounding, “Guardian!”

  I just laughed harder. I couldn’t. I absolutely couldn’t.

  “Great Earth Mother, she’s mad!” said one man, and a woman followed with, “The power must have been too much for her human mind.”

  “She was never human,” Jade hissed at the group. “She is nephilim and your Guardian. Not one of you will endure in your lifetime, no matter how long that might be, even half of what she has endured in the past few weeks, now you will show her the proper respect. Now, quiet! And bow to your Guardian.” Jade to the rescue.

  Several of the group immediately dropped to one knee at Jade’s command. Oh, hell no.

  “No!” I yelled, almost too vehemently despite the tears of laughter still squeezing from my eyes. I softened my tone slightly and attempted to compose myself before I continued. “No. Please, get up. I’m sorry about that display. The world is falling apart, your way of life... your lives are being threatened, and I do take that very seriously. I think being back here triggered a bit of latent shock. You do not bow to me. I am your warrior, not your ruler or your god. If you need to bow to someone,”—I pointed at Jade who shot me a warning look I completely ignored—“there stands your Goddess. Bow to the Earth Mother and point me in the direction of the Anchor ceremony. Quickly.”

  The eyes of every wolf in the group shot to Jade, and she turned on me with murder in her eyes. I shrugged, but... sorry, not sorry. I didn’t have time for this nonsense, and since she had to help, they’d have found out who she was eventually anyway. At this moment, we just needed to get a move on.

  “I will take you, Guardian,” Stefan spoke up. “There are some aspects of the ceremony they will need the Goddess to assist with. Our magic is not what it once was.” I nodded my consent, and we were off.

  Poor Jade was being mobbed by her people, but Ash was at my back as we began winding our way down stone paths and corridors until we came to an open room. I froze. I remembered this room. It haunted my dreams, waking and asleep. Ash caught my arm as I backed into him, not realizing I had been moving in the first place.

  “It’s gonna be okay. I’ve got you,” Ash whispered as the doors behind us slammed shut.

  “I wouldn’t be so quick to promise things you can’t deliver, Son.”

  27

  Alex

  “Ah, so you remember this room. I was so hoping you would, Alexis,” the deep voice chirped happily from the dais at the front of the room.

  Henry Tennyn. His voice sent chills down my spine and lit a flame in my heart. This man had taken everything from me, and even killing him hadn’t stopped him. The damage he had done had left rot behind, and it was spreading the way evil did. I immediately looked back to Ash, knowing what this usually did to him, but when I caught his expression, a well of hope bloomed in my chest. He didn’t look frightened at all. He looked murderous.

  “Welcome back, Alexis. And Ash, my boy. I’m surprised to see you both. My final reports were that the hellhounds were finishing off the Guardian. Then when my demons went back, there were just burning corpses, and no sign of Alex or the rest of the hounds. Perhaps you two can shed some light on what’s happened to the rest of my pack. They aren’t unlimited in numbers, you know.”

  I looked quizzically at Ash but quickly trained my expression at the slightest twitch of his head to the side. He still had a few secrets to cash in, and while I didn’t know exactly what those secrets were—and against my better judgement, I might add—I trusted Ash. I could feel a certain level of resigned confidence rolling through our connection. Like he knew exactly how to win, he just didn’t like it.

  I looked back at Henry, giving nothing away, so he rolled his eyes and continued. “Children. You never seem to know when you’re beat. Andrew had that problem, too.” Ash and I both snarled at him and Henry just laughed. “Okay, low blow. You’re right. I’ve won, I suppose I should do so graciously. Stefan…”

  In the next instant, Ash and I both flinched and grabbed our necks. We both looked at our hands, then at each other. The sight of Ash started to get a little blurry, and I felt myself stumble. Ash tried to catch me, and went down hard, but sat right up, so at least I knew he was okay and still conscious. Just before I lost sight of the walls, I saw the other three wolves: Lukas, Niklas, and Peter. They were bound and gagged behind the dais. So that’s where they disappeared to. It seemed not all the wolves were on board with team Henry, so maybe that could help us. It also made Stefan a traitor and made me wonder what had become of Jade, or the moron who tried to attack her.

  “Little concoction some friends brewed up for me. With whatever magic you two possess, it won’t kill you, but it should keep you docile for a bit,” Henry continued, tapping his fingertips together in true psychopathic fashion. “I did try to ensure your presence wouldn’t be required. I know what tragic memories this place must hold for you. The place where you took my son from me.” His voice lowered to something closer to a growl, “But since my demons failed to kill you… Better to have you close by where I can keep an eye on you.”

  I felt a tug and slight pain at my neck before I heard a tiny snap and saw Stefan carrying a tiny chain toward Henry. My locket. He took my locket. Why did he take my locket?

  “Congratulations on that by the way. Killing my hounds, I mean. You seem to have become much stronger than I could have imagined in such a short time. Perhaps when this unpleasantness is all over with, you’d make a good trophy wife,” Henry purred as he walked around me. “Or just a good trophy,” he whispered in my ear, his breath stirring my hair, and his hand trailing up my thigh. Ewwww! And when had he gotten so close? And EWWWW!

  The room and everything in it had been getting blurrier by the second, but it seemed to be slowing down. It wasn’t any easier to focus on anything, but it didn’t seem to be any more difficult, either. I could hear something happening near the dais at the front of the room, and I could hear men speaking, grunting, and a struggle, but I couldn’t quite make out the words.

  Then I heard Stefan yell, “No!” from the back of the room. He rushed forward but the distinct smell of blood pierced the air before he even reached us. Wolf blood, I thought as the image of the three men tied up on the floor flashed in my mind’s eye. Oh, no…

  Stefan collapsed onto his knees on the floor next to me, reeking of guilt and despair. He’d said he didn’t know the others, but it had obviously been a lie.
They had been his friends and based on the concentration of the smell of blood in the room, they wouldn’t survive. He leapt suddenly from the ground and raced to the back of the room. I assumed he was headed for the door, but there was a loud bang and a soft thud as something heavy hit the ground, and I knew he didn’t make it. I heard the sounds of chanting from the front of the room near the dais, and the sudden faint smell of Ash’s blood. Immediately, my eyes found Ash, but he was in the same position and much the same state as the last time I looked down.

  He was laying on his back looking up at me, when I felt our link burst open. He couldn’t close it, but he could throttle the hell out of it if he really wanted to, and that was exactly what he’d been doing. Until now. The dam burst, and I could feel everything he was feeling and thinking. I tried to filter through the stuff pertaining to us—there just wasn’t time—and finally I found the ‘right now’ feelings he was sending me. The impressions I got were a little fuzzy, because his head was fuzzy, but like mine, his senses were getting clearer, just not as quickly. He had a plan. He just needed a little time to burn off some more of whatever they gave us. And he was sorry. So sorry.

  My train of thought was interrupted by Henry, again. I didn’t move or look in his direction so as not to tip him off that the effects of whatever they dosed me with were already wearing off. They seemed to think it was going to last a lot longer, so this might be our way out. Henry was back at the front of the room, and he sounded angry. Whatever they were trying to do, it wasn’t working.

  “We need him for this to work. I know my son. There is a piece of his soul in that necklace.”

  I glanced surreptitiously at Ash but got only a miniscule shake. It hit me just before he said it aloud. He meant the locket… and the one who gave it to me.

  “Why isn’t this working?! Andrew is the current Veil Anchor. We have to dispatch him to the hereafter correctly if we’re to fix the Veil completely. Now, get him here!”