FORBIDDEN

The Guardian Chronicles: Forbidden

Copyright 2011 Megan Curd

The Guardian Chronicles: Forbidden

Copyright 2011 Megan Curd

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.

Cover design by Neil Noah

Printed in the United States of America

For Robin, who started this whole mess. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

For Stephanie, who has one of the keenest eyes and best hearts I’ve ever seen.

Finally, this is for Carter, who makes my world go ‘round.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FIVE

TWENTY-SIX

TWENTY-SEVEN

TWENTY-EIGHT

TWENTY-NINE

THIRTY

THIRTY-ONE

THIRTY-TWO

THIRTY-THREE

BEFORE YOU GO

WHERE TO FIND ME

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ONE

Precariously leaning over the railing, I made sure she was safe. My Call, Hannah Gordon, walked in wonder three stories below, while she took in the sights of St. Peter's Basilica. She had no clue she was being followed.

I didn't count myself in the category of follower. I had protected her since receiving the commission from the Almighty himself over three years ago. No, she had more problems than a Guard trailing her.

She looked up, causing me to retreat into the shadows high above her. I was beyond tourist boundaries. It was to protect the sanctity of St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican guard would say.  I made sure to remain in the shadows, nothing more than an insignificant flicker of cloud covering the sun.  Gazing through the stained glass windows into the sky, I wondered what it would be like to be free.  To enjoy a day like today, to feel the sun.

Hannah's scream brought my attention back to the main floor.  In a flash I was over the banister and down to the main level.

No one noticed my leap. Humans never saw me. They chose to see nothing, insisting any miracle or unlikely event was a figment of their imaginations. It seemed like the longer I was around, the less people believed in anything supernatural. It’s not that they couldn’t see me, it’s that they didn’t
want
to. Pushing through the mass of tourists, they blamed one another. I was to Hannah in seconds.

Dirty blonde hair whipping behind her, she ran into the arms of an Italian young man she met three days before.  She embraced him, squealing in delight.  Of course.  Human girls screamed for a plethora of reasons. Males were one of the main culprits. Rolling my eyes, I pulled my black leather jacket tighter and retreated into the crowd once more, happy to observe from a distance. Personally, I thought she could do better than this schmuck. There was just something about him I didn’t like. His smile didn’t seem genuine, and his eyes were cold. When Hannah talked to him, he didn’t look like he cared one bit about what she was saying.

They continued out of the Basilica, roaming the Vatican grounds together. Part of me wondered if I was growing soft for the girl as I watched them walk hand in hand. That would be the kiss of death. No, I couldn’t be. I hadn’t even gotten near her. Getting close just made it harder when their time came to go. Humans were so temporary. Regardless, I kept my senses on high alert and found myself jumping at the slightest thing.

Staying in the shadows cast by the massive stone walls, I tried to appreciate the beauty of the day. The trees were in full bloom, and the waist-high bushes I stayed behind were as green as possible. The sun flickered through the trees, the rays dancing on the cement walkways. Tiny rainbows caught in the air from the water misting in the fountain at the center of the garden. Hannah and her escort sat on the edge of the fountain. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as I watched her.

I felt the wind change behind me, signifying another Presence had arrived. I jumped in shock when the deadened hand wrapped itself around my shoulder.

"A little jumpy today, are we Levi?"

Jude had a way of always catching me off guard. He was jealous he hadn’t been Called, but everyone knew when you blatantly turned against everything good, you weren’t getting Called anywhere, at any time. He was a permanent part of the Dark One’s crew, and he wasn't going to drag me back with him this time. I chuckled as I threw a jab to rankle him. "At least I have the guts to do this job."

He gurgled out curses, covering the gaping hole in his torso. "Very funny, cretin. Don't think because you've been Called that you're any different than the rest of us. You're still a bottom feeder."

I grinned. He’d walked right into another one. "At least I can stomach it."

Jude kept one hand over the hole in his stomach, but pointed the other one at me. His fingers were rotten and mottled. He bared his teeth in a snarl, revealing his blackened gums and teeth. His whole body was rotten, just like him. His eyes were black as coal as he began to retort, but he stopped. Grinning maniacally, he choked out a laugh that left me covered in his blood. "Looks like you just lost your Call. I'll see you in hell soon."