Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 (16 page)

Thousands of years?
This was too much. It was making my head spin. I’m with someone who’s thousands of years old? Worse than that was the fact that he could never be with me.

“So you’re saying that
if you refused to go back, you would lose everything? You would lose your angel status?”

He nodded
his head and it rapidly made my anger rise. “Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?!”

“I didn’t want to upset you
. Besides, I was too busy debating my own feelings for you. It’s hard for me. I didn’t realise I would feel this way about you. I just can’t help it.”

“So this is why you won’t
touch me.” I sighed. I just couldn’t help it. I couldn’t believe I had finally fallen for someone, only to have it ripped away from me again.

“Please don’t be sad.”
He pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me. “I just don’t know what to do. I need time to figure things out.”

I
shook my head, realising there could only be one outcome in all this. “No, you don’t. I won’t let you. How can I ask you to be with me knowing that I took you away from something you have spent thousands of years achieving? How could I possibly live with myself for that? There is nothing to think about, Michael. It is what it is.”

He
leaned his forehead against mine, and I watched as he squeezed his eyes shut in agony. I reached my hand up to stroke his hair a little. He soon opened his eyes and I smiled. I wanted to try and be brave, try and show him it was okay—even though I was dying inside.

Leaning down
a little bit more, my breathing caught. He gently grabbed my hand and slid his fingers down my arm. I closed my eyes and moaned a little. Just that one tiny touch sent the sparks flying again. He leaned in a little bit further until our lips were gently brushing one another’s. Michael’s breathing became laboured and the sound of it hit straight between my legs. He kissed me lightly, at first, then the heat began to surface. His kisses became more frantic and it made my adrenaline kick in. I didn’t know how, but my body seemed to be the one in control.

I climb
ed on top of him and forced my body into his, squeezing our lips together. I was desperate, I was hurried, I was wanton. I slid my hands up his jumper, stroking and squeezing him all over. He felt so good. He did the same, gently running his fingers across my back. I arched up, crying out in pure bliss.

Breathing into his
mouth, I slid myself on top of his crotch, causing him to moan. “Michael,” I whispered, unable to hold back my urgency. The news that he will leave once he was done here should have me running to the hills, but I couldn’t help what I felt. I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything in my life before. He was like an addiction. His touch, the way he slightly stroked me, sent me to a place from which I never wanted to come back. I could, quite happily, spend the rest of my days there, soaking up every tender caress, every tender kiss he had to offer.

“Cass
ie.” His voice was a whisper, sending my heart into overdrive.

I
tried to fight against the inevitable. I knew he would stop, but I just couldn’t seem to stop pushing it that little bit further. I wanted him and that was never going to change.

I
tried pulling his shirt off. I wanted to feel his skin on mine. I tried hard to lift it, but it was no use. Michael stops me.

P
ulling away from him, I slid off his lap. Quite frankly, I felt a little pissed off. The thought amazed me. I was being told I couldn’t have something he didn’t want to give me and, yet, I acted like a child. I wanted him and I was getting pissed off that I couldn’t have him.

Sensing my anger, Michael apologise
d. That just made me feel even worse. I shook my head and closed my eyes. “It’s okay. Please don’t apologise,” I finally answer. “I need to use the bathroom.”

G
etting up, I walked off. I needed some time away. I didn’t really need to use the bathroom. I just needed to get away and calm down. I knew I should make a pact with myself not to touch him, kiss him, even go near him. It would be for my own good. I couldn’t have him and I just had to live with that. Soon, he would leave me and I’d have nothing left. Why would I do that to myself? I just couldn’t. No matter how hard I find it.

After a few calming deep breaths
, I came away from the bathroom knowing what had to be done. No matter how hard I found it, I just couldn’t be near him in that way.

When I
got back, Michael was right where I left him on the floor. He looked troubled, but smiled at me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,
thank you, Michael. I just think it may be best if we try not to get too close from now on. Quite frankly, it’s killing me. God, I feel like a child saying that.” Closing my eyes, I sat down beside him.

He grab
bed my hand, causing me to look up at him. “It’s going to be hard, but maybe

it
will be for the best. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I hate the fact that I may be killing you. That was never my intention. I don’t know what to do to make it better. I don’t know what the best thing to do is.”

I grip
ped his hand. I could tell he was finding this extremely difficult and I didn’t want to make him feel pressured. “Don’t worry about it, Michael. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the weekend together, okay?”

He nod
ded and we started talking about other things. It was a welcome distraction from thinking about him on top of me, doing things I know he can’t do—or, shall I say, won’t do.

**********

The rest of the weekend was lovely, but hard. To say it was fraught with sexual tension would be an understatement. I would try to keep away, but every time he touched my hand or stroked my cheek, I would feel the sparks flying. A couple of times, I forgot and kissed him.

Big mistake!

It just left me as frustrated and alone as ever.
In a sense, I was kind of glad I was going home on Sunday. I would miss Michael, but I wanted to be away from the pain of it all.

I was more than a little surprised to see
Stephen at my door, with a couple of bags in tow, when we got back to Fulham.

“Twinkles!”
He smiled the only way he knew how, and it made my legs jelly.

Great,
now it was round two of torture. I didn’t realise exactly why he was here until we were in my flat.

“I missed you
on Friday night.” His expression was a little sad, even with his grin.

“I know.
Things got a little crazy.”

“So,” he began
, turning to Michael, “we’ve been staying with Mr. Sour-Puss here all weekend?”

I nod
ded, but blushed a little under his scrutiny. To change the subject, I offered them both a cup of tea. They said yes, so I excused myself to the kitchen, happy to have a few moments to myself.

As I was
getting everything ready, I could hear whispered arguing. I came out with the tea and biscuits to a mixture of silence and heated stares between the two. They looked like they would have started fighting if I hadn’t come in when I did. I could tell they were trying to hide the fact, but it was obvious. You could practically smell the tension between them.

“I suppose Michael told
you about what happened?”

I nod
ded. “Yes, although I feel bad that I put you in that position. It was dangerous and you could have been caught.”

“I know, Twinkles.
But it was better that than the alternative.”

I shudder
ed a little, remembering the vision. Daniel was a really bad man. I couldn’t fathom how he became a police officer if he did what I saw. I supposed that even the ones who are supposed to serve and protect could be monsters deep down.

“You know we’re both
here for you.” Michael said, breaking my trance. “That’s why Stephen is here. He’s going to stay with you.”

I open my eyes wide.
“Hold up a sec. You
do
realise this is a studio apartment?”

I look
ed at both of them in shock, but what surprised me even further was Stephen’s cheeky smirk.

Michael grunted slightly, then smiled
at me. “He’s going to stay here with you, but he will sleep on the floor. Won’t you, Stephen?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Of course.
I have all the things I need with me. I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”

I was more than a little frustrated.
“This is utter madness. I’ve been perfectly fine here all this time and as soon as you two find me, I become a prisoner in my own home.”

It was bad enough spending all that time with Michael, but now I
had to spend the week with Stephen? That was what was winding me up more than anything. I didn’t want to let myself get carried away. I had already done that too many times this weekend. I couldn’t deny it any longer now that Stephen was here. I was attracted to both of them.

“Cassie,” Michael whispered
, “we’re only doing what is best for you. You have this instinct to hide yourself away, and you have that for a reason. What the reason is, we don’t know, but it just goes to show that even you feel it’s not entirely safe. We want to
keep
you safe. That is what we are here for. That is what our—.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it—y
our mission.”

I could tell Michael knew I wasn’t happy about it and I could tell he knew why.
What was the point of having something that I can’t have—if that made any sense? I tried telling him over the weekend. What’s the point of belonging together if we couldn’t be just that? The whole thing was just so bizarre.

“Listen, I better go.
I want you to know that whatever you feel, we are here for you.”

N
odding, I followed Michael to the door. Once outside, he turned to me and smiled. I instantly felt guilty. “Michael, I’m sorry about what I said. I just get so frustrated at times.”

“It’s ok
ay.” Grabbing my hand, he stroked my palm. “Just enjoy the rest of the week and I’ll see you when I get back. I’ll miss you.”

I felt a lump form in my throat, but I tried hard to swallow it down
. I didn’t want him to see me upset when he was about to leave for the week.

“I’
ll miss you, too.”

Eventually
, our hands part and I watched as he got on his bike and rode off. It was hard watching him ride away but, oddly enough, I was glad I had some company. At least I wouldn’t wallow in my own self-pity all day. I’m sure Stephen wouldn’t let me anyway.

I get back into the flat and
, sure enough, I spy Stephen sitting on the sofa with his cheeky grin. “So,” he began, rising from his seat. “Now that the miserable fart has gone, maybe we can get down to some partying.” He ventured over to his bag and pulled out a couple of bottles of brandy. “Have you got any coke?”

L
aughing hard, I shook my head. “You’re a bad influence, Stephen Faron.”

“I know,” he said
, as I headed for the kitchen. “But where would the fun be if I wasn’t?”

I retrieve
d a bottle of coke from the fridge as Stephen poured some brandy into two glasses.

The whole time
, I could feel his presence, sense the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. For some reason, I felt like I could let my hair down with Stephen. I’m not sure if it was a power he possessed or whether it was my own natural personality shining through. Whatever it was, I felt happy around him. That was always a good thing.

“So
, tell me,” I began, as we finally sat down. “I know my name means something. What does yours mean?”

He looked down slightly, like he felt
ashamed. “I didn’t always have this name. Stephen was a martyr who believed so strongly in something that he was willing to die for it. In the end, he was stoned to death. Faron means ‘wanderer’, as I’m doomed to wander the land alone. As you can tell, I’m kind of the black sheep of the family.”

Hearing this made me feel really bad for him
. I knew Stephen wasn’t a bad person, but it felt as though he was being reprimanded for being different.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Stephen.”

“Don’t be.” He smiled and grabbed my hand. “I’m happy now, being here with you. I don’t think that is torture in any way. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”

His che
eky smile immediately resurfaced, making me giggle a little. However, I knew that despite his no-nonsense, hard exterior, he was really a tortured, lonely soul. I believed he missed his family, no matter how much he protested.

“So what was your name before
?”

“Alexander—protector of mankind. Better than being stoned to death.”

“Alexander’s nice, but I like Stephen.
I think it holds more meaning to be the person you want to be and not let yourself be ruled by others. You are who you are and no one should try to change you.”