Her Guardians Lost (Her Guardians Trilogy #2) (12 page)

“To be with each other. I’ve only ever had that with Michael, Stephen, and yourself. It’s hard to explain.”

“I know exactly what you mean, Cassie. We seek each other out. How can you explain that lions only roam with other lions, or that elephants herd with other elephants? We seek each other out because we are one in the same.”

I sighed. “I suppose when you put it like that…”

Simeon shrugged. “It just makes sense. I didn’t feel any relief until I was with you and Michael in that hospital. It was almost like I could function properly again.”

As soon as he said that, I felt the guilt. Here I was, going on like a whiney child when someone like Simeon was apart from his kind for months—maybe even years.

“A lion without his pride… It must have been hard.” I caught his smile and matched it. “What?”

“Did you just call me a lion?”

Realising I did, I shook my head. “No, it’s just—”

“You just called me a lion.” Simeon nodded and stuck his tongue out.

Knowing I wasn’t going to get anywhere with this argument, I playfully pushed his shoulder. “Just shut up, Mr. Big-head.”

“I don’t think the lion in me likes being called names.”

“Well, then, I think the lion will just have to find a quiet corner somewhere and lick his wounds.”

Glancing over at me, Simeon shook his head. “You are quite the woman, Cassie.”

Smiling, I look at the bright lights of London. I thought about Simon and his family, and it made me smile. They were all warm and welcoming—well, Blake was a little creepy, but I knew he did it in all innocence. I could tell there was no malevolence there. They were just one big happy, loving family. It was great to see.

It wasn’t long before my thoughts drifted to Stephen. He had never left me. Sometimes, he just sat in a quiet corner. I knew he would never leave my heart. Some days were more unbearable than others, but I was learning to cope. Especially when I filled my days with other people’s hectic lives.

“What are you thinking about?”

Snapping out of my daydream, I looked over at Simeon as he pulled into a parking space. “I was just thinking about how lovely Simon’s family is.” I know it was a half-truth, but it was all I was offering him right now.

“They were definitely that,” he smiled. “Stay there. I’ll help you out.”

I shook my head and watched as Simeon came around to my side. “I didn’t think lions behaved like this. I thought they just bit the lionesses and roared a lot.”

Simeon chuckled as he shut my door. “I could be that way if you wanted me to be.”

Nudging him in the arm, we walked towards my flat. “Behave yourself, Simeon.”

He bowed his head. “Sorry, my lady.”

“I think I can forgive you.” Simeon smiled as we walked up to my door.

“Well, it was a great evening, Cassie. I enjoyed your company.”

Funnily enough, so had I. “I enjoyed yours, too, Simeon. Thank you for coming with me.”

“Don’t sweat it.”

Silence rained upon us as we stared at one another. For some reason, it felt like that awkward moment on a date when the boy brings the girl back home. I didn’t want it feeling like that.

Sensing my unease, Simeon cleared his throat. “I better get home. I’m on early tomorrow.”

Grabbing my shoulders, he kissed my cheek. “It would be fun to do this again sometime, Cassie.”

Nodding, I smiled sweetly as I searched for my keys. “Take care, Simeon. I hope you sleep well.”

“Me?” he answered as he walked down the stairs. “I always sleep like a baby.”

Waving, he watched as I pulled the door open and let myself in. It wasn’t until I gave my final wave and shut the door that I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was hard work being around Simeon. Not only because he looked so much like Stephen, but he resembled his cheekiness. He wasn’t as good at it as Stephen, though.

Sighing, I realised I had this sudden urge for hot chocolate. Pushing myself up from the door, I made my way into the kitchen.

Chapter 11

I was dreaming again. I had to have been. It was like my subconscious was taunting me. The door was there in all its glory. The laughter filled the air and I almost breathed it in like it was the sweetest scent on earth. How could children’s laugher fill me with such hope and desire at the same time? The noises just pulled at me from the inside out. I was dying to get inside that door, but I knew it wouldn’t be any use.

The laughter came again but, this time, I couldn’t stand it. I had to try one more time to get it open. I pushed, I pulled, I kicked, and I screamed, but nothing was getting that door open. Tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I frantically banged on the door.

“Please, someone open the door for me. Please,” I pled in the hope that someone would listen to me.

No one answered, filling me with such anger and despair. I kicked and banged with everything I had, desperate to somehow make it open.

Suddenly, I had the feeling of the warmest arms around me. “Shh,” he whispered in my ear. “It’s okay, Cassie. I’m here.”

“Stephen?” I whimpered back. “I miss you so much.”

Gently, he rocked me in his arms and stroked my hair. “I know you do. I miss you, too. You’re my world, Cassie.”

Kissing my head, he turned me around to face him. My breath caught as I stared into the eyes of the man I loved.

“Listen to me, Cassie…,” he demanded. The tone of his voice gained my full attention.

“Stephen!” I shouted as I heard banging on my door. “Shit!” I cursed, pissed off.

The banging continued as I rose out of my bed. “I’m coming!” I shouted, heading for the door.

Once I peeked out, I saw Catherine. The minute I opened the door, I said, “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is just wonderful, Cassie. Lisa-Marie is awake and asking for you. In fact, she insisted I come down here and drag you over to the hospital myself.”

Feeling lighter than air, I hugged Catherine tightly. “I’m so happy. Come in for a moment while I put something on.”

I gathered a pair of jeans and a jumper, getting dressed in no time. My shoulder felt a little better this morning, which was a nice surprise. It made getting dressed a little bit easier.

The minute I was ready, I grabbed my bag and we headed to the hospital. “How does she seem?”

“Fine,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road. “She’s got some colour back in her cheeks. It’s really good to see.”

“I bet! I can’t wait to see her.”

“She knows you got shot, so she insisted I be there for you. She cares about you.”

“I know she does. Lisa-Marie means the world to me. The world wouldn’t be the same without her in it.” I carefully watched Catherine’s expression and saw a sudden change.

“I never showed how I felt in front of Lisa-Marie’s parents, but I was terrified of losing her. It’s only really been up until this morning that I haven’t been able to eat properly. We never got to, you know, the part where you say those words. To be honest with you, I don’t know whether we are quite there yet. I knew we had an instant connection when we first met, but I didn’t want to get carried away with it. Sometimes it’s easy to get swept away.”

Catherine offered a gentle smile, but I knew she was hurting inside. Her words struck a chord in me, though. It made me think a lot about Michael and how easily I got swept away by him. Although I loved Michael and always would, it would only ever be as a friend. He would always have a special place in my heart, but would never actually own it. My heart belonged with Stephen.

“But when I heard she was hurt…” Catherine stopped and I saw the pain in her face. She gripped the steering wheel as her eyes filled with tears.

I did the only thing I could and rubbed her shoulder. “It’s okay to let it out, Catherine. You’ve been through so much, it’s only natural that it would all come tumbling out at some point. There is only so much a person can take.”

She nodded, and took some deep breaths before she carried on, “It…it somehow awoke something within me. I seemed to have this new sense of purpose. The problem being that without the purpose, what was the point? Lisa-Marie was my purpose. She
is
my purpose. I…I hope I’m making sense.” She chuckled through her tears.

“You’re making perfect sense, Catherine. You love her.” Catherine sighed and nodded. Her tears were falling and she was desperately trying to wipe them away so she could see the road.

“Do you need to stop for a moment to take a breather?”

Shaking her head, she inhaled sharply and blew out. “No, I’m fine. I don’t know what’s come over me.”

“Catherine, you’ve been cooped up in hospital for days, wondering whether the love of your life was going to wake up. Of course it’s going to take its toll. You have every right to let the last few days out. It’s what your body is telling you it needs. Just listen to it. You will feel better in the end.”

Stopping in a parking space, Catherine turned to me. “I hardly know you, but I feel like you’re a really good friend.” I smiled, thinking how true it was that I felt like that at times. “Has anyone ever told you that you have this knack of making people feel calm? I don’t know what it is, but when I was falling apart just then, it seemed like the moment you touched me, I felt like I wasn’t alone.”

Taking off my seatbelt, I offered Catherine a hug. “You aren’t alone, Catherine. I’m your friend now, and will always be there for you. For both of you. I just wish you would have come to me with your fears. I could have been here for you a lot sooner.”

Pulling away from me, she shook her head. “You’ve had enough to deal with lately. You didn’t need me to add to your woes.”

I could understand why she felt that way. Everyone was feeling a little preoccupied with one thing or another lately. Sometimes life had a way of spinning in circles.

“Sometimes sharing your fears and anxieties helps to lessen the burden. You took it all on yourself when you have people who would have been more than willing to share it with you. I want you to know that if you ever feel lonely again, I will be there if you need me.”

Putting her hand on my arm, she smiled. “Friends.”

I placed my hand on her arm, too. “Friends.”

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. “Well, let’s go see how the woman of your dreams is doing, shall we?”

Smiling brightly, Catherine said, “Yes—let’s.”

Walking into the hospital had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. It wasn’t too long ago that I was a patient—waking up to the thought that Stephen was no longer with me. Feeling a tight knot in my stomach, I quickly remembered the dream I had this morning. It was the same dream, but Stephen was there. He was somehow able to get into my subconscious. How he did it, I don’t know, but it filled me with a new sense of hope. He could come to my dreams, and if that was all I could have of him, I’d be more than willing to take it.

Taking the lift to the third floor, we were immediately greeted by a mass panic. Alarms were going off and everyone was running around.

“Oh no. They’re not going anywhere near…” I started.

“It’s fine. They’re running in the opposite direction.”

We walked the rest of the way in silence. Now that we were getting away from the pandemonium, all seemed quiet. We passed a few rooms and Catherine eventually stopped in front of her door. She knocked and we both heard Lisa-Marie shouting for us to come in.

When I laid eyes on Lisa-Marie for the first time since I left the hospital, it had an immediate effect to my system. When I left her a few days ago, she was pale. Her normally bouncy auburn hair was lifeless, and her bright, childlike freckles had seemed to fade from her cheeks. Now, all her colour was back, making the freckles stand out more. Her hair had more body, and her eyes sparkled with a new sense of mischief. But, most of all, her smile was back. A smile I never thought I’d see again.

“Lisa-Marie, what can I say?” It seemed like an awful way to greet someone when they had just woken from a coma, but it was a start.

I rushed over to her and she held her arms out to me. “You’re looking so well.”

“What can I say? It’s just me, I guess.” She winked. “So, what’s been going on?”

Pulling my coat off, I sat down in the chair beside her and watched as Catherine sat on the bed and held her hand.

“Not much. Just a little of this and that.”

“Out saving the world again?”

I smiled, thinking she certainly hadn’t lost her sense of humour. “Something like that,” I chuckled.

Lisa-Marie looked up at Catherine, then back at me. “Catherine told me you told her about the train.”

“I had to tell her, Lisa-Marie. I felt I owed her that much. She was suffering. I needed her to know there was hope.”

“What made you think there was any hope?”

“Well, I figured if you had survived a train crash and getting shot, you could survive anything.”

Lisa-Marie laughed heartily, but Catherine scowled at her. “This isn’t funny, Lisa-Marie. I almost lost you.”

“I know, babes. But, you have to admit, it is kind of funny. Maybe I’m superwoman.”

A laugh spluttered through my teeth, raising a smile from Catherine. “I know what you’re saying, but it still scared the shit out of me.”

“She hasn’t left your side, Lisa-Marie.”

Looking up at Catherine, Lisa-Marie intertwined their fingers. “I know.”

Caroline smiled. “Where are your parents?”

She sighed and looked over at me. “They were here, but I asked them to leave for a bit so I could talk to Cassie.”

Catherine straightened her back. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No, of course not. You can stay. It’s just a bit delicate talking about this in front of my mum and dad. I just want to talk about that night. I want to make sure I don’t get you into any trouble with the story I’m going to tell the police.”

My heart ached when I thought about Lisa-Marie even contemplating lying for me if I asked her. She was a true friend.

“I would never ask you to lie for me, Lisa-Marie.”

“I know you wouldn’t. But I still want to make sure you’re okay with what I tell them.”

“Just tell them the truth. You can obviously tell me, but you have to be honest about everything.”

Taking a deep breath, Lisa-Marie’s eyes glazed over as she stared ahead. “I came around to see you that evening. On my way to the shops, I thought I would just pop by and see how you were getting on. I knew you had this new job prospect and just wanted to make sure you were happy. I also wanted to see if you wanted to go out over the weekend.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t make that.”

“I’m sorry, too,” she smiled. “Anyway, I knocked on your door and waited for a few seconds. When you didn’t answer, I was about to turn away when the door opened. That girl answered. She said she was your best friend from school and was waiting for you to return from the shops. She seemed friendly enough so, when she asked me in, I entered.”

Lisa-Marie took a deep breath. “The minute she shut the door, she started asking questions about who I was and how I felt about the train crash. I obviously knew that she knew, so I told her. I had nothing but praise and adulation for you. Instead of her acting like a best friend, everything I said just seemed to anger her further. In the end, I felt a little uncomfortable. I got up to leave so I could call you as soon as I left. Something didn’t sit right with me, and now I knew I was right.”

I felt my gut clench. Lisa-Marie was a good person who didn’t deserve anything that happened to her that day. I knew that from the moment I touched her hand, which was why I implored her not to take that train. And now the guilt for what happened this time was riding through me. It was hard not to feel anger the whole time Lisa-Marie was telling me. It was hard not to scream in rage. I’ve always thought the word “hate” was a very strong word, but it came close to how I felt about Kali. She took my parents away from me, betrayed a true friend, and tried to take another from me. Who wouldn’t hate someone for that?

The atmosphere in the room was silent as Lisa-Marie continued, “When I made my excuses to leave, she got out her gun and pointed it at me. She started saying something to the effect of how you going out saving the world is stopping it from going around. She started babbling on about angels. She really didn’t make any sense.

“Anyway, she made it clear to me that I should be dead, and I knew she meant every word. I tried to flee, but she shot me. I don’t remember anything after that.”

No wonder Lisa-Marie wanted to tell me this story first. Now I could understand why she wanted to alter the truth.

“Do you still want me to tell the truth?”

“I don’t want you to lie.”

“I know you don’t. Facts are facts, though. At the end of the day, she shot me and you. That can never be disputed.”

“I know.”

“What have you told the police?”

“Both Michael, Stephen, and I have told them she was obsessed with Stephen. That she was really pissed off when he joined the station and wasn’t interested in her.”

“Then I’ll just verify that. I’ll tell them I turned up and foiled her plans. When I tried to get the gun from her, she shot me. It’s as simple as that, Cassie. They don’t have to know about the gift, the train crash, anything.”