Salvation (The Guardian Angel Series Book 3) (20 page)

He stroked his beard. “I can trust you?”

“Yes…”

“You won’t do anything stupid?”

“No, sir.” I had promised Eli I wouldn’t.

He nodded. “Very well.”

I exhaled and stood straight.

“Are you serious?” Mila protested, storming toward us from the window. I turned towards her. She pulled her hair over the left side of her shoulder, exposing more of her frustration. Mila wanted to be in on the action. She was tired of being treated like a precious little girl. I noticed she was wearing jeans and a black tank top, something I had never seen her in before.

“I’m just as capable as Ruby.” With a flick of her hand, she sent Mr. Aleksandrov’s glass of water flying into the wall. It smashed into tiny little pieces. I grabbed her wrist, but she shook me off. Mr. Aleksandrov pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Mila, darling, smashing a glass of water is nothing compared to facing a vampire. You’d be killed. Instantly.”

Her eyes narrowed. I stepped closer to her, unsure of what she was planning. Behind me, the window shattered and tree branches and vines crept rapidly into the room. Within seconds, guardian angels kicked the door down and barged in. Mr. Aleksandrov raised his hand, signalling them to stop. They were confused.

“Mila,” I warned her, my voice low.

“I’m strong. I know I am,” She growled.

I was shocked and had no idea how to handle the situation. I’d never seen goddess magic used to such a degree nor had I witnessed Mila so forceful and scary, but I knew Mila. If it came down to it, her fear would immobilize her and her powers. She’d be killed before she had a chance to react.

“I will not be bullied into this,” Mr. Aleksandrov replied.

The branches and vines curled upwards, tearing big holes in the roof, leaving only the area by the door and his desk intact. Mr. Aleksandrov rose to his feet.

“Go ahead, destroy this entire house. I can replace it. If you die, I can’t replace you.”

The branches stopped growing and retracted slowly. Mila’s hands were clenched into balls by her sides. She ran, pushing through the guards, and sped off down the hall. I ran after her. Her door slammed in my face before I could enter.

I knocked. “Mila? Can I come in?”

She didn’t answer.

Slowly, I opened the door. Mila was on her bed, crying into her pillow.

“It’s not fair!” she said between sobs.

I closed the door behind me and joined her on the bed. I didn’t touch her—I was afraid she’d lash out and damage more of the house.

“He’s just looking out for you. You’re the only family he’s got left.”

“So that gives him the right to baby me? I’m nineteen years old!” she cried.

A pang of guilt coursed through me, I’d missed Mila’s birthday.

“And I’m capable of handling myself. No, I can’t take a vampire in a brawl, but I can guarantee I’ll kill one before it gets within six feet of me,” Mila continued.

I didn’t respond, mostly because I didn’t want to upset her even more. I agreed with Ivan, Mila is a goddess, she shouldn’t be fighting vampires—that’s what guardians are for, and if they’re good at their job, she should never have to see one. Ever. And of course with everything there is an exception to the rule—I am that exception. I’m half Heelian, I can harness the power of the sun—or at least I could, and if a vampire ever ends up in close quarters with me, I’m pretty sure I could take them.

“I hate it here. It’s boring. Nobody besides you likes me, and I can’t make my own decisions. I wish I did run away the night of Uncle’s party.”

“You don’t mean that.”

She lifted her face from the pillow. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her irises were no longer a clear blue, but clouded with tears. “Oh, I do!”

I felt sorry for her because I knew where she was coming from. I get pissed off when nobody includes me in plans because they don’t want me to get hurt—the feeling sucks and it isn’t until you’re on the other side, wanting to keep a certain person safe, that you realize how necessary it is.

“I’ll let you clear your head,” I mumbled as I slid off the bed. “But remember, it isn’t the fact that he doesn’t think you’re capable. It’s the fact that he doesn’t want to lose you.”

The door shut with a gentle click behind me. I proceeded down the hallway to Mr. Aleksandrov’s office. I had plans that I needed to be filled in on.

It was night. The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of cloud, shedding no light on the earth below it. I was more nervous than I’d been any of the previous nights. Tonight I knew for a fact that Lucian was coming and I needed to be on top of my game. I needed to end this once and for all—without the help of my sun power.

I felt the outside of my pocket over and over—making sure the needle was still in there. I didn’t know whether to be happy or embarrassed that Mr. Aleksandrov had caps made for them. Actually, I was embarrassed.

I hid in the sitting room, watching the open field from the window. As usual, the night brought a depressing gloom with it. Everyone knew someone was going to die, regardless what the plans were. Vampires couldn’t resist our blood and they’d put their bloodlust before any orders Lucian gave.

I shuddered at the thought of being anywhere near him. Sure, Lucian didn’t treat us
that
bad during our brief stay at Mount Kuuce. He’d provided us with beautiful rooms and mountains of food, but that didn’t mean I’d developed a form of Stockholm Syndrome and felt sorry for him. The guy was a raving lunatic and I needed to kill him. End of story.

A loud scream broke the deafening silence and I sprinted from the sitting room to Mila’s bedroom. She told me to let her know when it’d started. I opened her door and Mila wasn’t in her room. I stared at the empty room in disbelief.
Had I stabbed myself again?
I reached from my pocket and pulled out the syringe—it was still capped, which meant Mila had actually escaped her room. I pulled out my mobile phone and sent a text to Aaron.

MILA IS OUT THERE!

I put my phone back into my pocket and returned to the sitting room. I had no idea if he’d even receive it in time. I was torn between sticking with the plan and waiting for Lucian to come to the field or venture out and find Mila myself. I watched out the window. I had no idea how far Mila had gone, where she was, or even which direction she’d headed. The moon peered out from underneath a cloud and I saw them. Him. Lucian. They approached the house in a number too large to bother counting.

“Ruby?” The cold voice blew into me like ice. “I’ve come to take you home.”

I gasped when I saw Mila in Lucian’s grasp at the far end of the field. He had her by the hair, tilting her head back slightly as he dragged her along beside him and I could see it on her face. She’d frozen, she was too scared to fight back and use her powers. In my head, I urged her to use her powers with as much force as she had earlier today, but she didn’t.
Forget the plan!
I lurched forward, but a hand wrapped around my elbow, forcing me backward. I turned abruptly. Mr. Aleksandrov pressed his index finger to his lips.

“He has Mila,” I whispered, if I could even call it that. My voice was so low I couldn’t hear it myself.

Mr. Aleksandrov nodded. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. If Mila survived this, she sure was getting an ass-kicking tomorrow—from her uncle
and
me. I turned back to the window.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he chanted in his usual exaggerated tone. “I can hear your heart racing. I can smell your blood!”

I gritted my teeth. Lucian was so full of cockiness and enthusiasm—it irked me to no end. But he would die tonight and the earth would be free of him and his annoying god complex.

“Do you remember,” Mr. Aleksandrov whispered into my ear, “when I told you that you were still our secret weapon?”

I nodded. Mr. Aleksandrov didn’t elaborate. He grabbed me firmly by the elbow, pushing me out of the sitting room and toward the front door.

“What are you doing? This isn’t the plan!” I whispered hastily.

“Consider this plan B.”

He kept pushing me until I was standing in the field, twenty yards away from Lucian. A shiver rolled down my spine. No matter how many times I came face to face with a vampire—any vampire, it was difficult. My mother’s face flashed through my mind and my chest ached. I missed her dearly, and I promised myself that when this was over, I’d find out where she was buried and I’d go see her. I smiled slightly. Yes, that’s exactly what I needed, to see my mother.

“I’m glad you find this amusing.” Lucian chuckled, tilting his head to the side. “What are you thinking about?”

My smile broadened. “Killing you.”

A deep roar of laughter echoed around us. Let’s see how funny they found it when we killed every last one of them. The guardian angels closed in on the field, surrounding it from every angle.

“Cute,” Lucian said, as he glanced around. “I’m
almost
worried.”

Lucian may have loads of vampires, but we had almost double that in guardian angels.

Mr. Aleksandrov held me tightly by the elbow.

“You forget that I have leverage.” He pushed Mila in front of him and then kicked her to her knees. The ground began to shake. An earthquake was happening. I glanced around as everyone wobbled, trying to keep their balance. Momentarily, Lucian lost his smug façade. The earthquake stopped. I tried to jump forward, but Mr. Aleksandrov’s grip was too tight.

“Let me go!” I shouted, but he didn’t. “That’s your niece!”

He ignored me. I thrashed against his grasp—god, he was strong for an old man, but then again, he wasn’t an old man. Fighting him was futile and I was forced to watch Mila whimper in fear and pain while she struggled to lift herself from the ground.

“You’re a strong goddess,” Lucian muttered as he crouched down beside her. “I could use you.”

“Leave her alone!” I growled.

Lucian straightened up and slicked back his hair. That movement alone made me want to tear his head from his body.

“Let’s get down to business, then, shall we?” He took a few steps closer. “I come bearing gifts.”

Behind Lucian four vampires led out the taken guardian angels. There were eight in total. I scanned the faces of seven unknown guardians until my eyes met Eli’s. He looked in perfect condition save for the dirty uniform, a cut on his bottom lip, and a scrape on his arm.

“I want to play a game,” Lucian announced, addressing the whole crowd. “I want to prove something to you all right now.”

He pulled hard on Mila’s hair, forcing her to her feet. He nudged her forward and she took a few steps.

“Keep walking,” he said to her. She took more steps, getting closer and closer to us. Mr. Aleksandrov let go of my arm and I got ready to run to her.

“Stop!” Lucian demanded when Mila got halfway between us.

She stopped and stared at me, wide-eyed. I looked past her and focused on Lucian. He was smiling smugly at me, causing a nauseous feeling to course through me. Surrounding us, the guardians grasped their silver and poised for attack. Lucian extended his long, pointy finger and gestured for me to come forward. I didn’t budge.

“Don’t worry,” Lucian chuckled. “I’m not going to hurt you. Not yet, anyway.”

I still didn’t move. I wanted to. I wanted to sprint over to Mila and protect her, but if I did, that meant I’d be playing into Lucian’s hands and that was the last thing I wanted. In a rage, Lucian bared his fangs and tore the throat from a guardian angel to his left, keeping his eyes locked onto mine. The vampires chuckled while we gasped and forced ourselves to stay rooted in position. No one wanted to, but it was our order. As the unknown guardian fell at his feet, Lucian moved on to the next one. Blood dripped from his lips and down his chin. The next guardian angel was a tall, red-haired female. She watched me, her expression petrified. Before he bit into her neck, he paused and glanced up at me. “Well?”

Slowly, I moved forward and Mr. Aleksandrov didn’t stop me this time. Cautiously, I made it over to Mila. Beside me, she whimpered as she tried to fight down the sobs that forced their way up her throat. Lucian let go of the pretty guardian and gestured for me to move ten yards to the left. I did as he said. Next, he grasped Eli by the shoulder and nudged him forward. Eli did as he was told, moving quickly in between Mila and I. I frowned, feeling stupid because I couldn’t work it out… but then, Lucian ordered two vampires to the front of the pack and I realized what he was doing. Lucian was making Eli choose between me and Mila, and as the vampires ran at us, Eli did the unthinkable. He chose to save me.

Final Showdown

“N
o!” I screamed at him, tears burning my eyes. Eli intercepted my vampire and tore the head from its body. I stared at him, horrified by his decision. He told me he wouldn’t save me and so I didn’t expected him to.

A squeal made me snap my head toward Mila. She was alive. Before her stood Hunter and a pile of dust. He’d staked the vampire, somehow. Relief flooded me. Grinding against that relief was my anger at Eli. Mila could have been killed. He was
her
guardian angel, not mine. Eli remained in front of me, not saying a word. My skin burned under his gaze. I’d missed him and he’d missed me, the look in his eyes alone told me that.

“Well, well, well.” Lucian clapped. “Isn’t this interesting?”

Eli and I glanced around at the surrounding guardians that had witnessed Eli choosing me over Mila and Hunter killing one of his own.

“Oh boy,” I uttered under my breath.

We were going to be in so much trouble once this was all over.

Lucian narrowed his eyes on Mr. Aleksandrov. “This is what happens when guardian angels fall for those they are meant to protect. If it wasn’t for Hunter, your niece would be dead. Whose child will it be next time? Hmm?”