Sun Kissed (The Guardian Angel Series Book 2) (26 page)

“I’m leaving.” I forced down the lump that
formed in my throat. “I’m going to live my life away from all of this. It’s
best for everyone involved.”

“It’s best for everyone involved? Do you
think it’s best for me?”

I bit the inside of my lip. I was so
heartbroken. His brow furrowed but he kept his eyes on me.

“It’s not safe,” he added.

“I think by now I’ve proved I’m more than
capable of taking care of myself.”

“Ruby, why are you doing this?” He took my
hand in his, caressing it gently with his thumb. “Once we get back to the
school, you’ll be safe.”

“No, I won’t be.” A single tear rolled down
my cheek. “Lucian won’t stop and I’m not going to be the one preventing
everyone from living their lives in peace and happiness.”

“We’ll be fine, let’s sort out the details
tomo —”

“Eli, you were as good as dead and it was
my fault!” My voice got the attention of a few nearby guardians but it didn’t
matter to me anymore. “I saw your life draining from you drop by drop… I can’t
go through that again.”

“What about us?” he asked, his voice was
low and urgent.

“The way you said that says it all. If we
go back to Sage, we go back to our old semi-professional relationship of brief
discussions and longing stares from across the dining hall. After all we’ve
been through, I can’t go back to that.

“Let’s go!” Aaron, the guardian with the scar
down his face, called to us.

Eli and I didn’t budge. Instead, we stared
into each other’s eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. It was
obvious he wasn’t going anywhere, he was too stubborn, so I rose to my feet and
trotted off toward Mr Aleksandrov.

Without a glance behind me, I climbed into
the back seat of Mr Aleksandrov’s car. It was a lot like Eli’s, only the
insides were dark grey instead of white. Mr Aleksandrov got into the passenger
seat and Aaron was driving. All the doors were shut and the car roared to life.

Slowly the car rolled forward, my teary gaze
fell on Eli, watching me drive away. His face had returned to its usual hard
stare, a stare that watched nothing but everything at the same time.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Mr
Aleksandrov said over his shoulder.

“Then why doesn’t it feel like it?” I
mumbled.

“Someday you’ll be able to return … and
maybe you can be with the person you want to be with. There’s a change coming,
Ruby, and it’ll help people in your situation and Mila’s.”

His words hit me. He knew about Mila’s and
Gabriel’s love … perhaps he could change things. If he did, Eli and I could be
together freely, but until then there was no happy ending. I could feel it. The
love that Eli and I have was great, but when has any great love in history ended
well? Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, or Tristan and Isolde? Each
and every one ended in tragedy, be it death or banishment.

Once again I was leaving everything behind
and starting a new life, and yet somehow it seems harder this time around. The
thick forest whipped past me and the car picked up speed as it rolled onto the
smooth highway. The harbor was disappearing rapidly behind me and I couldn’t
help but let the tears fall. Letting Eli go was the biggest regret I have made
in this life.

“It’s all for the greater good,” Mr
Aleksandrov mumbled.

I guess only time will tell.

About the Author

S
kyla Madi was born in the small town of
Port Maquarie, New South Wales in 1993. She spent half her life growing up in
Wauchope, a thriving rural town at the heart of the Hastings River Valley
before making the leap to the busy city of Brisbane.

Whenever this young Australian writer isn’t changing
diapers, watching cartoons, cooking for her husband or doing other
motherly-wife things, she is actively working on her writing and improving her
writing skills.

Skyla loves to read just as much as she loves to
write and since discovering that YA/paranormal romance/urban fantasy/ are her
favorite genres, she has embarked on her own writing journey and is currently
working on a YA series titled ‘The Guardian Angel’ series.’

Twitter:
@Skyla_Madi 

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http://www.goodreads.com/SkylaMadi