Your Guardian Angel (The Guardian Angel Series Book 1) (5 page)

The chain.

He was the one that attacked me at school. Anger rose in my chest, I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to make him cry in pain like he did to me, but I couldn’t, not if I wanted to get out of here alive.

“Don't believe me. I don't care,” I growled at him.

I made eye contact with the old man again. "I haven't taken blood from that crazy woman nor have I attacked you three."

“Vampires… you're all lying, unnatural killers,” the blond boomed.

I lurched forward a few steps and stopped in an attack stance, keeping my eyes locked on the rude, arrogant blond. He smirked and loosened the silver in his hand like he was going to lasso me.

“Tay, stop,” the old man stated calmly. “Ruby, don’t start a battle you can’t win.”

Little black shoes pointed out from under his smoky grey robe as he took steps towards me. His guards attempted to block his path but the old man nodded his head; it was an obvious indication to let him pass.

The long white hair that cascaded down his chest bounced up and down with each step.

“May I?” he asked. He extended his arm towards me, taking my hand in his. I twitched at the warmth of his skin and the acidic scent of his blood. 

My mood change from confused and angry to relaxed and kind of happy, he was doing something to affect my mood and emotions.

“What are you doing to me?” I demanded, snatching my hand back.

“One of my many abilities; I can't make people do what I want or implant memories like you can, but I can influence your feelings. I can make you feel what I want you to feel.”

“She’s a vampire!” Tay growled through clenched teeth. “She doesn't have feelings.”

Anger filled my chest and then disappeared when the old man took my hand in his again.

“If she was a complete vampire, I wouldn't be able to control her emotions.”

Complete vampire? Questions formed in my mind by the dozen but no words came out of my mouth.

“Give us a moment alone, please; both of you.”

“No way,” Tay protested.

“Sir, I don’t think that’s a good Idea…” Eli informed him.

“Now.”

Reluctantly, Tay and Eli left the room, leaving the door ajar behind them.

“Where am I?” I murmured awkwardly.

Granted it wasn’t the most important question, but if I asked questions in baby steps, perhaps my brain would absorb all the information, fitting the pieces together like a puzzle.

“You, my dear, are at Sage Sanctum.”

“I'm at Sage?”

I had heard about Sage Sanctum through Mum. She said it was a school hidden somewhere in a forest, protected by various charms and spells. It was a place where young gods and goddesses could learn about their world and how to use their magic. They could explore their powers and purpose without the threat of vampires.

“Aren't there various charms and spells keeping monsters like me out?” I continued.

If I was at Sage Sanctum, then I knew exactly who I was talking to: Mr Ivan Aleksandrov, the headmaster of Sage and a powerful wizard.

“Yes, but you aren't exactly on the school or town grounds. You’re in a holding cell, deep underground on the outskirts of the safety border.”

The excitement that built itself in my chest slowly deflated like a balloon with a pin hole in it. In order for me to attend Sage I have to be pure… I have to be a goddess.

“What is going to happen to me? I can't stay in this cell forever.”

What were they going to do with me? I wasn’t a goddess, so I couldn’t be a part of their student body. A dark feeling filled my stomach and I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe they were going to kill me. What other reason would they have to keep an ex-goddess and potential threat to their kind locked up underground?

“You will be moved to better housing; once again, on the outskirts of the safety border.”

“What are you going to do to me? I can’t imagine that harboring a vampire is something your kind permits.”

“We’re going to fix you, transform you back.”

Well, I couldn’t say I expected that. His words came as a shock.

“As in…  I will be normal?”

I searched his eyes, looking for any indication that he was messing with me. His lips were pursed into a line and his eyes held a caring gleam. Either he was telling the truth or he was very good at practical jokes. Subtly I pinched my arm, expecting to wake up, but nothing happened.

“As normal as any teenage goddess can be.” He chuckled.

“But h-how?”

“I won’t delve into the technical side of things, but when you were born, your mother decided to live amongst humans. She wanted you to attend Sage Sanctum when you were old enough, but in the meantime she wanted to be your sole protector. Your mother signed a contract stating that when you turned eighteen, you’d come to Sage Sanctum and learn how to use your abilities. So, upon your birth, we cast a charm spell on you. A charm spell so powerful that not even a vampire’s venom could destroy it completely.”

“When Hank bit me —” I swallowed hard, recalling the events. “A beam of light exploded from me and Hank and I were torn apart—”

“Yes, the charm would have felt the venom spreading through your veins and counteracted it. Unfortunately, it couldn’t stop the process completely; it stops it only enough for us to bring you back.”

My gaze fell to the ground as I soaked in all the new information. I was happy, I was excited. I had thought for a year now that I would be stuck like this; doomed to walk to the earth until I was hunted by Hank or killed by another vampire.

“We have a wizard, older and more powerful than I, coming in a day or so to turn you back, or at the very least, try.”

Mr Aleksandrov let me sit in silence for a few minutes. The silence helped me regroup my thoughts; it prevented me from crying hysterically or screaming in excitement.

“I was told…” Ivan began as he adjusted his strange grey robe. “That when the guardians got to your room, there was another vampire there.”

I nodded, cringing as I recalled his deep black eyes and pale skin.

“I don’t mean to scare you, but we need to get you back to a goddess as soon as possible. There is a high chance that every vampire on this side of the country wants you dead.”

“What? Why?”

Just my luck, there isn’t one vampire after me, there are thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands.

“You’re the only thing stopping Hank from ruling this section of the vampire underworld. If you’re alive, the vampire society sees it as his fail, and until he can kill or fully turn you, he can't rule. As for the other vampires, they don’t want Hank to rule them. They want to take you for themselves.”

“We won't let them kill you.”

I jumped at Eli's voice; he was inside the room, leaning on the wall.

“And what do you do?” I was eager to find out what he was and why he smelt so delicious.

“I'm a Guardian Angel.”

Of course, how could I forget? I remember being told that vampires crave pure beings and needed them to look normal (as normal as a vampire can be). No wonder vampires craved them, the smell was compelling. My venom saturated my mouth and grouped in pools underneath my tongue. I swallowed it back, fighting against the unquenchable hunger that burned my throat.

“Let’s get you to proper housing,” said Mr Aleksandrov. “Take her there.”

Mr Aleksandrov was still holding my hand; he must have felt my mixed emotions. Eli nodded in agreement.

“Maybe she should eat first,” Tay suggested, pointing to the woman who was still sitting in the back corner, humming away.

“I’m not drinking from her,” I objected. “I told you, I don't drink directly from humans anymore.”

I focused my mind elsewhere; the smell radiating off the woman mixed with the guardian angel blood was intoxicating, and I was contemplating whether I should stick to my horrible donated blood or not.

Aleksandrov gave Eli a nod of the head, like they had some silent understanding of what to do next. He then headed out the door with Tay.

I watched in longing as Eli walked over to the woman, took her by the hand and escorted her out of the room, closing the door behind him. Almost immediately, I relaxed. I didn’t realise how hard I had been tensing and holding myself back from attacking anyone.

I walked over to the sink and splashed water onto my face, hoping this wasn't a dream. I stared at my reflection, trying to picture what I would look like with sun-kissed skin again or normal teeth, and to see my old blue eyes instead of these horrible black ones. I focused on my eyes; I couldn’t remember what my previous colour even looked like. All I could see were the same eyes that killed my mother. Every time I saw them I felt sick… I felt Hank.

The loud clunking noise thundered through the room again and the air soon filled with a sweet scent as Eli entered the room.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” I lied, forcing a fake smile and walking over to the bed.

I thought about those two words ‘I’m fine’ — it’s funny how they just come out even when you’re far from being okay. In the past year, those two short words had become my hymn. How could someone be 'fine’ when they are like me?

Eli walked over and handed me a bag of blood. I could smell the blood through the plastic, but I didn't take it.

“Where did you get this?”

“We took it, from your house.”

Thoughts of Camilla and Aunt Jen filled my thoughts. I was too absorbed in what was going on with me to ask if they were okay.

“Did you see my aunt? What about Camilla? Are they okay?”

“They were asleep and they’re fine; well, as fine as you can be when a family member goes missing.”

“Gets abducted,” I corrected him, grabbing the blood out of his hand.

His tense green eyes looked at me in amusement as his perfect teeth bit his bottom lip, hiding the smile that hinted at the corners of his mouth. His lips were full and luscious. I forced my eyes nervously from his mouth and down to my bag of blood, hoping he didn’t notice that I was lusting over the plump lips that sat on his face so perfectly.

“A little privacy?” I asked, feeling self-conscious.

I didn’t want Eli to see me drink blood. I didn’t know him, but I knew that I didn’t want him to think even less of me.

“Sorry, Mr Aleksandrov’s orders, I have to make sure you drink it all.”

Slowly I brought the bag to my mouth; the plastic was warm on my lips. I pierced the bag, concealing as much of fangs as I could. Eli watched, his face unchanging. If he was disgusted, he sure wasn’t giving anything away. My brain buzzed and my body tingled as the blood entered my system. I became more energized and less hungry but it still wasn’t enough to quench my hunger for a taste of Eli’s blood. 

I squeezed what I could out of the bag before handing it back to him. I darted over to the sink and washed my mouth. Even drinking from a bag can be messy sometimes. A tall blonde woman entered the room as I dried my face and she placed some clothes and a pair of shoes on the bed.

“Here are some fresh clothes,” she said bitterly.

I opened my mouth to thank her but she left before I got the chance.

Rude.

“Get changed and then we’ll go.”

I watched as Eli’s shapely back exited out the door. The privacy I was given was pointless, there was a two way mirror on the wall, he might as well have been standing right next to me. I picked up the sneakers and almost fell to my knees. Thank god I didn't have to wear high heels for a second longer.

One. Two. Three
. I counted in my mind. I pulled my dress off fast so I wasn’t exposed for too long. I kicked off my heels and threw on the pair of baggy denim jeans and the light blue tank top that were messily thrown onto my bed.

Perfect fit.

I sighed in relief as my feet slipped perfectly into the level joggers and Eli appeared in the doorway. Once again a small smile played upon his lips— he was so tantalizing.

“Don't worry,” he said. “I wasn't watching.” His full lips broke out in a seductive smile as he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

“Before we go, I thought maybe you’d want to call your cousin,” he suggested, walking over to me and handing me his mobile phone.

I grabbed the phone from his hand, my skin coming into contact with his. He didn't even flinch. If I could blush from embarrassment my face would have been as red as a stop sign. Thankfully, blushing was reserved for the living.

I moved my eyes from his hand to his face, waiting for a disgusted expression to cross his countenance.

No reaction.

“Most people jump at how cold I am,” I muttered.

“Most people haven’t spent a lifetime killing vampires.”

His response got a smile out of me. Here at Sage, they were used to ‘other worldly’ creatures, it was normal. Vampire or not, I still fit in here.

“Don't tell her where you are, what you’re doing, or when you will be back,” Eli explained.