Her Guardian Series Box Set

by G. Bailey

  “I’ve eaten something far better, you can have mine,” he says, making me blush, but I still take the cake.

  While I eat my cake, Wyatt puts the tray on the desk near the front door, and I put my empty containers on it when I’m done. I turn around to see him pulling off his shirt, and like my personal strip tease, he pulls off his trousers, too. Wyatt looks like a god without his clothes, a sculpted chest, a six pack and a line of blond hair up his chest that I want to feel. He looks amazing, and I don’t know what to say as I stare. Over his heart is the same mark as mine, it’s the same size and looks just right on him. Kind of sexy, if I’m being honest.

  “I like the shocked look on your face,” he smirks at me.

  I snap out of my drooling gaze before I say, “Why are you just in your boxers? Not that it isn’t a beautiful sight.”

  “I usually sleep naked, but for you, I’m a gentleman.”

  I laugh as a reply and take my clothes off as he watches. I’m not as skilled at taking clothes off and looking sexy like Wyatt is, so I end up tripping on my one legging-covered foot and face-planting on the floor. He laughs as I glare at him, and I stand up with my hands on my hips, just in my panties and top. “You’re not a gentleman right now.”

  He looks me over slowly. “Believe me, I am,” he says before getting into bed as I watch.

  After we’re both tucked in, he pulls me close to him. The feel of all his skin next to mine is making me fuzzyheaded, so I try to distract myself.

  “The prophecy says I could destroy people,” I say, but it’s more of a question.

  “Yes, but we won’t let that happen. We’re your mates, and that’s the only part of the prophecy that we are confident of,” he says gently.

  “Is that why you four like me? Just because you were told to?” I mumble. Wyatt puts a finger under my chin and forces me to look at him.

  “No. The first moment I saw you, I knew there was something different. I didn’t realise how different, but that’s not what makes me want to be with you. Your kind, yet bossy, attitude, the way you don’t care who I am, and how passionate you are about the people you care about. You care about the human strangers here, when most people would be worried about themselves. I hated that I had to force you into becoming a vampire because of what happened, but at the same time, I respect you for it. You didn’t care that it was a supernatural war and you were human. You only cared about those you love; that is something rare,” he tells me.

  I don’t know how to reply to his comment, so I just nod.

  “I often wondered what it would be like to be born human and have a simple life,” he says.

  “I did have that, and I still got here,” I say as I rest my hand over his mark. The area feels warmer than the rest of him.

  “A few hours after I was born, my eyes turned silver. Every vampire fell to their knees, and their eyes turned the same silver as mine as the words ‘true king’ was singing through their minds. The only one that didn’t kneel was my father. He was livid that I had controlled his whole race, and I was only one day old. He tried to kill me, but my mother stopped him. She convinced him that he needed an heir, and he let me live for her.”

  “Jaxson told me something happened when he was born too. How is that possible?” I ask.

  “The goddess.”

  “Harris told me once that a goddess made all the races.”

  “Yes, we think she did, but no one believes in her anymore. It’s said her sister Elissa made up the prophecy over five hundred years ago.”

  “Elissa?” I question him, because I can’t believe it. Elissa can’t be real. The woman I’ve been dreaming of since I was ten years old.

  “Yes, why?” he asks me, he turns to look at me as I sit up.

  “I’ve been dreaming of a girl called Elissa. I have been for years,” I say.

  Wyatt sits up in bed as he stares at me, “That’s...” he says, but shakes his head at me.

  “I know. It means I must be the girl in the prophecy, a prophecy she apparently made for me,” I say to him. The whole idea of having four mates is hard enough to process, let alone that they are princes, and I’m meant to rule. Also, the total destruction problem if I fall. I can’t even think about the saviour will die part. Who the hell is my saviour?

  “Don’t worry about it now. Every day, we’ll go the library and get every book we can find on Elissa and the goddess. I will get Alex and Drake to help you.”

  “Okay,” I say, feeling too worried to even sleep.

  “What did Leigha want?” Wyatt asks me.

  “Oh nothing, just to be friends,” I say and look away. I’ve always been a terrible liar.

  “So, you’re not going to tell me?” he chuckles.

  “No,” I reply slowly.

  “Lucky I like you, my little mate,” he says.

  “I more than like you too, Wyatt,” I say before I pull him down into the bed and lie on his chest. It doesn’t take long for my dreams to come and take over, it never does.

  Twenty-Seven

  Winter

  "Winter," a voice sings. The female voice keeps repeating my name again and again, as I open my eyes. The sound is different from the childlike, female voice I’m used to hearing. I recognise the voice straight away as I glance over to see Elissa, dressed in the usual white dress and this time wearing a long, white cloak. She is standing next to me, close enough for me to reach out and touch her, but I can’t move my hands. She points in front of me, and I look where she is looking.

  We are in a park, and a woman is walking through it, pushing a black pushchair with its hood down. There's a little toddler in it, but I can't see her, just her white trousers and her pink shoes sticking out the end of it. The woman is wearing jeans and a black coat. A man is walking next to her, his arm around her waist as he looks at her with love. The man seems so familiar too, with light-brown hair and pale-green eyes. The woman has short, brown hair, a slim build, and is about my height with bright blue eyes. She stops at a bench and sits down, the man sits next to her. The baby is facing me, a few steps away from us, but I don't look at her as I stare at the woman. She seems so familiar to me.

  "I have to tell you something," she says to the man. Her voice is so soothing, and I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere before.

  "Yes?" he asks.

  "You know I'm different," she says gently.

  "We don't speak about that, you promised not to use your powers," he replies in a heated tone.

  "And I haven't. It's not safe for our baby to be around us. You know what you are, and what I am," she replies, her tone careful and controlled.

  "Where can we take her, Isa?" he asks her.

  "You have to take her. I can't," she says, her face filled with tears.

  "No," he whispers, reaching over to wipe them away.

  "He has found me. You’re human, so he won't get you with her," she says, and he shakes his head.

  He looks at the baby before replying. "That's why you brought us here?" he waves a hand around the empty park. I look around, wondering what he’s talking about.

  "Yes, I have to go back alone," she replies, and he takes her face in his hands.

  "He will kill you. I love you, Isa, I can't let you," he starts and shakes his head.

  "It's me or her. Just keep her away from my kind," she tells him.

  "What of the prophecy?”

  "We always knew it was her," she whispers quietly.

  I block out what they are saying to look at the baby. She looks around two, with dark-brown hair clinging to her heart- shaped face.

  "Remember what I am showing you. You need to understand your past before you can save your future," Elissa whispers into my mind.

  "Why do you always talk in riddles? What are you showing me?" I demand as I look at the little child.

  "Your family," she whispers as I look back at the baby, and she opens her bright blue eyes.

  Blue eyes I’ve seen a million times in the mirror.

  I
open my eyes with a jump, as I throw my covers off and get out of the empty bed. That couldn't have been me. My mother wasn't there, and I don't know who that guy was. I have a few photos of my father, and he doesn't look like him.

  No, it's not true.

  The door opens and Wyatt comes through it, shutting it behind him. "Hey, I had to check something and didn’t want to wake you," he tells me. Wyatt looks at me as I run my hand through my sweat-filled hair, my whole body is still shaking.

  “Bad dream?” he asks.

  "I'm going to shower," I say and walk straight to the bathroom, knowing he’s watching me the whole time.

  Only, I open the wrong door, and it's a massive, walk-in closet with clothes lining each side. Ah well, I needed a change of clothes. I ignore all the other clothes when I see my bag on the floor and pull out some jeans and a blue top. I get some clean underwear out, too, before opening the other door and finding the bathroom. I don't even look at Wyatt, but I hear his chuckle.

  "She can't go to see a king looking like she has been pulled through a bush backwards, Wyatt," Alex’s voice comes through the closed bathroom door as I turn the hair dryer off after a long shower. The shower is amazing and kind of like a waterfall. There is even a dressing table in here, with everything a girl could need. I look at myself closely in the mirror, noticing again how my hair doesn't need straightening anymore. My eyelashes are so long and black now. My face just looks more refined.

  "She won't!" Wyatt defends me.

  I walk out with a glare at my best friend which stops when I see what she and Wyatt are wearing. She’s dressed in a black dress that shows off her back and goes high up her neck at the front. It falls to the ground and looks stunning with her long, red hair. My mouth drops open when I see Wyatt dressed in a black suit. His hair is gelled to the side, and his suit stretches across his chest. When I finally meet his gaze, my body tingles in excitement at how he’s looking at me. Memories of him on top of me last night flood my mind, and my face heats up.

  “Always jeans,” Alex says with a slight tut and draws my attention towards her. A thankful distraction from the extremely hot vampire I’m mated to.

  "What am I supposed to wear then?" I ask Alex and look down at my jeans which have a small hole in the knee. I don’t look that bad, but compared to them, I look a little weird.

  Alex just shakes her head at me and opens the wardrobe. Whoever went shopping for me went overboard. The closet is full of dresses, smart trouser suits, and little tops.

  "Out of all the things in here, you chose this?" She points at my outfit.

  "I like jeans," I reply dryly as she grabs my hand, and pulls me into the room. Alex shuts the door, leaving Wyatt on the other side.

  "The vampires are old school here, they all dress in cocktail dresses, and the men are in suits. That’s why Wyatt is in one. You don't need to stand out any more than you already are going to, Win," she tells me. I sit on the small cushioned bench in the room.

  "You’re right, this is just a lot to take in," I mumble. I think that’s the understatement of the year.

  "I get it, but Drake told me all about the prophecy last night.” She stops to look at me, her face is scared–an emotion I rarely see on Alex.

  “I want you alive at the end of this," she tells me and turns back to the dresses.

  "I will be," I reply as Alex slides the dresses along the rail. There are around twenty different dresses, all of them long and look like designer makes. The vampires don’t have a problem with money, but it makes me uncomfortable.

  "You are a lucky bitch, you know that, right?" Alex says as she looks at a dark-blue dress.

  "In what way?" I ask her.

  "Imagine all the hot sex you’re going to have with those four hot princes," she says, and it makes me laugh.

  "I haven't got my head around being with any of them yet, let alone all four," I mumble out eventually, but she hears me.

  "I would ride them all like a pony if I were you, have you seen them?" she replies, and I laugh.

  "I know you would."

  "Ah, it’s a shame my heart is only made for one guy, but I know yours isn't. You already love all those men, even if you don't know it yet," she replies. I don't think on her words because I don't like how right she likely is. Well, for at least two of them. Atti and Dabriel are growing on me too.

  “I have something for you,” she pulls out a small vial. It’s filled with a glowing, purple liquid. “It's a contraceptive herb from the angels. It will stop any little Winters running around.”

  “Thanks, do I just drink it?” I ask.

  “Yep. Drake gets it for me, and I asked him to get you one. You don’t need to thank me, I don’t want to be an auntie yet,” she winks at me, and I drink the vial. It tastes like a fizzy drink.

  "I had a dream last night," I mumble as she pushes the blue dress away and pulls out a long, red one.

  "A bad one?" she asks and stops to look at me. She knows how messed up I can get over my dreams. When I was thirteen, I had a terrible dream: a woman I couldn’t see was being held down by big, blue men. They were just shadows, but there were two of them that changed, as I watched, into men and then shadows again. The dream was terrifying as I watched them kill the woman, pulling some white and blue light out of her. When I woke up, I was screaming at the bottom of the garden. I must have walked out of the house in my dreams, Alex ran out and pulled me inside the house. She covered for me when my mum came running down the stairs and found us in the kitchen. We were lucky my mum believed the story that I saw a mouse when I got up to get water. I couldn’t sleep for days after that dream, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw the brown-haired woman on the ground. The weird thing is that Isa looked like the woman from that dream. I can’t remember it anymore, but there was something familiar about her.

  "No, not really. I was a toddler, but I wasn't with mum or dad," I tell her, and she raises an eyebrow at me.

  "What do you mean?" she asks.

  "Someone else was my mother and father. I don't get it, my dreams are becoming more real. And with everything going on, I’m worrying that they aren’t just dreams anymore. Elissa said they were my family."

  "Maybe they are just dreams," Alex suggests.

  "Yeah, and maybe vampires don’t exist," I say sarcastically, and Alex comes over to me with a simple, white dress. It has two silver rings that hold it up on the shoulders, and it looks like it stops below the knees with a slight slit because of the tight fit. It's posh and sexy at the same time. I’m a little worried this is going to show off my not so flat stomach and curves, but it looks my size.

  "You know, whatever happens, your mother loves you, and I love you. Don't worry too much about a dream you can't change," Alex tells me as she puts a hand on my shoulder.

  "Thanks, and I love you too," I say, and she grins as I stand up and take the dress from her. I quickly change and do a twirl for Alex, and she nods. I glance at myself in the full-length mirror; the dress is tight around my hips, but it has slight waves. It looks good and hides the proof of my chocolate addiction. We walk out of Wyatt’s room and find him with Drake in the corridor. Wyatt looks at my dress closely before taking my hand and pulling me gently to his side. Drake is dressed similarly to Wyatt, and it’s the most dressed up I’ve ever seen him.

  "You may dress Winter whenever, Alex," he says.

  "I told you so," she laughs. The door to the left of ours opens, and Leigha walks out. She looks every bit the vampire in a tight black dress that stops mid-thigh and covers her arms. The top half is open to show her shoulders. When she turns to shut the door, I see her mark on her shoulder. It looks a little like a bird, made up of dozens of swirls. It covers the top of her arm and goes over her shoulder, where the bird’s head rests.

  “Let’s hurry, I want to get this stupid thing off,” Leigha crosses her arms and walks ahead of us. I glance at Alex, who is trying not to laugh.

  Drake wraps an arm around Alex’s waist, and they walk after Le
igha. We follow them down an endless number of corridors and stairs. Weirdly, we manage not to pass anyone else. The place reminds me of a haunted castle in one of those ghost shows because the dated corridors are quiet and mainly dark, apart from the small, wall lights.

  "Where is everyone?" I ask Wyatt.

  "The humans use back passages, and the vampires are all called to court to meet you," he replies.

  "Oh, no pressure," I respond. I have to remember to thank Alex later for dressing me. I couldn’t turn up in front of hundreds of vampires wearing jeans with a hole in them. They would never take me seriously.

  "None at all. They will love you," he replies. Our eyes lock together for a second before we both turn to see where we’re going. I only needed that second of a glance to fill myself with a false sense of safety, a safety I only feel at Wyatt’s side.

  “Does the king have a mate?” I ask.

  “He has turned ten female humans, but he never calls any of them a mate. They usually die when he gets bored of them and doesn’t let them feed on any other vampire or himself. They may wear his mark, but he has no respect for them. That was my mother’s title,” Wyatt says with little emotion in his words.

  “I didn’t realise you could turn more than one person,” I say.

  “It’s not advised, but yes, you could turn endless numbers. Most people see it as an insult to do that. Sometimes the turned don’t survive, or they go a little mad,” he tells me. It's a scary thought that his kind could just go around turning people.

  We walk up to large, stone doors, with three guards standing outside looking at us. They have dark skin and black eyes that match their uniforms. The red crown is stitched over their hearts, and they put their fists to their hearts as they bow.

  "Open the doors," Wyatt says, and they quickly do as he asks. I didn't feel him use his power, but he makes you want to do as he says anyway. I have to remember he is a prince here.

  The doors swing open to the throne room. Hundreds of eyes stare at me from their seats on both sides of a long path towards the throne. I don't look at them as my gaze hits the famous vampire king. He looks like Wyatt, with his light-blond hair, but his has a bit of grey on the roots. He has a big build like his son, filling out the gold throne he sits on. The king is wearing a black suit, a few buttons are undone on his shirt, and he looks casual compared to the vampires in the room. Next to him, on the left, are four vampires seated next to each other in small, gold chairs and a long, wooden table stretches out in front of them. Harold is the first I see and then an older, stern-looking woman with short, grey hair, who gives me a slightly distasteful look as our eyes meet. The other two are familiar, the one with the red crown tattooed on his head smirks at me. The seat next to him has the common, greasy-haired man he was with when he came to get me from Wyatt months ago, who also is looking very happy. I try to ignore the three wine glasses full of a dark-red liquid. I know it’s blood, but I’m going to pretend it’s wine. Yep, it’s wine.