Watch Over Me (Guardians Book 1)

by Shane Morgan

  The fountain showed Lars as my mate. We were fated to be together. There was nothing wrong with starting forever now.

  My heart had decided.

  Drawing a deep breath, I made to speak up when Anya chimed in, “My king, please, I beg you, execute this problematic insect and save Lars. Once she is gone, you can carry out the ceremony with Lars and me, and I will forget he ever laid with her.”

  “No.” Lars clenched his fists. “Father, I won’t let you harm my love.”

  I moved back to his side.

  King Deo turned into a gargoyle. “I should have dealt with you the moment I found out who you were. You will cause chaos in my kingdom.” He took out his sword. “Step away, Lars. Now!”

  Lars shifted and brought out his spear. “I will stand against you for her.”

  “Stop this, both of you!” Queen Vaira yelled. “Deo, don’t you see? You will shatter his heart if you kill Calissa.”

  The king huffed and looked back at his queen. “She doesn’t even want to join with him. Humans always desire time. Our son will die before she makes up her mind!”

  “That’s not true,” I declared. “I’ll go through with the ceremony.”

  Everyone looked at me with shock.

  Lars frowned. “You do not have to do it because you want to save me.”

  “That’s not the only reason. I love you. I want to be with you.”

  “But…forever?” he confirmed, touching my face.

  A deafening sound boomed around us before I could answer.

  The room became alerted.

  Every grey eye blared open.

  Lars looked at his father.

  “God…what is that?” I moaned, cringing from the sounds.

  “Demons,” Lars growled, squeezing my hand.

  I grimaced. “Here?”

  “That can’t be,” Queen Vaira shouted, flustered.

  Everyone hurried outside of the great hall and quickened across the courtyard. I glimpsed hundreds of gargoyles flying from the lower lands with weapons, heading toward the battle.

  The ringing rose louder. I presumed it was their emergency sound.

  Gargoyles lined the edge of the courtyard overlooking the lands below, including Sarayas, Ezio, and Obel. Those in their human forms shifted quickly and took out their weapons. Those who weren’t fighters gathered the children and headed for safety.

  “Ezio!” Lars called, hurrying to his side.

  “They’ve pierced a barrier.” He pointed down to the open field near the waterfalls.

  Sarayas shouted, “How did they get through?”

  I inched closer to the edge and looked down. “No.”

  A significant number of demons were coming from the dark forest. They couldn’t seem to cross the river, though. An invisible shield held them back. There were gargoyles on the other side of the river shooting arrows at them. Fire blazed whenever a demon got hit.

  “The second barrier won’t hold them for long,” Sarayas muttered, gripping her sword and getting ready to plunge into battle.

  “They must have been planning this for months,” Obel muttered, then glanced at me with his forehead lined. I knew what he was thinking. By stepping into the sacred pool, I’d probably weakened their defenses.

  I am part demon living in a gargoyle kingdom. Why didn’t the cons of that cross my mind before?

  At King Deo and a general’s shout, guardians at the edge prepared their silver weapons.

  “Calissa,” Lars said, touching my arm. He faced me fully. “Go with Obel and stay out of sight.”

  Guilt spread throughout my body like a toxin. My eyes watered. “It’s me, isn’t it? I caused this.”

  “Stop. It is not your fault.” He nodded to Obel. “Take her!”

  Obel grasped my hand. “Come, Calissa.” He towed me away from everyone, carrying me to the largest stone building in the kingdom. I peered over my shoulder at Lars. He set his focus on the demons below.

  King Deo shouted a command, and guardians flew down from the edge. Should anything happen to any of them, like Shari and Mrs. Crawley, it’d be my fault.

  Again.

  Obel led me inside the building and shut the doors.

  He guided me down a long passage and into a vast room I hadn’t been before. There were scrolls on shelves carved out inside the stone walls. A large glass window above allowed sunlight to fill the room.

  Ilris, Anya, Queen Vaira, council members, and three guardians were inside.

  One of the guardians closed the door when Obel and I entered. She scoffed at me in irritation.

  “This filth is to blame for all this,” Anya ranted. “Never had demons entered our kingdom before. Having this atrocity here reduced our barriers.”

  “Enough, Anya!” Ilris snapped, touching her stomach. “It is not Calissa’s fault.”

  “No, she’s right.” I looked at Queen Vaira. “Your people could get hurt because of me.”

  She pursed her lips. “Now is not the time for blame. You are safe inside the temple. Demons cannot enter here.”

  “All of the Gargouille kingdom is sacred from demons,” Anya remarked. “If they’ve entered, then nothing will stop them from coming in here.”

  “What about the elders in the mountain?” I asked. “They won’t help?”

  Queen Vaira turned her head once. “They won’t come out in the light. It hurts them.”

  “The guardians will be victorious,” Obel assured. “They always have.”

  “How would you know?” Anya retorted, tone derisive. “You’ve never been in a battle.”

  He clamped his mouth and huffed, walking away from her.

  I sauntered to the other side of the room and peered up at the ceiling. I could faintly hear the roars of a battle and weapons clanking. I prayed nothing worse would happen.

  Ilris touched my shoulder. “They’ll be all right,” she said softly. “Gargoyles are fearless. The greatest warriors you could ever imagine.”

  I smiled at her and nodded. She walked back to the guardians at the door and discussed what to do should the temple be invaded, while Queen Vaira talked with Obel and the council members.

  Anya ambled away from the group. She veered off to the side of the temple, looking at me as she did. It seemed she wanted me to go with her.

  No one was watching us. I hurried behind. Anya waited at a set of steps for me and pointed to them. “If you want to ensure everyone’s safety, you will go out that door at the bottom of the stairs. It’ll lead you to the river.”

  I gulped and glanced at her.

  Anya scowled. “They are here for you, Calissa. The demons are outnumbered now, but it is only a matter of time before they return with more. The battle will be endless, like the ones of the past. If you truly love Lars and want to put an end to this, you will go out the door.” Her gaze constricted with loathing as she added, “Or perhaps your heart is darker than you want to admit?”

  “It’s not,” I countered. “I’ll do it for Lars. I’d give my life for him.”

  She blinked in amazement. “How could a human, part demon or not, care for a gargoyle so much? You do not think of him as a monster? Are you not repulsed when he touches you?”

  The memories of our sweet kisses and making love warmed my skin. A smile reached my lips. “No. I feel fortunate to have met him. I finally feel at home.”

  Her eyes gradually softened. Her voice was low as she spoke again. “Without even understanding our ways, you’ve tied yourself to him.”

  “Look at it whatever way you want.” I stepped past her to go down the stairs.

  Anya grabbed my arm. “Wait. Don’t. Should anything happen to you, it will destroy him.”

  “If anything happens to him, I couldn’t live with myself.” I shrugged her off and hastened down the stairs.

  A magnitude of strength flowed through my body when I reached the bottom. I unlocked the door and stepped outside the temple, running onto the grass.

  There was a terrifying bat
tle taking place before my eyes, and it was happening all because of me.

  Some of the demons had broken through the barrier and were now fighting the gargoyles on the other side.

  I noticed broken stones in areas of the grass and recalled the burial site. Gargoyles killed by demons.

  “Oh, God. No.” I moved further into the opening, drawing attention to myself.

  One of the demons glimpsed me.

  Red eyes ablaze, he shouted, “There she is! Get her!”

  Two others managed to evade a gargoyle and rushed over to me.

  “Calissa. At last.” One of the men snatched my arm. “Our master is waiting.” Their sinister features made my skin crawl.

  “I’ll go with you,” I said through clenched teeth. “Stop this attack and leave the gargoyles alone.”

  He snickered. “Of course, princess. We’ll have no further need to put ourselves at risk if we have you.”

  “Princess?” I repeated, voice low.

  “Yes. Our master has great plans for you.”

  Bile burned my throat. I recoiled, and he tightened his grip on my arm.

  “Calissa! How did you get down here?” Sarayas yelled. She shoved her sword into the chest of a demon and made to fly over to me. But another one yanked her back by her wing.

  I looked past her and found Lars. He appeared alarmed. He attempted to quickly strike down the demons he was fighting so he could save me.

  “Open your portal!” I rushed them. “Now.”

  The demons eyed each other, chuckling. They started to form the dark hole in midair.

  “No!” Lars cried. “Calissa, fight them!”

  “This is the only way!” I yelled back to him. “I’m sorry. I love you.”

  “How interesting,” one of the demons ridiculed. My curls blew about wildly as they dragged me inside the portal.

  I could hear Lars shouting my name. The distress in his voice ripped me apart from the inside out.

  My love propelled my hand forward, reaching for him, it seemed.

  But it was useless.

  Gargouille kingdom disappeared from my sight as a force pulled me deeper into darkness. A sickening feeling crashed over me, and I could no longer keep my eyes open.

  22

  LARS

  “No!” I lost my sanity as demons pulled my love into the black hole, cutting my way through several of them until reaching across the river.

  It was too late.

  The shadow had vanished.

  Calissa was gone.

  Helpless, I crumpled to my knees and gripped the grass in anger, feeling as if my heart had shattered into pieces.

  “Lars!” Ezio shouted behind me. “Is she…” He could not finish.

  “The demons are retreating,” Sarayas bellowed.

  “Because they got what they came for,” I growled, tears trickling down my face.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anya step out of the secret entrance of the temple. The guilt in her gaze answered my suspicion.

  Shooting from the ground, I landed before her and snatched her throat. “What did you say to her?”

  “Lars…” Anya coughed and gripped my hand. “Please…I…forgive me…”

  A hand clamped on my shoulder. Ezio spoke at my side. “Release her, Lars. We do not harm our own.”

  “She guilted Calissa into leaving with the demons,” I fumed. “I know she did.”

  “To protect…Gargouille…” Anya pleaded. “To…protect you.”

  Sarayas descended on my other side and touched my arm. “Let her go, my friend.”

  Ezio gripped the hand at Anya’s throat. “Calm yourself.”

  Huffing, I unclenched my fingers and spun away, pacing like a mad gargoyle as I watched my comrades gather the stones of our fallen.

  Demons had all but disappeared back into the forest. I had a foolish urge to go after them and kill them all.

  Anya coughed erratically. “I tried to stop her, seeing that she truly loved you.” She caught her breath. “In the end, Calissa wanted to save you and our kingdom. Stop the killing of gargoyles.”

  I snapped my head around to her. “They need her blood for Tarekt. Before that happens, she will…sacrifice her life.” I knew Calissa’s heart through and through. She would do whatever necessary to prevent the awakening of the beast.

  Ezio and Sarayas drooped their shoulders in sadness.

  “Calissa…” Sarayas muttered.

  Determined, I balled my fists and raised my head. “I will not lose her.”

  Gathering strength, I plunged into the air and headed to the courtyard where my father, brother, and our generals stood.

  Ezio and Sarayas landed behind me soon after.

  I heard Luuk suggest, “We should fix the barrier as soon as possible before they return.”

  “They will not,” I stated aloud. “Calissa is gone.”

  The courtyard fell silent.

  My mother, Obel, and Ilris came out of the core standing hall just then. Ilris ran into Luuk’s arms.

  Obel appeared regretful when he looked at me.

  “Lars, forgive me,” he implored. “Calissa slipped away without—”

  “It is not your fault,” I stopped him. “Just help me find her. Tell me how.”

  He splayed a hand, at a loss. “Calissa could be in any dark realm. There are many.”

  I shouted, “Which one?” The thunder of my voice roared in the air. My chest rose and fell deeply, my breathing erratic.

  Everyone regarded my enraged state. I had never behaved in such a way. Like a gargoyle driven by love. But being without Calissa had my agony mounting bit by bit.

  “Obel,” my father called, voice stern, “get to the sacred pool and repair the barriers. The beast may awaken before the day ends.”

  Nodding, Obel cast one final sad glance at me before scurrying off.

  My father waved a hand to the others. “Prepare yourselves for a tough battle.”

  As my comrades moved around, I grunted and spun away, glaring over the edge at the forest.

  I winced as a gentle hand touched my arm. Slanting, I met my mother’s warm gaze. My anger calmed an ounce.

  “Mother, she…”

  “I understand her intention. She wanted to protect us.”

  My body quivered as I imagined the horror Calissa may be enduring at that very moment by the demon master and Rahel.

  “I need to find her, Mother. There has to be a way.”

  “Calm the anger,” she muttered, pressing her fingers to my forehead. “Feel your connection to Calissa, and listen for her. You are bonded through love. Hers will call to you.”

  Blowing a short breath, I forced my eyes shut and tried to control my distress. I could feel our love coursing through my seams and the unbearable pain of being apart from Calissa. It was vigorously searching, crying for her.

  I hoped in all that was good, it was not too late, and she would hear me.

  23

  A gentle hand caressed my face. When I opened my eyes, the handsome bartender with the kind smile was gazing down at me.

  “Kyle?” Startled, I jumped off the bed and took in my surroundings. The room was massive and had an antique vibe. Straight out of a vampire movie with burgundy wallpaper and old mahogany furniture.

  Wood popped in the fireplace nearby. Someone was sitting in one of the large black chairs in front of the fire, but they didn’t show themselves.

  I steered my gaze back to Kyle. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

  He smiled and got up from the bed. “I’m glad you’re finally with us, Calissa. We’ve been trying to break through the gargoyle barrier for weeks now. Rahel said it’d weaken with you there, and now, at last, you’re here.” He paused and squinted at me, a half-grin on his face. “And you decided to come on your own without any force. Good.”

  It hit me then. I staggered back. “Oh, God. You’re one of them now. They turned you, too.”

  Kyle chortled under his breath. “Actual
ly, I’ve always been.”

  My brows went up. “What?”

  “I wanted to gain your trust and possibly your heart, which reminds me, we’re due for a date.” He smirked. “I even managed to evade the gargoyles’ senses. But yeah, guess those guardians aren’t as great at sniffing us out as they think they are.”

  “This whole time…” I trailed off, realizing I’d been working with a demon for the past six months.

  “We’ve always had our eyes on you, Calissa. There were others before me: friends in school and employees at your previous jobs. You’re part of us—an important part. But you needed to be stronger. So, we had to wait.”

  I’d stayed in Brighton because of Shari, and it was where my birth parents had left me. But another part probably stayed because of them. The dark ones.

  “Ugh!” I shuddered when Kyle reached for my hand and slapped it away. “Don’t touch me.”

  He snorted. “You must have questions. It’s best if you got those answers from her.”

  Turning from me, he walked to the door and opened it. A demon was on guard outside. Kyle shut the door behind him and left me with whoever was sitting in the chair by the fire.

  I didn’t exactly think this through. I only wanted to stop the fighting. So how will I escape the demons now that I’m here? I can’t make a run for it. I don’t even know where I am.

  A woman’s laugh echoed from the chair. “You’re thinking of a way to escape, aren’t you? There’s no need, Calissa. You’re right where you’re supposed to be.” She got up and moved around the chair, coming into view. “You’re home. With me.”

  I was awestruck by her beauty. Hair was as curly as mine, brown skin radiant with similar golden undertone. She wore a long, black, lace dress that trailed on the carpet as she came closer to stand before me. Her dark eyes skated over my features. Her lips stretched into a sinister smile.

  “Hello, my daughter.”

  My stomach tightened. My heart started to race.

  “Daughter…” I shuffled back in disbelief.

  She nodded. “Yes. I am your mother, Zariah.”

  “No. You’re lying. My mother isn’t alive,” I refuted. “You can’t be her. She’d be older by now.”