The Sacred Guardians Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Omnibus

by Wendy Owens

  Gabe felt conflicted by the swelling of emotions he found himself dealing with. He had always assumed that he had disappointed Michael when he left Rampart. It had never crossed his mind that his mentor felt this way. On the other hand, his heart felt heavy with worry for Rachel. He couldn’t tell Uri that he wanted her to stay because she filled him with joy. More than that though, he couldn’t allow her to leave the valley if it likely meant her death.

  “You’re going to have to tell Michael that doesn’t work for me. Rachel’s safer here with me, so that’s where she’ll stay until you find somewhere more suitable,” Gabe insisted.

  “What? I thought—” Uri stuttered. “Okay, now I’m confused. What is going on? I thought you didn’t even want her here.”

  “I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean I want to send her to her death,” Gabe snapped.

  Uri hesitated for a moment staring at his friend. “Michael doesn’t want you in danger. He won’t allow this.”

  “Well, Michael doesn’t control me anymore. You can tell him I know full well the danger this puts me in and I’m willingly accepting it. She’s staying here with me and that’s that!” Gabe growled, growing more agitated at the idea of Rachel being in danger.

  Uri’s look of confusion gave way to a devilish grin as his eyebrows lifted slowly.

  “What?” Gabe asked, puzzled by his friends expression.

  “Oh it’s cool, I get it,” Uri snickered in reply.

  “You get what?”

  “You like her.”

  “Of course I like her, she’s a nice girl.”

  Uri leaned in close, “No, you know what I mean. You really like her.”

  “What?” Gabe protested. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “I know this look, the smitten Gabe look,” Uri boasted triumphantly at his deductive skills.

  “Shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gabe turned to walk away from his friend who was frustrating him.

  “Have you kissed her yet?” Uri prodded.

  “You’re insane,” Gabe added, stopping and turning to face his friend again. “I owe her, that’s it.”

  “What do you mean you owe her?”

  Gabe sighed, the details that led to his injuries were long buried in his mind and rehashing them seemed less than appealing. “I had to run some errands and got into a fight while I was gone. Rachel patched me up and took care of me. That’s all.”

  “Are you all right?” Uri asked, moving in to get a closer look at Gabe, inspecting him for any obvious wounds.

  “I’m fine, it was nothing, really. Besides, with the way we heal, I can take a lot.”

  “I’ll talk to Michael again, I can’t make any promises,” Uri said.

  “She’s staying, end of story,” Gabe was not lying when he said he wanted Rachel to stay because he felt like he owed her, but Uri was right, as well. There was something more to Gabe’s feelings for Rachel, he wasn’t sure to what extent, but knew to say otherwise would be a lie.

  “All right, I’ll tell him. I’ll be back as soon as we find a place. Be safe,” Uri said, reaching out and grabbing Gabe’s arm before disappearing into nothingness.

  Gabe watched until that last lingering bit of smoke dissipated. He took comfort in knowing, at least for the time being, that Rachel would remain here, with him.

  After Uri left, trying to sleep seemed pointless. Gabe couldn’t stop thinking about everything he had said. What if Uri hadn’t shaken the tracker like he thought? Are we in danger now? Would I be able to actually protect Rachel if our hiding spot is uncovered?

  What about the things Michael had told Uri? It sounded like Michael was full of regret that he had placed Gabe’s life in danger. Perhaps Gabe was wrong about his mentor. He had always assumed the moment he left Rampart, Michael would be so full of disappointment and disgust for him, he could only hate him.

  Then there were the discussions about Gabe’s feelings for Rachel. He had managed to avoid the topic successfully with Uri, but it didn’t mean there wasn’t merit to his the observation.

  It was becoming clear to Gabe, the more he thought about Uri’s words. The thought of her leaving unraveled him. The idea of being alone, the constant solitude was tolerable, he knew that after a year of it. It was more than just the idea of being alone, it was being without her. Feeling this way about her shook Gabe to his core. After Sophie, he never wanted to feel that for someone else again. Loss hurts too much and Gabe even had a prophecy telling him that any future Rachel and he could have was doomed. Yet here he was, unable to let her go.

  Gabe was determined not to let Rachel discover his feelings. He would deal with them in his own way. Just because he wanted to love her, didn’t mean he had to act on those desires. Being near her, keeping her safe, that would have to be enough; anything more would only lead to disappointment or worse.

  Gabe looked over his shoulder at Rachel who still slept peacefully. He debated telling her about Uri’s visit, at first convincing himself that it would only frighten her. The more he struggled with the choice he realized he was actually the one that was afraid. What if he told her and she decided she would be safer at Iron Gate? How could he not tell her though? She had been just as worried about Uri as he had been; it wasn’t fair to keep her in the dark like that.

  “What is that delicious smell?” Rachel asked, sitting up and releasing her body into a stretch.

  “I thought maybe you would appreciate it if I returned the favor and did the cooking for once. Breakfast is actually something I can handle. I hope you like pancakes,” Gabe added, placing the towering plate on the table.

  “What? No way, my eyes must be deceiving me,” Rachel gasped, hopping up and rushing to the table, breathing in the steaming stack of goodness.

  “Ha ha,” Gabe chimed back sarcastically. Extending his arm he offered her a jar, the outside of which was covered in sticky finger prints. “I’m afraid I don’t have any maple syrup, but I do have honey.”

  “Honey is perfect,” Rachel squealed, grabbing the jar before taking a seat. “I can’t believe you did this.”

  “Wow, it’s that hard to believe that I might actually do something nice,” Gabe retorted.

  “You know what I mean; it was nice, that’s all I’m saying,” Rachel defended her remark even though she knew Gabe was only joking. Stabbing at the top two pancakes, she dragged them to her plate, slathering them liberally with the honey. Without hesitation, she stuffed a heaping bite in her mouth, moaning with delight.

  “You like them, huh?”

  Muffled and still chewing, Rachel groaned, “Oh my God, these are so good.”

  “Thanks, it’s one of the few things I can actually cook. One of my many foster parents taught me,” Gabe explained, a fond but brief memory invading his thoughts.

  Gabe seized the nearby kettle and poured Rachel a steaming cup of coffee; pushing it across the table when he finished. Taking a deep breath, he sat across from her, filling his own plate with the sweet treat.

  Rachel slowed her binging and watched Gabe as he poked at the food on his plate, never actually taking a bite. “Not hungry?” she asked.

  “I guess not,” Gabe replied solemnly, his mind still debating if he should tell Rachel of Uri’s visit.

  “Is everything all right?” Rachel asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “Yeah. Of course it is. I mean— well — it’s just, never mind.” Gabe’s anguish became evident to Rachel as he spoke.

  Reaching out across the table and placing a hand on top of Gabe’s, she reassured him. “It’s all right, whatever it is, you can tell me.”

  Gabe thought how she would have made an excellent Guardian. She didn’t even possess any super powers, yet somehow by just her touch she managed to calm him. Gabe smiled, “It’s nothing.”

  Not satisfied with his answer, Rachel continued to push for the truth. “Your face doesn’t look like its nothing. Why don’t you want to tell me? Is something wrong?”

  “No �
� of course not,” Gabe reassured Rachel. “I just don’t want you to panic.”

  “Gabe, really? I would think after all this time you’d know I’m not the type to panic easily. I’m in this, too; you need to tell me what’s going on,” Rachel demanded.

  Gabe sighed. She was right; Gabe had no right to keep information from her. If she decided to leave the valley and go to Iron Gate after he told her, then maybe that was what was best for them both.

  “It’s Uri,” Gabe began.

  Rachel gasped, clearly assuming the news must be bad. “What’s wrong? Is he hurt? Oh my God, Gabe. Is he dead?”

  “No— nothing like that,” Gabe answered, attempting to reassure Rachel. “He came back last night.”

  “What? Where is he?” Rachel said looking around the room. “Is he outside?”

  “Not exactly,” Gabe replied

  “What’s going on, Gabe?” Rachel asked, growing tired of the back and forth.

  “He was only here for a few minutes before he left again,” Gabe explained.

  “I don’t understand? Why didn’t he take me with him?”

  “I told him you needed to stay here with me,” Gabe replied flatly.

  Rachel looked stunned by his answer. “What? I don’t understand. Why would you tell him that, Gabe?”

  Gabe wished he had phrased his responses better, it was clear Rachel was very quickly becoming highly agitated with him. “I promise, everything is fine, if you would just let me explain.”

  “Fine, explain,” she snapped, dropping her fork on the table. With crossed arms she glared at him.

  “There is nothing to be upset about, you’ll see. You were asleep when Uri got here. He didn’t want to wake you, that’s all. He told me that he has been looking for a safe place to take you, but every place is too hot. He said he could take you back to Iron Gate for now.”

  “Wait, I thought they said Iron Gate wasn’t safe?” Rachel questioned.

  “He spoke to Michael and they didn’t want to involve me any further. They said they think they could keep you safe there until something else can be figured out.”

  “Oh,” Rachel interjected, her expression revealing confusion. “When am I leaving?”

  “You’re not; I told him you could stay here,” once the words left his lips, Gabe held his breath, unsure of what her response would be.

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Rachel, I owe you.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “You saved my life,” Gabe argued.

  Picking her fork back up and returning to her pancakes, Rachel dismissed his thankfulness. “I didn’t do anything more than anyone else in my position would.

  “Well, I don’t exactly agree with you. I think you did a lot and I’m not letting you go back to Iron Gate when you will be perfectly safe here.”

  “Nonsense, you’re not going to put yourself in further peril at my expense. Is there a way to contact someone there and let them know I’m coming?”

  “Hold on, slow down.” Gabe felt the discussion spiraling out of control. He chased the words that would keep her there; make her stay with him. “I want you to stay. I like having you here.”

  “What? Oh my, Gabe Harwood, are you actually giving me a compliment?” Rachel mocked, her cheek puffed out and stuffed with food.

  “Are you kidding? You’re so much cheaper than any cook or housekeeper I could get,” Gabe replied, bursting out in laughter.

  “Oh no, you did not just say that!” Rachel squealed, pulling back her fork as if it were a tiny catapult and flinging a sticky heap of pancake at him.

  “Hey!” Gabe yelped, dodging the flying glob. “I’m serious, I want you to stay. Will you?”

  “Well, I must admit, leaving does worry me. After all, I would hate for you to go back to just eating your cooking. You might wither away to nothing if it weren’t for my mad skills in the kitchen.”

  “Rachel, I need to be serious for a moment,” Gabe decided he had to make the situation clear to her in order for him to carry no guilt over her choice.

  “Oh no, not serious,” Rachel mimicked Gabe, giggling.

  “Listen,” Gabe tried again to gain her attention. “There is a good chance Baal’s armies won’t find us here. They haven’t yet, so it seems reasonable to think that will continue. But you have to understand something; as long as you’re here, you’re only protected by me. At Iron Gate there is a good chance you could be detected, but on the other hand you would be protected by an army of Guardians.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Rachel chimed, waving her hand in a dismissive way at Gabe’s warning.

  “Rachel!” Gabe raised his voice, determined to get her attention. “I mean it. If they find us, I probably won’t be able to keep you safe.”

  “Gabe, I get it. I’ve been here with you for months, I trust you. I’m sure these other people are great, but they are strangers to me. I would much rather be here alone with a friend than protected by an army of strangers. I know I must seem crazy.”

  “Not really, I get it.” Gabe’s heart felt like it grew three times its natural size when she referred to him as a friend. He had treated her with such reckless regard, he thought for sure she had a hidden disdain for him. Her confession that she felt safe with him made him smile, though he tried to resist the urge.

  “Can we not talk about this anymore?” Rachel asked. “I was thinking of jarring some preserves today, what do you think? I even thought we could take some to town eventually for trade.”

  “That’s a great idea, I’ll watch,” he replied with a devilish grin.

  “I don’t think so. You get to march your butt to town and get me some jarring equipment,” Rachel instructed.

  “Nah, sounds like too much work. How about we go swimming instead?” Gabe suggested with a smile.

  “You’re incorrigible,” Rachel laughed.

  “I try.”

  The afternoon sun was high in the sky; Gabe raised a hand to shield his eyes from the rays. He had noticed some time ago that Rachel had headed off in the direction of the nearby brook. Not wanting to seem as though he was obsessed with her activity, he had not followed.

  Something had been off about Rachel all day though. She had barely spoken at breakfast; Gabe could tell whatever was on her mind was weighing heavily. He worried she might be reconsidering her choice to stay in the valley with him.

  Enough time had passed since she left his sight that Gabe decided it would simply be prudent of him to go and check on her. Ensuring her safety after being absent for such a lengthy amount of time couldn’t possibly be misconstrued.

  “Rachel?” he called out as he approached the clearing near the brook. When he emerged from the tree line he caught a glimpse of her. She seemed so peaceful, sitting along the water’s edge, running her fingers through the lush blades of grass. Turning around at the sound of her name, Rachel half smiled as she watched Gabe approach.

  “Hey mister, what are you up to?” she asked, turning to stare at the water some more.

  “Looking for you, actually,” Gabe replied, taking a seat next to her relaxed body.

  “Oh yeah? What’s up?” Rachel inquired.

  “Nothing really. I guess I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  “Yup, I’m fine,” Rachel answered, without shifting her gaze.

  “Can I say something?” Gabe asked politely.

  “I don’t know, can you?” Rachel smiled, pleased with her snarky response.

  Gabe took it as a good sign that she was cracking a joke. No matter how much he dreaded the conversation and that the result may reveal that she wanted to leave the valley, he hated seeing her this way more. “I don’t want to make you mad or anything, but I’ve noticed that you haven’t seemed like yourself for that past few days.”

  “Who do I seem like?” Rachel continued with the jokes.

  “I’m trying to be serious here, is something wrong?” Gabe asked, staring intensely at her as he waited for
an answer.

  “It’s silly, nothing to worry about,” Rachel replied.

  “Please?” Gabe continued to push.

  “Fine, I’m a reader,” Rachel said as if Gabe should understand somehow what that meant.

  “Okay, and is that supposed to mean something?”

  “I love to read —” Rachel continued. “You know, books. I used to read anything I could get my hands on.”

  Gabe furrowed his brow; he wondered if Rachel were speaking in a cryptic code he wasn’t aware of. Somehow the fact that she liked to read books was making her sad. “I’m sorry, I’m still not getting it.”

  Rachel looked up at Gabe; she could see in his eyes that his concern was sincere. She smiled softly, doing her best to explain her dilemma. “You like to create stuff, right? Like drawing or sculpting.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Gabe replied.

  “Imagine all the tools you needed to create your masterpieces with were unavailable to you. The thing you love to do, the thing that helps you relax, it’s suddenly gone. There isn’t exactly a corner library around here if you catch my drift. I guess I’m just missing it.”

  Gabe said nothing, just stared ahead of him.

  “See, I knew it sounded silly,” Rachel added.

  “No, that’s not it,” Gabe scoffed.

  “Then what?”

  “I’m just wondering if I have some strange attraction to women who love books, Sophie was a book worm, too,” Gabe said, remembering Sophie’s love of the library at Rampart Manor.

  “You have an attraction to me?” Rachel smiled as the question slipped past her lips.

  “What? Oh— Yeah sure, whatever helps you sleep at night,” Gabe tried to lessen the blow of his statement with his callous response, unable to stop the involuntary blushing that was happening to his cheeks.

  “Oh, Gabe, really?”

  “What?” Gabe yelped.

  “I’m a girl; it’s not that hard to tell when a guy likes you. It’s no big deal,” Rachel’s response surprised him.

  “Seriously? You’re a bit over confident, aren’t you?” Gabe asked looking at Rachel, careful not to allow his gaze to linger too long though.