Keeper of the Innocents

by Kristy Centeno

  “Know what?” He did spare a glance in my direction though.

  “That I’m a Keeper? You didn’t guess. You knew. How?”

  “I don’t think you want to hear how I knew.” He picked up the lone bottle of water left and imitated my actions by squeezing the plastic for a moment before releasing his grip.

  “You brought me all the way out here for a reason. I don’t know what that is, but I have my own reasons for being here. And part of it is to find out what you know about me, and how you found out.” I gripped the bottle even harder, but stopped when it looked like the cap was about to pop off.

  Rhyzel seemed to think his reply over a bit. After a moment he finally said, “I’ll tell you, but I doubt you’ll believe me.”

  “Give me the benefit of the doubt.” I removed the cap, drank a sip of water, and replaced the cap as I waited for him to elaborate.

  “Fine.” Rhyzel set the bottle of water on the blanket next to him. “I had a Keeper.”

  Shocked came short when describing what I felt. There was no way a Keeper had been assigned to a half demon child. He was partly evil.

  He must have known what was going through my head because he frowned and said, “See. You’re already assuming I’m lying.”

  “Rhyzel, how could you have been assigned a Keeper? We protect the innocent. You…” I shut my mouth when I caught the look of disdain cross his eyes.

  “My Keeper was given a choice.” He looked away as he continued to explain. “When I was born the Overseers didn’t know what to make of me. They didn’t know if I was all evil—if my demon side would overpower the human part of me one day. They had a real problem on their hands. Normally, they must pair an innocent child with the Keeper with the best qualities and capabilities to protect that charge, but when my name hit the list and they realized what I was, no one had a clue what was the right choice to make. So they left it up to my Keeper.” He paused to take a sip of water before setting it back down on the blanket. “They asked her if she could guard and protect me against those who had put a price on my head even at the risk of having to vanquish me one day.”

  “What?”

  “They warned her that I had the potential to turn evil in the future. That I could give into my demonic side and use my powers to kill innocents.”

  “So, what was her choice?” I already knew the answer but I needed to hear it from him.

  He met my gaze. “She told her Overseer that I was an innocent. That through no fault of my own I’d come to be, and if there was a chance that I could live and be more human than demon she wanted to be as much of a positive influence as possible. She chose to save me. And she was a positive influence up until the day she was killed.”

  “She died?”

  “She died saving my life.”

  I was both stunned and amazed by Rhyzel’s story. I couldn’t believe that not only had the Overseers chosen to give him a chance, but so had a Keeper. My question was why? Were they better people than me? Had it been me, would I have made the same choice?

  “How long ago was this?”

  “Five years ago.” He straightened his back and turned his gaze to the huge screen flashing with images of a story neither of us was paying attention to. “Around the same time my mom vanished.”

  “During the visions…I never saw her.”

  Rhyzel regarded me with a mixture of sadness and aloofness. “Those attacks…a lot of them happened after she passed. I had no one to protect me then.”

  I wondered if Ezekiel knew about Rhyzel all along. Had he known from the start that I’d encounter him and have to make a similar choice? Had he set me up? But then, why would he? My charge was Renee not Rhyzel. Or was it that Rhyzel was a danger to Renee after all? Did Ezekiel want me to make the right choice when it came to him so that Renee could live to fulfill her destiny?

  “I find it hard to believe what you’re saying is true,” I said at last.

  He grunted.

  “I can’t seem to envision a Keeper protecting you. I’m sorry.” It was hard to get that out, knowing I’d probably hurt his feelings once again but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

  “You have ways to prove or disprove anything I say.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then why don’t you?”

  I turned my head to my left so that I could look at his face. “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. You continuously doubt me, but you haven’t cast another truth spell on me. Why is that?”

  My shoulders lifted involuntarily. “I haven’t had time.”

  “There was time for it.”

  “The locations weren’t safe.”

  “We were alone in an abandoned house.”

  I stared at him, speechless.

  “The reason for it is easy, really. It’s because deep down you do believe me. You know I have no reason to lie and knowing that scares you.

  “That’s not true at all.”

  “Yes, it is. If you know I’m not lying then you have to accept that I’m as human as you are. You’re so determined to see me as a demon that seeing me as anything else is completely unacceptable.” He shifted so that he sat facing me. “Well, I think you should know I am human. There is a side to me that is totally human. And that part—as small as it might seem to you, feels, gets hurt, and fears every once in a while, too. I also want, and what I want the most right now is to kiss you.”

  Before I could react he framed my face with his hands and sealed my lips with his.

  An explosion of conflicted emotions went off inside of me. Divided as I was internally, it was natural to feel as if a part of me wanted the kiss to never end while the other wanted to stop and hurt him, too.

  The Keeper and the girl in me fought each other. Each one stating the other was wrong. But in the end, the girl side of me won and I gave in completely, allowing Rhyzel’s tongue access to the inside of my mouth as my own hands buried themselves in his bronze colored hair and enjoyed the feel of it sliding in between my fingers.

  At that moment the world around us ceased to exist. There were no other people surrounding us. It was only him and me. We were the only two that mattered.

  The way his lips worked mine ignited a fire inside of me that forced a wave of hot liquid to a part of my anatomy that made me feel anything but decent. And I welcomed the feeling. It made me aware of myself as a human being. It made me aware of myself as a woman.

  He was a handsome guy with a charming and somewhat perplexing personality. If I took a moment to forget what I considered to be his biggest flaw, then I could picture myself falling for him. Regardless of how much I tried to maintain a safe distance from him both physically and emotionally, in the end I couldn’t help myself. I just had to know for sure if his kiss was worth a trip to hell and back.

  At that moment something in me broke. I’d come to that crucial point where I’d finally accepted him, flaws and all. There would be hell to pay—consequences to own up to afterwards. I knew that much, but as his lips moved in sync with mine, I just didn’t care.

  Part of what made Rhyzel who he was, was the merging of good and evil. He was a unique combination of both, unmatched by any creation before or after him. Whether acceptable or not, it wasn’t for me to decide. If others had chosen to grant him a second chance at life, why couldn’t I? What was holding me back from taking a step forward in our strange and somewhat strained relationship?

  Barriers.

  He’d put it so well when he said he’d been trying to break through the walls I’d put up as a natural defense against him. It was how I had decided to protect myself from any sentimental attachments I might develop for him. Well, those were pretty much bulldozed down in a hurry.

  I could never treat him as if he was beneath me again after the way he made me feel in his arms.

  Barriers aside, I really let myself go and returned his kiss with as much vigor as I could allow myself when in a public place. I found myself wrapping my arms around hi
s neck and deepening the kiss. He responded by pulling me to his lap and holding me against his chest as tightly as possible without actually hurting me.

  I don’t how long we held each other. I don’t know how long we kissed. But it took the bark of a nearby dog to startle us apart. We had forgotten about everything except the need to kiss, feel, and touch each other.

  Completely flushed and slightly embarrassed, I climbed off Rhyzel’s lap and glanced around quickly. I noted a couple some distance away that probably noticed our momentary lapse but no one else seemed to have paid us much attention. The rest of the people present appeared to have been engrossed in the movie and enjoying it—if their constant laughter were an indication.

  “Rhyzel…I don’t think this is the time or the place.” Thanks to the dog we stopped before things got out of hand.

  Seriously, my heart was pounding so hard inside my chest I thought it might force itself through the ribs and escape.

  “I think you’re right.” Rhyzel’s voice sounded hoarse.

  “If you were trying to prove a point…I got it.” And it was safe to say I wanted more.

  “Actually, I just wanted to kiss you.” His right hand rumpled the bronze spikes of hair on the top of his head.

  “I appreciate your honesty.” I fanned my face with my left hand. I wanted to cool off, and not because of the heat. “Maybe we should focus on the movie for a while. At least until things settle down.”

  Rhyzel appeared amused by my comment because his gaze settled on my mouth as he said, “We can always try that again. I’m sure I could do even better.”

  I blinked. “Um…I’m okay.”

  As good as it was, repeating the kiss would just get us both in trouble.

  His right shoulder lifted slightly. “Suit yourself.”

  Needing to occupy my mouth with something other than Rhyzel’s sexy lips, I picked up the bottle of water, uncapped it, and downed the rest of the warm water. Afterwards, I sat still and watched the rest of the movie; we’d missed about forty minutes of it.

  Neither of us spoke and we maintained a safe distance from each other. I didn’t trust myself around him anymore and doubted I’d be able to keep my hands off him if he decided to accidently touch or rub against me.

  Overall, the movie ended up being a nice change of pace. It was definitely worth the trip. However, kissing Rhyzel had been worth a lot more. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

  I didn’t know what the future held. So far, visions of the future had eluded me, but if upcoming events were filled with days with Rhyzel, the risk might just be worth taking.

  Chapter Nineteen

  An Uncertain Future

  The movie ended about sixty minutes later. By the time it did, both Rhyzel and I were lying on our stomachs, using our hands to elevate our heads. For the most part, we had avoided any physical contact but had come to enjoy each other’s company.

  As the movie credits rolled on, Rhyzel helped me fold the lilac colored blanket and pack it into the backpack. I made sure to shove the empty water bottles inside too before zipping it closed and looping the straps over my shoulders.

  After grabbing the helmet Rhyzel had lent me, I took the hand he offered as he headed in the direction of his motorcycle. It was late enough that the scorching summer heat had abated. A cool breeze had picked up while we were watching the movie, so it was almost comfortable.

  I did however, feel the need to be somewhere inside with an air conditioner blaring in the background and something cold in my hands.

  We made it back to the bike just in time to see the cleaning crew begin their routine.

  “Are you in the mood for a dessert?” Rhyzel asked as he let go of my hand to fish out his keys.

  “That would be nice.” I put the helmet on and lifted the visor so I could look at him without it obstructing my view. “Hopefully someplace indoors, please.”

  He turned his gaze to me. “How about my place?”

  It took me a moment to respond. “Your place?” I didn’t think being alone with him was such a good idea. Especially after that mind-blowing kiss we shared. I definitely felt as if I was trudging on dangerous territory.

  One corner of his mouth tipped up into a half smile. “What? You’re afraid of being alone with me?”

  Had he just read my mind? “That’s not it.” My conscious called me out as a liar but I ignored that nagging voice in my head. “I…is that safe?” I murmured, but he heard me just fine.

  “It’s safe all right. I won’t do anything you don’t want to.”

  For the first time in…I don’t know how long, I could feel my cheeks burning with a blush because of a guy. It wasn’t fair. Somehow I had the feeling Rhyzel knew exactly how he made me feel and tried to use it to his advantage as often as he could. Of course this was just a ridiculous thought but it made me think.

  “Right. Well, I…hope you behave.”

  The bark of laughter that escaped his lips startled me. “You might not think so but I can behave. I have to.” He put his helmet on, pushed the kickstand to the side with his right foot, and sat astride the seat. After turning on the engine, he glanced in my direction and lifted the helmet’s visor.

  “Elaborate,” I demanded in a low, but restrained voice.

  “Let’s just say sometimes my eyes reveal too much.” He pointed to his normally green eyes with his index finger and as he did I leaned in closer to see what exactly he was indicating. That’s when I noticed the red specks of color in his irises were growing larger and overpowering the green.

  I gasped and took a step back. “Why are they changing colors now? Are you mad?”

  I’d noticed the color change before. They had in fact glowed a deep shade of red, but that usually only happened when he was angry. He didn’t appear to be angry now, though.

  I leaned in again and noticed the difference in the change this time. His eyes, in spite of having changed colors, weren’t glowing.

  “I’ve worn contacts during the few times I’ve gone out on dates. Whenever I have a rush of emotion…they change colors. I can’t help it. It just happens.”

  A rush of emotions? He was staring straight at me, his eyes boring into mine, so what exactly did he mean?

  “I’ve never noticed…” I confessed.

  He looked away. “When I feel it coming, I fight it. Sometimes—if I’m lucky enough, I can hold it back, but most of the time I lose.”

  When we kissed, his eyes were closed and so were mine, so I couldn’t have noticed the spectacular change, but neither of us kept the world at bay now. He stared at me and I stared back.

  “Why did they change now?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

  Rhyzel met my gaze. “Do you want the truth?”

  I thought about it for a second. Did I really want to know the cause of such a dramatic change? Of course I did.

  “Yeah, I think I do.”

  “It’s the way you make me feel.” He waited for me to say something, but when I didn’t reply right away, he added, “You make me feel…like no matter what happens, I have to fight back. You make want to live, to experience new things, to have a normal life.” He removed his helmet and placed it on the seat in front of him. “Some years ago I had given up on myself. I decided that after losing those I really cared about, it didn’t matter anymore if I lived or died. Then two years ago, when I needed help, you appeared out of nowhere and saved my life. I realized then that my life didn’t have to be over. That I could have a real chance of being…even half normal.”

  “Rhyzel—”

  “I know how you feel. I’ve known all along. You’re conflicted when it comes to me, but I understand that. Demi, I’m conflicted myself. Sometimes I feel like the world would be better off without me. Then I see you, even when you’re upset because I’m there…the look in your eyes…they don’t lie. But it’s that same look that gives me hope.”

  It had been a long time since I’d wanted to cry, but I really wanted t
o just then. My heart felt as if it was breaking, withering in place, affected by the emotional state of my unlikely companion. I wasn’t just affected by what he said however, but because he’d just revealed a secret without even being aware of it. I’d suspected for some time that he knew too much about me, but now I was sure I wasn’t the only one affected by my gift backfiring.

  “How long have you been able to perceive…my emotions?”

  The look on his face confirmed he hadn’t meant for the truth to slip out. He’d been caught in the moment and spoke from the heart, but in doing so he’d revealed his secret.

  Rhyzel reached out for my hand and pulled me closer. “It happens every time we touch.”

  It shouldn’t have been as surprising. I’d been experiencing visions which accompanied a barrage of emotions that should have never been there. It wasn’t supposed to work that way.

  Before my gift became fuddled, I would have visions of either the past or the future. I would get information and never be affected by the person’s emotional baggage. But two years ago everything changed. Something had been done to me, which forced my brain not only to forget the events of that particular night but had caused my gift to malfunction.

  To add to my growing list of concerns, it seemed Rhyzel was connected to me somehow.

  I blanched as I realized that he’d probably felt it every time I was overruled by prejudice. Every time I thought about him as unworthy to live in what I so naïvely felt was my world—the human world, he’d been able to pick up on it, had known all along, and that made me feel like the worst human being alive.

  I removed the helmet I wore and tucked it under my arm. “I’m sorry if I made you feel as if you were an abomination. I’m really sorry.”

  Rhyzel pulled me even closer, his gaze setting on my mouth as his right hand caressed the side of my face. “I know. I can feel it.”