The Guardian Mist

by Susan Stoker

Rin inhaled deeply, smelling the familiar scents of smoke, cold air, and now peppermint. She felt like she was losing her mind. It couldn’t be possible to have dreamt of Roman her entire life, but the proof was walking next to her and was holding her hand tightly. She decided to find out more about him, using his own words to further the conversation. “Will you tell me more about your family?”

  “Sure. You know I have two brothers. We grew up outside Pittsburgh. My parents are still together, they’re celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary this year.”

  “Wow, that’s a long time.” Rin knew she sounded wistful, but couldn’t help it. Roman squeezed her hand.

  “They haven’t all been happy, though. There was a time, when my youngest brother was in college, when Mom moved out. They had to work through some things. I think having three boys in the house kept them so busy that they didn’t concentrate on their own relationship. So when all of us left and it was only the two of them, things got weird.”

  “But they worked it out?”

  “Yeah.” Roman nodded. “Thankfully. They love each other, but they had to learn how to be a couple again rather than just a mom and a dad.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  “I know,” he agreed without hesitation. “But even if they would’ve gotten divorced, it wouldn’t have changed the way they felt about us.”

  Rin nodded and said wistfully, “I never knew my dad. Mom said he was a one-night stand that resulted in us.” She shrugged. “I don’t know if he even knows he’s got two daughters.”

  “I’m sorry, Varinia. He’s missing out.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I think we missed out too. I love my mom, and I know, if asked, she’d admit to making a lot of huge mistakes in her life.”

  “But?”

  “You could tell there was a but, huh?” Rin remarked dryly.

  “Yeah, I could tell. I feel like I can read you pretty well. Sounds nuts, I know.” Roman shrugged.

  Rin squeezed his hand, letting him know she felt the same way, and went on. “My mom has always been obsessed with the legend of the ring. I told you about my half-sister. Mom literally dumped MacKenzie, and the ring, in the hopes that it would end the curse once and for all. But it didn’t. So before me and Tina were born, she had a dream about the ring and the legend, and she’s spent the last twenty-five years grooming Tina to find the love of her life.”

  “Can you groom someone for that?”

  Rin shrugged immediately. “I have no idea. But if anyone could, it’d be my mom.”

  They walked on in silence for a moment, before Roman asked gently, “And you?”

  “Me what?”

  “What were you doing while Tina was being groomed?”

  “Growing up,” Rin told him honestly. “I was mostly left alone. I was allowed to read books as much as I wanted, I could play video games in front of the TV instead of going to ballet lessons. Mom gave me a little money to buy school clothes, although most of it I earned myself, and let me shop by myself instead of her picking out my clothes. I went to a great public high school, where I could blend into the woodwork and not have to worry about being a cheerleader or one of the cool kids.”

  Roman stopped and turned to Rin, not letting go of their intertwined hands. He put his free hand on her face. “So you were left to your own devices while Tina got all of your mom’s attention.”

  “Yeah, I guess. But Roman, don’t feel sorry for me. I had a safe childhood and I now do what I love—work with computers.”

  “Boyfriends?”

  “What?”

  “Boyfriends. Did you have them growing up?”

  “Well, yeah, of course,” Rin told him with a raised eyebrow. “I even dated this one guy for two years. He was the captain of the yearbook club and I thought I was in love with him.”

  They started walking again.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing dramatic. He was a year older than me and he graduated and went on to college and hooked up with a swimmer. A junior.”

  “You don’t sound heartbroken about it.”

  “Nope. It wasn’t meant to be. What about you? I bet you had a ton of girlfriends in high school.”

  “Actually, I didn’t. I thought girls were icky until I was around sixteen.”

  Rin laughed. “Icky?”

  “Yup. I think I was traumatized by walking in on my father making out with my mom when I was ten.”

  “Yeah, that’d do it. But since then?”

  “I’ve had my fair share. But I’ll tell you something.”

  When he paused, Rin looked up. “What?”

  “I’ve never felt about any of them the way I’m feeling right now. It’s crazy, I know it is. We just met. But I feel comfortable with you. I already admitted that I used to watch girly princess movies and I have no problem telling you that I used to fantasize about being Prince Charming.”

  “From Cinderella?”

  “Yup. It was my favorite.”

  Rin giggled, then sobered. She looked up at the stoplight instead of at him as they waited to cross a street. She still felt the jolts of electricity in her limbs and stomach. It was insane, but it also felt right. “So, you’re the oldest?”

  Roman allowed her to change the subject, as if he knew the topic was making her antsy. “Yeah, Augustus is the youngest and Maximus is the middle child.”

  Rin chuckled again at his brothers’ names.

  Roman smiled as he steered her around a group of people who’d just come out of a bar, preventing a collision. “Yup. My parents were a bit too into Roman history, kinda like you and your ancestors. They go by Gus and Max.”

  Rin shook her head in amusement. Weren’t they a pair, with her own family’s romanticized names. “Are they married?”

  “Yes. Both to great women. They each have two kids.”

  “Please tell me they didn’t name their kids Caesar or Julius.”

  Roman nudged her with his shoulder. “No. They have perfectly normal names. John, Lee, Timothy, and Stephanie.”

  “How old are they?”

  “Gus’ two are seven and five, and Max’s are six and two.”

  “So…Uncle Roman?”

  He chuckled. “Yup. I love those little stinkers. But I’m also really glad to get back to my empty house too. Kids are exhausting.”

  Rin smiled and teased, “Yeah, you said that already.”

  “Well, it’s true. You have much experience with kids?”

  Rin shook her head. “No, not really.”

  “So you work with computers. What exactly do you do for a living? Hack into top-secret databases?”

  She snorted. “Nothing so exciting. I work in an IT department for a large company.”

  “I bet you’re still a computer genius,” Roman teased.

  “No, not even close. But I do everything from removing viruses from computers to setting up new workstations.”

  “You really aren’t an outdoors person, are you?” Roman asked seriously.

  Rin shook her head a little sadly. “I’m not, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to be outside. I just haven’t had the chance to do much. Growing up, my mom…well, you already know that she spent a lot of time with Tina, trying to make sure she was prepared to do whatever she could to find the man meant to be hers. She didn’t have a lot of time for ‘boy things.’as she called them.”

  Roman was silent for a moment, as if he was trying to find the right way to say what he was thinking. Finally, he asked in a quiet voice, “What if the legend is wrong?”

  Rin stopped walking and stared up at Roman in shock. They’d walked around the courthouse twice and were really just killing time. She was enjoying getting to know more about him and hearing about his family. But his words came out of left field. “What?”

  “What if it’s wrong?”

  “It’s not.”

  He didn’t say anything, but continued to stare at her.

  “Seriously, Roman. You’ve seen the ring. It’s
not wrong.”

  He pulled and encouraged her to start walking again. The night was cool, but not cold, and the darkness around them made it seem more intimate somehow.

  “Here’s the thing. You said it was the oldest daughter who got the ring, right?”

  “Uh-huh. Tina pushed and shoved her way out of my mom first, so she got the short end of the stick, in my eyes.” Rin wasn’t sure where Roman was going with his questioning, but since he didn’t immediately laugh or scoff at the story about the legend earlier, she was willing to hear him out.

  “I’m still not clear on how the ring worked for your half-sister, who was really your mom’s eldest daughter, but now it’s supposed to work again for your twin, who isn’t technically the oldest, but is the oldest with another man.”

  Rin sighed in relief. He wasn’t mocking her, he was just confused. “Honestly? I’m not either, but MacKenzie trusted me enough to send it to me, and you’ve seen it for yourself. It’s not gray anymore; it has to be true. One of those guys Tina was with tonight has to be her true love.”

  “So, your sister was born first.”

  “Yup.”

  “By how long?”

  “How many minutes?”

  When Roman nodded, Rin told him, “Not minutes. About thirty seconds.”

  “And you’re sure she’s the oldest?”

  Rin stopped abruptly again, next to a bench this time. “Yeah, Roman. She’s the oldest. The nurses marked her ID bracelet when she was still in the nursery so my mom would know who came out first. What are you getting at?”

  “Can we sit?” Roman gestured at the wooden bench next to them.

  Rin nodded and sat at the edge of the bench, suddenly uneasy at what Roman was implying. He turned toward her and took both of her hands in his and held them tightly.

  “Here’s the thing. I’m not a very spiritual man. And I’ve lived my life without much thought to the supernatural and legends and stuff. But the second I met you, I felt…different. As if I was just where I was supposed to be. Maybe I chose that hotel at random, or maybe I was guided to it for a reason. But the first time I touched you, I swear to God, my heart skipped a beat. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but something happened between us.

  “What if the legend applies to both of you? Or the nurses made a mistake and you’re really the oldest? Or for this generation, it applies to all the daughters of your mom?”

  Rin didn’t know what to say, but it didn’t matter as he continued on enthusiastically.

  “You said it yourself, when you got the ring it was gray, but now it’s not. It’s bright red, beautiful. What if we’re meant for each other and it changed colors because you met me?”

  It was impossible.

  But somehow, it wasn’t.

  “When I was little, I had nightmares,” Rin told him.

  “Varinia—”

  She held up a hand to forestall his comment. “It’s related. Promise.”

  He nodded and gestured for her to continue.

  “They were awful. My earliest memory is of waking up after a bad dream. I was probably three or so. I don’t always remember what they’re about, but all I know is that I’m lost, or surrounded, or trapped, or being chased, or somehow threatened. I’m scared out of my mind…but then a misty fog rolls in. It surrounds me, and should scare the crap out of me more, if that’s possible. But it’s as if it’s putting itself between me and whatever it is that’s frightening me in my dreams. It forms a barrier between me and the bad thing in my nightmare. It wraps itself around my legs, then my waist, then my chest…and instead of smothering me, it comforts me. It’s like a warm blanket wrapped around me, keeping me safe.”

  “I think most children have those kinds of dreams. I know my niece and nephews have them.”

  “The fog that envelops me smells like smoke. Like a cold fall day. Like peppermint. It smells exactly like you do, Roman.”

  He didn’t say anything to her absurd statement, just stared into her eyes before bringing his hand up and palming the side of her head. Rin closed her eyes and rested her head against his hand, letting him take her weight for a moment. She swallowed hard then looked up at him.

  Roman was leaning forward, his face very close to her own. She bit her lip but didn’t say a word. A million thoughts were running through her head. It was weird that the ring was now crimson, but her entire life she’d been told that Tina was the important daughter. Tina was the oldest. Tina was the key to breaking the curse.

  But here, with Roman, she suddenly wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

  “I want to kiss you, Varinia.” Roman’s voice was low and rumbly.

  Rin nodded her head infinitesimally, but knew he felt it because he licked his lips as if readying himself for her.

  She copied his movements and waited.

  He didn’t leave her waiting long. Before she could take another breath, his lips were on hers. His hand curled around the back of her head, directing her to tilt it a bit more so the angle was better. Rin had half-expected him to give her a small peck, but was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t bother with preliminaries. His tongue caressed her lips and when she opened for him, surged inside as if he’d done it a thousand times instead of just once.

  His delicious scent seeped into her pores as he kissed her, a thousand times stronger than if she’d simply sniffed him. The mint he’d eaten earlier was still fresh on his breath and she could also somehow taste the wood smoke that permeated every fiber of her being. She inhaled as their tongues dueled, bringing his delicious scent into her lungs and shivering at the lust that coursed through her.

  That was new.

  In the past, in her dreams, his scent had always calmed her, but she felt anything but calm now. She could feel the arousal coursing through her veins. Her nipples tightened and she shifted in her seat, trying to douse the flames between her legs.

  She wanted this man.

  And if the way he shifted was any indication, so he was as close as could be as he kissed her, he felt the same way.

  Rin’s arms wrapped around his back and her fingers dug into his shirt. She moaned as he sucked on her tongue and again when he pulled back, letting them both catch their breaths as he nibbled on her bottom lip. Roman brought his hand up to the other side of her head and held her still in front of him.

  “Remember when I said earlier that I thought I’d seen your ring before?” He waited until she nodded before continuing. “I’ve never dreamed, not like you,” he said in a soft, reverent voice, “but the night before last, I woke up in the middle of the night after the most amazing, vivid dream I’d ever had. It was something about castles and swords, and I swear I’m not lying about this, but at the end, after I’d slayed the fire-breathing dragon, my reward was a princess. A red-haired princess with a pixie haircut and a smile that lit up the room. She held her hand out to me and as I reached for it, I realized I was holding something.”

  “What?” Rin whispered, almost scared to hear what he’d say.

  “A ring. If I’m not mistaken—that exact ring you have on your finger. It was dull in my hand, but when I pushed it down her finger, it glowed the brightest red I’ve ever seen. The princess turned to me and said ‘with dreams only of you,’ and then she disappeared in a puff of smoke.”

  Rin felt the blood drain from her face and she pulled back from Roman. “That’s not funny. Who have you been talking to? Did my mother put you up to this?”

  Not understanding her tone and change in demeanor, Roman held his hands up in front of him in capitulation. “I swear on the lives of my niece and nephews, I’m not lying to you, and before tonight, I didn’t know you or anyone in your family, Varinia.”

  “There’s an inscription on the ring,” Rin told him shakily. “It’s in Latin, but MacKenzie told me what it meant.”

  “What’s it say?” He asked the question, but it seemed he already knew the answer.

  “You know.”

  “Tell me.”
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  “With dreams only of you.”

  Roman breathed out a minty breath and closed his eyes for a moment, as if he too was memorizing the moment. His eyes opened and Rin could see the honesty, the desire he had for her, the utter lack of guile in his gaze before he spoke. His hands gathered hers back into his grasp and he squeezed lightly.

  “Varinia. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m him. I’m the man who was made for you.”

  Rin shook her head in denial and confusion. What was happening here?

  “You said it yourself; you’ve been dreaming about me your entire life. I don’t know why or how. Maybe the legend is wrong; maybe, as I said before, you and your sister were somehow mixed up in the nursery after you were born. You are identical twins after all, but however it happened, you’re mine. Mine to love. Mine to protect. I don’t care about any legends. I’m not giving you up after your twenty-fifth birthday. Not even forty-eight hours ago, I dreamed of you. You are the princess I’ve been fantasizing about my entire life.”

  Rin felt like she was going to faint and Roman must’ve realized it. He reached for her and pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her and tucking her head into his shoulder. “Take slow breaths before you hyperventilate, Varinia.”

  She did as he suggested and immediately felt even more lightheaded at his delicious scent. She buried her nose further into his neck and inhaled, trying to bring it into her lungs. Then groaned. She felt her nipples harden once again and she shifted against him restlessly. A sense of safety and calmness came over her, on the heels of the lust. God, she felt more loved and safer than she’d ever felt, right here in Roman’s arms. A man she’d met not even three hours ago.

  It was insane, but Rin couldn’t deny that it felt like she was home.

  They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, not wanting to move. Finally, Rin pulled out of his grasp, just enough to look him in the eyes.

  “I don’t understand anything about this. All I know is that my dreams have been only of you for as long as I can remember. You’ve always been there for me. Always. I’m afraid this is all a mistake and in couple weeks, after I turn twenty-five, I’m going to lose you, as my mom has warned would happen if Tina didn’t find her true love, no matter what you say tonight.”