by Skyla Madi
The bathroom door rattled as a quiet, but firm knock sounded upon the wood.
My hands flew up to wipe away the blood. Blood rolled over my fingers and I whipped my face directly under the stream to wash it off quicker.
“I’m showering.” I called out, hoping I remembered to lock the door.
“There are fresh clothes on the bed.” A harsh womanly voice called through the wood.
Her words were cold and I linked her face to the tall, blonde woman that gave me new clothes in the underground cell yesterday—and just like yesterday—I opened my mouth to say thank you, but the front door slammed and I clamped my mouth shut. I guess everyone had issues with vampires around here, not that I blame them.
I used the head of the shower to wash the blood off the shower floor and I twisted my long hair until most of the water was out. Then, I stepped out of the shower. I reached for a white towel and wrapped it around me. The towel was soft, like kitten fur and I admired it for a little while before, pulling the bathroom door open to get to my new clothes. Carefully, I put one foot in front of the other, trying very hard not to slip on the hard wooden floor beneath me. A scent hit me like a tonne of bricks and I stopped dead in my tracks as venom seeped into my mouth. My gums throbbed as my fangs tried to force themselves out and I pursed my lips, as my attention snapped in the direction of the smell. My gaze landed on a pair of black pants first and as I dragged them up a tall, muscular body my fangs pulsed harder. I was so goddamn hungry—no—I was beyond hungry. I was ravenous.
“Eli!” I screamed when I met his green eyes and nearly slipping.
My hands gripped the towel harder against my body afraid I was going to drop it. Eli, who was standing in the lounge room holding a pile of books and pens, turned abruptly to face the wall, causing some to crash to the ground. I dove for the bed, grabbing fresh underwear before whirling around and running back to the bathroom. I slammed the door behind me and lean up against it. I didn’t need blood to get my energy back I needed a good dose of adrenaline... I wished it hadn’t been in the form of Eli almost seeing me naked, but I’ll take what I can get.
My chest rose and fell in quick, nervous pants and I thought about his reaction and the look in his eyes. They regarded me with some kind of mixture of embarrassment, uncertainty and shock. There was also something else in his eyes, but I just couldn’t pinpoint it. It wasn’t lust, he’d never think of me like that. Would he? He was a little older than me, maybe twenty-three and I was only seventeen.
“Sorry!” I shouted through the wood, dropping my towel and pulling the tags off the underwear. “I didn't know you were here.”
I slipped into the plain, black undies and surprisingly, they were a perfect fit. I put my arms through the bra straps and clipped it tightly around my back. It was a little tight, pushing my breasts together and higher than usual, but I didn’t really mind it. I reached for a shirt and stopped.
“Damn it!” I whispered under my breath, throwing my hands up in the air. I didn't grab any clothes.
Pain radiated through my pinky as it collided with the door handle on its way back down. I squeezed my pinky in the palm of my other hand, cursing under my breath. Why was I such a nervous wreck? I was proud of my body. I was slim, but had ample curves in all of the right places. I should be able to walk out of there unashamed and confident, but I just wasn’t that kind of girl. I opened the door slowly and peered around the wood. Eli had placed the books on the coffee table and was back to facing the wall.
“I forgot my clothes...” I told him, flicking wet hair over my shoulder. “I’m coming out now, don’t turn around.”
He rubbed his hands over the back of his neck before placing them on his hips and I shot out of the bathroom and over to the bed. I grasped for anything I could get my hands on and a black pair of jeans was the first thing my hand came into contact with.
Good enough.
I slid them on quickly, ignoring the button and I grabbed for a red tank top. I pulled it over my head and managed to get one arm in when the door opened. I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to move. My stomach dropped with nervous embarrassment and it took all my strength to keep myself upright as I returned Mr Aleksandrov’s purple, penetrating gaze. I slipped my other arm into my tank top, pulling the fabric down to cover my stomach as fast as I could. My eyes shifted from Mr Aleksandrov to Tay whose blue eyes were narrowed in on Eli. I'm sure Eli’s expression reflected the same horror mine did.
“The lady left my clothes on the bed.” I said sheepishly, buttoning up my jeans.
“Leave us.” Mr Aleksandrov ordered the two angels.
Without a word, Tay exited out the door and as Eli turned, his green gaze flicked in my direction, making my stomach flutter. I wasn’t sure if he actually had an effect on me or if it was the hunger. He smiled apologetically before following Tay out of the cabin. The door closed behind him and Mr Aleksandrov beckoned me over to the couches. Hesitantly, I made my way over and dropped into the same armchair as yesterday. I fidgeted with my fingers, entwining them and then freeing them before entwining them again. Slowly, Ivan Aleksandrov lowered himself into the seat opposite me.
“It is forbidden.” He states, his eyes never leaving my face.
Completely unnerved by his stare and confused by his words I asked. “What is forbidden?”
“Being with a Guardian Angel…” He paused. “Intimately.”
It took me a few seconds to grasp what the hell he was talking about. Oh, he means sex! I think I felt heat rush to my cheeks—I definitely felt my face cringe—this was awkward.
“Oh God, no, it wasn't like that. I was in the shower and—”
He raised a large, weathered hand to silence me. “You’ve been warned.”
Mr Aleksandrov adjusted his pale, grey robe, crossing his legs at the ankles. “I need to borrow Eli for a few hours. Until then, Tay will be here guarding you.”
Because that’s a brilliant idea.
“But—” I protested, shifting in my seat.
“No buts.” Replied Mr Aleksandrov as he uncrossed his ankles and lifted himself from the chair.
I had to stop him. I don’t think I could handle being alone with Tay and his snarky comments and barbaric attitude. He wanted to kill me. He’s just waiting for me to give him a reason to.
“Aren’t you worried I’ll hurt him?” I frowned trying to appear threatening even though I knew very well that my threat was as empty as my stomach.
Ivan Aleksandrov laughed, apparently amused by what I said. “Oh my dear, Tay is one of the strongest guardian angels I’ve ever seen. He can rip the head off a full-blooded vampire in one swift move. So no, I'm not worried about him.”
“But yesterday I—”
“Yesterday, you caught him off guard.” He interrupted. “No one knew you could wield your magic. Now that he does know, he won’t make that mistake again.”
Why was he being so difficult? He was so understanding yesterday. He strolled over to the door and I dropped my gaze to the floor as he stepped out. Great, just great.
“Oh.” Mr Aleksandrov said as he poked his head back into the room. I looked at him. “If you could try and not upset him that would be great. He gets out of control easily and I’d hate for him to hurt you.”
Right on queue Tay entered, grinning from ear to ear, and Mr Aleksandrov closed the door behind him.
“This will be fun.” He said, carrying in more thick books and dropping them onto the coffee table. He ran his fingers through his long hair, pulling it into a ponytail at the base of his neck and tying it with a hair tie.
I almost laughed out loud. How manly.
“Start reading, your teacher will be here soon.”
“What teacher?”
“Read.” He demanded, pointing at the books.
I glared at him. He was such an asshole and he knew exactly what buttons to push to annoy me. Tay didn’t even have to try hard to frustrate me. His eyes, his smile, and his hair were enough to set m
e off. On another note, I had no idea what he was talking about. What was with all the books? With a sigh, he handed me the sheet from the top of a pile of textbooks. The bold, underlined title read:
CLASS TIMETABLE
And my classes were as follows:
–Agrobiology, the study of plants, nutrition, and soil yields.
–Botany, the study of plants.
–Fluviology, the study of water courses.
–Hydrogeology, the study of ground water.
–Angelology, the study of Guardian Angels.
–Fire Science, the study of fire.
“I’ll be taking classes?” I asked.
“All Sage students take classes. It is a school, after all.”
I read the class lists over and over again. Most of the names for the classes were absolutely ridiculous—botany? Fire Science? How daft. And what the hell was Fluviology and Hydrogeology?
Tay laughed once. “Suddenly being like Meredith doesn't sound so fun, does it?”
I flinched at my mother’s name and scowled up at him. A lock of blond hair slipped from its hold behind the ear and drooped in front of his eye.
“Don't say her name like you know her.” I warned him. “And don’t talk to me.”
He shifted his stance, putting himself in my line of vision and his thin lips twitched at the edges before curling into a full grin. “So, Eli gets a free show but I can't even talk to you? That's a little unjust.”
Of course he went there. “That—” I snapped. “Wasn’t what it looked like, it was a misunderstanding.”
Tay trapped the stray hair behind his ear and crossed his arms over his chest, making his bicep muscles seem bigger. “Can you take your clothes off and explain why?”
Ugh! He was so frustrating and my brain was about to explode. I clenched my teeth. “Never in my life.”
His mouth curled into a sardonic smirk. “Technically…” he said, rubbing his chin like he was having a long, hard think. “You're dead.”
Screw what Mr Aleksandrov said. I leapt off the couch and Tay barely flinched. I clenched my fist and drove it towards his face. My fist slammed into the palm of his hand as he caught it, making me look like a weak child. He spun me around, pressing my back to his torso and folded my arm tightly across my chest. I growled and struggled but couldn't get free. The smell of his crisp, headache inducing cologne filtered in through my nostrils.
“Let me go.” I demanded, trying to push off of him.
I could almost hear the smile playing upon his lips. “Not until you say sorry.”
I fought against him a little longer before exhaling and relaxing. “Fine. I’m—”
Two soft knocks at the door cut my apology off.
“Saved by the bell.” He whispered, into my ear.
I forced myself against his arms and he released me, making me stumble forward. I heard him chuckle under his breath and I snapped around to tell him off, but he already had the door opened. Tay stepped aside and in came a woman. I straightened myself and felt my frustrated expression slip away. Her skin was fair—rivalling my pale complexion. On her it was beautiful, instead of creepy. Her long mahogany hair bounced with every step she took and her attire was white, making her look even more heavenly. Even with the subtle lines of aging that played upon her face, she was breathtakingly pretty.
“Hi, you must be Ruby.” She crossed the cabin and extended her hand to me.
Her voice was light, so light that if we were outside I was sure it would’ve blown away in the wind.
I hesitated before taking her hand. No one who knew I was a vampire had voluntarily wanted to come into contact with me, except Mr Aleksandrov and Eli.
“I'm Lillian, your theory teacher.”
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the scent that followed her inside. It was greater and sweeter than the smell of guardian angel blood. I still hadn’t eaten and the blood coursing through Lillian and Tay’s veins was intoxicating. Finally, I shook her hand. My fangs flicked out involuntarily and in a split second, Tay had grabbed Lillian and tucked her safely behind his back. My hands flew up to cover my mouth. I didn’t want to scare her, but she smelt so good.
She stepped out from behind him, seeming completely at ease with what just happened.
“I’m so sorry. It did it on its own I swear.” I apologized.
“It’s okay.” Lillian smiled, walking closer. Tay stayed right behind her, his eyes focused solely on me.
“Shall we get started?” She asked, gesturing to the couches and piles of books on the coffee table.
I watched her curiously, my hand still covering my mouth. I practically showed her how badly I wanted to eat her and she still wanted to be here with me. Was she insane?
She dropped elegantly into an armchair and waited for me to do the same. I retracted my fangs and slowly slid into the chair opposite her. Tay stood between us with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Lillian pulled a pen and a notebook from her bag and nodded at me to do the same. I leaned forward and grabbed my own off the table.
“We’ll only do the introductions of the classes today and deal with the rest later. Okay?”
Still incapable of speech, I nodded and opened my book.
***
Two hours had passed when Lillian finished the introduction to all of the classes. I admit it, I was bored. If there was one state I hated more than being hungry, it was being bored and to be hungry and bored was another thing entirely.
“That’s all of the introductions. Tomorrow we’ll delve into the first chapter, spending half an hour on each subject.”
“Great.” I deadpanned.
She seemed oblivious to my sarcastic response and it made me smile a little. Lillian was very innocent—very sheltered. I wondered if they were all like that. Would I end up being like that? I hope not. I was obnoxious, temper mental and a million other things, but I liked being that way.
“See you tomorrow.” She beamed at me.
I smiled back, but it didn’t feel as friendly as I hoped. It felt tight—stilted, even. “See you.”
Tay walked her to the door and I slumped into my seat, inhaling as much of her scent as I could before it wafted out of the cabin. All of the things Lillian taught me had already been forgotten and I couldn’t think of anything, but drinking blood. I don’t know how much longer I could hold out for.
Soon after, when her smell died down, it was replaced with the sweet smell of guardian angel blood. I let my head roll back to lean on the couch. This was torture!
“So she’s a goddess?” I asked Tay, exploring cracks in the white paint on the ceiling with my eyes.
“Oh, now you want to talk?” I heard him drop into the chair Lillian was sitting on moments before.
“Oh now you want to talk?” I copied in a mocking tone. “Is she a goddess?”
“Why is that important? Do you want to drain her and become stronger?” The disgust in his tone pricked at my self-control.
I kept my mouth shut in an attempt to ignore him. If he didn’t want to have a civilized conversation with me then fine. Whatever.
“Yes, she is.” He said after a while. “Lunch will be here for you soon.”
Lunch? I hadn’t had breakfast yet. My energy levels spiked at the thought of finally getting some blood.
I turned my head to face Tay. “What did Mr Aleksandrov mean when he said it’s forbidden to be with a guardian angel?” I asked, ignoring Tay's lunch announcement and hoping to take my mind off my burning desire for blood.
Tay eyed me suspiciously. “Why?”
I shrugged.
“Are you hot for De Luca?” He basically spat the question at me.
I frowned. “Who?”
“Eli.”
Eli De Luca? Jesus, even his name melts on your tongue. I wanted to ask Tay to define the term ‘hot’ but decided it probably wasn’t a very good idea. After being caught getting changed in front of him earlier I’d hate to rouse any suspicions—especially if it was
‘forbidden’. Eli’s blood wasn’t the only delicious thing about him. His skin had a nice tan and eyes were a deep green like moss on a rock by a pond, and his face was perfect—literally sculpted by angels.
“No, I'm just asking why it’s forbidden.” I stated, forcing my mind off the forbidden fruit that was Eli De Luca.
“Guardian angels can only be with guardian angels.”
Bummer. What a loss for the goddess world. “Why?”
Tay shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just the way it is. The way it always has been.”
“And what about goddesses?”
“Untouchable by guardians. Goddesses, or gods, marry their own kind or they die alone.”
“Has a guardian ever fallen in love with a god or goddess?” I asked curiously.
“Plenty of times… but they aren't here anymore. The higher power strips them of their abilities and forces them to live amongst the humans. Many of them become vampire to get a sense of power again.”
I stared at him. It didn’t make sense to me. “But guardian angels and goddesses are both pure…”
“That’s true, but the purity levels are different. A guardian angel isn't pure enough to be with a goddess or god. Gods and goddesses are okay because the purity levels are basically the same.” He explained.
