Your Guardian Angel Uncut (The Guardian Angel Series Book 1.5)

by Skyla Madi

  “What are you thinking about?” His eyes were resting on my face and I realized I was staring at him. How awkward.

  “Who? M-me?” I stammered, feeling heat rise to my face. The corner of his lip twitched as I searched my brain, trying to come up with something quickly. “I was just wondering if you could show me some defense moves.” Oops. There goes my hormones talking for themselves and thinking up an activity that involves a lot of contact.

  “I don't think that’s a good idea.”

  “I want to see what guardian angels can do.” I said, smiling.

  He chuckled, adjusting his magazine. “No.”

  “Why? Should I ask Tay? Mila said he was a better fighter than you.” I lied.

  Eli lifted his eyes from his magazine, not looking the slightest bit offended. In fact, his eyes were alight with something wicked.

  “Mila doesn't know what she’s talking about.”

  I shrugged.

  He exhaled and closed his magazine. “I’ll show you a basic move, but that’s all and only because if you go to Tay, he’ll hurt you.”

  I knew his male competitive side couldn’t give up a challenge and I threw back the covers. I shot out of bed and raced to the bathroom, throwing on a pair of tracksuit pants and a tank top.

  “Okay, I’m ready.” I called, stepping out of the bathroom.

  Eli was standing in the middle of the living room. He’d made more room by pushing the couches away.

  “It’s one move. You didn’t have to get changed.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “I was in a dress.”

  “Oh, right.”

  I walked over to Eli, stopping five feet away. He pulled his black shirt over his head, exposing a tight, black tank top underneath. Flustered by his physique, I adjusted my own shirt. Subtly, I observed his upper body. It was so strong and muscular. Underneath his shirt I could see his muscles ripple. Eli began explaining and demonstrating various pinning and throwing moves to me. Of course, this involved a lot of touching, but I really didn't mind.

  “Okay, run at me.” Eli announced, crouching slightly.

  “What?”

  “Run at me.” He repeated, smiling. “I’m going to pin you against me and you’re going to get out of it.”

  My brow furrowed. “I can’t do that. I’ve only been doing this for a few minutes you’ve been doing this your whole life.”

  “There’s no harm in trying.”

  Knowing very well how it’d pan out, I ran at him and as soon as I neared him, he grabbed me by the wrist, twirled me, and pinned my back to his chest. His firm grasp sent overwhelming shivers down my spine and we both paused briefly at the feel of each other’s skin. At least I wasn’t the only one feeling the electric current between us.

  “Again,” he called, releasing his grip.

  I stumbled backwards and ran at him again. The same thing happened.

  “Again.”

  After my fourth try, he grabbed my wrist and as he proceeded to spin me, I stomped hard on his foot, hoping that it’d force him to drop his grip. It didn’t, obviously, he was too large and I was nowhere near strong enough. He pinned me against him once again and released me seconds later. Eli was breathing at a normal pace and not a single drop of sweat touched his skin. I was breathing heavily and fast and I felt sticky with sweat. I sat down on the floor and he joined me.

  “Well done, not a lot of people realize the foot is a weak point. Hit it with a little more force next time and I’ll surely let you go.”

  I smiled widely. “Next time, huh?”

  He shrugged. “If you’re lucky.”

  I glanced out the window. The sun was down and the moon was up and glowing. When the sun went down, Eli became more aware of his surroundings. He was constantly standing and checking windows and doors. It bothered me a lot now I was a goddess—something vampires are hunting specifically.

  “I’m going to have a shower.” I said, taking Eli’s attention away from the darkness outside and he nodded in response.

  When I came out, Tay was here and they both wore hard expressions.

  “We need to go. Eli said, calmly. “Now.”

  The way he said it made my skin crawl and I tried not to panic. My stomach turned, sending bouts of nausea radiating through my body.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, unprepared for his response.

  “Hank is here.”

  Near Miss

  Eli and I tore off into the bush, oblivious to the spider webs and other creepy things that scuttled beneath our feet. Stray twigs and branches snagged strands of hair from my no-longer-tight ponytail. Eli was a lot faster than me, but he kept a firm grip on my arm, forcing me to keep up. It would’ve been easier if I hadn’t chosen to wear a short emerald green dress made from silk, and a pair of white flats on my feet, but Eli and Tay rushed me. I had no time to change, gather any of my newly acquired things, or say goodbye to my mother’s house. I clasped my ruby necklace. Thank God I put it on after my shower.

  “Where’s Tay?” I puffed, ducking a low hanging branch.

  If I survived this, I needed to work on my endurance.

  “Keeping far guard.” He said, hardly sounding out of breath.

  I had no idea what that meant. As I ran, sticks scratched at my legs and I wanted to stop and nurse them, but the adrenaline pumped through me kept me going and the sheer fear I felt deep inside me prevented me from curling up into a ball and crying.

  I could see the lights from the school in the distance and relief flooded my chest. I was going to make it. As the thought passed, two ice-cold hands grabbed me, pulling me from Eli's grasp and stealing my relief out from underneath me. If I wasn't already scared enough, I was now in the arms of a vampire. I shivered as his cold skin touched mine and a cold sweat formed on my forehead. A searing heat spread over my skull and down the back of my neck. This was it. I was going to die. My heart pounded like a drum and I stared at Eli, my eyes never leaving his face.

  “Let her go.” Eli growled, lowering himself.

  “Fat chance of that happening, pretty boy, Hank wants her.” The vampire snarled.

  The cold monster holding me wasn’t Hank, but his voice was just as hollow and dark. I shuddered at the thought of my voice sounding so evil. I watched as Eli crouched even lower, like a tiger analyzing his next move and getting ready to pounce. He never took his eyes off the vampire.

  “He can’t have her.”

  If Eli wasn’t already sexy enough, those words really tipped it over the top.

  The vampire let out an extremely loud snarl, startling me and his cold hands gripped me tighter as the snarl morphed into a squeal. His hands fell away and I was no longer held captive. I whipped around to see what happened and there, on the ground, was a pile of dust at my feet. I dragged my gaze up the body in front of me and onto a familiar face—Tay’s familiar face. He stood as still as stone with a wooden stake in his hand, inches away from my stomach. I stared at him, wide eyed.

  “I’ve never been happier to see your face.” I announced, my voice shaking.

  Tay smiled at me, stuffing the stake into his pocket.

  “We need to keep moving,” Eli urged, taking my hand in his and pulling me around again.

  Tay disappeared into the forest and Eli and I continued running. Every step we took brought us closer to the school.

  “Stop.” He demanded suddenly, pulling us to a stop.

  I’d run so much my chest hurt and I inhaled air greedily. “What's wrong?”

  Eli’s hands tightened around mine as he squeezed it, not saying anything. My eyes scanned ahead and a few seconds later, I saw it. They came out of the woodwork, surrounding y vampires, at least twelve of them, and they were closing in on us.

  “Ruby, at last.” The voice floated through me like a ghost from my not so distant past. Its ice-cold tenor froze my insides and I cringed at the sound of the empty voice that spoke my name.

  “H-hank?” I stuttered, inching closer to Eli.

  �
��You remember me.” I could hear the smile play upon his lips. “Good.”

  My mind reeled back to the night he ruined my life and I closed my eyes for a split second, trying not to panic or cry. Eli squeezed my hand harder and when I opened them, Hank was leaning in and breathing on my face. I forgot how fast vampires move. I analyzed his face. If it weren’t for his deep black eyes and beyond deathly pale skin, he looked exactly like his old self and I cringed at the thought of how many pure beings had to die in order for him to become this, my mother included.

  I hesitated before opening my mouth. “What do you want?”

  He chuckled, loudly. It wasn’t a normal chuckle, it was one of those head back, mouth open kind of laughs and the other vampires joined in. “You, of course.”

  “Over my dead body.” Eli said, his voice was calm and controlled.

  Hank smiled, adjusting the button on his grey sports jacket. “That’s the plan. I’ll kill you exactly how they killed your father, slow and painful.”

  I felt Eli tense next to me and anger surged throughout my body.

  “You can try, but I guarantee he’ll kill you first.” Even I was shocked at the words that shot out of my mouth.

  Hank was grinning from ear to ear now as he let out a chuckle. “Oh, so fierce—just like your mother, and where is she now?”

  I took a step towards Hank, but Eli yanked my hand, pulling me back. The vampires that circled us laughed at my attempt to take Hank on myself. It was stupid, but I’d come this far and I wasn’t going down without a fight. I searched surrounding bushes for Tay, but it was too dark and I couldn’t see a thing past a certain point. My gaze dragged over the ground for a large stick or rock or anything I could use as a weapon. I didn’t find anything, but I did notice thick vines running up a few of the trees that surrounded us. I lowered my chin slightly and closed my eyes. I pictured the vines in my mind and the familiar, warm sensation built in my chest and began to course rapidly through my body.

  I opened my eyes and watched the vines slide along the ground. I snaked them around and in between the vampire’s legs and I clenched my fists. The vine tightened, forcing all the feet of the vampires that circled us to stay on the ground. They all shouted and stomped their feet but couldn't break free. Hank was distracted momentarily but turned to me when he realized what was happening. I thought Hank would be furious but he smiled a fang-filled smile.

  “Well, well, well.”

  Eli took his chance and dropped my hand before lunging at Hank. His fist connected hard with the side of Hank’s face and he stumbled backwards before baring his fangs before launching at Eli. They became locked in battle and I wasn’t sure what I was meant to do. I couldn’t fight a vampire and I surely wasn’t going to run and leave Eli alone. I couldn’t run even if I wanted to. I was the only one keeping the other vampires from tearing Eli in half. Vampires began to squeal and disintegrate when Tay appeared and staked his way around the circle. I watched on, completely immersed in the strength the two angels possessed and soon, all the surrounding vampires were dead—except for Hank—he was still fighting Eli. They were both so fast—granted Hank was faster, but Eli wasn't making it easy for him. If anyone could take on a strong vampire and not die instantly, it’d be Eli.

  “Get her out of here!” Eli demanded, while ducking and swerving Hank’s rapid punches.

  Tay grabbed my arm and tugged me toward him, but I shook him off.

  “No, we can’t leave him!” I protested.

  Hank turned at the sound of my voice and ran at me. He clearly didn’t want to miss his chance to kill me. After this I’d be under the school’s protection. Tay jumped in front of me, blocking Hank’s path and I watched in fear, unsure what was going to happen next. I stumbled backwards and a sharp pain slammed into my skull as something hard hit me from behind. I felt myself fall to my knees as darkness claimed me and I was out for the count.

  ***

  I opened my eyes and glanced around a large room. The Gothic styling made me nervous. The ceilings were high, the walls were stone, and the carpet was a bright red. Whoever owned this place definitely wasn’t human.

  “You're awake!” Mila’s voice startled me and I recoiled.

  She came rushing over to the bed and I was actually really happy to see her. It confirmed I wasn’t being held captive by vampires.

  “Where am I?” I asked, touching the tender lump on the back of my head and wincing.

  “You’re in the teacher’s medical lounge. My uncle didn't want the other students to find out what happened. High School can be pretty brutal with gossip and things like that.”

  She flicked her hair over her shoulder and movement by the door caught my attention. I smiled when I saw Eli leaning against the frame looking fantastic in his black outfit.

  “Eli? You’re okay!” I called out to him, unable to hide my relief.

  The last image I had of Eli was him fighting Hank. He pushed off the door and strolled into the room.

  “I have to go and meet uncle for breakfast now, but I’ll come by and see you later.” Mila said as she turned and gave Eli a swift nod before slipping from the room.

  “How are you feeling?” Eli asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets and sauntering over to my bed.

  “I saw Hank last night and I’m still alive, so I'm feeling pretty good. How are you feeling?” I asked.

  Eli shrugged and smiled a soft smile, making my stupid heart flutter. “I’ve been through worse.”

  “And Hank?”

  Eli dropped eye contact and my heart sank. “He got away... I’m sorry.”

  Hank was still free...“What happened?”

  “There were more vampires in the surrounding bushes and one came out of nowhere, hitting you on the head.” Eli shook his head, his brows pulling together. “He picked you off the ground and tried to run with you, but Tay stopped him. When more guardians showed up, Hank fled...”

  It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but I was glad everyone was okay. He watched me for a little while as I fidgeted with my fingers. I didn’t look up at him, not until he reached forward and placed his hand on mine.

  “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He whispered to me, his thumb caressing the back of my hand.

  I locked eyes with him and his glowing, green orbs were just as serious as his tone. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the door creaked and he let go of my hand as a tall, elderly lady entered the room.

  “How are you feeling, Miss Moore?” She asked, adjusting her caramel colored robe.

  What was with everyone and robes here? Were they aware that we weren’t living in the medieval ages?

  “I have a bit of a headache, but that’s all.” I told her.

  I wanted to get out of here. I didn’t like the beds, they were too hard and the decor in this place was depressing.

  “Before you go.” She began, pulling a large deck of cards from the massive pocket at the front of her robe. “We have to do some tests to make sure you’re okay.”

  She approached the bed and Eli stepped out of the way. The colourful numbers and strange splatter patterns the doctor showed me were simple and it was over as soon as it began.

  “You might have a headache for a little while longer, but that’s all. You’re free to go.”

  I thanked her and followed closely behind Eli as we walked from the medical lounge. I took in what I could see of Sage Sanctum. It was definitely beautiful—in that old, gothic kind of way. The buildings were grey, made of stone and had pointed ceilings as high as the trees. Most of the windows seemed barred with black, wrought iron bars and the grass was impossibly green. Eli led me up a concrete part, toward more buildings. It didn’t take a genius to know that I was heading into the thick of the school.

  “Aren’t we going back to the cabin?”

  He looked down at me with a look that said he was worried I might have a concussion. “No. It’s not safe. I'm taking you to your dorm room.”

  I sto
pped in my tracks. “My dorm room? As in, my room inside the school?”

  “Yes.” He placed his hands on his hips, impatient with me.

  “I can’t go there, yet. I’m not ready for school.”

  “Sometimes life isn’t fair.” He said flatly.

  “Life isn’t fair?” My voice kicked up a few decibels. “I’ve had my share of unfairness! Why can’t something happen in my favour for once?”

  He leaned in closer, his eyes flaring with frustration. “Ruby, sometimes things in life don’t work out the way we want them to. At times, things seem unfair and you feel like there’s no way you can overcome them, but you can. Do you want to know what I think? I think we aren’t given problems we can’t overcome.”

  “It’s not that simple.” I muttered.

  “I know.”

  His words were harsh to hear, but he was right. I had to suck it up and push forward, besides it wasn’t like I had much of a choice anyway.

  “Mila will keep supplying you with clothes and Lillian will bring your textbooks and class supplies to your dorm later.” He said as we started walking again.

  It hadn’t crossed my mind how I’d been getting the clothes. I thought the school was providing them. I must remember to thank Mila later.

  As we crossed a grassy field to get to the student campus, Eli stopped me.

  “I almost forgot.” He said, pulling a gold chain from his pants pocket.

  It was my whistle. I gasped, clasping my neck. “I thought I lost it.”

  He gestured with his finger to turn around and I did as I pulled my long dark hair out of the way. He fastened the chain around my neck and I ran my fingers along the whistle.

  “So you’re really going through with this? You don’t have to be my guardian angel, you can still back out, you know.” I said, turning to face him.

  The corners of his lips twitched upwards. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  ***

  As we approached the female campus, I couldn't help but notice how old this school was. All the buildings resembled fourteenth century castles, but they were obviously maintained and modernized. My nerves reached maximum point as we entered the girl’s dormitory. It was quiet, dead quiet and I wondered if many people went to this school at all.