by Skyla Madi
“Sometimes, I have to look twice at you just to see if you’re actually real. That much beauty is dangerous.”
Before I could muster up the voice to speak, his lips crashed to mine and they felt better than I imagined. He began moving in a steady rhythm as his hands slid down the contour of my body to rest on my hips. The kiss began slow as we tested new waters, but it intensified rapidly when his tongue glided over my bottom lip, becoming passionate and hungry. I reveled in the intense sensations that were crashing over me in hot, rhythmic waves. I’d never felt like this before—so free and alive. It was invigorating.
Eli suddenly tore his lips from mine, and I snapped my head upward, staring at him, confused. His eyes widened and he abruptly pulled his hands off me, like I was a boiling hot kettle he’d thoughtlessly put his hands on. I blinked rapidly, trying to wrap my head around what we’d just done as Eli whipped around on his heel, taking a few large steps away from me. He agitatedly ran his fingers through his hair. Even with the noise of my rapid breathing and thumping heartbeat, I still heard him swear under his breath. I stepped forward, unsure what to do or say to him.
“Eli, I—”
“Let’s go.” He interrupted, walking away from me.
“But—”
He shot me an agitated look over his shoulder and I frowned. It was clear he wasn’t about to discuss what just happened between us.
***
The walk back to my dorm was awkward, to say the least. I glanced sideways at him. His face was hard and he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. I could tell he was frustrated with himself and with me. It was dangerous, what we did. And not only was it dangerous, but it was also forbidden, too. If the higher power ever found out, Eli would have to kiss his guardian angel life goodbye. He’d be banished to live amongst the humans, powerless and alone. I didn’t want that and I was positive he didn’t either.
“Do you have your key?” Eli asked sternly, pulling me from my thoughts.
I scanned my surroundings. White walls and a door with the numbers ‘308’ printed on across the middle. Wow. We were at my door already. I was too consumed in my thoughts to realize.
“I left it unlocked.” I muttered, twisting the handle and pushing it open.
Eli turned his back to me and proceeded to walk away.
“Eli…I—”
He turned precipitously, frustration still dominating his features. We couldn’t have this conversation in the hallway, it was too risky. I was going to have to speak with him one on one whenever I had the chance. He took a few quick paces towards me and leaned closer.
“It was a mistake. It won’t happen again. Ever.” His tone was harsh and I almost flinched.
“So that’s it?”
His green eyes penetrated into me furiously. Why was he so mad? It wasn’t like we were caught.
“Goodnight.”
And then he left.
I watched him until he disappeared from sight. When he was gone, I exhaled and dragged myself into my room, hunching slightly and feeling dejected. I closed the door and leaned against the cool wood. Sadly, I didn’t feel any better being in the solitude of my own room. I raised a finger and swiped it across my bottom lip. They still tingled from the kiss Eli and I shared—and what a kiss it was. I trudged across the room and dropped heavily onto my bed with a thud. What the hell did we do? I wasn’t a genius, but I didn’t have to be to know we’d just destroyed our professional relationship. I pulled a pillow over my head and closed my eyes, grimacing as a swirling mass of dark hair and deep, green eyes bombarded my consciousness. I didn’t know how tomorrow would go, but I tried to analyze the situation. I wasn’t a rational person, but logic dictated that this problem is just as solvable as any other and that thought left me with no choice, but to pretend the kiss never happened and pray things went back to normal.
Panic
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
I launched myself out of bed and across my room to hurriedly silence the insistent wailing, cursing myself for forgetting to turn the damn thing off. The alarm was entirely unnecessary this morning. I’d already been up for an hour and if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d even fallen asleep last night. The mixed emotions that twisted and convulsed in my stomach prevented me from falling away into a deep, blissful sleep. Eli and I kissed last night and it was amazing and passionate. During the kiss everything just seemed to fall into place and when our lips touched… no words could explain how it felt. As I stood in my room, some part of me vaguely registered that my teeth were cutting sharply into my lip, but I couldn't find the strength to lift them as flashes of last night began assaulting my mind. Never before had I felt so out of control—as though I’d been tossed head-first into a swirling pit of uncontrollable sensations. The way his mouth crashed to mine—taking control of me—was hands down the most thrilling thing I’d ever experienced. He’d been commanding and certain and I knew in a heartbeat that nothing would ever be the same. No matter how hard we pretended.
“Are you ready yet?” Mila’s voice echoed through my dorm door.
Today was Saturday, which meant no classes. Before our night was ruined by Raina and her obscene comments last night, I promised Mila I’d go with her to see Sam and Cloud do their fighting assessment. Apparently, every second month guardian angels in training put their skills to the test, literally. They battled it out for a good grade and not only was I excited to look at something other than a textbook, but I’d also get to see Eli.
I opened the door and let Mila in.
“I just woke up.” I told her, hiding the truth a little.
She surveyed me for a few seconds and paranoia ceased my chest. Did she know Eli and I kissed? Could she tell? Did I look different? The questions kept coming and it took all of my strength to keep my hand by my sides and not covering my face.
“Well, get your ass into gear!” She squealed excitedly, pushing on my shoulders and forcing me into my bathroom.
***
I threw on a red tank top and a pair of baggy jeans. They seemed appropriate enough and I checked myself over in the mirror once more, flicking my long hair over my shoulders and letting it drape down my back.
“How much longer do you think you’ll be?” Mila shouted impatiently.
“Almost there.” I called back, removing the bandage from my wrist and examining the tattoo.
The feather on my wrist was perfect. The Shar, although a little gross, definitely had talent. It was perfect from the tip of the feather down to the stem. I traced the slight curve of the feather with my index finger, amazed by the detail. Then, I tilted my wrist and immediately saw a deep red tinge flick over the surface of the ink.
“Time is money.” Mila exclaimed.
I dropped my arm and pulled the bathroom door open. Suddenly, I felt rather self-conscious about my outfit when I looked at Mila and finally noticed what she was wearing. I hadn’t realized how dressed up she was when she first arrived. Mila stood with her hands on her hips and her beautiful long, sky blue summer dress concealed her toes and complimented her light hair that was tied up into an elegant bun.
“We’re going to see people fight, not watch horses race.” I told her, crossing the room and sliding into a pair of sneakers.
“Stop it!” She laughed, her cheeks flaring with a pink hue. “It’s fine. C’mon, we need to go. Sam’s first and if we don’t leave now we’re going to miss it.”
I smoothed my hands over my top and jeans, earning a nod of approval from Mila before stepping out of the room. We followed closely behind a group of girls as we exited the girls’ dorms.
I had no idea where the fights were being held or which direction we were going in.
“The fights are in the guardian angel block.” Mila informed me, like she read my thoughts.
I peered ahead. There were too many buildings to decipher which was which, but as we crossed a beautiful grass courtyard I spotted a sign that read: ‘Guardian Angel Campus’. I marvelled at the size o
f the building in front of me. It was an auditorium—a big and beautiful one at that. The stonework was different to the buildings on our side of the campus. Where ours was grey, theirs was a light brown—almost golden. The windows were completely fitted with long, large windows. It was strange seeing something so old look so new.
Still awed, we entered the building and I raked my eyes over the huge crowd. A lot of students were already here, including Raina and she glared at us as we walked past. She ruffled her hair, pulling it over both shoulders and I smiled sweetly at her, making her glare deepen.
Somehow, Mila managed to find a small row of seats at the front that were unoccupied and as we sat down, I finally let my gaze drag over the guardian angels in the centre of the room. My mouth instantly dried when I spotted Eli chatting casually with Tay in the middle of the mats while competing guardians stretched around them. Almost as soon as I spotted him, Eli’s green eyes flicked onto my face. Instantly, my breath came out quick and nervously. He held my gaze for a few too quick seconds before he awkwardly looked away—so much for things going back to normal between us.
I tried not to look at him, but he had this gravitational pull that I couldn’t avoid and my gaze kept settling on him. Within a one minute time span, Eli and I had made eye contact at least twelve times and every time his eyes met mine, my already nausea-provoking butterflies transformed into jackhammers thundering around my stomach, threatening to make me puke.
“Samantha Windsor verses Caine Jones.” Eli called out, writing a note down onto the clipboard in his hands.
He brought the whistle that was slung around his neck to his soft, but firm lips and blew it. My eyes flicked from Eli to Sam who approached the centre of the room as she tied her dark curls into a tight bun. Everyone cleared the fighting space and her opponent stepped forward. Caine approached the centre of the mat and I was surprised the ground didn’t shake underneath his giant feet. He was huge, built as wide as an elephant and towered over Sam, making her look like a small child. I was absolutely petrified for her. Surely that wasn’t fair? I looked at Sam and her face betrayed no signs of fear or doubt—assuming she even felt it at all. Instead, her eyes were narrowed in on him fiercely. She was ready. Eli blew the whistle again and the competitors dropped to fighting stance. They slowly circled each other, cautiously watching the other’s face. Caine lunged at her and my hands flew up to cover my mouth. Sam quickly twirled out of the way and Caine stumbled forward, shocked by her sudden disappearance. With a grunt, Sam kicked the back of Caine’s legs, causing him to fall onto his hands and knees.
She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, giving him space to get up and brush it off. A red flush crept across the surface of his cheeks. He didn’t like being shown up by her. Caine turned to face her and soon they danced around each other again, punching here and kicking there. Everyone flinched and cringed every time a hit was landed, especially when he hit her. They both had so much strength and speed, no wonder vampires chose to kill us more than guardian angels.
I watched on in anticipation as Sam’s fist connected with Caine’s chest and sickening crack noise reverberated around the hall. All of the spectators including Mila and I gasped as Caine fell flat on his back, clutching his chest.
Other students rushed in to congratulate Sam while a few guardian teachers leaned over Caine to assess the damage and if I was going off the sound of that crack, there was a lot of damage. I was awed that Sam managed to get the incredible hulk on the ground, giving her the victory. The sound of applause echoed around the auditorium and Mila jumped from her chair, whooping and cheering. I clapped as I watched five adult guardians drag Caine from the building. Poor guy. I bet his pride hurt more than his chest. I pulled Mila back down as Eli announced the next fight.
“Zavion Forster verses Leonardo DeLanzy.”
My brows furrowed. “I didn't know Zavion was a guardian angel.” I said, leaning toward Mila.
“He isn't.” A voice next to me answered.
I snapped my head around to see Rylan sitting next to me. He looked nice today with a minimal amount of gel in his hair and a nice, white t-shirt.
“You again?” I groaned, playfully.
He shrugged with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I just can’t seem to stay away from you. You attract me.”
I smiled. “Attracting weirdos is my forte, unfortunately.”
Rylan chuckled, smiling widely at me. “Back to the topic—Zavion is a god.”
He leaned back in his chair, resting an ankle on jean-clad knee.
“Then why is he fighting and taking the guardian angel tests?”
He raised his eyebrows at me, rubbing his chin briefly. “Wow, you really don’t know anything about our way of life.”
I shrugged my shoulders and he continued.
“Gods are trained to fight as well, but today, Zavion is filling in for a sick angel.”
“And what about goddesses?” I asked, eagerly. “Is there some kind of combat class or self defense class we can take?”
Rylan laughed like I’d said a hilarious joke and strangely, it offended me. “Goddesses aren’t meant to fight. They’re too precious.”
Man, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I’d be rich. Too precious? I hadn’t experienced so much sexism before in my life until I came here. Goddesses were put on a pedestal. We were the same as gods in every way. The only difference being we were female. That didn’t mean we were less capable of bringing down a vampire and hello?! We could use all four elements—that’s hardly useless. I opened my mouth to protest, but a shadow loomed over us. I clamped my mouth shut as my stomach clenched. I slowly turned my head and looked up to see Tay towering over us. I slumped a little in relief, unaware of how tense my muscles were. For a moment, I thought it was Eli.
“What are you doing here?” He asked Rylan, placing his hands firmly on his hips.
Rylan’s narrowed his eyes at Tay and then rolled them, before he nodded goodbye to me and sauntered from the auditorium. Tay exhaled and dropped into Rylan’s seat.
“Jesus Christ, you lot are a bunch of pretentious-”
I glared at him and he stopped talking. With a tight smile, he continued to ask. “How are you feeling?”
I crossed my arms. “I was fine until you chased off my friend.”
He grinned. “He has detention he should be tending to, not socializing.”
I ignored his comment and looked at Mila who seemed as uncomfortable with Tay’s presence as I was. Tay leaned closer to me and I regarded him curiously.
“Sorry I haven’t spoken to you since that night.” He said quietly. “Things have been a little rushed. I’m sure Mr Aleksandrov will come speak to you at some point.”
At some point? Did he need to be reminded that Eli, Tay and I were almost killed by a vampire? Because I sure as hell hadn’t forgotten. I may have put it to the back of my mind as school took over, but I was still petrified of the thought of him being so close to a place that was meant to be my sanctuary.
“Yeah, well, in the meantime I’ll just get on with my life and pretend that I wasn’t almost slaughtered by the one person trying to kill me.” I grumbled.
I was bitter and I couldn’t help it. I’d like to think that after the whole situation with Hank, Mr Aleksandrov and Tay actually cared, but I got the feeling they didn’t. I was alive and in the safety of the school so as far as they were concerned, the whole incident should be forgotten. Little did they know that every time I closed my eyes, I saw his deathly white complexion and his petrifying stare. I pictured his cold laugh and scary snarl and a jolt of fear coursed through me as my chest tightened. I inhaled deeper gulps of air to ease my tight chest, but it didn’t help any. Was I having a panic attack? I didn’t know. I’d never had one before. I shifted forward in my seat and I could swear the room was closing in on me. Hot flashes rolled over my body, getting hotter and hotter. I needed to get outside.
“Ruby, are you okay?” Mila asked, sliding off her ch
air and kneeling before me.
She reached out to touch me, but I leaned away from her. I didn’t want her to touch me. The thought alone made me feel sick.
“I-I don’t know. I can’t breathe.” I gasped. I leant over, bringing my chest to my knees as nausea radiated through my stomach.
“Eli!”
Mila called out to him and it made me feel worse. He was the last person I wanted help from and I was probably the last person he wanted to help. Within seconds Eli was at my side. I closed my eyes and his hands grabbed my face, tilting it upward toward his. I opened my eyes, meeting his gorgeous green irises. He turned his head to Tay who was standing beside me.
“What’s wrong?” He asked him.
“She can’t breathe.”
“Something is wrong.” I groaned, my breath quickening. “Am I dying?”
Eli’s hands touched me all over as he assessed me. The longer he took to answer me the more panicked I became. “Ruby, you’re having a panic attack. I need to get you outside.”
Eli wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me from my chair. I slung my arm around his neck, holding him tightly. He pulled me along beside him and I tried to walk, but I couldn’t. Eli paused to wait for me to correct my footing and I tried with every urge in my body to move but I didn’t budge.
“I can’t.” I choked, my voice coming out in uneven rasps.
“It’s okay, I’ll carry you.”
His thick arm wrapped around my thighs and he scooped me up and proceeded to carry me outside like I weighed as much as a bag of potatoes. As he carried me, I could feel curious stares burn into my skin. High schoolers loved gossip and I had a feeling that I was the only one that would be talked about today—once again.
