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

by Skyla Madi

  A loud ringtone pierced the air, hardly startling us out of our hazy, lust-filled stupor. Keeping his eyes locked on mine and barely backing away from me, he withdrew his phone from his pocket and answered it inches from my face.

  “Hello.” His warm breath caressed my face and I fought the urge to close my eyes. After a few seconds, I watched his jaw clench and his eyes widen. “On my way.”

  Eli shot out of his chair, yanking me up with him. I stumbled and fell against him with a grunt. His hands gripped my shoulder, stabilising me as he lowered his face so he was eye level with me. Tendrils of dread burrowed through my stomach.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “You need to go to your dorm immediately.”

  Before I could respond he took me by my wrist and tore from the auditorium, pulling me along behind him. Icy fear raced through me. This was too similar to last night, but I knew it wasn't Hank, it was the middle of the day and regardless, the school was charmed, preventing any kind of soulless creature from entering.

  “Eli, tell me what’s happening.” I puffed as we ran.

  He didn’t reply and I repeatedly asked him to tell me what was going on, but he refused to say anything. I gave up pestering him when my chest began to burn. Inside the building Eli slowed his pace to a jog, but never loosened his grip on my arm.

  Mila was waiting for me when we reached my dorm and my eyes locked onto the lines of mascara running down her flushed cheeks. I stepped toward her, concerned.

  “Get inside, both of you.” Eli said, letting me go. “Don’t come out until I say so,”

  Mila and I entered my room and I locked the door behind her.

  “Mila? What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice quivering.

  Mila collapsed onto my bed, wiping her hands across her cheeks and taking barely any mascara with her.

  “It’s Cloud,” She sobbed. “she’s dead.”

  Death and a Letter

  I felt so many things all at once. I felt dizzy and then nauseous. Quickly, the nausea turned into sadness before trickling into numbness. In the short time I knew Cloud, I’d decided she was simple and compassionate...and now she was dead.

  “What do you mean...dead?” I asked, joining Mila on my bed.

  Mila’s face crumpled and choked sobs rocked her body. “She fell this morning when everyone was in the auditorium. She hit her head on a rock...”

  Mila’s hands flew up to cover her red face and her shoulders shook as she cried harder. My own tears began to well as I wrapped my arms around Mila and pulled her into me. The majority of my pain lay not with me, but for Mila. She didn’t have many friends, Sam and Cloud being the only two, other than me.

  “It’s okay.” I told her, stroking her soft hair.

  “We’ve been friends forever...” She sobbed. “And now she’s gone...just like that.”

  I couldn’t imagine losing someone I’d known forever—like Camilla, for example. If I lost her, I don’t know what I’d do. I let out a slow, steady breath. Is that how Camilla feels? I wondered. We’d also been friends forever—even when I lived away from her. An unsettling feeling rested in the pit of my stomach as my mind drifted to my own sorrows. I wondered how Aunt Jen and Camilla were doing and if they’d managed to move on without me. Granted it had only been two days, but they knew I was okay. I also thought about Kyle and wondered if he’d made any new friends...probably not and the thought saddened me because he was a really good friend to have. Whoever doesn’t give him the time of day was really missing out.

  Lastly, my mind fell onto Darren, a boy who had been obsessed with slinging sexual comments at me daily, a boy who claimed to be a vampire hunter—and not a very good one. I couldn’t say I cared what he was doing or how he was feeling.

  Mila shifted away from me, pulling me from my thoughts. I slid off the bed and onto the floor to give her more room and I watched as she buried her face into my pillows. With an exhale, I pulled my knees into my chest and rested my head on them. How did this day get so messed up?

  ***

  It felt like an eternity later that I’d heard a knock on the door. I jumped to my feet and Mila shot upwards, revealing the small amounts of mascara and eyeliner that stained my pillow. I gestured to Mila to be quiet and grasped my whistle, preparing to blow it. Eli strictly told me not to open the door unless he says so. As the thought passed, I felt Eli's presence immediately. A swirling mass of dark hair and deep, green eyes flooded my mind. I could smell his crisp, fresh cologne and feel his warmth. I looked down at my wrist, it must be my tattoo—it’s working! I threw open the door, instantly meeting Eli’s gloomy face. He stepped backwards as I inched outside, closing the door slightly behind me.

  “You already know?” asked Eli, looking past me and into my room.

  I nodded. “Mr Aleksandrov told her what happened and she told me.”

  “How is she?”

  I leaned against the doorframe. “Devastated.”

  Eli dropped his gaze to the floor, licking his lips. He stepped forward, marginally closing the distance between us. When his locked onto mine, they were as sad as Mila’s and it hit me. He’d lost someone, too. Cloud was his student. I reached out to touch his arm—to offer my condolences and to give him some kind of comfort, but the sudden sound of shoes slapping tiles forced me to drop my hand back to my side. Eli gave me a slight ‘thank you’ smile and I returned it as Tay and Sera jogged up to us.

  “Mr Aleksandrov said Mila is here.” Tay told us, neglecting a greeting and getting straight down to business.

  “She is.” I replied, pushing the door open with my foot.

  I turned to look at Mila as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her eyes swollen and red rimmed.

  “Mila, your uncle demands that you come home immediately.”

  The look on Mila’s face told me she didn’t want to, but she wasn’t about to fight it. She didn’t have the energy to. Mila lifted herself off the bed and made her way over to the door.

  “I’ll see you later.” She mumbled to me before strolling down the hallway, her shoulders sagged and lifeless.

  With swift nods, Tay and Sera dismissed us and followed closely behind her. When we were alone again Eli asked me. “Are you okay?”

  I shrugged. “I’m okay...sad, but okay.”

  He ran a hand over his forehead, taking a deep controlled breath. “Sam isn’t doing too well, either.”

  I felt my body slump. Poor Sam, she was Cloud’s best friend and if Mila was this sad, I couldn’t begin to imagine how hysterical Sam was.

  “How are you doing?” I questioned him. “Cloud was your student...I imagine it’s just as hard on you.”

  He frowned in a sad, heartbreaking way. “She was a good kid...a great student and an even better angel. I’m shattered she wasn’t given the chance to live a full life. I’m certain she would’ve done good things.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. “Do you want to come in?” I asked Eli, assuming he wanted to talk more.

  His lips twitched upwards. “That’s not a good idea.”

  Although I’d like to be wrapped up in Eli’s arms and comfort him with kisses, it wasn’t what I intended when I asked him to come in.

  “The school is in lock down.” He continued. “There are twelve guardian angels guarding the girls’ and boys’ dorms and more or less the same guarding the teachers’ area. Senior gods are helping us with securing the school—same with senior guardians. We’re having the scene fingerprinted and examined further. The results will tell us what happened. In the meantime, stay in your dorm room,” he explained. “I don’t want anymore...accidents.”

  With a tight smile, he turned from me and ambled down the hallway. Before he disappeared from sight I entered my room and closed the door, leaning my back against it. I couldn’t help but feel helpless—not that I could have prevented Cloud’s death. I was referring to my classes, why wasn’t I learning how to use my magic? Why was I learning about the properties of certain plants and
different types of moving bodies of water? I thought Sage Sanctum was supposed to teach me how to use my magic and how to become a proper goddess... yet here I stood unable to use water, earth, or fire. I could make a plant grow and manipulate it to wrap around things—big deal. I wanted to make a difference and help people, I wanted to make up for the lives I stole when I was a vampire, but I’ve been given no freedom to do so. Did I have to do everything myself? Could I teach myself how to use my magic? I sighed and pushed off the door. Who was I kidding? I was stuck here, forever to be watched by my guardian angel. He’d never let me do anything unorthodox. That wasn’t who he was. Most of the time he seemed very straight edged.

  I approached my bed and began pulling off the dirty pillowcases. I couldn’t believe it was breakfast only an hour ago and my day had already reached top level crazy. That’s my life lately, I suppose. It’s one thing after another—escalating higher and higher. It needed to de-escalate soon though, I don’t know how much more craziness I could take.

  ***

  It was two hours off dinner time when the lock down was broken. They filed Cloud's death as an accident. Meaning, there was no sign of struggle or bruising, although I’d imagine it would be hard to tell with all the fighting the angels do.

  I emerged from my dorm and immediately met Hunter’s bright blue eyes and devilish face.

  “Goddess, fancy seeing you here.” He smiled.

  “Outside my door?” I replied bluntly, refusing to get on board with his humour.

  If I had a normal life, the next set of events would never have happened, but seeing as though my life was as cliché as a movie, anything that could go wrong did go wrong. Sure enough, Rylan strolled casually up to us, regarding both Hunter and I curiously. I guess whoever was listening to my plea about lessening the craziness misheard what I said because Eli showed up almost directly after Rylan. I swept my eyes appreciatively over Eli’s perfect features as I began to move towards him, but then I stopped, my body freezing mid-step as I finally noticed his expression. He was furious. My heart stopped cold, and I felt clammy moisture beginning to spread across my palms as I kept my eyes glued to his approaching form. I heard Rylan groan in frustration under his breath and nausea rose in my stomach. This looked really bad on my part, but if there was anyone here that I had feelings for, it was Eli. He’s done everything for me so naturally I was attracted to him and not to mention the intense kiss we shared. Rylan and Hunter were here of their own accord. I never led either of them on. I met them once and then they were everywhere. My face flushed red as Eli’s eyes squared in on me. Avoiding his eyes, I glanced sideways at Hunter who was looking at the situation with an amused expression on his face.

  “They just showed up and they were just leaving,” I hinted to Rylan and Hunter with a scowl before turning my attention back to Eli. I wasn’t getting into trouble for something I didn’t do.

  “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Hunter chuckled, leaned against the wall, sticking a toothpick in his mouth.

  “You’re a senior.” Rylan snarled at Hunter. “Do you lurk around the younger girls’ dorms often?”

  Hunter’s eyes thinned into slits and he took a step towards Rylan, but Eli stepped forward, cutting him off. Hunter knew better than to pick a fight him, he was bigger than both of them.

  “Get to where you need to be, now,” Eli growled.

  Rylan stormed off without a glance over his shoulder, but Hunter stuck around for a few more seconds. He didn’t seem at all intimidated by Eli and that made me nervous. Eventually, Hunter’s gaze dragged from Eli’s face and flitted to mine. He flicked his toothpick across his bottom lip and smiled at me before turning and sauntering down the hallway. When Hunter was out of sight, I was able to relax.

  “Thank you.” I breathed, raking my fingers through my hair and smiling sweetly. “That could have been really awkward.”

  Despite my attempt to lighten the mood, Eli still wasn’t pleased.

  “You seem to be the talk of the male population lately.” He told me, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

  I was almost certain I heard the jealous tone in his voice, but I played it off with a shrug.

  “Probably,” I said. “Raina did tell people I was a vampire.”

  Eli’s faced pinched into a grimace. “It’s not that kind of talk.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Oh?…Oh! Gross,”

  I cringed. I wasn’t in the slightest bit flattered that boys were thinking that stuff about me. I’d never really been the type of girl that cared about boys intimately until I met Eli... until I kissed Eli.

  Eli cleared his throat. “Anyway, I came here to let you know my tattoo started working.”

  He presented his wrist to me and there, in tinged red and black ink was a triple moon symbol—two quarter moons attached to a full a moon. It was gorgeous, but it didn’t have anything on my feather.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “It’s the triple moon symbol. The symbol for goddess.”

  “That’s awesome!” I presented my wrist to him. “I got a feather, and since guardian angels don’t actually have big feathery wings, it must mean I’m protected by a chicken.”

  I couldn’t hold back my laugh and the end of my sentence came out a giggly mess. Eli’s stern expression melted into an attractive smile before he laughed. I decided I enjoyed making him laugh. It was such a rich, smooth sound.

  “So why were you strolling through the girls’ dorms?” I asked him as I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

  Eli pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the time before stuffing it back in. “I was actually on my way to see Sam. Cloud was her best friend, and as her teacher, I feel obliged to see how she’s doing.”

  I looked up at him. “You’re a good teacher.”

  A trace of a smile spread on his lips and with a modest nod, he walked away.

  ***

  I strolled idly down the sidewalk, my hands shoved deeply into my jean pockets. I wanted to go to the library before dinner and read up on teaching myself how to use my magic. If the teachers here were more obsessed about me knowing what plants survive in various conditions, then I had no choice but to teach myself the important things. The library wasn’t too big and I found the books I needed almost immediately. When I was checking out, the librarian gave me a funny, curious look. She was definitely a goddess and besides the obvious give away—stirring her lemon water without actually touching it—her skin was incredibly smooth, despite her age. She checked out the books and gave me a little ‘returns’ slip. I took it with a polite nod, grabbed my books and ditched the library.

  ***

  I circled the school and eventually found a pond hidden behind the sports oval and running track. I sat down and opened the first book, titled: Water Skills. The first chapter, ‘How to conjure a water ball’ caught my eye immediately. I held my hand out towards the water and slowly pulled my fingers back to form a closed fist just like the book said.

  Nothing happened.

  I tried a few more times and they all ended in defeat. In a huff, I slammed the book shut and pushed it off my lap.

  “You’re eager to learn,” said Hunter as he stepped out from behind a tree, startling me.

  I grasped my chest, narrowing my eyes at him. “And you’re eager to be labelled a stalker.”

  “Easy now,” He smiled. “I was here before you arrived.” Hunter brought a cigarette to his lips and inhaled. “So technically, you’re the stalker.”

  He expelled the smoke and it floated over his face before dissipating into nothing.

  “Then let me make this easier, I’ll leave.” I pushed myself onto my knees and started packing up my books.

  “I can help, you know.”

  “The only thing you’re helping with is my death. I don’t want to die of lung cancer from second hand smoke, thank you.”

  He dropped the cigarette and stomped it out. He put the packet into the back pocket of his baggy j
eans and I watched curiously as he approached the pond. Hunter extended his hand, keeping his blue eyes locked on mind the whole time and managed conjure a water ball from it. He made it look so simple.

  “H-how did you do that?” I gasped.

  “I have a few more years’ experience than you, remember.”

  “Can you help me?” I asked. I knew it was a bad idea but I desperately wanted to learn how to use my magic.

  “That depends.” He smirked, letting the ball of water drop back to the water with a splash. “As long as I’m in charge, you do everything I say and I can smoke, then we have a deal.”

  I thought the conditions over a few times before eventually accepting. Hunter was my only hope at advancing my powers and I was already behind my classmates. They knew how to conjure balls out of each element, they knew how to control them and make them move. I could only make plants grow and heal, granted it’s pretty cool, but I need to know more. Hunter and I agreed to meet here every Saturday. I wanted to do it every other day, but Hunter insisted it was too obvious and people would become suspicious.

  ***

  I hauled all my books back to my dorm and spread them out on the floor to read them, but unfortunately, I was a better procrastinator than studier. First, I painted my fingernails, brushed my hair, washed my face, and then brushed my teeth. After all of that, I I dragged myself back to the books and dropped myself in front of them. As I sat there, I couldn’t help but notice how bland my toenails were—they had no color, except for a tiny speck of purple at the top of the nail on my big toe. My mind drifted to the time I painted my toenails purple—it was the last time my mother and I painted our nails together.

  We spoke about school and work and boys. I remembered the color she chose—it was lavender, her favorite. I closed my eyes tightly as a single tear ran down my cheek. I took a few deep breaths and composed myself, trying hard not to relapse into a panic attack. I didn’t realize before how much I actually feared being alone. When I was alone, I slowly descend into depression... every color I looked at was dull and every thought was negative. It wasn’t like clinical depression where it affected my daily life. It only crept up on me when I was alone. I felt useless and weak, no emotions pour over me, instead I cried.