Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series)

by Kentowski, L. J.

  I glanced at Hunter. He was intent on swirling the remainder of his whiskey around in his glass, seemingly uninterested in the conspiratorial conversation Caleb and I were having. I wondered how much he heard.

  "Oh, Caleb, I'm flattered. Really. But I don't think right now is a good time for me. I have so much going on in my life." I smiled at him, hoping that I hadn't hurt his feelings. I've turned down guys before, but I actually kind of liked this one. He seemed so easy to talk to, even though I hadn't really gotten the chance. It was just a vibe I had about him.

  He grabbed a napkin and pen from behind the bar and wrote something on it. After folding it once, he handed it to me. "You can't be busy all of the time, Cassie. Everyone needs a little down time. When you have that break, give me a call. I promise to keep it on the non-crazy level," he said with a smirk.

  I reached for the napkin. He held on to it long enough to brush his finger across my knuckles, sending a tingling sensation up my arm and throughout my body. What was it with these guys? Were they both made from the same electrical current? Or was it just that I hadn't been with someone in so long that any whisper of a touch sent me into a hormonal outrage?

  I noticed Hunter watching our hands. I got the feeling that he hadn't missed a bit of what was happening between Caleb and me. As stupid as it sounds, I got the impression that he didn't like any of it.

  "I definitely will, Caleb. Thanks," I said smiling at him. I actually meant it too. As soon as I figured out what was going on and got my life back in control, I was going to call him.

  "Good. I look forward to it," he said. There was a glimmer in his eyes that I hadn't noticed when I first met him, making the blue hue appear closer to gray. They were almost as hypnotizing as Hunter's. "Good luck with your mom," he said, and released the napkin.

  I pocketed it, thanked him again, and walked towards the door. As I passed Hunter, I wished him a good night, but he didn't seem to hear me. All of his attention was focused on Caleb. If his eyes could shoot daggers, Caleb wouldn't stand a chance. Why? What had just happened between them?

  I didn't understand any of it. The whole situation seemed ridiculous. These men were strangers, but I got the feeling from both of them that they were trying to mark their territory with me. Maybe I just didn't understand testosterone and how it worked. Maybe when you put two men in the same room with one woman, they automatically have to prove their conquests over each other.

  Whatever. I didn't have the patience to deal with the male hormonal displays right now. I had enough of my own problems. They could puff their chests out to each other as much as they wanted. I was out of there.

  Walking out, however, the memory of my vision reminded me that one of those problems had everything to do with the man sitting at the bar puffing out his chest. So much for not dealing with male hormones. I was hoping that Mom would have answers for me and I could avoid Hunter altogether after tonight. Even though he was quite possibly the most beautiful man I'd ever laid eyes on, the attraction I felt for him scared the shit out of me. Dealing with the tug of his magnetism in my visions was one thing; fighting that pull in the flesh was something I wasn't sure I had the strength to handle. With my visions, came death. I needed to heed my own warnings, so my plan was to get as far away as possible.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I tried my mom again when I got back into my car. Voicemail picked up and my heart fell. Where was she?

  "Mom, I need you, please call me back."

  I wanted to spill my guts. Maybe letting it all out would help make sense of the jumbled mess that was addling my brain, but I knew the only person who could provide the therapy I needed wasn't available.

  I dropped the phone into the middle console of my car. Loneliness and confusion overwhelmed me. My tears fell fast, a river of burden seeping through my lids. I would have given anything to escape the prison of responsibility I felt thrust upon me as a Guardian. The heaviness that I felt when I was sixteen seemed to have lightened up over the years, only to now become a mass so big, I feared it would crush me. Who was going to save me now?

  I sat in my car with my arms crossed on the steering wheel, my head resting on them, and cried. I had no idea how much time went by. I didn't care. I had nowhere to go and I sure as hell couldn't go back to my apartment in the state I was in. Nora was too sensitive to my emotions, and as much as I wanted to confide in her, I just couldn't bring her into all of this. Not now. I had to figure it out first.

  As I sat there feeling sorry for myself, my car door opened, making me jump in my seat. Shocked, I could only stare, as Hunter crouched in the open door, his beautiful face filled with concern. My defensive reflexes set in, and I moved as far back from him as the seat would allow, the console digging in my back as I leaned into it.

  "Cassandra, I'm not going to hurt you. I came out of the bar and saw you were still in your car. Is everything all right? Is it your mom?" His eyes roamed my face searching for answers.

  Embarrassed, I made a feeble attempt to wipe away the remaining tears from my face, but I was sure my eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.

  "Oh, um... No, I haven't gotten a hold of her yet. I'm going to drive to her house now to make sure she's all right. Thanks for checking on me, Hunter," I sniffled, "but I'm fine."

  He reached his arm across my body, and I trembled from the mere breeze of his action. Holding my breath, I froze. My eyes were the only thing capable of motion, as I watched him open up the console and grab a tissue. I was so hypnotized by him that I couldn't even form the words to ask him how he knew they were there.

  He offered it to me, and I took it slowly. As I wiped my nose, he continued to watch me, his body still too close to mine. Even after I was finished, I remained frozen in my awkward position, afraid to move. Emotions warred within me. My mind told me that I should be terrified of this big, powerful man, whom I just met. Crouching in front of me, he was close enough that I wouldn't stand a chance of escape if he chose to attack me, but something deep inside made me feel safe with him. Maybe it was because I felt I knew him from all the years I'd dreamt of him. Maybe I just had a death wish.

  My emotions battled silently, and my pent-up breath rushed through my lips in a pant. As his eyes moved to my mouth, the air between us suddenly felt so thick, I thought I might suffocate.

  He moved away from me, but remained crouched next to the car.

  "Are you okay now?" he asked.

  "Yes."

  He stood up, and I was struck by an incredible urge to make him stay, if only for a second longer.

  "Hunter, have we met before?" I blurted out. It wasn't just a question to keep him near me; I had to find out if, somehow, he knew me too.

  He looked at me for a moment with his head tilted slightly to the side, as if a better angle might help him place me. Slowly, he crouched next to me again, causing me to lean back once more.

  "No, we've never met."

  Not willing to come to terms with the fact that I was the only one who could feel this powerful connection between us, I asked, "Are you sure?"

  "Cassandra, if we had met before," he said in a deep, almost seductive voice, "I assure you, it would have been memorable."

  My body shook from the meaning of his words. I was sure that he had me under some kind of spell, because I didn't realize he'd actually moved in closer. Wiping a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb, his fingers rested softly against the side of my head. His touch was so light, I would have considered it a mere caress, if not for the burning sensation it left when he pulled it away. My hand immediately flew to the spot he had touched, and I stared at him in astonishment.

  "I should apologize for being so forward as to touch you," he said, "but I'm afraid I'd do it again if given the opportunity." Standing up, he continued, "I hope your mother is well. Maybe we'll see each other again."

  I felt as if I were in some crazy trance that I couldn't shake, so it took me a minute to process what he said. As he started to walk away, I stood up and called,
"I thought you were just passing through?"

  I heard him laugh, and then he stopped and turned around. The smile was still on his face when he told me, "I was, but I'm starting to like what I see here, so maybe I'll stick around for a bit longer." The shocked expression I wore was starting to feel like a permanent facial feature tonight. It remained in place as I watched him turn back around and walk into the night.

  ***

  I drove to my mom's house in a daze, somehow managing to pull into the driveway twenty minutes later without getting into an accident. Sitting in my car, I looked at my childhood home and was comforted knowing that despite everything that changed in my life, it had remained the same as when I was a little girl. The light, russet-colored Colonial sat regally at the end of the cul-de-sac amidst its quiet, suburban neighbors. The lawns were well manicured, some of the older owners having to resort to lawn care services that came on a weekly basis.

  Mom's zinnias, hydrangeas, and shrub roses were still in full, multi-hued bloom. Summer weather in the Midwest was famous for starting pretty late, but it also lasted longer, sometimes even into October. Indian Summer was always a favorite time of mine with its warm, sunny days so close to the long, cold winter months. Mom was not one of those that needed help with the maintenance of the yard yet, and she still took great pleasure tending her flower garden. Growing up, I remember Mom would spend hours at it. She had a flair for placement and color coordination, mingling flowers with lawn ornaments and lights, resulting in a beautifully inviting as well as pleasantly surprising landscape.

  The porch lamp was on, lighting up "The Cosgroves" plaque that hung below the address. There was only one Cosgrove left in our house, but to her, it would always be home to all of us: Mom, Dad, and me. Seeing the light on was a good indication that she was home.

  I had a key to the house, but since it was late, I didn't want to scare her by just walking in, so I knocked on the door. I didn't have to wait long before she answered, dressed in her blue, satiny pantsuit pajamas and matching robe. Seeing her ready for bed surprised me. I hadn't called too long ago, and I knew that she slept with her cell charging on the nightstand next to her bed. She always kept it on in case of a possible emergency, namely from me, which is why I was so confused. Why hadn't she answered or at least called me back?

  "Cassie, is everything all right?" she asked, opening the door wide for me to enter.

  "I was just going to ask you the same thing, Mom. Where have you been? I tried calling you a couple of times, and left you messages to call me back right away."

  Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at me in complete confusion. "What are you talking about? My phone hasn't rung all night. I've been home reading; I didn't get any calls from you." She walked over to the coffee table in front of the sofa. On it were her phone, a book, her reading glasses, and a glass of red wine. She picked up her phone and opened the display.

  After pressing a few buttons, she looked back and offered me the phone, shaking her head. "Look, there's nothing. No missed calls, no voicemail. The last call I show from you was yesterday morning. Are you sure you got the right number?"

  "Yes," I cried, perplexed. "I heard your message before I left the voicemail. I know it was yours. What the hell is going on?"

  "Honey, calm down. Sit down and tell me what happened." We both sat on the sofa and she reached for her wine glass. "Here, have some," she offered.

  I took a small sip and set it back on the table. "I lost someone, Mom," I choked. "Tonight. I had a vision, and it was different. Way different. I didn't know what to do... I... Were my visions supposed to change? Is this something you were waiting to tell me because it wasn't supposed to happen until I was older or something?" I was searching. Searching for anything that would make sense of what was happening to me. I wanted her to explain it all to me like she had when I was sixteen. Even though I'd be mad as hell at her for keeping it from me, I'd at least have answers. But looking at her face, I knew she had none. She looked as confused as I did.

  "I don't understand, Cassie. How did it change? What was different about it?"

  I told her everything; the vision of the woman, the car, the two men, and the feelings I got about the man with the strange eyes. I told her about the crash, and how I watched the car steamroll into that pole. And, after I explained to her how helpless I felt seeing that poor man dead in his car, wondering if I could have somehow saved him, I cried. The weight of the night that heaved itself onto my heart unleashed its mass. My mom took me into her arms and held me. I felt like a little girl again, crying over something overwhelmingly horrible. Just like then, I felt like she was the only one who could help me fix things.

  She said nothing while I released all of the guilt inside my head. Tiffany's death found its way back to hauntingly commingle with this latest fatality. Somehow, she knew that I needed to let it all out before we could attempt to piece everything together. As if emptying all of my tears could clean up the chaos inside my head and allow me to see things more clearly. If only it were that easy.

  As my cries turned into whimpers, she gently pulled me from her embrace. Calmly, she said, "It's going to be all right. We're going to get to the bottom of this, okay?" She tilted my chin so that I was looking her straight in the eyes. "Okay, Cassie? We'll figure this out together."

  I nodded and wiped the last of my tears from my face. Mom stood and comfortingly patted me on the shoulder. She picked up her glass of wine and moved towards the dining room table, where the rest of the bottle was sitting. "All right, so, you didn't mention where the Shadows were. Since there seemed to be three different people in this vision, we need to start with where the Shadows were located." She grabbed another glass from the china cabinet, filled both glasses, and started back towards me with them in hand.

  "That's just it, Mom. There were no Shadows this time. That's why I didn't know what to do."

  She stopped walking and stood there staring at me. I got up and took the glasses from her, not wanting her to drop them. This revelation seemed to hit a nerve. Maybe this was the starting point; the key to unlocking it all.

  "What is it, Mom?"

  She sat down next to me and grabbed my hands. "Are you sure there were no Shadows, Cassie? Maybe you missed them. Think hard. They could have been near any of the people in the vision, but they had to have been there." As much as I knew she wanted to comfort me, she couldn't hide the worry in her eyes.

  "No, there were none. I looked for them, but they weren't in that vision." Her concern over the lack of Shadows scared me. I knew that it was one of the blatant differences this vision had to all of my others, but it was nothing compared to the man with the blue eyes that seemed to vanish from the... Wait! That was it! The Shadows were missing, but there was something near the victim in its place!

  I grabbed my mom's shoulder and nearly shouted, "Oh my God, Mom. I can't believe I forgot to tell you the most important thing! The guy... the one with the crazy blue eyes... he was... he wasn't..." I stumbled over my words trying to get them out faster. I took a deep breath and said slowly, "The guy I told you about with the strange eyes, he wasn't there after the vision."

  "What do you mean he wasn't there?" she asked, her forehead creasing. "Where'd he go? He survived the... I don't understand."

  "I mean he was never in the car. Everyone I talked to after the crash never saw a passenger. It's almost like he was the human form of a Shadow." I told her how I went to look at the passenger seat and could find no evidence of anyone sitting there during the crash.

  "Maybe he was able to jump out of the car before they hit the pole."

  "No way, Mom. Trust me on this. I may be completely lost as to why this is all happening, but I know there was something totally off about this guy." I was pacing now, my fingers running through and pulling at my hair as I walked back and forth. "His eyes were so... I don't even know how to describe it... almost magnetic; like he was pulling me into something."

  My mom was sitting on the sofa, her hea
d down, finger in her mouth, deep in thought. At the mention of the man's charm over me, her head snapped up and she was instantly in front of me, my pace blocked.

  "What did you say his eyes looked like again?" she asked me urgently. "Didn't you say they were blue?"

  "Not just blue, Mom. These eyes were almost silver and they seemed to shimmer when he smiled. They felt hypnotic. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before."

  My mom shook her head. Something told me she knew exactly what I was talking about. Both recognition and disbelief crossed her features when I explained the man and the feelings he had evoked in me. Did she have a similar encounter in a vision that she'd forgotten about? Or just didn't want to tell me?

  "What is it, Mom? Do you know this guy? Have you seen him before?"

  She hesitated, looked me in the eyes, and said, "No, Cassie, I've never had visions without Shadows. It's always been the Shadows. I don't know why your vision was so different. I need to check into some things. There are places I can go to try to get some answers."

  "I'll go with you—"

  "No, you can't. I have to go alone. I promise it will only take me a few days, and I'll fill you in as soon as I find anything out."

  "But where are you going?"

  She sighed, and I could tell that she wasn't looking forward to what she felt she needed to do. "The people I'm going to see know a lot about the Guardians of Fate. They helped me sort out some things a long time ago, and I'm hoping they can help clear this up too."

  I started to argue with her to take me with her, but she raised her palm in the air to stop the words before I could even speak them. "Cassie, you need to trust me. I'll be fine. There is no more to say about this because you are not coming with me. It has to be only me. I want you to calm down, and go about things like you normally would until I get back. Okay? Can you please do that so I can help you?" It wasn't really a question. She wasn't going to give in, I knew my mom. She could be as stubborn as I if it were something she felt strongly about, and obviously, she felt very strong about not wanting me to go.