Personal Guardians

by Rachel A. Collett

  Even though I wasn’t totally convinced, the conversation dropped, which was for the better, since our little run progressed into what I could only guess was over three miles long and ended at the lake shore. We sprinted the last hundred yards, but slowed as the ground sloped downward, the grass growing sparser as we neared the water. Soft silt cushioned my steps. My lungs were on fire as I fumbled to a stop. The gentle morning breeze did little to cool my heated face. Leaning over, I braced my hands on my thighs to catch my breath, my skin slick with sweat.

  Darius’s breathing was heavy as he kicked off his shoes and socks. He waded knee-deep into the water.

  I removed my shoes as well but before I could take more than two steps into the magnificently cold water, Darius tugged off his shirt and tossed it behind him onto the bank. His carved back muscles glistened in the morning sun that reflected from the water, his tattoos somewhat faded in the light.

  “Are you serious,” I moaned.

  “What?” He circled around, revealing his sculpted pectorals and abs.

  I waved a hand in his direction. “You’re exposed again.” But he only grinned at my notice.

  My heart twisted uncomfortably. Additional heat bloomed in my cheeks.

  Darius fell back into the water. Grumbling, I picked up his shirt and flung it over a nearby tree branch to dry. I flopped down on the grassy embankment, waiting as he swam even deeper into the pool.

  After several minutes, he emerged. “You should’ve joined me.” He combed his fingers through his wet hair. A smile lit the corner of his mouth. “This is my favorite place to run. The swim is the best part,” he added, squeezing additional water from the side of his shorts.

  “Thank you, but I didn’t want to.”

  But that was a lie. I did. I did so badly I could almost feel the cold against my enflamed skin and my sweat-soaked hair. Nevertheless, I would not get into the water just to please him, even if he did smile at me that way. I stood, grabbing my shoes.

  “Should we return?” I asked, walking away.

  “Nope. We’ll practice here. We have an hour before Laith and Elisa pick us up for a quick security trip around the border, then back to the compound.”

  The muscles between my brows contracted. “But, why here and not at the courtyard?”

  “Most training is done in the courtyard, but I’d like to assess your skills, or the lack thereof, before those of the compound do.”

  “The lack thereof?” I scowled at him, but he merely shrugged it off.

  “You were right to allow them to see your strength last night. You stood up for yourself. For Charlotte.”

  “I didn’t do it for them.”

  “As I gathered,” he said, moving to the soft sand near the lake. “But it was still a good move. We need to keep that up and make sure that the Defender we show them is a Defender they can believe in and have faith in. Until I assess your skill, we will train privately.” He flicked open his blade.

  After retrieving my knife from the hidden pocket, I opened it and stood at the ready. Memories of my father sprang to my mind. Standing opposite Darius’s strong form, I could almost see my dad in his stance, in his eyes.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, but before I could answer, he sprang at me.

  I barely deflected his blow in time, kicking him away before he could attack again. He grinned as I steadied myself, and lunged. Blocking his strike, I whirled, swiping at his middle. He jumped back as I advanced.

  On and on the fight waged, frustration growing with every swing of my blade as Darius ducked and weaved in time, knowing my movements even before I made them. Anger bloomed when I realized there was only one way he could know such techniques.

  Understanding his familiarity, I changed tactics, changed focus. On his next lunge, I ducked in close, blocking his blow with my guard arm and hitting his wrist with the butt off my blade, knocking the knife from his hand. Shuffling even closer I elbowed him in the stomach, then a hard uppercut to the chin. His jaw connected with a satisfying crack.

  Darius tumbled back, and I took the advantage. But he was ready. Sidestepping my lunge, he pinned my arm firmly with his, twisting my wrist and forcing the blade from my hand. I went airborne as he wrenched my arm, throwing me over his back. I fell face first into the sand.

  Rolling quickly to the side, I sprang to my feet, only to be tackled to the ground, but I still managed to get a solid elbow into his back. We crashed into the dirt. I kicked hard as Darius straddled my legs, pinning my hands above my head.

  “Ava.”

  Still struggling, I barely heard his voice over the raging in my mind.

  He pushed my hands even deeper into the soft soil, bringing his face only inches from my own.

  “Ava,” he said. “Calm down, Ava. It’s over.”

  “It’s not over,” I growled furiously, staring hard into his anxious face. “Get off me and I’ll show you just how much it’s not over.”

  “Ava!” I could hear the pain in his voice, see it in his eyes, but I didn’t care.

  “How do you know his moves? How do you know my father’s techniques?”

  He didn’t answer, but his grip relaxed a fraction in response.

  “Ava, I’m going to get off you now, but I need you to calm down.”

  He eyed me warily before releasing my hands. I stayed where I was, watching as he slowly removed himself from my body and took several steps away. But I was far from done. Rolling to the side, I slowly rose into a low crouch.

  “Ava, don’t do it,” he warned.

  I growled as I lunged at him, fists flying, but he managed to deflect nearly all. Amid my screaming, he scooped me up into his powerful arms, tucking me into a tight ball against his chest. I bucked wildly, but his grip didn’t even budge as he marched into the cold water of the lake.

  Deeper and deeper he went and still I screamed, until the water came up and over my body.

  And then—I cried.

  I cried for my father. I cried for Benjamin and I cried for Ian. I cried for every loss I had suffered, for all that my friends had suffered, too. For the loss of my mother and for the loss of Elisa’s children.

  All the while Darius carried me against his chest, my head resting along the contours of his shoulders, as he comforted me with soothing words I couldn’t understand.

  Slowly he turned. The motion pulled at my legs, still secure in his arms, drawing me even closer against him. The fire of his touch warmed me as the cold water sought to drain me of all heat. Craving more, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, burying my face into his neck.

  Weary and worn, I didn’t even care when he bore me from the lake. I still held firm, refusing to let go. Sitting down on the dry embankment, Darius pried my arms from his shoulders, only to shift me in front of him, drawing me against his chest as he held me between his legs. He wrapped his arms around me for warmth.

  Whispering in my ears, he began his story.

  “I knew your mother, Ava. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Your mother came to me when I was seven years old, but one of the Fallen had found me first. The demon recognized power in me. He sought to have me, raise me as his own, and my guess is to train me as his future human or hand me over to the Destroyer. He killed my father because of it, holding my mother as hostage, but being so young I didn’t know.”

  “How did you not know?” I asked through chattering teeth.

  Darius gathered me closer. His breath warmed the side of my cheek. “My real father was a horrible man. He had wealth and prestige and a beautiful wife, everything a man could ever ask for, but behind closed doors, he was a monster. He would often beat me—in ways that didn’t leave a mark—and blame my mother for it later.

  “It was more than easy for the demon to take over, and when he did, the beatings actually stopped, and his efforts to train me began. All of a sudden, this man that was supposed to be my father wanted me to confide in him, trust him… but I was too smart for that.”

  �
�What did he see in you?”

  “At the time, I didn’t really know, but one night I heard him talking to my mother—threatening her that if she didn’t help him, someone else would come and take me away, and that she would be killed.

  “That night—that night, I prayed. I prayed harder than I had ever prayed in my life, and the Defender was led to me. With the help of your father she fought the demon.”

  His hands tightened against me. “During the skirmish, the bastard grabbed my mother, and threatened to slit her throat. He ran like a coward and took her with him.”

  My hand slid up his arm and gripped his bicep in an attempt to comfort. He took a deep breath.

  “They searched for her for weeks but never found her or the demon, and I finally came to terms with the fact that she was dead.”

  “But how do you know that?”

  He huffed. “Demons don’t keep pets, dear. She was disposed of the moment he got the chance. That’s what they do.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I said, and I was.

  I could feel his shoulders lift in a shrug. “Your mother recognized the same strength and power in me—knew I would be hunted all my life because of it. She asked God to grant me… to grant me immortality, which He did. Your father took me under his wing and at a very young age, taught me how to fight against evil and how to protect humanity. My training continued up until the time he ran away with you. The same things he taught me, he instilled in you, and he did it well.”

  His arms tightened around me, and his lips brushed against my ear. “You are powerful, Ava. You are strong, and you are good… just as they were. I will miss them every day of my life.”

  A shiver zinged throughout my body, but not from cold.

  “But how old are you really,” I asked, anxious to learn the truth.

  “Does it matter to you?” But before I could answer, he said, “I was ten when you were born. I would be thirty in a few months.”

  A strange relief spread through me. “And you’re positive you’re immortal?”

  “Yes. And I’m not just that, but Ava, I—”

  A rumbling noise drew our attention; a white pickup barreled down a dirt road toward us.

  Jumping from his lap, I flushed crimson at the thought of my friends seeing me in such an intimate position, and with someone I was supposed to despise.

  Darius rose, wiping the dirt from the back of his shorts, and retrieved his dried shirt from the tree branch. The truck halted. The automatic window whined as it rolled down.

  “Hey, you two.” Laith smiled widely from the driver’s seat. “Are you finished with your morning training?”

  “For now.” Darius glanced over at me. Worry wore in his expression.

  He jumped into the bed of the truck then reached a hand out to me, but I glanced away, unable to look him in the eyes. Unease rippled as I considered our very first training session: my embarrassing loss of control and his rather intimate reaction.

  He cleared his throat. “Why don’t you ride in the front seat with Elisa? You’ll be much warmer up there.”

  I nodded without meeting his torturous gaze and climbed into the passenger seat of the truck. Elisa scooted over toward Laith, making room for me. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

  “You’re all wet. Darius wasn’t too hard on you this morning, was he?” she asked. She gave me a stern look, examining my face. I hoped all signs of my weak moment were gone. “If he was—”

  “He was fine. Nothing far from the ordinary.” I lied, but I had to. I couldn’t have Elisa asking any more questions that would draw suspicion. Questions I would be unable to answer.

  As we drove, I kept peering into the side mirror, watching Darius as he sat alone in the back of the truck, the wind blowing his hair dry. I almost wished I could ask him what was going through his mind right at that moment, since nothing in mine made any sense at all.

  8

  Angelic ink

  After an uneventful perimeter check, we headed home. As Laith drove nearer the compound, a middle-aged man stood waiting for us at the front, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his khaki shorts. My heartbeat spiked painfully when I recognized Dr. Raymond Stevens, a professor of history and Laith’s made-up father.

  Before the truck could come to a full stop, I bounded from the vehicle.

  “Cheryl. Is something the matter with Cheryl?” After my fake death, I had put Ray and my previous caretaker Aaron in charge of watching over Cheryl. She was the only mother I had ever known. With her son dead and now me gone, she had no one left.

  Ray held up his hands, his face turning pink. “Cheryl is safe, I promise.”

  “But you’re here instead of there.”

  “Ava, I have taken it upon myself to become Cheryl’s new best friend and have been checking in with her every day since the death of Sarah Mathis. She knows that I had an urgent meeting to attend to and without her knowledge, your angel is currently looking after her while I’m gone.”

  “Oh,” I breathed. “Then why are you here?”

  He huffed a laugh. “Well, I’m here to attend the council that apparently already happened.”

  “You’ve missed quite a bit of action, old man,” Laith said hopping from the truck. Together the two embraced.

  “I normally do,” Ray replied, wrapping Elisa in a hug. “Fiona and Cedric have updated me on all the particulars. So, where do we go from here?”

  “I may have an idea,” I said, interjecting into their discussion. All attention turned to me. I could feel Darius’s eyes upon me.

  “Alright, then, I suggest we hold a private meeting with the council,” Laith offered, turning toward the compound.

  “Wait, right now?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

  He paused and studied me. “Ava, this is a serious matter. The quicker we find a solution, the better. Even if your idea isn’t accepted, this is a conversation that must be had anyway.” He smiled crookedly at me. “Don’t be so nervous. Remember, you are a member of The Three and are among friends. We know how smart you are. Anything you have to say is valued here.”

  Darius stayed a few steps behind, but shadowed me as I followed the others into the complex.

  “Darius, why don’t you see if Charlotte is able to join us? We wouldn’t want her to feel left out of this gathering. Find Hector as well and tell him to meet us in the library,” Elisa said.

  “Very well,” he answered before turning away.

  He would want to check on his Charlotte anyway, I thought sourly to myself.

  “Raymond, would you find Dr. Maynes?” Elisa asked.

  “Of course.”

  I grimaced at having to see the doctor again and wondered if I should tell Elisa about him stabbing me in the leg, but when I started thinking about it, I felt silly—almost childish. Dr. Maynes was disturbed for sure, maybe even mental, but if he hadn’t done what he had, maybe I would’ve never believed I was immortal.

  Besides, I had already thrown a wrench into the inner workings of the complex. It might not be the best idea to disturb it even further by breaking up the members of the council, even if I could barely stomach the idea of seeing that twisted old man again.

  But he had better keep his distance.

  “I need to get Fiona and Cedric. I’ll be right back.” Elisa continued down the hallway as Laith and I stopped in front of the library doors.

  Laith regarded me with a puzzled expression. “You’re handling all of this rather well, Ava.”

  “What other choice do I have?” I asked, grateful he hadn’t witnessed my emotional breakdown with Darius.

  “You always have a choice,” he said before opening the doors.

  Perhaps I did. I could elect to abandon my calling, just as my father had, but where had that decision led? Only to a life of isolation and then later, death. No, I would not repeat his mistake. I would fulfill my calling and I would take vengeance on those that sought to stop me.

  The library had been put back
together in its original state. Laith took a seat on one of the two leather couches and I sat in an armchair to await the council.

  As others filed in, my nerves began to build, and I doubted my plan and Jonathan’s idea altogether. What if they all thought it was foolish? And since when had I started taking Jonathan’s advice? Again, I fought to control the growing anxiety and the nervous juddering of my legs.

  Cedric came and sat on the other couch. Elisa and Fiona took their seats next to their counterparts. The doctor thankfully avoided my gaze altogether and took his place at his Nana’s side. Ray sat by Elisa. Hector escorted Charlotte into the room. Her gaze trained on my face as he helped her sit directly across from me. Wonderful.

  Darius was the last to enter, and he locked the double doors behind him. He crossed the room and took the empty chair next to me.

  Heat rose to my face as I remembered the way his lips had brushed my ear. I angled my legs away from his.

  “Thank you all for coming so quickly,” Laith said, starting the meeting. “Ava, the floor is yours. You said you had an idea. What is it?”

  I coughed, clearing my suddenly swollen throat. “I would like to hold an interrogation,” I said, only able to look at my friends in the group.

  “Would that be wise, my lady Defender?” Hector asked, drawing my attention. His deep voice reverberated horribly within my chest. “While I understand your reasons, The Three have always shown great respect for the victims within this sanctuary. To interrogate would display a lack of trust in those that happily serve their protectors daily.”

  I shook my head. “Hector, I—”

  “I agree.” Darius interrupted me. He leaned back in the deep leather chair and crossed an ankle over his knee. “However, if we do suspect a traitor, I assume the residents of the compound do as well. If there was a way that we can implement a buddy system of sorts—”

  “A buddy system?” The doctor scoffed. “So, our residents begin to tell on each other and become even more paranoid than they already are?” He tsked in disgust.