Her Guardian's Heart

by Crymsyn Hart

  “Very good. You’re further along than I thought. That’s a good thing. But yes, you’re right. Anna is one who will watch the light realms. Her job is to be sure that nothing dark gets into them.”

  “What kind of Guardian am I? And why isn’t Tannin mingling with everyone else? Is he an outcast?”

  My grandmother patted my hand. “So many questions. We fight with the things that escape the shadows. But more on that later. Tannin is Tannin. What do you feel when you reach out to him?”

  I closed my eyes, extended my senses, and examined Tannin. He seemed neutral, but there was a strong wall around him that I couldn’t breach. He met my gaze with those dark eyes and a jolt passed over my body. I jumped and pulled backward into myself. I struggled to pull in a breath. The sudden zap had thrown me out of whack. A mystery surrounded him. Everything in me yearned to crack it. I shook my head. “I don’t know. He’s powerful but withdrawn. He cares a lot about you though.” I didn’t drop my gaze from him. His blank expression turned into a playful smile when he nodded in my direction. I felt my cheeks burn from being under his scrutinizing gaze.

  “He watches out for me because I’m the matriarch of the clan. Our clan has over one hundred Guardians in it. He doesn’t talk much. Even to me. I’m lucky if I get more than a couple words out of him. You know he’s been watching you more than me this whole night.” My grandmother gave me a winning smile. “Maybe there is some interest there.”

  “Ha! I doubt it.”

  She shrugged. “If I was years younger, I’d make a go at him. Others have tried, but never get anywhere. Maybe you’ll have more luck.”

  I glanced at my feet and felt my heart twinge from the thought of being able to love someone else. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’m still not over Nick’s death. And Landon, well…”

  She hugged me once more. “Remember what I said about your wolf. Don’t worry about him. Maybe you need to open your heart to the possibility of love. Think about it. Now, go and enjoy the rest of the party. I’ll have Tannin show you where you can sleep tonight when this is all over.”

  I nodded and thought about what she had said. It was true. I hadn’t even given any thought to another man since Nick had died. I was holding on to the hope Landon would come around. But maybe. Maybe it was time for me to realize there were other prospects in the world. They might not be mates, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t come to care about another man. And there was something about Tannin I couldn’t put my finger on. Something about him drew me to him.

  By the end of the night, I was tired and stuffed. The guests had gone. My grandmother had retired for the night. When everyone had left, I began clearing things up but wasn’t sure where to put the plates. Tannin chuckled.

  “Don’t worry about it. Things will get taken care of in the morning.”

  “Really? And my grandmother will do all of these?” I gestured to the stacks of dishes left on every available space.

  “No. We all help out around here. You must be tired. This way to your room.”

  He ushered me before him down a hallway until we stood outside of a door. I made no move to go into the room. He didn’t touch me. I took a step forward and then tripped on a loose board. Tannin caught me. I landed against his chest and looked up into his eyes. When I touched him, I was immediately drawn to him. I lost my breath and my head began to spin. My heart fluttered like a trapped butterfly. The darkness inside of me responded to him as well. The pull between us was more than I could bear. I knew I was attracted to him, but this was more than I anticipated. The walls around my heart began to crumble as if battered by the ocean, and I knew I was his. Leaning up, I pressed my lips to his. They were soft and warm against mine. Tannin stood still. I slid my fingers down his chest, feeling the hard muscles underneath. A couple of seconds ticked by and he hadn’t returned my kiss. I felt foolish. Before I pulled away, he kissed me lightly, a simple brush of his mouth over mine. Then he pushed me away from him gently.

  “We shouldn’t do this.” His voice remained low, but his eyes burned into mine. His hand hovered close to my face. So close I could feel the warmth of his body. He ran his finger over my bottom lip. I saw the desire in his eyes, but his face remained blank.

  “Why?”

  “You don’t know me, and our kind don’t mingle well.”

  “You make it sound like we’re so very different. I sense the same power inside of you that’s inside of me. I’ve been mated with a werewolf and a vampire. My family disowned me because of what I am. I’m not going to let anyone else tell me what can and can’t happen. I don’t mean to be so forward. I haven’t been with anyone for a while and I thought…” I let the sentence trail off, realizing how I sounded. I wasn’t desperate to go to bed with him, but whatever was between us wasn’t going to go away. “Forget it. I’ve had a long day. I just met you. Maybe you’re right. But I have to admit I feel something for you.” I stepped into the room.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I like forward women, but you and I wouldn’t work well. Guardians have only one mate in their lives. Sharing with another hardly ever happens. And the experience with being with that person is more than sex. It’s a joining of the souls. What you feel for me is no more than kinship. The way you feel with the rest of your family.”

  “It sounds like you’ve lost someone dear to you. I can relate.” The hurt of losing Nick washed over me once more. I saw his face. My mind went to the buried place that I kept walled up. The barrenness of where his spirit had been ate me up. Sometimes I thought I sensed a glimmer of him hovering close to me. But then I would feel out again and nothing would be there.

  “What was his name?” Tannin asked.

  “Nick. What was her name?”

  “Eldara. We met when we were young and our wings hadn’t even been fully feathered. We were children together. We watched the darkness and made sure that nothing escaped from the shadows. She was from this clan. We got into a bad battle one day and she was mortally wounded. With her dying breath, she told me she loved me and for me to watch over our children.” He stretched out his hand and gestured toward the dishes and chuckled. “Her clan.”

  His words sunk in as I followed his arm. My eyes widened. He was older than what he appeared to be. “The clan is your offspring?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “But that would make you…”

  “Don’t think about my age. I’ve kept my promise to my love. I’ve watched over them for ages now. Your grandmother, your sister, and you are direct descendants. The others have diluted their blood too much. They are still family though. There is much about yourself that you have to discover. I’m sorry for your loss. The one who left your life was the vampire.”

  “Yeah. I’d just been banished from the coven and I wanted a thrill. Something to make me feel that I was alive. I went into this club that caters to people who want to be bitten by vampires. We locked eyes and when he touched me, I just knew. So did he. Nick was the first person to tell me that he loved me and meant it. I wanted to stay with him forever. When we tried, it wouldn’t take. I got sick. Even Landon bit me and tried to change me into a wolf. Same thing happened. I was okay the next day. Then we tried having both of them bite me and blood exchange. It strengthened our bond. When Nick died, Landon turned me away. I died a little each day knowing that he didn’t want me anymore.” Hot tears fell down my cheeks. I tried to stop it. The ache reawakened. It only got worse and worse the more I thought about it. And now I was looking a fool before Tannin.

  He drew me into his arms and let me cry. This was the second time I had done this today. The world was going fuzzy. My body collapsed, and his warm arms picked me up. I tried to fight falling asleep, but I was safe with him. The darkness, the Guardian in me, reached out and brushed against his. I couldn’t stop it. Inside my mind, I saw the darkness lift its head from the winged cocoon that it had been wrapped in for so long. It was me and yet it wasn’t me. The wings were black and seemed soft as a rose petal. It
brushed my wings along the outside of Tannin’s shell. He sighed. Tannin pushed me from the outskirts of his mind and I fell into the abyss of sleep.

  When I awoke the next morning, I smelled something sweet cooking. I got up, showered, and found an outfit laid out for me. While I brushed my hair, there was a knock on the door. My heart pounded and I hoped that it might be Tannin.

  “Come in.” I gripped the brush and saw my grandmother walk in carrying a tray with several muffins and a small teapot.

  “Did you sleep okay?”

  “Yes. Thank you. I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me.“

  “You don’t have to thank me for anything. I should be thanking you for coming here with someone that you don’t know. I appreciate the leap of faith. There is much that I wish to tell you. Much that I wish to show you. Eat. Then we can talk.” She offered me a muffin. I took it and broke into it. It was chocolate chip with a little hint of cinnamon. They were still warm so the chocolate was gooey.

  I touched her hand. When I did, I saw her wings were the same as mine. “You didn’t see the wings last night, did you?”

  “No.”

  “What made you see them now?”

  “Tannin. He and I talked. He told me a little bit about himself. When I touched him, I saw inside the darkness was another me. She had black wings like yours. I’ve never seen her face before.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow. That’s a surprise. Very good. Tannin’s taken to you quite well.”

  “He told me why he watches over you and the others.”

  “Why is that?”

  “We’re his direct descendants. That would make him old.”

  She laughed. “Older than you know.”

  I looked at her and took a leap of faith. “He’s a real angel, isn’t he? If he is, then we’re part angel. Is that what the Guardians are? We’re gatekeepers.”

  She pointed her finger at me. “You’re smarter than you think, you know, and you catch on quick. Yes, Tannin is an angel. He was one of the angels that was left behind when the other battalions were called back to Heaven. He found his wife among the nephilum. The first clans of Guardians.”

  “Why is our clan tainted with the evil that is wrapped around it?”

  “Our clan was charged with the highest honor that any clan could have: to watch the seven doors that lead to the different levels of Hell. If anything got out, to slay the beast before it could influence humankind. An ancestor of ours opened one door and let out a few of the demons. As punishment, God bound one of the demons inside of the Guardian so they would understand the consequences. He lived his life hearing the demon. When his children were born, part of the demon was carried along. Your father was seduced by the evil and it consumed him. Over the centuries, we’ve learned to control the evil. We sense it once the child is five or six. Then we start the training to keep it in balance. Because we are also part angel, we can mingle with other species. That’s why when you were bitten by your mates you were able to filter their venom out of you. But being a witch is also a strange combination.”

  I nodded and finished eating my muffin. I sipped the tea and pondered what I had learned. When I connected with the Guardian inside of me, my wings spread out. They were more than just feathers, they were also scales. My inner Guardian reached out. I reached back and we touched hands. When I did, I gasped and opened my eyes. I shook myself from the encounter. I realized then someone had their hands around me. Tannin was holding me. I was on the ground. My grandmother had taken the tray away, but some of the muffins were scattered around the floor and the teapot was on its side.

  “What happened?” I looked between Tannin and my grandmother.

  “You went into a trance and fell to the floor. You…” My grandmother stopped and looked at Tannin, who nodded.

  “You were convulsing. I picked you up so you wouldn’t hurt yourself.”

  “I reached toward the darkness. I mean, the Guardian inside of me. She opened her wings and touched me. That’s all I remember.”

  “What did she feel like? Did she seem cold or hateful?” Tannin asked.

  “No. She was happy that I made contact with her. She’s not evil. If that’s what you’re asking. Is it possible to integrate the two personalities? Or do you always have this dual personality going on inside of you?”

  “We combine them so we can function once the Guardian has awakened. That’s something that we have to work on with you.” My grandmother finished cleaning up the mess and went back to the kitchen.

  Tannin continued to hold me. Being in his arms felt so right. I watched him carefully. His breathing had increased. His eyes were wide. I was still a little dizzy from the encounter, but it wasn’t a bad thing. My magic was still there, but my inner Guardian was also there. The two seemed to be attracted to one another. I touched his cheek, not able to help myself. My Guardian sighed from the contact. She didn’t want to let him go, and I agreed with her. This felt just as much like being home as my other mates’ arms. He peered deeper into my eyes until I saw a dark abyss in his. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. When our mouths met, I found I was already in heaven. My magic flared outward the way it did when I had been with Landon and Nick. I couldn’t pull it back. The Guardian wove around that magic and the combination flowed around Tannin. His wall was still there, but touching upon his mind, with my power I could feel if there were any kinks in his armor. I deepened the kiss, running my tongue over his lips. He tasted like orange, with a hint of mango. He wove his fingers through my hair and pulled it free from the clip I had it in. It was still damp and rested on my shoulders. My hands wound around his neck. The longer I was in his embrace, the longer I wished to remain there. To feel all of his body. He was wrong when he said all I felt for him was a familial attraction. We were meant to be together. Even if he denied it. He pulled away too soon.

  “Sorry, I seem to keep kissing you and you don’t want me to do that. Although, I think this time you were returning the kiss.”

  “I have to agree with her, Tan. You and she were getting hot and heavy!” Annabeth stood in the doorway and giggled.

  My grandmother stood behind her. I saw the approval in her eyes. “I do say I agree with her. Tannin, you’ve always watched over us.”

  Tannin’s expression darkened. He released me and then straightened his jacket. He jerked away. He was leaving me again. I was going to be left all alone. He backed away and exited the room. I slumped to the floor and felt fresh tears roll down my cheeks. Both Annabeth and my grandmother came in. They pulled me into their arms. It seemed my heart was breaking all over again. My inner Guardian wailed for the man who had turned his back on us. I needed my mate. I needed Landon. I needed my family.

  “You mustn’t cry.”

  “I can’t help it. Something’s been ripped from me because he doesn’t want me.” I shook myself from my crying stupor and stood up. I straightened my dress and smiled. “I have to get back to my flower shop. I have deliveries that are coming in today. I’m sorry.”

  I grabbed my purse and thought about Melissa being there all alone. Before I could leave, my grandmother grabbed my arm. “You mustn’t think about him.”

  “I can’t help it. I know this feeling of being rejected. It gripped me when Landon turned me away.”

  She hugged me. “You need to give him time. It’s so good to see you. You will come back?”

  I smiled. “Of course! You’re my family. My only family now.” I hugged them hard and left the house. The one place I should have gone was back to the flower shop. However, my instincts drove me home. I didn’t know what I was going to say to Landon, but it was time that we talked.

  Chapter Four

  I arrived back at the house and found several cars in the driveway. Music blared from Landon’s wing. I sighed and walked in. The crystal hummed with energy. Where Nick was buried there was a small blue orchid growing. I brushed my fingers over the petals and thought about the vampire who was my lover for so many
years. My inner Guardian also mourned for him. I was glad to know that she cared too. The same for the werewolf. I walked into Landon’s wing of the house and heard laughter. When I walked into his living space, Landon was making out with one of his pack members. They looked up and talking ceased.

  “What’s she doing here?” another woman growled and continued kissing his back.

  A pang of jealousy wound through me seeing that. His muscles rippled in the light. He was tanned. He had been working out or working harder at his job. I didn’t know what was worse, seeing him there or knowing that I hadn’t been able to touch him since that night.

  Landon glanced over. He met my eyes. I watched him extend his tongue and then lick the line of the woman’s neck. I looked away. I drew in a breath to steady my heart and then looked back.

  “I need to talk to you, please.”