Chapter One

“Block it!” Lyric yelled at me as Xavier’s fist came down hard. I turned slightly, but it was too late, and before I had the chance to block it, the iron fist connected with my chest and I flew backward, hitting the hard gym floor, back-first. Within seconds, Xavier was leaning over me.

“Ruby, are you all right? You were supposed to block it!”

For his sake, I pretended I imagined the chuckle that fell from his lips. I groaned and grasped my chest while it burned with lack of oxygen. I really felt like I was getting the hang of this guardian thing. Obviously not.

“I’m all right,” I said and promptly climbed to my feet.

I ran the palms of my hands over my pants and subconsciously, my gaze dragged over to a pair of deep green irises. They burned in the sockets of his devastatingly handsome face and my heart gave a wild kick as Eli pushed off the gym wall and strode over to me. He looked as good as ever and his frustration was coming through loud and clear, but I wasn’t focusing on the way his brows furrowed or his lips pursed. I was focusing on the way he wore his guardian uniform. It distracted me. Maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to block every kick successfully? Eli’s uniform wasn’t any different than anyone else’s uniform, but the way it clung to his arms and chest—drool. I shook my head slightly, trying to clear it. What was wrong with me? Ever since Eli and I, you know—did it—I’ve been non-stop thinking about it—wanting it. We’d done it a few times now, but the need never stops. I wanted to experience it with him over and over and over. A warm flush rolled over my body and I dragged my eyes from Eli to Lyric. His dark eyes watched me with a clear, disappointed gleam. Poor guy, he’s been trying to teach me an intricate block for the past week now and I had yet to block a punch successfully.

“I think I’m done today,” I said breathlessly. “My butt hurts and I have a headache.”

“You’re lucky our time is up, Ruby. Practice that block. I expect it to be damn near perfect by next week or you’re on your own.”

I nodded and Xavier and Lyric left the gym. It was too hot in here. I lay down on the mats to cool down. Moments later, a beautiful pair of deep green irises blocked my view of the ceiling.

“Four.”

I stared up at him, confused. “Four what?”

“You were knocked on your ass four times today.”

“Yeah, well, if I didn’t have you lingering in the background distracting me, then maybe it would have only been once.”

His frustrated expression melted away and he put his hand on his chest, feigning insult. “I was distracting you?”

“Yes.” I scowled at him, biting back a smile. “You always distract me.” As if he didn’t already know that.

His lips twitched upward, molding his mouth into a breathtaking smile as he got down onto his knees and brought his face closer to mine. Every muscle in my body tensed, preparing for him to touch me and I tried to ignore how the close proximity affected my breathing.

“Would you rather me not come to your training sessions?”

I scoffed playfully. “And miss out on all the chastising and being told how much I suck afterwards? No way.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve never said you suck and I definitely don’t chastise you. I merely tell you what you do wrong and what could be improved.”

“Why can’t you train me?”

He pulled a damp lock of hair off my forehead and tucked it behind my ear. “Because Mr. Aleksandrov doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He’s still mad that we went behind his back and I chose to save you over Mila.”

I frowned, thinking back to that night. Eli ran his fingers over my cheek, keeping me in the present and not the past. It affected me in so many ways. I was still having nightmares about it six weeks on. I looked into his eyes, and what beautiful eyes they were. There was just something about the raw power that emanated from them that captivated me.

“You know what today is, right?” Eli asked.

His green eyes brightened and it reminded me of an excited puppy. Oh crap, is it his birthday? Wait, is it my birthday? I searched my brain. No. I don’t think it’s either of those. He exhaled and chuckled at the same time. “I knew you’d forget.”

“I didn’t forget.”

He narrowed his eyes at me.

“Okay fine, I forgot. What’s today?”

“I’m taking you to visit your mother’s resting place.”

I rolled onto my stomach and propped myself up onto my knees. I remembered. Eli promised me he’d take me to see my mother’s grave. He did give me a date, but I’d forgotten it and I guess that date was today.

“That’s today?”

He nodded. “If you’re ready in half an hour, we’ll leave.”

I dove at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing hard. I’d never been to my mother’s grave before, things always came up, but I was free now.

Free.

For the first time in a long time, no one was after me. Eli wrapped his strong arms around my waist and held me tightly against him. My body recognised his as soon as they touched and I tried not to tense, but I couldn’t help it. My body craved his and I could tell his body craved mine, too. It had been a while since we were this close. Lately, Eli was pulling double shifts, leaving him with only an hour’s sleep on most days. Today, however, he looked fresh and alert. I pulled back slightly and his gorgeous green gaze raked over my face before settling on my lips. I needed no further invitation and I crushed my lips against his, kissing him with wild abandon, uncaring that someone could walk in and see us at any moment. To my surprise, he kissed me back—desperately—like we weren’t going to get another second alone together. So quickly we became lost in some amazing world where only our love existed. There were no haters and no one that wanted to cause us harm. It was just us.

I groaned as Eli nipped at my bottom lip and pulled away.

“We should probably stop.” He rested his forehead against mine.

My body screamed NO at him, but my brain knew he was right. Aleksandrov did ban us from being alone together and someone could walk in at any minute. It wasn’t the most subtle place to make out. Eli stood up and pulled me to my feet.

“Go get dressed and I’ll come get you later.”

His fingertips brushed my arm and we walked separately out of the gym.

I ran as fast as I could back to my house. I liked the sound of that—my house. I lived here, this was my home. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a nice pair of black, heeled boots. I stood in my room with no shirt on, staring down at my options. A red top doused in tiny sequins seemed too ‘club-goer’ so I threw it into the ‘no’ pile. I could wear a white tank top and a black sweater, but it did seem quite warm outside, so I opted for the button up royal blue blouse and decided to bring a thin black coat with big black buttons along just in case we were out late. I tucked my guardian whistle into my shirt and looked myself once over in the mirror. I was dressy, yet casual, and I liked it. I straightened my hair so it sat dead straight against my back and when I was happy with myself, I stepped out onto my porch. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Eli, forty yards away and walking towards my house. He looked good. Granted he always looked good, but today he looked extra good. He wore dark, loose jeans and white sneakers. His black sweater was tight against his chest and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, showing off his strong forearms. I stepped off the porch and walked toward him. As he got closer, I noticed his hair glistening in the sun. He’d recently showered and obviously dried his hair with a towel and left it to sit. It had been a while since I’d seen his hair so dishevelled and I liked it.

“Are you ready?” he asked me, his eyes surveying my outfit.

He liked what he saw, too.

“Yep,” I replied, biting my bottom lip. It was hard for me to stop myself from smiling like an idiot.

He took my coat and we walked side by side. “Are you nervous?”

“Not really…” And I felt guilty for not being nervous. “Should I be?”

He chuckled. “No one else can tell you how you should feel. Everyone’s different.”

“I know, but I feel so… heartless being happy to see my mother’s grave.”

Eli squeezed my hand briefly before letting his arm drop back to his side. I looked at him and a lazy smile spread across his mouth. “You are a lot of things, Ruby Moore, but heartless isn’t one of them.”

Our shoes scuffed over small pebbles as we made our way to his black Audi that was parked in his driveway. Usually guardian angels parked their cars in the Sage parking lot, but every now and then, if they had places to go, they’d park in their driveways.

We climbed into the car.

“It’s been a while since I was in your car,” I said, feeling the interior.

The last time I was in his car was the night when we drove from Mount Kuuce to Gerald Harbour—the night Eli almost died. Eli shot me a cheeky grin that exposed his perfect, white teeth. “Then let’s make the most of it, shall we?”

The same warm flush that overcame me in the gym made a reappearance. “Let’s.”

Eli must’ve noticed my usual skin tone had taken on a slightly pink hue and his green eyes flared with pleasure. I placed my coat over my legs as the car hummed to life.

***

We rolled into a small town and I glanced around. Lake Thanton. The last time I was here, my stepdad murdered my mother and turned me into vampire. That night was easily the worst night of my life. The town hadn’t changed much in my few years’ absence, if at all. Yet, it seemed completely foreign to me. Eli placed his hand on my knee while his other steered the car through the town. I peered sideways at him and his eyes seemed clouded in thought.

“We have to be back at Sage by two p.m.,” he said, glancing at me.

I nodded. “I don’t want to be here long. I’ll just pay my respects and then we’ll go.”

Before long, we pulled up outside the Lake Thanton cemetery that was situated on the outskirts. It wasn’t a very flashy cemetery. The concrete walls that surrounded the place were all chipped and cracked. The iron gates that remained open creaked gently in the wind. The creepiness of the cemetery alone was enough to make me change my mind and head home.

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked, no doubt sensing my unease.

“No, it’s okay,” I replied, sliding off the leather seat and onto the white gravel that crunched beneath my feet. It’s not that I didn’t want his company, I always want his company. I just felt like this was something I needed to do on my own and I’d hate to ruin his sweater by crying all over it. I pulled my cell phone out of the side pocket of the car door and slid it into the back pocket of my jeans. Eli unclipped his seatbelt and his black sweater tightened over his torso as he turned in his chair to get something from the back seat. He pulled a thin cloth off of a beautiful bouquet of tulips and handed them to me.

“When did you get these?” I asked, totally awed by the gesture.

“I went into Sage town yesterday and I came across them. I remembered you telling me a while ago that they’re your mom’s favorite, so I thought I’d surprise you with them.”

I brought the purple bouquet to my nose. I was expecting some kind of overwhelming stench, but they had a pleasant, minimal fragrance.

“You really didn’t have to—”

“I know,” he interrupted. “But I wanted to do it for you.”

I gave him a sincere smile and closed the car door behind me. Not many people were visiting, not that I expected much for a cemetery this size, and I nodded warily at an old groundskeeper who waved briefly at me as I entered the area with rows and rows of tombstones. I don’t know why I’d never thought to come here sooner. Perhaps I felt guilty because I survived and she didn’t. Maybe I still felt guilty.

I followed the third row in, taking in the names one by one—McDonald, Samson, Jones, Miller and finally Moore.

Meredith Moore –Beloved Wife & Loving Mother. 1979-2011

Seeing her name on the tombstone felt unreal, like I was dreaming. I saw her die. I remembered the way her eyes were void of any life, any light, but I never went to her funeral or saw her get buried, so to me it felt fake… like she wasn’t really gone. I sat down crossed-legged on the freshly mown grass and freed a tulip from the bouquet. I twirled the stem in between my thumb and index finger. I cleared my throat and laid the single tulip on the chunk of cobblestone at the base of her tombstone.

“Hey, Mom…” I glanced awkwardly over my shoulder. God, this is weird. I’d never spoken to a slab of concrete before. Was I doing it right?

“I know it’s been a while, forgive me. It’s been a pretty rough journey since…that night… and I haven’t had a lot of time…for anything normal.”

I pulled another tulip from the packet and laid it gently next to the other one. A lump formed in my throat as I came to terms with what I was doing. I was sitting at my mother’s grave. My bottom lip began to ache as I caught it between my teeth and chewed on it, fighting the urge to cry.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “If only I knew I was part Heelian—if only you’d told me, I would’ve been able to save you.”

I removed the rest of the tulips from the packet and laid them nicely around her headstone. I closed my eyes for a few seconds to gather myself. I felt so vulnerable and depressed being here. In my mind I couldn’t grasp the concept of my mother lying in a wooden box beneath me. What I wouldn’t give to have her console me in my times of need.