My Guardian Vampire: BBW Paranormal Romance (The Guardians Book 1) (2 page)

Chapter Two

Aric strolled into the warehouse and saw his team members assembled there. He’d left them a while ago without giving an explanation. Although he knew they weren’t aware of his reasons, even if they suspected them, none of them bothered to ask him anything.

His bond with Lacey wasn’t something that any of them understood. And to be honest, he didn’t quite understand it himself. He was simply grateful that they didn’t bother to ask him too many questions because he certainly didn’t have any answers.

Mira and Seth were bent over the computer. From the intense looks on their faces, he could tell that they were on to something. “What’s going on?”

“I think we’ve got something,” said Seth as he clicked over the keys so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to catch his movements. Luckily for Aric, he had skills that allowed him to see that Seth was deep in some analysis which he couldn't even begin to understand.

Aric was grateful that they had Seth as a part of their team because he was one of the most amazing computer geniuses that the world ever produced. Luckily for them, Seth had chosen to work for them instead of on the other side. Seth loved a good challenge and right now, he was engrossed in one.

Aric flopped onto the couch and grabbed an apple from the basket that sat on the side table. He wasn’t hungry, but after the scare he’d gotten a couple of hours ago, he needed to keep his hands busy. If he didn’t do so, he would be inclined to use them to pound on something. It had taken an iron will not to go after the mugger who attacked Lacey. Aric could’ve killed the guy but that would’ve attracted too much attention. Leaving a corpse in an alley was bound to bring down a hoard of police, and they certainly didn’t need that kind of a mess at this time.

Aric and his team were close. He felt it, smelt it, and yet there wasn’t much that they could do at this point, until they found the last member of their team. Until then, the best that they could do was to keep an eye on the enemy—and that was mainly Seth’s job.

Mira came and sat next to him. He could sense that she wanted to know where he had been. Secrets were not good for team spirit, and yet he felt the need to guard this one close to his chest. He’d done so for more than two decades, but perhaps it was time to come clean.

No.

Not yet.

Not now.

“Has he found something?”

“I’m not sure, but it looks like he has,” Aric said, as he looked over at Seth, who was a study of concentration.

Mira sighed and then mimicking his gesture, she also picked an apple. Mira was beautiful. Actually, she was gorgeous. Her dark, blonde hair fell in neat waves around her lean face that was made to grace the cover of a magazine or perhaps a silver screen. Unfortunately, fame wasn’t something that anyone of them could afford. Aric and his team were all vampires, and not just ordinary, bloodthirsty suckers that killed human for pleasure and food, but rather they were an elite group of people who had gathered together over the past century for one purpose only. They existed to fight the forces that were just as deadly and armed as they were.

“The increased activity indicates that things are coming to a head. They’re coordinating. Seth’s trying to break through their firewalls to see if he can glean some information out of their emails and texts, but so far he hasn’t had much luck. After the last hacking attempt in which we got to know their location, they have been more careful.”

“They know that we’re on to them.” Mira sighed and bit into the apple with deliberate care.

“The shit’s going to hit the fan pretty soon,” he predicted. “And we’re no closer to finding the last team member. We need that person.”

Mira didn’t reply, and neither did the other team members who were either lying around biding their time or else they were busy researching or perfecting their skills. Arman, Gretchen, and Nyle were also team members. If someone were to stumbled upon their secret, they might get into a lot of trouble. It was rare for vampires to gather in covens, but Aric had felt the need to make one, to gather allies, because he figured that he would need support when the time came. His planning bore fruit but still they lacked a key member.

Where was he or she?

It was frustrating to get this close and yet not be ready.

“They’re definitely in Boston.”

“We know that well enough.” Seth had hacked into the opposing team’s emails and figured out where they were gathering. For now, they knew that the other team had eight members and they were even aware of a few of them by names, but other than that, they didn’t have much more information. Perhaps the other team was more prepared; maybe they had everything picked out that was necessary to achieve their evil designs, but so far, there was a lull.

It was the calm before the storm. And it was their last chance to find the last member of the trio. The pressure of this job that he’d taken on himself was enough to drive a sane person crazy. Aric sometimes felt that he might break apart from the stress and tension, especially with the added fact that he was highly attuned to Lacey’s needs. Sometimes he wanted to lock her in a safe place until all this was over. He couldn’t keep dividing his energies between her and the mission because one day, he would miss something important.

What he wanted more than anything was to break this connection that bound her to him.

What he needed was for her to recognize who he was, and then come within his protection willingly so that he could keep her safe from all the trouble that she kept walking into. Memories flashed through his mind: Lacey as a baby when she needed him the most, Lacey as a young child when she narrowly missed crashing into a car, and now the new, grown-up Lacey who made his blood boil when she stared at him out of her beautiful eyes, the color of ripened blackberries. He could spend an eternity gazing into them. He could sit still and just listen to the low cadence of her voice. She was a miracle, his miracle, and he couldn’t have enough of her.

“Hey, where are you?”

Mira snapped her fingers in front of his face and he gazed at her. Shit! He’d been lost in thought—again. Aric couldn’t afford this distraction any more. But what could he do? Whenever Lacey was in trouble, he had to help. He was compelled to do so. It was a good thing that she didn’t recognize him tonight. If she had, it would’ve been hard to answer her questions. As it was, he couldn’t afford to show her his face again.

“Sorry.” He frowned. “I think we need to up the ante in our investigation,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“We can’t just sit here and wait for things to happen. We know where they are. Let’s just hit the mother fuckers and get done with it.”

Mira stood and paced the room. Aric could feel his teammates’ incredulous stares. He wasn’t one to lose control easily and that’s why they all appeared startled. Everyone was on edge. Aric knew they all felt the need to do something, but no one knew what.

“We can’t just barge in there and attack. They’ll annihilate us. Right now, our best strategy is to find the last member to complete the team and then fight them on equal grounds,” Mira argued.

Those were his words. He’d been the one to assure them, again and again, that their time would come. All they needed was to be patient; but the funny thing was that he was the one who was falling apart right now. The reason for that was obvious to him; the attack on Lacey had shot his nerves. If he hadn’t been near, if he hadn’t gotten to that guy on time, she would be dead right now. He imagined the sight of her lifeless body and his heart broke in two. No. He wouldn’t let that happen.

Shit! This wasn’t the time to think about her. He had a team. Since he was the one who gathered them all, trained them, he was their designated leader. They depended on him. If he deviated from the path, they would also lose their motivation and courage. Lives were at risk. So many innocent people needed them right now. Sure, these people didn’t know that their fate hung in the balance of the fight that would happen between the two covens of the vampire—but Aric and his team knew.

They should be ready.

Instead, they were losing their will because he was letting them down.

He stood. With an effort, Aric cleared his mind. He wouldn’t think about Lacey. She was a grown woman and could take care of herself. He would keep his distance from her. He had to. “You’re right. We need to find the last person. Did you try to look for him? Or her?”

“We’ve done that many times in the past few days. I tried. Nyle did his best. We can keep doing the same thing over and over again, but there’s a reason we haven’t found any clues about that person. Our best guess is that the talent is still latent. Until it awakens, no one would know who he or she is.”

“That’s probably what’s keeping that person safe. When did you last try to look?”

“Two weeks ago.”

“Try again,” he ordered.

Mira sighed. He could sense that she wanted to protest. Searching for someone through their supernatural abilities took up energy and it left her and Nyle drained, but it was necessary. When they tried to actively find someone with latent powers, also known as scrying, they looked for spikes in unusual phenomena. When a new person discovered their talent, the paranormal activity was often off the charts. If they didn’t try to find that person on a regular basis, they might miss something significant when it happened. “I’ll do it tonight.”

“There’s something to be said for the bad guys,” said Seth as he remained hunched over the laptop. “They’ve got a lot more at their disposal than we do.”

Aric growled deep in his throat. Sometimes Seth’s cryptic remarks rattled him. Even though he knew that the young vampire was committed to eliminate their enemies, he also harbored a strange fascination for them. “Killing innocent people and using their blood in ritual sacrifices aren’t things that we do.”

“If we did those
things
, they might give us an edge.”

“At what cost?” Aric stalked towards Seth. “Do you want to end up like the people we’re fighting against?” He clenched his fists before releasing them slowly. “If that’s the case, you’re on the wrong team.”

Seth didn’t look up. He was a little obsessed and even though he talked to Aric, his fingers continued to move on the keyboard as if they had a life of their own. Aric watched the colorful display on the screen. Numbers and words flashed at a rapid speed. He could read them but he couldn’t make sense of them. They needed Seth. He was the one who gave them the greatest information by using good, old technology that none of them were savvy about.

“I don’t want to become like them, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate that they’re the ones who have the upper hand.”

“Only until we find the missing element, so we need to work hard, people. This is our last chance, our only opportunity.” Aric sighed. Words... That’s all he had to offer. Until their team was complete, he didn’t have a clue about the next move they should make. Like the others, he was forced to wait, and it was gnawing at him. This endless waiting game had messed up his nerves. He was a vampire, for God’s sake. He possessed nerves of steel. No way was he going to succumb to the temptation and make the wrong move. That’s exactly what the enemy wanted. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“I’ll go home. Mira and Nyle, I suggest you do the same. Get some rest. We’ll meet tonight to complete our work.”

“Actually, Nyle and I prefer to do it alone,” said Mira. “When you guys hover over us, it makes me nervous. Nyle can come over to my place tonight.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” said Nyle who had been quiet up until now. A tall, intensely good-looking guy, he boasted a head full of dark hair and a beard. His eyes were pools of darkness. Although he looked at ease, Aric knew that Nyle was a coiled storm of energy that, if unleashed, could wipe out a good three blocks of this city. His powers were that strong. “I’ll be there.”

Aric marched out of the warehouse which they had converted into their headquarters. It belonged to him. He was Mr. Moneybags. Five centuries of existence gave a man enough knowledge to make truckloads of money. He’d done just that. Aric was the proud owner of millions of dollars worth of property and shares which he controlled through various companies. Every half century or so, he was forced to create a new identity and transfer the said wealth to his apparent heir, which was always him. It was complicated and required a lot of planning and subterfuge, but he’d perfected the art.

Money wasn’t something that he needed to worry about.

What he needed more than anything was to eliminate the threat that loomed over them, but today was not that day. He’d done his share of saving and maybe it was time to take his own advice and get some rest.

When he got home, Aric took a cold shower. He put on his black pajama pants and then padded over to the fridge. Opening it, he took out a bottle of crimson-red blood which he drank on the spot. There, dinner was done. Later, he lay down on the bed. As a vampire, he could go without sleep for days but rest gave his body a chance to recuperate. He closed his eyes and forced his mind to be quiet. It took him only a few minutes to drift into sleep.

A few hours later, Aric rose from his bed, fully alert. Something clicked in his mind, an instinct born out of years of existence or perhaps something more primal. Lacey was in danger. The fool woman! What new trouble was she in? Even though he longed to ignore the rush of heat in his veins that urged him to move, Aric jumped off the bed. He jammed his feet into his shoes and tore out of the apartment.