Salvation (The Guardian Angel Series Book 3)
Read Salvation (The Guardian Angel Series Book 3) Online
Authors: Skyla Madi
Table of Contents
Salvation
Copyright © 2013 by Skyla Madi All rights reserved.
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
http://www.limitlesspublishing.com
First Kindle Edition: 2013
Formatting: Streetlight Graphics
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for the personal enjoyment of the original purchaser only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
For Nooshin,
If it wasn’t for you, I’d never have found the time to finish Salvation so quickly.
Acknowledgements
Firstly, I’d like to thank my husband Ash for giving me the time and space I needed to complete Salvation. In regards to that, I’d also like to thank my sister-in-law Noosh for taking an interest in The Vampire Diaries, thus encouraging Ash to re-watch the seasons and giving me so much time for my writing.
Secondly, I’d like to thank Limitless Publishing for being there for me during my writing process. I enjoy talking with you guys, whether it is strictly business or just plain old chitchat. Along the same lines, I’d like to thank Toni Rakestraw and her editing skills as well as awesome advice. I try to take everything you say on board and use it whenever I can.
A big thank you to Eden Crane Design for the beautiful cover. How you keep coming up with such amazing covers is beyond me.
Lastly, I want to thank all of the fans that the Guardian Angel series has accumulated so far. Your messages and love for my writing inspires me to push Ruby and Eli’s story deeper as well as create new ones for you. My readers make it all worth it, thank you.
Surprise
L
ife comes at you hard and fast, it doesn’t slow for anybody. It weathers you, destroys you. It breaks down your mind, body, and soul until there’s nothing left. Then what? I wasn’t always like this—bitter and alone, I mean. I once had a loving mother and stepdad. I once had friends and someone—a guardian angel—that I had fallen head over heels for, but then I had to leave to protect them. As much as I wanted to be normal, I wasn’t.
“Service, please?” came a nearby voice, pulling me from my thoughts.
It was a quiet night at The Turquoise Bar and I was wasting time by cleaning the same cup over and over again. I turned to face the man who had asked to be served and my heart dropped into my shoes. It took all of my strength not to say his name out of shock.
Hunter.
I hadn’t seen him since the night of my escape at Gerald Harbor. Not since he saved Eli’s life… yet here he was at the small, smoky bar I worked at. He wore a black button-up shirt and a dark leather jacket. He wore his black hair in its usual unkempt style. I glanced awkwardly around the room. So many emotions coursed through me—fear. Sorrow. Anger. Helplessness. My heart raced, hammering hard against my ribcage. He glanced at my chest—he could hear it. I leaned on the bar. If there was a time to test out this charmed necklace, it would be now. He regarded me curiously, sensing my unease.
I swallowed hard. “What will it be?” I asked, forcing confidence into my voice.
“You smell familiar.” He glanced at my name tag. “Amy.”
Suddenly, going under a fake name didn’t sound so stupid.
“That’s a creepy thing to say.” I faked a smile. “What will it be?”
He chuckled under his breath. “Just a beer.”
I turned my back to him and bent down to get a beer from the fridge. I found the fear and shock transform into anger. My hands began shaking. They were shaking so much that I had difficulty pulling the cap off the beer bottle. When I managed to get it off, I turned back to his analyzing face and striking blue eyes. I slid his beer along the bar and he caught it in his hand. I rubbed my hands on my jeans. I was nervous and who could blame me? I hadn’t seen or heard from Hunter or Lucian in a year.
“You’re a goddess?” he asked. Hunter kept his eyes fixated on me as he sipped his beer.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “And you’re vampire.”
His lips turned upwards into a calculating smirk and I pulled a green lighter from the back pocket of my skinny jeans and struck it. The small orange and blue flame danced on top of the metal and I leaned across the bar.
“Try anything and I will turn you to dust.”
Amusement flashed in the dark depths of his eyes. “You’re brave. I like that.”
“I’m not interested and I have work to do, so, is there anything else I can get you?”
I needed to get out of here. I needed to get as far away from this town as possible. Mr. Aleksandrov and Aaron had dropped me off in Gerald, the small town twenty minutes from Gerald Harbor. I was supposed to go find a nice secluded town and hide out but I figured this was the safest place for me to be. I had killed the resident vampires. There were no vampires that I knew of in this town anymore, that was, until tonight. Hunter and Lucian had come back to Gerald in search of me. My guess is that they couldn’t find another Heelian and they had reason to believe I’m here. It was time to move on and quickly.
“That’s all, thank you.”
Quickly, I wiped down the bar and left Sandy, our new girl, in charge. Sandy was a cute, short blonde who wore her hair in high pigtails too often. I glanced over my shoulder as I stepped away from the bar and headed toward the staff room. As I expected, Sandy made her way toward Hunter, wrapping her hair around her index finger in a flirtatious gesture. Hopefully she would keep him occupied long enough to—
“Unh.” I grunted as I was slammed against a wall and the wind was knocked out of me.
“It’s been a while. You look different, Ruby.” Hunter purred into my ear.
I felt the tremor of his breath on my neck and a nauseating feeling twisted my stomach. I gasped, trying to force air into my lungs.
“I-I’m sorry, but you have the wrong person.”
He brushed the tip of his nose along my jawline, inhaling as he went. I gritted my teeth.
“I could never mistake you for someone else, even with the charm.” His hand slid up the contour of my body, over my left breast, and then he tugged at my necklace until it snapped. “There you are.”
I shoved Hunter backwards, reclaiming my personal space. He stumbled and I snatched my necklace back, squeezing it tightly in my hand. As long as it touched my skin I could hide my real appearance.
“How did you find me?”
“Oh, we’ve been searching
everywhere
for you. How long has it been?” He tapped his chin in sarcastic thought. “About a year now, so you can imagine how pissed Lucian is.”
“Speaking of the devil, where is he?”
“A few streets down, sniffing out some goddesses. He’s hungry.” Hunter paused. “I don’t believe you’re here alone. Where is De Luca?”
I glanced down at my shoes and then back into his blue eyes. I sure as hell wasn’t going to admit I was here alone or that I hadn’t spoken to Eli in over a year.
“None of your business,” I growled. I scowled at Hunter as he fought off a smile.
“You
are
all alone here, aren’t you?”
I swallowed as Hunter stepped closer. His body came into contact with mine and he pressed my back hard against the wall. I used all of my strength to push him away but he wouldn’t budge.
“Hunter, stop playing games. We have things to do, let’s go.”
I froze. Everything froze—my breathing, my thoughts, and my heart. Everything. The cold voice floated through me, chilling my organs and my bones as it went. I couldn’t kill them, not here. There were at least eight people in the bar, they might get hurt. Lucian looked right at me—right into me. For a moment, I thought he could see through my charm, but when he turned on his heels and went out the door, I knew it had worked.
“Ooh, that was close.” Hunter chuckled.
“What are you playing at?”
Hunter had every chance to turn me in to Lucian, but he didn’t … why?
“You and I have history.” He ran the back of his hand down the side of my face and I tried hard not to recoil. “I want to have a little fun before I turn you over to Lucian.”
His cold lips touched mine and then he was gone. I wiped the back of my hand across my lips and peered around the corner of the wall. Sandy was absentmindedly wiping down the bar, in the same spot, round and round.
I strolled over to her and waved my hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her daze. She blinked, her big blue eyes met mine, and then she glanced awkwardly around the room in search of Hunter. He had used lure on her.