Salvation (The Guardian Angel Series Book 3) (2 page)

“Can you cover for me? I’m not feeling well and it’s quiet in here, anyway.” I asked. I needed to get out of here. If I could get home, it would be safer for me. I hoped.

“Sure.”

My studio apartment, on top of the local grocery store, was a mess. It was littered with dirty laundry, open books, and empty wine bottles. I never was a big alcohol drinker, but since I left my friends behind, I had developed the taste for a delicious blend of red wine. I hurried over to the storage cupboard that was tucked subtly away in the laundry. There I found a small backpack big enough for only a few important items.

“Okay, clothes…” I exhaled, tucking my unruly hair behind my ears as I hunched over a pile of clothes on my bed. I shoved a few tops and pants into my bag, followed by clean underwear, a hairbrush, and my new cell phone. Then I was ready. As soon as daylight came, I would get as far away from Lucian and Hunter as I could. Getting out of Gerald was the easy part, finding a place to go—not so easy.

I crossed over to the kitchen. On the bench was a small netbook that my boss had given me. She was throwing it out because she got a new Book Mac or whatever she called it.

“C’mon, c’mon,” I urged the small machine. “The sooner I figure out where I’m going, the better.”

Sure enough, that was easier said than done. When I made it to the Google search page, I had no idea where to start. I couldn’t exactly type in ‘best vampire-free states to live in’ or ‘goddess safe towns’. I tapped my keyboard and sighed in frustration. After a few minutes I clicked on the email icon and logged into the email account that I hadn’t used I years.

“What the…?” I gasped.

Why would he be emailing me? I didn’t know whether to be scared, nervous or excited. I resisted the urge to rub my screen in case the name I saw was dust. I knew it wasn’t. I clicked on the name that appeared in big bold letters in my inbox—Ivan Aleksandrov.

From:
Ivan Aleksandrov

Subject:
Invitation

Date:
December 9th 10:36pm

To:
Ruby Moore

Dear Ruby Moore,

I cordially invite you to celebrate a special event at Sage Sanctum this weekend.

Don’t worry about our safety if you return. Sage Sanctum is heavily protected — even more-so than before.

Please reply with your phone number. I cannot give you the directions but I can arrange for you to be picked up.

Warmly,

Mr. Ivan Aleksandrov

I stared at the screen, re-reading it over and over. Even if I wanted to go back, I couldn’t. I couldn’t face Eli or the other guardians, and Mila would be upset that I had ceased contact with her. It would be easier on everyone if I didn’t go anywhere near Sage.

“Going somewhere?”

I slammed my laptop shut and turned abruptly. Hunter’s tall, lean body leaned against the windowsill.

“H-how’d you get in?” I stammered.

Hunter walked over to my bed, pulling a pair of black underwear from my bag. I stormed over to him and snatched my underwear back, placing it back in the bag and zipping it quickly. I grabbed my bag off my bed and set it on my kitchen stool, away from Hunter’s prying eyes.

“Your window was open.”

I stared at him blankly. His gaze met my chest and he bit his lip, exposing a small portion of one of his fangs—he could hear my heartbeat increase.

“My window was open and you took it as an invitation?”

He laughed and my palms began to glow. I could kill him now. There were no innocents around. Hunter would die and no one would get hurt. He watched me intently, waiting for me to kill him… so why couldn’t I? I exhaled and placed my hands on my hips.

“You still can’t bring yourself to kill me, huh? How sweet.”

I gritted my teeth. “It’s not without great difficulty. Unfortunately, I feel responsible for your death and I owe you for saving Eli’s life.”

He walked toward me. My apartment wasn’t big, so within a few steps he’d be within arm’s distance. After a vampire-free year, I wasn’t ready to be in close quarters with one.

Driven by desperation and a trickle of fear, I sprinted for the door. I grasped the round handle and yanked it open, but before I could step out, the door was slammed shut in my face, my hand still lingering on the cool metal. We were alone, no one was around to hear our conversation, nor would they hear him kill me. Hunter smiled smugly and pressed his back against the door.

“You don’t want to spend some quality time with me? Well, that hurts my feelings. Do you really think I would
ever
hurt you intentionally?”

“You’re not serious?” I scoffed. “The last time I saw you, you were going to bite me!”

“That was over a year ago. I’ve changed.”

A nervous chuckle escaped my lips. He straightened and took a step towards me, but I turned and headed toward the kitchen. He zipped in front of me, blocking my path and grasping my shoulders. He pressed himself against me for the second time tonight and I shivered. Even through my clothes I could feel the coolness of his skin. His eyes softened, and for a split second, he looked like his old self. Hunter lowered his lips closer to my ear as if he was afraid someone would overhear him. His breath blew coolly on my neck.

“I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want Lucian to hurt you, but I…I can’t fight him. He owns me.”

“You may be a vampire, but you still have your own brain, Hunter. You can make your own decisions. I know you can because I’ve seen you do it. You saved Eli’s life! I know you’re capable of good.”

He ran the back of his cool index finger down my face and I stepped away from it. His fingers were ice-cold. His eyebrows rose slightly and I saw the corners of his mouth twitch with the beginning of an amused smirk, but he stopped it and his lips returned to an impassive line.

“It doesn’t matter if I go against Lucian or not. I’ll never be what you want, I’ll never be
him
.”

“I don’t want you to be him. I want you to be you, not this cold, calculating monster.”

His breath hitched and he took a step away from me. He ran his fingers through his hair, appearing frustrated by what I’d said.

“You think I’m a monster?”

“You’ve killed people, you drink blood, and you tried to bite me,” I reminded him.

“Don’t act so god damn high and mighty, Ruby. You’ve killed people for blood, too. If I’m a monster, then
you’re
a monster.”

I felt my chin drop and my mouth open in astonishment, but no sound came out. I closed it again. I closed my eyes and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

“I’m sor—” I looked up and he was gone. I ran over to the window and peered into the street. The only indication that he’d left was the purple curtain that blew outside the window frame. A brown owl was the only thing I could see in the narrow street. He was gone. I pulled my curtain back into my house and shut the window, making sure it was locked. I ran over to my kitchen drawer and pulled a few stakes out. They were dodgy, makeshift stakes from an old oak tree by the Gerald playground, but they’d work just fine. I opened my laptop, and suddenly, going back to Sage didn’t seem as scary as waiting in the dark for Lucian to find me.

From:
Ruby Moore

Subject:
Invitation

Date:
December 9th 11:13pm

To:
Ivan Aleksandrov

Thank you for the invite. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

See you when I get there
.

I added my number to the end of the email and clicked the send button with no hesitation. “And now I wait.”

The Drive

B
eing back at Gerald Harbor sent shivers down my spine. I focused on rocks, sticks, birds—anything to get my mind off that horrible night. In the back of my mind, it was like I could still hear the fighting. Eli’s face as he neared death flashed through my mind, followed by my scream. I shuddered, sticking my pinkie finger in my ear and wiggling it around in an attempt to make the noisy memories go away—it helped a little.

I exhaled loudly and sat on the same rock I’d sat on when I told Eli I was leaving. Once again his face flickered through my mind. I remembered the way his eyes watched me as I said it—tense and angry. I felt nauseous. My nerves were overwhelming—they felt worn out. It was all too much. I pulled Eli’s guardian angel whistle from the side pocket of my bag and stroked it lightly. I hadn’t looked at it in a while, I couldn’t stand to. Every time I looked at it I saw his face as he watched me leave. I’d told him that I loved him and then I left. My actions spoke louder than my words, there was no way he’d believe me if I told him I still loved him. Not that I would, I hurt him too much. I wouldn’t put him through that again.

I told Mr Aleksandrov I’d be here at lunch time, it wasn’t very specific. That could mean eleven, twelve or one o’clock, those seem to be average lunch times. It’s a twelve hour car ride from Sage Sanctum to Gerald Harbor, so, if they left as soon as I replied to Aleksandrov’s email, they should be here within an hour or two.

“Or now...” I mumbled, disregarding my estimate and stuffing the whistle back into the side pocket. The sound of rocks and sticks cracking under tires filled my ears and I jumped to my feet.

Please don’t let Eli be the one Mr Aleksandrov sent to pick me up
, I prayed silently. It wasn’t a shock to me when a guardian-issued black SUV rolled to a stop in front of me. As usual, everything about the car was black save for the rims and extra trimmings. I could feel a line of sweat bead on my forehead. My heart began to race as I felt the prickle of more sweat on the back of my neck. Nervously, I clenched my fists, only to discover they were damp. I wiped them quickly on my jeans. When the door opened and a big guardian boot hit the rocks, I almost brought up the sausage roll I had for breakfast. When I saw the short blond hair and unfamiliar face, I relaxed.

“Ruby Moore?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I’m Xavier. Are you ready?”

I had never seen Xavier before. He seemed young, around twenty-three, maybe. He drew a hand over his face in an attempt to wake himself up. The tired lines he attempted to hide settled into deep crevices between his brows and on either side of his mouth. They aged him instantly, piling on at least ten years in a matter of seconds. I picked up my bag and walked toward the car as he ran his fingers through his fluffy hair.

“Would you like me to drive? I bet you’re tired?” I offered.

He laughed and the lines deepened and bags grew bigger. “No, I’m fine, thank you.”

I climbed into the passenger seat and placed my bag on the floor. I reached for my seatbelt and clicked it into place. He ran another hand over his face and took a few deep breaths. Suddenly, I was afraid Xavier was going to pass out behind the wheel and kill us both. He turned the key and the engine jumped to life with a vibrating hum.

“We’ll get back to Sage at midnight if we leave now.”

Slowly, he reversed his way out of the harbor and past the abandoned warehouse. I exhaled subtly. I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted to get out of this god-damn town.

“There is a lot of heated discussion about your return,” Xavier said as the tires hit the smooth highway.

“I can imagine. How have things been?”

He shrugged. “Same old.”

I paused, pondering whether or not it was too soon to ask how Eli was. I didn’t have to ponder for long. The words were out my mouth in seconds. Once I asked, I dropped my gaze to my hands. I was afraid that if I looked at him, my eyes would give away how much I actually cared.