The Guardian's Keeper (The Guardian Trilogy, Book 1) (2 page)

“Yes.”
Nikoli nodded vigorously, his eyes back on the road. “We vampires can persuade people whenever we like, though most of us prefer not to.”

“‘
We vampires’?” Claire rolled her eyes in disgust. This guy was crazier than she originally thought.

“Yes,” Nikoli agreed.
“Vampires- my kind. I have been a vampire for almost 200 years. I was turned during the reign of Tsar Nicholas the First.”

“
In Russia, in the 1800’s,” Claire muttered to herself under her breath as she recalled her world history. “Of course you were.” More directly she asked Nikoli “Can I see your fangs, then? If you’re a vampire, you’ve got to have fangs, right?”

“
Oh yes, I do,” Nikoli replied, thinking Claire was serious. “I’ll show you when we get to Joyce’s, now is not the time.”

Claire rema
ined silent as she realized that during their fantasy filled conversation she had lost track of where they were. She no longer recognized her surroundings. Fear clenched her stomach tight but she fought to remain calm. Nikoli claimed he was a vampire and wove fantastic tales he seemed to believe but he had not put his hands on her again. But how exactly had Ava fallen back to sleep, with an intruder in her room? Her mind whirling, physically and emotionally drained by the evening’s events, Claire leaned against the window and drifted off to sleep. Her last thought before she drifted off was that for someone so crazy, Nikoli sure was hot.

Chapter
2

Claire snapped awake as soon as the truck came to a stop. Adrenaline pounded through her veins as she remembered the kidnapping and her self-proclaimed vampire captor. She turned quickly to see Nikoli still in the driver’s seat, smiling gently at her.

“We’re here. Did you sleep well?” h
e asked with what appeared to be sincere concern.

“
I’d have slept just fine back at Ava’s,” Claire replied curtly.

Nikoli nodded abruptly and
opened his door. He exited the truck but stood in front of the open doorway. He leaned in to speak to Claire, effectively dashing her hopes of jumping out and sprinting off into the night away from him.

“
We’ll rest here a bit and speak to Joyce about what comes next,” he explained to Claire. “I’m letting you out of the truck- please just come along nicely and don’t do anything foolish,” he implored her, his large brown eyes searching hers.

Claire opened her mouth to reply with something biting when she heard a loud bang that made her jump in her seat. Looking a
round she realized the truck had stopped in front of a large old farmhouse that was lit up by a series of floodlights. The whole scene had been hidden away by the darkness until the floodlights had just come on. The bang that startled Claire had been an old screen door slamming back into place after a tall, heavyset woman came rushing out of the house.

The woman rushed straight
to them, shoved Nikoli out of the way and pushed her head into the truck.

“
Come on now, Claire, don’t be shy, let’s get you into the house. It’s not safe out here for you until daybreak,” she coaxed, reaching for Claire’s hand. Claire grasped it and reluctantly began sliding across the truck’s bench seat towards the open driver’s door. As happy as she was to leave the confines of the truck, Claire was afraid to leave its relative safety. Who was this woman and how did she fit into all of this?

“
Let’s go, we have a lot to discuss.” The woman held Claire by her elbow and ushered her from the drive, across her expansive lawn, up to the front porch and into her house. Nikoli trailed silently behind them, his eyes constantly searching the forest bordering the property.

Once inside the house the woman led Claire into a large country kitchen and sat her down at a butcher block table. Claire sat, dumbfounded, as the woman bustled at the counter, prepari
ng something.

“
…..and it’s already on all the major channels as breaking news, they haven’t released the details like names or ages or the address but I just have a feeling it’s them, Nikoli will go back out to confirm it once the sun’s up and I…..” the woman cut her rambling short, realizing Claire was frozen in her chair, not moving, not speaking, just staring at her, her blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“
I know, I know, we’ll get it sorted, we’ll figure it out shortly.” The woman rushed over and leaned over Claire, stroking her black curls, trying to calm her. “There’s a chance it’s not them but until we confirm it one way another….”

“He kidnapped me!”
Claire burst into sobs and pulled away from the woman, standing up so fast she knocked her chair over. “He stole me from Ava’s house and won’t let me go and he thinks he’s a vampire and keeps talking about some Fang and now I’m here and you’re in on it and acting like everything’s fine!” Claire sobbed as she backed her way towards the entryway to find the front door.

“
My heavens child, didn’t he tell you? Didn’t he tell you everything? You must be confused as can be,” the woman said softly, her face full of compassion. “Of course you’re scared out of your wits. Please, come sit back down, the tea’s almost done. I’m about to cut some pie. We’ll have some and I’ll tell you what you need to know.” The woman put Claire’s chair right and patted it invitingly, trying to calm the girl and get her to sit back down.

“No!” Claire screamed. “
I’m going home and you and your sick ‘vampire’ can wait for the police to come!” With that Claire reached the front door and threw it open, ready to race out into the dark night to freedom. Instead she found herself caught up in Nikoli’s strong arms again. She fought like a wild cat, kicking and scratching, flailing wildly until Nikoli pulled her close into a strong embrace against him.

“
Claire! Knock it off!” he admonished. Claire slumped against him, defeated, biting back a scream of rage. A gentle hand touched her back.

“
Let her go, Nikoli, I’ve got her. Poor thing’s scared to death and for that I blame you.” Giving Nikoli an admonishing look the woman took Claire gently by the hand and led her back into the kitchen, pointing to the chair again. “Sit now, dear, the tea and pie are coming.”

Claire did as she was told, first scowling at Nikoli, who leaned casually in the kitchen doorway, blocking her path to the front door, and then at the woman, who had her back turned as she busied herself with plates and
silverware for her guest.

“
As you may or may not know, I am Joyce and it is my duty to assist Nikoli, and you, in your journey. It is obvious Nikoli has not fulfilled his duty of explaining the situation to you…” she began, casting an annoyed look at Nikoli.

“
Explain?! What is there to explain?! I’ve been kidnapped by a lunatic and you’re his accomplice and I-” Joyce held up her hand, silencing Claire instantly.

“
You hear me and you hear me now, Claire Raymond. There are things going on here you don’t yet know about, but you need to. Nikoli did what was needed to protect you, to protect all of us, and after what they did it’s a lucky thing you weren’t home tonight.”

“Who did what?”
Claire whispered, the blood draining from her face.

Joyce looked upon with her
with a mixture of pity and surprise. “Oh, Claire, you don’t know, do you? Why didn’t you tell her?” she demanded, turning an accusatory stare at Nikoli.

“
I wanted to be sure it was her family and the Myrmidon didn’t mix it up. You know they’ve hit the wrong ones before.” He stared calmly right back at Joyce, meeting her harsh gaze. “I also experienced enough difficulties with this one,” he gestured to Claire “to save that tidbit until I had her here, in one piece.”

“What are you talking about?”
Claire slammed her fist on the table, rattling the tea saucers. Nikoli looked surprised by her sudden outburst, but Joyce knelt down beside her, grasping her hand.

“
I think we best clear this up in the living room, dear.” She stood, never releasing Claire’s hand, and led her out of the kitchen, down the hall, into the living room. She sat on the overstuffed couch and Claire sat meekly beside her. Nikoli held his new position in the living room doorway, watching them, his expression giving away nothing.

“
Just watch, Claire,” Joyce spoke softly as she turned on the old television set facing the couch.

Claire didn’t understand at first- it was roughly 4 a.m. and all that was on was an infomercial. Suddenly th
e infomercial was cut short as a news anchor came onto the set.

“
Good morning everyone, we have interrupted your scheduled programming to bring you this breaking news. We’ll go now to Jackson Murphy, live on scene.” The scene cut away to a young anchorman standing in a circle of artificial lighting on a suburban road. Behind him were flashing lights from fire trucks and police cars, officials moving around in the pre-dawn gloom.

“This can’t be,
” Claire whispered, recognizing the remains of her home.

“
Thanks, Henry, this is Jackson Murphy live on the scene of a brutal multiple murder. It appears 3 adults have been murdered, their bodies set ablaze to hide these heinous crimes. The first 911 call came from neighbors around 2 a.m.-” Claire jumped up so quickly Nikoli moved to block the door, thinking she was making a run for it again. Instead she strode over to the television and snapped it off.

“
Will someone tell me what’s going on, right now?” she implored Joyce, then Nikoli, tears streaming down her face. “This can’t be happening. None of it.” With that she broke into heaving sobs.

Joyce jumped up off the couch and cradled Clai
re in her arms while she wept. “I’m so sorry Claire, we feared this, it really was your family there, wasn’t it?” Claire nodded weakly. “We didn’t expect them to move so soon, we were hoping it would take them more time to piece it together. Thank goodness you were gone though, and Nikoli had found you before the Myrmidons did.”

“
Those minions Nikoli was talking about?” Claire whispered through her streaming tears. “Who are they? Why would they kill my family?”

“
Stavros’ followers. They’re after the Fang to bring him back. They’re vampires too.”

“You’re a vampire?”
Claire asked, pulling away from Joyce. She didn’t believe in vampires, they were just fiction, but she needed to assess just how crazy Joyce and Nikoli were. Her family was dead and she was stuck in a farm house who-knows-where with no current way out. She was at the mercy of these crazy people who thought they were vampires. Maybe if she acted like she believed them they would relax a bit and she could get an opportunity to get away. Concentrating on escaping let her push aside the news of her family.

Joyce chuckled. “
Of course not, only Nikoli here.” She gestured towards the young man in the doorway with a sad smile. “Though my husband was a vampire as well. Let’s go back to our tea and I’ll explain everything.” Claire nodded numbly and allowed herself to be led back to the kitchen as Nikoli trailed along behind them again.

Chapter 3

“
So, as you know, Nikoli is a vampire, not just any vampire, but the Guardian of the Keeper,” Joyce began. “Your Grandfather was a Keeper, but Nikoli didn’t know it until his passing. So we….”

“
Hold on, Joyce, she doesn’t believe you.” Nikoli offered the large woman an apologetic smile, moving from his position in the doorway to sit next to Claire. “You asked me, in the truck, if I had fangs, and I assured you I do,” he reminded her. “Watch this.” He opened his mouth very wide, wider than looked comfortable. Claire watched him with a skeptical look on her face, until she realized his mouth was changing right before her eyes. No, not his mouth- his teeth. Long incisors and canines pushed up from his lower and upper jaws, forcing his other teeth behind them. They grew and elongated, stretching their sharp points out far past Nikoli’s other teeth. His eyes glinted red.

Claire gasped. “How….how did you do that?” s
he asked in amazement, her shock pushing her grief aside momentarily.

“
I told you before, I’m a vampire.” Nikoli let his fangs recede and gave Claire a shy smile. His eyes went back to their usual rich brown.

“Speaking of which, Nikoli,” Joyce interrupted. “
Dawn’s coming soon, I’m sure you haven’t done your treatment. We might as well do a little show and tell for Claire here, seems to me it’s the first time she’s heard of vampires being real and not the stuff of scary movies.”

Nikoli grinned
from ear to ear. “Alright, then, let’s get on with it. Time for Claire to see a little more to sway her mind.” He gave her a playful look. Was he trying to cheer her up, reassure her? Claire could only muster a weak smile back as the news of her family came crashing back to her.

A few
minutes later Claire found herself out in the old barn behind the house. While walking across the yard from the house to the barn Claire only quickly considered trying to make a break for it. She was too intrigued by the whole possible-real-vampire business now and too exhausted to put up any more of a fight.