Her Guardian's Heart (5 page)

Everyone asked me about my life and if I was happy about finally being home with my family. I couldn’t say more than yes. They welcomed me with open arms and it made me miss Landon more. The night was cooling off. Most of the people had gone after several hours. It seemed the gathering was something that happened a lot. I looked out into the darkened forest, feeling the teeming life around me. I rubbed my arms from the chill. The food filled my belly. I was calm and content. The possibility of what I would soon learn about my background imbued me with wonder and a little bit of fear. I still had so many questions that I wasn’t sure where to even begin.

“It’s overwhelming isn’t it?” I glanced to my side and saw my grandmother standing next to me.

“Yeah. It kinda is. Even the coven gatherings were never this festive and so open with one another. They’ve accepted me for one of their own and they don’t know me.”

“You
are
one of us. This is your homecoming party. This is how it should’ve been from the start. Are you ready to meet your sister?”

I nodded. “Yeah. But first, what’s your name? You never told me. So I call you Grandma, Grandmother?”

She laughed. “Grandma is fine, but my name is Annabella Mahone. Your father’s name was Delin. He was named after our most honored Guardian. Your sister’s name is Annabeth. She’s fourteen. Tannin found out that your father had been with another woman and she was the product. Her mother put her up for adoption. Luckily, we had someone in the system that was able to get her placed with one of our families. She’s been here with us since she was three. She’s over here.”

My grandmother tapped a girl on the shoulder who could have been a younger version of me except she had darker skin. Her cheekbones were a little higher, but she would be a beauty when she was fully grown. She was only a little shorter than I was. When she turned around, a large smile spread on her face. She hugged Annabella fiercely. Then she stopped and stared at me. The darkness inside of me recognized her. Annabeth flung her arms around me. When our skin touched, I knew that she would never be a strong Guardian, but she was something else that I didn’t have a name for. The darkness was within her, but there was also a light. I had sensed this within some of the other people that I had met.

“Oh, Melina, It’s so good to finally meet you. Grandma said that you run a flower shop. Is that true? And that you’re a witch? I’ve never met a real witch before. Can you do any spells? Can you show me? I’m still in training and—”

My grandmother laughed. “Annabeth, give Melina some room. She’s doesn’t want to be bombarded with all your questions right now. She’s just getting used to all of us. Don’t run her off by blabbering. Now, go mingle.”

Disappointment flashed in her eyes and formed a small dimple on her brow. She smiled and then bounded off to be with her friends. My sister looked over her shoulder and then waved at me. I waved back. She was a typical teenage girl. “She’s happy here. But I noticed she’s not like me. I mean she is, but inside her the darkness isn’t as prominent.”

“Very good. You’re further along than I thought. That’s a good thing. But yes, you’re right. Anna is one who will watch the light realms. Her job is to be sure that nothing dark gets into them.”

“What kind of Guardian am I? And why isn’t Tannin mingling with everyone else? Is he an outcast?”

My grandmother patted my hand. “So many questions. We fight with the things that escape the shadows. But more on that later. Tannin is Tannin. What do you feel when you reach out to him?”

I closed my eyes, extended my senses, and examined Tannin. He seemed neutral, but there was a strong wall around him that I couldn’t breach. He met my gaze with those dark eyes and a jolt passed over my body. I jumped and pulled backward into myself. I struggled to pull in a breath. The sudden zap had thrown me out of whack. A mystery surrounded him. Everything in me yearned to crack it. I shook my head. “I don’t know. He’s powerful but withdrawn. He cares a lot about you though.” I didn’t drop my gaze from him. His blank expression turned into a playful smile when he nodded in my direction. I felt my cheeks burn from being under his scrutinizing gaze.

“He watches out for me because I’m the matriarch of the clan. Our clan has over one hundred Guardians in it. He doesn’t talk much. Even to me. I’m lucky if I get more than a couple words out of him. You know he’s been watching you more than me this whole night.” My grandmother gave me a winning smile. “Maybe there is some interest there.”

“Ha! I doubt it.”

She shrugged. “If I was years younger, I’d make a go at him. Others have tried, but never get anywhere. Maybe you’ll have more luck.”

I glanced at my feet and felt my heart twinge from the thought of being able to love someone else. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’m still not over Nick’s death. And Landon, well…”

She hugged me once more. “Remember what I said about your wolf. Don’t worry about him. Maybe you need to open your heart to the possibility of love. Think about it. Now, go and enjoy the rest of the party. I’ll have Tannin show you where you can sleep tonight when this is all over.”

I nodded and thought about what she had said. It was true. I hadn’t even given any thought to another man since Nick had died. I was holding on to the hope Landon would come around. But maybe. Maybe it was time for me to realize there were other prospects in the world. They might not be mates, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t come to care about another man. And there was something about Tannin I couldn’t put my finger on. Something about him drew me to him.

By the end of the night, I was tired and stuffed. The guests had gone. My grandmother had retired for the night. When everyone had left, I began clearing things up but wasn’t sure where to put the plates. Tannin chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it. Things will get taken care of in the morning.”

“Really? And my grandmother will do all of these?” I gestured to the stacks of dishes left on every available space.

“No. We all help out around here. You must be tired. This way to your room.”

He ushered me before him down a hallway until we stood outside of a door. I made no move to go into the room. He didn’t touch me. I took a step forward and then tripped on a loose board. Tannin caught me. I landed against his chest and looked up into his eyes. When I touched him, I was immediately drawn to him. I lost my breath and my head began to spin. My heart fluttered like a trapped butterfly. The darkness inside of me responded to him as well. The pull between us was more than I could bear. I knew I was attracted to him, but this was more than I anticipated. The walls around my heart began to crumble as if battered by the ocean, and I knew I was his. Leaning up, I pressed my lips to his. They were soft and warm against mine. Tannin stood still. I slid my fingers down his chest, feeling the hard muscles underneath. A couple of seconds ticked by and he hadn’t returned my kiss. I felt foolish. Before I pulled away, he kissed me lightly, a simple brush of his mouth over mine. Then he pushed me away from him gently.

“We shouldn’t do this.” His voice remained low, but his eyes burned into mine. His hand hovered close to my face. So close I could feel the warmth of his body. He ran his finger over my bottom lip. I saw the desire in his eyes, but his face remained blank.

“Why?”

“You don’t know me, and our kind don’t mingle well.”

“You make it sound like we’re so very different. I sense the same power inside of you that’s inside of me. I’ve been mated with a werewolf and a vampire. My family disowned me because of what I am. I’m not going to let anyone else tell me what can and can’t happen. I don’t mean to be so forward. I haven’t been with anyone for a while and I thought…” I let the sentence trail off, realizing how I sounded. I wasn’t desperate to go to bed with him, but whatever was between us wasn’t going to go away. “Forget it. I’ve had a long day. I just met you. Maybe you’re right. But I have to admit I feel something for you.” I stepped into the room.

“Hey, it’s okay. I like forward women, but you and I wouldn’t work well. Guardians have only one mate in their lives. Sharing with another hardly ever happens. And the experience with being with that person is more than sex. It’s a joining of the souls. What you feel for me is no more than kinship. The way you feel with the rest of your family.”

“It sounds like you’ve lost someone dear to you. I can relate.” The hurt of losing Nick washed over me once more. I saw his face. My mind went to the buried place that I kept walled up. The barrenness of where his spirit had been ate me up. Sometimes I thought I sensed a glimmer of him hovering close to me. But then I would feel out again and nothing would be there.

“What was his name?” Tannin asked.

“Nick. What was her name?”

“Eldara. We met when we were young and our wings hadn’t even been fully feathered. We were children together. We watched the darkness and made sure that nothing escaped from the shadows. She was from this clan. We got into a bad battle one day and she was mortally wounded. With her dying breath, she told me she loved me and for me to watch over our children.” He stretched out his hand and gestured toward the dishes and chuckled. “Her clan.”

His words sunk in as I followed his arm. My eyes widened. He was older than what he appeared to be. “The clan is your offspring?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“But that would make you…”

“Don’t think about my age. I’ve kept my promise to my love. I’ve watched over them for ages now. Your grandmother, your sister, and you are direct descendants. The others have diluted their blood too much. They are still family though. There is much about yourself that you have to discover. I’m sorry for your loss. The one who left your life was the vampire.”

“Yeah. I’d just been banished from the coven and I wanted a thrill. Something to make me feel that I was alive. I went into this club that caters to people who want to be bitten by vampires. We locked eyes and when he touched me, I just knew. So did he. Nick was the first person to tell me that he loved me and meant it. I wanted to stay with him forever. When we tried, it wouldn’t take. I got sick. Even Landon bit me and tried to change me into a wolf. Same thing happened. I was okay the next day. Then we tried having both of them bite me and blood exchange. It strengthened our bond. When Nick died, Landon turned me away. I died a little each day knowing that he didn’t want me anymore.” Hot tears fell down my cheeks. I tried to stop it. The ache reawakened. It only got worse and worse the more I thought about it. And now I was looking a fool before Tannin.

He drew me into his arms and let me cry. This was the second time I had done this today. The world was going fuzzy. My body collapsed, and his warm arms picked me up. I tried to fight falling asleep, but I was safe with him. The darkness, the Guardian in me, reached out and brushed against his. I couldn’t stop it. Inside my mind, I saw the darkness lift its head from the winged cocoon that it had been wrapped in for so long. It was me and yet it wasn’t me. The wings were black and seemed soft as a rose petal. It brushed my wings along the outside of Tannin’s shell. He sighed. Tannin pushed me from the outskirts of his mind and I fell into the abyss of sleep.

When I awoke the next morning, I smelled something sweet cooking. I got up, showered, and found an outfit laid out for me. While I brushed my hair, there was a knock on the door. My heart pounded and I hoped that it might be Tannin.

“Come in.” I gripped the brush and saw my grandmother walk in carrying a tray with several muffins and a small teapot.

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Yes. Thank you. I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me.“

“You don’t have to thank me for anything. I should be thanking you for coming here with someone that you don’t know. I appreciate the leap of faith. There is much that I wish to tell you. Much that I wish to show you. Eat. Then we can talk.” She offered me a muffin. I took it and broke into it. It was chocolate chip with a little hint of cinnamon. They were still warm so the chocolate was gooey.

I touched her hand. When I did, I saw her wings were the same as mine. “You didn’t see the wings last night, did you?”

“No.”

“What made you see them now?”

“Tannin. He and I talked. He told me a little bit about himself. When I touched him, I saw inside the darkness was another me. She had black wings like yours. I’ve never seen her face before.”