Salvation (The Guardian Angel Series Book 3) (22 page)

“If I got my Heelian power back… why didn’t Mr. Aleksandrov let me blast them all from the get-go?”

He shrugged. “That wasn’t the plan, I suppose. He didn’t want to risk Lucian getting away. He wanted to catch Lucian by surprise. The less people knew, the better. Only Aaron, Xavier, Sera, and two other guardians knew about your power. If you knew, you wouldn’t be able to control yourself. For such a small girl, you have a mighty temper.”

I rolled my eyes.

“The night you stabbed yourself with the vampire cure and went crazy, everyone was worried you’d use your sun power and ruin our only element of surprise. Luckily, the vamps never showed. Then when Mila foolishly left the safety of the house and got herself caught,
that had me gripping the edge of my seat. Thankfully, you used it at the most perfect moment and turned him to dust.”

I recalled the events perfectly, I didn’t need a recap—although I have to admit, I did enjoy hearing about Lucian’s demise.

Vampire cure.
I jolted slightly, biting my lip against the pain of my ribs and the ache of, well, every other muscle in my body. “How’s Hunter?” I groaned, pulling myself to an upright position. Gwydion stacked my pillows behind me and I was able to lie back against them.

“He’s okay. He’s locked in Sage’s underground cells. He doesn’t seem to be a vampire anymore. The sun doesn’t burn him, he won’t touch blood, and his eyes are back to blue…”

“But?”

Gwydion pulled my phone from his pocket and set it on the bedside table. “But he refuses to eat and drink until he sees you. We keep telling him you’re not well, but he refuses to believe us.”

“So I’ll go see him?”

Gwydion shook his head slightly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. His emotions are all over the place. He’s angry, sad, and happy all at once. It’d be dangerous sending you in there.”

“If he couldn’t hurt me as a vampire, he isn’t going to hurt me as himself.” I turned my body toward Gwydion, wincing at the pain.

“Have they given you anything to help you heal?” Gwydion asked, changing the subject.

“I don’t know. I’ve been asleep, remember?”

Gwydion pulled a clear vial from his pocket and cracked it into my water. He handed me the glass. “Drink this. It should heal you by this afternoon.”

I drank the glass of water, greedily making sure I drank every last drop. I needed to get rid of the pain as soon as possible.

The door creaked again, signalling someone else’s arrival. I felt a warm flush spread over my entire body when I saw Eli step into the room. Gwydion cleared his throat.

“Well, I better get going. I should see you later this evening if the medicine works quickly.”

With a swift nod in Eli’s direction, Gwydion exited the room. Eli looked great, the cut on his lip had healed well, and there was barely a scar. Same thing went for the bite marks on his arms. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt that clung perfectly to every dimple and groove in his chest muscles. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and fell into the chair beside me. His green eyes watched me and I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. I squeezed my fingers nervously, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

Already I could feel my ribs repair themselves. The swelling and tenderness seemed to fade away, giving me extra room to breathe.

“You’re not saying anything,” I mumbled.

He gave me a small grin. I ran my tongue between my teeth to prevent myself from sighing loudly.

“I don’t want to tell you how I feel. I want to show you how I feel.” He moved his hands from his pockets and placed them behind his head. “But you’re injured and I don’t want to make it worse.”

My chest deflated in disappointment. Damn ribs.

“In the meantime,” he added. “I’ll settle for asking you how you feel.”

“Like hell,” I groaned. “Although, it is a happier hell now that Gwydion has given me some of that magic healing juice. How are you feeling?”

“Better now you’re awake.”

I smiled at him.

“You know, Hunter has been asking for you.”

“I know.”

“Do you plan on seeing him?” His face darkened a touch.

“Yes, I do.”

He nodded and smiled, but even I could tell it was fake.

“I cured him. It’s my responsibility to make sure he’s okay with that. I know it’s hard to understand—”

“No, I understand. I’m only worried that he’ll hurt you. He isn’t exactly himself, he seems hostile. He holds a lot of resentment against all of us… and you.”

This I assumed already. He must be in such an emotional place. “Like I told Gwydion, he didn’t hurt me as a vampire, so I don’t think he’ll hurt me now.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, evidently frustrated with me. “That’s an interesting logic.”

“Eli, what’s really bothering you? It’s not because you’re worried I’ll get hurt. You know I’m capable of handling myself.”

He leaned toward me, resting his elbows on his knees. “What’s bothering me is the fact that this guy is in love with you and the whole time he was a vampire, you couldn’t bring yourself to kill him. He’s a god now, your other half, and legally, you can be with him.”

His green eyes watched me, anticipating my reply. I never picked Eli as the insecure type. He always seemed so confident in himself.

“That doesn’t mean I want to be with him. Eli, I love you. You have nothing to be insecure about.”

“I’m not insecure,” he growled defensively. “I’m realistic.”

“No, you’re silly.” I laughed. “After
everything
, do you honestly think I would be able to forget about you?”

He knew what I was implying. By ‘everything,’ not only did I mean his good looks, charm, and sweet personality, I also meant sex. It—he—was unforgettable. Eli De Luca was the first person in the world to make me feel special and alive. I’d never try to find that anywhere else… not when I have the best.

“Oh I
know
you’ll never forget about me.” His eyes held a cheeky gleam and I flushed. “I just want you to see where I’m coming from. Hunter has gotten under your skin and I’m just saying that it’s hard to forget people that have done that.”

Hunter
had
gotten under my skin and I cared for him way more than I should, but no one could replace Eli.
No one
. It didn’t matter how far under my skin Hunter had gotten… he could never reach my heart.

I stared into his face, making sure I chose my next words carefully. I knew what I wanted to say, but I needed it to come out eloquently, so it washed away all doubt that he had about Hunter and I.

I said. “My heart doesn’t tear. It doesn’t crack or split in two. It remains whole for one person and that person is you.”

I didn’t intend for it to come out in rhyme and I felt silly that it did. His green eyes softened and a cute smile spread over his mouth. My god, was it possible? Had I made Eli De Luca flush? A giggle made its way up my throat. My ribs were feeling better, so I sat up unaided and gestured with my index finger for him to come closer. He leaped out his chair and cupped my face in his hands.

“You are something else,” he whispered as our foreheads pressed together.

I threw my hands around his neck and squashed my lips against his. Forget cloud nine, I was on cloud infinity. My current happiness was limitless and that’s exactly how I wanted to keep it. My ribs moaned at me, but I ignored them. I pulled at his neck, urging him onto my bed. To my delight, he complied. He hovered above me, careful not to put his weight on my bruised muscles and busted ribs.

He pulled his lips away from mine. “This is a strange situation.”

“Could be worse,” I breathed, pulling his mouth back to mine. I ran my hands down the edge of his body and began pulling his shirt up. A low growl escaped from his chest and he caught my hand.

“You’re hurt. We aren’t going to do this now.”

“I’m fine,” I lied—well, kind of lied.

He pressed his index finger against my rib and I gasped in pain. He cocked his eyebrow and grinned in triumph. “You don’t sound
fine
.”

“I will be soon.”

He planted a kiss on my forehead and climbed off my bed, leaving me burning for him. Eli adjusted his shirt and turned to face me. I sat up and exhaled dramatically.

“I have to go now. Mr. Aleksandrov needs my help.”

I pouted.

“Don’t pout at me. We’ll finish this later.” He winked and left the room.

I sighed and dropped back onto my pillows, waiting for the medicine to fix me and quick.

“You can go now,” the pretty, dark-skinned doctor said as she lowered her torch from my eyes.

I smiled, happy that I now had a clean bill of health. I waited until the white circles dispersed from my vision before I slid off my bed and onto the floor. While I was sleeping, Mila had brought me a nice floor-length black funeral gown for me to change into once I got out of the ghastly, gray and blue hospital gown. Apparently, a funeral was being held for the guardian angels we’d lost. I glanced at the clock. The ceremony started in twenty minutes.

I thanked the doctor and left the room. There wasn’t much to the dank, colorless hallway and it saddened me a little. The rooms were extravagant and beautiful, completely opposite from the hallway. I made my way outside, inhaling the warm afternoon air. There was no pain when I breathed.

“You look better.” Eli smiled, eying my black dress longingly. He leaned up against the medical building, looking gorgeous in his black suit.

“Black is your color, but you’re forgetting one thing.”

He walked over to me and gestured for me to turn around. I did and he put the whistle around my neck. I stroked it. It was back where it belonged. I turned to face him. The air between us was electric, both of us wanted to continue what we’d started in the hospital, but out in the open, we weren’t allowed to touch.

“I thought we could go to the funeral together.”

“Would that be okay?”

He shrugged. “I’ve done enough damage to my reputation. I don’t see why I should stop now.”

I laughed at him and he extended his elbow. “Shall we?”

I hooked my elbow around his and we walked to the sports field. I felt strange being so dressed up in the afternoon. Sure enough, though, that feeling passed when I saw everyone else wearing similar clothing.

The field was set up beautifully. I counted a total of twenty-six coffins that were laid in even rows, adorned in black cloth and flowers.

“Are they going to be buried here?” I whispered to Eli.

“No. They’ll be sent home to their families. If they don’t have families, they’ll be cremated and sprinkled in the ocean.”

I nodded, acknowledging his information.

The ceremony was beautiful. Other guardian angels got up and paid their respects by giving speeches and final farewells. Once it was all said, we lined up and walked down every row, placing a hand on each coffin to show respect for the guardian angels that died in battle. It was sad, regardless whether I knew them personally or not. They died for me. That hit me the hardest. Eli squeezed my arm in reassurance when I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing back my tears.

When the ceremony ended and everyone was invited for dinner at the dining hall, I decided I’d go see Hunter, before it got dark.

“Ruby!” Mila called to me from in the middle of a small crowd. She excused herself and ran over to me. Her black gown was gorgeous, covered in what looked like shining diamonds. She pulled me into a hug and I noticed she’d changed her perfume. Lavender? Orchid? I couldn’t tell.

“I am so, so happy you’re okay!” she squealed.

“I could say the same thing about you.” I was still mad that she’d run off and got herself caught by Lucian.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry, I wanted to help and it failed. You can’t say it has never happened to you.”

I smiled at her. “It’s over. Lucian is dead, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

She smiled back. From behind her came Mr. Aleksandrov.

“Ruby, so good to see that you’re alive and well.”

“You too,” I replied.

“Your blood worked,” he added. “Once Hunter’s mood goes back to normal, we can run tests and sort out regular donating intervals. That’ll keep the council off your back.”

“Done.”

If donating blood every week or month meant I didn’t have to meet the council and I could give people a second chance at life, then it was worth it. Mr. Aleksandrov and Mila were expected to host the dinner, so they bade us farewell us and followed everyone else to the hall. I turned around to face Eli.

“Are you going to see Hunter?” he asked.

Was I that obvious?

“I’ll come with you.”

“Are you sure?”

He hooked his arm around mine and we headed toward the outskirts of the school. The cells were concealed underground on the outside of the safety border. We didn’t talk for the most part. Eli held sticks out of the way for me and helped me over logs and big boulders. I was capable of doing this myself, but I enjoyed the way his hands ignited my blood and sent goosebumps over my skin. He noticed, too. Every now and again he’d bite his lip or growl seductively when we got too close. It was a miracle we made it to the cells without ripping each other’s clothes off, really.