Fallen Embers (Fallen Guardians #9)

Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

Lore exhaled deeply as the door slammed upstairs, staring at the empty spot where Nia had been. He could understand her being upset. No one wanted to be hunted for the rest of their life.

He’d give her a few minutes to calm down, then seek her out and explain that she had choices. He shut his eyes, letting his mind connect with the Celestial Realm…

And like before, he came back with a bump, his mind on his charge. He walked the perimeter of the table a few times…

Might as well go and speak to her.

He collected her shopping bags and headed upstairs. A palm on the door, he pushed, but it wouldn’t budge. Though he sensed nothing untoward, a feeling of unease trickled through him. Lore flashed into her room. The bed was empty, the room icy-cold.

He found her seated on the floor, her back against the door, face hidden in her raised knees. Her hair spilled all over her arms.

He set the bags on the desk near the open window. Frowning, he glanced back at her, but she didn’t stir. She’d removed all her warm clothing and wore only a thin top and jeans.

He walked over and knelt in front of her. “Nia?”

A shuddering breath escaped her, and she tilted her head sideways, her hair falling away, revealing her softer, sleeping profile. She appeared pale beneath her tan skin, and sweat dampened her brow.

Carefully, he scooped her into his arms, and her fresh apple scent enfolded him as her slight weight settled against him. Asleep, her eyelashes cast shadows against her honey skin, giving her an innocent air, a facade concealing her quick mouth and fiery temper.

Lore found himself intrigued by her spirit.

He settled her on the bed and drew the covers over her. A whimper escaped as she turned to her side and curled into a ball. He hunkered down and placed his palm over her temple. The growing psychic buzz within her continued. He couldn’t pick up on any thoughts or dreams. Everything within her was a turmoil of colors.

Her brow furrowed, and he soothed her mind. With a soft sigh, she settled again.

As if compelled, he picked up her silky, inky black strands and gently rubbed them between his fingers. Mid-stroke, he froze.

He dropped her hair, fingers clenching. Why had he done that? He was not the type to soothe or even be intrigued by anyone.

It would be best to find her a protector. She’d need one when he left this world, anyway.

There is an unmated Guardian…

Yes, the warrior would do.

She’d be safe if her abilities turned out to be deadly, and she could live her human life uninterrupted… Until he found out the truth and received his elimination order from Chamuel.

Lore flashed from the room to a cave deep in the mountains, not far from the abbey. A short distance from the dark mouth, he crouched on a rock protruding from the mounds of snow, not interested in traipsing through the thick, white layer to find his target.

Whorls of heavy mist curled around him. The low clouds slowly parted, and the sun cast its weak light over the craggy, snow-covered peaks.

Eracier — Race? he sent out the thought. A word.

The warrior had to know who awaited him.

Minutes passed. His mouth thinned, then he heard a shuffle deep within the cave. A guttural rumble erupted?—

A burst of fire rolled out of the cave mouth, melting the layer of snow for several meters and forming a huge puddle.

Lore didn’t move. Always a show with these Guardians.

The air shifted. Race appeared in his massive, black dragon form, his horns and the top parts of his elongated, serpentine features lost in the low-hanging clouds.

Lore didn’t bother to ask him to change forms. This wasn’t a meet and greet. “We’ve found another psionic. You are the only unmated male left to protect her.”

The dragon watched him with an unblinking claret stare before turning his massive body, tail swooshing and flicking melted ice in Lore’s direction. Aware of how these Guardians rolled, he had already put up an invisible barrier, the water crashing in a tidal wave before cascading down again.

“You’ll find her in the abbey,” Lore informed him.

The dragon shimmered and vanished.

Despite their obdurate demeanor, the Guardians’ protection was ultimate once given. Nia would be safe with the warrior…

Lore shifted back to the abbey and entered the kitchen. The moment Race appeared, he’d leave. He stood there for a second, then glanced up in the direction of her room.

It is better this way. Then his duty could be carried out when the time came.

At a familiar shift in the air, he stilled.

A telepathic knock sounded in Lore’s mind. Recognizing the energy, he permitted it.

Allow me entry into the abbey, Loráed. Jehoel mind-linked with him. The seraph wasn’t one to be denied.

This is the Guardians’ abode. I cannot. I will meet you outside.

Lore shut the kitchen door behind him and headed for the front courtyard. The seraph stood under the leafless tree, a tall white silhouette in his robes. He’d drawn his multiple wings close to his back, and not a strand of his short blond hair dared flicker out of place despite the light breeze.

With the day overcast, his Heavenly glow remained as bright as the sun.

He’d known this seraph for eons. They sparred through the ages whenever Jehoel felt a need for a workout. That was the extent of their relationship.

Lore bowed in deference. “Jehoel . ”

“I need a fight.”

Lore studied him. The seraph had never sought him out in the human world before.

He probably had something of importance to convey. But one didn’t rush a being like him.

“I am aware you will not return to the Celestial Realm until your mission is completed,” Jehoel murmured, glancing around. “I thought I would join you here since it is an isolated place.” A long, heavy sword appeared in his hand.

Lore unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, tossing it aside. He summoned his weapon and frowned. Fighting here, the clanging metal would awaken Nia, and he didn’t want that. She’d already had quite an emotional day. She needed rest.

“This space is too small. Perhaps the mountain plateau,” Lore suggested . “Or at the foothills, near the river?”

“Very well. Down it is.”

Since the abbey was safely warded, Lore shifted to the river. Steel hissed through the air as Jehoel flew across, weapon swinging. Lore shot up and deflected the lethal strike. Lightning streaked from the clash, singeing the treetops.

He orbited Lore, shimmered, and struck hard.

“Let’s keep things muted.” Lore reared back, countering the blow equally fast. “We don’t want humans surging out to investigate the noise. Or we will have to contend with the ancient goddess Gaia and the Guardians that protect this realm when they run around claiming angels are fighting in their world.”

“Hmm…” was all Jehoel said, but the clanging was contained.

Since time wasn’t relative to them, the fight grew earnest as Lore attacked, flashed, parried, and deflected.

Hours passed. Twilight gave way to night, then the early hours of the morning when Jehoel finally spoke. “Chamuel wants your current task taken care of?—”

He aimed a deadly jab.

Lore countered with an upswing, his muscles straining, the burn welcome. “I have a protector located for her.”

“That’s not what he meant. He wants the human eliminated.”

Lore stopped dead. So quick?

Jehoel’s weapon skewered him straight through the chest.

The pain didn’t register. The seraph yanked his sword free. Blood flowed. Lore’s wound sealed a second later.

His expression must have changed, for Jehoel said, “Innocents are always caught in our unending war, Loráed. You know this. The Watchers broke a fundamental rule. Their descendants are rising, wielding powers that no human should possess.”

“These psionics live a safer life with their protectors,” he reiterated, bracing his sword on the snow-crusted ground. Nia was an innocent caught in the crossfire. She didn’t deserve to die merely for the nature of the blood pumping in her veins.

“Indeed.” Jehoel let his mammoth wings free, stirring the still air. “But not this human. She’s a liability. Finish it.”

The seraph and his sword vanished into the frigid air, the order ringing in the dawning daybreak like a death knell.

Chest heaving, Lore dismissed his weapon and raked back the loosened strands of his hair. Only the sounds of the restless river flowing past broke the morning quiet.

A liability ? What did Jehoel mean?

So, this wasn’t about Nia’s awakening powers?

Frowning, Lore scanned the abbey for her and found her in the kitchen. She stood near the table, eating the breakfast ordered from the café the previous day—the image in his mind so clear, it was as if he were there with her.

She sat on a chair and cradled her mug. Then she set it down and jerked up, sprinting outside to the front courtyard before hurrying to the back…

Looking for him?

An odd sensation gripped him at the thought.

He frowned, watching her climb the excavated steps up to the plateau, still searching. She stopped and reached up to the low-hanging clouds above and swirled a finger in the dense mist?—

A squeal emitted, likely at the iciness of the vapor, and she hastily tucked her hands under her armpits. For some reason, it made him smile, an emotion so alien that he stilled.

Exhaling deeply, he shook his head, but those tendrils of lightness lingered.

He expected her to leave the desolate plateau and return to safety. But she didn’t.

His smile faded as she trudged away from the steps, still looking around…heading toward the dangerous drop where hard layers of snow extended out, creating a false surface.

One misstep?—

No! His heart punched hard. Go back.

He took a step forward, but Chamuel’s orders anchored him in place. All he could do was watch as she drifted closer to the deadly drop...