My Guardian Angel

Back to Present Day

Seth dutifully left the next morning out my open window, but not before holding me and stroking my back and whispering in my ear how much he loved me. I'd kissed him with all the love I had in my body, making us both breathless and me flushed. He smiled and left me laying half covered by the blanket, my bare breasts exposed to him. I wanted Seth to stay, but my dad usually checked on me in the mornings, and there's no doubt if he would after the accident last night.

Almost on cue, my door cracked open and I saw my dads glasses-clad nose peep through the crack in the door, then he pulled it shut again. I lay motionless on my side, snuggled deep under the covers, not ready to get up and face the day.

I tried assessing my body after last night. I always thought I would feel something. A glow perhaps? An uplifting nature? But I simply felt good. Right. Shivers ran down my spin as I thought of the way Seth's hands ran down my body... the way his voice turned husky but gentle when he was touching me... the way his body draped over mine and his eyes watched me in pleasure.

A quick moan escaped my lips before I could stop it, and I rolled over in bed, pushing my mouth into my pillow and continuing to think of Seth.

We'd fallen asleep side-by-side. His eyes bore into mine like he never wanted to look away. He stroked my hair and my cheeks, smiling every once in a while and planting a kiss on my forehead. I'd fallen asleep with one of my legs thrown over his waist and his arms constricted around me, tracing designs on my back.

After basically reliving every moment of last night, I rolled off my bed and quickly got dressed. I found that my panties had somehow made it across the room...

My cheeks were flushed when I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't want my parents to be suspicious, so I pinched them to add some color. Thankfully, they were already out for the day and I had the house to myself. I'd promised them I'd be spending it studying for AP's that were coming up, but I was too jittery.

I called Lori after eating a grapefruit and staring out the window like a lovesick puppy.

"I HEARD, I HOPE YOU'RE OKAY!" She answered on the third ring.

I took a deep breath. "I'm fine Lori. The newspaper says that the old man's being treated at the hospital in Greenwich. A..." I scanned the paper for his name, "Mr. Trebbing." I heard her sigh of relief. "But, I do really need to talk to you..." I almost whispered.

"Alright... I'm just glad you're okay." She sounded skeptical.

My heart was pounding. Why was I nervous to tell my best friend what happened between Seth and I? Was it because it should stay between Seth and I, and not anyone else? Maybe just the thought of finally losing my virginity astounded even me... "Seth came over last night. After he heard about the accident." Lori had no idea who or what Seth really was, so there's no way I could tell her that I owe Seth my life. A million times over.

"I bet he was worried, Grace. You put him through so much with your carelessness and clumsiness."

I frowned. Now was not the time to take jabs at my awkwardness and lack of coordination. "No... Lori... me and him... after talking..." I started again. "He was worried. Really worried, and he helped me calm down a lot. And, I don't know... it all just sort of happened at once and it started out playful and I really did want to and he kept asking me and I just hope I did everything righ-"

"YOU LOST IT?" She squealed. "Oh my god Grace, finally! I mean, seriously, everyone can almost feel the sexual tension between the two of you. I almost couldn't believe it when you said you'd barely let him feel you up. I mean, granted, it's not like you didn't want him to or anyth-"

I cut her off. "LORI. I'm calling for advice, not for you to collect gossip... I don't... what if I didn't do something right?"

I heard her sigh. "You know how much Seth is in love with you, right? Every time I look at you guys," she trailed off, "he's staring at you and you don't even notice. He looks at you like he'd bring the planets out of the sky for you. It's almost odd how protective he seems of you." Inwardly, I giggled. "You don't have anything to worry about. That boy is just going to be happy that you know... you've finally... been together... knowwhatimean?"

I nodded, then agreed when I remembered she couldn't see me. "So... how was it?" I could almost hear the smile in her voice.

Blushing, I sighed and answered drunkenly. "Amazing. Incredible. The best thing ever."

"You were so horny for him." I started laughing when I realized how true that statement was.

************************************************************************

After talking with Lori for a while more, I told her that I needed to study for my AP's that were this week. Though I doubted I would get much studying done, with my mind being a thousand different places at the moment. I made peach tea to calm all my thoughts, then went to my room and sat at my desk. I couldn't stop glancing at my bed though, imagining Seth and I, just a tangle of arms and legs...

I moved back to the kitchen, frustrated that now I couldn't concentrate worth a shit. I had just started getting down to studying AP US History when my cell phone buzzed and started ringing. Groaning, I glanced down, then smiled and pressed the green button.

"Hey..." I answered timidly.

Seth's voice came through the line. "Hey Grace. I hope you're studying for your AP's." He had a smile on, I could tell.

"I am. I'd rather not be though."

"Oh? What would you rather be doing?"

So many responses came to my mind, and not one of them was truly appropriate. But I skimmed over all those. "I'd rather be with you. After everything, I just hate being by myself anymore..."

He was silent for a second. "Do you want me to come over?" I pondered this before realizing I would get nothing done with Seth here.

"I want to... but we both know I wouldn't get studying done. And I need to. I need to get good scores for Ohio Uni. I need a scholarship and any and every other thing that could help me get into Scripps."

Seth and I had talked long and hard about our futures. He had already received a letter from the University of Cincinnati with a full ride scholarship into the DAAP art program. He was a truly talented artist, and I'd made my position clear to him: nothing would stand in the way of an opportunity like that.

And Ohio U. isn't that far away. Two, two-and-a-half hours tops. And Scripps was one of the best journalism programs in the country.

"Alright. Call me if you need help studying, okay? I'm heading over to Brady's to work on a project, but I can be there in a flash if you need me." I knew that when Seth said he and Brady were "working on a project", it meant they were really doing a mandatory Guardian meeting at the Maryse Hotel. Seth said that they held meetings often, almost like being a Guardian Angel was some sort of business to run. And in a way, it was. Every Guardian had a charge that they looked after and reasons for keeping such a person alive. Whether that person is meant to be future President, develop the cure for AIDS, or hell, end world hunger, each person had their own reason for the necessity of living.

I had yet to figure out my own, and Seth didn't know either. Only the Guardian Barons and Superior Angels knew the reasons for each persons need for survival.

"I love you." I whispered to him just before hanging up the phone.

My mind drifted as I tried focusing on APUSH. I got some good work done for about a solid hour, holding my focus steady and went through the course notes our teacher gave us. But as I flipped aimlessly through my notebook, the pages swooshing in the silent kitchen, my thoughts were clouded with things that Seth had told me about the Fallen and the Book on our many walks.

"Do they ever interfere? The Angels who are at the top of the totem pole?" I'd asked.

"Only if a Guardian is misbehaving. Or they're releasing a Guardian from their charge..." He'd answered.

How do you get released from the one person you're supposed to be guarding? What would someone do to receive such punishment?

Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK outside. One of the loudest noises I've ever heard. My first instinct was to drop to the floor and crawl under the table, fearing a nuclear bomb. We'd learned about how the A-bomb had effected Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and I suddenly feared for my life. I threw my arms around my head and crouched low, putting my head between my knees. My house shook scarily, the windows shaking and doors rattling. I cried out, hoping someone would hear me, but I knew I was alone. Where were my parents? I didn't even know how long they'd be gone for.

As quickly as it came, the violence stopped. It was eerily calm, and I unlatched my shaking hands from around my head. Then, so fast I couldn't be sure it happened, the table above me was blown away. I was hauled up by my arms, and I instantly started screaming and kicking. Hands held both my arms and legs, and another one cupped over my mouth. I tried biting, but the person was wearing a glove and didn't seemed fazed. My eyes were wide as I stared at my attackers.

They pulled me out the back door of my kitchen to our backyard. We lived in a country house with a few acres of land, and there was no one in site. I continued to fight and bray in the assailants arms, but to no avail. They had a hold on me. I was suddenly dropped to the concrete, where my elbows collided hard and I cried out in pain. My cheek was pressed against the concrete with what felt like the heel of a boot.

"Where is he?" An angry voice shouted in my ear.

"I don't know who you're talking about!" I screamed as loud as I could with my cheek being pressed into my teeth.

I was hauled up again and pinned against the side of my house. Finally, I got a good look at my attackers.

They all had wings, I surprisingly noted. Why couldn't I see Seth's wings...?

"He was here. He was here everywhere. His trail is here. It's always to you. He's your Guardian. Where. Is. He?" His hot breath was against my neck and I squirmed, crying out again. "You call him Seth when you're together." His grip on my arms grew tighter. I glanced at the other 4 winged figures. They were all either looking at us or around the yard, sizing up hiding places and ways of escape, I supposed. "You called him Seth last night..." His voice trailed off, and my mouth opened with a gasp like I'd been punched.

"WHO ARE YOU?" I screamed in his face, seething. My teeth were gritted together, but I held my composure, refusing to let him see my fear. The man smiled. His teeth were perfect white, but the way he showed them was menacing. His neck and cheeks were marked with stubble, and he had bags under his eyes. He had dark black eyes. All of them did.

The man's eyes raked down my body. I tensed. All my muscles tensed, ready to strike as soon as he let go of me. I wanted to claw those black eyes right out of their sockets. I wanted to bloody his face the way Seth would. I wanted to be lethal and deadly in that moment. My mouth opened and I growled. The man threw his head back and laughed, pressing me further into the siding of my house.

"I hope you kissed him goodbye for me." He countered. I gasped, but had no time to register shock as he picked me up, and threw me over his shoulder. I kicked at his chest, screaming again.

One of the other men ran up and quickly tied something around my mouth, preventing me from screaming. I started crying as I felt my hands being tied. The man pulled me back to his chest, holding me, not gently, against him.

Then I heard a whoosh of wings, and we were lifting into the air. My tears stung my face as I flung my head around desperately trying to find Seth somewhere in the sky. But all I saw were clouds and the darkening sky above.

My pitiful screams around the cloth were choked off by the man's hand over my mouth... then his hand kept constricting tighter...

My eyes bugged wide and I started kicking at his chest while the whooshing of his wings were in my ears. His grip tightened, and I started loosing oxygen. My chest was pinching and I did the first thing I could think of. I spit the cloth out of my mouth and bit his hand so hard there was blood. A gargled "Agh" came from his mouth and he jostled me in his arms, pinning me against him, not allowing me to move whatsoever until we landed perhaps 5 minutes later.

It was completely dark now and we were standing on a warehouse roof, it looked like. One man grabbed my tied arms, and another held on to my legs while I continued to fight, albeit losing strength and energy as I pressed on. They carried me inside, down a flight of stairs where the lights were flickering and there were no sounds. My breathing intensified as their boots slapped against the linoleum stairs. It seemed to go on forever, one of the winding staircases that never ended, but it finally did. There was a steel door with a padlock that the man who I'd bit opened. His hand looked swollen, but I couldn't tell quite how bad it was from here.

"Put her in the back room and don't let her move." He instructed gruffly before turning to leave. He stopped mid-stride though, and turned back towards me. So fast that I couldn't be sure it happened, he lifted his hand and backhanded me across my cheek. I instantly felt a searing pain and headache as my eyes flew shut and everything went black.

************************************************************************

I woke groggily, but coherently. I knew exactly where I was. My arms and legs were chained up and my cheek was pressed against the cement floor. I peeled away from it, sitting up dizzily in the darkness and adjusting my eyes. My cheek was swollen from where the man had hit me, and I couldn't open my right eye all the way.

The padlocked door banged open. "Get up." I blinked at the tall outline of a figure before being jostled to my feet. He bent down, unchaining my feet but keeping my hands tied together, and led me out to where the men were sitting. He pushed me towards a chair and I sat, shaking where I was. I didn't want to be afraid. I wanted to be fearless and deadly; wanted to be hopeful that everything would be okay. But I had no idea how that would happen.

The man with the stubble and hand that I bit sat across from me. His eyes stayed locked on mine, then he flashed a terrible smile, and I suppressed a shudder. He shifted in his chair, scooting closer towards me and I flinched away. Finally, after a stare-off for a few minutes, his eyes flicked over my shoulder and he gave an imperceptible nod.

The other bolted door flew open and a flutter of limbs came through it. There were fists and wings everywhere, teeth too. Growls were escaping all of their lips as they each tried to attack the other. I instantly recognized Seth as he threw his fist into one mans jaw, dislocating it completely. "Seth..." I breathed, tears forming in my eyes.

Across the room, Seth stopped moving completely and turned towards me. I cried out as the man jumped him, pinning him on the floor with his arms behind his back. His mouth was open and jagged breathing was going in and out. "Stop it STOP IT!" I screamed, jumping from my chair and trying to run for him with my hands still tied. But I was caught mid-jump and thrown back into the chair.

"ENOUGH." I was starting to guess that the man across from me was the leader. His jaw was locked and his eyes were furious. "Let the boy up. Now." He seethed. I turned again towards Seth, where the man was yanking him towards his feet.

Seth and I locked eyes. He looked relived to see me, and I him. He was disheveled; a bruise was forming under his eye and his hands looked bloodied. Had they fought before here? What did they say to make him come? We stayed staring at each other before he bared his teeth and let out a fit of rage. "What did you do to her?!?" He yelled at the men.

"Nothing compared to what I could do. Now sit."

My heart was hammering as Seth was led to another chair that was too far away from mine. He was struggling to keep his hands and feet untied, but the men held him down. "Do not struggle, Seth Ludlow. We're here to talk."

"So talk. And let her leave, she has nothing to do with this."

The leader smiled. "Oh, she has everything to do with this. She's the reason we're here." The three of us made a big triangle, and we stayed silent for a few moments. I could hear Seth trying to control his breathing, but I could tell it was taking all of his strength not to scream and rip through the bonds and kill every one of them. I looked at him until he looked back, and tried to convey that I was alright with my eyes. "Well now, isn't this a fun little reunion? Seth, you remember the boys, Tom, Jared, Mitch, and Chandler." He gestured to the other men that were in the room. "And now we have a new addition. I'm sorry our first encounter wasn't the greatest," he turned his eyes towards me, almost looking as if he meant what he was saying, "but I'm sure in good time we'll get to know each other a lot better." Seth writhed in his chair, nearly knocking it over while I sat, staring at the giant man across from me. What was he doing with us?

"My dear, Grace, is it? You obviously know about all of this now," he started, moving his wings from behind his back, "which is the precise reason we are here. A human girl being with an Angel. It's an anomaly in our world. Never been done before. We're merely trying to understand the attraction between the two of you. Why Seth continues to put your life in danger and put his wings on the line. You see, we rarely hear of this type of...intimacy. And when we do, we're called in, more or less, to, shall we say..." His eyes turned menacing, "clean up the mess?"

I glanced to Seth, and I immediately knew the wheels in his brain were turning, trying to think of any way to get us out of this. The man continued. "You see, human women are a delicacy for us. Not edible, no no." He said, seeing my terrified expression. "I mean to say, that, even Angels enjoy a human woman every once in a while. But most of the time, we cannot handle ourselves in such a situation. Can't control ourselves. Our strength gets to be too much and the life is just..." He sighed, "sucked out of them. You notice that Seth here cannot rip out of his bonds? We know how to hold a strong Angel very well. We are trained for this, you see."

The leader scooted closer towards me. Much closer, to where I could almost feel his breath. Seth shouted from across the room while the men held him and his chair back. His chest was rising and falling fast as his eyes darted from me to the leader. "I'm quite astounded that he has not killed you yet... I'm really just very curious. How does he control himself? Or do you," he lifted his hand and I flinched away as his fingers slid across my cheek. They were oily. "Possess some sort of interesting quality that allows you to intermingle with such strength-bearing beings?"

I quirked my eyebrow. "I guess he just got lucky."

He laughed harshly, and I felt a few spit drops land on my face. I gritted my teeth together. "I guess you could say that." We all stayed silent again, staring at each other. The leader leaned back in his chair, puffing out his chest. "You know of Seth's past then?"

"Stop."

I looked to where Seth had spoken, but he was glaring at the man. I glanced back, but he was staring at me. "Can I know your name?" I asked him.

He looked amused; part of his mouth lifted. "Kai." I repeated it for emphasis. "My name is Kai, and I am a Guardian Baron. Has Seth ever told you of us, Grace?" I nodded imperceptibly, keeping my guard however. "So you know what we do then?"

I shrugged and lifted a brow. "You keep watch over the Guardians and their charges. You're higher up in rank than them."