Bernie (Guardians In Love Book 3) Read online

  If what he said about us being bonded was true, I hoped desperately that Yaniv would understand and let Bernie be the man in my life. Praying a silent, hopeful prayer, I followed the Guardian up the stairs to where we had left my unconscious fiancé.

  Chapter Sixteen

  ~***~

  “Bernie, what are you doing exactly?” I asked, exasperated.

  Bernie shuffled quickly from one side to the other, looking around the room and keeping hold of my hand so that I was out of Anric’s reach. “He was real angry before. What if he wakes up, pounces on me, and then steals you away?! I’ve never been real good with surprise attacks, princess.”

  Landing a fist on his head, I walked forward with purpose, kneeling down and inspecting the man who was still very much unconscious. Bernie was amazing to have knocked Anric so deeply out with the one hit. And if I weren’t slightly concerned over the repercussions of knocking out my longtime teacher, I would have been mesmerized by the true beauty of such a move. Instead, I was trying to figure out how best to approach waking Anric so that he was thwarted in any attempt he made to get his vengeance on Bernie.

  “I should have a stick somewhere we can poke him with ‘til he wakes up. I know it’s got to be somewhere around here,” Bernie said from behind me as he resumed his bustling from one side of the room to the other, apparently searching for said stick.

  I glanced over my shoulder, eyes narrowed with scorn. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Just wait a pretty little minute, darling,” Bernie said, moving some boxes around in the room, “I’ll find that stick, and then you stay behind me while I poke him.” I reached for my sword near the door. “Gently, princess, gently! Of course I wouldn’t want to kick a man while he’s down. What sort of cowboy do you take me for? I’m honorable, I swear it!”

  Honorable? Yet, he intended to poke the unconscious man with a stick?

  I nearly laughed out loud at how incredibly ridiculous he was, biting my lip to keep from outright giggling at his frantic explanation to avoid any further punishment. I should have hit him, because he was still being undeniably ill-mannered. But instead, I returned my focus to the slumped form of my friend and shook his shoulder. And when that didn’t work, I backhanded Anric with unnecessary force. I must have been a little upset with him, because it was evident in the vibrant red that appeared on his cheek that I’d put a little too much power into the hit.

  Anric’s body shuddered before his eyes opened quickly and he looked around the room, clamoring to his feet. “What…how…Princess Nyla?”

  Aw, he was so confused that it was utterly adorable. Not to mention, it was my first time seeing Anric like this.

  Bernie took hold of my arms and maneuvered me around his body to hide me from Anric’s view, then crossed his arms against his chest. I worried for a second that the two were going to fight once more, but in a single breath, Anric smiled broadly at Bernie, who then laughed happily and bowed his head.

  “Sorry ‘bout that, buddy. I don’t know my own strength sometimes,” Bernie said in a rush, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck as Anric shook his head and smiled in an unusual way.

  Were Anric’s cheeks red?

  Anric struck his arm across his chest, reverence in the gesture that I’d never seen him pay to anyone that wasn’t myself or Yaniv. “You have bested me when no other but my King has been able to.”

  “Aw, shucks,” Bernie cooed cutely, giggling into his hand, “I just did what I could to protect the princess.”

  “And for that, you have my gratitude. I can see her reason for allowing you into her good graces, Guardian. You have bested even my skill. Any man who can best me in evident fear for the princess deserves a place beside her. Thus, I apologize for my earlier indiscretion and the contempt that I exhibited towards you.”

  What was actually happening here?

  Bernie smiled over his shoulder at me. “Lookie, princess, I got me a new macho friend. Ain’t I just the luckiest man alive?!”

  Unable to comprehend what was truly happening, I simply nodded at the happy, joyfully smiling Guardian. Anric took a knee and struck his chest again, standing up and sighing a deep breath directly afterwards. Brushing back his silver hair, the blue eyes that had once been nothing but derisive towards Bernie were regarding the Guardian with immense deference and subservience.

  It would seem my teacher had joined with the rest of us enchanted by the easy-going Guardian.

  I’d seen it a time or two with Anric, but never towards anyone that wasn’t royalty. While he had served under my father, he had never truly cared for the man. His loyalties had always rested with my brother, Yaniv.

  Craton had lost what made him honorable over time and become a self-centered king for the last millennium, so Anric despised my father’s inability to see past his own greed in the last thousand years. Thus, he had never truly bowed to my deceased father. Seeing the sparkling, practically fanboy eyes of a man his size was quite the sight.

  And Bernie had managed to make it happen.

  But I wasn’t quite surprised that he had, because the Guardian had a natural ability for gaining favor with anyone he spoke to, even if they were against his very existence in the beginning. Like he had with me, he would slowly seep in and become a beloved friend.

  My eyes absently followed the lines of his strong physique, cheeks flushing with the memory of his body entwined with mine just the night before. I did whatever I could to silence the internal voice admiring him inside my head, but it was to no avail. I was still completely taken with Bernie. Perhaps even more so after our intimate night together.

  The night I promised myself I would forget.

  Anric cleared his throat, resituating his blade at his side and fixing his shirt that had exposed his muscular waistline. He controlled his expression, the usual severity returning to his face as he peered at me briefly before regarding Bernie with a short nod. His massive body occupied the space in front of us, his muscles tensing as he readied himself for what he intended to say. I was temporarily distracted by the way Anric appeared in the simple fitted shirt and pants, which exposed his body much more than the armor he usually wore in my presence.

  But after a short, distracted second, I concluded that his physique would never compare to the musculature of my Guardian and the way it moved when he would…

  No, I couldn’t think any more of our night together. There wasn’t a comparison to be made. Even though in my heart I wished that what Bernie spoke of, the bond he insisted was between us, was true, I knew that I still had to fulfill my duty of marrying Anric.

  Silly notions like magical bonds were simply something I couldn’t rest my hopes on. My duty was to my kingdom and my brother, the king. If that meant marrying a man I didn’t love, then that was exactly what I would do. It was my responsibility to lead by example. Not to run away with ridiculous notions of love and bonds.

  I was a princess first. I would marry Anric and disregard the previous night as a temporary bout of madness. Or so I told my heart, which still beat rapidly for the Guardian standing beside me.

  “I fear we must depart. Prince Vlad requires a royal burial in our kingdom, and I must escort his body home alongside the princess,” Anric said, sobering our conversation.

  My heart clenched as I felt the renewed grief that I had only just managed to tuck away. The events surrounding the discovery of my brother’s death had nearly stolen all my focus, but now that Anric spoke so somberly of his death, I was reminded that it wasn’t some horrible dream that my brother had been killed. It was my living, breathing nightmare.

  Guilt occupied my chest as I swallowed around the emotion constricting my throat, the burning in my eyes a warning that if I lost control, I would crumble into despair once more. As a princess, this was simply not allowed. Anric was an embodied reminder of that.

  Bernie glanced at me, his smile faltering before he was readjusting the hat that sat atop his head, having tilted it back slightly. “I’d
be real grateful if you let me come along with you two. Pay my respects and all that.”

  Anric crossed his arms against his chest, thinking seriously. “It might be just what the king desires, to have one of the Guardians pay a visit to our kingdom. It is his hope to further establish ties with your society of Guardians.”

  I nodded, feeling the sudden tension in my body near breaking with the emotion that was collecting in face of leaving. “I think it would be just what Brother would want.”

  Please come.

  My eyes fixed to the Guardian, causing Bernie’s smile to promptly return and intensify. “Yee-haw! Let’s get this rodeo started!”

  Anric’s face morphed with confusion, leaving me desperate not to laugh as Bernie slung an arm around the stiff man’s shoulders and ruffled his hair. The sight was, surprisingly, not the most alarming part about the exchange. It was instead the mere fact that Anric allowed it to happen without a single attempt to evade or punish Bernie. Completely mystified by the power Bernie seemed to have over others, I followed the two men out of the room and down the steps.

  The air was warm and intense when I reached the last step of the staircase, the presence of whoever waited something I couldn’t forget as I peered at the beautiful man standing silently smiling in the middle of the receiving room. His long, pale blonde hair and gentle blue eyes regarded me for a moment before he was bowing and motioning for the three of us to come forward.

  He was dressed in a smart suit and tie, his massive body just as powerful, if not more so, than any of the men in the room. Yet, there was a command to his presence that I’d only met with once before when I was introduced to Simon.

  An angel.

  “I see that I had nothing to be concerned over,” the man, who was clearly an angel, stated with an affectionate regard of the Guardian hovering near my side, “That pleases me greatly. Welcome to our realm, Princess of the Spiritum Bellatorum. I am Victor, an angel on the council overseeing the Promiscus Guardians, and Bernie and Carl’s supervising angel.”

  The look offered to Bernie caused the cowboy to lose his smile for a moment, intriguing me greatly as Carl stood beside Victor, appearing relieved to see the three of us unharmed and in relatively good spirits. There was also a slightly confused look tainting his brow as he panned from Bernie to Anric, evidently trying to decide if the two were in good spirits because they had fought it out, or if they had come to some sort of agreement.

  Perceptive as always. He was truly a very gifted Guardian.

  Victor stepped forward slowly, nodding a greeting to Anric before taking my hand and kissing the top respectfully. Bernie pouted beside me, fiddling with his shirt as Victor pulled away with another gentle smile.

  “You can’t steal all the good moves, boss,” Bernie complained, fidgeting as his eyes strayed over to me. “He’s got someone, you know. He’s taken. Not available. Totally attached.”

  Aw, he was jealous.

  My lips twitched as I stared at Bernie. “I do not see what that has to do with my meeting him, Bernard,” I retorted sarcastically, wholly taken with Bernie’s pouting expression as his lip stuck out further and his eyes pleaded me not to be affectionate with Victor.

  It was unbelievably adorable.

  Victor’s eyes watched us, an intelligence in his luminescent eyes that was similar to the angel, Simon, I’d previously met. I knew from one look that Victor gathered what it was between Bernie and I. It was obvious that he was incredibly perceptive and would deduce the connection the two of us shared. Of this I was certain. As ashamed as I was to say, there was very little I could do to conceal my unintentional reactions to Bernie.

  Thankfully, Anric wouldn’t be as keen because the man wasn’t insightful when it came to social interactions such as these. In all the years I’d known him, he never paid mind to anything other than myself and Big Brother. Even our men, who were sometimes brazen enough to try to persuade me, Anric never correctly discerned their intentions. He was always surprised when one would overstep their bounds and attempt to do more.

  Of course, none of them made it very far because my punishment for such things was immensely harsh and often led to their dismissal from my ranks.

  However, in a battle, Anric’s perception was unmatched. But in a social standing, he was still, to this very day, utterly clueless. So, I didn’t worry that Anric would pick up on anything unless Bernie outright kissed me in front of the man’s face. Even then, he may not conclude fully what was occurring between us. Perhaps see it as another overly forward admirer, but never as something that might actually be reciprocated on my part.

  For that, I was thankful.

  I took a step to the side, adding distance between Bernie and I. Knowing the self-proclaimed cowboy Guardian, it was very likely that he might try something. I had to be on my guard, at least until I spoke with Big Brother and had a moment to explain in my own words what had been vaguely explained to me. Maybe Brother would have some idea of how to proceed, because I was truly at a loss. My body was already betraying me as my stare wandered back to where Bernie stood, smiling happily as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  Yes, it was best to keep my distance as much as I could until we were safely in the kingdom.

  “I suppose you will return to your kingdom,” Victor said, effectively pulling me out of my contemplative thoughts to his eyes, which were watching me knowingly. “I am very sorry about your brother, Princess Nyla. I did all that was within my power to save him. While he had made a few grave errors, he was not beyond recovery. It was also my hope to assist in convincing him to walk away from the world he had unintentionally traveled.”

  These Guardians were endlessly kind, and it made my heart hurt from my loss even greater. Vlad may have been redeemed through them. He may have seen the error in his ways. The continuous ‘what ifs’ circled my head as I honed my emotions and drained my face of any expression that might give away the true depth of pain smothering my heart.

  Swallowing around the sudden dryness in my throat, I nodded my head respectfully. “Of course, and for that I am truly grateful. Vlad was the decider of his fate, as much as it pains me to say so. This is the consequence of the choices he made.”

  The words left my mouth without emotion, but inside, I crumbled beneath the weight of them. However, as I stood strong against the wave of emotional pain making my body very close to losing strength, I made a solemn vow to myself that I would get vengeance for my fallen brother. He would not be forgotten. He would not have died in vain. The demon who ended his life would be brought to justice.

  This was my silent promise.

  Victor’s eyes passed over my face, his gorgeous features striking me silent with their effortless beauty before he smiled sadly. “I do not suppose you might be interested in joining the Guardians?”

  Anric stiffened beside me, clearly not happy with the angel for having suggested as much. “Sir,” he started, voice tight, “the princess—”

  “Yes,” Victor interjected with a soft sigh, “I understand quite well that she cannot. I was merely musing out loud.” There was a glint in his blue eyes that indicated otherwise as his luminous stare fixed to mine before trailing away to where Bernie stood. “And you wish to join them on their return to the In-Between realm?”

  Bernie perked up with a smile. “Yup!”

  Victor sighed deeply, shaking his head with a resigned smile. “I thought as much. Very well, I will permit it. However, Carl must remain here to help with a local issue, so you will be venturing alone. Are you quite sure you still wish to go?”

  Bernie wrapped an arm around Carl’s shoulders, dragging his unwilling twin into his side. “Gonna miss me?”

  “Not one bit.”

  “Meanie,” Bernie whined.

  Carl leered happily at his brother. “I’m looking forward to the vacation away from your relentless idiocy.”

  Their pure brotherly love was heartwarming.

  “Princess!” Bernie cried out, heading st
raight for me with his arms outstretched.

  Without thinking, I crouched down quickly, rolling the massive man over my back, and followed his body with a swift leg that hit with a force that shattered the wood floor he landed onto.

  Holy Mother!

  I stood, retaining my outward calm while internally shrieking that I’d just hit a Guardian in front of their overseeing angel. My heart clamored painfully as I finally gathered enough courage to look over to Victor. Instead of the beratement I expected to see in his expression as Bernie flopped onto his belly with a groan and coughed through the pain of my hit, I saw that the angel was actually smiling happily, openly content with the brutal hit.

  “I see that I leave Bernard in very good hands with you, Princess Nyla. I wish you safe travels, and my regards to your brother.” I watched the angel, unable to suppress the astonishment that I was surely showing on my face. “Do remember that the demon who seeks you is incredibly powerful and can very likely track you through the realms. However, I can see that you have the means to defend yourself, so I will say nothing further on the matter.”

  Carl smiled at me sweetly while I pressed a hand on my startled heart. Bernie finally got to his feet and shook the residual pain from his body before gazing at me enthusiastically. Then, Anric pounded his chest with respect, bowing to the angel as Victor spoke to Carl quietly.

  “Just you and me, darling,” Bernie said, arm attempting to encircle my waist.

  I deftly evaded him and strode on ahead of the others towards the door without another word, stomach fluttering with the very idea of having Bernie in my world. Where I was just as much of an outsider as he would be. At least in court. Anric left through the door, and just as I was about to follow, Victor stopped me with his beseeching tenor.

  “Oh, and princess?” I turned, regarding the angel with a look of cool, reserved interest. “My offer remains should you decide to join the Guardians. Infinitely. Simply call upon me and the position is yours.”