Bernie (Guardians In Love Book 3) Page 28

  But it was not spoken of amongst family, the true circumstances of my mother’s death, and my brother had only told me to impress how important it was for me not to use the gift I was given, even if Father asked it of me.

  By the time the ability within me was discovered, however, my father had already whittled away in his bad health. Able to do little more than complain about the tasteless food he was given and the lack of women in his bed, he never knew of the gift that had led to my mother’s death. So, I never had to worry about his wanting to use it for his own purposes.

  Now, I was glad that I could at least wield it for my own reasons and save someone I loved from their possible death. I refused to believe Bernie couldn’t be saved, knowing how angels had the capability of healing such a wound. So, with the knowledge that Bernie and the others would be saved, that alone made it worthwhile. Even if I didn’t wake up after I’d lost hold on the angel I controlled. But first, it was vital I get as far from them as I could manage.

  “Princess,” Bernie whispered, his voice expressing his desperation to chase me, but the imbedded sword forcing him to stay.

  “Go now,” I demanded with a tight voice as Bastian picked up my lifeless body where I’d fallen, disappearing with a forlorn nod of farewell.

  The large wings on my back spread out fully before I flapped them down and kicked off the uneven earth. Bernie’s eyes followed me, the panic in his face making my chest and throat burn with emotion as I fled through the trees and headed the opposite direction of where they were going. I flew as long and as far as I could, unable to keep the hot tears from falling from the very eyes that had given me my first real taste of fear for a loved one.

  Angels could only be killed in a few ways; one with the elusive blade that judged the heart it pierced, the Sword of Judgment. If the angel had a heart that was Dark, the blade would take their existence. But I was not quite sure how one came to find such a sword.

  Otherwise, the only other way I knew how to vanquish an angel’s existence was to take him to the Underworld and kill them within the realm. However, it wasn’t for me to decide this angel’s fate. So instead, I traveled as far as I could go. I was determined to make sure the group had enough time to adequately flee, and I trusted that the Guardians would track the angel after I’d lost my hold on him and bring him to justice. Even if it was the last thing I would do, it was a small comfort to know that justice would be eventually had.

  As the sun began to rise along the landscape, beautiful reds, oranges, and golds of which reminded me of the man I loved and the man I had left behind, I felt the control over the angel begin to wane. My presence inside of him began to detach and grow weak, slipping away until I was finally falling into a deep, impenetrable abyss.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  ~***~

  When the stirrings of consciousness drew me back into the heavy body I currently occupied, I was forced to take in a sharp, surprised breath of air. The numbness in my limbs subsided as my consciousness began to fully awaken. Then, with an electric jolt of sensation down the length of my spine, my eyes opened abruptly to the pale eyes I knew immediately.

  The relief in Yaniv’s face distorted the lines of his brow before he was smiling and helping me sit upright. I struggled to turn my neck, the body that was clearly my own stiff and difficult to move. But after a moment, I was able to look around. Peering to the left, a familiar man stood beside my brother, whose silver hair and blue eyes immediately gave him away.

  “Brother? Anric?” I asked, fearful that everything had been a dream as I struggled to keep my face from expressing the debilitating fear when I didn’t immediately see the man I wanted to see, “Where am I? How long have I been unconscious?”

  Yaniv touched my cheek with an affectionate smile, nodding at Anric shortly before the massive man disappeared. “You are with the Promiscus Guardians, in a safe house to be more specific. As for the time you have been asleep, a few weeks perhaps.”

  Relief washed over me, but only for a moment when I looked around and didn’t see Bernie anywhere. My throat seized as I fought to regain control over my body. Enough to stand and go searching for him. Yaniv helped me as I clung to him and tried to stand. But before I could get to my feet, the wood door at the far end of the room was opened so forcefully, it was nearly taken off its hinges.

  Radiant amber eyes met my startled gaze before Bernie was stampeding over to where I was attempting to get up, taking hold of me with his strong arms wrapping around the side of my body as Yaniv barely managed to separate himself from me before the Guardian had latched onto my body in a tight embrace.

  “Oh thank heavens,” Bernie whispered, kissing the top of my head when I finally managed to return the embrace in all the confusion, “I thought I’d lost you. I thought I’d never get to hold you again. Smell you again. Kiss your sweet face again.”

  Bernie’s arms constricted, trapping me impossibly to his body. I pushed in an unintentional reaction, overly conscious of my eldest brother nearby, and dislodged us so effectively that the Guardian was sent flying, practically soaring, across the room—my brother coolly dodging Bernie’s large body as it went.

  I tensed with instant guilt when the loud thump, then resounding crack, resonated inside of the room as Bernie hit the opposite wall and cratered it with his bulky form. Anric stood by the door, smirking with his arms crossed against his chest. It was the happiest I’d seen him in a long time.

  Another silent relief, though at the expense of Bernie’s injury.

  “Or that!” Bernie hollered happily as he crawled out of the large hole in the wall, awkwardly tumbling face-first into the carpet before he got to his feet with a huge grin and happy whistle.

  Bits of white plaster fell from his clothes as he sauntered over with a visible hitch to his step, ironically pleased with my injuring him. It was so incredibly adorable that I was trembling with the desire to tackle him to the ground and kiss wherever I could reach, apologizing to each inflicted injury on his body. It was apparently visible on my face, because Yaniv’s eyebrow rose with the small, inquiring look he offered me.

  “How could I live one day without getting beaten down by my beautifully macho princess?” Bernie added with a purely blissful expression.

  He really did say the sweetest things.

  Yaniv’s lips lifted, his hand cradling his chin. “How indeed. Your masochism is quite refreshing, Bernie.”

  “Why thank you, dear brother-in-law.” Bernie picked up his hat and bowed with a cough, shoving it onto his head with another self-satisfied grin when Yaniv’s intensifying smile suggested he didn’t mind Bernie addressing him that way.

  So, Bernie had won over my brother completely. Interesting.

  “Seeing how my sister appears to be well enough considering, I shall retrieve the angel so that we can finally discuss a few matters,” Yaniv stated, drawing my eyes to him, “If you feel you are well enough, Sister?”

  I nodded, smiling at him without hesitation. “All good I hope?”

  “Nothing considerably life-ending, I think,” my brother responded sarcastically, his pale eyes twinkling.

  I would know that look anywhere. He had something already planned out and ready to execute, and I merely had to wait for him to tell me. My brother never spoke more than what was necessary, but I could see how he was both relieved and proud to see me awake after what I’d accomplished. We both understood that the end result could have been quite different, and for a silent moment, we mourned our mother together with a passing, poignant smile.

  But I had woken. Bernie had survived. I had done what I was never truly trained to do. There was no better outcome than this one.

  However, surprisingly enough, my eyes felt hot as Yaniv escaped with Anric in tow, his keen perception comprehending my desire to be left alone with my Guardian.

  The door clicked closed, and then I was instantly dashing towards Bernie, who was shaking out his shirt that simply stated ‘Cowgirl Doormat’ and then wip
ing down his denim pants with the smile still beaming on his face.

  Apparently not expecting my sudden charge of his person, Bernie fell without bracing himself to the floor, a loud thud echoing which was shortly followed by coughing as he recovered from the impact.

  “Holy smokes, princess! That’s one way to sweep a man off his feet,” he mused, still coughing.

  Ignoring his quip, I took hold of him by the collar of his shirt and kissed his lips with every ounce of relief I felt knowing that he had lived—that I had saved him with my power and that I could continue to stay by his side now that I had woken inside of my own body again.

  Chuckling, Bernie slipped his fingers through my hair and cradled my head gently as he returned my desperate kiss. Our mouths fused hotly before Bernie maneuvered my body tenderly, handling me as though he worried I might break, until I was laid out underneath him. Caging me in with his arms while putting some distance between our bodies, his chest heaved in and out sharply.

  I reached for his face. “Bernie.”

  “My sweet little strong darling,” he greeted, cupping my hand with his larger one before pressing a kiss to my palm.

  He was so incredibly beautiful with the light of the sun hitting his body and illuminating him in all his glory. I wanted nothing more than to tell him so. But for some reason, the words weren’t forthcoming. The only thing I found my internal voice crying out over and over was that I loved him. I needed him. I wanted desperately to be his.

  None of it found its way out of my mouth, no matter what I did to try and speak what was inside of my heart.

  But I didn’t need to say the words, because I knew that Bernie could see how I felt in the way I looked at him. The way I touched his face with my hand, brushing fingers over the scruff of his masculine jaw, feeling the growth of his beard. The way I breathed quickly, near hyperventilation, just knowing that he was alive and well. And in the way my heart pounded, pulse thrumming, without slowing just with having him near to me, breathing the very same air as me.

  All of it was for him.

  Words weren’t enough to express the elation I felt knowing that he was okay after seeing him stabbed through on the length of a long blade. Knowing that if I hadn’t managed to use my ability, we would both have likely died that night. No amount of words would ever express how much relief I felt when Bernie had come through the bedroom door.

  Bernie’s smile was breathtaking as he kissed me again, drawing away just enough to whisper the words I’d already heard and responded to, time and time again, in my heart. The words that had separated me from a life of responsibility and duty, and had instead given me something so much greater—a life with the one I loved.

  While I might never overcome the cool indifference I naturally projected because of the persona I had spent my life perfecting, I no longer felt guilty for choosing Bernie. After believing I’d already lost him, I would never take him for granted again.

  I needed him in my life. There was no other way I could live. I’d been an empty shell before I met my Guardian, never having truly lived in the one hundred and fifty years I was alive. But after meeting Bernie, I understood that there was so much I wished for and wished to be. So much I wished to accomplish. So many things I could do with these abilities of mine. With this strength and perseverance running through my veins.

  I wanted more. Needed more now that I had met Bernie.

  “I love you so much, Nyla. All this time, these few weeks you’d been asleep, it damn near killed me.”

  My heart was so full that I feared it might burst.

  “I love you, too,” I whispered back, lifting my head and pressing our mouths together again. Then, pulling away, my lips slid up into a smile that expressed just how much love I held for him as I regarded the already partially transformed face of my Guardian lover. “I was lost, but you were able to find me. I have come home, Bernie.”

  Amber eyes ignited with emotion as Bernie smiled in return. “Welcome home, darling.”

  ~*~

  “The angel you encountered, Caius, was part of another incident in Heaven,” Simon imparted, regarding me shortly before peering at the collected group—my brother, Anric, Bernie and Carl, as well as the four other Guardians that faced down the Dark angel with us. “Vedric and his team will seek out the angel, so nothing further would be required of you on Caius’ entrapment.”

  Yaniv listened carefully as Bernie held me close, intimately embracing me in front of so many that I was stiffly uncomfortable but compliant. The rest of the group appeared to barely notice us, having already greeted and thanked me for my assistance a few weeks ago. It was still difficult to know I’d been asleep for such an extensive bit of time, but a few weeks here had only been a day or two in my realm, so Yaniv had only arrived the day before to check on my condition.

  “This angel,” Yaniv started, “he still lives?”

  Simon’s gaze wandered over to my brother, glinting. “Yes.”

  “Then, would it be overstepping of me to suggest my sister join with the Promiscus Guardians and aid in the search? Her tracking abilities far exceed most within the realm. She would prove an invaluable asset to you.”

  My breathing hitched as Bernie’s smile faltered, not quite expecting that suggestion. Simon’s face remained smiling, but his eyes flickered with emotion the moment my brother finished speaking. Then, smiling empathetically, he turned his gaze on me.

  “On loan? Or might I expect more out of such a partnership?”

  “Her choice,” my brother responded judicially, his smile lifting his lips as he gestured towards me, “She controls her fate now, not I.”

  My throat felt tight as warmth flooded my body, overcome by all sorts of emotions that I couldn’t quite express into words. One that was forefront and clear, however, was affection.

  I knew to what lengths my brother had gone to make it clear that I was my own person and not bound by any sort of duty to him or our kingdom. He was now endeavoring to make me a place here within this realm, and it was evident he decided I would prove a useful tool for the Guardians. He obviously wished to make the transition easy for me, and for that, I’d do my best to return his kind regard by graciously accepting the position.

  The room was quiet, except for the nervous shuffling of a troll in his metal armor. And while I knew what my answer would be well before Yaniv had spoken, I still hesitated. Which, in turn, made the man beside me clear his throat and wave everyone away with his hand.

  “Can’t you see she’s overwhelmed,” Bernie said, laughing, “Give the princess some thinking room. It ain’t something she can answer right on the spot.”

  “It’d be bad if she didn’t join us. I just spent the last three weeks writing several poems for her, and I haven’t even gotten to tell her one,” Vedric whispered to Bastian.

  “For everyone’s sake, mostly mine and hers, do not utter a word of any one of them,” Bastian retorted dryly.

  Vedric harrumphed, clearly upset. “It would do your arrogant ass some good to serenade someone. Or…wait, have you not found the right man yet?” Snickering, Vedric elbowed the vampire, obviously proud of himself.

  If I hadn’t been in Simon’s presence, I would have punished the troll for such outright impertinence myself.

  Instead, Bastian glowered at Vedric, kicking out the small troll’s legs swiftly just when it looked like Vedric might add something. The clatter of metal echoed loudly inside the room, a resigned sigh leaving Simon’s lips as Myra and Zane laughed between them. My brother and Anric even smirked with amusement as the troll struggled to get off his back, weighed down by the large weapon and armor he wore.

  “Even if I was attracted to men, which I am not…” For some reason or another, Bastian’s eyes strayed over to Carl whose impeccably dressed body was leaned up against a nearby wall, arms crossed and expression indifferent, “—I would still have better tactics for wooing them than you do, even despite not actively seeking a partner.”

  Piecing
it together in the seconds that passed with the small, widened glance Carl gave the vampire and the way Bastian grinned with silent victory, it could be assumed that there was something in Bastian’s pointed statement that insinuated a great deal about Carl. Particularly, his chosen affections.

  I hadn’t seen it before, but now that I’d perceived it in that brief moment, I finally understood the reason Bernie chose to be deliberately flamboyant with his mannerisms. It was to deflect attention away from the one who truly harbored those sorts of affections to Bernie instead. My admiration for their sibling relationship was dramatically increased with that revelation. I was very close to hugging Bernie and rewarding his kind heart with a kiss.

  It was something I wished I could have done for Vlad. Be his shield. Be his weapon. Be his strength and relief. It was something I would always regret, because if I had been stronger for him, I might’ve saved him from himself.

  My poignant moment passed when the rest of the group laughed at the troll’s antics as he grumbled and got to his feet, resituating the armor plate he wore and body-sized hammer attached to his back.

  Blatantly ignoring the vampire’s stare, Carl came towards us, his meticulously put-together self a breath of fresh air as he took my hand and pressed a greeting kiss to it. “My idiot brother doesn’t deserve you, Nyla.”

  “Hey! You’re supposed to build me up, not take me down in one fell swoop, you big ol’ meanie,” Bernie whined, relieving the invisible tension collecting between Carl and Bastian.

  Carl’s amber eyes glimmered, trailing from me to his brother as Bernie stole my hand and earned himself an elbow to his side when he got a bit too showy with his affections by laying a possessive kiss on my cheek for everyone in the room to see. Carl clicked his tongue with distaste, shaking his head and taking a step back before glancing Simon’s direction, then my brother’s.