Guardian (3 page)

Walking to the cascading backdrop of the city of lights, I placed my hands on the towering picture window in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, I allowed the majestic view to seep in, which allowed me, if only temporarily, to forget how uncomfortable I felt in my dress. My nerves were completely on edge.

“Amazing view, isn’t it, Macy?” Trey’s voice echoed around me, causing my heart to skip a beat or two.

“Yes, it is,” I replied back before turning around to face him. His eyes fell effortlessly into mine, leaving me dizzy with desire.

“You look beautiful. I mean…really gorgeous, Mac.” He walked over to me, his body only inches from mine, and I felt my cheeks grow hot once more.

“Well, you don’t look too bad yourself, Trey.” I ran my hands along the lapels of his black tuxedo. I figured there was no harm in flirting; heaven knows, I was completely smitten with him. It was obvious that he felt the same way.

His hands cupped my face as he leaned in, our lips meeting in a hot, breathless kiss. Images swirled about as I fell into the heat of the moment, perfection flowing from every angle. His lips tasted like chocolate and wine, which inadvertently pulled me inward even more. Trey’s arms slipped around my waist, and I found myself running my hands through his mahogany locks. His lips left mine, traveling toward my neck as I looked skyward at the mural of a heavenly sky painted on the ceiling above us. I watched as the ceiling came to life, the clouds moving slowly and the angels floating with elegance as they peered down upon the couple who were entangled in a fierce moment of passion.

“Trey?” I said quietly.

“Hmmm” he whispered back, his lips never leaving the nape of my neck.

“I-I really need to get back to the party.”

He ignored my statement, and his lips wandered back to mine. I allowed myself to fall back into our lustful kiss once more, his lips pressing against mine more fervently this time.

“Trey!” Her voice rang out like shards of glass hitting a concrete floor. I immediately pulled myself away. She was obviously completely disgusted by what she had just witnessed. Deidra Parsons stood at the end of the hallway, eyes boring anger at her son and the girl who she rightly despised.

“Trey…back to the party…now.” Her words were vile. Her long, satin, black dress whipped around in anger as she departed, her footsteps loud as she thundered away. I was sure she would tell my parents what she found their daughter doing with her son, and I panicked in fear.

“Look, I gotta go,” I said, not knowing what else to say to the stunned face in front of me.

“Macy…I really like you. I always have. Can we talk about this later, like after the ceremony?” Trey had a firm grasp on my right hand, as I allowed my fingers to intertwine with his, if only briefly.

I shook my head, unable to think straight after such a perfect moment, feeling anew the anxiety of the ceremony that awaited me in the other room. “I like you, too. But I’m not sure this is…right.” It became blatantly obvious that I had wounded the heart of the one who had allowed his feelings for me to show. I felt bad for allowing my stinging words to fall from the tip of my tongue.

Instead of walking away, a devious smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Well, that’s what makes it even more intriguing. Something so wrong can sometimes feel so right,” he said, running his fingers through my hair. Even the way he spoke made me yearn for his touch even more. I wanted him.

“Perhaps,” I replied, bravely leaning in and kissing him ever so lightly on the lips.

I heard the string quartet begin playing, the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. Everyone was taking their seats as they awaited my entrance. This meant my induction was set to start in less than ten minutes.

Trey let go of my hand, his fingertips tracing the outline of my lips before kissing the tip of my nose softly. “I suppose that’s your cue, gorgeous.”

Chapter Three

Namesake

I stood behind the closed doors of the Great Hall with my parents at my side. The guests were seated on the other side, awaiting my walk down the
Aisle of Namesake,
a rite of passage to becoming a Guardian.

“Macy, honey, you look beautiful,” my mother sang out as a tear trickled down her cheek.

My father kissed the top of my hand he held onto tightly. “We’re so proud of you. Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, Dad.” I closed my eyes and took one final deep breath.

The string quartet began playing
Angelic Traces
, a beautiful piece the Guardians had adopted several hundred years ago as their victorious anthem. The enormous wooden double doors opened at once, leaving me standing in front of a crowd of onlookers and a room full of glorious white lily and red rose flower arrangements.

I let go of my parents’ hands and walked forth, my nerves on edge, but the love of a new life burning brightly before me. The Baron and Empress of the Guardians stood at the end of the aisle, awaiting my arrival. As I passed by the many faces that I had come to know and respect over the past eleven years, I smiled at each of them, reflecting on how we were no longer friends…but family. Trey stood beside his mother, a sour look etched across her face as I walked by. I smiled at Trey, avoiding all eye contact with Mrs. Parsons. He winked at me, causing a warm pulse of desire to creep down my spine.

Reaching the end of the aisle, I watched as Baron Griland nodded his head to the gathered crowd, prompting each of them to take their seats. My emotions were swirling as an effusion of dizziness fell over me. I tried to pull myself together, knowing good and well this would all be over soon.

“To the Guardian society – we welcome our newest member, Macy Louise Milligan, to our family. Her mother and father have given us their blessing, and we in return will give them the sacred honor, accepting Macy as one of our own.”

Baron Griland stepped forward, opening
The Book Of Shomer
…now was the time to remember the lines that I had worked so hard to memorize.

“Becoming a Guardian means giving your life to another, a life in which you vow to protect, honor…to serve the soul you are bestowed. In this, you are giving forth the right to only administer protection to this one individual, eliminating the opportunity for direct involvement or deep interaction. We are to oversee. We are not to satisfy our own desires. Macy, do you agree to the terms of the Guardians?”

My voice rose victoriously as my confidence grew. “I do. I vow to protect, honor and serve the soul that I am bestowed…today, tomorrow and for all eternity. May I do so with integrity.”

Empress Griland stepped forward, placing a simple crown adorned with white diamonds and topaz upon my head. The weight of its beauty made the gates of reality open with ease. I heard the soft sniffle of my mother behind me, causing my own eyes to well up with tears. I didn’t allow the waves of emotions to spill over, not just yet.

“May the name of the life given to Macy now be spoken.”

I watched as Baron Griland looked within the tattered pages of
The Book of Shomer
, his finger landing upon the name I knew was now mine.

“Evan Samuel Williamson. Do you accept this name as your accord, Macy?”

The name sped through my mind at lightning speed, as I searched for the right answer. My voice quivered as I quietly said, “I do. May their name be etched upon my heart forevermore.”

The Baron and Empress smiled at me as my
Aisle of Namesake
came to a close. I had mastered my lines with flying colors.

“May his heartbeat become yours, Macy.”

I nodded my head in reply as Evan’s spirit merged effortlessly with mine, his heartbeat thumping within my ears, intertwining like vines upon the mossy wall of life’s history. My guardian tattoo began to pulse beneath my skin, the heat of his being becoming a part of me.

“May I present to you, Lady Milligan, honorary member to the Guardians!” Baron Griland raised his hands to the sky as the guests rose to their feet in great applause. I curtsied to the Baron and Empress before turning around to face my new family. A smile of happiness rose to my lips as tears of joy spilled over effortlessly. My mother and father were clapping louder than anyone in the room, I was sure of it.

Chapter Four

Passion

I awoke the following morning exhausted and completely famished. Having only picked sparsely at my dinner the night before, my stomach growled in displeasure. I threw my legs over the side of my bed, running my hands through my tangled locks before slipping my feet into my pink house shoes. Pulling the curtains of my bedroom window open, I looked out at the busy city streets below. It was nearly eight on a Saturday morning; individuals were walking the streets with lattes in hand and dogs on leashes for their morning walk. Somewhere among these city streets my Shomer was starting his morning, a changed person…although he didn’t know it, nor would he ever. Evan Samuel Williamson. The name sounded debonair. I couldn’t wait to learn more about him, to meet him in silence.

I made my way to the kitchen, my dad with his nose in the
New York Times
and my mother flipping pancakes on the stove.

“Morning, Lady Milligan,” my father said.

“Good morning, Dad. I mean, Lord Milligan,” I said teasingly.

I took a seat at the table, taking a sip of the freshly-squeezed orange juice my mother had gone to the trouble of making for us. I reached over to the bowl of fruit residing on the table, as I waited anxiously for the piping hot pancakes. Grabbing a slice of ripe watermelon, its sweetness instantly filled my parched mouth.

“So, Dad, how is Wes?” Wes was my father’s Shomer, a stockbroker who lived in lower Manhattan with his wife and three daughters. My father had been assigned as his Guardian nearly twenty years ago. Upon doing so, he had met my mother at his own rite of passage, falling passionately in love with her. Seven weeks after their introduction, they were married in a small ceremony at City Hall. Eleven months later I arrived, the only child to two devoted parents who had introduced me to the extravagant life of a Guardian.

Wealth came with the Guardian name. Our society was incredibly rich. Not only with money, but dripping with jewels, lavish wardrobes and posh treasures from past members, who had left their entire inheritances to our culture. We had a mission, and with that calling in mind, we shared the assets as a family. There was no greed, no jealous lies, and no reason for speaking quietly behind another member’s back. We might not be blood kin, but we were a tightly knit brood of individuals that vowed to carry on the name of our ancestors…together as one.

My mother asked me the question I had been dreading but expecting just as I stuffed my mouth full of pancakes. “So, about Trey…I hear you two got a little cozy last night. Is that true?”

I watched as my father’s eyes peeked over the top of his newspaper.

I struggled to swallow the remaining mass of wadded up pancake before answering her. “If you’re asking if I like him, yes.” I wasn’t about to discuss the heated moment shared between Trey and me with my parents. There are just some things worth keeping locked within your heart.

“He’s a nice young man, honey. But just be careful. I know…things.”

I furrowed my brow at her before responding, “Things? Like what, that his mother despises me…us? I’m aware of that, and I don’t rightly care.”

Apparently my father decided this intimate conversation was more suited to being between a mother and daughter. He rose to his feet, newspaper and coffee mug in hand. “I’m off to the shower.”

Mom waited until my father was out of earshot before continuing. “Trey is very good looking, extremely devoted to the Guardians, but he has a way with the ladies, Macy. Just don’t fall too quickly.”

Before even thinking, I blurted out the first thought that came to mind, “Well, you married Dad after only having known him for seven weeks. Isn’t that considered falling quickly?”

“Okay, okay…you got me there, Mac.” She reached over and grabbed my hand, allowing the tears to spill over. “Love is an amazing feeling. Lust is too. Just sort out the differences before giving your heart away.”

“Aw, Mom…” I squeezed her hand tightly.

My mother was always so emotional. She was certainly guilty of wearing her heart on her sleeve. But her spirit was so genuine, as a Guardian and as a beautiful human being.

“Sorry for being so cross. Everything is just still so new. Things have changed quickly.”

My mother stroked my hand gently. “No need to apologize, Mac.”

“I like Trey. I didn’t say I
loved
him,” I replied quietly.

“I know.” She drew in her breath and exhaled loudly. “Well, I suppose you should get going. You are now a Guardian. You have business to tend to today. Evan is waiting for you.”

I watched as a smile washed over her face. Stepping into guardianship meant falling into adulthood. Human I would always remain, but angelic I had become.

I stood up to clear the table, but Mom grabbed the plate from my hand before I could take another step.

“I’ve got it this morning. Off you go!”

I drank the last bit of orange juice in my glass and headed to my room to get dressed, leaving Mom in the kitchen to clean up, as she shooed me away. Thoughts of my rendezvous last night ran through my head. The way he caressed my cheek, how his kiss had tasted, and his warm breath that seemed to devour my inner being. I was completely enthralled with him. I would never admit it to anyone, but I wanted nothing more than to end up with Trey. I had dated a few guys in the past, but never anyone quite like him. The playful crush that I had on Trey had finally turned into a reality. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that someone so strikingly handsome or deeply sweet would ever choose a girl like me.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I traced the path along my neck where his soft kisses had melted into my skin. I thought of calling him, but quickly decided that perhaps pursuing him would push him away. Instead, I would follow his lead on this one. Today my focus was on my Shomer. Not of passion, but of honor. Not of a new love, but of devotion. Not of selfish desires, but of selflessness. I have been called to serve another. And serve, I shall.