Salvation (The Guardian Angel Series Book 3) Read Free Page A

“Permission to speak freely?”
    I choked back an awkward chuckle. “Say whatever you want, I’m not a queen.”
    That’s the thing with guardian angels; they always acted so professional around us. They worked for us, mostly, as protection against vampires and they risked their lives to protect us regularly. They always put us first—placing us up high on a pedestal, like they owed us something. They owe us nothing, if anything, we owe them.
    “Some say that you and Eli…” He paused and a strange, nervous pang hit my stomach. “Were involved?”
    I opened my mouth to speak but only an exasperated gust of air came out. I guess some of the guardians at Sage were aware of my and Eli’s previous situation.
    “No, yes—I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
    I shoved the whistle back into my bag, hoping he’d drop the subject.
    “I didn’t mean to pry.”
    “It’s okay. It’s just strange talking about it. It feels like so long ago.”
    “Well, for the record, I think it’s a great thing that you guys stood up to the higher power. Who has the right to force you to love someone you don’t want to? You love who you love and that’s who you love. It’s not easy to just switch it off. Things have changed. The higher power was a vampire, for crying out loud. It’s about time everything else changes, too.”
    I smiled to myself. Xavier spoke with such passion and understanding, like he was going through the same internal struggles that Eli and I had gone through.
    “Who is she?” I pried.
    “Who?”
    “The goddess you so obviously have feelings for.”
    Briefly, he glanced at me, wide eyed.
    “C’mon,” I nudged him. “There was way too much emotion in your voice to pass it off as a random thought. You’re going through the same kind of thing, aren’t you?”
    The corners of his lips twitched as he fought against a smirk. “Fine. Maybe there is a goddess I may have feelings for.”
    I enjoyed playing along with this conversation. It kept my mind from obsessing over my upcoming personal battles.
    “Who is it?”
    I wondered if I could put a face to a name. He smacked his lips together and tapped the steering wheel.
    “I don’t know if I should tell you. She’s kind of my boss’s daughter.”
    “Ooh, doubly forbidden. If you’re worried I’m going to tell someone, don’t be. I’m not exactly the poster girl for following the rules. You can trust me, I won’t say a word.”
    I did the cheesy ‘cross my heart’ gesture and he chuckled.
    “Her name is Mila Aleksandrov. She’s Ivan’s niece.”
    Oh. My excited smile faltered and he glanced at me nervously.
    “Well, this is awkward.” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
    “What is?”
    I tapped my fingers against my knee. “Mila is my best friend.”
    Xavier ran a hand through his hair, clearly irritated. “It seems that information about you is on a need-to-know basis. Look, you’re not going to tell her, are you? What if she tells her dad and he fires me, or worse, banishes me?”
    His voice was fast and a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. I was confused. What did he mean by Aleksandrov banishing him?
    “Aleksandrov can’t banish you,” I muttered.
    “I guess you’re on a need-to-know basis as well,” Xavier replied flatly. “Ivan Aleksandrov is the new higher power. Tomorrow night is a celebration in his honour. Mr Aleksandrov informed the council that the previous higher power had been corrupted, that he was no longer pure and was a vampire.”
    “The council?”
    He glanced at me sideways, as if questioning if I was even a goddess. “The four gods and four goddesses that run the show. You have heard of them, haven’t you?”
    Of course I should know these things, but I didn’t, and I was okay with that. In my experience, knowing things made your life more stressful, perhaps ignorance is actually bliss.
    I frowned. “I thought the higher power ran the show?”
    “The higher power is more or less a figurehead.