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

There’s always a bigger fish.”
    In my seat, I crossed my legs and stared out into the blurry forest.
    “How was Lucian able to hide the fact he was a vampire? If they’re so mighty, they should have known.”
    “According to Eli, Lucian has various estates across the world, the most recent one being on top of Mount Kuuce. He likes his privacy and he was doing his job, so the council didn’t feel the need to interfere. So, now you can see that Aleksandrov can banish me if he finds out about my feelings for Mila.”
    “He won’t banish you. He’s on our side. He wants us to be with who we love, or at least, that was the impression he gave me when I saw him last.”
    Xavier shrugged. “I’m not going to risk it.”
    His statement saddened me, if not for love, then what else? I was willing to risk everything for Eli except one thing, and that was his life. Leaving him was the most selfless and selfish thing I’d ever done, but I didn’t regret it.

    When eight p.m. rolled up on us, I forced Xavier to pull over. I was already nauseous, I didn’t need the cars swerving and jerking to make it worse.
    “This is my first real mission. I just want to impress them,” he admitted, brushing a hand roughly over his face.
    He glanced at me, his brown eyes no longer wide and semi-alert, but two tired slits.
    “If I die before I get there, I don’t think they’ll be too impressed.”
    I unclipped my seatbelt and wrapped my fingers around the door handle. “Let me drive for the next few hours and we can switch back before we get to Sage. They don’t need to know that I drove while you slept.”
    Xavier exhaled, deep in thought. Realistically, I was giving him an ultimatum not an option, and I think he knew that. There was no way I was going to let him drive another centimeter and if he didn’t get out of the driver’s seat now, I was ready to put on my toddler pants and throw a tantrum. I’m good at those.
    “Fine, but wake me when we get to the Sage forest line.”
    I nodded and slid out of the passenger seat. Xavier laid down on the back seat and immediately fell asleep. I didn’t have to adjust the driver’s seat like I had to when I took over from Eli once. Xavier was my height, so the seat was perfect.
    The highway was empty at night, which made the drive that much more relaxing. The road was only visible in the long patch of brightness from the headlights. The white lines that separated the lanes blurred into one. The forest along both sides of the road was like a black wall that grew thicker the further I drove. Afraid of hitting an animal, I flicked my high beams on.
    My knuckles turned white as I squeezed the steering wheel tightly. I was antsy and running out of things to take my mind of Eli. I propped my elbow on the window and rested my head on my hand. I can’t believe I’m going back . I told myself that even if Lucian and Hunter were gone, I still wouldn’t go back. Not after all the pain my disappearing would’ve put Mila and Eli through.
    “No turning back now,” I whispered.
    I hit the gas pedal hard as I drove down the highway. The quicker I got there, the quicker I could get this over and done with.

 
    Long-time no see

    L ike I promised Xavier, I pulled over at the beginning of the Sage forest line and woke him. He was still tired, a few hours’ sleep wasn’t enough to satisfy his fatigue, but it was enough to get us to Sage. I was feeling tired now, and as a result, neither of us spoke the rest of the way.
    Sage Sanctum was as I remembered it except for the new, huge wrought iron gates that now replaced the boom gates at the entrance. If this was the only safety measure they took, it was pointless. Let’s just hope those charms were enough because I’m sure any vampire could scale the fence without breaking a sweat. It was midnight, and the bright lights that shone down onto the car park blinded any natural light from the moon. The car park was a sea of black Audi Q5s. After much