Shadow Light (Beautiful Beings #3) Read Free

you’re my guardian.  We can’t.”
    “Nothing’s been confirmed yet. I may be your guardian.  I may not.  As far as I’m concerned, I’m just a normal everyday guy, who is really and truly attracted to an extraordinary girl. Lux, I can’t help what I feel for you, guardian or not. I felt this way even before this whole guardianship began.”
    “Well,” I said as I patted his muscular chest.  “You certainly are sweet.”
    “Don’t let the secret out.”
    “Right.  Wouldn’t want to dent your bad boy image.”  Although I tried to be playful, I could still see the intensity in his eyes.
    “Look, I just want to take my chances while I still can.  You haven’t made a commitment to Braxton or Moore.  I have to at least take a chance and try to persuade you to consider me.”
    Chuckling softly, I ran my hands over the breadth of his shoulder and down his arms.  Even through his leather jacket I could feel the power and strength harbored there.  Sweet, yes, I thought, but oh so dangerous and strong when called for. He was my new guardian, who turned out to have angel blood in him. He was also the bad boy of St. James Academy, who was staring at me with his intense blue eyes, willing me to take a chance with him. “Lux, we’re going to be together a lot, and this…being this close is going to be the hardest thing for me, as your guardian or even being one of your demon slayers.” He touched my cheek gently, his thumb grazing the bottom of my lips. I closed my eyes because I did feel an attraction to him.
    I knew I had a connection to Asher, just as I did to Moore and Braxton.  Fate had brought us all together, just as it had brought me to my destiny as a demon slayer when I was two years old.
    Asher sighed and pulled back.  With a faint grunt of resignation, he shoved his fingers through the thick dark waves of his hair, raking stray locks off his face.  “I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but, hey, I had to try, right?”
    “I guess.”
    “But, I promise you, when all of this is said and done, you’ll realize that Moore is not what you need, and Braxton is not what you want.” He looked at the ground and back up at me. “It’ll only break your heart Lux. Now that you know what they are, and what we are.”
    “Time will tell.  We’ll just have to wait and see,” I said with a teasing grin.
    “We might end up seeing you slaying one of them… or both.”
    Frowning, I glared at him, virtually daring him to explain himself.  His grin faded, but he said nothing in his defense. 
    “Let’s move on to more serious business.”  I turned to my grandmother’s special chest and turned the key.  “Good thing I at least have this safely tucked away.”
    Asher smiled as I pulled out the thick and heavy Book of Angels and plopped it down on my bed.  With a boyish grin and playful cock of his brow, he fell back onto the bed.
    “A little night time reading?”  He patted the book.
    My cheeks heated up, and I couldn’t understand why I was so flustered.  “I’ve been reading a lot about angels lately.  I’m almost finished with another one I have, but need your help with this one.  I’m curious and want to know as much as I can.  Hopefully in all this I’ll also be able to find out what I am.”
    He reached for my hand and held my fingers tenderly in his.  “I know you’ve been going through a rough time lately.  I know how difficult it is to wake up one day and realize you're not what you thought.  It takes some getting used to.”
    “I know, and to a large extent I appreciate and accept whatever it is that I am, but I want to know.  I want some confirmation.”
    “Look, I’ve been there.  I’ve asked the questions you're asking and I’ve had the doubts and confusion.  I also went through a phase of anger and resentment, something you’ll probably go through after this first phase fizzles.”
    “Great,” I said with a sarcastic smirk.  “Give me something to look