Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) (26 page)

“Cassie…” he whispered.

The way he said my name should have been enough to shake me out of my reverie, as Hunter would never call me that. With him, it was always “Cassandra,” and coming from his lips, it never ceased to tantalize my skin, as if his hands were caressing my entire body. But I didn’t want the memory to stop. God forgive me, I wanted to shut my eyes against the reality of it all and pretend it was Hunter’s lips now pressed against mine. So I did. I moaned when the hot tongue found its way into my mouth and sank into the arms that wrapped around me.

His solid body felt so familiar against me, I didn’t notice his lips had abandoned mine, allowing me to breathe in his sweet, woodsy scent. It was another thing that should have reminded me it wasn’t Hunter whose arms I felt around me, but I was too lost to care. Until I heard Caleb’s breathy whisper, “Cassie, open your eyes. See me. I want you to know it’s me you’re with right now.”

I tried to do as he said. I knew I should, but I didn’t want my illusion to end. I didn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes when he realized where I really had been. There
were
moments when I knew what was actually happening, and I can’t say I hated the feelings they evoked. I
was
still very attracted to Caleb. Maybe I could pull it off. Maybe he wouldn’t know.

I opened my eyes and instantly saw his face fall. He dropped his arms from me, turned, and stepped away. I reached out and put my hand on his arm in an effort to comfort him. It was all I could do, since I couldn’t seem to find anything to say that would justify what happened.

“I’m not going to do this, Cassie.”

“Caleb it’s not you, I shouldn—,”

“No, I mean I’m not going to help you get into Hell.”

“What?” I yelled as I forced him around to face me. “You promised!”

“I promised to help you get your father, but I can see you’re still longing for
Hunter
, and I don’t want you anywhere near him. I’m sorry. The deal’s off.”

“You can’t do this, Caleb! You’re my only hope of saving my father! I can’t do this without you.”

“And I won’t let you either,” he said defiantly. “Not only won’t I help you, but I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you don’t get to Hell any other way. I’ll call on the Elders if it comes down to it.”

The Elders were a group of top-ranking angels who oversaw everything the Guardians did, and the very ones who gave the Guardians their powers to begin with. I, however, had a special tie with the Elders, two of them anyway. Hadraniel and Anael were my ancestors. Their angelic blood ran through my veins and I was the last of their line. Recently, Hadraniel clearly explained to me that if I ever showed any demonic tendencies, they’d not only disown me as one of their own and lift any protection they previously provided me, but would also consider me a direct enemy of the angels. They already knew my father had been turned, and I was created with the bloodlines of both angel and demon; but they promised to watch over me as one of their own, unless I decided not to be.

“You can’t do this! Over what? Your jealousy?” I glared at him with anger and incredulity.

He moved in closer, steeled in his reserve. I backed up into the counter again, but refused to break eye contact. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep you away from that demon. Do you understand me? I won’t let him have you. Not ever again.”

He wasn’t going to budge. I knew that. I could see it. I could
feel
it. But I still intended to save my father. I never planned to seek out Hunter. Not really, but I left my options open to it. It was always in the back of my mind. Who was I kidding? It was in the forefront of my mind all the time. But right now I’d have to let it go for my father. He was what mattered most now.

“Okay, I’ll do whatever you say, Caleb. I give you my word,” I said flatly.

He studied my face, most likely looking for the loophole he thought I might have held in reserve for myself, but there was none. “You’ll stay away from Hunter?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Alright,” he said, reaching up to caress my cheek. I flinched, trying to keep my emotions in check. 

“I wish you could see how great we’d be together, Cassie. Maybe in time, you’ll finally realize I’m much better for you than he is. In the meantime, let’s put together our plan.”

“And what plan would that be?” Nora’s voice coming from behind me made me jump.

Busted.

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About the Author

L. J. Kentowski
lives with her son, husband, and their lovable Great Dane, Sully, in Wisconsin. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading great books, and transforming nightly into Urban Fantasy Writer, lingering in worlds full of angels, demons, and the in-betweens.

She is the author of
Guardian Of Fate
and
Seeker Of Fate
, Books one and two in the Fate Series. Book three, Angel Of Fate is in the works and due out late 2014.

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