Read Redemption Online

Authors: Randi Cooley Wilson

Tags: #paranormal romance, #young adult, #college, #fantasy romance, #fae, #gargoyle, #shifter, #dark romance, #new adult

Redemption (2 page)

BOOK: Redemption
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I choke back the sudden feeling of absolute
despair. The memory of when Asher gave it to me hits me hard. At
the image of him, my heart clenches. It’s been so long since I’ve
seen his indigo eyes, striking face and sexy stubble-dusted
jawline. I squeeze my eyes shut, holding onto the vision before it
fades.


It’s beautiful, Asher.” I breathe
out.


I asked your aunt to make it especially
for you. It’s an angel’s wing, a symbol to remind you of the divine
presence in your life. May I?” he asks. I nod as he brings the
necklace around my neck, securing the clasp.


I love it. Thank you.” I turn to face
Asher. “But I don’t need a necklace to remind me that I have a
divine presence in my life. I have you.”

As the memory fades, emptiness fills me
again. My eyes open with the painful reminder he’s gone. Anger and
frustration begin to build and run through my veins like poison. He
left me behind. My hand tightens around the silver chain and I yank
it hard. As the clasp breaks, the delicate piece of jewelry falls
lifelessly in my hand.

I hate looking at it. All the trinket does
is remind me of broken promises. I lift my arm to throw it out the
window as a smooth, seductive, masculine voice hits me in the gut,
like a punch. His unexpected presence knocks the wind out of
me.

My body refuses to turn toward him. It’s
rooted to the spot I’m sitting, almost as if I’m being held down by
a thousand weights. My heart rate picks up at the sound of his
voice and his familiar scent assaults me.
Shit.

“Are you sure you want to toss away
something that means so much to you?” the gargoyle queries from
over my right shoulder.

My hand clasps the necklace in a tight
clench.
Crap.
He’s right. I detest him for being correct,
but he is.
Damn him.
I allow my anger to boil so that when I
do finally face him, I can release it.

The striking being I know so well moves to
sit next to me on the bench. After a quiet moment, he shifts his
eyes to the window’s view. My breath hitches while I take in his
facial features.
God, he’s so good-looking.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, my tone
lined with loathing and resentment.

He turns to face me, giving me a sexy smirk
while a set of beautiful eyes lock onto mine.

“It’s nice to see they didn’t have to sedate
you on the plane after all,” he chuckles quietly.

A short, strangled laugh escapes my throat.
It’s a foreign sound. “Seriously, why are you here?” I ask with a
lackadaisical attitude.

The attractive gargoyle adjusts his large
body toward me.

“I’m your new protector, love,” Gage says,
holding my gaze.

I just study him for a moment, shocked,
allowing his statement to sink in.

“According to whom?” I release on an angry
snarl.

Gage’s lips tilt in a half smirk. “The Royal
Gargoyle Council of Protectors. The Angelic Spiritual Council, and
the London clan,” he responds without hesitation.

My eyes turn into slits as I stare into his
sea green ones. “That makes absolutely no sense. Who would be dumb
enough to appoint you as my protector?” I seethe.

Gage hesitates for a moment before shifting
his eyes back to the window. “Asher.”

My heart lurches and my stomach drops at the
sound of his name.

“This is some sort of sick joke,” I whisper,
choking on the words.

“Asher requested me during his tribunal. It
was his condition following the council’s ruling. I can assure you,
it’s not a joke, love.” The good-looking bad boy explains with
nothing but honesty on his face.

I search my mind, trying to remember. Then,
like a bad dream, I recall the exchange.

Gage just watches me as realization dawns. I
lift my gaze to his and exhale in an unfriendly manner.
Holy
hell.

“I’m supposed to believe that all of the
sudden, you’ve had a change of heart? Now you’re protecting me from
Deacon, Lucifer, and the Dark Army? Groups whom weeks ago you were
planning to hand me over to as a form of debt payment?” I
scoff.

The golden blond-haired man just smirks at
me, amused. “There’s no reason for you not to, daughter of Heaven.
I took the oath and all.” Gage pauses before continuing in a
sensual tone. “Although, you shouldn’t expect the same kind of
special treatment
that Asher gave you, love. That is, unless
you want our relationship to be that way,” he mocks as I control my
urge to smack the beautiful right off of him.

“Oh my God! Are we bonded?” I panic, worried
that I’m no longer connected to Asher.

His face falls. “No. You and the dark prince
are already blood bonded. With your bloodline, a second protector
connection can’t be linked.”

I start chewing the inside of my cheek and
clasp my necklace tighter. My mind goes into overdrive in an
attempt to grasp what he’s saying, and what all this means for my
future.

Gage’s large hand closes over the one I have
gripping my last lifeline to Asher.

“Relax, love. The St. Michaels are still
your full-time protective clan. They don’t trust me either.” He
smiles as if he’s pleased about that. “I’ll just be your main
guard. You’ll continue to live here, train with them, and be
protected by all of us.”

I stand abruptly, pulling myself out of
Gage’s reach. “This is insane. I don’t want you.”

Gage stands calmly in response to my hyper
reaction. “This is your new reality, love. You might as well get
used to it. I suggest you get a goodnight’s sleep. I’ll be here in
the morning to collect you for classes. Spring break is over. It’s
time you get back to your life.”

I just watch Gage, watching me. After a
moment, I have a completely irrational meltdown. Followed by an
outrageous response. I grab my daggers from their sheath and point
the tips to his heart, while my eyes hold his angrily. Gage doesn’t
flinch. He just stands there, unaffected, as my heart beats wildly
trying to process everything.

“Fuck,” I draw out fuming and lower my
weapons.

“Thank you for not stabbing me, love,” he
quips.

“CALLAN!” I shout and turn to run out of my
room and down the stairs. “CALLAN!”

In an instant, both Callan and Keegan are at
my side. Their eyes glowing, weapons drawn, black wings out.
They’re ready to fight off whatever danger I’m in as they scan me
for injuries.

“What’s wrong, Eve?” Keegan asks with a
controlled concern all over his warrior face.

Both brothers are staring at me like I’ve
lost my mind. Which, no doubt, I have. Before I can respond, Callan
snaps his gaze behind me. At the sight of Gage, who followed me at
a leisurely pace, the laid back gargoyle stands straighter and
pulls me behind him in a protective stance.

“What the hell are you doing, Gage?” Callan
questions heatedly, lowering his weapon.

Gage shrugs in a bored manner. “She needed
to know.”

“We agreed to tell her together.” Callan and
Keegan retract their wings.

I shift my focus between Keegan and Callan’s
backs. “It’s true?” My voice is raw.

Callan sighs. “Yeah, cutie, it is.” His tone
is solemn as he turns to face me.

My annoyance level rises to an all-new high
while fury boils in my veins. I think I’ve moved on from the
depression stage of grief to the anger. I need something or someone
to take it out on. Gage is looking like a really good target at the
moment.

I move from behind Callan so quickly that,
for a moment, I think I might have picked up supernatural gargoyle
speed from Asher.

“I thought you didn’t pick sides, Gage?” I
spit out with venom.

He stays calm, not taking the bait. “I
don’t, love. I’m free to do what I like. This,” he points between
he and I, “I like.”
What the hell?

“And when the higher bid comes from Deacon,
to hand me over, what will you like then? Which side will you be on
in that moment?” I challenge.

Gage shrugs. “It won’t come to that.” He
holds my eye contact, nonverbally asking me to trust him. I don’t.
My world keeps getting turned upside down and I’m sick of it.

In response, I huff like an irate child and
storm off.
Irrational? Maybe. In my defense, my mindset isn’t
exactly clear at the moment. I’m highly emotional.

Once I’m outside the room, I stop and lean
against the wall. Willing myself to calm down, I overhear them
talking in low, intense voices.

“Why is it, again, you agreed to do this?”
Callan asks Gage with disdain.

“I didn’t have a choice. The prince of the
gargoyle race appointed me with the council’s blessing,” Gage
states matter of factly.

Keegan grunts. “A royal decree, blessed by
the council, never obligated you before.”

“It did this time. You forget I’m the only
one who knows what it’s like to lose a mate. She’s angry with the
dark prince for leaving. Her emotional state is fragile. When the
bond is stressed from that kind of loss, it makes someone a
bit…mentally unstable. I’m the only one of us capable of helping
her through that volatility,” Gage offers. His reply is lined with
insouciance.

“They weren’t fully mated and Asher didn’t
die.” Keegan’s tone is harsh.

“A bond stress and a bond break mentally and
emotionally wounds the same,” Gage replies coolly. He would know
since he lost his human mate, Camilla, to death at his father’s
hands.

A few moments later, a warm sweater is
draped around my shoulders. I turn to see Abby standing next to me,
offering a sad smile. Her beautiful long red locks set off her
concerned crystal blue eyes, which at the moment bore into me.

“His love for you is immeasurable. I swear
to you he’ll be back,” she says.

My grunt forces her to lean in further.

“Gage is temporary. Asher is forever,” she
assures me.

All I can do is offer her a blank
expression.

The tears won’t even come anymore.

Now, like Asher, they’re gone too.

 

2
New Protector

Exhausted after my
training session, I return to my room and notice my necklace
sitting on the bed, fixed. It’s lying next to a handwritten note
from Gage informing me he’ll see me in the morning. I exhale
roughly. Deep down, I’m grateful to him for taking the broken
pieces and putting it back together. He’s right. I really do love
it.

I pick up the delicate piece of jewelry and
run my fingers over it before I return it to my neck. At its
placement, the ache in my chest builds again, so I push the
dejection down. Trying to fight it off is becoming a chore.

I’m drained from the darkness that
constantly creeps up on me. It’s making me weary and bad-tempered
all the time. After showering, I shoot off a quick text to my aunt
Elizabeth, confirming I will see her next weekend then I plop down
onto my bed.

Grabbing my laptop and textbooks, I decide
to get organized since I’ll be formally returning to my classes
tomorrow after a two-month bereavement leave of absence. I flinch
at the sting caused by the memories of Aria’s death. The vision of
Deacon’s sword going through her abdomen as she ran to protect me
won’t fade.
Shit, the pain is still raw.

My eyelids become heavy while reading my
syllabuses. I just need to close them for a moment. Once relaxed, I
slip into a deep sleep.

For the first time in weeks, my body is warm
as two large hands cup either side of my face. The pad of a thumb
traces my bottom lip. I must be dreaming because I would know the
feel of him anywhere.

A muscular and familiar body presses me down
into the mattress as I sigh in contentment. Every place I come into
contact with him, my body hums with energy, igniting me.

“Open your eyes, siren.” Asher’s deep,
masculine tone penetrates my dream state.

I want to comply with his request, but I’m
afraid this is only a dream. At some point, I’ll wake up and the
darkness will return. Instead, I keep them closed, comforted by the
sound of his voice.

“I’m here. Open those beautiful eyes and
look at me, yeah?” he commands, using the seductive tenor I can’t
resist.

My eyelids flutter open and lock onto indigo
ones positioned above me. Watching me with a cautious intensity, he
bites his lip in apprehension.

“Asher?” My voice is soft and unsure. It’s
been so long since I’ve felt him.

“Are you expecting someone else, siren?” he
teases but his voice is tense.

Without hesitation, I jerk up and propel
myself at him. The force triggers him to lean back on his heels as
I climb onto his lap and cling to him like my life depends on
it.

After a brief moment of surprise, his entire
body relaxes and strong arms wrap around me. Drawing me against him
tightly. Relieved at my response, he rests his face in the crook of
my neck, inhaling.

“Oh. My. God. Asher.” I exhale an unsteady
breath, basking in the comfort of his arms.

Asher groans against my neck and I feel his
lips pull into his signature sexy smirk.

“It’s so fucking hot when you say that.” At
the release of his favorite response, his breath tickles my skin
and sets off a serious case of goosebumps.

It’s in this moment that I know he’s real
and my emotions spiral out of control. Tears I thought no longer
existed escape my eyes, flowing freely down my cheeks.

“I thought I would never see you again,” I
choke out on a sob and squeeze him harder.

After holding me for a minute, he leans his
head back and lifts his hands to my face, brushing away the tears
with his thumbs.

“I will always come for you,” Asher says,
looking into my water filled eyes.

I clutch him, afraid he’ll disappear. “You
left.” I force the words out of my tight throat.

BOOK: Redemption
10.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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