Personal Guardians Read online

  Personal Guardians

  Personal Demons ∙ Book Two

  Rachel A. Collett

  Copyright © 2017 by Rachel A Collett

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design by © Jenny Zemanek/Seedlings Design Studio. www.seedlingsonline.com

  Published by Rachel Collett. www.rachelcollett.com

  To Dan, Kyle and Micah:

  I am yours.

  Contents

  1. Compound Bully

  2. The defender returns

  3. A ghost of a demon

  4. Infiltration

  5. The council meets

  6. Dead weight

  7. Too Familiar

  8. Angelic ink

  9. Battle scars

  10. A gift

  11. Dark differences

  12. Prying eyes

  13. Lessons in rage

  14. Call for reinforcements

  15. A deadly sight

  16. Personal demons

  17. Sneak attack

  18. Taken

  19. Stalemate

  20. Friend or foe

  21. Enemies

  22. A violet for Violet

  23. Trading places

  24. Search and rescue

  25. Beyond the veil

  26. Old acquaintances

  27. New player

  28. Request an audience

  Acknowledgments

  Sneak Peek

  1

  About the Author

  Also by Rachel A. Collett

  1

  Compound Bully

  The cool morning air nipped at my neck and arms as I circled the compound’s courtyard. The smell of freshly fallen rain filled my senses but did little to boost my mood. I nonchalantly stepped down from the beautifully paved steps of the square to the flat ground in the center. My new combat boots squished in the mixture of dirt, dust, and water as the sky above, pregnant with dense clouds, threatened to burst with a rumble.

  Do I seriously have to do this? I growled from a dark place before silencing the frequently embittered voice.

  I shifted my step, adjusting my stance to that of my partner as we claimed the attention of the entire square. The small group of early attendants stopped in their work to watch the unfolding scene. Heat flushed my face, and despite the cool temperature of the morning, sweat trickled down my chest, dampening my black ribbed tank top. The comforting metal of my mother’s pendant, hidden from view, rested against my skin.

  My opponent, who crouched impatiently at the opposite side of the muddied arena, became my focus. Stopping a yard from where she stood, I inclined my head in an effort to show respect, despite the fact it was a lie. It’s what I had been taught by my father and I would honor his teachings even if her responding smirk was infuriating. When I got the chance, I would rip her grin right off her face.

  Sharp, ice-blue eyes scrutinized; her silver-blonde hair, cropped short at the jaw line, made her features look severe and even intimidating, but it was just a smokescreen. Camouflage to hide whatever was lacking beneath.

  “Breathe, Ava,” instructed a voice from behind and it took me half a second to realize Laith used my new name.

  Sarah Mathis was dead. I was now Ava Matthias, the Defender of humanity, one of The Three, and best friend to the Heralds. The muscle below my brow twitched. This little bout was their idea. I would make them pay for it soon enough. Somehow.

  During the prior week of my forced recovery, the residents of the compound began to trickle in, returning from their information search and from handling the details of my fake death. I was asked to stay separated from the group until Laith and Elisa could return from Arizona, where they were dealing with some unfinished business. They were back by the end of the week.

  A day before their arrival, I met Charlotte after one of my late evening walks around the complex. The commotion of raised voices preceded a loud bang as my door swung wide, and an unfamiliar female stormed into my room, Darius hot on her heels. He clutched her shoulder, only to have his hand roughly pushed away.

  I stood as the young woman, not much older than myself, stopped only a breath away. My brow raised and I stared down at her from my five-foot-eight-inch elevation. She, a whole three inches shorter than myself, grew an even brighter shade of red upon seeing my delight.

  “So, this is her?” she asked, regarding me with a piercing eye. “This—this is our Defender?”

  She spoke only to Darius, as if I was no more than a simpleton, but glared at me in a way that suggested great personal offense. As I watched her interesting reaction to me, I thought she could be pretty, if not for the ugly enflamed splotches exploding upon her face.

  “This is a joke.”

  “It’s no joke, Charlie,” Darius said, concern etched in his words. “This is your Defender.”

  She scoffed. “This girl has no right to that title. She is not worthy. Something has to be done to stop this imposter. I was—”

  “Enough,” Darius shot out, but then leveled his voice. “A lot has happened, but you and I will discuss this later. I promise.”

  He placed a soothing hand on her shoulder and I could feel my face flush red. Who was this stranger, and since when did Darius say anything nice to anyone? Apparently, this girl was a witch with magical abilities, able to control even the roughest of beasts.

  The return look she gave him spoke volumes. She trusted him, cared for him. I wondered just how long they had been together and how anyone could have feelings for a man such as Darius.

  She glared at me with an evil glint. I realized, with a twist to the gut, she reminded me of the group of possessed girls that had once attacked me in the bathroom of a restaurant, and I instantly hated her. Witch indeed. Despite my rising anger, I reined in my tone.

  “I’m sorry I do not meet your level of expectation,” I said, through a clenched jaw. “And who are you, might I ask?”

  She looked to Darius, apparently offended I had addressed her without permission. Eyes wide, she responded. “I am second in command here.”

  “Second in command of—the compound?” I asked, sounding confused.

  “Of security.”

  “I see. In that case, shouldn’t you be, oh, I don’t know, checking the perimeter or something useful, rather than occupying space in my room?”

  Darius had to escort her from my chamber just moments later. I admit I could have handled things better than I did, but I was provoked. And I didn’t care.

  Laith’s solution when he returned? To make us sparring buddies. Brilliant. But I had to give it to him. This would be a quick way of establishing who was the alpha and who was the weakling. In my mind, there was no doubt.

  Laith cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to the present. “Charlotte is trained in hand-to-hand combat, Ava. We’re going to start there, assess your powers, and see where additional coaching is needed.”

  I nodded my understanding.

  From the corner of my eye I could still make out the dark lines of his tattoos. Although mostly concealed under a plain gray t-shirt, they stretched from under his collarbone, down both arms, his chest, and back. His green eyes were the only color against ivory skin and jet black hair.

  Next to him, Elisa stood w
ith her arms crossed, her long wavy hair pulled into a tight blond bun on the top of her head. Her usually sun-kissed skin looked pale as she silently watched, and my heart went out to her, longing to comfort her. She was so caring, so loving. Laith and Elisa were my only true friends and they wanted to help me. Despite my angst over this match, I knew they were right. I needed training and I needed it now.

  A row of four men, ranging in age from their early to late twenties, lined one side of the pitch behind their champion. I knew them to be Darius’s security team, and now Charlotte’s cheering squad. How sweet. They watched me with guarded expressions—except for the largest of the group. He looked almost bored.

  “Why don’t we just get started,” Darius said from his perch atop a tall planter that enclosed one of the courtyard trees. His thick, windswept hair lay messily across his brow, his unkempt beard growing past the stubble phase.

  At that moment, with the breeze playing in his locks of deep chestnut brown, he looked almost young, maybe in his early twenties, but he was too severe. It made him appear older. Although his honey-colored eyes seemed bored, I knew the head of security was taking in every detail.

  I tried to ignore that he was attractive—annoyingly beautiful, if I were being honest with myself—but I did my best to overlook that detail as I narrowed my focus at him. I wondered just how much he was enjoying himself.

  “Keep it clean, Charlie, and pull your punches,” Darius ordered. When his gaze caught mine, one brow lifted. Strong jaw muscles flexed as he measured and weighed me against his champion.

  “But the enemy won’t pull their punches,” Charlotte replied in a venomously sweet tone. “Would it be fair to teach our Defender a false sense of strength when it could mean her life—or the life of another?” She lightly shuffled forward, tilting her head to the side. “Wouldn’t you agree, Ava?” she asked, receiving a snicker from one of her comrades.

  Taking another quick step, she threw a mock jab that was slow and sloppy—her apparent opinion of my unrevealed skills. But I was already done with this game. Blocking her punch, I slid my hand down her forearm and grabbed her by the wrist. I yanked hard, pulling her forward, and hit her in the face with the back of my hand. A satisfying sting on my knuckles and a grunt from Charlie caused me to smile.

  “I won’t, if you won’t,” I quipped, releasing her.

  She took several steps back, lifting a hand to her now bleeding nose. Unexpectedly, she grinned. A twinkle in her blue eyes, she sprang, knocking me away with a muddied kick to the stomach. I rallied, launching into the ring, fists flying.

  As we battled, I acknowledged Charlotte’s skills: her strikes lightning fast, her kicks strong—but so were mine. Deflecting a downward blow, Charlie grabbed my wrists and threw me. I landed on all fours and crouched low in the mud. When she lunged, I raked a handful of mud, flinging it into her face. She bellowed as it flew into her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Taking full advantage, I rushed my opponent and tackled her into the muck. I straddled her and placed a strong hand on her neck, applying only slight pressure.

  “Do you yield?” I yelled, raising my fist high.

  She looked at me through dirt-caked makeup. It took all I had not to laugh at her murderous expression.

  “You cheated,” she hissed.

  Warning her with a look, I lowered my face, bringing it close to her ears.

  “But the enemy won’t fight fair,” I said sweetly, using her words against her. “Would it be wise to teach your Defender a false code of conduct when it could mean her life—or the life of another?”

  I released Charlotte’s neck, crawled from her prone form and stood. Covered in mud, I trudged toward Laith and Elisa, ignoring their looks, disregarding the jibes from Charlie’s fans, and completely avoiding Darius altogether—not wanting to see their honest reaction to my dirty win.

  As I passed Elisa I could have sworn I heard her say, “Nicely done.” And I smiled.

  “Apparently, I have no powers,” I said, addressing no one in particular. No real shock there.

  Elisa brushed something from my back. “You have powers, Ava. You’ve used them already. They’re just unexercised and dormant.”

  “Well, hopefully they will come out soon enough. I assume they’re necessary with my calling, right?” I asked with a smirk.

  “I’m glad you found this exercise entertaining,” Darius said from behind.

  “How was I supposed to find it?” I denied eye contact as I picked mud from the end of my braid.

  Charlotte flopped down on one of the paved steps and proceeded to remove the muck from her boots, shooting sharp glances my way, looks that warned this was far from over.

  I pretended not to notice and took the time to brush more debris from my pants before I finally met his hardened gaze.

  “Or, perhaps the better question would be, how were you hoping it would go? Did you want your girlfriend to beat me to a bloody pulp?”

  His gaze tightened at the mention of his girlfriend and I smirked, satisfied I had hit my mark.

  “Oh, I see.” Nodding my understanding. “Then the two of you could stand over my battered body and gloat, am I right?”

  My father’s face flashed into my mind—that shocked and empty stare when the Destroyer had plunged his knife into Dad’s heart—and I had to push back the flood of raw emotion waiting to burst into the open. I swallowed hard. My father had made a deal with the Destroyer, a bargain that would result in his ultimate demise, to keep me hidden from the supernatural world and the Destroyer’s mate and eternal competitor.

  I hadn’t allowed myself to rehash my father’s death or the circumstances leading to it, and I hadn’t taken the time to grieve. I would need to soon but this was not the moment for such weakness. The Annihilator had been successful in killing my mother, humanity’s Defender, and wouldn’t stop until the rest of The Three were destroyed as well. I was now the new Defender, the replacement to the once great Rachel Matthias, and I would use this calling to exact my revenge against the ones that killed my parents. Somehow.

  My voice was thick when I spoke next. “If that’s what you expected, Darius, I’m going to disappoint you every time. I wasn’t taught to lose.”

  “So I see.”

  Darius studied my casual air, forced as it was, from my bored expression to my hand resting on a cocked hip. I was glad he could not read my thoughts.

  “Fine. I have a feeling we’ll have to up the intensity for you, Defender.”

  “Does that mean I get the next stab at her?” One of the security men walked around the corner, hands innocently pushed in his pockets. His dark hair was longer, curling at the nape of his neck.

  “Stand down, Roman. You’ll get your chance soon enough,” Darius said to him.

  Roman winked at me; his deep-blue eyes twinkled in anticipation. “Looking forward to it,” he said before sauntering away.

  The larger man and the one with spiky blond hair took their leave, following after him.

  The last one hesitated before approaching. Color bloomed on the cheekbones of his pale complexion, his strawberry blond hair cropped military style.

  “And who are you?” I asked, eyeing his approach.

  Elisa stepped forward. “Ava, this is Noah, another one of Darius’s security team.”

  Without speaking, Noah shook my hand, then turned to leave.

  “I think Ava will fight me from now on.” Darius said, calling back my attention. I rolled my eyes.

  “I suggest,” Elisa interjected, cutting through the dense tension, “we all take turns teaching her, Darius. This way she can learn all types of defensive strategies, giving her an extensive training.”

  “I would prefer—”

  “There is much more to learn than just defense, Darius. Ava is so new to this reality. Laith and I are more than capable of giving her proper guidance. After all, we had more than a little to do with your instruction, if you recall.” One brow lifted as she observed his reaction, daring him to arg
ue with her any further.

  “Of course, Elisa, but it’s not your call to make. It is the council’s,” he said.

  “Which will convene any time within the next two days.”

  “The council?” I asked, frustrated at just how much I still didn’t know about my new world.

  “The council is comprised of The Three and anyone directly involved in aiding their efforts. The Healers, Laith and I, the Guardian and now you.”

  “But the Guardian is dead,” I mumbled.

  Elisa’s gaze filled with compassion. “Yes. I’m sorry. Ava—”

  I shook my head. I hadn’t meant to cause a scene; it was just the first thing that popped into my mind.

  “I understand.” I waved her off. “Just continue. Who else would be directly involved in the council?”

  “Anyone that has accepted a calling within our little group here. You’ll be happy to know that Raymond is on the council, along with others you’ll meet later.” She nodded toward Darius, who waited with his arms folded across his chest. “Darius is a member as well and until the meeting”—she tilted her head, narrowing her gaze—“Laith and I will participate in Ava’s training until told not to, do you understand, Darius?”

  “Very well,” he muttered ungenerously before returning to me. “We start tomorrow.” He then strode away.

  Laith kissed Elisa on the cheek. “I love it when you’re assertive.”

  She huffed a laugh, elbowing him gently in the ribs. “You have to be when dealing with that one. But Ava, he is the head of security and as such he oversees training all members. He takes his calling very seriously. Just remember, Darius can be a bully at times, but he means well.”