Page 57 of Guardian

A fire burned against my skin and engulfed my throat. Althoughshe’dbeen silent, a familiar rampage stirred my stomach.

“Just because I didn’t meet your speed doesn’t mean I’m off.”

Yes, I was fast. Not Lorenzo fast, but I was able to keep up with him no matter how many laps we ran. But when I didn’t, it linked back toherimpact.

He didn’t know about the incident in the hospital. Thankfully, Alek and Tristan had agreed to keep it between us. The influx of memories from that day engulfed my every thought. Intensified the queasiness from the medication. Even tightened my throat with guilt for some reason—

Metal clanked against the air as the first gate opened, an SUV slowly passing through. It didn’t belong to the Sephtis, but I recognized it from a few days ago.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

It was instinct to follow the car. But instead of tailing it, I turned to the underground passageway. I stopped in the middle of the dim path, concentrating on the noises that echoed outside of the walls. Footsteps vibrated above me, and I stopped to study their direction. My eyes roamed across the space, falling onto the opposite path that was darker than night, like a void.

It sent shivers down my spine the more I stared at it.

Voices trailed behind the cellar door. I opened it an inch and peeked through, Kaleb walking down into the feeding room, Davina at his tail. Someone else was with them.

“Sonia?”

I rarely saw her. Granted, as Senior Guardian, she was responsible for all guardians, maids, and maintenance groups that came every month. She was behind the scenes.

So why was she here with Kaleb and Davina?

Coppery scents lingered like perfume as I snuck my way to the foyer. I knocked on the door across from mine, and when it opened, I stepped inside without a second thought. Or maybe Alek pulled me. Not sure which one came first.

“Katerina,” he said through a deep breath. “What are you doing here?”

“There’s something I need to. . .” His hold loosened against my forearm, his fingers softly caressing my skin. My palm opened on the urge to feel more. All I got was a brief linger of our fingertips until he pulled away.

Our gazes never left each other, and it roused something in me I hadn’t felt in a while.

“My apologies, I-I didn’t mean to—”

A heady giggle slipped my lips. Were those butterflies in my stomach? “I told you to warn me,” my body naturally inched closer to him, the inclination to tease him riling, “when you’re going to do this.”

One thing I didn’t know I enjoyed until Alek? Making him blush. Not only was it so easy, it only happened around me.

“Of course.” His flush looked to travel all throughout his body, his arms the same rose red as his face. He turned away before I could tease him more.

Alek took a seat on one of his emerald green chaises and motioned toward the open space next to him. “What would you like to discuss?” He asked, his voice raspy as I settled down.

Right. Almost forgot I came here for an actual reason. “I saw Kaleb meeting Davina in the cellar. Sonia was there too.”

“Sonia?” He asked, and his jaw clenched as he crossed his legs. “And Davina is with my brother privately?”

I nodded asherpresence crept over my skin.

Alek’s eyes stilled on the ground. “They’re known to hold closed sessions with each other, their conversations always pertaining to the Ministry. But never once had they requested Sonia to join.”

Tristan had mentioned once how the feeding room was used for two matters: what it was meant for and for private meetings. It’s why he was in charge of it. If he’d known about their meeting, he would have reported to his post. Sonia didn’t fill in for no one.

“Do you want me to keep an eye on them?”

“No. If you hover near the vault again, it may risk your position. We’ll investigate when the time calls for it.”

We fell quiet. It wasn’t a silence that was a cue for me to leave. Not one that distanced Alek and me behind walls. It was warm and comforting. More open than the quietness of the lake.

It urged the questions from the hospital on my tongue to form.

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