The Guardian Mikhail Read online

  He shuffled around on his feet. “We need to get you out of here. They will follow your scent.”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Why are you here?”

  Before he could answer, his phone started to ring and he was noticeably relieved. He stepped away to take the call, but I was still able to hear him.

  “Mikhail,” he muttered. “No, I ran into a few problems, but it’s nothing that I can’t handle.”

  Problems? Was he so worried that he couldn’t kill me right off the bat, and now he had saved me, only to be forced to murder me later? I needed a plan; I knew that I did. He was twice my size, and I had already seen his incredible speed. I had nothing working to my advantage except my ability to see the future. I would have to fake my way through the next few minutes if I was going to live.

  “I need to speak with the Colonel as soon as possible about the mission, though. No, there is nothing that you can help me with. Please tell him I will be standing by until he returns my call.”

  He ended the call and turned back to me. “We need to keep moving.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you answer a few questions first.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. I have orders, and they are none of your business.”

  I took a step closer to him and grabbed his hand before he could see what I was doing. Each time it happened was like a jolt of electricity shooting through my body and grounding me to the earth. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. This time was strong, though. I tasted peaches. Every time that I saw the future, I was greeted with a strange but familiar scent. I had never had peaches before, however. It was like watching a vivid dream.

  I saw Mikhail walking down an aisle and a woman standing at the end. As he grew closer to her, he hesitated and looked back out the doors of the strange cathedral. He was waiting for someone to stop him, but they never came. He looked to the woman, a tall beauty with unnaturally good looks and a short, blonde, pixie cut. She had been crying, and even through the haze I could see her bloodshot eyes as they traveled to a man standing outside the church.

  Before, my visions were generally vague, but this time I felt all the emotions of Mikhail. His heart felt like it was being ripped apart, but he continued his walk. It was as if he was forcing himself to keep going, even though he didn’t love her. I wanted to know more, but as it so often did, the vision shifted to a new place, one of magic and wonderment, but it was somehow different. The peace that I knew I should feel was gone. There was death and destruction everywhere. I heard distant screaming, a large shape overhead cast a shadow.

  I tried to walk through the vision, to find out more, but something was holding me back. Looking down, I screamed but no noise came out.

  “Hey!” shouted Mikhail, pulling me from the vision.

  I came back to the present and stumbled away from Mikhail, falling to the ground and shaking.

  “Easy there. Hey, it’s okay. What did you see?” he asked, coming to my side.

  I shook my head, unable to speak.

  “What’s your name?”

  I glared at him. “Veronica.”

  “Can you tell me what you saw?” he asked again, this time a little more kind.

  I shuddered, “You can’t marry her.”

  He looked shocked, then instantly defensive. “Why not?”

  “For starters, she’s in love with someone else.” I didn’t want to tell him about his own feelings. He already knew what he felt. He didn’t need me to remind him.

  “That doesn’t matter,” he muttered, sitting next to me. “The marriage is arranged. It will unite two great families of the realm. It’s the way it has always been done. She will learn to love me, and I will learn to love her.”

  “There’s more. If you marry, it will bring nothing but death and destruction. For all of you.”

  “My kind cannot die unless our soulmate dies, and once the bond of marriage is forged, all ties to a soulmate are severed. Its why we often have arranged marriages. You are seeing something that cannot happen.”

  I shook my head. “You misunderstood me. You cannot die, but she can, and she will if you go through with this marriage.”

  In an instant, he was on his feet, pacing back and forth over the grass. I could almost hear the weight of his footsteps as he brooded. I couldn’t believe how attractive he was. This was the first chance I had to really look at my savior and captor. He had to be near seven feet tall with broad shoulders. Though he was covered by a heavy, black, trench coat, I could assume that his bulging muscles stretched out any clothing that he tried to wear. His golden hair was shaven on the sides with a long, thick lock down the middle that he would occasionally brush from his golden eyes with one strong hand.

  “You are lying. This is some kind of trick to spare your life,” he muttered.

  I rolled my eyes. “How would I know all of this if it was a trick? Good Lord, are you always so mistrusting?”

  “It has served me well,” he said. “I need to think, but I cannot do that here. It’s not safe for either of us. We have a safe house not far from here. We will go there.”

  “So, you can decide if you are going to murder me in cold blood? No thanks,” I said as I got up.

  He glared at me. “You think that I was asking for your permission? You can either come willingly, or I can drag you there kicking and screaming. It makes no difference to me.”

  I looked around us. I had no idea where we were at, and again I was reminded that there was no way in hell I was going to be able to outrun the supernatural man. I briefly thought about trying to fight him off. He may be immortal, but I was sure that kicking him in the groin and clawing out his eyes would give me a little bit of an advantage. Then I would have to face his wrath after he recovered. I hadn’t missed how quickly he had healed earlier.

  With a dramatic sigh, I brushed off my jeans and nodded my head. “Fine. I’ll go willingly to my death.”

  He flinched at my words. “I do not wish to cause you harm. I need to assess the situation, though. I hope you understand that I do not do this lightly. Taking a life, even that of a human, isn’t something that I enjoy doing.”

  “Whatever,” I muttered. “Let’s just go.”

  I started walking, not sure where I was heading. Mikhail cleared his throat behind me and grinned.

  “I don’t think that walking will get us there in time. The wolves will gain ground far too quickly. I will need to carry you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course, you will. Fine. Let’s get this show on the road then.”

  He laughed, and instantly I jumped at the booming sound of it. It was enchanting and thrilling, sending a chill through my body that I didn’t understand. My attitude changed against my will. I didn’t want to like him, but I was struggling to stay hateful toward him. Every word out of his mouth was like music to my ears. A warmth buried deep inside of me started to glow.

  “My dear Veronica,” he said, rolling the ‘r’ deliciously, “you are a very unique creature. I do hope this all ends in your favor.”

  “Isn’t that up to you?” I asked. “I mean, you are the one pointing the gun at my head.”

  When he gave me a confused look, it was my turn to laugh.

  “My God, it was a metaphor,” I said. “Where are you from anyway?”

  He swooped down and swept me off my feet, catching me off guard and taking away my breath. Instinctively, my arms wrapped around his thick neck, our eyes locking together in another stolen gaze. I tried to break my eyes away from his. I didn’t want to feel the stirring in my body that took over every time he smiled.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I swallowed hard, nodding my head, and wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

  “You may be more at ease if you close your eyes. The first time can be daunting.”

  “Don’t you think it’s pointless to be nice to me? It really isn’t needed,” I repeate
d.

  He said nothing but tightened his grip on me. The first step he took, I closed my eyes. My body pressed against his. I’d flown a handful of times when I was younger. My parents had family all over the country, and while they weren’t wealthy, they liked to travel. Each year, we would go to visit someone new in a different state. It was the same sensation that I felt as I held onto his neck even tighter. There was no time for me to think about what was happening. It took all my power not to get sick.

  When we finally skidded to a stop thirty minutes later, I was barely able to stand. Mikhail set me down carefully on the ground as the world continued to spin around me.

  “It doesn’t last long, I promise. You are handling it very well for your first time,” he said.

  I groaned. “I think I would rather you just kill me now if it means I won’t ever have to do that again.”

  He chuckled softly and helped me to stand back up. “Come. This place is only safe if we are inside. Otherwise, the wolves can still trace us. I would think the vampires would be right behind them, too.”

  “Why is it safe inside but not out here? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Because the fae have cloaked the house. But the larger the area, the harder it is to keep strong.”

  “How many places like this are there? And the fae? Are they like me? I heard you mention them before.”

  For the first time, I took in my surroundings. It looked like something from a classic American farm portrait. All around me there were trees. The small farmhouse had outdated, blue siding but it seemed well kept. Mikhail opened the door of the front porch and ushered me inside. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was when the interior looked completely different from the quaint outside. We’d somehow transported from the farmhouse to a Victorian home.

  Plush, antique rugs hung from the walls. Everywhere I looked there was vibrant cherry woodworking that was masterfully done. I couldn’t look away from the paintings and décor. It was an overwhelming site to behold.

  “Are you okay?” asked Mikhail, putting a hand on my shoulder.

  I closed my eyes. “I don’t know. This is just a lot to process.”

  He pulled his hand away and stiffened. “I need to sort this out. You are welcome to anything in the house. I will find you when I can.”

  “So, that’s it? No answers? Nothing?”

  “Yes.”

  He spun around and walked away from me without another word. I watched him go into the second door, the familiar sound of a lock falling into place echoing through the archway. I wasn’t about to give up, though. I had never been the type of girl to just sit on the sidelines and let anyone take care of me. I had to fight what was happening. I had to have an edge. Quietly, I headed past the door that Mikhail had locked and went into the next room. Thankfully, it was a bathroom.

  Once before, when my parents had been fighting, I had discovered a special ability. Being a nosy teen, I pressed my ear to the wall and focused. Just like it had happened all those years again, I now felt the familiar rush of wind against my face. It felt like my mind was traveling through the wall to the room with Mikhail. I could see him sitting behind a large desk. The room was covered in bookshelves. All different masters of pen from the years graced the walls. I could get lost in the room for days.

  Mikhail took out his phone but didn’t call anyone right away. He looked conflicted about the call. If only I could read his mind, but I wasn’t that powerful. Even pushing myself this far was painful, but I had to know what my fate was. Something about my current situation felt strangely familiar, like I had known Mikhail all my life. He was the villain; he was supposed to be the bad guy who was going to kill me, but in my heart, I knew that he didn’t want to. That still didn’t mean that he wouldn’t, though. I pushed through the pain and focused on staying in the room with him.

  Finally, he started to dial a number on his phone. “Director?”

  “Mikhail, what is going on out there? This was supposed to be an easy final job for you, but instead I’m getting reports of a break in the truce with the vampires and a pack of wolves showing up in downtown Manhattan!”

  “I know, sir. Things didn’t go as planned. The night walkers got ahold of the woman before I could get to her. I had no choice but to kill them.”

  “That’s one mess that I can clean up easily enough, but what about the wolves? They were seen heading into the woods a few minutes ago, heading in the direction of your safe house.”

  “Shit,” he whispered. “Well, I made it to the safe house, so they won’t find me. I’ll need you to send someone to handle them, though.”

  “That won’t be a problem, but what about the girl? Did you eliminate the threat?”

  I held my breath, trying to catch every word of what was being said. I didn’t want to look away, even for a second. Mikhail didn’t respond right away, and with every passing second, I felt the tension growing stronger in the room until I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to pull out, my brain felt like it was going to implode on itself. I focused a little longer, begging him to answer the question so I could know my fate, and so that I could know his, too.

  “Please,” I whispered to myself.

  Mikhail glanced up from the phone, his attention focused on the wall where I was pressed against. I gasped. No one had ever heard me before. He rose slowly from his chair.

  “Hold on a second, boss,” he muttered.

  He came over to the wall, looking confused. He lifted his hand and pressed it against the wall where my body was waiting on the other side. I felt the heat from his hand running down my spine, taking away the pain and making me shudder with a primal desire that I’d never felt before. Mikhail closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting his hand fall away from the wall.

  “Mikhail,” said the Director. “Are you still there? What is going on?”

  “Nothing, sir,” he muttered. “What were we talking about?” he asked.

  “I asked if you had dealt with the girl. If you need me to send backup, I will do it right away. This mission takes top priority.”

  “I know, sir,” he said, taking his seat. “I will deal with it myself. There is no need to send anyone else. It’s just taking a little longer than I expected. Give me a few days and keep the wolves off my back. I’ll take care of her and be back before you know it.”

  Chapter Three: Mikhail

  I had to make a decision, and it had to be fast. I was used to working under pressure but never like this. I stormed out of the office and into the bathroom next to it.

  “What the hell are you doing in here? Do you think this is some sort of game? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  “Does it matter? You are going to do it anyway!” she screamed.

  I shook my head, rage boiling over inside of me. “You are the most impulsive, stubborn, and irritating human that I have ever met!”

  Veronica laughed. “You aren’t the first person to tell me that, and if I have anything to say about it, you won’t be the last. So, what is your plan? Are you going to drag it out, or should I just say my final prayers now?”

  I slammed my fist into the wall, unable to control my temper any longer. “I am not going to kill you, damn it!”

  “What?” she asked softly.

  “I should kill you. I know that it’s my job. I can’t do it, though. You are a threat, but it’s not your fault. There has to be another way. I just need to figure out what that is.”

  “Really?”

  I glared at her. “Yeah, and that’s a little hard to do with you constantly trying to get under my skin. What the hell were you doing in here anyway?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. It was just the first room that I came to.”

  “Well, why don’t you join me in the sitting room? It might be a little more comfortable.” I said with a grin. “Or we could stay here on the bathroom floor. You seem to enjoy it.”

  “No,” she said as she took my hand. “Lead the
way.”

  ***

  “You know, I’ve never really spent any time around your kind. Are you all like this?”

  “Like what?”

  “Outspoken and fearless,” I said softly. “I’ve known men that were twice your size that wouldn’t act as bravely as you have these past few hours. You intrigue me, Veronica.”

  She shifted uncomfortably in the overstuffed armchair. I tried not to smile; it was such a human thing to do. Under my intense gaze, she was becoming uncomfortable, and I had to admit, it was a little bit amusing. I had struck fear into the hearts of men, made women swoon over me, but never had I encountered such a unique creature as Veronica. There was something about her that pushed me to be a better person. I wanted to protect her from all the evils of her world, and mine.

  “So, what are you going to do? Why does your boss want me dead?”

  I took a deep breath. I knew the question was coming, but I wasn’t prepared for it as much as I would have liked.

  “I work for an organization that is called the Federation. We are the guardians of the immortals, and of the supernatural world. Our kind, dragon shifters, have guarded, and bartered in humans for centuries. We protect those who need protection, and we eliminate those who pose a threat.”

  “So, you kill people?” she asked.

  “Sometimes. More often than not, we simply give the ‘green light’ for certain members of society to be eliminated by those who thrive on human life.”

  “Like the vampires?”

  I nodded. “They need human blood to survive, and there are humans who don’t deserve to live. We regulate what humans are thinned from the pack and enforce the laws that have been put in place to protect the rest.”

  “What about me? Why is everyone after me?”

  “Not everyone is happy with our rule. Recently, small factions of vampires and other night walkers have been acting out and taking humans for their own. The Federation has fought to quell these insurgents, but their numbers are growing.”