“So I’ll see you then?”

“Yeah…I guess you will.”

I realized my fifteen minutes was probably coming to an end and I didn’t want Faith to witness any exchange of kind words between Hunter and I. She was sneaky and I don’t like sneaky.

“Now that I know we’re connected, I’ll try my hardest not to make you uncomfortable…it’s not fair to you.”

I felt it was appropriate to refrain from any kind of sexual activity while Hunter was connected to me—not just for his sake, but mine and Eli’s, too. The time we spent together didn’t need to be broadcasted emotionally to a third party—especially Hunter who, let’s face it, would kill to be in Eli’s position. No pun intended.

A cocky smile spread across his lips. Of course he’d really like that suggestion. “If Eli didn’t like me before he certainly isn’t going to like me after you cut him off from se—”

“Okay!” I interrupted, placing my hands on my hips. “I get it.”

He laughed and it was so full of life I even flinched a little.“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want you to change anything because of our situation.” He pursed his lips together before blowing out a breath of air. “I know how happy you get when you’re with him and it’s the only time I feel happiness—true happiness through our connection.”

“Thanks, but I’m not willing to have an audience when we…you know.” I felt stupid just saying it.

His blue eyes surveyed me with amusement and it was the first time in a long time that I saw the old Hunter. “Fair enough.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, turning away from him.

“Ruby…” His voice stopped me in my tracks, forcing me back around to him. “I never thanked you for bringing me back… so thank you giving me a second chance. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to repay you.”

I smiled. “You don’t have to repay me. I’m the reason you were in that situation in the first place. All the things you did will fade away. I hardly remember anything from when I was a vampire…it’s all hazy, like a bad dream.”

“Speaking of bad dreams…” he muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets again. “Six weeks is a long time to thrive on so little sleep.”

He knew? Of course he knew. His emotions were linked to mine, so every time I was torn from sleep and about to vomit with fear, so was he.

“If the past is anything to go off, the nightmares will pass. These ones are just taking longer.”

The disapproval in his exhale came through loud and clear. “Eli doesn’t know?”

“No, and I don’t plan on telling him. He doesn’t have nightmares—no guardian has nightmares.”

“They’re different than us. They’re raised differently—taught differently. You can walk around in their uniform and call yourself a guardian all you want, but you’re still one of us. If you tell him, he’ll help you through it.”

He was right, I knew that, but if I told Eli that I was having nightmares, he’d get all worried about me and he already had so much to deal with. Pulling double shifts wasn’t easy—for anyone—and it wasn’t like he could spend the night with me to keep me company.

“There’s too much going on right now, Hunter. I can’t tell him. I’ve thought about it a million times and in no scenario can he help me.”

Hunter’s eyes narrowed while his jaw clenched imperceptibly. He wasn’t happy, but there wasn’t anything he could really do about it.

“I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He gave me a tight smile and I exited the room. I was relieved to see the waiting room empty when I stepped out of Hunter’s cell. I’d hate for Faith to know about my nightmares. Especially since she seemed to want to make my life a living hell. God knows why. Before this morning I had no idea who she was. Faith, however, seemed to think she knew all about me. I walked as fast as I could up the tunnel, and when I stepped out into the fresh air, a blast of cool air whipped instantly through my hair. I smiled at Faith as I raised a hand to my face to push a few wayward strands away from my eyes.

“Good doggy.” I chuckled darkly at her. “You stayed. Do you want a treat?”

Her fists clenched at her sides as she glared at me from under her lashes.

“Relax.” I laughed, stepping closer to her. “I’m only playing with you.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but a snapping twig caught our attention. It was a guardian angel in an all black uniform, cradling a rifle close to his chest. His golden hair glistened slightly in the sun as the wind tossed it around a little. It was strange… seeing a guardian with a gun.

“Are you finished?” he asked, sauntering closer to the opening of the tunnel.

“Yes.”

He began to enter to the cave.

“What are you doing?” Faith asked him and he almost sank into himself. He seemed awed that someone like Faith was talking to him and I almost gagged. She was an elite, and apparently normal guardians admired elite guardians.

“I’m checking the door,” he replied to her in a tone that sounded more like a question than a response.

She flicked her head at him and he disappeared into the darkness. Faith’s attention fell back onto me and she smiled. “Would you look at that? Your own people don’t trust you.”

“It’s protocol. I’m sure the door gets double checked after ever visit.”

With that annoying smile still in place, she said, “Whatever makes you feel better.”

***

The walk back to the house was quick, and thankfully neither Tate nor Faith spoke to me. As soon as I was inside, I slammed my door with a wide smile, knowing that I was officially alone with my own thoughts. Having people tail you around was exhausting—especially when one of them was constantly on your ass about everything. I strolled through the house, enjoying the silence, and entered my bedroom. My gaze fell onto all of the clothes spilled over my mattress. I really didn’t want to pack, and I threw myself onto the bed, landing awkwardly on the piles. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to close my eyes for a little while? My chest felt heavy even after I dragged in a deep inhale through my nose and let it out through my mouth. I was completely drained and all I needed was some time off my feet.

“Ruby?”

My eyes shot open and my heart slammed against my ribcage as I sat bolt upright. I blinked quickly in an attempt to force them to adjust to the dark. What the hell? Had I fallen asleep?

The lamp flicked on and its dull light illumined the room. I squinted while my gaze traveled up the black guardian uniform in front of me and over a full set of lips before resting on a pair of green eyes. Seeing him eased my rapidly beating pulse.

“You scared me.” I ran a hand over my face and then raked it through my hair. My hair was soft today and its strands slid effortlessly through my fingertips.

He stepped forward, glancing down his nose at me. “You weren’t at dinner and I was worried.”

His words warmed me. I loved that Eli was always so attentive.

“I fell asleep, apparently.” I yawned and there was a dull ache in the bottom of my spine from sleeping on such an uneven surface.

A soft smile played across Eli’s lips as he watched me. An unsettling, guilty feeling rested in the pit of my stomach.

“I visited Hunter today,” I blurted out, dropping my sight to the second pile of clothes on my bed. I kept my eyes down and he leaned over, his biceps tensing as he pushed most of my clothes off the bed and onto the floor. My little purple suitcase was buried somewhere underneath the mess of fabric and when I looked up at him, he seemed unapologetic for it. He sat down on the bed next to me, his legs placed firmly on the floor. I shuffled along the mattress until I was right next to him.

“I know,” he said, with no trace of frustration or disappointment on his face. “Faith told me.”

Of course she did. I never thought I’d say it, but I was looking forward to going to the council’s city. Perhaps then they’d call off their dogs…Faith was really starting to get on my nerves.

“Faith.” I sighed, falling backwards on the bed. I shoved my hands under my head and Eli turned his body, looking at me from over his shoulder. I could see him hiding a smile and I glowered at him.

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

He shrugged, leaning back and propping himself up on his elbows. He was so close to me and I tried to keep the glower on my face, but the clean, crisp smell of the cologne that emanated from him was distracting—he was distracting. He chuckled under his breath as his finger curled under the hem of my shirt and he drew little circles on my hip bone.

“I don't enjoy Faith toying with you, but I enjoy seeing you deal with someone who wants something that’s yours. It sucks, doesn’t it?”

I let out a slow, controlled breath, not wanting him to see how badly his touch was affecting me. “Yes.”

His warm finger slid across my skin to circle my belly button and I caught my bottom lip between my teeth to keep from giggling. I was very ticklish, especially in that area. His hand smoothed out, gliding over to my other hip and my eyes stayed locked on his as he gripped me and pulled me against him.

“I meant it when I said you have nothing to worry about. I’m yours.”

His voice was low and smooth. It filtered through my flesh and ignited my blood, making my skin tingle. He angled his head and my breath caught in my throat as he pressed his tantalizing lips against mine. My body responded immediately, like our kiss was some sort of chemical reaction. I shivered as Eli ran his tongue along my bottom lip, coaxing me into opening my mouth. I did without hesitation. There was something nagging at me in the very back of my mind. Something I was supposed to do, but conveniently couldn’t remember. It wasn’t until Eli’s hand slid down my waist and over my hip before hooking his thumb underneath the hem of my pants did I remember. I pulled back abruptly, clamping my hand down on his wrist and biting my bottom lip. How was I going to tell him about Hunter? Eli looked at me and his lips twitched into a confident smile.

“I sent the elites to dinner. It’s just us.”

He leaned in again and I pressed my hand to his hard chest, preventing him from making contact with his lips… boy, were they nice lips. I shake my head. Focus! “It’s still cutting it close. I can’t give Faith a reason to ruin my life or yours.” I sighed. “Anyway, this isn’t just about her…It’s about Hunter.”

I fought the urge to cringe as Eli’s previously vibrant green eyes darkened. He removed his hand from my shirt.

“It’s true, he’s sired to me.”

“And you believe him?” His tone wasn’t accusing or sceptical. It was casual, like he was trying to be understanding. I nodded.

“He knew you and I were together yesterday.”

“Not a difficult assumption. We’re almost always together.”

I sat up and Eli mimicked my movement.

“No, he knows we left Sage and he knows we…” I left my sentence for Eli to finish in his own mind.

“Knows we what?”

Crap, now I have to say it. I felt heat flood to my cheeks. “You know, in the car.”

Realization flashed over his countenance. “Oh…right. He knew?”

Eli tried to hide a smirk, but he couldn’t, and I nudged him with my shoulder.

“Let me guess, he asked you to stop spending time with me because he can’t handle it.”

“No, it was quite the opposite, actually. He doesn’t want me to stop.”

He laughed once, his smug expression falling. “I don’t know which is worse.”

I reassuringly ran my hand over his shoulder and into his hair, letting the short strands slip between my fingers.

“We’re leaving tomorrow to see the council, so we should probably cool it for a little while, anyway,” he added and I leaned in close.

“For a little while,” I repeated, kissing his soft cheek.

We admired each other for a little while longer. We touched and kissed, but didn’t take it into heavier territory. Eli wanted to, though. Every move and look he gave me told me he wanted to go further, but I couldn’t. Not until the connection between Hunter and I was sorted out.

When we heard the scuff of heavy boots on the porch, we decided we didn’t want to be in the house anymore and Eli was adamant about me eating dinner, so he forced me from the house with the promise of Caesar salads with the ‘most delicious’ cherry tomatoes. Faith and Tate followed closely behind us as we made our way toward the dining hall. Eli assured me the students had gone to back to their dorms and I prayed that was the case. It was weird. I didn’t associate myself with the other students here anymore. I felt older—wiser, even.

Two teachers I didn’t recognize sauntered from the hall and passed Eli and I with a nod. Once inside, we chose a table in the far corner, away from the eager ears of the elites. Eli disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a salad topped with cherry tomatoes just like he promised.

I could feel Faith’s dark eyes on my face while I ate. Every now and again I’d look up at her and she’d be glowering at me from under her thick, black eyelashes. Eli was talking about tomorrow. Apparently, I’d be traveling with Mr. Aleksandrov, Mila, Hunter, and Tate. He’d be travelling with Xavier and Faith.

“The setup is a bit weird, don’t you think?” I asked.

“Weird?”