Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 (23 page)

“Thank you, Chris.”

He went to put the kettle on and came back to sit next to Billy.

Taking a deep breath
, I briefly told them about what happened, and their stunned expressions said it all.

Stephen returned
shortly after. He came in and sat down next to me, grabbing my hand. This little gesture had both my uncle and Chris raising their eyebrows slightly because they saw that I never flinched like I normally did when people touched my hand.

“Cassie, that sounds awful.
I hope this man gets what’s coming to him. How could he have been let into the police station if he was a wanted man?”

“Not everyone knew straight away,” Stephen
said. “Not that any of that is an excuse. It was only the heads, me, and a couple of other officers that knew. By the time we had begun our search, Daniel was already in the station. As soon as we found out where he was, we went straight over there.”

“Thank
god you did.” Chris looked in Stephen’s direction.

“I just wish I had gotten to her sooner.
I wish I could have known he was there long before he even got a chance to go to the archives room. I could kick myself for it.”

“You
aren’t to blame for this.” I was shocked at Stephen’s confession. “How could you have known?
I
wasn’t even supposed to be there.”

“So
…why were you there?” Billy’s question seemed to stun the room into silence.

I sighed
, knowing I had to tell them. “I was snooping. I know I shouldn’t have been doing it, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to try and do some good.”

“What are you talking about?”
Billy looked confused.

“It’s a long stor
y, but I touched someone’s hand—a criminal’s hand. I saw things about him that no one knew. I guess I just wanted to know more about his background. I was being nosey.”

“Cassie, it is up to the
police
to investigate these matters,” Billy began. “I don’t want you being put in harm’s way like that again. I thought that’s why you wanted to keep it a secret.”

They both look
ed at Stephen, knowing now that he knew everything about me. If they knew everything about
him
, it would make their heads spin.

“I know
, but how was I to know that Daniel would follow me there?”

“I know, Cassie.
Just be careful. I don’t want to have a heart attack at my age.” He laughed a little and crossed his legs.

We all seem
ed to calm a little after that. Chris went to finish making the tea, and Billy continued to eye Stephen intriguingly.

“You
know all about our Cassie then,” Billy said, matter-of-factly.

“Yes.”
He smiled and gently squeezed my fingers.

Billy gestured towards our hands
and looked at me “And that doesn’t bother you?”

“No
. I can’t actually feel anything from Stephen.”

“What?”
He was shocked. “Have you lost your gift?”

“No
. I just don’t feel anything.”

“Are you a
vampire or something?”

His face looked deadly serious, and it made me laugh.
It felt good to laugh for a change. “Don’t be silly.” I was trying not to laugh too hard, but it was a little difficult. “Vampires don’t exist.”

I look
ed over at Stephen, but his expression was deadly serious. Abruptly, I stopped laughing.
Oh, shit—seriously?

“Um…”
I began, a little flustered. “I don’t know why I can’t feel Stephen. I must admit that it’s a breath of fresh air, though.”

“I bet it is,”
Billy mused. “What is happening with you tonight? Do you need me to stay with you?”

I could tell he was a
sking not only because he cared, but to find out about Stephen and see what was between us.

“Stephen is staying with me.
He is going to check on me regularly and make sure I’m still in the land of the living.” I chuckled at that, but I got a scowl from both Stephen and Billy.

“Don’t joke about these things, Cassie.
I lost my little sister. I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose you, too.”

I saw how hurt that thought was and it immediately made my gut twist.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I was just teasing.”

“I
know you were, dear.” He smiled a little, but then turned his attention to Stephen. “As you can tell, I very much care for this little lady here. I hope I can trust that you will look after her?”

“I promise I will fulfil those duties to the fullest.
I care about Cassie, too—very much.”

Stephen looked over at me and smiled
tenderly. My uncle seemed to be pleased with this little interaction and said no more.

After that
, we just drank tea as my uncle and Chris fired questions at Stephen. It was quite refreshing to watch. I’m not sure whether Stephen was lying, but he told them he was born in Rochester twenty-nine years ago and moved to London when he was eleven. He said that his father was a policeman and that he had always wanted to follow in his footsteps, especially when his father died when Stephen was only fourteen.

“I’m sorry to hear that,”
Billy said. “It’s never easy when your parents die. Cassie was only six when my poor sister was taken to the angels. It took a long time to try and get Cassie back out of her shell. She hurt so much after that and seemed to blame herself for what happened. I bet, to an extent, she still does.”

Billy
looked at me, but I was still in slight shock from the angels comment. “If I had known, I could have saved them.” I sighed, still feeling the pang of guilt I have always felt.

“Cassie, your mum and dad fo
ught hard for you not to see the ugliness you could have seen. No child should see a vision of their parents dying. No child should see a vision of
anyone
dying.”

“I still could have stopped it.
I could have warned them.”

My uncle was about to say mo
re, but Stephen interrupted, “You know, Cassie, sometimes things happen in life and you can’t understand it. Your parents made the decision to protect you because that’s what good parents do. They were taken from this life with the knowledge that they did everything in their power to bring you up as normal as possible. They are in a better place now and will be taken care of. Don’t you think if they knew you blamed yourself like this, it would upset them greatly?”

“Yes
, but—,” I began, wanting to argue my point.

“Well
, then, you have to stop this. I’m sure if your mother or father could speak to you now, they would give you a piece of their mind. They would want you to live your life without regret or remorse. I’m sure they would want nothing more than to see their daughter smiling and happy. I suggest you tell them.”

“What?”
I was completely confused. I looked over at Billy and Chris, who both had amused expressions on their faces.

“You need to speak with them.
I’m sure they can hear you.”

“Are you a religious man?”
Chris broke the silence.

“You coul
d say that.” Stephen laughed a little, making me laugh, too. If they only knew!

“You really think they
can hear me?”

“I’m sure that if you were alone in your thoughts one day and wanted to speak with them,
they would be there to listen.” He paused a moment before continuing, “Just think of it like this. A person is always there with you no matter what. In body or in spirit, it doesn’t matter. If you take the time to think of someone and talk to them, they will always be with you. Even if you can’t see them, you can always feel calm in the knowledge that, as long as you remember them, they will be there for you. No one ever actually dies. They’re just not there in the physical sense. When you next think about them and you feel the little tingles on your hands or arms, you can take great comfort that they are there with you. That is their way of showing you that they are there and love you very much.”

The
tears started to stream down my face. Stephen gently wiped them away and smiled.

“Tha
t was beautiful.” It was hard to get the words out, but I had to say something.

“Yes
, it was.” My uncle was now wiping his own tears. “I don’t know where you got this one, Cassie, but he seems to be a keeper.”

Billy
dabs his eyes and Chris offers him his arm. We all seemed at peace for some reason as we sat there in silence. I don’t know if it was Stephen’s words or just Stephen’s knack of making you feel like the most relaxed person on earth. All I knew was that escaping my growing feelings for this man was going to be even harder than I thought.

**********

I was at the door, saying goodbye to Chris and my uncle, when Billy turned around and whispered, “Do they
all
look like that at your police station? I think I need to get myself a job there.”

I start
ed laughing just as Chris rolled his eyes. Luckily, there was no jealously between them. They trusted each other implicitly and I thought that was always a great foundation for a lasting relationship. They were living proof that it could last if you really wanted it to.

“What happe
ned to Michael?” Chris tried to whisper so that Stephen couldn’t hear.

“He’s away on
training. He’ll be back on Friday. Look, we’re all just really good friends. They both care about me and I care about them. That’s as far as it goes.”

“You tread carefully, dear girl. You can’t string two men along at the same time. It will only lead to hurt, and I’m afraid that you’re going to get hurt the most. No matter what, you are always my top priority.”

I cringe
d when he mentioned about getting hurt. I’d already been thinking about that for days now. I didn’t know what to do. On one hand, I wanted Stephen here with me more than anything. On the other hand, I missed Michael and wanted him here, too. It was all so confusing.

“I know what you’re saying
, Uncle Billy. I will try to be careful. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I care about them both too deeply for that.”

He squeezed
my arm. “I know. Just follow your heart. I’m sure it will eventually make the right choice.” I nodded and hoped that what he said was true.

I said goodbye and turn
ed to go back inside. I was feeling exhausted and just wanted to relax.

“Your uncle and his partne
r are really nice.” Stephen smiled as I walked back through the apartment door.

“Yes, they did well bringing me up.
Can I ask you something?” Now that we were alone, the questions burned inside my head again.

“Of course, anything.”

“What you said about my parents. Is that really true?”

“Yes.
They will always be there for you as long as you need them to be. Haven’t you ever been at home alone and felt just that? The feeling of loneliness can be quite powerful. But, sometimes when you’re alone, have you ever felt those certain tingles on the back of your hand, or a sense of calm overwhelm you for no reason?”

I tried to think of an occasion where this could have happened.
“I suppose so.”

“Next time you feel that
, you can take great joy in the knowledge that this is them telling you that they are there for you, that they love you and will always be with you. It is their way of telling you that there is no need to be afraid.”

I sighed with a smile and wrapped my hand over his.
“You have such a way with words.”

“I try my best.
” His cheeky grin resurfaced, causing my heart to flutter.

“And that stuff about your mum and dad.
Is that real?”

He cringed
. “I don’t like lying, but what else could I say? I was sent here many years ago. I had nothing and no one. Not the sort of story you want to tell people.”

“I’m sorry.
” I felt really bad for him.

“Twinkles, how many times do I have to te
ll you? No need to be sorry—for anything.”

“Can I
ask something of you?” I had a sudden idea.

“Anything.
Whatever it is, it is yours.”

“Will you dance with me?
I have never danced with anyone before.”

His look of shock made me smile.
“Well, let’s not hesitate any further. Let me put the radio on.”

Stephen
danced over to the radio, making me laugh. He promptly switched it on, and a song soon came to an end. A voice announced another song, which quickly began. It made us both gasp when we heard it. It was the song Stephen had been hearing ever since the day after we met.