⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Twenty Three

Lacey's eyes slowly drifted open as she tried to make sense of what was happening around her. Her thoughts came in weird, clipped fragments. A woman dressed in white gown was dancing around and screaming. They were inside the bathroom of the guest house still. Her eyes moved and settled on someone else. He was easily flawless, yet he was broken somehow. His eyes were red rimmed and his face was slick with tears. His eyes betrayed so much pain, so much heartbreak, that it hurt to look at him. He had blonde, messied hair and violet eyes that seemed to sparkle. His muscle tone was well defined. Lacey felt the sudden urge to comfort him, to run her hands across his body like she had done a thousand times before- she shook the thought away. That was ridiculous! He was a complete stranger.

"Who are you?" Lacey spluttered. She kept her eyes solely on the gorgeous guy, nearly forgetting entirely about the woman. The boy let out a cry in the back of his throat. Lacey resisted the urge to cover her ears. The sound had been pure, unfiltered despair, converted into noise.

"Asher!" the woman chastised. His name brought a series of sensations to the forefront of Lacey's mind. Someone's lips brushing against her skin in a series of frenzied kisses. Her heart skipping about in her chest. Familiar hands roaming her body intimately. Violet. A shade of violet so pure it haunted her dreams. Her fingers locking in hair as she drew herself closer-

"She doesn't remember," Asher hissed in a low voice. His voice was enough to arouse more memories for Lacey. She remembered confusion. Anger. But behind those surface emotions, something deeper. The two of them together, burning brightly. Their love uniting them in ways she'd never connected with anyone else. His heart pounding against hers. His super overprotective mode. His hands, drawing shapes on the skin of her back. Him, breaking her image of him. He ruined everything. The thought popped into her mind, unbidden.

"She's just had her soul pulled back into her body. Give her some time." the woman urged. Lacey stared at the boy even longer. He seemed to desensitize her and bring her senses to life at the same time. He was so foreign, yet everything about him seemed like home to her.

"Lace? Sweetheart, do you remember me, at least?"

"I....Isaiah?" Lacey tested. His head cocked slightly to the side, and he frowned.

"Yes?" He exclaimed testily.

"Why do you remember him and not me?" The blond boy hissed. Lacey stared dumbly at the both of them, trying to assess the situation.

"Are you my brother?" she asked. The blond boy blanched visibly. "No, you care too much to be my brother. Are you my brother?" She asked Isaiah. He shook his head vigorously.

"Hmm. Okay. Well, what was I doing before I lost my memory?" Lacey questioned. Her hands flew to her neck, and she was rewarded with a glimpse of memories. Someone's hands, warm and insistent, sliding the necklace into place. She gave that person something of hers- a black triangle? No, a black guitar pic necklace. Her special guitar pic necklace.

"You...you died." Isaiah stuttered.

"Oh. Um, okay. So I'm undead?" She offered. Asher made a cracking noise in the back of his throat, like this entire encounter was breaking him. Lacey stared at him for a long moment. Everything about him seemed so foreign, and she couldn't place her finger on it.

"We need to move. I think Lucy has got our coordinates at this point." the woman in white announced. Asher looked up at her quickly.

"You're staying with us?" He wondered. The Messenger nodded abruptly.

"I've received word that this is my assignment. You and the girl will have to ride together in the Explorer. Isaiah, you take the Jeep, and I'll take the minivan. We will meet up at a currently undecided address," the Messenger stated. Lacey thought her voice was robotic in a way. It was like there was no emotion behind her voice. It was just a monotone.