Saving Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book 2

Chapter 9.

Chapter 9.

Marie sat numbly on the leather couch that had been turned away from the puddle of blood. His question about duct tape seemed like such a mundane, normal request, it was not hard for her to answer. All the rest of the chaos swirling around her, however, was wreaking havoc on her frayed nerves. The tag on the throw pillow she was clutching tight was trembling uncontrollably. She thrust it away, not wanting the reminder of how shaken she was.

She thought she heard a baby crying, there was blood everywhere, and people rushing in and out of Emil's bedroom. As she recalled, his room had not been used the whole time she had worked for him. He nearly lived in his office further down the hall, but she had never had to pick up after him in the bedroom. Then again, he had never brought a woman around until he had met Evan Whitman. He was a new man since she had come into his life. In the ten years she had worked for the quiet, reclusive man, he had never given a clue he was caught up in such a horrific mess as she was now embroiled in.

Two people came out of the bedroom: a man with long blond hair of medium build pulled a blond teenage boy from the room. The boy held such a look of shock on his face that Marie felt an instant bond with him. She watched as Hawk, the vampire who had driven them to Emil's downtown Saint Louis loft, emerged from the bedroom, a tiny bundle wrapped in towels held tenderly in his hands. Marie's eyes bulged. A baby made no sense. How long had she been kept hostage? Whose baby was it, anyway? She watched as he backed slowly down the short hall, not a glance to spare for anyone but the bundle in his hands, and then turned into the music room. A moment later, the tall man they called Xavier, who had asked for duct tape, emerged, running his hand through his black hair, tousling it up to stand at all angles. Instead of following Hawk, he turned and walked toward where she sat.

She watched him saunter slowly toward her, until he stopped a few feet away, causing her to crane her neck severely to look up into his face, he was so tall.

A hint of a wrinkle formed on his brow as he said, "Your eyes...I thought they were...never mind, I must be mistaken."

Marie frowned. What was he talking about? "What's wrong with my eyes?"

"They are brown," he said matter-of-factly.

"What's wrong with that?"

She watched as the realization of what he said dawned on him. "I'm sorry, there is nothing wrong with your eyes, I just thought they were green earlier. It's nothing, I'm sorry I said anything."

She shrugged and looked at the ground.

"Emil sent me out here to check on you and keep you company," he offered, moving to sit next to her.

"How nice of him," she mumbled numbly, wondering how this has become her life. When his weight settled next to her, she fell against him, not stopping herself as she was beyond caring at the moment. There was too much going on for her mind to process. First, finding out she had been held captive by a coven of vampires, then Emil showing up at the club, and lastly discovering Emil was also a vampire. What the hell? All this time she had worked for him, and not a single clue. She had always thought he was just somewhat of a brilliant recluse. She did not feel like she had the capacity to remember to breathe, let alone stay upright.

The man next to her caught her, setting her apart from him slightly. She turned with startled eyes to him and cringed away when she heard a growl emerge from him. Crawling quickly to the other side of the couch, she held a throw pillow in front of her like a shield.

Fear had poured from her into Xavier's hands when he had touched her. "What did they do to you?" he whispered, pain lacing through his words.

"How do you know?" she asked in surprise, wondering where to start and what gave her away.