Guarded Hearts ✓

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

(Third Person POV)

    The doorbell went off and Rose looked over at her brother Alex as a reminder to be on his best behaviour. She walked over to the door and as expected found Jayden.

   "When are they meant to get here?" he asked bluntly in a monotone as he let himself in to take a seat opposite from Alex. 

   "Soon," Rose replied.

   She didn't want to let him know how much his tone hurt. His usual friendly easy going tone and behaviour was replaced by a stranger's. She was very aware that he was only talking to her because he had to and because out of Rose and her brother, she was the easier one to talk to. The last time she had seen him she had poured her heart out and shared her feelings with him. And what did he do? He rejected her. It stung. He had been a part of a large portion of her life. She grew up with him, and he with her. Rejection wasn't something she was going to easily get over. She couldn't let him know how much he affected her. She wouldn't.

   Rose took a seat next to Alex on the sofa and fidgeted with her nails; a nervous habit that both Alex and Jayden were aware of. They chose not to comment. 

   Alex just sat leant back with folded arms and sighed. They were expecting the Elders and as usual, they were late. But he wasn't complaining. They were going to be extremely angry and this wasn't something he could shift away from. In training he had frequently got into run-ins with the Elders about his behaviour and dedication towards being a Guardian. He was dedicated to finding her and cared about her a helluva lot more than he showed, but the Elders wouldn't see that. They would just see him as a screw up. 

   The door suddenly pounded open and all three of them sat abruptly in their seats. They all slowly stood up when a familiar and extremely angry Elder walked in. 

   The 7ft Elder walked in with his long white hair and beard swaying with the slight breeze of the open door behind him. He didn't close it and the three others dared not move from their spots. To a stranger his cream and gold floor length robe over a pristine white suit and trousers might radiate a peaceful and calming personality. Rose, Jayden and Alex knew to expect the unexpected when in the elders company. 

   His dark eyes individually met with all three of them.

   "Three Guardians?! Three! And you couldn't even prevail over this! You knew it was happening. It was a known fact from the start! All that training was to for preventing this! God forbid if I had just left one of you alone in charge! But three?!"

   His heavily booming voice created vibrations in the windows and nearby vases. It bellowed authority. No one moved an inch. Out of all the Elders, Aric had always been the less harsh. But right now, he couldn't be any more intimidating. 

   "I-" 

   "Did I tell you to speak?" He shot over at Rose, whom bit her lip and remained silent. 

   There was a tense silence. Rose, Alex and Jayden unsure whether to speak or not, and Aric trying to compose his temper. He rubbed at his forehead in frustration and turned to Jayden.

   "I don't want to yell. I just want to ask, what the hell you were thinking trying to pursue a relationship with the girl?!" His voice gradually got louder by the end of his sentence. 

   Jayden looked down with pinks cheeks. 

   "I didn't know that-"

   "You didn't know that we found out? Oh we know everything. We thought we'd let you continue on until Alex finally arrived. After which you were done! You were to hand her over to Alex where he would finish the job!"

   "She's not a piece of meat to just hand over..." Jayden muttered.

   Aric ignored him. "Not only did you pursue a relationship with her after Alex arrived. But you were with her the night she was taken? You were with her when she was taken and you didn't prevent it?!"

   "Hey cut him some slack. She ran away!" Alex stood up with a peeved expression. Of course he felt the same way, that Jayden should've backed off, but the past was the past. And her running away wasn't all on him. 

   "Sit back down!" 

    The room vibrated with authority and Aric's eyes turned a murderous red. Alex slowly sat back down and folded his arms, not meeting anyone's eyes. 

   "Explain to me why you hadn't linked? Your job was to find her and as soon as doing so, link! She would not even be in danger if you had been connected from the start! How hard is all this?! This was what we had been training you all from the start! To train and protect. To train and protect!"

   He took another deep breath and stood quiet for a minute.

   "Come here..." Aric said softly, locking eyes eyes with Jayden.

   Jayden tentatively stood up and walked over until he stood face to face. 

   "It is with regret that I strip you from your title as Guardian," Aric announced as he began turning Jayden around and lifting the back of his shirt. 

   "What?!" Jayden panicked, attempting to turn back around.

   Before he could fully turn around, Aric placed a burning cold hand at the base of his tattoo. He ground his teeth and groaned in agonizing pain at the action. The pain radiating away from the point, all the way down to the rest of his body. His finger and toes curling and teeth grinding from the agony. 

   A bright glow emitted, acting as almost a halo around his convulsing body.

   Alex and Rose stared on, feeling shame over witnessing such an act, though unable to look away from the scene.

   The pain peaked to its highest point and Jayden groaned loudly as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

    The glow quickly faded and Jayden's convulsions weakened until a complete stop. 

    Aric tentatively removed his hand from the now sweating body and slowly walked around until he was directly facing Jayden. Jayden's gaze remained down at his feet.

   "I'm sorry it had to come to that."

   "I'm sorry too." 

   The was a pregnant pause in the air. 

   Aric cleared his throat. "You will not receive contact from us again."

   Jayden raised his head to meet Aric's sympathetic brown eyes.

   "I wish you well."

     With those last four words, Aric left.

    Jayden remained in the same position, with eyes back on the floor. Now completely and utterly human.

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A/N: I knoww. Its been a while. Buttt it's up! I know its not the longest of chapters. But just wanted to get this scene out of the way.

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