I Have an Invisible Stalker (Guardians #1)

Chapter 34

Samuel's POV

I know most humans say they hate Monday mornings, but I'm enjoying this particular one. It has everything to do with the scowling charge preparing a cup of coffee across the counter from me. Or rather the fact that it has been three days since she was attacked, and she hasn't done anything to hurt herself since then.

"I shouldn't be working right now." Olivia slams an empty coffee pitcher onto the counter and glares at me. "I should be out there looking for that woman."

"Not until you remember what she looks like." Opposite to Olivia, I keep my mouth as unmoving as possible. While she can get away with talking to me because of the wireless earbud she's wearing, I can't use the same excuse; not with the three Guardians scattered around the café.

"What she looks like..." Olivia eyes the empty pitcher.

"Don't you dare." Without her even finishing the thought, I know she's about to suggest something stupid like hurting herself with the pitcher. "You lift that pitcher anywhere near your head, and I'll force you to start wearing a helmet."

"I'm trying to do the right thing." Olivia glares at me but drops her hand from the pitcher to her side. "We have only a week left to find out who the Guardian is."

"You aren't harming yourself. Period."

With a low grumble, Olivia picks up a filled tray and makes her way around the counter to one of the tables on the other side of the room.

"If only these little earpieces existed when I was her age." The old hag, Ramona, makes her way to where Olivia stood before. "They would have made talking to him so much easier."

Her grumble makes me another ten percent surer that she had once been able to see Guardians. Because she doesn't glance in my direction, though, I also know that she doesn't have the ability any longer.

The annoying doorbell pulls my eyes away from the old hag, and I glance to the front entrance. The too-interested doctor enters the café, but instead of heading for an empty table, she runs her eyes around the room. When her gaze lands on Olivia, she begins to cross the room toward my charge.

Before I realize what I'm doing, I do the same. The doctor and I reach Olivia at the same time, but while I position myself right beside Olivia, the doctor takes a detour at the last moment. She sits at an empty table near Olivia.

"Dr. Kate." Olivia heads over to her table, and I follow right behind her.

"Hi, Olivia." The doctor greets her with a wide smile that should be spared for her friends and not a random patient. "I heard about your injury, so I'm here to ask how you are. Does your head still hurt?"

"I'm fine." Olivia waves off her concern, but at the same time reaches up to her forehead.

The moment she begins to scratch the still-healing bruise, I grasp her hand and with a soft tug, I force her to lower her hand. She needs to leave the injury alone, so it can heal.

"There's no need to pretend to be brave," the doctor continues. "You need to be honest with me if your head hurts. Otherwise, I can't help you."

"Her interest in you is getting out of hand." I let go of Olivia's hand and sit on the empty chair next to the doctor. "Even the most devoted doctor wouldn't come to a patient's workplace to check how the patient is doing. I've also never seen her Guardian. Have you?"

"No." Olivia shakes her head.

I look back at the doctor and wonder if perhaps she's the woman we're looking for. Can it be that she's interested in Olivia because—

My thoughts are interrupted when the dumb bell rings again. This time it's two figures who enter the café—one human and one Guardian.

"Lucien," Olivia whispers the name of the Guardian walking a step behind her childhood friend.

As soon as my eyes meet Lucien's, the café disappears. I find myself feeling lightheaded from the laugh shaking my body. I turn to my side and find Hugo standing next to me with a grin as wide as mine. A closer look, however, reveals that he isn't the Hugo I've met inside the café. This Hugo is older, around my age, which can only mean one thing.

The guy beside me is Hugo's past self.

Our laugh is cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps. I turn around to find a younger version of Lucien making his way across the shore toward us. My smile dies and a different feeling begins to surface.

Before I can grasp what the feeling is, I'm back inside the café. I blink, feeling even more confused than after the memories of both mine and Hugo's death. How could I have laughed so carefree with Hugo's past self, but then also be responsible for his death?

"Hi, Brooke." Olivia's greeting pulls me back to the present. She is keeping her eyes on anywhere but Lucien.

"How can you be here without your charge?" I ask Lucien, while Brooke takes a seat at the empty table beside the one Dr. Kate is still sitting at.

"You know what?" The doctor jumps to her feet. "You seem busy right now, so I'll come back later when you'll have more time to talk." Without waiting for a response, she hurries out of the café.

When I glance back to our remaining group of two humans and two Guardians, Lucien is already sitting on the chair across the table from Brooke.

"Who says I'm here without my charge?" Lucien motions toward Olivia's childhood friend. "Can't you see the lovely lady?"

"I already met Brooke's Guardian," I say. "And she's not you."

"You haven't heard? The girl's first Guardian already finished her punishment, so her charges were divided among us. It's funny how our paths keep crossing. Don't you agree, Olivia?"

At the last part, Lucien turns his eyes to Olivia. I shrink my hands into tight fists to keep myself from snapping at him to leave her alone.

"Come on, little human," Lucien prods on when Olivia continues to keep her eyes focused on Brooke. "I know you can hear me."

"What are you doing?" I force myself to unclench my fists and lean back against the chair I'm sitting on.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm talking to your charge. Isn't that right, Olivia? I'm curious to find out what you, Olivia dear, did to my poor new charge to make her dislike you so much. She loathes being around you."

"Have you made up your mind?" Olivia asks Brooke before Lucien even closes his mouth.

"Yes, I'll have a vanilla Latte." Brooke closes the menu with a flick of her fingernail.

"How come you're on your own today?" Olivia asks, and I have to force myself to hold back the proud smirk when I see the frown Lucien's smug smile flattens into.

"Who am I supposed to be with?" Brooke bites out, confirming Lucien's words of her not being glad to be in Olivia's presence.

Olivia's response is a simple shake of her head before she makes her way back to the counter. While my body tells me to follow her, I force myself to remain seated. I keep Olivia in my peripheral vision, though. Just in case.

The rest of my attention stays on Lucien, who follows Olivia's every move. He presents a grave danger to Olivia, but on top of that, I can't stop wondering what I could have done to him in our previous human life. Especially considering that whatever I did eventually led him to kill me.

"You remember me," I say, with my eyes still focused on Lucien.

"Of course, I do." The Guardian rolls his eyes and then points at his jaw. "You're the lunatic who punched me."

"Not that. I mean our past life. You remember me from your past human life, don't you?"

For a moment Lucien continues to keep his eyes focused on Olivia. Then with a slow, almost exaggerated movement, he turns to me. Our eyes meet, and I'm once again staring at the face of my killer.

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                - E