Guarding the Angel

Chapter 15

I let out a silent gasp and then realize that the sword went through me without leaving any damage, almost like I was a ghost. 

"Guards, dispose of this body," the would-be murderer commands.

Quickly, I crumple to the ground and hold my muscles as stiff as I can. The door to the room swings open and heavy footsteps approach me. I hold my breath as two sets of arms prop me up. 

"Your majesty," one of the guards says hesitantly.

"What?" the would-be murderer asks, tone eerily flat.

"This body isn't dead," the guard answers. 

"Nonsense!" the would-be-murderer exclaims.

I open my eyes to find the would-be murderer kneeling beside me with his face only an inch from mine. I jerk my head backwards only to hit it on the chest of one of the guards holding me up. 

"Impossible," the would-be murderer breathes, leaning back on his heels. His face grows a couple shades lighter in color. "My brother has created the impossible!"

The would-be murderer leaps to his feet and slashes his sword through me repeatedly. About halfway through the violent swinging, he lets out a blood-curdling scream. 

I wince and then realize that I'm an idiot. If my would-be murderer can't hurt me, then escape should be easy! I wait until the would-be murderer raises his sword again. Once he begins his swing down, I jump to my feet. The two guards holding my arms are so surprised that I easily yank my arms out of their grasp. 

Despite being gagged with my hands tied, I am still able to run. I turn to the door and make a break for it. I burst from the room and am halfway down a pearl encrusted hallway when I run straight into Velica. 

I bounce off of her and fall onto my bottom. A pearl digs into the back of my left thigh, hurting more than the angry scream of the would-be murderer. Velica walks straight past me and continues down the hall. I climb to my feet and run in the opposite direction. 

Did she somehow not notice me? 

"Wait," a cold voice says and the back of my shirt is grabbed. 

I'm yanked backwards and then forcefully spun around. Velica stares down at me. "You somehow survived," she says, "I guess he got to you in time." 

I try to demand where Pat is. The best I achieve is a strand of choked noises. 

"Are you choking on a hairball?" Velica asks, then she notices the gag in my mouth.

She reaches behind my head and slices through the back of the gag. It falls to my feet and I can breathe fully again. Air rushes into my lungs. Somehow, it feels sweeter than before. 

"Where is Pat?" I ask.

Velica blinks slowly a couple of times, tilting her head to the right. After about thirty seconds, her eyes widen. "Oh, you mean the mortal boy?" A slow grin spreads across her face. "He's dead. I fed him to a swarm of Megawasps."

Blood rushes to my head and I feel faint. My vision fades to a single point and there is a roaring in my ears. It feels like my head has been smashed between two pan lids. 

"Come on, it'll be okay," Pat says, helping me climb up.

I glare at the fallen scooter sitting at the end of the driveway. "I hate that scooter," I say, crossing my arms.

"It's not the scooter's fault you fell. It takes time to learn a new skill. Imagine how awesome it would be to ride all around the neighborhood," Pat says reasonably, brushing some of the dirt from my Jeans. 

He leads me over to the scooter and helps me back on it. Soon, I'm riding circles around him, laughing. 

"Are you listening?" Velica demands, shaking me back and forth.

I blink a couple of times and my vision comes back. A dull throbbing in the back of my head intensifies. "I don't care," I tell her.

Velica rolls her eyes. "You didn't even seem that close to the mortal boy. Since mortals are so weak, you shouldn't be surprised to have one die," she says.

My heart starts to burn in my chest. The heat expands from my chest, into my arms and legs. Finally, it spreads into my head, fingers and toes. It even feels like my hair is on fire. 

"This will never be okay," I say to Velica.

Her lips upturn in a sneer. Then, she seems to sense the intensity of my aura. She takes a step back. "I am neutral. We are not allowed to fight as long as you are his Protector," she says. 

"I don't care," I say and kick her as hard as I can. 

She takes another small step backwards.The pain smarting through my foot seems distant and unrelated to me as I try to kick her again. Something akin to fear flashes through her eyes. "You shouldn't have any strength in the realms of---" she trails off as I make solid contact with her stomach.

Swiftly, Velica turns around and runs down the hall. Her hair streams behind her in golden waves. I take off after her but then I'm tackled to the ground.

"You don't get to escape that easily," Latif says. His voice comes out breathless. 

At first, I think that he is angry at me for attacking his sister, but then I notice how his eyes gleam. A shiver runs through me as Latif drags me to my feet and replaces the ropes around my wrists with heavy metal cuffs.