The Prophecy (The Guardians) - By Wendy Owens Page 0,68

When Michael was young, he met and befriended Mirada.”

“What? He never told me that.” Gabe said, his curiosity piqued.

“The council said they wanted the Guardians to track her down, she would have to be kept by us, and that she knew too much. Michael decided he would be the one to bring her back and impress all of his peers in doing so. Well, when he finally found her, he couldn’t.” Uri explained.

“Why not?” Gabe snapped.

“I know it sounds crazy, but he fell in love with her. He wanted to be with her, and he went to the council to plead their case, but it became clear very quickly they were not going to listen, and they weren’t going to stop until they found her. That’s when he told them she had been killed in his attempt to retrieve her.” Uri’s tale of lost love made so much sense now, Gabe had always seen it in Michael, but didn’t understand.

“There have been rumors she’s still alive. How did he keep the council from hunting her down?” Gabe inquired.

“Gabe, why do you think Michael agreed to join the council? He wanted to stay by your side all those years ago, but he couldn’t risk that they would discover Mirada. The only reason I know is because he trusted me enough to ferry messages between them.”

Gabe leaned against a nearby rock, resting his weight on it. He remembered when Michael left him, about how he had thought he was abandoned. He knew he would do whatever it took to protect Rachel. Michael was no different than him.

“I don’t know, Uri, I’m just not sure I can trust one of them with Rachel’s life.” Gabe answered softly.

“I’m telling you, she’s not like that.” Uri assured him.

“How about we go to Luxom for now, if things change I’ll consider it.” Gabe offered, no intention of actually considering the option.

“That’s all I’m asking.” Uri said.

When Uri walked away, Rachel used the opportunity to approach Gabe. Sitting on the cold, hard ground next to him, she reached out and placed a hand on his knee. “Everything alright?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, everything is fine.” Gabe answered, his thoughts clearly somewhere else.

“Gabe, I can tell something is on your mind.” Rachel insisted.

Gabe looked at her, a smile across his face. Leaning forward, he reached an arm out, wrapping it tightly around her. “I love you so much. I never want to let anything hurt you. I want to share everything with you, but you have to understand, sometimes when it seems like something is bothering me, it’s just me thinking about everything I need to do to ensure you are safe.”

“Oh, Gabe, I hate that my safety does this to you.” Rachel sighed.

“Really? You take me the way I am, you always have. I want to keep you safe, and it consumes a large chunk of my thoughts because of how amazing you are. The idea of losing you is something I can’t handle.”

“You’re making me blush, stop.” Rachel giggled, waving a hand in her husband’s direction.

Gabe reached out with his free hand, turning her chin towards his face. Slowly, he leaned in for a kiss. It was so delicate and perfect that she had to remind herself to breath. After a moment more of longing, his mouth at last touched hers. The softness pushing together until their lips parted. Her heart skipped a beat as his tongue slipped past the barrier of her teeth, exploring her mouth until it connected with her own tongue.

Her head spun, and as they pulled apart, the sigh she released told Gabe he had done his job once again.

“I love you,” she whispered, her eyes still closed.

“I love you, too.” Gabe replied, staring at her face.

“Gross, enough already.” Uri groaned from across the way. “How about you two take a pee already so we can get out of here?”

Gabe and Rachel both chuckled at Uri’s crassness. He could be crude at times, but it was also one of the things that made him so special.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The rest of the journey to Luxom had been so uneventful, Gabe found himself almost being a little disappointed. He had prepared himself for a fight, now that he was here and nothing happened, he felt like he had been let down in some way.

When they arrived at Luxom it had not taken them long to find accommodations. Much to their pleasant surprise, there was a cottage for rent on the edge of town. The owners were spending