Song of the Guardians Read Online Free

lips, and I let myself fall back to that moment, remembering the arch of her back and the moan that crept up the back of my throat.
    Any other time, I would’ve left the room and gone outside to get some fresh air, but the pack knew she was here, and being in the same room with her was the only way I could keep her safe. I didn't trust myself enough to leave her, even if the pack couldn't reach the windows. They shouldn't be able to reach her at all.
    Only guardians with a human bond were allowed inside. That doesn't mean they won't try .
    "So, about earlier," Emma spoke from behind the shower curtain, "what happened? Why did you leave?" She leaned out of the shower for a moment, her body sopping wet.
    I tried to drown out the sight of her breasts, the curve of her hips and the playfulness in her eyes. "Did you smell anything when we first came inside?"
    Emma mumbled behind the curtain, then said, "The dog pee?"
    "Wolves." Just one. "They can’t actually get in here, not without a human bond, but they can protest."
    Emma pulled the curtain back to give me a serious glance, soap suds covering the top of her head. "Like you and me, you mean."
    I nodded. "Yes."
    "Why protest?"
    "Because, even though we have wolf skins, we have human hearts. We get jealous, same as everyone else."
    "But I don’t understand why they’d be jealous or why you're so protective."
    "Every guardian needs a child to bond with, to imprint on—to be our mate." Smooth, Tucker. I exhaled and combed my fingers through my hair. "You know this whole thing with the Earth?"
    "Yeah?"
    "The reason the Earth cries is because of human machinery. It’s been taking children to restore its essence."
    "Why children?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "It’s something I never understood. Why not take all humans?"
    I nodded, if only to myself. "Because of their energy. It’s the Earth’s way of defending itself. If it can get rid of future generations, it can keep history from repeating itself."
    "But wouldn’t stealing the ones who are causing the problem make more sense?"
    "Only if all humans had the same amount of energy. Adults have used up most of theirs anyway, and the effort the Earth would have to make to steal one adult from his or her bed would cost more than it’s worth. Children don’t fight back."
    "The Earth is acting like a damned lion, then?" The words came out in a growl, and I winced at her anger.
    "I guess you could look at it like that."
    "So what now? If we want to stop the Earth from stealing, where do we go from here?"
    "We need to heal it. Sing to it."
    "Sing?" Was she laughing? "That’s it?"
    "It isn’t as easy as it sounds. We can’t sing without our human companions, and not until after we’ve imprinted."
    "There’s that word again. What do you mean by imprinting, and why would you being with me make the other guardians jealous?"
    "You remember the images I showed you, the memories I shared with you when you were little?"
    "Yes."
    "That’s what imprinting is. Think of it as sharing a photo album—small snapshots that sometimes include emotions and sound."
    "And the other guardians are upset because you showed me two pictures?"
    "They’re jealous because I’m the only one who was able to imprint on someone, and because there are a few of them who think having a human companion can make them immortal."
    "Is that true?"
    I shrugged. "No one really knows. The guardians who want you for themselves aren’t doing it for the same reasons I am."
    "What’s your story, then? Are guardians wolves or humans?"
    "Both. I started out as a human who turned into a wolf, but now I’m a wolf who sometimes turns into a man."
    "That doesn’t make any sense."
    "It will."
    Another long pause.
    "So, when you were a wolf, was it because of the moon?"
    "I’m not a werewolf, Emma, I’m a guardian—they're two entirely different things."
    "Then tell me, Guardian, what made you change? And what are you guarding?"
    I bowed my head, deep in thought. "You caused