Her Guardian's Heart Read Online Free Page B

happened for a couple of days because I’d black out. What I knew of my past was that my mother had been visited by something one night and I was conceived. When I was born, I didn’t resemble my family. Both of my parents were white and I wasn’t. My skin was golden. My eyes were dark green with silver flecks. I had my mother’s eyes, and that was about it. The rest came from whomever or whatever had attacked my mother.
    I wondered where I was from. What exactly comprised the darkness inside of me? All I knew was that it was darker than midnight. It was cold. It didn’t feel demonic and it didn’t feel evil. I didn’t feel evil, but it lashed out when I was threatened. It hurt others, yet there was no consciousness. It was power and touched by the goddess. I had asked her and prayed for answers as to what was inside of me, but she had not answered. Whatever happened to me that night when I put the protection spell around me, the house, and Landon was the strongest magic I had worked. I hadn’t cracked it again. Each time I went into the darkness, the darkness crept out a little more.
    The bell above the shop door rang. I looked up at a happy couple who were perusing the shelves. The man gave me a small smile. I smiled back and remembered being in love, especially when I first met my two mates. It seemed that was a lifetime ago. A lifetime where I thought I’d be happy and things could be different. I thought I could hide from my family and what was inside of me. Now I knew better. It was my punishment to live until the end of my days in a loveless mating.
    Another man walked in. His hat was low over his face so I couldn’t see his eyes. You can tell a lot by the eyes. If I could look into his eyes, then I could read his soul. Sometimes I wondered if only Landon would look at me long enough, rather than a passing glance, then he’d see how much I missed him. How much I regretted. The man in the hat glanced at a few blooms, bringing them to his nose and casting glimpses at me. The couple went among the rows and pointed at a few things. I ran my hand along the leaf of an aloe plant, feeling the spiny leaves poke my finger. Its energy flared against my skin. The couple walked out without buying anything and the man was still browsing. I glanced at the man in the store and then turned my attention to a spell that I was working on.
    “Do you have any roses?”
    I jumped, startled by him being so close, and I hadn’t heard him or sensed him. I blanched at the thought of roses. Ever since that night I hadn’t been able to bring myself to handle them. Melissa bundled them for me. I still grew the blue roses that Nick liked so much, but I barely went into the greenhouse behind the house, except to harvest.
    “I think I’m all out, actually. They should be in tomorrow. If you tell me what you like, I can set something aside for you.”
    “That’s okay. Actually, I was looking for a specific kind of rose. I was told that you might have them.”
    I sighed. “Well, I can special order something.” I pulled out my catalogue and a pen.
    He slid his hand over mine. At the first touch, a spark went through me. I drew in a breath and looked up at him. His eyes were finally visible. He had the same eyes that I did. They weren’t the same color, but it was the intensity. They reminded me of Nick’s, dark and fathomless. The power that surrounded him overwhelmed me.
    “Do you have any blue roses? I hear you specialize in them.”
    The blood froze inside of me. I pulled my hand away from his and backed away. Power gathered inside of me. I was ready to strike if he came at me with a spell. It was time. They had found me after all these years. No one knew I grew blue roses except Landon. The power tingled my fingers. I raised my hand, and was about to throw a bolt at him when he held up his hand.
    “I’m not here to harm you.”
    “Who are you?” I asked.
    “My name is Tannin.”
    “How am I supposed to know who you are?