Song of the Guardians Read Online Free Page A

me to change."
    "How?"
    "It’s hard to explain. Without going into all the science behind it, a guardian needs a child to trust him in order for him to change."
    "I did trust you. Or at least, I thought I did."
    "You weren’t ready."
    Emma turned off the shower and peeked through the curtain.
    "You weren’t the right age," I explained. "When you were young, you imprinted on a number of individuals—guardian and human alike. It’s the person you keep at the front of your mind after you come of age that matters most."
    "And since I imprinted on you... or you imprinted on me, you can change?"
    "Because you’ve remembered me this long, yes. In simple terms, the fact you remembered me during my absence is what allows me to shift now."
    Emma opened the shower curtain the entire way, her naked form shaking in the cold air. "You need a human—me—to imprint on in order to change, and you need to bond with me in order to sing?"
    I averted my gaze. "Close enough."
    "It isn’t like you haven’t seen it before," Emma teased, not moving from her place in the shower. "Tucker, look at me."
    I knew better than to look at her. Not all of her that is. I knew if I did, we’d have a repeat of what had happened downstairs. I watched her from under my brow. Her skin was a brilliant red from the hot water. She turned her head, shying away from me. Her scent, on the other hand, invited me in. It was easy to see what she had in mind, and it wouldn’t have taken much for me to join her.
    "We can’t," I said, handing her a towel.
    Emma used the towel to dry off her shoulder length hair. "Why not? You’re a guy, and I’m a girl..."
    "You only want to because of what I said. It wouldn’t be right."
    "What if I said I want to do it for the sake of wanting?"
    I glanced at her and studied her eyes. They were free of fear, softer than they'd been when she was a child. She wasn’t just asking because I’d mentioned our need to bond. She was asking because it was something she wanted—something her body needed me to share with her.
    "It won’t be enough," I warned, hugging my arms around her body with the towel between us. "The bond isn’t sexual—not all of it, anyway."
    Emma let the towel fall around her ankles as she took my hands in hers, holding them between us. "Come on," she urged, tugging at my arms so I'd follow her into the bedroom. "You can’t tell me I’m the only one in this room... in this house who’s thinking of other things. Right?"
    I nodded.
    "And we’re doing it for the sake of the Earth, aren’t we?"
    I figured it wasn’t the Earth Emma was thinking about, but I nodded anyway.
    "Then what’s wrong?" She lifted my chin with her hand.
    I felt myself falling into her eyes, lost to the words she’d kept to herself. Even though she hadn’t said anything, her body screamed against my ears. A wave of heat rushed over me as I parted her lips with my tongue, growing hotter when her tongue pushed back.
    With one hand still at the nape of her neck, I used the other to unbutton my shirt. The swish of skin on skin made my breath catch. It was a sensation I hadn’t experienced since I’d fallen in love with my own guardian. Even so, the few experiences I did have was far more than Emma's.
    And as badly as I wanted to show her what I knew, as terrible as it felt to push her away, I did exactly that. Her playful expression from before was lost behind a glare of disappointment. The same disappointment I’d felt many times before.
    I coiled my arms around her before she could back away. Her body tensed, and I could tell she was biting back whatever rage she felt toward me.
    It took some coaxing, but I lifted her chin so I could look at her eyes. "We'll get there," I promised, kissing her on the cheek. "But I want you to be ready."
    Her eyes darkened as if to say, I am. Deep down, I knew she wasn’t.
    "I’m not pushing you away," I said after a moment. "I just want things to feel right between us. We shouldn’t have to