The Guardians: An Urban Fantasy Romance by Elise Marion Read Free Book Online

for that well enough. Micah carried a lot of guilt and anger that he tried to mask with a carefree personality and drown in moonshine. Every now and then, the mask slipped, and Jack remembered he wasn’t the only one who’d had to make sacrifices for the cause.
    Alone in the apartment, he trudged to the tiny bathroom at the end of the hall between the two bedrooms. Turning the shower on, he moved toward the mirror while he waited for the water to heat. Pulling his yellow, Mama Jo’s t-shirt over his head, he stared at his reflection and the symbol of the Guardians branded into his chest; a cross with a dove carrying an olive branch in its mouth etched into his dark skin in smooth, black lines—a way for him to be identified by others of his kind.
    Like Micah, he’d known his entire life about the order of the Guardians. His father and step-mother had taken custody after his mother’s death; from then on, the importance of his heritage had been drilled into him. All the Bennett men became Guardians, and they passed the gene on to their sons. As a kid, he’d always been captivated by the idea of being a hero like his father, fighting a battle against evil demons, and being privy to a secret world others knew nothing about. When his ability first manifested, he’d been ecstatic. At long last, at the age of fourteen, he became good enough to stand beside the others and take his place as a Guardian.
    Of course, over time, the allure had worn off, leaving him to wonder if it was all worth fighting for. It seemed pointless. The world had to end sometime, and when it did, everyone already knew who would win. For Lucifer, it wasn’t about winning, but about taking as many souls with him as he could when the final battle saw him trapped in his own Hell for eternity.
    This isn’t about winning or losing, his stepmother, Sarah, had always reminded him. It’s about saving as many souls as we can before the end.
    He knew that, just as he knew destroying Eligos’ ten and closing their portals proved key to that objective. In clear violation of the rules governing the war, they had to be dealt with. At the same time, he often wondered what would happen if the Guardians laid down their weapons and just gave up the fight. If demons wanted the world that bad, he didn’t understand why Heaven just didn’t let them have it. Politics, environmental destruction, murder and rage, war … it seemed everyone headed in that direction, anyway.
    With a sigh, he shed the rest of his clothing and stepped into the shower. He winced from the heat, but remained under the steaming spray, allowing himself to adjust and his tense muscles to loosen.
    It’s worth it for one, his father would have told him. Out of billions, if you only save one, it would still have been worth it.
    Then why did he feel like such a failure? Years of fighting, with almost nothing to show for it. He didn’t know if he was being tested, or if all the failure rested on his and Micah’s shoulders. Just because he wasn’t as vocal about it as his friend didn’t mean Jack didn’t agree with him.
    This could be the last mission, he told himself as he washed. This could bring an end to the fight against Eligos and his ten.
    It didn’t matter what Micah said; life could be closer to normal for a Guardian. As a kid and young adult, he’d lived that normal life with his parents, whose sole assignment had been the protection of a Naphil kid named Elian. Life hadn’t been uneventful, but it wasn’t a constant onslaught of demon attacks, either. His hopes didn’t have to be completely dashed just yet.
    After finishing up in the bathroom, he wrapped a towel around his waist and trudged out into the hall. He could hear Micah in his room, picking at the strings of his guitar. He had just pulled a pair of boxers over his hips when the music stopped. A few seconds later, Micah appeared in his doorway.
    “I reckon I’m done bein’ a rascal. Now you know I’m all for demon