The Sentinel by Holly Martin Read Free Book Online

strongest, they could be twice my age. It seemed so surreal that these people, these beings, were in charge of my protection. Even more surreal was that I was in charge of theirs too, theirs and the whole world. Surely with such a close bond between us I should be on first name terms with them. But it seemed silly to introduce myself to them; they already knew who I was.
    As if reading my mind the woman came up to me. ‘I’m Alexandria, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.’ She shook my hand warmly. She was tall, dark, and carried the willowy look, that I had never managed, perfectly. Her green eyes had a strange feline look to them. She was incredibly beautiful.
    One of the other men was suddenly by my side. He was tall as well. The muscles seemed to be a uniform of the Guardians, well the male ones at least. He had blond hair, curly, which was swept back from his face and gathered at his neck, a tanned complexion and the grass green intense eyes that they all seemed to share. ‘I’m Caleb.’
    ‘Why don’t we just make this situation even worse, so are we just going to go along with this madness now, she shouldn’t know any of this,’ said one of the unnamed men, pacing up and down. I recognised the voice of the man who had called Seth a filthy hybrid. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. He had long waist length dark hair, tied back in a ponytail. He seemed very well dressed. They all did actually. Though I couldn’t help noticing the large sharp knives they all wore at their belts.
    ‘She knows now Mason, we can’t take it back,’ Caleb said.
    ‘I’m Lucas,’ the last unnamed man said, he looked younger than the others, he had scruffy blond spiky hair, and seemed very excitable. ‘Just ignore Mason, his allegiance is to the Oraculum,’ he said this so disparagingly but I didn’t understand.
    Mason did though; he turned and snarled at Lucas as if he had insulted him. ‘That’s how it should be.’
    ‘Mason!’ Eli said, a warning edge to his voice. Mason resumed his pacing. Lucas seemed almost amused by him.
    I looked around at the Guardians. ‘So… what happened tonight with the fire? What happened to my family, did they get out ok?’
    Eli’s eyes flicked to Seth for a second before he spoke. ‘The Putarians, the ones that want you dead, they somehow found out where you live. They attacked your home and started the fire. The Guardians posing as your family are dead.’
    Blood pounded in my ears. Would this night ever end? My body trembled with sudden grief.
    ‘Don’t sugar coat it will you,’ said Seth, wrapping his arm round my shoulders.
    ‘My family… My Mum and Dad, they weren’t really my parents?’
    ‘No. They were Guardians.’
    This explained so much about my parents. I had never really had an affectionate relationship with them. My Dad, David had been fiercely strict, there had never been any tenderness from him at all. If I was hurt, especially in my training, I was told to toughen up. My Mum, Marie, had tried to give me a loving upbringing, but it never seemed sincere. I would hold her hand and she would let me. When I had nightmares as a child, I would crawl into her bed and cuddle up to her and she wouldn’t send me away. She stuck up for me against my Dad when he was being too strict and that I decided was love. I had decided as a teenager that she must never have been loved growing up which is why she struggled with the concept herself. Being an emotionless Guardian made much more sense. Aunt Jada and Uncle Silas hadn’t been any different.
    But this lack of emotion from any of my family didn’t make their deaths any easier to take. They might have been cold, emotionless Guardians, but they were the only family I had ever known. I felt tears fill my eyes.
    ‘Oh great, now she’s crying,’ snarled Mason.
    ‘Mason. You can go. You can meet us at the safe house tomorrow. This is a lot for her to take in and you’re not making this any easier,’ Eli commanded.
    Mason