Free The Guardians Crown (The Guardians Book 5) by Wendy Owens Page B

through his, squeezing it tightly. “Michael, they love you, that’s why they’re so protective. And to answer your question Rachel, Michael trusts you, and that’s enough for me. I’m not saying the weapon is even still there. I’m telling you the last thing I heard about it, that’s it.”
    Uri looked around at the group and then back to his leader. “Then we leave tomorrow. Tonight, we have a wedding to attend.”
    “What?” Michael choked.
    Dina, grabbed a hold of Sophie’s arm and volunteered their services, “Don’t worry, me and Sophie will take care of everything.”
    “We will?” Sophie grumbled.

 
     
    Sophie busied herself hanging the handmade tissue paper balls around the great hall, the boys had spent most of the evening clearing the floor of cots and bringing in the tables from storage. They had since gone in to watch the chef work on the last minute feast preparations, their mouths watering. Rachel had a table at the front of the room covered in cut flowers where she was attempting to make centerpieces.
    Dina set the last of the dinnerware on the table nearest to Sophie. “How you doing?” she asked.
    Sophie looked down at her, then up at Rachel, and then back to the ball she was hanging, “Fine.”
    “Wow, yeah, really seems like it,” Dina jested.
    “What? I didn’t say anything,” Sophie defended herself.
    “You didn’t have to,” Dina replied. “How are things with Damon?”
    Sophie refused to look at Dina, instead she made her way down the ladder, shifted it to the next location, and climbed up with another ball. “He’s fun,” she added, shrugging her shoulders.
    Dina paused, considering her friend’s behavior. “But he’s not Gabe.”
    Sophie quickly looked up to where Rachel was busy working to ensure she had not heard her friend’s statement. Once she was confident they were out of earshot, she looked back down at Dina with an angry glare. “Will you shut up? Nobody said anything about Gabe.”
    “You didn’t have to,” Dina remarked. “I get it, nobody will ever be Raimie.”
    Sophie thought about how selfish she had been. Her loss in love could never be compared to Dina. Her beloved died, was brought back from the dead, twisted into a monster, and then Dina must turn around and put an end to the creature he had become. Sophie shuttered at the thought.
    “I’m not sure what’s worse, what I went through, or having to watch the man you’re still in love with be in love with someone else.” Dina reached up, squeezing her friend’s hand and then turned to walk away.
    Sophie climbed down off the ladder, scurrying after her friend, grabbing the sleeve of her shirt, “Wait, I’m sorry. I know you’re just trying to be a friend. I shouldn’t be such a bitch.”
    “We used to tell each other everything Sophie. Now I feel like we barely talk,” Dina continued, her lips turning downward as her eyebrows lifted.
    “I know, I don’t even know what to talk about anymore … with anyone,” Sophie explained.
    Dina took her friend’s hand and guided her to a set of chairs at the back of the hall. “Come on, let’s sit down and actually talk like we used to.”
    Sophie smiled; the idea of it did give her some comfort. “Do you ever feel like everyone is destined to find love except us? I mean look, even Michael found it.”
    Dina smiled, “He did wait a long time for it. Maybe you have to be patient.”
    Sophie paused, debating whether or not she should say the next statement that was on her mind. Finally curiosity outweighed her better judgment. “Do you think you’ll ever be with anyone again?”
    Dina shook her head, “I’m different.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sophie pushed, puzzled by her friends statement.
    Dina hung her head, “I’ve actually given this a lot of thought. For me, no, I won’t ever be with anyone again. But you have to understand, it’s a choice I made because of what I did.”
    “But it was an accident. You