Free Eternal Flame (Guardians, Book One) by Valerie Twombly by Valerie Twombly

suffice in a pinch. The gods meant for the guardians to consume their sacrifice from the mortals so had made human blood superior. While food nourished them, blood gave them life and durability. Without it, they grew as weak as the humans they protected.
    “Marcus, I’m so glad you have found her. The mating bond must be exceptionally strong for you to have felt her emotions so quickly.”
    He sealed the puncture. “Have you had any other visions?”
    “Yes, you must call on Zarek. He will give you the information you seek.”
    Violence flickered in his expression. “Why the fuck didn’t he give me that information when he decided to gift me with a mate?” He had to go into dragon territory to summon the god, and it pissed him off.
    “Why are you so angry? You have been blessed.”
    He cringed; no one understood. “Because I don’t want a damn mate!” His voice carried across the room.
    Gwen remained calm, her grace ever present. “Brother, you need to let go of Eliza. She would not want you to live like this. It’s been three hundred years, move on.”
    He gave her a leveled look. She was right, and deep in his heart he knew it. “I need to go, thanks for everything.” He stormed out the door.
    He left Gwen’s and made his way toward Aidyn’s home. He opened his mind and found the mental link to his king. Aidyn, I’m coming to see you. I have interesting news about Odage.
    Excellent, I also have some things I need to fill you in on.
    I’ll walk. I need time to think.
    I will be here when you arrive.
    He picked his way along the jagged rocks, following the lane higher up the cliff. Aidyn’s home sat at the top of an outcrop looking over the Lejir Sea. He stopped for a moment and looked beyond the rocks. Peace encompassed him, and he found his mind wandering to Cassie. Would she appreciate the serenity of this place the way he did? He thought about his pending visit to Zarek, still unsure if he wanted to make Cassie his mate. He’d go. At least some questions might get answered. What would he tell her? Oh by the way, I’m a vampire. Let me flash you to another realm. Yep, she’d fucking freak.
    When he reached the top, he spotted Aidyn sitting, watching the sunset over the sea. He crossed the patio and took a seat next to his king.
    “Seth has already filled me in on the details he uncovered about Odage,” Aidyn said.
    “Good. Have you spoken with Caleb?”
    “Yes, it didn’t go well. As a matter of fact, he will be joining us shortly, along with Garin and Seth.”
    “What happened?” Marcus asked.
    Aidyn remained indifferent, sitting in his wicker chair, staring at the water. “He’s pissed that I accused his leader of murder. Needless to say, we are treading on extremely thin ice here.”
    Marcus shifted in his seat. War with the Draki would not be good. The dragons were the most powerful of the faction. “What’s your stand on this?”
    The king turned his head and pierced him with cold eyes. “I will kill Odage, as soon as I can find him.” Changing the mood, he smiled and said, “Now tell me, who is this Cassie?”
    Damn, he’d found out. Marcus again relayed the story about meeting her but, more important, the memories he recovered from her that proved Odage was up to something. A disturbance in the air announced the arrival of Garin and Seth, followed by Caleb.
    Aidyn rose from his seat. “Excellent, everyone’s here. Let’s go to my office.”
    The five men strolled into the house. Once everyone was in the room and seated at the large conference table, Aidyn spoke, “Caleb, Seth has come back with some information on Odage.”
    Caleb swung his head around, pinning his brown eyes on Seth. “Do you know where he is?”
    “No. But I do know that he took a woman from New Orleans,” Seth answered.
    Caleb’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned in toward Seth. Clearly, he meant to intimidate the vampire. “And you know this how?”
    Seth moved closer, letting the dragon know he would not