Free Guardian of the Earth House by Cassandra Gannon Page A

mind.  In fact, it helped her completely forgive Job for getting mad at her earlier and catapulted him up the ranks to become Tessie’s favorite person in the universe.
    It wasn’t fair to Job for Tessie to like him, because it meant that Kay would add him to her hit list.  Nothing could ever come of Tessie’s feelings.  Even if they weren’t fake, which they were .  Somehow.  In order to save the poor guy, Tessie would have to get away from him as soon as possible.  Still, for right now, it felt really good to have someone with her in the darkness… A really gorgeous someone, too.
    “I wish you had found me a long time ago.”  Tessie murmured.  “Thanks for letting me stay here.  Seriously.  I love Mayport Beach, but I’ve been lonely and scared out there, lately.  This,” she gestured around the room, including him in her hand’s sweeping motion, “is so much better.”
    “Yes, it is.”  Job agreed softly.
    Violet eyes met green for a long moment.  Energy built between them.
    Tessie looked away first.  “So, do you still want to watch Days of Our Lives with me?”  She blurted out, disconcerted by Job’s gaze, and voice, and presence, and everything else about him.
    Job glanced over at the TV and nodded.  “Yes.  Actually, I do.”
    Tessie smiled.  “Come sit back down, then.  You can worry about the Tablets later.  Right now, it’s late and I’m tired and I have a lot more important information to impart.  Like the custody fight that’s at the bottom of this undercover, X-rated conspiracy.”
    “Alright.”  Job found a place on the couch much closer to her than he’d been before.  “Thank you.  This should be educational.  Don’t leave anything out.  Especially, the pornography parts.”
    Tessie laughed.
    This time, Job didn’t seem shaken or unsure by her amusement.  His mouth twitched, as well.  When he looked at her, there was something softer about his eyes.
    No longer feeling alone, Tessie scooted even closer to his side and began her commentary on the show.

Chapter Four
     
    I marvel of what substance was the mould,
    The which her made at once so cruel fair,
    Not earth, for her high thoughts more heavenly are;
    Not water, for her love doth burn like fire;
    Not air, for she is not so light or rare;
    Not fire, for she doth freeze with faint desire.
    Then needs another element inquire
    Whereof she mote be made—that is, the sky.
     
    Edmund Spenser- “So Oft as I Her Beauty I Do Behold”
    She didn’t like him.
    Tessie had told him so just minutes after meeting him and, chances were, she wasn’t going to change her mind, no matter how much TV they’d watched together the night before.
    Job wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much.  Honestly, it should have been the least annoying part of having the Quintessence as a houseguest.  The discovery that Parald and the primordial Khaos were plotting to destroy the world AGAIN , really should have been his main focus.  Finding those damn Tablets was the important thing, now.
    Except, no matter how many times he told himself that, Tessie still occupied most of Job’s thoughts.
    In possibly the most immature move of his life, Job had slipped out of the Earth Kingdom that morning before Tessie got up, because he didn’t want to give her a chance to say good-bye.  He’d left her a note, telling her to do whatever she wanted and that he would be back that afternoon.  In an effort to ensure that she didn’t up and disappear on him while he was gone, Job had also lied a bit.  He’d assured her that he was working on a way to undo the fake-Phazing and that he needed her to stay put.
    Which wasn’t true, of course.  He wasn’t working on anything of the kind.
    Job just needed her stay put because… he wanted her.
    He stared unseeingly at the paperwork in front of him.  He had a Council meeting in twenty minutes that he should have been preparing for.  Instead, Job was daydreaming about the violet eyed