Free Reckoning by Laury Falter Page A

stepped back...allowing you the chance to experience life on earth as you had always wanted, as a reborn, a human. And…knowing you have never wanted a guardian, I set my destiny aside and acted on your desires. I disappeared." His eyes met mine, filled with an anger that confirmed he would never forgive himself for making that decision. "I disappeared and unknowingly left you alone in a world littered with our enemies."
    I placed my hand on his arm and he stopped his pacing. It was then I noticed the tremble that had taken over his body. I stepped closer, pressing my head against his chest, taking his hands in mine, hoping that physical touch would help heal him. Yet, it was my words that seemed to deliver some measure of solace. "I forgive you..." I whispered softly. "I forgive you..."
    At that moment, a pained sigh escaped him, one that had been pent up for over a century. His hands came to my chin, pulling me away from him so that our eyes could meet.
    "When I felt your radar, your fear again just a few months ago, I appeared just below that streetlight," he pointed to the yellow globe a few yards away. "And I knew you still needed my protection. But it wasn’t until later, when I realized the Fallen Ones still existed - that they hadn’t been completely decimated – when I knew just how much. At that point, I recognized the reality that we faced, that we were still in danger, and suddenly very little made sense. Everything I was certain of was gone. Your safety, my beliefs. So, you see, I get it. I understand your need to execute them. I face that overwhelming desire every day we are on this earth. The anger that is conjured at knowing my loved ones…that you…are in harm’s way is irrefutable, undeniable to me. It drives me, just as it now drives you. But it’s not as strong as you think, Magdalene. It will not own us. We will own it by choosing when, where, and how to destroy our enemies.”
    At the end, his speech conjured in me an awareness that had been hidden. When it surfaced, I couldn’t ignore it. The intensity was too severe. We are in this together, together we are stronger, and together we will succeed.
    “ Together…” I murmured.
    “ Yes, together,” he replied emphatic.
    “ And all this time…I never knew how it made you feel to guard me. I always thought you saw it as a job, a responsibility. But it is more…”
    “ So much more,” he whispered, tensely.
    “ I understand that now.”
    Then, gradually, life began flickering again in his eyes. “Promise me, Magdalene, that you will not under any circumstances leave me and search out to destroy your enemies without my presence?” As if afraid I would decline, he added, “You may continue your hunting and I will stay aside but I reserve the right to intervene if I consider the risks too great.”
    “ Well,” I sniffed laughter, “Who could argue with that bargain?”
    “ Promise me, Magdalene.”
    I stood on my toes then and ran my lips along the curve of his neck, along his jawbone, coming to rest them just over his lips. I could hear his heartbeat, strong and sound, quicken as I intentionally brushed against him. “I promise,” I whispered.
    “ Tease,” he murmured deeply. I breathed in his woodsy scent, becoming intoxicated simply by the smell of him.
    He slid his arms along my back and then picked me up swiftly, carrying me to the bed.
    Laying me on top of the billowing mattress, he pressed his lips resolutely against mine.
    “ Get some rest,” he said huskily after pulling away. “Tomorrow we hunt Fallen Ones.”
    He left my room then with a more relaxed stroll, one I was thankful to see. Only after he’d turned off my light and the sounds of him preparing to sleep drifted across the hall did I realize he hadn’t heard…
    He hadn’t heard Fernando’s warning…that our own kind would come after me if I continued my killings. The sane part of me realized that was a problem. The insane part of me refused to care. That