Free Tempted by Elise Marion Page A

jaw worked furiously; Sarah could have sworn she actually heard his teeth grinding together.
    She was the first to break the silence.
    “ One of them?” she questioned.
    Vivian’s smirk broke into a full-blown smile.
    “ Child, I’ve been around of enough of you. I can spot an angel miles away, demons too. It’s a gift I’ve had since I was a girl.”
    “ You’re an Oracle?”
    The regal woman nodded before lifting her teacup. She inhaled the fragrant brew before sipping and sighed with satisfaction. “Sit down boy,” she said without a glance in Jackson’s direction. “I’ll explain everything.”
    “ Someone better,” he mumbled as he sank back down to the couch. Sarah felt a twinge of pity for him. His life was changing at a maddening pace, and that was hard enough without the other problems he faced.
    “ Oracles are humans with the ability to see into the past and future,” Sarah said to Jackson. “They, like Guardians and angels, have the ability to choose sides.”
    Jackson stared at his grandmother with equal parts awe and dismay. “You knew about all of this? You knew what I was all this time and you never told me?”
    “ Jackson, the Guardians have been around for centuries, and every one of them has had to discover their destiny the same way you have. There was no way to tell you before it was time. It was for your own good that I kept it to myself.”
    “ Well now I know,” he said from between clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed. “You can start explaining now, from the beginning.”
    Vivian stood and moved toward a bookshelf. She took down a thick photo album with a floral cover and sat next to Jackson on the sofa. She motioned for Sarah to join them. There was nowhere else to sit but on the other side of Jackson, pressed close up against his side. He gazed at her silently as she lowered herself next to him, her bare arm sliding over his. Her cheeks grew flaming hot and she lowered her eyes to the photo album as Vivian slowly opened it.
    Pictures filled every page, some black and white and curling at the edges, yellowed with age. Pictures of men who all bore a striking resemblance to Jackson filled Sarah’s vision. Most of the pictures portrayed the men wearing military uniform. A smile creased Vivian’s features as she stopped and pointed to a picture.
    “ You know this guy,” she said to Jackson. As her finger caressed the photo, her eyes creased at the corners and her smile wobbled. Sarah knew the emotion. She’d seen it too many times not to be familiar with it. Love. Vivian had loved this man.
    “ Grandpa,” Jackson confirmed with a nod. “I used to love that picture of him.”
    “ Yeah me too,” said Vivian. “I was drawn to him like a magnet. We all are, you know. People who are a part of this world that exists between heaven, earth, and hell just can’t help it. We find each other. That’s how it was for your grandpa and me. I would have visions and dreams about this man. Then one day he came into the diner where I was working, all dressed up in his dress uniform. Oh, he was so handsome, just like you.”
    “ What was his purpose?” asked Sarah. She hated to interrupt their moment, but curiosity was gnawing at her. “What was his Guardianship?”
    “ A Naphil child named Thomas. He was born of that demon scum, Orobas, and a human woman.”
    “ Naphils are mixed with angel or demon and human blood, right?” asked Jackson.
    Sarah nodded. “They are neutral, just like Oracles and Guardians. They are capable of choosing sides. A child of a demon like Orobas would have been a great asset to hell.”
    Vivian nodded. “That’s right. The mother didn’t know what Orobas was until it was too late, and didn’t want him anywhere near the boy. My Matthew was charged with keeping the child out of their reach, and it was a responsibility he took very seriously.”
    She turned the page to another series of photos. “The Bennett men were all Guardians, going back as far as