Free Damian's Immortal (War of Gods 3) by Lizzy Ford Page B

as they please.”
    “ If they could find me,
they would’ve by now, just like you’ll never be able to retrace her
steps back to this spot once you leave,” her father said, his voice
rising. “You don’t give me orders, Damian.”
    Yully’s heart was pounding. Her life was in
danger, and so was Jule’s. She didn’t fully understand what was
going on between her father and these people. Jule trusted this
Damian, even though they were both the Guardians her father warned
her about. Yet it had been her father who killed Sean, not the
Guardian Jule. She patted the pocket in her skirt containing the
paper on which Jule had scribbled down the phone number of the
towering man before her.
    “ I call bullshit on this
whole thing. No matter, I’m outta here,” Damian said. “Gimme a ring
if you have anything useful to say.”
    She sensed this comment was directed at her.
Damian disappeared, followed by the man named Jonny and the woman
with him. Her father turned to her, anger and triumph on his
normally stoic features.
    “ Father, what’s going on?”
she questioned. “Who are all these people, and why are they after
me?”
    “ It’s a much longer story
than I have time for,” he replied. “Your magic gifts have
blossomed, and they’ve attracted the attention of others with magic
gifts.”
    “ I thought there were no
others.”
    “ There are. You are one of
what they call Naturals. Damian and Jonny collect Naturals for
their own purposes, mainly to battle each other. It’s like a chess
game, and the humans are pawns to be used and destroyed,” he
explained. “That is not the fate for you, my dear.”
    “ What is my fate?” she
asked, absorbing the information that confirmed what Jule had told
her about the war between good and evil on earth. Her father had
just admitted there were more people like her, and she couldn’t
help her flicker of hope at the news.
    “ To become the princess
I’ve always told you that you would be,” he replied. “I know this
is hard on you, but you’ll soon see where you belong in this mess.
Those two will continue to send people to kill you, just like Jule
and the swordsman.”
    And Sean? What was his
crime? She wanted to ask but
didn’t.
    “ You pity a Guardian?” His
father’s angry voice was accompanied by a slap. She closed her eyes
and braced herself for another. “I’ll protect you as I always have.
I’ve killed hundreds to keep you safe and undiscovered, and I’ll
kill hundreds more. Don’t you ever second-guess what I tell
you.”
    “ Father, I feel ill,” she
whispered.
    “ You probably never
thought your father could kill a man before today. Know that I do
it because I care about you, Yully, and want to keep you safe. Also
understand that I’ll kill anyone who comes between us and my
plans,” he warned. “Do you understand me?”
    “ Yes, Papa.”
    He left. She sat heavily,
unable to fathom hundreds of people dying around her without her
noticing. Worse, what was she that hundreds of people were willing to seek
her out to kill her? Was her father a savior or a
murderer?
    Jule’s a savior.
    She suddenly felt more alone than ever and
rubbed her stinging cheek. No matter what, she wasn’t going to be
defenseless again. Yully forced herself to her feet and strode
through the house to the garage. Even if she couldn’t kill the next
swordsman that came for her, she could buy herself some time.
    Her father’s collection of weapons had been
a source of curiosity for as long as she could remember. As she
stepped into the armory in the corner of the large garage, she was
struck by the care he took of the large collection. All his weapons
were kept clean and loaded, from the crossbows to the guns in the
gun locker. She’d thought his wall of swords, daggers, axes, and
other medieval weapons were for ceremony. In looking at them again,
she could see the time and effort that would’ve been required to
keep them cleaned and sharpened.
    The armory was not