Free Her Guardian's Heart by Crymsyn Hart

for me confronting him, but she wasn’t sure he would listen. I had to try. All he had to do was believe me. That was the hard part.
    I slid my hand across the table, stopping halfway, hoping he would touch my fingers. Tannin stared at my hand and, after a moment, slid his fingers across mine. I twined my fingers through his long ones and waited to see a reaction on his face. His eyes remained cold and his expression impassive. Seconds ticked by and the silence between us stretched into an eternity. I sucked in a breath and studied his neatly trimmed fingernails. I trailed my fingers over his and got up the courage to speak to him.
    “I spoke to my inner Guardian. She told me you showed her the doors that we’re not supposed to open.”
    “I’m glad to hear it. I was going to tell you. Your first confrontation with her means you’re both reaching a point where you can integrate your personalities. This is happening at a good pace. That makes me happy.”
    “Yeah, it’s great. She also told me when I was unconscious you spoke to one another. She tried to tell you how we felt about you. When I regained consciousness, I kissed you. You kissed me back. But you left the room so suddenly. We never got to finish our conversation.”
    Tannin tried to pull his fingers from mine, but I held to them fast. I wasn’t about to let him go. Not after I knew exactly what was going on. Was there an empty heart in his chest? Did he even have a soul to love, or had it dried up over all this time he had been alone?
    “We are not having this conversation. I made my feelings for you perfectly clear. We are not mates,” he seethed. A green fire ignited inside of his eyes and made them dance.
    “How do you know that? Your emotions are so tightly wound and shielded I think you’ve forgotten you have a heart. You don’t want to remember love because of the woman you lost. All this time you’ve remained aloof. I know what it means to lose someone. And I know the connection, the pull between two people that makes them know they are meant for one another. I feel it with you. And it’s not because I’m part angel.”
    I brought our combined hands to my cheek. I searched his eyes, imploring him with mine. He had to see I was telling him the truth. “It pains me to be around you knowing that you won’t accept me. The Guardian side of me will wither away. Landon and I are healing. A new hole has formed in my heart because you’ve made it perfectly clear that you’re my boss. Please, Tannin. Just open yourself to the possibility that the goddess hasn’t forgotten you. She’s given you another chance to love.” I kissed his fingers and then released them.
    His eyes were troubled. His nostrils flared and the creases in his forehead deepened. The chinks in his armor were cracking. “Melina, you don’t know what you’re asking me to do. What you’re asking me to accept.”
    I got up, touched the side of his face, and brushed my lips over his. He drew in a haggard breath. “I’m only asking you to let your guard down. If you can’t do that, then I won’t ask you ever again. The consequences are that the Guardian inside of me will be locked away again.”
    “You can’t sacrifice what has been unleashed because of some relationship you think we have.”
    “I’m not sacrificing anything. I’m telling you the truth. We’ve agreed upon it. I’ll love Landon and face my old family. I’ll forget that I have a new one. I wouldn’t be able to be around you. If I stay, I’ll look in your eyes and see your rejection. I’ll separate myself from you and it will be too late because you’ll realize what you’d lost.” Tannin didn’t answer. I touched his face, kissed him once more on the forehead, and then collected my purse. I walked to the door and was about to open it.
    “Where are you going?”
    “Home. I can’t go back to the shop right away. Tonight Landon has an art show, so I’ll have to get ready for that.”
    “You’re