Chapter Six

pull up to the same parking spot I have been since I started here and wait for the new guard to come get me. Lincoln texted me an hour before I was to leave for my shift to let me know that he would not be there, and his nephew would be there as a guard tonight and to wait for him in my car like usual. I look down at my phone from an incoming text from Tea and hear a tap at my window. I jump when I see Daxten from school. He has that protector look as he stands at attention with his hands in his pockets since I have my doors locked.

“I’m Daxten Belmont, Linc's nephew, you're safe to open the door darling,” he says as a greeting with a smirk.

Of course, he has to be Linc's nephew I think as I unlock my door and he moves his hand so fast and opens my door. I don’t understand why Linc opens my door and now Daxten is like I'm some princess or something. I laugh at that thought and step out of the car.

“Hello”, I say as I begin walking toward the building with Dax walking behind me like a protective overshadowing presence.

“Nice to formally meet you, Embyrson,” he says as he steps around to open the door before I get a chance to even move my hand after swiping my key card over the security panel. Damn he is fast.

“It's good to meet you as well Lincoln’s nephew”, I say as I pass by him holding the door open for me.

That same kind of electric current ran through me when Mr. Silver and gray eyes touched me but also some differences. It was like Daxten touched a part of my soul that wanted to devour him.

“I really don’t understand anything lately”, I say out loud.

“Neither do I,” he sighed.

I walk in and get the office ready like every other night except it is Dax staying with me and not Lincoln. Daxten has this look like he has to guard me with my life or his life would end.

“You do know you can leave and come back when you have someone needing to be patched up right?” I say as I walk into the back office.

He grunts like I said was a brat he couldn’t tame. He finally walks out of the back office and to the main door as Doc Lucian walks in. I get the feeling someone is watching me again. Like could you show yourself already. As I say that in my mind Dew appears at the front desk and I freak out, but he puts his index finger to my lips and does a shh motion with his own lips.

Doc sighs and says from his office with a "what is this girl screeching about tone in his voice when he says, “what is going on in there with you girl”.

“I'm okay just thinking I saw something, it was nothing” I say looking at Dew shaking his head to say nothing.

Doc grumbles under his breath, “this girl is going to be the death of me”. Weird it was like I could hear him say that I had to imagine it because I know he didn’t say anything or normally doesn’t that I can hear when he grumbles as a response. I had to be going crazy with my lack of sleep and schedule.

Dew is behind the counter and next to me holding out his hand before I can even react. I trust him somehow with all of my being. It's like deep seated knowing that he would never hurt me. I put my hand in his and we were transported to a dark closet.

“Dew, how did you do that?”, I ask him in disbelief because I must have hit my head and in some weird state dream of a comma. Yes this was just a dream and I would wake up soon and be back to my normal self. The look in D’s eyes is mixed with understanding but also something else that makes me feel like everything was in fact never going to be the same again.

“Well, Embyrson you're turning 18 in a week so you're coming into your powers.” He says like he is about to continue with a shit ton of mind blowing information but I can not get past the words coming into your powers. What does he even mean coming into my power? It's like he is speaking in another language and my human brain can’t grasp the concept.

“Dew, what do you mean powers? I know now I must have hit my head and in a coma dream. Humans don’t have powers dude.” Yes, I am having a freak out ramble.

“Embyrson this is going to be hard for you but I am going to try and explain everything. Yes, this is real and you are safe and alive. No, it is not a dream. Please just let me explain and I will answer any of your questions.”

“Okay”, I softly say, shaking my head.

“I am one of your guardians and have been with you since we were both preteens. I have always been here for you even when you could not see me because I am young and the counsel deemed it necessary for me to train in my realm but I always had a watcher with you.”

“What do you mean, how could that be possible and what is the counsel, also what do you mean in your realm?” My head is about to explode and I need answers even if it is just a dream but the more I think about all the weird shit happening lately.

“I will explain everything but not here. Let's meet in your room after you get off and I can tell you and Tea all I know.”

Drew takes my hand and I’m back in my chair in the office and before I can ask what Tea has to do with any of this he disappears. Daxten comes back in looking around like a fight was about to break out.

“I heard you scream, are you okay? I got back as fast I could with this injured bastard in tow.”

It took me a moment to realize that he was holding a guy up helping him to a seat. I shake my head to make sure I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing. Omg it cannot be him. It just couldn’t. The injured guy Dew dragged in here looks like my father, but it couldn’t be. I’m definitely dreaming because I haven’t seen him since I was 5. This man definitely looked the same with his shaved close to the scalp black hair and his black eyes. It's like this man has the same red tent to his eyes my father did when he was hangry. I chalk it up to a crazy night because no way my father would be here after all this time. I would ask my mother, but we never talked about him since our years calls had ended. He would call once a year on my birthday, but I never saw him after he walked out the door leaving my mother crying on the couch with a 3-year-old me in her lap. It was always just the one phone call which stopped when I was 14. When I turned 14 the annual phone call did not come. I always wondered what happened to him but my mama would refuse to speak about him one night weeks after that birthday since I was crying and I asked her why. All she would tell me is my father loved us but he would no longer be in touch. She would never say anything else and after asking a few times I finally let it go. I locked it away in a part of my mind. I did everything else because I had to cut all thoughts for my heart to stop being broken, especially thinking about the times when I asked when he was coming home and he would ignore it and ask to speak with my mother. It was always the end of our calls. I ignored the pain in my heart and put on my sweet caretaking face that was needed in this job that also had an edge of I won’t deal with your bullshit to it.

“Doc, you have your work cut out for this one. I think I will take Embyrson home since you will be busy with this one until close.”

As soon as he said my name the man looked up at me with a horrified look on his face then masked it with a cool look that said he didn't need help and like he didn’t know who I was. I saw the look of terrified horror. I know I didn’t imagine that. What is going on? My mind is reeling.

The doc draws my attention back to the moment and out of my head which with all this stressing is causing a slight migraine coming on. I barely realize that Daxten has taken the patient into an exam room before doc sticks his head out after Daxten walks out and over to me sitting in my chair with knees raised and my arms wrapped around my legs doc waves his hand in a dismissive way and says, “Yes, go home Embyrson this one will take the rest of my night.”

I let Daxten take my hand and help me up and out of my chair. I go grab my phone and keys to head out of the office. It's crazy how that feeling intensifies when Dax touches me, making me feel safe and almost like he is home. When we reach my car he stops short of opening my door and pulls me into him for a hug which lasts for a few minutes before he lets me go and opens the door of my car. I feel like my knees are going to buckle with the feeling of need after being so close to him. What is this connection we have since we don’t even know each other? This is the first time we've even been near each other. I miss the closeness of him even though he is only just a few inches from me before I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I look into his eyes and before I can even think about what I am doing, I lean in and pull him into me and kiss him. It takes him a moment to realize what is happening then he pulls me into and kisses me rough like I had his next breath on my lips. He pulls back so fast that I almost lose my balance but recover and see him run his hand through his hair. Before he can say or do anything I jump in my car and pull out of the parking lot like someone was chasing me. I don’t even look back as I make my way out of the parking lot and into the dark main road. I make it back to my dorm and go straight into the bathroom. I turn the shower on and let the hot water steam up the entire room then step into the shower and lower myself against the wall and let the water cascade down upon me while I think back to that kiss and what the hell came over me to kiss him like that. I’m not a virgin by any means but never had I wanted someone as bad as I did Daxten in that moment. It was like a hunger I never had before. It was like I needed his life force as much as I needed my next meal. I let the water fall over me until I have the strength to stand up and finish washing off the strange night and then get in bed and fall into another dream that I don’t ever remember when waking except this time I remember. I am in a forest and surrounded by giant wolves. They are looking at me like they can’t decide to eat me or protect me. I then see someone with red eyes off in the distance before I wake with my normal pounding heart and feeling of darkness.