“Even this.” Ree gestured at her body with her free hand. “Even this change is because of something they planned. I don’t like being used like a toy.”

“We need to just get through this war, then we try to claim our lives.” Looking at Ree as they walked, Paden frowned. “We don’t really even know what all you got from Sophie. You didn’t get the fangs, but what about the healing?”

Ree thought about that for a moment. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that she hadn’t gotten the fangs. She wasn’t used to having them, so not having them hadn’t been something to worry about. “Did you heal me, back at the tree? I felt your fangs scratch me, but it went away really quickly.”

“I think it was automatic. I knew I had hurt you, so healed you at the same time. Maybe I didn’t need to.” Paden stopped walking and turned her to face him. “I’m sorry about that. I got a little carried away.”

“It’s okay.” Ree touched his face. “But, maybe we should test the healing thing. We can do something small, and if it doesn’t work then you can heal me.”

“I can’t hurt you, Ree.” Paden’s brows drew together. “I don’t know if I can keep from healing you. It’s part of who I am.”

“We can start small.” Ree looked around the little path.

“Start small? What do we need to do to prove you heal? Cut out a lung?” Tugging on Ree’s hand, Paden demanded her full attention. “We can try something, but we aren’t going to do something crazy. A paper cut would let us know.”

“Maybe. Let’s see if I heal at all first. But, I want to know what I’ve got to work with. I don’t have fangs, and there might be other things my body didn’t transition for. Let’s face it. You had the genetic makeup to change into a Guardian. My lowly human genes weren’t made to do this.”

Paden looked around the clearing in frustration, before he finally reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. He flicked it open and looked at Ree seriously. “Fine. But, something small. Don’t cut off your finger.”

Ree frowned at him and took the knife. She thought about it for a moment and then lifted the blade to the skin on her arm. Biting her bottom lip, she dragged the blade quickly across the soft skin and tried to not hiss. Paden made an odd sound that had her looking up at him and away from the cut. His hands were glowing, but he backed away from her slowly so he couldn’t heal her. His eyes looked slightly panicked, but otherwise he seemed in control. She looked back at her arm and smiled. The cut was mostly healed, just an angry pink line was left.

Feeling relief, she lifted her arm to show Paden and gasped when she found him standing right in front of her. His fingers wiped away the blood and he looked carefully at the skin.

“I heal!” Ree looked at her arm, feeling smug.

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s as fast as we do.” Paden’s green eyes looked troubled.

“Well, any healing at all is better than what I had to begin with, right?” Ree pulled her arm back and pulled her sleeve back down.

“Of course it is. But I don’t think you will heal quite the same way we do. You might not be able to take as much damage as we can.” Paden took her hand in his and started back toward the house.

“So, I still have to be careful.” Ree twisted her mouth in thought. “But, it’s better than before, Pay. I mean, now I don’t have to worry about someone kicking me and collapsing my lung. Or hitting my head and getting a concussion.”

“True. But let’s stay on the cautious side. We still don’t know how your body would handle a large wound. Even we can only take so much.” Paden didn’t look at her, just kept his eyes on the trail. Ree could feel his confusion and worry floating around them, and it frustrated her. This could be one of the best things to come out of all this mess, and he wasn’t excited. Obviously attuned to her the way she was to him, he raised an eyebrow and frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Me? What’s wrong with you? Do you realize what this means?” Ree lifted her arm. “I heal Paden. What if I don’t age anymore either?”

Paden stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her with bright green eyes. For a moment, he just stood there looking at her. Then he had her in his arms with his mouth pressed to hers. After a moment he pulled back and looked down at her, his face almost boyishly happy.

“That means I wouldn’t have to live without you. I couldn’t even think about it before, because I didn’t know how it would be possible.” He framed her face in his hands and kissed her again gently. “This may be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. To get to have you forever.”

Ree laughed, relieved he finally understood her excitement. “As long as you can put up with me.”

“Promise me.” He kept her face in his hands, his eyes bright with something Ree couldn’t define. “Promise that I can have you forever.”

“Forever.” Ree whispered the word. She knew in her heart, that this was a very important moment for them. Their declaration of forever was as serious as the war happening to them. If she couldn’t be with Paden in this life, she would find another way.

Chapter Ten

The others were up and about, working in the training room, or in the office going through Sophie’s things. Ree went to the office while Paden headed for the gym, she needed some time to think, to figure out the next step and she hoped that maybe she would find something in Sophie’s office to help point her in the right direction.

Melanie and Roland were glaring at each other when she walked into the room, and Ree stopped dead in her tracks. The tension was almost overwhelming, and she needed a minute to sort it from her own feelings. Melanie was the first to acknowledge Ree’s presence. Nodding her head at Ree, Melanie closed the file cabinet and walked out of the room. Her friend’s back was rigid, her head held at a haughty angle. Ree stepped out of Melanie’s way, her eyes following her slow, angry steps. When her friend’s back disappeared from view, Ree’s eyes snapped back to Roland.

He stood there with his hands clenched at his sides, his face devoid of expression. His eyes slid to Ree’s and his shoulders drooped, as if all of his years weighed on him in that very instant.

“You and Paden have made up, I take it?” His voice was blank, as if he was past caring about anything.

“Yes.” Ree forced her arms to hang calmly by her sides. She wasn’t sure what to make of Roland’s emotions. He had them held tightly inside, and Ree’s heart clenched. She hoped one day he would be able to forgive her for the situation they were in and be friends again, because at this moment she had no idea how to proceed.

He jerked his chin to signal he understood, but just stood there staring at her. After a long silence, she looked away and bit her lip. There was nothing she could do to make this better. She would always be the girl he had suffered for; the girl that loved someone else. How could she right all of those wrongs?

“I’m trying.” Roland’s accent became more pronounced, as if struggling with his emotions made it difficult to keep his words clear. “I don’t blame you. I’m just trying to figure out what I do now. I waited for so, so long, only to have you love another.” He stopped, stumbling over his words. He looked at her with large, blue eyes, every inch the nineteen year old boy he appeared to be.

“I’m sorry.” It was Ree’s turn to clutch her hands at her sides. She wanted to comfort him in some way; she wanted to take away the pain in his eyes, but she would only make it worse.

“Never be sorry for loving someone, Ree.” Taking a deep breath, he looked away and stared into the empty fireplace. “We’ve all been put in this position by others. All we can do now is make the best of it.”

“Melanie…” Ree trailed off at Roland’s glance.

“Melanie is… angry with me. We’re all under a lot of stress right now.” He shrugged his shoulders as if trying to work out the kinks. “I came in here to see if perhaps Sophie knew anything that might have been helpful.”

“Did you guys not share information?” Ree walked over to the desk and flipped through some of the papers on the Guardian’s desk. There were receipts for the antique shop, addresses scribbled on edges of paper, names underlined, and bills for the utilities.

“I thought we did.” Roland let out a harsh breath as he opened the file cabinet. He ruffled through the folders for a moment. “I never suspected Sophie was waiting to make a Death Gift to you. It never occurred to me they would use us in such a way.” His hands stilled and he took a deep breath. “I believed their lies.”

“We all believed their lies.” Ree kept her voice quiet, sensing the stress under his words.

“Sophie didn’t. Sophie knew they were planning on using her death to help save the world.” He swung his fist into the side of the filing cabinet, buckling the metal with a loud screech. “She knew she was walking around, waiting to die when she finally got her sister back. Some kind of sacrificial lamb waiting for slaughter.”

“She must have believed it was the right thing to do, Roland. Sophie was an amazing woman. I can’t believe she would have fallen in line with that plan if she didn’t think it was a good idea.” Ree felt tears well up in her eyes, but blinked them away. “Now, we just have to make her sacrifice worth something.”

Roland lifted his head to look at Ree. There was so much pain in his eyes, Ree had to clench her hands to keep from running over to hug him. She didn’t think they were at a point yet where they could hug and have it not be uncomfortable. She wasn’t at that point yet. After a moment, he nodded his head and looked around the room.

“I don’t think she would have had some secret plan for beating the Dark Ones that she was waiting to spring on us. Well, other than the whole Death Gift deal.” Roland ran a hand through his hair and looked around the office as if lost.

“What we need is a plan, but you’re right. We aren’t going to find one outlined in her files. We need to come up with one ourselves.” Ree looked back down at the paperwork in front of her and frowned. She pulled out a piece of paper that was barely visible. “What was the name of the guy with the two twin boys?”

“The one from New Year’s?” Roland’s eyebrows drew together as he thought. “John, I believe. John Hansen. Why?”

“She has his name scribbled down on the side of this paper.” Ree held it up so she could look it over. Roland came around the desk and read over her shoulder.

“That’s a list of people we know have an immortal bloodline.” Carefully, he pointed at the top two names. They had lines drawn through them. “Those two families were killed while we were on the island the first time. I bet Sophie made this list to try and keep track of everyone.”

“Do you think she was going to try to get them out of here?” Ree turned to look at him, hope filling her chest.

“I don’t know, Ree. If she was, she didn’t tell me. And I know she told you it was dangerous to go against the gods’ will. She was right.” His eyes leveled on hers, his expression serious.

“I want—“

“Don’t Ree.” He covered her mouth with his hand. He looked around the room and shook his head. “You never know who is listening.”

Ree closed her eyes and let the power surge out of her body and fill the room. She didn’t get that uneasy feeling she had when Aphrodite had been waiting in her room. “We’re alone.”

“I don’t know how you know that, but it doesn’t matter. They don’t have to be here to listen in. Just keep whatever you are thinking to yourself.” He ducked down so she could see his face clearly and mouthed, For now.

She nodded her head so he would know she understood, and she folded up the piece of paper and stuck it in her jean’s pocket. She was going to look at that list later to see if she could figure out what Sophie had been thinking.

“Okay, then we should find the others and decide on a plan.” Ree stepped out from behind the desk. The office felt so empty without Sophie.

“Let’s not forget that you need to train. There are things you need to know. And I’m looking forward to getting you set with some weapons.” Roland headed for the door, but not before throwing her a smile over his shoulder. “It’s always interesting to see what people are called to.”

Ree smiled in return and felt her heart lighten just a little. Roland’s smile had been very close to his normal cocky grin, and it set Ree’s heart at ease. There was hope they would all make it out of this after all.

The others were in the workout room training with the equipment. Paden was beating the practice dummy into an unrecognizable lump, while Melanie and Juliette worked on throwing knives at the other end of the room. Ree’s eyes focused on Weylin and Bryce, though, and the weapons they were fighting with.

Each held a long, slightly curved blade at the ready and circled the center of the mat slowly. Ree was pretty sure they were Samurai swords, but she wasn’t willing to ask and interrupt. There was something special about the way they moved. It was slow and graceful, yet there was an unspoken strength and certainty in each step. If she had to guess, she would say Bryce was the more confident. When they finally moved, it was a blinding flash of steel and male bodies, but her newly developed eyesight kept track easily.

Bryce was definitely the aggressor in the battle, but Weylin managed to hold his own. As Bryce ducked forward, swinging his blade in a quick sweep, Weylin flipped backward and brought his sword down in an arc. Blood splashed the mats lining the floor and Ree gasped. Roland placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place. She didn’t look at him, worried she might miss something vital.

Bryce didn’t stop his movement; instead he dropped to the mat and swept his leg through Weylin’s. Weylin landed hard on his back and had barely managed to raise his sword to protect himself before Bryce had the tip of his blade pressed into his neck.

“You almost got me that time, Wey.” Bryce moved his sword and held a hand out for Weylin.

“I did get you. Just not good enough.” Weylin took Bryce’s hand and let his friend help him stand.

“Bryce, are you okay?” Ree shook off Roland’s hand and walked over to her friends.

He looked down at his shoulder and shrugged. “Yeah. He barely nicked me.”