Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

plan was to get as far away as possible.

 
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
    I tried my mom again when I got back into my car. Voicemail picked up and my heart fell. Where was she?
    "Mom, I need you, please call me back."
    I wanted to spill my guts. Maybe letting it all out would help make sense of the jumbled mess that was addling my brain, but I knew the only person who could provide the therapy I needed wasn't available.
    I dropped the phone into the middle console of my car. Loneliness and confusion overwhelmed me. My tears fell fast, a river of burden seeping through my lids. I would have given anything to escape the prison of responsibility I felt thrust upon me as a Guardian. The heaviness that I felt when I was sixteen seemed to have lightened up over the years, only to now become a mass so big, I feared it would crush me. Who was going to save me now?
    I sat in my car with my arms crossed on the steering wheel, my head resting on them, and cried. I had no idea how much time went by. I didn't care. I had nowhere to go and I sure as hell couldn't go back to my apartment in the state I was in.  Nora was too sensitive to my emotions, and as much as I wanted to confide in her, I just couldn't bring her into all of this. Not now. I had to figure it out first.
    As I sat there feeling sorry for myself, my car door opened, making me jump in my seat. Shocked, I could only stare, as Hunter crouched in the open door, his beautiful face filled with concern. My defensive reflexes set in, and I moved as far back from him as the seat would allow, the console digging in my back as I leaned into it.
    "Cassandra, I'm not going to hurt you. I came out of the bar and saw you were still in your car. Is everything all right? Is it your mom?" His eyes roamed my face searching for answers.
    Embarrassed, I made a feeble attempt to wipe away the remaining tears from my face, but I was sure my eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.
    "Oh, um... No, I haven't gotten a hold of her yet. I'm going to drive to her house now to make sure she's all right. Thanks for checking on me, Hunter," I sniffled, "but I'm fine."
    He reached his arm across my body, and I trembled from the mere breeze of his action. Holding my breath, I froze. My eyes were the only thing capable of motion, as I watched him open up the console and grab a tissue. I was so hypnotized by him that I couldn't even form the words to ask him how he knew they were there.
    He offered it to me, and I took it slowly. As I wiped my nose, he continued to watch me, his body still too close to mine. Even after I was finished, I remained frozen in my awkward position, afraid to move. Emotions warred within me. My mind told me that I should be terrified of this big, powerful man, whom I just met. Crouching in front of me, he was close enough that I wouldn't stand a chance of escape if he chose to attack me, but something deep inside made me feel safe with him. Maybe it was because I felt I knew him from all the years I'd dreamt of him. Maybe I just had a death wish.
    My emotions battled silently, and my pent-up breath rushed through my lips in a pant. As his eyes moved to my mouth, the air between us suddenly felt so thick, I thought I might suffocate.
    He moved away from me, but remained crouched next to the car.
    "Are you okay now?" he asked.
    "Yes."
    He stood up, and I was struck by an incredible urge to make him stay, if only for a second longer.
    "Hunter, have we met before?" I blurted out. It wasn't just a question to keep him near me; I had to find out if, somehow, he knew me too.
    He looked at me for a moment with his head tilted slightly to the side, as if a better angle might help him place me. Slowly, he crouched next to me again, causing me to lean back once more.
    "No, we've never met."
    Not willing to come to terms with the fact that I was the only one who could feel this powerful connection between us, I asked, "Are you sure?"
    "Cassandra, if we had met before," he said in a deep, almost seductive