Her Guardian's Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

and I couldn’t jeopardize what you truly were to them. All they thought was that you were something from the darkness, even though you had been marked by the goddess. We kept tabs on you. Then you found two mates, a vampire and a werewolf. You connected with them on a primal level and you were already something special. Guardians and witches do not normally produce a child. And being with your mates, you found that their bites and their blood couldn’t harm you.”
    “Why is that?” I asked.
    She patted my cheek. “I think that’s enough for now. Tonight there’s a party welcoming you into the clan. We will talk more in the morning. Now is the time for celebrating. Your cousins and your sister want to meet you. So do the rest of the clan. Will you stay?”
    I nodded. With everything dancing in my head, all I could do was wait and see what else was in store for me.

 
    Chapter Three
     
    People started arriving as the sun disappeared, and the stars twinkled in the night sky. Some of the clan looked like me. Others didn’t seem to be related to me, but I don’t think that mattered. They all came over and brought food with them. They pulled up outside of the house and were welcomed in. Children ran through the garden. The happy laughter filled me with joy. It had been such a long time since I had been banished from the coven. Here no one looked at me as if I had two heads or fifty arms. I mingled with the guests. Their names went by me in a blur. Tannin hovered on the periphery of the party, guarding the family who had gathered. No one spoke to him. They didn’t treat him as a pariah. It seemed he wasn’t there at all, a ghost among his own kind. Whenever I glanced at him, he would smile and nod slightly in my direction. I wanted to go over and speak to him, to thank him for bringing me here, but I never got a chance.
    Everyone asked me about my life and if I was happy about finally being home with my family. I couldn’t say more than yes. They welcomed me with open arms and it made me miss Landon more. The night was cooling off. Most of the people had gone after several hours. It seemed the gathering was something that happened a lot. I looked out into the darkened forest, feeling the teeming life around me. I rubbed my arms from the chill. The food filled my belly. I was calm and content. The possibility of what I would soon learn about my background imbued me with wonder and a little bit of fear. I still had so many questions that I wasn’t sure where to even begin.
    “It’s overwhelming isn’t it?” I glanced to my side and saw my grandmother standing next to me.
    “Yeah. It kinda is. Even the coven gatherings were never this festive and so open with one another. They’ve accepted me for one of their own and they don’t know me.”
    “You are one of us. This is your homecoming party. This is how it should’ve been from the start. Are you ready to meet your sister?”
    I nodded. “Yeah. But first, what’s your name? You never told me. So I call you Grandma, Grandmother?”
    She laughed. “Grandma is fine, but my name is Annabella Mahone. Your father’s name was Delin. He was named after our most honored Guardian. Your sister’s name is Annabeth. She’s fourteen. Tannin found out that your father had been with another woman and she was the product. Her mother put her up for adoption. Luckily, we had someone in the system that was able to get her placed with one of our families. She’s been here with us since she was three. She’s over here.”
    My grandmother tapped a girl on the shoulder who could have been a younger version of me except she had darker skin. Her cheekbones were a little higher, but she would be a beauty when she was fully grown. She was only a little shorter than I was. When she turned around, a large smile spread on her face. She hugged Annabella fiercely. Then she stopped and stared at me. The darkness inside of me recognized her. Annabeth flung her arms around me. When our