Chapter 1 – The beginning of the end.

I am what the nightmares fear. In a world of vampires and werewolves, I am known as The Angel of Death. I am the ghost story they tell, the horror under their bed. I am the threat to the newly re-created. I am the one who knows their transgressions and will come to punish them. I am the reason that humanity no longer believes in the supernatural.

Creatures that were once thought real have become ghost stories around the campfire; or children’s stories. Vampires, werewolves, unicorns, fairies and such magical beings are now nothing more than myths.

They are real, and they have forgotten my other title. ‘Protector’. They call me an angel but I do not fly. They call me death, but I am not the ending. I am ‘The Guardian’. I am the balance between the immortal world and the mortal one. I am the one that stands on the line, protecting the mortal and immortal species from each other.

In conveying this I am breaking the oath of my entire existence. I take comfort in the knowledge that I have done my job so well that this will be passed off as another fictional piece.

Originally it was harder. Humans knew the magical ones, the immortal ones. They feared them, more than they should have. Humans hunted them. Generally, when mortals hunted their own predators, entire human settlements were wiped out in self-defence. It became necessary for mortals to not believe in the supernatural, so they did not live in fear; so they did not hunt and destroy what they feared.

I started creating the myths to protect them all. I added them one at a time until it seemed so obscure. No creature could be afraid of so many things could they? The myths planted doubt. Doubt gave way to reason. Mortals were no longer afraid of what they no longer believed.

Unfortunately I had to block the good things in the world as well. If unicorns really did exist, then the door would open to darker nightmares existing.

However, disbelief protects the magic ones as well. Unicorns were hunted almost to extinction, for their healing horn. The mortals actually thought that was where the magic was! Not in the unicorn itself. Although thanks to some quick manoeuvring on my behalf the unicorn horns that still exist as trophies are thought to be the horn from a sea creature. No one thinks they are evidence of a more fantastic world.

The unicorns still exist, barely. They breed slowly and their numbers are still down to one very small herd. When I hid them, I also banished the dragons for causing trouble. They now protect the unicorns. Their intelligence is comparable, so it is a good arrangement for them. I have had a lot of immortals ask where I hid them, but if I told anyone their location and humans heard of it, there would be no more unicorns and dragons. Of this I am certain.

Since movies were invented it has become a lot easier. It seems that seeing is NOT believing. The more people could see the creatures of their nightmares, the less they believed they existed.

Nowadays people read books and watch movies then only for a time believe. They do not believe that their neighbour could possibly be the kind of predator they just watched on TV. This makes life easier for everyone. Mortals don’t live in fear and the magic ones can live in peace.

The only nuisance now is that the stories keep seeping though. Since the invention of movies, vampires have been my biggest problem. They live among people and do have some of the mind control they have been accredited with; although I greatly exaggerated that one. They can’t change memories or even compel unwilling prey. Willing prey is another thing, which is what their beauty is for. It’s a lure to get mortals separated. Leaving witnesses means I come for them; fix what they broke and teach them a lesson they will never forget.

But back to the mind control; it’s more of a whisper, than a command. You can ignore it, if you really want to –but you have to really want to. That whisper is an on going problem for me though.

You get a vampire living in the same town as someone sensitive to the magic ones and suddenly you have someone dreaming about them. Next thing I know the latest vampire book or movie craze is on again. And vampires are one of the reasons I had to draw the line in the first place. It was getting so people would not walk down their street, day or night, in fear of what might kill them.

Now most people don’t believe in vampires. But because of the mortals sensitive to that whisper, their story is repeated every two or three years it would seem. There is even a subculture of humans who dress in black, wearing black lipstick wanting to BE vampires. Now you see my problem. Now there is belief, without the fear. Fear keeps mortals from actively seeking out the vampires they dreamed of or read about.

The subculture is a very easy place to make humans believe. Belief in vampires upsets the balance. Either mortals are too scared to leave their house or they hunt immortals and get themselves killed. There were times the mortals even managed to destroy the immortal in a hunt. Regardless of the outcome, life does not go on. It is not balanced.

Whenever one of the immortals tried to make a believer, I was there to stop it. If anyone starts believing without the fear, then they listen to that whisper and they shout down the scream in their ears. They want to be a vampire! That belief leads to others fearing them, which leads to humans becoming immortal hunters. That is something I cannot allow again.

Because of their innate curiosity and whispered mind control, vampires seem to be the only ones causing trouble for me nowadays. Werewolves and others tend to keep to their own species.

Unlike the myth I established a long time ago vampires are not ‘un-dead’. They are a different species to humans. However, they were once human. Their curiosity led to an interesting discovery a few thousand years ago. Vampires and humans can interbreed.

As male humans do not change from birth to death, their bodies still have the ability to father children. Only male vampires can breed with human females. A female human body undergoes drastic changes to accommodate a pregnancy. Vampire females simply cannot change like a human can.

A lot of famous people have immortal blood in them. Sometime in their distant past there was some unafraid villager and some bored vampire. But vampires got bored of even this past time. The children were always human, always mortal. What they inherited from their father were the lures; charisma and beauty. In some cases what became known as Extra Sensory Perception, or mind reading. All of these extra things, that mortals originally did not have, came into the bloodlines.

That is all that remains of the immortal bloodline in a human body. However these are very strong traits. Sixty generations later it’s still there, mortals still look like their immortal ancestor. You know the people you notice when they walk in the room? They are the ones who may have immortal blood in their ancestry. Of course, there is always the chance they are an immortal, pretending to be human.

That charisma that gets the vampires noticed by mortals, it can get them in trouble with me. Especially when they use it to create believers.

A vampire creating a believer is where this chapter in my endless life really starts. The reason I’m breaking my own purpose in writing this is because, recently, my whole reason for existing nearly came undone. I would never have known either, if it were not for one persistent vampire.

It began just like any other time one of the immortals was trying to prove they existed. I sighed as I felt the tug of a vampire trying to make a believer; not even the fey folk tried to make people believe in them.

I had not encountered this immortal on the line before. It is true that I cannot fly, but I can travel at the speed of thought. All I have to do, to be where the transgression is taking place, is think about where I feel the call from. In a blink, I am there, wherever there happens to be. In this case, I found myself outside of a club, in Australia. I looked around sighed, as I had to don the clothes needed to blend.

Fortunately, as The Guardian, I can acquire what I need with a thought, even costumes or weapons. All I needed was to know where something was. I could call it to me and instantly be wearing or using it. Here I needed leather and lots of it.

Usually I looked, well, studious. When I was not trying I had mouse-brown hair, light brown eyes and an unremarkable figure. In a word, I was plain. Only the gold flecks in the outer rims of my irises were unique to me. Looking studious is the best way to be invisible in the human world. People don’t notice a woman reading a book.

Of course I could project any illusion I wanted, but actually wearing the correct clothes was better. In this club though, I thought seriously about projecting the right image. The dress code seemed to be about being as uncomfortable as possible.

The women especially wore long coats and spiked heels, as well as the dreaded corset. Corsets were horrible things when they had been the only undergarments a woman could wear. Why did mortals choose to wear them when there were far better options now? And why did they think that making them out of leather was a good idea?

Though I loathed using it for such a minor transgression, I donned a velvet coat version of my black, cowled robe. The robe, that any mortal or immortal associated with the Angel of Death was suited to this place. I wore it open over the leather corset and heels, with the cowl down. This time it was only necessary due to the location of the vampire. For once it was only part of the costume. Dressed like the other women, complete with the heavy black make-up, I entered the club.

I knew my quarry straight away. He looked more like the stereotype of a vampire then I had seen before. He was obviously trying to look like the latest impression of vampires, which was dark and menacing. He was pale skinned with vivid red coloured eyes – contacts obviously as vampire’s eyes only changed to conventional human colours, and only with their moods. Even his body was muscled with whatever physical work he had done before becoming a vampire.

He was the epitome of a vampire that the humans imagined. He even had naturally dark hair, very pale skin and was inhumanly beautiful. Pale skin gave nothing away in vampires. He could have been from anywhere in Europe, from any time period. At 6’2” the vampire was half a foot taller than me. Height was never a problem for me. I was the scariest thing in existence.

He was entertaining at the back. The women around him were so enraptured they did not notice my approach. It would not be long before he had them convinced. I covered my frustration as I approached. He did not have just one woman he was trying to convert; there were three of them. Once he finished, they could all be believers.

“Well aren’t you a walking stereo-type.” I stated, pushing though the now indignant women. The smile fell from his face as soon as he saw me. They all knew who I was. I was the one creature even the immortals feared.

The human women tried to recapture his attention. I erased their memory of him and sent them scurrying with a thought. Remember the mind control vampires are meant to have? Well I’m the one with the power of command, mind control and changing memories. I can command anything, even vampires. “We need to talk.” I stated.

The vampire nodded and followed me out of the club. His car was a classic convertible in not so classic silver. It was obviously flaunting the myth I had created about them going out in the daytime. Of course they could go out in the day. Of course they could look like everyone else all the time, but humans needed to go out in the day, unafraid. It had been one of the first myths that took about them. The truth was they only hunted at night.

I drove. When vampires drove they drove fast! When I drove their car it was not physically possible for the vehicle to do what I made it do. It was not even physically possible for a human eye, or camera to catch the vehicle. It was a reminder of my power, without needing to make them quail.

I knew where his family was. I was going to have words with them too.

He removed the contacts then tried to make small talk, asking me about the latest craze vampire-in-love book. That one was going to drive me crazy. The vampire in it talked about everything that was a myth being a myth. Clearly it had been… immortal intervention, which had dreamed that one up. Fortunately humans would think it was just a variation on a theme and continue to believe in crosses and garlic, those few that did believe anyway. I made it very clear to him what I thought of those infuriating books and that talking about them would not help.

I decided it was time to examine his crime, rather than give him the chance to discuss the latest came-to-me-in-a-dream vampire movie. “You’ve never done this before. I don’t know you. You’d better have a more valid reason than just trying it out.” I hissed. I could feel how scared he was of me. I am empathic as well. Emotions play a large part in how someone or something will react. His fear seemed extreme. It was not the vague fear that is instilled into vampires to keep them away from the line. This vampire’s fear felt as if he had witnessed me dealing justice. I started investigating his thoughts, trying to work out why I did not know him, but left him almost terrified.

He grew serious and answered my statement. “My name is Josiah. My brother needs your help.” That stopped me cold. Sometimes they provoked me, for just this reason. I nodded. He was protecting his family. That was interesting. He was willing to face me to protect them, despite his own terror.

He then changed the subject, blurting. “I wish you’d never invented the stake in the heart thing.” he moped.

“Wow, an old vampire that hasn’t been on my radar before. I’m impressed.”

“How do you know I’m old?”

“Last vampire to get staked was 150 years ago.” I was smug about that, but then caught him glowering at me. I shrugged. “You survive and humans feel safe.”

“Do you know how much they hurt? It takes days to recover!”

“Would you rather they tried to take your head?” I stated, impartially. “With the original weapons they made, you would have had no chance! Originally they knew how to kill you easily. I had to give them something they believed they could do, that did not work.” He seemed to require the explanation of why I had created that myth. It was obviously something that haunted him.

He looked at me like he had never thought about it like that before.

“Where’s your brother?” Despite what the immortals thought I was not all-knowing. As his brother had not crossed the line, I had no idea where he was.

I rolled silently into the parking lot of a small town café, not wanting to draw the attention of the café occupants that were human. We were conspicuous enough in our costumes. Mortals would know me too, although they denied the existence of angels as quickly as they denied vampires. I could see the vampire’s brother through the window.

The only thing he shared with his brother was his height and skin tone. He was as fair-haired as Josiah was dark. People would have assumed he was Scandinavian, not English.

I knew immediately why Josiah had dared to cross the line. The mutually adoring eyes across the table with a pretty human woman made it obvious.

She was harder to place. I knew she was Australian, but could have been English with her complexion. Her hair was slightly darker than his, blonde with a reddish tint. They looked like a very happy couple. It was a pity he was beating himself up for being the wrong species.

I watched the brother, whom I knew was called William. “How long?”

“Months. It’s tearing him apart.”

“She’s lucky.”

“He’s in control for now. I don’t think it will last much longer.”

“Which way are they leaning?” I already knew the answer to this, but it was always polite to ask.

“She has no family and wants to join ours. He doesn’t want for her to lose her soul.”

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes even vampires believed the myths I started.

The slamming of the car door made William look up. He looked confused and then furious. Obviously he did not know about Josiah’s dangerous mission. And it was a dangerous thing to call me.

He ran out of the café and started abusing his brother. Fortunately it was in languages other than English. William at least had the sense to make a scene that I would not have to stop. At least not while I was standing right there, more than ready to act. He was pushing his brother around a bit, but as they were both vampires, that did not look supernatural to anyone. Of course a vampire pushing a human around would have been across the line.

I felt an apprehensive hand on my arm. I turned and recognised the woman as William’s companion. “Who are you?” She asked.

That was intriguing. No human had chanced to touch me before. Humans tended to have a consistent sense of awe and respect about me. I was very happy when the phrase ‘be not afraid’ went out of vogue. Add to that the fact I was still wearing the necessary leather, I probably looked more intimidating than usual. This human should have been cowering as far from me as possible, not asking polite questions.

“What’s your name?” I asked, softly.

“Kaia.” she stated.

“I am the answer to your prayers.” I stated to her, still keeping my voice soft. I then turned to the arguing vampires. “Or your worst nightmare.” I said to them, still keeping my voice low, but with menace meant for them.

They both stopped. The woman was wide-eyed. Obviously nothing had ever stopped these two arguing before. William panicked that Kaia was standing next to me and ran to stand between her and me. He was protecting her; from me. It was… funny. Immortals knew to fear me. Generally they did not face me down to protect someone else.

“It’s my fault. She has nothing to do with this.” He pleaded. Even without my empathic ability, it was obvious how much he loved her.

I smiled at Kaia and she seemed to find that comforting. She was a very unique human. No wonder William loved her.

“It has everything to do with her.” I replied softly, keeping all menace out of my voice. William growled at me.

I glanced at the café window where people were suddenly not interested in what was happening outside. “Do you really want to cause a scene?” I warned. William was silenced. “Good. Now we need to talk.”

“The lookout?” Josiah suggested.

“Perfect.” I agreed, knowing there were no human eyes to witness anything. The one Josiah had in mind would be closed to the public at this time of night. It would not be an easy trek for a human, but William could carry Kaia.

I looked at William. He knew he had no choice and took Kaia’s hand. She was unconcerned as he bundled her into the car, even when I joined them.

William was still keeping Kaia as far from me as the vehicle allowed. Kaia felt safe with William there. She had a sense of reverence toward me, but it was not tinged with fear. She was more unique than any mortal or immortal I had ever met.

As soon as it was safe William grabbed Kaia, sprung out of the moving vehicle and was a blur of motion to lovers leap. Josiah cursed his brother and pulled over.

I beat them all there. “Just so we’re clear.” I greeted William’s surprise. “You cannot out run me.” William should know better. He had been well informed of me.

Kaia’s eyes were wide. “How’d you get here so fast?”

“I’m faster than vampires.” I replied.

She looked confused and was going to ask more questions.

“Let’s just say that I’m the police for vampires. It’s the easiest way to explain it.” I sighed as Josiah arrived.

“Now before you do anything stupid William. She hasn’t crossed the line. You haven’t crossed the line. Josiah did only enough to grab my attention and not enough to be in real trouble. He did it because he was worried about you.”

It didn’t stop William from growling at his brother. I sighed. Young vampires! They were always trouble. It was time to grab his attention. He needed to know how dangerous I was.

I picked William up by the throat. I knew it wouldn’t hurt him, but he was powerless against me. Their strength was nothing to me.

“Now you can either be a good boy and we can talk this through.” He still struggled against me. “Or I’ll leave and in…” I concentrated a moment, “Three weeks I’ll be back.” I looked meaningfully at Kaia. “To clean up the mess and come after you for real.”

His eyes grew very wide at that. I knew that his brother had pleaded with him as well, but did not care to find out the details. William relaxed. I took that as consent and dropped him. Kaia ran to him. Even hearing the prediction I had made, she went to him. She was very unique. “What are you?” She demanded of me.

“She’s an angel, Kaia.” Josiah explained. I shot him a look, but it was close enough to the truth. “Except they don’t glow and have wings.” He was smug about that. A small revenge for the stake, I was sure.

“Are the wings a myth, like the sunlight?” She asked.

OK, so she knew about the sunlight myth. I turned my softest voice to Kaia. It was also meant to help William. I really wasn’t there to hurt any of them. Even Josiah was only headed for a warning. I could not leave his attention grabbing un-noted, even with his noble cause.

However first I needed to fix this situation. I addressed Kaia. “You have any family?” I glanced at William. “Of the human persuasion?”

She shook her head. “None.” I knew she was telling the truth. There was not anyone. No one to notice she was not getting any older. There was no one to miss her when William and her moved away. She had even quit her job, hoping to convince William she had cut all ties and he could re-create her. It would be one of the safest re-creations I had witnessed.

Now it was William’s turn. I noted that he still stood in front of Kaia, even facing me. His love of her was very strong. It was probably why he had controlled himself so long. I didn’t show it, but both of them impressed me with the bond they already shared. It was a rare thing in any being. However I needed to deal with what would happen if he kept this up.

“You cannot control this.” I stated. “So you either need to leave her or help her join your family.”

“You promised not to leave me William.” She pleaded. It was a whisper, obviously meant just for him, but my hearing was better than theirs.

“You’ll lose your soul.” He stated.

I bit down on my frustration, laughing instead. That took everyone by surprise.

“William, I need you to think back to when you became part of this family. Think hard. Did you in the entire change stop breathing? I mean except when you were holding your breath against the pain.”

He shook his head. “But my heart stopped. That’s where the soul is”

I was surprised at that. I’d forgotten that vampires were not interested in their own physiology. As far as vampires were concerned there was dead and there was not dead. As they did not get sick there was no need to know how to repair their bodies. I sat on the ground, cross-legged. This was going to take a while.

After a moment Josiah sat a little away from me. He was curious, but still cautious. William took his lead and sat down too, placing Kaia between himself and Josiah – away from me. His protection of her was endearing.

“Okay, Elementary Vampire anatomy. All the scientists and doctors amongst you and none of you have asked the question. How do I work?”

I could tell Josiah was more interested than William. All of William’s thoughts were about Kaia. “You’ve had, what, two sleeps now?” I asked William.

He nodded, clearly wondering how I knew his age.

“Sleep?” Kaia questioned. Obviously not anything William had told her about.

I directed my response to her. “Once every 50 years, vampires have to sleep for five hours. Unlike humans, who can deprive themselves of sleep for days, vampires cannot put it off. They feel it coming on and usually find a nice dark place to sleep in. During that time they cannot be woken. It is just not possible.”

“It’s a good time to get staked.” I heard Josiah mumble. I ignored him.

I redirected my lesson to William. “In those hours a vampire’s heart beats 5 times, once per hour. It is all a vampire needs for the next 50 years. Well that; the preparation for sleep and the sleep itself. The heart doesn’t stop. It just slows to a vampire’s rate. Just because your heart rate changes, doesn’t mean you forfeit your soul.” The preparation was they had to hunt, but I knew from Kaia’s memories William had already told her about that part. He had even told her about how it was possible to not kill or change mortals in this process.

Kaia laughed at that. “Those exercise freaks would be in trouble if it did.” I smiled at her, surprised at her candidness.

“But everything changes.” William protested.

I nodded in agreement. “Changes. Nothing goes away, nothing gets taken; it just changes.”

“I can control myself.” William insisted.

I showed my frustration then. “Where did this stupid control myth come from anyway!” I demanded. “Vampires who fall in love with humans are ticking time bombs. The last one I had to deal with had lasted two months. He killed an entire village at the end of it. I had to undo his entire existence just to fix it. Do you know what that means? I have to go back to when he was human and make sure he stayed that way! He died of what he had been dying of! In that we lost entire family trees and bloodlines. All just gone! We lost some great figures in history because this one vampire thought he could control himself.”

William instinctively moved away from me. He should be scared. Josiah was actually happy at his reaction. I did not let him know that I knew what he was thinking.

“The one he loved?” William whispered, shocked.

“Was first!” I snapped. “And not recognisable after he’d finished. Do you know what happens when a vampire snaps?” I demanded.

Josiah shuddered. Clearly he knew. William didn’t.

My voice became quiet, menacing. “They don’t just kill their victims – and they are victims at that point. They break them first. First the mind, then their bodies and then finally once the person is beyond begging for death they give it to them. It takes a vampire seconds to do that to a human! But it will seem like an eternity to her. And then when the vampire is done they find another being, usually the vampire’s own family. And it doesn’t stop until I stop it.”

William sat, stunned. I read his thoughts then, making certain that they were heading in the right direction. He had to make the right decision. If I had to influence his mind to keep the balance I would. I gently prodded his thoughts towards the pleasant forever with his new bonded wife.

Finally he turned to Kaia. I hid my surprise that he looked scared. “You smell so good; I don’t know that I could stop once I... start. I could kill you.” He sounded terrified of that.

I ignored Josiah, though he was screaming mentally at his brother, because William had never killed anyone. Josiah was obviously astonished that William was afraid of this more than anything.

“I’m not afraid.” Kaia whispered.

I laughed, and then grew serious again. “You really think I’m going to allow that? Your brother risked his life so that you wouldn’t have to face me in a few weeks. If you can’t stop I’ll make you. Can’t have you going into depressed killing spree because you couldn’t be with the one you clearly love.”

His last resolve was crumbling. “It’s more painful than anything.” He whispered. “Even the injuries you had last summer.”

I nodded, directing my comments to Kaia. “Being created or re-created always is. It is just humans are lucky enough to not remember it. But at one point you were literally splitting yourself in half to be created. It will feel kind of the same.”

William looked at me then. “I’ve heard that before.”

I shrugged. “Your father was afraid of the same thing.” I stated. “He… drew my attention to save you.” I looked at Josiah. “Seems to be a family thing.”

“William is important to the family. He’s stronger than all of us.”

I agreed. “It’s why his control has lasted this long.” I stated.

The decision was made. I could see it in William’s eyes. Josiah knew too, because he stood and moved a little into the woods, giving them privacy. Once they were lost in each other, I joined Josiah.

“Shouldn’t you be there?” He asked.

I smiled. “They always stop. The ones that are worried always stop. It’s the ones that are confident that don’t.” That wasn’t true, but I needed all vampires to think it was. There was only one vampire that could not stop, and it was because I had dealt out justice.

He smiled at me then, a very exquisite smile. I watched him passively, covering my surprise at the emotion behind that smile.

“They never told me how beautiful the Angel of Death was.” He stated. His thoughts betrayed that he was not just trying to make small talk. He really found me attractive. That in its self was odd.

I looked sideways at him. “You’re still in trouble.”

“I know, but I kind of figure you won’t deal with me until this is over.” He was embarrassed? Vampires could be embarrassed? It had to be something in his family; a learned behaviour. He was too old to personally remember what that felt like.

I shrugged, pretending indifference. “Would you feel better if I looked like a skeleton with a scathe?”

Josiah smiled. “I think that might have actually scared Kaia.”

“Don’t bet on it.” I concentrated on Kaia for a moment, who had not shown any fear despite being surrounded by immortals. “Some free advice. Kaia is very important. Not just to your brother; but to… to everything. Keep her safe. Especially when William can’t.”

He did not miss the ‘when’ in my sentence, but had the sense enough not to ask. “I thought you created the myths. To keep the world safe.”

I looked at him, curious. His mind was unclear to the where this line of questioning was going.

“What about the control myth?”

I sighed. “That one’s dangerous. More of both your kinds could die because of it.” It was more than dangerous. It was horribly dangerous. I had been trying to figure out where it had come from for well over a hundred years. Before that time I could sense when a vampire had started to hold control for too long and fix things before disaster struck. Since the myth emerged, William was the first I had got to before he had snapped, before I could do nothing but clean up the mess.

Josiah was worried that I did not know about it. He thought I created all the myths. “You don’t know where it came from?”

“At first I thought it was some panicked vampire, worried about their reluctant human. Just one, but your family; your brother thinking he can control himself...” I trailed off. Josiah’s family were one of the best. They were only on my radar because the father, Erik, had been afraid for the human William over a hundred years ago.

“And there’s something else… It bothers me.” The something else was a part in William’s mind I could not see. I could see down the microsecond of anyone’s mind, but William had a protective wall around one part.

“I thought you saw everything.”

I sighed. Even myths about myself came back to bite me. “You repeat this to anyone and I will come for you. This will be crossing the line that you won’t come back from.” I warned. He didn’t have to know I would not know if he told his family.

“I can only see what is close to the line or over it. If some rumour about vampires is being circulated by vampires I can’t see it.”

“You need a spy.” He laughed.

I had not been paying much attention to what he was thinking. Now though, his thoughts intrigued me. I checked all his memories for anything that would make him unsuitable. His memories were old, fragmented and mostly gone. The few memories he had were noble and protective. I found myself drawn to him, as someone appropriate for such a dangerous task. There had only been two others I had been drawn to. He would be very useful as William was the only surviving vampire with a clue to this myth.

I turned my full gaze on Josiah. He stopped short. “William is taking too long,” he stated to distract me.

“William is giving up the control he’s held in the best possible way. It will be a passionate experience for them both, before the re-creation.” I stated.

Josiah squirmed under my gaze. “I need a spy, and you’re in trouble.” I stated. “Are you brave enough to make a deal with me?” I asked.

“W…What would I have to do?”

“Be my eyes and ears. That rumour is not healthy. You’re old enough to know what is and isn’t real. I know you know what happens when a vampire snaps.”

“Krakatoa.” He whispered.

“You remember?” I asked, surprised. He nodded, hiding the pain he felt.

It was an island I’d been forced to bury with a volcano, rather than undoing the existence of one vampire who was responsible for half of her race, in one way or another. What the world didn’t know was all of the reported fatalities were dead before I set the volcano off. I did not know that any immortals had survived that massacre. Apparently one had survived.

I knew that Josiah had been tortured for weeks. It explained his memory, or lack of it. Josiah was an old vampire, but he did not remember much before Erik. It was the only way I knew to truly torture a vampire. Trap their body and mentally burn their mind, forcing them to throw memories into the fire to save themselves.

There was a safe place in all immortal’s minds that they could retreat from that sort of mental pain. However, immortals seldom came back from that cocoon. It became a prison. They could not control their bodies within that place. It left their body open for another immortal to control them, have them to their bidding. That was the truth behind the zombie myth I had created. Immortals, with their very powerful and quick bodies, being controlled by a puppet master.

Josiah had not retreated from the fire to stop the pain. He had burned memories instead. Josiah had given a lot to keep himself here.

I watched him, seeing his pain. “That was lucky it was an island.” I stated, wondering again if there had been something else I could have done. As usual, I had no answer to that question.

He considered me, thinking about being my spy. “That’s it?” he asked, “Just tell you things I hear that I know aren’t right?”

“Where you heard them. Where your source heard them from, if possible. This control myth with your brother, it feels… wrong, dangerous. It would only take seventeen vampires snapping in the wrong place to wipe out your entire race. And my sense of balance abhors that.”

He thought about it, staying silent. I deliberately stayed out of his mind while he thought about it. It would be a great help if he said yes, but the longer he took the more I thought his answer would be no.

He took so long that we heard Kaia’s quick scream before he made a decision. I paid attention then. I knew that William would stop, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I returned to the clearing, but only stood at the edges. William was holding Kaia, cradling her like he was trying to protect her from the pain he had inflicted.

“Take them home.” I commanded Josiah, but softly. “I’ll be waiting in the forest for your answer.” He nodded, entering the clearing and throwing his brother’s clothes over him. It had been a very passionate experience. Re-creation in love and passion with soon-to-be partners was always the strongest. A new parent was second, but just as important.

William blurred as he re-dressed both of them, letting Kaia bite him. “She gone?” He demanded, cradling Kaia again. Immortals did not know I was there, unless I wanted them to know.

“She won’t bother you.” Josiah assured William.

“So she’s still coming for you.”

“You need to take care of Kaia.”

“That was stupid!” William stated, but his attention was divided, as Kaia pulled away from biting him.

“William!” Kaia cried in her fever.

He pulled her close. “But thanks.” He whispered, kissing her head. Then they were gone.

I had expected Josiah to ‘forget’ my offer. But I was compelled to follow until I heard his answer. If he agreed he would be my spy, a dangerous job. If he did not then he would stay on my radar, which would mean more trouble if he ever wandered too close again. Anyone on my radar always feels watched. Even if I’m not actually paying attention to them. It was not a pleasant feeling to know that. Still, I thought perhaps Josiah would prefer that than the alternative.

I was surprised that he was in the forest within half an hour of arriving home. Erik, the patriarch of the family, was now there to support Kaia and William. I heard Erik shout about the dangers of summoning me, as Josiah stormed out of the house. Josiah walked into the forest, just out of sight of the house and stopped, obviously waiting.

“You’re in trouble.” I greeted.

“I’m in trouble with you. How much worse could it be?”

He had a point.

“So if I say yes, what happens?” He asked after a quiet moment.

“You will acquire certain abilities. See the future, a little. You will be able to read thoughts of other vampires, more than the ones they want you to know about, more than you can now. You’ll know if they are lying, you may even be able to compel them to tell the truth. You will be a spy in every sense of the word. I will give you the one way that you can call me without getting into trouble. It is a pact that lasts for your entire life. Only I can break it.”

“What about my family?”

“You’re worried about your family. Your bond is strong with a family that did not sire you.” It was curious.

“Erik found me at Krakatoa. I had been a vampire a long time, but I had not escaped whole. Erik brought me back and he has been my father ever since. William is his first true son. I’m older and adopted and just as loved.”

I thought for a moment. The last spy I had, had been torn apart by her own family when they discovered her secret. I knew Erik’s family would not do that, but it did still mean Josiah could become an outcast.

“Being my spy, this bond, is dangerous. You have to understand just how significant this is. You could become an outcast.”

“How can I be more of an outcast than I have been?”

“What if this family rejects you? There are vampires out there who will tear you apart for being my spy.”

“But Erik, William and Kaia will be safe, regardless of what happens to me?”

I nodded.

“Then it doesn’t matter what happens to me as long as they are safe.”

I stared at him, without emotion. His mind was made up and there would be no changing it. It had been a long time since I had met a self-sacrificing vampire; one whose family was more important than themselves.

I checked the future with regards to this bond to me. Erik’s family would not reject Josiah for agreeing to be bonded to me. Erik would certainly not tolerate that. Josiah would at least still be safe with his family. “Everyone in Erik’s family will be off my radar. Everyone. It will be up to you to keep them in line.”

He knew that meant Erik would no longer have me haunting him and agreed without hesitation. “So what happens now?”

“We seal this with a kiss.”

“The kiss of death!” He exclaimed. That bothered him more than being my spy. I had not realised there was such a stigma associated with this bond.

I rolled my eyes. “It sounded so much nicer when it was called The Guardian’s blessing.”

“It’s the only way?”

I nodded. “It’s not a death sentence. It just seals the pact.”

He nodded, and then kissed me. On the lips, lingering somewhat longer than I thought necessary. It caught me off guard. It was not what a vampire normally thought of when I mentioned kiss.

He pulled away a little. “Will that do?” He asked, staying close, in case it was not.

I could not help myself. I turned away, laughing. “Is that really what you think when I say kiss?”

He nodded slightly confused.

“Fine, but you need to draw my blood.”

He nodded comprehending. I laughed again. “It’s a bond, Josiah. How else do vampires bond?”

He kissed me on the lips again, this time biting my lip and drawing blood into his mouth. It didn’t last long. My blood is not sweet to vampires.

“You taste awful.” he stated, swallowing despite the face he was pulling. He was obviously waiting for something. “So is there pain now?”

“It’s a bond, not a re-creation. You may be shocked the first time your new gifts kick in, but nothing else.”

“I’m almost disappointed.” he smiled, relaxing. “The Guardian’s blessing is meant to be this big scary thing. But apart from your taste…”

“The scary bit comes later.” I did not miss that he had deferred to my preferred name for the pact.

“You also need to know my first name, to call me. All you have to do to find me is say my name out loud. The bond allows you to call me. You will not be able to say it out loud unless you are alone. If you think you are alone and cannot say my name it is because you are not alone. Do you understand?”

He nodded. “Course it’s wiser to tell you that before the pact, but you kind of rushed it.” I was half grinning at that, my lip already free of evidence of our pact. I healed faster than them too. He was amused. He would be easy to work with.

I became solemn. “If you think you may be in danger because of this pact, call my name as soon as you can. I will deal with the dangers that occur because of this.” Hopefully history would not repeat, but it was safer for Josiah if I gave him this warning.

He nodded, but obviously did not understand.

“My name is Custos.” I whispered in his ear. He shivered, which I expected.

My task was complete. The line no longer compelled me to stay and balance things again.

With a thought I was back to my studious life. I had forgotten one vital thing to tell him though. The main part of my studious, plain disguise was how I appeared when not protecting the line. When I was not The Guardian, not protecting the line, I appeared human. It was more than my appearance as well.

I smelled human, had a heartbeat. I needed to eat, needed to sleep. I could not read minds or control beings; could not move with a thought. I was an immortal human, unable to die. I also had to move every 15 odd years or so, before mortals began noticing I was not aging.

When I was summoned to protect the line, I was called out of time. If my life were a timeline, then there would be loops, when my duty called me. Once my task was over, I would then return to my human life within a few seconds of leaving it. It may have taken me months or years to sort out a problem, but once I no longer feel the call of the line I resume my life from where it left off. It feels like I step out of my timeline, travel on someone else’s for a while, and then return to mine where I left off. I can only do this when the balance, that I maintain, was threatened.

I could become The Guardian if I wanted to, but choosing to become The Guardian did not take me out of time. If I chose to walk around in my immortal form then time passed, and I was noticed as an angel. It had been a long time since I had chosen to walk around as The Guardian, since my last bond honestly.

When Josiah calls my name, I would need to choose to be The Guardian. I would hear it anywhere in the world. I would know exactly where he was until I found him. However, the balance would not threatened because he had something to tell me. Even though I had my other abilities, such as moving with a thought, it would take me time to deal with Josiah once he called my name. Hours that were impossible to explain to my boss.

I suppose, given the erratic nature of my true calling, I should have found a job that required travel. I liked being a librarian, though. No one noticed if I disappeared into the books or back room for a few seconds. I had not had to explain missing hours for a long time.

Past experience had also taught me that is was safer for my bonded if I lived as close as possible to them. I decided since I had forgotten to tell him my human oversight and time would pass until I saw him face to face, I needed to move to that small town near where they lived. It took about a month to organise, but as he did not call me in that time there was no urgency in me getting there.