Awaened Guardian

I picked Damon up and walked to my chained section of wall. I grabbed my things below it and turned towards the door. This place had been be-spelled in very deep and very powerful magic, the same as mine. So, only one person could do this, my twin brother.

He was probably trapped in his own darkness just like he had done to me. He had really wanted to keep us from getting the wrong master again, he also had thought he had his, but just like with me the wall is, unfortunately, never wrong. He lost her to. Fate has a habit of kicking us in the damn teeth.

I walked to the door, taking in the details around me. My mouth quirked up in a slight smirk, at least they imprisoned me in a gilded cage. I picked up the shrunken sword that had fallen when Damon had fainted.

Then I turned and walked out the open door, closing and locking it as I went. I walked down the long hallway staying on the same path. There was a door closed at the end , but when I went to push it, it swung open by itself. I walked out of the dark for the first time in centuries.

As I blinked around at the sunlight streaming through the big bay windows, I wondered where to go. I looked down at the tiny bundle in my arms. What a great time to faint little one, I thought with a slight smirk. I sniffed the air around me, taking in and reading the air currents.

I turned left and followed the faint trail of Damon's scent. Hopefully where ever he came from would have a bed because he needed to really sleep. The faint bruises under his eyes told of many a sleepless nights for him lately. I smiled slightly, it looks like the darkness was right. For Sakura, I had never felt this protective this fast.

I had to be quick. I don't know the exact spell my brother used. I wouldn't put it past him to be able to send me back to sleep if some little thing is not right. And it could be anything. The gift in my arms could be taken so many ways and so easily taken.

As I walked down the sunlight filled hallways, unconsciously following Damon's scent trail, I took a moment to truly study the little gift in my arms. He face was a smooth pale cream color that contrasted deeply with his ebony black hair and faded ice blue eyes.

His face was hairless, not even pretending to show beard growth. Which made me wonder how old he was and if I was drooling over a child. That would explain his size. Damon couldn't have been more than five feet six inches. And all that was lean. Not malnourished, but there was a natural petite look and whipcord strength to him.

I looked up when I realized his scent had faded some, and found that I had walked the entire hallway and was standing in front of a half ajar door. I cradled Damon to my chest with ease and reached out with one hand to finish pushing it open keeping my senses at the ready for anymore enemies. Inside was a pair of stairs that had his scent trailing down it, though faded after some time.

At the end of the stairs was another hallway and again following my nose I came to a room about four doors down. I opened the door and found my nose bathed in Damon's scent and not because he was in my arms. This was his room. I walked in, kicking the door shut behind me with the bottom of my foot. I set him down on the bed and smoothed his hair back.

There was no pretending, no denial, none.

He was mine.

Forever.

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Even if he was an adult, if he didn't want me as his mate then that was fine. I would be whatever he wanted. Friend. Protector. Lover. Or even just a pet. As long as he needed me I would be there.

I looked down at him. He looked uncomfortable. I grinned to myself. I reached for his shirt and started unbuttoning it. As skin was revealed, I drooled like the animal I was. He had the same skin tone all over. That yummy looking pale cream that makes me want to lick it.

I pulled his arms out of the shirt and threw it behind me. Then I started on his shoes and socks. After I had removed those, I looked at his pants. He would be angry if I undressed him completely. But I wanted to see him all. And this might be my only chance to. I flicked the button to his jeans open and pulled down the zipper.

Then I stopped. He might be too young, I reminded myself.

I backed away from him and sighed under my breath. If I hadn't gotten such a cute thing, I would have put up more of a fight. I hate it when the darkness was right and it always is.

Looking around me, I decided to see what I could find out about my mate, his likes and dislikes would be a start.

***

Across space and time, a being awoke. His red eyes snapped open as he realized that his spell had been broken. Then he grinned showing fangs of epic proportions. Not quite. His spell was still in effect but based on the rules now instead. One of the twins was awake but, thank the dark gods, his Treasure was still to young.

The being stretched and jumped down from his altar where he had slept for so long. He popped bones and pulled muscles that hadn't moved in centuries. As he walked through his home suspended in the very fabric of time, he wondered why the guardian had even awoken. If his Treasure is to young he shouldn't even have registered on the guardian's radar. But whatever. He could still put him back to sleep and now his Treasure to.

He bit his forefinger and started weaving words in blood through the air. When he finished it glowed black for a few seconds and then the air opened as a time gate was opened. A few more words and the dimension gate opened and merged with the time gate. He stepped through weaving the gate closed behind him. Time to go put back asleep one of the few beings he had to worry about.

But first he had to go get his spell snake holder.

***

My ear twitched. Someone was in my room. But who? I breathed deeply but quietly not wanting to alert whoever it was. The most delicious smell I have ever had the pleasure of smelling wafted though my sinus cavity.

"Good morning sleepy-head," a voice to equal that smell said.

I froze, not sure of my surroundings.

And then it all flooded back through my mind. The guardian. The fight. Everything. My sword, flashed through my head, where's my sword.

"Obviously not going anywhere near you now," the yummy voice answered my silent question. The one that I had asked INSIDE MY HEAD. There was a laugh to my left.

"You can open your eyes now little one, I won't bite."

I heard a note of humor enter his voice at the end and the thought, what if I want you to flashed through my head. What was wrong with me, this was a male.

"Then I will be quite willing to oblige."

That clinched it. He could read my mind. I opened my sightless eyes and turned my head towards his voice. But before I could even ask that question, he answered.

"I can read your mind because you are my match. For every Guardian there is a Treasure. The Treasure is the being that completes, loves, and makes the darkness recede for the Guardian." As he finished speaking he reached over and put his palm on my forehead.

The darkness shrouding my eyes vanished in a second. I looked at him in shock, just now remembering what else had happened during the fight. When he touched me, I could see.

"Yup, little one," He said in quiet voice. I blinked up at his face in disbelief. He grinned, showing off canines a Cerberus would be proud of. They looked...dare I say it.... cute in his mouth. Like they belonged. Which was creepy, I shouldn't be thinking like that.

"Please continue to do so, it would be much appreciated."

He did it again, read my mind. "Can you please stop doing that," I asked, once again speaking. I glowered at him, he was making me speak. I haven't spoken in ages. And now all of a sudden here I am, a regular chatterbox. He just grinned unrepentant.

"Why did you wake up for me?" I had to ask.

He tilted his head to the side and looked at me with unreadable eyes. Then he sighed and answered.

"I woke up because you are mine. Mine to care for, to cherish, to protect and to love. You made the darkness recede, just like I do for you."

The darkness recede? What was he talking about? Then it came to me, my eyes. He made the darkness I live with everyday go away.

I pushed myself up, keeping contact with him. There was something scary in being able to see. I hadn't realized how much I relied on the darkness I lived in everyday.

I blinked when I let the rest of what he said to process. His to care for? To protect? To cherish? To...love? What the hell?

"Care to explain," I asked him. He had better have a good answer.

But he just tilted his head at me and got this sad look on his face. "I am your Guardian, so it is my duty and privilege to guard you," he said after a while.

"But I can be whatever you want me to be, so long as you allow me to take care to take of you." He finished with an self-loathing grin.

I blinked slowly as comprehension kicked in, I was surprisingly slow today. Whoever wakes up the Guardian...becomes the guardian's mate. Even if it was a male.

"Please don't think that, you don't have to do anything you don't want, I will be more than happy just to protect and care for you," he said in a quiet hurt-filled voice. It was faint, yes, but the hurt was still there. Strange how sad that made me feel.

I nodded.

"So, what happened to make you have so many enemies? And where is the rest of your family? How old are you? What is you favorite color? Food? Tell me about yourself," he started firing questions at me. I blinked as he stopped and coughed. Then I felt my eyes widen. He was blushing. The Guardian was blushing. I giggled a the picture he made. Then was disgusted with myself. Males don't giggle.

"Those men killed my family, they were led by my father's second in command, and wanted to take over the business," I started answering when he reached over pressed a finger to my lips.

"You don't have to answer unless you want to and you just have to think your answers, I can read them there."

"Yeah please stop doing that. It's kind of creepy and there is a little issue of privacy. I can answer you."

His brow furrowed and I could see the confusion in his face. "But you don't like to talk so I thought this would make you more comfortable. And I can choose what I read in your mind so I won't violate your privacy."

I looked at him in disbelief. Why would he care? Then I rolled my eyes at my stupidity. I was his mate, he would want to get on my good side.

"Actually I want to talk to you so it's fine," I blinked in shock as I realized that what I had just said was the truth. I wanted to talk to him. That had never happened before.

He smiled at me, some of the hurt that had been there faded from his face. "That makes me kind of happy."

I opened my mouth to answer him but before I could there was a loud rumble. My face flushed crimson when I realized that it was my stomach. I was starving. Dragoste laughed a bi and reached down to pick me up. I froze hen he did. Why had I let him pick me up? I forgot the thought when my stomach made another loud growl.

"Point me towards the kitchen," he told me.

Still slightly mortified at my stomach and that he was carrying me, I did. He walked through the door and kicked it shut behind him. "You know, if you don't want me to hold you just say so and I won't. The only reason I am is because you see when I touch you."

My eyebrows raised at that. The only reason he said. Hs he never heard of holding hands? I looked up at him. There was a slight bit of red on his face that told me he was lying. I smiled slightly to myself still looking at him. He really was beautiful.

His long silver hair was exotic looking. And had a glow to it that signified magic. The black locks in front of his ears contrasted with the silver and made it look even shinier. Hie ears were like a cat's, tall and erect, they were white with black tips.

His face was perfect. He had markings all over it. They're were claw like markings on his cheeks from his ears going under his eyes and stopping at the end of his eye almost to his nose. There was one that came down the center of his forehead and ended between his eyes. The last one came up his chin and ended under his mouth. The markings were a metallic ice blue.

The markings didn't look strange in his face either. His bone structure was sharp. He looked human just with sharper angles and points like a cat's. His eyes were a little odd but still looked beautiful. It had a slit pupil and had four different rings of color. The first ring was red, directly around the pupil. The next was a shade of purple that then faded to a ring of blue. The last ring, at the edge of his irises was black.

I couldn't see the mark on his chest though I remember here being one there. He was wearing a type of robe. I realized that it must be the one my father had said always sat on the ground below his chains.

"Damon open the door please," Dragoste's words interrupted my train of thought. I blinked and reached forward to turn the handle. While I was wondering in my mind, he had walked all the hallway and gotten to the kitchen door.

He walked through the door, not bothering to shut it behind him and sat e down in a seat at the bar. The minute he le go of me, my vision started fading. "Sorry, I need both hands to make you something to eat."

"It's okay."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Um...check the fridge for eggs. Can I have a omlet?"

"Sure."

"Can I ask you questions while you cook?"

"YES!" He said in a loud voice hat startled me. I heard clanging of metal. He was getting a pan.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

I nodded and then sniffed the air when I felt a cool rush of air. He had opened the fridge door because I could smell the different food in there now. The chocolate cake, the eggs, the milk, orange juice, some type of meat and many others. The air disappeared when I heard the click of the door shutting.

"You wanted to ask me some questions?"

"Y-yes, you said you forget your past...Treasures, you called them...the how come you know you had them?"

"No, you're my only Treasure. A Guardian only gets one. The others were just past Masters. Sorry, I didn't explain that well but I was pressed for time. The wall and the darkness only lets me remember things that would be beneficial to my Treasure, you. The only other master name I can remember is Sakura's because I had a lesson to learn with her. I remember any information I learn during that Master's time as long as it doesn't interrupt anything with you. I never remember names I am given, or any other information about any of my other Masters. The only thing I even really remember about Sakura is anything that had to do with the lesson I had to learn. I don't remember anything else about her."

He stopped talking then and I realized he had talked for some time. I let what he had said process. I smelled the eggs cooking. I leaned my forehead against the bar and closed my eyes. Talk about a lot to process. I don't think I could deal with being someone's Treasure. Running a business was one thing, being important personally to someone or something was a whole different level.