Shadow Guardians: The Promised

With every minute leading up to Mari going out, Uriah’s nerves wound tighter around his stomach. It was so bad that he couldn’t bring himself to feed. If he did, he was certain he’d have another puke fest.

And truthfully, he wasn’t even sure exactly why he was filled with so much dread about it.

“Uriah? Are you listening?”

He snapped out of his thoughts. “Hm? I’m sorry, beauty. Would you repeat that?”

Mari dropped her arms where she stood in front of the mirror. “I asked for your opinion. Do you think I look good enough to go out?”

He pored over her. Dressed in light-blue jeans and a sweater in rust with sneakers, he thought she looked good enough that he’d rip all those clothes off her.

She looked good enough to eat.

He cleared his throat. “You look stunning, beauty.”

She tilted her head, her loose hair cascading down effortlessly. “You’re no help, you know. You say that when I wear sweatpants.”

“I mean it.” He said, shrugging.

“I know, but it’s not helpful while I’m going out with a bunch of females.” She sighed and turned back to the mirror to adjust her sweater. “This will just have to do. Do you think I have to wear makeup?”

That question had anger stabbing through him, and he clenched his teeth. Great. Already, she wants to change herself for others. It made him want to fling them off a bridge.

“I think you’re beautiful as you are, nerei.”

He rose from where he sat on the bed and came up behind her, then wrapped his arms around her. Peer pressure was the least of his worries.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Mari said, stroking his forearms. “A little sore,” she admitted.

He met her eyes in the mirror. “A little?”

She leaned her cheek against his arm. “Okay, maybe more than a little. But I really want to do this.”

He kissed her cheek. “I know.” I’ll just be here, worrying. “Go have fun. Just know that you can call me any time if you want to come home. I’ll be there when you need me. I love you.”

She turned into liquid inside. “I love you, Uriah. Thank you for letting me do this.”

A hoot sounded from outside.

“Edward’s waiting for you,” he said while giving her a squeeze before releasing her.

She turned, rose onto her tippy toes, and laid her lips over his. What should have been a quick goodbye kiss turned into a passionate, pant-worthy make-out session.

And then Edward hooted again.

Mari dimpled up at him before leaving their living pad, leaving him standing uneasily with his hands in his pockets.

What on this good earth was he going to do to keep himself sane?

Uriah watched through the window as she climbed into the black SUV. The other females were probably already in there. And then Edward drove off with her.

He paced for a while before deciding to head out. While walking towards the TV room, he heard billiard balls being socketed.

Might as well play some pool, he supposed.

Bella, Keira, and Naleen made Marionette feel way underdressed. They donned high heels and very short dresses, lots of jewelry, and their faces were plastered with makeup.

On the way to the mall, Edward gave her a few pitying glances in the rearview mirror. But she also got the sense that the servant was checking in, and she wondered fleetingly if Uriah had ordered him to keep an eye on her. It wouldn’t surprise her.

He was a bundle of nerves back at the house. No matter how he tried to hide it, she could feel the jagged edges of his angst through their bond.

The sensations she received from him dulled the further away they moved from the coven house, until she was left with nothing but her own company amongst strangers.

She gazed through the window, wringing her hands in her lap, while the girls talked about boys, gossiped about others, and bragged about how they kicked someone’s ass in arena training.

Eventually they arrived at the mall, and reluctantly, Mari got out of the SUV. They went inside, huddling together and snickering, leaving her to follow like a dog.

Now, she wasn’t sure about her decision anymore.

“Are you alright, m’lady?” Edward asked, since she stood around for longer than was appropriate, trying to decide if she was going to follow or not. “Do I have to take you back?”

She stood up straighter. “No, I’m fine. Thank you, Edward. You may go.”

Edward bowed his head and then drove off. And Mari was left with no other choice but to follow the nosferi.

“I think this one suits you,” Bella said, holding up a black leather dress with silver studs.

“Oh, and these!” Naleen showed off thigh-high black boots with three-inch heels.

“It’ll bring out your eyes!” Keira added with a sneer.

Mari stared, horrified, at the dress.

Her body was aching, and the last thing she wanted was for her skin to be exposed to any kind of draft or to the eyes of other men.

And that’s not even considering the provocative nature of the clothing. She would never pick that for herself.

“I’m not sure about...”

“Oh, come on, Mari, stop being so prissy. You’re so prim and proper all the time; just let loose a little!”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” She asked, looking down at her sweater as if she might find a spot of dirt on it.

“Aside from having passed fashionable status in the 1800s?” Bella muttered, picking out another dress. This one was fuck-me red, with matching heels.

“Just try it on. You want to hang with us, don’t you?” Keira said, throwing the leather dress at her.

Did she just give her an ultimatum? Do as they say or be kicked out. Mari gave a nod, then rose and headed to the changing room.

She closed the brown curtain. She heard the girls snickering, and then Keira and Naleen’s voices grew louder. They were just on the other side of the curtain, waiting for her.

Mari felt her throat squeeze shut as she eyed the clothes. Her legs cramped up, and she sank down onto the navy stool, suddenly feeling dizzy.

“Hurry up in there, Moonface!” Keira called.

Mari shut her eyes, then stared at the clothes again. Just one night. She could make it through one night. And she wouldn’t have to go with them again.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, she thought, peeling off her sweater and her blouse at once.

Next to hit the floor were her jeans. She caught sight of her weakening body in the mirror. Her stomach was slightly concave, and her arms and legs were little more than skin and bones, which made her knees seem too big.

Even at eighteen, her chest seemed like that of a girl of twelve. And her skin was white as the moon, so Keira’s nickname was fitting.

As she dressed in the leather dress with its single-shouldered strap, she wondered why she agreed to this.

While she zipped up the thigh-high boots that might as well have slapped a professional stamp on her forehead, she considered whether she had some sort of internal craving to be humiliated and made fun of.

Why did she have this never-ending desire to please other people when the ones closest to her accepted all of who she was?

Mari took a deep breath that did nothing to ease the growing pressure in her chest. Then she went outside, and Keira and Naleen ogled her. Laughter broke out between them, and Mari’s cheeks went red.

“It’s not bad,” Keira said after regaining her composure. “But the hair has to go.”

Mari’s heart somersaulted. “My hair?”

“Too long, too blonde,” Naleen said. “I think black would suit your pale skin.”

“No,” Mari said shakily, shaking her head. “I’m not cutting or coloring my hair.” The last time her hair had been cut was after her mother died.

Keira’s face dropped, and she stuck a hand on her hip. “You wanna hang with us or not?”

“I’m not cutting my hair,” she said, stepping forward.

Keira glared at her.

“It’s fine! We’ll just do the makeup,” Bella called from behind one of the clothing racks.

Keira gave her a snide smirk, then turned and went to the underwear section.

Naleen pulled Mari along by the arm towards Bella. And suddenly it was as if her flesh was so sensitive that even the grip of Naleen’s fingers hurt. Mari bit her tongue.

“Sit down; I’ll do your makeup.” Bella gestured to the stool people normally use for trying on shoes.

Reluctantly, Mari complied. “Why are we doing all this?” she asked.

Bella smeared foundation over her face and the few freckles on her cheeks. “We’re going clubbing after this. You wanna look nice for dancing.”

Next, Mari’s eye was pulled open, and a pencil was stuck in it to apply eyeliner. She struggled to keep it open. “Hold still, will you?” Bella scolded, and Mari bunched bony fists.

As Bella continued to apply layers upon layers of paint, her eyes met Mari’s in an inquisitive way.

“What?” Mari asked, sounding more annoyed than she intended.

“Been thinking,” Bella started, dabbing a sponge in powder. “Maybe you’d like to help us out with the exams? You’re in with the brothers and Uriah, aren’t you? You could convince them to let us stay.”

Of course.

How could she have believed that Bella and the girls were truly interested in befriending her?

Uriah was right. They only wanted to use her. Her eyes drifted to the shop’s window, anywhere but Bella’s face, because she refused to let her see how much her words affected her.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a man staring at her from across the street. He wore a green-tipped mohawk of blonde hair and was clad in leather, like the warriors.

But she would’ve known if he was part of them. The way he stared at her made her skin crawl.

“Earth to Mari!”

“What?” Her eyes darted to Bella, then back to the street. But he was gone.

Bella heaved a sigh. “Come on, I think you’re ready.” She gathered her makeup case and gave a compact mirror to Mari.

Mari drew in breath when she saw herself. Her eyes seemed way too small, rimmed thickly with black.

The eyeshadow was dark brown and brought out her blue eyes, but it made her look like some sort of rebel.

Her lips were blood-red, which made her appear older than she was.

She wasn’t Mari anymore.

Before she could comment on anything, she was yanked along by her arm and shoved into a taxi on her way to some club somewhere.

She didn’t even have time to notice Keira stuffing her clothes, with her phone in her jeans’ pocket, into a trash bin or Naleen paying for the awkward leather dress.

When Mari got out in front of the Erotic Cherry Club, she wanted to crawl through a hole in the wall.

As soon as she stepped out of the taxi, men were wolf-whistling her, sending her flirtatious sneers; one guy even grabbed his crotch and rolled his hips at her, trying to get her attention.

Prostitutes in glitzy clothes stood in lines and flashed their goods to passersby. The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes and cheap perfume, as well as the sound of car horns and shouting.

Humiliated beyond repair, there was no way Mari was heading inside that club. It was a horrible mistake to go with them.

She should’ve listened to Uriah.

It would’ve been better had she gone with Katherine, Ophie, or Arlena. And Arlena worked for Nova, and Mari would’ve felt worlds safer under her gaze.

“Come on!” Bella called, while Mari was still frozen over with trepidation.

For once, she wanted to stand her ground. “I’m not going in there wearing this! Everyone will laugh at me.”

Laughing was the least of her problems, she thought, as another guy leaning against the corner of the building flashed his jewels at her. Mari’s eyes widened, and she snapped them in another direction.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby; here, try this.” Keira said, coming over with a small black sachet. She took out a pill with something white in it and held it out to Mari.

Mari stared at it, her heart thundering. “What is that?”

“Something to relax you.”

Mari took a step back. She had her arms folded around herself tightly. The breeze made her body ache, and she just wanted to be away from them.

“I’m going home.” She said, turning in the opposite direction to signal for another taxi.

“You’re such a killjoy, Mari. This is why you’re still a virgin! Uriah doesn’t really care about you; he’s just going to dump you when he finds someone better.” Keira called.

Mari set her jaw and waved at an oncoming taxi, but it passed her by. She never should have come along.

“Are you kidding me now? After all we’ve done tonight?” Bella yelled from where she stood beside the entrance to the club.

Mari saw another taxi approach, and thankfully it slowed.

Temper simmered and made her bold. “I’m not coming with you ever again, and I’m not doing your homework either!”

“What the fuck ever.” Naleen called as the three of them went into the club without her.

She climbed into the taxi and gave an address near the coven house to the driver, a very finely dressed man.

Thinking she’d call Edward to come and pick her up, she reached into her bag for her phone. She stopped breathing when she didn’t find it. And a bout of panic came over her when she remembered that she’d put it in her pants pocket.

She brought her cold hand to her forehead and noticed she felt slightly hot. Now that she was away from the bustle of the club, she realized she really wasn’t feeling well at all.

She’d have to call from a payphone, then.

“Excuse me, sir, do you know if there’s a payphone close to that address?” She asked the driver.

He didn’t answer her or turn to look at her. She frowned and leaned forward, thinking he didn’t hear her.

And then a smoky smell tickled her nose. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was, but before she could do anything, another man appeared in the seat next to her. It was the one she saw in the street with the mohawk.

“Hello, sweetcakes,” Rip sneered.

Before she could react, he had a black bag over her head, rendering her telekinesis useless if she couldn’t see the object she intended to move. The two of them struggled in the backseat, but her frail state and his superior strength made it difficult for her to overpower him.

His fist connected with her face brutally, sending a searing pain straight to her skull, and then everything went black.