Guardian of the Sacred Fire Ch. 07-08

"I know, but it was the way he was looking at you."

"I don't know what to tell you Azrael." I said. "It's not like you and I are a couple or anything."

Days passed by and training continued. I trained with Oriel the golden one; he was a faerie after all. He made me sit and read old history books, but not human history. I don't remember how many times I was whacked on the head for falling asleep. He finally let me go to bed near midnight. I was told that I wouldn't be taught by Bernael the dark one until Midael's training was done. I have to be taught control before I learned to use it.

Adrian and I were sitting at the dining table. He was next to me with his hand on my knee as Midael was giving us a briefing. I wasn't paying attention to tell you the truth. His fingers were sliding up and down my thigh distracting me. He knew what he was doing and I think he enjoyed it. I looked around the table; no one else seemed to be paying attention either.

I had asked for Beast to come. I had found out his real name was Joseph or Joe as he went by for legal standards. Only his close friends had called him Beast. He sat there twiddling his thumbs. In the last couple of days I came to call him a true friend. I noticed though when I would sneak up on him his aura would change. When he didn't know I was around his aura would be a giant beast that had no defined shape to it. It towered over him like a bear but when I would try to distinguish the shape it would always change to something as large, but never the same. I guess that's why they called him Beast. When I was around though, it would change to something softer. The large beast would disappear and be replaced by red and blue flames surrounded by a white light. I had seen him angry at Azrael and it had hurt to look at him. His aura shined like a star. That day I had backed away slowly and didn't try to pounce on his back like I usually did.

While he didn't notice me looking at him his beast was there like a great protector. He was an Aura Blocker but his stood out more than all the others. I wondered what I looked like to someone else. I knew my aura was consumed in flames from being the Guardian of the Sacred Fire, but did my aura hold a certain shape? I would have to ask someone later.

I glanced over at Azrael and he was staring at me. His eyes held heat and anger. He didn't know that Adrian was my Sentinel yet and I really didn't know how to tell him. I thought back to my mundane life before I had come here. Waking up, going to work, going home. Seeing family here and there. I really didn't miss it, but under the circumstances I would loved to have gone back to it. I didn't want to save the world. I perked up when I heard Midael say something of interest.

"I have been contacted by numerous other Elders from around the world saying that they have the Guardian. I think that since Lucifel is trying to come himself that more than one Guardian has been born. I have been told that they are the other three elements. We have Vesta the Sacred Fire. There is also Asherah of the Water, Anemoi of the Wind, and Rhea of the Earth."

"What does that mean for us?" I asked.

"It means for you, our precious one, that you don't have to fight alone." Oriel said. His skinned glittered gold in the firelight.

"Well that's good." I said. I still knew that I would have to die. Now this meant the four of us would die. I felt sad about that. I wondered if they knew. Adrian squeezed my knee and brought my attention back to him.

My mind wandered again as the meeting continued on. A tropical storm raged outside and I listened to the rain and thunder that could be heard throughout the mansion. We were all locked inside until it passed. Midael said by its size it could be a couple of days.

"I think I've gotten all the attention I will get out of anyone tonight, you are free to go." Midael said and I saw his eyes go from person to person. Not even the other Elders seemed to be paying attention anymore.

Adrian grabbed my hand and he led me to his room. The last couple of nights I had been in there. His room was exactly like my room but decorated in green and silver. He kissed the scars on my neck and I giggled, I barely noticed them now. I stopped giggling as I saw Azrael standing at the bedroom door.

"What are you doing here?" Adrian asked.

"I have the right to be anywhere I choose." He answered. He kept watching me as Adrian moved me behind him. Azrael's aura frightened me. It was larger than normal, something seemed off.

"He's not himself." I muttered quietly.

"How could you do this to me Ariella?" he asked.

I looked into his eyes and noticed they weren't his blue but a dark shade of grey.

"He's been possessed." I said and completely hid myself now.

"It's all right love, I will protect you." Adrian said and took a fighting stance.

Azrael rushed him suddenly and he was on top of Adrian, whom had pushed me aside.

"Azrael stop this now!" I said and went to them. I put my hand on Azrael's back and I was suddenly thrown into a wall. It knocked the air out of me. I slid to the floor and watched as Adrian threw Azrael down the hall.

"Adrian don't hurt him! He's possessed!" I screamed after him and got to my feet.

"Ariella!" I heard Azrael yell out and he grabbed Adrian around the waist. They crashed through the window and I cried out in terror. The rain and wind wailed outside as I went to the shattered window. I could barely make out the fighting from the second story. I turned and ran as fast as I could down the stairs. I don't know when Beast started following me but he was out in the rain with me as well.

"Ariella help me." I whispered to my mind. I felt something stir in the back of my mind like I had the first time I came here.

"Let me have control." She whispered back.

"How?"

"Let go." She answered.

I closed my eyes and let it go blank as I felt her essence rush forward in a wave of heat. When I opened my eyes it was no longer just me, but we.

"Anna?" Beast asked behind us.

We didn't turn around but walked toward the fighting men. We noticed that they were both bloody.

"Azrael!" we called out.

Azrael stopped fighting and looked at us. Ariella's voice came out of our throat. Adrian lay motionless on the ground, blood pouring out of his neck.

"Beast, take Adrian to the mansion." I said.

"He will be fine Anna." Beast answered. He came and picked up the man.

We looked at Azrael lying in the mud mixed with blood. His face was bloody, his shirt torn open with gashes that looked like bear claws. Blood flowed freely from his wounds. We picked him up by the neck and threw him with strength I didn't know I had. He hit a tree and slumped to the ground.

"You murdered me Azrael." Ariella voice said as we walked over to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He said over and over as his own eyes stared up at us.

She grabbed a fistful of hair and brought his face closer to ours. The cerulean blue made our heart ache but was quickly filled with hatred. We bashed his head into the tree and he fell on his back to the mud.

"You have put Anastasia in danger for your own selfish needs. You try and kill her Sentinel. Your time is up Azrael." We went to our knees and put our hand on his chest. We could feel his heart beating wildly under the torn shirt and gashed. We stuck our fingers into the wound and he cried out in pain.

"You will suffer for what you did to me." Ariella said and our aura flared up like a bon fire. "Burn." Azrael started to shriek and I didn't understand why. We weren't hurting, it wasn't painful. Why was he screaming like that?

"What are you doing Ariella?" I whispered in my mind.

"What he is owed." She answered aloud.

Azrael was consumed in a blue fire. He shrieked like an animal, a sound no mere human could make.

"Stop!" I screamed at her and tried to take back our hand.

"I will have my vengeance! Do not stop me!" she lashed out and I quit fighting her. The shrieking stopped when the fire turned orange. His body was nothing but a burnt shell now, charred black with no recognizable features. We took our hand off of him and watched him burn to ash. The rain could not put this fire out. We watched as he soaked into the ground as mud now. Ash and mud. I felt sadness for the man I loved until she showed me images of him killing her. That sadness was washed away by hatred. For what I seen had been replace by me instead of Ariella. She did it on purpose so I would hate him. "For my vengeance and your heartache I will give you knowledge. I give you knowledge of how to control the sacred flames that you possess. Thank you Anna." She whispered to my mind.

"Damn you." Was all I said to her.

"That my dear happened long ago." She said and all of a sudden my mind was quiet and the flames died away.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at Beast. I felt sorry for him; we had just killed his brother and enjoyed it.

"I'm-." I started to say.

"Do not apologize; Ariella got her vengeance, now she can rest in peace. I will stand behind you with all that you do Anna. I may not be your Sentinel, but I will be your protector, I swear that to you." He said.

I nodded and felt weak. I went to get to my feet started to fall. Beast lifted me up and held me against him. I felt incredibly small in his arms. The man was 7 feet tall and weight almost 400 pounds of all muscle. I was safe in his arms and knew it. He carried me up to the mansion and on the steps the other four Elders were standing there.

"Take her to the parlor." Midael said quietly.

We were all dripping wet when Beast sat me down on a lounge chair. I felt so tired. I watched them file one by one into the room and sat up when Adrian came in. He was covered in mud and blood. From what I seen his neck was healed. He rushed to me and went to his knees and embraced me. The Elders let us have a minute before Midael spoke.

"Is Ariella gone?" he asked.

"I can't feel her anymore." I answered running my fingers through Adrian's hair.

"Then she is at peace." Oriel said.

"I believe so." I said and placed my cheek atop of Adrian's head.

"You have great power if Ariella was able to tap into it. From that display, you are more powerful than even she. She could not control the fire once started, it usually spread to other things. I was afraid this entire island was about to burn, but you stopped

it." Midael said.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone else." I said. I hoped my voice sounded as tired as I felt, I wanted to do nothing but sleep.

"Anna needs rest after that sir." Beast said.

"Yes, yes." Midael said and looked like he was deep in thought. "Take her to her room, Adrian please stay I need to talk to all of you." He said.

Adrian raised his head and gave me a small kiss. He stood up and helped me to my feet.

"Shouldn't I be helping you up? You just had your throat ripped out and healed within a matter of minutes."

"I've healed worse." He said quietly. "I will see you soon."

I let Beast lead me to my room. He never said a word to me. What was going through his mind? Usually when people see large muscled guys like Beast they automatically thought they weren't bright, but that wasn't him. Beast was one of the smartest people I knew. We could have decent conversations and I would never have to dumb down my words like I had to when I was home. I knew he was hurting; I had just killed his brother. So much for Thou Shall Not Kill.

"Anna?" Beast said.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Remind me not to piss you off." He said with a grin and opened my bedroom door.

"Hey Beast?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't piss me off." I smiled and went inside. He closed the door behind me. And I went over to my mirror. I felt like a different person for some reason, like I wasn't really me. Nothing looked different, still my auburn hair and blue hazel eyes. I was soaked and muddy but that was it. I went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I peeled the wet clothes off of me and got under the hot water. I started to think of Azrael. He didn't need to die like that. Ariella was one sadistic bitch, but she was at peace now. Almost a thousand years to wait to get revenge is a long time. Adrian joined me after a few minutes and we helped each other wash off the mud. He held me close when we were clean.

We were both pruned when we got out. He climbed into bed with me and just held me. There was nothing sexual behind it. He knew more than anyone I think, that sometimes you just need to be held. I finally fell asleep around midnight. I dreamed of blood, fire, and lots of mud.