Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

“ Z arla Quinn!” The Guardian Master’s voice echoes throughout the arena.

My focus snaps toward him as he gestures with a wave of his hand for me to step onto the fighting mat. I glance around the arena, the grandest part of the Guardian Angel Academy, with its impossibly high stone ceilings, covered in intricate details of angels in battle. My father taught me about this battle. It depicts the great angel war when the three Kingdoms were forged.

A cool sweat breaks out across my forehead, and I wipe it with the back of my hand. Other students are sparring on fighting mats around the arena, but there’s a group gathering around ours, eager to watch my fight. Everyone wants to see me prove myself, to show I am not just The King’s Daughter, but a guardian in my own right.

And to watch me fail. Again.

My friend Demetros gently squeezes my shoulder as I step through my peers onto the mat. Astelle, my sister, is waiting for me, her pale blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, ready to fight. The stench of sweat and earthy cedar hits my nose, and I inhale, preparing myself for what’s to come.

The rubber mat indents beneath my feet as I move across it, the surface worn in patches from countless previous fights. I imagine my mother training here, on this very mat. Maybe she’s watching over me now. At least, I hope she is. My arm bands slip, and I tug them back up as I meet Astelle’s pale-blue eyes.

Dread creeps into the pit of my stomach. It’s a familiar feeling I have carried with me since I first learned we would spar with other angels in preparation for becoming a guardian. And even more so with Astelle. She has always hated me, and I don’t trust her.

A smirk curls her lips as she takes up her fighter’s stance. I have to give it to her; she looks the part. Her deep-brown guardian leathers hug her curves, and she’s wearing knee-high boots, a leather corset, and leather wristbands, all in the same leather. My outfit matches hers, my dark-blonde wavy hair tied high in a ponytail.

We’re forbidden to use weapons or our powers for sparring. The latter isn’t an issue for me. I haven’t yet harnessed mine. Astelle was one of the first angels at the academy to harness hers, and she made sure everyone knew.

I catch a glimpse of Amaros in my periphery, my father’s first guard, as he steps into the arena, and his eyes find mine. He nods, silently telling me I can do this.

“Fight!” the Master calls.

Astelle charges, catching me off guard, and lands a kick to my thigh before back flipping. I fall onto my ass, and quickly right myself. Her lips twitch, pleased at getting the first hit in. I take a deep breath and regain my composure.

Breathe, Zarla. Just breathe .

I anticipate her next move as she charges once more. This time I dodge to the side, crouching low as I kick my left leg out and spin around on my right foot, taking her down. She rolls across the mat and flips back onto her feet. Hatred blazes in her eyes as her fist connects with my lip.

Losing my balance, I stumble back, and a familiar metallic taste forms in my mouth. I wipe my lip on the back of my hand, seeing red. The Master watches me intently, assessing me. This is my fourth sparring fight. I lost the last three. I can’t lose another.

Astelle takes her time, stalking toward me as a Zelon does its prey. We circle the perimeter of the mat, assessing one another, searching for an in. She’s limping slightly on her right leg. Maybe my kick did some damage. I take the opportunity and run at her, knowing she won’t expect what I have planned.

She dodges to the left, which I anticipate. I spin around, slamming my fist into her jaw, and land a kick to her right calf. She lets out a muffled groan and stumbles back, licking the blood from her bottom lip. She charges at me, her hands outstretched as her powers surge out in red waves, shooting me across the mat and outside the boundary line.

I land hard on my back, and my chest burns as I desperately try to suck in a breath of air. My brain rattles from a ringing in my ear, and I shake my head, trying to clear it.

I roll onto all fours, coughing, and stare in disbelief as the Master takes Astelle’s wrist and holds it up in the air, declaring her the winner.

You’ve got to be kidding.

She shoots me a tight-lipped smile before the other soon-to-be guardians flock around to praise her as she leaves the mat. How in the heck did she win? Surely the Master saw her cheat. Hell, you’d have to be blind to miss it. I stand on unsteady feet as the Master approaches me.

“That wasn’t fair. She cheated,” I say through strained breaths.

He raises his brows and clasps his hands behind his back. “That she did, but she still won. These sparring matches are designed to prepare you for your time on Earth as a guardian angel. Anything can happen down there. And although I do not condone cheating, it was a lesson that must be learnt. One must be prepared for anything, even a dirty fight.” He takes a few steps away, then turns back. “I look forward to seeing your next sparring match.”

Before I can respond, he walks away, and Demetros and Lacinda rush over to me.

“You had that fight in the bag,” he states, patting me on the back.

“Totally. She’s a cheating bitch,” Lacinda adds. “We all saw it.”

I snatch up my bag from the edge of the mat. “Apparently I need to be prepared for dirty fights.”

“That’s bullshit,” Demetros says from close behind me. “The rules are clear. We can’t use our powers—” Demetros grits his teeth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to?—”

“It’s okay.” I hold my hand up.

Whether or not it was against the rules, I wouldn’t have been able to use my powers anyway. I tug my arm bands off and shove them into my bag. “It sucks. Why can’t I harness my powers?”

They both glance at one another before Lacinda pulls me into her side, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“Hey, they’ll come. Don’t overthink it. Everything happens for a reason. Now come on.” Lacinda steps back and ties her thick, fiery-red curls up into a ponytail. “Why don’t we head out to the forest and practice?”

“Sure,” I say, and we make our way toward the exit.

I’m lucky to have these two. They always know what to do to cheer me up. Like the time I spilt my hot tea all over myself in front of everyone and was the laughing stock of the academy for the day. So they both spilt their drinks on themselves to take the heat off of me.

Or when I fell down the steps into the corridor and twisted my ankle, they snuck into my quarters that night and we flew up to the roof to hang out and binge on treats. Yeah, they’re pretty amazing friends.

Astelle hovers near the door, surrounded by girls as she twirls her blonde hair around her fingers, eating up all the attention. She can never get enough of it. Her eyes catch mine, and her smile vanishes, replaced by the icy glare I’m used to.

Astelle has always hated me. Our father, Harlum, loved my mother more than anything. From what I understand, more than her mother, Hethenos, his second wife. Having multiple wives is common for the King.

Once I was born, I was the apple of his eye. He even allowed me to take his last name, Quinn. Astelle didn’t get the same courtesy, though, and her mother, Hethenos, had been furious. Hethenos despised my mother, so I’ve been told. After my mother was murdered, her jealousy and anger transferred on to me. Seems it’s a hereditary trait.

“Zarla, it’s a pity your mother’s not around anymore. I’m sure she would have enjoyed watching you fight.”

There’s a hint of amusement in her words, and I halt in my tracks. Really? Classic Astelle showing her true colours. It wouldn’t dispel her fanbase though. No matter what she did, they stuck to her like a bad smell.

“That’s low, Astelle, even for you,” Lacinda says.

I hurry out of the arena as tears sting my eyes. She is the last person I want to see me cry.

Someone grabs my arm, and I spin around to face my father’s first guard, Amaros.

He lets go as I wipe my eyes. Damn tears.

“I’ll catch up with you guys soon,” I tell Lacinda and Demetros.

“You sure?” Lacinda hesitates. “We can wait.”

I adjust my bag on my shoulder. “No, you guys go. I’ll be out soon.”

They give me a nod and disappear outside.

Amaros studies my face. “You’re hurt.”

I touch my lip, tracing the cut. “It’s nothing.”

His focus shifts to something behind me, and anger flashes in his features for a moment, but it’s gone before I can be sure.

Giggling steals my attention as Astelle and her posse walk out of the Arena.

“Amaros,” she says with an annoying high-pitched voice.

“Astelle,” he replies, before returning his attention to me.

I roll my eyes as they giggle and round the corner.

“You should get that cut addressed with the healers.” He steps forward, cupping my cheek while gently brushing his thumb over my lip.

I wince, taking a step back as his hand falls from my face. “I’m fine,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

The last thing I want to do is confide in my father’s overpowering guard. I have had to deal with my father’s guards my entire life. Although I don’t have my own guards, they’ve always been there, overstepping, making me feel like a caged animal.

“I can have a word with the Master if you wish. He shouldn’t allow that sort of behaviour. You could have easily won that fight, had it been fair.”

I tug my hair loose and slip the blue hair tie over my wrist, allowing my blonde waves to fall to my lower back, and his gaze follows my movements.

“I appreciate your concern, but he had a point. When I’m a guardian, anything can happen. I need to be prepared.”

Taking a step closer, he opens his mouth to say something, but changes his mind. He runs a hand through his thick black hair and steps back, letting out a long breath.

Suspicion creeps into my mind. “Did my father send you?”

He drops his hand, and his brows knit together. “No, of course not. I wanted to see if your fighting had improved. This time next week, you’ll be a guardian bonded to a human on Earth. I wanted to make sure you’re ready for that.”

I press my lips together and comb my fingers through my hair. “And?”

His icy grey eyes grow dark. “You’re not.” And with that, he storms away.

I grit my teeth and find my way outside. What was his problem? I could have won that fight if she hadn’t used her powers. He said as much himself. Of course I’m ready, aren’t I?

The sun hits my skin, and I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation. Wind whips my hair around my face, and I breathe in the fresh scent of autumn leaves, calming my nerves.

“Zarla!”

I spot Demetros and Lacinda waiting for me at the tree line. I jog toward them, but stop as Finlay and his two asshole mates head my way. He sure rides his high horse, despite only being a second. A step down from a guardian, or a guardian’s backup, if you will. Arrogance will do that. He always acts as if he’s superior to everyone else. It’s his father’s position on The Throne that does that. His eyes settle on me, and he licks his bottom lip.

Although he’s good-looking, being an asshole kind of cancels that out. He stares at me through deep amethyst eyes, his blond hair styled well as usual.

“Not in the mood, Finlay,” I warn as I step to the side to avoid him.

He chuckles, enjoying the torment. “Now, now. Let’s play nice, shall we?”

Ugh. He has the most annoying way of getting under my skin. Ignoring him, I keep walking and finally reach Demetros and Lacinda.

“Do you always hang out with girls? Haven’t you got any male friends?” Finlay teases Demetros.

Demetros narrows his eyes and his body tenses.

His gaze flicks toward Finlay’s friends and then back to Finlay. “Do you always hang out with girls?”

Finlay isn’t offended, but his two sidekicks are. They ball their fists, their powers surging, ready to unleash. Demetros laughs, knowing they won’t do shit. The academy doesn’t take kindly to attacks outside of the arena.

“Go on, then. Do it.”

Finlay’s sidekicks—Gabe and Larson, I think their names are—yield their powers.

Finlay steps right up to Demetros, their chests inches apart. “Watch your back, guardian.” He then levels his gaze at me. “See you around soon, Zarla.” He winks before his silver wings spring free, and he takes off into the air, Gabe and Larson following close behind.

I let out a long breath. “Gods, I hate them.”

“You have to want it, Zarla. Like really want it,” Demetros instructs, perched from a large fallen tree on the side of the clearing in the forest.

The forest is dense, except for this one clearing we found a few years ago. This is our spot. We always come here to hang out. Fallen leaves blanket the forest floor in various shades of red and orange, and I watch as they dance around in the breeze. The scent of damp moss and autumn leaves fills the air, and I close my eyes, taking in a few deep breaths.

Our Kingdom has the same seasons as Earth. We were told the gods created our Kingdom that way. We know little about the other Kingdoms, especially our enemy Kingdom Zarquon, but it’s believed to be a much warmer climate year-round. I don’t know a single angel who has ever been there. We were only taught stories about the archangels growing up, how evil they are.

Demetros and Lacinda are watching me attempt to call forth my powers, but something tells me this won’t work. It can’t be this simple. There’s got to be a reason I haven’t been able to harness mine yet.

“I think we need some danger,” Lacinda says, strumming her fingers together.

Demetros arches a brow at her.

“What?” she asks innocently. “That’s how I got mine, remember?”

I don’t think I will ever forget that day. It’s etched into my memory for life. I saw Lacinda cornered by the Zelon, its sharp teeth snapping at her neck. She’s lucky to have survived. If her powers hadn’t surged at that moment and blasted the Zelon into a thousand pieces, she would’ve been eaten.

I grab my bottle from my bag and take a sip of water. “To this day, I still can’t believe you went into the Dark Forest.”

She gulps, the memory clearly playing through her mind as it had mine. A group of male seconds who pretended to be her friends tricked her. They led her into the Dark Forest after drinking at a party. They dared her to go to the area that the Zelon had been last seen, and she did. She’s brave like that, always has been.

Zelons are protectors of our Kingdom, but extremely territorial and will kill anyone and anything that steps into their territory in the Dark Forest. They are long, muscular creatures, similar to a lion on Earth, but with wings, and much larger and sharper teeth. They don’t have fur, but dark-purple, almost black skin with a feathery tail that can shoot poisonous spikes.

I noticed Lacinda was missing, so Demetros and I followed the screams. We ran into the assholes fleeing rather than bothering to help her. Demetros didn’t have his powers yet either, so she was damn lucky hers had surged at that moment and saved her life. Killing a Zelon is punishable by death, as they are an extremely rare species in our Kingdom, but luckily for her, a life-and-death situation cleared her for it.

“Yes, well, some people can be very convincing.” She looks away as she subtly wipes the tears from her eyes.

Demetros and I stare at one another as I silently mouth the words, “Comfort her.” He rolls his eyes, scoots a little closer, and rubs her back.

“The main thing is you didn’t die, right?” he says, trying to lighten the mood.

She laughs. “Yeah, I guess.”

I smile as I close my eyes and stretch my arms out wide at my sides. A gentle breeze floats past me as the scent of fresh pine needles fills my nose. I attempt to call forth my powers, visualising myself with them. Taking deep breaths, I channel everything I have. I speak to the gods, unsure if they can hear me or not, but I’ll try anything at this point.

Please, gods above, if you can hear me, bless me with my powers so I can be the angel I was born to be. Give me the strength I need. I will be a worthy guardian…

A cool sensation surges from deep inside my chest, and I blink my eyes open as a bright light surrounds me. I can no longer see Demetros or Lacinda. What is that? I shield my eyes as a figure steps into view. It’s a female, that much I can tell, but I can’t make out her features, just her silhouette.

“Zarla Quinn.” The female’s voice is like music to my ears as she floats just above the ground.

“Who are you?” I whisper.

“There are some things that must remain unspoken.”

My brow creases in confusion, but I am unafraid, somehow knowing she won’t harm me.

“What you seek, I cannot give you. You must prove yourself worthy of such powers. Your powers will be strong. You must be ready for them, and you are not yet ready. Be patient, be brave, and they will come.”

And as if someone has flicked a switch, the light disappears, and I blink to find Demetros and Lacinda staring at me.

“Zarla? Did you hear me?” she asks.

I rub my forehead. “Did you guys see that?”

Lacinda jumps down from the log she’s perched on. “See what?”

I rub my eyes as I internally try to make sense of it all. Demetros is staring at me, waiting for an explanation.

“What happened?” he asks as he too jumps down from the log to join us in the clearing.

I press my fingers into my temples as I move around the clearing. How can I explain this without sounding insane? I stop and face them both.

“I think I just spoke with a goddess.”