To Rule and Guide (To Light and Guard Book 2)

By Piper Hannah

This is Book 2 in the "To Light and Guard" series.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

What would you do if the love of your life turned into a demon? Do you deny the love in your heart or do you willingly fall with him into darkness? My name is Emma Harper. I believe that true love only comes once in a lifetime, and when you find it, you should never let it go. So, I will choose darkness to be with my demon, and maybe someday, I will find my way back home.

EXCERPT:

I pulled Sam into the living room, and we started dancing in the makeshift dance floor. We were dancing a little bit too closely, but it didn't matter. It was packed. People kept bumping into us, pushing us together. It wasn't like Sam was doing it on purpose.
Sam grabbed my hips, pulling us closer. Okay. Now he was doing it on purpose, and I let him. What the heck? I happened to like Sam. I inched my body closer to him until we were pressed together, dancing to the beat of the music.
Sam ducked his head and whispered in my ear, “You look very pretty tonight, Emma.” He slurred a bit, which annoyed the heck out of me; that’s because Sober-Sam didn’t mention how pretty I was earlier.
“I know,” I replied. “I’m pretty every night and during the daytime, too.” Actually, I’m more than pretty. I’m beautiful, but whatever. Sam kissed my cheek, and I could feel his smile when he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Drunk-Sam was still very sweet.
"Hell, no.” I heard a male voice grumble from behind me. The voice was deep and scratchy. Grainy. Sexy. It was a voice that made a girl wonder who it belonged to. I turned around quickly, but there were only teenagers surrounding me. Everyone was dancing, lost in the music. I shrugged and turned towards Sam, facing him again. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and Sam placed his hands on my waist, pulling me closer.
“I said, HELL NO,” the voice said again, louder this time. I actually felt his breath on my ear. That was when I felt two hands clamp around my hips from behind. Then, the hands pulled me away from Sam, my arms yanked away from his neck. I bumped against several bodies as I was pulled away backwards. Then, I felt an arm wrap around my waist. I looked down, but I didn’t see an arm, which was weird because I totally felt it.
As I was pulled backwards, I bumped into more people. I clawed at the empty space in front of me. I would have dug my heels in the carpet, but my feet weren’t even touching the ground. I was floating, sort of, bent at the waist slightly, while an invisible arm dragged me away.
My heart was beating very fast. I touched my chest with one hand. I was having a panic attack, a heart attack, an asthma attack. All of the above. Oh, my God. I can’t breathe. I took several deep breaths. Breathe, Emma. You know how to breathe. I tried scratching the invisible arm that was wrapped around my waist. I felt it, but the arm wouldn’t budge.
I looked around, my eyes wide and desperate, and my eyes locked with Sam’s. I saw his stunned face as he watched me being dragged away from him... and floating. Let’s not forget that I was floating. That was the scariest part.
Sam looked down at my feet, at my shoes that were not touching the ground, and I saw the horror in his eyes. I could tell that Sam couldn’t keep it together much longer. He was about to lose it in approximately three seconds; some screaming may be involved.
“YOU’RE DRUNK,” I yelled. “This is not really happening!”
Sam looked into my eyes. I gave him two thumbs up. “I’m good. No worries, and you are so drunk right now,” I said very loudly so that he can hear me over the loud music.
I didn’t even know why I was covering for the arm that was pulling me away. I should be screaming my head off and asking for help. Should. Would. Could... but I didn’t. Something very weird was happening here, and I knew exactly who to call. My sister. She was the expert on everything weird.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Piper Hannah
• Release date: Apr 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310177057

Piper Hannah

Piper Hannah lives in Southern California with her husband and daughter. To learn more about her, please visit www.piperhannah.com or like her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/authorpiperhannah.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

PAIGE HARPER

Los Angeles,  California

It was finally time to tell my boyfriend the truth.  Don’t get me wrong.  I never lied to him.  I just withheld a few interesting details about our relationship because… well, I had my reasons.  If you knew me at all, you would understand.

Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Wyatt.  He was sitting next to me on the couch, and I felt nervous all of a sudden. I picked up the remote and turned the T.V. off.  Wyatt looked at me with a question in his gaze.  He seemed to know that I was going to say something very important.

I got up and sat on the coffee table, facing him.  Then, I took both of his hands in mine and exhaled very deeply. It's show time.

If I told you something crazy, would you believe me? I asked.

Of course, he said quickly and without a second thought.  I love you.  I would believe anything you say.

Anything?

Alrighty then.  Here we go…

Well, you're not really Wyatt Mason.  I mean, you are now, and that’s what people call you, but up until a few weeks ago, you were an angel.

I paused as I tried to gage his reaction. I watched as a frown formed on his handsome face.  I guess that would be expected.  If someone just told me that I used to be another entity, another being, I would be a bit skeptical, too.  Wyatt was still suffering from memory loss, but he truly believed that he was one hundred percent human.

"You were my guardian angel, I said, and you had all of these crazy powers.  You had the power to heal, and you could hear things from a mile away.  I bit my lower lip. And you had wings, and we flew everywhere.  You dropped me once when we were flying, and I almost hit the water, but there was this friend of yours.  His name is Joshua.  He’s a demon..."

I realized that I was rambling, giving him too much information too quickly.  I forced myself to slow down and not say too much.  I didn't want him to think that I was crazy.  Been there, done that, and I didn’t want to go back there ever again.  I only found out about Wyatt two and a half weeks ago when he first showed up at my house.  Maybe I should have waited a little bit longer before I reminded him about our past. I should have let him remember a few things on his own first.  Well, too late for that.  I already opened up Pandora’s box and the words ‘angel’ and ‘demon’ came flying out.

"You were an angel with large white wings.  Your name was Luke, and… well, you died."  I stared into his blue eyes while holding both of his hands in mine.  I had his full attention, but he was still frowning.

I was an angel, and I died? he asked.

I nodded slowly.  Right… but you're here now.  You, somehow, became human.  You look different, though, but you're the same inside.  Your soul is the same.  Do you know what I mean?

He tilted his head to one side, pondering my words as if his life depended on it.  He wanted to believe me, I could tell.

You believe me, right? I asked.

If I had the power to heal, how did I die?

I'm not sure, but the demons killed you in my backyard.  The last time I saw you as an angel, you had a gaping hole in your chest, and there was blood everywhere.  I think you died because you thought that I was dead.  I chose my next words carefully.  I'm your kryptonite.  Do you know what I mean?

Total and utter silence.  I think I might have heard a cricket chirp.

He blinked a few times as he stared at me.  Finally, he said, I think so... because if anything bad ever happened to you, I think it would destroy me.

So, you believe me? I asked.

He placed one of my hands on his chest where his heart would be.  Even through his shirt, I felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Of course.  I love you, Paige.  I would believe anything you say.

I love you, too, I said with a smile.  Wyatt made everything so easy, and what he just said made me very happy.  However, I didn't want to take all night explaining all of this to him.  I already lived through it once, and we were rarely alone.

I stood up and sat on his lap.  Wrapping my arms around his neck, I said,  Alrighty then, let's make out.

PART I

Starlight, starbright,

First angel I’ve seen… ever.

-Emma Harper

CHAPTER 1

EMMA HARPER

I got out of the car and slammed the door.  I hated getting lost.  This was the reason why I studied Google Maps when I was bored, so things like this didn’t happen.

We were in Santa Monica, and we finally made it to the party.  I was with Sam, and he had the worst sense of direction I had ever seen in a person.  It took us an extra half an hour just to find this house. Apparently, he punched in the wrong address in his navigation system.

Lame.  Just lame.  Seriously, who does that? Well, to answer my own question, Sam does.  He couldn't even find this place with a navigation system inside his car.  It's so sad.  If he had just listened to me the first time around, we definitely would have been here sooner.

Emma, don't be like that, Sam said as he got out of the car. I got us here, didn't I?  And it's not like the party's going away anytime soon.  You're fashionably late.  It's perfect timing.  He was lucky he was cute.  That’s all I’m saying.

And maybe he had a point.  These parties typically lasted until the wee hours in the morning; we had a few hours to kill over here.  Plus, my parents were going to be out late tonight because they attended a wedding.  Thus, realistically, I didn’t have a curfew.

I smiled at Sam.  He was a really good looking guy.  Tall, blond, and nice, too.  He was a senior in our high school, popular, and he had his own car. Best of all, he picked me up at the last minute when my sister told me that she would rather stay home with her boyfriend tonight.

It didn't matter that Paige never liked going to parties.  Up until her boyfriend happened, she had always been my side-kick and designated driver.  Tonight, however, she’d rather hang out with party-pooper Wyatt than her sister.  Not cool.

Okay, fine, I said, jerking my head towards the house, let's go.

The beat was strong, and it vibrated through the house, just how I liked it.  Sam held the door open as I walked in.

I passed a girl, who was holding a red cup and standing next to the door.  Hi, Emma, she said.

S'up, I said.  I didn't know her name. Didn’t care to.  Couldn't even say if I'd ever seen her before in my life.

As I walked towards the back of the house, I passed by a girl named Britney, and she was laughing with two other girls.  Hey, Emma.  Where’s your dorky sister?

I gritted my teeth as I turned and backtracked, making my way towards Britney.  I really shouldn’t blame her for saying that crap against my sister.  I knew that Paige said weird things sometimes, like telling people her second language was Klingon or flashing people with her Vulcan gang sign, but saying nasty things about her made me very angry.

I gave Britney a once-over; she was wearing a pretty red dress.  Too bad I didn’t have a drink in my hand that I could accidentally spill on her.  I got close to Britney’s face, widening my eyes on purpose to intimidate her.

This was high school.  If she sensed even an ounce of fear in me, then I might as well be a bloody seal swimming in shark-infested waters.

What did you just say about my sister? I snarled at Britney.  My upper lip curled up baring my teeth, which I also did on purpose to look scary.  I was sixteen years-old, and I was very petite.  Most of the teens in this party were eighteen. Britney was one of them, and she was several inches taller than me; plus, she was wearing sky-high heels.

So, yes, I wanted to look scary.  It was a part of the intimidation technique that I have honed over the years… to protect my older sister from mean girls like Britney.

She took a step back, and her two cronies who were standing beside her didn’t say a word.  Not a single word.  That was because I was the shark in this scenario, and she was the bloody seal.  Plus, I was at the top of the cheerleading pyramid; I totally out-ranked her.

"You ever say anything about my sister again, and I will flush your face down the toilet.  You get me?"  I said it in the softest voice possible, but she understood how serious I was about this.  Brittany nodded several times.

She knew that I could do it, too.  I have done worse things to those who tried to bully my sister; some I was pretty proud of and some had landed me in detention.  My school puts up with me because I was considered to be a genius.  You heard me.  Genius.  After all, at only sixteen,  I was graduating from high school with straight As.

I backed away from Britney, and I narrowed my eyes at her.  I almost stumbled into Sam who was standing right behind me.  He was trying to be my back-up, which was cute, but I didn’t need back-up.  I could have easily taken down Britney and her two friends on my own.

I plastered a fake smile on my face and looked at Britney one last time. We good? I asked.  Of course, I didn’t wait for her response.  And nice dress, by the way, I added.  I winked at her as I turned and walked away.

CHAPTER 2

An hour later, Sam was already a bit sluggish from all of the alcohol he had consumed.  He was so definitely not driving me home.  My friends who made it to this party were also in the same inebriated condition.  I love my friends, I really do, but I would never get in a car with them after a party.  Let's just say I had trust issues. Hence, Paige had always been my ride home; I trusted her completely.  Although, I had to admit that her choice in guys was slightly questionable.

I pulled Sam into the living room, and we started dancing in the makeshift dance floor.  We were dancing a little bit too closely, but it didn't matter. It was packed. People kept bumping into us, pushing us together. It wasn't like Sam was doing it on purpose.

Sam grabbed my hips, pulling us closer. Okay. Now he was doing it on purpose, and I let him. What the heck?  I happened to like Sam. I inched my body closer to him until we were pressed together, dancing to the beat of the music.

Sam ducked his head and whispered in my ear, You look very pretty tonight, Emma.  He slurred a bit, which annoyed the heck out of me; that’s because Sober-Sam didn’t mention how pretty I was earlier.

I know, I replied. I’m pretty every night and during the daytime, too. Actually, I’m more than pretty.  I’m beautiful, but whatever.  Sam kissed my cheek, and I could feel his smile when he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck.  Drunk-Sam was still very sweet.

Hell, no. I heard a male voice grumble from behind me. The voice was deep and scratchy. Grainy. Sexy. It was a voice that made a girl wonder who it belonged to. I turned around quickly, but there were only teenagers surrounding me.  Everyone was dancing, lost in the music. I shrugged and turned towards Sam, facing him again. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and Sam placed his hands on my waist, pulling me closer.

I said, HELL NO, the voice said again, louder this time. I actually felt his breath on my ear. That was when I felt two hands clamp around my hips from behind. Then, the hands pulled me away from Sam, my arms yanked away from his neck. I bumped against several bodies as I was pulled away backwards.  Then, I felt an arm wrap around my waist. I looked down, but I didn’t see an arm, which was weird because I totally felt it.

As I was pulled backwards, I bumped into more people. I clawed at the empty space in front of me.  I would have dug my heels in the carpet, but my feet weren’t even touching the ground.  I was floating, sort of, bent at the waist slightly, while an invisible arm dragged me away.

My heart was beating very fast.  I touched my chest with one hand.  I was having a panic attack, a heart attack, an asthma attack. All of the above.  Oh, my God.  I can’t breathe.  I took several deep breaths.

Breathe, Emma.  You know how to breathe.

I tried scratching the invisible arm that was wrapped around my waist.  I felt it, but the arm wouldn’t budge.

I looked around, my eyes wide and desperate, and my eyes locked with Sam’s. I saw his stunned face as he watched me being dragged away from him… and floating. Let’s not forget that I was floating. That was the scariest part.

Sam looked down at my feet, at my shoes that were not touching the ground, and I saw the horror in his eyes. I could tell that Sam couldn’t keep it together much longer. He was about to lose it in approximately three seconds; some screaming may be involved.

YOU’RE DRUNK, I yelled. This is not really happening!

Sam looked into my eyes. I gave him two thumbs up. I’m good. No worries, and you are so drunk right now, I said very loudly so that he could hear me over the loud music.

I didn’t even know why I was covering for the arm that was pulling me away. I should be screaming my head off and asking for help.  Should.  Would.  Could… but I didn’t.  Something very weird was happening here, and I knew exactly who to call.  My sister.  She was the expert on everything weird.  Somehow, I just knew that this was related to her, and she will get me out of it.  She better!

The crowd shifted, filling in the gap between me and Sam.  When I cleared the living room, my feet touched the floor gently, and the invisible arm let me go.  I ran outside of the house, pulled out my phone from my pocket, and I called my sister’s cell phone. No answer.  I dialed the house phone.  No answer.  I sent her a text message, and waited for two minutes.  No response.

Paige promised to pick me up from the party and promised to wait for my call.  Sadly, I never trusted Sam to drive me home. I texted her again.

Me:  Pick me up now!

Paige knew where I was.  I gave her the address before I left the house.  I waited.  Nothing.  I called her cell phone again.  Still no answer.  I left her a message as I sat on the porch steps, trying to get a grip on my panic attack. I placed two fingers on my neck and felt my pulse.  It was racing, and it wouldn’t slow down.

Aaargh!!!

This was an emergency!  I was hearing a voice with a non-existent body, and an invisible arm just grabbed me.  Where is my sister?  I knew that she was going to be with Wyatt tonight, just like every night since he landed on our doorstep, but she promised - PROMISED - to keep her phone on and wait for my call.  I bet this was all Wyatt’s fault.  That guy was bad news, and she better break up with him soon.

I sent Paige a few more text messages and hoped for the best.  Sure, my older sister is a bit immature, but she had never let me down before.  She is my rock.

Twenty minutes later, I was still sitting on the porch steps with my cell phone in my hand.  I give up.  My sister was M.I.A., and I was totally blaming Wyatt for this.  I was pretty sure that it was in his agenda to take my sister away from me.

I watched as a car pulled up on the driveway, and I walked towards it.  A couple of girls came out from the backseat.

Hi, Emma, one of the girls said.

S'up, I said.  No idea what her name is, but I'm sure that we went to the same high school.  I walked towards the driver as she got out of the car.  I'm sure that she also went to my high school; don't know her name, either.  They just got here, so the driver shouldn't be drunk, yet.

Can you give me a ride home? I don’t feel well.  I said.  I grimaced to give her the full effect.

But I just got here, driver-girl whined.

Please, I said, looking at her with big, puppy-dog eyes.  I’ll be your best friend.

Driver-girl thought about it for a second.  Have I told you that I was very popular?  People loved being my friend.  Heck. I’ll even let this girl buy me lunch on Monday.

Okay, she said, turning to her friends. I’ll catch you guys later.  I'm taking Emma home.  She got back in the car.

Thank you, I said as I got in the front passenger seat.  I buckled up as I went through my two-step plan.

Step one: I am going to make it home safely.

Step two: I am going to kill my sister...

And just so we’re clear, when I say 'kill,'  I don't really mean kill-kill.  What I mean is yell, scream, and make my sister feel as guilty as possible for stranding me here.  Wyatt, on the other hand, I can kill.

CHAPTER 3

Back home, I thanked driver-girl when I got out of her car.  I waved goodbye as I watched her convert a three-point turn into a seven-point turn right in front of my house.  I would have totally laughed, but she was nice enough to give me a ride home.  So, I stayed silent.  I also made a mental note not to make fun of her in school when I see her on Monday.

I looked up at the sky and located Polaris, the north star.  Since my dad showed me where it was years ago, I always managed to locate it.  Even without all of the stars being visible in the night sky, I also spotted