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  The Guardian

  The Soul Summoner Series Book 8

  Elicia Hyder

  Inkwell & Quill, LLC

  Copyright © 2019 by Elicia Hyder

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  * * *

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  Inkwell & Quill, LLC

  Print ISBN: 978-1-945775-30-7

  * * *

  Edited by Nicole Ayers

  Cover by Christian Bentulan

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  For More Information:

  www.eliciahyder.com

  Contents

  Free Download

  Audiobooks

  Character List

  The Soul Summoner Series Order

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  The Next Book

  Free Book Offer

  HYDERNATION

  Official Merchandise

  Also by Elicia Hyder

  GET A FREE BOOK

  Robbery · Arson · Murder

  And the one-night stand that just won't end.

  Audiobooks

  The Soul Summoner series is also available on Audible.

  Book 1 - The Soul Summoner

  Book 2 - The Siren

  Book 3 - The Angel of Death

  Book 4 - The Taken

  Book 5 - The Sacrifice

  Book 6 - The Regular Guy

  Book 7 - The Soul Destroyer

  Book 8 - The Guardian (Coming soon!)

  * * *

  The Detective: A Nathan McNamara Story

  The Mercenary: A Warren Parish Story

  Character List

  Warren Parish

  the Archangel of Death. Father of Iliana. Son of Azrael and Nadine.

  * * *

  Nathan McNamara

  Warren’s best friend. Married to Sloan Jordan. Commander of SF-12.

  * * *

  Sloan Jordan

  Mother of Iliana. Married to Nathan McNamara. Daughter of fallen Angel of Life Kasyade.

  * * *

  Azrael

  Former Archangel of Death. Father of Warren and father of Adrianne’s unborn child. Owner of Claymore Worldwide Security.

  * * *

  Reuel

  Angel of Protection. Now in charge of the Angels of Protection (aka Guardians).

  * * *

  Adrianne Marx

  Sloan’s best friend. Girlfriend of Azrael.

  * * *

  Fury (Allison)

  Member of SF - 12. Human daughter of Abaddon, the Destroyer. Twin sister of Anya. Former girlfriend of Warren.

  * * *

  Anya

  (presumed deceased)

  Seramorta Angel of Protection. Twin sister of Fury. Daughter of Abaddon, the Destroyer.

  * * *

  The Morning Star

  Fallen Angel of Life and Angel of Knowledge.

  * * *

  Johnny McNamara

  Uncle of Nathan McNamara. Father of Fury’s unborn child.

  * * *

  Abaddon “The Destroyer”

  (Deceased)

  Father of Fury and Anya. Former guardian of Nulterra, and former Archangel of Protection.

  * * *

  Phenex

  (Deceased)

  Mother of Alice. Fallen Angel of Life.

  * * *

  Alice

  (Deceased)

  Childhood best friend of Warren.

  * * *

  Ysha

  (Deceased)

  Father of Taiya. Fallen Angel of Life.

  * * *

  Taiya

  Seramorta Angel of Life. Daughter of Ysha and Melinda Harmon.

  * * *

  Shannon Green

  Nathan’s former girlfriend. Now possibly pregnant with an angel.

  * * *

  Kasyade

  (Deceased)

  Biological mother of Sloan. Fallen Angel of Life.

  * * *

  Nadine

  (Deceased)

  Mother of Warren.

  * * *

  Audrey Jordan

  (Deceased)

  Adoptive mother of Sloan.

  * * *

  Robert Jordan

  Adoptive father of Sloan.

  * * *

  Enzo

  Special Operations Director of SF-12

  * * *

  Samael

  Angel of Death who guards the spirit line.

  * * *

  Ionis

  Messenger Angel.

  * * *

  Sandalphon

  Angel of Prophecy and Knowledge (Born on Earth)

  * * *

  Metatron

  Angel of Life and Ministry (Born on Earth)

  * * *

  Theta

  The Archangel of Prophecy

  * * *

  Huffman

  Claymore operative. Works at the armory at Claymore Headquarters in New Hope, NC.

  * * *

  Chimera

  Hacker, security specialist. Newest member of SF-12

  * * *

  Members of Sf-12 (*denotes ability to see angels):

  1.Enzo*

  2.Kane*

  3.Cooper

  4.NAG* (Mandi) - pilot

  5.Lex

  6.Doc*

  7.Wings - pilot

  8.Cruz

  9.Pirez

  10.Justice

  11.Dalton

  12.Chimera

  Fury* (Retired)

  The Soul Summoner Series Order

  Book 1 - The Soul Summoner

  Book 2 - The Siren

  Book 3 - The Angel of Death

  Book 4 - The Taken

  Book 5 - The Sacrifice

  Book 6 - The Regular Guy

  Book 7 - The Soul Destroyer

  Book 8 - The Guardian

  * * *

  Soul Summoner Standalones:

  The Detective

  The Mercenary

  For Trysten, Adrianna, and Evan.

  DNA is nothing but molecules. I couldn’t love you any more even if ours matched.

  * * *

  I’m so thankful to be your “Guardian.”

  Love always, Mom.

  Chapter One

  It was weird seeing myself floating in the sky.

  Cassiel and I were suspended about ten stories above the salt mirror on la Isla del Fuego, the Island of Fire. The mirror, a “natural” phenomenon made of salt, was a perfect circle measuring over a hundred yards in diameter.

  We knew, however, there was nothing natural about it.

  I aimed my hands at the circle and used telekinesis to try to open
it. The circle’s perimeter glowed purple, and a diagonal line crossed its center.

  From our vantage point, it was a clear “No” sign.

  I took a deep breath, letting the sea and sweet jasmine fill my nose. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “It’s the gate to Hell, Warren. I’d worry if you didn’t.” Cassiel’s golden ponytail whipped on the island breeze.

  “It’s clearly telling us ‘Do Not Enter.’” I traced the circle in the air with my finger.

  “You know, the circle with a slash across it is also one of the alchemical signs for salt.”

  I smirked. “Of course I didn’t know that.”

  As an Angel of Knowledge, Cassiel was full of all sorts of information. She also thrived on sharing that information. A perfect example? She’s the only reason I knew it was jasmine I was smelling.

  Her never-ending thirst for learning had served me well. Without her, I wouldn’t have found what we were looking at, and more importantly—I wouldn’t have learned how to destroy it.

  And the Nulterra Gate needed to be destroyed.

  “What do you think it’s like down there?” I asked.

  “For you? I don’t think it will be too bad. I mean, the Morning Star created it to be his home. I doubt it will be miserable for other angels.”

  “And for humans?”

  “Well, we know little about Nulterra, except that its energy comes from the destruction of human souls. And souls must be made unstable before they can be broken. I doubt it will be a pleasant experience for Fury.”

  “What do you mean by broken?”

  “Do you know anything about nuclear energy?”

  I glared at her. “Are you making fun of me now?”

  She laughed. “No. It fascinated your father, so I thought you might have learned something from his blood stone.”

  “I haven’t worn his blood stone in a very long time. Refresh my memory.”

  “In nuclear power stations, or in atomic bombs, energy is released from uranium atoms by blowing them apart. However, uranium in its natural form is too stable to explode. It has to go through an enrichment process to increase the number of unstable uranium atoms that will make it explosive.

  “Nulterra is similar. To harness the power of the souls, they first have to destabilize them. Then they’re cast into the pit for destruction.”

  I thought of Fury. “Destabilized how?”

  “Torture.” She grimaced. “Which is why I think the deal between the angels and the Morning Star was such an attractive option for your father.”

  Azrael, the original Archangel of Death, had seen Nulterra as an opportunity. A place to send the ultra-wicked as punishment for their deeds on Earth.

  The deal worked well until three souls were sent back to Earth to unleash havoc on humanity once more. Cassiel and I were just coming off the heels of that shitshow. And the memory of it still turned my stomach sour.

  I looked over the island. “Why do they call it la Isla del Fuego? Isn’t that a Spanish name?”

  “In 1521, Magellan discovered and claimed these islands for the Spanish Empire. The first explorers said this island gave off a glow at night. They thought it was from swarms of fireflies in the molave trees.” She gestured toward the short, crooked, leafy trees that surrounded the circle.

  “It’s not fireflies though, is it?”

  She shook her head.

  “Do you really think it will work?” I asked.

  “Sealing the gate or getting out alive?”

  “Both.”

  She didn’t answer, which stirred all the dread that had been rising in my stomach for the last few weeks.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen.

  Nathan McNamara: You need to talk to your father. He’s doing it again.

  I smiled and shook my head.

  “What is it?” Cassiel asked.

  “Azrael keeps experimenting with Iliana. He’s trying to get her to give his powers back.”

  “What? How?”

  “He started small by dry stunning himself with Nathan’s Taser in front of her.”

  “He thought that would work?”

  “I guess he figured it was worth a shot. Iliana just cracked up. She thought it was hilarious.”

  Eight weeks before, Sloan McNamara and I had been struck by lightning in front of our daughter, Iliana. Even as an infant, she’d been able to use her power as the Vitamorte to protect us. Somehow, by doing so, she’d restored some of Sloan’s lost powers as an Angel of Life.

  My father was now trying to get his powers back as well.

  The phone buzzed again. “Listen to this,” I said to Cassiel as I read the new message. “Went to their house for dinner last night. Adrianne walked into their bathroom and found Az in all his clothes standing in a bathtub full of water. He was holding a hair dryer while Iliana watched from a towel on the floor.”

  Cassiel’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious? That’s from Nathan?”

  “Yeah.”

  Another message came through. I’m going to kill him if he doesn’t kill himself first.

  I tapped out a response. I’ll have a chat when I see him later today.

  “How does that work?” I asked Cassiel.

  “Iliana restoring Sloan’s power?”

  I nodded, stuffing the phone back into my pocket.

  “Everything with Iliana is new. We have no idea what to expect from her.”

  “What’s it like?”

  Her brow lifted. “What’s what like?”

  “You having no idea about something,” I said with a grin.

  She stuck her tongue out at me.

  My keen ears heard a rustle of leaves behind us. I turned in the air and glimpsed a young boy duck behind a bush. “We have company.” I slowly descended to the ground, landing in the center of the salt flat.

  Cassiel came to rest beside me. “Who?”

  “A local boy. Hello?” I called out.

  Two small black eyes peered out from between the giant leaves of a Kris plant, more commonly known as the elephant ear (thank you, Cassiel).

  I looked at Cassiel and pointed toward the boy.

  She eased forward, as she was the less intimidating of us two. “Hello?” she said, her voice gentle and melodic. “Maayong gabii.”

  The kid jumped up and ran away.

  She sighed and put her hands on her hips. “That went well.”

  “Have a way with kids, huh?” I walked over and stood beside her.

  “Shut up, Warren.”

  I smiled. “Guess we can’t expect much from a kid who’s just seen us floating in the sky.”

  “Wonder where his parents are.” She closed her eyes and turned her ear in the direction the boy had run.

  I looked at my feet and picked up my left boot. Water dripped off it. “It’s wet.”

  “This is the rainy season. The thin layer of water creates the mirror effect. When I was here before, the salt was powdery.”

  Crouching down, I touched the tip of my index finger to the glassy surface of the water. Then I touched it to my tongue. “Yep. Salt.”

  Cassiel’s face soured. “You licked the ground.”

  She had a thing about germs on Earth.

  “I licked my finger.” My head tilted, looking up at her. “You know you can’t get sick, right?”

  “That’s beside the point.”

  I shook my head and used my power on the gate again. This time, with my closer vantage point to the center line across the circle, I noticed the purple glow was more than an illusion. The sparkling color moved and twisted over the salt. I passed my hand through it and felt the familiar buzz of the supernatural.

  “I believe it’s powered by the Neverworld,” Cassiel said.

  I looked across the circle. “Powered by Nulterra.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I chuckled. “No.”

  “Why are you?”

  The
cartilage in my knees crackled as I stood. “Because it’s clearer than ever an innocent woman is trapped down there.”

  Cassiel lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you mean it’s clearer than ever that, even after all these years, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for Fury?”

  “I’m going to save her sister. That’s all.”