Read Guardian for Free Online

pleasure. For the first time since she’d arrived, the idea of enjoying this journey seemed possible.
    Someone was talking; an intrusive voice laced with anger and a complete disruption to the moment. Nikki opened her eyes to find Mace stomping toward them. Vine and Zero were on his heels, and Raven brought up the rear, moving with none of the others’ intensity.
    Mace stopped dead at her feet. “What were you doing?”
    Vegan’s hand fell on Nikki’s arm as if to pull her from the trajectory of Mace's words. As she did, Winter stepped between Nikki and Mace, almost protectively. “She was with us.”
    The challenge was evident, and Nikki saw the slow burn in Mace’s eyes as they narrowed. His hands were fisted, his lips a tight line, and he looked about ready to explode. “Nikki is our charge.” He took a step closer and started to reach, but Vegan closed the space between them, stepping in front of Nikki before saying, “And she is just as safe with us as she is with you.”
    “No, she’s not.” The words were a growl from deep in Mace’s throat.
    Glimmer stepped between them as well, creating a wall to keep Mace at bay. “Why not? Because we’re girls?”
    Mace turned his attention to her. “It has nothing to do with that. She’s safest with us because she’s our responsibility.”
    “Then where were you when we decided to leave?” Glimmer cocked her hip and her head. “I didn’t see you rushing to offer to take Nikki shopping. In fact, you haven’t even said a word to her since you got on the boat.”

    Glimmer was right. He hadn’t talked to Nikki. He also knew he couldn’t continue avoiding her. And that recognition must have shown on his face, because Glimmer continued her irritating rant. “Some protector you are. Nikki didn’t even have enough clothing to be on a boat for a few days, and what do you do? Oh, that’s right—nothing. You’re too busy with the guys to even notice what she needs. Don’t get mad at us for doing your job when you dropped the ball.” She shoved an index finger into his chest hard enough that he was forced back a step.
    His eyes left Glimmer and found Nikki tucked behind the wall of females, staring at the ground. Mace’s throat began to ache. He should apologize, say he’s sorry to all of them, especially Nikki. He’d done nothing for her since he’d arrived— except make her feel like more of an outcast than she probably already did.
    He started to open his mouth, but the quick jolt of Nikki’s head stopped him.
    She swallowed and met him eye to eye as one arm rested on Glimmer’s shoulder and the other on Winter’s. “It’s okay.” But it wasn’t. She was fighting every instinct within her in order not to yell at him. The evidence skated across her features and was replaced by a determination he could only admire. “We shouldn’t fight. We have to work together.”
    The admission knocked a bit of the fight out of all of them.
    Nikki chewed on her bottom lip and looked away. Oh, dear Lord, she was trying not to cry. Mace felt like scum.
    She forced a small smile. “I should have given the boys a chance to go with us. I’m sorry, Mace.” She swallowed what must be gall in her throat. Her voice cracked on the last word, destroying him, but she soldiered on. “Vine, Raven, I should have told you. Forgive me?”
    Mace wanted to sink into the sand and shells of the parking lot and disappear. Little pains shot through his chest. She was taking the hit herself to keep peace among the Halflings. And it worked. The evidence of shame was glaring. Uncomfortable glances, dropped heads, tinges of red across cheeks. None more so than him. He’d just been so angry when Will told him they’d gone.
    But had he given her any choice, really? Who wants to wake a sleeping bear?
    When he realized she was walking away, he called, “Nikki.”
    But she held a hand in the air to silence him. “Don’t.” Bitterness coated the word. Head high, her feet carried