Read Perilous Light for Free Online Page B

Crackling branches made me jump. We were being followed.
    “ Nice of you to stop by, brother,” said an unfamiliar voice.
    Henry spun around searching for the source of the words. “Lawson?”
    The guys took out their weapons and surrounded me. The trees were so dense that I couldn’t see a thing. Quickly, I closed my eyes and pictured the trees cleared, allowing me to see. A mild heat flowed through me as the image grew stronger.
    “ I take it you are the new Essence?”
    Opening my eyes, I watched a figure approach the circle surrounding me. The guys looked around in surprise. It took me a minute to realize that the trees had bent and moved out of the way, forming a circle of clearing. Relief flooded through me; I could still use my abilities.
    “ Any particular reason you decided to scare us?” Henry asked, walking toward the speaker.
    “ None really. But I was on watch and thought I would scare you a little, seeing as you took off without even telling the family.”
    “ I was doing my job.” Henry took a step back and put his arm around my shoulders. “You know, as a Guardian, my job is to protect the Essence.”
    “ Speaking of the Essence…” The man held out his hand to me. “I am Lawson Ashwell.”
    I accepted his firm handshake. “Henry talks about his brothers a lot; it’s nice to meet one! I’m Charlotte.”
    Kevin, Monty, and Liam stepped up and introduced themselves.
    “ Nice to meet you all.” Lawson smiled, then turned his attention to James. “So I hear you turned your back on your father.”
    “ I was not interested in watching him hurt the Essence.” James glowered at Lawson. It was rare to see James so serious.
    Lawson frowned momentarily before turning his attention back to me. “Charlotte, tell me, has my brother done a good job on your Guard?”
    “ Of course. Henry’s great!” I appreciated Lawson’s use of my name, and I warmed to him immediately.
    “ Yeah, he does a great job when he is not hanging all over his girl.” James laughed.
    “ You have a girl, Henry? You are pretty young to be uniting, but Mother will be thrilled.”
    Henry turned bright red.
    James smirked. “I never said he united; I said he had a girl.”
    “ What?” Lawson frowned. “Please tell me you have not harmed a girl’s virtue!”
    “ I wouldn’t worry too much about Rachel,” James jibed.
    “ Shut up, James.” I wasn’t going to sit there and let James imply that there was anything wrong with Rachel. So she liked to make out with her boyfriend, that wasn’t a crime.
    “ Besides, James, who are you to talk? You think everyone is going to be happy that you kissed the Essence?” Henry asked, dropping his arm from my shoulders.
    “ What the hell is he talking about?” Kevin asked. Liam and Monty each grabbed one of Kevin’s arms, holding him back from attacking James.
    “ I protected her from unwanted attention.” James winked at me. My stomach churned. I should have taken care of that guy myself, but what good was being constantly followed around by Guardians if they couldn’t take care of things like that?
    “ Lawson, I am sure you have plenty of questions for Henry, but do you think we could continue to the cave? I need to speak with my brother.” Still holding Kevin’s arm, Monty cut off the conversation. Even having met Theodore, I thought it sounded strange to hear Monty refer to his brother. I understood that Monty had withheld the truth about my family in order to protect me, but it definitely strained our relationship a little. I couldn’t help but wonder what else he was keeping from me, but at the moment, I was grateful for the new subject of conversation.
    “ Sure, follow me.” Lawson started off at a brisk pace.
    Walking sandwiched between Liam and Kevin, I continued through the fern grotto. After hearing about James, Kevin wasn’t about to let me out of his sight. The only other time I had been to the Cason caves was after leaving Bellgard, and I had barely