Page 19 of Awakening Storm

“Yes, it is.” He leaned an elbow against the bar. “Except age is irrelevant to me. I’m essentially the same as I was when I was charged with the duty of Guardian.”

Everything about this situation was hard to believe. From being on the island to listening to his rich voice with a hint of a Scottish accent—she needed to learn more about that—to these incredible tales he was spinning. It couldn’t actually be true.

Could it?

But with what she’d witnessed with her own eyes, something inside her knew what he said was somehow possible. Even though she couldn’t comprehend how it could be, and as much as she wanted to deny it, shewasin the presence of an immortal shape-shifter.

Unable to sit any longer, she rose and moved randomly about. On the wall above the bar hung a clock comprised of large metal gears. It looked custom designed with its intricate overlaid metal pieces, and she wondered if he had made it. She admired the work and glanced around, wondering how he had gotten all these magnificent decorations to this remote island.

Then she shook herself as the magnitude of everything she didn’t know slammed into her. She moved back to the chair, ready to hear all the wretched details. “All right, give it to me. Tell me the whole story.”

He stared at her, his jaw set firm, his tone dry. “I was sent here as a Guardian of the Divine Tree. There are many beings out there that will do anything to get their hands on the secrets of the universe, which the tree holds, and it’s my job to see that doesn’t happen.”

“Wow. That’s a weighty responsibility.” She smiled, but then it abruptly faded.

He nodded once. “Very.”

“And the . . . the woman chasing us?”

“Theodora. She rules over Riam, an alternate universe to ours. She won’t just let you go.”

Rhia furrowed her brow. “But why would she even want me?”

“Think of her as a ruler in the Ancient Roman Empire. She kidnaps people to be her subjects, her gladiators of sorts. And the more people she rules, the more entertainment she gets. Plus somehow her power grows.” He held Rhianna’s gaze, his voice warming. “And you’re clearly a fighter. She will most definitely be interested in you.”