Sun Kissed Part 3

The dorm was quiet, which I expected. Mila was pretty upset by what I said to her. I didn't want to hurt her. I didn't want her to think her obvious infatuation with Gabriel was wrong, because it wasn't.

"Mila?" I called, closing the door behind me.

The bathroom door opened slowly and a red-eyed Mila stepped out. "You're right."

I covered the distance between us and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry ..."

She pulled away from the hug and crossed over to her bed. "I should stop spending time with him."

"Mila, I haven't been totally honest with you. I keep giving you these speeches about how wrong it is to like someone who isn't like us, but it isn't wrong."

"It's more complicated than that. I love him, Ruby." She sniffled.

"Oh."

It was all I could manage to squeeze up my throat. I knew Mila was into Gabriel but I didn't know the full extent of it.

"... and he loves me, too."

I threw myself down on the bed.

"s.h.i.+t ... Mila."

Her saddened puppy eyes glanced at me before hiding behind a piece of tissue again.

"Okay ... you two need to keep things on the low until I can figure something out."

"Ha! Please, we're doomed to marry someone we don't want to, a G.o.d. Don't waste your time trying to fight the system. Many have tried and failed. At least you have Hunter, your problems are solved." She sobbed, sitting next to me.

I scrunched my face at the sting of her words. My problems weren't solved. They were magnified by tenfold.

"Eli." Immediately I regretted the word the second it fell from my lips.

"Eli what?"

"I, he, we -"

"Oh my G.o.d." She gasped. "You have feelings for Eli De Luca?"

"Stop." I spoke in a hushed tone as I pushed the palm of my hand against her mouth.

"Does he know?" She giggled, slipping out from underneath my hand.

Should I tell her more? What if it gets out? I can't be the reason he's sent back to wherever they took him last time. Telling Mila everything was a risk my heart couldn't bear to take.

"No. He has no idea."

Mila's expression filled with disappointment. I rose from her bed and moved to mine.

"I'm going to nap, but when I wake up, we should really discuss things about you and Gabriel."

Mila nodded before getting comfortable on her own bed, I guess she wanted a nap as well.

I forgot all about this morning's drama and sleep overtook me rapidly; my brain was entering repair mode, along with my liver and kidneys. When I woke up, I needed to speak to the one man I trust, one who can give me advice on how to help Mila, and maybe it could end up helping us both.

Secrets.

"Ruby wake up. We're late for lunch."

"Hmm?"

"We overslept. C'mon, before Uncle sends half the school's guardians down here to get me. You know he's looking for excuses to get me back in the house."

I climbed out of bed and headed for the door. I didn't want to go back to being alone in a room. Since I've been sharing a room with Mila, I haven't had a single panic attack and my depression has yet to make a return.

"You aren't going to fix your hair?"

I didn't need to look in a mirror, I could tell by her face that it must have looked wild. I pulled the black band that was holding my long hair up and unleashed the beast. My hair was glossy and long, like the hair you see on those shampoo ads. Lucky me! I was hoping that I looked like I was trying to 'style messy.'

"Not bad." Mila chuckled. "If I have my hair tied up and I pull it out I have to re-brush it. My hair is so thin it tangles easily."

It was hard for me to picture Mila with tangled hair, it always seemed so perfect, even more perfect than my 'shampoo ad' hair.

Just as we reached the steps of the dining hall, we were stopped by a group of guardian angels. Mila shot me a 'told you so' look.

"Miss Aleksandrov. Your uncle wants to speak with you, immediately."

I couldn't help but admire the way guardian angels work, they were so quick and professional. Guardians on duty wore an all-black army looking get up, whilst off-duty guardians wore anything they wanted. Guardians were always so stern and serious; it was unusual to see them laid-back.

"Miss Moore. We suggest you go and be seen before anyone suspects you are up to something again." The man's deep voice was intimidating and the tone he used annoyed me slightly.

Most guardians still resented me, I don't know how much longer it will last, but for now, what I did was still fresh in their minds. I nodded and entered the hall. The usual lively chatter circled the room and I spotted Eli almost immediately, and saw him exhale in relief as I entered. I suppose everyone would be relieved I'm still drifting around Sage Sanctum. After all, it did mean I'm not out being killed or causing people to be killed.

I sat down with a garden salad at the end of a table. It was nice to eat alone for a change, and since my headache no longer dominated my brain, I was able to think properly.

"Can I sit down?" Rylan asked.

There went my quiet meal and thinking time.

"Fine," I said, putting a juicy cherry tomato into my mouth.

"So Raina -"

"Rylan, please tell me you didn't come here to chat about Raina. I neither care for her, or your love life."

"No, it involves Eli -"

"Everything does, apparently."

"... and Hunter."

Immediately my mind snapped to attention. I fought hard to come across as indifferent. If this was what Eli was talking about earlier, when he said I shouldn't trust Hunter, then I needed to soak up every word.

"Well done. Now I'm curious." I sighed.

A bitter expression crossed Rylan's face. He didn't like that Hunter's name made me want to listen.

"I overheard Raina telling her group of airheaded followers that she talked Hunter into filing a statement against Eli to the higher power."

"Wait. What?"

"She said that Hunter was worried there was something going on between you and Mr De Luca, and she convinced him to get Eli out of the picture. Hunter then filed an inappropriate relations statement. That's not all. Mr Aleksandrov had taken the fall for Tay's death, but Hunter thought he'd do double the damage by reporting foul play between the two guardians."

"Wh- why are you telling me this?"

"Because De Luca is - was your guardian ... regardless of the short period of time he served you, there would still be some kind of bond between you and he saved your life, many times. As for Hunter, I just don't like him."

"How do I know Raina didn't put you up to this? Or maybe you're just trying to get me to back out of going to dinner with Hunter tonight."

"I - You're going to dinner with him? Ruby, this guy is not to be trusted; he's sabotaging people you care about. He's ruining their lives because if they're around, it means he can't have you. You're falling right where he wants you."

Rylan stood up and left me at the table with too many questions. He crossed the hall and joined Raina. She shot me a glance, but it was different than her old glances. It was guilty, like she felt sorry for me. The appet.i.te I had when I came into the dining room had diminished. In its place was disgust and disbelief.

"You excited for dinner?" Hunter sang as he slid in next to me.

My eyes met Eli's, but as quickly as they met, he turned back to the conversation he was having with a fellow guardian angel.

"Yeah ... I, uh, I'm not feeling well. I'm going to get some water."

I slid off my seat and went over to water cooler to fill up a cup.

"I'm back! Uncle was worried, but I told him we were napping and he's fine now," Mila cheered happily.

I guzzled my gla.s.s of water.

"Can we eat? I'm starving."

Mila grabbed a garden salad from the serving table and we walked over to where I was sitting. Hunter was still there.

"Are you two excited for dinner?"

Hunter's toothpick went to the corner of his mouth as he smiled.

"Very," I lied, forcing a fake smile.

"See you at six." He winked at me and left.

Nausea radiated throughout my stomach. I wanted to find out the truth, but I couldn't be certain. What if this was all part of Raina's plan? What if she wanted me to sabotage my relations.h.i.+p with Hunter? And Rylan had his own motives, he obviously saw Hunter as a threat. Thinking it out thoroughly made it seem even more ridiculous, but I couldn't shake Eli's words from earlier out of my head: 'don't put all your trust into him.' Does Eli know? Surely he would have done something about it or at least told me?

"Are you okay?" Mila asked, breaking my line of thought.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just thinking about what we discussed earlier," I lied.

"Shhh," she hushed as she glanced over her shoulder cautiously.

I rolled my eyes. I gave nothing away by using that sentence. Who would hear what I said as 'Mila loves Gabriel'?

"Chill out. I'm obviously not going to talk about it in a room full of people."

"But still ... be cool."

I rolled my eyes at her.

Once lunch was over I became increasingly nervous. I knew I had to confront Hunter about it and I didn't want to ruin dinner, but I had to do it when there was no one around, making dinner my only option.

Students poured from the dining hall, Mila included, but I decided to hang back to speak to Eli. I couldn't give Mila the right advice but I know Eli can.

"Is everything okay?" Eli asked as we walked out of the dining hall side by side.

"I can't tell you here. We need to find a quiet place."

'Ruby, I don't think -"

"It's about Mila."

Eli's fingers wrapped around my forearm and he guided me to the side of the dining hall by a pretty gardenia bush. I ignored the gooseb.u.mps his touch gave me.

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine, I think ... she's in love -"

"That's normal." He interrupted, slightly frustrated with me.

"With a guardian angel."

"Oh. Does he -"

"I guess so. They spend a lot of time together."

Eli brushed his hand through his hair and I bit my lip, trying to fight back the urge to do it myself.

"Gabriel?"

I nodded.