Daughter of the Moon and Night

4. Guardian. (Darius' POV)

Alice and I were sitting in a kitchen. It has been couple hours since we came down. We haven't been talking almost at all because we both had so much to think about. My thoughts were (of course) on Lillian who still had not woken up. Alice had to stop me many times from going to her but I did notice that she was also worried sick for her niece. I was cheking my phone, scrolling and switching app to app trying to keep myself busy. Obviously it did not help at all and I put it down sighining deeply. Alice sipped her coffee and looked up at me.

"It's been two and half hours already. Has Aria replied to you?" Alice just shook her head. She had tried to text her sister half an hour ago to check if she was coming back from work already. I didn't know or care did she tell her that I was back or anything what was going on. Though, I didn't believe she did since Aria were not here yet. She loved her daughters deeply and would never stay in work in this situation. "Can I at least go check on her quickly?" Again she just shook her head. "From the door?" I asked.

"Nope." She answered.

"Please." I whined like a little kid who wanted to have ice cream before dinner.

"Darius, didn't you learn at all how to control the bond when you were gone?" She asked getting tired of my whining. I glared at her.

"Yes I did. It was hard and it took me this many years to come back. But when I saw her again it's like all those years had vanished. Well, maybe not completely but I feel the bond more strongly than ever." I answered. Alice didn't look too happy for my answer and I was getting annoyed. "What the hell is your problem with me? I didn't do anything. You and I got along well before we left so what is it with that attitude?" I snaped at her. She looked suprised but soon lowered her gaze.

"Sorry, it's not about you it's... About Lillian. She has had.. A little rough time in past and now she got her gift and will be in danger if they find out. I'm just really worried." She explained herself quietly. I knew who she meant and a low growl got out of me when she mentioned them. But there was one thing which stucked in my mind more.

"What do you mean with rough time?" I asked in sharp voice. Alice raised her hand on her lips looking at me with the face that said that she had told me too much but quickly shaked it off like it wasn't anything serious.

"It's nothing and it is not my place to tell." She said with carefree voice but her eyes betrayed her by their own sadness. I feeled the anger raise a little inside of me.

She can't leave me in the dark in this if it's about Lillian and she knows it!

I was just about to give her piece of my mind when I heard the frontdoor open.

"Thank god! Aria what took you so long?!" Alice yelled before she saw that the person who came in was not her sister. It was her sisters other daughter Loralei, and her two friends. Even Loralei and Lillian were twins I thought that they didn't look the same almost at all. Loralei had short blonde hair when her sister had long silver hair. Loraleis eyes were also beautiful blue but much darked that Lillians bright ones. And of course Loralei was short too but Lillian was tiny like a little kid. Don't get me wrong there. They both had curves other girls would kill for. Yes I am a guy so yes I have noticed this. Mostly by looking at Lillian. And now I start to sound like a creep again.

"Why would mom come home at this hour?" Loralei asked looking little confused. Me and Alice looked each other and back to her. "Anyway, is Lili still feeling sick? We thought to go bowling and wanted to ask her to come too." She continued.

"Oh.. Well.. She is not sick but it would be better to let her rest, okay honey?" Alice was nervously trying to bypass this whole conversation. She didn't want to be the one who had to explain everything to her niece and for her luck she didn't have to.

"Alice! I am so sorry it took so long to get here. The boss was impossible today! How is Lillian feeling?! Is she still unconcious?!" We heard Arias voice from the door. She had no idea that her other daughter was at home too. When she got to the kitchen Alice and I were reliefed, but Aria herself looked startled when she saw me and then her daughter in there. "Darius? You are back? What's going on here? What happend to Lillian Alice?" She asked questions at really fast pace. Alice didn't even have time to react when Loralei was already shooting questions to all of us.

"I should be the one asking that! Unconcious? Mom, why are you home? Why is this man here? Where is my sister and what is wrong with her?!" She yelled and I saw a little panic in her eyes. I could see what Alice meant when she said that they all are on the edge when it comes to Lillian. I just wished to know why.

I was really getting tired of all this drama. I was worried as f*ck of Lillian and wanted to run to her room just to be with her, rather than be here.

Alice and Aria looked lost. I heard Aria swear a little, quietly in her breath. Others couldn't hear it but I could. She tried to say something but she didn't seem to know what, so she just stood there opening and closing her mouth like a fish before letting out a really deep sigh.

"This is really hard to explain sweety. Lets all go to living room and sit down so we can talk about this." She finally said and turned to walk to the livingroom. Loralei didn't look happy but they all followed her. I walked behind them but stopped at the bottom of the stairs. I looked up ready to escape to Lillians room when Arias voice stopped me. "Darius! Get your ass here. You are part of this story and you still have to fill me in to what happened!" I walked to the livingroom defeated, keeping my head low.

"Can someone just tell me is Lili okay?" Loralei asked with low voice. Her friends stayed silent but they both looked almost as concerned as Loralei.

"Lillian fainted in the woods back there and Darius carried her home.. She is still unconcious but laying safely in her own bed right now." Alice half explained without looking anyone. Aria glared at me but didn't say anything. I sighed and started to tell her what happend. You can only imagine the faces of Loralei and her friends when they heard about me following Lillian. Aria in the other hand, looked horrified when she realized what was going on after I got to the part where Lillian yelled that she couldn't. see.

"Why were you following my best friend?" The taller girl asked sounding angry and glared at me while crossing her arms. I turned to her but I didn't answer.

"Maybe it's easier to understand if we start about that what is happening to Lillian." Alice said and Aria and I nodded. We all were silent for a while.

"Loralei darling.. It seems like your sisters power has woken up.. She has a gift of prediction.. Lillian is a seer." Aria explained to her daughter quietly. Loralei begun to laugh but after seeing her mothers perfectly serious face, she stopped.

"You are serious." She stated frowning.

"Yes I am." Her mother nodded. " I better start from the beginning.. I would not want anyone to hear this, but you girls I can trust." She said to two girls whose names I still didn't know. They answered to her only with tiny smile.

Aria took deep long breath in before she started her story. "In our family, some women have always had this gift. They can see flashes of the future. I also had that gift but somehow lost it when I became pregnant of you two. Anyway, there is also other family whose women has this gift. Underwood.." When she said their name I feeled my eyes getting darker and pressed my hands in fists. "They have always tried to control people thru that gift. They wanted to rule everything. Our family, the Whitelocks did not approve that and tried to stop them so they started a war. They have eliminated almost all seers of our family and our guardians.." She told them with teary eyes. The girls were speechless for a while.

"What are guardians?" The tiny girl asked suddenly. I smiled a little and so did Aria.

"Both families has bond with other. In Ashfords, your fathers family, some men has a gift of protection. They each have a bond to one seer in our family. They protect them with their lifes. Your father is my guardian." She smiled again to that. "Underwoods guardians are from Alston family." Aria explained and looked at me in the end.

"How do you know that Lili has this.. Gift?" Smaller girl asked again still confused.

"Because when you were just 3 years old your sister found her guardian.. Or he found her actually." She said smiling and I smiled too. "Lillian didn't know that, because seer can't recognise her protector before she has the gift." Alice told them. Two girls nodded understanding but Loralei looked at her aunt and mother with furious gaze.

"Are you seriously telling me that you knew all of this but didn't tell us!? And where was her guardian when..!" Loralei yelled but sweet tiny voice made it stop at once.

"Lora, please calm down." It begged and we all turned our eyes to Lillian who stood at the door looking exhausted.

"Sister.." Loralei looked at her sister with desperate eyes and broken expression on her face.

"Lili. How much did you heard?" Alice asked while she stood up and walked there to hug her. She hugged her back.

"Just the end but.. I think I saw a dream of all this and how you would tell me everything." She said quietly. "Is it all true? Do I have this.. Gift?" She asked in disbelief. Her mother nodded without looking at her.

"I am so sorry that I didn't tell anything. I didn't know how to. But I should have told at least something to you. Both of you." She said with remorseful voice and I could see she was holding back tears. Lillian just walked carefully to her mother and hugged her.

"It's okay mom. Seriously I understand. I don't blame you." She said in soft tone and smiled to her mother. Aria smiled and sniffed a little.

"Of course you don't."She said letting out a short giggle and this made everyone giggle too.

"Still I want to know what is this guys deal." Said taller girl out loud and pointed me with her finger. She looked suspicious. I took a step closer to Lillian who turned to me. She gave me a shy little smile and blushed slightly. I smiled at her cuteness.

"My name is Darius Alston. I have a bond to Lillian. I am her.." I started and Lillian ended my sentence.

"Guardian." She stated with her soft voice and when she looked me in the eyes I think my slowly beating heart missed a beat or two.

"It truly is a gift." I heard myself say and she blushed and turned her gaze to her sister and friends.

"Shouldn't you be the guardian of some evil chick from that other family?" Asked the tall girl who still seemed to be little suspicious. I nodded to her.

"We don't know why but I bonded to Lillian the first time I saw her and I could not be happier of it." I told to her honestly and she looked little taken aback but her cold gaze towards me softened a little.

"Well, good luck trying to protect this one." She answered and everyone laughed except me. They seemed to notice that I did not understand what she was talking about.

"Lillian always thinks others first and herself last." Smaller friend explained to me. I smiled at that.

"You do know that I'm right here, right?" Asked Lillian with tomato colored face.

"We did. That was the point." Taller one answered and everyone laughed. I noticed that Lillian started to wobble a little so I cathed her in my arms bridal style. She gasped a little for my actions and asked why did I do that.

"You started to wobble. I know that you are exhausted. You should not strain yourself too much." I said and her face was back to tomato color.

"Thank you but I'm fine. You don't have to worry." She said quietly.

"Told you!" Tall girl shouted and I chuckled. Lillian rolled her eyes. "I will always worry about you. That is my whole purpose." I said to her at soft tone and she sighed.

"Fine. Can you put me on the couch?" She gave up and asked without looking to me. I smiled. "Of course. What ever you want." I said happily and let her lie down on the divan of the couch right next to her sister.

"This is not fair." I heard her sister whisper not to anyone in particular.

"What do you mean Lora?" Smaller friend asked. Loralei looked up at her friends and sister with a sad expression in her face.

"He says that he is your guardian. He should protect you. It's not fair! Where was he when..!" She didn't finish the sentence because she started crying. I frowned. Lillian looked at her with sad smile and hugged her.

"Lora. I am okay. It is okay. You were there with me then. I'm okay." She soothed her sister. I wanted to give them privacy and asked Alice and Aria come with me to other room. After we were out of others hearing I turned to them.

"What is going on here? What happend when I was away?" I asked. They looked each other.

"I am sorry Darius. But that story is not us to tell. It is up to Lili if she wants for you to know." Aria said to me and turned. She and Alice walked back to livingroom where crying had ended and I heard girls talking. I sighed.

I guess they are right.

It made me sad that something bad had happened when I was far away. But it was indeed Lillians decison if she wanted to share her life with me. So decided to I give up and wait. It didn't matter what had happend in her past because I was here now. I would protect her. To my last breath.