"I'm not a queen of anything." I hugged my journal to my chest as my gaze fell to the garage floor. "I'm no leader. I barely know who I am."

"You're higher than royalty since you're a Guardian Angel hybrid, which means you've been touched by the Gods, Shortie," Tyler said.

Trying to understand, I carefully placed my guitar in its case. "I don't know what that means."

"It's unprecedented, Gorgeous," Lucas said. "No one like you exists. The Gods have never allowed a hybrid to be born. It's against the law of the Ancients to mix the bloodlines, but they let you live, which makes you one of a kind."

Shoving away the thought of a lightning bolt striking me dead, I shrugged. "Okay? I guess I'm rare, but what's the difference between you guys and me?"

Justin released the doorframe and stepped into the garage. "We're similar to you. Like you we're all Guardians of the Fourth Realm, and we maintain the peace between the Light Realms and Dark Realms."

I nodded, allowing his words to sink in. "How many Realms are there, and where is Purgatory?"

Tyler sighed heavily before answering. "There are Nine Realms. Needless to say, you know Purgatory's inside a Dark Realm. It's the Eighth Realm, which is also known as the Abyss of Lost Souls. There's a lot going on inside the Eighth, and souls are easily cloaked since most forget everything about themselves. That's why we couldn't get to you."

My brow knotted in utter confusion. "But what's the point? Why would an entire Realm like that even exist? It's horrible."

Lucas took a timid step toward me. Lifting his hand slowly, he curled a loose strand of hair around my ear. As he pulled away, his fingertips skimmed over my cheek, sending soothing waves of calmness over me. "It can be, but it's not all bad. The Eighth Realm is a holding tank for all kinds. Countless souls end up there. Criminals might be sentenced to imprisonment there for minor crimes, while others die and go there because they have no desire to seek redemption after death."

Shocked, my gaze swept to Justin. "Did I... die?"

"No." Justin shook his head as he walked up to me. He caught my wrist and lifted it, wrapping his hand around mine. The burning gold of his eyes swept over my face. "A Netherworld Darkling of the Ninth Realm forced you to cross before we killed him. We haven't had a lot of time to pinpoint exactly who he was working with. We were too worried about protecting your body."

"Protecting my body from what?" I asked.

"Everyone." Tyler stood to his full height and approached, reaching out to me. Unable to deny him, I laced my fingers through his. Warm tingles rushed up my hand and through my body. He stared at our joined hands as he spoke. "Your very existence is a legendary prophecy in the Book of the Ancients. It says huge changes will take place across the Realms when you're discovered. And that... you'll have multiple mates to protect you. There are no specifics on who your mates will be or how many you'll have. We know we're your fated mates, and even though we told them the truth, our families have refused to help us. In fact, they all instructed us to hand you over to the shifter clans of the Supernatural Realm, which means our parents want you dead since shifters will try to force you to mate with them. It's been a complete shit show, Shortie."

My face wrinkled in confusion. Honestly, I was freaking out inside. I could barely handle one guy. How the hell was I supposed to handle three fated mates and possibly more? And just to add to the craziness, the blood in my veins would make others try to mate with me even if I didn't want them. In my mind, mating meant rape. I shuddered at the thought.

"Gorgeous, listen, I know you're mad at me, but you need to grasp how important you are to us and how important your safety is. Shifters are extremely violent and possessive, and the single males will kill to force a mate bond with you for their own personal gain." Lucas said. "And it's not just them. Since you've been touched by the Gods, souls from every Realm will do anything to solidify a bond with you. They'll try to use you as a pawn and control you. We've already had to keep shifters away. They're fucking everywhere."

"Damn. That's some heavy shit." I said.

"Do you understand now why we can't let you go home?" Justin's soft question made me look at him slowly.

Releasing Tyler's hand, I faced Justin and squeezed his hand. My gaze roamed over his sad expression as I pressed my palm to his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Justin squinted as his eyebrows bunched. "Why are you sorry?"

"For whatever I did to you. Please, I'm begging you, stop blaming yourself. I don't blame you and even if I could remember what happened, I'm sure I'd be the one that made a mistake. I know you only want to keep me safe." I cupped his cheek as I stared deep into his blazing gold eyes.

Justin leaned his cheek into my palm. "I was responsible for keeping you safe, and I failed. When you crossed to the Eighth, I lost you. That's on me. I'll never forgive myself for that."

"I need you to try. I don't know what happened, but I know that you're not capable of hurting me. Please try, okay?" I searched Justin's eyes before I decided to speak in his head. Only to him. Please?

Justin's eyes widened before he glanced at the guys, but I didn't look. I knew only he heard me. His gaze landed back on mine as he relented and nodded. Okay, Angel. I'll try.

Grinning, I released his hand and cupped both his cheeks. I pushed to my tiptoes as I tugged his face toward mine.

Justin dipped down as I inhaled his cinnamon scent. His eyes shut before softly touching his lips to mine. Tingles of need and hunger coursed through me as his arms slipped around my waist, pulling me closer. Opening my mouth slightly, I slid my tongue over his upper lip, and Justin growled deep in his throat as his tongue met mine.

A buzz in his jeans caught us off guard. Without releasing me entirely, Justin disconnected our kiss to pull the phone from his pocket. He glanced down at the screen. "Fuck. We need to go. Marlena's Master Stitcher wants to meet in an hour."

Stepping back, I felt a little upset that our kiss was interrupted.

Justin's hand slid down my arm to lace his fingers through mine. "This guy needs to meet you so he can help us. Will you do me a favor and let me do the talking? I know it's hard, but he's old as hell, and I know what to say to get him to assist us in our situation."

Confused with his request, I nodded. "I'll keep my big mouth shut."

Justin sent me a broad smile, bringing both his dimples to life. "Thank you."

I squeezed his hand and glanced back at Lucas and Tyler. "So, which vehicle are we taking?"

Lucas gave me a small grin. "Mine. Wanna sit next to me?"

Acknowledging that angry Lucas was gone, I sent him a grin and nodded.

"Where are we going?" An unfamiliar voice asked from the doorway, startling all of us.

My gaze fell on a tall, muscular guy with a strong square jaw. His massive muscles told me that he had to be a football player. A familiar sexy grin tugged at his lips. He was a few years older than us, and his shaggy dark brown hair hung slightly over his deep green gaze. I squirmed in discomfort as his eyes raked over us and settled on checking me out from head to toe.

"Mason? I thought you weren't coming home until the holidays." A wide smile stretched across Lucas's face.

Mason didn't take his eyes off me as he noticeably inhaled through his nose, trying to catch my scent. When I stiffened under his appraisal, he ripped his gaze away to look at Lucas. "I need a few things to finish out the semester, and I didn't feel like seeing Mom and Dad, so I figured this was the best time to jet down here. What's going on with you? I thought you were supposed to be in school."

Justin's hand tightened around mine as he tugged me closer. Tyler closed in on my back while Lucas shifted awkwardly by my side.

Who is he? I asked the guys in my mind. I'm not sure how I knew how to speak telepathically today, but I knew I could easily direct it to one person or every person in the room. I made sure to open up my mind so I could receive their answers.

The air thickened around me as all the guys heard my question. Their emotions flooded over me. Like Justin's surprised reaction earlier, it shocked them that I could speak inside their minds at will.

My brother. Lucas finally answered in my mind before he spoke aloud. "We skipped a couple classes this morning, and we were just heading back."

"That's not what it sounded like to me. It sounded like you guys were planning to go somewhere else." Mason's gaze landed on mine as he examined me closer. "Justin, I didn't know you had a girlfriend. What Clan's she from? I can't seem to place her scent."

Releasing my hand, Justin wrapped his arm around my shoulders and glanced at me with a smile. "Ember's not my girlfriend. She's my fated mate."

Mason swallowed hard before a playful grin crossed his face. "Really? How're Mommy and Daddy taking the news? I heard through the grapevine you were mating with a Water Guardian. I think her name's River?"

What the fuck? Something snapped deep within me as anger and jealousy rippled up my spine, causing me to release a small growl. My eyes widened at the sound. Where had that come from?

Every set of eyes in the room settled on me, but I was only glaring at Mason. Who the fuck did he think he was?

"Something get under your skin, little girl?" Mason's eyes lit up with a smile before he chuckled and crossed his arms, egging me on.

"Little girl?" I scoffed and moved forward, away from Justin's embrace.

"Ember," Lucas called my name as I stalked over to Mason. "He's just messing with you."

Mason's smile grew larger when I stopped in front of him. Taking him all in, I realized he smelled just like warm chocolate chip cookies and his tantalizing eyes circulated with glowing sparks of lime green. My gaze raked over his high cheekbones before I invaded his thoughts.

Damn. Hello, Sexy. She's gorgeous. Where did she come from? No wonder Justin finally hooked up with someone. Fuck. I wish I'd seen her first. Gods, she's exquisite. I want her. Look at those angelic eyes. Her body's flawless. Why is she staring at me like that? Does she want me too? Shit, why do I wanna kiss her so fucking bad? I wonder what they would do if I did? Mason glanced over my shoulder to the guys before his eyes landed on mine. They all want her like I do. Justin's fucking lucky. How the fuck did that spoiled little shit get her? This one should be mine. Maybe she is.

"I'm not yours and don't talk about Justin like that." I lifted one eyebrow as the guys growled behind me.

What did she just say? Mason glanced at the guys behind me again before he studied my face. It's like she's in my head. Is she?

I nodded and spoke in his head. I am in your head. Now be nice before I tell them what you were just thinking.

"Gods!" Like I'd slapped him, Mason's eyes widened as he took a step back. His face scrunched in fury. "What the fuck?"

"Mason, leave her the hell alone." Lucas shot passed me, blocking Mason from view. One of Lucas's hands flew up, trying to calm his bother down while his other hand other curled around my waist, tugging me into his back. Justin and Tyler were suddenly at my sides, enclosing me between them.

My hands landed on Lucas's waist as I spoke to the guys in their heads. I'm sorry. I listened to his thoughts and spoke in his head. I know I shouldn't have. He just made me mad when he said that shit about the Water Guardian mating with Justin.

Tyler burst out laughing. "She's so fucking protective. I can't wait to find out what she does when someone says some shit about Lucas or me."

"Hey boys," A shrill female voice giggled from Mason's direction. "Mason, move so we can say hi."

The hell? I pushed through the opening between Lucas and Justin.

Justin wound his arm around my shoulders, tugging me into him. They're shifters, Angel. As Guardians, we govern and protect their Realm. Be nice.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I brought along some company. You guys remember Gwen, Pennie, and Joslyn." Mason's anger was gone as he smirked. He whipped his bangs out of his face before his eyes landed on mine and began to glow.

He stepped aside, allowing the three girls to rush past him. They were identical brunette triplets, and damn, how in the hell were they all so perfect? They had a unique Russian model beauty to them with high cheekbones, long slender noses, and full plump lips. The only difference between them were their hairstyles. Plus, each of them had a different streak of color in their hair—pink, purple, and red.

One brunette with short wavy hair and a streak of pink rushed over to Lucas and pulled him into a hug. Instantly, I caught an overwhelming feline scent as her long fingers scratched down his back. "Oh, my Gods. It's so good to see you, Lucas. I've missed you."

Lucas laughed and hugged her back. "Hey, Gwen. It's been a long time. How are you?"

"I'm good. I heard your parents are out of town. You wanna party with us tonight? We'll have some fun. We're not heading back to campus 'til tomorrow." Gwen's long fingers slid into the hair at the nape of his neck as she smashed her boobs against his chest while she molded her entire body to his.

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed her arm and ripped her away from Lucas. "Don't touch him like that."

"What the fuck? Let me go." Gwen squealed as she tore herself away from me, massaging her arm where I apparently hurt her.

"Ember, this is Mason's girlfriend, Gwen," Lucas blurted.

Releasing a long sigh, I watched Gwen wince as she leaned on Mason and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Mason's hand settled on her shoulder as he continued watching me. "So? Tell us what you guys are doing tonight. Do you wanna hang?"

I glanced over at Pennie and Joslyn to find them glaring at me. Okay. This was not going the way I wanted. I never meant to make them hate me right off the bat, but the way Gwen touched Lucas was inappropriate by my standards. Maybe I judged the situation incorrectly.

"Yeah," Lucas grinned. "We can hang later. We'll catch up with you guys tonight after football practice."

From what I could figure, Mason was a Guardian, which meant he belonged to the Fourth Realm, but the triplets were shifters from the Fifth Realm. The Supernatural Realm. And wasn't that against the rules?

"Isn't it against the law of the Ancients to mix Realm bloodlines?" I asked Mason as the guys chuckled behind me.

Mason smirked and nonchalantly shrugged as Gwen's upper lip curled. Eyeing me, she released Mason and waltzed over to her sisters. They were definitely ready to fight as they all scowled at me.

"I'm just trying to understand why a shifter is dating a Guardian. What do you get out of it when you know you can't have him forever?" I asked.

All three of the girls started laughing before the girl with a red streak in her long brown hair sauntered over to Mason and ran her finger down his chest. Her voice was seductive as she studied his attractive face. "Not that it's any of your business, whoever you are, but we all belong to Mason. He's the future leader of the Earth Guardians. Until Mason bonds with his mate, we're his, and even after that, we'll be his arm candy. Mason will always take care of us. Won't you, Baby?"

Mason nodded, but he didn't take his glowing green eyes off me. A cocky grin spread over his lips, which said it all. He was using them. Pure and simple.

Disgusted, I decided he deserved no more of my attention as I walked over to my stuff and grabbed an empty bag. If Mason and his whacked-out triplets were staying here while I was gone, I didn't want them stealing my shit. This was yet another reason I needed a room that I could lock. It was strange with my entire life sitting out, exposed for everyone to see.

"Whose stuff is that?" Mason asked.

I ignored him as I stuffed my journal inside a backpack. I started searching through miscellaneous boxes for anything that looked important. I couldn't remember what in the hell I had, so this was going to be hard.

"It's hers," Lucas breathed. "She just needs to keep it here for a day or two."

"She doesn't have a Clan?" Mason asked.

"Dude, stop with the questions. It's none of your fucking business. You don't live here anymore, so back the fuck off." Tyler walked to my side and grabbed my guitar case, along with another smaller case. It looked like a violin or something. "You wanna take these with us?"

Catching his blue eyes, I sent him a grateful smile and nodded.

"I know you don't want to leave your stuff here, but we need to go. We'll come back for it later, Angel." Justin's hand landed on my back as I continued searching.

"Angel? I thought her name was Ember." Mason said.

"It is, but she sings and plays instruments like an Angel. It's nothing like I've ever seen in my life. She's my Angel." Justin's voice was full of pride as he poured loving energy into me through his touch.

The triplets gasped. I guess they didn't like Justin's nickname for me.

Smiling at Justin's kindness, I pulled a notebook from a box to flip through it. It was full of what looked to be song lyrics and doodles. This was most definitely coming with me.

"Shortie, come on. You got the good stuff. We'll get the rest later, okay?" Tyler loaded my instruments into the bed of Lucas's truck.

"Okay." I sighed sadly.

"So, I'll see you guys later? Will Ember be coming?" Mason asked.

"Yeah, she's one of us. We're never apart from her." Lucas's words were confident and solid, causing my heart to thump hard in my chest. He really cared about me, even if his brother was a douchebag.

"I don't have a problem with that. I'm curious about what's really going on here. I plan to get answers tonight. We're going to the liquor store in a few. You guys want us to pick up anything special?" Mason asked.

"Nah. We'll just drink whatever you pick out." Lucas said.

I could still feel Mason's eyes on my back, but I refused to give him the attention he wanted. I had guys that cared about me, and one that loved me. At that thought, I glanced up at Tyler with a smile.

Tyler smiled back and opened the passenger door for me. Just before I climbed inside, Tyler leaned down, and his lips skimmed over my ear as he whispered, "Can I sit by you?"

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I quietly laughed and began climbing in. "Yeah. I want you to."

Tyler slapped my ass and released a laugh that was a little too loud, causing everyone to look in his direction. "What? Aren't we leaving?"