I couldn't understand why, but I was nervous about meeting the old man. My palms were sweating. I wiped them on my pants as I leaned into Tyler and stared blankly out the front window.

"Why're you freaking out?" Tyler tucked me under his arm as he smoothed his hand over my hair. It would've been comforting if I wasn't on the verge of a panic attack.

Keeping his eyes on the road, Lucas's leg tightened against mine as one hand fell off the steering wheel to rest on my thigh. He squeezed lightly, rubbing his thumb back and forth.

Glancing at Tyler, my lips were millimeters from his when I spoke. "I don't know why, but I feel like I'm getting ready for a competition or something. Is this dude going to hurt me if I fail his test?"

All three of them growled out a 'no,' but it didn't help my panicked state as my stomach twisted into knots.

"He won't touch you unless we all agree on it." Justin reached over Tyler's lap and grasped my wrist as he sent soothing energy through me. "I'll tear him to pieces if he does anything to harm you."

"What's he gonna do to me?" I glanced out the front windshield as Lucas turned off the mountain pass onto a thickly wooded dirt road.

Lucas's hand tightened around my thigh. "He just wants to meet you. No one believes you exist, so for them to believe, they need to feel your energy and be around you. I know it's irritating. It aggravates the fuck outta me, but I was wrong when I thought we could just lock you up and keep you all to ourselves. You're the Bringer, Gorgeous. And it's our responsibility to protect you while you reign."

"While we reign." I corrected.

Lucas grinned and chuckled softly, squeezing my leg. "You're the true Queen of the Guardians, Gorgeous. I'm not even the next Alpha of the Earth Guardians. I'm nothing compared to you or Justin. I can't lead, but I can protect my girl."

Frowning, I glanced at Justin and Tyler. They shrugged with looks of agreement, and I shook my head. "No. That's not how this works. Stop the truck."

"But we'll be late," Tyler muttered.

"I don't give a shit if we don't get there until tomorrow." I felt my confidence coming back, and it was refreshing.

When Lucas didn't stop, I didn't get upset. Instead, I stuck out my bottom lip and stared at him with puppy dog eyes. Lucas chuckled and slowed down. "Fine, but we can't take too long."

I wanted to say we could do whatever we felt like, but I kept my mouth shut and nodded.

When the truck finally came to a complete stop, I twisted in my seat so I could see all three of them. "So, here's the deal. I'm not myself yet, but I know I will be soon. My understanding of certain things is crystal clear while my personal memories are cloudy, but I know those will come back."

Making eye contact with each of them, I laughed as I took in their confused faces. "What I'm getting at is that I'm gonna need some help. Being Queen won't be easy, and I need all of you to realize how important you are. Maybe Justin is the most powerful out of all us, but—"

"No," Justin interrupted as he shook his head. "You are, Angel."

"Okay, maybe I'm the most powerful even if I don't feel like it, but we all need to carry this load. I need you guys even when I get my memories back. I can't be expected to make life-changing decisions without you, so you guys are all the same as me, okay? You're the Kings, and I'm the Queen. That's all I wanted to say." My gaze connected with Justin's as I waited for him to agree.

A wide grin spread over Justin's face. "Whatever you choose, my Queen. I'm your King and loyal protector. Always."

I smiled back as my eyes moved to Tyler, waiting for his response.

Tyler glanced at Justin with a look of discomfort.

Justin nodded and gestured for him to agree.

Tyler released a heavy breath as his eyes met with mine. "I'm your protector and your King. Always and forever, Shortie."

"Thank you." I chuckled, reluctantly glancing at Lucas.

Lucas was staring out the front window, contemplating.

"Lucas?" I whispered. "You're strong, loyal, and kind. You have all it takes to lead."

Lucas's green eyes landed on mine with a look of serious resolve. "I'm not strong enough to be a King, but I'll always protect you."

With chagrin, I nodded. "I know you don't believe in yourself, but I do. You're more than you realize. I need you. Be my King. Please?"

Lucas blushed as he grinned at my words. "Anything for you, Gorgeous. I'll be whatever you want me to be. If you want me to be your King, I am."

Grabbing Lucas's hand, I spun to sit correctly in the seat. "I knew I could depend on you."

"You never cease to amaze me." Lucas didn't stop grinning as he started driving the truck forward.

I laughed nervously as I realized we had to be nearing the Stitcher. "So, what's this old guy gonna do to me?"

Justin cleared his throat. "Nothing. He just needs to be near you. Your energy is so strong now that you won't have to touch him."

"Okay, but I mean... I can shake his hand. I'm okay with that." I shrugged.

Tyler threw me a weird look and shook his head. "No. You hate when anyone touches you."

"Why?" I searched his face, trying to understand.

"Because you're a Crossling, Gorgeous, which makes you overly sensitive to people from other Realms. When you touched me the first time, you scared the shit outta me." Lucas maneuvered the truck around a large hole in the muddy road. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, but you almost passed out. From what I've found out about Crosslings, they're rare and susceptible to energy, especially when they touch beings from other Realms. It can fuck with you in weird ways. That's how that Darkling took you to Purgatory. He used your own powers against you."

Bewildered, I sighed. "But I thought I was a Guardian Angel? How does that make me a Crossling too? How many more things am I? This is all so confusing."

Justin glanced at me in concern. "We're still discovering more things about you, but your mother is an Angel from the Third Realm. Her bloodline gives you the ability to see into the mind, body, and soul of any being. Over time, you'll develop more angelic powers. From what I've been told, your mother, Harmony, was named for her talents. That may be why you're so fascinated with music and instruments.

"Your father is a Sun Guardian Crossling, and his powers are tremendous. His compulsion skills are killer. He's known as The Great Sun King. He can cross to other Realms and he did his best to keep the peace, which was how he met your mother."

"What does a Sun Guardian do?" I asked, unwilling to dive into the mystery of my parents at the moment.

"All Guardians can draw power from any of the elements, but we all have a main power source. Sun Guardians are the most powerful since they can draw energy from the sun. It's amazing, Shortie. Wait until I show you what I can do when I draw energy from fire. It'll blow your ever-loving mind." Tyler's arm settled around my shoulders again.

"So, that means you're a Fire Guardian?" I asked Tyler.

Tyler nodded as his lips tugged up into a cocky smile.

"What're you, Justin?" I asked.

"I'm a Moon Guardian Alpha," Justin said as he pointed at the crescent moon in the blue sky. "We all do amazing things under the full moon, but I pull energy directly from the moon at any time."

Wondering what kinds of things they could do with their powers, I glanced at Lucas. "And you?"

"I'll show you." Lucas slowed the truck to a stop on the narrow road.

After putting the truck in park, his eyes lit to a green glow. He stuck his hands out in front of him as he concentrated on the woods in front of us. His hands vibrated and pixilated as translucent energy rippled into them.

I glanced at a large pine tree as it trembled under his power. Somehow I knew he was collecting energy from the tree without killing it. Lucas glanced at me, and his eyes were beaming bright enough to illuminate the entire cab of the truck.

His focus fell to his vibrating hands as he cupped them into a circle, concentrating all the energy together. It crackled and popped as I caught the sharp scent of pine. A blinding flash of light exploded between his hands. Lucas breathed out a smile and opened his hands, revealing a bronze chain connected to a flat emerald stone.

Lucas swallowed hard before he turned his gaze on me. "I do all sorts of things with earth energy. This a new one for me. I'm happy it worked. It's a soul tracker that's connected to my soul. If anything ever happens to you again, I'll know exactly where you are so I can find you. Will you wear it and promise to never take it off?"

My lips parted as I took in his words. "So, you're an Earth Guardian?"

Lucas unlatched the chain with a grin. "Yeah, and I'm damn good at what I do. Will you wear it? Please?"

The smooth sweetness in his words filled my heart with warmth as I nodded. "Of course."

Lucas sent me a sexy grin as he attached the chain around my neck. He jostled my coin necklace, making sure the emerald stone sat directly on my skin.

I squirmed as the stone tingled and vibrated against my chest. "It feels weird."

Lucas bit his bottom lip as he scanned my face and traced his thumb over my quivering eyebrow. "Just let my energy in. Don't fight it."

Blowing out a breath, I shut my eyes and focused on the stillness inside the truck. My heartbeat thumped in my ears as I concentrated on opening myself up to the stone. Lucas's energy suddenly whooshed over me. Bright shimmering stars lit up behind my eyelids. I grinned at the thrilling excitement that filled my senses. The delicious feeling of Lucas's deep desire to keep me safe made my grin grow into a smile. I laughed as the green stars danced playfully from my eyelids over my skin and absorbed deep into my core.

When I opened my eyes, Lucas had a huge smile pinned to his face. "You liked it, didn't you?"

Heat filled my cheeks. "Yeah... that was pretty cool."

Lucas blinked hard as Justin and Tyler started laughing their asses off.

"What?" I asked.

"Pretty cool?" Tyler shook with laughter, tugging me into him. "Damn, Shortie. You're hard to impress. What he just did was fucking off the chain."

"She's hard to impress." Justin was still laughing his ass off. "But she has no problem getting angry with us."

"Hey," I folded my arms, unable to frown as they continued laughing. "That's not fair. I have every right to get angry. You guys make me mad sometimes."

Lucas started laughing along with them as he started driving. "Well, at least it's not just me."

About ten minutes later, I sat up when I saw a strange dome. It was some kind of energy barrier around a cottage nestled in the trees. The dome was comprised of hundreds of triangles made up of thick, multi-colored stained glass. Each pane moved like its own kaleidoscope as they glistened in the sunlight.

"What's that?" I pointed.

"That's the Master Stitcher's place. Marlena, your dad's sister, has the same setup, but you weren't able to see it before. His cottage is part of the Fourth Realm, and now you can see it. I'm glad your powers are beginning to develop." Justin sounded proud of me.

Trying to remember my aunt, I studied the way the colors morphed within each pane of glass.

An African American woman walked down the front steps and watched us impatiently. Lucas stopped the truck and shut off the engine.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"That's Marlena. Your aunt." Justin said as he opened the door and got out. He waved at her and walked right through the energy barrier like it wasn't even there.

Confused as to why our skin was different colors, I stared at my aunt as Lucas and Tyler slid out of the truck.

"You coming, Gorgeous?" Lucas asked, snapping me out of my stupor.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah." I climbed down.

Lucas stayed by my side as I slowly walked toward the strange dome.

"You are very late. Your tardiness has Gideon on edge. He says he no longer wishes you to see you." Marlena shouted at Justin.

Why the hell was she yelling at him? We didn't do anything wrong. We were only thirty minutes late. She didn't even say hello to me or ask how I was doing. What kind of aunt was she? Anyone who loved me would care about me, wouldn't they?

Justin didn't shout back like I wanted him to. He only glanced at me and sent me a tight grin. "Let me speak to him."

"I'm not making myself clear. You all need to leave now. Gideon does not play games, and he gave you a specific time to be here. You failed to meet his demands. I did my best to keep him calm. However, he already has his mind made up." Marlena's nostrils flared before she glowered at me. "I did all I could, but I refuse to jeopardize my relationship with our Master Stitcher. The Sun Clan takes priority. We cannot risk losing his loyalty over this."

Scrunching my brow, I shook my head. "But he hasn't even met me yet."

Marlena took a step toward me but didn't show an inkling of compassion. "Your opening to meet Gideon has ended. Take your mates and leave. Now."

Don't get upset. Just let me do the talking. Justin said in our minds before he spoke with a power that nearly knocked me to my knees. "Marlena of the Sun Guardians, you will take us inside to meet Gideon. We mean him no harm. We only want to speak to him."

Marlena's anger vanished as her expression fell flat. Her voice was monotone as she turned back toward the cabin. "Please, come inside. Gideon is by the fire."

Tyler smirked at me before he spoke through our connection. Justin's powers are badass.

I wanted to smile in agreement, but I was having a hard time building up the courage to walk through the weird energy barrier. A deep seeded fear was rearing its ugly head, and I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Come on." Lucas urged. "You can do this. Just picture yourself on the other side. Imagine your soul for what it is. The most powerful creation in all the Realms. This small piece of energy is like the dirt under your feet. It's just a small piece of foundation from the Fourth, but it's nothing compared to you. It's like the wind in your hair or the heat of the sun on your face."

I shook my head. "I'm scared. I feel like it's gonna hurt."

"You need to learn how to do this. The Fourth Realm resides on earth, but no one from the lower Realms can see it. This is your Realm, Ember. You can do this." Lucas walked through the barrier with ease and gestured for me to follow as he walked toward Justin.

I couldn't chicken out. Lucas was right. I had to do this. Focusing on the sun warming my skin, I imagined it giving me the power I needed. Chills rushed down my neck and back, all the way to my feet. Taking the plunge, I shut my eyes and stepped through as my memories suddenly encompassed me.

I remembered running toward someone that was calling my name. It had a familiar voice and I felt forced to find it. It had been Tyler's voice. Tyler. I needed to find him to make sure he was safe. Instead of finding him, a cold, charred hand gripped my wrist. It yanked me down, jerking my soul into Purgatory.

I sucked in a breath as a new memory unfolded. Lucas was holding me in his lap and speaking to me, but I couldn't hear him. Even though I was temporarily deaf, something was calling to me from far away, and it scared the shit out of me, but Lucas was there. He was holding me, rocking me back and forth, and whispering in my ear.

Memory after memory continued to surface from my past, bringing every bit of my shitty life along with them. I focused on a good one where Justin took me to Collin's party, and I was excited to be with Justin. My quiet golden boy. My prince. I knew Justin cared about me and had done everything he could to make me happy. Justin was my sunshine, and his laughter made my day.

The faces of my new friends came to mind. Lucy and Faith. I smiled. They were my part of my crew. I'd performed a song in front of people, and Lucas had played the bass guitar for me. Lucas was always by my side, supporting me. Lucas.

A disturbing memory filtered through my mind about Faith. Tyler had been with Faith, and she'd been nearly naked. I'd caught them almost having sex, and the sickening image stabbed me in the heart. Tyler had been with countless girls and had shoved it in my face. He was continually looking for someone to hook up with, like we'd done the night before. The wound was fresh again as it shot through my heart. I swallowed back the need to throw up from the overwhelming pain.

But then, there was Lucas. Lucas had been with my horrible cousin, but he'd broken up with her the morning after he'd met me. He had been nothing but sweet and kind. Like Justin, Lucas always put me first. No wonder he was so protective of me. Lucas was mine.

Someone's hand smoothed down my arm, prompting my eyes to flutter open. I flinched away from Tyler when I realized it was his fingers touching me.

"Shortie? Are you okay?" Tyler instantly jerked back at my reaction to him.

Good. I didn't want him touching me. He'd lied to me. He wanted all the girls, and I was just one more to add to his list.

"Don't fucking touch me." I glanced around, searching for Lucas.

Tyler's hands flew up defensively. "What'd I do?"

Ignoring him, I realized Marlena was still standing on the porch with an expressionless face, waiting for us.

Tears filled my eyes as I searched for Lucas. I'd been awful to him. Pushing Tyler out of the way, I rushed toward Lucas with my arms outstretched. "Lucas!"

My tone shocked Lucas as he grinned and unfolded his arms. "You did it, Gorgeous. You made it through all by yourself."

I flung myself at him, wrapping my arms and legs around him. "I remember you. I'm so so sorry. I was such a bitch."

Lucas caught me, hugging me close. "You remember? Fuck. Thank the Gods. I thought I'd never get my girl back."

Clinging to him, I struggled to get as close as possible while tears tumbled down my cheeks. "I'm back, and I'm so sorry. Thank you for watching over me."

"Of course. You're everything to me, Ember." Lucas's hot breath was in the crook of my neck.

Pulling my head back slightly, I stared deep into his eyes. "You're everything to me too. Thank you for not giving up on me."

Lucas had tears in his eyes as he breathed out a relieved chuckle. "I'd never do that. I'm so fucking sorry for everything. For yelling at you. I was so worried. I haven't been myself. I can't live without you. Thank fuck you're back. I missed you."

At that, I tightened my arms around his neck and yanked, crushing my lips to his. Sparks of excitement exploded throughout my entire body as he kissed me back just as hard and opened his mouth. Parting my lips, our tongues collided like magnets.