Not two seconds and he befriended one of them. Yet, he scolded me for being reckless. These things were cunning. This one could be buying time to make his move. Then again, something about this ghost bandit was off from the others. He wasn't ugly nor did he inflict an icky thick fear.
"Are you going to stare out there all night?" Sabastian eyed me. "I told you, Leo won't hurt you."
What kind of name was that? Leo, was it short for Leonard? A ghost bandit should have a more suitable name that matched his title. Something along the line of the fear they evoked from others.
To our surprise, this bandit could walk in the light. It made sense that once he was covered he would survive. I just hoped none of his friends weren't watching or else they would have gotten the same idea. The bandit was cautious all the way inside. Our room lights were off, so it was easy for him to maneuver the small space. Within a blink of an eye, he was out on the balcony back in the moonlight.
"One minute of conversation and you know him so well," I snarled, flicking on the light.
Sabastian pulled one of the drapes aside at the french doors, so the room light wouldn't stream out on the balcony. The bandit sat on the floor next to the shaded door. I guided the shaken-up teen and child to the bed.
Sabastian crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall next to the french doors. I searched the mini-fridge for the two bottles of juices stashed away and handed them to the girls.
"You want to tell me why you two went out in the dark?" Sabastian questioned. "Didn't you get the memo about those ghost things?"
The teen studied the juice bottle in hand. "It was a mistake. I forgot to…"
"You forgot to what?" Sabastian's loud demand had the poor girl trembling. "That mistake almost cost you your lives. If you hadn't notice, no one came out to save you. If Ms. Nosey, here, didn't but in, you would have been dead."
I glared at him and he narrowed his eyes at me. His voice was commanding when he didn't raise his voice. Each word spoken through his lips was coated with power. In his irritation, it doubled.
I relaxed next to the girls and rubbed her arm to give her comfort. They were children. At their age, we were making all kinds of mistakes. Father considered me a baby in my teens. He allowed me to do anything when we didn't have spectators. Going outside at night to look at the stars while he told me stories was one of my favorites. However, though these girls went outside, it couldn't be to look at the stars. The sky was void of them. Three moons in a sea of black sky. Nothing else.
"It's all my fault," the youngest of the two murmured. "Nicole only came out after me. I heard Mom calling and I… I…" Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks.
Ah, it was the same tactics those bandits used against me. They were able to fool me with my sister's voice. If it had not been for Angel, I would have been caught in their web.
The teen pulled her sister closer into her arms. "No, it's not. I'm the one who forgot to make sure you were safe." She turned to me, avoiding the alpha's gaze. "Our Dad died a few years ago and Mom just last year. Chloe and I have been taking care of each other ever since. From when we were kids Mom would clog our ears with enchantments to drown out the noise from outside. She taught it to me and I've been using it. But tonight I forgot. I fell asleep without using it on Chloe. I woke to her scream. She's the only family I have left. I had to go outside for her."
Such a young girl with a big responsibility.
"Well, thank goodness your mistake didn't kill you both," Sabastian scolded. "Don't make the same mistake twice. Next time you won't be so lucky."
My eyes shot to the monster. Who the hell talked that way to startled kids? This man, that was who. Such a jerk.
"You both can stay here for the remainder of the night," I countered the Alpha's words. "You don't have to worry, we are here for you."
She nodded and drew her sister closer. Sabastian pushed from the wall and stepped out on the balcony.
Ugh!
The teen glanced at Sabastian. "I'm sorry to have caused you and your mate trouble."
Mate? Never.
I flashed the girl a smile. "Don't mind him. He's just being a big pain."
"He's scary," the smaller child noted.
Yep, he was. More so in his true form. Despite his outer beauty, he was quite the brute.
"He's harmless," I fibbed. "Just get some rest."
She forced a smile and both girls laid on the bed. With all the ordeal they went through, I left the light on.
It was quite an envious sight: the two sisters protecting each other. Brianna and I never got that chance. Of course, I looked out for her when Mother allowed it. On most days, I had to fight for control just so Brianna would stay safe. But, she never knew about me until the end.
I didn't want her to know her elder sister as a monster. So I never reached out and never cared that father nor his mate hadn't told her about me. It was an experience that often left me sad. Growing up, I would have killed for a younger sibling. When I finally got one, she couldn't know about me.
When she was locked away by her mother, I made a deal with mine to find her and free her. In the end, she assumed I was a ghost and another few centuries of my life were ripped from me. But, none of it mattered as long as she was safe.
I sensed this was the love both of these girls had for each other. The elder sister chased after the younger one in the midst of enemies, knowing she could never fight them off. They would have both died. The worst part was no one cared to help.
I rested on the floor and waited until they fell asleep. It didn't take long for that to happen. I covered them and turned off the bedroom light but left the bathroom one on with the door open.
"They are asleep," I said, walking out onto the balcony.
The bandit held down his head. Sabastian stared out over the village.
"You mind telling me why you were so rude? They are only kids," I kept my distance from the bandit.
It was odd how Sabastian could look him in the eye but I couldn't. Angel mentioned bandits were afraid of Sabastian because he and they shared the same darkness. However, she said nothing about this phenomenon.
"I hate kids," Sabastian declared. "They're such a nuisance."
He did not just say that.
"Right," I drawled. "Yet, you chose the youngest ghost bandit of them all to follow you around."
Sabastian's gaze flickered from the village to the bandit and back.
"You mind telling me what you are going to do with him," I strolled beside the alpha. "He might be okay now but what happens when the sun comes up?"
The bandit could take a chance in the light from the bulbs. However, the sunlight was different. It brought more heat with it, and they seemed to be injured by heat along with light.
The man eyed the sky. "Don't worry your pretty little head about that. I have a plan."
I scoffed. "Don't worry, why would I? Angel is the one you should be worried about. She's the Guardian of this Realm. Don't think for a second, she won't kill that bandit."
Guardian Angels protected their Gods and what they stood for. This bandit was a flaw in this perfect Realm. Angel wouldn't see him as anything else.
"As I said," Sabastian breathed out with confidence, "don't worry about it. Angel won't harm him."
I observed the man. He got on my nerves with his cool poster and confidence. Why didn't he believe Angel would say anything? Ugh! I loathed him.
"Now that you have given those kids the bed, where are we going to sleep?" Sabastian dragged his gaze to me. "You do realize we still have several more hours to go before the sun comes up."
The night had just begun.
"We can sleep on the floor," I answered.
He arched a brow. "You gave away our bed to two brats and now I have to sleep on the floor. Do you see anything wrong with that statement?"
I tittered. "Not really. I mean, you want to save some bandit that is probably planning to suck our souls while me saving two innocent girls is a problem."
"Yep," he popped the p. "The bandit I saved is outside while you're kids are in our bed. Which one is causing more inconvenience?"