The Guardian (32 page)
Seth looked up with the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen. “Ambrose?”
His choice surprised her, but it made total sense. The Malachai had kept his word after al .
Not the elder Malachai, Adarian, who’d made the pact with Seth. It’d been Adarian’s son who had
honored his father’s word and kept them safe in his home in New Orleans until Seth’s powers had returned.
But for Ambrose, Noir would have found them.
“You don’t want to use Nicholas?” It was Ambrose’s human name.
Seth shook his head. “It’s too common and there’s no one else like our son.”
That was certainly true. He was a rare, rare breed.
Watching the two of them staring at each other with equal wonder and adoration, she smiled as she
remembered what Seth had said when she’d asked him why he made her forget him when he’d left her with
her father.
“I couldn’t bear living if I knew I’d caused you pain. I’d rather you not know me at all, than to think of me
and cry.”
He looked up and frowned. “Did I do something wrong?”
Lydia smiled through her tears. No matter how much she tried to explain it, he didn’t understand that
people could also cry when they were happy. “No, sweetie. I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.”
Seth swal owed at those words that meant so much to him. He stil couldn’t believe, after al he’d been
through, that he had her in his life, any more than he could believe this tiny little being had come from
something like him.
His son was perfect in every way from the top of his bald head that was dusted with auburn hair, to his
topaz eyes, to the tiniest toes Seth had ever seen.
And he would never deny him. No more than he could deny Lydia anything she asked of him.
Even the world.
But what scared him was how close he’d come to not having any of this. How many times he’d lain
himself down in defeat.
Had he not tried that one last time … had he not found the courage he needed when he thought he had
none at al …
He didn’t want to think about that. He couldn’t. Because in the end, this one perfect moment was worth
every bit of pain he’d been dealt.
For this life, he would gladly sel his soul. And honestly he had.
Lydia owned it and he was ever, eternal y, hers.
TITLES BY SHERRILYN KENYON
(listed in the correct reading order)
Fantasy Lover
Night Pleasures
Night Embrace
Dance with the Devil
Kiss of the Night
Night Play
Seize the Night
Sins of the Night
Unleash the Night
Dark Side of the Moon
The Dream-Hunter
Devil May Cry
Upon the Midnight Clear
Dream Chaser
Acheron
One Silent Night
Dream Warrior
Bad Moon Rising
No Mercy
Retribution
THE LEAGUE
Born of Night
Born of Fire
Born of Ice
ANTHOLOGIES
Midnight Pleasures
Stroke of Midnight
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
Love at First Bite
Dead After Dark
MANGA
The Dark-Hunters, Volumes 1-4
The Dark-Hunter Companion
THE CHRONICLES OF NICK
Infinity
Invincible
SHERRILYN KENYON’s
blockbuster bestsel ing novels are:
“Engaging.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Brisk, ironic, sexy, and relentlessly imaginative. These are not your mother’s vampire novels.”
—Boston Globe
“A delicious balance of suspense and sensuality.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Sensual, fast-paced.”
—Booklist
“Skillfully written and entertaining … rich with complex characters, snappy dialogue, and sweet
moments.”
—Tulsa World
“Suck you into Kenyon’s world and keep you there from the first page until the last.”
—Midwest Book Review
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE GUARDIAN
Copyright © 2011 by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 978-0-312-55005-9
St. Martin’s eBook edition / November 2011
St. Martin’s eBooks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
eISBN 978-1-4299-9565-8
A SPECIAL EXTRA, COMING MID-NOVEMBER, 2011!
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Titles by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Blockbuster Bestsel ing Novels
Copyright