Read Online NocC 005 - Caridad Pineiro - Amazon Awakening - Harlequin 2011-12 by Nocturne - Free Book Online Page A

charge of the Guardians, whoever they might be.
    “Me?” she croaked and pointed to her chest with her free hand. “What do I know—”
    “What you need to know we can teach you,” he replied evenly as if it was the equivalent of teaching her to ride a bike.
    “But I have a life in New York. I can’t stay here,” she argued, shaking her head to emphasize the point.
    “You must,” her grandmother said softly and closed her eyes, clearly taxed.
    Paola glanced at Rey. “Tell me why I must stay.”
    Rey shrugged those massive shoulders and inclined his head in the direction of the door. “Emilio is waiting outside, eager to hear that you’ve refused.”
    “Why? What does it matter?” Paola pressed.
    “The Guardian spirit is strongest in certain families. The Lopes and Ribiero families possess the most powerful Guardian spirits and because of that, the leaders have been chosen from their lines for generations.”
    “But the Lopes family now holds the reins of power,” Paola said, finally beginning to understand.
    “For centuries the Lopes family has led the Guardians. If you decide to return to New York, Emilio and the Ribiero family will assume leadership.”
    Since not one of her encounters with the man had been pleasant, she couldn’t imagine what would happen to the paradise she had visited if it came under his protection. His anger and jealousy would be like a poison in that pristine place. Like the sin which had destroyed the Garden of Eden.
    “And if I stay?” she asked, the lawyer in her wanting to understand all the terms and conditions so she could make an informed decision.
    “If you stay you will need to choose from one of the Guardian men, marry and have children with them—”
    “But my father didn’t choose a Guardian. He chose my mother.”
    Patricia chimed in at that moment. “I feared for him with that choice. With a Guardian mate he might have been stronger, but he would not listen. He loved your mother beyond all else.”
    As her mother had loved him.
    I’d do it all again.
    Paola thought about that kind of love. What would it be like? She gazed at Rey and imagined that she could experience it with him. He was handsome and an amazing lover, but she needed more than that right now. She needed to know he was trustworthy and honorable.
    “You’re one of the men, aren’t you? You knew the choice I would face, but you didn’t tell me,” she challenged.
    “What happened between us had nothing to do with you becoming our leader or choosing me as a mate.” He clenched his jaw with anger at her accusation.
    “Didn’t it?” she asked again, although she wanted to believe their connection had truly been about their attraction to each other and not some plot to secure a position of power amongst the Guardians.
     
    “Believe what you will, but the only thing you have to decide now is whether to stay or go.”
    She patted her grandmother’s hand and Patricia roused, giving her a sleepy smile. Paola forced a smile to her own face, not wanting to worry her grandmother. “I need to go think about some things. I’ll be back later.”
    She moved toward the door, expecting Rey to follow, but he remained at her grandmother’s side, holding her hand, the sight of him so large and powerful incongruous against her grandmother’s now diminished presence.
    As Rey had predicted, Emilio was right outside the door, his features filled with what looked like anticipation. “No need to worry. Patricia just tripped over a root and is quite fine. She’s resting now.”
    Emilio’s eyes narrowed and he examined her, but he didn’t question her, instead he rushed off along with the trio of men surrounding him.
    Needing solitude, Paola hurried back to her room, but the sight of the bed brought back too many memories as did the scattered photos of her father, mother, grandmother and even herself as a child. She wouldn’t venture back toward the rain forest alone and so she marched in the opposite