Keepers: A Timeless Novella

By Laura Kreitzer

After the battle in Italy, Joseph tries to live a normal life, but that’s just not in the cards for him. He’s engaged to the Illuminator’s sister Jenna, has a Fallen Angel bodyguard, and plans on adopting the cutest five year old anyone’s ever seen. If that isn’t enough to keep anyone busy, now Joseph’s home is under attack by reporters and protestors. After a frightening incident that leaves his house in ashes, he decides he’s had enough. Joseph’s ready to begin his life, but he can’t until the threat of the Empyrean Guard is neutralized. It’s war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Kreitzer
• Release date: Apr 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9781937790042

Laura Kreitzer

Laura Kreitzer is a best-selling fantasy and science fiction author who hails from western Kentucky. Represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, partner at Foreword Literary. Laura's full-time 9-5 job used to be working in a lab devoted to water dye-tracing investigations at Western Kentucky University, though her passion was always writing. After seven years of dedicating her life to the environment, she made the tough decision to leave the university to pursue her writing career. Now Laura has several novels published, with several more in the works.

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Published by Laura Kreitzer at Smashwords 

KEEPERS

A TIMELESS NOVELLA

LAURA KREITZER

Revolution Publishing Inc.

KEEPERS: A TIMELESS NOVELLA

Copyright © 2012 by Laura Kreitzer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN E-Book: 9781937790042

BOOKS BY LAURA KREITZER

Timeless Series

Shadow of the Sun

Soul Stalker

Abyss

Keepers: A Timeless Novella

Fallen Legion

(2012)

Halo of the Sun

(2013)

Summer Chronicles

Phantom Universe

Forsaken Harbor

Burning Falls

(2012)

Silent Forest

(2013)

KEEPERS: A TIMELESS NOVELLA

For Jenna Jepson.

If all women were as brave and selfless as you,

the world would be a more beautiful place.

Never forget that.

Wickedness sucks in the greater part of its own

venom, and poisons itself therewith.

—Michel de Montaigne

CHAPTER 1: KICK THE BUCKET

Time is a precious gift. I recently figured that out—more like it’d been forcibly thrown in my face like a mud pie. Today was another example to drive the point home, just in case I didn’t get it the first time. I stood at the foot of my best friend Gabriella’s gravesite, a myriad of emotions bombarding me. For whatever reason, I had an overwhelming urge to laugh, which was either ludicrous or, for some people, made perfect sense. Using my best judgment, I held it in.

An entire lifetime buried under a ton of dirt and topped with an engraved rock, Gabriella comically remarked as her hand glided over her tombstone. Now I know I can be a pain, but this is a bit over the top, isn’t it? She turned to me and grinned.

I don’t think joking is appropriate, I said, eyeing Gabriella’s sister Jenna for any negative reactions. Though who really knew what was appropriate for this kind of situation?

Oh, Joseph. If anyone has a right to joke, it’s me, Gabriella said in a sing-song voice. I was the one who kicked the bucket, after all.

Kicked the bucket? asked Andrew in his Italian accent. His expression was confused, while mine remained amused.

It means I died, Gabriella explained, as if this was normal. Hah.

Oh, no. This conversation wasn’t at all macabre. Not in the least.

Jenna laughed, a mixture of emotions that could only be described as hysteria. Andrew’s stare traveled back and forth between the two, looking as if he wanted to join in with Jenna. None of us wanted to relive the memories of Gabriella’s funeral.

Sorry, Gabriella said. Either I go through this with a sense of humor or you’re going to see me cry.

Andrew reached for her hand—he did that a lot. By their facial expressions, I knew they were having one of their mind-to-mind communications. I didn’t know if I should have been upset or grateful for their silent conversation.

Then humor it is, Jenna exclaimed. When Gabby cries, there’s snot and eye boogers, and no one wants to see that. Trust me. Got to give it to Jenna; she could make a joke out of anything.

At that, we smiled. Gabriella, however, visibly winced at the nickname Gabby, which only made me want to use it more often.

The gravediggers were in the process of removing Gabby’s (hah-hah) empty coffin and tombstone. People had complained that their loved ones’ gravesites were being destroyed by the hundreds of thousands of tourists that morbidly wanted to take their picture with Gabby’s grave. Now that she’d exposed herself as an angel, along with Andrew and the other angels, anything and everything that had to do with them had become a commodity. The cemetery Gabriella was supposedly buried in had to go on lockdown. To appease the owners and stop the outcry of the survivors of those buried there, Gabriella agreed to let them remove the empty casket and tombstone.

I wrapped my arm around Jenna and pulled her close. I bent down and whispered in her ear, You realize this is where we first met? As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how messed up it was for me to bring this up. Too late now.

She glanced up with her big, green eyes and smiled woefully. How could I forget? A second passed, and the dejection left her face as her grin widened. Especially that kiss. She snuggled into me.

Ah, yes. The kiss. How could I forget that? I returned the smile, remembering when I stopped by Jenna’s to check on her after Gabby’s funeral. A bottle of wine and many tears later ended in a kiss I couldn’t shake from my memory—one I didn’t want to forget. When I found out Gabriella had written letters to Jenna explaining everything but was afraid to send them because Jenna thought she was dead, I took it upon myself to mail them. So maybe it had been selfish of me to send them to Jenna without Gabriella’s permission, but I wanted so desperately to rid Jenna of her tears. And, okay, I’d hoped Jenna would hop on the first flight to D.C., which she did.

To this day, I did not regret it.

Do we need to stay for this? Gabby asked. She turned to the owner of the cemetery. He stared wide-eyed at the two angels. He’d been so quiet this entire time I’d forgotten he was even there.

Sir? Andrew stepped forward, as if he wanted to poke him out of his stupefied state. The owner remained silent, still gawking.

Andrew and Gabriella exchanged an amused look, and then their wings simultaneously burst from their backs and spread wide. They were pearly white and sparkled in the sun. That snapped the owner out of his daze, and he stumbled back.

Yeah. Yes, yes, of course you can leave, the owner stuttered out. His eyes never left the brilliant glow of the angels’ wings.

I hid my laughter.

As we left the cemetery, Gabby bumped my shoulder and thanked me. It wasn’t like I’d actually done anything helpful, but I was glad to be there for her. I knew coming back to Oregon would be hard for her. We made our way between graves and to her car. She drove a cherry red Subaru, and the inside was just as immaculate as her house. Jenna and Gabby didn’t