Chapter 69. Guardians

**69. Guardians**

***Rafael's POV:***

"You are not exhausted. right, little dove?" I asked Astrid, who was sitting on my lap in my office with her back to my front, and she was leaning her head on my shoulder.
"Stop fretting; nothing happened to me," Astrid sneered.
It's been almost two months since I found out about the coming of my peanut, and every day is an experience as I learn more about infants. I'd work half the day, while the other half was spent studying everything I could about babies.
If pregnancy is going to last four months, shouldn't we try to enjoy it as much as possible because we won't have much time? These two months have flown by, and I believe we will be holding our essence in our arms in only two months.
I started to rub Astrid's belly, which was noticeably showing. Despite her delusions about not gaining much weight, I loved her even more this way. Her curves had become more pronounced, making her appear more stunning than ever.
"What happens once we finish this?" I asked, snatching the pencil from her hand as she sketched some designs.
"I still have a lot of work to do, and then we're heading straight home. I'm not going shopping today." When a knock arrived on the door, she shook her head and returned to work.
I seated Astrid in the chair and went to check if Imara had arrived with a tray.
Yes, she accepted our approach, but not immediately. She took her time, and I, too, invited her to come to see for herself first and then join us if she felt comfortable. And now she's at our office, taking the place of that useless receptionist I fired. At the very least, we have paid her well without her awareness, and Astrid has recommended that we pay for her child's schooling. At the very least, it is making us feel less guilty.
"Thank you for bringing this here, Imara." I gave her a kind grin and grabbed the dish from her grasp.
It was a surprise for Astrid, which had all the cuisine she loves.
"You are welcome, sir." She smiled back and turned to go.
"That's it for today. You should have your lunch for now," I said, placing the tray beside the sofa on the coffee table.
"Hmm..." She hummed as she proceeded to make her drawings.
I groaned and approached, taking the canvas from her grasp. "I'm almost finished," she growled, ignoring my advice to take breaks. I advised her not to push herself and to take pauses in between, but she persuaded me each time.
"No, you forgot we had to see Charles for your checkup today," I remarked, handing her a glass of citrus punch.
"Oh, I completely forgot about that, and I also have a few things to catch up on with Eva." She lifted her head.
Yes, I did send Eva with Charles when he came to his parents' house. I would have sent her anyhow. We didn't need Charles' parents' consent, but I wanted my sister's home to be a safe heaven for her.
Charles' parents were already extremely good friends of mine, and they were well aware of my father's personality. For a time, they were afraid that I would be like my father, but I later learned that he had also alluded to the other two covens as' Varlets,' and had even terminated their business ties, leaving the coven to starve.
I had distanced myself from the information, and fortunately, they were there to lend their support. They were thrilled to have Eva, since she would only promise them royal backing. The couple even mentioned how much they wished for a daughter and how Eva would be considered one, so I had to do it with a heavy heart. No matter how much I despised sending Eva away from me, I had to do it for her happiness.
"Where are you lost?" Astrid snapped her fingers in front of me, jolting me out of trance.
"Huh?" I blinked my eyes "Oh yes, I was missing Eva as well." I expressed
"Even though it's just been two days since we last saw her, I miss her." Astrid concurred with me.
Yes, she spends the weekends with us, and we pay them visits during the week for Astrid's checks.
It's a huge comfort to see Charles and Eva happy. Eva, like Charles, now wants to be a doctor, and he is willing to train her.
Every time we visit the hospital, which is quite a distance from my office, Eva is also there. doing or learning something or other.
I took Astrid's hand in mine and began walking away. However, as soon as I settled into the car, an unusual wave of pain surged through my head.
"Is it happening again?" Astrid panicked next to me.
Knowing what had transpired, I nodded. I had to teleport us somewhere secure, so I did.
Something unexpected happened to me around a month ago, but it was nothing new to Azael.
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**One month ago,**
One month ago, it was becoming uncomfortable, although not as horrible as it had been when Azael took his shape for the first time.
Astrid attempted to console me, but her efforts were in vain. It just became worse with time, and my eyesight became fuzzy, and the environment around us transformed from a bright, beautiful day to gloomy clouds. I initially assumed it was due to Astrid and her power, but that couldn't be the case because Astrid was in a good mood. Soon, we sensed a pair of black wings fluttering in the sky. When we glanced up, we saw demons falling from the abyss.
We were stunned and instantly switched to Astrid's Lycan form, believing they were a threat, but Azael emphasized that they were not and that they were coming to help him.
I had to give Azael possession of my body, and those two demons were holding something. I was shocked because they could enter the forbidden region, which I later asked Cindy about and discovered that demons are permitted to enter the territory and that it was made specifically for that reason.
So I found out that those two demons were my guardians, sent to protect me. They were made for a single purpose. I was shocked to see that there were more demons. Of course, they had to be; otherwise, how could I be their king? So everything made sense. They were coming to finish the ritual that would connect me to the other demons without me physically being present. They carried out their procedure mercifully without using Astrid's blood. I didn't want her to display her blood, because I would grow thirsty for her blood once again.
All this time, we were having our blood session, but it would finish before Astrid felt any discomfort.
They finished the ritual and left.
And ever since that day, every time I sleep, I feel as if I've been transferred to another universe full of demons, yet it all appears like a dream.
These two demons are constantly with me in an unseen form, and they will only appear if they need to express something essential to Azael or if I am wishing them to see me.
I asked about my dreams involving Agares and Moloch (their names). They said that even if the other demons were living in their domain, they couldn't get out unless I unleashed hell on Earth.
It's not such a huge problem that they're sticking in their domain, which isn't always a bad thing. Brandon and Nick (yes, they have changed names after noticing the humans around us) asked me to go on with my life, and they were not in any danger, but after that day, I realized that the inevitable was not far away, and I worried for that day.
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**present...**
After that day, Brandon and Nick assured me that they would only appear if it was absolutely essential to speak with Azael, causing me to feel a sense of anxiety whenever they tried to contact him.
So we proceeded to a remote location, and as expected, Brandon and Nick appeared in demon form and bowed in front of me and Astrid.
"What's the matter?" I asked, and Azael was also attentive in front of me.
They exhaled deeply and reverted to their human form. Yes, demons can transform, but they prefer to remain in their original form.
"We see a threat approaching you," Brandon said.
"Not just a threat, but a huge danger, and we don't even know where we are or how much time we have," Nick sighed.
I exhaled a sigh. When things continue to go smoothly in our lives, something awful is certain to happen. With everything going on, we can't even breathe a sigh of relief.
"So, what are your plans?" My hand raced through my hair.
"No plan," Brandon said, "but it's our obligation to defend you in every way; therefore, we'd like your consent to stay alongside you and shield you from any danger."
"Aren't you staying with me, like all the time?" I pointed out  My shoulders shrugged.
"Yes, but only when we are away from the vampire realm. We can't enter past that," he kindly stated.
"Oh, you'll be able to enter if I take you all with me." I said, and they nodded.
"OK, then you'll accompany me later, but for now we have to go to Astrid's checkups," I said.
"But, Rafael, we can have the checkups later.  I think we should concentrate more on the troubles at hand," Astrid suggested.
"Little Dove, we don't know how long this problem will last. How can we promise that we will return tomorrow? We don't know for certain that if we return to our realm, we will be safe." I have my doubts, and to be honest, I don't want to dwell in the shadows of darkness. I can't keep ignoring my life for trivial matters. Though I know it isn't one, if we return now, we won't be able to return to our regular lives until the situation improves.
If Brandon and Nick are warning me about it, things are going to get a lot worse. I don't want to miss any time with my mate or my child.
I'm not sure. I believe we have little time left, and no matter how emotional it gets me, I must accept that the worst will come. I don't want to miss any of our crucial moments, and if death is written in my fate, I have to be prepared to face it, and I want to die knowing that I have lived my life to the fullest and reminisced about times like these in my last moments. My chest started contracting, thinking about all this.
"Ahh..." Astrid grimaced and clutched her chest.
I froze and turned to face her. "What happened to you, little dove?" I asked.
She fixed her gaze on me. Shit! How could I have forgotten that we can feel each other's emotions? Maybe she felt the same pain and twists I did.
"Could you please tell me what's bothering you, Rafael?" Astrid asked.
I sent Brandon and Nick away. I didn't want to worry Astrid, so I said it by clicking my tongue. "You know how extra I can be right ignore it was just me being skeptical" I waved it off.
I don't want to scare you, Astrid, and perhaps I'm overthinking things, but I have a strange sense that something horrible is waiting for us. I genuinely hope this is not the case.
"Come on, we have to go find out about our baby." I took her hand in mine and began driving towards Charles' Clinic.

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