A Protector's Second Chance (Unit Matched #2) Read online

  A Protector’s Second Chance (Unit Matched #2)

  Copyright 2015 by Mary Smith

  This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this book to anyone else.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it, and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All rights reserved. Except for the use of short passages for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced, in part or in whole, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording, or any information retrieval system, without prior permission in the form of writing by the authors.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products, or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner.

  Cover Designed by: Bailey Ardisone

  Model: Kendra Malcom

  Photographer: K Keeton Designs

  Dedication

  To everyone who is looking for their Matched

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Day 1 of 90

  Chapter 2: Day 2 of 90

  Chapter 3: Day 3 of 90

  Chapter 4: Day 5 of 90

  Chapter 5: Day 7 of 90

  Chapter 6: Day 10 of 90

  Chapter 7: Day 12 of 90

  Chapter 8: Day 13 of 90

  Chapter 9: Day 14 of 90

  Chapter 10: Day 16 of 90

  Chapter 11: Day 20 of 90

  Chapter 12: Day 23 of 90

  Chapter 13: Day 27 of 90

  Chapter 14: Day 32 of 90

  Chapter 15: Day 34 of 90

  Chapter 16: Day 36 of 90

  Chapter 17: Day 40 of 90

  Chapter 18: Day 41 of 90

  Chapter 19: Day 42 of 90

  Chapter 20: Day 45 of 90

  Chapter 21: Day 47 of 90

  Chapter 22: Day 48 of 90

  Chapter 23: Day 52 of 90

  Chapter 24: Day 56 of 90

  Chapter 25: Day 58 of 90

  Chapter 26: Day 59 of 90

  Chapter 27: Day 60 of 90

  Chapter 28: Day 70 of 90

  Chapter 29: Day 75 of 90

  Chapter 30: Day 80 of 90

  Chapter 31: Day 81 of 90

  Chapter 31: Day 90 of 90

  Bonus Scene: Xaviera

  What is Next?

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Day 1 of 90

  The scenery was passing by, but I felt like time was standing still. I wasn’t banished from Unit, Vermont but it almost seemed that way to me.

  My best friend, and Princess of Unit, punished me to a cabin for three months. Xaviera could have done much worse to me for breaking the Rules. Especially, since I had broken them with her Matched, Thaddeus.

  There were several Rules in Unit, and they were there to protect our secret from the real world. Unit citizen had special powers that helped keep Mother Nature in balance. The Royals controlled the elements. Protectors, like me, kept a safe watch on the Royals and Unit. Controllers helped keep everyone’s emotions in check, without breaking freewill.

  When a citizen was eighteen, they could choose to leave Unit, but if they remained, they had to follow the Rules. A female citizen, at the age of twenty would then become Matched. Matched meant parents had arranged with another Unit parents to have their children… well… Matched. I assumed that in the real world it’s similar to a marriage.

  “Amaya, do you want to stop anywhere before we get there?” Oliver asked.

  I shook my head.

  Oliver.

  How did I even begin to explain my relationship with him?

  Oliver Thomas was my Matched and had been since July. According to the Rules, our decision period was almost up. However, as part of my punishment, Oliver and I had to start our decision period over, again.

  The ride was a few hours, and that was the only question that Oliver asked me. I was thankful because I didn’t want to talk.

  At all.

  Oliver pulled off the interstate and stopped at a super market. He didn’t ask if I wanted to go in. I stayed in the SUV. He wasn’t in there long. He walked out with only a couple of bags. He put them in the back seat since the back was filled with luggage.

  The drive continued, and the woods became thicker. Oliver pulled off the main road onto a gravel one. It was bumpy and long. Soon, a massive cabin appeared in front of my eyes. It was a dark wood, and it looked like I was staring at a picture instead of a real image.

  “Home sweet home.” Oliver parked the Escalade close to the front steps and jumped out.

  I wasn’t thinking the same thing. This was my punishment.

  He opened the car door, and I followed him into the house.

  “I’ll grab the bags in a minute. Let me give you the five-cent tour.”

  If the outside was beautiful, the inside looked like a magazine cover. Everything was perfectly placed and looked brand new.

  “So, this is the living room,” he announced then pointed to the table on the right. “I guess this would be considered the dining room.” Oliver continued down a small hallway; there were numerous pictures on the wall, but I didn’t look at them. “This is the kitchen. Now, there is some food that I just bought, but we’ll need to get more.” He smiled at me, but I didn’t show him any expression. “The laundry room is back there, and now, we can go upstairs.”

  The staircase matched the same wood as the walls, and my heels clicked up each one. It was as if I was heading to jail. Oh wait, I was, because I was not allowed to leave this house for the next ninety days.

  “I’m going to take the smaller bedroom.” He pointed to the first door on the left. “This one,” he headed to his right, “will be yours. This is the master bedroom, and you’ll have your own bathroom.”

  When he opened the door, I held back a gasp. It was huge room. There was a large king size bed, and it was covered with a white down feather comforter. There was a long dresser on the far right side of the room. I noticed the closet door and caught a quick glance of the bathroom.

  “I’ll go get the bags.”

  Oliver left me alone, and I took a deep breath.

  Yep, I was in jail.

  I looked out the far window and saw the changing leaves in the hills. This was going to be my view for the next three months, and I didn’t know what was going to happen to me after that.

  “Here you go,” Oliver announced, coming into the room.

  I didn’t even turn around.

  “I think I got it all in one trip, too.”

  I heard all the bags hit the ground. I looked over my shoulder and saw him standing there. I didn’t know why the hell he was being nice to me. He had been that way every day since our Matching.

  “I figured that you wanted this,” he handed me my large purse.

  I jerked it from his hands and tossed it on the bed.

  “I’ll leave you alone so that you can get settled.”

  The first tear left my eye when I heard the door shut. I was worthless. I had disgraced my family, friends, and Unit. I grabbed my purse from the bed and looked for the one thing that ever gave me comfort.
<
br />   My journals.

  That was when I noticed something behind the door. It was a reading nook. There was a small bay window with an orange window seat, accented with black pillows. There were books lining the shelves on either side. The small bay window looked out over a flower bed. However, all the flowers were dead now.

  It could have been the analogy of my life.

  I pulled my back and white composition notebook from my bag, along with a pen, and curled up in the nook. My legs were too long, and it was hard for me to stretch them out. I wasn’t unconformable with them tucked up under me.

  I clicked my pen and let my feelings out on the paper.

  Day 1:

  I should be thankful that I’m not banished, but part of me wishes that I had been. This is going to be pure torture waiting ninety days for my official sentence. Maybe that’s what Xaviera wanted.

  Well, considering I kissed and made out with Thaddeus before he was Matched with her, it might make her a little jaded toward me.

  But she isn’t normally like that. She’s fair and kind. I don’t think that she is the type to dole out a punishment without a plan.

  There was one thing that I miss. The girls. Xaviera and Gia are my dearest friends, and I miss them the most of all.

  I wiped the tears away, looking out the window of my own personal hell.

  Chapter 2

  Day 2 of 90

  I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I hadn’t slept very well. I wasn’t used to the quiet. In my house, there was yelling and screaming all through the night until my parents finally passed out.

  I slipped into my yoga pants and shirt. I ignored the bruises on my body as I started on my hair. I kept my blonde hair short in a pixie cut. It was easy to manage and totally cute on me. My mother said I looked like a boy with it, but I kept it this way, anyway.

  After I finished and put on a little bit of makeup—so I would feel normal, I went back into the bedroom. A tray of empty plates sat on top of the dresser. Oliver had bought food up to me because I had refused to leave the room. I knew it was childish of me, but there was no requirement that I had to be nice to Oliver.

  Even though he had never done anything wrong to me, I didn’t have to talk to him. Geesh, maybe I was the worst person alive?

  There was a knock on the door, and it slightly opened.

  “Hey,” Oliver’s chipper voice entered the room. “I guess you’re awake.”

  I wanted to smart off to him, but I kept my mouth closed. That was something I rarely did.

  “I’m glad that you ate something,” he pointed over at the tray. “You know you don’t have to stay in the bedroom. You can come downstairs, and you can talk to me.”

  I remained silent and sat in the reading nook. I faced the window with my back to him.

  “Amaya, please talk to me,” he begged.

  I ignored him; I could feel him staring at me, but I didn’t look over my shoulder.

  After a moment, he left. I was surprised that Mother Nature herself hadn’t struck me down because of my actions. I hung my head and reached for my journal.

  Day 2

  Worthless.

  Horrible.

  The worst person on the planet.

  Yep, that’s me.

  Then again, this isn’t news; I’ve heard it all of my life.

  The bruise on my leg is killing me, and I can barely lift my left arm. The bruises on my neck have faded the most, but it still hurts to swallow.

  I miss Xaviera and Gia. I wish so badly I could pick up the phone, beg for forgiveness, and hope they would let me come back to Unit. I can feel myself on edge just thinking about being banished.

  I put the pen down and looked out the window. The bright sun was fading behind the clouds. I could feel the cold through the window. I knew it was going to snow.

  It didn’t matter that the leaves were still autumn colored, or still bright in the sunlight. Snow would be here tomorrow.

  Chapter 3

  Day 3 of 90

  I was right about the snow. By the time I woke up the next day, there was at least six inches on the ground. I sat in the reading nook all day and most of the evening, watching more snow fall. Oliver came in, carrying a tray of food.

  “Look at you, up again,” he said happily.

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  He placed the tray on the dresser and came over to me. He sat on the edge of the window seat, and I moved closer to the window.

  “Are you going to talk to me?”

  I didn’t even look at him. I stared at the large white snowflakes falling outside.

  “Okay, so,” he trailed off, and sighed deeply. “You know, when I was younger, my parents loved bringing me and my brother up here.”

  I pulled my legs closer to my chest, trying to fight the pain of the still tender bruise on my thigh.

  “Oscar and I would run out, and build snowmen all the time, even if it was still snowing.”

  I remained quiet. My sister and I never really played in the snow together. We weren’t close at all. Xaviera and Gia were my sisters. I missed them.

  “So,” Oliver clapped his hands. “Why don’t you and I have a movie night? Ladies choice.”

  I didn’t answer.

  “Could at least say one word to me?”

  I kept my eyes fixed outside.

  “Amaya,” Oliver’s face was low, and he touched my hand.

  I whipped my head at him, jerked my hand away, and narrowed my eyes.

  “Well,” Oliver cleared his throat. “I made some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s actually my mother’s recipe. She told me and Oscar that we needed to learn how to cook because some Unit girls didn’t belong near a stove.”

  I couldn’t help the small smile that appeared. I had always loved Mrs. Thomas’ cooking. She had been paired as my mom’s controller and was always bringing something by for us to eat. My mom couldn’t cook at all.

  “Is that?” he paused, pointing at my face. “That’s a smile.” He sounded proud of himself.

  I wiped the expression away and went back out to staring at the window.

  “Well, I’m going to see if there’s anything new on Netflix. You’re more than welcome to join me.”

  Oliver sat there, waiting for me to answer, but I never uttered a word. He finally gave up and left.

  Chapter 4

  Day 5 of 90

  I woke up in the afternoon to another tray of food sitting on the dresser. This time there was a note.

  Had to go to Unit for meetings. Be back in a couple days.

  Oliver

  He’d left?

  I was alone.

  I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.

  I quickly jumped into the shower then took my tray of food downstairs. I sat down on the couch, turning on the TV. I needed to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip.

  Since I was without a phone and my laptop, and, since I have been ordered not to speak to anyone in Unit, I felt left out.

  I inhaled the food. Oliver definitely cooked like his mom. I watched E! News, flipped through some reality TV, and then settled on a Lifetime movie.

  Of course, it was about a drunken abusive father. Yep, I sure could pick ’em. For some reason, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. It almost felt like it was my life on the plasma screen.

  I finally shut off the TV because I couldn’t take anymore. I swiped the wetness from my cheeks, glad that no one was around to call me ‘weak’.

  I picked up my dishes, took them to the kitchen, and cleaned everything up. As I dried my hands, I inspected the pictures on the fridge. Some were Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, and I noticed how much Oliver looked like his mom. He had her bright green eyes and smile. Oscar, his younger brother, was their father’s exact replica.

  Every picture held a happy smile and a loving family. I wondered what I looked like in a family photo, although we didn’t have too many of those. The picture I stared at the longest was all four of the Thomas’s at a f
ancy dinner. Mr. Thomas was a famous attorney in the city and did a lot of work in Unit. Mrs. Thomas worked at the school library. When we were kids, she’d always had a bright smile on her face when we walked in.

  I stepped away from the pictures and closed my eyes. The first memory that washed over me was one of my worst.

  I was six and starting my training. As Protector to the Royal bloodline, my duties started when I was young. After my session was over, and Mom and Dad were sure no one was coming over, they would start drinking.

  Dad started on me first. He would drag me out of bed in the middle of the night and ‘train’. He would scream how worthless I was, because I could barely punch the large, fake dummy hard enough to move it. Mom would point and laugh at me in her drunken stupor, imitating Dad’s words to me.

  I opened my eyes as the words spun around in my head.

  Chapter 5

  Day 7 of 90

  I was sitting at the kitchen table when the front door opened and Oliver appeared. He had on a thick winter coat and scarf reminiscent of the snowflakes that were all over him. His arms were full of groceries.

  “Hey,” he smiled brightly at me. “I see you left the bedroom, finally.” He sat all the bags down, went back outside, and brought in two more large boxes. Oliver shut the door tightly and shook off his jacket.

  Long ago, Xaviera described Oliver as a male model. She was right. He was tall, built, with shaggy brown hair that was shiny when the light hit it. However, his green eyes were his best feature. They were a deep green but when he was mad, they would change. They would almost shimmer.

  He got mad at me one time, when we all went to New York City. It actually turned me on because the Oliver I thought I knew was quiet and shy. He had never been a big talker in school, at least from what I could tell. Unit girls and boys were separated from each other. The few times he had come to our house, or at family parties, he stood next to Thaddeus, and looked uncomfortable.