Affinity (The Guardians Book 1)

by K Fisher

  The three walked up to the front door, all eyes searching the grounds and the exposed windows at the front of the house. Despite Caden ensuring them the house was empty and security cameras rendered useless, it still felt like something would jump out at them at any second and throw another wrench into their plans.

  Of course, by that point the family that resided there were the least of their problems.

  Hazel’s hand reached out for the same doorknob she’d opened so many times before. Although the front porch had quite a few additional seating arrangements, the door was the exact same as she remembered. It was massive, as though it meant to admit a monster, a lacquered, mixed-color wood. When the knocker was used, a deep rumbling sound would fill the foyer, echoing off the walls.

  Naturally, the home was locked. “Caden, is there a way for you to unlock something? Or should we search for a window to sneak into?” As Hazel spoke, Tucker passed the two of them and replaced Hazel’s hand on the knob.

  There was a crunch as the knob broke in his hands, the wood and screws falling to the ground. With a shove, the heavy door was pushed forward, granting them access to the house within. Without a word, Tucker headed inside, eyes searching every inch of the main rooms as he checked for enemies or anyone who may have still remained inside.

  Caden’s dark eyes met hers from behind cracked glasses, eyebrow raising as they exchanged a moment of understanding before entering. Hazel did not yet know enough about Caden to know if the understanding was in regards to Tucker’s unique methods, or if he was giving her some sort of ‘let’s do this’, but she accepted either. Connections, she was going to make small connections with them to ensure she could really trust them, learn as much as she could about the world she had found herself in, and the players she had chosen to stick herself with.

  Caden walked ahead of her, entering the house. Hazel was not quick to follow, her body not wishing to take a step back into her past, not wanting to reach out to her Guardian again. It was a mental battle that only ended when Caden cleared his throat at the bottom of the old staircase.

  “Hazel, are you coming? We kind of need you to,” he said whilst shrugging, “do your thing here.”

  Hazel entered the home, releasing the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Once she was inside, it wasn’t half as bad as she had imagined in her head. The house had red accent walls alongside the staircase, the furniture was new, and the paintings modern. It was nothing like the frigid and meticulous home she had grown up in and something entirely of the owner’s creation and comfortable style, the unfamiliar sight layering her in a calm that had not been there before and was welcomed.

  She wasted no time, starting ahead towards the staircase and passing Caden as she ascended the wooden stairs. Hazel did not feel her Guardian, did not feel anything as she put one foot in front of the other, feet heavy upon the ground as her own body begged her not to complete the quest. She continued on, not stopping until she reached the door outside what had once been the reading room, her mind returning to the last night she had been in that very position.

  This visit was going to end up quite a bit differently.

  Downstairs, Tucker had appeared to accept there was no immediate danger, heading back to the foyer as he began heading up the staircase to join them. Caden was not close to Hazel, keeping his distance as he leaned against the balcony outside the reading room door. “We know you probably aren’t sure how to access the spirit realm. Here’s the thing, we don’t have the expertise to really show you how. But I’m going to give it my best shot.”

  “I’d really appreciate any insight,” Hazel grumbled, not meeting Caden’s eyes as she stood there, hyper focused on the door before her and the task at hand.

  “The spirit realm sits right atop us. If you relax yourself and meditate on your goal, relax into your power, it should start to be seen by you, or the other way around, I’m not sure.” Caden seemed uncomfortable, hand running through his messy blonde hair as he struggled to finish the sentence. Sure, they had all decided this was a good place to get some information and ask for help from a higher being, but none of them were exactly sure how things worked. No matter how long they had been protecting things and working together, their Affinities were far different than hers, at least from what Faye had told her. From the look on Caden’s face, Hazel was certain the woman had been right.

  With a quick and uncertain nod, Hazel opened the door to the reading room and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. The room was not as it had been many years ago, nor was it as she had last seen it. Instead of bookshelves or a piano, the room was filled with crafting boxes. A sewing machine sat upon a card table in front of the window. There were random yards of fabric draped over the storage boxes, each one far more bright and vibrant than the last. The room was so different Hazel almost believed she had entered the wrong part of the house.

  She pulled out the wooden chair in front of the sewing table, dragging it to where the leather reading chair had been long ago. After moving some of the boxes, she dragged it up alongside the wall and took a seat. Her legs pulled up against her chest as best she could, body leaning towards the wall as she pressed her ear up against it.

  The movements were so familiar to her, a dance of habit she had done so many times before as a young girl living there. Closing her eyes, Hazel focused on the Affinity she had within her; power she did not know how to harness or where her limitations lay.

  Play the music for me Aiden, play it now.

  Aiden slowly walked through his room, eyes flashing to the door as he sensed the two men behind it. They had Affinities, too, that much was certain. Their power caressed the edges of the spirit realm; appealing, but not something he could use to access their world. It was nothing like the power Hazel possessed.

  Hers was pulsing through the entire house, dragging him to her despite his best attempts to stay hidden from her sight, a surprise he had been convinced was false, but when he saw her he knew she was truly there with him. The sight of her clothing covered in cuts and dried blood clawed at his chest, the bags at her eyes even more so. It was clear the moment she sat down with ripped, bloodied clothing on the chair and succumbed to the position he had seen her in many times before that Hazel was in danger.

  But he had known that from the moment Danira decided to pursue her, hadn’t he? Since the moment she was born, really.

  Aiden walked around his piano, fingers trailing along the side of it before he stopped in front of her relaxed body. Why had she come back to him? Where was the family that had taken over the house? It was mid afternoon and Mrs. Castro was normally home, trying to drown away her loneliness with a large bottle of wine in her study. Instead, these three had broken in, injured and unarmed.

  Looking, it seemed, for him.

  Aiden leaned down, one hand extending towards her face before it stopped a mere inch away from her pale skin. “I thought I told you not to come back,” he whispered softly, unable to force more anger behind them. It was not anger that he felt, no, it was a deep sadness in knowing he had failed in keeping her away from their world and away from danger. Somehow, some way, Danira had done some damage to her already.

  Hazel’s light eyes snapped open, focused on Aiden and capturing him in place. They were glowing a silver hue along the edges of her iris, a blanketing white mist surrounding the both of them as the room she sat in disappeared around them. She was there in his room, lost in his jail with him, no longer in Mrs. Castro’s craft room like before.

  Which meant, for the first time, she had fully accessed the spirit realm.

  “Aiden, we need to talk,” she growled.

  His own eyes widened, narrowing the next moment as he leaned forward, placing a hand on either side of her chair; a chair that was slowly turning into a translucent mass against the wall. Aiden was so close to Hazel again, pulled to her despite his best efforts to keep as far away as possible. But that time had come to an end, they were face to face on even playing fi
elds and it was finally clear she was never going to heed his warnings or do as he begged of her.

  “Then talk, little girl,” he responded, his voice a deep growl. Being that close to her was a temptation that took hold of his power, mind, and body. A drug that he wanted to sample over and over, one that he could not help wanting to use.

  “Danira took one of my friends. She’s coming for me and she’s not going to stop. We need your help and your power, and I’m here to drag you back to help us. You owe me that much.”

  Aiden balked, shaking his head as his hands dug into the mass of energy where the chair once was. His reaction clearly did not sit well with Hazel, her eyes narrowing and the silver intensifying until he was painfully aware of how much energy was held behind her power. It trickled down the back of his suit, dancing along his skin. A shiver of pleasure cascaded down his spine and arms as Aiden reluctantly stepped away from the chair and woman before him. He had harmed Nico with power he never again thought he’d possess, what would keep him from hurting her, too?

  “I am not going back with you, Hazel. I owe you nothing…” He wanted to hug her, wanted to ask her if she was okay, wanted to touch her in some way. Instead, he redirected those emotions into anger, focusing on the fear and rage he felt over Danira, fighting to keep from admitting what he needed to do. “I told you not to reach out and-”

  “-I didn’t reach out! I did nothing and this happened. She wants my power and there’s no way she’s going to stop until she has it. So if you truly are my Guardian, you need to protect me. The only way to protect me is to follow me out of this fucking hellhole because I am going right to her front door. Either she kills me or drains me of power, or I have a fighting chance because you’re helping, which is it?”

  Aiden felt his jaw tighten and his body tense as he listened to the weight and truth of her words. The only way he could help her stay safe was to join her on the other side. But there were so many repercussions if she decided to seek more power, so many things no one knew about the spirit realm and the secrets of the dead within. Yes, it was something that he had wanted for so long, but if his power was out of control again, he would be the end to them all.

  The selfish need and selfless intent battled within his mind and heart as he looked down into the determined face of hers. She stood, her hands shaking as they balled into fists against the side of her body. Her face had hardened into something he did not recognize, an ability that she had perfected during her time away from him.

  “Actually, you don’t have a choice Aiden, you’re coming with me right now,” Hazel hissed, taking a step towards him as her arm lashed out to grab hold of him.

  Aiden narrowly dodged the grab, jumping backwards as he tried to escape her touch, his own Affinity now so apparent as it surged through his body. Just being around her and the emotions he felt urged them to the surface when they had been dormant for so long. “Don’t touch me, Hazel. I don’t want to hurt you and this power I have is deadly. Do you understand?”

  She didn’t even pause, racing forward until his back was against his prison wall and there was nowhere to run. Without a breath, Hazel grabbed onto his suit jacket with both hands and leaned in close to his face, her eyes wild with a fire that ignited every warning within him.

  And every one of his desires.

  “I said, we are going now.”

  It was all Hazel needed to say, the room around them shifting and grinding like a divine power puppeteered it into another scene. Suddenly, both their bodies hit open air, falling into a tunnel of darkness.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “You will remove these restraints, and leave this cell with the door open.”

  “Just because you saw Star Wars doesn’t mean it’s going to happen here. Your powers don’t work on me very well, remember?” Nico hissed from across the room, piercing light chestnut eyes on the small woman tied up in the cell. Previously, she had been gagged as well to ensure her influence didn’t gain some traction, but he had given her some water and her break had left him annoyed and conflicted.

  Besides, he had to dress her wounds and ensure she hadn’t been harmed too badly by his attack on the van. She had been in a sorry state when they arrived at the makeshift prison Danira had concocted, and for a brief moment he had been terrified that she needed further care. Thankfully, when her huge, beautiful light green eyes opened and shot him with a look of utmost hatred, he knew she’d be just fine with some rest and food.

  “So she lets you watch movies? That’s fantastic. Real five-star service around here for eternal servitude,” Faye gushed, the false excitement dripping from her lips as she wiggled down towards the floor of her cell and reached her lips for the water bottle’s attached straw. When she obtained it, she finished the water in one gulp, letting the empty bottle fall to the dirty floor and roll towards the cell door.

  “If you keep talking, I will gag you again,” Nico promised her.

  “I’m done with my water, you’re going to do it, anyway,” Faye retorted with a growl, her large eyes narrowing.

  With her bright eyes and small face, the look was absolutely heart-wrenching, like the stupid cat from Shrek as she tried to look fierce, or begged for something she wanted. Her reaction to him had nothing to do with the promise and everything to do with the interactions that had transpired between the two of them that led to that very moment. Although Danira had not chosen Faye as the one to be taken, Nico could not help himself when the opportunity arose. Naturally, it was the best of the decisions aside from taking Hazel herself, Faye would be a great Affinity for Maven, even if the reason behind taking her was completely different.

  Danira had been so specific about Hazel coming to her freely to get Faye back. It had made more sense to attack, take his prize, and get out of there before Tucker engaged him in a fight or Hazel learned more about her unique abilities and took him down. Caden on the other hand, he was far from threatening in comparison to Nico’s abilities.

  He had butted heads with Faye more in his life than any other Affinity-ridden being aside from Danira. For the years he had pledged himself to Danira he always ran into the small woman just when he was ready to finish a task. Whether it was traveling to locations to entice and hunt for another Affinity, or maintaining the spells and enchantments Danira worked so hard at, enchantments that always took a small part of his power and resolve to work.

  He was royally fucked for the rest of his days, and feeling bad about one of his main distractions and deterrents was not how he was going to spend his time if he wanted to avoid punishment.

  Still, he had spent countless nights thinking of Faye’s innate beauty and courage, her resilience and the power she wielded so well. He had been victim to her compulsions so often over time that thankfully he had found a way to battle it. It wasn’t a surefire way to keep her out of his head, but it made him the number one person Danira allowed to watch her new prisoner. She was a weakness to Nico for some reason, and bringing her there was just another way to destroy her mental grasp on him.

  “You look deep in thought. Why don’t you let me out? I thought what we had was special.” Her voice trailed across the room, there was a red light bouncing off the concrete wall behind her back where her hands were tied, a clear indicator she was flexing her power. It was like a cool caress against his skin, a gentle reminder that it felt so good to just give into her.

  This wasn’t like Danira, it wasn’t a cursed situation, he could just give in to Faye and everything would be okay. What they did have was special and she may be able to free him from Danira’s grasp.

  “Get OUT of my head,” Nico yelled out, crossing the distance to the makeshift cell they had fashioned in this world of Danira’s making. He did not stop, unlocking the cell door and entering. There was enough space for her to roam once she was taken out of the binds, but Nico did not quite trust that yet.

  “Thought my powers didn’t work on you, Freako Nico?”

  Faye did not shrink away, her big ey
es staring him down as he walked right up to her. Nico grabbed the front of her shirt, heaving her to her feet with one strong yank. Even standing, she barely came to the middle of his torso, a small beauty with far too much attitude for his liking.

  At least that’s what he told himself.

  Being that close to Faye, Nico was painfully aware of every movement of her body and every flicker of emotion that crossed her face. Faye may be the manipulator of conscious, but it was very clear she was struggling with a multitude of things while she was that close to his body. Fear, surely over what would happen to her now that she was in Danira’s possession for the first time, which seemed to have been almost too easy for Nico. Anger, surely with his mere presence and the fact that his hands were anywhere near her. Finally, Nico could sense an interest in her eyes as she observed him, one that almost fought out the other two sensations. It was an interest he could not place, but whatever the case, he enjoyed the searching eyes as she fought for an answer to a question she would not ask.

  Pulling the small woman flush to his body, Nico almost had to suppress a moan with the contact, her frame fitting perfectly alongside him. Faye hissed out an angry breath, light green eyes narrowing as they remained unmoving on his own.

  “Do not push me, Faye. I don’t want to hurt you but if my Maven tells me to, I cannot resist her call. Just behave,” Nico’s voice came out in a miserable and cold rumble.

  She just stared up at him, angry and silent, all traces of fondness from before long gone. “Ah, you know my name. Your Maven? That’s really pathetic, Nico. She makes you sign a contract, but you really do worship her, don’t you? Is that why you brought Annie to her? Is that why you killed our friend?”

  Annie, the other Affinity they had run with for quite some time was now long gone from their world. Her body nothing but an empty shell by the time Danira was done with her. There had been no hope for the young woman, none whatsoever. Some had more fight or decided to be used while they were alive, others succumbed and gave her all their power until there was nothing left.