Sage couldn’t tell whether he was being serious or sarcastic. She had no time to find out as he brushed past her and opened the door. Running after him, she cried, “Wait! Where are you going?”
Still walking, Mason glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t shift if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m just going to pretend this never happened.”
“I don’t think that’s a great idea.” Sage hurried beside him, trying to keep up. She couldn’t let him leave.
A chuckle burst from Mason and echoed through the empty corridor. “Why are you so worked up? Relax a little.”
Ugh. Sage frowned so hard she felt wrinkles set between her brows. “Uh, maybe because I just risked my place in the society to save you.”
With a raised brow, Mason glanced at her sideways. Shaking his head, he said, “Don’t worry your secret is so safe with me, I won’t even let on that I’ve ever seen you.”
That wasn’t the point to Sage. He knew about Guardians and the Veil, but it was clear he didn’t know everything. There was no way he could pretend his life was normal. He’d become a Guardian not a gardener. There was nothing flippant about the position he now held.
Sage followed him down the stairs. When they reached the ground floor and she was certain no one else was around, she said, “You know, if you leave it too long, your Guardian will become impatient. They might move forward while you’re sleeping and take over and wander around without control.”
Mason snorted. “That sounds like a myth.”
“It’s not a myth.” Sage frowned. “Listen, I understand that your dad is what we are but that doesn’t mean you can just waltz off without a care. There are rules you know?”
“Like what?” Without waiting for her answer, he added, “How to shift? What I’m protecting humans from exactly? Or just the basics like how to grow wings? Cause I don’t think those things would suit my complexion.”
Exasperated, Sage rolled her eyes. “You were better when you were half-asleep, you know that? And, don’t worry, you won’t be getting wings.”
“Whatever,” Mason shrugged, stopping near the double glass door entrance of the girl’s dorm. “I guess I’m not a bird. Doesn’t matter anyway, I’m not shifting. I’m not going to be a Guardian.”
Sage stared at Mason’s tiger as it stood beside him, encasing them both in a red aura. During the dormant stage, it may be easy for him to pretend to be human. Apart from the obvious heightened strength and senses, Mason was a measly human. But the longer he left the tiger waiting, the more impatient it would become. There was too much for her to teach him, it suddenly felt all too real and big.
“That thing before, about your Guardian taking over wasn’t a myth, you know. Is your dad really a Guardian?”
Mason straightened. “Of course. Which is why I don’t need your help. If it makes you happy, I’ll go see him in July and he’ll take me through it.”
“That’s five months away. I don’t think you realize how important it is to get proper training, Mason.”
Judgmental brows raised again as Mason glanced up and down her body. “And that proper training will come from a rookie who turns people without their permission? I’ll take my chances on my own, thanks.”
A heaviness fell over Sage. She had become responsible for a whole other person. What he did next, was a direct reflection on her. And he had no frickin’ idea what the hell he was doing. This was going to be more trouble than it was worth.
“Maybe I should have just let you die then?” As soon as she spat the words, she regretted it.
Mason pushed his lips into a pout and nodded. “It’s been… real,” he said, facing to the door.
Sage’s heart pulsed through her veins. At the end of her tether, she channeled her inner five-year-old and stomped her foot onto the linoleum. She half-shifted, eyes blazing purple and her wings spreading from her back. “Stop right there.”
Mason paused. He took a quick breath, then turned with a wide smirk planted on face. “Tell me, rookie. What could you possibly teach me?”
“Well.” Sage wriggled her shoulders as she returned to human form. “Firstly, there are the three main rules. Did Daddy Dearest tell you about them?”
Mason licked his lips and replied with a bored tone, “Uhh, as I said before not every Guardian comes from the precious society. So your rules may not be my dad’s rules. Tell me yours and I’ll let you know if mine are the same.”
They were universal rules for all True Guardians. Sage ran them through in her head. Rules she had broken. She rubbed the nape of her neck. Maybe it would be best to let him go and do his own thing. If he ever said that she turned him it would be her word against his. And surely Makoto would believe her.
“So, no rules then? Great!” Mason said, impatiently turning around.
The tug returned. Burning a hole through Sage’s gut. Ugh. No. She couldn’t let him go. His strength unchecked made others vulnerable and she wouldn’t be a part of that. Without training, without a clan, he’d be a rogue.
“What about the Fallen?” she tried.
A step through the doorway, Mason halted. “What about them?”
Encouraged by his hesitation, Sage pressed on, “Obviously one marked you. True Guardians always ask first. You’ve made it clear you know that. What if they attack you and you don’t know how to defend or shift yourself?”
“Ha!” Mason blurted. He peered at his reflection in the double glass entrance doors and poked at his bicep. “I think I’ll be okay. I’ll make it to middle-weight division with these. Ben’s gonna hate it.” He glanced at Sage, letting his leering eyes give her body the once over yet again. Stepping out of the dormitory, he said, “See you around, I guess.”
As the door swung shut, a slight gust of wind washed over her bare arms. Sage caught sight of her own reflection. She gawked at herself, still wearing her pajama pants and almost see-through white tank. Staring through the glass pane, she watched Mason march toward the boys’ dorm.
It was a disaster. Camila was wrong and she was right. It was all her fault. A new Guardian was loose on campus and if he was left to his own devices, rogues often turned Fallen. He needed a clan.
In a last ditched effort, she pushed the door open and yelled, “Don’t you want to know what animal your Guardian is?”
Half-way across the courtyard, Mason halted. His fists clenched at his sides for a beat. But before Sage could get any of her hopes up, he kept on walking.
Chapter Nine
Sage missed most of her classes. She avoided the lunch time rush, too. In fact, she would have considered skipping the whole day if her next class wasn’t with Makoto. Her absence would be too suspicious and the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself. So, with an uncertain heaviness, she dragged herself from the comfort of her dorm room and into the locker hall.
Facing Makoto worried her. Would she unconsciously give him reason to be suspicious of her? Would he see the secret hidden behind her fake smile? If he found out, for sure she’d be kicked out. Then what? Goodbye society. Goodbye Graystone. Goodbye Camila.
Hello Aunt Blaire.
Sage stared blankly into her locker, ignoring the bustle of students around her as they swapped their books for the next class. She hadn’t seen her aunt since Christmas. The thought of returning made her heart sink.
It never used to be that way. After Sage’s parents died when she was seven, the only thing that got her through was knowing she was going to live with her mother’s fun twenty-two year old sister.
Aunt Blaire tried. Sage held onto that. At the beginning, they were comfort to each other in a time of immense pain. But quicker than either would like to admit, the obligation turned into resentment. Blaire wanted to travel, socialize, grow her business as an artist; and Sage’s presence reminded her of all the things she couldn’t have. And soon, Blaire stopped hugging Sage. She stopped telling her she loved her. She stopped saying, “everything’s going to be okay.”
Boarding school was a blessing. She’d found Camila. And even though she couldn’t quite figure out the others, they were her clan. Her family.
Going back to her aunt wasn’t an option.
She just needed to get through till the end of semester. She could graduate and pretend she turned Mason after. She’d have to convince him to train in secret, all while making sure all her classes were up to date so it wasn’t suspicious. It was possible, she guessed, not truly convincing herself.
Sighing, she clutched her fake workbook and practiced her fake smile into the locker compartment.
Everything’s going to be okay, she told herself, grabbing her locker door. As long as Mason doesn’t ruin everything.
As she began to swing the door shut, a looming shadow caught the corner of her eye. Behind her locker door stood a boy almost six foot tall. His arms were crossed against his muscular chest, brown hair falling over emerald eyes. A tiny smirk lurked at the edges of his mouth.
“Hey, Guardian!” Mason boomed
A shocked peep flew out Sage’s mouth as she jumped back in surprise. “Mason! We can’t say that in public,” she scolded, glancing up and down the corridor. Not a single student was around.
He leaned in and whispered, “I think we’re safe.”
“You can never be too careful.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Sage cringed. What was she? Seventeen or seventy?
As if reading her thoughts, Mason quipped, “All right, Grandma.”
“What do you want?” she said, securing her locker.
“Well…” Mason winced and scratched his head. “I was kind of wondering what my…”—he paused to give a nervous chuckle—“What my Guardian is.”
“I thought you didn’t care about what you were. I thought you weren’t going to be shifting.” Sage tried to hold in the smug grin that pressed at her lips. But it was no use. She’d gotten through to him.
Mason’s expression changed. As if he wasn’t close enough, he took a step toward her. Imploring her eyes, he asked, “Was I really dead?”
“Yes.” Her voice was so low she wasn’t sure she even made a noise. She cleared her throat and repeated, louder, “Yes.”
Mason nodded and moved back, leaning against Sage’s locker. “Brothers, hey?”
The mood was too somber for his casual comment to land. An anger Sage had never felt before bubbled to the surface. “Brothers, what? Kill each other?”
The corridor fell silent. Mason’s downcast eyes scared her. Had she scratched at the wrong itch?
Looking up slowly, Mason’s gaze landed on Sage. “Are you going to tell me what my Guardian is or not?”
Two thoughts ran hand-in-hand through Sage’s mind. The first one was that Mason was way too much for her to handle. And the second was that she had to help him. No, that she was the only one that could help him.
“Here’s the deal,” she said, rolling her shoulders back and straightening her blazer. “I’ll tell you what your animal is, if you agree to let me train you.”
Mason stared at her for a while, eye’s turning into slits. A tiny smile made it way to his mouth. Nodding, he said, “You drive a hard bargain.”
Before he could change his mind, Sage blurted. “Done. You’re a tiger. Meet me after school.”
She spun on her heels and marched down the corridor to the stairwell. He followed her.
“Sage, wait!” Mason called.
She stopped half-way up the stairs and stared ahead, waiting for him to come up with some kind of excuse as to why he didn’t want to train.
He passed her and jumped to the step above her. “I wanted to say thank you.”
“What for?” Sage knew exactly what for.
“For saving my life. I didn’t want to be a Guardian but you’re right, it’s better than death.”
Sage continued up the stairs. “Well, I didn’t really do anything no other Guardian would.”
Hurrying, to keep up with her, Mason said, “Exactly. To begin with I thought you jipped me. But now I see it’s you who’s got the raw end of the deal. I’m your burden to bear. I’m sorry.”
Sage shrugged. The apology played at odds with her memory. She had to help him, and she’d do it all over again. “Don’t be.”
“I wish I could give you something in return.”
“Like what?” she asked dubiously.
He thought for a moment, the two of them strolling down the school corridor like long-time friends. “How about some boxing lessons?”
Down the corridor, Sage watched the Shadow Society door get closer. She stopped walking and scrunched her nose. “I don’t think so.”
“I just think it’s hardly fair that I get to be a muscular powerful tiger and you’re a teeny little owl. What are you gonna do in a fight? Fly away?”
Sage tore her eyes from the door. She desperately wished she wasn’t a teeny little owl and hated that he, along with everyone else, thought of her that way. She lifted her chin indignantly. “I can scratch. And, I’m very good at distraction.” She watched his expression hoping he’d buy it. Because she knew she sure didn’t.
“Uhh, no. You don’t convince me. Come on.” He smacked his palms together in plea. “You show me how to be an awesome Guardian and I’ll show you—”
A nearby classroom door swung open and a student sauntered out. They took a second to study Mason and Sage before heading down the corridor in the opposite direction. The sounds of the teacher giving a lesson on history, drifted through the adjacent door.
Sage’s throat went dry. She snapped, “You’ll show me nothing.”
“Why?” Mason looked hurt.
Clutching his wrist, she dragged him down the corridor. Whispering, she hissed, “I’ve just spent the last five minutes talking about something that shouldn’t be spoken about in public. One minute you don’t want a bar of this and the next you’re being too cavalier about it all.”
Mason wriggled his arm from her grasp. “I get it. I was shocked at first, all right? I’m suddenly something I never wanted to be. Excuse me for trying to make the most of it. Besides, no one was around, just chill a bit, yeah?”
Reality begun to sink in. She was well in over her head. It was too much. Sage felt her heartbeat pulsing in her eardrums. She needed to reel this in before he blew everything.
“It doesn’t matter. No one can know about this. You hear me? No one. I think it’s best for both of us if you don’t talk to me.”
Mason looked like he was about to start laughing right then and there in the middle of the school. “What, are you going to teach me to shift by mime only?”
His being logical only served to infuriate Sage more. Her whole world felt like it was caving in around her and here this boy was making jokes. She glanced at the opened-door classroom, fingertips finding her temples. “I’ll teach you the basics, one lesson on how to shift so your Guardian doesn’t take over. But after that, no more activities, I can’t draw eyes and spend more time with you.”
“Aww. Come on, Bright Eyes,” Mason urged. “We’ll do boxing on Tuesdays at four. It’s just an hour a week. Let me teach you to defend yourself.”
The nickname gave her pause. Her mother used to call her that, before… Sage snapped. “Don’t call me that. And I know how to defend myself.”
“With more than just claws?” Mason asked, eyebrows raised.
“Talons.”
“Whatever.” He stood in front of her, grabbing her biceps and shaking her just a little. “Let me do this for you.”
“Why does it matter so much? Just talking to you now is a massive risk for me. If anyone finds out you’re a…” she glanced over her shoulder and back. “Guardian, my life here is ruined. I’m teaching you how to shift, then, we’re done. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. Deal?”
“Okay.” He stepped back, shoving his hands into his blazer pockets. “Message heard loud and clear. I won’t even look at you.” To that he snapped his eyes away from her and stormed down the corridor.
Sage watched him go, a pang tightening in her chest. If only that stupid instinctual tug would stop haunting her every time he wasn’t near.
Chapter Ten
Silence fell through The Shadow Society lecture room as Sage opened the door. All eyes were on her as she sheepishly walked inside. She was ten minutes late thanks to Mason and his ridiculous idea to give her boxing lessons.
“Nice to have you with us,” Makoto said. “Everything all right?”
The excuse of not feeling well was out, Guardians didn’t get sick. She panicked as he stared at her, waiting. “People,” she blurted. “I… uhh… signed up for boxing.”
Sage moaned internally. Did she literally just say that? They weren’t the words she wanted.
“Boxing team?” Makoto glanced to Arielle. “Is this part of the assignment?”
“Uh.” Arielle’s light brown eyes went as wide as saucers. Despite Sage’s wild nodding—a silent plea for Arielle to say yes and come up with some wonderful excuse that it was—she said, “No.”
A nervous laugh fluttered from Sage’s voice box. “No… it’s not…”—she tugged on her mother’s choker—“It was my own idea. I thought it might be handy. You know, if I ever bump into a Fallen, to have fighting skills. Owls can’t exactly rip someone’s throat out.”
Oh my God. Stop talking. Sage scolded herself.
Makoto thought for a short moment, before saying, “Martial arts is part of our curriculum later in the semester, you know that right?”
Yes, she knew that. But nothing that made any sense was coming out of her mouth anyway so she went with a brain malfunction. “Uh…”
“But, why not?” Makoto shrugged, moving to his desk and finding a pen. As he scribbled on a piece of paper, he said, “I like your initiative. But make sure you don’t miss any more classes because of it.”
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