Guardian Revealed

by S. A. Moss

  I opened my eyes again. Damn it. I’d hoped that my aether manipulation was getting good enough to break the bond, but it clearly wasn’t. I crawled a little further along the wall, heading toward another Guardian. I’d try one more and then I’d bail.

  When I reached the next body, I froze.

  I recognized her.

  It was Asha, the Guardian whose clothes I’d “borrowed” after I arrived in the Haven. I had met her once, and she’d seemed like such a badass. I’d been shocked to learn later that she’d been among the Guardians who were abducted. Her dark skin and jet black hair hid her in the shadows, and even in an aether induced sleep, there was a stubborn set to her jaw. I reached out toward the bind holding her and almost gasped.

  She’s unraveling the weave!

  If I threw all my power behind her effort, maybe I could help her escape. Lying awkwardly beside her, I raised one hand to rest in on her shoulder. I was about to close my eyes to focus on unraveling the bind when a voice caught my attention. It barely rose above the hubbub of the Fallen gathered around the fire, but I’d recognize the sound anywhere.

  “We’re nearly ready.” It was my father.

  I threw myself to my stomach, pressing myself into the ground and trying to become as small as possible. Lifting my head a fraction, I peered above Asha’s prone form with one eye.

  My dad stepped off the curved stairs, walking next to another man who was wearing a cloak. The stranger was about the same height as my dad, but lost a couple of inches because of his hunch. His head hung down a bit, as if the hood of his cloak weighed fifty pounds.

  “Yes. I can feel it.” The man’s voice was cold and deep, like a well with no bottom. I swore it even had an echo. “We would have been ready sooner had you not lost control of several of your binds.”

  My father tensed. He obviously didn’t like being criticized by this guy. “No one escaped, but we need to move fast. I’m maintaining binds around nearly a thousand Guardians. My powers are being used to their fullest capacity. None of the Fallen can bind Guardians, so I don’t know why you choose to question my abilities. I’m all you have, old man.”

  The man growled and raised his head. The dim light gleamed off red eyes, but I couldn’t make out any more of his features. “I am well aware of that, Sirius. And I have already expressed my… gratitude.”

  I had the distinct impression these two didn’t like each other much at all. On paper, their conversation seemed like two cohorts talking, but the tone in each of their voices was so chilly I almost broke out in goosebumps.

  “I will re-check all the binds tonight. Everything will go according to plan, Akaron,” my father said quietly, as the two stepped towards the circle of firelight in the center of the room. It got harder to hear them as they walked away from me, but my ears perked.

  That was Akaron?

  23

  I’d expected a fifty-foot-tall giant, or a dragon, or a winged beast or something. But this guy was shaped like a normal human, down to the pale, wrinkled hands that were just barely visible at the ends his long sleeves. I couldn’t tell what his face looked like, since the hood hid his features; and now he and my dad had their backs to me. He was much less imposing than I’d imagined him.

  But somehow, that made him all the more terrifying.

  They approached the bonfire, and immediately several lesser Fallen stood to make room for them to sit. It didn’t seem to be a gesture of courtesy or respect so much as one of fear. I wondered if some poor Fallen had gotten roasted on a spit or something for not giving up his seat earlier.

  Shaking off that disturbing thought—and more disturbingly, the flicker of sympathy I felt for the lower-level Fallen forced to follow my father and Akaron—I returned my attention to Asha.

  I needed to get out of here, and I needed to bring her with me. If my dad checked all the binds tonight, he’d definitely notice she’d been working on unraveling hers.

  Pressing my hand to her upper chest, I felt for both her energy and the energy of the bind. The weave was definitely loose, and I poked around, searching for a weak spot. When I found one, I pulled at the aether as it if were a thread in a sweater. It gave way slowly at first, and then the whole thing unraveled in a final burst.

  Asha’s eyes shot open, and I hastily moved my hand from her chest to cover her mouth. But she was too well trained to scream, despite the shock to her system. Instead, her eyes darted to me face, widening slightly.

  She reached up to pull my hand down an inch. “New Blood?”

  Her incredulous voice was a feather-light whisper.

  I hadn’t been sure if she would recognize me, but she obviously did since she called me by the nickname she’d given me the first time we met.

  My gaze darted up to my father. He was sitting in front of the fire, his back ramrod straight. His whole body was eerily still, as if his entire consciousness was focused somewhere outside himself.

  Had he felt Asha’s bind break?

  I turned back to the Guardian quickly. “Yeah, it’s me. We need to get out of here right now. Can you fade across?”

  She shook her head in a tiny motion. “No. Too weak.”

  “Okay. I got you.”

  I wrapped my hands around her shoulders, looking up at my father again. His head began to slowly turn in our direction. Just before his gaze landed on us, we faded across—right into the lobby of the Hancock building.

  There were several shops that took up space at the base of the large skyscraper. We’d appeared in a public area between shops, but thankfully, the place was almost deserted. I hauled Asha to her feet and draped her arm over my shoulder, supporting her weight as we ran toward the building’s exit. I shot a glance behind us, expecting to see my dad, or at least one of the Fallen, appear and chase us down.

  Nothing materialized, however, and a second later we were pushing through the large revolving door into the warm glow of the setting sun. We dashed across the street. Asha leaned heavily on me but managed to keep up with my frantic pace.

  As we rounded the corner where I’d left Alex, he stepped forward, wearing a horrified expression. “What the hell happened to you?”

  Asha stooped for a moment, resting her hands on her knees as she gathered her strength. I stared at Alex, confused, before the realization hit me. I probably still had dark, goopy demon blood smeared on my face and torso, not to mention my arm.

  “It’s not mine,” I clarified, raising my hand to swipe at my forehead. Sure enough, it came away with a smear of nearly black blood. “I ran into a demon in the tunnel.”

  “Tunnel?”

  “Yeah, there’s a tunnel that leads to a massive cave where all the Guardians are being kept. Asha was there, but I helped break her bind and we ran for it.” I gestured between the two of them. “Asha, this is Alex.”

  “Didn’t the Council say not to do anything when you found the demon hideout? Just to report it back to them?” Alex seemed torn between being impressed and worried.

  “They’ll be glad she did,” Asha threw in, lifting her head, her hands still resting on her knees. She seemed to be recovering okay, but being locked in a bind for several weeks had obviously drained her. “I have information they’ll want to hear. I need to speak to the Council right away.”

  She straightened slowly, and I nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Asha shot me a sharp look. “Not you, New Blood. I’ll go alone.”

  My eyes bugged. “But—”

  “Someone needs to stay and keep eyes on the Fallen camp. They’re close to being able to open a portal, and when they do, anything and everything from the Shroud will be able to pass right over to Earth. We can’t take our eyes off them for a second.”

  I tried again. “But what if you get caught again—”

  An angry snarl twisted her lips. “I hope they try, the bastards. I’ll give them a run for their money if they do. And if I get caught again, I get caught again. I’m not going to waste my freedom while I have it. The Cou
ncil needs to hear from me.”

  Her expression was so fierce I didn’t dare argue with her any further. Besides, she was right. This wasn’t the time to play it safe.

  I nodded. “Okay, you go. We’ll stay.”

  Asha clapped me lightly on the shoulder, then started moving down the street away from Michigan Avenue. A few yards away from us, she paused and turned back, her dark eyes taking me in. “Nice outfit, by the way.”

  I glanced down at my black boots, pants, and tank top, then over at her nearly identical black outfit, and grinned. “Well, I was inspired by a fashion icon.”

  Her lips split into a wide smile, and she belted a laugh. “That’s right you were!” Then she caught my gaze, her dark eyes turning serious. “Oh, and New Blood?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you.”

  Before I could get over the shock of an ass-kicking Guardian thanking me, she rounded a corner and was gone. My chest swelled with a bit of pride, but it deflated again as soon as I turned back to Alex. The Hancock building loomed tall and imposing behind him, and worry gripped me. Had my dad seen us? Could he sense that Asha was gone? How long would it take for them to find the guard I’d left bound in the tunnel?

  Our time was running out, and as useful as the information we’d gained was, I had a sinking feeling we’d traded the element of surprise to get it.

  24

  Some things come grinding to a halt when a massive chimera attacks.

  And some things don’t.

  The Westin was one of the things that apparently didn’t. Despite the fact that a twenty foot, hairy supernatural had jumped out of a building across the street just a few hours earlier, the lobby of the hotel was peaceful and quiet as Alex and I walked in. The desk clerk’s hands shook a little as she typed in Alex’s information and issued us a room key, but that was the only indication that anything was amiss.

  I couldn’t seem to stand still, so while he checked us in, I paced around the lobby, peering out the windows at the wide base of the Hancock building next door. I had wanted to stand on the street right in front of the building, staring it down. But Alex had argued that we’d only draw out an attack that way, and we really wanted to put it off as long as we could. Preferably until we had lots and lots of backup.

  He’d also made the valid point that although I was an undead supernatural, he was but a mere human, who required things like, off the top of his head, food, shelter, and sleep.

  So we’d compromised by coming here. It was close enough that we could keep a watchful eye on the Fallen tower—as I was now calling the Hancock building—but would keep us off the street while we waited for Asha to return with news from the Council.

  Plus, it had room service.

  “The elevator is to your right. Enjoy your stay, sir. And, er, keep your door locked.”

  The clerk couldn’t seem to stop herself from adding that last part. She let out a nervous laugh afterward, as if trying to convince us she’d been joking. If only she knew that locks wouldn’t keep the worst things out.

  Alex headed towards the bank of elevators, gesturing with his head for me to join him. The elevator was quiet, echoing the silence of the lobby. The whole hotel was starting to feel distinctly creepy to me.

  To break the silence, I blurted the first thing that came to mind.

  “Sorry you have to keep paying for stuff. I don’t think Guardians usually spend this much time on the earthly plane, or Arcadius would have to issue them each an expense account. Maybe when this is all over, I can pick up a side job and pay you back. Something I can telecommute to.”

  Alex pursed his lips, his green eyes watching me intently. “Hey, remember that time you paid my entire hospital bill? I think I’ll owe you for a while.”

  “You don’t owe me anything. That money wasn’t going to do me any good.”

  He shrugged. “Well then, consider this my contribution to the cause.”

  I was about to argue that he’d already contributed plenty to the cause—half of his apartment, his crazy mortal-touch power, his penchant for jumping off buildings—but before I could say anything, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. We stepped out into a deserted hall, and I followed Alex to our room a few doors down.

  He slipped the key card into the lock and the light flashed green with a mechanical whir. When he’d asked for a room facing south, the desk clerk’s eyes had widened slightly before she overcorrected and narrowed them instead. I sent a little prayer up that she wasn’t calling Homeland Security on us right now.

  It was amazing that the hotel was still operating as usual, but as the authorities probed deeper into what exactly had happened today and clean-up crews began to arrive, I was sure that would change.

  I strode over to the window, glancing out. We were only on the seventh floor, so I had to crane my neck to see the top of the Hancock. But if there was an emergency and the elevator shut down, I didn’t want to have to run down twenty or more flights of stairs just to reach the fight. And unlike certain Fallen I’d met, I didn’t relish the idea of jumping out of tall buildings.

  Behind me, I was dimly aware of Alex pulling out his phone and disappearing briefly into the bathroom. He didn’t close the door, and I heard the water running. He must be washing his hands.

  Not wanting to draw any more attention than necessary, I’d recruited his help in cleaning off my face before we headed into the hotel. I’d lifted up the bottom of my black tank and rubbed it vigorously over my face, then let him take over and scrub away any parts I’d missed with his thumbs. I’d wiped my arm off more thoroughly on my pants. It was an unexpected bonus of wearing all black, although the downside was that my clothes were now crusted with demon blood.

  Alex’s voice came from the bathroom, and a second later he walked out with his phone to his ear. “Thanks, Eve. I owe you big time. I know, I know, Otis spends so much time at your place, he’s gonna start thinking he lives there.” He laughed, fluffing a pillow and then sitting on the bed, his back against the stack of pillows at the headboard. “Yeah, I guess it’s okay if it’s all in the name of love.”

  I raised my brows at him, and he shook his head slightly, a gesture I took to mean, I’ll tell you later. Then he spoke into the phone again. “Yeah, I’ll tell Cam. I’m glad you approve. But I don’t want to leave Otis too long, so I’ll try to come get him soon.” A pause, then he added. “All right. Thanks again. Bye.”

  He pressed a button to end the call and dropped the phone on the bed next to him. The perfectly made hotel bed looked really comfy, and I battled against the urge to go sit next to him. My supernatural constitution meant I could probably stand outside in heavy rain for hours without getting cold or tired, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still kind of a wimp at heart. I wanted to curl up in the giant bed, pull the covers over my head, and pretend to sleep for days.

  But I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from the black building rising before us. I was on edge, jittery, and as much as I wanted to relax, I didn’t think that would be happening until this was over—whichever way it ended.

  I did spare a glance at Alex though. “That Evelyn?”

  He nodded, pulling the room service menu out of the bedside table drawer. “Yep. She’s going to watch Otis for a couple days.”

  “What did she want you to tell me?”

  His eyes flicked up to me quickly before he went back to perusing the menu. “Oh, it was nothing. She wanted me to tell you that babies and cats are nothing alike.”

  That statement was weird enough to haul my attention away from the window completely. “What?”

  He smirked, not looking at me this time. “She’s noticed that you and Otis aren’t exactly best buds. She doesn’t want you to get scared off—and these are her words, not mine—because our ‘practice kid’ hates you.”

  My jaw dropped, and a sputtered out something that sounded like, “Wha—bu—huh?”

  Alex threw his head back and laughed. “What, you don’t consider
Otis your practice kid?”

  “I consider him an eight-pound furry demon,” I said bluntly, eliciting another laugh from Alex, who was well aware of my rocky relationship with his cat.

  He dropped the menu on the bedside table and folded his arms behind his head. “Beats the big hairy kind.”

  With a shiver, I returned my gaze to the window. The moment of levity was broken, and the antsy, agitated feeling returned. I wanted to do something. It might be strategically smart to wait for the Council to act, but I’d never been very good at biding my time. I felt useless and anxious, the combination of emotions turning my stomach into a lump of cement.

  I pressed my face to the window, staring at the building across the street so hard it was like I was hoping to see through it. “I hope Asha made it to the Council okay.”

  There was a rustling sound as Alex got off the bed. A moment later, he appeared in my peripheral vision. “Yeah, me too.”

  “I don’t know what they’re going to be able to do though. There are so few Guardians left. We don’t have the numbers we need to launch an attack on the demons—not if we want to have any chance of winning.”

  Alex turned to face me, leaning his shoulder against the window. “How did you free Asha?”

  “I did what Reeva taught me,” I answered with a shrug. “Unwound the bind on her. But she’d already been working on it herself, I think. The bind was already starting to unravel when I got there. I tried to free another Guardian, but his bind was airtight.” Pacing across the length of the room, I ran my hand through the ends of my brown hair. “I could try to free more, but I’d have to test each one to see whose binds were weak.”

  Alex’s gaze tracked me across the room, his expression serious as he considered my answer. “But every Guardian you free is one more we have back on our side. If you could free enough, maybe we could tip the odds back in our favor.”