Guardians Of The Shifters

by Shannon Schoolcraft

  We reached our destination in a timely fashion including stopping at a couple stop lights. I had to convince myself that we stopped and to let go of him. I felt frazzled and my legs were wobbly as I got off from the bike. I wasn’t sure if I should leave my backpack outside so I took it in with me. I dug the key out of my pocket to look at the number. 1985, huh? The locker number was the same as my birth year.

  Gripping the key tightly in my closed fist, I set about to looking for the locker when I entered the building. When I got to the rows of lockers my heart sank. It was going to take me forever to find it. “Cora, over here.” At the sound of my name I looked in the direction it came from. Caden was standing at the first locker at the far end of the last row.

  I didn’t even know that he came in. I moseyed my way over and with shaky fingers put the key in the lock and twisted. The door sprang open revealing two light brown leather duffel bags. On top of one was an envelope with my name on it, I snatched it up and opened it.

  Cora

  By now you know that you are a guardian and that Caden is the person you are to protect. He will take you to a safe place among his people and explain more about this life to you. Don’t let each other out of each other’s sight, you are stronger together. Take the key up to the desk and leave. Oh and Cora…try not to freak out when Caden shows you what he truly is, if you’re anything like your mother, you’ll freak a little.

  Love always dad (Jack)

  This letter left me more confused than the first one did. If my parents are supposedly worried then why aren’t they here? Carla never did tell me much about them except that they were great people. I also kind of figured out that they are both dead. Caden grabbed the bags, turned and started walking. I did as the letter said, left the key on the desk and left. I had more questions than I did answers.

  Once outside I grabbed Caden’s arm stopping him. “Did you know my parents?”

  Shaking his head. “No, I’ve only heard stories about them.” He looked away. “I’m not much older than you Cora.”

  “Do you know how they died?”

  Looking back at me. “Cora-.”

  “Do you?”

  He glanced away then back at me. “No.” He turned away and started walking again. In all honesty, I didn’t believe him. How could I believe a man I hardly know but yet am sworn to protect?

  Chapter 7

  I’m not sure on how long we were on the road for or where we were going. The only sound there was was the sound of the motor bike roaring beneath us and the occasional car that passed. I still managed to hear it even though the wind was whipping around us. The light jacket that I wore didn’t keep me warm from the ride. I’m sure Caden was toasty warm with the coat that he had on, plus he had me practically wrapped around him and he was sucking up my warmth.

  I didn’t bother tucking my face between his shoulder blades, my cheek rested between them as I watched the street lamps go by in a blur. My stomach growled a few times and I did my best to ignore it, it’s not like we could stop to get something to eat. Not knowing if they would be waiting for us. For the past day I wondered how two people could bring another into the world knowing that it would be dangerous. But knowing the little bit that I know now, I can at least say that my life will no longer be boring.

  A few more minutes passed when we started to slow down and then stop entirely. Caden braced both of his feet on the ground, I was about to dismount until he shook his head. I looked over his shoulder to see a big steel door in front of us. Slowly it started to slide open to reveal an older man possibly in his forties standing just on the other side. He beckoned us forward with an incline of his head. We moved slowly forward. I’d think that it would be easier just to walk our way through. When I looked down I understood why we were still on the bike.

  Blue and purple currents of electricity were moving under a thick sheet of glass and I’ll bet that if you step on it you’d get the shock of your life. I was not game to test that theory out. We rode up a few more feet before the door slid shut behind us and Caden stopped and turned off the bike. The older man stepped up to my side and held out his hand to help me get down. He brought my hand up to his lips once I was off and placed a kiss on the top.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Cora, I’m Cole.”

  Does everyone know my name? “Nice to meet you to.”

  He folded my arm through his. “Caden can get the bags.” And started to walk with me in tow. A hand landed on my shoulder preventing me from going any farther.

  “Cora stays with me.”

  Cole dropped my arm and stepped back with his hands raised in the air, he had a half smile plastered on his face. He winked at me before turning and heading down the pathway. I turned my attention to Caden trying to figure out what that was all about. He handed me one of my duffel bags. “I have a feeling you’ll make friends fast.” He stepped past me and was a few feet ahead of me before I jogged to catch up to him. I stayed close to his side, so close that every time I took a step my arm would brush his.

  One by one lights started to light up as the day started to turn darker. Soon the pathway was illuminated by little lights sticking up from the ground. They had to have been solar powered lights because I didn’t see any cords attached to them. Not too shabby of an idea if I don’t say so myself. The guy named Cole slowed down to wait for us, when we got closer to him he fell into step beside us. I was well a where of walking between them. I was kind of expecting one of them to say hey left nut and the other to say hey right nut who’s the penis in between us.

  I was a bit relieved that neither one of them said it, if they did I was liable to punch them. But instead we continued our walk down the path that seemed to go on forever in silence. It already seemed like we were walking for a mile when we came up to another set of doors. Really?

  Cole stepped in front of us giving us his back, but not before I saw the keypad slide out from the door. I looked up at Caden, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. Cole turned to face us. “Just a precaution.” The doors started to slide apart when I heard Caden whisper. “Yeah I bet.” Cole looked at him from the corner of his eye. When the doors finally opened the first thing I saw were lots of people and lots of animals in various sizes.

  There had to have been at least fifty people if not more. My eyes slid past them and the next thing I saw was a bunch of small houses tucked next to one another. They looked more like the size of a one bedroom unit. Talk about close neighbors, at least you wouldn’t have to walk far to ask to barrow a cup of sugar.

  As we walked forward most of the people stopped what they were doing and stared. It looked like even the animals stopped to stare as well, but I think my mind is playing tricks on me. Cole spread his arms out.

  “Welcome to our safe haven.” He patted me on the back. “Caden will show you which place is yours and then take you to the main building to get something for you to eat.”

  Nodding. “Thank you.”

  Cole grabbed my hand and brought up to his lips and planted another kiss on the top. “Most welcome.”

  He gave us a smile, turned and walked off. Caden made a small irritated noise in the back of his throat. I turned my head to look at him, he looked tense and well…irritated. Putting my hand on his forearm I could feel his muscles twitch under my palm.

  “Are you okay Caden?”

  He looked down at me. “Yeah…come on.” We fell back into step, I just wondered how he would know which place was mine, and they all looked alike to me. We walked past five small houses until we stopped in front of the sixth one. It was the only place that didn’t have a light on.

  Caden fished around in his jacket pocket until he held a silver key in the palm of his hand. It had a black rope through the top hole and you could wear it as a necklace if you wanted to. He handed it to me. “This is the only key to this unit.” I nodded my head, stuck the key in the handle and twisted. Opening the door, the darkness beyond greeted me. I’m not sure why that surprised me, probabl
y because I was half expecting for a light to automatically turn on once the door was open.

  I ran my hand along the wall trying to find a light switch and gave up when my hand grazed nothing but smoothness. Caden walked past me and shortly a light came on. Yup, I was right, it was the size of a one bedroom unit minus the kitchen. In the middle of the room was a queen sized bed, next to it was a silver night stand with a lamp attached to it. On the right side of the room was a brown dresser that had a clock on top of it and to the left was another door.

  Walking over to it I pushed it open. A light came on and revealed a small bathroom. You couldn’t even fit two people in it, the most you could do was use the toilet, wash your hands and take a shower. Talk about claustrophobia. I turned around just as Caden set one of my duffel bags on the bed. I stood there for a few minutes before walking over and dropping my other duffel bag and backpack on the bed. There was only one window in the unit and it was a few inches from the door.

  I never really do good in new surroundings, that’s usually when my anxiety kicks in. But once I’m alone I can mourn the loss of Carla and try to piece together some of what’s going on. But on the other hand I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to be alone. Caden’s voice broke the silence.

  “I’ll go so you can freshen up.”

  “Okay.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll come back by in about an hour.” With that he walked past me and out the door closing it behind him. I automatically went to the door and locked it, then closed the thick white curtains. I was left alone with my thoughts. Walking back to the bed, I opened the duffel bag that was closest to me. Inside were clothes and another envelope.

  Picking it up I opened it and froze, inside it was a bunch of money, possibly thousands of dollars. Dropping the envelope back into the bag I reached for the other one and pulled it to me. Yanking it open my eyes went wide when I saw the contents. There were different size daggers, some were black, some had black and silver handles and some had light blue handles. There were even a couple swords still in their sheaths. “What the hell!” At the bottom of the bag were more clothes and another light blue jacket. I searched both bags for another note but came up empty, I need to know what’s going on.

  I grabbed a stack of clothes and the sharpest looking dagger I could find {although they all looked pretty sharp} and headed to the bathroom. A mirror hung on the back of the door. I gave one last look at my hair before grabbing a handful and chopping most of it off. I went back into the room to find a pair of scissors and found a pair in the top right drawer in the dresser. I went back in the bathroom to try and fix the mess that was my hair the best that I could.

  When I was done my hair stopped just a little above my jaw. Satisfied with my new look I stripped out of my clothes and stepped in the shower. Half an hour later I was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for Caden to come back. I had all the contents from the bags dumped out on the bed when I heard a knock on the door. Whipping my sweaty palms on my jeans, I went over and opened the door.

  Caden stood there staring down at me with his brows raised, he opened his mouth and closed it a few times before he finally spoke.

  “What did you do to your hair?”

  I patted my hair down with my hands. “I’ve been meaning to cut it.”

  He looked surprised. “Why?”

  “It gets in the way.”

  “I see.”

  Rolling my eyes I stepped aside. “Come in.” He walked in and stopped as his eyes looked upon the bed. He turned half way towards me. I didn’t give him a chance to speak. “They were in the duffel bags.” It didn’t look like he was going to say anything so I continued. “I need to know why I’m your guardian.”

  “Cora-.”

  “No Caden…I want to know now.”

  He looked at me for a bit longer. “Fine.” He slowly let his jacket slide from his shoulders and down his arms before throwing it onto the bed. He turned to fully face me. First his eyes started to glow before a soft light shimmered around his body. Everything seemed to go in slow motion at this point and I was frozen in place with my eyes wide as I watched his form start to fade. Black hair sprouted all over him as he shrank towards the floor. After a few minutes of watching Caden disappear, and where he stood not too long ago was a black panther with yellow eyes.

  Chapter 8

  The panther sat back on its hunches and stared at me, its fur shined glossy in the lamps lights. I couldn’t move, all I could do was stand there and stare at this beautiful but lethal animal and did my best not to breathe. I could feel the panic start to set in. Before I could fully grasp what just happened, Caden was standing in his human form watching my reaction. How was I supposed to react? I couldn’t just run out screaming like I really wanted to do. This was just so unreal, people couldn’t just morph or whatever into animals. I jumped at the sound of Caden’s voice.

  “Cora?”

  I tied to form words. “Wh…what…what just-.” I tried again. “What the hell was that?”

  “I’m a shifter.”

  Confused. “Shifter?”

  “Yes…I can shift into a panther as you have just seen.” He let out a breath. “That’s why we have guardians assigned to us.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Cora, those assassins are trained to track and kill us, we are endangered.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “They think we are an abomination and that’s one thing we aren’t. We deserve to live as much as anyone else does, just because we aren’t completely human doesn’t mean we don’t have the right to live.” He paused for a minute. “Guardians help protect us, they are excellent fighters. You were born from a long line of guardians, the strongest really. When you were born you were fated to be my guardian.” He stood from the bed and stepped closer. “We are better together, stronger even….just don’t give up on something that hasn’t started yet.” He paused again. “I’ll even train you.” His fingers brushed against my cheek and I suppressed a shiver. “You need to eat.”

  How could someone possibly be able to stomach anything after seeing and hearing what I just did? I needed time to process it all but something tells me that he won’t give me the space I need to do so. When I look at him now, I don’t see a panther, I see a man with green eyes and a body like a god. I’ve been with this man for two and a half days now but it seems like I’ve known him longer than that. Bending down I grabbed my jacket and slipped it on and Caden did the same. I slipped the rope around my neck and the key rested at the hallow of my throat.

  We walked out of the room and Caden slid his arm around my shoulders and brought me closer so that I was tucked at his side and under his arm. My heart sped up with the contact. People watched as we walked by and some even shook their head like it was a bad idea for Caden to have his arm around me. I knew that he noticed them to but unlike me, he ignored it. Up ahead was the biggest building in this place. The structure of the building looked like a medieval church with stained glass windows, high arched doors and it even had animal statues on the ledges above us. We walked up the steps and they felt smooth under the soles of my shoes.

  The doors opened with a creaking sound as Caden pushed them open, inside it looked like a cafeteria that was in schools, only bigger with long black tables and benches. Most of the tables were occupied with people eating. All noises and conversations stopped as we walked farther into the room. We got a few looks of disgust when they saw that Caden’s arm was around my shoulders. I was a little confused by that and didn’t see what the big deal was. Mentally shaking it off, I thought of a different topic. I wonder how many of these people shift into animals.

  Caden stirred me towards the left side of the room to an empty table. “You sit, I’ll get the food.” I sat down as he walked off. I did the best I could at ignoring the stares. I knew that they were still staring because I could feel a bunch of different sets of eyes boring into my back. I jolted in surprise when I felt weight settle in next to me. I
looked over to see Cole sitting lazily next to me. I did my best at giving him a smile. I knew that he could tell that it was faked. His voice boomed in my ears.

  “Is your room not to your liking?”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s nice.”

  “I’m glad you think so, it used to be your mothers.” He said with a smile.

  My eyes widened slightly with that little tid bit. “You knew my mother?”

  Nodding his head. “And your father.” He nudged me playfully with his shoulder. “You have his eyes you know.”

  Surprised. “I do?”

  “Yes, his were a darker shade of Amethyst.” He smiled tightly.

  I got the sense that Cole didn’t like my father much. “You didn’t like him did you?”

  “Who?”

  “My father.”

  He chuckled a little. “We were friends once.”

  “What changed?”

  “That my dear is a long story.” He looked over his shoulder. “One I’ll tell you at a different time.”

  I looked up to see what claimed his attention, Caden was heading our way with his arms loaded up with food. How much food did he think I could eat? He dropped the load on the table and gave Cole a death glare. Cole stood up. “I guess that’s my cue to leave.” He glanced back down at me. “I’ll see you around Cora.” For reasons I don’t know, I didn’t like the way my name sounded as it passed his lips.

  Once Cole was gone, Caden sat down across from me and picked up a turkey and cheese sub. He took off the saranwrap and took a huge bite. After he chewed and swallowed it, he slid the same kind of sandwich towards me. “All this food won’t eat itself Cora.” Grabbing the sub I peeled off the plastic stuff and nibbled the meat filled bread. My stomach gurgled with happiness as I took a bigger bite. It didn’t take long for me to eat the sub and I reached for another one. Now that my stomach was awake, it wouldn’t let me stop until it was full.