In Pursuit (The Lost Keepers Book 4)

by AR Colbert

  CHAPTER 2

  Sean knocked on our door the next morning, right on time. But my Atlantean guard dog was looking much less doberman and much more basset hound this morning.

  “What’s up?” I asked as we made our way out onto the street.

  “Ah, nothing. I’m good. How’s life with the Olympians?”

  “It’s great, actually. Gayla’s visions are starting to work.”

  “Mmm.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared straight ahead as we walked.

  “Did you hear me? She had a vision last night, right in front of me and Dom. She saw my mom!”

  “Mmhmm.” He wasn’t listening to a word I said.

  “Sean?” I nudged him with my elbow.

  “Yeah, I’m good.”

  Ugh. No use talking to a broken record. I left him alone and got lost in my own thoughts the rest of the way to Millie’s shop. It was a long walk, but that was good. I had lots of thinking to do.

  I would try to get Millie alone once we got there, and show her my vitamins to see if she could order me some more. And while we were on the subject, I might try to get a little more information about my mom’s powers, as well. Dom had seemed really confident that being in Keeper territory would restore them. Surely Millie would know something about that.

  Finally, we reached the door to the apothecary. Sean paused a few feet from the entrance.

  “Aren’t you coming in?” I asked.

  “Nah, I’m gonna head back. I’ll pick you up when you’re done with your shift.”

  “Sean, that’s crazy. You just walked for like half an hour. Come in and rest for a second. Get a drink before you head back.”

  He pursed his lips, but I grabbed him by the arm anyway and tugged him inside with me. I kind of wanted Millie to have a look at him, too. He was acting very strangely.

  “Good morning,” Abby called out from behind the counter. “Hi, Sean.”

  He yanked his arm loose and spun around, bolting out of the door in about half a second. Abby’s lip trembled, and she cleared her throat. “Excuse me for a minute,” she said, brushing past Millie on her way to the storage area in the back of the shop.

  “Uh, good morning,” I called out to no one in particular. “What was that all about?”

  Millie shrugged, though I suspected she knew more than she was letting on. “Who knows? How are you doing this morning? All ready for school to start in a couple of days?”

  “Just about. I’ve got one more textbook to pick up, then I think I’m set.” I pulled the amber vitamin bottle from my purse and set it on the counter in front of my aunt. “Hey, do you know what kind of vitamins these are?”

  She picked it up, examining the glass and the pills inside. “Nope, never seen these before. They don’t have any markings.” She squinted at the few pills rattling around in the bottom of the bottle.

  “My mom always special ordered them for me, but I don’t know from where. I was hoping to get some more.”

  “We can definitely get you some more vitamins. And maybe some that look a little more… trustworthy.” Millie laughed.

  That made two people in the last twenty-four hours who implied my vitamins were sketchy. But they were totally normal—I’d been taking them my entire life, and generally speaking, I wasn’t too weird or messed up.

  “No, I think it has to be these. Mom said she tried several different kinds when I was younger and I had bad reactions or something. I don’t know. All I know is that she was kind of a dictator when it came to my vitamins. It had to be this kind and I had to take them every day, right on time.”

  Millie frowned. “Hmm,” was all she said to that. “Well, I can send one off to the lab to see if they can break it down and figure out what it’s made of, if it’s really that important to you.”

  “Thanks. I know it sounds silly, but it really is important to me. It’s like the last connection I still have to her, you know?”

  Millie pulled me into a quick hug, kissing the top of my head as Abby reemerged from the back. “I know sweetheart. I’ll do my best.”

  Unfortunately, with Abby back in the room I couldn’t inquire further about my mom’s powers. I’d have to save that discussion for later.

  Millie stepped out to grab us some deli subs around lunchtime, and Abby cornered me the instant the door swung shut behind her.

  “Hey, can I talk to you about something. It’s… kind of personal.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I scanned the shop looking for some excuse to get me out of this in case she started asking about Keeper stuff that I couldn’t reveal. Had she overheard something? Maybe she saw Millie enchanting a draught for one of the Olympian men who swung by earlier. Shoot. I was not ready for this.

  “Have you talked to Sean much lately?”

  Oh. That. I might’ve rather dealt with the Keepers’ secrets than talk to Abby about Sean. “Uh, not much. Why?”

  “He seems a little standoffish lately. I was just wondering if he maybe confided anything to you about why he’s behaving that way.”

  I paused to take a good look at the girl. Her puffy eyes and blotchy nose revealed that she was much more upset about this than she tried to let on. And if there was something truly wrong with Sean, I probably needed to suck it up and work with Abby to get it figured out.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I noticed he was really weird this morning with his head in the clouds, but he didn’t say anything to me about why.”

  She sniffled. “Okay, thanks.”

  “Wait,” I caught her elbow as she tried to turn away. “Is everything okay? Do you know something I don’t? Does he need help?”

  “I—” Her lip trembled again. “I think I messed everything up!” Her words were gobbled by sobs, and she buried her face on my shoulder.

  “It’s okay,” I said, lightly patting her on the back. She sucked up a noseful of snot and released another wave of wails. Poor girl was ugly crying on me, and I was too uncomfortable to do anything but awkwardly pat her on the back. How on earth was anyone so worked up over Sean?

  “Don’t cry, Abby. I’m sure you didn’t mess anything up. Tell me what happened.” Last I knew he was rushing to comfort her after we eliminated the man poisoning her father. She was the first person on his mind. There was no way she could have messed up their friendship.

  “I kissed him.”

  Okay, maybe there was one way.

  She inhaled snotty mouthfuls of air. “He came over to check on me the other night. He was so concerned, and just really seemed like he cared. But I must have misinterpreted it, because I kissed him and he left right away. Now he’s not talking to me at all!”

  I pulled away to grab her a tissue, and she just kept right on spilling her secrets to me.

  “Now I know he was only being nice to me because my dad was sick. And now my dad is feeling better, but I almost wish we could go back to how things were a week ago when Sean still cared. What kind of terrible person does that make me?”

  Her words were drowned out again in a soft cry followed by a loud trumpet-like blow into her tissue.

  “You’re not a terrible person at all, Abby. Sean is just…” a supernatural being who can never be with a mortal. Ugh. How was I going to make her feel better about this? “He’s just a guy. Guys this age don’t know how to show their emotions. He probably really likes you, but he’s scared, you know? I’m sure things will get back to normal between you two soon. But for now, maybe just give him a little bit of space.”

  “I just wish I could find a guy who wasn’t afraid to show interest. Someone who puts me first and lets me know how he feels. Someone brave enough to let me know that he’s only got eyes for me. There’s got to be one out there somewhere, right?”

  The front door chimed. I turned to greet our new customer, seeing as how Abby was in no kind of shape to talk to anyone, but my jaw dropped. Abby gasped behind me.

  “Everly Gordon, I’ve been looking all over this city for you.”

  “Is
that—” Abby whispered.

  “Clayton Miles.” The A-list actor gracing every tabloid in the country walked forward with his hand extended. Abby reached out, soggy tissue still clamped between her fingers, and shook his hand.

  “Clayton Miles,” she repeated, dumbstruck. She still had his hand gripped in hers, the snot rag the only thing separating them.

  “Abby,” I pulled her gently away from him. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up. I need just a minute.”

  She nodded, mouth still agape, and retreated to the back of the shop. As soon as the green curtain swished shut behind her, I turned to face our handsome new visitor.

  “Why would you be looking for me?” A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that he was alone.

  “Well, I’m in town to film a movie, and I remembered you said you were in the city. You’re going to Columbia, right?”

  Did I mention where I lived to him? We only spoke for half a minute on Gayla’s boat in the Hamptons. I definitely didn’t say I was going to Columbia, because I didn’t think I was at the time.

  “There are eight million people in this city. I can’t imagine why you would attempt to find me. And how did you wind up here at the apothecary?” Something about this seemed off.

  “The Keepers are a tight-knit bunch.” He winked, and I noticed his hazel eyes still contained the standard Agarthian golden flecks. I guess he couldn’t completely hide his true identity.

  I resisted the way my stomach still wanted to somersault at the sight of him, and focused on getting to the bottom of this. “I’m not a Keeper. Your tight-knit bunch doesn’t even know who I am.”

  “They know your aunt. Come on, Ev.” He reached out and allowed his hand to glide down my upper arm, the way a friend or a lover might do. “Lighten up. My movie is filming on your campus and I just thought it would be nice to have a friendly face around the set. Maybe you can show me some of your favorite spots around the area.”

  “It’s Everly,” I said, stepping away. “And I don’t have any favorite spots on campus. I haven’t even started school yet.” I looked through the storefront windows again, searching for any reasonable evidence that might indicate why he was truly here. Was I being pranked? Did Gayla put him up to this?

  If so, the prank was going sour. He might charm every girl in his path—he even charmed me the first night we met—but I was less than impressed by this encounter. In fact, it was a little unsettling.

  Never in a million years would I have thought getting hit on by a gorgeous global celebrity would leave me feeling creeped out.

  “Okay.” He raised both hands in the air. “I can see that you’re busy working right now. I shouldn’t have interrupted you unannounced like this. But I happen to know there’s a back to school party next week at St. A’s, and I’d love it if you came. I’m going so I can get into character for my role.”

  “St. A’s?”

  “Don’t worry. I can get you in.”

  “I don’t—no.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what that is or care to attend any parties. Look Clayton, I appreciate you stopping by, but I really just want to focus on my schoolwork. I’m not interested in—”

  He laughed, cutting me off. This guy obviously wasn’t used to rejection. But did I really just reject Clayton Miles? Who was I? I was a girl on a mission, that’s who. And I didn’t need any boys, celebrity heartthrob or otherwise, distracting me from my studies. I had to find my mom.

  “Don’t say no, just say you’ll think about it.” He winked again and turned toward the door. “I’ll see you around, Ev.”

  “It’s Everly,” I called out, but the door had already swung shut behind him.

  CHAPTER 3

  I’d forgotten all about Clayton by the time Monday morning rolled around. I hadn’t seen much of Sean, either. He’d laid low, content that Gayla and Dom were sufficient to keep me well-guarded in his absence. There were some definite perks to living with Keepers.

  Dom and I shared our first class Monday morning. It was the one I’d been looking most forward to—A Review of the Ancient Languages—though it was more like an intro than a review for me. Still, apparently Professor Brossard was the go-to guy when it came to ancient texts and forgotten languages.

  I guzzled down my latte from The Honey Pot and quickly wiped the foam from my upper lip.

  “Easy there, killer.” Dom laughed, but she looked just as excited as I felt. Her short hair bounced with each eager step she took, making her look more alive than I’d ever seen her. Maybe my enthusiasm was contagious.

  “I can’t help it. This feels like the first real step in finding my mom. I can’t wait to meet Professor Brossard.”

  Dom paused on the sidewalk, pointing up ahead. “Hang on, what’s going on up there?”

  I followed her look with a groan. “Looks like a film set.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember seeing that flyer at The Honey Pot. I think it’s a Clayton Miles movie.”

  “It is. Did I mention he stopped by the apothecary the other day?”

  “Uhh, no.” She turned and drilled her eyes into me. “And that’s definitely something you should have mentioned.”

  I guess I’d been too concerned about Sean to mention Clayton. And I obviously didn’t bring up either one to Gayla. There was no need to hurt her feelings by sharing stories of Sean and Abby. “I’ll explain, but is there any other way to get to our class?”

  “Not if you want to be on time.”

  “Alright, but let’s try to hurry past the set. I don’t want to get caught up in the crowd and be late.”

  I filled her in on my strange meeting with Clayton a few days earlier, pushing as quickly as we could through the thick crowd that had gathered around the set. They were mostly Freshmen, if I had to guess, wide-eyed and gushing over their luck at getting to attend such a famous school right alongside real celebrities. I rolled my eyes and continued telling Dom what happened, conveying to her with my mind what I couldn’t say out loud in front of the mortals.

  Ha. The mortals. As if I were any different.

  I’d just gotten to the part about him inviting me to the party when the crowd parted. Dom’s jaw dropped. “Don’t look now, but—”

  “Everly!”

  I turned to find two muscular arms reaching out from a shirtless hunk of a man. No—not a hunk. Clayton. I couldn’t let his good looks distract me. But there was no ignoring him even if I’d tried.

  He swept me up against his chest and spun me in a circle. “I’m so glad you came out to watch us film!”

  Wiping my face, I stepped away from him as soon as my feet reconnected with the ground. “Why are you all wet?”

  “They had to spray me down with water to look like sweat. Do you like it? I look athletic, right?” He flexed, and a chorus of sighs and whistles from the student body surrounding us drew my attention back to the crowd. Cell phones were pointing at us from all directions. One girl even spoke into her camera—apparently live-streaming the event. Live-streaming me.

  “Say cheese,” Clayton whispered. He winked and blew a kiss to the camera.

  “No. Clayton, I’ve gotta get to class.”

  “That’s my girl. Go learn something good!” He called out as I stomped away.

  Gross. I locked arms with Dom and scuttled away as quickly as I could without breaking into a full run.

  “That was way worse than I was expecting,” Dom muttered once we’d put some distance between us. A few cell phones still filmed me walking away, but most had turned their attention back to Clayton and the movie set.

  “It’s over the top, right? I’m not his girl!”

  “Definitely over the top. And you’re right. Something seems fishy about it.”

  A trio of girls up ahead stepped onto the sidewalk in front of us. In almost perfectly synchronized time, they crossed their arms over their chests and shot daggers at me through their eyes.

  “Excuse us,” I said, stepping around them. We were about to be late, and that was n
ot the first impression I wanted to make with the Professor who was going to help me decipher the tablet and find my mom.

  One girl scoffed, but they were the least of my worries.

  “What is wrong with people today?” I asked Dom.

  “Well, those three are Agarthians. And they’re probably jealous.”

  “Jealous about what?”

  “You and Clayton.”

  “Ha! They have no need to be jealous. That guy weirds me out. And even if I was into him, he can’t be with a mortal. They know that.”

  “Well, he can’t bond with a mortal. That doesn’t mean he can’t date one.”

  “But I thought Keepers all had soul mates, anyway. Why would they care?”

  “They are probably hoping he is their soulmate. Even Keepers aren’t immune to a good-looking guy and a little glamour. And they hate to see one of their kind fraternizing with a mortal. It’s like a slap in the face.”

  “Are they really holding out hope that Clayton Miles might be their soulmate?” I cringed. “Seems a little desperate. Also, they would probably know it if he was, right?”

  Dom shrugged. “They say you know your soulmate when you find them. But until you do, no one really knows what to expect. It’s a little different for everyone, I imagine. But don’t let those girls bother you. Let’s just get on to class.”

  “Right.” I risked one last look over my shoulder at the girls. They followed us, eyes hard set and trained on me. Thank goodness I had Dom here. After just three minutes on campus it seemed that I was already developing an army of enemies. This year was going to be just splendid.

  Thanks a lot, Clayton.

  CHAPTER 4

  We slipped into the classroom with two minutes to spare. I threw out my empty latte cup and settled into a desk next to Dom just a few rows from the back, extracting a notebook and pen from my bag. A quick glance around the room told me that I was likely the only mortal here.

  A cluster of white and blond haired Olympians sat near the front, including a male who looked like he might grow up to be a weatherman. His hair was so perfectly placed that even an Oklahoma tornado wouldn’t do much to move it. Behind them was a crowd of what I assumed were Atlanteans—all with gorgeous sparkling blue eyes and reddish-brown hair. A pang struck me at the thought that in another world I might have been sitting there alongside them.