“I hope you didn’t tell anyone about the Fluidus,” Gavin said.
“No! I’m not an idiot.”
Gavin’s shoulders dropped an inch.
“What’s the deal with her anyway?”
Gavin forked his hand through his hair. Gio was the last person who should be trusted with a secret; still, he couldn’t be kept in the dark either. “Sierra is staying in Savannah with her grandmother. Don’t tell anyone.”
“Okay,” Gio drawled, crossing his arms. “But you can’t hide her from the others.”
Yes, Finn and Jillian would find out. Jeff already had. “I meant don’t tell Louis or any other ruler or supernatural who’s not based in Savannah.”
“As you wish, your majesty.” Gio twirled his hand in the air and bowed with a smirk.
“Gio, this is important.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is. Everything with you always is.”
Gavin ignored the bitterness emanating from Gio. “I’ll need to find a place for them to stay.”
Gio scratched his head. “The girl didn’t look too bad. She can stay in my bed. As long as she’s not a package deal with her granny.” With that, he careened back to the bar and ordered another drink.
Gavin shook his head and dug out his cell phone from his jeans pocket.
Jillian picked up on the third ring. “Gavin! What’s up?”
After confirming that Jillian’s friend was still in charge of renting out student housing, Gavin set up a viewing later that day.
“Two new Ardere! This will be so exciting!” Jillian squealed before she hung up.
Gavin rubbed his forehead. Of course, Jillian would think this was exciting. Hopefully, the student housing would meet Waldeburg’s requirements. He doubted he could find anything else this short-term. Realizing how late it was, he grabbed his leather jacket and rushed past the bar. “Not again,” he muttered, when he noticed Maxim explaining something to Whitney at length, monopolizing her attention. The freckled, curly-haired researcher had begun visiting Veneficia regularly in the last few months, and he always brought his books with him. He was one of those guys, who couldn’t pass up a chance to make an impression and let everyone know how clever he was. Maybe the douchebag hoped his strategy would help him with the ladies.
“I’ll be out the rest of the day,” Gavin called to Whitney.
“Gavin, good to see you!” Maxim smiled widely. “I needed a little break from my research.” He indicated the thick tomes in front of him.
It took all of Gavin’s self-control not to roll his eyes.
“You should have a drink with me.” Maxim indicated his gin and tonic.
“Sorry, I can’t.” Gavin didn’t add that he hated mixed drinks. He was a straight liquor kind of guy.
“Right.” Maxim tugged at the lapel of his brown cardigan, under which he wore a buttoned, pressed shirt. “I guess, it’s just me and Gio then.” Maxim put an arm around Gio’s shoulders, as if they were best buddies. Gio shrugged. He probably didn’t care if Maxim talked his ear off, as long as he was buying and the beers kept coming.
“Oh, Gavin, I totally forgot the inventory. We have to reply to the factory today,” Whitney chirped.
Gavin grimaced. “I really don’t have time to do this now. You e-mail them.”
“But—”
“Whitney, you know how to do this. I trust you. I’ll check the numbers later.”
“Okay.”
After wasting five minutes he didn’t have, Gavin peeled his Ford out of the parking space. This was the most stressful day ever. Just then, his cell beeped. The screen displayed a new voice mail. He pressed play as he drove.
A voice sounding like a strict communist teacher came on. “This is a message for Gavin McLoughlin from Olga Smirnova on behalf of Louis Duchamps. Your ruler requests the presence of yourself and the Fluidus on his yacht in Fort Lauderdale on the eleventh of June. Details will be sent to you shortly via e-mail.”
In two days’ time? How did Louis know about Sierra? Had Gio opened his big mouth and then lied to Gavin? Gavin pressed down the accelerator and ran the turning-red traffic light.
Chapter 6
Gavin found Waldeburg where he had left her—on his living room couch. Her eyes fluttered open when he kneeled next to her. Her skin looked translucent, the veins visible.
“How are you feeling?”
Waldeburg’s voice was feeble. “The pain in my arm is better, but I’m still dizzy.”
Gavin put the back of his hand to her forehead. “You’re burning up. Take this.” He put ibuprofen on the coffee table and refilled the empty glass with water. “I’ve started looking into housing for you.”
“Oh, Gavin. You shouldn’t have. I can—”
He stopped her. “No. You took care of me once. Now it’s my turn.”
Waldeburg gave him a small smile. “I hope we don’t bring trouble to your doorstep.”
“You won’t. No Umbra gang will look in Savannah for a Fluidus. Trust me, I’m marshal of an insignificant community.”
Waldeburg patted his arm. “You’re too modest. You graduated top of your class.”
Gavin rose. Talk about his final year at Dietrich Barrett High was off-limits. “Is student housing all right? It’s empty for the summer and requires minimal notice.”
A shadow crossed Waldeburg’s face, but thankfully she didn’t challenge the abrupt topic switch. “It sounds wonderful.”
“You need to get some rest. I can go by myself or take Sierra with me.”
“I think it would be nice for her to go with you to feel a bit more…” Waldeburg trailed off, her voice choked with emotion.
“Of course. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
Gavin knocked against the guest room door. Sierra opened it an inch. No streaks of mascara ran down her cheeks, and yet, from the puffiness of her skin, he knew with certainty she had been crying.
The blood was gone from her hair, her chocolate-brown waves hanging softly against her collarbone. She had changed into a yellow summer dress, the oversized cardigan discarded on the floor.
He cleared his throat. “Would you like to go to campus with me and check out some apartments?”
She nodded, and he led the way, not liking how aware he was of her presence. Tendrils of vanilla and green apple curled around his senses. Shampoo, perfume, or her own scent?
He waited for her to put the seat belt on, then put the engine into gear. How long since he had been alone in a car with a woman other than his friend Jillian? Three years. Ever since he graduated from high school. He didn’t date. Sure, sometimes he responded to advances from the opposite sex, but only if the girl expected nothing more than one night. Gavin didn’t take girls back to his apartment. He didn’t drive them around.
The only woman he spent time with on a regular basis was Jillian—Jillian, who without a doubt would bombard him with questions once she met Sierra.
“Wow, this is beautiful.” Sierra shifted in her seat, as if she didn’t want to miss any of the white and red antebellum buildings of the campus.
“Welcome to Dunlawton University, established around 1850, or something like that. If you want to know more about it, ask Jillian. Like most Guardians, she’s really into history. She’ll bore you to death with how the campus changed through the decades.” Gavin parked the car.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. “How come I’m not half Guardian, half Dragoon?” Sierra tore off a leaf from a low-hanging branch.
“It doesn’t work that way. Ardere factions are not determined by what our parents are. But an Ardere and an Umbra always have a Fluidus offspring.”
“Oh.” She shredded the leaf.
Gavin debated highlighting how rare she was, but decided against it. Sierra had just lost her father and moved to a different state. Plus, this conversation would entail him talking about the headquarters. He quickened his step until he spotted the familiar jet-black bob, which shone bluish in the afternoon sun. “There’s Jillian.
”
Despite it being her day off, she wore black slacks, ballerina flats, and a white bow-tie blouse, as if ready to teach a lecture or meet with a professor. A fairly inexperienced Guardian, Jillian’s aura was lime-colored. The color would grow more intense as her abilities developed.
Gavin made the introductions. Jillian struggled and failed to keep her face neutral at Sierra’s rare golden aura.
“The Branchwood apartments are the nicest ones. They’re mostly rented out to students over twenty-one. I’m lucky I get to live in one of them myself.” Jillian beamed.
“With all the hours you put in at the Criminology department, you deserve it. Jillian will complete her undergrad in two years, in addition to working as a teaching assistant.” For some reason, Gavin really wanted Sierra to like his friends.
Jillian blushed. “Well, the regency sent me here. They’re paying for my education. I don’t want to disappoint them.”
Sierra’s forehead furrowed, and Gavin explained. “The regency assigns supernaturals based on their abilities to areas they’re needed at. Jillian was assigned here due to her analytical Guardian abilities.”
“If a crime ever happens, I get to play Sherlock Holmes and put the clues together, and then Gavin will execute the culprit,” Jillian said proudly.
Sierra wrapped her arms around her torso, clearly not sharing the nonchalance. Gavin felt a pang in his chest. They shouldn’t have brought up murder when she had just lost her father. “Don’t worry, Savannah has had zero crimes in the last twenty years.”
“That’s why someone as young as me was assigned,” Jillian added.
“Right.” Sierra chewed on her lip. “I was supposed to go to a small college in Vermont, but now that I’m here, maybe I could enroll at Dunlawton.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Gavin said.
“Why not?”
“Seeing as Waldeburg wants to keep your presence secret, we would need to get you a fake ID. And there’s no guarantee you’ll stay here long enough to finish your studies.”
Sierra’s face fell at his reply, and he wished he could take it back. He couldn’t. Truth might be hard to swallow, yet it was preferable to false hope.
“What were you planning to study?” Jillian asked.
“I thought I could take the general classes first and decide later.” Sierra pushed her nail beds back. “Maybe take some art classes. Dad wanted me to get a business degree.”
Jillian nodded, having the sense not to press on. “We’re here.” She stopped in front of a brown brick, three-story house. “Since it’s summer, it should be relatively quiet until mid-August, when the students return.” She walked up the stairs and unlocked a green door.
The living room featured all the basics—a gray couch, flat screen TV, and wooden table with four chairs.
“There’re two bedrooms.” Both were a standard size, equipped with a queen bed sans frame, a gray desk with a swivel chair, a vinyl wardrobe, and a nightstand.
“The kitchen has a microwave, oven, and there’s even a dishwasher,” Jillian continued.
“Looks good. We’ll take it,” Sierra said.
“Are you sure? I can show you other options.”
“You said it’s the best available housing and that you live in an apartment like this, didn’t you?” Jillian nodded. “Good. I trust you.” Sierra turned to Gavin. “What’s the point in taking too much time to decide? Who knows when Gran and I will have to leave again, right?”
A smart-ass response flew to his lips, but he suppressed it. Plenty of oil in the fire already. He took the contract from Jillian and put his name down.
Jillian locked up and they stepped outside. “I’ll pass on the papers tonight, you can move in as soon as tomorrow.” She smiled warmly at Sierra. “Do you want me to show you around the campus?”
Before Sierra could respond, a voice called, “Jillian, Jillian! Here you are. I looked everywhere for you.” A breathless Finn pushed his mouse-brown hair from his damp forehead and adjusted his half-rim glasses.
Gavin stepped away from Jillian. No need to terrorize the gangly Guardian with the possibility of her being off the market.
“How are you?” Jillian asked, after she introduced Finn to Sierra.
“I’m good. I was just doing a physics assignment when this melody popped into my head. I wrote it down.” The words rushed from Finn. He handed Jillian a note sheet.
She examined it briefly. “Looks great.” She tried returning it to Finn, who shook his head.
“No, you keep it. It’s for you.”
“But I can’t read musical notes.”
“I’ll play it for you next time I come over. I’ll bring my keyboard.”
Gavin looked away, stifling a laugh with a cough. Sierra’s emerald eyes glittered with knowledge, and her teeth bit down on her lower lip—her soft, red lip. The thought took Gavin by surprise. He swatted it away.
“I’m getting hungry. You want to grab a bite?” Finn asked.
Certain Finn didn’t intend for this to turn into a group date, Gavin replied, “Sierra and I have to get back. Have fun.”
Jillian glanced up from her phone. “I can’t, Finn, sorry. I want to say goodbye to a friend who’s going on a Europe trip. I’ll catch you later, okay?”
Finn’s features fell before he rearranged them into a tiny smile. “Sure.”
Once Jillian was out of earshot, Gavin turned to Finn. “Next time, make it clear you’re asking her out, then maybe she won’t turn you down.”
Finn sighed. “Not everyone is as confident as you or Gio.”
Gavin had no response to this. He turned to Sierra. “Let’s go.” He had things to do, and no time to play cupid for Finn.
“Umm, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Finn scratched his head.
“Okay.” Gavin forced himself to remain still as he waited for the elaboration. He liked Finn, he really did, but the Guardian better not expect help with Jillian. Guardians and Charmers were more adept at dealing with emotions. Dragoons, like Gavin, preferred to solve problems.
“I’m not sure how to put this, but the other night, I...” Finn clasped and unclasped his hands. “I think someone was following me.”
Gavin raised his eyebrow. Here we go again. Fifth time in the last two months. Gavin had investigated each instance, each time discovering nothing beyond Finn’s paranoia.
“I think it’s an Umbra. Someone calculated, who purposefully keeps far enough away so I can’t see the color specks in their aura or identify their gender.”
“An Umbra? Here?” Shrillness laced Sierra’s voice. She began looking around, as if expecting an Umbra to jump out of the bushes.
Gavin touched her shoulder blade. Her emerald gaze, filled with concern and something else, met his. Electricity charged through him. He removed his hand. “Jeff recently notified me of an Umbra aura. The Umbra is probably just passing through. Most Umbra move from place to place; they don’t have a home.”
She nodded, and Gavin turned to Finn. “We got this under control.”
“Okay.”
Glancing in Sierra’s direction, Gavin added in a whisper, “And if the Umbra isn’t just passing through, he certainly isn’t here for you.”
Chapter 7
Sierra looked around her new bedroom. Gran and Gavin wanted to talk in private, so she had retreated to unpack. She stared at her hastily grabbed clothes lying sadly on the bed. Could she make them move to the wardrobe without touching them? She focused on them. Nothing. Squinting, closing her eyes, and holding out her hands didn’t help either. Gran had mentioned that, at first, Sierra’s powers would only manifest in emotional situations. It seemed she was right.
Sighing, Sierra put her clothes away the old-fashioned way and pulled out the candles and collage materials she had purchased that morning. The room still felt foreign. She doubted this would ever feel like home. Her home was gone.
If Dad were here, he would tell her to occupy her
self, to stop sulking and feeling sorry for herself. But Dad wasn’t here. Never again would he offer her a hug or word of advice. Sierra rubbed her shivering arms.
Her fingers flipped open her sketchbook. With her 4B pencil, she drew thick lines, allowing the image in her mind to manifest on paper. Angular face, defined jawline, cutting cheekbones, piercing gaze, messy longish hair, and broad shoulders. Only when she was done did she realize how strange her impulse to draw Gavin was. What was it about him that made her want to know him, understand him?
It wasn’t just his handsome face. It was the confidence underneath it. Gavin was in control of his life; he knew what he wanted. She wished she could be like that.
Her mind wandered from Gavin to Ben. When did he leave for school in Boston? Did he realize she had vanished? Did he care? Did he remember the shared kisses and caresses, the times they had lain in bed doing the most intimate things?
“What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Gran’s voice boomed down the corridor.
Sierra slammed the sketchbook shut and jumped up. Gran being the calm type, Gavin must’ve said something really upsetting.
“It’s not like I told him. In fact, I swore Gio and everyone else to secrecy.” Icicles dripped from Gavin’s words.
“Then how does Louis know she’s here?”
“Who’s Louis?” Sierra asked. Gran looked like she wanted to tell her to return to her room, but Sierra shook her head. This concerned her, and she was staying. She had enough of being kept in the dark.
Gran exhaled and sank into the couch. “He’s the ruler of the Southeast, and he wants to meet you.”
“Oh.” Sierra didn’t want to meet the ruler. Meeting him meant acknowledging, perhaps even accepting, her new reality. She couldn’t do that, not when a part of her still held out hope that all of this was just a bad dream.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of taking you to Fort Lauderdale,” Gavin said.
Gran rubbed her knuckles. “How did Louis find out about Sierra if none of your people told him?”
Fluidus Rising: A YA Paranormal Novel: (The Ardere Series Book1) Page 4