Gavin shrugged. “Louis is a Charmer. He’s cunning. He has his ways. Regardless, I should get going.”
Sierra followed Gavin to the door, ignoring the rising heat at her nape. Outside the apartment, she worked up the courage to speak up. “I understand I can’t enroll at college, but I can’t just sit around. I want to do something.”
Gavin arched his eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Work at Veneficia.”
“No.”
“Why not? I checked out your website. You’re looking for a bartender.”
Gavin shoved his hand through his sandy hair. “I’m looking for someone with experience.”
“I’m a quick learner.” She crossed her arms and jutted her hip out.
“It’s not a good idea. You’re underage.”
“You only have to be eighteen to work at a bar.”
“The answer is still no.” She crossed her arms. “Have you even talked to Waldeburg about this?”
“I don’t have to ask permission to get a job, and you can’t expect me to hole up all day in this apartment.” She didn’t add that Gran was dead set against doing any Fluidus training, saying that Sierra’s body and mind needed several weeks to adjust to the “awakening” to prevent any internal damage from occurring. The concept didn’t make sense to Sierra until Gran compared the “awakening” to a cold, saying exercise during the acute phase would unnecessarily strain her body and increase the fever.
Gavin kneaded his forehead. “I’ll think about it. We can discuss it when I return from Fort Lauderdale.”
Sierra’s face broke out into a smile. “Deal!” She closed the door and practically skipped down the corridor.
Gavin stepped onto the eighty-foot luxury yacht. Waiters glided around with trays of champagne and seafood perched on big chunks of ice. Surgically enhanced specimens lounged on deck chairs, their glistening skin scorching in the sun.
Olga Smirnova, the latest in an ever-changing string of Louis’s personal assistants, escorted Gavin to the covered end of the yacht. Despite Florida’s summer heat, the blonde Blur with model measurements wore a black pants suit, which was framed by her blue aura.
In contrast to her, Louis wasn’t dressed as if he was going to a board meeting. Clothed in nothing besides a white speedo, the ruler of the Southeast sat with his sinewy legs spread wide, leaning back in his golden throne. “So glad you could make it.” Lazily, he brushed his unruly ebony curls, a shade darker than his skin, out of his face. Gavin averted his gaze from Louis’s nipple ring to the white, long-fur cat sleeping peacefully at his feet.
“It’s good to see you.” Gavin mustered a tight smile.
“Have a seat.” Louis beckoned to the relatively simple chair opposite himself. A handsome waiter hurried to open a bottle of champagne. Gavin clinked glasses with Louis.
“You didn’t bring the Fluidus.”
Gavin knew the casual remark was just a façade, which could rupture any second. He had to proceed carefully. “She’s just a scared girl. Nothing more. She wouldn’t be of any use to you or even amuse your exquisite taste.”
Louis smiled, baring his teeth. The purple hue around him seemed to vibrate. “I should be the one to decide that.”
Fine, not in the mood for flattery today. Probably received enough from his boy toys. “Her grandmother didn’t want the girl to travel.”
“Grandmother. Girl. Why so vague, Gavin? Say their names.”
“Sierra and Waldeburg Reeves.” Gavin’s molars gnashed hard against each other.
“You should’ve told me a Fluidus was in my territory.”
Gavin remained silent, knowing nothing nice would come out of his mouth if he opened it. He hadn’t decided yet how he felt about Sierra showing up in Savannah, but he would never give her up to Louis. No way in hell would he allow Waldeburg’s granddaughter to join Louis’s crew of debauchers, who saw nothing wrong with spreading lies and tearing people apart for the sake of entertainment. Louis had bootlicked his way up the regency’s ladder. He kept saucy tabs on everyone for blackmail purposes, but he had nothing on Gavin since he hadn’t broken any rules.
“You know, Gavin, this really makes me wonder whether I made the right decision assigning you as marshal. If you’re overwhelmed by the job, there are others I can assign. I’m certain Gio would cherish the position and inform me of the latest news.”
Threatening and playing his friend against him, a typical Louis move. Gavin stared unblinkingly at the ruler, taking a slow sip of his drink, the acidity of fine bubbles exploding on his tongue. “I’m not one of your PAs that you can just fire. Clement and Lorna will expect you to provide sound reasoning.”
At the mention of the North American and European regent, Louis’s eyes narrowed. He lit a cigar and tilted his head, regarding Gavin. “Dietrich Barrett High. I did a speech once there. It was a year before you moved into the boarding school. Your sister…what was her name again?”
“Calista.” Gavin choked on the three syllables.
“Ah, yes, of course. Calista. So beautiful. So smart. So talented. It’s a pity she didn’t survive.”
Ache, intermingled with the most primal rage, festered within Gavin. Blood rushed in his ears while his pulse hammered in staccato.
“I read the report. Calista didn’t die in the car crash with your parents. No, Calista made it to the hospital with you. Pity she passed away. It’s always the most talented ones that die young, while the average ones”—Louis gestured toward Gavin—“survive.”
Gavin rose. His control stretched to its limit, he had to leave—before he strangled Louis.
“Until next time.” A feral smile played on Louis’s lips. “If you fail to bring the Fluidus again, there will be consequences.”
Upon his return to Savannah, Gavin went straight to the gym to blow off some steam after his meeting with Louis. If it had been up to Gavin, he would’ve ditched his car and flown. Yet, with the amount of tourists on the coast, that wasn’t an option.
The weight room stood empty except for one person. Drenched in sweat, Gio hogged the chest press. “How you doing?”
Gavin sat down at the leg press machine. “Did you tell Louis about Sierra?”
“What? No, of course not.”
Gavin studied the Italian’s face and found nothing beyond surprise. Gio had messed up plenty of times and had the tendency to skirt around the truth, but he had never been a good liar.
“I take it your meeting with Louis didn’t go well.”
Gavin huffed. “Obviously. What I want to know is how Louis found out about Sierra.”
Gio shrugged. “Beats me. Ask Jillian, she’s smart. Or Jeff. Charmers know fellow Charmer tricks, right?”
Gavin didn’t reply. He was ready to put Louis behind him. His mind, however, had other ideas. It replayed the conversation, pouring acid in his wounds.
“Hey, I meant to ask you, is your hottie seeing someone? I would like to take that nice piece—” Gio smacked his lips together in a kissing sound. “—of ass out.”
“Leave her alone. There’re plenty of other girls in Savannah.” Gavin doubled the weight he was lifting.
“Sure, there are. And they all want this.” Gio pulled up his sweat-soaked shirt and ran his chubby finger down the middle of his abs. He then proceeded to flex his muscles. “The girls always want a piece of me, and I’m willing to show them a good time. You know what I’m saying?” Gio made a display of reaching his hands out and pulling them back in, his knuckles hitting his hipbone.
The image of Gio anywhere near Sierra, especially doing that thrusting movement, made Gavin want to use the Italian as a punching bag, or at least see the barbell crush his puffed-out chest. Judging it best to put some distance between himself and Gio, Gavin moved on to the cable biceps bar.
Not knowing when to back off, Gio followed, taking the rowing machine next to Gavin. “Seriously, I could show her a good time. From the looks of it, she enjoys a good time.” The Italian winked and started working on his shoulder
s.
Red clouded Gavin’s vision. Normally, he didn’t mind Gio’s silly boy talk. However, after Louis, he had no patience left. One more disrespectful remark about Sierra and Gavin would lose it. She seemed like a nice girl, and no one should talk like that about Waldeburg’s granddaughter. The idea of Gio hitting on Sierra made Gavin want to retch.
Gio pulled out his cell phone and swiped his fingers across the screen. “Look at this pic. All cleavage and lips. The girl has it bad! My hands could give a lot of attention to her body.”
Unable to believe Sierra had a profile on one of the seedy dating pages Gio used, Gavin snatched the phone, ready to crunch it in his fist. The image staring back at him made him relax. Long blonde hair, brown eyes, and fake breasts. Gio had meant Whitney, not Sierra.
“What do you think?”
Gavin shrugged. “As long as she doesn’t quit after one of you is done with the other. She’s a good bartender, and I’ll be pissed if I lose her because of you.” Gavin walked to the shower. Ice-cold water pelted his heated skin, washing away Gio’s horny talk and Louis’s cruelness.
Chapter 8
Sierra stared at Tammy’s e-mail for several minutes. Biting her lip, she considered coming up with a response to Tammy’s “where are you” question. However, neither lying nor endangering herself by revealing her location seemed appealing. And what was the point anyway? Tammy’s memory of Sierra would soon be deleted by an Ardere.
Sierra moved the e-mail into the trash can and closed her laptop. Living in the past would do her no good. She had to live in the present. The first step of doing so was to understand what she was up against.
She grabbed the piece of paper, which she thought of as the Umbra file. Everything Gran had mentioned about Umbra over the last few days had been scribbled down onto it. Sierra reread the lines. If she kept this up, she would be able to recite them in her sleep.
All Umbra were either Ardere once, or someone in their lineage was.
A dying Ardere can prolong his or her life by sacrificing a human. During the Phoenix sacrifice, a mythical bird is etched into the chest of the victim, and then the life force is sucked out of the person. This act changes the genes of the Ardere, turning him Umbra.
Ardere turned Umbra lose social privileges and genetic ones, such as the ability to advance their factions’ skills through study. Umbra can only grow more powerful by killing and absorbing the life force of humans or Ardere. By killing a human Umbra receive a temporary power increase, while killing an Ardere equals a permanent power increase for the Umbra.
Umbra have gray auras with specks of color from their Ardere faction.
Umbra that turn themselves in serve a five-year prison sentence. Runaways that are captured have to serve a ten-year sentence. Umbra are viewed as second-class citizens for the rest of their lives.
Any subsequent kills put Umbra on the to-be-hunted list. Some Umbra try to redeem themselves by working for the regency as spies.
Jeff had served his five-year prison sentence and had been working for the last five years as a spy for the regency.
Her mother had been an Umbra. And Sierra would never know why. She put the Umbra file away and stared out of the window. Another sunny afternoon. She wouldn’t waste it crying. It was time to act.
Gavin hadn’t come by or called for the last few days. Perhaps he had forgotten his promise to discuss her working at Veneficia. She sighed. Being cooped up and watching TV reruns was no way to live her life.
She grabbed her sketchbook and walked toward the kitchen, hoping to find Gran in a good mood.
The smell of tomato and garlic hung in the air. Sierra breathed in deeply. “Mmm, delicious. What are you making?”
“Vegetable soup.” Gran stirred the pot. “I could make cherry pie for dessert. Would you like that?”
Saliva pooled in Sierra’s mouth. “Yes, that would be great.” She twirled a strand of her hair while trying to come up with the best way to ask.
Gran looked up. “What is it, Sierra?”
“Can I go out and explore the campus?” Gran sighed. “I know you wanted me to wait for Gavin but… I’m bored. I feel like I’m dying here.”
Gran chortled. “A bit dramatic, aren’t we?”
“Please?”
“What would you even do by yourself?”
“Draw the campus. Go the library. Borrow a book. Reading is good for my developing mind.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please? You said we came here because Savannah is safe. No Umbra would think to search for me here.”
Gran nodded slowly. “I suppose. All right, you may go. Promise me you’ll be careful and come back before sunset.”
“I will.” Sierra gave Gran a peck on the cheek and rushed out, a tiny part of her annoyed at how desperate she had become, agreeing to return before dark. The bigger part of her, however, still remembered the Umbra attack and was determined to avoid repetition at any cost.
The red antebellum building with white columns, which Sierra had noticed last time, turned out to be the research center for social studies. Next to it loomed the natural science laboratory. Sierra sighed. Hard sciences always received more funding than the humanities. She glanced at the sketchbook in her bag. Art majors don’t make money. Study business. A real subject. Dad’s words echoed in her mind, words she had resented, words he would never speak to her again.
Sierra quickened her pace, as if she could outrun her pain. The cobblestone path led to a blush arch with knee-high palm trees on each side. Past it stood a three-tiered fountain with floating lily pads. Spanish moss grew next to blush buildings with mint window shutters, giving the courtyard an enchanting look. Further down the road was the library, also colored in blush and mint. Five columns supported the triangular roof, which displayed an antique clock. Steps with metal railing enhanced the majestic dwelling.
Sierra entered and went straight to the Arts level where she selected two books on sketching. Only one checkout counter was open. A middle-aged woman with thick glasses motioned for Sierra to come closer. “Library card.”
“I don’t have one.”
“You can’t check out books without a library card. You have to be an enrolled student.”
Sierra felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Of course. How stupid of her.
The librarian handed her a piece of paper. “Here, this is the address of the public library. They’ll issue you a card as long as you have a Chatham County Driver’s license.”
“Thanks.” Sierra crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash can. She already knew what Gran would say in regards to updating their driver’s licenses.
It was only 5:00 p.m. The sun wouldn’t set for another few hours, and Sierra was in no mood to return home. She left the campus in the direction of the city center. Two girls with matching polka dot dresses and pigtails were running around a tall statue.
“I am the queen of the jungle!” one of them squealed.
“No, I am the queen!”
“I rule the panthers and the lions. I’m the most powerful human!”
The imaginative play of the children made Sierra smile as she crossed though the square. Only when she was at the exit did the peculiarity register in her mind.
This didn’t add up. The girls hadn’t spoken English. In fact…she spun around and listened closely. Yes, Spanish beyond a doubt. Impossible. She didn’t understand Spanish. She had never been any good at the few classes she had taken in high school. Recalling the basics would be an achievement. No way could she follow a whole conversation. To prove her point, she attempted to name the objects surrounding her in Spanish. Girls. Chicas, her brain supplied. Tree. Arbol. Bench. Banca. Alley. Callejón. How odd. Either her skills were more advanced than she had thought, or she was going insane from the isolation of the last few days.
Fortunately, the cure beckoned to her from across the street in the form of a red swirly font. SAPIENTIA read the café’s sign.
It means wisdom in Lat
in, Sierra’s mind chimed in. Great, now she understood Latin words as well.
Rattled from her unprecedented linguistic skill, she sank into one of the worn barstools by the counter and ordered a cappuccino. Normally, she would have searched for the most secluded booth. However, she felt her recent “translation” adeptness made it imperative to spend some time around people. If she wasn’t careful, she might start talking to herself next. She sipped on her coffee, taking in the décor. The white wall painted with ruby geometric shapes complimented the crimson leather barstools. A cream-colored shelf filled with books stood to her left.
“You’re welcome to borrow any of the books, as long as you bring them back,” the waitress said.
“Thanks.” Sierra walked over, intending to pick up a novel, but as she stepped closer, her gaze inadvertently fell on the title Human Anomalies. Did the ability to move objects without touching them make her an anomaly? Sierra focused hard on the book, willing it to slide forward just an inch.
“Are you a biology student?”
The voice startled her, and she stumbled backward. Gasping, she looked up to find a skinny guy in his mid-twenties smiling at her. Curly brown hair framed his freckled face and cognac eyes. His pressed pants and polo shirt looked squeaky new and freshly ironed.
She straightened and smoothed her tee, praying it didn’t have any stains on it. “No, I’m not. I just finished high school.” Then she quickly added, “I’m taking a gap year to figure out what I want to study.” The half lie glided smoothly from her tongue.
“I see. You should check out Dunlawton University if you’re interested in biology. It has a strong, innovative department.”
“Thanks. Are you a student there?”
He laughed. “No, I already finished my studies. I work as a researcher at Dunlawton. I’m Maxim. What’s your name?”
“Sierra.” He extended his hand, and she shook it. The gesture seemed too formal for a coffee shop, yet she didn’t feel uncomfortable. Maxim seemed nice. Plus, he was the first human she had met in Savannah.
“Well, Sierra, you clearly have good taste since you picked the best coffee place in town.” Maxim chuckled.
Fluidus Rising: A YA Paranormal Novel: (The Ardere Series Book1) Page 5