“I drove fast,” she replied lightly.
Drake yawned, rubbing at his eyes. “What’s that?” He gestured at the box at her feet.
“It’s a surprise,” she replied mysteriously. “Dylan brought it.”
“The gift for Quinn?”
“That’s the one. I ordered it specially.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what it is?”
“That would ruin the surprise.”
The screen door swung open and Daniel emerged from the house with Austin and Garrett in tow. He inclined his head at Lenora in greeting and then moved out onto the sandy front lawn, his boots kicking up small clouds of dust. Drake and Lenora watched, their curiosity piqued as Daniel surveyed the area before taking up a place in what was roughly the centre of the lawn.
“This will do,” he announced.
Garrett nodded but Austin seemed dissatisfied. “When do we start?” he asked.
“Tomorrow at first light.”
“Why not right now? We’ve all rested,” Garrett asked.
“We don’t have any dummies.” Austin looked confused. “How will we practice staking?”
“We won’t,” Daniel replied. “And we don’t need dummies. The time for routine training is over. We’re in the midst of a war. Our best form of practice is going to be sparring with each other.”
Drake finally cottoned on to what they were talking about and, with the mystery solved, he turned back to Lenora. To his surprise, she was watching the men with a thoughtful expression on her face.
“That’s not strictly true,” she called, before Drake could question her. Rising from the swing, she sashayed toward them and Drake automatically followed. He didn’t like leaving her alone if he could help it. “You have us,” Lenora continued, gesturing first at herself and then at Drake.
“You?” Daniel asked, but Drake had already realised the genius of her suggestion.
“Yes, us,” he agreed, grinning at Lenora. “You want to practice fighting vampires, surely we qualify?”
Daniel sucked in an astonished breath. Drake suspected he was wondering why he hadn’t thought of the idea himself.
“I can only assist at night, obviously,” Lenora added, “so perhaps Garrett’s suggestion of starting now isn’t such a bad idea.”
Daniel nodded in understanding. “Of course. We could run shifts. Night time is when we need to be most on guard, but we could post half the Guardians as sentries while the other half train, and then switch over. We’ll be doing most of our sleeping during the day when the threat is minimal.”
“Perfect,” Lenora’s serious determination struck Drake and he wondered if this was a coping mechanism – a way for her to strike back at Charlotte for what she had done to Isaiah. Lenora seemed determined to do everything in her power to ensure that the Guardians triumphed. Not that he was complaining, but pro-actively helping the Guardians to better kill their own kind was a statement in itself.
“We can start now?” Lenora offered and Daniel grinned.
They trained for two hours solid. The Guardians were rotated every half hour, but the vampires never seemed to tire. The older Guardians were lethal, Drake soon learned, and Daniel, in particular, was a formidable opponent. Avery fought much like Quinn, which was expected, given that they had both had the same mentor, but she lacked Quinn’s finesse. Avery fought mechanically, whereas Quinn was fierce; she fought with her heart as well as her head. Austin was clumsy in his approach and too easy to read, but given how recently he had been branded, Drake thought he was doing okay. He had an annoying habit of reaching for his belt, no doubt looking for a gun that wasn’t there.
By the time Piper burst from the house, every person who had engaged in the training was bleeding or bruised. Drake was sparring with Garrett and Lenora with Braddon when Piper’s cry of dismay halted them in their tracks.
“What is it?” Daniel rushed to meet her as she flew down the steps carrying a small compact tablet in her arms. Piper turned the screen so he could see it and Drake watched as Daniel’s face morphed, reflecting first shock, then fear, mingled with what appeared to be relief. The other Guardians waited while Daniel scanned the screen, his mouth moving as he read the words. He nodded when he was done, and touched Piper’s sleeve in an uncharacteristically soothing gesture.
“It’s okay, Piper, it might be best, for now,” Daniel assured her, before turning to the others. “The dragons have escaped the City,” he announced. He waited for the shocked outburst to quieten down before continuing, and Drake sensed he was keeping a tight grip on his own emotions to avoid a panic. “Obviously this is devastating. We cut ourselves off from mankind millenniums ago for a reason. The humans are dangerous. They fear the unknown and the unexplained. The beasts are not safe out in man’s realm, but neither are they safe within the City. At this time, there is nothing we can do for them. Our first priority is to free the Fae magic. Once we have done that, we can secure the dragons.”
Nobody argued. There would be no point. Drake sensed the helplessness they were feeling. They were on the run, and, for the first time in Guardian history, they were powerless to help the wards who needed them.
Chapter 13
Quinn and Liam watched the house closely, the night air blanketing them as they stayed hidden from sight. They had been observing the house for over twenty-four hours, with only a few hours’ sleep in between shifts and Quinn felt the weariness settling into her bones.
“That’s a lot of vampires,” Liam remarked, as yet another group approached, entering the house through the front door. Last night, groups had arrived throughout the evening and it seemed tonight was no different. Charlotte had called for back-up. A lot of it.
“Good,” Quinn replied, “the more, the better.”
“I estimate at least a hundred,” Liam mused.
“Probably more,” Quinn replied, before slithering back, away from the hedge. “We’ve seen enough. Charlotte will arrive tomorrow night and we’ve got a lot to do before then.”
They made their way back to the cornfield where Monique had fallen asleep, her head resting against the Orochian’s scaly hind leg. They had decided to make camp just a few yards in, flattening a large section so that they could use the vegetation to conceal them while still being comfortable. That didn’t stop Liam moaning every time they came to and from the camp. Even the short path through the corn was a mission. Monique woke as they approached, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Relax,” Quinn soothed. “Go back to sleep. I need you on your A-game tomorrow.”
“How many more?” Monique asked, yawning widely.
“Twenty or so, but more are arriving every hour.”
“Marvellous,” the young girl grinned.
Once again, the three took it in turns to sleep, always leaving one person to keep guard. It was unlikely that they would be discovered, but they couldn’t leave themselves vulnerable when they were so close to achieving their goal.
At dawn, Liam, who had taken the last shift, nudged Quinn awake and she lifted herself slowly to a sitting position, rubbing her stiff neck. Ravenous, she pulled a few granola bars from her pack and placed them in the centre of their small circle, while Liam disappeared into the corn, no doubt to relieve himself. Disturbed by the sudden movement, the Orochian lumbered to his feet, unseating Monique, who slipped sideways, her head landing on a bed of crumpled corn-stalks. Snapping awake, she looked mildly alarmed before registering the sun beating down on them.
“Breakfast,” Quinn said, indicating the granola bars.
“Ugh,” Monique groaned. “After this, I swear I am never eating another one of these again.” Despite her complaining, she snatched up a granola bar and wolfed it down in three bites before swigging back half a bottle of water. Liam returned and the three spent an hour in quiet reflection. It wasn’t long before the Orochian began to show signs of agitation.
“Take him out,” Quinn offered. “Let him eat. It’s going to be a long da
y.”
When they were gone, Liam opted to go and check on the house. Quinn heard him crashing through the brush and then smiled when a stream of curses reached her. She settled back on the ground, using her pack as a makeshift pillow and closing her eyes. They would set their plan in motion as soon as Monique returned and she wanted to be alone with her thoughts, to run through everything one last time. It didn’t take long. She was confident that they had covered every possible scenario. The plan was watertight. Left with nothing else to do her mind drifted to her family and friends who would be settled on the farm by now. She had not heard from Drake since yesterday and she was desperate for information about the others. Tentatively she reached out with her mind, surprised that he answered her almost immediately.
I’ve been waiting for you.
She could sense the truth in his words. As though he had been waiting, subconsciously, for her to reach out to him. Somehow everything seemed better for it. Knowing he could follow her thoughts, she quickly brought herself back to the matter at hand.
We’re going to do it soon.
Are you worried?
For the others, mostly.
I’m worried about you.
I know.
How are the others holding up? He paused for just a fraction too long and her heart leapt into her throat. Drake?
It’s not good, he admitted eventually. She knew he had wanted to keep it from her, but there was no hiding anything anymore. Not now that she was inside his head. They’ve had to sedate the herd. Quinn drew in a sharp breath, understanding immediately. The unicorns would be sitting ducks if they were discovered.
We’re safe here, Drake reminded her. Charlotte’s not going to find us. She’ll be too focused on you right now.
This is going to work, she thought ferociously. Drake had already lost her, she was back in full Guardian mode. No doubt sensing that he would snap her out of it, he let her go, with a final, Be careful.
Quinn opened her eyes. To her surprise Monique was back and she and Liam were staring curiously at Quinn. They had obviously been trying to get her attention for the past few minutes while she was in her trance-like state. Embarrassed, Quinn walked away without offering an explanation for her strange behaviour. She allowed herself a few minutes to recover. The bond didn’t hurt from this distance, but it did make her head fell foggy and uncomfortable. Once the worst of it had subsided, she returned and went over the plan one last time.
“When you’re done, I want you out of there,” she reminded Monique. “You do not, under any circumstances, let him land anywhere nearby, not until I give you the signal. You got that?” Monique nodded solemnly. “Take this,” Quinn handed over her cell phone. “Speed dial 2 for Daniel. Either way, you let him know what’s happened.”
“This is going to work,” Monique insisted. “You can call him yourself.” But she kept the phone anyway, slipping it into her jacket pocket. Then, with a knowing grin, she asked, “Who’s on speed dial 1.”
Quinn didn’t bother replying. They all knew who it was. Drake had become her first point of contact if she was in trouble. She fastened her stake-belt more tightly around her waist and sheathed her sword. Liam watched her thoughtfully.
“You sure about this?” he asked. “If the new Guardian really is in there it might kill him.”
“He’ll be in the dungeons,” Quinn replied. “It’s a completely stone structure, deep below the house. Fire burns up. With any luck, he’ll make it. Besides,” she added, trying to justify her blasé attitude, “there’s no way we’re going to be able to fight our way through a hundred vampires to get to him. And if we don’t get him out, he’s as good as dead.” Nodding grimly, Liam squared his shoulders.
“Ready?” Quinn asked.
“Hell yeah!”
“It’s going to be a long wait, but we can’t afford to leave the house once we start. This might be our only chance.”
“Understood.”
Quinn knew she had nothing to worry about, and, once again, she was glad she had chosen Liam to accompany her on this mission. She might not be as close to him as she was to Avery, or Piper, but except for Daniel, he was the most diligent Guardian she knew. He would do everything exactly as he should. Turning to the youngest member of their group, she smiled reassuringly. “You ready?” she asked.
Monique nodded. “Let’s burn them all,” she said, climbing onto the dragon’s back.
Quinn and Liam raced towards Charlotte’s house, hearing the beating wings as the Orochian became airborne. There was no turning back now.
They reached the same hedge as before but this time, they hurdled over it, coming to a stop only a few hundred yards from the house. It was deathly quiet – the formidable army gathered inside was confined to the dark interior – the sun containing them indoors. Quinn’s Slayer instinct heightened, the nausea of so many vampires close by drawing her in, but she stood her ground, waiting, just as they’d planned. The vampires might have seen them by now, but there was not a thing they could do about it. Quinn watched with a grim satisfaction as the Orochian hurtled toward them, aiming straight for the Manor house. She heard the screech and the deadly hiss that signalled his fire breath.
‘Too low!” she yelled, knocking Liam to his knees as the dragon roared, flames erupting from his open mouth, engulfing the left side of the bottom storey of the house in a matter of seconds. “Sorry!” Monique yelled above the crackling of the fire, but her face was split in a triumphant grin.
“She’s totally not sorry,” Liam griped, but Quinn could hear the fondness in his voice. “Show-off!”
Monique guided the dragon in a slow circle and Quinn felt her heart thudding frantically in her chest. This was the worst part of their plan. They would have to wait for the Orochian to recharge. The screaming from inside the house was proof that some vampires had already been affected, but there were a lot of them inside. A minute later, the hissing roar sounded again and the flames engulfed the entire right wing at the bottom of the house. Quinn and Liam waited, prepared to fight any vampire that emerged, but their defence was unnecessary. The vampires would rather face the fire than emerge into the sunlight. Either way, they were dead. The screaming escalated, deathly wails of the dying, but still, no-one ventured outside. Quinn hoped that they would head up in the chaos, to the top storey, rather than down to the dungeons.
Over and over, Monique lined the Orochian up, slowly decimating the entire house, working her way up to the top storey. Only when all that remained was a towering inferno, did Quinn lift her right hand and draw it in a slow circle above her head, signalling Monique to go. The screaming had stopped, drowned by the roar of the fire, which moved, with a life of its own, through Charlotte’s home.
“That was easier than I expected,” Liam remarked, after over half an hour of silence. The flames were already diminishing as the fire ran out of combustible material to burn and parts of the house had collapsed, smothering the fire beneath.
The sun had not yet reached its zenith, and Quinn finally relaxed, settling down to watch with a morbid satisfaction. Charlotte had returned to this house after she was turned. Whether or not she knew it, the house meant something to her, along with all the possessions it held, which were now nothing more than charred ruins. It gave Quinn an immense amount of pleasure to watch it all burn. Charlotte had taken so much from her – Avery, Isaiah, even Drake for a time, and now she was finally getting her revenge. Her fury, far from abating, was building, a slow fire inside of her that, unlike the one she watched, was burning brighter with each passing second.
No fire-fighters came to the rescue. Charlotte had no close neighbours to witness this catastrophe and, even if she had, she had no doubt compelled them all to stay away from her, to ignore the house as though it wasn’t even there. That way, no one would ever come along to question her about any strange animal attacks in the area. Nothing disturbed the silent afternoon, save for the hissing and popping sounds that came from the still smouldering house.
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As the last rays of the sun faded, Quinn got to her feet. They hadn’t seen Monique for hours. She had heeded Quinn’s instructions and fled after her job was done. The house had burnt almost to the ground and nothing remained but a smoking, charred mess.
“We should hide,” Quinn murmured and Liam followed her back to the hedge they had been using as cover for the past two nights. Neither spoke another word, watching and waiting for what they knew would be coming.
Chapter 14
Charlotte sat in the back seat of the luxury car, staring out of the window, watching the stars pass by. They were almost home and, as always, she felt a sense of contentment that she would soon be back where she belonged. She would find a way to undermine Aleksei, but, for now, she had a different score to settle. She would deal with Quinn if she dared to show her face. Charlotte hoped the feckless Guardian would keep her word and arrive as promised. She wanted nothing more than to look into her eyes as she took her last breath. She would kill Quinn personally, but she had called for back-up in case the Guardian brought her own reinforcements. She lowered her window slightly, breathing in the familiar smells that signalled the end of their long journey but something was off. Beneath the scent of dust and lavender, something acrid surfaced - the musky stench of a dying campfire, revoltingly magnified, carried to her on the breeze.
“Miss Charlotte!” her driver’s astonished gasp drew her attention and Charlotte looked forward to see what he wanted as they swept up the long drive. The sight that greeted her through the glass windshield turned the blood in her veins to ice. Staring at the smoking remains of what had been her home for hundreds of years, Charlotte felt a wave of hatred wash over her and a scream erupted from deep in her chest, echoing on and on in the quiet night.
Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4 Page 87