Day of Sacrifice (Day of Sacrifice #1)

by Benefiel, S. W.

  The car lowered smoothly, dropping to the private penthouse entrance in a hall off of the lobby in less than a minute. She exited and shoved the gun into the nearest trashcan. It may have come in handy just now, but it was more of a danger than a help to her. Walking in as unsuspicious a manner as she could manage, Flora strolled through the lobby and out onto the street.

  She scanned the nearby parked cars for anyone that looked like an associate of the guy she’d just burned, but the street was pretty empty. Everyone loved a DOS, the procession, the parties, the spectacle. Fauna was right. She needed to get into a crowd immediately. She started jogging the five blocks to the city center, hoping she appeared to be hurrying because she didn’t want to miss the show. Flora tried not to think of Aiden, her friend since childhood, grinding his teeth together to keep his face expressionless while they cut him open.

  The cutting had started. First the jugular, then they would move on to the femoral. It was never very long after that. Julian took Mrs. Grant’s hand. She was sobbing. She had let herself love her son, of course she had. Some Supernatural families had upwards of twelve children just trying to forget the first one they’d had to let go. The Grants had never had any other children.

  Mr. Grant didn’t make a sound. Julian wondered if he was adding up in his head all of the profits his son’s Sacrifice was going to net him.

  Julian followed Aiden’s gaze, lifting his eyes slightly to look in the same direction. Was he staring at that cloud?

  After running for about ten minutes the streets went from deserted to chaotic. Flora kept her head down and blended in, shouldering her way through the crowd. She figured if being in the crowd was good, being as close to Aiden and the TV cameras that were filming his sacrifice was better. She couldn’t get any more public than that. Straining to see over the people in front of her, she located the banner that flew Aiden’s family crest. The banners were always placed right next to the sacrificial stone. That was where she needed to be.

  Her heart thudded in her chest as she drew closer, trying to reconcile what she was about to see with the desire to save her own ass. She hoped he was dead already.

  One final push through the crowd and she was at the rope barrier that had been set up around the perimeter of the city square. Taking a deep breath, Flora made herself look at Aiden laid out on the slab.

  His chest rose and fell in stilted breaths. Blood ran down his naked chest and thighs and filled the deep tracks cut into the stone to drain the blood into the sacrificial chalice at its base. He made no sound. He only stared upwards. His family would be proud. They all stood a few feet away from him, watching. His mother was crying hard, holding onto, not Aiden’s father’s hand, but his Guardian Julian’s. Julian had always been with Aiden, no matter what Aiden’s behavior. He let all of the Sacrifices get away with more than he should have, he was cool that way. Like he almost understood what it was like to be one of them. Who would he guard now?

  She dug her phone out of her pocket and called Fauna.

  “Are you safe?” she asked, breathless as though she’d been running.

  “Yes,” Flora answered. “I’m front and center watching my friend slowly bleed to death, but the bad man isn’t trying to kill me anymore.”

  “So, they got to you?” Fauna’s voice went up several octaves.

  “Don’t worry sis, I can take care of myself. I fireballed his...uh, balls.”

  “You didn’t! Oh, Flora! They’re going to send a posse after you now.”

  A zing of fear swept through her. A posse? She hadn’t considered that when she was fricasseeing the hit man. Yeah, she’d really taken care of herself. She’d be better off cuddling up to Aiden and getting her sacrifice over with. “Faun, can you come get me? I fucked up.”

  “I see her!” Flora heard Clark say in the background.

  “We’re on the other side of the square. Can you see us?” Fauna said.

  Looking around frantically, Flora spotted Fauna and her boyfriend charging through the onlookers.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “I see you. Stay put, I’ll come over there.” She shut off her phone and stuffed it back into her pocket. As she started moving to the side, a gun went off across the square. The man beside her collapsed to the ground. The crowd erupted in screams, everyone surging in one chaotic mass in an attempt to get away from the gunman. Flora froze for a split second and then crawled under the rope barrier out into the open. Innocent people did not need to die because of her. Two more shots fired and she heard Fauna yell her name. She trained her gaze on the sound of her sister’s voice. The hit man from the hotel was coming after Flora and another goon was charging toward Fauna. Both had their guns raised. Oh, no you don’t. Besides, Faun is so not a virgin.

  Instinctively, Flora’s hands conjured up fire and prepared to launch it at the attackers. But she was too slow. Her knee burst with bone shattering pain and she stumbled backwards. Disoriented, she looked over her shoulder and saw Aiden take his final stuttering breath as a pair of massive white iridescent wings enfolded her and the world went silent.

  It had been a long time since he’d transported with another person and Julian didn’t remember it being quite so debilitating. He braced his hands against the kitchen counter, trying to bring himself down from the adrenaline rush. Flora was safe, that was all that mattered. He really needed to pull it together and get back to her. A few more seconds. He turned around and leaned against the counter. Devising a three part plan always helped him get his head on straight. One: get Flora healed. Two: find out what the hell was going on and who was trying to kill her. Three: get her out of harm’s way and keep her safe. Her Day of Sacrifice was only a few days away.

  Julian sighed and pulled a mug from the cupboard next to the sink. Walking over to the Grant’s pantry, he extracted a ladle full of liquid from one of Mrs. Grant’s many potion kegs. She was a talented witch, especially with healing potions, almost as talented as his mother. He thrust the ladle back into the keg with more force than he intended. Damn it. Aiden was supposed to be his last charge. He was finally going to get to spend more than a few days every six months on his family’s land. But one look at Aiden’s face when he realized Flora Hamilton was in danger and Julian knew what he had to do.

  She was Aiden’s closest friend. He’d been madly in love with her and told her as much. She’d turned him down, telling him she didn’t love him in the same way. To be fair though, Flora turned everyone down. That had been one hell of an awkward conversation for Julian to try not to overhear. Still, she’d kept her word to Aiden and loved him as best she could. Julian admired her for that and for her magic. She was beyond her years with her fire work. It was a damned shame she didn’t have any more years available to her for her other skills to catch up. Why did it have to be Flora Hamilton? He was too close to the situation on several levels. Because of Aiden. Because of admiration. Because of another life changing conversation he hadn’t meant to overhear years before.

  She’d woken up in worse places. Never in quite as much pain, but then again, having your kneecap blown to bits was bound to be worse than coming off a two-day tequila bender.

  “Good, you’re awake. Here, drink this.” Julian towered over her with his hand out, offering her a mug with a kitten on it.

  Flora sat up and took the mug, surveying the room. The cream colored walls were bare, the room Spartan apart from a wooden chair in one corner, and a couple of cardboard moving boxes in front of the empty closet. The double bed she’d been resting on was fitted with green plaid flannel sheets and a thin navy blue comforter that were soaked through with her blood. She took a drink and struggled to swallow the hot nasty-tasting liquid. “Ugh. Thanks for saving me and everything Julian, but what is this crap?”

  He chuckled and sat down next to her on the bed, completely disregarding the bloody mess she’d made. “Just drink it. It will mend your bones. Aiden’s mom keeps a stockpile of it in her pantry.” His voice broke a little at the mention of Aid
en’s name. He shook it off. “You know how clumsy he was. Must have broken nearly every bone in his body at some point.”

  “Yeah,” she said, smiling. “He broke three toes trying to waltz with me at Fauna’s coming out party.” They sat quietly for a moment, remembering his charge and her friend.

  “So, who’s trying to kill you Flor? And where the hell is your Guardian?” Julian asked, moving closer to her.

  She leaned into him, appreciating the comforting feel of his broad chest. “The Fitzgeralds. Dad had a bad business deal with them, I guess. And Maggie,” Flora shrugged, “she quit this morning.”

  Julian scoffed. “Because of the hot tub thing?”

  She shrugged again.

  “Maggie obviously has no knowledge of magical ritual,” he said.

  “And you do?” Flora asked. What did Guardians know of witchy ways? Humans were strictly forbidden from learning magic. Maybe after they became angels, they had a class or something?

  He nodded. “I’ve been around. I’ve seen the At Peace ritual performed before.” He smiled. “Of course, I’m more familiar with the moonlight and lake version over the halogen and hot tub one you all performed last night.

  Flora blushed crimson, sure that he thought she was a poseur.

  “The pink floral bath bomb was a nice touch, though. A definite improvement over the original stinkweed.” His smiled broadened.

  Crap. He has seen me naked. In order to avoid any further embarrassing memories of the night before flashing through her brain, Flora took another sip from the mug. The stuff may have tasted gross, but her knee barely hurt at all anymore and she could tell the bone shards were fusing back together. She’d have to ask Mrs. Grant for the recipe for Fauna.

  Julian gave her shoulders a quick squeeze and then stood up. “I’m going to go make some calls, report Maggie for one thing, and then find out what I’m supposed to do with you.”

  “Do with me?” she looked up at him.

  He sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You know I can’t guard you.”

  It was against the rules for a male to guard a female and vice versa. Still... “Don’t you think an exception could be made? I mean, I’m under real threat and Maggie totally screwed me. It’s three days.” She didn’t know why she was forcing the issue exactly, but Julian made her feel safe and like she was worth protecting. With all of her Guardians she’d always got the feeling she was just a job.

  “I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask and I do have a little bit of leverage where you’re concerned.” He turned and left the room.

  She watched him walk away, her gaze lingering on his back and then moving lower. Her face heated and she took another swig from the mug to bring herself back to reality. Now was not the time to be ogling cute angel butt no matter how nice Julian looked in his snug black trousers.

  What had he meant by leverage? With her family, maybe? He’d been her cousin Roland’s Guardian before she and Fauna were born, before he’d become Aiden’s Guardian. It was weird to think that Julian had known her her whole life and yet still looked the same today at Aiden’s ceremony as he had in the photographs from Roland’s. Of course, the clothes were better now, but he had the same somber expression, the same full head of wavy blond hair, and the same athletic physique. Who knew how old he was really. He looked twenty-five at the most.

  She sat the empty mug down on the floor beside the bed and decided to try out her knee. Scooting all the way to the edge, Flora pushed herself up with her hands, putting all of her weight on her good leg. Cautiously she lowered the foot of her injured leg to the ground and leaned into it. A little sore, but so far so good. She glanced around the room and set her sights on shuffling to the adjoining bathroom.

  The visage that greeted her in the mirror had looked better. She splashed water on her face and then went about getting herself in order. Scrounging a ponytail holder out of her jeans pocket, she used Julian’s fancy boar bristle brush to sweep her hair back off of her face. The hoodie still looked okay, but her jeans were a disgusting mess. She ran her hands over the tops of her legs, and removed the stains from her pants. Satisfied with her appearance, Flora applied full pressure to her injured knee and was pleased to find it had completely healed. Now what?

  She went back into the bedroom and considered cleaning the bed, but didn’t, doubtful that her magic was strong enough to erase the pint of blood she’d lost.

  Julian came back into the room, a panicked expression on his face for a split second before he realized she was standing next to the bed instead of sitting on it.

  “You heal fast.” He looked her up and down. “And you’re clean.”

  “Well,” she said, grinning, “I do know a few other tricks besides ineptly conjuring fire.”

  “There wasn’t anything inept about that, Flora, your magic has always been proficient.”

  Always, huh? It was nice to know he’d been paying attention. Hell, it was nice to know that someone had been paying attention. “So, did you get in touch with my dad? Are we summoned?”

  “We are.” Julian smiled and extended his arm to escort her from the room.

  She hesitated. Beyond that bedroom door was Aiden’s room and downstairs the den where they’d played video games and drunkenly hooked up a few times before she knew how he felt about her. Any pleasant memories she’d had of him were forever trumped by her witnessing his last breath.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you when we get outside.” Julian offered her his hand instead.

  Oh, yeah. Beyond this house there was a pissed off Supernatural family who had it in for her. “I actually wasn’t even thinking about that.” She peeked around him into the hall. “I’m a little afraid of seeing Aiden’s room. I know that’s totally stupid.”

  Julian took her hand. “It’s not stupid, he meant a lot to you. I know he cared for you, too. The door to his room is closed. Come on.” He pulled her into the hall, both of them keeping their faces forward. They hurried down the steps to the main floor and went through the kitchen to the garage.

  Julian nodded for her to get in the backseat of Aiden’s dad’s armored car. He was still a little shocked that Flora hadn’t thought to be at all scared of a hit man, but had started shaking at the prospect of seeing Aiden’s room. Gods, that made him want to protect her even more and for himself, not for his former charge. Easy, man. He shook his head to rid it of that strange thought. For himself?

  “Is there a reason we’re not just going to transport like we did from the ceremony? Are you sure Mr. Grant wants us to take his car?” Flora had apparently decided against the backseat and got in front instead.

  He shot her an annoyed look. “Edgar Grant will be fine with us borrowing his car. I’m not sure he will even notice it’s gone and besides, with the goodwill and financial gain he’s about to have because of Aiden’s sacrifice, he could afford a fleet of these vehicles.” Julian reached across her and pulled the seatbelt out, fastening it at her hip. Better. Safer. “If you’re not going to ride in the backseat, at least humor me and put this on.” He started up the car.

  “You didn’t answer my first question. Why aren’t we transporting?”

  Embarrassed, he pushed a button on the visor above his head and the garage door opened behind them, stalling. He should just be straight with her. She wasn’t going to think less of him. At least he hoped not. Why did he care? “Because,” he said, looking in the rearview mirror, “the adrenaline rush weakens me and I can’t do it very often. Transporting with someone is a lot more difficult than doing it alone.” He backed the car out slowly, constantly checking all the car’s mirrors. “Not all Guardians are even able to do it,” he added, lest she think him a total weakling.

  Flora turned to him, tears pushing their way out of the corners of her eyes. “Julian, you risked handicapping yourself to come to my rescue?”

  He nodded. Damn, she thought he’d been rash.

  “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Honest.”
She snorted then, in a bizarre half laugh half sob. “How fucking pathetic is that shit?”

  The drive to her dad’s office was uneventful. Clearly, the hit man had had enough of her antics for the day. Still, she noticed Julian breathed a soft sigh of relief when they drove into the underground parking garage and he stayed close to her on their walk toward the elevators. They rode in quiet, both of them watching the floor numbers light up as the elevator climbed. When they reached the twenty-fourth floor, Julian stepped out into the hallway and put his arm back to keep her from following. Assured that there was no immediate threat, he took her hand and pulled her around in front of him.

  “Is this how you guard everyone?” Flora asked, pleased to feel Julian’s palm against her lower back, guiding her down the dark green carpeted hall. “Because I’m thinking Mags was a total slacker.”

  “I’m being more vigilant than usual due to the attack, but the elevator thing is protocol. Did Maggie never do that?”

  She shook my head. “Not once.”

  Julian scoffed. “I’m getting her fired. That is unacceptable. It’s a good thing you can protect yourself well. Your Guardian wasn’t doing you any favors.”

  They turned the corner and walked through the double mahogany doors that opened into the expansive lobby of her dad’s private office. Fauna and Clark were sitting on a light green velvet couch closest to the hallway. Fauna jumped up and launched herself at Flora the second they made eye contact.

  “Oh my Gods, I’m so glad you’re okay! Those guys were so scary, Flor!” She eased her sisterly death grip hug and looked over Flora’s shoulder at Julian. “And you have got to be her Guardian now. If Daddy doesn’t agree to it, I can be very persuasive.”