Rylan gives a curt nod then turns to face me. He sends me a warning look before turning completely away and heading back down the hall. Panic surges through me, right down to my bones at the thought of being alone in a room with these men. “Do join us,” Jackson says, gesturing to an empty chair at the table.
I hastily make my way into the room and take my seat opposite the men. Jackson shuts the door behind me, sending the room into the loudest silence I have ever heard. “Bianca, please let me introduce you to my colleagues,” Jackson says, gesturing to the two other men in the room. “This here is Alistair,” he says motioning to a broad chested male who looks as though he could have served time in the Front Lines at one stage of his life. Alistair sends me a polite nod and mentions that I should call him Ali instead.
“And this here is Marcus,” Jackson says indicating to the scrawny, dark haired man with a scowl on his face who does not offer me the polite nod that I received from his colleague.
“It’s lovely to meet you all,” I say then decide a little boldness might do me well. “How may I help you?” I ask with a smile.
Ali lets out a booming laugh. “Ah, the young these days, always so eager to get to the point,” he says. “Don’t worry my dear, we understand you have had a very exhausting week. We will make this as quick as possible.”
I give him a thankful nod, remaining quiet. “Now, we were all very pleased and to be honest, quite shocked and surprised with your performances during this past week. Your skills in combat and weaponry are just outstanding. Our observations over the past week show that you have developed a celebrity status within our community. Now, we believe it’s in The Guards best interest for you to use this celebrity to inspire other young women to follow in your footsteps, as it’s no secret that over the past few decades, women of The Guard have taken a step back from the Combat program,” he says, pausing a second to gather his thoughts. “We think you are exactly what’s needed to bring women back to our front lines, which in turn will hopefully double our numbers in the front lines.”
I sit for a moment considering Ali’s words, focusing on Rylan’s warning that there’s usually an ulterior motive. “So, what does this actually mean for me?” I ask.
“I’m glad you asked,” Jackson says fondly. “We believe you have already achieved a satisfactory training level, so you will be leaving the Academy to join The Guard and commence your project which will involve traveling to The Guard communities all over the world. You will hold inspirational seminars for the junior campuses, displaying the skills you hold, and therefore the skills they may inspire to and possibly hold themselves.”
Dread floods me at the thought of leaving the Academy before graduation, of leaving my friends and Rylan, and better yet having to leave to become some sort of Guard Poster Girl, not actually being on the front lines, which is what I’ve worked my ass off for. They can’t do this. I won’t allow it.
Struggling to hold my tongue, I force myself to smile. “Do you not feel, the results I have already achieved combined with how much more I could accomplish with a further six months training, would be more beneficial towards The Guard’s cause? To show the young women of The Guard that it is possible for a woman, just like them, to graduate in the top ranking. To show them a woman actually in the front lines making a difference. Take it from me, that’s how you will make a difference and inspire the young women of our community,” I say proudly.
Markus growls from across the table clearly not happy that I’m questioning their big plan. “Are you saying you know what’s best for our people? That you know the best ways to keep our people safe, to double our numbers?” he scowls.
“No, not in the least,” I say, making sure I don’t call him an asshole. “What I’m saying is that I am a woman, and I know the way we think, especially young women. The way to get through to a woman is not by holding some seminar and showing a brief demonstration of skills they may or may not want to possess. They are already being shown this in the curriculum. What they respond to is seeing someone they idolize out there in the real world, kicking ass and making a difference. Doing what they truly set out to do. That’s what is going to bring the women into the Combat program and double your numbers.”
Markus’s face reddens and he opens his mouth when Jackson cuts him off. “Thank you, Bianca, you have given some very enlightening points for us to consider. It’s wonderful to see how the young mind works. After all, our future rides on the young lives of your generation.”
“Indeed, it does,” Ali muses. “Now, dear, you must be exhausted. We old men won’t waste any more of your time,” he says excusing me.
I rise from my chair, not sure how to feel about what could possibly happen in my near future. I give them all a polite smile, even asshole Markus. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your time and good night.” With that, I turn on my heel and rush out the door.
My mind is swirling as I rush to get away from that room, as if the further I get, the further away their brilliant plan to ship me off gets. A dark figure jumps out in front of me and grabs my shoulders. I squeal as my training kicks in and I punch a fist out, connecting with the figure's jaw.
“Shit, Bianca,” Rylan says in shock as he raises a hand to his face.
“I’m sorry,” I say reaching out to place a hand over his on his face. “What the hell are you doing jumping out at me like that in the middle of the night?” I scold.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he says, his voice laced heavily with sarcasm. “You came running out of that room like your ass was on fire. You gave me no other choice.” He links his fingers through mine and pulls me tight into his chest, giving me the comfort that I need. “What happened in there?”
I let out a shaky break and let him lead me into the darkened night. I tell him everything the High Council members discussed, my poster girl duties, my possible leaving and not graduating, and how everything always came back to more numbers on the front lines.
“That’s bullshit,” he whispers under his breath, bringing his arm up and over my shoulder. “They’re up to something.” He leads me further into the dark night away from any lingering bodies, where we’re truly alone. “I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re going to graduate, top of the class just like you planned.”
I smile at his confidence and I’m reminded of why I love him so much. “What if they don’t accept no as an answer?”
He gives me a sad smile. “You can then plead your case to The Guard officials who will put it down to a vote, but I doubt it will come to that. They don’t like things to go quite so public, especially with your status at the moment. It would put a stain on their precious reputation.”
We walk in silence for a bit as I consider my new options. “I’m assuming you’re not in the mood to go back to the dance?” he asks.
“No, not really. Jacinta and Trey are probably naked in the supply closet by now, so I might pass on that,” I smile.
“I really didn’t need to know that,” he groans.
He leads me down a pathway that stops with a small table and a chair at the end. “Where are you taking me?” I ask as the curiosity gets the best of me.
“I used to come down here when I was a senior and I needed a bit of space from life,” he says.
“Really?” I ask as he sits down on the bench. “I’ve got my own little space at the other end of campus that I go to, though I haven’t really needed it lately,” I smile. He grabs me around the waist and pulls me down beside him as I snuggle into his side.
“If you look close enough, you can probably still make out my name carved into the table,” he laughs as he places my hand over the space where his name is. I take a moment to feel each letter of his name rough against my fingertips. I turn into him and reach up to press a soft kiss to his lips. He puts his hands on my waist and lifts me onto his lap, deepening the kiss.
We sit in each other arms, taking advantage of yet another stolen moment when we finally decide that I
should be getting back to my dorm. “Will you come somewhere with me tomorrow?” he asks.
“Where?” I ask with a smile.
He gives an embarrassed cringe. “Well, I’ve been seeing my sister and I may have mentioned your name once or twice and now she wants to meet you,” he says a little too quickly.
I beam up at him. “I’d love to.”
----------
“Where the hell have you been?” Jacinta screeches from across the room. “It’s 2:30 in the morning.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I quip as I slide the window closed behind me. “But you’re one to talk. You’ve still got your hooker heels on. My guess is you only just got back yourself and I know the dance was shut down at 1 am,” I question, as I begin to rifle through my wardrobe searching for my favorite pajamas.
A guilty, smug expression comes across her beautiful features. “Don’t try and turn this around on me. I was with my boyfriend, you know the guy I’m not risking my whole future on to see. You on the other hand…”
I narrow my eyes at her accusation, giving up on my pajamas and deciding underwear would be best. I squeeze out of my dress and sit on the edge of my bed to start riding myself of these damn boots. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I had my meeting with the High Council and then decided on a stroll around campus,” I say feigning innocence.
“Oh God. You’re such a liar,” she laughs as she throws her blankets back on her bed and climbs in. Two seconds later, I do the same and plug my phone into my charger before hitting the lights.
I hear the smile in her voice. “Tell me all about it.”
A smile of my own comes tearing onto my face and I can’t hold back anymore. I spill all the details from my crazy night. The good, the bad and the ugly, making sure I am not stingy on the details. I share with her the conversation with the High Council members and tell her all about their big plan for increasing the numbers on the front lines.
“Sounds like their trying to create an army,” she muses.
Her comments strike something deep within me and I’m reminded of the argument, Rylan and I had overheard the Council members having. Thoughts swirl around my mind as I try to make sense of what I heard. I remember Rylan’s warning about their ulterior motives and hope that this has absolutely nothing to do with me.
Jacinta is quiet for a while before she pipes up, pulling my thought process back to the here and now. “So, his sister wants to meet you, huh?”
“Apparently,” I say as my own curiosity gets the best of me. “But who am I to deny the woman of my charms.”
“Whatever,” she scoffs. “You just want time with Rylan away from The Academy and prying eyes.”
“What?” I gasp. “Don’t be absurd,” I scold in mock horror. Though, really, apart from actually wanting to meet Kaylee, there would be no other way I would rather spend my day.
“Just be careful, the last thing you need is to be caught sneaking off campus with your boyfriend who’s supposed to be your instructor,” she warns.
“I know,” I say. “Which is why I have an amazing best friend who will cover for me if anyone comes looking.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she scoffs. “You know I will.”
Chapter 7
I sneak a glance at Rylan as he drives out of The Guard Academy parking lot and into the real world, looking as badass as ever in his black SUV. His white shirt stretches across his flawless broad chest, threatening the seams that hold it together. My eyes drift down the line of his muscled arm as he shifts gears in the sexy way that only a man can pull off. My mouth waters at the thought of sinking my teeth into those perfect…
“Quit it,” he scolds, pulling me out of my inner thoughts.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I quip.
He glances at me with fire in his eyes. “You know exactly what you’re doing,” he says as a grin spreads across my face. “And if you don’t stop looking at me like that, we won’t make it to Kaylee’s.”
I bite down on my lip as heat rushes into my cheeks. My body becomes overwhelmed with need as he reaches across and frees my lip from the confines of my teeth. “Don’t temp me, Bianca,” he warns, forcing his attention back to the road.
Far out. This is going to be the hardest day.
I squirm in my seat as I flick through the radio stations and come up with nothing but rubbish making me scold myself for leaving my trusty iPod on my bedside table. Rylan reaches into a bag in the backseat and produces his own iPod and silently hands it to me with a smug expression.
“What’s this?” I ask as I go about plugging it in and searching through his playlists. “Does Rylan Neill actually have an iPod?” I ask in mock horror.
He gives me an exasperated look and rolls his eyes. “Don’t get excited, I haven’t used that since I was at the Academy.”
I groan inwardly as I continue searching, coming across names like Linkin Park and 30 Seconds to Mars. I hit play and shock the hell out of him when I sing all the words to ‘In the end’.
“How do you know this stuff?” he asked impressed. “This is way before your time, you must have only been a kid when this was released.”
I give him a satisfied grin. “I can’t tell you all my secrets, now, can I?” I say as the next song comes on, putting an even bigger grin on my face.
He rolls his eyes and lets out a booming laugh as I begin to sing the infamous ‘Tribute’ by Tenacious D with everything I’ve got.
A half hour later, after I have finished reminiscing about my favorite times with my favorite old songs, my mind begins to wander.
“What’s up?” he asks, noticing the look on my face.
“If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?” I say, glancing towards him.
“Il always tell you the truth, Bianca,” he responds.
“Can you tell me about the dark war?”
He lets out a heavy breath. “I was wondering when you’d ask about that,” he says. He sits quietly for a while, considering his words. “The Dark War was about five hundred years ago and was basically a massacre held by the Fey. Our people had been feuding with the Fey for years about the land as the Fey, being magical creatures of nature, believed they should have control over the supernatural world, which in their eyes would be letting the vampires and shape shifter’s run wild, ultimately bringing havoc to the human world.”
“We were not as civilised as we are now and also didn’t understand the abilities of the fey and mistakenly went to war. The Guard went in with a surprise attack in hopes of outnumbering them and cornering them into submission. However, The Guard made the mistake of attacking in their Kingdom, where, as you know, their magic is strongest. The Fey, while outnumbered, easily slayed The Front Line, leaving the rest of The Guard defenceless.”
“The Guard had no other choice but to allow the Fey to reign over the supernatural world. As time moved on and our numbers replenished, The Guard took back its power. The fey are not forgiving creatures and will eventually return to claim what they believe is rightly theirs. They are patient, and although five hundred years have passed, to them it could have been just yesterday, which is why The Guard have created such an intense Combat program and developed the FEDS studies to such high standards. They could come for us tomorrow or they could come in a thousand years, but when they do, we’ll be ready.”
“So, how come they didn’t seek revenge when our front line was wiped out? And how come I had no idea about all this?” I ask.
“First of all, you don’t know this because you refuse to pay attention in Guard History and as for their revenge. I have no idea, but the fact that they have waited so long couldn’t be good.”
Thoughts and theories circle my mind as I try to make sense of everything Rylan has just shared.
“Why are you thinking so hard?” he asks with a smirk.
“Well, you know The Guard’s whole plan to use me to create more interest in the combat program? What if I’m actually their pawn t
o start building an army to go to war again? Take them down before they get a chance to slaughter us again?”
Rylan is thoughtful for a short moment. “It’s possible, but for another war to happen on our watch, we would have to draw them out, which is next to impossible, or go to them, which is suicide.”
After a few hours of driving, he pulls up to a small house at the end of a cul-de-sac. “Come on,” he says. “Stop thinking all these morbid thoughts. If The Guard were preparing to build an army to take on the Fey, it would take them years to get the numbers they would require. So chill out. For now, you’re staying at The Academy, sneaking around with your instructor and kicking all those boy’s asses until you graduate. Got it?” he orders.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” I say with a roll of my eyes, suddenly feeling a lot lighter.
I hop out of the car and meet him on the long pathway that leads to a small cottage style house which is covered in all kinds of nature. He laces his fingers through mine and warmth spreads through me.
“So, what ever happened to us not doing the whole sneaking around thing and you strictly being my instructor?” I ask.
He looks down at me with a smile playing on his lips. “As much as we shouldn’t be sneaking around,” he starts as his deep eyes sparkle. “You’re just too damn irresistible, not being with you was driving me crazy.”
I stop in the middle of the pathway and look up into his eyes. “You know, I’m really glad you’ve got shitty self-control.” He shakes his head at me once again and leans down to give me a kiss.
“RYLAN,” I hear a feminine voice screeching. “BABY BROTHER.”
Rylan, who’s still looking down at me, smirks. “Come and meet my crazy sister.”
I look away just in time to see the female version of Rylan barrelling down the pathway from the open door of the small cottage. She flings her small body around her brother and he catches her easily. “God, I’ve missed you,” she says as she holds onto him for dear life.
Decimate: The Guard Trilogy Page 7