“What?”
He smiled, giving a conspiratorial wink. “Now those two are crazy with an amazing jaded history. If this supernatural pull is so strong as to force two people to fall and stay in love without choice, then how have they been able to spend years at a time on separate continents?”
My mouth fell open. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this?”
“What are they supposed to say?” He threaded his fingers through his hair. “But the point I’m trying to make is that it’s not their role as Healers that keeps them together. It’s their love, because despite all their differences, their quarreling, their losses, they’re mad about each other.”
“Maybe it’s because they’re stuck with this life.”
“And see, that’s where you’re wrong again. You think you’re the only one who can walk away from this life so easily?”
Something in my memory clicked. “Aaron—Aaron said that even angels can fall.”
“Yes.”
“So, if angels can fall—then so can immortals.”
“Absolutely.” Darius leaned even closer, bringing his mouth to my ear. I held my breath and squirmed beneath my covers.
“It is not our immortal duties that draw me to you, darling.” His lips brushed the soft spot below my ear. I clutched the blanket within my fists.
“It is you.” He breathed against my cheek. “It’s you, Ava dear. Annoying habits—” His nose grazed the line of my jaw.
“Infuriating demons—” His amber gaze melted me. “All of you.” His mouth hovered over mine and I closed my eyes, eager for his touch. Shocked, I realized that I wanted him to kiss me. I longed to thread my fingers through his thick, dark mane and pull him closer, but after several quiet seconds, my eyes glimpsed open. Darius had pulled back and was staring at me. A smug look of satisfaction pinched his features. “So?”
I gaped. “So, what?” I asked, my voice full of embarrassed pain.
“Will you give me a chance?”
“You have got to be kidding me.” I huffed, dropping my hand. “If I say yes, will you go away faster?”
Darius chuckled deep within his throat. “You wanted me to kiss you, didn’t you?” He slid from the bed. I threw my pillow at him, but it only reached the foot of the bed. He peered at my choice of ammo. “It’s past your bedtime, Ava, but my door is always open if you... need me.” He smirked. “And you throw like a girl.”
I curled up into a ball, waiting until I knew he was gone, my emotions a roiling cauldron of mixed confusion. “Stupid, stupid Darius.”
Exhausted but unable to sleep, I satisfied my mind by staring out the windows. The curtains were drawn to expose the eerie moonlight as it cascaded upon the stone edifices of the courtyard. Sickness plagued my stomach, but it wasn’t from illness. I was lonely. My best friends had each other, and the Healers as well. Cheryl was only a few rooms away, but our relationship was still strained. Jonathan was emotionally unavailable, and Darius...
A noise caught my attention, and my eyes flashed open. A shiver drew up my spine as my mattress shifted beneath an unknown weight. I snaked my hand under my pillow, clutching my mother’s dagger. Steadying my breath, I flung around in my covers.
A pair of eyes met mine. Black. My heart seized, but Violet didn’t move, only smiled as she watched my reaction.
I removed my knife blade from beneath her neck but held it between our bodies.
Violet smiled. “Your mother did that same thing to me once. It was just as adorable then as it is right now,” she whispered.
I swallowed, keeping my voice low. “Are you here to kill me?”
Her head twitched. “Why on earth would I want to do that, my darling? You are my sweet, baby Ava. I will always watch over you.” Her eyes traveled my face. A loving smile lifted her features.
“What are you doing in here?”
“I missed you.”
I narrowed my gaze. “How did you get out of your cell?”
“I don’t think they’ve ever held a Fallen within their underground prison.” She scrunched up her nose. “They should know that bars cannot keep me contained, right?”
“Violet, answer my question—” My gaze flickered to Darius’s door, then back once I was satisfied he still slept. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s cute that you think this is the first night I’ve been here. You snore like your mother.” My mouth clamped shut. Confusion pulled at my brow. I’d never been told I snore. Violet smiled, replying to my internal thoughts. “Like a big, fat man,” she clarified.
“Violet.”
“Yes, my dear?”
“That’s rude.”
She shrugged then heaved a heavy sigh. Her lips pressed into a pout. “I was worried over you today. You could’ve been hurt. Nikolaos is evil. He deceived my Rachel, deceived The Three. He’ll do the same to you. Do not listen to him, to his lies.” If a demon could cry, I’d have worried that would happen any second.
“I don’t intend to.”
“Good, and you’re safe now.” She reached and pressed her palm against my cheek. The fire-hot warning that should have been there was only a dull burn. It felt almost normal. “You can go back to bed,” she said.
I huffed a laugh. “I don’t think I can.”
“Here.” She shifted closer. “Let me help you.”
Her mouth rounded. My eyes grew wide as she blew a breath of air into my face. The aroma of baked goods and flora filled my senses. Violet watched with a smile as my eyes rolled back, and I wondered if Jonathan would visit me when I slipped into my dreams.
4
On the Job
I sat up with a gasp. Drawing energy, I pressed outward, enveloping the Three with my power. “I’ve had a vision,” I said through the connection. The response was sluggish, but quick enough. They would be ready within minutes.
My mother could connect to a person’s soul—communicate with them—if they had a willing heart. My gift was similar, except I could link to multiple souls at the same time. And I wasn’t too sure a willing heart was necessary, although I hadn’t pushed too hard on that point. It was wise to be wary. A breach of trust could occur if one wasn’t careful.
I glanced outside my new, bullet-resistant window. Not as if a bullet could kill me, but it might stop a demon from crashing through it or prevent me from breaking it so easily. The sun had yet to rise, but low light ascended upon my view of the courtyard and crept over the sanctuary.
I was the Defender. This was my calling. There was no longer doubt in my mind, but it still amazed me, the almost painful way in which my body ached, desperate to help, desperate to protect.
Once we moved the veil we drove to the edge in two compound trucks, passing beneath the archaic archway. Strong stones of compressed rock pressed together against the keystone. My eyes scanned the Chords etched across the foundation, although I already knew what it read. God be with you.
Up until a month ago, the sanctuary had been fixed in one place. For twenty long years, it sat. With the Defender dead, and me hidden, The Three were no longer powerful enough to move it. Now we were a provisional unit with me and my temporary Guardian. It was again transportable, but not to the same degree or power it had once been.
My legs quivered from the exertion and the blood was just returning to my face, but the others seemed to be fine. I refused to rest—to be weak.
The orchards sang with birds within the branches. Our boots crunched soothingly against dirt and rock. Our sky was a blast of baby blue, air a perfect blend of fragrances. Everything was peaceful within our little haven, but the newly changed scenery shifted dramatically when we came to the very edge and looked out into a varying gray of buildings, dingy cobblestone, and a gloomy morning fog.
We exited by foot into the same dead-end alley I had seen in my vison, only now it was empty. I turned to the wave-like shimmer the veil produced for those welcome inside. Non-existent to mortals without access, it blended into the back of a local shop, the owners of which would have
no clue that a portal to my haven sat just outside their trash-lined back door.
We turned the corner and followed out the alley. Early morning commuters briskly walked the streets in bulky jackets and trench coats. Trees lined the sidewalk of the local shops and blended into a large park. On the other side, I could just make out a string of residential homes.
“Mics on,” Darius said.
I groaned but pushed the earpiece in and turned on the microphone hooked to the collar of my black jacket.
Laith cleared his throat. “We’re searching for two demons. If we come across our targets, I have confidence that the Defender will be able to take care of them on her own if they are lesser.”
“Why do we go straight for the demons?” I asked. “Why aren’t we helping the mortals?”
“Our focus is to keep the demons in check. We don’t reveal who we are to the mortals unless it’s totally necessary. Doing so interrupts their lives and exposes them to more notice.”
“Hence the sixty-plus mortals living at our compound,” Elisa added.
“That’s correct,” Laith said. “We trust that by us eliminating the supernatural threat, the mortals can resume their normal lives and hopefully live for the better.” He placed a soothing hand on my shoulder; his eyes pled with mine. “Be patient, Ava. I know you’re used to figuring things out on your own, but we need you to trust that we know what we’re doing. We must learn how to work as a team.”
I rolled my neck and released a heavy sigh. “I get it.” Even though I was annoyed, I knew why he gave such a reminder. I suppressed the guilt as the other times I ignored their requests blew through my memories.
By seven a.m. we still hadn’t spotted the demons that had caused my vision. My stomach growled as I scanned the streets. I was failing my job and I knew it. A bell chimed and a heavenly fragrance wafted from the bakery I stood in front of.
A moment later, Darius offered me a scone and tea in a to-go cup. With lady-like grace I scarfed down the baked good, then followed him across the street, wiping the crumbs from the front of my jacket.
Darius’s gaze traced down a curvy path that led into the park. “Still no sign of our targets.”
“Then go home,” Laith answered over the mic.
“But—”
“Don’t worry, Ava.” Cedric chimed in. “Lessers are rarely active until nightfall.”
“He’s right,” Laith said. “We’ll stay behind and keep an eye out. You and Darius check the residents and do a sweep of the complex, then rendezvous in the alleyway later this evening around ten. We’ll call if anything changes.”
“Roger that,” Darius said, and the coms went silent.
Frustrated, I tapped my pendant. “Are you guys awake in there?”
It buzzed in response, annoyed at my prodding.
Stay vigilant, Defender.
I puffed. “Some help you are.” I wrapped my chilled hands around the foam cup of my tea. “Why do I get the visions I do? What makes the humans we’re protecting special from all the other millions in the same situation?”
Darius’s hypnotic eyes considered me. His brown hair blew restlessly in the wind. “We protect the ones being unfairly sought for their abilities, the ones demons seek for their personal gain. We save the ones taken captive against their will—doing the bidding of their leader. We go where God sends us.”
“Do you ever ask why?”
“No.”
“Then how different are you from Jonathan?” My chest tightened in frustration. I extended my soul-searching for... I didn’t really know what. My abilities had only reached as far as I had practiced within the sanctuary. I had never truly tried to read a soul that didn’t want to be read out in the real world, or to find a connection to someone that didn’t want to be found. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t do it.
I projected further out. Souls were everywhere. Some more easy to gain access to than others, but if I looked at them, I could read them. Hear them. Not thoughts, but the motivations behind the thoughts. The driving factor to their existence. Some souls were bright, exuding warmth and positivity. Others were soiled different shades of gray, their energy cold and harder to penetrate. I didn’t have any difficulties stripping down whatever shield was in place and reading what lay within.
“Souls are meant to be private, you know,” Darius said, interrupting my exploration.
“How did you know—”
“Because I can feel you poking around.”
“He’s right, you know,” Elisa said over the com.
I pressed a hand to my ear. “Um, excuse me, I don’t remember addressing you, Ms. Know-It-All.” I glared at Darius. “And I’m not reading you.”
“I figured that. But Ava, you know it’s only supposed to be done when someone is willing.”
“But why? It makes no sense. That’s how I found Zane when that shapeshifter had taken over. You all were okay with it then. What makes it so different now?”
“Zane must’ve been willing. He needed your help.”
A woman waited to cross the street, at the same time searching through her purse for something...
I pressed my thoughts toward her. Her phone. She was looking for her phone.
“Ava.” Darius’s hand gripped my shoulder and I almost dropped my cup. “You’re not listening, are you? These people aren’t looking for your help. They’re going about their day, completely unaware that someone is snooping.”
“I’m not snooping.” But I lied.
His gaze traveled over my face. “Come on,” he said, taking me by the hand. “Violet will be waiting for her breakfast and another book.”
Violet. I heaved a heavy sigh. I would have to talk to her about last night. She was supposed to be locked in her cell, not roaming the compound as she pleased. I dreaded the conversation I would have to have with the others about her late-night escapades.
We returned to the compound by eight in the morning. I took out my coms and threw them on my bed, then changed into my running shorts and t-shirt. Darius did the same, but ensured his cell phone was on in case we were needed in the field. It was still early, but most of the residents were up and had already eaten their breakfast. Only a few remained in the dining room—the ones that rose for work earlier than the kitchen was open. They greeted me with a smile and a nod, but went about their business, which made me happy.
Darius froze at my side, glaring across the room.
Roman and Hector sat at the corner table. Roman’s legs were propped on a nearby chair, his hat lowered over his eyes in an early morning nap. Hector read a newspaper over oatmeal and toast. I don’t know why I was shocked that Hector read, but the paper looked tiny in his giant hands.
Shaped like a linebacker, he was easily the largest man I had ever seen. His knowing eyes flashed to mine. “Good morning, Lady Defender,” he said with a nod, then went back to reading.
Roman lurched. His legs flew from the seat, inadvertently knocking his own hat from his head. “Good morning,” he said, with a little too much enthusiasm. He stood. The chair legs scraped against the wood floor and rang upon my ears. “Lady Defender. Darius.”
Darius grinned lopsidedly “Did we wake you, Roman? Have I been working you too hard?”
Roman pished. “Who me? Never.”
“Good. Then you won’t be opposed to another long run this morning?”
Roman’s brows lifted. A cocky grin curled his lips. “Of course not.”
“Courtyard in thirty,” Darius said.
Roman swooped down to retrieve his hat. As he shuffled between Darius and me, his eyes lingered too long upon my face. “I hope Ava will be joining our little jaunt. As Defender, she should be able to keep up—or does she need more time to train?”
I grinned, exposing my teeth. “I’d love to join.”
“Perfect,” he said. “See you in a bit.”
I peered at Darius. “What was that about?”
He shrugged. “After the conflict with the Annihilator
and Nikolaos, we have a few open spots within my security team, including the position for second-in-command. Each of my men wants it, although Roman might be applying for more than one vacancy by the look of it.” He speared me with a pointed glance.
My face grew red as I remembered the interest Roman had shown when he overheard I was looking for a Guardian.
I huffed. “Fat chance of that. How will you choose between them?”
Darius’s face softened. “They’re all good men. It’s a tough decision to make, but someone needs to replace Charlotte and then be ready to take over completely as head of security if...”
“If what?”
One brow shot up as he regarded me. “If I either take the position of Guardian or leave.”
I gaped. “Or leave? What do you mean, leave?” My heart sped into hyperdrive.
Darius shoved his hands into the pockets of his gym shorts and glanced out the windows to avoid my glare. “You don’t really expect me to stay if you choose someone else, do you?”
“Are you serious?” But he didn’t answer. The muscles within his jaw strained.
“Ava!” Madelyn stepped from the threshold of the kitchen. Her too-small apron lay untied and draped across her still-growing abdomen. “I thought I heard your voice. I have Violet’s breakfast ready.”
I groaned my response.
My temporary Guardian leaned over, placing a gentle hand on Madelyn’s pregnant belly. “How is little Darius?”
“I’ve been told it’s a girl, and you cannot name a girl Darius.”
“Says who?” He smiled and turned towards the door.
I jabbed a finger into his retreating backside. “We’re not done talking about this.” But he was already moving down the hallway to our rooms.
To our rooms?
I shook my head as he called back, “Meet us at the pitch in thirty.”
I watched his retreat, confused over his statement. Would Darius really leave me—leave his friends, his home—if I chose another?
A nervous tension built within my throat, constricting my airway.
“Violet will want to come,” Hector said as he raised from his seat, interrupting my morose thoughts. He took a last draught of his drink and carried his dishes to the kitchen. “Make sure she eats, please.” He kissed Madelyn on the cheek, then trailed behind Darius.
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