The Guardians (MORE Trilogy)

by Franklin, T. M.

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to tell them much. He said that night he’d been at the hospital, counseling Ava’s parents, who’d just lost their own baby. He’d returned to the rectory, and a noise had drawn him to the front of the church, where he found Ava bundled in a blanket inside a cardboard box—no note, no identification of any kind.

  The box, of course, was long gone, but the blanket had been stored in Ava’s attic along with other baby clothes. She’d dug it out, trying her best to reassure her mother that she was simply curious about her past, nothing more.

  The adoption itself hadn’t been exactly official. No paperwork had been filed with the state. Not even the police had been notified about Ava’s abandonment. The priest had simply tapped into his connections at the hospital, and the infant who had died became a Jane Doe, and Ava had become her parents’ daughter.

  Ava realized, as the truth had come out, that someone Race had had a hand in keeping the adoption under wraps, not to mention influencing her adoptive parents to leave behind their own lost biological child. Ava had never questioned how they could essentially replace one baby with another, like in some bad soap opera. Her mother had always called Ava a gift from God and left it at that. As she had spoken with the priest, however, Ava realized that someone had most likely helped her mom and dad with the transition, perhaps even blurred the memory of the loss so they could more easily accept their new daughter. The thought made Ava shudder.

  In the end, Sarah had been supportive in the way that only a mother could be—after all, now that Ava was an adult, there was little chance the authorities would step in and take her away—and Ava had felt another wave of guilt about concealing her Race identity from her mother. It was something she constantly battled—wishing she could tell her parents everything, but needing to protect them from the truth for their own good.

  Unfortunately, the investigation had proven fruitless anyway. The only tie Ava had been able to find to her past was that blanket—soft, white flannel with white stitching around the edge and a stylized H with curved sides embroidered in one corner. She and Caleb had tried to track down the image, thinking perhaps the H referred to a nearby hospital or even a women’s shelter, but they could find no connection to anything within several hundred miles.

  Another dead end.

  She’d taken the blanket with her back to Allenmore College, though. It was the only connection to her other life, the life before she became Ava Michaels. She kept it tucked away in the bottom of a drawer, somehow comforted by its presence—proof that all the incredible things she’d been through over the past few months were real and not the figment of an overactive imagination.

  “Ava, are you listening to me?”

  She took a deep breath, shaking off the memories to focus on the phone call. “Yes, Mom.” Caleb squeezed her hand, and Ava smiled sheepishly in response. “I don’t know about spring break. I’ll have to see.” Caleb snickered, and she shot him a nasty look.

  They had been planning a trip of their own, just the two of them, but she’d yet to work up the courage to tell her mother that. Caleb had teased her about it to no end, saying she was brave enough to face the Council and a room full of Protectors, but her mother made her want to run and hide. It wasn’t really that she was afraid of her mother, though. It was just that Sarah Michaels had considered Ava and Caleb all but engaged since he’d come home with her at Christmas. Telling her they were going on vacation together would kick-start the wedding plans for sure.

  They neared the edge of the forest and Caleb released her hand, popping a couple of R-cubes in his mouth to prepare for the shift.

  She wasn’t sure exactly where they were—somewhere in western Wyoming, on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River valley. They generally had to shift a half dozen times or so to find an isolated spot to train, and Caleb preferred the protection that a forest provided. That meant either the woodlands and ravines of Wyoming or the Badlands of South Dakota, both equidistant from Allenmore College in northwestern Missouri. Shifting took a lot out of Caleb, especially long distances, but he seemed to be getting more comfortable with pushing himself to even fifty miles at a time. A couple of cubes before and after, fifteen minutes of rest, and he was ready to go again. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one getting stronger with practice.

  He turned to her, hands tucked in his pockets and brow raised in question.

  “Look, Mom, I’ve got to go,” she said. “I’ve got a big test tomorrow, and I’m almost to the library, and they really don’t like you to talk on the phone in there because it . . . you know, disrupts everyone—” She glared at Caleb’s amused chuckle. She never had been any good at lying.

  “All right, honey,” her mother replied. “Let me know about spring break, okay? We thought it might be fun to have Uncle Bobby and everyone over to meet Caleb.”

  Ava fought back a groan. That was something she would never subject Caleb to. Uncle Bobby had a habit of pulling out his teeth so he could click The William Tell Overture on his gums. “Okay, Mom. I’ll let you know. Love you.” Her mom returned the sentiment, and Ava hung up.

  Caleb snorted.

  “Shut up,” she muttered.

  “You need to tell her sometime.”

  “I know. I will.” She moved toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “When?” he asked.

  “Soon.”

  Caleb held her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Just think. You and me, alone . . . traveling the country, seeing the sights.”

  “You sure you can handle all that shifting?”

  “I’ll be fine,” he said. “I can’t wait to show you the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls . . .”

  “Times Square.”

  “The Met.”

  “Disney World.”

  Caleb laughed. “Of course, we can’t miss Disney World. I’ll even get you one of those Mickey Mouse hats with your name embroidered on it.”

  Ava sighed. “It’s going to be perfect.”

  “Yes, except for one thing.”

  She peeked up at him. “What?”

  “Your mother filing a missing person’s report when we don’t show up at her house.” Ava made to shove him away, but he only held her tighter, chuckling slightly. “I’m kidding,” he said. “I know you’ll tell her when you can.”

  “I will.”

  “I know.” He bent to kiss her once more. “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  Ava closed her eyes and pressed her face into Caleb’s chest, knowing better than to try and watch as they shifted. She’d done it once—only once—and ended up on her knees throwing up all over Caleb’s shoes once they’d landed. It was an experience she had no desire to repeat. So instead, she held on tight and inhaled deeply, Caleb’s warm and spicy scent instantly calming her as the ground fell away and the wind whipped around them in a swirling vortex.

  Tiernan Ross leaned against a tree and cracked his knuckles then his neck before sighing heavily. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon and the spring evening was warm, a slight breeze rustling through the trees, but Tiernan couldn’t enjoy his surroundings. He sighed again, impatiently tapping his fingers on his thighs.

  He hated waiting.

  He especially hated the ridiculous assignment he and Katherine were currently shackled with, courtesy of the blasted Council, thank you very much. Monitoring Caleb Foster’s little girlfriend wasn’t only mindless duty, it was unnecessary, as far as Tiernan was concerned.

  And boring. He couldn’t forget boring.

  Ava Michaels obviously wasn’t going to talk. In the months since she returned to Allenmore, she’d said nothing to anybody about the Race nor given any indication she was tempted in the least to do so. But that wasn’t all the Council was concerned about. Her power definitely made them more than a little nervous, and Tiernan couldn’t blame them. He’d experienced it firsthand himself, and it stung—not to mention annoyed the hell out of him—when he remembered t
he helplessness of being strung up like a Christmas goose in front of the Council and all of his fellow Protectors.

  Yeah. He still held a bit of a grudge about that. Even though he had to admire the girl’s guts. To stand up to the Council like she did? To say no to Madeleine Foster and the other suits? Tiernan smiled a little at the memory. It was something he might have done himself—if he’d had the power to back it up. He’d never admit it to Caleb or Ava, of course. He could barely admit it to himself.

  “Anything?”

  His sister’s voice drew Tiernan out of his thoughts, and he turned to see her approaching from across the campus. She smiled when she reached him, smoothing back her straight, black hair when the wind blew it across her face. His would match if he didn’t keep it closely shaved, but that was where the resemblance between the siblings ended. Where Tiernan was immense and intimidating, with his mismatched blue and green eyes and a fierce scar running down the right side of his face, Katherine was tall and willowy, with unmarred porcelain skin, one blue eye, and one lavender. She wore the contacts many Race preferred to hide the heterochromia. Katherine being Katherine, she chose lavender instead of blue. She’d always tended toward more exotic tastes.

  Tiernan shrugged. “Not yet. They should be back soon, though.”

  Caleb was nothing if not predictable. When he left on these training sessions with Ava, he always shifted from the isolated spot behind the library, and reappeared shortly after dusk. He sometimes wondered if Caleb did it on purpose, to show Tiernan he had nothing to hide.

  As if on cue, Caleb appeared in the shadows, holding Ava close and stumbling a little as they encountered solid ground. Ava pulled his arm over her shoulders and supported his weight as she handed him something he popped into his mouth—R-cubes, Tiernan assumed. After a few minutes, they walked slowly away toward Ava’s dorm.

  “You want to follow them this time?” he asked Katherine.

  She laughed slightly. “Nope. It’s your turn, little brother. I’m off until tomorrow night.” Without another word, she turned to walk away, waving over her shoulder in response to Tiernan’s soft curse.

  Sometimes family was a real pain in the neck.

  He started after Caleb and Ava, staying back far enough that Caleb wouldn’t detect him. It was more out of protocol and habit, though. It wasn’t as if Caleb didn’t already know he was being followed.

  He did, of course. Which was one more reason this assignment was absolutely ludicrous.

  Tiernan’s cell phone vibrated as he took up his usual spot across from Ava’s dorm. He frowned at the screen, wondering why Andreas Petrov, of all people, would be calling him. It was rare that an actual Council member contacted him, and when it did happen, it was usually Rafe.

  He answered the phone, trying to keep the hesitation out of his voice. “Ross.”

  “There’s been a change of plans,” Petrov said in his smoothly accented voice.

  “A change?” Tiernan could only hope he was being pulled off babysitting duty and put to work at something useful. Even hunting down Half-Breeds was more interesting.

  “The Council has decided to assign another Protector to keep tabs on Miss Michaels.”

  Tiernan smiled in satisfaction. “Do you want me to come in? Or are you sending me out right away?”

  “Slow down. Slow down, Ross,” Petrov said, chuckling lightly. “Who knew you were such an eager beaver?”

  Tiernan bit back an annoyed retort and took a steadying breath. He tried to relax his clenched jaw but ended up speaking more through his teeth than around them. “Just trying to do my job, sir.”

  “Yes, well, be that as it may, I will be e-mailing you the brief on your new assignment. It’s highly classified, Ross. That means your eyes only on this. Not a word, even to your sister.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Katherine will remain on the team watching Miss Michaels. You’re to tell her nothing.”

  “I understand.” It wasn’t the first time he and Katherine had been ordered to keep secrets from each other. “If I may, sir. Where will I be going?”

  “Nowhere, at least for now.”

  “Sorry, sir?”

  “It’s not that complicated, Ross, try and keep up,” Petrov snapped. “Your assignment is there at Allenmore. Review the brief, and we’ll be in touch.”

  The call disconnected, and Tiernan’s phone pinged with the arrival of a new e-mail. He thumbed at the screen, waiting for the decryption protocols, and opened the file sent by the Council. He flipped through the pages, eyes widening with confusion and downright shock when he read the information within.

  What in the . . .

  His eyes snapped up as Caleb stepped out of Ava’s dorm, flashing a mocking salute in Tiernan’s direction before he headed off toward his apartment. Tiernan hesitated, his gaze flicking up to Ava’s window briefly before he turned to walk away.

  She wasn’t his mission anymore.

  What he couldn’t wrap his mind around, however, was why the Council had apparently decided that Caleb Foster was.

  Chapter 2

  Caleb was getting annoyed. Or perhaps frustrated was the more appropriate word. It wasn’t only that the Council was watching Ava, it was the fact that they’d sent Tiernan Ross to do the watching—the Race’s best tracker—as if Ava was a flight risk.

  Where was she going to go? It had been months, and she’d given the Council no reason for concern. Still, his contacts told him she was on the radar, still considered a threat, both because of her strong gifts and the fact that she was raised as human. It was unheard of—a member of the Race hidden in the human world for so long with no idea who or what she was. And for the Council, the unknown was always perceived as a threat.

  He spotted Tiernan as he left Ava’s dorm, although he knew the Protector wasn’t trying to hide. Tiernan had no love for Ava, but Caleb knew he thought his current assignment was beneath him. To Caleb’s surprise, instead of staying at the dorm, Tiernan approached him, matching his pace.

  “Evening,” Caleb said with a questioning lift of his brow. “Something I can help you with?”

  Tiernan shrugged. “Just out enjoying the fresh air.”

  Caleb smirked. “Yeah. I always took you for a nature lover. I assume Katherine’s taking over?” He waved a hand back toward Ava’s dorm.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Sure, you don’t,” he said with a tired sigh. “So to what do I owe the honor?”

  Tiernan was silent for a long moment. “The Council isn’t letting up on her.”

  It was a statement, not a question, so Caleb didn’t bother responding.

  Tiernan glanced at him sidelong. “It’s been months. Why do you think they’re so worried?”

  Caleb took a deep breath. This was . . . odd. “You know why. She has a lot of power.”

  “Yeah.” Tiernan rolled his shoulders as if remembering how she’d used that power against him. “But that’s not all. You think it’s the Rogues?”

  Caleb came to a stop, turning to face him. “Why do you care all of a sudden?”

  “Just curious.” He looked away with another shrug. “If I’d been watching a girl for months, and if she’d given no indication of betraying the Race, I might wonder why the Council wasn’t calling off the dogs.”

  “If.” Caleb eyed him carefully before turning to continue toward his apartment. “I have no idea what the Council’s thinking, Tiernan. If you have any insight, I’d love to hear it.”

  Tiernan walked alongside him and appeared to be deep in thought. He kicked a rock and tucked his hands in his pockets. “You have any interesting assignments lately?”

  Caleb started a bit at the change of subject. “You know I can’t discuss that.”

  “So you have.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Come on. I’ve been bored out of my mind. Entertain me.”

  Caleb’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t like Tiernan to be so talkative or
to express interest in someone else. “What’s up with you?”

  Tiernan stiffened and stopped abruptly, looking up at Caleb’s apartment building. “Nothing. Just making conversation.” He shuffled on his feet before jerking a thumb over his shoulder. “I should go.” He started to leave but glanced back. “Why do you walk?”

  “What?”

  “From Ava’s to here. Why do you walk instead of shifting?”

  Caleb shrugged. “I like to walk.”

  Tiernan nodded once before he turned to slip away, melting into the shadows. Caleb went into his apartment building as the Protector took up a post outside, far enough away that Caleb couldn’t sense him unless he was trying, but close enough to he could monitor his movements.

  Early the next morning, Caleb was jolted out of a deep sleep by the vibrating of his cell phone on the nightstand. He glanced, bleary-eyed, at his alarm clock, groaning when he saw it wasn’t quite six o’clock. He didn’t have class for three hours. Caleb was not amused.

  He fumbled for the phone, sighing heavily when he recognized the number on the screen, and answered the call with a barely intelligible, “Foster.”

  “Good morning, sunshine,” a cheerful voice responded.

  “Bel.” Caleb sat up against the headboard, rubbing at his eyes. “Do you know what time it is?”

  “Oh, don’t give me that. If I recall correctly, the last time you called me, it was the middle of the night, and you dragged me out of a rather comfortable bed.”

  Maribel Castro had been the first person Caleb had turned to when he’d gone on the run with Ava the previous fall. Although a trusted associate of the Council, Bel was also involved with a splinter group called the Guardians—former Protectors who took issue with the way the Council handled Half-Breeds. The result of a forbidden union between a human and a member of the Race, Half-Breeds were considered unstable—unable to handle whatever Race gifts they might inherit—and a potential threat to Race secrecy. The Council sent out Protectors to track down such people for containment and, in some cases, extermination. So when Caleb had been sent to detain Ava—then deemed a potential Half-Breed—he’d turned to Bel and the Guardians to protect her. The plan had been simple—get to a safe house and then on to the Guardian Colony in Ontario.