My Guardian

by Alanea Alder

  Neil nodded. "Air stone. Each tiny hole captures air and holds it."

  "I wanna try it!" Meryn exclaimed heading for the door.

  Eva reached out and grabbed her collar. "Hold it right there, cub. Don't you have more messages to respond to?" Eva pointed to Meryn's laptop. "You promised Beth you would post an explanation."

  Meryn's face fell. "But I want to see how these babies work."

  "I'll tell you what. If the twins promise to stay with you, I'll head to the tunnel and try it out. That way I can help you later. Deal?" Eva looked at the twins.

  Both nodded. "We were going to study some more anyway. We can do that just as easily here as in our quarters."

  "Fine, Facebook posts then I'll just beat my head against my laptop trying to figure out the killer's pattern. To me, it looks like he's just picking whomever he can get to, like crimes of opportunity, but ferals aren't like that. They're like 'braaaiinnnns' and randomness. What really has me curious is figuring out how this sucker is getting around. If he's feral, he can't fly anymore. It's not like he has one of those stones; the twins just made them."

  Eva stopped and looked at the stone in her hand. In all the conversations she had been a part of, no one had brought up how the feral was moving around the city. If Meryn was correct, then wouldn't he be confined to the Grand Hall? She forced herself to smile. "You'll figure it out," Eva said encouragingly, a plan already forming in her mind.

  "Maybe. Go on, but you have to tell me everything as soon as you get back." Meryn climbed into her chair and pulled her laptop onto her lap.

  Eva twisted the stone in her hand. "Boys, how does this thing work anyway?"

  Nigel laughed. "Say autem to go up and descendit to go down."

  Eva memorized the words. "So what should I expect, like a whoosh or what?"

  Nigel frowned. "No idea, we came directly here after making them."

  "I'll go with you in case it doesn't work," Neil offered.

  "You're making me feel real nervous about this," Eva grumbled.

  "Relax, if anything goes wrong, Neil will just float you back up here." Nigel waved a hand at him.

  Meryn stared at her. "You know what? You testing it out first, great idea."

  "Be back soon," Eva said, pulling Neil behind her by his collar.

  They headed out of the hub, through the prince's quarters and out the door. Together, they walked up to the transport tunnel and looked down. "Kinda dark down there," Neil commented.

  "If I end up in that net..." she let her threat trail off.

  Neil gulped. "I won't let you drop, swear!"

  "Right." Eva held the stone in her hand. "Autem." She began to lift steadily off the ground. When she got close to the ceiling, she pulled herself to the edge and into the open air in front of her in the tunnel. She continued to float upward.

  "It works!" Neil exclaimed, jumping up and down.

  "Don't sound so surprised; it's making me nervous," Eva said.

  She kept floating upward. "Neil! How do I stop?"

  "Say prohibere," he shouted.

  "Prohibere?" she asked. Suddenly, she was falling.

  Neil jumped into the tunnel and caught her. "Try not to say that until you're at your level. Maybe later, Nigel and I can work on a pause command."

  Eva swallowed hard a few times. "Right. Makes sense."

  Neil returned her to the platform. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Autem."

  Again, she lifted up, this time she kicked off the ground into the tunnel. "I think I got the hang of this. I'm heading to Level Six, keep an eye on Meryn and under no circumstances is she allowed to try this by herself. I don't care if you have to sit on her."

  Neil gave her a salute. "Be safe."

  "Thanks."

  Eva floated gently upward, passing all the other levels until she was at the Marketplace. She reached out and grabbed the ceiling and pulled herself into the launching platform. "Prohibere." She dropped the distance from the ceiling to the floor. She couldn't help but smile. It felt good to have her independence back.

  She walked out into the Marketplace and took a good look around. The stands were arranged in long neat rows. There was no way a feral could go undetected in the actual marketplace; there were too many people. She walked a ways until she was beyond the stalls.

  She smiled as she saw the fruits of the twins labor for the first time. The stone houses they created for her pack were impressive. She walked down the wide street between the two rows of houses.

  "Hey Eva!"

  Eva looked and saw Josie waving at her. She jogged over to her friend. "How are you doing?" she asked.

  Josie smiled shyly. "Jorge and I got a house together."

  Eva hugged her friend. "That's wonderful news! And about time too, missy!"

  Josie blushed. "I spent so much time worrying if he still wanted me even though I was having someone else's baby. But when we were running in the desert, I heard him praying for our baby. He actually said 'our baby'. I never should have doubted him."

  "I'm so happy for you." Eva felt like the sun had come out. After so much bad news, it felt amazing to know that her friends had finally come together.

  "You're coming to the barbecue right? There's been some talk about canceling since we found out about Brian, but Alpha Stefan says we need to get to know our neighbors now more than ever." Josie glanced back at the housing opening where a tent stood roped off by yellow tape. She shuddered.

  "Y'all have a date yet?" Eva asked, changing the subject. She didn't want Josie stressed over the murders.

  "Day after tomorrow. I know a lot of people are worried about living with so many vampires, but they've been so kind, Eva. Perfect strangers have come up to us with boxes and boxes of stuff for the houses. And the food has been nothing short of perfection." Josie licked her lips.

  Eva had a feeling that Josie was being a bit more spoiled than others. She was absolutely adorable and pregnant. According to everything she had heard, babies were a rarity around here. "I'll be there," she promised.

  "Good. You can even swing by our home, and I'll make you coffee. We have water and electricity now." Josie pointed to the ceiling where two large pipes ran the length of the housing development and down to each housing structure.

  "What're those?" Eva asked.

  "One pipe carries water, the other electrical wires. They're needed for the utilities. Before the houses were created, they ran larger pipes in the ground for waste disposal. Aren't they clever?" Josie smiled.

  "Listen, I'm going to go check on something, but you tell Jorge he owes me a beer." Eva winked.

  "A beer, why?"

  "I told him he'd be moved in with you before summer; he didn't believe me."

  Josie tilted her head. "But Eva, how did you know we'd be together before summer?"

  "Because if the two of you hadn't worked things out, I was going to handcuff y'all together," Eva said, laughing.

  Josie giggled. "I'll tell him to keep a few cold ones set aside for ya."

  "Thanks!" Eva waved and walked to the end of the long row of houses, following the tubes until she ended up standing in front of a large panel.

  Carefully, she pulled on the door and let it swing open. She stuck her head in and looked up then down. In the large opening were three pipes. She stepped back and looked around. She pulled her handheld out. "Hey, Meryn."

  "Menace. Over."

  "What?"

  "I'm Menace. Over."

  "I know you're a menace," Eva said, laughing.

  "No. That's my code name, you're BattleKitty. And you have to say over. Over."

  Eva pulled back the handheld and stared at it. She lifted it back up to her mouth. "BattleKitty?"

  "Yes, it's perfect for you. Over."

  Eva rubbed the space between her eyebrows. "Menace, what did you say earlier about the feral. Something about opportunity."

  "Well, BattleKitty, I don't have much to go on since you can't really establish a pattern with two inciden
ts..."

  "Meryn!"

  "Right, all I was thinking was that the murders happened kinda close together at the edge of the Grand Hall and Marketplace, like he grabbed whoever was closest or something. Over."

  Eva looked around. She jogged past the house to where the development began. On her left was a tent with yellow tape; it was where they Brian's body. There was a similar investigation tent set up around the spot where Emily and John had been found. She turned and noticed another panel in the wall.

  "Menace, do you have a map of the city showing utility lines?" Eva asked.

  "Yup, hold on, I'll send it to you. Why, whatcha doin'? Over."

  "Just checkin' on something." Eva pulled out her phone and waited. After a minute, she was notified that she had received a new email. She opened the document and studied it.

  If she was reading this correctly, the utility panels ran uninterrupted in a straight line down below the city. She ran back to the panel at the end of the houses. She looked down; it was pitch black.

  Damn.

  She ran over to Josie's new front door and knocked. Josie opened it and smiled. "Two visits in one day? You must have missed me."

  Eva forced a smile. "Hey, in all the stuff the vampires gave you, you wouldn't by chance have a flashlight would ya?"

  Josie nodded. "Two in fact. It is kinda dark around here." Josie turned and disappeared into the house. She came back a minute later carrying a standard flashlight and one attached to an elastic band.

  "Perfect! Can I borrow this?" Eva asked, picking up the one on the band.

  "Shoot Eva Mae, you can have it. I don't need it." Josie looked around. "Is everything okay?"

  Eva smiled wide. "Of course it is. Now you go back inside and get off your feet."

  Josie stared at her a moment then smiled. "If you say so." She hesitated. "Be safe, Eva Mae."

  "Aren't I always?"

  "No. You're not. That's why I said to be safe. Usually, you're the first one to plunge headlong into danger."

  Eva laughed nervously. "That's silly."

  "If you say so."

  "Thanks for the light." Eva held it up.

  "Anytime," Josie said and closed the door.

  Plunge headlong into danger? Who? Me?

  Eva ran back over to the access panel and stared down. "Damn girl knows me too well." She pulled the band with the headlight over her head and put it in position. She flicked it on and squeezed past one of the three pipes to the open cavity behind them. It was close quarters, but if she could fit so could someone else. Maybe not the warriors or most vampires, but then again, not all vampires were built like her mate.

  She shimmed down the pipes for what seemed like forever. When she reached the bottom, she pushed on a panel door, and it swung open easily. She hopped out and looked around. It looked like she was in a series of abandoned tunnels. She checked her map and where she was standing wasn't there.

  Well hell.

  She unclipped her handheld. "Hey, Menace."

  "Yeah, over."

  "Do you have any maps that show tunnels under the city?"

  "No. Why? Wait, you're standing in a tunnel under the city, aren't you?" Meryn demanded.

  "Maybe."

  "Dammit, why didn't you take me? I freaking love Indiana Jones! Are there snakes?" Meryn asked excitedly.

  Eva quickly checked out her surroundings. She hated snakes! "No, no snakes." She looked around. Faint light filled the tunnel on both sides. Not enough to see, but it created an eerie glow. "No snakes, but a ton of shadows. I think I'm in a part of the city that doesn't get much use. The glow spheres down here are practically spent."

  "Count the shadows. Over."

  Eva grinned. "Hey! Who turned out the lights?" She grinned and waited.

  "Fuck! Seriously! Eva! Are you okay? Do you have any chicken legs you can throw at the shadows?" Meryn's explosive response was worth it.

  Laughing she responded. "I'm fine, you nut. Besides, they used a chicken leg to identify a swarm not appease them."

  "Right. By the way, you're awesome. Over."

  "I know. Look I'm gonna peek around here then head back up to tell you all about it." Eva didn't really want to spend any more time in this dark, dank tunnel than absolutely necessary.

  "Okie dokie. Hurry up, though; I can't wait to hear what you've been up to. Over."

  "Over and out, Menace."

  Eva turned her head and flashed the light around the tunnel. She was about to head back into the access panel when a dark smudge caught her attention. She walked forward and bent down. She touched her fingers to the stain and sniffed. Her canines dropped.

  Blood. Wolf blood.

  She lifted up her handheld and changed it to channel two. "Adriel, Aiden, come in please." Eva whispered. She held her breath, trying not to make a sound.

  "Adriel here, Eva is that you?"

  "I'm in some tunnels under the city. I found wolf blood down here. Over."

  "Eva, get back up to the levels," he ordered.

  Eva looked up and saw a pair of red eyes watching her in the darkness. "Don't think that's an option anymore." The eyes blinked and disappeared. She heard the scurry of feet escaping down the tunnel.

  "Oh no you don't, you bastard!" She began running after him. She lifted the handheld. "I'm going after him, Adriel. If you're facing the access panel, I'm heading left."

  "No! Wait for back up!"

  "We could lose him! I'm strong enough to take out a single feral, and you know it." Eva stopped and waited. To her left the sound of movement. She darted after the noise.

  "We are coming. Two minutes behind you. When I catch up to you, I am going to paddle your ass," he threatened.

  Breathing heavily she grinned. "Admit it. You like the fact that I don't automatically genuflect when you speak," she stopped and listened again.

  In front of her, two ruby red eyes stared at her from the darkness.

  "Eva, what did you just say?" Adriel demanded.

  Eva stared into those crazed eyes and clipped the handheld on her belt to free up her hand. "Come on, you son of a bitch. If you liked wolf blood, you'll love tiger," she taunted.

  The eyes disappeared, and she froze. Behind her she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. He whispered something, and everything went black.

  *****

  "Eva, what did you just say?" Adriel shouted into the handheld. He, along with the Eta and Theta units, was running through the Marketplace to the transport tunnel. When she did not respond, he roared in frustration. He clipped the handheld to his belt.

  "Adriel, what?" Micah asked.

  "It is what she said in my dream before I found her dead." Adriel jumped into the tunnel and flew past the levels.

  "Not on my watch!" Micah yelled.

  Beside him, Micah shouted a spell and, just before he was about to crash into the net, it disappeared. He landed hard and looked around.

  "Adriel, the access panel she is talking about is this way." Dimitri pointed and the men ran after him.

  "What is this place?" Declan growled.

  "The Pits. The level below level one where city maintenance is done," Grant explained before coming to a grinding halt. He sniffed the air and swallowed hard. "Blood, I smell blood," he whispered.

  "No," Adriel hissed. He smelled it too and ran heedlessly in that direction. At the end of the long hallway was a large wooden door. Unlike his dream, he did not even try the doorknob; he simply leaned back and kicked the door. It shattered at the force, blowing splinters of wood into the room.

  Old rusted equipment was stacked along the walls and wooden crates created a maze before them.

  "Where is she!" he yelled. He ran recklessly between the crates.

  "Found her!" a voice called out.

  Adriel levitated above the crates and immediately zeroed in on where the lights were converging. He dropped down to find Dimitri cradling Eva gently. It seemed like from the waist down, her blue jeans were dark brown, soaked in blood. A flash of
pale flesh was revealed where the attacker had ripped the denim to get to her skin.

  "Give her to me!"

  Dimitri handed her off to him. Adriel lay her down, and using his claws, he ripped her jeans from her body. He used one pant leg and wrapped it around the open bite wound on her inner thigh. He tied it as tight as he could without causing damage. He looked up at his second in command. "Get Broderick ready. I am taking her directly to his lab on Level One." Declan turned and started organizing Broderick and Caspian to receive Eva.

  Gently Adriel checked her other leg; it was untouched. He picked her up carefully. He looked at Declan. "Eta stay with me; you are on guard detail." He turned to Dimitri. "Find this bastard, find him and bring him to me," he ordered.

  Dimitri's eyes blazed. "As you command." He lifted his fist to his chest then began barking out orders to the Theta Unit.

  Adriel did not wait to see what they did. Having run the hallways, he knew the layout. He took to the air and flew. When the passage opened up to the transport tunnel, he darted upward, heading directly to Magnus' door. It was open, and an anxious Sebastian waited for them.

  "They are ready for her." He called after him.

  Instead of heading right toward the living quarters, he went left. Down another long hallway until he saw Caspian waiting by another opened door. "This way!"

  Adriel ran in and placed his mate on the table. "She was bit; she has lost a lot of blood."

  "Check for decay," a male voice suggested.

  Adriel looked around the room. Aiden and a frantic looking Meryn stood next to Gavriel and an equally concerned looking Beth. Behind him, his unit caught up and closed the door.

  Broderick turned to Aiden. "Why decay?"

  "When Colton was bit, his wound wouldn't heal. The feral bite was decaying slightly faster than his shifter abilities could heal. Seems to be a new development." Aiden's eyes flashed in anger at the memory.

  Adriel watched helplessly as Broderick swabbed blood onto glass slide and handed it off to his mate. Caspian went to the other side of the room and placed it under a microscope.

  Broderick began cleaning the wound gently using fresh white gauze.

  A minute later, Caspian confirmed his worst fears. "She's infected."