Demon Guard

by Samantha Britt

  “Well met, Guardian Petrov,” Logan says.

  “Well met,” our instructor returns, “Guardian Hendricks.”

  Twelve

  The gym floor lurches beneath me, and I sway to the side. Trevor’s hand jolts out and grips my arm to steady me. I’m too shocked to pull away. Instead, I let some of my weight rest against him.

  Guardian Hendricks… Logan is Guardian Hendricks?

  I want to deny it. There’s no way the young man I met all those years ago is Minister Hendricks’s son, let alone my personal mentor.

  But when Logan’s hard eyes, once again, return to mine, I know it’s true. He’s my mentor. And based on how he looks at me, he’s not happy about it.

  “I am here to speak with my mentee,” Logan reveals, lowering his hands and stepping back from Instructor Petrov. “Aspen Van der Klay.”

  Now, I gather some of the class’s attention. Eyes are shifting between me and Logan. They don’t know what to make of this situation.

  Hell… I don’t know what to make of this situation.

  Why did Logan have to come into the gym like this and create such a scene? Couldn’t he have waited to meet me until class was over?

  “Can it wait?” Instructor Petrov asks. The words are filled with nothing but respect for his fellow Guardian.

  “I’m afraid not,” Logan replies. His gaze is still on me, and it’s still not even close to friendly.

  My instructor nods. “Very well. Miss Thibodeaux will face Mr. Legrand. Miss Quill, match up with Mr. Warrick.” He waves a hand at me. “Miss Van der Klay, you are dismissed.”

  No matter how much I want to protest and remain in the tournament, I don’t want to draw any more attention. I dip my chin in acceptance, and finally pull away from Trevor. I meet his eyes briefly. He looks a little concerned. I wonder what my face looks like to make him look that way.

  “I’ll check in on you at dinner,” Lex tells me, just before I’m about to pass him and leave the gym. He’s wearing his big brother expression, eyeing Logan with distrust. I give him a half smile and nod. Then, I follow my mentor out of the gym.

  Logan walks in front of me, navigating the halls with expertise. He doesn’t even bother to make sure I’m behind him.

  I pick up my pace when he takes two turns back to back and I nearly lose sight of him. We climb the stairs to the third floor, and we enter an office. Two desks are positioned against opposite walls. They don’t look used. I don’t see a single piece of paper or writing utensil on the wooden surfaces. The walls are also bare except for one bland clock ticking the time above the single window in the room.

  I stop walking once I cross the threshold. Logan moves to the desk to the right and retrieves a bookbag that had been concealed by the leather chair. He withdraws a manila envelope, spins the chair around, and sits.

  For someone who hadn’t stopped staring at me for most of the time in the gym, he’s sure not eager to meet my eye now.

  I stand my ground by the door, refusing to be the first to break the tension building in the room. I don’t understand what’s happening. As my mentor, I’m certain Logan has learned my background. Surely, he knows who I am. He has to know I’m the orphan he found in Chicago. He has to know I recognize him. So why doesn’t he address the elephant in the room?

  “You shouldn’t goad your fellow students.”

  I lean back and blink. “What?”

  Logan flips through the folder in his hand. He reminds me of Headmistress Meyer, and I wonder if he picked up the dismissive act from her. “Your fellow student—the one you were sparring—you shouldn’t goad him.”

  Is he being serious right now?

  I frown and cross my arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Finally, Logan looks at me. Disapproval, once again, shines in his eyes. “Striking your opponent’s groin was unnecessary.”

  My cheeks heat with equal parts embarrassment and anger. “He’d yielded and then came after me. I couldn’t let him pin me.”

  “And you could think of no other way to escape than to knee a man in the testicles?”

  My fingernails dig into my upper arms. He’s not going to address the fact Burns cheated. “Not at that moment, no.”

  “Shame.” He shakes his head. “As a Van der Klay, I expected your fighting skills to be more advanced than those seen in a filthy dive bar.”

  My nostrils flare. We are definitely not off to a great start here, and I’m not sure what to do.

  Logan is my mentor. He’s responsible for educating me on real world applications of the my training—things we can’t really learn in the classroom. We’re bound to spend a lot of time together. It would be best if things weren’t awkward or tense, but I’m not sure how to fix it.

  Logan continues, “Let’s hope your training with Petrov will increase your skill.” He speaks as if I hadn’t just proven myself to be one of the top fighters in my class.

  Instead of pointing that out, I simply say, “Yes. Let’s hope.”

  We stare at each other, letting silence descend over the office. I can’t begin to guess what he’s thinking. His expression has shifted into a carefully neutral mask. There’s no evidence of his earlier disapproval. I feel a trap coming.

  I clear my throat. “Headmistress Meyer said you wouldn’t be here until tomorrow.”

  Logan smirks, as if he’s won some victory by forcing me to be the first to break the silence. “My mission ended early.”

  Andrew Legrand’s words come back to me. He’d said something about missing Guardians. I want to ask Logan if he knows anything about it, but I resist. I don’t trust him to not get mad at me for asking.

  “So… did you want to see me to start training?” I’m supposed to be in Combatives until five. A quick glance at the clock confirms there’s still an hour left in class. I wouldn’t mind using that hour to get to know my mentor better. It would give me more time to bring up our first meeting and confirm he knows who I am.

  “No.” Logan leans back in the chair and tosses the file onto the empty desk. He says nothing else.

  My head tilts. “Then why am I here?”

  “You’re here because, against my wishes, I am your mentor. I’m being pulled from the field to show you the ways of the Shadowguard. So, as your mentor, it is my duty to introduce myself. I’m Logan Hendricks. And you are Aspen Van der Klay.”

  I’m not sure if he’s opposed to being a mentor or being my mentor. Something about his tone leads me to believe it’s the latter, but that’s crazy. I’ve done nothing to be disliked.

  I bite my lip, weighing the consequences of bringing up Chicago. I don’t want to piss him off, but I can’t walk away from this conversation without asking what I want to know. It will drive me crazy.

  I take a deep breath. “Don’t you remember me?”

  “Remember you?” Logan’s forehead creases. “From where?”

  Oh my god.

  My arms fall to my side, and my fingers begin to tremble. I clench them into fists. “Chicago. About four years ago.”

  “Chicago?”

  “Yes,” I croak. My heart is pounding in my chest. I’m so nervous. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous before. I don’t know why I care so much to be remembered, but I do.

  After my mom died, Logan was the first person to go out of their way to help me. I want to know he remembers me. That his caring had been sincere, and not just an act or empty promises. He’d been the first person I’d trusted in a long time. I want that to have meant something.

  “I was in my first year at the academy four years ago,” he tells me with a scowl. “I didn’t visit the Van der Klay family at any time, especially not in Chicago.”

  His words drill a hole in the pit of my stomach.

  He doesn’t remember me.

  Logan Hendricks doesn’t remember me.

  I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have brought it up. This is embarrassing. I want to get out of the office, and I want to get out now
.

  I school my features and clear away my mortifying emotions. I’ll express them later in the safety of my dorm or a shower stall if Cortney is around. I made a mistake letting my guard down with Logan, and I’m determined to not let it happen again.

  “Well, now we’ve been introduced,” I say in a cool, detached voice. “Is there anything else you want to speak about today, or can I return to Combatives?”

  A flicker of surprise sparks in Logan’s eyes, but it’s gone before I can study it further.

  “No,” he exhales, picking up the file again. “We will meet to train tomorrow afternoon.” He begins reading the file, and I’m dismissed.

  Without hesitating, I spin on my heel and practically run out of the office. My legs carry me down the stairs and across the inner courtyard. I don’t go back to Combatives. There are too many thoughts and emotions swirling in my head, and I’m losing control of them. I can’t risk anyone seeing me like this. I walk back to the dorm room, and I’m no longer able to ignore how incredulous it is that Logan Hendricks doesn’t remember me.

  I mean… how many orphans do you rescue from almost being killed by a demon?

  Even if I’m not as memorable as I’d thought I’d be, my situation is. Mentioning Chicago should have sparked his memory.

  But I never told him my name.

  I shake away the doubt. Whether or not I told him my name, Logan has a file on me. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what he had in his office. Even if he doesn’t, it’s no secret the Van der Klays took in an orphan four years ago. Unless Logan is an idiot, he should know who I am.

  Maybe he’s an idiot.

  I groan. Had I really idolized someone so dense? Had my perspective as a thirteen-year-old been skewed out of gratitude for the tiniest amount of kindness?

  Maybe Logan’s not the only idiot.

  Again, I groan, hating the fact my inner voice might be right.

  No one sees me enter the dorms. I slide into my room and lean back against the door, closing my eyes. Embarrassed tears gather, and a few manage to escape and roll down my face.

  I try to convince myself I shouldn’t be upset. Sure, Logan doesn’t remember me, but it doesn’t matter. He’s my mentor, and he’s the Head Minister’s son. He has connections. I couldn’t have asked for a better link to the leaders of the Shadowguard. Not even Charles can get me access to the Head Minister.

  I came to the academy with determination to become the best Guardian to ever exist. To do that, I need to train and work harder than all my peers, and I need to be assigned the best missions. Logan can make that happen.

  No. I chastise myself.

  He’s not Logan. He’s Guardian Hendricks, my mentor, and I am resolved to remember that.

  I won’t let my foolish pre-teen memories ruin this opportunity for me. It doesn’t matter that I’m not remembered from the past. What does matter, is being remembered in the future.

  Hello, St. Michael’s Academy, bad-ass Aspen is back.

  Thirteen

  “Care to tell my why Logan Hendricks is looking at you like you’re a smudge on his favorite combat sword?” Lex stares at me from across the table. This is the second time he’s eaten dinner with me and my friends. I think he’s taking the protective brother role a little too far, but I can’t find it in myself to tell him to go away. His presence is comforting, though I’ll never admit that to him.

  I swallow a bite of mashed potatoes. The thick solid threatens to get stuck in my throat. I take a drink of water to wash it down. Without meeting his eye, I say, “Training didn’t go well.”

  That might be the understatement of the year.

  I hadn’t intended to be insubordinate during my first training session with Logan today. I really hadn’t. But after ten minutes of suffering his superior demeanor and belittling tone, I lost it. I listened to every demeaning instruction he gave, and I followed them to the letter. Though, not without a fair amount of attitude in the process.

  A narrowed glare here. An eye roll there. I rebelled in subtle ways, but they’d been noticed. Logan had cut our session short by two hours, and I felt his disapproving glare on me since I walked into the cafeteria for the last meal of the day.

  A quick glance confirms Logan sits with the other mentors. The only one I recognize is Andrew. Sure enough, Lex is right: Logan’s looking at me. I wonder if he’s taken his eyes off me this entire time.

  “What happened?” Lex leaned forward. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine. Just a difference in training strategy, is all.”

  Lex doesn’t believe me. His eyes flicker across my face, knowing me well enough to be able to read cues from my expression. I do my best to give him nothing to read.

  Cortney leans close. “You really shouldn’t argue with your mentor, especially not Logan Hendricks. I bet you can learn a lot from him.”

  There’s not a doubt in my mind she’s right. I can learn a lot from Logan, but not if he’s determined to be unapproachable and negative.

  “Who can Aspen learn a lot from?” Trevor appears behind Lex. He sits next to his friend as if it is the most normal thing in the world for them to eat dinner with us. Trevor and I have moved past the awkward tension between us, and I have to admit he’s actually not so bad. He’s a nice buffer between me and Lex when my foster brother gets rolling with brotherly jibes and jokes.

  “No one,” I say.

  “Her mentor,” Cortney answers at the same time. I give her a scowl, but she’s too focused on Lex and Trevor to notice.

  Trevor’s face fills with concern. “Is something wrong with your mentor?”

  You mean besides the fact he claims not to remember rescuing me when I was a kid and he’s a pompous ass?

  “No, nothing’s wrong.”

  Lex snorts.

  I give him a look.

  My foster brother throws his hands in the air. “Fine, if you’re determined to suffer in silence, I’ll keep my mouth shut. But you know you’re a Van der Klay, people can’t treat you like dirt and get away with it.”

  “I’m not a Van der Klay,” I remind him for the thousandth time.

  His eyes narrow. “You are, and the moment you start acting like it is the moment doors will open for you, and that includes having a mentor who doesn’t look at you like a bug beneath his boot.”

  My cheeks heat, embarrassed to be called out like this in front of Trevor. Cortney’s bad enough.

  “Are you done lecturing me?” I ask with a metaphorical bite.

  Lex doesn’t back down. “Are you done cowering from someone just because he’s the head minister’s son?”

  I blink, unable to believe he went there. Does he really think that’s why I’m not raising a stink? Does he think I’m that weak?

  My chair screeches as I stand. “Thanks for the advice, big brother. I’ll keep it in mind.” I leave the table without another word, and no one tries to stop me.

  I can feel people watching me, but there is one pair of eyes that burns hotter than the rest. I refuse to give in to my desire to turn and confirm Logan watches me.

  Lex isn’t wrong. I don’t have to subject myself to a subpar mentor if I don’t want to. Logan has said he doesn’t want to be a mentor. I should just request another one. But what if that will be seen as a slight against Head Minister Hendricks? That certainly won’t be good for my future Shadowguard career.

  Damn. Is Lex right? Am I only putting up with this because of who Logan’s dad is?

  I dump my food tray and shove past the cafeteria doors, finding reprieve from the lingering looks and curious stares as I walk into the center courtyard. The sun has set, and the night air is cooling more and more with the days of Fall. I inhale deeply and let some of the frustration seep out of me. I want to figure out a way to make this mentorship work, one way or another. The connections I can have for my future are too good to pass up. I’m just not sure how to do it.

  “Aspen, wait!”

  I stop walking and let Cortney catc
h up to me. She links her arms through mine and leads us back to our dorm. She waits for a few seconds before saying, “Your brother is just trying to help, you know.”

  I sigh. “I know. This is all just… complicated.” Cortney doesn’t know the truth about who discovered me all those years ago, and I can’t find the strength to confide in her. It’s embarrassing to remember Logan so vividly, only for him consider me so inconsequential that he can’t say the same.

  Always an angel, Cortney doesn’t press for an explanation. “You know what I think you need? A night on the town.”

  I laugh.

  “I’m serious,” Cortney tells me, flipping back a portion of thick hair that falls in her face. “You’re too uptight. Let’s go into the city with Peter tonight.”

  I watch her and realize she’s not joking. “Where will we go?”

  “Mathias Gentry’s band is playing at a small bar on the Upper West Side. It’s owned by retired Guardians, so we won’t have any trouble getting in even though we aren’t twenty-one. Let’s go there.”

  “Who?” I ask, wondering who would decide to name their poor child Mathias. It sounds like a grandpa’s name.

  “You don’t know about Mathias?” Cortney asks with disbelief, making me wonder if the guy is a popular musician and I’m the only person lame enough not to know who he is.

  “No, should I?” We reach our dorm. I walk inside and sit on my bed.

  She closes the door and goes to sit on her own bed. “Mathias is a Guardian. Well… not any more. His parents, the Gentrys, are high up in European Shadowguard leadership. It was a huge scandal when their son abandoned Shadowguard society in order to pursue a career in music.”

  I’m floored. I’ve never heard of someone with Shadowguard blood to not stay in our society.

  Except for my mom.

  “How do you know about his concert if he’s not involved with the Shadowguard anymore?”