by Nikki Frank
“What does blue mean?” I asked.
“A job, but not an assassination. It’s bodyguard duty and it’s for you.” She handed the paper to me.
“Huh? We do that, too?”
“We do pretty much whatever we’re assigned,” Dad said.
I read the paper and squeaked involuntarily. “Emmett. The Fairy Synod knows about him?”
“Evidently,” Dad said shortly. “I’m not sure I like this. Normally high-profile guard duty is assigned to adults. Not to mention pairs. I’m surprised the assignment didn’t come in for your mother and I. But don’t worry, we’ll provide you backup.”
He turned on Emmett. “The Fairy Synod is our Central Borderland’s governing body, headed by the Lord High Governor. They have acknowledged your existence and gifts, as well as your dangerous situation by assigning you a personal bodyguard. Livy will be with you twenty-four hours a day until you are appropriately placed, or a new guard is assigned. For your own safety you are not to ditch her or us at any time. A determined hunter can take you in a matter of seconds if you wander off. There are places and contracts from which even the Synod can’t get you back.”
Emmett shuddered and nodded, his face pale.
Dad slapped his shoulder. “All right, kids. Warnings are through, we need to get on the road. You two caused quite the commotion. We need to get you both someplace quieter.”
We gave Emmett and his mom a few minutes to say goodbye. His dad wouldn’t come home for a couple hours yet and my dad didn’t want to risk waiting, so he’d have to call later. I didn’t want to imagine how that conversation would go. Emmett’s dad didn’t even get the luxury of seeing my dad’s tail. He’d have to believe everything Ivy told him on blind faith.
As Emmett’s guard, I waited right outside the front door with it cracked to see him and his mom, but not overhear. They deserved that much privacy at least. He came out rubbing at his face and I knew better than to ask if he was crying. I fell into step behind him and instead of saying anything I simply put my hand between his shoulder blades.
We got into the back of my parents’ stolen car. Emmett either didn’t catch this or didn’t care, climbing in and putting his forehead against the window to stare blankly outside. I left him alone. When he was ready to talk, he would. Emmett had always been a slow thinker, processing everything before opening his mouth.
The car slid down the road, seemingly unnoticed by other traffic but far faster than a normal car would be able to go. In just under an hour we crossed the state line. But my parents didn’t stop there. The afternoon turned into evening as the countryside flew by. As dusk started to turn dark we pulled into a hotel parking lot. Nothing fancy, an average motor inn.
I yawned and stretched. “Where are we?”
“Middle America,” Dad said. “But I don’t want either of you to let anything slip. If you didn’t read road signs, so much the better. Your mother booked us adjoining rooms. You two are in one, but we’ll be a doorway away if you need us.”
I caught my dad’s sleeve and pulled him down, so I could whisper in his ear. “Can we talk alone for a minute?”
My dad gave Mom one of their private hand signals and pulled me a little way off from the car. “What’s up Livy?”
“What am I up against, really?”
Dad’s eyes shifted to the side and I clicked my tongue.
I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Don’t lie, that doesn’t help Emmett or I. And don’t say you don’t know at least some of what’s going on because I know Mom texted most of the way here.”
His ears got pointy in agitation. “The diablita you took down was a minion of Zaemon.”
“The demon lord? What could he want with Emmett? Zaemon can manufacture his own magic.”
“Prestige? To keep Emmett out of the hands of someone else? Who knows. He didn’t issue a press release of his plans. We managed to trace Buraee to him.” My father sighed and laid a heavy hand on my shoulder. “You already know the types of creatures a demon lord keeps in his retinue. Any one of those nightmares could be sent out next. The worse Zaemon wants him, the nastier the creatures will be. Beyond hired hunters, any and everything else might be after him.”
I gulped, sweat beading out on my forehead. “So how do I keep him safe?”
“Kill only those who won’t back off. But be ready for anything. Feed as often as you need. Your mom and I will watch him for you when you need to go out. There’s no shame in asking for our help. In our whole partnership, your mom and I have only done a handful of solo missions. You know we work best in pairs. I’m sorry we haven’t arranged a partner for you. We wanted to wait and let you pick later since they usually end up as―”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I brushed off the rest. I didn’t want this conversation to turn into some awkward father-daughter “chat”. Due to the closeness of a partnership between assassins they tended to be lifelong and exclusive. Usually meaning the human equivalent of marriage. The trust between a pairing had to be implicit since both lives frequently depended on it. Such closeness made bringing an outside spouse in very difficult, though some pulled it off, usually siblings.
I had no brother or sister, so when I reached adulthood, nineteen for magic folk, my parents would start setting up interviews and trial missions until I decided on a partner. The freedom to choose was a kind gesture on their part. Most assassins started taking jobs in their mid-teens and plenty of parents arranged their teammate for them. The kids had no choice but to deal with whoever their parents selected. Not that tons of assassins exist, even in the Borderlands, hence the need for a setup. Parents would naturally want the pick of the limited choices.
My parents had carefully made sure none of my missions had been deadly enough to need a partner so far. But Emmett and I would have been much safer if I had faced the diablita in a pair. I probably wouldn’t have been bitten and Buraee only qualified as a minion. In which case, what bad boys might be sent out next?
Dad hugged me. “We’ll get through this.”
I nodded and whispered my next question into his chest.
“Huh? I didn’t catch that.”
My face flamed as I backed away, so he could hear. “I’m not going to get in trouble for staying alone with a boy?” I muttered. “I know that’s against the rules.”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Do you want the adult answer or the dad answer?”
“Which is the least likely to embarrass us both?”
“Neither. I’ll give you the adult answer since the situation is what it is. Emmett’s a good boy. Not to mention a source. If you two kids . . . you know . . . Well, with him you wouldn’t need to kidnap, and you could both get nice safe human jobs and live a much less dangerous life than you were brought up for. Your mom and I . . . don’t mind.”
My dad had turned a shade of red a boiled lobster would be proud of, and I wanted to sink into the concrete. “So, this is match making?”
“No, no, no.” Dad stared at a pothole in the parking lot. “As a single bodyguard, you have to stay with him at all times. Unless you wanted him to sleep with me and you can room with your mom. But we thought that would be weird for everyone.”
“Yes, hoping we end up together isn’t weird at all, Dad.”
“No, you’re still misunderstanding, Livy. We’re not hoping for anything, but we wouldn’t oppose a relationship, if it happened. Sweetie, you’re always free to choose. We’ll help find appropriate partners because we have the connections to find singleton assassins in your age group, but . . .” He looked helplessly at me. “I made this worse, didn’t I? Can I give the dad answer instead?”
“I’m pretty sure the damage is irreparable, but go ahead. What the hell?”
He started with an apologetic smile. “I meant to say: of course, this isn’t okay wit
h us, but you have no partner and your orders are to stay with him. Any sign of hanky-panky and we’ll be forced to tie Emmett to a chair for the night. There, was that better?”
I gave my dad a grudging laugh. “Until you said ‘hanky-panky’. You have a special talent for making terms like that seem extra dirty. Just quit trying to be cute.”
He eyed me for a second. “Fine. If I catch you fondling one another you won’t like the punishment.”
“Oh my God, Dad.” I stalked off toward my room leaving him laughing behind me.
“Livy honey, don’t ask questions if you don’t want to hear the answers,” he called after me.
“The original question was yes or no,” I yelled back.
I let the door to the room slam on his laughter. Emmett looked up from one of the two double beds. “Your mom said I should sleep further from the window.” He looked at the door. “What’s so funny? I could use a good laugh.”
“Don’t ask. No laugh is worth repeating what I had to listen to. I promise.” I laid back on the other bed and gave a sigh which caught in my throat.
“Are you okay, Livy? I mean is your bite hurting you?”
“I feel better. Thanks. I’m like you. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Nope. How about you?”
“Nope.”
Silence fell over us. In the next room my parents were watching TV. I sighed and got up to go tap on the connecting door. I wanted a kidnapping job. I needed more magic if I expected to excel at being a bodyguard. Mom gave me a name and address and promised to come take my place at three AM to let me go. Emmett never even looked in my direction.
During all of this I still hadn’t told him how I replenished my magic. I thought I’d come to terms with what I was and what I did, but I was wrong. The idea of telling those details to my best friend filled me with shame. I sighed into my pillow and turned my back on him. Luckily, exhaustion still rode me hard and sleep came quickly.
Chapter 4
Fatigue pulled at me so badly during my kidnapping I swear I made enough noise to wake the dead. But somehow, I got the eight-year-old boy off to the goblin kingdom without a hitch. I half expected to run across Buraee waiting on the kid’s dark lawn as I crept back out the window. But the night remained cool and empty.
Tapping my mom on the shoulder I took her spot in my bed, grateful she’d kept it warm for me. Sleep nearly had me when Emmett’s muffled voice carried across the room.
“Where’d you go?”
I swallowed on the choking feeling in my throat. “You don’t want to know.”
“Is it gross?”
“Emmett, go back to sleep.”
“I can’t sleep. So, is it gross?”
Damn it. He’d reached the point of needing to talk in the middle of the night. I sighed to let him know he’d roused an unwilling conversational partner. My bed creaked as he climbed in.
“This way we can talk quieter. I don’t want to keep your parents up.”
“But it’s okay to keep me up?” I didn’t even bother trying to sound friendly. The numbers on the clock glared 4:12 at me. I just wanted sleep.
“You were already up. Was it some imp thing?”
“Yeah. Emmett, please don’t ask anymore.”
Next to me, he tensed. “It’s not dangerous, is it?”
“No.” I hurried to reassure him. “Mom and Dad wouldn’t have slept through anything serious. You’re fine. I had to take care of some . . . personal needs.”
“Oh.” The tension hadn’t left his body. “I want to know if I’m in danger. I don’t like the idea of you out there fighting things for me without at least knowing what you’re doing. Even if all I can do in return is thank you.” His body trembled.
I rolled so I faced him. “How scared are you? Really?”
Emmett opened his mouth and snapped it shut as tears started rolling.
I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, patting the back of his head. “You’re safe here.”
“I worry about you, too.” He sniffled. “What if I hadn’t fed you the extra power? Would you have died? If Buraee had known more about you, would the fight have gone down in your favor? She seemed surprised at your skill.”
I gave him another squeeze. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve been raised for this. Assassination will be my profession, like my parents. I’ve been handling weapons since I was five. I’ve been hand fighting since three. Not to mention, imps . . . well, we’re technically classified as malevolent magic folk. Mostly meaning we’re predatory. A little worse than our closest relatives, the fairies. Fairies aren’t very nice either, but they’re more tricksters who prefer mean pranks. Imps pretty much don’t care who gets hurt.”
“Really?”
“Really. We usually have a few family or friends we care for, and those get our full protection. That’s why I fought a she-demon for you.” I squeezed his arm. “You, your parents and my parents are the only beings on the planet I’d go to such trouble for. I can’t even guarantee I’d save your sister. But I would easily have ignored the incident if Buraee had taken any other kid at the school.”
“Really?”
“You sound like a broken record. Yes.” I hung my head. “You probably think I’m awful.”
He shrugged. “Not really. Plenty of humans can’t even manage that much caring. But I guess the imp-thing does explain a lot. I wondered why you never really had any other friends. I guess it’s not in your nature.”
I nodded and yawned. “Can we be done, please?”
Emmett gave a funny little squirm.
“What?” I snapped.
“I . . . may I stay in your bed?”
“Why?” Sleep was dragging me under.
“You’re going to think I’m a complete pansy, but . . . I’m scared.”
I nodded―I think. With or without my permission, Emmett stayed, and I woke in the morning shivering with only the sheet over me. I yanked the covers back.
“Dang it, Emmett. Stop hogging.”
He didn’t even open his eyes, but he did yank back on the sheets. I’d been perched on the tiny strip of mattress he’d left me. With no place to get leverage, I lost my balance and went toppling forward onto Emmett’s chest. Teasingly he wrapped his arms and legs around me pinning me.
Once upon a time I would have played along as the weaker “girl”. But not this morning. Along with the hug came a stiff and unpleasant surprise. I pinched the flesh between his thumb and his first finger at the pressure point. He yelped and let go of me and I scrambled back with a shriek.
“What the hell? I thought you were lying about morning wood! Is today special or does that really happen every morning?”
Emmett sat bolt upright, his face more shades of red than a sunset. To make things worse my parents burst in, looking panicked.
“What is it?” my dad yelled. “Who’s attacking?”
“No one,” I shrieked back at him. “I had a nightmare.” In all respects. I muttered to myself.
“You’re okay then?” my mother asked, breathless as she came down off her adrenaline high.
“What a noisy bunch.”
All four of us looked for the unfamiliar voice. My parents openly held weapons. The speaker turned out to be a young man, lounging on the top of the TV cabinet. How he’d gotten in the room past us all and to the top of the tall cabinet was beyond me.
“You won’t be harmed if you give up and leave,” I challenged.
He barked a sarcastic laugh. “So, you’re Olivia Skotadi. Looks like I get double duty.” Leaping lightly off his perch, he landed silently.
“Who are you?” I snapped. “Never mind. I don’t care. Just go.”
He smiled and held a slip of
paper out at me. I wanted to slap the smirk off his face. He oozed cocky, his dark brown eyes glittering a challenge. I snatched the paper and unfolded an official message from the Synod matching mine. The Synod had arbitrarily assigned me a partner.
The young man jammed his hands in his pockets and shot me a condescending smile. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m talented enough to guard you both.”
“This partnership isn’t binding, is it?” I thrust the note at my dad. “We can get someone else, right?”
My dad scratched at his head, confused and a little dismayed. “Not really. Not without reasonable grounds.”
“How about the fact he’s completely aggravating?”
The young man made a mocking pouty face at me. “Sure thing, Catty. ‘Cause the Synod has nothing better to do than field hissy fits from moody teenage girls.”
Emmett openly glared at the strange man.
But the man ignored his scowl, holding out a hand to shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Talon Puck. Your bodyguard.” He made a face in my direction. “You can finally relax and know you’re safe with me.”
“What are you?”
Emmett eyed Talon suspiciously as if he might sprout tentacles. Which, in my opinion would fit his personality perfectly.
“Is your hair naturally blue?”
“I’m a toyol. And no, I just happen to like this color.”
Emmett stared blankly at Talon so I took the opportunity to fill him in. “No one on the fairy family tree is very altruistic. Fairies are the nicest if you want to call them that. Imps come next and toyol are even worse. Thief and assassin, or at least he’s both since he’s here.” I stuck my tongue out at him.
“This from the kidnapper,” Talon threw back. “Don’t pretend your hands are clean.”