Hunted

- 14 - NO SERVICE, GUARDIANS

“Why didn’t you tell them the truth back there?” Esras asked when we left Jethro’s bar.

“That Jethro joined a demonic faction run by Gavyn and his evil friends?” I shook my head as I led the way back into the alley. “He didn’t. He wouldn’t. Gavyn might act like he has all the answers, but he’s a manipulator.”

“You promised to bring back Jethro and the children Gavyn’s new council kidnapped,” Lucien said.

“We will, Lucien. I always try to think positive.” I stopped when we reached the back of the alley. “There are two places we can search for Bran. There’s a restaurant we usually hang out when we are in town. It is lunchtime now, so if he stopped to eat, he should be there. It is owned by a member of the Brotherhood.”

“Lead the way,” Esras said. He’d become more talkative since the meeting with Gavyn, while Solaris had grown more quiet. I liked it.

I teleported inside Keiran’s office and found him behind his desk, eating. He looked up, violet eyes widening underneath thick lashes. “Lil? What are you doing here?”

“Looking for Bran.” The others appeared beside me. “Lucien, Esras, Lunaris, and Solaris.” I indicated the restaurateur. “Keiran, a member of the Brotherhood. His restaurant is the best in L.A.”

Keiran put his plate down and stood. “I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances, Guardians. I would have loved to welcome you with open arms. Unfortunately, I can’t.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Guardians are officially persona non grata around here.”

“Since when?”

“Since last night.”

Great! The day couldn’t get any worse. “Does that mean Bran hasn’t been here today?”

“Oh, he has…was here. He stopped by for breakfast and said he’d be back for lunch at,” he looked at his watch, “noon. It is five to. If you want to wait for him, sit.” He waved toward the chairs around the room. “I’ll even get you something to eat.”

No one moved.

“But you just said we are not allowed here,” I said.

“In the restaurant. This is my office,” Keiran explained, flashing a lopsided grin. “Besides, I choose my friends, not my leaders.”

I glanced at the others and indicated the chairs. Lucien was the first one to sit, but his fascinated gaze stayed on Kieran. He’d never met a member of the Brotherhood before. Not that they were really different from us. I grabbed a seat, too. Esras and the others had no choice but to sit.

“So? Why can’t we eat here anymore?” I asked.

Kieran perched his butt on the edge of his desk, crossed his arms and legs, and shrugged. “Last night, we got a visit from the senior Cardinals. They brought us the news about the arrival of the Tribe. Our leaders asked the Cardinals if they could offer sanctuary to our young, the Specials, and our elderly until the situation with the Tribe was resolved. We’d hoped they’d take them to Xenith or at the very least, hide them at one of your High Council Headquarters.” He sighed and shook his head.

“They refused?” I asked, even though his scowl answered for him.

“This morning Cardinal Hsia brought us the news. Your leaders in Xenith said no. So as of today, no Cardinal is allowed in our compound or at any business run by a member of the Brotherhood. Officially, we’ve gone back to being neutral. Literally.” He grinned and placed a clairvoyant crystal on his table. “So what would you like to eat?”

I shook my head. “We don’t want you to go against your leaders, Keiran. We can eat at one of the Civilian-run restaurants.”

“No, you can’t. Every restaurant and business run by your Civilian Guardians is closed. They all have Will Re-Open Under New Management signs on their doors. I was going to ask Bran what’s going on.”

“All Civilians were told to head back to Xenith,” I explained.

“Of course.” Keiran waved a hand over the crystal, activating it. “Order something while you wait for Bran. It’s on the house.”

Despite his words, no one moved. I caught the furtive glances between Esras and the twins and focused on them. Their guilt hung thick in the air.

“You knew about the Circle’s refusal to help the Specials,” I said in an accusatory voice. No one answered. “Esras?”

“Yes, we knew about the orders,” he answered.

“And you’re okay with them?”

He shook his head. “We’ve been taught to always follow directives given to us by the CT, Lil. When we heard about this, we knew there was nothing we could do to change things.”

“Besides, you know the Specials on a personal level,” Solaris added. “We don’t, so we’re not really emotionally invested.”

And…the bitch was back. “What about logic, Solaris? Does sealing the portal and leaving behind helpless children make sense to you?”

“Helpless?” Solaris asked. “The Specials have more powers in their little fingers than hundreds of Guardians in Xenith combined. We don’t know where their loyalties lie, and as nature-benders, they might be more useful here than in Xenith.”

“Shut up, Solaris,” I snapped. “Every time you open your mouth, you say something that makes me want to zap you to the last millennium. For starters, the Specials and the Brotherhood are our allies. Maybe not yours, but definitely ours. My grandfather will not bail on them. Second, Keiran said there are Brotherhood children and the elderly who need shelter, too.”

The silence that followed my outburst was eerie. Keiran grinned. Lucien’s eyes were wide with, I don’t know, shock. Esras kept a straight, a face while Solaris sputtered with indignation. Lunaris was staring at her hands, so I couldn’t tell her reaction.

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Solaris said belligerently.

“I just did,” I said. “Third, the Specials are children, not warriors. We are not supposed to decide for them which side to support in this endless battle between us and demons. That will be their decision when they turn sixteen.”

Solaris opened her mouth to speak.

“I’m not done. Fourth, we are the ones who left them defenseless when we killed their parents and destroyed Coronis Isle. But my team did the humane thing—”

“We’re not human,” Solaris retorted.

“Yet it is our humanity that makes us different from demons. My friends and I rescued the Specials from demons when they were being forced to do despicable things. How’s the CT’s agenda different from the demons? Why should the shriveled old goats sit in their hidden world, destroy the only portal, and ask children to save them from the worst demons we’ve ever encountered? Where’s their moral high ground?”

“You shouldn’t talk about our leaders like that,” Solaris warned. “Xenith is our home. Of course, we must protect it.”

“You know what? I was born right here, so my leaders are right here on Earth, the ones I battle demons every day to protect. I’ve never met the CT, never been to your precious Xenith, and from what they’re doing, don’t ever want to visit it, so protecting your leaders and their perfect world is not my problem. If I were to choose between defending them and the Specials, I’d choose the children.”

“They’re hardly helpless,” Lunaris cut in, repeating what her sister had said.

“So?” I shot back. “No matter how powerful they are, they’re not ready to battle demons like the Tribe.”

Solaris’s brown eyes flashed. “Maybe we should give them back, along with you and Bran, and get the Tribe off our backs once and for all.”

Now I understood why they only let Cardinal Guardians fight demons. These SGs were wimps. “You know what? I’m done arguing with you. Cardinals don’t give in to demons, and they don’t run away. If SGs are taught to act cowardly in the face of danger, then you should head to the valley right now, pack your things, and go back to Xenith.”

Another silence followed. From the look on Solaris’s red face, she wasn’t backing down. Neither was I. If she opened her mouth again and spouted more nonsense, I was going to reduce her to a blabbering idiot forever. The others avoided eye contact. Keiran continued to grin.

I marched out of the room, barely resisting the urge to slam the door. Burying my face in my hands, I slid down the wall and sat on the hallway floor. Me and my temper. It didn’t matter that the CT’s decision was callous. I shouldn’t have said the things I did. Of course, I wanted to visit Xenith, see where my grandfather was born. That I’ve never been invited rankled me a bit.

“Somehow I knew you weren’t told about the Specials,” Keiran said from behind.

I glanced at him. “I was awful.”

“You were brilliant.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. They’re scared, that’s all.”

Silver flashed in his violet eyes.

“Of a bunch of children?” he asked in disbelief.

“No, of the Tribunal,” I said.

He winced. “Don’t say that name out loud.”

I glanced at him. “Why not?”

“It is how they are summoned. The council warned us against calling out the name.”

Interesting. “Yeah, a court made up of demons. No wonder they were impartial.”

“No, Lil.” He slid down the opposite wall and joined me on the floor. “The Tri-whatever is made up of both demons and Guardians…dead ones. They mediate Nephilimic matters. When the Brotherhood wanted recognition as a legitimate subgroup of the Guardians, neutral to the war between demons and Guardians, my people summoned the Tri… the Nephilimic court. We lost the petition, but we still went ahead and formed the Brotherhood anyway. Whoever summoned them this time has a grudge against the Guardians.”

Or felt they were cheated out of a leader and powerful children. What if Gavyn had spoken the truth? It meant there had been a trial and we’d lost, except the verdict was unacceptable and so out there, I couldn’t begin to imagine leaving the Guardians to live with the demons. Whoever had represented us had to be a freaking Guardian Law School dropout. If such a school existed.

“What else do you know about the Tribe’s powers?”

Keiran shook his head. “Our council was stingy with those details. We were hoping you’d fill us in.”

“We?”

“A bunch of us believe we should fight with the Guardians regardless of the CT’s decision. I want you to talk to them, convince them that you’ll have our backs if we are attacked.”

“Me?”

He nodded. “Yes, you, Lil. You are the Chosen One.”

Not again. What would he say if he knew the Tribe was after us because of what we did?

“We’ll have your back. The decision not to offer shelter to the children and your elderly came from the CT, not my grandfather and the Cardinals.”

“The Cardinals will do what the CT tells them. That’s what Darius said. We’d rather have a pact with you and the junior Cardinals. Meet us at Club Zero, talk to my friends, and convince them you are our allies.”

“When?”

“Tonight. We’ll be there from ten to one.”

I nodded. “The others will be back by then.” I slanted my head and indicated his office. “Did they order lunch?”

“The men did. The women didn’t.” He got to his feet. “I’ll ask them again. You want the usual?”

“I’m not really hungry. I’ll have a drink…the usual. Whatever that is.”

He chuckled. “Oh, I forgot about your memory loss. Kim mentioned it. One tall glass of strawberry-lemonade slushy coming up. And you usually a prefer shrimp salad sandwich for lunch and oven-baked chicken pasta for dinner. If you change your mind, let me know.” He disappeared into his office.

Kim must have shared quite a bit of Guardian business with Keiran. Not that I was complaining. Love made us do all sorts of crazy things. I leaned against the wall and sighed. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there before Keiran returned with my slushy. “You sure you don’t want the salad?”

I smiled. “Thank, Kieran. I’m okay.”

He disappeared back into his office and I went back to my thoughts and my drink. Noon came and went, but Bran didn’t appear. Refusing to worry, I put my empty glass down, then sat straighter and slightly forward, closing my eyes and letting my mind go blank. I took deep breaths, held and released.

Pranayama often calmed my mind, but it wasn’t enough this time. I forced myself to replace the images with more loving ones. Bran. Grampa. People who loved me regardless of what I did, what I was, who would face anything to keep me safe.

As though I’d pushed a switch, calmness rushed over me. Reasoning returned. Instead of getting worked up, I realized I had to talk to someone from the inside—Kael and Dante. They’d know about the Tribunal and their verdict.

I gave Bran fifteen more minutes, then got up and went inside Kieran’s office to join the others.

Esras and Lucien were chatting with Kieran, but stopped when I walked in. The two empty plates on a tray said only the guys had eaten. The twins must have declined Keiran’s offer. Their loss.

“Thanks for lunch, Kieran, but we have to go,” I said. “If Bran stops by, please tell him to wait here. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“If he asks where you guys are?”

“Tell him we’ve gone to see Kael and Dante.”

His brow shot up. “The two nature-benders?”

Someone protested, Solaris or Lunaris, I didn’t check or care. Instead, I focused on Lucien, who didn’t bother to hide his excitement. “Follow me.”

We materialized on the rooftop helipad on U.S. Bank Tower. While the others peered at the buildings around us, I studied the sky. There was a heavy haze over the city and a few planes heading to LAX, but there was no sign of the cloudy mass hiding the Tribunal’s army.

“How are you going to contact them?” Lucien asked from behind me.

“By sending a signal, but first there’s something you need to know. Don’t threaten them in any way because they’ll react and you won’t like it.”

“But I heard they were loyal to us,” Lucien said, his voice rising.

“To me, not all Guardians.” Even as the words left my mouth, I worried. Our last meeting hadn’t been fun. The monkey on my back was calm now, but I knew the tingle would begin when Dante and Kael appeared. “When attacked, they’ll defend themselves.”

He swallowed. The others stared at me as though they weren’t sure whether to believe me or not. The twins were having a heated telepathic argument about me. They were so loud I couldn’t help overhearing them.

Arrogant? Unfit to lead a mission? That rankled. Hadn’t I offered to feed them? Put up with Solaris’s snarky comments? It wasn’t as if they were model Guardians either.

“Ready?” I interrupted them rudely.

“Not yet,” Solaris said.

“Listen, you can discuss my shortcomings later. We need to do this now.” The sky was still murky, but at least there were no planes. I focused on a position, then willed a bolt of lightning to appear above the city. It went straight into the air, then split in four different directions.

Lucien’s murmur of awe was cut short by the appearance of Kael. Seven feet tall with black slacks, matching shirt and a leather duster, and wraparound glasses which made his short, blond hair appear even lighter, he looked fierce.

He ignored the others and bowed toward me, a frown furrowing his forehead. He also kept his distance. Just as well, since the energy on my back was dying to be released.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Jethro is missing and Bran is searching for him. Can you help us find him?”

“Sure.”

I fought to control my powers, thinking of all the times the nature-benders had helped us. “Where’s Dante?”

“He’s checking the perimeter.” Then he nodded at someone behind me.

I turned to find Dante had materialized, diamonds glittering on his ears, bat-like wings closing behind him like a cloak. He watched me warily. My gaze went to his arm even though it was covered with his coat.

“It’s okay,” I reassured him, smiling. The power was responding to my thoughts and reducing in intensity. “I have everything under control.”

He cocked his brow.

“Okay, almost,” I amended.

“Good, because we need to leave. Now.”

“But you just got here. I have questions—”

“They’ll have to wait.” He glanced at the sky, then cut me a censuring look. “You were supposed to send a subtle signal, not give them a beacon to follow. It won’t be long before they get here. Let’s go.”

“We’re not…we can’t…” Solaris stuttered.

Dante’s head snapped toward her. “Do whatever you wish, Guardian. Lilith is leaving. Come on. I can feel them.”

“So can I.” It was the same energy I’d sensed at Mrs. Watts’, only stronger. Despite the tug on my energy, I didn’t see any lightning clouds.

“I’ll go with you!” Lucien called out, teleporting to my side.

I glanced at Esras, then the twins. They were busy glancing around, searching for our would-be attackers. Esras already had two daggers in his hands. “Come on, guys. Master Haziel warned us not to fight them. We have to leave now.”

“Then you shouldn’t have sent that signal,” Solaris retorted.

“Follow me,” Dante ordered and teleported.

“Go, Lucien. I’m right behind you,” I fibbed. As soon as he dematerialized, I reached for my dagger. “Okay. We have a thing about not leaving our people behind, so if you stay, I’ll stay.”

Surprise flashed across the three Guardians’ faces.

“You can’t stay,” Kael protested. “You’re not ready to fight them.”

“That’s beside the point now. You should leave, Kael. I release you from your oath.” There was no point in having him die because of a bunch of idiots.

The first cloud popped up to our right as the words left my mouth. My heart dropped. Ready or not, we were fighting. Civilian Guardians, even the ones trained to guard Xenith like Esras and the twins, were no match for demons, but there was no time to whine about it.

A second and a third demon appeared in quick succession

“Don’t let them get inside your heads,” I warned, my grip tightening on the hilt of the dagger. “Think of things and people you love, happy memories.”

My eyes widened when I saw the daggers in Esras’ hands shimmer and shift as they elongated until he held swords. He tossed one to Lunaris, who caught it with her left hand. An alpha energy ball appeared above her right. Solaris held a wire-tipped whip and an energy ball, too.

Security Guardians? I didn’t think so. Only Cardinals had the abilities to manipulate elements. By the time I glanced back at Esras, he had a sword ready for me.

“Catch.” He threw it.

I sheathed my dagger and plucked the sword from the air. Adrenaline shot through my veins, my heart pumping with dread at what we were about to face, and with it was relief that Esras and the twins weren’t SGs after all. Why hide the fact that they were Cardinals?

“Leave, Kael,” I yelled, even though I wished he would stay. “This is not your battle.”

“I disagree, princess.” He pulled out a stick of some kind and pressed a button at its base. Three blades with serrated edges shot out, then coalesced together. “I took an oath, and a Prime never goes back on his word.”

“True,” Dante said from behind me, having reappeared without our knowledge. I grinned with relief. Our chances kept getting better. “I knew something was wrong when you didn’t follow us,” he added and looked up at the three demons. “How long have they been circling?”

“Theyjust appeared,” Kael said.

“Think happy thoughts or mentally go to your happiest memories. No matter what, don’t let them get inside your heads or they’ll make you see your worst nightmares.”

“I know,” Dante said and drew out a long, serrated dagger. “Get ready to attack when I give a signal.”

“No,” Esras interjected. “We can’t do this now.”

“It’s too late,” I snapped. “You chose to stay, so we fight.”

“It’s never too late to regroup, Cardinal,” Esras said quickly, his gaze swinging from Kael to Dante, but the two nature-benders ignored him, their gazes on me.

“Lil!” The twins snapped.

I glanced at them. They didn’t look so confident anymore either.

Order them to get us out of here, Solaris telepathed me.

I was tempted to ignore her, but they were right. We weren’t ready. “Can we make it out of here, Dante?”

He exchanged a glance with Kael. “If one of us leads you away while another plays decoy.”

“I’m not leaving you behind to fight them alone,” Kael snapped. “You won’t survive.”

Dante shrugged. “I’m not fighting them. We know this world, they don’t. A lot has changed since they were last here. Loop and meet me at our building in ten.”

Their hands brushed. It happened so fast I thought I’d imagined it, until I felt the flow of intense emotion between the two. Who said demons couldn’t love? These two had something good going on.

Be safe, Kael warned him, then glanced my way and ordered, “Follow me.”

Before we could leave, a high-pitch sound vibrated the air around us. I blocked my ears, but it was useless. I retreated to a place where nothing could touch me, a place of love and happiness with people I loved. The sound receded as though I’d lowered its intensity.

I let go of my ears and looked around. The others were blocking their ears too, except Dante and Kael. Before I could remind them to think about their loved ones, the roof shook and I turned to find its source.

For a moment, I was too blinded by the brilliant light coming from the cloudy mass to see anything. Another thud followed, then a third one. All three demons were on the roof with us. Unable to move, I watched with morbid fascination as the cloud dissolved away and the light grew dimmer, until the being at its core became visible.

My jaw dropped, the sword almost slipping from my grip.