Hunted

- 18 - NEW ROOMMATES

Remy and Sykes’ front door flew open before I reached it. “Welcome to our new home,” Izzy said.

“You and Kim are their houseguests?”

“Oh yeah.” She closed the door behind me. “When your grandfather told us we were getting houseguests, we decided—”

“Rather the slobs we know than ones we don’t know,” Kim cut in as she walked by with a clear tote bag filled with creams, lotions, and hair gels. She disappeared inside the bedroom that had been Remy’s.

“You guys kicked Remy downstairs?” Sykes already had a bedroom downstairs and didn’t need to move.

“Not really. The guys chose downstairs, which is great for the nudist colony wanna-be.”

“I heard that,” Sykes yelled from downstairs. “I eat breakfast in the morning, so I’ll still come upstairs.”

“Don’t care,” Izzy yelled back, grinning. “Just put on some damn clothes before you do or you’ll know firsthand what Kim can do with frigid air. Want to see my room?” she added softly. “Remy transported the furniture in one teleport.”

The perks of being an Earth Guardian was his ability to manipulate solids, including shrinking them to portable sizes. “Your clothes?”

She laughed. “Oh, no, he didn’t touch those. Or my shoes. He’s good, but I wasn’t taking chances.”

Izzy’s bedroom was right by the front entrance, like mine. It used to be a workout room; now it was a replica of Izzy’s old bedroom. Done in palettes of brown, gold and jungle green, and a queen bed with a sheer golden canopy over it, it exuded warmth.

I noticed two clairvoyant crystals on her computer desk. One projected images of a family of five. I recognized Izzy in some of them. In others, she was much younger. The second crystal showed short homemade movies of a young girl about ten, her hair even curlier than Izzy’s. She was a gymnast. Another one showed the same girl dancing. The images changed to show a handsome guy. Something about his expression and the way he moved reminded me of Dante.

Izzy was so private that I had never asked her about her family, but she noticed my interest. “My brother, Dominic, and my baby sister, Aria, short for Arianna,” she said with forced cheerfulness. She picked up the second crystal and smiled. “Dom is studying to be an art historian while Aria… Aria wants to be everything.”

“Your brother is handsome,” I said.

“Sadly, he thinks so too, which makes him insufferable.” Izzy put the crystal down, waved a hand over it, and deactivated the images. Her eyes were overly bright as though she was holding back tears.

“And those are my parents.” She pointed at an image of a lovely couple seated next to each other on a loveseat. I could see her brother Dom in both her mother and father.

“You look like your mom,” I said.

“I know.” She turned abruptly. “Come on, I’ll show you Kim’s new room.”

I’d never entered Remy’s bedroom before, but Kim had definitely transformed it into hers—everything was white and designer, from the dresser, to the vanity chair with a skirt, to the canopied bed, to the throw rug.

“When this mess with the Tribunal is over, Izzy and I will get our own place instead of moving back with my parents,” Kim said.

“Good to know this move is not permanent,” Sykes said from the doorway. “Aren’t you guys done yet? We want more info on the archangels.”

“Out of my room, Sykes,” Kim ordered. “You don’t waltz in without knocking or pinging me first.”

“I knew this was a bad idea from the word go.” Shaking his head, he disappeared downstairs.

Kim and Izzy looked at each other and giggled. Poor Sykes. They were going to make his life hell. We followed him downstairs and settled on the couch. By the time Bran joined us, we were done dissecting everything, down to Gavyn’s use of Kylie as a medium.

“Are you going to tell her what he did?” Izzy asked.

“Yeah. She’s out of town right now.”

“Now can we discuss Keiran and tonight?” Kim interrupted impatiently. “We won’t be able to meet with them.”

“Or any other night until the Cardinals lift the lockdown,” Remy added.

Kim sighed.

“Why not just call him and explain the situation?” Bran asked. “He’ll understand.”

“He doesn’t have a phone,” Kim explained. “His customers use telepathy to make reservations. If we don’t meet with them tonight, they’ll believe we don’t care about them.”

“The Cardinals promised to find a way to help the Specials and the older members of the Brotherhood,” Bran explained.

“But they always take forever to decide on anything,” Kim said and sighed again. “By the time they agree on what to do, how and when to do it, it would be too late.”

“Let’s just sneak out and make the meeting,” Sykes suggested.

“No way,” Izzy protested. “The Cardinals will have our heads on a platter.”

“Just a second, Izzy.” Kim’s gaze didn’t leave Sykes. “How can we sneak out undetected?”

“Do what?” Remy asked, reappearing with drinks on a tray, which he placed on the coffee table.

“Sneak out of the valley,” I said, not believing what they were planning.

Kim cut me a quick look. “From your tone, I take it you’re out.”

“I think we should be careful because Raphael and his men are waiting for us out there,” I retorted. “Even the senior Cardinals decided they won’t use their powers anymore because it could alert the archangels. The only thing stopping Raphael from finding us is the shield over the valley.”

“After the attack on the island, I doubt the shield is that effective,” Izzy added. “They can still sense us.”

“So let’s not use our powers,” Kim insisted. “The Brotherhood will believe we don’t care about them if we don’t make the meeting.”

“Don’t you mean this will screw up things between you and a certain violet-eyed guy?” Sykes mocked.

“That’s not it.” She bit her lower lip, then looked at Bran. “We must contact Keiran and let him know what’s going on.”

My gaze volleyed between Bran and Kim. Before I could protest, Bran nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“What?” I squealed.

Before Bran could respond, Sykes spoke. “How do you plan to accomplish this amazing feat without us? I know you’re the hero of the moment, but the Psi-dar is on alert mode. You teleport anyway, the remaining security team will be on your tail.”

Bran chuckled. “I’ll tell the Cardinals I have to meet with my brother.”

“I thought you were going to use the other route,” Sykes said in disappointment.

Bran cocked his eyebrow. “What other route?”

“You know, sneak to the canyon’s Wind Caves and teleport from there, therefore outsmarting the Psi-dar.”

There was a collective groan.

“The security shield doesn’t cover the cave?” Kim asked curiously.

“You’re not thinking of using it, are you?” Izzy protested.

Kim shot her an annoyed glance. “Of course not. Tell us about the cave, Sykes.”

“It’s a blind spot in the almighty Psi-dar’s all-seeing eyes. I discovered it years ago. You can teleport in and out without the Psi-dar picking up your energy.”

“Until they decide to do a psi energy count,” Izzy said.

Kim glared at her. “Negative much?”

“No one is sneaking out of the valley,” Remy said firmly. “There’s a time to break rules and a time to lay low. Bran can try and ask the senior Cardinals’ permission, and see what they say.”

Bran smiled. “I agree.” He glanced at Kim. “If you need to tell him or give him something, I’ll pass through here before I leave.”

“You really think they’ll let you go?” Kim asked.

Bran nodded.

Kim grinned, then did something so out of character that we stared. She kissed Bran’s cheek. “Thank you.”

As soon as she teleported upstairs, Bran grabbed my hand. “Come with me.”

We teleported to my bedroom. Voices filtered into the room through the closed door, but their energies weren’t Grampa and Aunt Janelle’s. Our houseguests must have been settling in.

“Do you really have to go? The archangels probably know your energy signature by now.”

“I have to go, Lil.”

“Why? Is it Gavyn? Are you going to see him?”

Bran sighed. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but the senior Cardinals want to contact the Order and tell them what we know about their missing children. We can’t afford to have them target us while we are still figuring out how to defend ourselves against the archangels.”

That made sense. “They want you to go alone?”

“No. Cardinals Moira and Seth are coming with me. They won’t be happy about a detour to the Brotherhood, but…,” he shrugged.

At least he wasn’t going out alone. “Be careful.” He grinned, not in the least worried. “And if you guys run into trouble, go to Dante’s. We have an open invitation.”

Bran chuckled. “Yes, worrywart. I’ll be back in a few, so wait up for me.”

“Tell Angelia I’ll visit her as soon as I can.” I gripped Bran’s shirt, pulled him closer, and kissed him. “Please, be safe.”

“Promise.” He teleported.

Releasing a breath, I debated whether to go and introduce myself to our new houseguests or head back to the guys’ home. Despite Kim and Izzy’s moving in, the house would always be Remy and Sykes’ to me.

Kim was still in her room when I arrived, probably making a recording for Kieran. The others were watching an animé on TV.

“Is our hero gone?” Sykes asked.

I smiled. “If you mean Bran, no. He’s gone to talk to the senior Cardinals first.”

“How come they let him leave and not us?”

“You’re turning green, Sykes,” Izzy teased.

Sykes chuckled and stretched. “Nope. I just think he doesn’t know how to have fun. Rules are boring.” He patted the area of the sectional beside him. “Sit by me, Red, and let’s break some.”

“You really need to stop messing with me.”

“Chicken,” he muttered.

I sat beside Izzy. She and Remy had their eyes glued to the screen, where a dark-haired girl with red eyes was busy ferrying a boat through a misty lake with floating lanterns.

You know he only flirts with you because he knows you aren’t available and to push Bran’s buttons, Izzy said. Flirt back and he’ll run.

I don’t think that’s going to work. What are you guys watching?

An animé series the guys like. This one is actually interesting. It is about revenge and how you lose your soul when you seek it. Another episode is about to start. Izzy glanced at me and added, ignoring him hasn’t worked either. Go over there, kiss him, and scare the heebie-jeebies out of him.

Somehow I didn’t see Sykes running. Besides, I didn’t want to kiss him. I continued to watch the introduction to the next episode, though I could feel Sykes’ eyes on me. Getting irritated, I glared at him. He winked and patted the seat beside him. I made a face and turned my attention on the screen.

Bran came back sooner than we’d expected.

“Well?” Remy asked.

“It’s a go. Cardinal Moira and Seth are coming with me. Where’s Kim?”

“In her room. I’ll get her.” Izzy teleported and Bran took her place.

I sank against his side. Knowing he wasn’t going alone was a relief. Bran could handle himself in most situations, but the archangels were a mean bunch.

The animé was interesting, but all the training and not getting enough sleep because of the nightmares had drained me. My eyelids kept dropping, no matter how hard I tried to stay awake. Finally, I gave in. Just a few seconds of sleep was all I needed.

Something tickled my nose. I swatted at it. It flitted across my nose again. I protested and tried to turn my face away. A familiar chuckle followed. My eyes flew open and my gaze collided with Bran’s.

“Why are you tormenting me?”

“We need to talk about the Specials.”

“Oh, yeah, tell Angelia I’ll visit…” A feeling of déjà vu rolled over me. I’d said that before. My eyes widened. I was in my bedroom, not at Sykes and Remy’s. “Did you already leave and come back?”

He nodded. “Move over.”

The clock on my bedside table said it was nine-thirty. “I fell asleep?”

“Yep. Before I left. I came back and you were still out.” He kicked off his shoes and snuggled beside me.

I settled on my stomach, so I could see his expression. “So how did it go? Did you talk to the Order? What’s wrong with the Specials?”

“Everything is okay with the Brotherhood. They know we have their backs. The Specials, on the other hand, are scared out of their minds.”

I sat up. “Darius told them about the archangels?”

“That’s the problem. No one told them anything, but with their abilities, they feel the others’ fear. At least, the empaths in their group do. They know something is not right and they want to see you, especially Angelia. She made me swear to take you to them, but the Cardinals overheard us, so no sneaking out.”

“And the Order?”

“Refused to talk to us. They insisted on talking to you—the Chosen One.”

“No,” Grampa said firmly.

After giving his verdict, the matter of meeting the Order was all but forgotten. I didn’t get to visit the Specials either, which worried me. Angelia would think I had abandoned them. Grampa’s stance didn’t change despite my arguments. I even begged, which earned me a long lecture on priorities. Apparently mine were to train, train, and train some more. He promised to visit them instead.

My next visit with Kylie, the day after we met Raphael, didn’t exactly go as I’d hoped. Everything went downhill as soon as I mentioned the archangels.

“Please, mind-blend with me. I have to see him,” she begged.

“Did you hear anything I just said? Gavyn used you to find my cell phone number, Valafar might be back and the archangels want me dead.”

She shrugged. “I don’t care if Gavyn used me, and Valafar is a total loser, so whether he’s back or not, he’ll never convince you to join him. As for the archangel,” she giggled, “even saying the word fills me with, I don’t know, a shiver. The way you described him…”

Annoyed, I reminded her, “Cold eyes? Mean? Hates us and humans? And he wants me dead.”

“Oh, I know, but you are…the Chosen One. You have the powers of the Kris Dagger and the entire Guardian army behind you. The archangels won’t win. Please, show me.”

“No.” I got up from her bed, too annoyed to stay. “I can’t even link with Bran to get my lost memories because I’m scared of messing up his energy. There’s no way I’m going to link with you.”

I didn’t hear from Kylie for days. Just as well. Our houseguests, six female SG instructors, monopolized my time at home. They were nice, if I looked past their need to share every story about Xenith and make me watch homemade clairvoyant movies. It was like dangling something I really wanted in front of me, but keeping it out of my reach. So many times I just wanted to say “enough”. But I couldn’t be rude.

The first time we met, I’d entered the kitchen to find them making breakfast. I took a step back, wanting to teleport back and disappear in my room until they were done, when the one standing by the stove had turned and smiled.

“Join us, Lil,” she’d said with a smile. “Unless you’d rather not.”

How could I refuse?

Watching the Guardian children frolic in the water and chase butterflies at a park in Xenith made me wonder what my childhood would have been like growing up there.

“Those little girls could easily have been me,” I told Bran when were alone after another long training session.

“Do you feel cheated?” Bran asked absentmindedly, his concentration on the pad he was sketching on.

“Hmm, no.” My childhood had been complicated. First living with Grandma’s circus tribe, then later moving from place to place with Grampa as he tried to keep the promise he gave my mother—keeping me safe from Valafar. My relationship with my grandfather was special because of the years we’d spent together. “I wouldn’t trade the years I spent with Grampa or my Gypsy relatives for anything.”