Guardians (Seers Trilogy) (22 page)

The front door opened, interrupting my explanation mixed with apology, and Jack’s head poked out. “Hey, you two, I don’t mean to be clucky, but you’ve got school tomorrow. Your grandmother’s already gone to . . . Patrick? Is something wrong?”

I spoke before Patrick could. “Nothing’s wrong. Why would you think something’s wrong?”

Jack gave me a strange look. “Well, I don’t know. You don’t have to be a knocker, though—I just thought I’d ask.”

I expected Patrick to say something, but he didn’t. He’d lapsed back into his blistering silence. Still gripping his wrist, I pulled him into the house, wanting to herd him up to my bedroom as quickly as possible.

Jack held the door for us, flipping off the porch light with the quick flick of a finger. He didn’t seem to notice the page Patrick was holding, even though he wasn’t trying to cover it up at all. “Can I ask how your date went?” Jack ventured carefully, obviously sensing the tension.

I nodded once. “It was good. Thanks for waiting up.”

“Um . . . I’m on duty.”

“Right—well, thanks anyway.”

He rolled his eyes. “I won’t tell your grandma.”

“Huh?”

“You two can go upstairs if you want. I’m no whistle blower.”

Though it would definitely give him the wrong idea, I thanked him concisely before steering Patrick up the stairs. My bedroom door was open, and once the light was on and we were both inside, I shut it before turning back to face my agitated Guardian.

He was watching me from a few short steps away. His words were low but uncompromising. “Kate, you were wrong to keep this to yourself. We needed to know this.”

We?
Was he trying to keep this fight from becoming overly personal? It was obvious that he was in full Guardian mode, and I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. It felt less accusing than if he’d said
I,
but the
we
certainly made me feel stupider.

“What’s the big deal?” I asked suddenly. “It’s not like it’s a surprise or anything. So what if the Demon Lord spread some flyers?”

He jerked the paper, accidentally flinging some receipts to the floor. “They have your address,” he snapped.

“So? The Demon Lord’s always known where I lived. That’s why I have you guys, all this extra protection—”

“This is different.”

“How?” I found myself almost hissing. It was infuriating that he could rave and be as loud as he wanted—Jack was the only other person in the house with the ability to hear him—but I had to keep my own voice moderate or fear waking my sisters.

His finger jabbed low on the page. “One million dollars. Do you have
any
idea how that’s going to stir up the local Demon population?”

“It’s a lot, I know—”

“It’s not just the reward that will attract them. It’s the
idea
of the reward, the chance to capture someone worth so much. They like the high danger gives them, and an absurd reward like this promises them just that.”

I succeeded in shrugging, though the motion was stiff. “So you’ll protect me.”

He groaned as the page slapped against his right leg, dropping out of sight. “Like I protected you last time? Kate, I’m trying—
believe
me
, I’m trying for all I’m worth—but I can’t be everywhere. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t keep you safe from everything the Demon Lord is capable of throwing.”

“I know—that’s why I have Toni, Jack, Claire—everyone!”

He swallowed convulsively, shaking his head. “You’re no longer safe here. This house has been compromised.”

“
Compromised?
” The word twisted my mouth in an unfamiliar way. “What about Jenna and Josie? What about my grandma? We can’t just leave. I can’t do that to them. And if Terence finds out, he’ll make us go and you know it.”

“Better to have you upset with me than
dead
.” His voice cracked on the last word, losing the power he’d held earlier.

I pulled in a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves and subdue my flaring temper. I didn’t want to do this with him. I peeled away from the door, crossing the short distance to stand in front of him. He was watching me warily, unwilling to relax. I reached up and placed a hand on either side of his tight face.

I kept my voice soft. “I don’t want to argue. But I can’t go. I can’t lose my home. Can you understand that? In the past six months I’ve lost three of the most important people in my life. I can’t lose anymore. I’ll go crazy if I do.”

He stared at me, his penetrating gaze revealing nothing. His lips parted. “Kate. I. Can’t. Lose. You.”

I pulled closer to him, my arms pressing against his hard chest, my fingers tensing on his face. “You won’t. I promise.”

He let out a weak, mirthless laugh. “You can’t promise that.”

“Patrick, please. Please . . .”

He studied my face, but I saw no sign of surrender in his firm expression.

I closed my eyes and ducked my head against his stiff collar, my nose brushing the bare skin of his pulsing throat. My hands slipped from his face and my arms wound around his shoulders, his neck. “Please,” I breathed. “Patrick, please don’t make me leave my home.”

The room was silent aside from our steadily lengthening breaths. I heard his heart beating beneath my cheek, and I felt his exhale stir my hair. A minute passed. My thoughts were jumbled, unable to organize, only
hope
. Finally there was movement. His clenched fist—the one holding the flyer—pressed against the small of my back, his other hand spread over the back of my head, keeping me pressed up against him.

His words came out, low but surprisingly strong. “I won’t tell Terence. Or any of the others. Because you’re right. He would make you leave, despite the fact that the Demon Lord already knows where to find you.”

My arms flexed around him, my eyes pinching more tightly closed. “Thank you—”

His movement cut me off as his hand on my head slipped abruptly to my shoulder. I lifted my head and opened my eyes so I could catch a glimpse of his serious expression—the firm set of his jaw. “You have to promise me something in return,” he said, his gaze unwavering. “And I mean this, Kate.”

I tried not to let his intensity intimidate me. “Of course—whatever you want.”

The papers in his hands dropped to the floor and he cradled my head with his large hands, his fingers tracing my face as he leaned closer. His nose brushed mine, and then our foreheads were resting against each other. His eyes were closed tightly. “I want you to promise that you won’t go anywhere without telling me first. No more vigilante visits to Clyde, and absolutely no more secrets. I need all the information. I need you to be completely honest with me. Can you promise me that?”

His lips were too close to ignore. I pressed my mouth to his. His fingers trailed into my hair, mindful of the stitches. One hand eventually dropped to cup my waist and shift me closer up along the length of his body.

When I finally pulled away—my breath shaky and my hands buried in his hair—I answered him without reservation. “I promise.”

T
he evening before
Thanksgiving found me in the kitchen with my grandma. She was regretting the fact that we only had one oven in our kitchen, because she was used to the two at her old house. She had to alter her dinner plans accordingly, so we were baking a batch of pies tonight in order to get ahead for the big feast tomorrow. The twins were in the other room, watching TV with Jack and Patrick. I was somewhat grateful for the chance to be alone with her, doing something as simple as cooking.

I worked on the apple pie while she cut up strips of crust for the top. We worked largely in silence until she suddenly cleared her throat. “I was wondering . . . what all these Guardians and Seers were planning to do for tomorrow.”

I glanced up at her. “What do you mean?”

She wasn’t looking at me, just continued to drag the knife through the thin dough. “I’m assuming they aren’t planning to spend the holiday with relatives, since they’ve been flying in here from who knows where?”

“Um . . . Yeah, I doubt they have plans.”

She nodded once. “I was thinking we should invite them over here.”

“To our house?” Having Guardians over would be one thing—they could eat in the other room, invisible. But what about the Seers? “What about the twins?” I asked.

She shrugged, her rough voice carrying a somewhat defensive edge. “We can tell them it’s a new charity project for the church, or something of the like. Inviting people into our home when they don’t have any family nearby.” She looked over at me, eyes casually narrowed. “A person can’t spend Thanksgiving up in a warehouse.”

I gave her a small smile, touched by this show of kindness from her. “You’re right.”

She grunted. “I’m always right. How many can I expect?”

I ran over the names in my head, speaking them subconsciously. “Well, there’s Patrick, Jack, and Toni.” She nodded, revealing she’d already considered them. “Maddy and Claire. Jason is spending the holiday with his new girlfriend and her family, so . . . then it’s just the new Seers. Dr. Radcliffe, and Alex Perry; he came in this morning, along with Ashley Grey.”

“Alex is the Marine, isn’t he?”

I nodded. “I don’t know much about him. He seemed pretty quiet. I know he’s been on extended leave for the past several months, though. He was suffering from post-traumatic stress. At least, that’s what the doctors put on his record.”

“How else would you expect them to explain seeing auras? So what about the girl?”

“I know even less about her. She’s a few years older than me. She’s from back East, I think.”

“How many more are you waiting for?” she asked.

“Just one. He should be coming in Friday morning.”

She bobbed her head, watching as I finished smoothing the pie filling inside the crust. When I was done, she started taking up the strips she’d cut to make a crisscross top. While she did that, I started preparing the cherry pie.

Once again, her words were unexpected. “I know I haven’t asked too many questions. I’d rather not know about a lot that goes on these days. But these Seers . . . are they all Special?”

I wasn’t going to lie to her. “Yes. They’re Special. And they’ve all volunteered to do something for the Guardians.”

“And does this ‘something’ have to do with the Demon Lord?”

I bit my lower lip before answering. “Yes. But before you start worrying, I’m not getting myself into anything dangerous.” I almost grunted, thinking about the possibility of me doing something dangerous with Patrick hovering around me—it wouldn’t ever happen. If he had his way, I’d always be safe.

“So how are you involved?” Grandma asked.

“I’m going to teach them to travel. That’s it.”

“So . . . they’ve volunteered to do something in the past?”

“And they need me to teach them how to do it.
And
,” I cast her a sure look, “I promise, my job is completely safe.”

“Mind the filling, dear—it’s terribly sticky.”

I tipped the jar carefully and we went back to working quietly, though the fact we’d had the conversation at all made my heart feel lighter.

***

Sort of surprising me, Jenna and Josie believed Grandma’s simple explanation about the church charity without question. I watched them open the door for the tall Alex Perry, wearing his dress uniform for the occasion. I watched as Dr. Radcliffe shook their small hands, giving them each a warm smile. Jenna thought she recognized Maddy from school, but that didn’t stop her from welcoming the Texan Seer. Claire, Toni, and Ashley Grey were all invited in warmly as well. With Jack, Patrick, Peter Keegan, Lee and her mother, the house was definitely full. Jeanette Pearson was a little confused by all the new faces, but Grandma’s “church charity” cover was enough to keep Lee’s mom from being too questioning.

Everyone was wearing nice clothes, marking the day as special. Claire was wearing her short white dress, the one she’d worn in Las Vegas. Lee was in a poodle skirt, of course, with her hair hanging loose around the silk scarf tied at her neck. Maddy was wearing nice jeans and a classy top, following Ashley Grey’s example. Grandma was in a dark blue dress that flowed around her legs. I was wearing a dress with a plaid theme that reached to my knees. A maroon shrug clung to my shoulders, accenting the lines on the dress and bringing out the darker strands in my blonde hair. Toni was in a white shirt and was even wearing a loose red tie. Jack, Peter, and Patrick had all worn suits. Patrick’s didn’t look exactly new, and maybe it was a little out of style, but at this point I was convinced he could pull off pretty much anything.

The house was warm and the air was heavy with delicious scents. Mouthwatering turkey, thick mashed potatoes, buttery rolls, seasoned stuffing, spicy pumpkin pie—all the best smells in the world. Grandma was preoccupied, trying to get everything in order before noon. Everyone with sense tried to steer clear of her and her obsessive tendencies.

The Guardians and Seers weren’t allowed to bring up anything abnormal, and for the most part they succeeded. I only heard a few slipups, but luckily no one was around to catch them.

Peter looked a little uncomfortable with the present company. Jeanette had abandoned him to help set the table, and Lee was off somewhere—probably with Toni—leaving Peter in a room with Guardians. Before he could slip away I made my way around Claire and Jack, who were discussing the pros and cons of having turkey instead of ham.

“Turkey makes you tucker out, so you can’t eat as much.”

Claire snorted, the sound startlingly stark compared to her fluidly spoken words. “Weak excuse. At least with turkey you can make those delicious sandwiches for days afterward.”

“Turkey sandwiches? What about
ham
sandwiches? They’re ace! Besides, you can have so many flavorful options when you use ham. Bake it with pineapple, or honey . . .”

Peter was fiddling with his glasses beside the china closet in the living room, but he returned my smile tentatively as I came to stand in front of him. “Kate,” he said, “I hope you’re feeling better.”

“Much better. Thank you.” My stitches were out now, and I was feeling good as new.