UnGuarded (7 page)
Authors: Ashley Robertson
Jack flashed a broad smile, then turned and
left. Saber rushed after him, Moros trailing right behind them.
Their fight was far from over. My fight with Moros would be
coming—he’d see to that sooner rather than later, I had no
doubt.
I patted Caitlyn’s back, soothing her the
best I could as Rob made his way over. “What a jerk. Caitlyn, I’m
so sorry.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, please.
Selene, I want to get out of here.” Her voice was muffled against
my shoulder, a few gasps between each word.
Rob nodded. Then he reached for Stacey’s
hand. She eagerly took it.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said to Stacey.
“But I’m going to get her out of here and we’ll call if she needs
anything.”
Stacey mouthed a silent “okay” and then I
led Caitlyn out of Brix. After everything that had just happened, I
should’ve been more focused on Caitlyn. But the foremost thing on
my mind was Cole, and when—or if—Luke would get back to me with an
answer from Typhon.
CAITLYN PASSED OUT shortly after getting
back to our dorm. After tucking her under the covers, I kissed her
on the forehead. Then I sat down on my bed across the room and
watched her sleep, thankful not to hear her crying. My knees were
pressed against my upper body, my arms cradling them. A pressure
built up in my chest and spread into my throat. I sniffled a few
times, then swallowed hard. My eyes prickled, eventually spilling
out wet, sticky tears.
I wasn’t quite sure how long I cried for,
but the minute I sensed
its
presence, I stiffened. I wiped
my face, slowly looking over at the door, which was closed and
locked—not that it could keep out the unseen. I shimmered invisible
to the world of humans and waited.
It
didn’t keep me waiting
long.
A thick, black, smoky-looking shadow floated
up from underneath the door. As it rose, two long arms stretched
out, their stick-shaped fingers pointing at me. The rest of its
body looked like one big blob of goo—except for its big, neon green
eyes. “Hello, Angel,” it said. There was an indentation of a mouth
on its face, blending in with the goo, and when it spoke, its body
rippled like waves.
I cocked my head to the side, feeling
vaguely amused. “Who are you? Where’s Grote?”
“Oh, Grote will be joining us shortly.” It
erupted in laughter, sinister and somewhat intimidating. Its whole
body jiggled, and its green eyes darkened as if filling up with
smoke.
I grimaced. “Lucky me, I get two of you
tonight. If either of you wake her up, you’ll sorely regret
it.”
Its snickering stopped. “Maybe that would
scare Grote, but I do not feel pain. It will be such a pleasure to
disappoint you.”
That statement just set me off. I threw my
legs over the side of the bed and got up. My body started glowing,
shimmering a whitish-yellow light all over. The demon floated
backward, instantly colliding with the door. It threw its arms over
its eyes and squealed like a baby pig. “I thought so, you fool!” my
tone vehement. I took a few more steps toward the demon, my body
brightening. “Do you still wish to challenge me?”
“No,” it shrieked. “Please stop. Shut that
off!”
“I asked you what your name was, beast! Now
tell me what it is!”
“Morton! It’s Morton,” it wailed. “Please,
Angel! Turn it off!”
I half laughed, folding my arms in front of
my chest. I dimmed my body a little, but kept a faint glow all over
so he wouldn’t forget my power. “Your name is Morton?” I asked,
sounding surprised. “Morton doesn’t sound like a very beastly
name.”
Morton lowered its arms, gaping at me with
those big, smoke-filled green eyes. “My master named me. It is a
wonderful name. Don’t speak about things you don’t know!” It
floated a little closer, hovering a few feet above the ground. “My
master wishes that I help Grote for tonight.”
“Fine! But don’t forget who I am and what I
can do!” I exhaled a deep breath of air, blowing Morton back
against the door. “Do not awaken my charge!”
Morton looked up at me, appearing shaken—as
much as a gooey blob can look shaken—and replied, “I won’t. I won’t
bother her while she sleeps.”
I turned around, walked back to the bed, and
sat down. Morton stayed by the door, eyes sliding from Caitlyn to
me. It never said another word the rest of the night. Grote never
showed up, which was no surprise. Either Morton was lying or Grote
had blown it off—or maybe it was both. But you just couldn’t trust
a demon. I’d learned not to take anything they say to heart.
Caitlyn woke up around eight o’clock in the
morning. I (along with Morton) followed her around the first half
of the day. She moped around, looking sad and depressed, dragging
herself from class to the campus research center, to another class,
and then straight back to the dorm where she collapsed on the bed,
burying her face in a pillow.
I flashed a warning look at Morton, then
went in the bathroom and turned visible. I shifted into a pair of
jeans and a gray camisole. I walked out of the bathroom and saw
Morton still floating by the door, his eyes locked on my charge. I
headed straight for Caitlyn, placing my hand on her back. “How are
you doing, sweetie?” I asked.
“Horrible.” Her voice was muffled in the
pillow, the words choked on her tears.
“I’m so sorry.” I rubbed small circles on
her back, patting in between them to try to comfort her.
She raised her head out of the pillow and
looked up. Her hair was matted to her face, partly covering her
eyes. “Can you believe he hasn’t called to apologize?” she
sniffled.
I shook my head and watched her, not really
sure what to say.
Morton floated over and whispered, “Don’t
worry, he’ll call you,” and I knew she’d feel those words as an
impression inside her mind.
If he calls, don’t answer. He’s not good
for you.
I pushed my thoughts into her head.
“When he calls, you should take it,” Morton
said right away. He was already annoying me.
No you shouldn’t. He doesn’t deserve to hear
your voice. Why reward him for his horrible behavior last
night?
Morton started to say something, but I was
done with this angel versus demon battle. I closed my eyes and
exhaled slightly, sending him flying into the wall once again. I
glanced at him, challenging him to speak one more word with my
eyes, and then looked back at Caitlyn, hoping she hadn’t noticed.
All of a sudden, “E.T.” by Katy Perry blurted out from somewhere
behind my charge’s bed, seizing her full attention. Her eyes lit up
as she crawled forward and reached for her purse on the desk. She
pulled out an iPhone and tossed the purse back. She stared down at
the illuminated screen as the song stopped playing, then quickly
raised the phone to her ear. “Hello.” She waited a short moment and
then repeated, “Hello.”
Morton floated closer. I flashed him a
glare, then returned my attention to Caitlyn.
She slowly lowered the phone. “It was Jack.
But I didn’t answer fast enough.” She stared down, gripping the
phone tightly in her hand. “Should I call him back?”
“No way! Absolutely not,” I replied.
“Yes you should. He’d love to hear from
you,” Morton said. “He’s calling to apologize.”
I could feel Caitlyn’s comfort in the
demon’s logic and I rolled my eyes with disgust. “Cait, just give
it a little more time. Please.”
“No more time is needed,” purred Morton.
Caitlyn let out a deep sigh. “Maybe you’re
right.” She looked up and met my eyes. “He doesn’t deserve to talk
to me yet, does he?”
“No, baby, he doesn’t,” I replied as I
leaned forward and hugged her. She returned the embrace.
Morton floated closer, voice low and steady.
“Just go ahead and call him. He’s sorry. What he did wasn’t that
bad. Call him, call him, call him.”
I squeezed Caitlyn tighter and inhaled a
deep breath. Energy zinged through me, causing gooseflesh on my
skin. I locked eyes with Morton and opened my mouth, carefully
shooting forth my energy with barely a puff of air so Caitlyn
wouldn’t notice, and again he flew to the back of the room,
crashing into the wall. Then I took another breath, easing some of
the power inside me.
“You can do that all you want, Angel, but
I’m never going to stop!” Morton yelled. He started floating back
toward me and then the room rippled and warped. Morton froze.
“Who’s coming? Who did you send for?”
I half laughed. Caitlyn pulled back and
looked at me. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Nothing. I, um, I just remembered I needed
to be somewhere five minutes ago.” I leaned close and kissed her
cheek. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Will you be okay? Do you need
me to bring you anything?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.
Thanks.”
I jumped up from the bed and started walking
toward the door. Morton glared at me as I passed him and then
Corrine appeared. Her body shone brightly enough to blind the
annoying demon. He swayed back against the wall, cowering behind
his arms. “Turn it off,” he squealed.
I smiled at Corrine, then left the room.
Once I confirmed I was alone in the hallway, I shifted back to
invisible. The moment I did, a demon appeared. It was a
goblin-looking creature about three feet tall, with a black body
and dull red eyes. “The charge is not unguarded!” I exclaimed,
folding my arms in front of my chest. My body instantly
gleamed.
The demon jumped back, throwing its clawed
hands over its eyes. “Please don’t. I’m not here for the
human.”
I let my light fade, raising a brow. “Then
why are you here?”
The demon peeked out through open, bony
fingers. “I’m here for you. Luke sent me.”
I couldn’t help but think what perfect
timing that demon had.
I stood on a street corner, just off
Atlantic Avenue, in Virginia Beach. I could hear the ocean’s waves
crashing against the shore, but I couldn’t see the water from where
I was standing, though I could feel the moon’s pull on the tide as
it rose and the sun set. There were restaurants and shops lining
the streets, which seemed to go on for miles. Joggers,
rollerbladers, and tourists passed back and forth with an
occasional car—with a supped-up muffler, overdone speaker system,
or both—zooming down the street. I had been waiting for nearly
fifteen minutes, but there was no way I was going to start
complaining about it. I still couldn’t believe Luke sent for me the
moment Corrine showed up to watch Caitlyn. It was as if it was
meant to be. Maybe if I kept telling myself that, it’d come
true.
I shook off the thought, wrapping my arms
around my chest. The first chills of the fall season were here,
sifting through my light gray cardigan and making me thankful I’d
worn it over my tank top. I’d also shifted into a pair of jeans and
boots. A small chrome butterfly clip clumped a few wisps of hair
together on the right, preventing it from falling in my face, and
the rest of it fell in loose waves to the small of my back.
Suddenly, my skin zinged like static
electricity, indicating something dark was approaching. I unwrapped
my arms and waited, but it didn’t keep me waiting long.
Luke walked out of the shadows about thirty
feet away. In the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front
of me. He wore faded jeans and a white tee with a picture of a
Tootsie Roll Pop and the words “How many licks does it take?”
across the top. His brown hair was soft and glossy, parted evenly
down the middle and falling just below his ears on both sides.
“Hello again, Angel,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.
I wasn’t in the mood for polite small talk.
“What did Typhon say?”
A sly smile creased his face. “Come have
coffee with me and I will tell you.” He walked past me in human
steps and turned left down Atlantic Avenue. A
vampire
wants
coffee? Slightly amused, I followed—not that I really had a
choice.
Cliff’s Kona’s was only a few blocks away.
Since I didn’t want to be recognized as an angel by those from the
spirit world, I masked my aura as I walked through the doors. It
was big for a coffee shop, with dozens of small tables spread
around an expansive room. There were dark blue vinyl love seats in
three of the corners, with plenty of wooden end tables for people
to set their coffees on. The walls were sky blue with pictures of
other coffee shops painted on them—a few from France and Italy, and
a few with more of an island theme. There was a heavyset man
sitting on one of the love seats with a newspaper in his hands. A
couple of college-aged guys occupied two of the tables. One of them
was an angel—in human form. The rest of the guardians (and demons)
were diaphanous, hovering around each of their charges. Even though
they could physically see me, masking my aura prevented them from
sensing my angelic waves. Very few angels had this ability, and I
was so very thankful it hadn’t been stripped from me—yet.
Luke ordered an iced green tea for me and a
chilled vanilla latte for himself. After retrieving our drinks, we
went over to the table furthest away from the other customers and
sat down across from each other.
“Vanilla latte, huh?” I teased.
Luke smiled, big and beautiful, a trace of
fang glistening through his lips. “Don’t knock it ’til you try
it.”
I set my tea on the table and crossed my
left leg over my right. “Why the formalities? Why not just tell me
what I need to know in the alley where you had me meet you?”
The smile faded and, as he leaned closer,
his eyes darkened. “Don’t worry about what I do or why I do it. Do
you still want my help or not?”
I stared at his eyes—deep, dark pools of
mystery. I could feel them poking at the corners of my mind, making
tingles scatter around my head, then spill down my neck. My body
tensed. I couldn’t look away. I inhaled a deep, slow breath. My
fingers sizzled with energy, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t tap
into
any more
of my powers; as it was, masking my aura was
probably pushing it. And I knew it was just a matter of time before
Luke figured that out (though I was certain that action alone
wouldn’t have been enough to alert Raphael).
He pressed a little further, digging deeper
inside me, and I had to let him do it. Seconds dragged by, or maybe
no time passed at all. Panic seized me as I felt him slithering
through my head, slimy tentacles slicking inside the most private
sectors of my mind, prying and prodding into my deepest, darkest
secrets. The moment he had complete control over me, he pulled out,
leaving me feeling dirty…and violated. I quickly looked away,
blankly staring outside the window, and hugged myself. I let out a
breath without realizing I’d even been holding it. “You bastard,” I
murmured.
“Why’d you let me in?” he asked, an
inquisitive tone in his voice. “From what I’ve heard about angels,
you could’ve stopped me.”
I looked over at him, careful not to meet
his eyes this time. “Don’t worry about why I do things and I won’t
worry about you.”
A sly smile curved his lips. “How about
you
tell me what I want to know because
you’re
the
one who needs help from me.”
I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on his
lips. My hands dropped to my lap. “Please just tell me what Typhon
said. Will he help me…um…us?”
Luke took a sip of his latte and set it
down. “I can see we’re not going to be able to work together on
this. Perhaps I should be going now.” He stood up slowly,
cautiously.
I reached forward and grabbed his hand.
“Please, don’t go!”
His fingers intertwined with mine and, in a
sudden blur of movement, he pulled me up against him. I felt dizzy
and afraid, but I didn’t try to pull away. I was all in with Luke,
with no other options. I’d never felt more weak.
His lips were close to my ear. I could feel
his breath—a chilling warmth brushing my skin. He’d recently fed
and stolen the heat from his victim. “Answer my question so I can
answer yours, Angel. Why didn’t you stop me from getting inside
your head? I really didn’t need to know all of
those
details
about you and Cole.”
Cole. Just hearing his name created instant
tears in my eyes. “I love him so much,” I breathed against Luke’s
chest. “I didn’t stop you because I can’t stop you. I can’t use too
much power or my archangel will find me. If he finds me, he’ll stop
me. And if he stops me, I may never see Cole again.”
Luke released me. I looked up, meeting his
eyes this time. They were just eyes, no threat to penetrate my
mind. A few moments passed in silence, then we both returned to our
seats. Not wanting to seem afraid, I broke the silence. “I’ve
answered your question, now tell me what Typhon said.”
Luke sipped his latte and leaned closer. “My
master didn’t believe me at first. He sent a messenger spirit to
confirm the information, which is why I didn’t get back to you
sooner. The boss was beyond pissed when the spirit returned and
confirmed everything you’d said was true. Limos is hiding, and my
master is forming a small army to bring him in. You must have a
horseshoe up your ass, Angel, because my boss didn’t want anything
from you. The information you gave was enough. You’re free to get
back to
whatever it
is
you do.”
“But what about Cole? What will happen to
him?”
“He’ll be just fine, unless”—Luke’s brows
furrowed—“he’s killed while the dark army is retrieving him.”
I swallowed hard. “But Limos has an army of
his own. He’ll fight back! What if he—”
“If Cole dies then it’s
your
fault,
now isn’t it?”
The way he said that made my chest tighten.
I slumped in the chair, staring at the table. There had to be
another way! Even though I knew Typhon was stronger than Limos,
that didn’t guarantee Cole would make it out alive. There was only
one thing that did, but since I didn’t trust Limos—or any demon for
that matter—I wasn’t one hundred percent sure that would even
work.
“What is it? What are you thinking about?”
Luke asked. “You should be happy with the results of this, with no
penalty to you.”
“No penalty?” I exclaimed. “You have no idea
the price I’ve paid to be with Cole. You cannot begin to grasp what
I will do to get him back!” I stood up, looking down at Luke.
“Thanks for what you’ve done to help. I’ll take it from here.”
As I turned to leave, Luke grabbed my arm.
“Wait.”
I made eye contact with one of the college
guys (not the angel). He quickly returned his attention to the book
in his hand. His guardian sat across from him and was also reading
something. I’d been so blinded by desperation and anger, I’d
forgotten all about others being present in this coffee shop. I
took a deep breath and turned around to face Luke. “What do you
want? We’ve put on enough of a show for these
people
.”
Without a word, he wrapped his arm through
mine and started walking. Not wanting to make more of a scene, I
went along with him. As we exited Cliff’s Kona’s he said, “What are
you going to do? I want in on it.”