Midnight Guardian

by Tamara White

He mulls over my words. After a moment, Tristan inquires, “Can I come to your classes with you?”

  “Absolutely not!”

  I don’t get the chance to respond, because Jesse is in my face. “He’s banned from being in classes unless one of us accompanies him, and I have more important shit to be doing than babysitting him in classes all day. He stays in here or we go home.”

  I roll my eyes, scoffing, “Oh please, like I need you there to contain him. Once I’m finished searching, Tristan can come with me to class. You can either come with us, like a damn babysitter, or trust that he is more in control than any of you give him credit for.”

  Jesse just smirks. “Fine, you want to deal with him for the rest of the day, then you fucking deal with him, but don’t come crying to me when he kills a student for looking at him the wrong way.” He turns without another word and lets the door slam shut behind him.

  Ellen looks between me, Tristan, and the door Jesse left through. “Well, let’s hope that prick steps on a rake, then sits on a cactus and pisses off a skunk. Only then will his karmic debt be repaid.”

  I stare at her flabbergasted, a little lost on what to say. Rather than reply to her, I push it away and turn to Tristan. If he’s been locked in here, he may know where the books are that I’m looking for.

  “So, Tristan, I came up here to find out some information. Maybe you could help us find it?”

  He nods with an eager to please smile in place. “Yeah! I’m here most days and have read nearly all the books inside. What do you need?”

  He looks so excited to be able to help me that it brings a sad smile to my face. What do the others do with him if this is what brings him joy?

  “Anything on our supernatural history, especially anything pertaining to Supreme Alphas or their powers.”

  He takes off to the other side of the space, pausing only to gesture for Ellen and me to follow him. She steps up beside me, her gaze on Tristan’s back. “You sure you know what you’re doing? This fella doesn’t seem to be right in the head,” she whispers worriedly.

  “Look, I don’t know you all that well, but trust me when I say that he won’t harm anyone. He just needs a friend who isn’t treating him like a nutcase.”

  She looks at me dubiously, but doesn’t say anything in response. As I take a step, a thought occurs to me.

  “Ellen, I don’t mean to be a bitch, but would you mind leaving us alone? Some of the stuff I may find could put you in danger. And I actually like you. It would suck if you got hurt because of me.”

  “I’m not easily hurt, Isobel.” She gives me this look, one that my mother used to give me when I was being naïve. “But I don’t know if I can handle being around your friend. He seems a little off and I’d hate to trigger him in any way. So I’ll head toward the cafeteria and grab a coffee while I wait for my next class. Come find me if you finish before class starts.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her, as she turns and walks back the way she came.

  At the door, she spins back and winks. “You’re welcome, dearie. Have fun with your vampire.”

  I have a second to wonder whether Jesse locked us in, but Ellen opens the door effortlessly and goes outside leaving Tristan and me inside the library alone. When I turn around, he’s standing right across from me holding a large hardcover book.

  He grins at me triumphantly. “This has all our history and references a few other books that explain things in depth.”

  I take it from him with a smile. “Thanks, Tristan.” I look around for a place to set this heavy tome and spot beanbags in the corner. “Do you want to come and sit down with me and help me look through it?”

  He nods enthusiastically, like a child, before rushing over and sitting in one. I slowly cross the room, smiling at his childlike attitude.

  Once I sit down with him, I open the book with hesitance, hoping I’ll finally get all the answers I desire.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Quinn

  Anger the likes of which I haven’t felt in two years is simmering within me, begging to be released. I haven’t felt this out of control since Drake left and my pack was broken. It took months of work to get us to this place, but this girl’s introduction has me feeling out of sorts. Like she has a storm of trouble following her. It doesn’t help that she almost killed one of my pack members, but that still doesn’t explain my wolf’s reaction to her presence.

  He’s fucking smitten, begging to be freed. He would destroy all in our path to find that damned girl, which doesn’t please me one bit.

  “Just chill, man, Isobel will be fine,” Marcus mutters, not taking his eyes off the class.

  They’ve been instructed to face off with each other, to learn the other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’ve been doing this for a while now, and still, they question our motives, even the ones who’ve actually attempted the courses.

  It’s crucial when they partake in the course that they can adapt to both supernatural and human life. That’s the only thing that will get them that special card from the council that permits them to live outside of the supernatural communities.

  Not that they need to have the card to live their lives among our kinds. The special card is simply for those who can live among humans. A license from the council to be among the humans and coexist. The relationship with humans is tenuous. Our ancestors ensured they knew nothing of our kind, and the council is intent on keeping that secret buried.

  If a supe can’t prove their ability to cohabitate, then they are placed in a supe community that’s suited to their particular species and not allowed to leave unless they come back to Midnight Society and pass the course. It’s an event that happens over two days, testing the competitor in whether or not they can blend among humans, how they handle certain situations, and how they are supposed to proceed if they hear a human spouting the existence of our world.

  I turn to my friend with a questioning glare. “How could you know that, Marcus? The old chick came back alone, but refuses to tell me where she is. How do we know she hasn’t escaped the building? If she has, then she could be reprimanded by the administrators. If that happens, the council will focus on her. You saw what happened at the mere mention of them. What do you think she’d do if she knew for certain they would be coming to Midnight? I, for one, do not want to find out what damage that psycho could do.”

  Marcus snorts, turning to me to respond with something snarky, I’m sure, but is interrupted by his twin opening the door to our class with a sheepish look. “Uh, could I borrow you two?”

  I immediately know something is wrong and hurry to him, stepping out into the hall with Marcus following me.

  Jesse has always been the jokester of the two, always playful about everything while Marcus is more serious. So, to see Jesse’s expression devoid of his normal, happy, carefree nature has me slightly alarmed.

  Especially since he was on Tristan duty today and our young friend isn’t with him. I hope to God Tristan hasn’t harmed or, god forbid, killed a student.

  Jesse fidgets nervously, refusing to meet my eyes. That’s the first indicator I have that what he’s going to say will anger me fiercely.

  “What are you doing here? Where’s Tristan?” Marcus asks in a hushed tone, glancing around to make sure no one in the classroom can hear our conversation. The rooms are pretty well soundproofed for supes, but one can never be too careful.

  Finally, Jesse lifts his gaze to mine before quickly looking at his brother. “Ah, well, about that. You know that girl, Isobel?”

  I stiffen at the name before fear floods through my veins. Did Tristan harm the girl? My wolf rages at the thought, but I have to trust that Tristan would have more control than to simply kill our Supreme Alpha. He was absolutely smitten with her. And if he did harm or kill her, then that’s going to cause problems for all of us. No way could we explain another death as mere accident.

  “What about Isobel? What have you done?” Marcus advances on his brother menacingly, and I’m surpr
ised to see such a reaction. Marcus doesn’t care about anyone other than his brother, so why he’s showing concern for this girl, a stranger he doesn’t know, is beyond me.

  Jesse holds his hand up in a peaceful gesture, backing into the wall across from our door. “Nothing, I swear. She tried to leave the building and I was going to let her, but then she seemed to have some kind of weird epiphany and went to the library.”

  “Which is where Tristan loves to read...” Marcus trails off, exchanging a glance with me, and I know he, too, is concerned what could happen to the girl if she’s alone with Tristan.

  I turn abruptly, leaving before another word is uttered. I need to do some fucking damage control before the council finds out that our friend may have killed another supe.

  It’s different when we take him to hunt because we cover our tracks thoroughly, but if Tristan kills the girl on campus, it makes it that much harder to cover up.

  It would be a sad loss though. That girl’s something different, something that both attracted and angered me. It’s as if her existence alone is a reason to be annoyed. The thing that bothers me most is my wolf’s reaction to her, as if she is pack when she isn’t.

  After a hurried walk, I make it to the library in no time, scanning my card to open the door. When I get inside, though, I freeze in place at the sound of a soft voice in the room echoing off the shelves.

  “I wanted to kill myself,” she whispers under her breath. “I was so depressed after I left the council, I just wanted my life to be over. I didn’t care that there would be no one to lead supernaturals. All I knew was the pain in my heart, and it honestly felt like life wasn’t worth living.”

  “Why didn’t you do it?” Tristan’s voice is gentle, filled with understanding. Something I haven’t heard before. Usually, he’s so hopped up on adrenaline or some other emotion that he never has the time to show compassion. This is a side of Tristan I don’t think any of us have seen in three years. It has me curious, so rather than go closer and risk being heard, I stay perfectly still and listen.

  “I didn’t follow through because when I stood there looking at the fire, ready to walk in and kill myself, I realized that if I took my life, there would be no one to stand up for other people like me. The people who were turned against their will. Better yet, there would be no one powerful enough to stand up to the council and make the changes that needed to be made. Even though I hated what I’d become, I knew the loss of my family couldn’t be in vain. I had to make sure something good came from their loss. Even if it meant hating my life.”

  “I hate my life sometimes,” Tristan murmurs just low enough I almost miss it. “My family thinks I’m happy all the time, but some days I wish they’d just let me end my life. What do I have to live for? My mother, the person who turned me into this monster, is dead at the hands of my brother, who also packed up and left when things got too hard. What is there to live for?”

  Holy... I had no fucking idea Tristan felt this way. Sure, we have witnessed him trying to self-harm, but we all believed it was more out of attention than anything. He never seemed to want to follow through, which is what the doctors all said was simply a cry for help and not an actual suicide attempt.

  I lean against the door of the library, feeling like an utter failure. How could I have not known it was this bad? I was supposed to protect and nurture him after Drake left. I’ve completely failed if this is truly how Tristan feels.

  “Live for me.” Isobel’s words echo in the library. I unconsciously take a step in the direction of her voice. “I can’t lose any more people in my life. Life sucks balls, I think we both know that, but it doesn’t mean we should let the dark thoughts win. Some days are gonna be harder than others, but I promise, if you call me when the darkness creeps in, I’ll help you find the light and pull you back.”

  I take soft steps, trying to remain as silent as possible until I see them both and pull up short at the sight before me. Isobel is sitting in a beanbag with a large book on the desk in front of her, and Tristan is spread across two other beanbags with his head resting in her lap. She’s stroking his hair softly, her own dark locks hanging low enough to brush against his head. They are both facing the window in full sun, which is what surprises me more than anything.

  Tristan doesn’t like the sun on most days, preferring the dark. He also doesn’t like people touching him. It’s what gets him in so much trouble. Anytime we travel places, one of us needs to be on either side of him and behind him to prevent strangers from accidentally brushing against him and pissing him off. To see this stranger touching him so freely is odd.

  I might be slightly jealous, but my wolf whispers the word “pack” in my mind as we stare at the girl and a man we consider our brother.

  “You know I can feel you, wolf?”

  I jump, surprised the girl knew I was standing here watching. It’s just like last night. How the fuck can she sense me so easily? It takes a lot of power to keep myself hidden from most people, but it’s like she can push through those defenses as if they don’t exist at all.

  “Sorry,” I mutter at being caught eavesdropping.

  She turns back and gives me a tight smile. “You should be. Now either join us like a normal person or fuck off.”

  My lips twitch at her unique language. I’ve been told I’m too intimidating for most people, and that’s why I’m ignored ninety percent of the time. But this girl, she has a fire in her eyes. One that tells me she would be more Alpha than even Drake or me. Supreme Alpha or not, I’d be interested to see just how much power she has brimming under her skin.

  “I don’t have to join you, I was just checking on Tristan. I thought I’d be cleaning up a massacre, not this…” I wave my hand around at the scene before me. Tristan’s eyes are closed and I could swear he’s drifted off into a peaceful sleep in her lap.

  “What is it with you dicks? Why do you think Tristan wouldn’t be safe with me? Do you think a person of my position truly couldn’t handle one vampire? You know who I am now along with the name the rest of supe kind gave me.”

  Midnight Guardian. The rumors of her existence were simple. A hunter who killed supes at the stroke of midnight. For a while, I assumed it was one of my students because of the name. I mean, who wouldn’t considering we teach at Midnight Society? It was when reports were coming in all across the country that supes were killed or disappearing without a trace that I began to accept that it had to be someone outside of campus. To know it was a girl this whole time, and our Supreme Alpha, well, I feel stupid.

  “The day one vampire could be a threat is the day where my death is deserved,” Isobel continues, oblivious to my internal thoughts over her identity.

  “You really think a lot of yourself, don’t you?”

  She shrugs, a smirk playing on her lips. “No, I just know my power and skills. I also know there is power I’ve yet to discover that’s waiting patiently to surface, and when it does, I’ll be unstoppable. I think that’s why your precious council fears me so much. They know the day I come into my full power, I’ll destroy everything they created.”

  And there’s that fucking fire. I’d be lying if I said to hear her so maniacal isn’t a major fucking turn on, but it truly is. She has this cockiness, this anger to her that’s attractive to an alpha male like myself.

  Women, hell, even men who are submissive to me and my wolf are not attractive to us. We like those who know their power, who embrace it but don’t abuse it. Drake was one such man. He is an Alpha at heart, but when things got heated between us, he took on the submissive role, because he liked it more than I did.

  “Did you find what you were looking for?” I inquire, gesturing to the large book she’s set aside. I take a seat on the other beanbag without invitation, daring her with my eyes to object to me joining them. She doesn’t, her gaze going to Tristan with a soft smile.

  She strokes his head gently a few times before lifting her gaze back to me. “We found a little, but not enough that could he
lp me. There were a few references to the Supreme Alphas and other books, but Tristan said not all of them are here. He said there were ones at his home and invited me over after classes so I could inspect them in the hopes for more answers.”

  She doesn’t say more, and I guess it’s because she doesn’t trust me.

  There is a reason we have those books at home. We’ve been looking through them for possible ways for someone to become a Supreme Alpha without being bitten by the previous leader. We agreed after Drake left that we needed a better plan in case the council came for Tristan so we started searching on ways that we could change the way things were run and that started with the Supreme Alpha. We all knew that the council was too corrupt to even bother trying to appeal to them. We’ve been searching relentlessly for two years in the hopes to find something that could help us, but so far a bite is the only true method of turning from human to Supreme Alpha. Even a blood transfusion, which had been attempted fifty years ago, was ineffective.

  Still, even if I don’t have the texts she’s looking for, I know much about our past having been the one to catalog some of the texts when I first shifted.

  Maybe I could offer up some information that she needs. It’s very strange the council didn’t fill her in on all she needs to know. If she is the Alpha, then it’s their duty to ensure she understands the full extension of her roles.

  “You know, before I started teaching here, I studied the archives for the council and helped them rewrite certain aging texts. Which is lucky for you, because I know a lot about the Supreme Alphas. And, I’m not sure if you’ve heard about these, but I also know about our Original Alphas, the ones who came before the Supreme Alphas. Would you like to know their history?”

  When she nods eagerly, I know I’ve got her.

  “Okay, I will. But first, I want to make a deal. A binding promise between two Alphas.”

  She looks at me suspiciously, still stroking Tristan’s head softly. It’s like the mere touch gives her strength. “What kind of deal?”