by Anni Antoni
Suddenly I remembered Joe and a rush of guilt filled my chest. “Would Joe be awake yet?”
Claire took out her cell and checked the time. “It's about an hour since Dr. Frank saw him. He’s usually spot-on with his estimates. Joe's probably waking up about now.” she said.
“Can we go see him, please?” I said, my anxiety building. The girls were fun, I felt more secure with Joe. With a shock, I realized I needed to know Joe was healed, and already, I couldn’t imagine life without him.
Chapter 9.
Joe is Healed
An awareness of light, nothing hurt and I was comfortable, lying on a couch. I moved my hands along its familiar length. What did I have to remember? Something was critically important.
“Kat!” The name erupted from me.
I sat up looking wildly around. Where was Kat?
Esau’s voice drawled from where he was sitting on the floor by my feet. “Don't fret, Kat’s safe. She’s with the women, getting cleaned up. You bled all over her.”
West yelled from the kitchen area, where he was cooking something. “Decided to join us I see. Feeling better after your nap?”
I closed my eyes briefly, leaning against the back of the couch and grunted, allowing a dizzy spell to pass.
Nathan walked over from where he’d been sitting.
“Glad you’re here, Joe. You'll be staying, I hope.” He put his hand on my shoulder.
“Joe’s likely to be staying a while. He's a Guardian again,” said Esau.
“What? That was quick,” said Nathan. “Kat’s new Guardian, I presume.”
I opened one eye, fixed it on him and nodded.
“Yes, I'm Kat’s Guardian, as of this morning,” I admitted, in a voice that sounded rusty.
I opened the other eye. Esau swam into view, standing over me and frowning.
“Do you know what you're doing with this one, Joe?”
“Of course I don't.” I looked up at him wearing what felt like a stupid grin on my face. “What Guardian ever does? We’re like dogs. They hear a noise, they bark. Once that Guardian bond takes hold of us, we’re hooked, no matter what the consequences, or the danger. It's our nature. It’s what we do.”
“The girl’s a hybrid, isn't she? What are you doing with a hybrid? I could smell demon energy as well as Guardian on her.” Esau’s voice was heavy with accusation.
“So what? You’re a fine one to judge.” Anger flared in my chest. “She’s another one like you – a similar mix. With her, I sense a bit more demon and a bit less Guardian, maybe a bit more human. Hybrids are what I attract, it seems. I can't help it any more than I can help breathing.”
I glared at Esau. The tension in the air gradually lowered.
“Anyway, you turned out all right, didn’t you?” I chuckled. “And I’m still your Guardian, even if you are one yourself now. If you’re ever in trouble, I’ll be there. Meanwhile, don’t forget, I still get to tell you what to do.”
Esau grunted.
“What, Esau turned out all right? That’s debatable.” Nathan laughed.
“Watch your mouth, geek boy.” An apple materialized out of the air and bounced off Nathan’s head.
Another apple whizzed by and connected with Esau’s ear.
I sighed and shook my head, a grin spreading on my face. Unexpected circumstances had brought me back and I was glad.
“I think they’re pleased to see you,” West said, as he sauntered in from the kitchen. “Well, anyway, I'm cooking a second breakfast. Your grand entrance interrupted the first one. Anyone interested in pancakes and waffles – and fresh coffee, of course?”
“Sounds good. Count me in,” I said, gingerly putting weight on one leg, then the other, as I stood.
Nathan and Esau were already sitting at the table, expectant looks on their faces.
“Yeah, that was a great entrance,” laughed Nathan as I walked to the table.
“Well, it got our attention, if that’s what you wanted,” said Esau. “What do you do for an encore?”
Just then, the women walked in, Kat in front. She took my breath away, and I quickly warded my thoughts before anyone picked them up. Those leather pants clung to her sleek, feminine curves like a second skin. Dressed in black leather, she looked like a female panther on the prowl, with an easy, sinuous walk. I felt my heart-rate increase.
She smiled at me. Helplessly I smiled back at her.
I was right, she would challenge me, but not how I’d first thought.
She sat down beside me at the table. “Are you properly healed Joe?” Anxiously her eyes roamed over my face and slowly down my body. Heat suffused me, all over.
“I’m fine.” I said, a little too gruffly. I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea of what our relationship would be.
“Thank you for saving my life this morning – both times. I’m sorry you got hurt.”
Her voice trembled slightly, but it was enough to tear at my heart. I ached to keep her happy. A smile broke through my stern expression. “That’s what Guardians do. Don’t feel bad about it.”
When everyone was seated at the table and helping themselves to plates of food, West stood up. He raised his coffee mug. “I’d like to propose a toast,” he said, and turned to me. “Welcome back Joe, I’m glad you’ve come home so soon.”
His words were echoed by everyone at the table.
“Thank you. It’s good to be here, if unexpected.” Looking around the table, I was touched by the warmth shining from their faces.
“Please tell us what we’re all dying to know. What brings you back and how long are you planning to stay?” said West.
Cries of ‘tell us Joe,’ table thumping and foot stamping ensued. When the noise died down, I spoke to them.
“Yes, I do owe you all an explanation. Things changed dramatically this morning. I take it you’ve all met Kat?” I turned to her and nodded, my eyes lingering over her sensual lips, then I looked around at the expectant faces at the table.
“I became her Guardian early this morning. She’s been in danger for some time, but things came to a head when two attempts were made on her life.”
“Twice before breakfast,” added Kat.
“I brought her here because there was no other place I could think of where she would be as safe.” Pausing for a moment to let that sink in, I took a sip of coffee.
“This place is secure and it can be warded, which is critical for Kat’s safety. You see,” I paused again to make sure I had everyone’s attention. All eyes were upon me. “Kat is being targeted by a Guardian.”
Chapter 10.
The Vigilante Guardian
Everyone was speaking at once, but Kat was silent. I could sense her bewilderment. All her life she’d heard her Grandmother say Guardians protected humans. And now I was saying a Guardian was targeting her, wanting her dead.
How could that be? She didn’t try to hide the thought going repeatedly through her mind.
I surveyed the table and held up my hands for quiet, but when I sensed Kat’s eyes on me, I turned to her, and my eyes were captured once more. She looked so soft and vulnerable, I longed to reach out to her but, sealing my mind tight against any intrusion, I scowled.
“Yes Kat, Guardians are supposed to protect humans. And they do, with rare exceptions.”
I ripped my eyes from her and focused on everyone seated at the table.
“What we are most likely dealing with is a Vigilante Guardian, one who has declared a blood feud on one of Kat’s ancestors.”
“What does that mean!” Esau barked out, putting both hands on the table and standing, knocking over his chair.
After waiting for Esau to pick up his chair and calm down, I took a deep breath. Esau needed to curb his impatience, as he well knew, so I waited a little longer. When everyone was silenced, I continued.
“It means someone in Kat's family, possibly generations ago, has killed either this Guardian's mate, those he was Guardian to, or maybe both, and he has declared a
blood feud.
“If sanctioned, he has a special dispensation from the Council to kill the person responsible, and it extends to all his descendants. The ruling was instituted long ago, and gives a Guardian something to focus on, if his human family or mate are killed.
“The grief and suffering endured by a Guardian, if those bonds are broken by death, is life-threatening, so declaring and carrying out a blood feud can save Guardians’ lives, giving them something besides grief to focus on. It's an ancient, barbaric and rare custom, going back to Medieval times, a custom I thought had been discontinued.”
Claire was sitting next to Kat and put an arm around her. Kat rested her head on Claire’s shoulder, and Claire smoothed her hair with her free hand.
Claire cleared her throat, glaring at me, as if I had personally started the custom. What was her problem? “You’re right, it is barbaric. Can’t you put a stop to it?”
“I can try to intercede with the Council and reason with the Guardian, but once the blood feud is declared it's carried out to the end. As you can imagine, it's a grave matter, not sanctioned lightly.”
“Surely something else can be done,” West said, his face serious for once.
“Yes, there is. I can seek permission to stand as Kat’s official Protector and kill the Vigilante.”
Silence descended, everyone rendered speechless, eyes wide, lost in their own thoughts. Kat raised her head and turned to face me, her eyes solemn.
Nathan spoke first. “If you like, I can find his identity. When I was working for the Council, putting in their computer system last year, it had a database of all the Guardians and what they were doing. It wouldn't take much for me to log in and find him.”
“No need, he has Kat's scent and is hot on her tail. For now, she’s safe here, because the place is well warded, but he’ll be waiting for her to surface. By extension, he would also recognize me, seeing we had contact earlier this morning, although brief. If I go to an isolated place and reach out to him with mindspeak, he’s bound to turn up.”
“But Joe,” Kat said, her brow creased with worry. “That’s dangerous, I should face him, not you.” She threw back her head and fixed me with a formidable look of defiance.
“No, if I go alone to negotiate, he should have no quarrel with me and I can try to reason with him. Logically, that's the first thing to try.” I frowned my disapproval at her suggestion, although I couldn’t help admiring her bravery. Her cheeks had reddened, and her eyes flashed. I could look at the interplay of emotions on her face and the regal shine of defiance in her eyes all day. Reluctantly, I tore my gaze from her and focused on Claire, who was still glaring at me with an icy intensity.
“Claire, can you show Kat to a room and look after her? Obviously, she’ll be staying a while.” They had already formed a sisterly bond by the looks of things – a good thing, I reasoned. Claire still had her arm around Kat’s shoulders.
“Yes,” she said in a voice dripping with ice. “Why?”
“I'll contact this Guardian now,” I said, taking a swig of coffee. “Thanks for the breakfast West,” and I flashed away before anyone could stop me and before my own emotions betrayed my thoughts.
◆◆◆
I came to rest near the place I had first met Kat, sat down on the grass and put my head in my hands, in the grip of despair. As I was speaking to my brothers and their womenfolk, the realization hit me. Kat had been sitting next to me and all I had wanted to do was take her in my arms. I could feel the heat of her body, sense the warm blood rushing through her. I yearned to crush her to my breast, soothe her fears and claim her as my own.
The mating bond had activated and chosen Kat as my mate. What a mismatch, a stupid joke! But I wasn’t laughing. Although I had tried to ignore it, had denied the signs, the mating force was fully upon me, centered unmistakably on Kat.
It could never happen. I had to deny the expression of it with every fiber in my being.
I'd had my chance at having a mate and I'd allowed Rachel, my intended, to be killed all those years ago. Still I remembered her, as if it was yesterday. How could I betray her by taking another?
Not only that, Kat was a sweet, innocent young woman. For all her posturing and tough exterior, she was little more than a girl. She deserved better than me.
For eons, I had lived among demons, done and seen things unworthy of a Guardian. Compared to Kat I felt unclean, soiled, and I could never allow her to get attached to me.
How could I resolve this? I must do my duty by her, as a Guardian, and keep my distance, while maintaining a stern formality. She could never know the depth of my feelings, feelings that were growing in intensity, with every passing moment I spent in her presence.
I took a deep breath and stood, my resolve strengthened. Time now for duty. Using mindspeak I put out a call to the Vigilante Guardian, knowing he would soon pick it up. Whether he responded or not was his choice, but I hoped he would.
Before long, a rush of air heralded his presence. Tall, intense in expression, he stood before me, reminding me a little of West.
“Who calls me?” he asked, his language and demeanor formal.
I replied in kind. “I called, Joe Falcon, Guardian to Kat Spur. I come before you, bearing no weapons, to talk, believing you seek her. Talk to me, her representative, instead. Who are you?”
Standing straight, his bearing almost military, he gave his credentials.
“My name is Theo Condor. I have declared a blood feud on Telmut, a half-demon, all his descendants, all who have assisted him and all who keep me from my path. This quest is sanctioned by the Council. Telmut is dead. The woman called Kat Spur is filthy demon spawn, an abomination, and the last of his descendants.” His lips curled in disgust. Then a puzzled expression played over his face. “You claim to be the abomination’s Guardian?”
“Kat is no demon spawn or abomination. Yes, she is a hybrid, part Guardian, part human, part demon but innocent, with no knowledge of your blood feud. I would not be her Guardian otherwise. The Guardian bond only chooses those worthy of receiving it, as you should know.” I attempted to reason with him.
Theo laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. “Innocent? You may think so, but I know that Kat Spur is descended from the demon spawn called Telmut, who murdered my mate and human family. Demon spawn can turn on humans at any time. I can't allow her to survive.” His voice became more of a growl and he moved close, his manner threatening.
I didn’t back down, but still attempted to reason with him.
“Theo, I understand your grief and rage. I lost my mate many years ago, as well as my human family. I know grief intimately and I, too, killed out of rage and revenge, but believe me, killing does not diminish the pain. Only time will lessen it. Revenge is hollow. Can you reconsider your decision? Can you let Kat live in peace? She is innocent.”
“Never!” He spat on the grass. “I will never rest until all the descendants of Telmut and all those who assist them are wiped from this earth.”
There was no reasoning with him, I realized. I thought a few moments before speaking my next words – a formal declaration of enmity between us.
“As Guardian to Kat Spur, I can't permit that. Do you realize what that means?”
Theo responded quickly, almost eagerly. “I do. Are you going to challenge me?”
I sighed wearily. “If I must do so, although it’s not my choice. If it's the only way to protect her, then I will do it.
Taking a step closer, I glared at him. “Hear this Theo, even if the Council does not give me permission, I will still defend her. As her Guardian, I will not permit harm to befall her. Do you understand brother?”
“I understand.”
We stood close, almost touching, glaring, taking the measure of each other.
“Then I will take the next step. I will approach the Council to be declared Kat’s official Protector.”
He gave an unpleasant grin. “Unless I find her first. Once she dies, I don't care what you do to me.
Are we finished here?”
“We understand each other, and I’ve said all I need to.”
After giving me a brief nod, he flashed away.
I stood in silence after he left, saddened at the thought I would be forced to kill a fellow Guardian. The way he moved showed he was not accustomed to fighting and I, with years of warfare, martial arts training and skill with hand to hand combat behind me, would easily defeat him.
It was his decision to escalate this conflict, not mine. Let him take the consequences of his action.
With that thought uppermost in my mind, I flashed to Council headquarters. There was no time to lose. The responsibility for Kat’s life rested on my shoulders.
Chapter 11.
Kat’s Confusion
In an instant, Joe flashed away. I felt abandoned, even though he was acting to keep me safe.
It had been one hell of a morning. Gran was dead, my home blown up. I discovered Guardians were real, and Joe was my Guardian. Another Guardian was trying to kill me, and kept wounding Joe. Now I was in a home teeming with them. It was a bit much. Surreal. A white rabbit with a large pocket-watch was bound to come running by next.
“More coffee?” asked West, standing next to me, holding a coffee pot.
“No, thank you.” Looking up at him, I half expected to see a crazy hat on his head. but no, he was like Joe, tall and good-looking, nothing like I imagined the Mad Hatter.
All this happened after I convinced myself Guardians were an illusion dreamed up by my loopy grandmother. Gran hadn't been nuts, although the heavy responsibility of keeping me safe all those years probably affected her mind in the end.
Now I'd been dumped in a house full of Guardians, all strangers. They seemed nice enough, but more than anything, I wanted to get to know Joe, my Guardian.
The uneasy feeling Joe had changed since this morning ate at me. Back then, when we’d first met, he'd been fun, warm and caring. Now he was cold -- not someone easy to get close to. What changed him? Was he disappointed in me, knowing I was part demon?
