The Four Horsemen_Guardians

by LJ Swallow

  "Come on," Ewan says.

  Seth hurries to walk next to me as we push downstairs through the revellers and up the stairs Xander took. Xander and Joss already located a table at a smaller bar area and sit on the cushioned chairs.

  "What are you doing?" I ask.

  "Let's have a drink while we wait," says Xander.

  Ewan and Seth sit too, and Vee lowers herself into a chair, hesitantly. "Do we all need to stay? I'd rather wait outside."

  "You'll be okay, I told you." Ewan places his large palm on her leg, and she shuffles closer. What's this about?

  Seth leans closer to me and says in a low voice, "Being here pisses her off because of what happened last time."

  "What do you mean last time?"

  Xander asks if I want a beer, and I nod. No surprises when Seth declines for a glass of sparkling water.

  "When we walked in, I heard her talking to Ewan about the last time she came here with him. Someone spiked her drink or something. I couldn't quite understand what they were talking about."

  Huh?

  "She said something about not wanting Ewan to find her being assaulted again, and that if anybody tried, she’d rip their head off," continues Seth. "Man, she’s full on sometimes. Not the quiet, nervous girl I expected.”

  What the actual fuck?

  Seth’s eyes widen. "Oh. Crap. Did you not know?"

  My darkened expression answers his question, but that look isn't for him. I squint at Ewan and Vee through the dim. Secrets? Why the fuck didn't Ewan and Xander say something happened to Vee that night. Since when do we hide things from each other?

  One beer and ten minutes spent fuming later, I ask Ewan if I can talk to him. Privately. The confused guy follows me to a quieter spot, the edge of the bar, and I lean my elbow on the sticky wood.

  "What's wrong, man?" he asks. "Have you seen something you want to hide from Seth?"

  I suck my teeth and weigh my words. A guy, spiked black hair and piercings, approaches the bar and I shuffle further along.

  "Tell me why you never told any of us that someone attacked Vee the night you and Xander came here before."

  He straightens. "How do you know about that?"

  "Was Xander in on this decision? Did you both hide this?"

  "No. He doesn't know either. Vee wanted me to keep it between us." I swear under my breath. "Heath, it's done with. Nothing serious happened."

  "Tell me exactly what happened," I growl. "You don't hide this shit!"

  "Calm down, man. It’s nothing."

  "The hell it is,” I growl. "I am so fucking pissed off with you. Tell me exactly what happened.”

  Ewan runs me through a staccato list of events that night, and Vee’s vehemence around killing demons in the days that follow now make more sense. Am I pissed off because Ewan and Vee hid this from me, or because Vee didn't tell me? At the time, I thought we had a closer relationship than the others, back when I fooled myself she was the human chick who'd fallen for me, the guy from work. I soon realised we’d never be that, and the bond extends between all of us, but the fact she never confided in me hurts.

  "You told nobody?" I ask. "Why the fuck not?"

  Ewan drags a hand through his hair. "Vee was upset. Confused. She was still trying to come to terms with everything, and I decided keeping it on the lowdown might be a good idea. Maybe some of it was worry how you guys would react, especially you. I don't know. The whole situation got weird.”

  "How?”

  "The incubus looked like me so everything was more complicated. I wanted to forget it happened too."

  "But we don't fucking do this!" I growl. "We never hide shit.”

  "Really? You think Xander’s always straight down the line with us, such as what he does when he pisses off on his own?”

  I inhale. Maybe Ewan’s right, but right now this is what matters to me.

  "Look, I’m sorry, okay? Just don’t be shitty with Vee about this.”

  I shake my head. "Oh man, wait until Xan finds out. You need to tell him and Joss. No more secrets.”

  I wait for Ewan to protest but he tips his head acknowledging he needs to fess up. Didn’t he realise we’d discover what happened eventually?

  In silence, I order more beers and attempt to switch back to this evening’s task. But I can’t help the hurt that remains.

  17

  VEE

  As the evening passes, my nervous memories of the place do too. I'm not that naive girl anymore; I've proved that to myself repeatedly. I focus on tuning out my emotions, something that comes more easily since my time with Joss.

  Joss checks his phone. "They're late. Where are you meeting them again, Seth?"

  "Syv said she'd text me when they get here. So, maybe you should give me my phone?"

  Joss shifts to reach into his jacket pocket. Seth holds out a hand for the phone, and Joss pauses. "Dude, my friends are mostly dead. All the ones in this country anyway, and I'm on a wanted list. Who do you think I'm gonna call?"

  Joss drops it into Seth’s hands. "Fine."

  As Seth examines his phone, Xander and Heath return from their latest trip to the bar, drinks in hands. Xander slams two bottles down and foam overflows from the necks.

  "Whoa," says Ewan. "Don't waste good beer."

  Without a word, Xander shoves a glass of mineral water towards me.

  "Thanks," I say.

  He responds by picking up his beer and drinking heavily, refusing to meet my eyes. Wow, what's his problem?

  "What if they ask me to leave with them?" asks Seth. "Is it safe?"

  "I wouldn't recommend getting into a car with either of them," replies Heath.

  "We'll be watching." Xander drains his bottle and nods at Seth's phone. "Any message?"

  He shakes his head.

  "Shit, they'd better arrive."

  "Oh, they will," says Ewan. "After the amount of money we transferred to them, they'll be here to find out how to get the rest."

  "Do I have to see them? Can't you? What if they grab me?" Seth scrunches a nearby paper napkin in his hands. "Their friend tried to murder me! Please..."

  "He has a point," I say.

  Heath rubs his head. "Nobody will hurt him in here. Maybe you should sit on your own for a while, Seth. Once they arrive, we'll join you."

  "I could sit with him?" I suggest as Seth’s eyes fill with more fear. Ewan and Heath glance at each other. "What? It’ll be safer. I doubt Syv knows who I am."

  Xander rests back in his seat and props his feet on the table. "Are you sure you don't want Ewan to join you both? He could make sure you’re both safe."

  "They probably know who he is," I reply but there's something harsh in his tone. Figuring out whether Xander's moods are due to stress or rudeness can be tricky sometimes.

  "Fine." He watches as Seth and I stand. "Just don't move out of sight."

  "No chance of that," replies Seth, echoing my thoughts.

  We head to a small table in the opposite corner, away from the bar and stairs. Seth obsessively checks his phone, not talking to me. A few minutes staring at the couple at the adjacent table, and Seth drops his phone on the table as if it burnt him.

  "They're here."

  "Do you know what they look like?"

  "No. Xander said Syv’s tall and um... memorable looking." He folds his arms tightly across his chest. "Your friends had better be close by. What if Syv and Abel stab me or something? It's dark in this corner, anything could happen."

  "Seth. It's okay. I'm here."

  He rubs the corner of his eye. "Right."

  "Try to sound convinced!" I say and nudge him, but the deep lines on his worried brow remain.

  A woman approaches, tall and dressed in leather pants and a matching jacket cinched at her tiny waist. Her sleek figure and fluid movements are feline, and she weaves through the people between us without touching any. The woman draws interested glances from the crowd—from both guys and girls. Her long, auburn hair is loose around her shoulders, and
she scans the room, lips pursed.

  "Omigod, why doesn't she just wear a neon sign saying, 'I'm an assassin.’" says Seth. "Look at her."

  I'm too busy watching the guy who's with her. He's tall too, though not quite as tall as the guys, and wiry in the way that hides a deceptive strength. His shoulders are hunched as he also takes in the people round him. The pair have matching jackets, matching attitudes.

  Seth waves at them.

  Actually waves.

  I grab his hand. "I don't think that's necessary."

  They approach and without a word pull out stools and sit. I fight looking back over to the guys; it won't take this couple long to spot them if I do.

  "Are you Jimmy?" asks the woman. Her voice is silky and seductive, mesmerising Seth straightaway as she fixes her deep-brown eyes on him. She moistens her plump lips. "I’m Syv.”

  He nods. The guy crosses his arms and rests them on the table, sizing us both up. I do the same. His dark hair hangs into his eyes and touches the sharp cheekbones in his pale face. He purses his full lips before pointing at me. "I’m Abel. Who's this?"

  "A friend," I reply before Seth can.

  I look to Seth and pray he sticks to the story Xander gave him.

  "Right. I’m not hanging around here. What was it you wanted?” asks Syv. "This sounds urgent. That costs extra, you know?”

  "We have a job similar to one Taron had the other night," Seth says. "We can't contact him so thought you might want the work instead."

  "What job?" asks Abel.

  "We need you to help us solve a problem."

  The woman laughs and taps her fingernails on the table. "That's clear as mud, sweetie."

  “So, you don't know what his last job was?" I ask.

  "Nope." Abel tips his head. "You can't contact him, huh?"

  "No. We're a little upset that our associate chose the wrong person for the job. We’re hoping you won’t let us down.”

  "Yeah, he sure did," replies Abel. "Taron's not the most reliable person."

  "Did he tell you what he was asked to do?” I ask.

  Syv taps her index finger on her lips. "Firstly, we don't share information, and secondly you know the answer if you're connected."

  Someone approaches the table—four someones—and they surround us. Abel swears and jumps to his feet, but he has no way to leave the area.

  Syv remains collected, and her eyes jump from guy to guy. "Ha. Good. I hoped this was really you."

  Heath frowns. "What does that mean?"

  "Oh come on, who else likes to catch up regularly to tell me not to be a bad girl?” She smiles slyly. "And how often do you think we reply to mysterious strangers, whose names we can’t trace, and meet them in clubs?"

  "I'd presume that's your usual method," says Joss. He pulls a stool to sit at the table, and Ewan does the same.

  "Wrong," replies Abel. "What the hell is this forced meeting for? We operate with your understanding. Why this shit?"

  "Taron broke the agreement," growls Xander.

  Syv smiles up at him. "Ah, my magnificent War. How are things since we last met?"

  "Difficult, and we need your help, Syv."

  "From us? You're scraping the barrel, aren't you?" asks Abel.

  "Taron's assignment was to kill a human," says Xander, eyes fixed on Syv’s.

  Her face remains impassive. "That's why he's missing, I presume? Did you deal him some Horseman retribution?"

  "I was hoping you'd know why or who hired him."

  "Didn't you ask Taron before you finished him off?" she says with a laugh. "You're usually good at extracting information." She flicks her fingers at me. "Now you have Truth as well."

  I straighten. This woman knows her stuff, but what did I expect? I want to join in the conversation, but don’t want to give Syv any clues to the sort of person I am. I’ll be happy if she walks out of here thinking I’m a weaker girl under their protection.

  "He died before we could. Someone had cursed him." Xander pulls out his phone and flicks across the screen. "Do you know this symbol?"

  Syv looks as he hands her the phone, shakes her head, and passes to Abel. He pulls a face and shrugs. "No clue. Demonic?"

  "Joss can't find anything similar in his books, or online."

  "Ah well, sucks to be you," says Abel.

  "I think you'll find it sucks to be you," retorts Ewan. "We need info."

  Syv nods at him. "And how, dearest Pestilence, are we supposed to give you info we don't have?"

  "You must know something! You three work together."

  "Loosely. We don't exactly have an appointment book or share a diary. Mostly, we don't discuss anything we do. Isn't that right, Xander?"

  Heath stares at the side of his brother's head for a few moments, and his surprised look worries me. Has Xander a relationship with these people the other guys aren’t aware of?

  Xander leans down, palms on the table, and into Syv’s face. "I want a list of your recent jobs and contacts. Both of you. I want to know any detail Taron may've let slip about his assignments recently."

  Syv doesn’t flinch. "Taron's been laid up. He had a particularly nasty run in with a shifter. The other night was his first job for a month."

  "How do you know this?"

  She fixes her eyes on his. "He stayed at my place."

  "Then you must know who contacted him," replies Ewan. "Think."

  She runs a finger across the back of Xander's hand and smiles at him. "All four of you in our faces? Large sums of money in our bank account? This is serious shit. I can think more carefully, but it might cost you extra."

  Xander snatches his hand away and the pair are nose to nose. I've seen him aggressive to guys, but never a woman, and I’m uncomfortable he is. But this isn't a human woman, but something else with her beguiling behaviour. What is she?

  "If you don't tell us, it might cost you."

  They remain in stalemate for a few seconds, Syv's eyes glittering before she looks away to Heath. "Did you kill him, Death?"

  "No, we told you, magic."

  "And are you going to kill me?"

  "No. But I don't think we'll be the only ones who want to ask questions."

  Syv leaves a deliberate silence before she looks back up. "May I speak to you alone, Xan?"

  I tense. Xan. She's familiar. Maybe too familiar.

  Xander steps back and gives a curt nod. The woman stands, unfurling herself like a cat woken from sleep, and she smiles at me in a deceptive way; a sweetness disguising a poisonous opinion. "Your new companion is fascinating."

  Heath immediately takes her vacated seat, ensuring Seth is still penned in and I watch, stomach churning as Xander talks to Syv.

  "How well does she know him—you all?" I whisper to Joss.

  "Well enough to know not to cross us."

  "And her and Xander..." I trail off, annoyed I betrayed my jealousy.

  Ewan barks a laugh. "No. Xander doesn't screw demons."

  I snap my head around to look at her again. "Demons? What? I thought you killed demons!"

  Abel laughs. "Half demon."

  "Half demon, half what?" I ask.

  "No idea. And she’s not a fan; she doesn't have the powers they do. Syv relies on her physical ability to kick people’s asses."

  I hold my hands out palms upward in a confused gesture. "Heath?"

  "We don't know what Syv is. Nor does she."

  The three of us—misfits," says Abel to me. "These four know how that is. We steer clear of the pure races. Especially demons and fae." He gestures at himself. "Vampire, exiled due to lies by my Elder. Luckily not dead."

  "Oh."

  "Yet," mumbles Ewan.

  "Jeez, thanks, mate."

  "You all live day to day. Look at what happened to Taron."

  "Yeah, if he was mixed up in dodgy shit that's his call. I stick to simple jobs."

  "And nobody contacted you with a harder one?" Heath asks.

  "Not me."

  "Syv?"


  "Like she said, we only share so much info."

  I can't take my eyes from Xander and Syv. I'm intrigued by his body language. His threatening stance has loosened, but in the dim, their expressions are hard to make out. Neither lie about their connection to Taron's assignment, but there's a guard up in Syv that I can't penetrate, as if her mind is fogged.

  Through the whole exchange, Seth remains silent, focusing on sipping his drink and avoiding eye contact. What the hell must he think about our conversation?

  Syv walks away from Xander, in the direction of the exit, and Ewan echoes my thoughts. "What the fuck? Did he let her go?"

  Xander returns to the table and jerks his head to one side while looking at Abel. "You can go too, but I suggest you watch your back."

  "I spend my whole life watching my back," he retorts as he stands. "Including whether you four are behind me." He nods at Seth and me. "Look after yourselves."

  Abel blends into the crowds and leaves the six of us in silence.

  "Xander?" asks Heath. "What the hell was that?"

  He shoves his hands into his pockets. "I don't want to discuss some things in front of other people. I’ll talk when we get home. There’s nothing else we can do here."

  Does he mean Seth or someone else? Because that comment was spoken with his eyes on me.

  18

  VEE

  We head back to the house, with no explanation from Xander about the outcome of his conservation with Syv. Halfway home, Xander turns his music on at a volume to confirm he doesn't want to talk, a favourite trick of his.

  The moment we enter the house, Xander tosses his keys on the table in the lounge and Seth drops onto the sofa and rubs his face.

  "Are we having a meeting about what Syv told you?" I ask Xander.

  He shrugs and walks past me, and I stare after him. Rude. If they have a meeting without me, there'll be hell to pay. Seth sits quietly. Is his mind full of stories about demons and vampires? Wondering if we spiked his drink?

  Joss nods and studies me with an expression I'm uncomfortable with; he's not happy either. "What's happened to make Xander grumpy?"

  "Xander-ness." He heads after him. Do I follow? What the hell is happening here?