Guardian Undone

by Tina Folsom

  “Winter…” he murmured.

  But she suddenly stiffened. Her eyes stared blankly, becoming unfocused.

  “Winter? What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

  Panicked, he pulled back to pull out of her, but she gripped his biceps and stopped him.

  “No!”

  Her voice was different. As if she wasn’t herself. Naked fear gripped him. Something was wrong.

  “I see it now. I’m there, Logan, I’m inside it.”

  Her eyes were still unfocused, and now he understood why. She was looking at something else. She was seeing something. Something only she could see.

  “Tell me what it is, Winter, tell me what you see,” he coaxed softly now, not wanting to break her concentration.

  “It’s dark. Flames… demons everywhere.” She murmured something unintelligible, then her voice normalized again. She wiped her eyes. “I knew it was you. I knew it all along. You came.” Her eyes suddenly focused and she looked straight at him. “Logan, it was you who saved me from the demons.”

  He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and smiled. “Of course I did. I killed the demons in your apartment.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “In my vision we weren’t in my apartment. I was in a cave. It smelled of Sulphur. A demon was trying to kill me. His dagger was coming toward me. I had this vision before. Several times, in fact. The first few times, the demon killed me. But when I had it again, a few days before you came to my shop, the vision had changed. Somebody beheaded the demon before he could kill me. But the demon blood in my eyes blinded me, and I couldn’t see my rescuer’s face. But just now, when I had the same vision again, I did what Charles said, I went deeper. And I saw your face. Logan, you were the man who rescued me. You came to save me.”

  He gripped her shoulders. “Where, Winter, where?”

  “The Underworld.”

  Logan let out a shaky breath.

  “Charles was right. I can guide my visions. The spell worked. Logan, it worked!” She kissed him exuberantly, and he let it happen.

  He couldn’t crush her joy. Not when for the first time she was hopeful. Yes, she was now able to control her visions. But maybe it would take a few more tries for her to truly guide them. Because the vision she’d had, the vision of her being in the Underworld could only be half-true. If the demons snatched her, he wouldn’t be able to come and rescue her. Not in the Underworld.

  Because nobody could enter the Underworld. Nobody other than a demon.

  23

  Logan had said his goodbyes and left Winter under Gabriel’s protection. When he entered the portal hidden away in a tunnel at the 16th Street BART station in San Francisco, he did so with unease. His case wasn’t as strong as he’d hoped. Had he had more time, he could have made a better one, but he had to play the cards he was dealt. For once he wished that the trip to the council compound would take longer, but he arrived within seconds.

  He took a deep breath and willed the portal’s door to open. He stepped out of it and looked around. Everything looked like it always did. Runes were carved into the massive stone walls to ward the building against witchcraft, as well as detection by humans. Cameras were mounted in various locations covering different angles, so guards sitting in a control room could monitor the comings and goings. Several corridors led in different directions, and stairs led to the other levels in the building.

  Logan knew the guards would recognize him, but they didn’t know why he was here. It was best to make his way to the council chambers as quickly as possible, before some overeager fellow guardian stopped him and asked him about his business.

  He navigated through the building swiftly and without losing time. Arriving at the council chamber, he approached the guard standing sentry.

  “Evening. Logan Frazer. The council is expecting me,” he lied.

  While the guard looked at a sheet of paper, presumably the agenda for the day, Logan readied himself for another lie.

  “Sorry, Logan, but you’re not on the list.”

  Logan leaned over, glanced at the paper and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s because you’ve got the old agenda. Happens. Don’t worry about it. I won’t tell them that you screwed up.” He patted him on the shoulder. “But next time make sure you ask if there are any revisions to the schedule before you get it printed.” He jerked his thumb toward the chamber. “Or Barclay is gonna be pissed.” By referring to Primus by his first name, Logan let the guard assume that he was friends with their leader.

  Leaving the confused guard to sputter a few incoherent words, Logan turned to the door, opened it quickly and slipped inside. He closed it silently behind him.

  At first the council members didn’t notice him. All nine of them were in deep discussion, not sitting around the half-moon shaped table from which they governed, but standing split into different groups behind it.

  “Councilmembers,” Logan greeted the assembled elders to draw their attention to him.

  Several heads turned and with it some of the conversations stopped. The room now quieter, more people turned their heads, until finally, Barclay laid eyes on Logan.

  “Logan? What are you doing here?” Barclay took a few steps toward him, then stopped. “We’re in the middle of a confidential council session. Where’s the guard?”

  “I’m afraid I told the guard you were expecting me. A last-minute change to your agenda.”

  “That’s highly irregular,” Cinead objected, stepping next to Barclay.

  “Indeed,” Barclay bit out, just as displeased about the intrusion, while the other members voiced their displeasure with sour looks and narrowed eyes.

  Logan lifted a hand in acquiescence. “I understand. But this is a matter of life and death. And it cannot wait.”

  “Then make it quick,” Barclay ordered.

  “It’s about the psychic, Winter Collins.”

  “That case is hardly urgent. You executed her, so anything regarding that matter can wait,” Barclay said with a dismissive wave toward the door, turning away already.

  “She’s not dead.”

  Barclay whipped his head back to him. “Not dead? You had an order!”

  “And I can’t follow it. This psychic is worth more to us alive than dead. She can help us.”

  “Help us?” Cinead mocked. “She’s a danger. A loose cannon. If the demons get their hands on her, she’ll help them destroy us.”

  “She won’t,” Logan protested. “She’s stronger than you think. Her mind is like a fortress. Nobody can penetrate it. The demons won’t be able to influence her, even if they find her. Which they won’t.”

  Barclay took a step closer, narrowing his eyes. “And why is that, Logan?”

  Logan squared his stance. “Because she’s under my protection.”

  Gasps rippled through the chamber.

  “I have proof that she has visions about the demons, sees things that will give us an edge. And she’s getting better at it every minute. She’s learning to control the visions, to point them in the direction she wants to go.” Not exactly a lie, but he had to give them something. At least so he could buy them some time until Winter had truly mastered her visions.

  “Not another word!” Barclay thundered. “How dare you act against the council’s vote? Do you have any idea what you’ve done by refusing an order? Not just refusing it, but doing the exact opposite?”

  Barclay didn’t have to spell out the crime Logan had committed. Everybody in the room knew what it was.

  “She deserves to live! She can help us. She’s drawn plans of the Underworld. Plans of a tunnel system.”

  Barclay scoffed. “And what use would that be to us? We can’t enter the Underworld, so a map won’t do us any good.” He sighed. “We chose you, Logan, because we thought we could trust you with this. We’re aware that eliminating a person isn’t an easy thing to do. But you’ve done it before. This is not your first execution order. A mere twenty years ago, you killed a psychic in Detroit without flinching
. Why can’t you do the same now? Nothing’s changed. This one is just as much of a danger as the one in Detroit was.”

  Logan shook his head, remembering the older woman he’d killed back then. “That case was different. That psychic had already given into the demons. It was only a matter of days until she gave them something they could use to destroy us.” He’d had no choice but to kill her to save humankind. But now he had a choice. The choice to save Winter and help her on the right path, while protecting her from the reach of the demons.

  “You, Logan?” Cinead shook his head. “I’d never have thought you could be swayed by a pretty face. You of all people. What happened to you? You’ve never questioned an order before.”

  “Then maybe it was time I did.” Logan tipped his chin up. “Give this woman a chance. She deserves it.”

  Several council members shook their heads. Murmurs rumbled through their ranks.

  Barclay lifted his hand to demand silence. “The council voted. The guards will take you to a lead cell where you will await your trial for treason. We’ll find where you’re hiding Winter Collins.”

  “You can’t do that!” Logan yelled. He looked at the council members. “Are you all just gonna stand there and allow an innocent to be killed? Are you?”

  He caught Virginia’s look. There was regret in her eyes. And pain. He knew in that moment how she’d voted. Like Logan, she wanted Winter to live. She was on his side, but five other members weren’t. They were the ones he had to convince, and it was certain that Barclay and Cinead were two of them.

  “Cinead, please! Have mercy on her,” Logan begged.

  But the doors were thrown open in that instant, and several guards rushed in.

  “Take him to the lead cell!” Barclay ordered.

  Two guards grabbed him by the arms, one on each side. Logan tried to shake them off, but it was no use. He’d lost this round. He had to find another way.

  24

  Winter tossed the uneaten food into the trash can in the twins’ kitchen and sighed. She couldn’t eat anything. She was too nervous. Her and Logan’s fate hung in the balance, and she had no idea in which direction the scales would tip. But of one thing she was certain: the vision she’d had earlier was the same one she’d had previously. Somehow she’d landed in the Underworld, and Logan had come to slay the demons and rescue her. She hoped that if Logan relayed this information to the council, they could be convinced that she was of value to them. But at the same time, the vision worried her, because if she ended up in the Underworld, something would have gone wrong.

  “Don’t fret,” Gabriel said from across the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Logan is a smart man. He knows what he’s doing.”

  She forced herself to smile at him. “It’s nothing.”

  “Clearly it’s something.”

  She sighed. “The vision I had when we got back here after Charles and Wesley did the spell…”

  “What about it?”

  “If it’s true, then the demons will capture me. I don’t know when or how, but I’m scared. Not just for me, but for anybody who’s protecting me.”

  Gabriel’s forehead furrowed. “Why’s that?”

  “If the demons catch me and drag me to the Underworld, won’t that mean that they’ll have killed the person who was protecting me?” She knew it wasn’t Logan, because he would come to rescue her. But what if that meant that the demons would manage to kill Gabriel?

  “You worry too much.” He motioned to one of the barstools.

  She walked around the bar and took a seat.

  “Let me tell you something about vampires and about demons. They might look ferocious with their green eyes, but vampires are no pussycats. In fact, the demons fear us. You know why?”

  She shook her head.

  “I don’t know whether Logan told you that unlike other preternatural creatures, demons have no aura that identifies them as such. To the naked eye, they look human. So if they disguise their eyes with contact lenses or sunglasses, the Stealth Guardians have no way of spotting them. But the demons can’t disguise their scent. And vampires have a superior sense of smell. Once we lock onto them, we’re like bloodhounds. We’re physically stronger than the demons. That’s why they fear us. Though I must say, the Stealth Guardians have a few skills of their own that are nothing to sneeze at.”

  She had to smile involuntarily. “It’s pretty freaky when they walk through walls, isn’t it?”

  Gabriel chuckled. “Yeah, I’m not ashamed to say that when I first saw that, I freaked out a bit. But they need those skills, because physically they’re about equally matched with the demons. Being able to make themselves invisible and walking through walls gives them an edge. Though they do have a disadvantage: their aura identifies them to the demons, so whenever they’re not invisible, they’re at risk of being spotted.”

  “Have you known them long, the Stealth Guardians?”

  “Only a few years. Not long in the life of an immortal, but long enough to know that I can trust them. They’re honorable people, and they want the same thing we want. Peace.”

  “Peace,” she murmured to herself. “I never thought I’d hear that from a vampire, no offense.”

  Gabriel shrugged. “Just like humans, we have families. We want them to be safe. You’ve met my children. They’re not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Trust me, they give me enough trouble, but I love them. And I’ve raised them to be good, to protect the innocent, and to destroy evil. Yes, they have their urges, and there are times when they need to follow them.”

  “You mean bloodlust?”

  “That’s a strong word. But yes, when they feel the need to drink blood directly from a human’s vein, I don’t stop them. But they know the rules. No human may be harmed.”

  “But doesn’t the bite harm them? I mean, it must be painful.”

  A smirk softened Gabriel’s expression. “The bite of a vampire is a very sensual thing. Certainly, there’s an initial sting, but it’s fleeting and the pleasure that follows makes the human forget it pretty much instantly.”

  “Oh!” She hadn’t expected that. “But in the movies, the bite is always portrayed as violent and bloody. Whole throats being ripped out.”

  “Propaganda.” He shook his head. “It’s an amazing pleasure. And if the vampire licks the wound afterwards, there won’t even be a scar or any evidence it ever happened.”

  “Your race is very fascinating.”

  “Everything new seems fascinating at first. You’ll get used to it all very quickly, you’ll see. Now that you’re part of this world.”

  She sighed. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to all this.”

  Gabriel suddenly jumped from his barstool and spun around.

  Winter’s heart beat into her throat as she, too whirled around. She hadn’t heard anything that would warrant the vampire’s reaction, but now she saw what had alerted him.

  Two people, a man and a woman, stood in the living room, both armed with daggers and looking dangerous. Winter’s gaze flew to the door. It was closed. She quickly reminded herself that these two intruders couldn’t be demons, because they couldn’t walk through walls, nor could they cast a vortex on the fourth floor of a building. Which meant they had to be Stealth Guardians.

  “Hamish? Enya? What the fuck?” Gabriel ground out and immediately put himself as a shield in front of Winter.

  Shit! Something had gone wrong at the council, and now they were coming for her!

  “Hey, Gabriel,” the woman said. She was petite, with long blond braids that wrapped around the back of her head. “Good to see you.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure I agree,” Gabriel said hesitantly. “What do you want?”

  The broad-shouldered man with dark hair and a stubble beard cleared his throat. “We came for the psychic. Let’s make this easy, okay?”

  “Easy? Easy for whom? You know that I can take both of you and win, or have you forgotten that?”


  “We haven’t,” Enya said with an easy smile. “That’s why we’re asking nicely.”

  Gabriel scoffed. “You know I can’t give her to you. I’ve sworn to protect her.”

  “We know,” Hamish said. “And now we’re here to take over for you.”

  “On whose authority?” Gabriel asked.

  “A word, Gabriel,” Hamish said.

  Gabriel glanced back at Winter. “Stay back.”

  “Gabriel, don’t,” Winter warned.

  “Do as I say.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t worry, they can’t trick me. I’m faster and I’m stronger.”

  Then he walked toward the two intruders who were still standing casually near the front door.

  Winter tensed, expecting the two Stealth Guardians to overpower Gabriel, but nothing happened. With lowered voices, Hamish and Gabriel spoke, but Winter could only make out a few fragments, such as psychic, council, and Logan.

  Her heart was pounding out of control, the seconds ticking by in slow motion. Something was wrong, seriously wrong, because suddenly Gabriel looked over his shoulder and addressed her.

  “Hamish and Enya will take you with them. They won’t hurt you. You can trust them.”

  Trust them?

  Trust the Stealth Guardians who wanted her dead and Logan tried for treason?

  “No!” she screamed. “No!”

  25

  Flanked by two guards, Logan was walking down the long corridor that led to the lead cells. In less than thirty seconds, he’d be locked in there, and the game would be over. He had to come up with something, and do it fast.

  He weighed his options. Option one was to let them lock him up and hope he could sway the council at his trial. But that would leave Winter exposed, and with Manus knowing where he was hiding her, they would find her quickly.

  Strike option one.

  Option two was to let himself be locked up and hope for a prison break. But who would break him out? By refusing the council’s order, he’d most likely also gotten Manus in trouble, since his friend had kept the secret that Winter wasn’t dead. For that he would be punished too. Not as severely as Logan, but punished nevertheless. Therefore he couldn’t hope for help from Manus or his compound mates.