by Elle Scott
“Yeah.” Riley gently removed his arm from Leila and leaned forward. Hair fell onto his glasses as he peered over them. “Is that stupid?”
“Of course not.” Leila scuttled forward and rested her hand on his back. “I mean, if it works on Gabby… Who knows, right?”
Riley nodded. He reached behind Leila and opened his bedside drawer, pulling out a photo. Moving back to his spot, he tilted it so Leila could see. The photo was of Riley and his sister, standing at a lookout. The vast space stretched behind them, the sea and the sky. Their cheeks were almost touching, and they wore identical smiles—wide and toothy. Riley didn’t look much younger, he had the same hair but no glasses. Tessa’s hair looked freshly dyed—a flaming red hue that curled on her shoulders. She was beautiful and a certain sparkle glistened in her eyes.
“This was on one of our trips to visit Dad. Right before she left us.”
Riley didn’t talk about his dad much. A few throw away comments here and there, nothing substantial enough for Leila to grab a clear idea. All she knew was that his mom had raised the two of them alone.
Testing her luck, she asked, “Is that where he lives?”
“Yeah. It’s on the Pacific coastline in Oregon, near Astoria. Great place, but we only get to see him once or twice a year. I haven’t seen him for a while…” his voice petered out. He rested his thumb right against Tessa’s temple as though if he kept it there he’d really be touching her.
Riley inhaled sharply and dropped the photo onto the bedside table. “I have to remember what she did to us… what she is now.”
He was hurting, Leila knew it from the pained expression. But even if his emotions weren’t written all over his face, she’d still know. She clutched his fingers into her grasp. “We can save her,” Leila said, urging Riley to meet her gaze. “We can save her, Riley.”
Sadie
Sadie sprung up in bed. She clutched her quilt, heart racing and lungs working overtime.
As she regained her senses and realized she was in her own room, she calmed. Sebastian had dropped her off after their ordeal in the forest. They’d been chased by someone… something. As soon as he pulled up to her curbside, she’d run inside and crawled into bed terrified.
Somehow, she’d fallen asleep from exhaustion. Or maybe it was the need to escape. It didn’t really matter how she’d managed to fall asleep, because now she was wide awake.
Cedar Falls had at least one new Guardian.
And Summer was still missing.
No longer in denial, Sadie threw her quilt off and ran out of her room. She pushed her sister’s door open—once a move that would have gotten her chastised. Worrying about that sort of thing seemed trivial now. It’d been two days since she’d seen her.
Summer’s room was empty. Her bed still perfectly made. Heart racing, Sadie bolted down the stairs and into the living room.
Her mom was sitting on the sofa with her head buried in her hands.
While Martin paced the room yelling at the ceiling. “What did I do to deserve this? Where did I go wrong as a father? Should I have had more daddy-daughter dates? Taken her to the park more when she was little?” His gaze shifted from the ceiling to Sadie. “Am I a terrible father?”
Sadie frowned. “You’re an amazing dad… apart from trying to make best friends with the boys we bring home.”
Martin’s bushy brows fell over his wide blue eyes. He pointed at Sadie and turned to her mom. “Why are they so different?”
“Be quiet, Marty,” Natalie snapped. “It’s just who she is. I don’t think there’s anything we could’ve done to change that.”
Sadie slowly made her way into the middle of the room. “What are you talking about?”
Her dad pulled his phone from his back pocket, unlocked it and turned it to Sadie. The screen showed a message from Summer:
I know you don’t care about me, but I’m not coming home. I thought you should know that I’m safe. Imogin and I are on the road together.
Sadie took the phone from her father and forwarded the message to her phone before passing it back. “Are you calling the police?”
Natalie sniffed. “We already have. They’ve got an APB out on her, so if they see her they can bring her home but considering she left of her own free will there’s not much else they can do.”
“She’s fifteen!” Sadie declared, horrified.
Martin threw his arms in the air and began pacing in front of the sofa. He muttered, “Fifteen and a runaway. I’m the worst father in the world. Did I hug her wrong when she was a baby? Did I not feed her enough brussel sprouts.” He jerked his head up. “You ate your sprouts didn’t you, Sades?”
Sadie shook her head. It was no use, her parents had given up. Resigning to the fact that their rebel daughter had finally flown the coop.
Sadie ran back up the stairs. She knew better. There wouldn’t be any giving up on her side.
Retrieving her phone, she found two messages displayed on the screen. The one from Summer that she forwarded from her dad’s phone and one from Sebastian.
I’ll be at yours in ten. Meet me out front.
Checking the time, he’d sent the message eight minutes ago. She threw on the same clothes she wore the night before and quickly brushed her hair. Her legs stretched as far as they could go as she whipped down the stairs and swung through the dining room. She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and burst past her parents.
“I’m going out. I’ll be back later.”
Sadie sat on the curb and crunched into the apple, her leg bouncing nervously as she waited. The air was as crisp as the apple, winter still holding on. She tucked her spare hand into her jeans pocket and felt something soft inside. Pulling it out, she twirled a feather between her fingertips. The golden tip shimmered as it spun.
Sadie smiled. Her heart warmed at the reminder of Sebastian’s thoughtfulness to retrieve it for her. As she stared at the feather, Sebastian’s car turned into her street.
She put the feather back into her pocket, dropped the half-eaten apple, and bounced to her feet.
The car stopped right in front of her and Sebastian leaned across the passenger seat to open the door. As soon as she sat down he shoved his phone in her face. A message from Imogen:
I’m safe. Summer and I are on the road. Don’t look for us.
The thrum of Sebastian’s motor vibrated against Sadie’s back as she read. She shook her head and unlocked her own phone. As she held it out for him to read over Summer’s message, Sadie said, “I don’t believe it. The grammar is too good. Summer uses text speak, even with Dad. She didn’t write that.”
“Imogen’s name is spelled wrong.” Sebastian nodded and twisted to face her. “Listen, you don’t have to come if you don’t want… if it’s too much for you. But I’m going back to the forest where we were last night. I need to find that Guardian. She’s got them, I know it.”
Sadie frowned. “She?”
Sebastian squinted, one brow rising. It was a look that seemed to ask her if she was stupid. A moment later, realization hit his face. “Oh, yeah. I forget you can’t see the person behind the Guardian. When I’m shifted, half or full I can see the human part of them.”
“Oh.” Sadie turned her gaze to her phone. She pressed her fingertips along the edges then took a shaky breath. “I’ll come.”
Sebastian put his hands on the wheel. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Sadie hissed. “Just go, before I change my mind.”
A smile flashed across his face and he pressed his foot to the gas. Rubber burned as he spun the car around and sped off. Sadie clutched the edges of the seat, their speed making her stomach drop.
As Sebastian slowed down, Sadie mused, “Do you think that girl is the Fallen that turned Cap?” She glanced at him, and seeing him frown, she added, “I mean, we’d known him since middle school, he wasn’t always a Guardian. Someone had to have turned him.”
“Haven’t thought about it,” Sebastian muttered, peering into
the rear-view mirror.
“Maybe they were passing through town? What if they’re back? And our sisters are their first victims?”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed and he leaned closer to the wheel. His eyes flitted between the mirror and the road. “We’re being followed.”
Sadie twisted in her seat and peered out the back window. A white hatchback with scratches on the hood sat close behind them. A woman with flaming red hair, stared back at her.
Sebastian took one hand off the wheel and tugged on Sadie’s seatbelt, making sure it was fastened. He pressed his foot down and sped through the main street. Sadie held onto the ceiling, the door, the dash, anything she could grasp. He veered the car to the outskirts of town and careened down his road. The car drifted slightly as he turned into his driveway, kicking up clouds of gravel behind them.
He brought the car to a halt outside the renovated barn. Sadie’s heart pounded as she stared back through the plumes of dust, waiting for the white car to appear. Sebastian leaned across her, hand reaching for the door. She could hear his breath, fast and shaking as he pushed it open.
“Get out,” he commanded.
Sadie had no problems in complying. She jumped out of the car and followed him toward the barn. He slid the door open and pushed her inside.
As he closed the door behind them, Sadie glanced around. His motorcycle was parked along the wall with a sheet covering it. Lined beside the bike were gardening tools and small plants in pots. On the other side of the large room, a ladder led up to a loft-style bedroom.
Sebastian pointed to the back of the barn under the loft. “Bathroom’s there. Make yourself at home.”
As he headed back for the door, Sadie exclaimed, “Wait! Where are you going?”
He faced her with his hand up against the sliding door ready to push it open. “I’m going to meet with this Guardian, find out where our sisters are. I can’t bring you, Shorty. I can’t risk it.”
Sadie’s heart dropped. He was leaving her?
He waited for a moment, softening at the look on her face. “I know you don’t want to be alone. But it’s the only way. Stay. Please.”
Mouth dry, she just nodded her reply.
Taking it as a yes, Sebastian slid the door open and stepped outside. He closed it and peered in for a moment before racing back to the car. As he tore down the driveway, Sadie flicked the lock on the door.
Turning around, Sadie gazed up at the loft. It was a small space, enough for a double bed—unmade, she noted—that pressed up against the triangle-shaped window. Her heart reached her throat. She was in Sebastian’s private room. She wondered how many girls he’d brought there. Her eyes drifted to the gardening tools and soil scattered on the floor. Maybe not that many. Maybe this was the Sebastian he never showed anyone. His mom did say he’d never brought a girl over.
Noticing a sofa behind the ladder, Sadie sauntered over and plonked herself onto it. She pulled out her phone and re-read the message from Summer-not Summer. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure she wouldn’t be found.
Tears formed in her eyes. If Sebastian wasn’t so close to his sister, god knows how long it would’ve taken her to notice something was wrong. Maybe she would have believed the message, too.
The sound of tires traveling along gravel caught her attention. She dabbed the wetness from her eyes and smiled to herself. Sebastian must have changed his mind about her company. He could protect her and find their sisters at the same time.
Sadie craned her neck to see a white hatchback pulling up around the water feature. Her heart double-timed. She dropped her phone and leapt off the sofa, crouching behind the ladder. As the woman stepped out of the car, Sadie turned her back to the ladder and squeezed her eyes shut. Her chest felt like it was going to explode.
As footsteps crunched along the gravel, closer and closer, Sadie’s fight or flight response kicked in. She darted her eyes open, staring straight out towards the back of the barn. A door.
Without looking back, she leapt over the sofa and bolted for the door. Turning the handle, she was relieved to find it unlocked. She wasn’t brave like Leila or Gabby. She was a weak scaredy cat, destined to be the easy prey. Just like with Cap.
Hoping against all hope that the person didn’t see her, Sadie ran out into a paddock and headed for the forest boundary. It wasn’t until she reached the tree-line when she took a quick moment to glance over her shoulder. The white car was still parked in the driveway, but no sign of the woman… or an animal.
The sound of more tires barreling down the driveway echoed across the hill. Sebastian’s car came screaming up to the barn and he let it stall as he jumped out.
Even from fifty yards away, she could see his eyes as they flashed neon-blue. He stared at something, slowing moving closer to the barn. Then, he shifted into his wolf. It was enough to jolt Sadie back into a full-pelt run. She moved into the forest, letting the branches and leaves block the sunlight and cast shadows into the lingering morning fog.
She decided if she kept running straight, eventually she’d hit the road. Someone was sure to see her and stop. A crack behind her made her heart skip a beat. With legs that felt like jelly, she picked up her pace. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could run at that speed; she definitely didn’t have the athleticism for it. She looked over her shoulder and saw a shadow dart between two trees. Quicker, Sadie Sloan, quicker. As she looked forward again, her foot caught a fallen branch and she fell forward, crashing onto soil and dead leaves.
“Sadie?” She heard Sebastian call for her. His voice sounded so far away.
“Sebastian!” She screamed, rolling over to assess the damage. Her knee stung and blood seeped through her already ripped jeans. Her breath rolled out in front of her face, the chill of the day finding her lungs. Between a small gap in the trees, she saw the road.
Would she wait for Sebastian or find help for herself? A wolf’s howl lifted into the air around her. Making her decision, she scrambled to her feet and propelled herself toward the road. As she broke through the forest and her shoes hit the bitumen the sound of an approaching car made her gasp a sigh.
She began waving her arms in preparation.
“Sadie?” Sebastian’s voice sounded closer.
She glanced over her shoulder, straining her eyes to see him. But the forest was dark and shadowy and full of fearful possibilities. The car rolled along the road and Sadie turned back, eager for safe reprieve.
As the car came into view, her face dropped as she recognized the white hatchback with scratches on the hood. The woman with red hair, pulled the car to the side of the road and opened the door. Sadie hurled herself back into the forest.
“Sebastian!”she screamed.
“Sadie?” he replied, his cry echoing through the trees.
Sadie stopped, head jerking in all directions. It was difficult to know where his voice came from. She hesitated, palm resting against a tree. Which way would she run?
The split second was enough to seal her fate.
A growling rumble rose from behind her.
Slowly turning around, Sadie found piercing neon-pink eyes staring at her. The wolf wasn’t as large as Sebastian or Riley or even Gabby, but its fur was light brown, a beautiful cedar color that looked soft to the touch. For a split moment, Sadie was mesmerized by the beauty but then she noticed a drop of blood trickle from a fang to the ground.
The wolf shook its head, transforming into a woman around twenty years of age. Up close, Sadie noticed her wavy hair was dyed. The woman wore a graphic tee with a panda on it and a black choker hugged her neck. Her eyes lowered and she wiped her bloody chin with the back of her hand.
She stepped closer to Sadie. “I’ve got your sister and now I’ve got you.”
Leila
Gabby crossed her arms. She stood in the clearing in front of the falls and tapped her maroon Doc Martin boots on the soil. “And this is the last time we’ll try this?”
Leila nodded. “Very last, I
promise. If it doesn’t work, we will stop.”
A small wrinkle deepened in between Gabby’s brows, almost as if she was afraid of the outcome. She nodded to herself.
“It’ll work,” Riley said, reassuringly. Then, under his breath, he mumbled, “It has to.”
Swallowing, Gabby dropped her arms to her sides. “Where do you want me?”
“There’s fine,” Leila said, glancing over her shoulder to Ren.
He tugged on the bottom of his leather jacket and sniffed. As hard as he was to read, his presence calmed Leila. It reminded her of the Veil. Like some kind of deep knowledge lived within him.
Ren moved to Gabby and nodded at the ground. “You might want to sit. If their combined power is as strong as it should be, you’ll want to be anchored.”
Gabby’s eyes widened, she peered around him to Leila. “Will it hurt?”
“I…” Leila swallowed. “I don’t know.”
There was something final about that moment. They’d tried and hoped before but right then in that place and time, Leila felt something significant was about to happen. She’d found the key to ignite their power and maybe Gabby sensed her fear. How strong were they?
Gabby took a quick breath and sat. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her arms around them. It was a different Gabby than Leila was used to seeing. Once head strong and defiant, now a puddle of nerves and uncertainty.
Behind them, Damien cleared his throat. “And what do you want me to do?”
“Don’t know about you,” Ren said, rushing out of the clearing. “But I’m gonna stand back a bit.” He passed the forest edge a few trees in and found a trunk to lean against. Sweeping his arm beside him, he motioned for Damien to join him.
“Yeah, just stick around, in case…” Riley darted his eyes to Gabby and back to Damien. “Just… keep watch.”
Leila felt her insides tighten. This was it. Everything she’d worried about for the last three months was about to all become better. She wasn’t scared. She was excited.
