by Elle Scott
Sadie decided that being alone was the worst thing for him. If he lost himself now, after how hard he’d fought to keep his humanity…
She didn’t want that. She couldn’t have that. He was the first person who saw the real her. The first person to accept it, even like it.
No. She knew the real him, too. He wouldn’t hurt her.
A rush of bravery filling her, Sadie stormed after him. She followed his paw prints into the pathless forest, past oaks and pines. She lasted three full minutes of running before her pumping heart urged her to rest. She held her hand against a tree, sweat pouring from her neck. White dots reappeared around the edges of her vision, and a hastening dizziness buzzed like bees in her head. She bent her knees and slid her back down the trunk until she was sitting on the mossy ground.
Around her, the forest morphed into itself, a blur of green budding leaves melting together. She blinked a few times, watching with fear as the green pulsated outward into a different shape. Tall hedges surrounded her. Not a maze this time, just her tiny body trapped in the middle of a square. In the distance, she heard the snarling growl of a large cat. Her breath quickened as the hedge rustled and a swallow flitting to the sky.
Not again, Sadie mumbled to herself.
Two antlers appeared through the thick hedge, tips aiming for her. She forced her eyes shut and declared, “It’s just a dream.” When she reopened them, the hedge had gone.
Sadie sighed and rested her head against the tree, feeling her hair stick to the sweat on her neck. As she blinked slowly, letting the fog of sleep shroud in around her, a howl echoed through the woodland. The sound sent her heart racing. A wolf was close. Closer than a normal person would care to be near. But as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t rise let alone run. All her strength had faded.
The heaviness won and she drifted to sleep.
“Sadie? Sadie?”
The voice had a sense of urgency to it. Hands gripped her shoulders and shook her body.
She peeled her eyes open.
Sebastian was crouched beside her, clasping her tight. Notably human. He stared at her waking face and sighed. “Do you have a death wish?”
Sadie gave a lazy shrug and rasped with a new confidence, “You won’t hurt me.”
Frowning, Sebastian rolled back and collapsed his backside to soil. “How are you so sure?”
With hair catching in flaking bark, Sadie lifted her head from the tree. She smiled. “Because you have a crush on me, too.”
She winced as soon as the words were out. Had she said that out loud?
“Is that so?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow. He reached for her hair, de-tangling it from the bark. “And what makes you think that?”
Sadie figured her admiration for him was out in the open now, there could be no turning back. “Because I’ve seen the real you. And Sebastian Weir, most popular boy at school, doesn’t show anybody his true self.”
Sebastian was silent, his head jerked back as if taken by surprise. Then his shoulders softened and a slight chuckle danced inside his closed mouth. He shook his head and weaved his hand around her waist. “C’mon, Shorty. Let’s get you some rest. Tessa’s gonna kill me.”
They rose together, Sebastian holding all of Sadie’s weight. As they walked, she dragged her feet, clutching the back of his shirt. She let out a quiet guffaw, and muttered, “Tessa can’t kill you. She’s your sister.”
Leila
Leila stood on her back porch with Ren, Gabby, and dreadlock-haired boy, who she’d found out was named Jamal. She overlooked her mom as she enthusiastically led Makoto to her garden, pointing out the rosemary. Upon meeting Aileen, Makoto had crossed his muscled arms across his chest and squinted at her with doubtful eyes. At first, he seemed skeptical, and reluctantly followed her as she frolicked with excitement into the backyard turned herb sanctuary. Aileen pulled a bunch of rosemary branches from the ground and held them to her nose, smiling at Makoto.
When Makoto nodded, arms uncrossing, everyone sighed with relief.
The rising smell of frying kalua pork wafted through the kitchen window. Leila closed her eyes and let the familiar scent take her back to days gone by. Family evenings of love and laughter, back before she was a Guardian and when Kale wasn’t in love with a monster. When she opened her eyes again, a tear rolled down her cheek.
To make the moment a hundred times worse, the cat lingered in the corner of her vision. Luckily, she remained a few feet away, as if knowing what Leila thought of her. She had a name. Calice. But Leila preferred to think of her as a measly little stray.
It wasn’t logical or helpful. She knew it. Jealousy sat within her like tar—unwanted and heavy. But that’s how she felt. And as long as Riley was out there, in danger, the cat was wise to know her place.
As Makoto and Leila’s mom, Aileen, collected rosemary, Ren squeezed himself between Leila and Gabby. He grabbed Leila’s wrist and rolled up her sleeve. Leila ran her fingers over her mark, and together they silently counted four rungs.
“We need table space,” he said, dropping her arm and heading inside.
Gabby shuffled into the space that Ren left and glanced at Leila’s mark. “We’ll find him.”
Leila took a shaky breath. Every part of her wanted to believe that they would. But an overwhelming fear lingered. What if they couldn’t?
She gave Gabby a sad smile and swiveled around, heading inside. She walked past her dad in the kitchen and when she entered the dining room, she found Ren lifting a leather bag onto the table. He pulled out a map and rolled it across the flat surface.
Without looking up, he said, “Do you have anything of Riley’s or that was once his?”
“Even a photo would do,” Makoto said, behind her. He threw a bunch of rosemary branches onto the map.
Not wasting a moment, Leila bounded upstairs and into her bedroom. She dove across her bed and opened the drawer on her side table. Shoving aside a box of tissues, and a fake diamond ring the size of a potato, she grabbed her collection of Polaroids. She shuffled through the photos until she came upon one of her favorites—a shot of Riley in the library, book in hand. She’d called his name and just as he looked over the rim of his glasses, smiling like a love-sick puppy, she pressed the shutter button.
Leila’s heart lurched to her throat. She jumped off her bed, glanced at her mark, and ran downstairs. Everyone had gathered around the dining table and she squeezed between her mom and Ren, holding out the Polaroid for Makoto to take. He pinched the edge carefully and placed it on the table in front of him. Aileen made an excited peep when he broke the rosemary branches into little pieces up and dropped them into a small ceramic bowl. With all eyes on him, he half-shifted. As his golden eyes blazed, he lifted his hand, briefly glancing at Leila before digging his fangs into his skin. Blood trickled down the curve of his palm. He let the drops fall over the violet buds in the bowl and began crushing them together.
Aileen stepped back to the archway between the dining and kitchen, her eager eyes peering over Jamal’s shoulder to see. Leila waved her back over. She ran her hands over her hair that led to her high bun, trying to flatten the frizzy parts that escaped the tie. Leila scooped her arm through her mom’s and leaned her head on her shoulder. Aileen squeezed her arm in return, resting her head on top of Leila’s. No matter what she’d been through, and how strong she’d become Leila was still grateful to have her mom.
Makoto kept blending the ingredients as he eyed Aileen. “You know, there aren't very many civilians who know about Guardians.”
Aileen lifted her head, brushed hair from her eyes, and guffawed endearingly. “I hope that means you won’t have to kill me.”
Everyone who knew Aileen, knew she was joking. But Makoto didn’t know her, and it seemed he didn’t trust her either. He stared back, golden eyes shimmering without emotion.
“Right?” Aileen asked. A nervous laugh danced in the back of her throat, before her smile faded.
Makoto's mouth twitched, a fang pop
ping through the gap in his lips, and Leila swore she could see a smile hit his twinkling eyes.
“Then you’d better not give me reason to,” Makoto said, lip curling into a smirk.
“Ha!” Aileen blurted, waving her finger at him. “You had me there for a moment.”
Makoto chuckled to himself as he lifted the bowl, checking on the concoction.
“Excuse me, Leila?” a demure voice said from the kitchen door. “Would you be able to tell me where the restroom is?”
Leila spun around. As soon as her eyes rested on Calice, a fire ignited in her belly. She growled, “What? Don’t you already know where it is? Or is it just Riley’s house you snoop in?”
Calice’s shy stance buckled. She stood up straight, her chin rising, and bit back, “I was on assignment.”
“In Riley’s lap?”
Everyone froze. Makoto turned to Calice, brow deepening over his eyes. Gabby threw her palm across her mouth, smile behind her hand evident.
“Yes,” Calice said, confidently. “I was gaining his trust.”
“Ha!” Leila snickered. “Like before you mean… in his car.”
The accusation hit Calice hard. Her eyes turned to saucers, and Leila could tell Calice didn’t realize Riley had told her the truth. The way her face twitched under the scrutiny—made Leila feel good.
“Do you both know each other?” Makoto asked, unlatching his arrow necklace. “Because if there’s bad blood, you need to let it go. At least until this is all over.”
Leila swallowed. Makoto was a harder read than Ren. And that was saying something. She flung her arm to the stairs. “Up the top and to the left.”
“Thank you,” Calice said, shuffling past.
Gabby moved next to Leila, and leaning over she whispered, “You have to tell me what that was about.”
“I need silence,” Makoto demanded, dipping the end of his necklace into the rosemary and blood mix.
Makoto held the necklace at the clasp, letting the arrowhead dangle over the Washington state map. With his free hand, he slid the photo of Riley onto the edge of the map. He creaked his neck side-to-side and stared at his hand.
Leila half-shifted so she could see what was going on within the Veil. Makoto’s golden aura shimmered around his whole body and right at the tips of his fingers the light extended into tiny lightning bolts. They weaved around themselves, following each link of the necklace, until the arrowhead became shrouded in an intense glow. The necklace began swaying widely in a circle. With every rotation the circles became smaller and smaller until it stopped moving altogether, remaining at an odd angle. The arrowhead pointed directly at Cedar Falls.
“We need a town map!” Ren commanded.
Aileen whipped through to the kitchen. The sound of a magnet hitting the floorboard echoed into the room, followed by an; “Ahh crap, hang on.” She stormed back in, holding a pizza delivery brochure with a map of Cedar Falls on the back.
As soon as she placed it on the table over the previous map, the arrowhead began swirling in large circles again. It continued its motion until once more, the arrow held in a spot.
“Where is he?” Ren asked, peering closer.
Gabby leaned over the map. She looked up again, confused. “He’s here.”
The front door burst open and Leila jolted on the spot, arms splayed, ready for action. It only took Riley’s voice calling her name to make her move. She ran into the living room, skidding along the floor as she turned toward the front door.
Riley stood in the doorway, hair falling over his eyes. He stared at Leila through cracked glasses.
Her heart leapt to her throat and back. She ran, bounding herself into his arms. He buried his face into her hair, holding her tight.
“It’s Kiko,” he muffled, pulling away. “She’s the Fallen, she’s the one who—”
“I know. We know,” Leila said, leading him to the dining room.
Riley stopped in the archway. Noticing Makoto, he asked, “Who’s this?”
Ren rushed over and clasped Riley’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay. This is Makoto. He’s my brother.”
“Brother?” Riley repeated, glancing between Ren and Makoto.
Leila took his hand and added, “He’s also your sister’s Alpha… a True Guardian.”
“Tessa’s clan is True.” Riley said it as a matter of fact. Then, realization hit. He jerked his head around, looking around the room. “Where is she?”
“She’s with Sadie,” Calice said, returning from upstairs.
Riley’s mouth dropped open. He cleared his throat and let out an awkward, “Hi.”
The cat smiled sweetly. “Hi. It’s good to see you.”
Leila kept her eyes on Riley, waiting for his next move. He winced and turned to Ren, “Kiko’s still in the woods.
“Where’s Odette?” Gabby asked.
“She’s not with you?” Riley frowned.
Gabby made a noise that resembled a fish trying to breathe out of water… as if it took all her might to remain silent.
Avoiding Gabby’s glare, Riley turned to Leila and continued, “I’m sorry if I scared you. I needed a way to get you all away from them. So I slashed their tires.”
Leila clutched the edge of a dining chair. “And Kale? He’s not Fallen, too, is he.”
Before Riley could respond, Makoto let out a chuckle. He shook his head and leaned his back against the wall, crossing his ankles. “It doesn’t truly matter. If they want you to think they are True, you’ll believe they are. The Fallen are great at —”
“Deception,” Leila snapped. “Yeah, we get it.”
Riley ran his hand down Leila’s arm and tugged at her wrist. She fell against his side as he took her in his hold. Leila didn’t mean to, but her eyes drifted to Calice to make sure she was watching. She wasn’t—her back was turned as she headed for the back door with Jamal.
Leila let her head snuggle into Riley’s shoulder. The fear of losing him had made her forgive him for his god-awful past mistake with Calice. She whimpered, “Are you okay?”
“Mm,” was Riley’s answer as he wrapped her into both arms. He breathed in deeply, as if soaking in all her being. “I’m good now.”
Stepping back, Leila asked, “What happened?”
Riley licked his lips and turned to face the others, Ren, Makoto, Gabby. “I had a hunch. A few signs here and there that she was lying. I haven’t trusted her since Leila asked me to turn her. When she realized she wasn’t the one who was going to turn Leila, I saw a flash of darkness in her.” He glanced at Leila over his shoulder. “I didn’t say anything because I was worried you wouldn’t believe me. When you said that Kiko was the first Guardian, it was then I knew that it wasn’t just a hunch and that I needed to prove it for sure.”
It had been months since Riley turned her. Months of Riley not trusting Kiko and not saying anything. Months of questioning everything he was told, everything that Kiko had led them to do.
“And you proved it?” Leila asked, even though it wasn’t really a question at all.
Riley didn’t reply, he ran his fingers from his ear lobe to his chin, catching his nails along dried blood spots. He breathed out a puff of air that resembled the start of a laugh.
“Does she know that you know what she is?” Ren asked nervously.
“If Mr. Robertson told her...” Riley took his cracked glasses off and placed them on the dining table. “I’m assuming she knows.”
“It helps that you’re here, Riley. You made the right choice,” Ren said. He promptly lifted his hand to his mouth and began chewing on his thumbnail. “We have to get this right. Now she knows you’re onto her. There’s no take two.”
Riley squinted his eyes, scanning the faces around the room. “And what are we doing exactly?”
Leila said, “We’re going to send her to the Veil. Kind of like what we did with Thomas and Crystal, but with an added boost because it’s her.”
Nodding slowly, Riley replied, “Sounds easier th
an what it probably is, right?”
“Like always,” Leila said.
Makoto wandered over. He half-shifted and stood in front of Leila, claws out. Holding a small cup, he said, “For the Elders.”
“Oh, right.” Leila held her hand out. As Makoto dug his claw into her palm, she winced and looked at Riley. “They need our blood.”
Riley raised his brow. “Of course they do.”
He half-shifted and clenched his fist until a line of blood dripped down his wrist. He held his hand out for Makoto. “I heard Kiko mention something about a plan, and after that they’ll leave Cedar Falls. It feels like she’s already a whole day ahead of us.”
“Everything we do is inconsequential.” Gabby huffed, pulling out her phone. She headed for the living room and said, “I’m calling Odette.”
“Making a plan?” Makoto repeated, taking the cup of Leila and Riley’s blood to the table. “It’s the same as always, no doubt.”
Leila and Riley exchanged glances.
Ren explained, “She’s done this before. She wants to raise an army.”
“An army?” Leila shivered. “For what?”
“To kill me and my sire-line,” Makoto stated. He poured the blood from the bowl into a small vial and screwed the lid on. After placing it inside the leather bag, he stood up straight and threw the bag over his shoulder. “I’ll take this to the Veil. Ren, chains are in my car. Will you do the honors?”
Ren smiled with his lips pressed tight. He nodded once at Riley and Leila, then once more to Makoto.
“We’ll help,” Calice offered, speed walking from the kitchen through the dining room. Jamal followed her. He raised his finger to his forehead in somewhat of a salute.
Before following after them, Ren turned to Riley and Leila. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow. If she’s going to making her move, she’ll be heading back into town. We need to make sure we’re ahead of her game.”
