Ever Fallen (Shadow Guardians Book 2)

by Elle Scott

  “Oh? Really?” Tessa gasped. “No, I…”

  “C’mon, Tessa,” Sebastian said, whipping his arm in Sadie’s direction. “She’s a sitting duck.”

  Tessa winced. “I just don’t like turning people who didn’t choose to be marked. If we can cure her, that would be my first option.”

  “Mr Robertson,” Sadie stated, still holding Tessa’s arm. “He’s the one who marked me.”

  Tessa pried Sadie’s fingers open. “You’re my assignment. It’s my first priority to make sure that the cure happens. But that also means I need to find him to get his blood.”

  Sebastian slammed his hands on the arm rests of his chair and stood. “I’ll help you.”

  Two fifteen-year-olds clamored into the living room. Imogen beamed, eyes moving between Sebastian and Tessa. “Good morning brother. Good morning sister.”

  Tessa smiled and scratched the place between her eyebrows. “It’s gonna take me a while to get used to that.”

  “Immy,” Sebastian moaned. “Just take it chill, yeah?”

  “Okay, yes. Sure.” Imogen nodded emphatically. She pressed her lips together as she tried not to look at Tessa. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk before she let out a blast of air. “But, there’s one thing. When do I get to meet Riley? I’ve seen him at school but I’d like to meet meet him.”

  “Just stop!” Sebastian yelled. “He might not want to meet us.”

  Imogen rolled her shoulders back, glaring at Sebastian. Sadie saw her eyes shimmer with tears, but Imogen didn’t let them fall. She returned fire. “No, it’s just you he won’t want to meet.”

  “Listen.” Tessa held her hands up in surrender. “Riley’s been through a lot. I think maybe we’ll ease him into it. I’d like to be the one to tell him.”

  “Agreed.” Sebastian said, heading for door. “I’m going to get the car ready.”

  “Whatever,” Imogen huffed. She marched toward the kitchen. “Dad, do we have pancakes?”

  Summer stayed behind. “Are we going already?”

  “Actually,” Sadie said, protective instincts kicking into gear. “Maybe it’s a good idea if you girls stayed here. No-one will know where you are.”

  “Actually.” Tessa repeated, facing Sadie. “Maybe it’s a good idea if you stayed, too?”

  Sadie balked. “What, and have no protection when the Fallen come for me? Hell to the no.”

  Tessa looked down her nose at Sadie, one eyebrow curved upward. “You yourself literally just said that no-one will know you’re here. You’ll be safe.”

  “They don’t have a freaking lighthouse on their bodies.” Sadie tugged on the end of the scarf, sliding it away from her neck. “I’d be putting them in danger if I stayed.”

  The front door opened and Sebastian walked in. He took one look at Sadie and growled, “Shorty, geez. Cover the thing!”

  “Sorry,” Sadie mumbled, wrapping the scarf snugly around neck. “But I’m coming with you.”

  “I assumed you would be anyway,” Sebastian said. He looked at Tessa with confusion. “She stays close to us for protection, right?”

  “Fine!” Tessa threw her arms in the air. “My opinion obviously doesn’t matter at all anyway.”

  Leila

  “Hurry up scatterbrain, you’ll make me late for work.”

  “Kale?”

  Leila sat up fully awake.

  Riley rolled over, half of his face still mushed into the pillow. He muffled, “Are you all right?”

  Leila blinked a few times, staring at her closed door. She must have been dreaming. Looking down at Riley, she said, “Yeah. Good morning.”

  Riley smiled and reached for a curl that sat on Leila’s shoulder. He wrapped his fingers through the tendril and replied, “Good morni—”

  The bedroom door swung open and Gabby barged in. “Hi lovers. Sorry to interrupt. Odette’s fine… in case you were wondering.”

  “Oh, thank god,” Riley said, sitting up.

  Gabby raised her brows. “Oh, you do care?”

  “Of course I care,” Riley scoffed.

  Gabby ran her tongue across her teeth. “Yes. Well. I couldn’t sleep so I did that reckless thing that people in love do.”

  Riley leaned forward. “You love her?”

  “What? No…” Gabby took a breath. “Well, maybe…” She wandered to Leila’s dresser and fiddled with a chunky gold necklace.

  “Back up,” Leila said, swinging her legs over the side of the mattress. “What reckless thing did you do?”

  Gabby tilted her head over her shoulder, a smirk lighting her face. “I went to save her.”

  “You did?” Riley asked, bounding out of bed. “Is she here?”

  Gabby stared at him for a moment and let out a small huff. “No, I didn’t save her. I wanted to but Calice and Jamal convinced me it was best to spy first before jumping right in with a rescue. We found Kiko and Kale on the edge of town. Odette was with them, tied up but alive. They’re still out there now, keeping an eye on things.”

  Riley reached for the ground and dragged his jeans under the covers. He said, “We’re going to get her out. I promise.”

  The bedsheets bounced over him as he wriggled into the jeans. Gabby watched him, bemused. Leila tried not to laugh, he had underwear on but was still obviously too embarrassed to let Gabby see him without proper clothes on.

  “Anyway,” Gabby said, shaking her head. “Makoto and Ren are downstairs. Ready with some plan to bring justice!” She pointed to Leila’s closet. “Wear your leopard print cargos, Leila, they’ll be great to kick some ass in.”

  As Gabby ran off, Leila opened her closet. She pulled her cargo pants off their hanger and slipped them on. Next, she grabbed two jackets off their hooks, a black one with bright yellow cuffs and a teal one that shimmered as the light hit it.

  Turning around, she held them both up and asked, “Which one should I wear?

  Riley smacked the side of his jeans and a puff of dirt wafted around his legs. He looked up. “Huh?”

  “Maybe you could check Kale’s room for something to wear?” Leila suggested, putting the teal jacket back in the closet.

  Riley picked up his shirt and jacket from the floor. Scrunching his nose, he replied, “That might be a good idea. I’ve worn these for too many days.”

  As Riley ran off, Leila slid the jacket over a comfortable T-shirt and reached for her phone. A message lit the screen. “It’s Sadie!” she called to Riley, heading out of her room. “They’re on their way back.”

  “With Tessa?” Riley asked, buttoning up a pair of chinos.

  “Sadie, Sebastian, and Tessa,” Leila said.

  Riley made a face that Leila couldn’t quite decipher and turned back into Kale’s room to find a top.

  As she waited, she punched a reply. Come to my house. We’ll keep you safe, I promise.

  She hovered her finger over the send button. How many times had she made a promise in the last few days? Promises she couldn’t truly know she was able keep. She hit send, adamant that she’d make sure she wouldn’t break any.

  When Riley was fully dressed, they clambered downstairs.

  Ren was slumping in the armchair, making himself completely at home. Seeing Leila and Riley enter the room, he asked, “Have we heard from Sadie?”

  Leila wiggled her phone in Ren’s direction. “They’re on their way.”

  “Thank God!” Gabby exclaimed standing in the arch between the dining and living rooms. She looked at Leila and motioned her head to the dining table.

  Sitting at the table with herbs and vials and satchels in front of them, were Makoto and Aileen. Makoto glanced up and waved them over. He threw a satchel across the table.

  “That’s yours, Riley,” Makoto said, tying up another.

  Aileen took the next satchel and stood, she walked to Leila and pinched her chin between two fingers. Her auburn hair was in messy bun for the third day straight, and pieces of flyaway strands circled her forehead. Tears welled in her eyes as sh
e said, “My baby is all grown up.”

  She opened Leila’s jacket and tucked the satchel into an inside pocket. Leaning in, she whispered, “This is one thing we won’t tell your dad about, okay. He wouldn’t understand it.”

  The quiver in her mom’s voice gave Leila chills. As if she knew that Leila might have to make the ultimate betrayal against their own flesh and blood.

  Leila took her mom’s hands. She darted her eyes quickly to Makoto to make sure he wasn’t watching and leaned in close to whisper. “I won’t let anything happen to Kale.”

  “Okay.” Makoto placed his palms onto the table and stood, his commanding presence taking up the whole room. “It’s time you both knew exactly what is in store. Take a seat.”

  Riley and Leila sat down. Leila’s nerves caused her heart to flutter and her fingers to shake. She took a hold of her chair and shuffled closer to the table. The legs of her chair scraped along the tiles and she cringed at the awkward noise.

  Makoto waited for her to settle then nodded to the satchel in Riley’s hand. “They are mixed with vervain, moonstone and soaked in your combined blood… and my blood. Keep it on you at all times.”

  “Your blood?” Leila asked.

  “The blood of a first Guardian, it won’t work without it. I’ve given the Elders your blood, they have smeared it in the sanctuary. It will work as a door. We open from this side, they receive on that side. But it’s really important that you get your timing right. Are you able to do the surge on command?”

  “On command?” Riley said, turning the satchel around in his hands.

  “Yes,” Leila interjected. “We’ve got it sorted.”

  Makoto nodded. “Good. It’s imperative you only use the surge when you are close to Kiko and no-one else. We don’t want to risk sending an innocent through. The rift will open fast and once she realizes what we’re doing, she’ll retaliate.”

  “Okay,” Leila said, understanding why her mom was so nervous. “How do we get Kiko away from Kale? So he doesn’t go through?”

  “She’ll need to be physically pushed. Ren or I or probably both will have to do it. You two just need to focus on making sure you’re together at all times, so when I say go... You go.”

  “We can do that,” Leila enthused.

  Riley clutched the satchel into his fist and shoved it into Kale’s chinos. He gave Leila a side-eye, nerves written all over his face. He muttered, “It sounds dangerous.”

  “It is.” Makoto exhaled. “Any questions?”

  “When will this happen? Will we have time to practice?” Riley asked.

  “Mmm. I’ve been told the timing and location will be made known soon. For now, we sit and wait.” Makoto glanced between Leila and Riley, waiting for more questions. When they remained silent, he stood. “Excuse me. I’ve just gotta make a call and check on Calice and Jamal. They were taking turns keeping an eye on Kiko’s movements.”

  Leila pulled her jacket closed, feeling the satchel in her pocket, and turned to Riley. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Do you think we can do it on command? We’ve only really tried once,” Riley said, his eyes not quite meeting hers.

  Shrugging, Leila said, “We have no choice, right?”

  Creases formed between Riley’s eyebrows. Leila felt her throat go dry. He was panicking, she could sense it. Both of them had to be committed to this, there was too much that could go wrong. If he wasn’t in the right frame of mind, she didn’t want to think about what might happen.

  Wincing, Riley finally let his eyes land on her face. “There’s so much pressure on us to get it right. The timing has to be perfect. We need to make sure Kale is nowhere near the split when we create it. That’s if we can even do the surge in the right moment. And I can’t help but think—”

  “Riley?” Leila interrupted, sliding her hand over his shoulder. “Do you love me?”

  “Yes!” Riley replied without hesitation.

  Leila felt her heart warm. She gave a small smile. “Then we can do this.”

  Tessa

  Butterflies swarmed inside Tessa’s chest. She sat in the back seat of Sebastian’s car, cracking her knuckles over and over. They were headed to Cedar Falls—Leila’s house to be precise. And wherever Leila was, so too was Will. Or Riley, as he now went by. Remembering his new name was going to be hard.

  It had been a strange few days. The whole time since she’d found out Riley was a part of Kiko’s clan, she’d thought he was Fallen. Damn that kid brother of hers. He’d taken her to hell and back. She mourned him for almost a year. To find out he was True lifted a heaviness from her soul. And then, to discover they had a brother and sister? It was a lot to process.

  As the trees made way for houses and they passed a sign that said “Welcome to Cedar Falls”, Sebastian quickly peered over his shoulder. “You ready?”

  Tessa could have sworn there was a hint of empathy in his voice. She stared at the back of his head for a moment, wondering how on earth a Fallen could be so… so… not evil.

  Sadie turned around. “Riley’s going to flip when he sees you.” Her eyes widened and she quickly added, “In a good way, I mean.”

  The butterflies in Tessa’s chest made her nauseous. She felt the tears well. Double damn that kid brother of hers.

  “I’ve missed him,” she said.

  “Was he a self-righteous knob before he turned?” Sebastian asked, catching Tessa’s eyes in the rear-vision mirror.

  A twinkle hit his sky-blue eyes. The way he smirked reminded her of Will… Riley. It was his mouth and jawline. Maybe the shape of his eyes, too. Sebastian had sharper cheekbones and bushier eyebrows than Riley. But the similarities were definitely there, now that she knew.

  She smirked back. “Yeah, he kinda was.”

  Tessa shuffled along the seat to catch her own reflection in the mirror. Everyone always said she had her brother’s eyes. She scanned her face, eyes landing on her nostrils as they flared with breath. Oh, there it was. Sebastian did that.

  As they drove past Cedar Falls Academy, Sebastian glanced at the gates and scoffed. “I bet mom doesn’t even care that I’ve missed three days.”

  Tessa’s heart sank. They’d each led such different lives. Her and Riley grew up with a mostly absent father and very little money but a mother who would do anything for them. And Sebastian, from what she’d gathered, grew up with both parents until recently, all the riches they needed, but his mother was distant and selfish.

  “I’m sorry,” Tessa said, knowing that truly wasn’t enough. “Tell me about her. Your mom.”

  Sebastian jerked his head, eyes not quite meeting hers before he faced the road again. He sniffed and with a straight face replied, “No.”

  “My mom cares,” Sadie said, looking at her phone. “Too much, I think. She’s left me a billion messages.”

  Sebastian glared at her, eyebrows raised. “A parent can’t care too much, Sadie. Geez.”

  “Sorry. You’re right. I know it means she cares, but what more can I do? I spoke to her last night. I told her we found Summer and that we’d head home today. What else can I say? Yo! By the way, I’m being hunted by werewolves… werefoxes… whatever.”

  Tessa knew she was joking but just to be sure, she piped up, “Just don’t say anything. We’ll get the cure for you and you can go home without them suspecting a thing.”

  Turning her head to the window, Sadie muttered, “Always with the cure.”

  Tessa studied Sadie as she retreated within herself and wondered if she even wanted a cure. The more time she spent with Sadie, the more she was sure of her assignment—she was meant to save Sadie from herself. Because it was more than choosing between a cure and turning her. To Tessa, Sadie seemed… lost. Like she didn’t know who she was. There was a brave front; the girl who seemed to be able to move mountains. And then there was the irresolute; the girl who hid behind a facade, her true self simmering just beyond the surface. Could someone like that make a good Guardian? Tessa doubted Makoto wou
ld choose to turn her.

  Sebastian pulled the car to a halt along the curb and Tessa sat up straight. They had arrived. She peered through the car window in time to see Leila’s front door swing open and Riley rush out onto the porch.

  Tessa was out of the car before the ignition was even off. She bounded toward the house, butterflies turning to excitement.

  She cried, “Will!”

  Her feet couldn’t seem to move fast enough. She watched her long-lost brother wait for her, tears already streaming from his eyes. As she reached the end of the path, he leapt the steps to greet her.

  Her body slammed against his as she wrapped her arms around him. Had he grown in a year? She twisted her head around, to peer up at him. Yes, he had.

  “It’s Riley, now,” he whispered as a tear fell from his chin and landed on her forehead.

  “I know,” she mumbled, squeezing him tighter. “I know.”

  Sadie

  Sadie and Sebastian sat in the car for a moment, both sets of eyes glued to the reunion on Leila’s porch.

  Sebastian sighed and dropped his head to the steering wheel. “I have a half-sister.”

  “And brother,” Sadie added.

  Sebastian whipped his face around and glared at Sadie. A week ago, a look like that would have made her feel like the scum of the earth, but she knew better now. It was just a knee-jerk reaction, his defense mechanism.

  A moment later, Sebastian sighed. He leaned across Sadie and wiggled the door latch, twisting it at an angle. A slight popping noise reverberated and he pushed the door open. As the cool breeze seeped in, Sebastian remained where he was, trapping Sadie on the spot.

  He faced her, eyes turning to slits. “And if you tell him—”

  “What?” Sadie said with a confidence she’d never had before. She slipped her body out from under him and stepped onto the curb. Flinging the end of the scarf over her shoulder, she quipped, “You’re gonna kill me? Pretty sure we’ve established that you’re not gonna do that.”

  She walked down the path, willing herself not to look back. Tessa and Riley had made their way inside and Leila was waiting at the door, hair pulled back. As Sadie approached, a fierce determination hit Leila’s eyes.