by Elle Scott
Sadie grinned, “You look like whoever faces you is in trouble.”
Leila replied by exuberantly bursting onto the porch and enveloping Sadie into an almighty hold. Sadie noted to herself it was one of the best hugs she’d ever received. Including the one her dad gave when he stubbed her toe for the first time when she was four years old.
Inside the house a few steps, Sadie could see Tessa with Riley. He was crying. She was crying.
Tessa blubbered, “I’m so sorry I put you through all this.”
Riley’s eyes drifted to Leila. “It’s kind of all worked out for the better.”
Leila pulled away and the zip on her jacket cuff managed to get caught on Sadie’s scarf, pulling it loose. As Sadie stepped through the door, all eyes panned to her mark. She hurried to cover it, but the truth was out.
Tessa hurried over, readjusting the scarf back into place. Sadie felt her face blush. She wasn’t used to that kind of attention. Not when she wasn’t prepared with her fake and flirty personality.
“No!” Riley shouted as Sebastian stepped in behind them. “You’re not welcome.”
Tessa placed her hand onto his chest. “He’s fine. It’s fine.” She turned to Sebastian, giving an apologetic frown.
“I just want to help,” Sebastian said, his hand warming Sadie’s lower back.
“We will take all the help we can get,” Ren said much to Riley’s disdain. He sat, body slumped, in an armchair by the window.
“Is that Sadie?” A voice cried from the kitchen. Gabby burst through the archway, running toward Sadie. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”
As Gabby bundled Sadie up in her arms, Sadie returned with a tight squeeze, and said, “You, too. I heard they tied you up.”
“We won’t talk about that,” Gabby said, waving her hand in dismissal. She clapped her hands together, beaming at Leila. “One down, one to go.”
“Huh?” Riley asked.
Gabby’s joy disappeared. With a twinge of spite, she retorted, “People to be safe. You still have a cousin out there, remember?”
“Yes,” Riley hissed defensively, “I know.”
A loud sigh resonated through the room. Ren pushed himself up as though he was lifting five ton weights. He sauntered up the stairs. “I’m gonna go have a nap—get this panther rested for what’s to come.”
Ren wandered into the living room from the dining room. Sadie did a double take. No, that wasn’t Ren, he just went upstairs. And his mohawk was gone. And… he was taller, muscular, a little older.
The lookalike frowned and said, “Where’s he going?”
Leila replied with a shrug, “He said he’s taking a nap.”
The man’s body moved as though he laughed but no sound came out. “Sounds about right.”
Sadie leaned toward Tessa, and whispered, “Who’s that.”
“Oh,” Tessa shuffled closer. Pointing to the man, she replied, “That’s Makoto, my Alpha. He’s also Ren and Kiko’s brother.”
Sadie stared at her blankly.
“They’re the first Guardians,” Tessa added.
Sadie shared a glance with Sebastian, and at the same time they both said, “Riiiiight.”
Tessa smiled. “I’ll catch you up to everything soon. How are you feeling?”
Sadie hadn’t thought about it for a while. She felt pretty good, if she was honest. “I feel fine. Maybe a bit hungry.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I should have offered!” Leila said, acting as though she had killed a kitten. “There’s a whole heap of kalua pork in the fridge. Seriously, help yourself.”
Turning her head to Sebastian, Sadie asked, “You coming?”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,“ Sebastian said, grabbing her hand and hauling her out of the room.
She almost had to run to keep up. It would have been funny, but she didn’t dare glance back to her friends. She knew what faces they’d be pulling. Especially Riley. Disgust.
As they entered the kitchen, she relaxed into a fit of giggles. In between spurts of laughter, she teased, “You couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”
“Self-righteous kooks make me want to hurl,” he said, opening the fridge and pulling out a massive dish.
Sadie settled herself and shook her head. “They’re nice people.”
“To you,” he muttered, peeling the lid off.
A smoky and salty scent wafted into the air around them. Sebastian dashed to the cutlery drawer and sifted through the silverware. He leapt back to the dish and as he passed a fork to Sadie, he sent his own into the mix.
“You don’t want to heat it up?” Sadie asked watching him shoveling strips of meat into mouth. “Or put some in a bowl?”
He looked up at her and shook his head. “Too good to wait.”
Sadie squinted at him and sent her own fork in. She scraped a tiny bit of pork for taste testing and lifted it to her lips. As the seasoned meat hit her tongue, she quickly dug in for more. Within a few minutes she’d devoured at least ten mouthfuls. Sebastian looked on with amusement, as he did—his eyes twinkling every time she dug her fork in.
Full and a little bit embarrassed, Sadie wiped her mouth. “You coming back in to the jury?”
Sebastian curled his lip. He carefully placed the lid back onto the dish and returned it to the fridge. He sighed dramatically for effect, and said, “If I must.”
He was such a brat. Sadie smile and whacked his bicep. “Come on, tough guy.”
As they made their way through the dining area, Sadie heard her name and stopped. She lifted her finger to her lips and crept to the archway, hanging back out of sight.
“Sadie can’t come with us, what if Kiko turns her!” Gabby exclaimed.
“We need Mr. Robertson’s blood,” Leila said.
“I’ll get it, while we’re out there,” Riley said. “Gabby can stay with Sadie.”
“I’d like to stay,” Tessa offered.
Sadie glanced at Sebastian and rolled her eyes. She whispered, “This Sadie chick sounds like such a burden.”
“Screw this,” Sebastian said, barging into the living room. “I’ll stay with her.”
“Are our choices really between two Fallen?” Tessa moaned, adding a quick, “No offense.”
Rare courage rising, Sadie stepped into the living room. “Do I get a choice?”
Tessa smiled. “Of course you do. What’s your choice? Remember you’re my assignment.”
Everyone looked at her in anticipation. She swallowed and scanned the room. There was no way Gabby would want to stay, not with Odette out there still. Riley and Leila would need to be out there using their Imprint strength. She had no idea who this Makoto dude was. And Tessa was nice, but…
“I choose Seb… because he’s kept me safe so far.”
“Damn straight,” Sebastian said, puffing his chest up.
The truth was, she didn’t want anyone staying back because of her and her frailty. She was sick of being the one who needed saving. Before they headed out, before anyone left, she was going to be turned.
“Leila?” Sadie asked, pinching the sleeve of her shirt. “Can I borrow some clothes?”
“Yes, sure.”
Together, they climbed the stairs, Gabby rushing to join them. Leila led them into her room. Sadie made a point to close the door behind them.
“So, you’re on nickname terms now?” Gabby asked, eyebrow lifting.
“What?” Sadie said, innocently.
“Seb? Really?” Gabby sat on the edge of Leila’s bed and glared at Sadie in a way that only she could. A glare that said, girl, you’re a mess.
Sadie tried to think of what to say to divert Gabby’s attention from Sebastian. But every time she thought about him, she couldn’t help but smile. She glanced at Leila, who looked on expectantly, a twinkle in her eyes. Turning back to Gabby, Sadie lifted her chin and said proudly, “Yes. Sebastian Weir and I are friends. Maybe more. What are ya gonna do about it?”
Leila guffawed. She spun around to her clo
set, and failing to hold back laughter, her shoulders bounced up and down. Gabby slapped her hand to her mouth, eyes widening with shock. Behind her palm, a few chuckles escaped.
“Nothing,” Gabby muttered through pursed lips. “I won’t do anything.”
The sight of her friends’ laughter, broke Sadie. Grinning so hard her cheeks hurt, she blurted, “He’s different, you guys. He’s shown me a side to him that I… that I like.”
“What about Damien?” Leila asked over her shoulder. Sadie’s glare must have answered that question real quick, because Leila averted her eyes and added, “Never mind.” She sifted through her shirts. “I’m trying to find one that you won’t get lost in.”
“It’s just…” Gabby started. She grimaced, “I don’t want to say what I think of him. I don’t want to upset you.”
There it was. Sadie knew it would take Gabby time to warm to Sebastian. She didn’t have that kind of time.
“None of that matters. Not right now. We can talk about it another time, in depth and detail and you can list all the ways in which he’s a terrible person. But right now—” Sadie plonked herself in the middle of Leila’s bed and unraveled her scarf. “Turn me.”
“What?” Leila balked, swinging around. As she did, her hand got caught on a hanger and she brought half the contents of her closet down.
Clothes sprinkled the floor around Leila’s feet but she didn’t dare take her eyes off Sadie. “You don’t want the cure?”
“Cover it up!” Gabby snapped. She leapt off Leila’s bed and turned to face the wall. “Hurry up and cover that mark right now.”
Remembering what Sebastian said about the mark being a torture call for the Fallen, Sadie wrapped the scarf around her neck again. “It’s covered. Sorry.”
Gabby glanced over her shoulder and noticing the scarf back in place, she sighed and turned back around.
Leila sat down next to Sadie on her bed. She placed her hand on Sadie’s knee. “Do you really want this?”
“I want to not be scared,” Sadie said, telling the truth. “I don’t want to be a target.”
“Yes, but do you want this?” Leila asked again.
“Who would be our human?” Gabby said, bottom lip rolling into a frown.
“Damien?” Sadie suggested, cringing.
“Oy!” Gabby said, throwing herself onto the mattress. “That won’t work at all.”
Sadie sighed. She knew then and there that they weren’t going to agree.
“Listen,” Leila said, standing up. “We’ll get through tonight. Sebastian said he’ll stay here and protect you. Riley will get Mr. Robertson’s blood for the cure. We don’t need to turn you.”
Sadie was sick of everyone making choices on her behalf. As if they all knew what was right for her. They were supposed to be her closest friends but they barely knew her. Not the real her. Not like Sebastian knew her.
She leaned across the bed and opened Leila’s top drawer. Grabbing a pile of Polaroids, she sat back up and flipped through them. Photos from back when they were all human, before they even knew Shadow Guardians existed, before she was a target.
“Okay.” Sadie gave her best smile while on the inside she was screaming. “Human sounds good.”
Leila smiled satisfied and shuffled through her clothes on the floor. She threw Sadie a black top with sunflowers down the sleeves. “Sorry, I know it’s not your style but it’s the smallest one I have.”
Then, she sifted through her drawers and pulled out some black sweatpants. Pulling at the waist she said, “Just roll them over a few times.”
“Thanks,” Sadie said, holding the top up to her chest. “Can I have a few minutes? I’ll be down soon.”
As Leila headed for the door, Gabby hung back and gazed at Sadie with saddened eyes. “You’ve got this, Sades. We’ll be back to normal in no time.”
Sadie nodded, not believing it for one second. Not for her, not for Gabby either.
“Love you!” Leila sang, waving over her shoulder.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Sadie whipped out her cell phone and tapped a message.
I need you. Leila’s room. Don’t let anyone see you come.
Sadie
Sadie had rolled the waistband of Leila’s sweatpants for the second time when the door creaked open. Sebastian peered in. “What’s up?”
“Did they see you come up here?” Sadie whispered.
Sebastian’s brows raised. He gave a tilted smirk and stepped into the room. “What’s going on, Shorty?”
Jumping up from her spot on the bed, Sadie closed the door. Spinning around, she demanded, “Turn me.”
“Ugh.” Sebastian sat on the very edge of the bed. “Not this again.”
“It will stop them worrying about me like I’m porcelain.”
Sebastian chortled. “You’re not porcelain, Sadie Sloan.”
Sadie took a long inhale and on the rushed exhale she climbed onto Leila’s bed and leaned against the bedhead. Sebastian watching her every move, he was right where she wanted him. Sadie pinched the end of the scarf and in one sweeping movement, she ripped it away and threw it across the room.
Sebastian half-shifted on impulse, glowing eyes finding the ceiling. “Ugh, stop. Why do you do this to me?”
“Just bite me, like you want to.” For good measure, she added, “On my mark.”
Eyes like a magnet to her mark, Sebastian returned his gaze to her. “Are you sure?”
He was all fangs and blazing irises and claws digging into his palms. Her heart ran what felt like a million miles a second, but there was nothing more she was sure of. She nodded in reply.
Licking his lips, Sebastian shuffled closer. Wincing, he said, “It hurts.”
“I know,” Sadie said, moving across to make room for him on the bed. “I can handle it.”
As he sat right beside her, he dragged his eyes from the mark, forced them to hers. He swallowed and said, “You’ll feel out of it for a while, caught between the Veil and our world. But I’ll walk you through it, I’ll be here the whole time.”
“Spoken like a True Guardian.”
Sebastian closed his eyes and made a muffled groan. He whispered, “Are you truly sure?”
Sadie took his hand and pressed his fingers against the mark. “Do it.”
His eyes darted open. So did his mouth. Venom dripped from his fangs and he held himself as still as a mountain. For a while, his gaze lingered on her eyes, as if waiting for any sign that she might change her mind.
“Do it,” she said again.
Sebastian’s cheeks twitched. He swallowed, as if controlling himself in that moment was the hardest thing he’d ever done. Slowly, purposefully, he ran his thumb around the mark and moved in. He pressed his lips to her neck, kissing her gently.
Sadie felt the heat of his breath as he opened his mouth.
A quiet rumble crept from his voice box. Sadie’s heart flipped at how animalistic he sounded. She took a shaky breath, hesitation creeping in. Then, before she could change her mind, he clamped his mouth around her mark.
It hurt more than she expected. The sting of his fangs piercing her flesh, digging deep into her body. It felt as though he might tear her in two.
She cried out in pain. Wait! She wanted to say, I’ve changed my mind, but words escaped her. Sebastian covered her mouth with his palm, biting harder around the mark.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as his venom ripped through her veins. Darkness filled her body from her mark to the depths of her soul. Splotches of black clouded her vision.
Sebastian let her go. He clutched her face with both hands. She could just make out his face through her tears. Red stained his lips, her blood fell to his chin, dropping onto Leila’s bedspread.
His mouth moved but she couldn’t hear a word. Her heart dropped to her stomach but never returned to her chest. It felt like it left her body and connected with the earth—as though she was sinking into mud. Heaviness fell over her as the taste of bile rose to her throat.
She wanted to vomit but her muscles wouldn’t do what her brain wanted them to. She was choking, stuck in a body that couldn’t move.
Her eyes rolled back and she could faintly hear the sounds of someone calling her name. Was it Sebastian? Maybe Leila? Or even herself.
“What do you choose?” The voice said. It started off as a whisper, growing with urgency until all she heard was a chanting into her ear. “Fallen or True?”
But she couldn’t answer.
She was paralyzed.
She was drowning.
She was dying.
Sebastian
Sebastian Weir knew he made a mistake the moment he looked into Sadie’s eyes. Even through her tears, the fear hit him like an anvil. As her vibrant life seemed to fade, he stayed half-shifted, straining to hear the sounds of her heartbeat. It was faint, but constant. Blood was pumping, that was the main thing.
He licked his lips without thinking. The taste of her rolled over his tongue and he closed his eyes, savoring every drop. He’d forgotten how good human blood tasted. The fact that it was hers made it all the more sweet.
Sadie whimpered and Sebastian shot his eyes open. Her head rolled from side-to-side on Leila’s bedhead, wincing in pain. Sebastian remembered what that felt like, transition. Like darkness itself had found solid form and filled his body from toes to head. He wouldn’t wish that upon anybody, and yet, he’d given her that pain.
Guilt ripped at his heart. He knew he shouldn’t have turned her, he knew it with all the good that remained in him. But her doe-like eyes had begged and he couldn’t say no. He should’ve just said no.
Sadie gasped. She sat up straight and her eyes sprung open. She wasn’t awake, her Guardian was simply making itself known. It was stepping into her body, completing their merge.
A tiger. Sebastian smiled. She had a rose gold aura and he thought that was perfect.
“Hello, Shorty,” he said.
Sadie’s eyes shut and she collapsed back onto the bed-head. Sebastian sighed, gearing himself up to tell the others what he’d done. Maybe he’d just say she was sleeping and worry about it after the night was over. He ran his knuckle down her tear-stained cheek, warmth pooling in his chest.
