Guardians of Hellfire (Guardians of the Fae Book 2)

by Elizabeth Hartwell

  I lift my arm, showing my bracer again. “When these came off, I felt powerful . . . like I could do anything. I thought . . . no, I wanted, to destroy the whole city. I started thinking about the humans, even the Fae in Lunaria as prey. I wanted to conjure enough hellfire to take out the whole place. I . . . I wanted to kill.”

  Jacob reaches out, wiping a tear away with his thumb. “Eve . . .”

  “No, Jacob,” I reply, pulling back a half-step. “I need you to not reassure me but listen. That’s not all. I think I would’ve killed all of those boys if you hadn’t stopped me. No matter what happened when I was cop, I still cared about people. But this time, the thought of destruction gave me joy. I didn’t give a shit who they were. What’s happening to me?”

  Jacob thinks, then looks back over his shoulder before nodding to himself and pulling me close. “Princess, this is you and me right here. The others aren’t listening,” he whispers, “but I know they’ll tell you the same thing. What’s happening to you is what every being faces on a daily basis, multiplied by about a thousand. Every day, every decision you make, you have the choice to be the angel that I know is inside you or the demon that I’ve also seen. But you’re not going to be perfect.”

  “Yeah, but if you screw up, some girl gets her heart broken or maybe someone gets hurt. I go off, and people could die. A lot of them.”

  Jacob nods, stroking my hair. “That’s what we’re here for, Princess, to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll be the extra strength that you need, but you have to promise me something.”

  “What?” I ask, feeling closer to him than ever. My rogue . . . a rogue knight.

  “Never, ever take those bracers off again. Promise me. Even if it’s to save me or anyone else. I’ll take the weight on my soul for that death if you leave those bracers on. I don’t know how long they’re going to last, but leave them on no matter what.”

  A chill goes down my spine at his words, and I nod, laying my head on his shoulder. “I promise.”

  Even as I say it, the little alien voice inside me whispers, We’ll see, but I know I can fight it. Jacob holds me for a moment, then lets go, taking my hand again. “Come on. Let’s see if the other guys found decent clothes to blend in.”

  The humor in his voice makes me chuckle, and I nod, following him out to find that not only have my Guardians found clothes . . . they’ve got horses.

  “Well, finally, someone in the group with a larger cock than me!” Jacob says in greeting as I run up, hugging Tyler first just like Jacob advised. “Where did you find them?”

  “A certain nobleman who’s been a pain in my ass was nice enough to donate them to our cause,” Tyler says as I wrap my arms around him. “Princess . . . you smell.”

  “I’m glad to see you too,” I joke.

  Tyler chuckles, and I give Noah and Cole hugs, the breath squeezed out of me by Noah. “So, what happened?”

  Jacob’s face darkens, and I’m grateful when he lets me tell most of the tale, only filling in the parts where I was unconscious. “After she nearly went all Jean Grey, I slapped the bracers on, and that’s when I was able to contact you guys. Since then, I gave Eve a lovely tour of the Warren’s sewers, and here we are.”

  “You should have never taken off your bracers,” Cole says sharply. “Do you know what you could have done?”

  I start, taken aback by his anger. “I was . . . the guy was gonna kill Jacob!”

  Cole shakes his head, lowering his voice quietly. “Jacob would have been fine. The odds of an unenchanted weapon killing one of us are . . . terribly small. Our enemies now know you are here. The handmaidens, the queen, they are going to be searching for us. That will make our journey most difficult.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper, my eyes tearing up.

  “Sorry will not bring back innocent people if you kill them, Eve,” Cole says harshly, but I see his face soften the moment it leaves his lips. He’s scared for me and didn’t mean to say that.

  My chest aches as emotions flare inside me and I glare at him anyway.

  “Cole, that’s enough,” Tyler says. “She was trying—”

  “It’s done,” Cole says, dismissing it. “I did not mean to be harsh, but we are in a no-mistake situation now.”

  Tyler looks like he’s about ready to lob off another argument when Jacob interrupts. “Hey! Let’s discuss this another time. We’ve got company! Look!”

  I turn, and in the distance, I can see horsemen approaching. A lot of them.

  “Guardsmen,” Jacob says, hopping up on the fourth horse. “With handmaidens. And Lysette. I’d recognize that psycho bitch anywhere.”

  Chapter 13

  Eve

  “Get on!” Cole says sharply, stretching out his hand to me.

  “Cole, I’ve never ridden a horse before,” I reply, my heart pounding. “I don’t know what to do!”

  “Just jump on and hold tight. I have you,” Cole says, urging me with his hand.

  “I have her,” I hear behind me, and before I can say anything, wiry, strong arms pull me up into a saddle. It’s Tyler, and as I land on the warm back of the horse, I see Cole’s eyes glint angrily, but he holds his words back for the sake of the emergency we’re in. “Jacob on lead, Noah rear security with me, Tyler in the middle with Eve.”

  In an instant, we’re galloping, my breath torn out of me in a breathless scream as I bounce on the back of the horse, clinging tightly to Tyler’s hard body.

  “To the forest!” Cole yells, but I can barely hear him over the wind ripping past us. Still, the others must hear their Link, because Jacob tilts, his horse tearing up huge chunks of turf as suddenly, I see Cole duck next to us.

  A white light goes whizzing by, and I scream in shock. “What was that?”

  “Enchanted arrows,” Tyler yells over his shoulder. “They glow with magical light.”

  “Can we make it?” I ask, and Tyler’s silent. Suddenly, he nods, and I watch in shock as the four horses split in different directions, Cole dropping behind us slightly. “What the fuck’s he doing?”

  “Splitting up. We’ll rendezvous later,” Tyler says grimly. “The crazy bastard’s providing security.”

  Suddenly, I hear a roar, and I look back to see Cole tumbling off his horse. “Cole!”

  I pull on Tyler, but he keeps going. “What do you mean, providing security? Look at all of those guards. We can’t leave him!”

  “He’s doing his duty . . . and I have mine,” Tyler says grimly, bending lower in the saddle. We jerk to the side, and I watch as another white bolt tears through the night right where my head used to be.

  You can save him.

  No! I can’t. I promised!

  Are you willing to have Cole die because of your fear of your power?

  Tyler’s maneuver lets me look back, and I hear a piercing rebel yell through the night and I dimly see Jacob come galloping toward Cole, who has a sword out.

  Jacob’s horse hits the nearest Guardsman broadside, Jacob tackling him out of the saddle before leaping away. He and Cole attack, but they’re outnumbered, and I suddenly remember they’re without their normal weapons. The odds of their success . . . I bury my head in Tyler’s back, but I can still see flashes of light and screams of pain as Tyler crests a hill.

  “Tyler!”

  “I can’t. We have to keep going.”

  We gallop on, but the ride has no joy, and as the tears start to flow, I can’t lie to myself and say that they’re just from the wind.

  Chapter 14

  Eve

  “We have to go back,” I urge Tyler when we dismount somewhere in the forest. My eyes have adjusted more, though, and with the clear air and starlight, I can see details like I’m looking at it through a dimmed filter.

  Tyler shoulders the pack from the horse, walking over and laying it on the ground. “We rest here and wait.”

  The clearing is beautiful, and if I had time to appreciate it, I’m sure I’d be enchanted. I can literally see rays of moon
light filtering through the night air, shadow and white light dancing with night insects and mist.

  But I don’t feel any sense of peace or enchantment. My last image is of Cole and Jacob, standing side by side with their crude weapons, facing down a galloping onrush of Guardsmen and handmaidens. I remember the way they stood, and even though I couldn’t see their faces, I could see the numbers. How could they have survived that?

  To top it off, I don’t even know where Noah is. “Tyler—”

  He shakes his head, gently stroking the horse, who still appears agitated from the fierce gallop. “We can’t risk it.”

  “What about Cole?” I ask. “He might be—”

  “He’s not.”

  “How do you know?” I ask hopefully. “Can you feel your bond?”

  Tyler pauses, knitting his brows together. “He’s too far away, and I dare not risk sending my thoughts out to him. It might attract the handmaidens. They are attuned to such abilities.”

  “So you don’t know!” I growl, turning on him. “You’re just trying to keep me calm! If you want to stay here, fine, but me . . . I’ll do it even with these accursed bracers on if I have to. I’m not going to sit here while they’re in danger.”

  So much for my following Jacob’s advice and trying to stay calm. But if something happens to any of them, especially with how much I feel for them and how much Jacob revealed to me . . .

  I spin on a heel and start walking back toward where I think is the way we came, but before I’ve taken even three steps, Tyler grabs me from behind, lifting me into the air. I twist, pounding him on the chest and shoulders.

  “Let me go!”

  I flail my arms, but Tyler’s crazy strong despite his lean physique, and it’s like smacking my hands against a chunk of marble. Finally, when I realize I’m just wasting my time, he lets me down.

  “You can’t help them right now.”

  “You guys are bonded!” I hiss. “How can you just give up on him? And what about Noah? For all we know, he’s in danger too . . . or worse.”

  Tyler shakes his head softly. “Noah’s a hardened warrior and an expert at woodcraft. He can walk into dragon-infested woods with nothing but his wits and come back without a scratch or burn. As for Jacob and Cole . . . I know what Cole told me over the link right before he wheeled around. You’re my main priority right now. He’ll be fine. He’s faced worse odds, trust me. Just stop and think, Eve. You’re a cop, and I understand your desire to protect. But right now, you have to trust in our training as soldiers. They will catch up in time. Noah is probably already ahead of us, actually. For now, we need to get you to a safe place, and I need to rearm. All I’ve got is a boot knife.”

  “Just tell me one thing, and I don’t mean this in a bad way . . . just put my mind at ease. Tell me this isn’t about whatever is going on between you and Cole. And is it because of me?”

  Tyler’s eyes flare, and I know I’ve pissed him off, but he evades the question. “You are the most important thing in the world to all four of us. You are the most important thing in all the realms, and I suspect by the time this is over, people will have died for you to live. I will if I need to. I sincerely do not think this is Cole’s time . . . but if it is, this is how he would’ve wanted it.”

  His words hit me like a ton of bricks. There’s so much going on, but I’m just a girl from Haven. I’m not this important, am I? I grew up watching old comic book TV shows and movies whenever I got the chance. I never considered what it takes to be one.

  “Then we end it. We end the threat,” I finally reply. “Take me to Lysette, to Cassina, whoever. I’ll take the bracers off and wipe them out.”

  “Are you out of your mind?” Tyler asks, shocked. “Even if we somehow got to them, they’d kill you.”

  “And?” I hiss back. “Even if we fail, we still win. There would be no more threat to the three realms, no more disrupting power that weakens the barriers. No one else has to die!”

  I’m just angry. I don’t really mean it. I’d just as likely kill a bunch of innocents, and besides, I remember Jacob and the way he cupped my face. I remember the promise I gave him.

  “No,” Tyler says, crossing his arms. “And that’s final. We still don’t have all the answers. For all we know, you could be the one to save us all. Don’t give up. Somehow, we’ll find a way. I know we will.”

  I cross my arms and plant my feet. Tyler lifts his lip, stepping closer. “We need to move,” he says.

  “Fine. But if something has happened to Cole and the others . . .”

  “I know,” Tyler says, taking my hand and leading me and our horse deeper into the forest. I guess we’re giving the fella a chance to rest after that hard ride.

  We’re soon enveloped in shadows, moonlight illuminating glimpses all around us that take my breath away. The grass feels soft under my boots, and the air . . . I’ve never smelled anything so pure. It’s intoxicating itself, lifting my spirits and somehow giving me hope.

  We keep going, and I feel overwhelmed, like I’m in a holy place. “This place is beautiful. When I imagined what the Fae realm was like, this is more like what I envisioned.”

  “I’m glad it pleases you. It is beautiful, but you will see better when we head north.”

  I gawk but say nothing as Tyler keeps going. As he does, I see more and more wonderful sights, like a mushroom that comes up to my knees and glows a beautiful white. “This looks . . . uhm, tasty?”

  Tyler chuckles. “That one is. But don’t eat anything without checking with me. Many berries, for instance, are poisonous. I learned that the hard way.”

  “You were poisoned?”

  “Soon after Jacob started teaching me, he took me into a forest not unlike this one,” he says, his voice soft. I step closer, and I can see the anger is gone from his eyes. He’s thinking about his friend and brother, and it helps me understand that this wasn’t an easy decision for him.

  “Go on.”

  “It was a week-long challenge. I had to live without any supplies, just a regular knife a lot like the one I have now. I ate a few berries that . . . let’s just say I’m glad Fae are less susceptible to poisons than humans. When Jacob stopped by on the third day, he laughed so hard. I was alive, but a complete mess. He promised not to tell my sister about it, but considering the uhm . . . toilet-based name she greeted me with when I came back . . .”

  I laugh softly, understanding that Tyler’s both distracting me and reassuring himself as he knows he might need to grieve. We climb up a hill, and at the top, we pause. It’s been a hard climb, following a rough trail that switches back and forth, but as we look out, I realize we can see all the way back to Lunare from here.

  “We’ll be safe here . . . for now,” Tyler says, seeing things that I obviously don’t. “We’ll rest and wait nearby for the others.”

  Leading me down the other side of the hill, we emerge into a clearing at the bottom that is something out of a fantasy. It’s soft and moonlit, while a waterfall splashes down, feeding a pond that reflects the light above. Fireflies flitter in the mist, and in the water, I can see rocks sparkling like gleaming gems. Above, I gasp when I see not one but two moons, smaller than Earth’s but equally beautiful, side by side in the sky.

  “This is a pool of dreams,” Tyler says softly, seeing me take in the view. “It’s considered a spiritual place.”

  The waters are so welcoming and inviting, and if it weren’t for the situation we’re in, I’d want to jump in. Although . . . I do need to bathe. I’m covered in sweat and still smell like shit.

  Tyler lets the horse go, and it takes a long drink from the pool before wandering away, almost content to just munch on a patch of grass. I watch it enviously, wishing my own refreshment were so easily obtained. But the water’s right there . . .

  “Tyler?”

  He hesitates for a moment, then nods, again reading my mind. “I’ll keep watch.”

  He turns his back and settles on a rock, but I can feel his attention on m
e as I reach behind me to loosen the laces on my dress, letting it fall from my shoulders to pool on the grass. He stiffens as I sit, undoing my boots to slip them off before running my hands up my legs, biting my lip as I feel the sexiness of my body.

  Tyler looks over as I slip my tights down and step out, pulling my top off and letting my breasts bounce slightly as he inhales sharply. I open my eyes, biting my lip again as I see that he’s hard in his pants, and I smile seductively.

  “Like what you see?”

  “You know I do, Princess,” Tyler whispers.

  I smile and turn, letting my hip sway back and forth before I step into the water, moaning as it slips up my body.

  “This is amazing . . . like the softest silk against my skin. I can see why it’s spiritual to your people.”

  “The water reacts to your mood, and it’s trying to relax you and calm you,” Tyler explains. “It has inherent magic to it.”

  “It’s doing a good job.” I moan, sliding my hands over my body and feeling another warmth kindle inside me. I kneel, closing my eyes to wash my face and hair, and when I stand, I see that I have Tyler’s full attention, his mouth slightly open and his eyes watching every movement of my body.

  I beckon to him, and I see the shift in his eyes. He stands up, shedding his shirt, but before he can take a step, a dark blur shoots out of the trees and slams him to the ground.

  Chapter 15

  Eve

  “Tyler!”

  The two figures roll through the grass, the huge black wolf smacking Tyler with a paw that’s roughly the size of a canned ham. Tyler grabs him, throwing the wolf in a hip throw and shocking me. It’s not until their fighting continues and the wolf never uses his jaws to tear open Tyler’s throat that it hits me.

  “Cole!” I cry, so surprised and relieved that I don’t know what else to feel other than relief at his being okay that I don’t react.

  But they aren’t stopping, whatever stress between them not making them hold back as Tyler kicks Cole in the ribs and Cole tackles him again, pinning him for a moment.