Guardian (Hidden Book 6)

by Colleen Vanderlinden

  With one of my sisters.

  She had a human with her, and I knew very well what she was expecting to do with that human.

  I rematerialized behind her before she saw me, and my team was there, and immediately subdued the soul of Sato in that moment when my sister Delo turned and snarled at me. Brennan streaked up to us, snarling, and Delo shoved me.

  “Not today, zealot. The good soldier will have to return reporting her failure.” And before I could grab her, she had disappeared.

  I kicked one of the railing supports in irritation.

  “Damn it,” I said.

  Brennan shifted, and I didn’t look at him.

  “She ran pretty fast,” he said, and I nodded.

  “I have taken too many of them. They will be careful now.”

  “How many have you taken?”

  “Two. I have no idea how many more of them there are,” I said. “Go find your clothing. I will turn this soul in to Mollis and return here.” I did look at him then, meeting his eyes. “Be careful,” I said, remembering the way I’d lost Mary. “And maybe try to contact someone about this human. I do not know what my sister did to him, but he seems confused.”

  Brennan nodded. “I will take care of it.”

  I walked over to where the soul of Sako stood helplessly, my New Guardians just in the shadows behind him.

  “Watch over Brennan,” I said quietly to them. “If one of my kind goes after him, remember that you can fight her. Do not let anything happen to him.”

  “This is the one then, eh, boss?” Quinn asked with humor in his voice.

  “He is. And if any harm comes to him I am going to be very unhappy.”

  “We will take care of it,” Claire said, and I nodded, finished wrapping Sako’s wrists with my chain, and in the next moment, I was in the Netherwoods, just outside of the prison. I sent a demon for Tisiphone, and she was there shortly.

  “Another of my sisters was with this one,” I said, handing him over to her. “Delo.”

  Tisiphone stared at me. “How many of you can there still be?”

  I shook my head. “She killed them, right?”

  “I watched her cut many of them down. I know for a fact I watched Delo turn to dust at my daughter’s blade,” Tisiphone said. “I don’t get it.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “This one is less solid than the others. Still just a soul,” Tisophone said. “So that is a good thing, right?”

  I nodded. “Delo had a human there for him. He was about to become more corporeal.” Seeing her, and the human she’d brought only confirmed what I’d suspected. My sisters were providing the escaped souls with human flesh, helping them become more corporeal. After a third infusion, they would no longer need help. They would be solid enough to take a human down on their own.

  Tisiphone looked ill. She remembered the days of that period as well. Dealing with the Undead had not been pleasant. “I will fill my daughter in on your theory.”

  “You do not think I am wrong,” I said quietly.

  She shook her head. “This is… I had nearly forgotten about that incident. I wish I could.”

  “As do I.”

  We stood in silence for a few moments, both of us wrapped up in our own unpleasant thoughts. “And what about the lesser gods you are searching for? Have you seen any sign of them?” she finally asked.

  I shook my head. “Not a thing.”

  “I like Eiar very much. She’s kind.” She paused. “She created the black flowers that only grow near that statue of Hades. Did you know that?” she asked quietly.

  “I did not. I am still looking. Keep the faith. They are immortals. They are stronger than many of you higher gods give them credit for,” I said.

  She nodded. “I will see what I can get out of this one. Thank you, Eunomia.”

  I left her, reappearing back at the docks. Brennan was waiting where we’d stashed our bags, fully dressed now. He handed my bag to me.

  “Where next, Tink?”

  “Tokyo,” I said, taking his hand, surreptitiously taking Clair’s hand behind my back, aware that my team was standing there, just inside the shadows. He should have sensed them, that close. I realized the only reason he hadn’t was because he was distracted, waiting for me to return. He was definitely not using the senses associated with being an immortal, senses any of us have. And here I had promised him to help him learn more about our world. I would have to do better.

  “Here we go,” I said, and I focused.

  When we rematerialized in Tokyo, the first thing that hit me was the noise. Like any busy city, there was the never-ending cacophony of voices, the rumble of cars and buses, horns honking. And, like any big city, Tokyo had a sound all its own, a rhythm, a tone that no other city had.

  Despite my general dislike for the modern era, even I had to admit that Tokyo was a marvel. I felt like a child each time I had reason to come to the city, which really was not often enough. Brennan kept his hand in mine and started pulling me out of the alley, toward the street.

  Lights. So many lights. Large screens displayed with advertisements, videos. People swarmed around us, walking much faster than we did. I glanced over at Brennan to see him looking around in wonder, as if he did not know where to look first. I smiled, shaking off, for the moment at least, my worry over my sisters and their association with the lost souls.

  “This is your first time here?” I asked, and he nodded, still looking around. I continued watching him as he took it all in, and laughed a bit. I tugged his hand. “Come on, Cub. If you have not yet experienced Tokyo street food, we need to remedy that immediately.”

  “Your lost soul,” he reminded me as he let me tug him along.

  “It will take time to get a reading, and the only way I am able to get one of those is to wander around until I pick something up, especially in a place this populous.” Here, I would be looking for the soul of the concubine, and this entire city was hers for a time. She was active in many areas, including downtown Tokyo, where she’d died. It was as good a place to begin my search as any. “We may as well have some fun while we work.”

  He smiled then, and my entire body warmed. He squeezed my hand and let me lead him to the corner, where there was a small street-side restaurant selling takoyaki. I held up a finger, indicating I wanted one order of them, and the vendor nodded. I pulled out a few Yen coins and handed them to the vendor as the doughy balls fried.

  “Where did you get the money?” Brennan asked.

  “I try to keep a bit of as many different types of currency on hand as possible. It is inconvenient having to rematerialize in a place in not have any cash,” I explained.

  “Always prepared, huh Tink?” he asked with a grin.

  “Like the good soldier I am, apparently,” I answered.

  The vendor handed over a small cardboard basket lined with waxed paper and piled high with takoyaki, as well as some vegetables and a sauce similar to mayonnaise. I thanked him in Japanese, and the vendor bowed his head a little and we made our way to a small table.

  “Can’t we just walk and eat?” Brennan asked as he sat down.

  “It is considered rude to eat and walk here,” I said. “Sit. Enjoy. We have time.”

  He smiled at me. “That ‘good soldier’ crack. She said that like she thought it would bother you,” he said as I held the basket out, indicating he should take some. He plucked one ball from the top of the pile and dipped it into the sauce. I watched as he bit into it, chewed it. “What is this, anyway?” he asked helping himself to a few more morsels.

  “Octopus balls,” I said, and watched as he stopped in mid-chew. I laughed.

  “Uh…”

  “Pieces of octopus meat. In a ball of dough. Not… what it is you were thinking of,” I said, still smiling.

  “Mean, Tink. I almost felt sorry for the poor guy. Do octopi even have balls?”

  “I have never thought about it,” I said.

  “These are good, though,” he s
aid, finishing chewing.

  “She knew it would bother me,” I answered, continuing our conversation and popping a bite into my mouth.

  “Why?”

  “It was something they used to tease me with, that I did whatever Hades and the Furies commanded. That I was a slave more than anything else. ‘The good soldier,’” I repeated. “It does not bother me anymore. I am a good soldier.”

  “None better,” Brennan said. We finished and walked on, and I tossed the empty basket in a trash can. “What’s that one selling?” he asked, pointing to another vendor. I smiled. I had the feeling we’d be eating our way down the street.

  “The vendors here are going to adore you,” I said, and he laughed. “He is selling spiced pork.”

  “Meat. Yes. I want that then,” Brennan said, and I ordered, and we sat as Brennan dug into the fragrant pork.

  “Good?” I asked.

  “Amazing,” he said, swallowing a mouthful. “Want some?” he held the fork out to me, and I shook my head.

  The pork having been consumed, we walked on, and I kept myself open for any sign of an energy signature from my lost soul, and Brennan stopped at nearly every food cart and ordered something. He was smiling, happy. Relaxed. I did not often see him this way, almost childlike in his enthusiasm. To my surprise, I found myself smiling and laughing much more than I usually did, caught up in his good mood.

  “I think I love this city,” he said after finishing off some noodles.

  “Surrounded by food, I am sure you do,” I said, and he laughed.

  “It’s not just that. That’a part of it, sure,” he said. “It’s everything. The lights, the crowds… everything. I feel like I can disappear here.”

  I watched him, and his gaze met mine. “It feels good, does it not?”

  He nodded. “It does. And you knew I needed this. We could have hunted for your soul anywhere in this city. You put us here.”

  “I knew,” I agreed. “And I am hoping you accept it as the peace offering it is. I did not expect it to bother you when I left without saying anything to you. I did not think.”

  “Apology accepted. I’m sorry for expecting things of you I shouldn’t. I know you’re different. I need to remember it more often.”

  “I had a feeling you would love it here,” I said.

  “How? How do you know me so well, Tink?”

  I smiled. “I pay attention.”

  The comfortable mood between us deepened, shifting to something else as we stood there, neither of us looking away. Warmth spread from my center until every part of my body seemed to be flushed, yet a shiver worked its way up my spine.

  It was almost difficult to breathe.

  “You pay attention,” he said quietly, his eyes still on mine. “That night you made me run. Remember that?”

  “Of course,” I said, barely able to find my voice under his intense gaze.

  “No one’s ever done something like that for me.”

  “You are usually the one taking care of everyone else. Sometimes the caregiver is the one who needs to be taken care of,” I said softly. “You are so near breaking, the weight of your life heavy on your shoulders. I see it.”

  “Is that why you let Molly send me with you? You could have argued with her, and she probably would have given in, eventually.”

  “That first time, yes. This time… this time I barely argued at all. You are good company.” I paused. “I am upset over my sisters… what they represent, what I suspect they are doing, should not be. So perhaps I am selfish. I wanted to be with someone who made me feel a little less morose as well.”

  “Selfish is not a word I’d use to describe you, Eunomia,” he said.

  Gods, his eyes. Intense. They reminded me of the last time I’d stood looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, the same blue, the same unbridled turbulence.

  “I am glad you think so,” I said softly.

  I could not take it anymore. I could not stand there with him, with him looking at me the way he was. I could not take the way every system in my body seemed thrown into confusion by him. I shook my head a little, as if that would clear it.

  His scent surrounded me, and I forced myself to take a small step away from him. “We should keep walking,” I managed, and he nodded, tearing his gaze away from mine.

  We walked on, and he took my hand again. I knew this about the shifter, that physical contact was something he craved when he felt close to someone. He’d been that way with Mollis. He was the type who easily hugged his friends. Artemis was the same way. I supposed it was the shifter side of them, that physical aspect of their personalities.

  I tried to halt my train of thought before it went exactly where I did not want it to go.

  The strangest thing was, I tend to be a very hands-off individual. Usually, if I was touching someone, it was because I was injuring or capturing them. Yet with him, it felt natural to hold hands.

  “That newspaper vendor has comic books,” Brennan said, looking across the street.

  “Let’s keep going,” I said, an idea forming in my mind. “Come on. There’s something you might be interested in seeing.”

  He choked back a laugh. “Oh, I can think of something I’d like to see,” he said with a bit of a growl in his voice, and I gave him a withering glare.

  “Not that, shifter.”

  “I would be interested in seeing it, Tink,” he said with a wink, and I felt my face burn.

  I pulled my hand out of his, and he laughed and took it back. I could not help myself. I laughed.

  “Idiot,” I muttered, and he grinned. “Just for that, I should not take you where I was going to take you.”

  “But you will,” he said.

  “I will,” I grumbled. We walked down the street, and turned a corner. I hoped it was still there. When I looked down the street, I could see the large sign, the floodlights dancing in the sky above the store. I pulled him toward it, and we stood in front of the bright orange storefront, its plate-glass windows plastered with comic book covers. He stood before them in awe, and I smiled and pulled him inside the shop.

  It was one of the largest comic shops I had ever seen. I have never read a comic book, but I once chased a soul into this exact shop, and remembered thinking at the time that if this were the type of thing I was interested in, I could happily spend hours there. It was like a playground; comic books everywhere, books, action figures, t-shirts… all the types of things Brennan collected.

  “Whoa,” he breathed, looking around. He looked like a child faced with an endless offering of sweets, and I laughed.

  “Do you like it?”

  “Not as much as that other thing I was hoping to see, but it’s pretty damn awesome, Tink,” he murmured, and I blushed. “I am going to go into so much debt here.”

  He wandered the aisles, and I followed along, enjoying seeing him so loose, so relaxed. And if I glared at more than a few young women who practically looked like they wanted to lick him, it was not as if he had to know that.

  I did not understand it myself.

  “Are they in Japanese or English?” I asked, watching him flip through another long cardboard box.

  “They have some of both,” he answered. He was already carrying a decent sized stack of comics, and I took them from him so he could look more easily. “Thanks,” he said, and I nodded.

  “What’s back there?” I asked, nodding toward an area I’d just seen a young man go through with a black curtain over the door.

  “Adult comics,” Brennan said.

  “There is such a thing?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Have you read any of those?” I teased, surprising myself.

  He laughed a little, and I noted with some satisfaction that he was blushing. At least I was not the only one now. “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He laughed. “Comic book boobs don’t exactly do it for me, you know?”

  “How do these women even stand up straight?” I asked, nodding toward a su
perhero comic. The female on the cover could have used her breasts as effective flotation devices.

  Brennan shook his head.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Is that what males actually fantasize about?”

  He cleared his throat. “Some do, sure.”

  I looked at him questioningly.

  “I don’t.”

  Then I looked at him in disbelief, and he laughed. “I mean, I’m not saying that’s not appreciated or anything. I’m just saying that I tend to be drawn more to scary badasses than huge boobs.”

  “If the scary badass had big boobs?” I asked, and he laughed.

  Then he leaned down toward me, lowering his mouth to my ear so only I could hear him. “I’m more of an ass man, actually. And yours is a work of art, Tink.” With that, he stood up straight and walked away, leaving me blushing and stammering behind him. I heard him chuckle, and made myself follow him. “I mean, have you ever looked at your ass?”

  “No, I have not,” I answer icily, trying to fight that giddiness running through me.

  “Well, I have. Round, high…” he held his hands up, curved as if he was cradling something in them.

  “Oh for the love of Hades. Stop that,” I hissed, and he laughed. I was sure I was approximately the shade of Superman’s cape by then.

  “In fact, I should be walking behind you…” he said, and I smacked his arm.

  “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked.

  “Very much, Eunomia. I have never seen you anything other than completely controlled.”

  “I am still completely controlled,” I argued, standing straighter.

  He smiled. “Mhmm. But every once in a while, that control cracks a little, and you get all flustered, like that night we went out with Rayna. I wonder how flustered I can make you.”

  Very. Extremely, I thought to myself. “Cub, I am thousands of years old. Your commentary about my behind is not going to make me lose control.”

  He grinned. “Well. I’ll just have to try harder, huh?” He tuned away, strolling down another row of comics.

  I followed him wordlessly through the store, and he finished his shopping by grabbing a few action figures for Sean. He paid for his purchases, then took my hand and we left the store, walking down the street toward our hotel.