Guardians (Seers Trilogy Book 3)

by Heather Frost

  “Yeah, sure,” I replied quickly, stopping on the sidewalk to face him fully. “What’s up?”

  His grin widened, though he tried to keep it in check by biting his lower lip. His bag hung casually from one shoulder, and it swung a little when he drew to a stop in front of me. Students continued to file past us, oblivious to our partial obstruction of the sidewalk. “I was sort of wondering what you were doing after school tomorrow. Patrick too,” he added.

  My eyebrows scrunched up in thought. The first of the Special Seers would be arriving tomorrow, and Patrick was hoping to give me a couple more training lessons, which had been infrequent at best these past few weeks. Other than that, I was pretty open. “Nothing important that I know of. Why?”

  He tilted his head faintly from side to side, as if hesitating. But his words were controversially confident. “If you guys aren’t too busy, I was wondering if you’d like to do a group date thing tomorrow night at my house. I’ve already invited Jaxon and Maria, and I was hoping Lee and Rodney might be interested.”

  “Um. Yeah. That sounds like fun.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Good. I thought it would be a great chance for you to meet Alyssa.”

  “Alyssa?”

  The yellow in his aura throbbed. “Alyssa Meadows. She’s homeschooled, but she does a few extracurricular things here.”

  The name wasn’t familiar, but at least I now understood Aaron’s new happiness. He’d found a girl. Inwardly, I was cheering. “That’s great. And of course I want to meet her.” By mutual and silent consent, we were walking again, moving side-by-side toward the front doors of the school.

  There was relief in his voice, though he tried to hide it—it was especially obvious in his aura. “Good. I mean, I was hoping you’d want to. She’s really awesome.”

  “Have you been dating long?”

  “Almost three weeks. For my part, it’s been exclusive, but I don’t know about her.”

  “You haven’t asked her?”

  “She’s really . . . She’s taking things slow. She barely let me hold her hand last weekend.”

  I smiled, because his tone was so adoring. “So you don’t want to scare her off?”

  He nodded once. “Something like that.”

  “So you’re not official yet?”

  He shrugged, a small grin fighting to free itself. “She hasn’t told me to get lost yet . . .”

  “I’m really happy for you, Aaron.” And I was. More than I thought I’d be.

  His eyes were almost shining. “Thanks, Kate. That means a lot.”

  We walked up the stairs in silence, but it wasn’t awkward at all. When we reached the top, Aaron stepped ahead so he could pull the door open for me, and once we were inside he asked, “I was hoping to start the movie around seven or eight. Is there a time that works better for you guys?”

  “Either time sounds great to me.”

  “Sweet. Well, I guess I’ll talk to Lee and then let you know.”

  “Right.” I heard a familiar voice, and I turned quickly to see Trent, one of the special-needs kids, standing halfway down a side hall, waving to every student who filed past. “Hello!” he said brightly, a huge grin splitting his face even though hardly anyone glanced his way. “Hello!”

  Before I could step completely past the hallway, I hesitated. Aaron walked on another step without me, before realizing I was no longer with him. He sent me a questioning look, but then he heard Trent and understanding dawned. “Is he supposed to be away from the others?” Aaron asked.

  I shook my head, feeling my ponytail sway. “No. I bet he slipped away and some aide somewhere is going crazy.” I was already stepping away from him. “I better help him out. See you in class?”

  “You’re going to be late,” Aaron warned, but it was more of a playful taunt. He knew I hated being late to anything.

  I tried to ignore his teasing. “Tell Patrick I’ll be there soon, okay?” As soon as I was done speaking I turned, not bothering to wait and get his answer.

  I thought I heard his footsteps move away from me, but so many other people were walking the halls it was impossible to know for sure. I wasn’t the tallest person in the surrounding area, but Trent’s booming voice couldn’t be missed, so I just followed the sound whenever my view was obstructed.

  “Hello!” Trent called out to someone.

  I thought I heard someone in the crowd mutter, “freak,” but I don’t think Trent heard. His smile didn’t waver, in any case. I slid past a larger girl, and then Trent and I were finally face to face.

  “Hello!” he burst out when he saw me, looking excited. “Kay!” It was how he pronounced my name.

  A smile tugged my lips at his sheer enthusiasm. “Hey, Trent. Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

  “Hello!”

  “Hi.” I reached for his hand, knowing he paid better attention when physical contact was involved. His eyes actually met mine, though they rolled away just as quickly. “Come on. I’ll take you to Mr. Thompson’s office.”

  “Tom-son?” he asked eagerly.

  “Yeah. Mr. Thompson.” He was the teacher over the special-needs kids; he’d know where Trent should be. I kept a firm grip on his long fingers, since I had to practically drag him the first couple of steps. But soon he fell into the rhythm of things. He just called out his hellos while we walked.

  The warning bell rang just before I turned Trent over to a thankful Mr. Thompson. I told Trent good-bye, and that I’d see him at lunch. He gave me yet another big hello, and then I started back toward American Lit.

  The hallways became less crowded as I made my way to the other side of the school, but in all honesty I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the students around me. My mind was occupied with other things. More specifically, the one thought that had been in the back of my mind for days now—ever since Terrence’s visit.

  I hadn’t told Patrick about the wanted poster yet. In the beginning that was just because there were other things to focus on, and I had expected Terence to mention it. When he hadn’t . . . I guess the opportunity to bring it up just hadn’t arrived yet. I mean, how was that conversation supposed to start? By the way Patrick, I’m worth one million dollars to the Demon Lord. How do I know this? Oh, I went and visited a Demon about a week ago, and he warned me that a bunch of rogue Demons are going to be after me. I have the poster and everything, but I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. How was your day?

  Basically, I knew that telling him out of the blue would be a big mistake. He’d freak out that I hadn’t told him sooner, and then he’d want to lock me in my room 24/7. In the end, it was easier not to tell him at all. He was anxious enough about me teaching the Special Seers how to travel. What would he do if he found out about the other, more real danger I was in?

  I’d decided last night that I just needed to put the whole thing out of my mind. Just forget I knew anything about it. After all, I had multiple bodyguards for a reason. They didn’t have to necessarily know about the threat to take care of it.

  That was my current reasoning, but it was easier to convince myself of the logic when I wasn’t staring into Patrick’s pale face. He looked so worried and tense these days. Especially since I’d called Terence to let him know I was willing to do whatever was required of me. It was almost like Patrick could see something I couldn’t—feared some horrible outcome I didn’t even anticipate.

  I needed to stop thinking so much. It made me jumpy.

  I turned a corner, just as the starting bell rang. I quickened my step when I saw the corridor I walked was deserted. Classes were beginning. I hated walking in late . . .

  And then I wasn’t alone in the hall anymore. A man rounded the corner ahead of me, his eyes going immediately to me—almost like he knew I’d be standing exactly there. Like he was expecting me.

  There were still several paces between us, and I stopped moving the instant I saw him. Despite the distance between us I didn’t relax. Partly because he was smiling
in a triumphant, creepy way, but mostly because his black aura and unfamiliar face marked him as just the thing I’d been telling myself there was no reason to fear—a Demon bounty hunter.

  Seven

  My heart barely had time to pound before I was glancing wildly to the side, searching for an escape. There was a door leading to a random classroom a couple steps behind me and to the right. It might be embarrassing to dive into the wrong classroom—late—but it was better than staying out here with a Demon.

  Before I could even tense to move he was speaking slowly, his brown eyes wide. “Oh dear, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Your sisters wouldn’t thank you for it.”

  He’d said possibly the only thing that would make me pause. And so I wavered, half inclined to turn and run as my eyes slid over the Demon in front of me.

  He was big, his muscles thick and bulging under his tight black T-shirt. He appeared to be in his thirties, and his longish hair was black and unkempt. He looked extremely powerful and dangerous, but somehow I was able to speak without sounding too frightened.

  In fact, I almost managed to sound annoyed. “What are you talking about? My sisters are perfectly safe.”

  “They have a Guardian and a Seer looking after them,” he said, allowing my words with a thin smile. “But my partner could handle a pretty blonde—even if she’s got a knife.”

  Claire. He knew about Claire. Meaning . . . he really did have someone watching my sisters.

  I swallowed hard.

  He started to tread closer, and I couldn’t make my taut muscles move me back to maintain the distance. His voice was deep but horribly cheerful. “You must have really rattled the Demon Lord’s cage, Miss Bennett. He doesn’t usually pay this handsomely—and never for a Seer. But I must ask—am I the first you’ve seen? It’s an issue of pride, you see.”

  I decided to play dumb, for the sake of stalling. “The first? Pay—?” I choked on the word, tried to make the cut-off sound intentional. “What are you talking about?” I added quickly.

  He grinned—only three steps from me now. “Good. I love being first.” He stopped directly in front of me, our toes nearly touching. I cringed back from his nearness, but my feet were frozen to the floor.

  “Are you invisible?” I asked, my voice tenuous because I’d come to the realization that stalling wasn’t going to do a bit of good. Any unease Patrick might feel at my tardiness, Aaron would have annulled when he told him I’d gone to help Trent. He wouldn’t realize anything was wrong until it was too late.

  The Demon didn’t miss the waver in my voice. His smile became even more confident. “Of course. I’ve been following you for a couple of days now—Friday was the start of it. I never imagined it would be this easy, though, to get you isolated. I mean, I’m good, but . . .” He shrugged. “Then again, luck was with me today.”

  “So what now?” I asked, my stomach so tight I felt like it might constrict to the point of disappearing.

  “My truck’s in the parking lot,” he said simply, extending a hand. “Come quietly and your sisters won’t be harmed. It’s really that simple.”

  I stared at his hand, his large and tanned fingers laid out easily in front of me. Simple? Not even . . .

  He sighed suddenly but was somehow able to keep the smile on his face. “We’re wasting time. If I don’t call my partner in the next five minutes, he kills one of your sisters. Do you really want to stand around waiting for that?”

  Without thought my hand lifted, a purely reflexive action. He was waiting for me to touch him, because the defensive mechanism that kept him unable to touch me could only be broken by me touching him first. My fingertips brushed his palm and in a flash his hand was strangling my wrist.

  “Much better,” he said happily.

  I refused to show how much his grip hurt me. My face went absolutely expressionless; it was that or flinch uncontrollably. A split second later he was pulling me down the hall, back the way he’d come. Closer to Patrick . . .

  “So you’re a bounty hunter?” My question was so sudden, it startled even me.

  He only chuckled, continuing his advance. “Sure. And I must say you’ve got the heaviest price on your head out of anyone I’ve ever taken care of—that includes some really important people I targeted in my last life too. Though that was awhile ago, and money’s lost some value since then . . .”

  There went any hope of pleading with him. He was probably as hardened as you could get.

  I tried another tactic. “My Guardian is here. When he realizes I’m not where I’m supposed to be, he’ll find you.”

  “The Irish guy? Yeah, I watched him beat up that guy at the bowling alley. I wasn’t impressed.”

  I got chills thinking about him being so close to us without my realizing it. I mean, I was a Seer, for crying out loud! I needed to be more observant.

  We passed one emo student, but he didn’t even look up from the floor. He was listening to his iPod, earphones firmly in place, shoulders slouched inside his black hoodie, and completely oblivious to the fact that I was being kidnapped by an invisible Demon.

  It was amazing how empty the school seemed when I knew it was really so full.

  I couldn’t think of a single thing to do. Maybe I should have tried running earlier. I might have reached Patrick. A phone call could have warned Claire to round up the twins, and in less than five minutes Patrick and I could have been at the elementary school. Why hadn’t I done that? One thing was sure—I shouldn’t have let the Demon touch me. I didn’t think I could pull away from his grip without losing my whole arm.

  We turned into the main hall and the Demon jerked me toward the front doors. We passed the front office, where no one seemed to notice me and my plight, and then we were pushing out of the front doors. He pulled me down the stairs toward the wide sidewalk. There were a few scattered people around, but the Demon didn’t release me. He didn’t care if I looked like a weirdo, walking with one arm stuck out in front of me.

  If I’d been panicking inside the school, now that we were walking toward the parking lot I was starting to shake. Was this really happening? I was so close to Patrick it seemed almost impossible for me to be in danger of being taken back to the Demon Lord. I could feel my phone in my pocket, but I worried he’d see me reaching for it. Maybe if I didn’t try to get it, he wouldn’t realize I had it. I could text Patrick from the trunk or wherever he planned to dump me.

  As if the Demon could sense my urge to fight, he threw a look over his shoulder, still walking fast. “Think of your sisters, Miss Bennett. Or do you prefer Kate? Katie?”

  I decided not to answer his question. I’d given up trying to talk to him, period. Obviously it wasn’t going to do me any good.

  We stepped off the curb and into the parking lot. My heart was hammering, but my thoughts were strangely clear. I needed to slip away. Somehow. As long as I could get a message to keep the twins safe, there was nothing he could threaten me with. It was an incomplete plan, but it was the best I had at the moment.

  He’d parked far away—almost the farthest corner of the crowded lot. But all too soon he was pulling me up to a silver pickup. It was large and appeared to be relatively new. Almost as intimidating as its owner.

  I tried to keep my breathing even. I tried not to think about what I intended to do until . . .

  His grip loosened subtly as he reached in his pocket for the keys. I made my move at that moment, anticipating this would be my best chance. I slammed my heel into the top of his foot, almost grinding down. He gasped in surprised pain, but before he could tighten his fingers around my arm, I was jerking through his weak point—where his thumb met with the other fingers. I ducked and started to run. I heard him yell behind me and curse loudly, then he was coming after me. Clumsily at first, but picking up speed.

  “You’ve just killed one of your brat sisters!” he cried out harshly.

  But I didn’t stop. I dived between two parked cars in one of the middle rows. I weaved between some,
but he was sliding across hoods and moving a lot faster than I was now. He was going to overtake me in seconds, unless something turned the tables.

  My backpack slapped against my back annoyingly, but I didn’t dare spare the second it would take to shrug out of it. My head was ducked, watching my feet so I wouldn’t trip over them or anything else. I almost skidded into one of the parked cars in front of me, but I was able to catch myself with two well-placed palms. At my rocking touch the car shivered and a responding alarm rent the air.

  There was another panted curse behind me—closer than I wanted to realize. A car away? Maybe two? I gasped evenly for air and continued to dart madly toward the school. What other choice did I have? My legs pumped furiously, but I knew it wasn’t going to be enough. No way could I continue to outrun him—even with his hurt foot, he was going to catch me.

  For the first time, I worried about what he would do when he had me in his power again. That fear was enough to propel me forward, but it wouldn’t last for long.

  I felt his fingers grope at my bag. I tried to put on a last burst of speed, but it was no good. He clutched my backpack and the resulting tug was enough to jerk me back against his chest, making us both stagger to an awkward stop. My shoulders felt like they’d been yanked out of their sockets, and I knew I’d have the burning welts for days to come. If I lived that long.

  I cried out, simply because there was no way to hold it in. He’d regained his balance. In a sweeping motion that was graceful in its simplicity, he had one hand around my throat, the other slamming my shoulder against the side of a nearby car. I was already struggling to breathe after my futile run, but his choke hold had me straining for the thinnest tendril of air. My lungs were on fire in seconds, and my bulging eyes watered.

  A terrible sneer twisted his face, which was pushed right up to mine. “Try that again, Katie,” he grated out with muted fury, “and the Demon Lord’s going to have himself a dead Seer.”

  His hand was still forcing my bruised shoulder against one of the car windows. I expected the glass to buckle at any moment, because surely it wasn’t designed to withstand this kind of sustained pressure. My bones were groaning, and if I’d had the air I would have screamed. Instead, all I could produce was a pitiful rasp that might have been a wordless plea.