Guardians Of The Shifters (12 page)

I quickly rolled out of bed and opened the bedside table and pulled out a dagger with a light blue handle. I tip toed out of the room surveying the area around me. My eyes landed on someone hunched over the coffee table. Their arms were moving so I thought whoever it was was leafing through the papers.

I launched myself over the couch and put my dagger to the person’s throat. She let out a high pitched scream and dropped the cleaning supplies that she was holding. I removed the dagger from her throat and stepped away just as Caden came running out with wide eyes. He looked ready to invade a pack of hungry lions.

The woman looked like she was ready to pass out and kept a safe distance from me. I tried to apologize. “I’m so sorry…I thought you were someone else.” She kept shaking her head while gathering up her supplies as quickly as she could. Hell, if that was me I’d say screw the cleaning stuff and run out the door screaming my head off.

All the while Caden stood on the other side of the room with an amused look on his face. I was half tempted to walk over to him and slap the look off his face. After the cleaning lady left in a hurry without looking back, I sat on the couch with my head in my hands. I felt a jolt of embarrassment. Caden knelt down in front of me prying the dagger from my hand and setting it on the table. He brushed my hair away from my eyes.

“It happens to the best of us.”

I gave him a bland look. “I seriously thought it was someone else.”

“Like who?”

“Seriously…do you have to ask that?”

“Cora, maybe you should take a break on hunting the assassins.”

I jumped up from the couch almost, knocking him over. “Are you freaking crazy?”

“Cora.” He pleaded.

“No Caden…I have to do this.”

He stood swiftly. “Why, why does it have to be you?”

I threw my hands up and let out a frustrated breath. “I don’t see how you can even ask that after everything that’s happened! Those bastards killed my parents, killed Carla and all those people at that stupid supposed safe haven and all you can say is why!” I tried to calm myself down but I could already start to feel the fire rising up. “They killed your parents too…I have to stop them.”

Caden looked at me wearily. “Okay…but I’m helping…you can’t get rid of me this time, we are in this together.”

I shouldn’t have been shocked but well, my face told a different story. Caden chuckled as he walked back to the room to grab what I was assuming was a shirt. After he came back out fully clothed and once we were strapped down with weapons, we headed out the door. I should probably tell him that the assassins don’t usually come out until later but I kept my mouth shut. After all, this is a dangerous world we live in and you’ll never know what’s lurking around the corner.

                                             Chapter 5

We stepped out into a brightly lit day and I could already start to feel my hair start to frizz. The day was hot and humid with clear blue skies and puffy white clouds. Horns honked in the distance and smells of food from different carts made my stomach growl. I could go for a chocolate covered donut and a nice big cup of coffee. Ah coffee, the most important beverage of the day, its fuel for the mind and body.

I left Caden by the hotel doors so that I could get a cup of coffee from the coffee cart across the street. I think the name on the cart said Coffee Croozer. I laughed softly to myself at the name. The man behind the portable coffee shop looked to be middle aged and gave me a warm smile as I stepped up to look at the beverage menu. I couldn’t decide if I wanted a caramel flavored coffee or a chocolate flavored one. Hm…decisions decisions.

I was about to tell him what I wanted when his eyes about bugged out of his head. On one of the silver bars on the cart, I saw a reflection of a person raising their fist about ready to cold-clock me. I ducked just as he swung. As I ducked I spun around on the balls of my feet and swiped out my leg. My foot connected with his ankle knocking him to the ground. He fell with an oomph sound. I was too fast for him and was already straddling him with a dagger at his throat before he even knew what was happening.

Some people screamed and ran while others watched. It took me a minute to realize that it was the teenaged assassin from the night before. He looked up at me with wide frightened eyes but there was no way I was going to remove the dagger from his throat.

Shouldn’t these guys know by now not to come at me unless they were in a group? I mean yeah, you get the stupid few like this one that try and come at me on their own. Tipping my head to the side. “Who are you?” He didn’t answer so I pressed the blade harder into his neck. “What’s your name?”

“K-K-Kevin.” He stammered.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “How old are you?”

He didn’t hesitate this time. “Fifteen.”

“Cora?” I looked up at the sound of my name. “What’s going on?”

I stood up pulling Kevin along with me. “He tried to punch me.”

“I got your attention though.” I glared at him and he shut up and looked at the ground. Caden looked at the all black clothes the kid was wearing and a surprised look crossed his face.

“He’s an assassin.”

I snorted. “Not a very good one.”

“Nonetheless. We should probably take him to the basement.”

Oh good grief. “Fine, you take him there and I’ll be right behind you.”

Caden grabbed ahold of the kids arm and practically dragged him across the street. I watched as they disappeared around the side of the hotel before I looked back at the middle aged guy. “Caramel coffee please.” His hands shook as he filled my order, causing the coffee to spill over the edge and over his hand. I dropped a five on the cart and crossed the street. There was no way that I wasn’t going to drink any coffee, plus put a kid in the mix…yeah I’m going to need it.

People seemed to move out of my way quicker and I couldn’t help but to smile to myself as I took a sip of the steamy liquid. Mm-mm, it was like bliss on my taste buds, smooth like black silk as it glided down my throat. Now this is what I call heaven. Who knew that a portable coffee shop would have such amazing coffee?

By the time I reached the basement door my cup was half empty. I decided to stay outside a few seconds longer to finish my drink, it kind of sucks that I didn’t get the chocolate covered donut, oh well, I’ll get one later. Dropping the cup in the trash bin next to the door, I pulled the door open and walked in. A click echoed through the room indicating the door locking behind me. I walked in a-ways and came to a stop.

The Kevin kid was literally tied to the gaudy looking chair and Caden stood a few feet away from the kid with his hands propped on his hips. That was an odd, but funny position for him to be standing in, that pose was so not for him because it didn’t look right when he did it. His type of pose would be him leaning his shoulder against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and his ankles crossed.

Mentally shaking myself to the present, I walked over and kneeled down in front of Kevin so that we were somewhat at eye level.

“Why did you attack during the day?”

He hesitated. “To get your attention.”

I looked at him thoughtfully. “Well…now you have it.”

“Can you, uh, untie me?”

I gave him an amused look. “Let me think…um…no.”

He semi shrugged. “You might want to after you hear what I have to say.”

Caden spoke up just then. “Very doubtful kid.”

He gave Caden a knowing look. “Oh…you will.”

They went back and forth for a few more minutes throwing insults at each other. “Okay, Caden knock it off.” I turned back to Kevin. “And you, stop dancing around the subject and start talking.”

Kevin swallowed nervously and wouldn’t meet our eyes when he began talking. With each word he spoke, they came out shaky.

“I saw what you did to the man I was with the night before. I know the assassins aren’t supposed to show fear or be afraid. But that night I was afraid, not because of what you’re capable of, but of you personally. I wasn’t born into the assassin ranks, I was abandoned when I was a kid and these people took me in. That’s when I learned all about the guardians and shifters. In all honesty, the shifters don’t seem so bad. I don’t want to be on the losing side anymore.” He looked at me full on. “The two of you can make a change, but with me…I can help make that happen.”

I couldn’t help but to snort. “How do we know we can trust you, you’re only fifteen?”

Kevin cocked his head to the side and had a half cocky grin on his face. “Am I?”

Everything happened so fast after that. Something shifted in the air knocking me backwards on my back. A source of heat filled the basement and the walls had an orange tint reflecting off them, I’m surprised the sprinklers didn’t go off. The lights above our heads flickered and I almost thought that they would blank out. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked towards the chair only to find it burnt and charred. But the spot wasn’t empty. “Holy Shit!” I don’t know if it was me or Caden that said it.

Standing in the place of the chair was a body surrounded by fire, well it looked more like someone standing in the fire. It crackled and jumped. I was literally in awe. I watched as the fire around him receded back into his body until there was a ball of light that slowly faded inside his rib cage. I couldn’t help but think, did I look like that when I shifted? Caden came to my side and helped me off the floor never taking his eyes off Kevin. Out of all the things that could have happened, I sure as hell wasn’t expecting this. Kevin looked at us with a smug look on his face.

“I guess we have things to talk about.”

Boy did we ever. “That’s an understatement.”

“Do you have a more comfortable place that we could chat?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah.”

He swept out an arm. “After you.”

I hesitantly walked past him with Caden right behind me. I flinched when Kevin fell in step next to me because I didn’t hear him walk up. I guess that’s the other part of him, I could move quietly as well. I was still trying to process what the hell just happened as we walked up the stairs.

Another thought accrued to me, Cole lied to me, he said I was the first hybrid shifter come to pass in two hundred years. I wanted to bring him back to life just to kill him all over again. I tried to rain in my temper as we walked through the stairwell door and headed to my room. But this could be helpful, since Kevin was what I am, maybe he knows more about the other hybrid shifter. Besides, what could go wrong?

                                              Chapter 6

Once in my hotel room I moved stuff out of the way so there was room for us all to sit. Kevin wrinkled his nose as he looked around the messy room, hey, it’s not like I was expecting company. After I cleaned off the couch, Kevin sat down and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. Caden stood with his back against the wall and his arms were folded across his chest with one foot propped on the wall. As for me, I went to the kitchen and grabbed three bottles of water. I handed one to Caden and tossed the other to Kevin hoping to smack him in the face with it, no such luck, his hand snaked out like a cobra and caught it. Damn, fast reflexes.

I took my place standing next to Caden and flipped the water bottle between my hands. It was pretty quiet except for the crinkling sound the plastic bottle made while being passed from hand to hand like a ball. Yeah, the sound was annoying and besides, it didn’t seem like Kevin was going to open his mouth any time soon.

Caden, he just stood there as still as a statue regarding Kevin carefully and me, well I didn’t know which questions to ask first, Kevin let out a sigh as he leaned back into the couch and looked over at me.

“As you have noticed, you’re not the only hybrid shifter.”

No shit. “Yeah, so I’ve seen…I just don’t understand.”

“What’s not to understand?”

“How you’re one.”

He chuckled. “Well I suppose I came to be the same way you have, a guardian and a shifter got fleshy with one another.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t mean that…I was told that I was the first one come to pass in two hundred years.”

“Whoever told you that was obviously mistaken.”

“Obviously.” I said in a cold voice.

Caden put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kevin looked between us and a thoughtful look crossed his face. “You two are in love with each other.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. Caden nor I jumped in to say that it was a false accusation. You can’t deny something that’s true. Kevin settled back again with a smile plastered on his face and I was half tempted to throw my water bottle at him. Caden broke the silence.