Hunted tgl-3 (33 page)

I felt a tug and peered at the road in the direction we’d come from. We were not alone. My eyes met Remy’s.

What is it?
he asked.

We are not alone. There are more Specials in the cave and we have Guardians shadowing us
. I indicated the road with a nod.

He turned to look, just as a car zipped past without stopping, and its headlights lit another car parked on the shoulder of the road.

Remy nodded toward the road.
Sykes, see who they are
.

“Where are you going?” Izzy asked him softly.

“To take a leak.”

She made a face. “You are so gross.”

Sykes just laughed and disappeared in the shadows. He had explored this valley and the surrounding canyons, and he could sneak up on whoever was spying on us before they knew he was there, unless they were Psi.

“Look, Daryl,” Remy said, placing the palms of his hands on his knees and bending until he was eye-level with Daryl, even though the gesture was wasted on the blind boy. “What happened on Coronis Isle couldn’t be helped. Coronis was evil and had to be stopped. I’m sorry your parents died too.”

“Goddess, Remy,” Izzy swore. “What happened to being subtle?”

“That was subtle,” he retorted. “I focused only on Coronis.”

“It’s okay, Cardinal Isadora,” Daryl said, sounding mature for his age. He was fourteen and the oldest of the Specials in our sector. “My father and mother were Primes, but because I was blind and not very big, they thought I was not perfect. They dumped me at the institute with the other Specials when I was four. Five was the minimum age for admission. They didn’t care that I wasn’t being trained, that I was often used as a guinea pig and sent to fetch things for the other Specials. They were ashamed of me, but Coronis had a need for children like me. My powerful hearing abilities meant I would one day be a power source for her, to be drained when she needed an energy boost. You could say my life sucked, but now…”

Suddenly, his bravado disappeared. His chin trembled and his eyes filled with tears. He shoved his hands in his pockets, mentally controlling himself.

“My new mom and dad are nice,” he continued. “I don’t want anything to happen to them. I don’t want to leave them behind, especially my mom. She doesn’t have powers like the others.” He looked toward the cave and frowned. “We don’t want to go to the Academy in South America or Europe. We want to stay here with you.”

There was no room in the valley for the Specials. Not in the Academy or our homes. We also had no Civilians to keep an eye on them while we trained.

“You must protect us,” Daryl added. “You owe us.”

“You are blackmailing us?” Remy asked, not masking his outrage.

Daryl grinned. “Yes. You protect us, or else we’ll go all over your valley and use our powers. We’ll do things, good and bad, to make sure the people see us doing them.”

A giggle drew my attention to Kylie. I’d completely forgotten her presence.

“It’s not funny,” Remy reprimanded her, then glared at Daryl. “There’s nowhere for you to stay in the valley and you cannot threaten us.”

“Then we won’t tell you where Cardinal Kim is or who took her,” Angelia said from behind me.

We whipped around to face Angelia. Bran’s hand tightened on her shoulder, and from the way she tried to shrug it off, she didn’t like it.

“You are holding her hostage?” Remy asked in an outraged voice.

Angelia made a disgusted face as though Remy’s suggestion was beyond dumb. “N-no.”

“Tell them,” Bran ordered.

She shot him a mean look, then mumbled, “Demons took her.”

“Which ones?” Izzy asked at the same time as Remy. “Were they hiding in a cloud mass?”

“Was there lightning?” I added.

“There were no clouds. Is that what everyone is scared of? Lazari?”

“Back to the question, Angelia,” Izzy said impatiently. “What kind of demons?”

“They were a mixture of Nosferatu, Werenephils, and some nature-benders,” Angelia spat out. “Kieran and his friends fought them two nights ago and he said they were from the Order of Hermonites.”

We sighed with relief. Demons we could deal with. The Order had asked to meet with me, but Grampa had said no. Could this be their attempt to get our attention? “Where did they take her?” I asked, my glance moving from Angelia to Daryl then back to Angelia.

She ignored my question, even refused to look at me. I sighed. The Brotherhood was doing what they were supposed to do—raise the Specials neutrally—teaching them about our history without labeling Guardians as good and demons as bad. If we had had time, I would have broken the rules and explained to her about Coronis and why we sent her to Tartarus.

“Lil asked you a question,” Bran reminded Angelia.

“I’m never talking to her. Ever,” she added, shooting me a mean look.

“Fine. Pretend she’s not here,” Izzy snapped through gritted teeth. “Where did they take Kim?”

Angelia sneered. “I don’t like you either.”

“You know what? Right now the feeling is mutual, brat,” Izzy retorted.

“Behave,” Bran cautioned, though I wasn’t sure whether he was talking to Izzy or Angelia. “Tell us everything.”

She jerked her shoulder from his grip and moved to Daryl’s side. “We followed Kieran and his friends when they left the compound tonight, because we knew he was meeting Cardinal Kim. We materialized at the same time she did. Then the demons attacked. They didn’t give the Cardinal time to use her powers before they grabbed her and teleported. Kieran and his friends followed. I followed them, while Daryl used the Cardinal’s telegate to find your enclave.”

“He followed a telegate backward?” Izzy asked.

“He’s the best tracker we have,” Angelia bragged. Trackers could detect trace amounts of Psi energies and follow them. If Kim followed protocol, she made several stops before her last teleport, which meant Daryl was really good. “I followed the demons to their den, then met Daryl at home,” Angelia continued. “You let us stay and we’ll tell you who took the Cardinal and where she is being kept.”

I glanced at the others. Their expressions were grim. We all knew why Kim hadn’t fought back. Using her powers might have alerted the archangels.

Bran’s gaze swung between Daryl and Angelia. “You two are going home or I’ll tell Darius what you’ve been up to. Lil can retrieve the images of the demon’s den from your heads.”

“If she knows what’s good for her, she won’t try it,” Angelia retorted.

“Come on, Cardinal Bran,” Daryl added. “Do you really think we would let you take away our bargaining chip?”

Izzy laughed. “We are being blackmailed by two prepubescent kids.”

“I’m fourteen,” Daryl said, sounding insulted. “The clock is ticking, Cardinals. So what is it going to be? Cardinal Kim’s life or a sanctuary for us?”

They had the upper hand and knew it. As children from Coronis’ evil breeding program, they had powers we didn’t even know about. I had no idea what I’d face if I mind-blended with Angelia.

“We have to find a place for them to sleep tonight,” I said.

“Lil,” Bran and Izzy protested at the same time.

“You’re not going to let her guilt you into helping her again,” Remy snapped.

“I’m not. If they were just the two of them, I’d say to take them back, but they’re not.” I looked at Angelia. “Tell the others they can come out now.”

She hesitated as though to defy me.

“Do you want me to do it?” I asked.

She shook her head, then looked at Daryl.

“No teleporting,” Bran warned.

Meekly, they walked up to the cave and disappeared inside. Within minutes, they reappeared with Cade, telekinetically carrying him. He was still out. Kylie ran to his side and cradled his head.

The others Specials followed, like a line of ants. Some carried backpacks, others their favorite toy. It wasn’t just the two dozen Specials we rescued months ago. They were accompanied by their adopted sisters and brothers, mothers, aunts and grandmothers—a total of nearly sixty children under the age of sixteen, and about thirty women.

“Tartarus’ pit,” Izzy mumbled, eyeing them with wide eyes.

“Okay, Angelia, we’ve agreed to your terms,” Remy said, not masking his impatience. “Where is Cardinal Kim?”

“Lord Valafar took her.”

M
y stomach roiled. It couldn’t be true. The conversation with Gavyn and Solaris flashed in my head like a nightmare. Despite the twins’ claim, I hadn’t really believed my father could still be alive.

“Are you sure?” Bran asked in a harsh voice.

Angelia nodded. “The demons who took her said so. They took her to an old hotel they’re fixing up.”

“Where?” Bran said.

“I don’t know. It was an old hotel with the words ‘Lee Plaza’ on the front.”

“The Lee Plaza. That’s in Detroit.” He glanced at me. “It’s the Order’s headquarters. Did you go inside?”

“No way,” Angelia said. “As soon as I heard the guards say, ‘Lord Valafar will be happy. Now he has leverage.’ I got out of there. I don’t know what ‘leverage’ means, but it sounded bad.”

“This changes everything,” Izzy said, shaking her head, curly ponytail swinging back and forth. “We have to tell the senior Cardinals. Kim might not want them involved, but we’re dealing with the devil’s spawn. Sorry, Lil.”

“No,” I said.

Izzy’s eyes narrowed. “No?”

“I know Valafar is evil and unscrupulous, but I meant, no, we can’t tell the senior Cardinals. My grandfather is not going to let me go anywhere near Valafar, and when he takes that position, everyone will think he’s throwing Kim under the bus to protect me. Worse, we go in with the others and there will be fighting and killing. We use powers, and the archangels will find us.
I
have to do this.”

“I know what you are planning, and I’m not letting you do it,’ Bran said, emerald eyes flashing.

“You are acting the way Grampa would,” I shot back. “I’m the one he wants. Not Kim. I will not allow him to hurt her to get to me.” I glanced at Izzy and Remy. They didn’t meet my gaze. “You all know I’m right. I have no intention of staying with him. As soon as Kim is safe with you guys, I’ll escape.”

No one spoke, but their refusal to agree or disagree said a lot.

“You are not meeting with him without us,” Bran vowed.

“Of course not.” Somehow I had a feeling Valafar was behind Gavyn’s invitation to join them. Would he listen to reason? Maybe agree to call off the archangels if I agreed to have some sort of a relationship with him?

“What do we do about
them
?” Remy asked, slanting his head toward the Specials and their entourage.

One of the women detached herself from the group and approached us. “I am Aurora, Daryl’s mother,” she said. “We didn’t know you hadn’t offered us sanctuary. The children…” she glanced at Daryl and blinked. “If you want us to leave, we will leave.”

With them back in the Brotherhood compound, we wouldn’t have to worry about them. Unfortunately, Angelia already believed we were liars. Sending them home now would only confirm it.

“No, you don’t have to leave,” I said just as a familiar black SUV pulled off the highway and onto the parking lot. Sykes stepped down from behind the wheel. The passenger doors opened and out stepped Esras, Lunaris, Solaris, and Lucien.

“What are they doing here?” Remy asked.

Sykes raised his heads. “Don’t worry—everything is under control. Master Haziel sent them. He ordered them to help us.”

No one bothered to ask how he’d known.

“Cardinal Sykes told us about Kim being missing, but not them.” Esras indicated the children and the women with a nod.

“We’ll explain later,” Bran said. “Right now, we have to get them out of here and indoors. The glamour won’t hold for long.” His gaze followed a car as it zipped past us, then he glanced at Remy. “They can’t teleport or the Psi-dar will lock on them. Any ideas?”

“I’ll get transportation…buses. Esras, come with me,” Remy said.

“Where are we getting buses at this time of night?” Esras asked.

“The local transit bus depot,” Remy said impatiently. “We’ll
borrow
two. Lil, we’ll need drivers. Ask Kylie and Cade. We’ll take their truck and leave it by the grocery store next to the depot. They can pick it up when they return the buses. If they say no, compel them. We. Need. Them.” He nodded at Sykes. “Find a local hotel that can accommodate all of them. Each room can have an adult and two children. The teens can room in groups of two or three. Come up with a good cover story.”

That was the Remy I knew. Confident. Decisive. Unstoppable.

Sykes snapped his fingers. “Already got a cover story. They are exchange students from Europe touring the country with their parents, and the valley is their next stop.”

“Good. We’ll be back in a few.” He and Esras took off in Cade’s truck.

“I need a cell phone,” Sykes said, looking around. “Anyone got one?”

My eyes connected with Bran’s. I’d felt his gaze on me ever since we discussed Valafar. He wasn’t too happy with my decision, but he knew there was no way out.

How are you holding up?
he asked.

I’m trying not to think about it
. “Kylie might have a phone,” I said and moved away. She still held Cade on her lap and watched me with a weird expression as I drew closer. “How’s he doing?”

“I don’t know. Can you wake him up or something?”

“I will. Just give me a second. Can we borrow your cell phone?”

She pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket and shoved at me. “Then come back and take care of him, Lil. We are going home. This…” she looked around and shook her head. “We didn’t sign up for this. I want out.”

I should have seen that coming. Despite the fear of what was to come, namely meeting my father and negotiating Kim’s release, it annoyed me that she was bailing out on me. “Okay.”

I took the phone to Sykes. Bran had taken over where Remy had left off and was issuing orders. It was amazing how well they worked as co-leaders.

“Lucien, you’ll go with the Specials and keep an eye on them until we return. The rest of you,” Bran nodded at Izzy, Solaris, and Lunaris. “Reassure the children. They’re scared.”

“Just because we are women doesn’t necessarily mean we’re better equipped to deal with the children,” Solaris grumbled.

“Then don’t do anything until we get to Detroit, Solaris,” Bran said without any hint of anger. Then he nodded at Aurora. “Gather the women. I need to talk to them.”

Everyone got busy, even Solaris. I made my way back to Kylie’s side.

She stared at me with sad eyes. “I know you are not going to like this, Lil. I thought I could be in your world, help even, but tonight I learned I’m not ready for this. I want us to stay friends, but you must ask your grandfather to erase everything I know about you and your world.”

Things would never be the same between us. Not for me. “And your abilities?”

She was silent for a long time, and I was sure she wouldn’t answer. “If I’m meant to be a medium, I’ll tap into my powers again.”

“Could you do us one last favor?” I explained about the buses Remy and Esras had gone to get, and needing drivers. “Remy said he’ll park your truck by the bus depot, so you can pick it up when you return the buses.”

She blew out a breath. “Okay. But what if we get busted?”

“We’ll bail you out, expunge your records, and erase the cops’ memories.”

“You can do all that?” Cade mumbled in awe.

I looked down. When had he regained consciousness?

“You’re okay,” Kylie said, touching his face, then she helped him to his feet.

Cade looked around. “Who are these people? And don’t tell me Gypsies. I regained consciousness earlier in the cave and saw those children create balls of light out of thin air. They did something to me again and knocked me out. Again.”

“Energy balls,” Kylie corrected him, then stared at me with saucer eyes. “What are you going to do?”

I had no idea. Telling her the truth about us had been necessary because she was a medium. Cade was just your average teenager with an active imagination and a truckload of curiosity.

“Tell him what he needs to know for now,” Bran said from behind me. “Remy and Esras are bringing two buses, which means we’ll need both of you. Lucien is not used to dealing with humans and will need your help too.”

“Humans?” Cade asked with a weird inflection in his voice.

“Yes, humans,” Bran said impatiently. “Lil, you want to explain?”

I shook my head. Once was enough. Despite understanding Kylie’s reasons for bailing out on me now, I was hurt and disappointed in her.

What happened?
Bran asked, studying me.

Kylie wants out. Explain everything to Cade. I’ll go and see if the others need help with the children
.

No, stay
. Bran gripped my arm and moved closer to Cade, eyes narrowed. “We are entrusting you with something sacred, Cade. No humans around here know who or what we are, except Kylie. And even she can’t handle it and wants out. If you tell anyone about what I’m about to tell you, I will make your life so miserable you will kill yourself to escape me.” He paused. “No, I will teleport you to a Nosferatu den and let you be their blood supply for a year. Do you understand?”

Cade nodded. “What is a Nosferatu?”

“Vampires,” I explained, then glared at Bran. “Don’t.”

“No, he needs to understand why keeping our secret is important and the consequences if he doesn’t. We are Guardians, Cade. Half-angel and half-human. We have been called different names by humans, been worshipped and revered. The evil branch of our family is what you guys call demons. We are the good guys. They are the bad guys. They want to take over the world and be worshipped again. We couldn’t give a rat’s ass about such things, so we hunt them down. Some kidnapped Kim and we are going to get her back. Questions?”

Cade shook his head, but I’d never seen a man so scared. I gave Bran’s hand a squeeze. Valafar’s return had him more rattled than it had me.

“Good. The rest isn’t important,” Bran said then focused his attention on Kylie. For one brief moment, I thought he was going to be mean to her too. Instead, he exhaled and said, “You have been a true friend to Lil this past year, Kylie, and an ally to all of us. For that, we’ll always be grateful. You want out, it’s your choice and Cardinal Falcon will see that you get your wish. In the meantime, do you think you could help Lucien when you get to the hotel?”

Kylie nodded. “Sure.”

“Thank you. Sykes will give you the name of the hotel and the group’s reservation number. You and Lucien will stay with the Specials and their parents until we get back.” Bran glanced at his watch, then his glance volleyed between Kylie and Cade. “If we are not back by morning, keep an eye on the Specials while Lucien goes to the enclave to talk to Lil’s grandfather.”

Kylie gave him a wobbly smile. “Okay.”

“I’ll check on the others.” Bran squeezed my hand, then walked away.

“I’ve never seen him so…intense,” Kylie said.

“Did he mean what hejust said?” Cade whispered. “About making me kill myself and the vampires?”

“Every word,” Kylie said, sounding a little shaken too. “They don’t hurt humans.”

“Thanks, guys.” I gripped their hands. “I’ll talk to Grampa about the memory thing.”

Kylie nodded. “Later. Right now focus on finding Kim. I hope she’s okay.”

“Me too,” I said. “My father should know better than to kidnap a Guardian.”

Kylie blinked. “Oh, Lil.”

I gave her a tiny smile and walked away.

“Her father?” I heard Cade ask.

I joined the others just as Esras and Remy pulled up with the buses. We got busy helping the children into their seats. The last to go in were Daryl and his mother, who had her arm on the skinny boy’s shoulder. Angelia was already inside the bus, her face pressed against the window as she stared at us. Her anger had lessened but she still couldn’t look at me without glowering. I wished there was something I could do or say to make her happy. I tried to catch her eye, but she stuck her chin in the air and ignored me.

“She’ll come around,” Daryl said from beside me. “Bran explained to her and she understands, but…” he shrugged.

She felt I had betrayed her by not telling her myself. Sighing, I smiled at Aurora, Daryl’s mother. “We will be back before dawn, but if you need anything—”

“Lucien and your two human friends will help,” she finished. “Cardinal Bran told us. We have credit cards and some money with us, so don’t worry. You go and rescue your friend.” She cupped my face, surprising me. I had thought she would hate us for refusing to give them sanctuary. “Thank you for rescuing our son from Coronis Isle.”

Daryl rolled his eyes. “Come on, Mom.”

Within minutes, the buses pulled out. No one spoke until they were out of sight. We left the SUV in the parking lot and trekked up to the cave. Despite being a local attraction, the inside was dark and dingy. Sykes created energy balls so we could see clearly. Solaris and Lunaris added more.

“Did you guys bring weapons?” Bran asked, his gaze moving from Esras to Solaris and Lunaris.

“Just the usual,” Esras said, pulling a dagger from his boot. Solaris removed a whip. The tip was split into two with jadeite metal tips. Lunaris had a set of knives.

We changed, piling our regular clothes and shoes in the satchel Remy had carried. Then we slipped weapons into hidden sheaths under our coats and boots. Esras and Remy turned some of the knives and sheaths into swords and scabbards. Even though the Kris Dagger was inactive, Remy had brought it. He must have remembered what I had told them, that Master Haziel had insisted I must always carry it.

“Remember, we are going to talk, not fight, which means you don’t attack unless you get attacked. And no matter what they do, don’t use your powers. The last thing we need is Raphael and his tribe descending on us.”

“I don’t get it,” Solaris said. “They have one of our people and we’re going to talk?”

Our people?
Her tune had changed.

“Valafar has her, Solaris,” I said. “The Specials told us his men took Kim to the Order’s den in Detroit.”

A strange look crossed her face. A mixture of anger and excitement, I thought, but I could have been wrong.

“Let’s pair up,” Bran said. “Lil and I will take the lead. I know exactly where the Order is holed up. Sykes—”