Hunted

- 2 - BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

“I hate not knowing what we’re dealing with,” Izzy griped.

“Me, too,” I added.

A week had gone by since we killed the crackling-cloud demon. We each told the senior Cardinals our version of the events leading to that confrontation then we’d gotten our new orders—no more leaving the valley. No more canceling the remaining contracts.

Luckily, we weren’t too worried about them. We only had fifteen more to go, and all of them were Runners. The Security Team was trying to track them down. I recalled Grampa’s earnest expression when he’d said it. It was the lamest excuse in the book for putting us on a weeklong lockdown. Of course, no one had yet to admit that the senior Cardinals were busy trying to find the den of this new demon on their own. Even Bran wasn’t allowed to hunt with them anymore.

“The senior Cardinals have started a record of all the new demons we’ve encountered since Coronis got her one-way ticket to Tartarus,” Izzy said. “I saw it yesterday at the library. It’s growing fast.”

“Did they add ours?”

“Ours?” Kim asked scathingly. “You two are pathetic. We’ve been forced to hide in the valley for an entire week while the senior Cardinals chase their tails hoping to meet another crackling-cloud demon, and now that they’ve concluded the fiend was a lone hybrid and we can finally leave the valley, you sit here and yap about the same, stupid demon.”

“You’ve got to admit it spooked everyone,” I said.

“Whatever. Look at the guys,” Kim continued. “They don’t seem to care. They’re having fun.”

The sweaty, shirtless Guardians were slamming a ball over the volleyball net. We had decided to celebrate our freedom by joining the students from the Guardian Academy on their first vacation. The island crawled with excited teens sunbathing, swimming, or watching the game, their teachers and the Security Guardians from Xenith, but it was private and away from prying human eyes. The security shield and glamour covering it were impenetrable, and reached far into space. Located at the center of churning dark-blue waters of what humans called the Bermuda Triangle, Pearls Island was the last stop for Guardians teleporting home to Xenith. The portal was in the middle of the forest inside a lake.

My gaze swung back to Bran just as he looked my way. I smiled when he winked, dimples flashing. At six-foot-three, with massive raven-black wings and matching hair which had grown longer over the summer, he stood out even among the gorgeous Guardians.

“Stupid game,” Izzy continued. “It’s nothing but a chance for them to show off their powers to the students.” She lowered her sunglasses to glare at her boyfriend Rastiel, who was home for the holidays. “He’s neglected me since we got here. Maybe I should make out with someone else.”

“Maybe you should give him a reason to ditch volleyball. You too, Lil. Get up, walk right past them, and take a dip in the ocean. There’s something to be said about the power of a wet swimsuit. Just remember to keep your chins up and push your chests out. Especially you, Lil. You slouch.”

Not bothered by the criticism, I giggled, visualizing myself waddling like a goose with my butt sticking out and my modest chest straining against the bright-blue bikini top. My usual one-piece swimsuit had finally been traded for a skimpy bikini in the name of looking hot for my boyfriend. Bran didn’t care what I wore. He never had, but I was beginning to learn the meaning of peer pressure.

Izzy had pushed and scolded me until I gave in to a makeover. The manicure and pedicure were nice enough. The electric-blue nail polish matched my bikini. But I’d hated the hours at the salon while a stylist washed, trimmed, and tried to tame my unruly red hair—until I looked in the mirror. The partial French braids held back half of my hair and the rest tumbled down my shoulders in glorious curls, making me look exotic.

A collective gasp drew my attention back to the game. Bran was up in the air, chasing the ball. He turned and sent the ball flying with one giant sweep of his wings. The ball jetted downward to the other side of the net. A crack filled the air as a teacher tried to block the ball and ended up with a broken arm. A collective “ooh” came from the spectators. He disappeared in mid-air and someone else took his place. He wasn’t the first player to get hurt. Guardian volleyball was brutal. One of the Civilians had set up a healing room inside the resort’s main building to take care of injuries.

Guardian beach volleyball was crazy and weird. The net was five times as wide and high as the ones used by humans, the play area huge, and bets were off on the use of powers. Good thing the island was private, its location unknown to humans.

Bran looked at me and grinned when they scored.

You are amazing, I telepathed him.

Thank you. He made a flamboyant bow, which made Remy and Sykes tease him.

“Rastiel’s team sucks. The only students cheering for them were Celeste and her friends,” Izzy mumbled.

Celeste, Bran’s sister, would cheer for the underdogs just to be contrary. It was what made her so interesting. Rastiel, Izzy’s boyfriend since her early teens, had the ability to control air. He might not have had enough power to become a Cardinal Air Guardian like Kim, but he had enough for a mean game of beach volleyball. Rumor had it that he planned to teach at the Academy when he finished college.

“They didn’t stand a chance to begin with,” Kim said with indifference then she raised the brim of her beach hat and lowered her sunglasses to peer at the shirtless guys. “But who knew the Academy had such hot teachers?”

“You wouldn’t,” I said, knowing how often she changed boyfriends.

Kim shrugged. “Why not? I’m single.”

“Not for long,” Izzy said in a sing-song tone.

“Shut up.” Kim imitated her tone.

“You’ll have to tell them some time,” Izzy added in a serious tone.

“I don’t have to do anything,” Kim said firmly.

Izzy made a face then raised her hand. A frozen pink and yellow drink with a tiny umbrella, courtesy of the Civilian cabana boy behind us in the beach snack bar, floated into her hand.

I wondered what the stilted conversation between Izzy and Kim meant. The two were pretty tight, so being in the dark wasn’t something new to me. As the youngest in our team of junior Cardinals, I’d been reduced to little sister status, privy to only what they chose to share.

“I think you should tell them to back off,” Izzy insisted. “Their attitude is archaic and so last millennium.”

“They’re my parents, and I don’t want to discuss this anymore,” Kim snapped.

“Suit yourself. I’m going for a swim.” Izzy plucked her wide brim hat and her sunglasses, and threw them on top of her bag, her attention shifting to her boyfriend. “Maybe I’ll turn into a siren, lure Rastiel into the water and drown him.”

She crossed the sand with a gentle roll of her hips, drawing the attention of the players. Rastiel almost got bludgeoned by the volleyball when he continued to watch Izzy until she dove under a wave.

“Idiot,” Kim murmured.

“Rastiel?” I asked.

Kim hesitated, then she removed her hat, finger-combed her long blonde tresses and sighed. “Izzy. They had a fight, but it means nothing. Rastiel is nuts about her, and their families approve of their relationship.”

“You think they’ll be mated?”

“She hasn’t said anything, but she’s eighteen now and can choose him if she likes.” Her tone was neutral, but my empathic senses picked up envy.

Why would she be jealous of Izzy? Kim hooked up with different guys all the time, two in the past year, strung them along then dumped them. I wanted to ask her what was wrong without appearing nosy, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it.

“It’s interesting that we…women…get to choose who we mate with,” I said.

She shrugged. “That was Goddess Xenia’s way of dealing with male arrogance. She saw how our forefathers abused their power by taking many mates.”

“So do you have someone in mind for a mate?” I asked tentatively.

Kim bit her lower lip, and for a brief moment I was sure she wouldn’t respond.

“Why don’t you go for a swim too instead of interrogating me?” she said.

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. I’d done enough scuba diving. Bran and his ability to trap pockets of air under water made scuba diving quite an experience.

“I suppose you and Bran will have a pactus when you officially choose him,” Kim asked with a mocking smile that usually bugged me. Not today though. Beach times had been rare this summer and I wasn’t about to let her spoil it for me. “I guess so.”

He was my soul mate, or to use the ancient term, my alrune. I was attracted to him the moment we met even though I thought he was from the loony bin at the time. He was confident and fearless. But his most admirable quality was his loyalty to his family, even to his brother, who didn’t deserve it. Falling in love with him had been inevitable. Mating with him was something I’d assumed was a given, not that I needed to think about such things now. I had about a year to go before I could ask him to be my mate.

Frowning, I studied him. Would he say yes? Just because women did the asking didn’t necessarily mean men said yes. I’d never attended a pactus, the mating ceremony performed in the temple of Goddess Xenia in Xenith—the Guardians’ homeland. Nephlings weren’t allowed in Xenith, and since I was one, thanks to my human grandmother, that meant Bran and I would not be mated there.

“I’m going to read in the cabana for a while.” I nodded toward the one set aside just for us Cardinals.

“Remember, we’re leaving in less than hour,” she reminded me.

“I know.” I reached for the book in my tote bag, my hand brushing against the strap of my dagger’s belt. Even on vacation, we carried weapons just in case demons attacked. Not that they would dare come after us on Pearls Island.

A shadow fell over me, the silhouette of the wings reaching Kim. Squinting, I looked up at Bran and fought a blush when he studied me with heated emerald eyes.

Water droplets glistened like diamonds on his tanned chest, the scar of the Guardian amulet light between his pecs. Funny, I had once thought the scar marred the perfection of his golden skin. Now it was a reminder of how much he’d sacrificed to leave the demonic world and join us.

“Done showing off?” I asked, smiling.

“For the moment,” he answered cockily. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He must have felt my brief moment of sadness when I was thinking about Xenith. It was great to have a boyfriend so in tune with my feelings.

Izzy appeared behind him. “If you want to drool over the new and improved Lil, take her away from here and do it in private.”

“I second that,” Kim said with a bite in her voice.

Bran ignored them. He offered me his hand, pulled me straight into his arms and wrapped a possessive arm around my waist.

“New and improved?” he asked, his right eyebrow arcing as he glanced at Izzy.

“You know. The hair, new swimsuit, the whole makeover. She looks hot. Told you he’d drool,” she added, winking at me.

“I don’t drool,” Bran protested though half-heartedly.

“Do too,” Izzy retorted.

“I don’t need to. Lil always looks hot in anything she wears,” he added, smiling.

I hugged his arm. He said the nicest things ever. I kissed him.

Izzy made a gagging sound. “You two are nauseating.”

Kim pointed toward the cabana and added imperiously, “Go. You’re messing with my tan.”

Bran grinned. “We’re going, but not because you ordered us to. I’ve something else on my mind.”

“Yeah, we know,” Kim quipped.

“Thank me later,” Izzy teased.

“Shut up.” I still wasn’t used to their teasing. Let’s go to the lounge, I telepathed Bran.

No, we’re heading up. He scooped me up like I weighed nothing, then he teleported with me.

We materialized in the air, his wings beating fast to stabilize us. Below us, the Guardians looked like ants on the powder-white beach. The Bahamian colonial-style houses of the resort blended with the palm trees and the pristine turquoise waters lapping the shores of the island. Admiring the view from the air wasn’t what I had in mind, but at least we were alone.

He shot up, aiming higher. Over his shoulders, the islands grew smaller. A few miles away, several cruise ships drifted in the darker, deeper waters. Not a single cloud marred the perfection of the sky.

Bran did a couple of loop-de-loops, then steadied us, his dimples flashing and emerald-green eyes sparkling. He was happiest when flying.

“What do you think of the view?” Bran asked.

“Beautiful.” I looked into his eyes. “I think you deliberately brought me up here because you were losing.”

“Losing?”

“The game where you’d look at me then pretend not to.” I tapped his nose. “You’re not that sneaky.”

He chuckled and brushed his lips against my temple. “I could never ignore you, Sunshine. You’re my chosen mate.”

“I haven’t decided on that yet,” I teased, trying not to laugh when shock registered in his expressive green eyes.

“Take that back or I’ll drop you.” He removed his arm from under my knees. I tightened my arms around his neck and scrambled to wrap my legs around him.

“That wasn’t funny,” I scolded him. “I could have fallen.”

“I’d fall with you.” He dropped a quick kiss on my lips this time. “In life and in death, Lil Falcon.” He pressed his forehead against mine and added softly, “This lifetime is not enough for the things I plan to do with you.”

“Me, too.”

His arms tightened around me. “Then choose me as your mate,” he said, his voice low. “Make it official.”

I giggled. “I can do that after I turn eighteen, silly. Pactus must be performed in front of witnesses. It’s the Guardian tradition.”

“On Coronis Isle, we didn’t have a temple. Alrunes made their own vows.” His eyes grew intense. “Let’s make ours right now, with the elements as our witnesses.”

“Bran—”

“Do it,” he added softly, daring me.

He was worried. How ridiculous. I’d never choose anyone else. “I love you, silly, and if you want this, then let’s do it.” I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I vow right here and now that you, Bran Llyr, are my chosen mate. With the sun, the stars, the waters, the air, and the earth as my witnesses, I will love you through eternity.”

“In flesh and ascension,” he added.

“In flesh and ascension,” I repeated.

“Yours always, mine forever.”

“Yours always, mine forever.”

He repeated the vows, then grinned. “Let’s seal it.”

He kissed me, his touch igniting fire in my blood so effortlessly, making me feel wanted and special at the same time. Our breaths mingled and hearts pounded in perfect rhythm. His kiss deepened as our energies blended. We shifted to a different plane. Fates sealed. Souls united by our vows and kiss.

He forgot to flap his wings and we dropped suddenly, forcing ours lips to part. My arms tightened around his neck. Laughing, I stared into his eyes, which had darkened to a stormy green.

“You can never take it back,” he whispered, studying my upturned face.

His intensity told me this was important to him. I stopped laughing and my arms tightened around his shoulders. “I’d never want to.”

“Good. So, what do you want for your birthday?”

“You,” I said without hesitation.

Bran smiled, or at least I felt his lips curve into a smile against my temple. “You already have me, Sunshine.”

“You know what I mean.”

He chuckled. “We have fifteen contracts to go. Imagine that. Fifteen.” He whipped around while laughing, forcing me to hold on to him tighter. He moved faster and faster until everything blurred except his eyes, which flashed with merriment. “Then I’ll be free. Free to do anything, to give you whatever you want.”

His laughter was contagious. I flung my arms out as he continued to spin and screamed with glee.

Then something blocked the sun. Probably his wings, was my first thoughts, but then a chill crawled up my spine like icicles grazing heated skin. Bran must have felt it too, because he stopped, turned, and looked around.

The crackling-cloud demon moved leisurely toward us, looking bigger and more ominous in the day than against any night sky. The edges swelled like a thousand, fat worms, the core so bright the sun paled in comparison.

My stomach sank and my heart started beating fast. For a week, I’d dreaded this moment. Dreaded and felt ashamed, because as a Cardinal I wasn’t supposed to be scared of demons. I reached for my dagger then realized I still wore my swimsuit. I had left the Kris Dagger behind in my bag.