Bound by Revenge (Guardian Series) (6 page)

Vance met with Morgan only once since he realized she followed him to Ruthers. During their meeting, they agreed it would be best to split up and settle into town individually since neither had seen Sam at that point. Vance was thrilled that Morgan had agreed to the separation. The last thing he needed was Morgan following him around if he was going to get the opportunity of a lifetime, an invitation to join the guardians.

And he wasn’t about to tell her why he decided to come to Ruthers. She couldn’t hear the sound that summoned him, which meant that the call wasn’t for her. Not that he thought for even a second that she’d be brought in for such a prestigious position. She couldn’t be trusted. As her former partner, he knew that better than anyone. She’d never be able to put humanity ahead of her own agenda. She wouldn’t make it a single day as a guardian.

But, still, Morgan would be furious when she realized she’d been excluded and it would be even worse to think that Vance was chosen over her. She wouldn’t care that joining the guardians would be a terrible fit for her or that she’d have to care for the humans she despised if she somehow was to become part of their team. All she’d think about was how she deserved more than anyone else. Her ego would keep her from thinking it through and everyone around her would suffer the consequences.

Nothing had really happened since Vance got to Ruthers. There wasn’t a thing to confirm his suspicions that the guardians were rebuilding but he didn’t know what else it could be. He was even starting to question his own sanity. Maybe he made it all up. Maybe there wasn’t a summons and it was all just in his head. But if his suspicions were right and it was actually Sam coming to join them, he knew he’d originally been on the right track. He’d be glad to know he wasn’t crazy and he’d sure like to see Sam again but this would be exactly what could throw Morgan over the edge.

Vance saw how suspicious Morgan was when she first got into town. She could tell that something was off right away when she got to town. Sam’s absence was suspicious at best, and Vance’s quick relocation didn’t settle right either. As soon as she finds out that Sam was here too, Morgan will be even more curious but this time Vance wouldn’t be there to convince her that everything was fine. It was just a matter of time before Morgan would insert herself into the guardians’ business and cause a whole world of trouble. And, for once, Vance would be on the receiving end of her interference.

After wrapping up his last mission, a wildly successful one, Vance had walked away. He expected a few weeks off, as a reward for a job well done. Instead, he got this. A high pitched hum in his head. Impossible to ignore.

Normally he’d follow Sam to a new location when she’d decide to move on. He could feel her presence easily, even over a long distance. He could feel her vibrations all the way down to his bones. Vance couldn’t imagine anything else that could pull him across the country. It had always been Sam that called him to a new location.

This did it, though, and obviously it wasn’t Sam since he didn’t get the same feeling permeating his body. But, ever the soldier, Vance headed where he was summoned.

The beacon seemed to be the corporate offices of Andrean Consultants or, more precisely, it must have been coming from someone inside. Inanimate objects just didn’t have the kind of kinetic energy needed to call out to someone across town never mind across the country.

Once he arrived, the only thing to do was wait. Wait for some direction, wait for Sam, or wait for whoever had called him to explain why he was here and what role he was expected to play.

It was a month ago to the day that Vance pulled his gunmetal gray mustang into the parking garage that attached to the five story building that held Andrean Consultants.

Vance watched as, one by one, the employees rolled into the parking lot. Each one heading to the door on the side of the lot that led to the lobby of the building. All of them were human, he could tell without even getting out of his car. None of them could have called. The source had to be an extremely powerful immortal.

At 9:00 on the dot, one last car squealed as it took the sharp left turn into the lot. A young man, appearing to be about 28, stepped out of the flashy, red BMW. Wearing a tailored suit and a burgundy silk tie, he held himself with the confidence of a powerful businessman and the cocky attitude of a wealthy young ladies man.

This was a kindred spirit. Vance was relieved to find someone, even a human, who he felt so comfortable around and he knew right away that this would be his guide into this world. Vance flashed himself into a similar outfit as he stepped from his car onto the cement floor of the packed garage. He had just mastered this particular gift, the ability to manipulate objects. At first, Vance had thought that it was merely a parlor trick but the more he practiced the more useful it became. And times like this, where going to find a mall would be terribly inconvenient, he was truly thankful for the skill.

He looked down at himself to make sure he didn’t miss any important elements of the corporate uniform. Once he was satisfied with what he’d conjured he was ready to approach the young man. There were just a few strides separating him from his target.

“Good morning.” Vance said, stepping in front of the man in an attempt to get his attention.

“Morning.” The man responded as he looked over to see who he was greeting. The look was disinterested and slightly annoyed. It was tantamount to flashing a neon sign demanding he not be interrupted.

As soon as the man made eye contact with Vance, they both stopped dead in their tracks. That one beat was all that it took for Vance to take control of the young man’s mind. A quick burst of light flashed from Vance’s eyes, stunning the man in front of him, pulling Vance deeper inside his thoughts.

This skill was what Vance considered his greatest gift. Mind control was nothing to take lightly, and he used it only when completely necessary. He was never quite sure what long term consequences it could have. Even as a demon, he knew better than to behave recklessly. Destroying a human could have far reaching consequences. It could influence generations in myriad ways. Ways that would be impossible to predict. But when it was absolutely necessary, he’d do whatever he could to gain the advantage and usually that meant skulking around in a human’s mind. But he always tried to get in and get out fast, to lessen the effects.

This gift not only allowed Vance to get quick glimpses into the minds of humans, but it also gave him the ability to implant ideas in those fragile minds and to mold their thoughts and memories to whatever he needed. He could give them ideas, false memories or even general feelings. It took Vance less than thirty seconds to view Alex’s whole story. Alex was the successful son of a more successful father. He was strong, smart and quick on his feet. He’d been priming himself to eventually take over the family business. In fact, it seemed he controlled many aspects of the day to day operations already.

As soon as Vance pulled out of Alex’s mind, he stood back, waiting to see if the story he had planted took root.

“Vance?” Alex asked, even though Vance knew Alex recognized him from the press release he’d projected into Alex’s memory.

Vance pulled his cheeks up in a toothy smile, ostensibly as a greeting and but also as a pat on the back for his successful control of the man’s thoughts.

“I can’t wait to get started. You come highly recommended. Everyone you’ve worked with said great things about the job you do.” Alex shook Vance’s hand enthusiastically.

“Believe me, I was thrilled when I got the call.” Vance responded, which was actually fairly true, though he was sure the call hadn’t come from Alex. The man might be rich and powerful but he was still nothing more than a human.

“We’re just lucky that you’ve decided to leave New York and come to Ruthers.” Alex motioned with his head towards the building before starting to walk. “You’re going to be working with me on my personal team.” He explained as he walked with Vance through the glass doors into the lobby.

“I can’t wait.” Vance said, setting into motion his career at Andrean Consultants.

Now, after more than a month, Vance fit into the company like he had always belonged there. He was great at the job, worked well on the team and took a lot of pride in the good he did for the companies he helped. In fact, he had a human life that he was becoming accustomed to. He rented a house, bought personal belongings and he had a real friend in Alex.

Both of them took their jobs very seriously, but enjoyed going out and having a good time. Alex went through close to as many girls as Vance did. It was almost inconceivable to the immortal that he could belong so seamlessly in the human world.

Vance had even been foolish enough to think that maybe he was going to be allowed to retire. He had almost forgotten about the call that summoned him to Ruthers, since nothing had come of it in the month he’d been in town. Everything about his everyday routine led him to believe he was free to live out his life as a human here in Ruthers.

Now, as Sam pulled up, he knew that retirement wasn’t an option. Still, though, he understood that this wasn’t like anything he’d ever done before. And if Sam was going to be part of it, he was willing to take on whatever he faced. Even if that meant giving up all the normalcy and structure he’d attained working as a consultant to go back to his true calling as a demon and return to the high adrenaline unpredictable life of an immortal. 

Chapter Four

Abby parked her car in front of one of the bays of a three car garage, just off to the left side of the main house. There were already two other cars parked, just like hers. And, looking at the size of the house, Sam assumed that there were probably even more cars parked inside the garage.

“You guys don’t have much in common, do you?” Sam asked as her head turned back and forth while she tried to take in the whole property at once.

“Ha, not really. I take more after my mom than my dad. My brothers, on the other hand, are more into the material world that my dad can provide ‘em, but if you can get past that, we’re actually pretty similar. Alex and I both work really hard and do our best to help people. That’s something that both our parents instilled in us when we were just kids.”

A look of humility flashed across her face, emphasizing how different Abby really was. Even talking about trying to help people was too much for the self-conscious woman, Sam realized.

As the girls stepped out of the car, the black lacquer door on the front of the house opened. Holding the door open in greeting wasn’t Abby’s brother, as Sam expected. Instead, it was Bradley standing there with a serious expression plastered across his face.

“Come on in, girls. We have a long discussion ahead of us.”

Abby’s face twisted while she glanced over at Sam. “Not quite the greeting I expected.” Abby whispered. “I thought today was supposed to be a fun family day. Get to know the new girl, and all of that.”

Sam reached for the front door to close it behind her after they stepped into the large open foyer. As she turned back to head into the house, Sam got her first glimpse into the future since she’d arrived in Ruthers.

Sam stood, legs shoulder width apart, arms raised to fight. Beside her, Abby mimicked her posture with ease and a surprising intensity shone in her eyes. Across from the girls, they faced opponents unlike any that Sam had ever fought. They appeared human, though Sam could sense that they weren’t and the way that they moved confirmed her fears. They fought with the strength of the immortals.

A loud crash off to her left momentarily grabbed the attention of both Sam and Abby, distracting them from their own fights. As Sam felt the sharp contact of blunt metal against her head, she saw Vance fighting violently with Morgan. Sam struggled against the pain when she realized that she needed to figure out where she was and she quickly glanced around the room. They were in what looked like a warehouse. It had concrete floors and rows of large paned windows along the front.

The creatures they fought held a hostage closest to the far exit, a young human male. He was no one she’d ever seen before.

There was another man fighting to get to the hostage. No question he was an Andrean. His resemblance to Bradley was undeniable and he fought with strength and fluidity against the group that protected the boy.