UnGuarded (14 page)

I shrugged, still not really sure I believed
an angel could actually die, but I’d never seen the scrolls, and I
didn’t know what kind of power they held. What if giving my breath
for my charge in turn wiped away my very existence? Was it
possible? “It’s my fault Caitlyn is in this mess,” I finally said.
“I at least need to try to make it right by her. I’m not saying
that I’m willing to give my life for hers, but there’s no way to
even know what ‘giving my breath’ means unless I get those
scrolls.”

“But what about the other angel that did
this? He’s dea—”

“No! We don’t know that for sure. No one has
seen or heard from him, but that doesn’t confirm his death. He
could be alive, in hiding, or he could be fallen.”

Luke put his hands on my shoulders. “That
doesn’t make any sense! Why would sacrificing himself for his
charge cause that angel to go into hiding, or even better, why
would he become fallen?”

I swallowed hard as my eyes slid toward the
ground. “I don’t know. I don’t have all of the answers, but neither
do you.” I glanced back up. “There’s no way to know without going
to Rhea. Will you help me, or not?”

Luke’s head tilted to the side and the wind
shifted slightly, blowing his brown hair behind him. “Will Cole be
joining us?” I didn’t like the cockiness in his voice.

“No!” I exclaimed. “Once Cole’s back on
Earth, that’s where he’ll stay. I’m not risking him again!”

He released me, stepping back, his eyes
never leaving mine. “Oh, I see, I’m the one who’s dispensable!”

“It’s not like that!” I argued. “I love
Cole! I can’t risk his life…again! Just because I’ve asked for your
help doesn’t mean I want something bad to happen to you.”

He squinted slightly, inquisitive. “If I say
no, are you still going?”

I fisted my hands at my sides. “Yes.” Though
I wasn’t sure how I’d pull that off yet.

The family of three had almost reached us,
causing a brief interruption. Luke’s body stiffened, his ears and
nose twitching. He closed his eyes and took in the air around us. I
grabbed his hand, gently squeezing. His grip tightened as I pulled
him closer, then whispered, “It’s okay. They’re almost past us.
Please, fight it and spare this family altogether.”

He gritted his teeth as he answered, “I’ll
let them go, but I must feed before we leave Earth tonight.”

I nodded. “But why’d you come all this way
just for a meal?”

“I don’t like to eat where I live.”

I remembered Cole saying the exact same
thing when I asked him why he’d travel so far to find blood. He’d
told me that he never wanted to risk someone remembering him, even
though he’d always load them up with vampire charm. Since vamps
could move so quickly, it was a breeze for them to go several
states away for food, then return home within the same night.
Sometimes Cole would stay away for a couple of days loading up on
tons of blood—a binger, he’d called it—and then when he’d return
home he wouldn’t need to eat again for several weeks.

At last, the family had passed us; I could
see them in the distance, striding up another hill. The little girl
was in the middle, holding each parent’s hand and swinging back and
forth. I could sense the joy from her guardians and hear the little
girl’s giggles, but then the wind shifted and carried them away for
good.

I pulled my hands free and started walking.
Luke followed. The wind blew my hair sideways, in the opposite
direction of Luke, giving him, I was sure, a perfect view of my
neck. “If you’d just let me feed from you, we could go together to
Huron’s,” he pressed.

Heat flushed my face but I quickly shrugged
it off, half laughing. “Nice try, wise guy.”

“It would entice me to go with you to Rhea,”
his voice mocking.

“There’s no way you’re drinking my blood.
Period. End of story.”

“Fine!” he smarted. “The next person who
comes along will be dinner, then.”

“Fine!” I returned his tone. “Now quit
avoiding answering me! Will you come to Rhea with me, or not?”

His pace slowed as he stole a glance at my
face. “Stay with me, we’ll go to Huron’s together, and I’ll think
about it.”

I looked away and sped up. He did too. “And
if I don’t?”

“Then my answer is no.”

“But if I stay here with you, then you’ll
only think about it?”

“That’s right.”

“This is so not fair,” I pouted. “What will
we do for
four
hours?”

“Don’t worry about it, Angel. By staying
here, you’ll be accompanying me everywhere I go. We might actually
have some fun.”

I wanted to laugh at the ironic situation.
I’d come here to let Luke know I still needed his help tonight, and
then I’d never be seeing him again. Now, if I didn’t spend the next
four hours with him, he might not help me get those sea scrolls.
But even if I did stay here, he still reserved the right to tell me
no. It was a win-win for Luke. Quite possibly a lose-lose for me.
But could I risk leaving and definitely not having his help? I knew
the answer, and I hated it. I gave a deep, long sigh, shaking my
head in defeat. “Fine!”

His eyes lit up like fireworks. He clapped
his hands together as he said, “You’ve chosen wisely, Angel.”

“For the record, these next four hours are
going to be pure torture.”

Luke started laughing, and once he calmed
down a little, he replied, “You don’t know that for sure.”

He gestured toward a bench and I followed
his direction. “Have a seat and I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

“Where are you going?” I asked, sitting
down.

“Since you won’t feed me, I need to go…”

“All right. Never mind. I’ll be right here,
waiting ever so patiently.”

He leaned down, whispering “I know you will”
in my ear.

12

THE SKY WAS A THICK, HAZY blackness
distorted by the millions of flashing lights throughout the city.
Lampposts—like white glowing balls on iron sticks—lined the
sidewalks. The streets were filled with vehicles, mostly old
orange-colored taxis, moving slower than the many thousand
pedestrians. Car fumes intermingled with the street meat vendors
located on just about every other block. Luke held my hand,
dragging me along behind him, pushing through the sea of people,
heading towards someplace that promised a good time. With such a
heavy demonic presence here, I could only imagine the fun Luke had
spoken of.

Since the final descent of the sun, it had
gotten chillier—much chillier. Thankfully, numerous skyscrapers and
countless towering luxury hotel chains surrounded us, blocking some
of the wind. We turned on 83
^rd
, finding it much quieter
than the other roads we’d traveled. Luke’s brisk pace slowed, which
meant he didn’t need to drag me anymore, so I tugged my hand free
and immediately rubbed my exposed arms. He glanced back and said,
“Angel, you’re freezing! Here.” He slipped out of his leather
jacket and draped it over my arms.

“Thanks.” I pulled it tighter around me. “Is
there somewhere private I can go to, um, change into something more
appropriate?”

He smiled slightly, not a hint of fang
showing. “Shopping isn’t on our agenda.”

“I don’t want to go shopping. I just want to
shift into something a little warmer.” My jeans were fine, but the
tank top wasn’t even close to keeping me warm.

He took my hand again, focusing ahead of us
as he asked, “How do you plan on getting out of those clothes
without having anything to change into?”

I sped up so it wouldn’t look like he was
still dragging me. “I can shape-shift into anything I want.”

“What a cool trick.” He glanced over, both
eyebrows arched. “But will you forget who I am if you do that, and
ruin our short time together?”

“No, I mean, I haven’t ever had problems
shifting before. Just orbing.” So far, anyways.

We took a sharp right turn and walked
straight into a small bar. The oval-shaped sign hanging above the
door read “Nicco’s” in cursive letters lit up in red.
Black-and-white checkered tiles expanded throughout the tiny space.
About a half dozen wooden tables with white cloths lined each side,
leaving an open path down the middle. There were a few people
sitting on either side, an angel and demon with each of them. Luke
gestured toward the back, where a small rectangular sign promised
the restrooms.

After ducking into a tiny stall, I shifted
into a boyfriend-style gray sweater, then headed back out to meet
Luke, who was waiting for me in the front by the door. “Nice
trick,” he commented, then took his jacket, put it on, and tugged
me back out into the cold, busy street.

We walked for several minutes before
arriving at our destination. The building was so tall that when I
craned my neck, the top of it was hidden in darkness. Wide marble
steps led up to a row of massive windows with tall glass doors
between them. The glass was thick and smoky-looking, obstructing
any views of inside. Luke opened the door and I followed him in.
Warm air rushed me, instantly removing the chill. An older man—no,
he was a vampire—approached offering to take our coats. His short
gray hair was slicked back, exposing his shiny forehead and bushy
white eyebrows. He wore a long-sleeved black button-up shirt tucked
into loose-fitted black pants. There was a chrome skull-and-bones
belt buckle centered across his waist. What in the heck kind of
place had Luke brought me to?

I watched the old vampire hang Luke’s jacket
and my sweater in a closet by the front doors. Then he returned and
had us follow him down a short, tight hallway. The floor was
covered in 12x12 squares of black marble, and the lacquered walls
were the color of red wine—or blood. There were a few large
pictures hanging on both sides of the hall with thick, black frames
and images of recumbent figures during the Renaissance Era. Three
gothic-style light fixtures hung about six feet apart from each
other, radiating faint, cream-colored light. Ahead of us was a set
of black double doors, intricate iron detail surrounding their
peepholes.

On the left wall, the old vampire pressed a
small round button that resembled a doorbell. Moments later, the
door on the left opened and techno music instantly pulsed in my
ears.
A soundproof party room for vampires
, I thought, as I
followed Luke inside. Directly in front of us, purple, red, blue,
and white spinning lights zigzagged across a dance floor. People
and beings were everywhere—humans and vampires, angels and demons.
There were round couches in the back with red and black curtains
pulled to the sides. High-top tables were scattered about, but none
with any chairs. Most of the dancers were using them for drink
holders as they lost themselves to the music. In the back right
corner was a DJ booth with three young, human men wearing oversized
headphones.

Luke turned left, pulling me along. The bar
was this way. It had a retro-looking glass countertop that
stretched along most of this side of the club. Red leather
barstools crowded around it, only a few of them empty. A few plasma
TV’s displaying some kind of eerie laser light show hung from the
ceiling behind the bar. There were a few bartenders rushing
around—my senses confirmed they were all vampires. Luke sat down,
and I squeezed into the stool beside him. He raised his arm as one
of the bartenders looked our way. “What do you want?” he called
out.

“Water,” I said.

He lowered his arm as he swung an astonished
look at me. “C’mon, Angel! Live a little. Have one drink with me.”
Luke arched his brows. “Just one drink?”

I leaned closer, placing my lips near his
face as I attempted to shout over the music while still keeping our
conversation private. “There’s a war tonight. Some will die. I
don’t want drinking alcohol before we go to be on my conscience.
Plus, it doesn’t affect me the same as humans anyway.”

“Me neither. I need double the amount to
even feel the slightest head tingle. So there’s really no reason we
can’t just have one. It’ll loosen us up before we dance.”

“What?” I gasped, leaning back in the stool.
“I’m not dancing!”

A sly smile curved his lips as he silently
mouthed, “Yes you are.”

Luke turned away just as the bartender
arrived. She looked young and was very pretty. Her blonde hair was
short and cropped around her face. The stretchy black mini with
matching black corset showed off just how curvy her figure was. She
stretched across the bar and planted a small kiss on Luke’s
cheek.

I flushed and quickly turned away, hoping
Luke hadn’t noticed. The music was thumping so hard it felt like my
head was vibrating. I took three deep, long breaths, then rotated
back around. The bartender was gone and Luke was staring at me with
a huge smile on his face. “Jealous?” he asked, just loud enough to
hear.