muttered,
dropping to his knees. Cool and warm turned to frigid and blazing,
and he felt their powers coalesce at his core, forcing something
open that had been closed by the Watchers. Darian’s power burned
while Bianca’s healed the invisible wounds created by the Grey God.
The pain increased until Jule was near passing out. Suddenly, it
stopped, and his own warm power flooded him. He released their
hands, panting.
Jule sat back on his haunches, dizzy with
the abrupt return of his power. It settled into him, and he flexed
it.
“ Don’t do that too much,”
Darian warned. “We’re trying to lay low and not attract the
attention of the Watchers.”
We could use the help of a
couple of Original Beings. The thought
came from nowhere, and Jule thought again of the vamp from his
fever dream.
“ Everyone on the planet is
out to get this girl. I doubt I’ll have a choice soon,” he
replied.
“ I can use her,
Jule.”
“ What do you
mean?”
“ I mean, I might be able
to seal the breach I made, if it doesn’t get bigger and I can
borrow Damian’s power. I touched her so she could show me where you
were, and I felt what she can do,” Darian said. “You gotta keep her
alive while Damian figures out what to do.”
“ I will,” Jule said. “If I
fought off a guardsman as a human, I can take on an Other with my
powers back.”
“ Or die
trying.”
“ That, too.”
“ You men really are
crazy,” Bianca said. “Not an ounce of common sense in any of
you.”
“ Just fighting for a
higher cause,” Jule said with a smile. “You married an assassin. Of
all of us, your mate’s the worst.”
“ Retired assassin,” she
corrected sweetly. “He’s not allowed to kill people
anymore.”
Jule laughed. “Seriously?”
“ Oh, yeah,” Darian said.
“Some things have changed. She’s a slave driver. Dusty’s not
allowed out of his room without her-- ”
“ Darian!” she said with a
laugh. She punched him in the arm, and he feigned a look of
pain.
Jule’s throat tightened as he listened to
the two of them spar verbally. Darian had been a shell of a man
when Sofi found him several months ago. Now there was life and
light in his eyes, even if he wasn’t quite the man Jule remembered.
He carried on with Bianca like the sister she now was, and Jule
couldn’t help feeling a sense of gratitude towards the small woman
with the quick smile, warm gaze, and healing energy. Between her
and Sofi, they’d brought Darian back from the dead.
“ I’ll let you two fight
this out,” Jule said with a smile. “I’ve gotta get to the station.
Thank you both, and send my regards to D and Dusty.”
Jule closed his eyes, relishing in the
ability to Transport himself once more. No more walking across
Ireland for him! When he opened his eyes, he found a gruesome sight
awaiting him.
“ Been trying to call you,
Jule,” the blond Guardian said from his seat on the couch. He ran a
hand through his hair. “Sean’s dead. I found his body behind his
bar. I don’t know what did this to him, but it wasn’t a human or a
vamp. Whatever it was, it tore him in half.”
Jule’s gaze dropped to the blanket-covered
body laid carefully on the living room floor. His smile faded.
* * *
Damian tapped the knife against his boot,
deep in thought. The computer screen before him was blank, but he
didn’t notice.
“ You want me to kill
Jule,” he repeated at long last.
“ Yes, ikir. He refused to do as we said
and kill his target. He’s a threat to the survival of the
Guardians, if he chooses to protect her,” the Watcher
said.
“ Let’s pretend for a
moment that I actually believe anything you’re saying,” he said.
“There’s no benefit for anyone if Jule is killed. So what if he
failed at taking out a target?”
“ If he chooses to protect
this target from us-- ”
“ First,” Damian said,
standing, “Jule doesn’t take orders from you. Second, if he didn’t
execute his target, he has a damned good
dropping to his knees. Cool and warm turned to frigid and blazing,
and he felt their powers coalesce at his core, forcing something
open that had been closed by the Watchers. Darian’s power burned
while Bianca’s healed the invisible wounds created by the Grey God.
The pain increased until Jule was near passing out. Suddenly, it
stopped, and his own warm power flooded him. He released their
hands, panting.
Jule sat back on his haunches, dizzy with
the abrupt return of his power. It settled into him, and he flexed
it.
“ Don’t do that too much,”
Darian warned. “We’re trying to lay low and not attract the
attention of the Watchers.”
We could use the help of a
couple of Original Beings. The thought
came from nowhere, and Jule thought again of the vamp from his
fever dream.
“ Everyone on the planet is
out to get this girl. I doubt I’ll have a choice soon,” he
replied.
“ I can use her,
Jule.”
“ What do you
mean?”
“ I mean, I might be able
to seal the breach I made, if it doesn’t get bigger and I can
borrow Damian’s power. I touched her so she could show me where you
were, and I felt what she can do,” Darian said. “You gotta keep her
alive while Damian figures out what to do.”
“ I will,” Jule said. “If I
fought off a guardsman as a human, I can take on an Other with my
powers back.”
“ Or die
trying.”
“ That, too.”
“ You men really are
crazy,” Bianca said. “Not an ounce of common sense in any of
you.”
“ Just fighting for a
higher cause,” Jule said with a smile. “You married an assassin. Of
all of us, your mate’s the worst.”
“ Retired assassin,” she
corrected sweetly. “He’s not allowed to kill people
anymore.”
Jule laughed. “Seriously?”
“ Oh, yeah,” Darian said.
“Some things have changed. She’s a slave driver. Dusty’s not
allowed out of his room without her-- ”
“ Darian!” she said with a
laugh. She punched him in the arm, and he feigned a look of
pain.
Jule’s throat tightened as he listened to
the two of them spar verbally. Darian had been a shell of a man
when Sofi found him several months ago. Now there was life and
light in his eyes, even if he wasn’t quite the man Jule remembered.
He carried on with Bianca like the sister she now was, and Jule
couldn’t help feeling a sense of gratitude towards the small woman
with the quick smile, warm gaze, and healing energy. Between her
and Sofi, they’d brought Darian back from the dead.
“ I’ll let you two fight
this out,” Jule said with a smile. “I’ve gotta get to the station.
Thank you both, and send my regards to D and Dusty.”
Jule closed his eyes, relishing in the
ability to Transport himself once more. No more walking across
Ireland for him! When he opened his eyes, he found a gruesome sight
awaiting him.
“ Been trying to call you,
Jule,” the blond Guardian said from his seat on the couch. He ran a
hand through his hair. “Sean’s dead. I found his body behind his
bar. I don’t know what did this to him, but it wasn’t a human or a
vamp. Whatever it was, it tore him in half.”
Jule’s gaze dropped to the blanket-covered
body laid carefully on the living room floor. His smile faded.
* * *
Damian tapped the knife against his boot,
deep in thought. The computer screen before him was blank, but he
didn’t notice.
“ You want me to kill
Jule,” he repeated at long last.
“ Yes, ikir. He refused to do as we said
and kill his target. He’s a threat to the survival of the
Guardians, if he chooses to protect her,” the Watcher
said.
“ Let’s pretend for a
moment that I actually believe anything you’re saying,” he said.
“There’s no benefit for anyone if Jule is killed. So what if he
failed at taking out a target?”
“ If he chooses to protect
this target from us-- ”
“ First,” Damian said,
standing, “Jule doesn’t take orders from you. Second, if he didn’t
execute his target, he has a damned good
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