Chapter Sixteen

 

 

 

“You two need to get over this.”

Dracen fought a yawn. They’d returned from Utah at two this morning and Lian had been waiting for her. She’d followed him to his study where a sullen Cale was waiting. Both of them sat facing the large ornate desk behind which sat the man she respected more than anything.

She wanted to be in bed. Take a shower and get some rest. But telling Lian no wasn’t an option. Now he glared at them both.

“There’s nothing to get over, Lian,” Dracen said.

“There is a rift. I feel it. The others feel it. They feel it.”

He looked drawn and tired. Each day he got worse. It was killing all of them to see him deteriorating before their eyes.

“We’re fine,” Cale bit off.

“Really?”

“Your hatred for the blood in her body isn’t something to take lightly. When this fight comes—and trust me, it’s coming—they will use everything in their power to split you up.”

“He’s right,” she added. “We’re fine.”

“They’re picking sides. Just because I look tired doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention to what is going on around my house.” He began coughing and Cale half rose only to be waved back. “I see and I hear. The walls scream of your troubles.”

She slanted a look to her brethren. His scowl was still firmly in place. “Problems come up, Lian. We’re not kids anymore. We’re fine. Trust us to know not to let Them come between us.” She stood and walked to his side, where she kissed his cheek. “I love you, Lian.”

Then she departed the room, determined to get some rest. Back in the room, Luc waited up for her, already laid out in the bed.

“Everything go okay?”

She stripped and walked to the bathroom. “I’m not playing well with others.”

“Cale?”

She turned on the shower. “Exactly.”

“He’s an ass.”

“Yes, but he has the right to feel as he does.” She stepped in the water and made short work of cleaning herself off from the day’s grime. Finished, she killed the water and stepped out. Towel in hand, she stared at her naked body in the mirror. The scars on her chest were still there, faded, but still there. She turned away and rubbed the towel over her body.

Naked, she walked to the bed, shutting off lights on the way. At the bed, she slid in beside Luc and curled up to his warm form. He wrapped his arms around her and she sighed as contentment circled her.

 

* * * *

 

While she knew it was longer, it felt as if she’d just closed her eyes when a perimeter alarm went off. She bolted up and dressed in record time, making tracks out of the door. She and Roz were at the front when the doorbell rang.

She drew it open to find a tall, black-haired man standing there. Incredible blue eyes peered out from his face. Morning light had begun to pierce the lingering effects of night. “Can I help you?” she asked.

The guy cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. “I’m sorry, I was looking for Lian Yang? I was told he lived here.”

“He does. It’s early. Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but I’ll make one if that’s what I need to do.”

Roz stepped up closer. “What is this in regards to? Something legal?”

He seemed a bit taken aback and shook his head. “No, nothing like that.”

“You may as well come in,” Roz said. “We’ll get Lian.”

The man stepped by her and behind his back she mouthed, “What are you doing?”

“I get good vibes from him.”

Vibes? You’re letting a stranger in the house because of vibes?

Taylor walked into view and smiled. Roz made introductions while Dracen tried to decide if the vibes Roz experienced were good enough to leave them and get Lian. It’s not like she’s not a Guardian herself.

So she jogged up to Lian’s room and knocked on the door.

“Enter.”

He was standing before the window, his hand around the knob of his cane.

“Good morning, little dragon.”

“There’s a man here to see you, Lian.”

“And that means we forget the most basic of human manners?”

While his tone never modulated, she felt the reprimand as if he’d hit her with a brick. “Good morning, Lian.”

He sighed and reached to the window as if searching for something he’d lost. “My Lana loved to be outside, this was one of her favorite times of day. She always said it was when the world was new, fresh. We had endless possibilities. While we may have screwed up yesterday, the new day was a fresh canvas on which to paint our lives.”

She gazed to the picture on the wall, much like the one hanging over the stairs. Lana with a smile that told all you needed to know about the woman. Her love, kindness and heart.

“Shall we go see who is here?”

“After you.”

They walked together to the door and he stopped before stepping out into the hall. She waited, expecting him to speak, but he just shook his head and went on his way. She followed him down but bypassed him and entered the room before, just in case.

The man had been sitting in the living room in a chair by the fireplace, Roz not far from him, and the others also in there. He stood, ran his palms down the sides of his slacks and cleared his throat.

“Mr. Yang?”

“Yes?”

“I know this is a bit odd, but I’ve been looking for you.”

Those words had her narrowing her eyes and prepping to attack. The tension skyrocketed in the room as her siblings had the same reaction.

“What can I do for you?” Lian never once sounded worried.

He’s stronger than all of us, even if he is sick.

“Nothing, I didn’t mean to give you the impression I needed something from you. I came to tell you thank you.”

“For?”

The man took another step closer. “Forty-three years ago, you took in a baby who’d been found in your field. Gave him a home until a permanent place could be located. You even gave him a name. Mark. But that’s not all. You also ensured that he had a trust that would allow him to attend any school he wanted to.” Another step. “I’m Mark.”

“Mark,” he said on a gasp.

“Yes, sir. I wanted to track you down and let you know how grateful I am for all you did for me.”

Lian moved toward him and took his outstretched hand. Dracen swore she saw tears in Lian’s eyes but they never spilled over. She shared a look with the others and they backed away slowly, allowing them a private moment.

In the kitchen, as she fixed breakfast, someone cleared their throat behind her and she turned to find the normally cheerful Taylor with a frown on her face.

“We’re friends, and if Cale has an issue with it, that’s his fault.”

“I need to respect his wishes.”

“Bullshit. You and I are friends. I trust you. Nothing else matters.” She pivoted and stomped out.

Dracen rubbed her temples and groaned. I need a house of my own.

The children started pouring in and she focused on feeding them and the adults who followed. She avoided Cale’s gaze and the glare from Taylor. After the meal was over, she went to the workout room and picked a pair of kama from the wall.

“Ready?”

She turned to find Cale there, his own tonfa in hand. Spinning the handles, she nodded. “Let’s do it.”

 

* * * *

 

“Is there a range around here?” Luc asked Altair, who stood next to him near the dartboard.

Luc needed to do something. It had been three weeks, broken up with a brief trip home to Arizona to allow his family to meet Dracen, since he’d been at the vineyard. Dracen spent in inordinate amount of time training and plotting with the others. He’d been in on some of the sessions with Altair, but mostly it was the six Guardians.

Tensions were high, nerves on edge. Even the children had picked up on it, despite attempts to not let them be exposed. It was hard, and nearly impossible to hide Lian’s escalation of sickness. He understood the kids were worried they’d be sent away if he died.

While Luc saw Dracen every night, her exhaustion was such that she usually wanted sleep. Altair beckoned to him, and he trailed the man to one of the training rooms and grunted when the man exposed a pad where he entered a code. A door slid silently open, exposing a winding staircase heading down.

“There are a lot of secrets around here.”

“Yes.”

Altair was a quiet man. Former assassin, and he liked him. Through another locked door, Luc found himself in a gun range. Sweet.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He walked to the massive wall and took down a Beretta 9mm, a SIG, and a Škorpion. Altair pulled down a few for himself as Luc picked a station and set up.

After he’d emptied each into the target a few times, he felt better. A silent warning skittered along his spine and he turned, pulling his ear protection out. Dracen? The room fell silent and Altair stepped back and looked at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Is there something else down here?”

“Inaki.”

“The weapons maker?”

“Me.”

The deep voice came from the direction he wasn’t looking. Turning, Luc nearly swallowed his tongue. Holy shit. He was huge.

“You must be Inaki. Dracen speaks highly of you.”

A small smile turned up the scared face. “I like Dracen. You be good to her or I kill you.” He scratched his bare chest and walked by as if he’d merely exchanged pleasantries and not a death threat.

“Dracen is his favorite,” Altair confirmed.

“No pressure then to keep her happy,” he deadpanned.

Altair stepped back up and began shooting again. Luc joined him. They left the range two hours later, and he had relaxed a bit. Altair broke away on the main floor and headed outside to go elsewhere while Luc began up the stairs.

He met Lian on the top landing. Impeccably dressed, he still appeared as if the slightest wind would blow him over.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Yang.”

“How are you settling here, Luc?”

“Just fine, thank you.”

“This is good to hear.” His gaze ran over him. “I do not like weapons around the children, but I can see you are used to carrying.”

“With all due respect, I don’t plan on being without at least one weapon when this starts. I can’t call them up like Dracen and the other Guardians.”

He nodded. “The children are going to be gone for a three-day trip. They were supposed to leave tomorrow.”

“You are expecting this to go down then.”

“Yes, which is why I’m sending them today. I expect it to start early, while the kids are here. I feel them inside me, angry and wanting to prove victory. So they aren’t coming home today.”

“Which isn’t happening? The victory part.”

“We must have faith.”

“You don’t know how this is going to turn out.”

“I’m old, but even I don’t know everything.” He moved to the stairs. Luc pivoted and walked down with him.

“You know more than you’ve told.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because I can tell. They may accept this, but I don’t. What do they need to know in order to defeat this? They are your warriors, why wouldn’t you give them all they can learn? I have something against sending people into battle without all the information available. When that happens, it’s because someone is expendable, and I don’t believe you feel any of them are expendable. So it’s something else.”

“How are you feeling? Are you having more flashes of what Dracen sees and thinks?”

“She told you?”

“There are things I know whether people want to share them with me or not. Like I know how you take the evil she sees and try to pretend it doesn’t bother you. How you believe because of all the killing you’ve done, you aren’t a good person. That’s not how life works, Lucas Kyle. You followed orders, and regret some of the things you did. Do not be so hard on yourself. When They come, They will try to use your memories against you. Be prepared to face that part of your life again. Accept what you have done and move on.”

“I’ve never found life to be that black and white.”

“It’s not, but it is war. You have to fight.”

Luc held the door and trailed the man out into the late afternoon sun. He looked up to find all the Guardians nearing.

“Remember your training,” Lian said. “Defend each other. Trust in your fellow Guardian.” He walked by, leaving the seven of them there.

“What was that about?” Billy asked.

“Beats me,” Luc answered, gazing to Dracen.

Her black leather attire was doing something to him he couldn’t do a damn thing about right now. He smiled at her and she winked, sending more blood to his groin.

“Should we follow him?” Aminta questioned.

“No,” Roz said. “I think he wants to be alone. I bet he’s going to the place where he has her statue.”

 

* * * *

 

By dinner time, no one had seen him come back, and Luc knew they were worried about him. Edmond came in an hour later.

“Have you seen Lian?” Cale put the question to him.

“He’s out at Lana’s spot.” He made himself a sandwich and vanished down the hall.

When the first alarm went off they all looked at one another. He’d been right. It was starting soon.

“Get in the safe room,” Tiarnán demanded to Calida.

“Not a chance.”

“I can’t fight knowing you’re in danger.”

“Then don’t think about it, Tiarnán. If we lose it won’t matter where I am. Shut up, give me a weapon and go do what you’ve trained to do.”

“This may be nothing, we don’t all need to check it out.” Cale rose. “I’ll go.”

Luc stepped to Dracen’s side and whispered, “Kama.”

Moments later he had them and he put them on his legs, since he’d taken to wearing holders for them.

More alarms went off and they all broke into different directions. He went with Dracen as they left the other couples to figure it out for themselves if and who would be in that safe room.

“Just one thing, Dray, before we get out there.”

She looked at him, the full moon above putting its pearlescent beams around them.

“What?”

He studied her expression. Acceptance. She’d been groomed for this since she’d come here and was ready for whatever came next.

“I. Love. You.”

“For however long we have left on this earth, Luc, and wherever we go from here, I love you.” She kissed him and led him to the garden where she slowed by one of the tall statues. “This is for you, from Inaki.” She pulled out a pack from behind the Greek god.

He opened it and whistled. “All of this?”

“Yes, he wanted you safe.”

He pulled on a vest that was like a flac vest but different. Lighter, but he had no doubt stronger. At the bottom of the pack were guns and he grinned as he strapped up. Once he’d finished, he looked to see her waiting there.

“I thought you would have gone off without me.”

“How do they say, we ride together and we die together?”

He fisted her shirt and yanked her to his lips. “I’m all for riding together, but let’s skip the dying. Let your brethren back in.” He kissed her then turned away.

“Already done,” she said, stretching out and running beside him.

The thrum moved through him as they covered ground heading to the breech. A shape moved overhead and he looked up as he jumped a downed tree. Nothing.

“Did you see that?” he asked.

“Nope.”

And they kept running.

For a moment he thought about Lian, and if the man was protected, but when they stumbled on the first wave, he let that thought go and turned his attention to protecting his home.