UnGuarded (6 page)

THE TRANSITION TO MY HUMAN CHARGE went a lot
smoother when I was called to her side, versus the other times when
I did the orbing myself. This time I didn’t have any amnesia to
recover from, so I sat on my twin-sized bed, in invisible form,
staring at Corrine across the room, fully aware that if looks could
kill, I’d be six feet under. Thankfully they didn’t. Another reason
I was thankful was because I couldn’t sense Grote—or any other
demon for that matter. Before I could ask if the usually bothersome
demon had showed up while I’d been gone, Corrine gave a final roll
of her eyes and vanished.

I could hear Caitlyn using the hair dryer in
the bathroom. Protective instincts pulled me from the bed like a
magnet drawn to iron. I floated across our square-shaped dorm room,
giving one backwards glance at Caitlyn’s side. It was a mess. Gray
sheets strewn all over the bed and a lavender comforter rolled up
on the floor. Her small wooden desk was just beyond her bed, in the
corner of the room. Papers and books were scattered everywhere, and
a laptop was sitting somewhere in that mess. It literally looked
like a cyclone had hit her half of the room. Mine, however, was in
perfect condition. Sheets folded neatly on the bed. Books and
papers stacked and organized on my desk. Of course, having magical
powers is a plus to keeping things neat and tidy.

I used a little magic to shape-shift into a
pair of dark skinny jeans and a red velvet, scoop-necked top as I
approached the bathroom. “Cait, I’m home,” I called out to her.

When she didn’t respond, I gave a loud knock
on the door. “Cait, it’s me,” I yelled.

The hairdryer stopped and then the door
swung open. “Where have you been? We’re going to be late for Brix!”
She looked me up and down and her face softened a little. “Oh,” she
said, sounding a bit startled. “I didn’t realize you were already
dressed and ready to go.”

I shrugged. “Of course I’m dressed. What
time is it anyway?”

She raised her left wrist, bringing her
white, leather-strapped watch close enough to read. “Almost
seven-forty. We needed to leave five minutes ago!” She rushed to
the closet in the back of the room, frantically looking for shoes
to go with her faded torn jeans and a Hawaiian black tube-top, one
jumbo-sized white flower stitched to its front. Her makeup looked
perfect—not overdone, but very natural with a little powder,
bronzer on the cheeks, and a smudged brown line under both eyes.
She wore her hair down with a few stray pieces swooping across her
face, just above one eye.

I used a little more magic to throw my hair
into a low ponytail and shift into a pair of tan wedge sandals
while she was fishing out her other black, peep-toe pump. We left
our dorm, heading straight for the parking lot, walking as quickly
as our shoes would let us. I concentrated on keeping Caitlyn steady
and balanced. Tripping over uneven pavement, or one of her own
feet, wouldn’t be a good way to start the night.

Caitlyn drove a newer-looking cherry red
Honda Accord. She rushed into the driver’s seat and fired up the
engine as I got into the passenger side. We rode in silence, her
attention mostly on driving and getting us there as fast as humanly
possible. There was a pedestrian that didn’t look before attempting
to cross the street. Miraculously, and with a little angel help,
she swerved around the panicked person and kept going. There was no
such thing as a “near miss.” There’s always a guardian angel behind
it, keeping the car on the road while you’re texting, or helping
the car turn sharper to avoid hitting someone or something.

Brix was a lounge connected to an
average-rated hotel, The Desiree. There was a dining area to the
left, where they offered bar bites and tapas-style food choices,
which was just another word for small portions. To the right was
the bar, the counter stretching across the entire left side of the
room. A couple pool tables were off to the side with a handful of
bistro-style tables and mini chairs scattered around them.

There were also about a dozen angels
hovering closely to each of their charges, and about half that
number of demons. Guardian angels were required to be with their
human charges at all times—even when those pesky demons weren’t
present. That was why substitute angels, like Corrine, were
created. Believe it or not, people seem to find just as much
trouble without the help of anything dark provoking them. It’s
amazing how many “close encounters” humans have had with death,
only to repeat the same mistakes over and over again expecting
different outcomes. If I were human, I’d be thanking God every
second for placing a guardian angel to watch over me and keep me
safe.

Stacey and Rob were sitting at the far end
of the bar, their guardians, invisible to everyone but me, close by
them. Stacey was barely twenty-one and had the cutest blond pixie
cut framing her face. She wore flared jeans and platform sandals,
which made her five-foot-seven body look a few inches taller. Rob
was at least six foot, maybe a little more, with short brown hair
that looked blonder in the sunlight. In the subdued, smoky
atmosphere in here, though, it appeared a darker brown.

“Caitlyn! Selene!” Stacey wailed in
excitement. She jumped up and rushed toward us, arms stretching
around in a tight group hug.

“Hey girls,” Rob said in his usual low,
unexcited voice.

Caitlyn and I smiled at him as we broke free
of Stacey’s grasp and found our seats at the neighboring bar.
Caitlyn glanced around the lounge, most likely checking to see if
Jack had arrived yet. She frowned and grabbed the specialty drink
menu lying on the counter. I guess that meant no Jack yet. Goody
for me. But I could sense Saber close by, so it wouldn’t be good
for me much longer. I breathed a sigh of relief that Raphael had
put Jack’s guardian angel back on him. Maybe it’d make Jack more
tolerable this evening.

“How’s biology going?” Stacey asked Caitlyn.
“Still struggling to keep an A?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “I guess it’s going a
little better than the last time we talked.”

“A little better?” I chuckled. “I’d say a
lot better. Mr. Henrickson has fallen head over heels in love with
her. He’d pass her whether she earned the grade or not.”

Caitlyn gently elbowed me in the arm. “Hey!
Watch it! You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Stacey took a sip of her drink. “You guys
wanna play a round of pool? Rob and I against you two?”

Caitlyn glanced at me with a brow raised and
I nodded. “You’re on,” Caitlyn said as she motioned the bartender
over. She ordered a club soda for me and a draft beer for herself.
The bartender immediately asked for her ID. She dug in her
messenger bag and pulled out a driver’s license that read “Dianna
Lynn McCord.” Dianna is twenty-two and has a vague resemblance to
Caitlyn. The bartender studied it a moment longer and then handed
it back. As he turned to get our drinks, Caitlyn let out a sigh of
relief.

I leaned over, my lips close to her ear.
“You need to get rid of that fake ID before you get in
trouble.”

“Yes, Mother,” she hissed, giving me a very
obvious roll of her eyes.

With our drinks in tow, the four of us made
our way over to one of the pool tables and got on with the game.
About a quarter of the way through it, Caitlyn and I were in the
lead with three solid balls sunk. Rob was studying the striped
balls on the table. Stacey glanced at Rob and then turned her
attention back to me and Caitlyn.

There was a slight magnetic pull in my aura:
Saber was getting closer. I looked up and saw him and Jack coming
into the lounge. Jack was tucking a cell phone into his jeans
pocket. Perhaps he was finishing a call outside before coming in.
He quickly saw us and made a beeline for Caitlyn. Saber trailed
behind him, invisible to everyone but me. He was tall, slender,
fair-skinned, and had bushy golden hair framing his rectangular
face. His deep green eyes threatened to burn a hole in me. I half
smiled and shrugged. I guess he
was
upset over getting
reassigned to Jack.

Caitlyn and Jack hugged, long and lingering,
and then Jack looked over at Rob. “Who’s winning?”

Rob pointed at Caitlyn with the tip of his
pool stick, then at me. “These two.”

“Good girl,” Jack said in Caitlyn’s ear,
just loud enough for me to hear. I was standing no more than a
couple feet away, wishing more than anything I was invisible. Then
I remembered the look on Saber’s face and was thankful I was in my
human form.

Rob took his turn and knocked in two striped
balls at once. Jack headed over to the bar, Caitlyn following right
behind him. Stacey was cheering Rob on as he leaned down and made
another scoring shot, and that’s when my stomach jerked into a
knot, hard enough to nearly bring me to my knees. I swallowed hard,
my fist rubbing small circles against my waist.

“You okay?” Stacey asked. Her eyebrows
creased as she stepped toward me.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I replied, nodding. “I’ll
be right back. Gonna run to the ladies room.”

“You sure?” Stacey placed a hand on her
hip.

I smiled. “Yeah. Be back in a minute.” I
dashed away, heading for the bathroom. When I got out into the
lounge area and saw no one was there, I went invisible. Then I
rushed back into the bar area, not wanting to leave Caitlyn
unattended with Jack.

The bartender was handing Jack a Miller
Light. Saber was standing near the bar and immediately noticed my
form. “Selene,” Saber hissed.

“Not now.”

“I was happy with my new charge!”

“It’s not like you won’t see your new charge
again. Watching Jack is temporary. I needed your help.”

Saber’s face softened a little. “What do you
mean, you need my help?”

I started to answer but once again my
stomach twisted. I looked back and saw Moros heading straight for
us.

“Not this clown,” Saber said, rolling his
eyes and stepping back.

“Yes, this clown,” Moros hissed. “I’m
expected to be here. However,
you
are not.” Moros’ glowing
red eyes glared at Saber.

“Well, I’m glad to be here then,” Saber
replied.

A deep growl reverberated off Moros’ tongue.
“This isn’t acceptable,” he hissed.

I swallowed hard. Was everything I’d done
about to be exposed?

“What are you up to, Moros?” Saber asked,
glaring down at the demon.

“Me? Up to something?” Moros erupted into
laugher trailed by hisses.

“It’s no wonder the archangel put me back
here,” Saber snapped. “You’re out of control!”

Moros instantly stopped laughing. “We’ll
see, Angel Boy. Perhaps I should give you a reason to be here.” In
a flash, Moros jumped into Jack—literally. His Komodo dragon body
completely blended into Jack’s human shape, leaving no trace of the
demon. Then Jack, possessed by Moros, grabbed Caitlyn by the
shoulders and started shaking her violently.

“Jack, stop it!” she screamed.

Saber flashed to Jack and stepped into him,
a little more gracefully than Moros had. I was already next to
Caitlyn, pulling her out of Jack’s grasp. Tears streamed down her
face as I tugged her a couple more steps away. Rob and Stacey came
up beside us. Their guardians stood cautiously, waiting to jump in
if one of their charges got involved. Stacey’s arms stretched out
and Caitlyn fell inside them, crying hysterically.

Rob stepped closer to Jack. “What the hell’s
wrong with you, man?”

Jack’s body twitched side to side, then
Moros went flying out of it across the bar, landing on the other
side of the pool table. Jack shook his head, gasping for air, then
placed his palms on his temples. “I don’t know.”

Saber stepped out of Jack, wiping his hands
together. “Where’s that wretched demon?” he asked me.

I gestured with my eyes across the bar. I
could tell he wanted to go after Moros, but the situation between
Rob and Jack wouldn’t allow it.

Rob got closer to Jack, almost getting in
his face. “You can’t treat a woman like that!”

Saber approached his charge, and Rob’s angel
floated a little closer as well.

Jack shook his head, still looking a little
dazed but with anger flaring in his eyes. “That ain’t no woman. She
ain’t been with a man yet!”

Rob pushed Jack in the shoulders, causing
him to take a couple steps backward. “Get the hell out of here, you
loser!”

Jack started to move toward Rob.

The guardian angels were sending calm,
soothing vibes into their charges, trying to deflate the anger and
encourage a more peaceful solution, but it didn’t seem to be
working.

Suddenly the bartender shouted, “Not in my
bar! Ya’ll going to fight, take it somewhere else.”

“How could you do that to Caitlyn?” Stacey
yelled, holding my distraught charge against her body, arms wrapped
tightly around her.

Jack started backing up, inching his way to
the door. Since everyone’s attention was on him, I glimmered back
into human form. Conveniently I’d been behind Stacey, and Caitlyn’s
face was buried in her shoulder. I rubbed Caitlyn’s back and
whispered, “It’s okay, sweetie.”

Stacey jumped and looked back. “Where the
heck did you just come from?”

“Uh,” I shrugged. “The bathroom.”

Stacey released Caitlyn, and she scooted
straight into my arms and resumed crying. “Did you see what just
happened?” she asked through sobs.

I nodded slowly, then realized she couldn’t
see me. “I saw enough of it,” I said, my voice low and seething,
then glanced at Stacey. “I’m taking Cait home.”

“Do you want me to come with you guys?”
Stacey asked, raising a brow.

I shook my head by way of an answer.

“I’ll see you later, Caitlyn,” Jack called
out. He still lingered in the doorway, a smug look all over his
face.

“The hell you will,” Rob shouted, his right
fist waving in the air.