United (The Guardians Book 2) (17 page)

“But you don't! You still look at me like I'm
her
.”

His mouth hardened into a grim, determined line. “Kiss me,” he challenged, his voice low and gravelly.

“
What
?”

“Kiss me. I dare you. Kiss me and feel nothing.”

She stared up at his face, his beautiful, familiar face. The early afternoon sun was glinting through small gaps in the trees, lighting him up, making his eyes glow. His jaw was dusted with overnight stubble; it made him look edgy and dark and gut wrenchingly gorgeous. At sixteen she'd thought he couldn't possibly get any more handsome, but she'd been wrong. The power he welded now that he was a man just made him. . .devastating.

“Fine,” she breathed, and left the safety of her tree, stepping forward until their bodies pressed together. Nicky barely had time to blink in surprise that she'd called his bluff before she cupped a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down until his lips met hers. He froze for a second, and Gable wondered whether it was because he'd thought she wouldn't do it. But finally he came to life, taking control of their kiss,
owning
it, owning
her
. His strong arms wrapped around her body; one hand sliding beneath her black vest to clutch her back with hard, demanding fingers, the other buried into the hair at the back of her neck, holding her tight against him like he'd never let go. Not ever.

Their mouths moved against one another furiously, fighting for control, tasting each other, daring each other. He moaned gruffly, walking her back until she slammed against the tree, pushing into her as he ravished her.

Gable kissed him back with everything she had, her hands sliding over his wide shoulders, holding on to him like she was drowning and he was the only thing in the universe keeping her afloat. His hands trapped hers above her head as he pressed harder against her.

Nicky had been right, she did feel something. Of course she felt something. This was Nicky Pierce; her first escape, her first love, her first
everything
. Yes, she felt something. But it just. . .wasn't enough.

Gently, she pulled her mouth from his and slid her arms down to place her palms flat against his solid chest. Not to push him away, just to get a little distance, a little breathing room.

He shook his head desperately and buried his face into her neck. “Not yet,” he begged quietly, like he already knew what she was going to say. And if he knew that, then he must have felt it too, though he didn't want to admit it, even to himself. He felt that there wasn't enough too. He lifted his face and pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling as they panted heavily. “Don't say anything yet.”

“I'm sorry.” She wrapped her arms around his narrow waist in a tight embrace, closing her eyes as he clutched her back even tighter. “I do care about you, Nicky. I always will-”

With outright denial in his eyes, he pulled back suddenly. “Don't you say it. I'm not done convincing you yet.”

“Nicky-”

“We'll talk more later, when we make camp tonight.”

“Nicky. . .” she trailed off, softer this time. She needed to get through to him.

He leaned forward and placed a hot, sweet kiss on her forehead. “It's not over,” he whispered, before turning and striding away to join the others without once looking back.

Gable banged her head against the tree and squeezed her eyes closed in defeat. He'd always been so stubborn, so unable to take no for an answer. That was something that hadn't changed over the years.

But there was just one thing, something she couldn't lie to herself about that she would never tell Nicky because it would only give him hope.

If there had been no Sacha, she would be Nicky's. There was no question about it.

But there was a Sacha. There would
always
be a Sacha, and she couldn't deal with her emotions
and
Nicky's. It was too much and they had so many things to achieve.

So she made  a vow to herself right then and there. No more alone time, by herself
or
with Nicky. She could avoid him, at least until their mission was through.

She could.

+++

They continued their arduous trek through the rainforest from where they'd left off the night before, sweating their asses off and straining their already aching muscles. They moved in a straight line for the most part, only altering direction when they were blocked by huge rocks and boulders or large ponds full of mysterious bubbling liquids, or when the foliage was too thick or difficult to navigate through. Luckily they had Cadby to put them back on track each time they veered off path. It was hard, not being able to see the trail he could see to lead them, but each of them trusted him implicitly.

The rainforest was dark and warm, but without the dampness that came with the rainforests back in the human realm. The trees were so tall that barely any light managed to squeeze its way through, which only made their journey that much harder. Their noses were assaulted with the musty smell of the trees, and something. . .riper. Like blood. Even the flowery scent of the plants couldn't hide it.

In an effort to avoid Nicky, Gable stuck to the back of the group with Queenie. She was trying her hardest to keep up with the others, though it was obvious that she was physically struggling. Gable shouldered her pack for a while, but Queenie was determined to carry it as much as possible, not wanting to be a burden. Gable respected that.

“Guys, hold up a minute,” Nicky called out after a while, pausing in his tracks and raising a hand.

“What's wrong?” asked Zay from the front of the group.

Nicky's face was grim. “Shadow.”

They all fell silent as the implications of that set in. Nicky had helped all of the shadows yesterday, so a new one could only mean one thing – somebody had
just
died, right at that moment. It was a horribly chilling reminder of why they were there.

The rest of them sat down to wait on fallen trees or rocks as Nicky helped the shadow. Watching him, Gable couldn't help but wonder if he'd be able to tell if it was Sacha, if the worst came to pass. She shuddered and closed her mind off to wandering thoughts.

“Electrocution,” Nicky told them a short while later, shaking his head as his eyes turned from gray back to brown. “They pumped the poor girl so full of electricity her body couldn't handle it.”

Gable felt a second of relief that it couldn't have been Sacha, then immediately hated herself for being relieved over somebody's death.

“Bastards!” Ward spat in disgust.

Cadby placed a hand on his shoulder. “We're going to get them,” he assured him evenly. “We're going to find the Outcasts, and we're going to make the ones that hold them pay. Every last one of them.”

+++

“. . .so this mayor chick was so grateful I saved her ass and her town being destroyed by the earthquake that she started sliding her hand up my leg, right there in front of her husband. And he just sat there, grinning like an idiot.”

They laughed as Ward recounted his story a little while later, lightening their spirits, if only a little.

“You don't like a hot cougar?” Zay teased, climbing over a fallen branch and grinning as he let it swing back in Hue's face. Keeping up with the Keeper/Tracker rivalry, they'd been messing with each other since the minute they'd set off – though it was all in good fun. “They're the ones that know all the nasty tricks.”

Ward shot him a wide grin as Queenie made a sound of disgust. “Hey, women are beautiful all shapes and ages. I just don't do threesomes with other dudes or-”

A shot rang out and a bullet whizzed by him, narrowly missing his cheek and embedding itself into a nearby tree with a thunk. The tree made an ear piercing screeching sound as thick, gooey blood oozed from the bullet hole.

“Down!” Zay yelled, pushing Queenie to the ground and throwing himself over her as he reached for his gun.

Gable ducked behind the wounded tree and dropped her pack, her weapon already in her hand.

“Drop your weapons and come with us willingly and we won't have to shoot you,” boomed a deep voice.

“A little late for that,” Gable muttered, taking the safety off her gun.

Zay ushered Queenie behind Gable's cover and told her to stay down.

“Where are the others?” Gable asked, chancing a glance around the tree. There were two men dressed in navy blue jumpsuits – guards, she presumed. She ducked back when they shot again, only missing her by a narrow margin.

“We need to avoid shooting them,” Zay hissed. “Dead bodies are a sure way to alert everyone of our presence, and. . .it's just not how we do things unless absolutely necessary. We know radio signals don't work here so we're at an advantage. They can't alert anyone of our being here unless they can get back and do it in person. You, Hue and I are going to distract them while Nicky and Ward incapacitate them from behind.”

“Where's Cadby?”

“Over there with Hue.” He nodded to to a large, mossy boulder which Cadby and Hue were barely visible behind.

Gable was impressed with the speed in which he'd come up with his plan – he really was made for more than just Keeping.

She leaned around the tree and shot at the guards, making sure it went way above their heads. She wanted to distract them, but she didn't want to accidentally shoot Nicky or Ward in the process.

“I said drop your weapons!” the same voice commanded.

Gable rolled her eyes. “I'll show you mine if you show me yours,” she called back.

“Keep dreaming, bitch.”

Zay raised an eyebrow at her. “Charming fellows, aren't they?”

“Here.” Gable handed Zay her gun and her dagger. He took them, confused.

“What are you doing?”

“Distracting them.”

Before Zay could stop her or tell her all the reasons her plan was so incredibly stupid, Gable stood and stepped around the tree with her hands in the air.

At the sight of her, the two guards lifted their guns and aimed right at her heart. “Walk slowly towards us.”

She smirked deviously. “Or you could come over here and get me.”

The one who seemed to be in charge, blond and thick and all around brutish, blinked in surprise when he got a good look at her. He was composed again within seconds. “I know you, traitor. I know what you're capable of.”

“Maybe.” She glanced over his shoulder. “But you know nothing about him.”

Before he could turn, thick vines shot out of the earth, twisting around his hands and feet and slamming him down to the ground. He yelped and another vine wrapped around his mouth like a gag.

Guard number two waved his gun around wildly, fearful of the enemy he couldn't see. While he was distracted, Nicky grabbed him from behind. In one quick, skilled movement, he knocked the gun from the guard and tightened his arm around his neck until he passed out.

“I taught him that move,” Zay bragged smugly, stepping out from behind the tree as Nicky dropped the guard unceremoniously to the floor.

Gable accepted her weapons back. “Show off.”

“What now?” Nicky asked, wiping his hands. “Tie them up?”

The guard held down by the vines made muffled noises of protests, probably at the thought of being left defenseless in the creepy rainforest. Gable glared down at him and kicked his leg. “Shut up. You don't get a say.”

“Besides, it's no more than you deserve,” Ward agreed.

“Leaves us with the same problem as the dead bodies though,” Cadby, ever the voice of reason, pointed out.

“I actually do have an idea,” Ward told them, though he looked uneasy. “There's this thing I can do as a pretty powerful earth elemental. Those of us who can don't generally like to do it because it's. . . Well, it's not okay, and if people knew we could do it they'd be a whole lot warier of us.”

Nicky grunted his impatience. “Spit it out, plant guy.” When everyone turned to stare at him he heaved a sigh. “I'm too tired to quip, gimme a break. I'll think of a better. . . Just spit it out already! Jeez.”

Ward scratched his chin awkwardly. “We can erase memories. Most of us don't, because messing with the human mind without permission is just wrong, but we can still do it. If we're powerful enough. Which I am.”

Zay seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. As an inherently good person, the idea of erasing somebody's memory would go against every one of his principles. But they didn't have time for principles and he knew that. “How far back?”

“As little or as long as I like. It's a risk though. With my powers being so unstable I could accidentally erase too much.”

“Who cares?” They all looked up at Queenie in surprise and her eyes widened in shame, like she couldn't believe the words had come out of her own mouth. “I mean, it's just that. . .they're part of this. They're just as guilty as the people experimenting on those poor Outcasts, just as guilty as the ones that took them.”

Hue nodded. “They should be grateful we're not shooting them between the eyes like they deserve.”

“They've got a point,” said Nicky, and Zay conceded.

“Seems like our best plan. Go ahead, Ward.”

Somberly, Ward knelt down next to the guard who wasn't unconscious. Ignoring his grunts of protest, he gripped the man's head between his hands. “Don't fight this,” he said in a low voice as his eyes turned golden yellow. “You'll only make it harder on yourself.” The guard stilled, his eyes unfocused like he was under hypnosis.

After thirty seconds, Ward let go and the guard flopped down.

“That it?” Gable wanted to know.

He nodded. “I didn't need to erase much. I went back an hour, just to be safe. He'll be dazed for a while, but it'll give us time to get out of here. Someone wanna wake the other?”

With a cheerful grin, Nicky bent down and picked number two up by the front of his jumpsuit, slapping him as hard as he could across the face. He came to with a groan but before he could even speak, Ward began his magic.

+++

After their brief attack, none of them felt comfortable enough to stop for lunch so they ate on the move; dry food that was already becoming hard to swallow the more of it they had to consume.