United (The Guardians Book 2) (2 page)

“I
love
spending time with you,” Gable said, leaning back against the headrest and closing her eyes.
“You're so hilairs.”

“What. . . God, just say the whole word. I hate when people shorten words unnecessarily.”

“F U.”

“Why are you even here? You're so annoying!”

“Will you all bloody well shut up!” Charles exploded from the front seat. To be fair, it had been coming on for a while. His face had been reddening and his shoulders stiffening and a vein on his neck had been bulging like a fat little worm. Being trapped in a car for almost an entire day with the same people was not fun. Nicky didn't help the situation when he began shaking with silent chuckles. “It's like driving around a hoard of unruly children!”

“Sorry, Charles,” Walker muttered.

“Yeah, sorry, C Man.” But Gable's voice was filled with laughter.

“You are
not
calling me that. No one is calling me that.”
 

“Naw, I like it,” Nicky chimed in with a grin. “C Man. Yeah, it works.”

“Oh dear God, there's two of you.” Charles shook his head as he pulled into the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Queens.

Gable checked her watch as they parked up. “We'll have to wait. Francis won't be awake for another twenty minutes.”

Zay turned in his seat to look at her with a frown. “Dude, it's almost nightfall. I mean, I'm all for sleeping in, but really?”

“Well yeah, he
's
a vampire. Sleeps during the day, wakes at night and all that.” She paused when they gaped at her. “Oh, didn't I mention that?”

There was a heavy silence in the car, and then suddenly it erupted as the Guardians all started freaking out like a bunch of little bitches.

“A
vampire
?”
 

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“You might have mentioned that before we came here!”

“Quick, did we bring any stakes?”

“Really? Stakes? I thought that was just in the movies.” Nicky, of course.

“We should have known you'd be buddies with a vicious murderer.” Ah, Walker, pleasant as ever.

“Will you all just chill!” Gable held up her hands to ward them off. And shut them the hell up. God, they were annoying. “What are you guys
on
?”
 

“Is he gonna suck our blood?” Nicky asked. “I'm not into that crap, just sayin'.” They all chose to ignore him.

“Vampires are a very dangerous breed, Gable,” Charles insisted. “Surely you know that?”

She stared at him disbelievingly. “What are you talking about? You know about the Vampire Laws, right? You must do, you're Guardians. You guys are supposed to know everything.”

“The Vampire Laws?”

“Wow.” She shook her head in genuine surprise. “You know, you Guardian peeps are kind of dumb. Vamps have laws just like humans. They've been forbidden from killing humans or other Outcasts for like, fifty years or something. If they do they're classed as rogue and they get punished, just like a regular human murderer would. These days if they want blood they have to get it from blood banks or willing humans. They have bars and clubs and whatever for people who are into that screwed up Twilight crap.”

“If that were true then the Guardians would already know this,” Walker pointed out.

“Not necessarily,” Zay said. “Vamps have always been classed as a Code 1 threat. Shoot on sight.”

Gable rolled her eyes. “And you call me evil.”

“How do
you
know all this?” Nicky asked her.
 

“Pablo used to hire vampires as bodyguards. They're strong, and pretty good at incapacitating their opponents without killing them. Saves a lot of mess.”

“Well this is very interesting information,” Charles said. “I shall have to make sure I inform the Elders.” He glanced back at Gable with searching, contemplative eyes. “Yes, very interesting indeed.”

+++

Francis was sleep ruffled and bleary eyed when he opened the door. But then, that was how he always was. He didn't look like a movie vampire, not creepy or sparkly or overly beautiful. Instead he looked like a regular guy, a college jock even – broad and muscular with playful eyes and a dimple in one cheek.

He ran a hand through his short brown hair and glared at Gable. “You brought Guardians here? Man, I hate those guys. I thought it was just gonna be you?”

Charles cleared his throat, possibly to remind Francis that they were standing right there and that they could in fact hear him, but it didn't faze him. Francis had all the manners of a college jock too.

“Can't shake them,” she explained, shrugging a shoulder. “Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll protect you, you big, bad vampire baby.”

Grumbling, he stood aside to let them pass. When Gable entered last, he grasped her wrist to keep her behind while the others disappeared into the living room. “You gonna stay after?” he asked, his voice seductive and his eyes positively smoldering.

She looked him up and down, smirking. He was wearing only a pair of running shorts and no shirt. No guessing what he'd been hoping for. “Not a chance.”

He pouted. “Please? You know you had a good time when you came by last.”

“That was a one time thing,” she said, trying and failing to keep her voice stern. “Go put on a shirt.”

He ran his hands up and down his perfectly chiseled chest. “You know you don't want me to cover this up.”

She laughed as she passed him by to follow the others.

The Guardians were all standing in an awkward huddle in the center of the room, like they were expecting more vampires to jump out of the shadows and bite them in the ass. The expressions on their faces were comical.

“Sit down then,” Francis said, staring at them like they were a bunch of idiots. Which, well. . .yeah.

The room was small and dark and there was barely enough room to seat them all. Nicky sprawled in an armchair and eyed Francis.

“What?” Francis demanded.

“Are you really a vampire?”

He shot down his fangs and bared them in response. To his credit, Nicky didn't jump, but his eyes widened. He was still so green to the Outcast world. “Where's your coffin?”

Francis raised an eyebrow at Gable. “Really?”

“We're here for information,” Charles interrupted before Nicky could ask any other stupid questions.

“I know what you're here for,” Francis drawled, cocking his head towards Gable. “She knows how it goes.”

Sighing, Gable moved to sit next to him on the sofa and held out her wrist. Walker didn't bother to hide her sound of distaste.

“Wait,” Nicky called out, sitting up to attention. “What's going on?”

“Blood for info, bro,” Francis explained, picking up her wrist and bringing it to his nose. He inhaled deeply.

“No way!” Nicky protested. “Gable-”

“It's just how it's done,” she told him impatiently. He needed to realize that he didn't have to protect her all the time. Or at
all
. “It's a fair trade.”

“But-”

“Let it be, Nicky,” Charles instructed, though he didn't look all too happy either.

Nicky sat back in his seat, shooting daggers at Francis. His hand moved unconsciously to the gun hidden underneath his jacket though he made no move to pull it out.

Francis' eyes turned red as his fangs came down. He bit into Gable's wrist and drank deeply, closing his eyes in ecstasy. She tried her hardest not to flinch while everyone except Nicky turned away uncomfortably. The taking of one's blood, it was an intimate thing.

As Francis continued to drink, Gable began to get warmer and warmer until she was just. . .hot. Too hot. Too flushed, too excited, too
everything
. Images of her and Francis flashed through her mind; their bodies entwined in his sheets, thrusting, panting, growling-

She kicked him hard in the shin with her boot. “Stop it! Do it normally.”

He somehow managed to smirk even with his fangs buried deep inside her vein, but the lust mercifully vanished. She was grateful – that was exactly how they'd ended up sleeping together six months before. Not that it hadn't been a lot of fun, but she wasn't looking for a repeat.

Nicky continued to watch, equally curious as he was disgusted.

When he'd had his fill, Francis made a show of licking her wound until it healed, waggling his eyebrows at a pissed looking Nicky to antagonize him. “God, you taste good.”

She leaned back, weakened, but more than ready for answers. “You better have something for me after that, Francis.”

“I asked around like you wanted but I got nothing on those missing Outcasts, 'cept that no more seemed to have vanished in the past couple weeks. But I did hear those little shits, Zebb and Uang, are back in the city. You're looking for them, right?”

Everyone sat up straighter at this news. “Do you know where?” Walker demanded, her dislike forgotten.

“All over, though mainly here in Queens and The Bronx. They're looking for someone, I guess, leaving a trail of seriously fucked up Outcasts behind them.”

“Dead?”

“Not quite. Beaten to hell, though.”

“Which Outcasts?” Gable asked.

He blew out a puff of air and glanced up at the ceiling as he thought. “You know Edith, right? The water elemental? And...oh, the Shellson twins-”

“I know them,” Zay interrupted. “Fire elementals.”

“Yup. Then there was...” He scratched his head as he tried to remember. “...another water elemental, I think. What was his name? William something.”

“Even I can see the pattern here,” Nicky spoke up.

Charles nodded. “Elementals.”

“As far as I know,” Gable said. “Pablo never got his earth elemental. It sounds to me like that's what they're looking for. I guess whoever's running the show now wants one too.”

+++

“I ache for the injured Outcasts, but this is good news,” Terelle mused an hour later when they'd explained their findings to her in the living room of her luxurious tent. “This means we now have a way to draw Zebb and Uang out.”

“If we knew an earth elemental,” Walker reasoned. “Which we don't. And finding one – especially one willing to essentially risk their lives for our cause – will be hard. They're the rarest of all the elementals.”

“Actually we do know one, and I'm certain that he'll be more than willing to help.” Terelle smiled deviously at Gable. “Ward.”

Gable grinned back at her. “Yes,” she confirmed. “Ward.”

“Who's that?” Nicky questioned, looking between the two women with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

“An earth elemental, dummy.”

“If you don't mind me asking,” Zay started. He seemed uncharacteristically awkward so Gable could guess which direction he was going in. “If you already knew another earth elemental, why didn't you tell Pablo?”

“I think we've already established that I didn't tell Pablo a lot of things.”

He nodded, accepting her answer.

“Talking of Pablo,” Terelle said quietly to Gable. “We should talk to Cadby about that thing before he goes to bed.”

Ignoring the curious glances from the others, she nodded. “Call Ward first, though.”

Terelle promised to let them all know when she'd talked to Ward and the meeting came to an end. The Guardians began to leave, either towards home or outside to join the other Outcasts. Dinner would probably be over, but some of the younger Outcasts had started a bonfire which meant there would be music and dancing.

As he'd done every other time he'd visited, Nicky asked Gable if he could stay with her. And like every other time, Gable said a firm no.

“Ah, Gable,” Charles called out before she could leave to find Cadby. He cleared his throat, something she'd already learned he did whenever he had an uncomfortable topic to talk about. “I was wondering if you might spare a moment for a quick word?”

She stopped, raising her brow in surprise. “Sure, I guess.”

He waited until everyone was gone and they were alone before starting. “Your apartment. . .”

“What about it?”

“I wanted to let you know that it is indeed
your
apartment. Now that Pablo's death has been announced publicly, his assets are being dealt with by Guardian Officials. They discovered that the apartment is in your name. I wasn't sure if you knew this?”

“No, I didn't.” The nervous excitement building inside of her now they had a possible lead to getting back the Outcasts, getting back
Sacha,
vanished. Her stomach hollowed out – she hated being reminded of how much Pablo had cared about her. It was easier to remember him as a villain, an evil monster who'd hurt people she cared about, because it took away some of the guilt about what she'd done to him. But it was moments like this that she was forced to confront his love for her, and her love for him, and it just. . .made her die a little bit inside each time. “I don't want it. Tell them to do whatever they want with it.”

“I understand your feelings, but you may want to take the time to think this over,” he said softly. “You don't have to live there. You could sell, and you'd have enough money to tide you over for a very long time, or. . . Well, it's up to you. But the Guardian Elders wanted me to assure you that it belongs to you, and after everything you did. . .no one will be taking it away from you. Just think it over, at least until after we've found the missing Outcasts.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Charles.” Her voice sounded empty, even to her own ears.

Seeming to sense her sadness, he let out a long suffering sigh. “Would it make you feel better if I let you call me C Man?”

She smiled despite herself. It was the first time he'd ever shown any kind of warmth towards her. “Maybe.”

“Not in front of Nicky,” he warned. “I'll never hear the end of it.” He touched her shoulder comfortingly before walking away.

Fortune ran his stub of chalk along the cold cement floor in yet another short line.

655 lines.

655 days.

It had been 655 days since he'd been hauled down to his underground prison cell, 655 days since he'd last felt the fresh breath of freedom.