Guardian's Hope (29 page)

The dark clouds that had been threating rain
finally made good on their threat, first in a drizzle that quickly
evolved into a full blown downpour. Broadbent turned his collar up
against the rain.

“The god’s have smiled on us, my friend. Our
quarry will be seeking their hidey holes in weather like this. They
hate the rain which means we can seek shelter as well. Shall we
head back to the car?”

“Lead the way, Professor.”

They walked along the sidewalk silently, with
hands in their pockets and heads down against the rain. About five
blocks into their retreat, Nardo stopped. Broadbent had taken three
steps before he realized it and turned back to his partner.

“Do you smell anything?”

Broadbent took in a deep breath through his
nose and closed his eyes. “Rain, dog, exhaust, garbage, ah, there
it is. Something chose to stay out in the rain.”

“Or has wandered too far from its lair. It’s
coming from over there.”

“The cozy fire and warm cup of tea was just a
dream anyway. Let’s get on with it.”

They followed the scent which was difficult
with the rain washing it away almost as quickly as it was laid, but
each whiff was stronger than the last.

“There’s three of them. What the hell are
they doing?” Nardo turned down the street to his right. “Bussing
them over?”

Demons usually hunted alone, rarely in
pairs.

“Déjà vu all over again,” whispered
Broadbent.

Nardo silently chuckled at the Professor’s
use of the famous American ballplayer’s quote. “And look Papa
Berra, there they are now!”

Broadbent drew his blade from its sheath and
began to run. “Get a move on there, Goldilocks,” he called to Nardo
over his shoulder.

Chapter 29

Hope sat on the edge of the bed in her once
again neat and tidy room. The bed, not her bed. That was the way
she thought of it. Her bed was up the flight of stairs at the end
of the hall in Nico’s tiny apartment. Her bed was Nico’s bed,
wherever that bed might be. That’s where she belonged. She knew it.
Unfortunately, he didn’t and there was nothing she could do about
that.

She watched her finger as it lazily drew an
intricate pattern on the spread. The pattern was always the same.
It was a nervous habit left over from her childhood. She couldn’t
remember exactly when it started, sometime after her mother died,
she supposed, something she used to comfort herself when her mother
was no longer there to offer it. Now, however, there was no comfort
in it. Her finger worked faster and faster. It seemed to infuse her
with an energy for which there was no release. She balled her hand
into a fist and clutched it to her chest.

She got up, smoothed the few wrinkles she’d
created and looked around the room. There was nothing left to do
and she couldn’t hide up here forever. It wasn’t right to leave all
the work to Grace while her idle hands did nothing. She headed
downstairs to find Grace.

“Are you all right?” Grace asked gently as
soon as she saw Hope was alone.

Hope nodded but didn’t speak. The kitchen
island was covered in freshly laundered clothes. Grace took a
shirt, snapped it smartly, folded it into a neat square and placed
it on its proper stack. Hope took a seat on the other side of the
island and began the same process. Snap, fold, stack. Snap, fold,
stack. Grace continued as well until the pile was half finished and
the silence grew too heavy.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Hope shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk
about. This is the way Nico and I want it.”

“Bullshit. You don’t have to talk to me about
it. I can respect that. You can lie about it to the others and I
can respect that, too, but don’t lie to me or Manon. That’s the
rule.” She smiled to soften the criticism and continued folding the
laundry. “Lying doesn’t work anyway. We always know. When you
walked in here earlier, your emotions were so high they were
bouncing off the ceiling and just that quick,” She snapped her
fingers, “They fell to the floor. I thought when Nico ran after you
that maybe you’d work it out, but obviously you didn’t since
they’re still on the floor.”

“We did work it out, just not the way I
wanted it. Please, Grace, leave it alone. I really don’t want to
talk about it.”

“Okay, sweetie, don’t talk, just listen.”
Grace pushed the laundry aside, set her elbows on the table and
laced her fingers under her chin. “These Guardians are a stubborn
lot. They’re good at dealing with demons, but women? Not so much.
They think they’re all badasses with the ladies, but they’re not.”
She laughed a little. “Okay, maybe they are, but not for the
reasons they think. This job is more than a job. It’s a calling and
it comes, especially for the older ones like Canaan and Nico, with
a lot of baggage. There are traditions and a lot of stuff I don’t
understand because we don’t practice it here. This House is
different and Nico’s almost as new to it as you and I are.

“Anyway, and I’m not telling you anything
that everyone else doesn’t already know. When Canaan and I first
started to dance, I kind of had to take the lead.” She winked and
laughed. “He took over real quick, once he got the hang of it, but
I had to start the music and take the first step. What I’m trying
to say here, sweetie, is that maybe you need to be a little more
forceful and drag Nico out onto the floor so the two of you can
dance. He loves you. I know he does.” Grace tapped her heart.
“Feeling emotions is my gift.”

“Nico’s not Canaan, Grace, and I’m not you.”
Hope sighed and continued her folding.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
Grace grinned when Canaan walked into the room. “Were your ears
burning?”

“Why?”

“Because I was talking about you. I was
telling Hope about how stubborn you can be.”

He kissed the top of her head. “She’s telling
you tall tales then, because I’m not a stubborn man. It’s well
known that I’m cooperative and reasonable at all times and about
all things.”

“Oh, oh, big boy. You’d better be careful.
You’re going to hell if you keep lying like that.”

“And you’ll be there to keep me company.
What’s for supper?”

“Stew. It’s cold and rainy. I thought it
might be a good night for it.”

“Good thinking.” He hesitated and looked at
Hope. “There’ll be one less at the table. Nico.”

“He’s out for the night?”

“He’s gone. He came to me earlier, asked for
leave. Things have been slow so I granted it.”

“Canaan.” Grace said his name with a
combination of disappointment and disgust.

“What would you have me do, Grace? He has a
right to ask for leave and I didn’t have a reason to say no.”

Grace looked pointedly from him to Hope.

“I don’t think that one’s in the rule book,
honey.”

“It’s all right, Grace,” Hope interrupted.
“It’s my fault. I told him to go. I didn’t think he’d take it
literally.”

Grace frowned at her. “I thought we were
breaking that habit. It’s not your fault he’s a stubborn fool.
Anyway, he has to come back. He has a contract.”

Hope knew Canaan wanted to say something
more, but she couldn’t ask him what it was. She didn’t want
everyone in the House to know about her talent. It would only make
them uncomfortable.

“I think it would be best if I moved back to
my house,” she said. She’d been thinking about it all night as she
filled her closet and drawers. It was the best solution for
everyone.

“No!” Canaan and Grace said together.

“If you leave now, then it will be your
fault,” Grace argued.

“It’s not safe for you there. I want you to
stay here until this is resolved.” Canaan’s voice was firm.

Hope tried, but she couldn’t get a read on
what Canaan wanted resolved only that there was more than one
thing.

*****

“There’s four,” Nico shouted as one of the
group turned. Two of the others turned, following the reaction of
the first. They shimmered out of human form into beasts.

“No! Go right,” Broadbent shouted. They were
running in the white light and suddenly time slowed.

There was a woman with the demons. She stared
directly into Broadbent’s eyes and time seemed to stop. There was
no reaction in those eyes, no fear, no surprise. They were the dead
eyes of the blind, yet Broadbent knew she saw him. She lifted her
closed fist in front of her face, right over those staring eyes,
and released her clenched fingers. Something dropped from her
hand.

And then demon claws were shooting toward his
face. He shifted and threw himself to the ground. Supporting his
weight on his left hand, he kicked out with his right foot. The
demon’s arms went to its middle anticipating a blow to its gut, but
Broadbent’s strike zone was to its leg just above the knee. He was
rewarded with a satisfying crack and the demon screamed, but it
didn’t fall. Broadbent rolled forward with the kick and came
instantly to his feet.

The demon charged before he could complete
the turn to face it. He was broadsided across his shoulder and
chest and had no choice but to roll with the blow. The demon sailed
over his back as he rolled and it landed against the curb with
Broadbent plastered on top of it. It wrapped its arms around him
with a crushing force and dug its claws into his chest. There was
no time for the Paenitentia to break its hold.

Momentum carried them over the curb and into
the gutter. Now the demon was on top. It drew back its arm, talons
extending for a killing blow and Broadbent struck. The curved blade
dug deep into the ribs and the shape of the blade drove it upwards
into the heart. Broadbent struggled from beneath and emerged with
his blade ready for the next attack.

Nardo caught the demon on the right before it
had completely changed. He leaped into the air and brought the
knife down. It should have been a direct blow to the jugular vein
in its neck, but the changing body shifted into something much
larger and the blade glanced off its shoulder. Its arm heaved out
as Nardo struck and caught the guardian with a massive fist to the
chest. Already airborne, Nardo shouted in shock as he suddenly
changed direction and was thrown against the wall. His head slammed
back and pieces of brick and dust fell over him as he slid down the
wall. He heard his knife skittering down the sidewalk out of
reach.

One shake of his head and he was back on his
feet, just in time to sidestep the demon as it charge him with its
head down like a giant bull. This time, brick shattered with the
impact and the demon fell to its knees. Nardo grabbed a second
knife from the sheath at his wrist and using two hands
,
drove the blade through the demon’s back and into its heart. A
throwing star slammed into its back at the base of its neck inches
above the blade.

“Goddammit Professor! When the hell are you
going to learn to yell before you throw the fucking star! You
could’ve taken my hand off.”

He withdrew his blade using his foot for
leverage and used the same foot to roll the creature onto its back.
He then used the blade to slice into its chest, plunged in his hand
and pulled it back with the black heart in his fist. He held it to
the sky and roared. The body began to shrivel.

Broadbent was brushing off the front of his
shredded jacket, ignoring the blood seeping through. “You really
need to work on that temper, Nardo. That kind of agitation can’t be
good for the digestion.”

“If you learn to take care of your own
fucking demon and leave me to mine, I promise I won’t get pissed
off.”

Broadbent snapped his jacket collar to
straighten it and shot the sleeves. “You looked like you might need
some assistance. I’d already taken care of mine.”

Nardo burst out laughing and pointed into the
street. “I don’t think so.”

Broadbent’s demon was struggling to rise.

“Well shit. In all the excitement I forgot to
take the damned thing’s heart.” Broadbent withdrew the knife from
inside his jacket and followed the same procedure as Nardo. When he
was finished and the demon was shriveling at his feet, he pulled
out a bloody handkerchief and began to wipe the blade. “And I’d
just finished cleaning it.”

Nardo strapped in the knife he’d retrieved
from the sidewalk. “We don’t have time to neaten up, Professor. As
it is, we’re lucky we weren’t seen.”

“Oh, we can’t leave yet.” Broadbent stooped
low as he searched along the gutter and sidewalk. His head almost
touched the ground when he looked under a nearby parked car.

Nardo snorted. “You think you’re going to
find the two that got away?”

“Only one demon got away, Nardo.” He snatched
at something on the other side of the car. “The other was Faith
Parsons.”

“Are you sure?”

“Quite. I saw her clearly.” He held up a
square of folded paper. “And I believe she left us a note.”

Chapter 30

Nardo came through the door yelling. “Canaan!
Hope! Come quick!”

Grace pushed past Canaan and Hope. “Oh God,
how bad is it?”

Nardo waved his hand in dismissal. “The
Professor got clawed some. It’s not too bad. It can wait.”

“Says the man in the un-ruined shirt and
jacket.” Broadbent was shaking the rain from his Burberry and
inspecting the tears. His shirt front was shredded and bloody. “I’m
beginning to think the dynamic duo with their two dollar t-shirts
have the right idea. My tailor would have a fit if he saw
this.”

“Never mind your tailor, what the hell’s
going on?” Canaan had his hands on his hips.

Grace was already pulling Broadbent over to
the screened corner. “No one’s saying anything until I get a look
at that chest.”

Hope was already heading for the kitchen with
a basin for water. By the time she returned, Broadbent was on the
cot, bare chested and Grace was examining his wounds.