Guardian's Hope (42 page)

Nico roared when the demon leapt. His rage
was beyond the control or thought. He dove out the window after the
creature, catching the third rung with his left hand and twisting
to slam into the beast. The thing, whose right hand had returned to
three taloned claws, wrapped around Nico, digging into his back and
its injured arm released, no longer able to support his weight.

The combined weight of warrior and beast
pulled the fire escape from its rotted moorings. The ladder leaned
out, the two hanging from it precariously, and the rusted metal
gave way with a shriek of its own. Through the rage, Nico saw it in
a kind of slow motion. He felt the demon’s claws in his back, felt
the ladder sway out from the house in a graceful arc, heard the
crack and screech as the deteriorated iron succumbed to too much
weight. At the moment the section of ladder broke free, he had only
one thought. His beloved Hope would not die unavenged. He screamed
her name as they fell, pouring all his love into his last breath as
a Guardian.

The others saw the fall, watched it knowing
they could do nothing to prevent the outcome. They saw the two,
entangled with the rusty ladder and each other, crash to the
ground. They ran to where Nico lay face down, covering the body of
the demon, the twisted ladder shrouding both. Manon and Grace had
disobeyed Canaan’s orders and ran with the men and watched, hands
covering their mouths to hold back their grief as Canaan hurled the
ladder away and turned the Guardian over.

He couldn’t pull the body away. Nico was
locked with the demon. The Guardian wouldn’t let go. Broadbent and
Nardo stepped up to help. They tugged and lifted and finally broke
him free when the demon’s body began to disintegrate. Nico’s hands
were locked over the blade, one hand on the hilt, the other one
grasping the blunt side of the blade. He’d positioned it so the
force of the fall would severe the demon’s neck.

Chapter 43

She didn’t know how far they’d walked,
probably only blocks, but it felt like miles. She kept hoping to
find a main road she recognized or a store where she could use the
phone to call home. All she saw were darkened houses or apartment
buildings and shops closed for the night. She was so tired. She
half carried Faith, supporting her weight with her arm and urging
her to keep moving. She wanted them as far away as possible from
the monster.

Hope steered them into the recessed doorway
of a small office building. She had to rest. Adrenaline had carried
them this far, but it wouldn’t carry them much farther. She settled
Faith into one corner and sank down into the other. Taking a deep
breath and closing her eyes, she began to draw the pattern with her
finger, weaving the tendrils of air and energy into the intricate
design. She needed whatever power and strength it could give her
and would willingly pay for it later. She could feel it seeping
into her and something else as well. Startled, she opened her eyes
to watch Faith weaving the pattern in the air. Her finger moved,
slowly, awkwardly, but the design was the same. It was the first
sign of awareness her sister had shown. She reached over to give
her sister the hug she hadn’t had time to give until now.

There was a pain in her chest and her mind
was filled with Nico.

“Oh, God,” she cried silently, putting all
her heart into the prayer. “Please don’t let him turn. He’s not
like Otto. He’ll see it as proof that he’s undeserving. He’s
punished himself all these years. He’s suffered enough. Take me if
you must. He said he’d march into Hell to bring me back. I’ll
gladly do the same. Send me to Hell in exchange for his soul. And
if you can’t save him, send me with him. Please!” Nico wasn’t her
first love, he was her only love and without him, she couldn’t go
on.

“
Nico! Nico, my heart, my love, don’t go!
I can’t do this alone, won’t live without you! Nico!
”

The jolt to her heart was like a strike from
a Taser. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t breathe. How odd that in
a moment of pain, she should feel truly blessed. Nico!

*****

“
Nico! Nico, my heart, my love, don’t go!
I can’t do this alone! Nico!
”

He thought she must be calling to him from
Heaven, knowing he was bound for Hell. This was first death and he
was going to be turned. It didn’t matter. Canaan would do what
needed to be done. He wasn’t like Otto. He had nothing to live for.
Hope was his heart and soul and if she was gone, he had lost the
most precious thing he’d ever been given. He had lost his Hope.
He’d promised to march into hell for her and if he thought God
would bargain with someone like him, he’d gladly pay that price.
But God had forsaken him a long time ago. Hope had bound his
bleeding heart and made him believe all things were possible. She’d
been the source of his redemption and now she was gone. Hope!

A pain pierced his heart; a white hot blaze
that lasted only a second and filled him with a fleeting moment of
joy and then it was gone. Could this be what turning felt like?

And then a picture flashed into his mind.
Hope!

Nico’s eyes snapped open and he grabbed
Nardo’s shirt collar using the same strong grip he’d used on the
blade.

“Go get them,” he whispered. His voice held
none of the strength of his hands. He’d barely finished giving the
location when Nardo was on his feet and running for the car. Otto
tossed him the keys.

“He’ll be all right.” Canaan’s relief was
evident. “Let’s get this place cleaned up and get out of here,”
Canaan began directing, “Otto, Col, go back to Smith’s and pick up
the junker. Bring it back here so we can load up Nico and get him
home. You can take Manon home as well.”

“Me, too,” Grace chimed in.

“No.” Canaan meant it to be just as sharp as
it sounded. “You’ll stay with me. Right next to me where I can keep
you out of trouble. And when we get home, I‘m going to…”

“Ooo, pink hand cuffs and paddles? I can’t
wait!” Grace stood on tip toe to kiss him on the lips. She left him
sputtering to follow Dov into the house.

“You can’t win, son. I don’t know why you
keep trying,” Otto laughed and offered a quick salute as Col revved
the engine of the Honda. “A good woman will getcha every time.”

*****

“Ma’am? Ma’am!”

Hope didn’t register the voice or that it was
referring to her until Faith fingers halted at the voice’s
command.

“Ma’am, stop!”

There was a light in her eyes, so bright she
held up her hand up to prevent it blinding her. She heard a car
door open and shut and then a figure was standing in front of her
blocking the light.

“Holy shit, Mike, douse the light and get
over here.”

With the glare of the light away from her
eyes, Hope finally saw the cop, a woman, standing in front of her.
The officer reached out to touch Faith and Hope felt her sister
recoil.

“Don’t touch her. Please. She’s been hurt and
she’s afraid. Just let me take her home.”

“I can see she’s been hurt and you’re not
looking too good yourself. Mike, I need some help here.”

The other officer walked around the car to
stand beside his partner. He looked Hope and Faith over for less
than a second. “I’m calling an ambulance, JJ.”

“No, please. We’ll be all right once I get my
sister home.”

“You want to tell us what happened to her?”
The woman gently took Hope’s free hand in her own. “We can help
you. I’m Officer Justice.”

At the officer’s touch, warmth and strength
flooded through her. Hope knew this was someone she could
trust.

“A man happened to her, an evil man.” Hope
looked into the woman’s eyes and knew she understood. “I’ve been
searching for her for weeks and tonight I found her.”

“And the man?” The officer held Hope’s eyes
the same way she held her hand, with warmth and strength.

“It’s over.”

The officer nodded as if she understood that,
too. She started to speak, but the screech of an SUV’s tires as it
came to a skidding halt distracted her.

“Shit,” Nardo greeted them; running his
fingers through some loose strands of hair and tucking them back
into his ponytail. “I’ve been up this street twice looking for you.
If I hadn’t found you, Nico would have turned me.”

Hope choked on the sudden tears that clogged
her throat and flooded her eyes.

“Nico? The demons didn’t kill him?” she
cried. Her relief overrode her good sense. She realized her mistake
immediately and her hand went to her mouth.

“Nah, made a good try though,” he answered as
if they always spoke of demons in front of humans. He turned to the
male cop and crooked his finger. “Can I talk to you for a
minute?”

Mike followed him over to the police car and
Hope saw him lightly touch his thumb to the cop’s forehead. The
officer got in the car and began to write in his notebook. Nardo
returned and winked at Hope.

“What do you mean, demons?” JJ asked, her
hand moving to her holster.

Quick as lightning, Nardo’s thumb was at her
forehead and the muzzle of her gun was pointed at his gut. They
both took a cautious step back.

The officer slowly took the Guardian’s
measure and then glanced at Hope.

“You say you know him?”

“He’s a friend.”

“One of the good guys?”

“One of the best of the good guys.”

The officer brought her attention back to
Nardo. “You’re going to see to it they get the attention they
need?”

Nardo raised three fingers like a Boy Scout
and smiled his most charming smile. “I swear it.”

Officer Justice took another step back and
slowly holstered her gun. “Good. Then we’ll just pretend we never
met.” She walked to the police car, paused and turned back to
Nardo. “Don’t always assume the male is the greater threat.” She
brought her finger to the brim of her hat in a friendly salute.
“You be careful out there.”

“I’ll be damned,” Nardo said as the car
pulled away.

“You’ll be more than that if you don’t get us
home. I need to see Nico and get my sister settled.” It had been a
long night and it was good to be going home.

Otto and Manon were in the garage waiting for
them. Faith was back in her near catatonic state and showed no
resistance when Nardo lifted her into his arms and carried her into
the house. Manon immediately took charge.

“Take her up to the yellow room,” she said to
Nardo and to Hope, “There is a tray of supplies already there. The
clinic is too public a place and she needs to know her privacy will
be protected here.” She took Hope’s hand in hers and squeezed it
reassuringly as they followed the men up the stairs. “We will bathe
her and assess her wounds, make her comfortable. She may need a
hospital and if so, we will make arrangements, but for now, we will
let her rest, let her sleep. Come, you too look exhausted. Tomorrow
night, after you and Grace have rested, we will try to work on her
mind”

“Nico?”

Manon flicked her free hand in disgust. “He
is a fool. He would let no one help him until Nardo called to say
you were safe and then he graciously allowed us to help him to his
room where he snarled at us to go away. You have your work cut out
with that one. He will heal and he will have scars as payment for
his stubbornness. For one so worldly and urbane, he is more modest
than you, Miss Priss.”

Poor Nico, still ashamed of his scars. “Don’t
be hard on him, Manon. He has his reasons.”

Nardo set Faith down and she stood where he
left her. Manon ignored the fact that her eyes didn’t check out the
room and she showed no recognition that the men had left. Here she
was alone with her sister and an older woman she’d never seen
before, yet she didn’t even look curious. The Frenchwoman spoke
from the bathroom where she started the water running.

“I am Manon, ma petite, and we will become
great friends. You have suffered greatly, but your sister, Hope,
and I are here now where you will be safe and protected. Here,” she
said when she returned to the bedroom, “Let’s get you out of these
clothes.” She laughed a little and it sounded perfectly natural. “I
can see who chose this outfit. Hope is a wonderful woman, but she
has no taste in dress.”

Hope stood staring with her hand pressed to
her mouth and tears filling her eyes. How could Manon ignore the
cuts and bruises that covered the greying skin, the heaviest on her
inner thighs? Every bone in Faith’s body showed clearly. She’d
always been small, petite, but her weight was proportionate with
her height. Now, she looked like the pictures Hope had seen of the
survivors of Nazi camps. Her dark brittle hair showed signs of
grey.

Manon sat Faith in the bath and began to wash
her with scented soap. Candles burned along the vanity, reflecting
their light in the mirror and adding to the serenity. The
Frenchwoman murmured softly while she worked, telling Faith about
the people who lived here, the renovations that were almost
complete and all the mundane things of their life in this House of
Guardians. Faith’s shoulders visibly relaxed as Manon worked
shampoo into her hair. From her knees by the tub, the older woman
looked up at Hope and smiled.

“Why are you still here?” she laughed softly.
“Faith and I will be fine and you have a man that needs seeing to.
I have left a tray of things in the hall to dress his wounds. He
will not be so modest with you.”

“Thank you, Manon, Thank you for everything.
Without you and Grace…”

“And the heroic Joseph who we must generously
reward. Yes, yes, it was an adventure we will not soon forget.” She
shooed with her hand. “Go. We can talk of it later. Go to your
man.”

Chapter 44

Nico lay unmoving under the covers pulled to
his chin. His eyes were closed and his lips slightly parted. His
hard chiseled jaw was softened in sleep and the corners of his
mouth curled slightly upward giving the illusion of a smile. His
hair, normally pulled back into a short, severe tail was fanned
across the pillow and Hope was reminded once again of the boy who
became the man. A small glass bottle and a pile of bloodied gauze
lay on the carpet. He’d treated his own wounds rather than expose
his back to the others.