Seers (40 page)

By now Grandpa was laboriously crouching down on my other side, one hand resting on my uninjured shoulder. “Baby?

Baby can you hear me?”

“What happened?” Toni asked with a puff, skidding to a halt near my feet. He remained standing, his brow furrowed in confusion. “They pushed her out of a moving car? How does that make sense?”

Again, Patrick lowered his hand onto my face, touching at a thin trail of blood. I groaned deeply, and I felt Patrick’s fingers freeze against my face, worried his touch had hurt me. “I jumped, Toni,” I croaked painfully. Why not glorify Selena’s push?

Toni let out a short laugh. “And you still hurt yourself? You’re a wimp,” he told me, his voice making the insult affectionate.

“Where are the twins?” I asked, grimacing as I tried to sit up. Patrick’s arms went around my back, gingerly supporting my weight. I leaned heavily against him, grateful in more ways than one for his presence.

Toni answered the question when it became obvious that Patrick’s voice wasn’t ready to cooperate yet. “Patrick and I carried them out to the car, where Jason was waiting. He took them home, and we joined Jack and your Grandpa—who can really kill a Demon, by the way—back here. Personally, I feel the plan deserves a four star.”

“Maybe a three, mate,” Jack argued, coming up beside him and slapping his shoulder. “Guess we scared that Selena Avalos, eh? Enough that she’d leave you behind.” 308 K • • •

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“I wasn’t really making it easy for her to take me,” I said, already feeling better now that I was safe in Patrick’s arms.

Grandpa was shocked. “Avalos? That was Selena?” Toni almost sounded offended. “Is there any immortal person you don’t know?” He demanded.

And then I got to see something a girl doesn’t get to see every day. My Grandpa was blushing. “I may have, uh, run into her before. Once or twice. It’s a shame I didn’t get to really see her. It’s been years.”

Jack winked at him. “She still looks great.” Patrick was ignoring them, his eyes on only me. He carefully examined the side of my face, the one that was stinging like a mother. He flinched for my benefit. “That doesn’t look good.”

“It doesn’t feel very good,” I admitted.

“Does anything feel broken?”

I shook my head gently, one bleeding hand coming up to push back my hair. “No. I think I just got the wind knocked out of me.

A little bruised—that’s all.”

Patrick shifted his weight, preparing to lift me. “Come on—

let’s get you home.”

He helped pull me to my feet, and then kept his arms wrapped firmly around me when I swayed. I glanced up at him, for the first time noticing blood on his forehead. There was no cut, but it was easy to see where there had been one. I grimaced, knowing that—

even if it had been healed after just a second—it must have been painful.

“Are you okay?” I asked him.

He let out a shaky laugh. “You’re asking an immortal, remember? I’m fine.”

“But there’s blood—”

“Kate, I’m fine,” he repeated, more firmly, yet still gentle. “Now come on—we need to get you cleaned up.” He started to slowly help me forward, and Jack ran ahead to bring his car closer so I wouldn’t have to walk as far. Grandpa and Toni followed behind us.

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I still hurt pretty bad, but I was beginning to feel better enough that feelings of embarrassment were surfacing, unable to be ignored. “Am I the only one who got hurt?” I asked at last.

Grandpa let out a hard laugh. “Annoying, isn’t it? Probably the only downside of working with immortal people. Makes you feel like a wuss.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Patrick whispered to me, holding me close. “Don’t feel bad.”

“I wasn’t even in the fight,” I complained.

“You took on Selena,” Toni clarified from behind. “Something not many men are able to walk away from unscathed. Even immortal people.”

“True enough,” Grandpa sighed in agreement.

I couldn’t see the look Toni gave my grandfather, but I could imagine it. “So seriously,” Toni asked him. “Is there anyone else you know, that I should know about?” I could hear the shrug in Grandpa’s voice. “I don’t know. You an Elvis fan?”

“Huh?” He was obviously surprised by the question. “Um, no.

Not really. He was fine, but . . .”

“Hmm. You looked the type, too. Anyhow, I knew him. He was the last Guardian I served with.”

“You’re kidding!” Toni cried, incredulous. “Elvis is a Guardian!?”

“I’ve got signed posters and records and everything. ‘Course, he signed ‘em all after he was dead, so I don’t know if that improves the value or not. Always told me he chose to be a Guardian to be closer to his fans, you know? Watch over them and everything.” There were a million things I could have commented on. But I didn’t. I just let my Grandpa and Toni have their unbelievable conversation as I laid my head against Patrick’s shoulder, loving the feel of his strong arm around my back.

310 K • • •

Thirty-five

Once we were in the car—me squished in the backseat between Patrick and Toni—Grandpa dug around in the glove box to find a first aid kit. He let out a grunt of satisfaction when it was found, and he quickly opened it to get a couple bandages for himself. Then he closed it and passed the box back to us. Patrick took it, opening it while still placing it on his lap. He searched inside it for a while, eventually finding what he was looking for. He pulled out a couple alcohol wipes, and then reached silently for my hand. I sighed, knowing it was going to hurt, but reluctant to fight him. He cradled my hand gently, and began to clean the deep cuts and shallow scrapes alike. The alcohol stung, but it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Maybe your body can only register a certain amount of pain, and then it switches to just discomfort.

Once he was satisfied that all the dirt and infection had been removed—he even tended the little cuts on my arm—he reached for my other hand, intent on repeating the process. By now we were almost back to the highway, and the ride was a lot smoother now.

While he worked I glanced forward, asking the question of anyone that knew the answer. “What about all those bodies?

What will happen to them?”

Toni answered easily. “We’ll call Terence. He has connections.” Patrick elaborated with a low, concentrated voice. “We’ll have to go back there later, but it’s out of the way enough we can get you home first.”

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Grandpa piped up from the front seat. “We’ve got to get you ready for the dance—if you’re up to it.”

“Oh. Right.” I’d almost forgotten. I dreaded facing Aaron tonight. I just didn’t have the energy, and he was already so upset with me . . . I sighed, and Patrick continued to stroke the wipe over my palm.

He checked my other arm, but the scrapes were minimal, so he turned his attention to my face. He brushed the hair away from my cheek, and gingerly began to clean the cuts there. I winced, and he murmured an apology. But he didn’t stop.

We all ignored the one topic we didn’t want to bring up—that this nightmare wasn’t over. Grandpa and Jack didn’t know about Far Darrig, and the fact that he was after me, and the three of us in the backseat didn’t bother to enlighten them. There would be a time to worry about that, but it could wait. I needed it to wait.

By the time we pulled into the driveway next to the blue Altima, all my injuries had been carefully attended to. I still ached and stung, and I was covered in dirt, but after having my skin stroked by Patrick’s gentle fingers, I was feeling much better.

Grandpa and Jack shared a quick goodbye, and Patrick helped me out of the car. He kept a hand wrapped around my elbow, though at this point I wasn’t really unsteady—just sore. Grandpa’s door was open, but he was still talking to Jack—I suddenly remembered I still had Patrick’s knife.

I bent over, but Patrick must have thought I was falling, because he pulled me back up. “Kate?”

“Your knife,” I told him, waving down to my leg. “I still have it.” Patrick’s lips pulled into a very fast, tired smile. “Keep it. You might need it again.”

“I didn’t even use it,” I admitted. “I kind of thought I would.” Toni snorted in the car, and I knew he’d overheard. “Trust me—you’d be in worse shape if you’d tried. We need to train you first.”

I heard the front door of the house open, and Jason rounded 312 K • • •

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the corner by the garage. He was pushing his glasses back against his nose, closer to his eyes. Surprising me, he came around the car to stand in front of me, and he addressed me for the first time.

“They’re still sleeping. I laid them on a couch inside, if that’s all right.”

“That’s great,” I told him. “Thank you. So much.” He smiled just a little, his nerdy face stretching tightly. “I didn’t mind. This was cooler than my calculus homework any day.

College isn’t near as fun as this Seer stuff.” Grandpa pulled himself out of the car, and Jason turned toward him. He slipped wordlessly into the passenger seat that Grandpa had just vacated, and Toni was just climbing out through his door. Before Patrick could close his door, I called out a quick thank you to Jack.

“No worries, miss Kate,” the Australian Guardian said happily. “This is what we do, in the land Down Under.”

“You’re in New Mexico,” Grandpa reminded him loudly.

Jack cleared his throat loudly. “Enough earbashing! We’re off!” Patrick closed the door, and we stepped back as the black car slowly backed out of the drive, and then disappeared down the street.

Toni whistled lowly. “That is one weird guy.” Grandpa reached for my hand, and I reluctantly pulled out from under Patrick’s arm. Once at my Grandpa’s side I turned to face Toni and Patrick, standing dirty and slightly bloody before us.

“Thank you,” Grandpa told them. “I appreciate all you’ve done for my family.”

“All a part of the job,” Toni assured us, winking at me flirtatiously. “We can swing back by the store to get your car if you want.” I nodded my thanks for his thoughtfulness.

Patrick’s hands were in his pockets, his crystal-blue eyes on me. “Call if you need anything.”

I nodded once. “I will. See you Monday?” His lips tugged into a thin smile. “Yeah. Monday.”

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And then he lowered his gaze, and he followed his partner to their car, where Toni was already shutting the driver’s door.

In seconds they were gone, and it was just me and my Grandpa, standing in the driveway. His old hand rubbed my shoulder, and his voice was smooth and comforting. “Let’s get you ready for the ball, eh?”

s

The twins woke up just as I got out of the shower. They had no memory of their kidnapping, just as Romero had promised.

Jenna was a little surprised that they’d managed to sleep until about three, but Josie was more confused as to how they’d ended up on the living room couch together, instead of in their beds.

“Actually,” Josie said, glancing around with narrowed eyes. “I don’t even remember getting into bed. Did we just crash here?” Since it was the easiest answer, I told her they had.

They didn’t doubt me, but maybe that was because they were interested to know what had happened to my face.

“You’re ugly,” Josie informed me. “Like a corpse from a cheap movie.”

I told them I’d fallen at Lee’s, but they didn’t question me—

mostly because Jenna had just remembered that they were supposed to be mad at me for lecturing them yesterday. And so I got the silent treatment, not that I minded. They were here and safe, and they were secure in their own world. No Demons haunted them, for which I was grateful.

Though there was plenty of time that I could have called Aaron and arranged to at least go to dinner, I ended up just asking him to come pick me up for the dance.

He sounded sullen and hurt—still upset, too—but he agreed to get me around eight.

I worked hard at my makeup, trying to cover up the several long gashes on my face. In the end, I think I made it worse. So I removed it all and tried again, with slightly better success the 314 K • • •

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second time around. It was still easily visible, but the edges didn’t look so bad at least.

Grandpa cooked us some pancakes for an early dinner, but the twins refused to eat at the same table with me; so they took theirs into the family room. Grandpa and I ate together, and we talked quietly.

He told me a little about his life as a Seer, and how easy it was for him to accept his new lifestyle. But in time it grew hard. He returned from the war, got married, and continued to work for the Guardians. For many years, the Guardians—someone like Terence, I imagined—gave him the money he needed to support his family. It was a few years after the birth of his son—my father—

that he finally told the Guardians he was done.

I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask him, but it was easier to just listen to his stories. So that’s what I did.

At seven I went back into the bathroom, and tried to fix my hair. I decided to leave it down, in an attempt to better cover my facial cuts. I decided to curl it, though my lightly bandaged hands were throbbing by the time I’d finished. It wasn’t the best job I’d ever done, but it would have to do. I touched up my eye makeup, and then it was time for the dress.

I stood in my bedroom for a long time, just looking in the full-length mirror on my door. From the black heels that just peeked under the long skirt, up the silk maroon dress, to the silver necklace around my throat, I thought I looked pretty good. But it was the emotion in my eyes that kept me looking. Was it sadness? Regret? I wasn’t sure. But I was captivated by that glimpse into my soul. The thoughts I’d never quite admitted to myself, the desires I’d never fully realized until this moment, all of them staring back at me.

There was a knock on my door, and I spoke without thinking.

“Come in.”

Grandpa poked his head in first, and then stepped fully into the room. He was smiling at me, taking in my appearance with a loving eye.

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