Guardians: The Triplex (The Guardians Series, Book 4)

  Given this kind of thinking, I know if I stay in this room I will drive myself crazy with worry. So I head over to Marcus’s room. The team is supposed to be recharging but if I know my First Guardian, he’s wide awake.

  As I walk by Miku’s room, I hear her and Ameana talking. I guess no one is recharging.

  “I know we’re good and we’ve gone up against a lot. But Kairo?” Miku says.

  “I know,” Ameana says, with a sense of dread.

  “Kairo is a psychopath.”

  “Yeah, I agree. I’m not sure Lucy could kill him even if she wanted to.”

  “Going up against him is worse then the Hun. Do you remember what he did to Linden?”

  “I heard that story in training and it gave me nightmares.”

  Who’s Linden?

  The two fall silent.

  “We don’t really have a choice do we?” Miku says a few moments later.

  “No. Marcus is going to do this with or without us. And we can’t let him do it alone.”

  “You guys think I’m crazy for not wanting to kill the Tics?” Miku asks.

  “I get it. Redd hurt a lot of people. You’re trying to undo some of what she did.”

  “Exactly, I put my hand through a man’s chest and ripped his heart out from his body. And you know what is worse? How much I enjoyed it.”

  “That wasn’t you.”

  “Redd is a part of me. So somewhere inside me I’m actually that dark and that twisted.”

  “I know it’s difficult to look back on, but when you’re in the heat of a battle, you can’t take regret with you. It’ll slow you down.”

  “I just can’t believe how out of control I was. How could evil make a home so easily inside me?”

  “It’s not just you. Angel or not, it’s easy to let evil in. Some days you keep it a bay and some days it comes up to your door and knocks.”

  “Have you ever…let it in?”

  “Gotten very close.”

  “When Emmy kissed Marcus?” she asks carefully.

  “Yeah…”

  “At least you were strong enough not to do something crazy, unlike me.”

  “You don’t know how many times I’ve separated Emmy’s flesh from her bones in my head.”

  “Ameana!”

  “What? I know it would be wrong but it would also be fun; so much fun,” I can hear the smile in her voice.

  “I thought Angels were supposed to be nice?” Miku teases.

  “No, Pretty. We’re supposed to be good and I am. Have I killed the human? No. But thinking about it is fun. And we are allowed to have some fun.”

  “I guess. So, how do you feel?” Miku asks her.

  “Much better, the side effects of Choice’s powers are wearing off.”

  “I don’t mean that. I mean the fact that we’re about to ask for Wolf’s help.”

  “Pretty, there has to be someone else we can ask.”

  “Wolf may not kill but you can’t deny he can handle himself. Or as Jay would say ‘kid’s got skillz,’ ” Miku says, imitating Jay’s voice.

  “I know but…”

  “Ameana, its okay to like him.”

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  “I hate what you’re letting the break up do to you,” Miku says gently.

  After a moment of reflection, Ameana admits, “Wolf is kind of sexy when he fights. And his wing span is massive…” They share a sinful laugh between the two of them.

  “Wait, we shouldn’t judge an Angel by his wing span,” Ameana says.

  “Um…what else are we supposed to judge him by, his soul?” They share yet another laugh.

  “Look at it this way, if Kairo kills us, we can die looking at the best set of wings this side of the light,” Ameana adds.

  “Mmmmm, now that’s a good death!”

  CHAPTER SEVEN: IT’S TIME…

  I head to Marcus’s room. I enter and find him standing by the window. His room is decorated very much like mine: simple “earthy” elegance.

  “I think Miku is still hung up on what she did as Redd,” I inform him.

  “Yeah, I got the feeling when she basically suggested we play nice with Tics who were trying to kill us. I thought maybe she’d get around to talking to Ameana about it.”

  “She did. They’re in Miku’s room. Ameana is sharing her innermost fantasy about taking my life.”

  “Did you tell her to get in line behind Lucy and the Akons?” he says. I smile and lean in to kiss him. The sparks from his kiss always ignites something in me.

  “Are you okay with her and Miku being so close?” he asks.

  “They knew each other first. Anyway, she and I get to have our little …talks.”

  “Really? About what?”

  “Stuff,” I say, blushing as I turn away.

  “What did you two talk about?” he says, studying my face with growing interest.

  “Unicorns, pillow fights, and nail polish.”

  “So you won’t tell me?”

  “Nope.”

  “I could persuade you,” he says, pulling me closer.

  He kisses the nape of my neck gently. I exhale softly and wisely pull away. If I let him, he would be able to get every embarrassing detail out of me. Actually if he continues to kiss me the way he is, I would act out my conversation with Miku in sock puppets. Marcus is wrong. His power isn’t his strength or his ability to reflect a person’s fear back to them. His real power is in his touch.

  “Don’t distract me, Guardian; I’m here on a mission,” I say with my best “official” voice.

  “What is your mission?”

  “To get my hottie boyfriend to open up to me.”

  “Open up about what?”

  “Kairo. How dangerous is he?”

  “Emmy, don’t worry. You know I’ll protect you.”

  “Yeah, I know. But who’s going to protect you and the rest of the team?”

  “It’s our job to put our lives in danger. You know that.”

  “I also know that the mission would be complete if you weren’t in love with me.”

  “But I am.”

  “I need to know: How dangerous is Kairo?”

  “All you need to know is that your Angel loves you more than his own soul.”

  I am about to argue but there is a knock on the door. The rest of the team wanders in.

  “I guess no one could recharge, huh?” Marcus asks.

  “Not after finding out all this craziness. Are we really taking on Kairo?” Rio asks.

  “We don’t have a choice,” Marcus replies.

  “I was taking a look around the temple and there’s a room filled with beds. Like hospital beds,” Jay says.

  “What do they need it for?” I ask.

  “I asked Charity and she just said it was for extra guests.”

  “So?” Miku says.

  “So, who has fifty extra people sleeping over?” Jay asks.

  “It could be nothing,” Ameana says.

  “That’s just it, you guys. It could be anything. I think we’re moving too fast on this. I know the Council isn’t perfect but why would they deny the existence of a whole race?”

  “They did that because they were afraid of the balance shifting,” Miku replies.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure we should be undoing anything the Council has done,” Jay protests.

  “We brought Rio back,” Miku replies.

  “That’s different.”

  “No, it isn’t. The Council isn’t perfect. They never should have denied the Quo the right to equality. Now we get to correct that,” Marcus says.

  “This has nothing to do with equality. You want to save the human,” Ameana says.

  “It’s been almost a year now. Can you just say my name?” I ask, no longer hiding the irritation in my voice.

  She ignores me and address the team.

  “Jay does have a point. We need more time to dig deeper into the Quo.”

  “We don’t have time. There
is a price on Emmy’s head. Every single evil entity is looking for her,” Marcus replies.

  “The Council hid an entire race from us. I just think we really need to find out why,” Jay insists.

  “The Triplex is in Emmy. The Council hid that from us, too. They do whatever they want,” Miku reflects.

  “I’m just saying we need to slow down,” Jay adds.

  “Again, we don’t have time,” Marcus objects.

  “Look man, I know you love, Emmy. I love baby girl, too. But you are walking into to a ridiculously dangerous situation without enough info,” Jay warns.

  “What do you want me to do? Google ‘Quo People’?” Marcus snaps.

  “Let’s go back to The Sage, maybe he knows something.”

  “No. I’m not wasting anymore time,” Marcus vows.

  “He’s just telling you to be careful, Marcus. We could go to Pyron and it could be some kind of trap,” I inform him.

  “I get that, Emmy. But it doesn’t matter. It’s the only way to keep you alive.”

  “Were they being honest when they said they are the Triplets from the story?” Miku asks her twin.

  “Yes, but they do have secrets.”

  “That’s everybody,” Ameana says.

  “When they talked about their history was it true?” I ask.

  “It’s not that simple. The sisters are radiating a lot of things. But it could be because they are lying to us about something or because they have their own personal issues going on. For example, Charity is so hot for Jay she’s about to jump out of her skin.”

  Normally Jay would use that opportunity to make a joke but he didn’t. He must really be worried about this mission.

  “We need to talk to The Sage,” Jay says again.

  “No time,” Marcus insists.

  “Can we at least call him?” Ameana wonders.

  “I tried calling, there’s no cell service here,” Jay replies.

  “Jay, you’ve always had my back. What’s changed?” Marcus accuses.

  “I have always had your back, but you’re compromised. I get it. You’re in love. But if you’re not thinking clearly, then it’s our job to get you to stop and think about what you’re doing,” Jay pleads.

  “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Is that why we lost Reese? Is that why we almost lost Rio?”

  “I’m so sick of you throwing that in my face. How many times have I helped make a win happen for this team? How many Cycles is it going to take for you to forgive me for Reese’s death?”

  “He was my best friend. Every single day, he’s on my mind.”

  “He’s on my mind, too, Jay.”

  “That’s crap. The only one on your mind is, and always will be, Emmy.”

  “What the hell do you want from me? Huh? You think hating will bring Reese back?”

  “I think forcing you to focus will prevent us from dying a tortuous death.”

  “Oh and when you came down here on this mission, was that your goal, Jayden? To make sure you had an easy death?”

  “I wanted not to die at all.”

  “Then you never should have agreed to be a Guardian. We don’t get to choose how we die. We get a mission and we complete it. Period.”

  “This isn’t about the mission. This is about you going off and making the whole world pay because you fell in love.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me, Marcus!”

  “Okay. I’ll tell you what Jay, I’m gonna ask you and everyone in this room a question. If anyone raises their hand, then we can call this whole thing off. I will take Emmy’s life right here, right now.”

  Everyone in the room stands still. My heart races and my palms go cold.

  “If any of us raise our hand after you ask the question, you’re gonna just let everything drop?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. What’s the question?”

  “If anyone in this room thinks Emmy wouldn’t risk her life to save them?”

  The silence is so loud it practically buzzes. Marcus waits. No one raises their hands.

  Marcus asks the question again. And again, no one raises their hand.

  “Then explain this to me: How come the girl with no wings and no powers is willing to die for us but we’re running like hell when it’s time to save her?”

  Marcus waits earnestly for a response. No one had anything to say. Marcus then confesses to the group softly:

  “I know this is going to be beyond difficult. But I’m not asking my team to follow me into battle; I’m asking my family.”

  Jay is the first to respond.

  “I got you. For real.”

  The others nod silently.

  “Thank you,” Marcus replies.

  “Um…I don’t want to ruin this ‘all for one and one for all’ moment but who is Linden? And what did Kairo do to him?” I ask.

  They all look at each other. Rio is the first to speak.

  “Linden was a Traveler Angel. He wasn’t very good at it. He was always failing to report to the Council because he’d get caught up with his true passion, painting. His paintings were so genius, he was commissioned by all of the Original Paras and basically every Angel in the Light.”

  “Kairo heard of Linden’s work. He asked Linden to paint him. Linden refused. He said he would rather die than do it. Kairo was livid. He sent Demons to capture Linden and bring him to the castle.”

  “He killed Linden?” I ask, unable to hold back.

  “No,” Miku says.

  “He cut off Linden’s arms and legs. He then placed him in a dungeon with full sets of paints and brushes to taunt him. Kairo force-fed Linden a mixture to take away his short-term memory. So everyday he wakes up thinking he can paint, then he witnesses the horror of his mutilated body. He screams and cries every time like it was the first time.”

  “Oh Omnis, why would he do that?” I beg.

  “Kairo isn’t turned on by pain alone. He likes to get inside your head and make you wish you were dead,” Miku explains.

  “It’s been said if you stand still on a windy day and you hear the wind howling, that’s Linden calling out ‘Kill me, kill me’ over and over again,” Rio adds.

  “He’s sadistic,” I say, mostly to myself.

  “Lucy made him, so…yes, he is,” Ameana concludes.

  “This is the guy we’re going after? Marcus, we can’t. If he gets any of you, he’ll torture you guys for eternity.”

  “Emmy, he won’t get us,” Marcus promises.

  “Has anyone ever tried to find Linden?”

  “No one has made it inside the castle.”

  “How many years has it been?” I ask.

  “Not years. Cycles.”

  “Cycles?”

  My heart sinks. I don’t want to know anymore about Kairo. I just want everything to be still. I want to somehow make this all go away. I sit down on the bed and shut my eyes. The picture of the mangled painter flashes in my head.

  We can’t go up against that kind of lunatic. How do you defeat a psychotic demon that the Angels aren’t allowed to kill?

  I’m so deep inside my head I don’t realize that the team has left Marcus and I in the room alone. He sits down next to me.

  “Look at me,” he asks gently.

  I shake my head “no.”

  He reaches out and slowly turns my head to face him. A fresh stream of warm tears flows down my face.

  “He’s gonna torture you,” I sob.

  He pulls me into his chest. I sob against him. He strokes my hair and kisses my forehead.

  We’re quiet for several minutes. The only sound is my crying.

  “I can’t let you do it. I can’t let you guys face Kairo.”

  “Hey, look at me,” he asks again.

  I reluctantly look into my Angel’s face.

  “Nothing Kairo does to me will ever compare to what your absence does to me.”

  “But Marcus—”

  “Emmy, the first few weeks I came to
Earth and I tried to stay away from you, those were my days of torture.”

  “I can’t handle you guys dying for me.”

  “It’s an Angel’s honor to give up their lives for courageous humans.”

  “I’m not courageous. Courageous humans don’t cry into their boyfriend’s chests.”

  “They do. And then they dry their eyes and get ready to battle,” he says, as he dries my tears with tissues from the box by the bed.

  “I’m not really worth all of this…”

  “You are the most important thing in my life. But that doesn’t matter if you think you’re worthless. I can’t give you any value. You have to give that to yourself.”

  “I don’t know why all of this is happening. I’m just some girl.”

  “You had a mother who loved you. You have a father who would fight me to the death if it means protecting you. You also have a boyfriend who would lay down his life for an extra minute with you. How could so many people be wrong?”

  “You don’t ever doubt me, do you?”

  “No. I’ve seen you in action. I’ve seen you in hell, and hell bowed down to you. So I know what you’re capable of. Emmy, it’s time you had a little faith in Emmy…”

  CHAPTER EIGHT: IF I DON’T RETURN

  Once we’re back in New York City, Jay has Marcus call up his buddy who has been studying Kairo. His friend suggests that if knowing Kairo’s mindset is vital, he should seek out the number one Kairo historian: Isabelle Gonzales. We meet the Angel at a small café near my house.

  Isabella is a pretty Latina with dark brown eyes, rich curly hair, and glasses. Her slight accent makes her even more endearing. When she enters, she begins speaking in Spanish. Angels speak every language so the group joins in.

  “Hey, don’t leave out the human who only got a C in Spanish.”

  “I was just telling the Guardians I can’t believe how close I am to the map,” she says, leaning in to study my eyes.

  I smile and try not to feel weird about her being so close. I fail. This is totally weird. It’s like being on display.

  Please stop looking at me…

  “Does it hurt?” Isabelle asks.

  “Not really, no.”

  Please stop looking at me…

  “When you blink, can you feel it move?”

  “No.”

  Please stop looking at me…