Awakened (31 page)

“Young lady,” the chairman said in a condescending tone. “We know how you feel—”

“No, sir, you don’t. This Council failed my mother and grandmother ten years. You will not fail my grandfather. I won’t let you. So you better listen to Bran and do as he says or I will hold all of you accountable for whatever happens to my grandfather.”

A heavy silence followed my speech. I didn’t care that I was rude and that my voice shook. They had it coming and needed to know where I stood. I believed in Bran. I looked at him and nodded. “Go on.”

For a moment he didn’t speak, his emerald eyes shining with an emotion I couldn’t define. “Cardinal Falcon gave Gavyn a message.” His gaze left mine and swept the faces around the room. “He said you
mustn’t
try to rescue them. Instead, you should contact the other Guardians and head to Coronis Isle. Destroying Coronis must come first.”

Silence filled the air, shock on everyone’s face. Then murmurs followed as everyone started telepathing. Nausea rose up my stomach at his words. Something wasn’t right. Grampa would never suggest this, not without a reason. I pulled my hand from Bran’s, crossed my arms and pressed hard against my mid-section. Something was very wrong.

“Did he give a reason?” Seth asked.

Bran nodded. “He said he and Cardinal Moira will find a way. Also, Lil must be protected. She must be moved to the house up here, pulled out of school and put under surveillance twenty-four-seven until she completes her training or until he returns.”

Once again, telephathic commication followed. I tried to keep up with different discussions taking place with little results. I couldn’t tell who was suggesting what.

Seth cleared his throat and the room went silent. “Then it’s decided. We follow Ares orders and prepare for battle.”

What? I met the Cardinals’ sober expressions. Their determined expressions caused me to swallow the lump in my throat. “And risk hurting Grampa? Valafar is taking them to the island tonight.”

“Your grandfather gave a direct order, Lil,” Janelle said in a stern tone, one she’d never used with me before. “He knows what he’s doing.”

“And whether he’s here or not, he’s still the leader of the Cardinals,” the chairman added.

“He’s a prisoner,” I cried. “What’s wrong with you people? You can’t listen to anything he says. You should be thinking about storming that dungeon and getting him and Moira out there, not following his orders.” I turned to the trainees. They stared at me with worried expressions, but no one objected. “Don’t tell me you guys also think we should act like nothing’s changed? No, let me rephrase that.
You
should act like nothing’s changed while
I’m
a prisoner in a strange house.” My voice rose higher with each word, panic spiraling out of control inside of me.

Bran grabbed my hand and tried to calm me down by using his psi energy. It didn’t work. When no one spoke, tears sprung into my eyes.

Janelle reached for my hand. “I’m sorry,
Luminitsa
. It’s for your own good.”

I moved my hand away from hers. “No, it’s not. We must rescue him,” I whispered through the lump in my throat. The thought of losing him sent bile up my throat. I slapped a hand over my mouth and teleported to the trailer. I just made it to the toilet bowl.

For once I got the teleport thing right.

I felt a presence behind me, then someone held my hair away from my face as I emptied the contents of my stomach. I shook with fear and anger. Everyone I ever loved always left me, taken by the same demon. Why? Tears escaped past my eyelids and slid down my face.

I heard murmurs, recognized Kim’s voice, Izzy’s perfume. Someone pushed a wad of tissue in my hand. “How are you feeling?” Izzy whispered

“Pissed,” I snarled, wiping my eyes and mouth.

“Good,” she said. “We are, too.”

I blinked at them.

They nodded. “The old geezers out there can’t do this,” Izzy said.

“We won’t let them,” Kim added. “Between now and first period tomorrow, the six of us will have kicked some demon butts, rescued your grandfather and Moira and teleported home like the bad-ass heroes that we are.”

“Six?” I asked.

“Bran must lead us. How else will we know where to go, when to hit them while they’re vulnerable?”

Tears crested my eyes, again. Had I thought these girls were arrogant? I did, and they were. But the last few days showed me they were much more. I plopped on the bathroom floor, more tears flowing down my face.

“Hey. We said we were on your side,” Kim protested.

“I know. I’m happy to have you guys as my friends.”

They pulled me up and wrapped their arms around me in a group hug. I only cried harder. They didn’t let go until I calmed down.

Kim was the first to step back. “Come on. Let’s join the others. We have some planning to do.”

20. THE RESCUE PLANS

“No. Out of the question. Didn’t you listen to what I said at that meeting?” Bran glared at Kim and Izzy then turned his attention to me. We all sat on the L-shaped sectional couch in Remy and Sykes’ basement. Bran stayed standing. “I can’t agree to such a crazy plan,” he added.

“
I
don’t consider rescuing my grandfather crazy.”

“There’s a reason why he said no one should try. It’s dangerous.”

“So? You braved being vanquished when you came to this valley to seek help from the Cardinals. Why is what we’re planning any different?”

He glowered at me.

He’s all I’ve got, Bran.

His emerald eyes flashed.
You have me, too.

Then help us. Together, we stand a fighting chance.

I can’t put you in harm’s way. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got hurt.

And how do you expect me to feel if anything happens to Grampa?

Kim snapped her fingers in front of my eyes. “Enough of that! You can’t have a private conversation when this concerns all of us.”

I frowned at her. “Bran’s being difficult.”

Kim dismissed my words with a brief wave. “We can see that, but he’s not going to change our minds. We’re doing this with or without him.”

“No, you’re not,” he snapped.

Kim cocked their head. “And who’s going to stop us?”

“Me,” he said. “You want to risk your necks, go ahead. Lil stays here.”

His attitude was pissing me off. “I don’t recall appointing you my knight or guardian.”

His eyes flashed. “Tough. You got me.”

The grip on my emotions loosened. “Valafar has already taken two people I loved, Bran. I can’t let him take another. I won’t.” My voice shook as I finished.

Silence followed.

Bran scrubbed his face, muttered, “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying. I’m pissed. And if you don’t want to help us, we’ll find a way without you.” I looked over at Remy and Sykes. “Let’s do it.”

Remy nodded. “A demon club on Bunker Hill shouldn’t be hard to find. And since there’re tunnels underneath it, it shouldn’t take us long to locate the Underground.”

I ignored Bran’s glowering and focused on Remy. “Do we leave now?”

He looked at his watch. “First, let’s suit up, then stop by the HQ and pick up hunting supplies. We’ll go for smaller, concealable weapons.”

I didn’t understand. “Why HQ? Why not use the weapons from the dojo?”

“The ones at the dojo are for practice. The real arsenal, the ones the Cardinals use are in a room at the headquarters. The trick is to get in and out unnoticed,” Remy explained

“Okay. I’ll help,” Bran cut in. He still sounded pissed.

I knew he’d come around. “What should we do first?”

All eyes turned to Bran. “The entrance to the Underground is located under a nightclub—an exclusive, demons-only nightclub.” He searched everyone’s face. “Gavyn runs it and is the only one who can get us inside. The place is huge and complex, but with his help, we should be able get to where they’re keeping the Cardinals.”

“Man, I hope he comes through on this,” Sykes said.

I waited to see Bran’s reaction. His voice was calm when he spoke. “He will. Remy, I like your idea of concealable weapons. Put them in a duffel bag. I’ll find a way to get them inside. The dance floor is on the first floor of the building, but Gavyn’s office is a floor above it. As soon as we get inside, you guys mingle, maybe grab drinks—”

“No time for drinks,” Remy jumped in. He sounded tense.

Bran sighed. “Listen, man. I know you’re the leader of this team, but tonight you must defer to me. At least until we’re done with Gavyn.”

Remy hesitated. “Fine.”

“Good. When we get there, you guys hang for, say, ten minutes then head up the right stairway to the balcony. There’s black door at the corner of the balcony. It’s kind of hard to see because it blends with the décor and has no knob. Use your powers to open it, Remy. I’ll be waiting on the other side.”

A tense silence followed as reality of what we were planning began to sink in.

“We’ll also need to blend in at the club,” Bran continued. “That means clubbing outfits. And lose the Guardian amulet and bracelets. They’ll glow and give us away.”

My concerns increased as I listened to him. With no jadeite to protect us, we were going to enter that club vulnerable. What if we got ambushed? What if someone got hurt? Could I live with myself for pushing this rescue mission?

Izzy jumped up. “Then we need to get busy. Come on, Lil. Let’s see what you got.”

I frowned. “What do you mean ‘what I got’?”

“We’re going to a club, little sister. I want to see what you have in your closet.”

“I can dress myself, thank you very much.”

“Sure you can.” She grabbed my hand and teleported me to my bedroom. She went straight to my closet and started rummaging through my clothes, clicking her tongue and making a mess in the process. What did she expect to find?

“No, these won’t do,” she said.

I winced. She was turning my neat closet into a junkyard. “I’ve nice jeans and—”

She laughed. And not in a nice way.

“Skirts?” I asked.

“Sweetie, I love how you blend your threads for school. It’s very you and unique. But we’re going clubbing, not to a Flamenco festival. I guess we’ll have to raid my closet.”

Before I could protest, she grabbed my arm and we appeared in her bedroom. It was my first time there, but I was left with an impression of warmth. The room was done in palettes of brown, gold and jungle green. Her bed had a sheer golden canopy over it.

“We’re not even the same size,” I grumbled.

“Oh yes, we are. You’re just taller, that’s all. Ah, here it is. I haven’t even worn it.” She lifted a turquoise, off-shoulder, cowl neck sweater dress with three-quarter sleeves. “Try it on. What size shoes do you wear?”

“Nine and a half. Why?”

“I’ll be back.”

While she disappeared somewhere, I removed my workout sweats and tried on the dress. It reached around my knees. I’d never worn something so short.

“Don’t do that,” Izzy warned when she reappeared and found me tugging the helm down. In her hands were a pair of black tights and a black trench coat, which she threw on her bed, and calf-length black boots. The heels were a few inches long, totally impractical.
I’ve never worn heels and will probably fall flat on my face.
She studied me and nodded. “The dress is a perfect fit. Put on the tights and the boots. I’ll send Kim to do your make-up.” She disappeared again before I could protest.

All this to go to some demon club? I griped as I pulled on the tights and the boots. Whose were they anyway? I glanced in the mirror and smiled. Not bad. I undid my single braid and finger combed my curly mane. It fell in waves to my upper back and over my shoulders.

A flash of light and Kim appeared. My eyes widened at her scandalous gold and black mini skirt and top. On her feet were over-the-knee, high-heeled boots. And her cleavage…wow, I didn’t realize just how well-developed she was. Beside her, my chest looked like a boy’s.

“Sit here,” she pointed at the dresser stool and opened a bag of make-up I hadn’t noticed she carried. She threw her black leather jacket on top of the trench coat Izzy left behind for me.

I sat still as she worked on my face, then she turned me around to face the mirror. My jaw dropped. Was that me? I looked different. I
felt
different, older. My make-up was subtle, my tan skin glowing with vitality under all the glitter. I leaned closer for a better look. Yeah, my lashes looked thicker and longer, and my eyes a deeper shade of green than usual. Would Bran like the new me? A thrill ran through me, followed by remorse. I should be worried about Grampa not how hot I looked dolled up.

Instead of being self-conscious in such a tight, short outfit, I felt more confident. Powerful. Irresistible.

“You like it?” Kim asked.

I nodded. “Hmm. I feel….”

“Invincible,” Izzy finished.

I hadn’t even noticed she’d returned to the room. Her silver and black skin-tight dress was simple, yet eye-popping. Her high-heeled boots were ankle-high and pointed at the toes. She wore a trench coat like the one she’d given me. I exchanged a smile with her. “Invincible is a good word.”

“Let’s join the guys,” Kim said.

“Don’t forget to remove the amulets,” Izzy added.

***

“About time,” Sykes said when we appeared, then he let out a long whistle. “Not bad, ladies. Not bad. Red, you look…amazing.”

“You don’t look bad yourself.” He had on black slacks and a white dress shirt, which he topped with a black biker’s jacket. Black loafers finished his attire.

Remy spared us a glance, nodded in approval and went back to zipping a duffel bag. It looked like he’d packed the entire dojo inventory. He looked at his watch as he stood up. He was dressed similar to Sykes, except he wore a black hoodie with silver rivets and white loafers. For once, they didn’t wear gloves.

“Okay, it’s time,” Remy said.

“What about Bran?” I asked, buttoning then belting my coat.

“He’ll meet us on Lucas Avenue. It’s right by the old Toluca Substation, a portal to the underground tunnels under Bunker Hill. You’ll teleport with me, Lil. The others can come through our telegate.”