Muse (Descended From Myth) (19 page)

Daniel was standing by the broken door to the apartment, supporting Kaitlyn and waiting im
patiently for us to get moving.

“Just go, and I'll follow you with Stefan when he's ready,” I pushed, not really wanting to be left behind. I knew that I was testing Daniel and his loyalty, and I knew it was petty and stupid given all we'd been through, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I'd just given up unimaginable knowledge and peace to be with this guy.
I needed a little reassurance.

Daniel focused back on me, the irritation immediately replaced by confusion. “What did you say?”

“Just take your sister. I'll come with Stefan as soon as he can move. I know you want to get her to safety, so go.”

“Stop being such a girl! He's never going to leave you behind. He's freaking out right now because he can't figure out how to smother
both
of us with Guardian Security,” Kaitlyn smiled. “Right, Danny?”

“Can it, kid,
and don't call me Danny. Ever”

I have to admit, the sibling bickering actually made me feel better about my place in the w
orld.

“If we're leaving anyone behind, it's Stefan. So get a move on it, Guardian, or you're staying here
with that guy,” Daniel barked.

Stefan climbed unsteadily to his feet, kind of crushing my shoulder as he leaned on me for support, but at least we were moving away from the guy on the floor.

I managed to persuade Daniel to let us take the elevator downstairs with Kaitlyn's help. I didn't think I could keep Stefan upright for much longer otherwise. Daniel stood in front of us, trying to shield us with his body as the doors slid open to reveal an empty lobby.

“Finally, we get a break!” I sighed. Daniel shot me a slightly dirty look. Either he thought I was jinxing us or he was still looking for a fight, I didn't much care which at this point. I just wanted to go home.

We found the other Guardians involved in a loud argument with some burly guys who looked like bouncers on the sidewalk outside. Mina was doing her best to diffuse the situation, but she looked seriously relieved to see us walk through the double doors.

The other novices took one look at Stefan and walked away from the bouncers. I gladly handed him off to them, wishing that the bouncers would just go away. They came gorilla marching towards us, asking questions that none of us were going to answer. I was just done with all of it. I gathered up as much Influence as I could, shoving it off in their direction. “These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along!” I had to throw it in
, if only for my own amusement.

Kaitlyn snorted. “Seriously? You are so much cooler than my brother led me to believe! Do you think you could use that on my mom, because she is going to be
insane
when we call her about this whole mess.”

Daniel just groaned and herded everyone into the car. “Paper, rock, scissors to decide who h
as to make that call?” He lost.

Mom ended up meeting us in Muncie to pick up Kaitlyn. The two of us had already decided that we were going to gloss over the details of what happened so that Mom wouldn't go on the war path. It didn't quite work out that way. Once Kaitlyn saw how Mom was treating Anna, she spilled everything. I think she might have even exaggerated a little, but since her version made Anna sound like a miracle worker and heroine, I was completely okay with it. Even though my own part in the rescue might have been understated a little. It did thaw Mom's attitude towards Anna some. I could only hope she'd get over it eventually, because as far as Kat and I were concerned Anna was part of the family now.

Anna jumped right back into her classes as soon as we got back to Muncie. Since she'd been abducted while on campus, her professors and all the administration were
very
accommodating when it came to making up her missed time and material. She didn't even have to push them, though I don't think she would have anyway.

Gabriel was busy pursuing his investigation into Sebastian Finn's company and Guardian involvement with it like a man possessed. He had a very important witness to draw from, Finn himself. Whatever Anna had done to him had turned him into a man without secrets. He spilled
everything
the moment the police had started questioning him, from the murder of her parents on to Anna's kidnapping. The Chicago police heard too much about our organization, but they had promptly decided that he was a lunatic anyway. Fates, Muses, Guardians? It was all stuff he probably picked up from reading too much Greek mythology.

He'd been placed in a state mental hospital for evaluation pending trial. Gabriel was a frequent visitor. We were losing Guardians faster than we could afford to. Stefan and his cohorts had already been promoted to Watchers, something I wasn't sure they were entirely ready for. We didn't have much choice, though. Our brotherhood was dying, and we needed fresh blood and soon. Anna had some ide
as on that score, and so did I.

“Would it be possible to bring all the Talents and Guardians together for a kind of summit? There aren't that many of us and I've been told that Talents can be rather useful when it comes to problem solving,” Anna teased Gabriel during one of our many, many conference calls. There was little doubt in my mind that she would keep pushing for change until he either gave in or handed the reins over to someone else. He kept hinting that
I
would be that someone else though, so I was praying that didn't happen any time soon.  Anna had plans for everyone it seemed.

We'd visited a Veteran's Hospital for one of Anna's psych classes. I was trailing behind her, making sure she was safe, when I happened to lock eyes with one of the guys in the waiting room. I knew from the way he held himself, and the way he spoke to the nurses that
he could be Guardian material.

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” Anna came up behind me and whispered softly in my ear. “But I can help him. Or at least I know who can. He's going to be important. You should get his name.”

She was starting to do that more often now, knowing things and seeing glimpses of the future. She thought it might be residue left behind from the Fates' temptation. Nobody knew for sure. We were all treading new territory now. Her story was spreading like wildfire between Talents and Guardians alike. I had an underground celebrity on my hands. Everyone wanted to meet her, to hear her story. Mina had been contacting other Talents and singing her praises. If this kept up, Anna would be spending her days as a therapist of an entirely different sort than she'd imagined.

We'd already spent a substantial amount of time with Claire, who was a mystery all on her own. She'd been living under Finn's “protection” since she was eight. The Guardians had no record of her. The best we'd been able to piece together was that she was the illegitimate daughter of a Talent who'd ascended, leaving behind a pregnant mistress. Finn had only recently begun using her Influence, because she didn't have a skill that was particularly marketable for him. Anna and Mina were mentoring her, and she was staying with
us in a safe house until she was ready to move on with a Watcher of her own.

Anna gave me a little mental nudge, shaking me out of my own thoughts. I sat down next to the soldier she'd pointed out, and introduced myself while Anna talked to another patient in a nearby exam room. Porter McGavin didn't know what to think of me, absolutely didn't trust me, and really didn't even want to talk to me. A rush of tingly warmth raced over my skin as Anna sent him a shot of “encouragement.” To my surprise, he looked around, confused, rubbing his own arms and staring in Anna's direction like he could someho
w sense her Influence. Amazing. He opened up just enough for me to get some basic information before he marched off to meet with a counselor. I could tell he was doing that begrudgingly, too.

“You're right. He could be a good candidate, but he's going to need some serious help,” I pointed out to Anna when she walked back over to me and stood, leaning against my chest.

“I want to introduce him to Claire. She needs a Watcher and
he
needs Claire,” she declared.

“He may be former military, but he's still going to need training, you know. Plus, you'd have to get both of them to agree to it,” I said, trying to be the voice of reason.

“We'll set up a meeting, and make them think it was their idea before we propose anything,” Anna suggested slyly.

“Anna Saint-James, I've trained you too well. You're getting sneaky. You aren't going to be satisfied until the world has been Influenced into one giant romantic comedy, are you?”

Anna laughed and smiled, moving on with her tasks and appointments while I watched and waited, toying with the ring box in my pocket. I hadn't come up with the perfect time to ask her yet, but I knew I would. For once, I was actually looking forward to the future.

Erin McFadden lives in Indiana with her husband, daughter, and their various pets. When not writing, she enjoys reading, doing craft projects, and spending time with family. Erin works in law enforcement and has a bachelor's degree
in criminal justice and criminology from Ball State University.

Coming soon from Erin McFadden:

TALENT

Descended From Myth: Book Two

WHIMPER

This is the way the world ends...

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