Becoming a Legend (14 page)

“
And why not live with Gabriel? Then you could have stayed here,” Andrew wondered. He relaxed and began to play with Arianna’s hair again. It was good to finally get the truth, but even better to be holding onto her as he was told.  Arianna calmed him like nothing in his life. Andrew could never deny the pull between them.

“
And live with a giant, white monster that was just like what killed my family? I was only five at the time, but I still knew. Gabriel was one of them.” Devin laughed a bit, remembering his fear of Gabriel. He looked so much like the other monster. Devin hung onto Randolph and wouldn’t let go. Now he knew that he clung desperately to one of the most ruthless leaders the dearg-dul ever had. Devin was a mere fly to the man; yet, Devin didn’t know that on that day.

“I
nstead, you were raised to kill the kind that killed your family?” Andrew asked, amused at the irony of the situation. Devin stared at Andrew, waiting for Andrew to understand. Gabriel wasn’t the enemy. Devin always knew that. “No, I get it,” Andrew said, understanding. Devin wasn’t raised to kill baku. Now Andrew could see the truth, Devin was raised to kill one baku in particular: Edward Lucan. Devin wasn’t his enemy, but his savior and comrade in the same quest.

“
Are you here to be free, or here to be with Arianna?” Devin asked, avoiding the subject that Andrew already seemed to get. Arianna, on the other hand, was still confused, but she wanted to learn more. She refused to open her eyes and ask.

“I am, and will always be, here for Arianna.
I will protect Arianna with my life. Freedom from Lucan is just a bonus. I was actually going to ask Arianna after dinner if I could be her keeper, but it seemed like I’d need to get my question out quicker the way things were going. I got the idea that we wouldn’t be making it to the meal.” Andrew held back from kissing her sleeping forehead again as he talked. Devin may be letting her sleep in his arms now, but if he made any move, Devin could be across the room faster than humanly possible. Andrew felt the tension lessening in Devin, but he was still cautious.

“
If you’re serious, you need to be willing to follow one rule: Arianna’s safety comes before everything else,” Devin replied.

“
Meaning?” Andrew looked up, and then around the room. Thomas and Turner were back and also following the conversation.

“Lo
se the baku you have protecting you,” Devin said. “They are standing outside the house right now trying to find a way in. You can’t be protecting her if there are people following you around sworn to protect you. No one here is allowed to be around her unless she comes first. To them, you come first.”

Andrew waved a hand of dismissal, but the three men watching him were quietly analyzing him. “Not a problem.
I didn’t plan to keep them around anyway. Send them away as soon as you want. Do whatever you please with them. They’re only trying to get in here to drug me and take me back.”

“
So, you know that?” Thomas asked in surprise, not being able to keep his mouth shut. Andrew was by far the strongest baku around, next to Arianna and Gabriel. It wouldn’t be hard for him to just get rid of the measly followers. In fact, even Thomas could get rid of them.

“
How dense do you think I am? I’ve always known that. It’s just now you guys know too. Did Ari tell you?” Andrew asked, looking over at Devin for an answer.

“
No. How would she know?” Devin replied. They had been tracking Andrew since his first encounter with Arianna over a year ago.

“I’m
sure she heard them talking silently. She was a bit concerned before, so I assumed she might have told you.” Andrew shrugged and smiled down at her. Arianna was frozen at her name again, bringing her closer to consciousness, and no longer wading in the warmth of her pillow.

“
In their heads?” Thomas asked, trying to analyze how Arianna could be changing again. He had been meticulous, over the last year, to report every little change he observed back to Devin. Arianna was still young, and it could take up to five years for her powers to stabilize.

“
Yeah, she can hear that now,” Andrew replied. It would have been a great secret in any other case, but these three men all knew Arianna better than he did himself.

Devin was amazed and sat silent as he comprehended the growth of her power.
He suspected something was different, but he wasn’t sure. Little changes were often happening, and were expected, but this was greater than anything he could fathom. Being able to hear thoughts not directed at her? This could help keep her safe.

“
Since when?” Thomas asked.

“
Tonight.” Andrew tenderly stroked the side of her face. She was back in deep sleep on his chest. “How much has changed this past year?”

“A bit here and there. Nothing to worry about yet,” Devin replied. Devin was worried that things could progress too fast and affect her more than just physically.

“And now?” Andrew asked. Andrew couldn’t help but also worry that her power would take off too quickly and consume her as it did his brother. Andrew didn’t know his brother survived the fire, but he knew the state his brother was in to start it. Andrew secretly watched his uncle and father turn his brother. It had changed Alex. Everything happened too fast, and the kind, loving brother Andrew remembered disappeared. Devin, of all people, knew what could happen if someone grew too fast in their night human powers.

“She is stable,” Thomas replied as he looked over her aura. Thomas studied her until he saw something new but quickly found his composure without being able to look across the room. Devin nodded at Turner and sighed. Andrew looked down at his arm wrapped around the deeply sleeping Arianna. He saw what Thomas had been looking at and nodded. Andrew’s night human essence intertwined with Arianna’s essence.

Devin paused. Arianna felt a hint of some emotion breaking through his calm, collected self, and it woke her from her slumber slightly. “And Ari? Are you serious?”

“
Yes,” Andrew replied, not missing a beat. “I think I love her.” Andrew leaned down and kissed her forehead before murmuring quiet words that sent her deeper into sleep.

THIRTEEN

Arianna woke from her dream in panic.
Nothing felt right. Emotions and words swirled around her and confused her. Everything was jumbled. Terror struck her, making her gasp a bit before finding her breath again. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, discovering herself alone in the living room where Devin and Andrew had just been talking. Taking a deep breath, Arianna attempted to calm down from all the muddled feelings she’d awoke with from the dream. It was just a dream. Her heart beat fast, and she tried to calm down. She tried again to remind herself—just a dream. Looking for security, she easily found all four of her keepers down the hallway in the kitchen. They sat around the table, talking. Arianna scanned the house and found that Molina was sitting just outside the door, vigilant as ever. Everyone was keeping her safe. It should be peaceful, but her heart continued to beat hard. Arianna still felt terrified. Something was wrong.

In an instant,
Andrew was sitting beside her on the couch. If she hadn’t felt his presence, she would have never even heard him enter the room. Andrew was a silent hunter, and the best of his kind. His stalking had been perfected over the years to avoid his uncle, but it was the best asset a baku could have. Molina didn’t even flinch outside the room. She hadn’t felt him pass her. Andrew was more powerful than Gabriel, and could be more deadly if he chose.

“
Sorry we left you alone,” Andrew said softly, not wanting to startle her. Arianna looked up and reached for him, taking his outstretched hand to calm herself. “We were talking before, after you fell asleep, and it seemed to keep you from reaching deep sleep. Devin said you haven’t been resting well, so we didn’t want to interrupt you.” His words were perfectly chosen. Arianna nodded. She assumed that Andrew knew more than he was admitting, and he kept it hidden deeply in his mind.

His hand calmed her a bit, but she still felt the panic out there. Someone was in trouble and needed help, but Arianna couldn’t tell if it were friend or foe with her new power. All she could tell was that there was pain and sorrow, and it came in waves.

“Where’s Gabriel?” Arianna asked, looking past Andrew to the doorway. Could Gabriel be in trouble? The terror came back to her. It wasn’t her dream. It was real. She had felt something. In the doorway was a shadow, but the emotion wasn’t from him.

“He’s
still chasing Lucan,” Devin replied, remaining in the doorway. His eyes only stayed a second longer than normal on her hands wrapped in Andrew’s. His emotions, as always, stayed in check.

Arianna looked back to Andrew and realized he was still in his
baku form. He wasn’t letting his guard down. Was there danger? Arianna wanted to look around the room and then the house, but Andrew’s touch distracted her.

“Gabriel
has him cornered at the docks,” Andrew added. Devin entered the room and looked toward Andrew in a silent exchange. Somehow, during her nap, they seemed to have gotten on the same side. Arianna could remember only vague parts of their talk while she slept. The blush creeping into her cheeks from Andrew’s last words disappeared instantly as another wave of terror swept over her.

“What’s
wrong?” Devin asked. He didn’t need to be a baku to read her face. Something wasn’t right. Devin moved closer but didn’t touch her. He left her in Andrew’s arms for comfort.

“
I don’t know. I just feel as though something bad has happened.” Arianna paused and closed her eyes. Andrew let go of her hand to let her concentrate. She could sense Gabriel in the north. “Gabriel is that direction.” Arianna pointed northeast. He was fine. Nothing bad was going on. He wasn’t even out of breath. He was silently stalking his prey, actually seeming to be enjoying his hunt a bit.

“
And Lucan is slightly more north,” Andrew added. “They haven’t met up yet.”

“
Yet?” Arianna asked. She searched and found Lucan. He was also still fine. Nothing of terror from him, just a cold, calculating man hoping to outwit the older baku. He was busy forming a new plan, but even he didn’t have any hope behind it.

“
After the power bravado display, Lucan left and has been running all night from Gabriel. He’s now trapped, and it won’t be too much longer before Gabriel will find him. My uncle may be good at that game, but Gabriel is the leader for a reason.” Andrew seemed indifferent to the outcome of the night. Arianna looked over at him. He truly didn’t care about anything for the moment beyond Arianna. Devin had nothing to worry about with Andrew. He would be just as devoted as each of her other keepers, maybe even more so.

“
What direction is the bad feeling?” Devin asked, stepping closer, but keeping a bit of a distance from Andrew. His hand was loosely placed over the dagger in his belt, but Arianna knew that expression. Camaraderie and all, Devin was still not comfortable with a completely changed baku. Arianna thought to ask Andrew to change back to his day human, but it wasn’t that easy when you felt threatened. Andrew was in full protection mode.

“
South,” Arianna replied. Andrew closed his eyes and scanned the area. He shook his head
no
to Devin. Andrew couldn’t feel the same feeling of dread Arianna felt.

“
Maybe it was just in your dream,” Devin suggested, relaxing only a bit.

Arianna
shook her head
no
as well. “I know what I felt. It’s only faint now, but it’s still there.” Arianna reached over to Andrew and took his hand. She ignored the zings that shot through her arm at the touch of his skin. Andrew closed his eyes again and used her sight to scan to the south.

Andrew felt the wave of panic hit. Someone was in trouble and terrified. Someone else was in great pain and maybe even dying. Voices crowded the background and their words jumbled together. They needed help, whoever they were.

When Andrew opened his eyes, he turned back into his day human form and looked straight at Devin. The threat wasn’t at their place, but farther south. Arianna was safe, though someone else was not. “She’s right. There’s someone calling for help in that direction. It’s a night human in pain. I don’t know the voice, but it’s secondhand through Ari, so I’m not sure I’d recognize anyone that way.”