Boreal and John Grey Season 1 (17 page)

“What about him?” Dave nodded at Finn who’d followed and stood a few paces behind.

“I’m just helping him settle in the job.” She blew on her hands. “Until he gets a paycheck, you know. He’s new in town.”

Dave squinted at Finn against stray sunrays that had broken through the clouds. “There’s something off about him,” he muttered under his breath.

“Because he fights better than you and me? Or because he’s prettier than either of us?”

Dave snorted. “He’s just... an odd one, Ella. And he knows too damn much.”

A chill traveled up her spine. She’d been wondering, too — where he’d come from, who he really was.
Still...
“Give him a chance. You saw how he fought today.”

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “Well, if you need anything, call me. I’ll try to keep you off the roster tonight, let you have some rest.”

“I appreciate it, Dave.”

Dave shook his head and left with long strides, flakes catching in his short hair and reflecting the light.

So, Simon. This is goodbye
. The service made it official. She rubbed a hand over her eyes. No, she wouldn’t weep again.
Enough tears
.

“Ella?” Tottering on her high heels, Sarah approached her. She’d placed her bunch of lilies by the lake and now she wrung her gloved hands together.

Ella tensed and forced herself to nod.

From up close, bruises showed on Sarah’s face, dark smudges under the thick makeup. Her cat-like eyes were sad. “I’m sorry about Simon.”

“Me too.” Her anger had seeped away. What did it matter if Simon hadn’t told her he had a girlfriend? It was all over now. “How are you holding up?”

Sarah shrugged and gave a hesitant smile. “Still in denial, I guess. Can’t believe he’s gone.” Her smile faded. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Sure. What about?” Her thoughts turned in circles, the image of Simon’s torn body at their center.

 “About the guardians.”

That snapped Ella’s attention back to the present. “That’s what you said back at the hospital, isn’t it? Guardians of the Gates?”

“I did?” She frowned. “Can’t remember. Well, the Shades keep mentioning them. I thought you might want to know. Duergar, they call them.”

Duergar
. The ones the elves would protect John Grey from. Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. “Are the guardians Shades, too? What do they guard?”

“That’s not clear.” Sarah chewed on her lower lip, getting red lipstick on her teeth. “But one thing is: they’re always mentioned in connection with you.”

“With me?” Ella asked, surprised. She studied Sarah’s open face. “This makes no sense.”

“I know.” Sarah nodded. “It sounds crazy. But it’s what I’ve heard from beyond the Veil.”

Ella shifted her weight on the snow, slipped her hands into her pockets. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure of what I heard. Whether or not it’s true...” Sarah shivered. “I don’t know what these guardians are, or what they’re supposed to be doing, but it seems...” She glanced around as if to check for eavesdroppers. “It seems they’re keeping an eye on you. Have been, for a while.”

Ella grimaced. “They’ve been following me?”

“Since you were a child.”

Ella took a step back. The black void of her childhood had never seemed so ominous.
Spirals and fear
. “What for?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Sarah tugged on her wide-rimmed hat, shadowing her gaze. “As I’ve told you before... be careful.” She shook her head. “Unless it’s already too late.”

“For what?” Ella whispered, but Sarah turned and walked away, wobbling slightly on her stiletto heels.

Goddammit
. Ella rubbed her chest, that damn knot still lodged somewhere in there, making her feel sick and cold.

She turned to Finn and found him staring somewhere to the right — at a mother and her little boy who were piling snow to make a snowman. They laughed, the sound ringing clear in the quiet.

“Ready to go home?” she asked.

He met her gaze, his blue eyes hooded and full of unexpected pain. But before she could ask what was wrong, he shrugged and started on the path leading out of the gardens.

***

Finn reluctantly agreed to wait in the car while she popped into the pharmacy-cum-health food store. She hunted for iron tablets, vitamins and painkillers, and pain-relieving gel for Finn’s leg. She also grabbed a few energy drinks and bars, and bandages and Band-Aids. She had a feeling they might need more, soon. Knee bands made her pause, and she picked two. They even had sports underwear and socks, and she selected a couple for Finn, hoping she’d guessed his size right.

Oatmeal drew her eye and she balanced a package while she grabbed a carton of soy milk. She was pretty sure she had sugar and cinnamon at home. Maybe Finn liked oatmeal?

Finn
.

She paid and paused at the store exit. Outside, the snow whirled in eddies. More spirals. She gazed at his dim form seated in the car. Who was he really? Ex military or something stranger still? Tired and way too skinny, beaten up, his mouth set in a thin line—whoever he was, he looked like someone who could really use some warm food and a good night’s sleep.

Someone who had her back at all times.

Gripping her bags to her chest, she returned to the car. This time she didn’t find a knife at her neck, but the pistol lay in Finn’s lap, half-covered by his hand, and Ella had no doubt it was cocked and ready.

Finn was looking at her sideways, his almond-shaped eyes a crisp blue-gray, his high cheekbones flushed, his mouth a perfect small bow. He looked so...
elfin
right then, as if he’d dropped out of a fairytale. Which was ridiculous. The Gates had barely opened. Muscles rippled in his arm, straining the fabric of his shirt, when he lifted the pistol to holster it at his side.

“What is it?” he bit out.

Oh yeah, no staring. Bad girl
. “Here.” She handed the bags over and forced herself to focus on driving safely home.

She caught glimpses of Finn, of course, from the corner of her eye. He drew her gaze like a bright light. He sat quietly, staring out of the window, the brown bag of purchases between his legs. His eyes fluttered closed, his head dipped forward. He had no reserves; too stubborn to stop to rest. Fair hair brushed his cheek, ruffled by his breathing; his bandana was slightly askew. Why was he so adamant in always keeping it on?

Curiosity got the better of her. She reached out, lifting the bandana with a finger.

He twitched, hand going to his head, and she jerked back. He pulled the bandana down to his brows. Shot her a dazed glance, then nodded off once more, pale hair sliding forward.

She swallowed hard and turned her attention back to the street. Was she being paranoid? Maybe Finn was simply ex-military. Maybe the bright lines she’d seen on his face and arms were fluorescent tattoos, or some new, fancy tech used by the army.

Yeah and maybe he was a Buddhist monk on a pilgrimage.
Nice try, Ella
.

Deserted streets, faceless buildings. Not even stray dogs were about. The cold had driven everyone indoors. She drove to her apartment, parked the car as close as possible and took a deep breath before tapping Finn’s shoulder, keeping an eye out for his knives. Wouldn’t surprise her if she found his blade at her throat again. 

But he barely flinched. Relieved, she reached over to grab the bag of groceries, and having survived that, she went around and opened Finn’s door.

He blinked up at her, all sleep-frazzled and slow, and it made her smile.

“Come on, Finn. Time to look after you.”

“No need,” he rasped. He managed to undo the seat belt, but getting out of the car seemed to present some difficulties. Either his leg was stiffer now, or he was still too fuzzy from sleep to get his feet under him.

“Let me help you out.”

“No.”

“I’m your partner,” Ella said, leaning on the door. “Friend,” she drawled, thumping a fist on her breastbone when Finn didn’t react. “Ally.”

That won a soft snort out of him and he let her pull him out. He even cracked a tiny smile as they made their slow way toward her building — both limping.
Such a matching pair of human wrecks
.

“There will be warm food, and a heater, and blankets,” Ella muttered, a promise of comfort as much to Finn as to herself. The cold sliced like a knife. “Even TV, if Missy hasn’t chewed through the cables again.” She snorted. “I know, right? She thinks she’s a dog sometimes. We’re a strange family.”

Dragging Finn to the building entrance, she checked her protective wards against the Shades, then those on the elevator. “And I still have some Frangelico liqueur left over. Have you ever had it?”

Finn said nothing as they rode up, but she took his blank stare as a
‘no’
. Man, that was like living without chocolate; such a bleak world.

“You’ll love it.” They finally reached her door, and she let herself inside the apartment. Miss Meow trotted toward her eagerly, then froze when Finn entered.

Not again
. “Come, kitty. Got you some food. Nice, good kitty.” Missy followed her to the kitchenette, jumpy and flat-eared. Thankfully Finn didn’t follow; he stayed in the living room while Ella deposited the bag on the counter, gave her dusty, filthy kitchen a disgusted look, and dished out the smelly food Missy found so appetizing into the kitty bowl.

“See, kitten?” Hands on hips, she looked down on Missy who was making happy growling noises as she ate. “All’s fine.”

Except she’d seen Simon on a morgue slab, and there were freaking beaked wolf-creatures roaming the city, the Shades were stronger than ever and the
aelfar
were about to invade. Not to mention talk of some weird guardians keeping tabs on her since childhood.
Just awesome
.

A noise from behind made her turn. Finn hovered at the door, eyes flicking this way and that.

Snap out of it, Ella
. “Have a seat.” She gestured at the living room. “I’ll prepare something to eat.”

Missy hissed at him, tail raised like an antenna, then managed to walk backwards into the wall and spook herself even more.

“Tell you what.” Ella fished the new underwear and socks from the bag and handed them to Finn. “There are clean clothes on the couch; Mike brought them in earlier today. Why don’t you go have a hot shower while I put something quick together?”

Finn gazed down at the black briefs and the socks, still with the label on, then back at Ella. His mouth worked without sound and a dark frown drew his brows together.

“Er.” Heat licked at her cheeks. “Look, I thought you might need something clean to wear. Not, you know, that you couldn’t pick your own, but since I was there...”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll pay.” He frown grew darker. “I don’t—”

“Hey, don’t sweat it. You can do it as soon as you get paid, okay?”

Missy hissed again, and with one last wary look at the kitty, Finn nodded and left the room.

“He’s a nice guy, Missy,” Ella whispered as she unloaded her spoils — the oatmeal, the milk, the Band-aids and other assorted pain relievers. “You’ll like him when you get to know him. He likes to act all tough and stuff, and he really kicks butt when he needs to, but he’s also quite nice and thoughtful.”