FORBIDDEN (33 page)

I didn’t wait for a response. She didn’t have a choice. I grabbed her in my arms and ran as fast as I could from the scene, hoping Clay would cut Owen off before he could trail us. Hannah’s mouth was wide open, obviously confused as to what just happened. Then an idea struck me.

“Do you trust me, Hannah?”

She looked at me wearily. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

I laughed darkly. “Not particularly, no.”

Since Owen was here, I knew the Italian restaurant was safe. On the off chance that Clay, Ethan, and Angie were still there, I leaped into the air and took off in that direction. I started to pray for the first time in a long time. My only hope was that I could head them off and tell them my idea before Owen and Reina found us again.

We landed on the other side of the restaurant, and I hoped Hannah didn’t notice the carnage. It was going to be fun trying to explain that Angie caused a good portion of it, and it was for a good reason.

Hannah spun around in a circle and took in her surroundings. We were standing behind the dumpster. With the heat of the day having baked the trash for a few hours, it was pretty ripe. Her eyes were watering, and she held her hand to cover her mouth and nose. “What are we doing here?”

“I need to find Ethan, Clay, and Angie.”

Hannah’s eyes widened when she heard Angie’s name. “Is Angie ok?”

“I think so, but that’s not the biggest of my concerns right now. Your safety is the only thing I’m worried about.”

She started to speak again, but I held my hand up to cut her off. I felt bad, but right now I needed to think. Clay was a Guardian. Ethan was able to just call to him, and he showed up. Would that work for me, too? Would he come? I had to try. “Clay, are you out there?” God, this felt stupid. “Clay, if you can hear me, come back to the restaurant!”

Within seconds, I could feel the air around me begin to ripple with energy. I felt another Presence emerge. Relief flooded through me; Clay had come.

Or so I thought.

“Clay, look, we need to figure out what we’re gonna do with –”

“You’re going to hand her over to me, since I was her date in the first place,” said the figure of the human boy I’d come to despise.

“Excuse me?”

He held out his hand, as though he thought I’d just drop her in his lap. “I said give her to me.”

“Like hell I’m giving her to you. Who are you?”

His smile grew, and his very essence shimmered like an old TV. “Levi, we’re old friends, remember?”

I watched as his figure rippled and shook like a bad image on the television set. A few seconds later, Jude stood before me. Jude? How did he get here? Since when was he involved? Sure, he was in Rome when all these things had started, but that was his stomping ground. What was this? Things were getting complicated fast, and there was no one to help me out of this one. I stalled for time. “Jude, just go back to where you came from.”

“Your run here with the human is done. Her time has been up. Give her to me, and you might get a lighter sentence.”

“I don’t belong there anymore. Haven’t you heard?”

Jude’s smile faltered for a split second, but he regained his composure quickly. “You’re not transitioned completely. You belong nowhere. I will squash you like the bug you are if you don’t hand her over.”

I could feel Hannah moving in my arms, but I never imagined she could be as incredibly dumb as her next move made me think she was. She pushed away from me, and wiggled out of my arms. She strode over to Jude and simply smiled for a moment.

That’s when she apparently decided she’d had enough of the supernatural that consumed her life in the past few weeks. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, I would have laughed my butt off.

Without warning, she spat in his face, then kicked him in the shins. “Go back to hell, you undead creep!”

Before Jude could get over the fact that he’d just been kicked and spit on by a human, I scooped Hannah in my arms and ran like crazy. She laughed a little shakily, and I guessed it was probably to hide her sheer terror. She looked at me expectantly. “How was that?”

I laughed as I darted under the nearby overpass and made a beeline back to the school. “If we weren’t in a life or death situation, I’d give you a high five right now.”

Hannah looked around to get her bearings. As she realized where we were heading, she began to squirm. “What are you thinking, going back to the school? Isn’t that where they’ll look for us?”

“No,” I said, as I adjusted her in my arms. “That’s the beauty of it. Why would they think we’d go back to the scene? We can blend you in with the crowd.”

“And what about you, Shirtless Wonder?”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Truth was, I wasn’t sure about anything anymore. What was I keeping her from? Death? Eventually she would have to die. Clay said she was a catalyst, someone to protect. Well how in the world was I supposed to protect her from every demon in hell? There was no way I could do this for very long. She was just on too long of a hit list.

But why? I wish I knew more. She’d only been in my life for three years. That was like a drop in the bucket for me. We’d only been talking for a few weeks. It was never in my plans to have grown attached to a human or guard one that was so important to… something. My mind reeled as I tried to figure out what to do.

Where was Clay? Why did he not come for me, but he came for Ethan? Oh geeze – Ethan. What was going on with him? There was too much. I scrunched my face, deep in thought. There had to be something I could do.

Clay’s voice materialized beside me. Both Hannah and I jumped at the intrusion. “You’re going to give yourself a stroke, thinking that hard.”

I rolled my eyes at him and slowed to a walk. “Way to show up a little late. You missed Jude.”

Clay sucked in a breath, and his face showed his surprise. “Jude came?”

“Heck yeah he did, and I spit in his nasty face,” Hannah said smugly. The girl was such a live wire when she wanted to be. I loved it.

Clay just laughed at Hannah’s declaration. “Alright, little one, you’ve got spunk. Now we have to figure out what to do about Owen and Reina.”

“They’ll come looking for her as long as they’re around,” I said. It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.

“I know,” sighed Clay. He watched Hannah with a curious look in his eye. “What you did to be so special…” he trailed off and shook his head. “Never mind. Let’s just get you safely through the day.”

Hannah pushed away from my chest, her way of telling me to put her down. She glanced between the two of us. “What’s your idea?”

Clay rubbed his white goatee. “Well, Levi has a good idea, taking you back to the school. There’s enough going on that it will be hard to take you quietly. Of course, that means there will be a scene.”

“When
isn’t
there a scene?” I mumbled under my breath.

Clay laughed, and patted me on the back. “You have an interesting situation, guarding Hannah. There will always be a scene. As for today, I say get her into the crowd, and wait for them to come.”

This didn’t sound like a good plan to me. “You’re saying use her as bait?”

“That’s really the only option you have. Put her in the crowd, and be on the lookout. I’ll be there too, and when they swoop in – ”

“ – Take them out,” I finished for him.

Clay nodded. Hannah was silent, but I could tell she was thinking something. She eyed Clay, then asked the question that should have been on my mind. “Clay, will you be able to take out Owen? He’s your son.”

Crap. Why did I not think of that? Of course it could become an issue. If I were faced with the necessity to hurt Ethan, I wasn’t sure if I could do it. He wasn’t even family. Unable to look at Clay, I waited to hear his answer.

Clay cleared his throat uncomfortably. “If that is what it comes down to, we’ll cross that bridge. I would prefer you to handle Owen, though, Levi. If you don’t mind, of course. Reina and I have a score to settle, anyway.”

“Sounds good.”

The school’s music was blaring. We weren’t far away now, and the reverberations of the bass could be felt. Must be some homecoming. Too bad people were about to get more of a party than they bargained for.

Hannah took my hand. It surprised me. She leaned over to whisper in my ear, pulling me closer to her. “Look, I’m sorry about everything. I trust you, for what it’s worth.”

I laughed. Against everything in me, I pulled my hand from hers. It just wasn’t worth hurting her more. That was what would happen in the long run, if we continued down this road. “I’m just doing my job, Hannah.”

She exhaled loudly, but then nodded resolutely. She must have understood what I meant. I could tell she was struggling, too. “I’m glad you’re doing your job.”

My only hope was that I could do it well for the rest of the day.

THIRTY-TWO

When we got to the school grounds, Clay led Hannah into the gym. He pretended to be a chaperone, and leaned casually against a far wall to remain in the shadows. He stayed visible to the humans, while I went quiet and made my rounds, trying not to step on people and incite a panic.

I didn’t see Owen or Reina anywhere, but that didn’t mean they weren’t here. I kept jumping at the slightest thing, panic rising into my chest, then dissipating when it became apparent that nothing was wrong. People kept squealing with delight about seeing friends, which threw my judgment off. I was paranoid that we would mistake Hannah’s scream for someone excited.

Clay looked comfortable with the situation from across the gym. He smiled easily and really looked like he was having a good time. I couldn’t figure out how he was staying so calm. Maybe it was the centuries of practice. I kept jumping like there were firecrackers under my feet. My senses were on high alert. Nothing I could do would calm my nerves. There probably wasn’t anything in this world that would prepare me for the inevitable meeting that was surely about to happen.

Music and people swirled around me, and I watched as every unsuspecting human had a great time. I wondered if I would have enjoyed this evening, had it been under different circumstances. Hannah tried to look as happy as she could, but her smile was visibly strained. Her friends didn’t seem to notice.

I wondered what it would be like to be human again. How was Ethan? Where was Angie? My brain was going about a thousand miles a minute, all the while still concentrating on Hannah and the threat just waiting to make itself known.

God, I wished they’d just show up. My muscles were tensed for a fight that wasn’t happening. I clenched my fists and continued to wait. It had to happen soon; the dance was almost over.

The rest of the night went off without a hitch. I was confused. Hannah met up with Clay and I at the gym entrance, a quizzical look playing across her face. I shrugged. There wasn’t any rhyme or reason for Owen to quit chasing her. He would come, of that there was no doubt.

Before Hannah could say anything, Clay cut her off and extended a hand. “Just be thankful they weren’t here. It’s better that your classmates aren’t brought into the fray.”

He was right, but it felt like he was more relieved than either Hannah or I. It was understandable, considering that his son would be in the fight, and he may have to fight him. But everyone had their choices to make, and Owen had made his. He ended up where he did, and Clay was on the other – the better – side of the fence. There was nothing that could change those decisions. I wondered what it was like to have that permanent fate. How had I become so lucky as to have the opportunity to rectify my mistakes? I’d never take that for granted again.