Guardians: The Turn (The Guardians Series, Book 3) Read online

  “The Council tried many times to get him to allow Angels to guard him but he wanted to be protected by his own kind.”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered who was protecting him.”

  “So he told you where the Oxen is?”

  “Yes, he said he would tell me because he believed that deep down I was still good, and that once I knew where it was, I would be too decent an Angel to go get it.”

  “So…where’s the Oxen?”

  “Inside his son’s heart.”

  She told me that Montrose had The Council place it there, thinking no one would ever think to look for it. That is the reason he never pushed too hard for Junior to be involved in Angel-human politics. He figured the further away Junior was from such things, the safer both he and the Oxen would be.

  “He put a Dy on his own son?”

  “Yes.”

  A Dy is a hiding place inside the body. The important thing to know about a Dy is not how it gets in you, but how to get it out. You can’t expel the object from body. Someone has to manually go in and remove it.

  “You’re gonna take his heart?”

  “Yes.”

  “So we can get the Oxen”

  “So we can go to war.”

  * * *

  Redd and I hit the Brooklyn streets a little past midnight. The music from Club Knight can be heard several blocks down. The bass makes the parked cars seem like they are moving. The line of eager club goers extends around the corner and down the street.

  My owner wanted to make sure we looked like we belonged. She got me top of the line clothes and shoes so expensive the price tag looked more like a social security number. I never even thought I could look this smooth. And I mean it. I look good.

  As for the twisted Angel, she has on bright red lipstick that makes me think of succulent strawberries. It goes very well with her tight black dress – especially since it has a slit so far up her leg, it dares you not to look. I look repeatedly.

  Once we get to the line, we skip all the losers and go right up to the four hundred-pound bouncer. He looks Redd over – slowly. Because he doesn’t know she’s an Angel (or was), he isn’t expecting to see wings. Generally humans only see what they expect to see.

  After getting a good and slow look at Redd, he lets us in. As we are about to enter, a guy in the line behind me grabs my arms and protests our jumping ahead of him. Without a second thought I whip out my knife and slice the back of his hand. He pulls it back groaning in pain.

  Once inside, the music overwhelms everything; the guests jump up and down with the bass while the DJ spins. Club Knight used to be a warehouse, so the walls are brick and the ceiling are high. This makes it the perfect place for a Rave.

  Plus, it’s just dark enough to pretend like you don’t know you’re “accidentally” rubbing up on some chick. Given the hundreds of people, I’m sure everyone’s getting touched on in some way. I wish I could join in, but judging from the serious look on Redd’s face, I know this is not party time.

  I have heard that everyone mourns in their own way. Well, Junior decided to mourn his father by dancing his ass off to a new Jay Z and Kanye West mix. I pointed him out to Redd, although he isn’t really hard to miss. He’s surrounded by a harem of girls. He has on skinny jeans and a rocker t-shirt.

  “Meet me out back. And use these.”

  Redd hands me a set of ear plugs then heads into the center of the crowd. I know I’m supposed to go but I can’t help but wait and see how she gets his attention. Although the dress is really all she needs.

  She doesn’t go up to Junior, but instead makes her way to the DJ. She whispers something in his ear and I’m guessing she didn’t sing to him since he isn’t ripping his own heart out. She then turns and heads to Junior on the dance floor.

  She doesn’t go to dance. She just leans on the wall and looks him over. They make eye contact and instantly a smile spreads across the golden boy’s face. He isn’t the only one taken with Redd. Other guys come to her but she doesn’t seem to know they are alive. She uses her pensive stare to dare Junior to try and stay away. It takes only a few minutes for him to make his way to her.

  Suddenly the up tempo song ends. The DJ plays a slow, hypnotic song that haunts the entire club. Everyone’s fixed on the playboy and what they think is his new prey. He gets as close as he can without touching her.

  He silently challenges her to keep eye contact with him while he X-rays her, knowing most girls would be too self-conscious to do so. Not this girl. This girl is different. She stands perfectly still. Confident that not only will she pass his test, she will surpass all his expectations.

  He holds out his hand. She takes it, and he guides her to the dance floor. He places his hand around her waist. She moves like an experienced temptress. She sways and grinds against him. He is powerless to stop the spell she is casting with her hips. The entire club is now taken with the couple.

  By the time she circles Junior, he seems dazed, confused and ready to say “yes” to whatever she has in mind. Unable to take the teasing and taunting any longer, he pulls her roughly towards him. He goes in for a kiss; she stops him with her index finger signaling “not yet.”

  He bites his lower lip and curses his luck. She whispers something in his ear, then heads out the back door. Junior quickly moves to follow. His security team is in tow. He signals to them to stay where they are.

  The team leader, a heavy-set bald man, hesitates. But Junior insists they stay behind. I make my way out the front door just as Junior makes his way to the back, where he is certain all his dreams are about to come true.

  By the time I get to the back alley, I find Redd leaning against the wall and Junior attempting yet again to kiss her. She laughs playfully, grabs him by his chest and shoves him into the wall. He looks shocked and turned on.

  “Oh, so you like to play rough?”

  “You have no idea.”

  She savagely plunges her hand into his chest and rips out a mass of muscle tissue and cells. Junior doesn’t even get a chance to understand what is happening. He looks down and sees that the girl of his dreams is literally holding his heart, and he drops dead mid-scream.

  As soon as he hits the ground, his security team invades the alley. The bald guy comes at me full force. I take out my knife but it gets knocked out of my hand when he rams me into the wall. He starts pounding on me. His fists make contact with my face, and the blows come rapidly.

  I reach for my knife. It’s only a few inches away but it’s a few inches too far. My attacker picks me up with just one hand and tosses me toward the trash cans. I scramble for something to hit him with. There is nothing around. This fool might just kill me.

  Then I spot it – my knife. In the scuffle, he had kicked it closer to me. I pretend I don’t see it. He comes after me again thinking I am done for. I let him come full speed. When he’s close enough that I can smell his bad breath, I grab my knife and plunge it into his ear. The blood gushes out like a crimson geyser.

  I turn and come face to face with the barrel of a very unfriendly gun. I search my mind to find a way out. I force myself to stay calm. I can take him. I just need him to be distracted just for a second…

  Suddenly he drops the gun and starts clawing at his chest. I look up and find Redd in the sky singing a sweet song. I can’t hear it because of the ear plugs. I’m glad because everyone in the alley who can hear the song is ripping themselves to pieces.

  From the look on their faces, they are screaming and begging for mercy. All around me, they are falling to the ground. They twist and moan on the floor unable to stop themselves from tearing into their own flesh.

  Finally, no one is moving. Redd flies down to the ground and signals it’s okay to take the ear plugs out. I do as I’m told and take a look at the carnage. The blood from the bodies forms a scarlet stream and runs beneath our feet. The twisted Angel that was once a Guardian dips her fingers into it. She then walks over to the wall and w
rites two words in blood-soaked ink:

  LOVE,

  REDD.

  CHAPTER THREE: THE DECLARATION

  We are holed up in a fancy hotel in Times Square (courtesy of some guy too stupid to feel me pick his pocket). I pace back and forth as Redd studies the cylinder dangling from the chain around her neck. She has had the Oxen for a few hours now.

  Oxen will glow when it has reached its maximum strength. As excited as I am to see how Redd’s powers will be enhanced, I can’t imagine her voice being any more lethal than it already is. She can take out blocks of people with just a whisper. If she gets any stronger she could destroy us all. I would point that out to her, but I think she knows that.

  More importantly, I think that’s what she wants. So why am I going along with her? Aside from the fact that she could kill me at any moment, there is some inspiring about being a part of something big. And what could be bigger that being a part of the end?

  She turns to me with excitement in her eyes. I look down at her necklace and yes, the Oxen is glowing. It is as powerful as it is going to get. She drinks the vile of Oxen. We look around, not sure what is supposed to happen next.

  Suddenly Redd is screaming as her body gets lifted into the air. The screaming is acid to my ears. She is going to kill me with her voice. I know she isn’t doing it on purpose, but whatever has taken over takes away all her control.

  Now I’m sadder than I have ever been in my life. Sorrow wraps itself inside the center of my chest. I want to destroy myself from within. I start clawing at my own chest. I crawl over to my jacket where I had left my ear plugs.

  I grab them and place them in my ears. Finally there is a break from the unrelenting pain. I inhale deeply and look over the damage I have done to myself. Long red gashes are all over my chest and neck. I’m bleeding but it’s not life-threatening. I look over and whatever power had Redd in the air, twisting in pain, has let her go.

  She falls to the floor with a heavy thud. I run over to her. Her eyes are closed. I shake her and call out her name. She is perfectly still. The enhancement could have been too much. I’ve heard stories of too much power consuming its owner from the inside. But Redd is so strong, I was sure she could endure anything.

  I look down at her. She looks like she’s sleeping. I outline her lips with my thumb.

  So much power; so much beauty…

  Suddenly her eyes pop open. She looks up at the ceiling and starts laughing hysterically. I call out her name again. She smiles and turns to me.

  “Benny, let me show you what I can do.”

  I exhale loudly. I didn’t even realize that I was holding my breath. She runs out the door like the wind and I follow behind. We head to the Hudson River. It’s late and there’s no one around. Though I’m not sure it would matter to her.

  “Okay, I’m ready. Wait. Are you gonna sing? Do I need ear plugs?” I am talking a mile a minute. I can’t contain my excitement. She just smiles at me.

  “My voice has always been a weapon, but now with Oxen, my inner voice is just as deadly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Watch.”

  She looks out at the river. She seems to be interacting with the water, but she isn’t making a sound. Suddenly the water gathers and forms a massive human hand. It gushes several feet in the air and comes straight for me.

  I use my hand to block the wall of water that is about to descend onto me. I wait for the inevitable pain that comes with drowning; nothing happens. I look up and Redd has called on a mass of earth to gather above my head and form a shield between me and the water.

  She laughs. The hand and shield go back to their natural state. My jaw drops.

  “This is some kind of dream, man!”

  “No, it’s very real.”

  “You’re telekinetic?”

  “No. I don’t control things. I’m much stronger that that. I control elements.”

  “How?”

  “My inner voice is telling the elements what to do.”

  “You control water and earth.”

  Before I know what’s happening, a gust of air carries me half-way down the river. It then wraps itself around my throat. The air is choking me. I look up and she lands right by me. She thinks a quick thought and the air lets go of me as easily as it latched on.

  “Not just earth and water. I control air and fire.”

  “Okay, no need to show me fire. I believe you.”

  “C’mon, Benny, just a few sparks.”

  “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

  She laughs yet again. Her laughter fills the air that she now controls. I fix myself up after having been dragged and nearly choked to death.

  “What next?” I ask.

  “Next, we shop.”

  * * *

  When Redd said that, I thought I was in for hours of tedious, mind-numbing visits to the mall. But I should have known better. We met up with a Seller by the docks. He came with a black van and two Cravens for security.

  “What, scared I’m gonna sing you a little ditty?” Redd asked, amused.

  “No, they are my usual security. Besides, I’ve been told that since you are not an official Demon, Cravens probably won’t have an effect on you.”

  “But you came anyway?”

  “I’m a Seller. I can’t fight my nature.”

  “You came for the money,” I say to him.

  “You are offering two hundred third Coats. That’s a lot.”

  “Here is your payment,” Redd said, handing him a stack of feathers.

  “It is illegal to take cash and not know whose wings they are from.”

  “It’s also illegal to sell Soul Chasers,” I point out.

  “Let us say we each have our bad habits,” he says.

  He takes the money and goes to the back of the van to show us the merchandise. He opens the door and there are boxes of Soul Chasers stacked all the way to the roof of the car.

  “What are you going to do with them Redd? Is it true you killed Junior?”

  “Seller, while you still have legs, use them to walk away. Now.”

  The Seller didn’t need to be told twice.

  I take a closer look at a Soul Chaser. It’s a bowling ball-like object that has a funnel of wind coming out of its center. It pulls the nearest soul towards it then strips the soul away, killing it in a matter of minutes; and since Angels are pure soul…

  Along with the Soul Chasers, there are Holders (a necklace that forms a bubble-like prison and keeps you trapped) and a box containing what look like playing cards. I ask Redd about it and once again she is amused.

  “These are Trims. You cast it out towards an Angel or Demon and it latches on to them. Then it alters their reality. It makes everything slow down, including their reaction time.”

  “Where’d you get it?”

  “Target.”

  She’s funny. Evil. Sexy. Perfect.

  “Why are you going along with this?” she asks.

  “You own me.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You had chances to run.”

  “I like my tongue. I want to keep it in my mouth, thank you.”

  “Smart guy.”

  “I try.”

  “Okay, Benny. You can go.”

  “What?”

  “You can run away and go free.”

  “Why?”

  “I can handle things on my own from now on.”

  “I’m okay here with you.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not a fan of being alive.”

  “Yes, you are. Otherwise you would stop fighting back when you are attacked.”

  “Okay, I guess it’s just…I don’t know. Angel, Demon, people, whatever; they all end up screwing you over. So better to hurt them before they hurt you, ya know what I mean?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would Rio be okay with what you are about to do?”
>
  “No. Because Rio was truly good.”

  “Look where good got him.”

  I can practically see the image flash in her head: her twin’s lifeless body being dragged away and taken to the House of Fire. She inhales deeply and spits out her command.

  “Enough talk. It’s time to get everyone’s attention.”

  * * *

  One thing I can say for Redd, she doesn’t believe in wasting anything. She found a use for every single item in the truck. She said we were going to get everyone’s attention and I’’ll be dammed if she didn’t do just that.

  The Splash was buzzing with the story of the twisted Angel now known as Redd and the scene outside the club. But by the time we finished our first round of strikes, Redd and I became front page of every issue of Splash.

  We weren’t just in the news. We were the news. We started with the Runner Ball game that was set to play in Ireland. Hundreds of thousands of Angels were in attendance as two teams battled it out to see who would win the championship.

  The stadium was filled beyond capacity with fans. Angels and Demons alike all gathered to cheer on their team. There were even talks of Paras coming down to join the festivity. A team made a goal and the roar of the crowd was deafening. I waited for Redd to give me the signal.

  Once she did, I threw Holders out into the crowd. Several Angels and Demons found themselves suddenly in a see-through make-shift prison. The commotion began. Redd called for the air to carry the hundreds of Soul Chasers into the crowd.

  The scene was like something out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Angels were scattered all over the place trying to outrun the pull of the Chasers. Many used their wings but found that the void was so strong, they couldn’t take off.

  Since demons have no soul the Chasers didn’t affect them, but Redd didn’t spare them, either. She called for the earth to shake and the wind to gather up and cause a massive twister. It catapulted demons right and left. Their cries filled the stadium and made for great front page material.

  Next, Redd had me buy large gift boxes. She inserted Soul Chasers into each one and sent them to prominent members of the Angel community. No one dead but there were massive injuries and complete pandemonium.