I stepped into the hallway and frowned. All the three Guardians had their weapons pointed at…Gavyn? Dressed in white slacks and a matching blazer over a light blue shirt, his silver hair cropped in layers, he looked like he’d just stepped out of a country club.
He smirked and waved like we were best buds. The tingle at the base of my spine shot up my spine.
“Hey, little sister,” he said. “What are you doing in this dump? With the Tribunal’s army hunting your kind, I thought you’d be hiding with the rest of the Guardians.”
Tribe…Tribunal? The two words sounded almost alike. Did they mean the same thing? I had no interest in asking Gavyn because he’d only gloat and piss me off more. Already, I wanted nothing better than to wipe the smug smile off his face, but Bran would never forgive me.
I struggled to calm my mind and bring my powers under control. It wasn’t working. The power pulsing up and down my spine needed an outlet.
“What do you want, Gavyn?” I called out, fear of hurting him keeping me in the doorway.
“You and I need to talk. Alone. Tell your new minions to,” he wiggled his fingers, “move out of my way.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, aware that Esras had followed me. He stood protectively behind me, tension shooting from his body.
“Scared to be alone with me, little sister?”
“Yeah, scared for you, and I’m not your sister.”
He cocked his brow. “What? You’re not going to be mated with my brother? Last time I checked, the sun rose and set on him. You even saved my life from your malevolent sister. That’s the kind of thing you do for family, or family-to-be. By the way, I never got around to thanking you for that.” He touched his chest and bowed. “Thank you.”
No matter how annoying he was, I had to remember he was Bran’s brother. I focused on controlling my powers until the tingle on my back receded.
Meanwhile Gavyn lowered his head to peer into Solaris’s eyes and whispered, “How do you feel knowing your precious Chosen One is the reason you are being hunted, sweetheart? Why do your people have to suffer because of her? First Valafar and his raid, and now the Tribunal and its, uh, what do you Guardians call its army again? Yeah, the Tribe, the mighty Guardians’ worst nightmare.”
Seriously? He was like a child sometimes. When he didn’t get his way, he threw tantrums by saying the dumbest things. Solaris didn’t need him egging her on. “Let him pass.”
Instead of obeying, Solaris hissed out a breath. “What are you talking about, demon?”
He smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Move aside like a good little Guardian.”
“Only the weak and incompetent summon more powerful beings to fight their battles,” she snapped, then shifted closer to him. “And if you ever call me sweetheart again, fiend, I’ll send you to Tartarus so fast they’ll be picking pieces of you off the walls for centuries.” She threw a look at me over her shoulder. “He’s all yours, Cardinal.” Then she stepped out of his way.
For one brief moment, Gavyn leered at her. “I hope you and I meet again, sweetheart. I’d love to show you a thing or two that would make your head spin.” He sauntered past Esras and me. “Stay here, old man. My business is with the lovely Lilith.”
Esras hesitated and glanced at me.
“I’ll be fine,” I reassured him. Gavyn’s arrogance was annoying, but he only ever acted cocky when he had the upper hand. He knows where the Summoners are, I telepathed Esras. Just give me a minute with him.
He nodded, but he didn’t like it. I hurried after Gavyn.
“Scram, minion,” he ordered when he entered Jethro’s office and saw the bartender.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the bartender snarled. “Jethro doesn’t allow your kind in here.”
Gavyn smiled. “My kind? I thought this,” he waved, “was a sanctuary for all Nephilim, good or bad.”
“Except bottom-dwellers like you,” the bartender retorted.
Gavyn’s eyes flashed. He studied the bartender, his lips curling up. “You know what I miss? The old days, when we tied traitors to rocks and set vultures on them for eternity.”
“And soul-suckers were sent to rot in Tartarus for eternity,” the bartender retorted.
In a fraction of a second, Gavyn’s hand moved and a sizzling, red energy ball materialized above his palm.
“Enough. You,” I nodded at the bartender, “go back to the bar.”
He scurried out of the room.
“He was being insolent,” Gavyn said, the energy ball fizzling out.
“What’s wrong with you? You know the rules. You can’t touch Neutrals under our protection, or all bets are off.”
He smiled though his gray eyes remained cold. “You’d test my brother’s loyalty by attacking me to protect that nobody?”
“He’s not a nobody, and Bran would understand.”
“Would he?” Gavyn’s eyes glistened. “I don’t have time for this. I have things to do, places to go.” He glanced over his shoulder at Esras. “Do you mind?” The he flicked his finger and the door slammed shut on Esras’ face.
I frowned. His energy powers seemed to have grown stronger. First an omni energy ball, now a show of telekinetic ability. “What do you want, Gavyn?”
Gavyn’s eyes narrowed as he studied me, his head cocked to the side. “There’s something different about you.”
What? I wanted to ask, but I hated discussing anything personal with him. Besides, there was enough weirdness that came with my new powers I really didn’t want to know. “Where have you been? Bran’s been looking for you for two days.”
“And he almost got killed, thanks to you. I’m getting strange vibes from you that are very intriguing. What have you been up to? I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, but the changes in you…” his eyes narrowed and he added slowly, “I can now see what my little brother sees in you.”
Ew. The thought that Gavyn found anything remotely attractive about me made me want to throw up. “Why is it my fault Bran almost got killed?”
Annoyance flashed in Gavyn’s eyes. “He was in trouble, I contacted you but you chose to ignore me. But that’s yesterday’s news. He’s okay, for now. In fact, he was here earlier. I can still feel his energy.”
“I don’t like being accused of things I haven’t done, Gavyn.”
“This time, you’re guilty as charged, but I’m in a good mood and would rather talk about you and this new vibe—”
I waved my hand without meaning to and sent him upward and backward until his back slammed the door and his feet dangled several inches off the floor. “I’m not in the mood for your stupid games either, Gavyn. Start talking.”
Furious didn’t begin to describe the expression that flashed on his face. “Put me down!”
“Tell me what you’re talking about. What trouble was Bran in? When did you contact me?”
“Don’t be hotheaded, Lilith. You touch me again and you, your minions, and everyone in this building go poof. You didn’t think I’d come here alone, did you? Put. Me. Down.”
I did a psi scan to confirm his words. There were demons outside, on the ground and on the roof of the building. I wasn’t sure whether they were regular demons or the Tribe, but I refused to show Gavyn that his threats worried me.
I guided the power buzzing on my back to move to my right hand, just like Master Haziel had taught me. My fingers tingled as the ancient writings appeared on the surface of my skin. Then my hand started to glow.
“What in Tartarus is that?” Gavyn asked.
“Start. Talking.”
Uncertainty flickered in his eyes, but then his smugness returned. “Go ahead. The Tribunal will only bring me back,” he bragged.