Kate Evangelista - Til Death

That explains the strange energy in the air. Sebastian licked his chops. And what does it matter why they did what they did? You cannot change the past.

He was right; no point in wasting what little time I had left. So I let my mind wander to thoughts of Dillan and smiled. “How did you and Dillan meet?”

A small yelp, like a puppy whining, escaped his throat before he said, I had been cursed to live in a deep cave in Italy. Against his father’s wishes, he broke the curse. For my freedom, I gave him my loyalty.

I remembered Dillan saying something about being in Italy, but it had to do with his car. My brow furrowed. “What are you, Sebastian?”

A hellhound, he answered matter-of-factly.

The image of Cerberus came to mind. “But you don’t have three heads.”

A series of low coughs rumbled through him.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was laughing. Could hellhounds even laugh?

Of course we can. Another snort. Just keep it to yourself. We have a reputation to maintain.

What Kyle said about Dillan earlier nagged at me. “Okay, so tell me why Dillan’s here. And don’t give me the CliffsNotes version either,” I warned. “Kyle said he used to be a Guardian.”

I felt the hellhound’s fur rise. I knew what I’d asked of him. Secrets, when long kept, had the habit of being difficult to share. A long silence passed between us, only broken by rustling grass and branches creaking high above us.

I waited. I needed to know.

Maybe Dillan should—

“I’m asking you.”

Another pause. Then what seemed like a sigh escaped him.

Understand this , he began. To be a part of the Illumenari is hardship personified. The responsibility of keeping the world as you know it safe is difficult to bear during the best of times. Hence, the life of an Illumenari can often be a short one.

I thought about all those crossed out lines on the Sullivan family tree and my parents. Kyle’s parents, too. So many deaths.

He continued, Dillan’s life has been harder than most. His family comes from a long line of Illumenari. He can even trace his lineage back all the way to the ten founding families. Being a member of his family comes with much expectation. He grew up living up to what his grandfather expects of him.

“Where does Katarina fit into all of this?”

Without missing a beat, he said, Katarina was…is someone like you. A Seer. A high level one.

My heart faltered. “What’s with the pause?”

He lifted his head and looked up at the dark sky thoughtfully. Illumenari who can see the future are both valuable and vulnerable. They are powerful, which is why they are always targets.

I shivered and remembered the Fall Festival. Dillan said I was a target without knowing what I could do. I had to hand it to him. The guy had good instincts.

The responsibility of a Guardian is not only to protect. If a threat comes, the Guardian must make a decision to end the life of the one he guards. Better to kill the asset than to have her fall into the hands of the enemy.

“So.” My voice faltered. “Dillan…”

That is his failing.

My feelings of worry and relief warred with each other. I worried over what I was about to find out and how it would affect my relationship with Dillan. But, at the same time, I was relieved that he couldn’t kill Katarina in cold blood.

Then everything clicked for me. The voice said, Find the guardian . Dillan was once a Guardian. He was demoted because he couldn’t kill Katarina. Now I was the target. He said he would protect me. But how far would he go to keep me from the Maestro?

Dillan

Next Stop Gates of Hell

Dillan woke up the next morning with one thought: give Selena space. So, after a bowl of Coco Puffs, he ducked out and drove all day. He filled up the GT once then doubled back. Quickly, he realized no matter how far he drove, he kept returning to the bookstore. That invisible line that connected him to her tugged him back every time.

He parked in an alley across the street from the bookstore and got comfortable. She needed space. The detached look on her face last night proved that. She had a lot to process. He punched the dashboard anyway. The sting of the blow distracted him from his edginess. He wanted to be by her side, comfort her. No matter how much she seemed to have needed it last night, she still pushed him away. He thought they had an understanding. They kissed…several times. That had got to mean something, right? The confusion she made him feel was gonna kill him. He’d felt it the day they first met.

Selena arrived for work just as he’d made the decision to drive away. He let go of the key in the ignition as she trudged with heavy feet toward the entrance. Why she felt the need to work a shift at Ormand’s with everything going on baffled him. She should be home, laying low. For a second, the thought of kidnapping her until all this blew over crossed his mind. But where was safe? The Maestro would eventually find them. Still, he had to do something.

Not a minute later, he was out of the car, walking across the street. He ran through the reasons why he was at Ormand’s. The best he could come up with? He needed a book. Smooth. He had a sinking feeling the longer he stayed in Newcastle the lamer his moves got. He was hella rusty. A book? Really?

And what did he have to be nervous about anyway? Yet when he reached the door and saw her face, he froze, hand on the handle. How could she look worse than she did last night? His heart lurched. She had bags under her eyes. Her curls hung limp around her tired face. And she hardly had any color on her cheeks. And there was nothing he could do about it. Dammit! Stomach twisting with worry, he kicked the wall by the door then turned on his heel. The last thing she needed was him making her feel worse. He crossed the street back to his car.

What are you doing?

Sebastian’s question startled him. “Jesus, mutt, some warning would be nice,” he said.

You look bad.

He didn’t know where Sebastian was exactly, so he couldn’t get a read on his expression. Yes, hellhounds had expressive faces. Speaking of faces…he frowned at the bookstore.

“You should see Selena.”

I know. He paused then said, I should not have told her about Katarina.

“It would have come out eventually. I blame Hilliard.” He leaned his head back on the leather seat and sighed. “Maybe better that she heard part of it from you. I would have lied my ass off.”

Sometimes, for someone with your kind of power, you can be so weak.

A comeback formed in his throat but he wasn’t feeling it. They had no time to joke around anymore. Worse? A part of him agreed with Sebastian. All his life, Dillan devoted himself to being the best at what he did. He trained hard. He learned all the text. All the blood, sweat, and tears, but the second it mattered most, he choked.

You did not choke.

“What did I say about getting out of my head?”

Sebastian huff-sneezed, which always told Dillan the hellhound was annoyed. That he could handle. Pity he couldn’t. Then a thought hit him.

“Hey,” he said in all seriousness, “where are you? The sun’s still out. Shouldn’t you be keeping a low profile?”

I believe I have found the Maestro’s lair.

He sat up and leaned his hands on the steering wheel. Their first lead since finding out about Bowen. “So you’re in Greenwood?”

Yes.

“I didn’t think your range reached that far. Is this something we need to talk about?”