My Guardian

"Perfect! Can I borrow this?" Eva asked, picking up the one on the band.

"Shoot Eva Mae, you can have it. I don't need it." Josie looked around. "Is everything okay?"

Eva smiled wide. "Of course it is. Now you go back inside and get off your feet."

Josie stared at her a moment then smiled. "If you say so." She hesitated. "Be safe, Eva Mae."

"Aren't I always?"

"No. You're not. That's why I said to be safe. Usually, you're the first one to plunge headlong into danger."

Eva laughed nervously. "That's silly."

"If you say so."

"Thanks for the light." Eva held it up.

"Anytime," Josie said and closed the door.

Plunge headlong into danger? Who? Me?

Eva ran back over to the access panel and stared down. "Damn girl knows me too well." She pulled the band with the headlight over her head and put it in position. She flicked it on and squeezed past one of the three pipes to the open cavity behind them. It was close quarters, but if she could fit so could someone else. Maybe not the warriors or most vampires, but then again, not all vampires were built like her mate.

She shimmed down the pipes for what seemed like forever. When she reached the bottom, she pushed on a panel door, and it swung open easily. She hopped out and looked around. It looked like she was in a series of abandoned tunnels. She checked her map and where she was standing wasn't there.

Well hell.

She unclipped her handheld. "Hey, Menace."

"Yeah, over."

"Do you have any maps that show tunnels under the city?"

"No. Why? Wait, you're standing in a tunnel under the city, aren't you?" Meryn demanded.

"Maybe."

"Dammit, why didn't you take me? I freaking love Indiana Jones! Are there snakes?" Meryn asked excitedly.

Eva quickly checked out her surroundings. She hated snakes! "No, no snakes." She looked around. Faint light filled the tunnel on both sides. Not enough to see, but it created an eerie glow. "No snakes, but a ton of shadows. I think I'm in a part of the city that doesn't get much use. The glow spheres down here are practically spent."

"Count the shadows. Over."

Eva grinned. "Hey! Who turned out the lights?" She grinned and waited.

"Fuck! Seriously! Eva! Are you okay? Do you have any chicken legs you can throw at the shadows?" Meryn's explosive response was worth it.

Laughing she responded. "I'm fine, you nut. Besides, they used a chicken leg to identify a swarm not appease them."

"Right. By the way, you're awesome. Over."

"I know. Look I'm gonna peek around here then head back up to tell you all about it." Eva didn't really want to spend any more time in this dark, dank tunnel than absolutely necessary.

"Okie dokie. Hurry up, though; I can't wait to hear what you've been up to. Over."

"Over and out, Menace."

Eva turned her head and flashed the light around the tunnel. She was about to head back into the access panel when a dark smudge caught her attention. She walked forward and bent down. She touched her fingers to the stain and sniffed. Her canines dropped.

Blood. Wolf blood.

She lifted up her handheld and changed it to channel two. "Adriel, Aiden, come in please." Eva whispered. She held her breath, trying not to make a sound.

"Adriel here, Eva is that you?"

"I'm in some tunnels under the city. I found wolf blood down here. Over."

"Eva, get back up to the levels," he ordered.

Eva looked up and saw a pair of red eyes watching her in the darkness. "Don't think that's an option anymore." The eyes blinked and disappeared. She heard the scurry of feet escaping down the tunnel.

"Oh no you don't, you bastard!" She began running after him. She lifted the handheld. "I'm going after him, Adriel. If you're facing the access panel, I'm heading left."

"No! Wait for back up!"

"We could lose him! I'm strong enough to take out a single feral, and you know it." Eva stopped and waited. To her left the sound of movement. She darted after the noise.

"We are coming. Two minutes behind you. When I catch up to you, I am going to paddle your ass," he threatened.

Breathing heavily she grinned. "Admit it. You like the fact that I don't automatically genuflect when you speak," she stopped and listened again.

In front of her, two ruby red eyes stared at her from the darkness.

"Eva, what did you just say?" Adriel demanded.

Eva stared into those crazed eyes and clipped the handheld on her belt to free up her hand. "Come on, you son of a bitch. If you liked wolf blood, you'll love tiger," she taunted.

The eyes disappeared, and she froze. Behind her she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. He whispered something, and everything went black.

*****

"Eva, what did you just say?" Adriel shouted into the handheld. He, along with the Eta and Theta units, was running through the Marketplace to the transport tunnel. When she did not respond, he roared in frustration. He clipped the handheld to his belt.

"Adriel, what?" Micah asked.

"It is what she said in my dream before I found her dead." Adriel jumped into the tunnel and flew past the levels.

"Not on my watch!" Micah yelled.

Beside him, Micah shouted a spell and, just before he was about to crash into the net, it disappeared. He landed hard and looked around.