Vanished. Maureen Child

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       Chapter 4

      Alison wasn’t about to waste precious seconds as they ticked inexorably past. She simply set off in the direction she’d seen the demon’s energy signal and expected Rogan to follow her. She wasn’t disappointed.

      For a huge man, he moved so quietly he might as well have been invisible again. And hadn’t that been a surprise and a half! To feel unseen hands grab her…to hear that deep, musical voice telling her to be quiet…and to see not a soul.

      Of course, she knew about the Guardians’ ability to obfuscate themselves, but she’d never really seen that ability in action. The way she’d jumped and yelped had really been professional. Oh, she was not at all prepared to be a field operative. And the thought of following a demon to find Casey absolutely terrified her. But she had no choice in this. So when Rogan grabbed her again, none too gently, she ignored the arc of something hot and delicious jolting through her system and turned to face him, fire in her eyes.

      The furious expression on his face made her almost wish he’d go invisible again. “Come on. If we don’t follow what’s left of that energy signature, we’ll lose the demon.”

      “We’ll do nothing of the kind,” he said and gave her arm another squeeze before releasing her. “You’re tracking no demons while I’m here.”

      “You can’t stop me.”

      “I can, yes. Don’t push me on this, Alison Blair. I’ve no use for the Society and even less use for a woman on a hunt.”

      “You really are a caveman, aren’t you?”

      He seemed to swell in indignation. His broad chest widening, his square jaw tight, his green eyes flashing with a banked fury. “I’m a Guardian, in case you’ve forgotten. This is my job, not yours.”

      “And Casey is my sister, not yours.” She wouldn’t back down. Couldn’t. He’d just said it himself. Casey was no more than a job to him. He wasn’t involved in this. Not really. He didn’t care as she did.

      The rush of the nearby river blended with the sigh of the wind and the patter of the rain falling down around them in fat, lazy drops.

      “You’ve a car, don’t you?” he demanded.

      “Yes.”

      “Then get in it and go back to your B and B. If I find anything, I’ll let you know.”

      Her jaw dropped. Surely he didn’t actually expect that to happen. “I can’t go back without Casey.”

      “You can and you will. Now.”

      That last word was emphasized, and he stared her down as if daring her to contradict him. She would have, too. But in a small, still-rational corner of her mind, her own voice whispered that she was wasting time—that Rogan Butler was a legendary Guardian, that if anyone could find Casey, it would be he. But he needed her along. She knew Casey. He didn’t. Her younger sister would be terrified by the huge warrior if Aly wasn’t along to reassure her.

      Deliberately, she took another step toward the river. “I’ll go when I see you’re on the demon’s trail. When I know you’ve got some clue as to where Casey is.”

      Muttering under his breath, he stalked past her, the sound of his movement lost in the sigh of the river. The rush of Gaelic pouring from him sounded both musical and enraged. When he finally spoke in English again, it was short and sweet. “Stay behind me. And the hell out of my way.”

      “Charming,” she murmured, but did as he said, taking two or three steps for every one of his. He moved along the river walk, his gaze darting from side to side, checking every shadow, searching every corner he passed. Casey, too, kept her gaze alert, hoping to see another swirl of color, some trace of the demon that had been moving through here only moments ago.

      But there seemed to be nothing, only the quiet rush of the river and the dark that seemed to spill along the streets. The moon was hidden now beneath a bank of clouds still spitting rain, and the blend of fiddle and drum from the pub seemed distant and dreamlike.

      Her breath came in short, hard gasps as she struggled to keep up with the Guardian, who clearly didn’t care if she fell behind. Maybe he was going so quickly on purpose. To prove to her that she couldn’t keep up. That she had no business being on a hunt.

      Aly didn’t know. Didn’t care. Her gaze locked on Rogan’s broad back, she ignored her surroundings. Her mind was too filled with pictures of her sister. Images of Casey in danger. Hurt. Scared. Alone.

      She СКАЧАТЬ