Libra Ascending: An Epic Urban Fantasy Romance (Zodiac Guardians Book 1) by Tamar Sloan (adult books to read .TXT) 📗

I’ve never felt anything like it. I know you’re an Heir, now we just have to see if I’m right about which one.”

Her breath is almost completely gone, but she summons enough to say, “And the way to do that is for me to touch the stones?”

“Yep,” he says with a sigh, sinking back into his seat. “Which are in the basement of my house that’s currently surrounded by pitch knows how many Skins.”

Brielle cocks her head. “Pitch?”

He blinks, then his lips tip into a small smile. “Sorry. I hear it so much from Zarius that I forget it’s not common on Earth.” His smile drops and he inhales sharply. “Zarius. I need to warn him about the Skins. And I can only hope he and Tess aren’t home.” He pulls his phone out of his jeans pocket and starts to text.

Brielle looks outside, watching for any sign of the same shadows she saw at the Pierces. But the scenery isn’t as open here in town as it was in the country. There are too many light sources and large shadows cast by houses and cars.

“How do you fight something you can’t see?” she asks. How can I fight them at all? Visions and lie-detection are about as useful in a fight as a sneeze.

“Luckily, I’ve been trained by the best to do just that,” he says, looking down at his phone anxiously. “But there’s no way of knowing how many Skins there are, not until they show themselves. And I can’t risk you getting caught up in it, not until you have your stone.” His leg bounces under his phone. “Come on, Tess, answer me!”

Concern for parents she’s never met tugs at her gut, reigniting the concern for her own would-be parents. Would the Skins have left them after they chased her and Tristan away? Would the Pierces be safe? She’d never be able to forgive herself if something happened to them because of her.

“So what’s the plan?” she asks, her ability to sit still fading with each passing second.

Gripping his phone, he growls under his breath. “They’re still not answering. And we can’t just wait.” He quietly unfastens his seatbelt. “I’ll sneak in. As long as I stick to the shadows and don’t make a sound, I can get past them and go inside. I’ll get the stones and get out. If anything happens before I come back, start the truck and drive to the most populated area you can get to. They don’t like to make a scene.”

Tristan’s getting ready to leave the car, and the sudden fear that she might not see him again strikes through Brielle like a lightning bolt. Her hand shoots out to grab his arm. “Please come back,” she whispers, her lower lip quivering.

He pauses and meets her fretful gaze, holding it for several breaths. Then he leans closer and reaches up to cup her cheek.

This caress. This touch is so much more deliberate than the handful of times they’ve made brief physical contact. It fills her with the most euphoric energy, and all she wants to do is melt into his warm hand.

She settles for putting her hand over his and savoring the feel of his skin on hers.

“I will come back. I promise.” His hand lingers for a moment longer, neither one of them wanting to let go.

Finally, with one last sweep of his thumb over her cheek bone, he withdraws. But before he can turn away, he frowns and squints out the window over Brielle’s shoulder.

“What is it?” She looks behind her, seeing a girl walking down the sidewalk. Wait, that’s not just some stranger. “Adalind?”

“Does she live around here?” Tristan asks, calculation wrinkling his forehead.

“I’m not sure, I’ve never been to her house,” Brielle answers, her tone escalating along with her anxiety. “She’s only ever come to the orphanage.”

They both watch as Adalind moves closer and closer to the house Tristan’s been staring at.

“Will they hurt her?” she asks, unable to look away in case a shadow flies by and swallows her best friend into oblivion.

“They might. They’ve been watching you. They know who your friends are. And she’s getting awfully close to my house.”

Resolve driving her, she unfastens her seatbelt.

Tristan clamps his hand around her wrist. “What are you doing?” he hisses.

“I have to warn her,” Brielle asserts. “I can’t just let her walk into a trap she can’t even see!”

“No way!” He pushes a button on the door and all the locks click. “Right now, the Skins don’t know we’re here. If you go out there, they’ll see you. You have no idea how important you are.”

She jerks her wrist but Tristan’s grip holds. “I am not more important than she is.”

“Yes, you are!” he argues.

She scowls at him, feeling the clock tick with each step Adalind takes toward her possible doom. “If I am a Guardian, then it’s my job to protect people, and I’m not going to stop before I even start.”

“I will not allow you to give yourself away,” Tristan says, frustration rising in his tone.

The moonlight catches on the screen of his phone that had slid slightly under his leg on the seat.

“I may not have to.” She grabs his phone and dials Adalind’s number.

“Hello?” Adalind answers.

“It’s Brielle. Stop walking right now, turn around and make the closest right,” Brielle instructs.

“What?” Adalind stops and looks around. “Where—”

“Don’t say another word,” Brielle warns. “Just walk the other way right now and don’t call attention to yourself. I’ll meet you around the corner and explain in a minute.”

There’s a pause, the chirping of crickets coming at her in stereo.

“Okay.” Adalind hangs up then starts walking in the opposite direction, turning her head all around in search of Brielle.

They wait until Adalind is safely around the corner just behind them before slipping out of the driver’s side of Tristan’s truck and creeping over the sidewalk after her.

Brielle has no idea what she’s doing. What is she going to tell Adalind? Does she tell her everything?