Fallen For Four

My grandmother always said I had a gift for finding trouble. As the shadows that definitely weren't shadows slithered across the ancient manuscript toward my fingers, I realized she'd been right about that, at least.

"Ms. Morgan?" Dr. Ashworth's voice called from somewhere beyond the stacks. "The archives close in twenty minutes. Have you found the Celestial Codex yet?"

I swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the inky tendrils that seemed to be watching me. My first day at this job, and I was already hallucinating.

"Almost," I called back, my voice steadier than I felt. The text on the brittle pages blurred before my eyes, rearranging into patterns that made no sense yet felt hauntingly familiar.

Starborn. Guardian. Vessel.

Words I couldn't possibly read in languages I didn't know echoed in my mind as the temperature in the room plummeted. My birthmarks burned beneath my sweater sleeves, the constellation-like patterns throbbing in time with my racing heart.

"This isn't happening," I whispered, backing away from the manuscript.

The shadows moved faster.

"Actually, it is," came a deep voice from behind me. "And you need to get away from that book right now."

I whirled around to find myself staring at the most beautiful man I'd ever seen all sharp cheekbones, silver eyes, and midnight-black hair. His expression was cold, but his eyes... his eyes looked at me with a hunger that made my breath catch.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, backing into the reading table. "And how did you get in here? This section is restricted."

His gaze flicked to the manuscript, where the shadows were now forming something that looked disturbingly like a hand. "I'm Kaiden Blackwood. And we need to leave. Now."

"I'm not going anywhere with " My retort died as the shadows suddenly lunged toward me.

Kaiden moved with impossible speed, shoving me behind him as the darkness coalesced into a vaguely humanoid shape that hissed words in that same impossible language that somehow made perfect sense to me.

"Guardian found. Vessel located. The Eclipsed will rise."

"Stay behind me," Kaiden growled, his hand extending toward the shadow creature as darkness seemed to pool in his palm. "This isn't how I wanted to introduce myself, but it seems Maven's pets found you first."

"Maven? What are you "

The creature shrieked as Kaiden hurled what looked like condensed shadow at it. The thing dissolved momentarily before reforming, larger and with more definition.

"Damn it," Kaiden muttered. "Stronger than I thought." He pulled out a phone, never taking his eyes off the creature. "Storm. Archives. Now. She's here, and she's not alone."

Before I could process what was happening, the windows exploded inward, showering us with glass. I screamed, covering my head as Kaiden shielded me with his body.

Through the broken window leapt another man this one wild where Kaiden was controlled, all coiled muscle and predatory grace. His eyes, when they met mine, glowed an impossible amber.

"This the girl?" he asked, flashing teeth that seemed too sharp.

"Obviously," Kaiden snapped, still keeping himself between me and the shadow creature, which was now joined by two more. "She's manifesting already. Look at her arms."

I glanced down to see a soft blue light pulsing beneath my sleeves, visible even through the fabric. My birthmarks had never done that before.

The newcomer Storm? sniffed the air like an animal. "Three shades and I smell more coming. We need the others."

"There's no time "

The argument was cut short as one of the shadow creatures lunged. To my shock, the second man's hands transformed into clawed monstrosities as he met the creature mid-air with a snarl that was decidedly non-human.

"What the fuck?" I gasped, stumbling backward into the stacks.

"Ms. Morgan?" Dr. Ashworth's voice called, closer now. "Is everything alright?"

"No!" I screamed. "Stay back! There's "

My warning came too late as my elderly boss rounded the corner, clutching the key ring that never left his side. His eyes widened at the impossible scene two men battling living shadows while surrounded by broken glass and scattered books.

"The Celestial Guardian," he whispered, looking at me with awe. "It's true."

One of the shadow creatures turned at his voice, its form stretching grotesquely as it glided toward him.

"Dr. Ashworth, run!" I lunged forward, but Kaiden caught my arm.

"Don't," he commanded. "They want you, not him."

I watched in horror as the shadow enveloped my boss, his scream cutting off as darkness filled his mouth. When it withdrew, Dr. Ashworth remained standing, but his eyes had gone completely black.

"Guardian," he said, but it wasn't his voice anymore. "The Mistress requires your presence."

The man called Storm cursed. "They've taken a host. Kaiden, get her out!"

"I'm trying to!" Kaiden snarled back, pulling me toward the emergency exit.

The possessed librarian moved with unnatural speed, blocking our path. "The bloodlines converge. The vessels align. She belongs to the darkness now."

"I belong to nobody," I snapped, terror giving way to a fury that felt ancient and familiar. The burning in my arms intensified until I could no longer stand it.

I tore off my sweater, exposing the constellation birthmarks that now glowed bright enough to illuminate the entire room. Knowledge I shouldn't possess bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me.

"Umbral entities," I heard myself say, "return to the void."

Light burst from my skin in a wave that knocked everyone backward. The shadow creatures shrieked in what sounded like agony as they dissipated. Dr. Ashworth collapsed to the floor, the darkness flowing out of him like smoke.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"Holy shit," Storm breathed, staring at me with new respect. "She's the real deal."

Kaiden's expression was unreadable as he approached me carefully, as if I might explode again. "Scarlett Morgan. We've been looking for you for a very long time."

My legs gave out, the alien strength that had filled me moments ago vanishing as quickly as it had come. Kaiden caught me before I hit the floor.

"What's happening to me?" I whispered, darkness creeping into the edges of my vision.

"You're waking up," he replied, his silver eyes the last thing I saw before consciousness slipped away.

I jolted awake in an unfamiliar bed, silk sheets sliding against my skin. For a moment, I hoped it had all been a nightmare.

Then I saw my arms, the birthmarks still faintly glowing in the dimness, and reality came crashing back.

"She's awake," came a voice I didn't recognize melodic and refined.

I sat up quickly, pulling the sheets around me. The bedroom was opulent, all dark wood and rich fabrics, illuminated only by moonlight through tall windows. Standing by the door was a man who couldn't possibly be real not with those otherworldly blue eyes and the strange, subtle luminescence to his skin.

"Where am I?" I demanded. "Where's Kaiden? And... Storm?"

"Axel Storm is currently ensuring the library incident doesn't make the morning news," the stranger said, approaching with inhuman grace. "And Kaiden is handling your resignation letter."

"My what?"

"You can't go back there, Scarlett. Surely you understand that after what happened."

I scrambled out of the bed, relieved to find I was still dressed, minus my sweater. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"Dominic Valen," he replied with a slight bow that should have seemed ridiculous but somehow didn't. "As for how I know you we've been waiting for you to awaken for centuries."

"That's impossible," I said flatly. "I'm twenty-three."

"And yet you read Ancient Sumerian tonight without ever having studied it. You banished umbral entities with a power you shouldn't possess." His head tilted, studying me. "Tell me, have you always had those birthmarks? The ones shaped exactly like the seven celestial houses?"

My hand instinctively covered my right arm. "That's none of your business."

"I'm afraid it is." He moved closer, and I caught a scent like ozone after lightning. "You're the Celestial Guardian, Scarlett. The one born each millennium with the power to either save or destroy our world."

A laugh bubbled up, edged with hysteria. "Right. And let me guess you're, what, a vampire? Werewolf?"

"Fallen angel, actually." Something massive and shadowy unfurled behind him wings, I realized with shock. "Axel is the werewolf. Kaiden's the vampire. And Rhys... well, you'll meet him soon enough."

I backed away until I hit the wall. "This isn't real. I'm having some kind of breakdown."

"Unfortunately, this is very real. And very dangerous." Dominic's wings retracted, fading like mist. "The attack tonight was just the beginning. The Eclipsed have been searching for you since you were born. They've found you now, which means we have until the equinox to prepare you."

"Prepare me for what?"

"To claim your power," came Kaiden's voice as he entered the room, jacket gone, shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms corded with muscle. "Or to watch everything burn."

My head spun with too many questions. "My apartment my things "

"Being packed as we speak," Kaiden replied. "You're not safe there anymore."

"You can't just kidnap me and decide my life is over!" I pushed past Dominic, heading for the door.

Kaiden moved to block me, faster than humanly possible. "Going out there untrained and unprotected is suicide, Scarlett. Not just for you for countless others."

"He's right," Dominic said softly. "Maven won't stop until she has you."

"Who is Maven?" I demanded.

"The leader of The Eclipsed," Kaiden answered, his jaw tight. "And the woman who murdered your parents."

The floor seemed to tilt beneath me. "My parents died in a house fire. It was an accident."

"Is that what your grandmother told you?" A new voice joined the conversation as a third man materialized from the shadows of the hallway. He was smaller than the others, lithe and fox-like, with copper hair and the most striking green eyes I'd ever seen. There was something odd about those eyes the pupils weren't quite round.

"Who the hell are you?" I whispered, feeling increasingly cornered.

"Rhys Nightshade, at your service." He gave a mockery of a bow. "Exiled fae and keeper of uncomfortable truths. Like the fact that your parents knew exactly what you were. They died trying to hide you from people like us... and from people like Maven."

"You're lying," I said, but doubt crept in as I remembered the strange books my father kept locked away, the protective symbols my mother used to draw on my bedroom window.

"I wish I were," Rhys replied, his expression softening. "But there's no time for gentle revelations, starlight. The Eclipsed found you once. They'll find you again."

"And what exactly do all of you want with me?" I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold. "Why should I trust any of you?"

"Because we're bound to you," Kaiden said, something ancient and pained crossing his features. "Whether we like it or not."

"Speak for yourself," Rhys quipped. "I, for one, am delighted by our new Guardian."

Dominic shot him a warning look before turning to me. "We're your protectors, Scarlett. Each of us guards one of the four artifacts you'll need to fully awaken your power."

"And if I don't want this power? If I just want my normal life back?"

"That was never an option," Axel Storm announced, appearing in the doorway with blood actual blood spattered across his shirt. His amber eyes fixed on me. "The librarian is dead. Maven's shadows finished what they started."

Horror washed over me. "Dr. Ashworth is dead? Because of me?"

"Because of Maven," Kaiden corrected sharply.

"It gets worse," Axel continued. "They found her address on him. They'll be at her apartment within the hour."

"Then we need to leave now," Dominic said urgently.

I felt the walls closing in, my breath coming in short gasps. "I never asked for any of this."

"Neither did we," Kaiden replied, his silver eyes meeting mine with an intensity that made my heart stutter. "But here we are."

"The question now," Rhys said, suddenly serious, "is whether you'll run from your destiny or embrace it because Maven won't give you the luxury of time to decide."

A sound like shattering glass echoed from somewhere downstairs, followed by an inhuman shriek.

"They found us," Dominic breathed.

Axel snarled, his features beginning to shift into something bestial. "How?"

Kaiden's gaze swept over all of us before settling with grim certainty on Rhys. "We have a traitor among us."

All eyes turned to the fae, whose playful expression had vanished.

"It wasn't me," Rhys said quietly. "But I know who it was."

The door burst open before he could explain, revealing Dr. Ashworth very much alive, but his eyes still pools of darkness.

"The Guardian comes with us now," he said in that terrible voice that wasn't his. "Or we take her piece by piece."

Four men moved as one, placing themselves between me and the possessed librarian.

"Over our dead bodies," Kaiden growled.

Dr. Ashworth's mouth spread into an inhumanly wide smile. "That was always the plan."

And then the shadows came for us all.