Supplemental: The Guardian

[Rachel Cross]

Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me
Shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet the end
-Evanescence

Everything was awash in red, the coppery, metallic stench of fresh blood hanging heavy in the air. She viewed the horrific scene before her, numb from the shock of it. Her mind was screaming at her to run, every muscle in her body straining to obey, but she couldn’t move. She knew the stake clutched in her hand, the gun holstered at her lower back and the cross around her neck wouldn’t save her from what had made the mess at her feet.

Yet, she stayed where she was, sickly mesmerized by the pieces of what were once human bodies. She could hear the creature coming, could sense it in seemingly every fiber of her being, but she couldn’t move. It was right behind her now, breathing on her neck, a claw-like hand caressing one cheek and tilting her head to the side, exposing her throat.

Rachel woke screaming, her limbs tangling in the sheet. She pushed at it in a panic and tumbled from the bed. The landing jolted her from the holds of her nightmare and she lay on the floor for a long moment, breathing hard. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest and hot tears rolled down her flushed cheeks as she struggled to get her bearings.

Once she was sure she was safe, she got up from the floor and turned on the bedside lamp. Sweat rolled in lazy streams down her face and over her back, plastering her T-shirt to her body. She made a disgusted sound when she saw the dark splotches on her sheets and angrily stripped her bed of everything. She dumped it all down the laundry chute before glancing at the clock. It was nearly nine and she had things to do.

Heaving out a breath, she hastily made her bed with fresh sheets and pulled clothes from her closet before getting in the shower. When she was done, she wiped steam from the mirror with her towel and studied her reflection critically. Her pretty face was pale despite her tan, her icy blue eyes bloodshot and shadowed. She gave a grunt of disgust and began to apply her make-up.

Half an hour later, she left her room, dressed in a pair of loose fitting jeans, a white, short-sleeved shirt that stopped above her pierced, tattooed navel and a pair of brown, steel-toed boots. She pulled on a brown suede jacket, her mind on the task that lay ahead of her. Her nightmare was already forgotten, pushed to a corner of her mind with the rest of them.

Rachel let herself out the back door and into the cool, late summer evening. Labor Day was a little over a week away, but the nights had already become cooler, bringing hints of a brutal winter. She stood for a long moment, soaking in the peace that had enveloped the Cross estate. She was reluctant to leave and thought briefly about going back into the house.

Shaking herself, she headed for the garage. Becky, her legal guardian, had an array of cars, ranging from a vintage Rolls Royce to the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish that Rachel drove. The car collection was one of the many things Becky had inherited with her father’s international business empire and she did most of the vehicles’ upkeep herself, as her father had.

Rachel by-passed her car in favor of a brand new gold Jeep Rubicon that Becky had bought two weeks before. Slipping behind the wheel, she sighed and glanced at the house through the garage window, once again reluctant to leave. Thinking of the task that lay ahead made her stomach do a lazy flip-flop, but it also had her reaching for the key dangling from the ignition.

[Rachel Cross]

Rachel stood under an over hang, listening as the rain pounded the pavement in front of her. She was soaking wet and was starting to shiver. However, she held her position, waiting for her mark. The Guardianship had put her on the trail of a rogue vampire forty-eight hours after she returned to America. She had begrudgingly taken the assignment, knowing she was on thin ice with the Guardianship. She sneezed and swore colorfully under her breath as her nose began to run. It was fair to say she was as miserable as the weather was.

A bloodcurdling howl tore through the patter of rain and she tensed, reaching for the modified Taurus PT100 tucked under her jacket in a holster. She pulled it out and eased the safety off, fully alert. The Lycans were a new threat to Guardians. Two Guardians had been brutally slaughtered as they had been hunting rogue vampires. Apparently, werewolves didn’t sense Guardians the same way vampires did. Most Guardians also didn’t have a Death Dealer as a good friend.

Rachel had helped Selene hunt the Lycans on more than one occasion in exchange for Selene’s help in tracking down a few elusive rogues. She knew how Lycans thought, how they moved and how they attacked. The Taurus wasn’t loaded with silver bullets like Selene’s guns were, but it packed a .60 caliber, hollow point kick that would put a Lycan out of commission long enough for her to get away or for a Death Dealer to come finish the job.

A massive black shape to her left moved and Rachel dropped into a crouch, dropping her stake and using both hands to level the Taurus. Glowing red eyes stared back at her from the shadows and she held the gun steady, adrenaline roaring through her veins. Without warning, the eyes suddenly charged at her with a deafening roar.

The Taurus spit flame as she fired in rapid succession, emptying the clip of fifteen rounds. The werewolf let out a guttural howl of pain and it slid to a stop at her feet, lying on its side. Her aim had been dead on, tearing its head and face apart. It was far from dead, but it wasn’t really going to be bothering her. Breathing hard, Rachel straightened up and re-loaded her gun with numb hands.

Both hands ached from the gun’s recoil and she swore when she realized her mark had gotten away. “Where’s the fucking dog catcher when you need it?” she grumbled, retrieving her stake. She began to sneeze again as she headed for her car, thoroughly disgusted with how her evening had turned out.