One Down, Two To Go

He doesn't take his eyes off me as he asks, "Did they do something?" I glance at the two vamps still stuck to the wall and say, "Ah, I forgot. My bad." I call my magic back and the two instantly fall. They hold their chests as they take deep breaths.

To be fair, they could still breathe... a little. Even if they couldn't, other than being uncomfortable, they wouldn't die... again. They glare at me but don't say a word or do anything else with Ambrose standing there.

Ambrose gives me an amused smirk before saying, "I will make sure you have a safe passage while here, but I can't say anything about the werewolves or the witch hunters." I nod my head and say, "Thanks, but I can handle them. Hopefully, they won't be a problem though, I'm on a tight schedule."

Ambrose watches me with a twinkle in his eyes but as soon as his phone rings, he looks down at it with a frown. He turns to Vance and says, "Stay close to her and keep her safe. Report back to me every hour." Vance nods and says, "Understood."

Ambrose gives me a charming smile before saying, "Business calls. If anything happens, let Vance know. Tell the other supernaturals my name if something happens to Vance or you get separated." I arch a brow but give him a smile of thanks and watch as he leaves as fast as he came.

I turn back to Vance and the other two Vampires and say, "Just don't get in my way or my line of fire." The other two Vampires glare at me but Vance smirks in amusement and says, "Oh, by all means. We'll be far enough away to stay out of your way. Just call my name if you need something."

I nod and turn around to leave but almost run into Aston's solid chest. I quickly stop and look up at him in confusion. He blinks in surprise and sidesteps so I can pass. I frown at him and walk away while shaking my head.

As soon as we step out of the restaurant, I ask him, "What is your deal? Why were you just standing there like a wooden pole?" He has a complicated look on his face but remains silent. I narrow my eyes on him and decide to drop it. I really don't care. I don't have time to care.

All I want to do is find them as quickly as possible and return back to the other world. As we pass a busy street, I softly say, "I'm going to engage the tracking spell. If we hurry, I can disengage it once we're close enough."

He finally speaks as he says, "Got it."

I roll my eyes for the tenth time and come to the realization that I really don't like this guy.

I summon my magic and release it. The second it latches onto the familiar magic I grew up around, I turn left and pick up the pace. As the connection grows stronger, I curse. It's too far to walk. I stop and say, "We need a cab."

Aston frowns and says, "You can't just poof us there? Or create another door?" I look up at him and glare as I say, "I can't poof us there or use a magic door without possibly breaking the link. If it breaks, they will find out I'm tracking them, and they will run and hide. Get a damn cab or taxi, whatever the hell you call them here."

He returns my glare and lifts his hand, trying to hail a cab. My frown deepens as I look at him in disbelief. I ask, "You don't have a phone?" He turns to look at me and frowns in confusion. My mouth threatens to fall open as I say, "You're supposed to be the expert here when it comes to the human world! Why am I the one who knows about Uber, Lyft, and the others but you don't!? Do you not have those apps?"

He blinks and seems genuinely lost. He slowly pulls out his phone and softly asks, "What's it called again?" I groan as I turn and call out, "Vance!" Within a second or two, he walks over with a knowing smile. Amusement dances in his dark eyes as he says, "The dog seems quite useless. My car will be here in a minute."

Aston glares at Vance as he clutches his phone. He couldn't say anything at the moment. Looking at him, I start to feel bad for the big guy... just a little. A sleek black car pulls up next to us and the two Vampires from before get out.

They still glare at me but don't say a word as the two walk away and blend into the crowd. Vance gets into the driver's seat and says, "Get in." I walk over to the car but before I can open the door, Aston opens it for me.

The gesture takes me by surprise, and I find myself pausing. I give him an awkward twitch of my lips before getting into the back seat. Before I can get comfortable, Aston is pushing in with me. I blink several times as I scoot over with a look of bewilderment on my face.

Why couldn't he just walk around!?

Aston shuts the door but when he sees the look on my face, he leans over and whispers, "If I had shut the door and walked to the other side, he could have taken off with you." I open my mouth to say something when Vance sighs and says, "Vampire, remember? I can hear even if you whisper. Are you sure you're a Guardian?"

I cough, covering my laughter as Aston glares at Vance in silence. It's true though, I find myself asking the same question from time to time. It's like he knows things but yet...

I glance over at him when suddenly I think of something. Was he green?? Was this his first time coming to the human world and he was only operating based on what he's learned at the Academy? Sure, he can be strong and fierce but what does that even mean when facing the real world?

I've had to come to the human world several times because of work with the Council so I know a thing or two, but this guy seemed completely lost. I'm going to kill Vanir...

He stuck me with a freaking noob!! Now I have to watch his ass to make sure we both make it back in one piece. I sigh and say, "Head northeast for about four miles. When we get closer, I'll let you know."

This trip was getting longer and longer...