"So what did you decide on?"
I asked Declan as soon as we were inside my room. I had wanted to ask him about the recurring voice, but there would be a lot of time for that if our plan worked and by God I really wish it did.
Look I was fortunate enough to have amazing guardians who've become friends to me, but that didn't change the fact that I couldn't spend time with my real friends – not that they weren't real friends, they just haven't been in my life for as long. It shouldn't have been as big a deal as we were making it out to be, but to sixteen year old kids who've been together since birth it was hell on earth.
"Were still basically using your plan, I just tweaked it slightly. You know so the two of us aren't such a big part of it and raise unnecessary questions."
I frowned at him in confusion. If there's one thing Declan was extremely good at, other than making me question my entire existence, it was being really vague. He had this knack of talking a lot, but saying nothing at the same time. It was intriguing and infuriating at the same time, but it was refreshingly singular to only him. It made his personality so much more difficult to pin down, which also meant that he kept me on my toes constantly.
"Lexi will be using magic to create a thick fog outside and obscure human-like shapes. It's only about three hours until daylight and because this plan could fail, we'll also be able to use the fog as cover to escape."
He finished his explanation with one of those wickedly handsome smiles, the ones that make butterflies flutter in my chest. I smiled back and he actually chuckled, the deep chesty sound made me involuntarily shiver, something I was yet to get used to.
"So when is this plan supposed to ha…"
A bloodcurdling scream cut me off and from the sound of it, it came from right outside the dorms. Declan smiled again, just as another scream cracked through the dorm and I immediately knew – from the look on his face – that our plan was already in motion. I felt a little left out. I mean I knew it was my plan, but being looped in so late made me feel more that a little useless. At the end of the day I did appreciate their initiative though and the prideful feeling swelling in my chest proved my point.
I fought the urge to smile when Andrei burst into the room, guardian mode activated and in full effect. I literally had to pinch myself so that I wouldn't laugh at his facial expression, we knew it was all a ruse but the guardians were treating it as an actual threat. I knew I would be in good hands had the threat actually been real, with both my guardians and Declan I was sure I wouldn't even need to lift a finger. It was a sobering thought, but at the same time strange.
It was evident that their presence had softened me, I wasn't battle happy anymore and that scared me the most. I was a novice guardian, I should have been salivating at the idea of redeeming myself by possibly fighting a live strigoi. Instead I was stinking about how fortunate I was not to fight and even though the threat was fake I wasn't sure if I'd have felt any different had it been real.
"Guardian Kalashnik has left to assist with the commotion outside, I'll stay just in case."
Andrei was guarding the door, his stance rigid and ready, and he almost bolted when another scream echoed through the halls. Knowing full well it was our doing, both Declan and I also adopted the guardian stance so we wouldn't raise any suspicion, but I was really just going through the motions.
Thinking about it in that moment, I realized that Declan had never told me how exactly we would escape. I knew Lexi and James' guardians would run headfirst into the commotion, knowing that the dorms would be protected. The problem was that both Andrei and Ilya had become friends to me and I have become a friend to them, so I should have known that one of them would stay behind.
In that moment it didn't matter that I was a novice guardian, I knew the only thing that mattered to Andrei was that we were friends and it also didn't hurt knowing who my father was. The trifecta being that the whole world was still under the presumption that I was the first of my kind and to the guardians that meant something very important. My name was known around the world by guardians and damphirs alike, I was seen as somewhat of a celebrity and my existence meant ''hope'' to them.
I shot Declan a look and he shook his head slightly, almost like he knew what I was thinking and was trying to reassure me that he'd already thought about the same thing, just as another scream sounded – this one a bit further than the previous ones. Again Andrei almost bolted, but looked back at me and gave me a curt nod. I almost sighed, but then Declan spoke and that sigh caught in my throat.
"Andrei just go, they might need you."
"No, I won't leave Lilly…"
Declan shook his head which cut Andrei off mid-sentence and I was surprised to say the least. Surprised that Andrei was actually complying, especially after what he had told me about Declan having my fathers' ear.
Come to think of it, they had been spending a lot of time together, talking and whispering - laughing even. Andrei seems to have taken a liking to Declan and the same was true from Declan's point of view. I knew all guardians had a healthy respect for one another, but this was different – they were actually friends now. I narrowed my eyes at the both of them, but they didn't even seem to notice.
"She won't be unprotected though, I won't leave her Andrei. You seem to forget I'm a guardian too and I'm more than capable of protecting her, hell she's probably more capable of protecting herself than we are."
Andrei seemed to think about it for just a second before he nodded and ran out of the room faster that he'd entered. I suddenly wondered if Andrei might have been in on the plan, but I discarded that thought pretty quickly. There was no way Declan would trust him to not say anything and I knew that for a fact. If there was a chance – however small it might be – that Andrei could be interrogated by my father, Declan wouldn't let anything slip. I wasn't necessarily about trust though, but more about Declan knowing my fathers' methods of interrogation.
I had to say that I was impressed and I had a difficult time hiding it. My eyes practically bulging out of my skull, astonished, and then a small smile started creeping its way onto my face. Declan wasted no time grabbing a bag from my closet and stuffing clothes into it. For a second I was just slightly mortified – he was literally going through my underwear – but he was done so quickly that I didn't even have time to protest his actions and I was almost certain he hadn't even noticed.
He left towards his room and when I started following he had told me to wait for him in mine. He returned minutes later with a bag slung across his shoulder and he took my bag from me and swung it over his other shoulder. I was confused for a second before he took my hand.
It's then that I realized that he was coming with us – which hadn't been part of my plan – and though I wanted to protest, I didn't as I was suddenly scared he'd let go. Having him close was something I'd gotten used to, but it's like he purposefully avoided touching me in any way other than training, until right this moment that is. Almost like he knew touching me would open up a well of emotion that neither of us were ready to face just yet.
"Ready Lils?"
A smile playing at his lips as he asked and basically pulled me out the door behind him.