United (The Guardians Book 2) Read Free Page A

wasn't looking for a repeat.
    Nicky continued to watch, equally curious as he was disgusted.
    When he'd had his fill, Francis made a show of licking her wound until it healed, waggling his eyebrows at a pissed looking Nicky to antagonize him. “God, you taste good.”
    She leaned back, weakened, but more than ready for answers. “You better have something for me after that, Francis.”
    “I asked around like you wanted but I got nothing on those missing Outcasts, 'cept that no more seemed to have vanished in the past couple weeks. But I did hear those little shits, Zebb and Uang, are back in the city. You're looking for them, right?”
    Everyone sat up straighter at this news. “Do you know where?” Walker demanded, her dislike forgotten.
    “All over, though mainly here in Queens and The Bronx. They're looking for someone, I guess, leaving a trail of seriously fucked up Outcasts behind them.”
    “Dead?”
    “Not quite. Beaten to hell, though.”
    “Which Outcasts?” Gable asked.
    He blew out a puff of air and glanced up at the ceiling as he thought. “You know Edith, right? The water elemental? And...oh, the Shellson twins-”
    “I know them,” Zay interrupted. “Fire elementals.”
    “Yup. Then there was...” He scratched his head as he tried to remember. “...another water elemental, I think. What was his name? William something.”
    “Even I can see the pattern here,” Nicky spoke up.
    Charles nodded. “Elementals.”
    “As far as I know,” Gable said. “Pablo never got his earth elemental. It sounds to me like that's what they're looking for. I guess whoever's running the show now wants one too.”
     
    +++
     
    “I ache for the injured Outcasts, but this is good news,” Terelle mused an hour later when they'd explained their findings to her in the living room of her luxurious tent. “This means we now have a way to draw Zebb and Uang out.”
    “If we knew an earth elemental,” Walker reasoned. “Which we don't. And finding one – especially one willing to essentially risk their lives for our cause – will be hard. They're the rarest of all the elementals.”
    “Actually we do know one, and I'm certain that he'll be more than willing to help.” Terelle smiled deviously at Gable. “Ward.”
    Gable grinned back at her. “Yes,” she confirmed. “Ward.”
    “Who's that?” Nicky questioned, looking between the two women with narrowed, suspicious eyes.
    “An earth elemental, dummy.”
    “If you don't mind me asking,” Zay started. He seemed uncharacteristically awkward so Gable could guess which direction he was going in. “If you already knew another earth elemental, why didn't you tell Pablo?”
    “I think we've already established that I didn't tell Pablo a lot of things.”
    He nodded, accepting her answer.
    “Talking of Pablo,” Terelle said quietly to Gable. “We should talk to Cadby about that thing before he goes to bed.”
    Ignoring the curious glances from the others, she nodded. “Call Ward first, though.”
    Terelle promised to let them all know when she'd talked to Ward and the meeting came to an end. The Guardians began to leave, either towards home or outside to join the other Outcasts. Dinner would probably be over, but some of the younger Outcasts had started a bonfire which meant there would be music and dancing.
    As he'd done every other time he'd visited, Nicky asked Gable if he could stay with her. And like every other time, Gable said a firm no.
    “Ah, Gable,” Charles called out before she could leave to find Cadby. He cleared his throat, something she'd already learned he did whenever he had an uncomfortable topic to talk about. “I was wondering if you might spare a moment for a quick word?”
    She stopped, raising her brow in surprise. “Sure, I guess.”
    He waited until everyone was gone and they were alone before starting. “Your apartment. . .”
    “What about it?”
    “I wanted to let you know that it is indeed your apartment. Now that Pablo's