Page 6 of Guiding Desire
The protector—former protector—cleared his throat. “Faking what, exactly? Again, I am so very sorry for the mishap back there.”
“Huh. More like a fated encounter, apparently,” Col said, leaning back in his seat and pulling his sunglasses off his nose. He wore a deep blue suit that was darker than his blue eye yet still matched his brown one, a lighter shirt underneath. He usually kept his hair long enough to reach past his ears and had spent time on styling it so it fell in a glossy brown waterfall. A pretty wrapping for someone who wasn’t shy about speaking his mind. “Which, I mean, really, really sad. On a personal level. I thought I’d always be the most important Conduit in your life.”
“Aww, you’ll always have me,” Karmine said, leaning into Col. “And Taros. And Vin. Fuck. They’ll be so mad we left them there.”
“They were walking with the other Conduits like the gentlemen Guardians they are,” Col said. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
“You two. Shut it. You—“ Senlas jabbed his index finger at the Conduit. “Explain to me how you ended up out there. Be precise.”
At that moment, the vehicle took a right turn, which made it so Senlas felt himself pressed against the Conduit.HisConduit. His mind was reeling with what that meant, but in that moment of closeness, it didn’t matter. Everything felt right in a way it too often didn’t. Senlas knew imprinting existed, but no one had ever mentioned the…peace that came with it.
“I…what do you mean? I was posted there? I think they just randomly assign—“
“No. You had to have gotten tested,” Senlas said.
Coldis leaned toward them. “Forget getting tested. If Senny here imprinted on you, you’re strong as a Conduit. Did you ever make a screen explode? Have computers randomly turn off around you? Any flashing lights?”
“No, not really. I…did drop a screen when I was lying on my mom’s couch once, and it broke, but it was also old.”
“Huh. More importantly,” Karmine said. “Do you have a brother? Who dates?”
“I really will break your face,” Senlas said.
Meanwhile, his Conduit was looking back and forth between them, but the promise of breaking Karmine’s face drew his eyes to Senlas once more.
“You…what? I’m not sure I’m following, but I am not a Conduit.” He pointed to the protector badge on his chest. A chest which was covered in a protector uniform that really didn’t belong there. “Just a regular protector.”
“Fine,” Senlas said. “Fine. No breaking of faces for the time being. Karmine, Coldis, zip it for five minutes. Orrey, we are trying again. Remember, precise. When were you tested, and by whom?”
Orrey blinked. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple, and Senlas had to suppress the urge to reach out and wipe it off. “School? Like everyone. I don’t even remember. Look, you are wrong. I’m not a Conduit. I can’t be. I’d know.”
“The safest way to know is kissing a Guardian,” Karmine said with a grin that said he was absolutely volunteering to be kissed.
By rights, Senlas really should clip him for that, but he wasn’t sure how Orrey would take it. Wasn’t even sure how Col would, and Col was their team lead, whether he filled that role by being an authoritarian dick or a sweet candy ball with hidden teeth.
Senlas settled onGrippingKarmine by the balls andSqueezing.
“You fu-uahh!” Karmine yelled, but then finally grew silent.
“I choose to disregard,” Col said, glancing out the window. “We’ll be on the Grounds soon.”
“Grounds?” Orrey asked. “I have to get back to my post. I’m meant to, uh, stay at my post. And I’m definitely not supposed to be on the Grounds.”
Senlas pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen. I can’t begin to understand how a Conduit got into the protectors, but today was your last day there. You’re a Conduit.” He lifted his hand, the one that still held Orrey’s. “Specifically, you are my Conduit, which is the long way of saying I imprinted on you. You have a few changes coming your way.”
The Conduit’s mouth fell open once more. Senlas didn’t like that he was wearing the protector cap, but he wasn’t quite at the stage where he thought taking it off Orrey was a good move.
Col groaned. “Senny, you’re such an ass sometimes. It was Orrey, wasn’t it? Listen, you’ll be fine. The Grounds take care of Conduits, even, uh, those who take the long way around. And Senny isn’t all bad, despite sounding like a brute. It’s just one of his loveable idiosyncrasies.”
“Excuse me,” Senlas said.
Col shrugged. “I said loveable.”
“This isn’t right,” Orrey said in a panicky way that set Senlas to go into a state of alertness he usually reserved for missions. It was odd, a bit like the Channeling meds he took on the regular, only in reverse. “Let me out, please, Guardians. I don’t know if this is…a joke, but I need to report back in. This—“
“Oh, speaking of,” Col said and leaned toward Orrey once more.
Senlas’s eyes narrowed. Col noticed, moved slowly, and reached to take Orrey’s earpiece. The only reason Senlas let this happen was that Col was a Conduit he knew well. On another level, the level where reason lived, Senlas should have thought about taking Orrey’s earpiece himself.
