Leopard's Kiss (Shadow Guardians) (Shadows Guardians Book 1) by Stephanie Rowe Page A

you. I need to figure out what this guardian assignment means, and I'm guessing it starts there. I suspect Julia was taken by the same people who went after your mom and Marjorie."
    "No, the warehouse was months ago." She shook her head. "We need to find Julia. This woman I was supposed to meet had information—" She stared at him suddenly. "You can track people through fabric? What about a wig?" She ran to the couch, grabbed her jacket, and pulled the wig out of the pocket. "This was what she was wearing. Can you track her?"
    Slade's eyebrows went up, and he took the wig from her. He held it in his hands and closed his eyes, and went still, so still that she couldn't even tell if he was breathing. He didn't move for almost five minutes, but he finally opened his eyes. "Got her."
    Her heart leapt. "Really? Is she near? Let's go!"
    "Hang on." He balled the wig up in his hands, folding his hand over it until it was completely covered.
    "What are you doing?" Smoke suddenly burst from between his fingers, and flames glowed. She lunged toward him and tried to pry his hands apart. "You're burning it? I need that! What if we can't find her your way?"
    His arms were immovable. "My essence is on there now. It has to be destroyed. I can't leave any evidence of my existence behind."
    "Damn you, Slade!" Frantically, she slammed her foot into his shin, but he didn't even flinch. "Stop it! That was my only connection to her!" The scent of burning polyester filled the air, and she coughed, pulling her shirt over her mouth as the smoke burned her eyes. "You're such an arrogant bastard!" Oblivious to the flames burning her palms, she pried desperately at his hands, but it was like trying to claw through steel with her bare fingers.
    "Stop." His voice was soft. "I will find her. I never fail."
    She sat back on her heels, tears in her eyes as she stared at him, feeling utterly lost. "How could you?" she asked. "How could you be such a bastard? You're so concerned with protecting yourself that you don't even care about how your choices affect anyone else?"
    He met her gaze. "I never fail."
    "And what if another demon rips out your heart? What if you die ? Then what do I do? Pry your brain out of your dead body and use it like a GPS? You bastard. Open your hands!"
    He did as she instructed, but they were empty. He'd literally incinerated it into dust so fine it had dissolved into the atmosphere. No ashes. Not a single shred left of the one tie she had to Julia. Anger burned through her, a feeling of helplessness. She lunged to her feet and shoved at his chest. "I don't care if you've lived in isolation since you were a baby," she snapped. "This is no longer about only you. It's my life, and I'm the one you're supposed to be protecting. You don't get to make unilateral choices like that just to protect your precious reputation. Damn you, Slade! This is my best friend who's in danger!"
    He stared at her for a long moment, and said nothing. Nothing. Like he was some arrogant prima donna who didn't have to explain himself.
    She paced away from him, struggling for control. She couldn't walk out on him now. He was her only link to the woman who knew where Julia was. "Was that why you did it? So you could control me?"
    "No." He braced his forearms on his thighs, watching her. His eyes were tracking her every movement, and she suddenly felt like prey being hunted again. "I did it because survival matters. I'm going to be with you. If I can be tracked, then you can too. How long do you think until the assassins find you again? My guess is that there are several of them pacing the street outside, trying to figure out why our trail ends so abruptly."
    She snapped her gaze to the walls. "They're outside?"
    "I assume so. They can't see the entrance unless I am in their minds, but I have no doubt that they're close. We've been here a long time, long enough for them to track you."
    Her heart began to pound, and her palms became clammy. Assassins hunting her?