The Legend of the Blue Eyes by B. Kristin McMichael Read Free Book Online

said to Molina
as she continued to swing at him. Devin held Arianna closer.
“You’re being tracked from each direction. Their intention is to
kill Arianna. We need to move now to get her out of here.”
    “Why would you help us?” Molina asked.
“She’s another of those purebreds you hate so dearly.”
    “Because she is his niece,” Devin replied.
“He wants her alive as much as we do.” Gabriel nodded and
smiled.
    “I was wondering why you were the only one
who knew where to find her last night,” Gabriel added. “So the old
man told you about Arianna’s parents?” Devin nodded. Gabriel placed
his hands on the stone floor, as Arianna had done earlier, and
listened. After deciding the best route, he stood.
    “I smelled your blood earlier. Are you
okay?” he asked Arianna. She nodded as she stared down at the
now-healed place the knife had pierced her. Gabriel followed her
gaze and nodded. “Follow me.” Devin moved to be between Gabriel and
Molina. Gabriel led the way through the maze of tunnels. At each
turn, he cautiously listened before turning the corner. As he
twisted through each, he brought them closer to the surface.
Arianna could begin to hear voices outside. Gabriel finally stopped
at a large, solid wood door.
    “This leads into the east-side garden,” he
explained. “From there, use the servant entrance to keep her
hidden. This is a list of those involved.” Gabriel handed the list
to Molina, who was still glaring at him.
    “What’s the real reason you are helping us?”
Molina asked. She knew the list wasn’t needed to get Arianna to
safety, but he was offering them something to save their time.
    “I want access to Arianna whenever she
wishes to see me,” he replied. Devin smiled. Gabriel was not one to
offer information without a catch. Gabriel took off his coat and
wrapped it around Arianna.
    “As long as Lord Randolph says that it’s
fine,” Molina replied.
    “He already did,” Devin answered. “I found
your letter to Lord Randolph when we met the fake Arianna in the
house. He has agreed to all of your demands for access to Arianna.”
Gabriel nodded as he opened the door.
    Molina looked out the door and into the
darkness. Placing an earphone into her ear, she began talking to
someone on the other end. Arianna turned back to her uncle standing
in the doorway.
    “I hear she’s picky,” Gabriel said to Devin.
“There’s a pack in the coat pocket. If she’s anything like her
mother, she probably has a taste for a bit of something else.”
     

 
     
     
FIVE

    Molina and Devin quietly escorted Arianna
back to her grandfather’s house. Their caution indicated that they
didn’t wish to meet anyone along the way. As they twisted and
turned through new passages in the ornate building, Arianna was,
once again, being led to an unfamiliar place. She stared at the
walls they passed as they became less and less ornate. The
surroundings had changed to normal, simple decorations. Molina
pushed Arianna into a room in front of her, and turned to secure
the room. Arianna stopped in her place and stared at the five extra
people sitting in the room.
    “Meet your Personal Protection Unit:
Jackson, Nelson, Mica, Nixon, and Mori,” Molina introduced the five
men. “Including Devin and me, we make up your PPU.”
    “Why are all of you here?” Arianna asked,
not understanding Molina. Sitting in the dingy, dark room, several
familiar faces stared back at her. Jackson was the businessman that
rode the Friday bus with her, along with Mica and Nelson as they
went to the gym to play basketball. Mr. Nixon was Arianna’s teacher
for several classes at school. Mori was the only unfamiliar face in
the group.
    “Your grandfather hired us about five years
ago to watch over you. We started twenty-four-hour protection a
year ago,” Molina explained. “Mori should be the only unfamiliar
face because he mainly stays by his computer.”
    “Hired you? But why would he do that?”
Arianna asked.