Emilia Vos & The Swipers' Tale

Part 7: Golden Eyes

Jayden stared at the rocks. The red rock hovered higher than the other three above a map of London. Emilia currently sat, curled up in a ball on her chair, staring as the rocks moved in small movements. Liam had gone to take a nap. He planned to drive his routes tonight.

Whatever that means. Jayden thought.

Vijay cleared his voice before speaking. "The best I can tell is that multiple beings are working underground. I'm guessing in the old passages beneath London, but can't be sure. I wouldn't of minded checking it out myself, but this red one keeps getting brighter."

"How long have you been doing this?" Emilia asked, lifting her head from her knees to speak.

Vijay shrugged. "My grandfather trained me since the age of nine. I took over once he passed away. He said that we are the watchers."

Emilia nodded as Jayden looked between them.

"What are the watchers?" Jayden asked.

Emilia and Vijay looked at each other. She motioned for him to speak, but he shook his head. Emilia sighed.

"The watchers used to be the ones who would notify hunters about disturbances before monsters came overground. Historically, a hunter was only as good as the watcher. Now, we're unified and all that other bullshit. Sometimes, I miss the olden day," Emilia finished with a hint of sadness.

"You act like it was ten years ago," Vijay scoffed. "That was fifty to a hundred years ago."

Emilia shrugged, placing her head back on her knees as she stared at the red stong.

"What happens if the watcher dies?" Jayden ventured.

"Then the hunter is blind," Emilia whispered. "Well, it used to be. One of my old friends tried to balance being a hunter and watcher."

"Tried?" Jayden ventured, staring at the red rock as it floated towards their current location on the map.

Emilia nodded. "She died on a mission."

Vijay stood and looked at Emilia. "We should move."

Emilia shook her head. "There are wards."

The red stone stopped above the middle of the Thames. A soft prickle spread over Jayden's skin before he felt a weight on his feet.

"Do you feel that?" He whispered.

The two turned to stare at him. Jayden could see Emilia's eyes widen in worry before she disappeared, and he fell into a dark void.

Emilia's heart began to speed up as Jayden's body fell against the back of the couch and convulsed for a moment. They had wards. Too many wards. The amount that made them seem more paranoid than prepared. Why the heck was this happening?

Jayden's body stopped moving on the couch. Vijay stood and glanced at Emilia. She nodded at him, and Vijay quickly grabbed his bag before running for the hallway. They did not need for this being to see the watcher. Emilia hit the rocks as Vijay left the room, causing them to scatter across the ground. What seemed like minutes only lasted a few seconds but provided enough time for Jayden's body to rise into a sitting position.

Emilia met the otherworldly golden eyes of whatever now possessed Jayden.

I'm going to kill those fuckin' mods for pairing me up with this guy. This is not the crap that I want to deal with. Emilia thought while forcing a relaxed smile. Emilia, do not freak out and use powers. The less this thing knows—the better.

"Hello, beautiful." The smoothness of Jayden's voice sent goosebumps up her skin.

Whatever took over Jayden's body made his voice seems less irritating and almost appealing.