by Cameo Renae
As I made my way down the stairs, Alaine was exiting Kade’s room. When she turned and her eyes met mine, I saw a mixed look of relief and sadness.
“Emma,” she said, rushing toward me with open arms. I automatically fell into her embrace. She hugged me tight for a moment then stepped back, looking me over. “Are you okay? Are you injured?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said.
“Kade said you were struck by one of the Fallen. Are you sure you aren’t hurt?” she pressed.
I smiled. “Yes. The suit protected me from impending death.”
“Thank God,” she sighed, hugging me again. “Do you want me to check them just in case?”
“No, I promise I’m fine. But thank you.”
“Alright,” she said softly, her eyes still showing concern. “Now, would you care to tell me why you decided to sneak out of the house without letting anyone know? It’s dangerous out there, especially during these times.”
“I know. But I had a huge question I needed answered.”
She sighed and rested her hands on my shoulders. “You know you can always come to me or Samuel if you have any questions. We are here for you, and will answer them to the best of our ability or knowledge.”
“I know, but this wasn’t something either of you could answer. I had to go to Midway.” I stared into her deep brown eyes. “Right now, the information I have is for me, but when the time comes, I will share it with you and Samuel. I promise.”
“Oh, Emma. That’s fine, but please promise me you won’t run off again. You need to stay within the protective barrier,” she begged.
“I won’t,” I agreed.
“When you’re ready to share, I’ll be waiting. Did you find the answers you were seeking?”
“I did,” I reassured.
“Good. I’m just glad you’ve come back to us safely. I’ll have to go tell Samuel you’re okay. He’s been worried sick.”
The thought of their concern brought a smile to my face. They had never stopped loving or worrying about me, and the warm thought settled in my heart.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
“Just promise you won’t do anything that will put you in harm’s way. You and Samuel are my life. If anything happened to you—” Tears pooled in her beautiful brown eyes.
“I promise to let you or someone else know the next time I leave,” I said softly, hugging her.
“Good,” she said wiping away her tears. “Kade is fine. I just stitched him up. Malachi is in the room with him if that’s where you were heading.”
“I was. I just wanted to make sure he was alright. Have you seen Dom?”
“No, I haven’t seen him, but he could be out in the cottage. I’m headed there now to see Samuel. Did you need him?”
“Nope. Just wondering,” I said.
“Alright. I’ll see you later, sweetheart,” Alaine said, kissing the top of my head, before heading downstairs.
I guess Dom hadn’t talked to Kade yet, which sort of put a damper on visiting him, especially with Malachi there. I had a feeling he was going to start the interrogation as soon as I stepped in the room. I didn’t blame him though. Maybe Kade told him I was headed to Midway. But still, Kade didn’t know the reason why.
I stood there for a few moments, debating whether I should go in or not. It was killing me because I was still sworn to silence.
What the hell. I would have to face them either now or later. I just wished Dom had already talked to them.
I walked down the hall and stood in front of Kade’s door, then raised my hand and knocked.
“Enter at your own risk,” Malachi said in a deep, scary voice.
I paused when the door swung open. Kade was standing there, shirtless. My face immediately flushed with heat as I glanced down at his perfect body.
“Emma, you’re back,” he said, stepping forward. It was then I noticed the stitches on his right shoulder.
I gasped. “Are you alright?”
“Totally fine. Especially knowing your back safely. Did Dom take you to Midway?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
“It’s still my duty to make sure you’re safe. I just wish I could have taken you.”
“It’s alright. Everything happens for a reason.”
I was kind of glad Kade wasn’t the one who took me. Knowing him, he would have stayed right by my side, questioning my question. I didn’t really want anyone else to know. And, after talking to Ephraim, I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to do. Becoming mortal would be the easiest path. It would mean freedom from any bond, and would completely set me free from Lucifer and Lucian.
On the other hand, becoming mortal would set me apart from my new family of immortals. Samuel and Alaine would be devastated to watch me grow old and die, way before their time. The only person who would benefit from me being mortal, would be Kade.
In the back of my mind I now wondered about the countless people who would benefit from my transformation. The one burning question was…what would I become?
Even though it was my destiny, I did have a choice. I could either run from it, or embrace it. As much as I wanted to be free from it all, I now had a responsibility. There were lives who were entrusted to me. Lives I had never met, and might not ever meet. And those who were already a part of my life.
Kade stepped forward and reached for my hand. “You have a worried look on your face. Want to talk?”
Those were the words I was hoping to avoid.
“Actually, I’m starving. I was just heading down to see what Miss Lily has for lunch. Would you care to join me?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
A wide smile graced his beautiful mouth. “Of course. I’m hungry too.” He twisted his head into the room. “Hey Malachi, care to join us for lunch?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he uttered gruffly.
Kade ducked back in for a second and came back out, pulling a tight fitted black t-shirt over his head, then offered me his arm. I happily threaded mine through his and off we went. Malachi followed behind us.
“So did you guys run into any problems on your way to Midway?” he asked.
“Nope. It was all clear from the time we left you and Alex.”
“Did Dom behave?”
“Does Dom ever behave?”
“Good point.”
“Ephraim wasn’t too thrilled to see him,” I said, giggling as I remembered his face as soon as Dom entered the room.
“Yeah, Dom definitely knows how to make friends,” Malachi noted sarcastically. “The worst part is, he enjoys it.”
“I noticed,” I agreed. Dom was carefree and snarky, but those were also some of his best qualities.
“Emma, are you going to answer the burning question everyone wants to know? You know, about why you went?” Malachi asked bluntly.
I didn’t turn back, but instead shrugged. I knew he didn’t care about idle chat. He wanted straight forward answers. I exhaled. “I just needed to ask a few questions, and wanted to hear the answers for myself. It’s something personal.” I hoped that answer was good enough, though it was still vague.
“What question?” He pressed.
Dammit. He wasn’t going to relent.
“There was a reason I left alone and didn’t tell anyone where I was going. If I wanted you to know, I would have already said something,” I answered.
“I didn’t mean to interfere. We’re all responsible for your protection, and it seems you always try and put yourself in harm’s way. It’s like you have a death wish or something.”
“I have to agree with him on that one,” Kade added. “We need to know when you decide to leave the barrier. We can’t protect you if we don’t know where you are.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I wouldn’t be able to live knowing something happened to you and I wasn’t there to help.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But, I wasn’t really alone. I did have some help.”
“Who?” Malachi jumped ba
ck in.
“I don’t know. When I prayed for help, I received an answer. The dagger, the suit, and the bloodstone amulet came to me for protection and guidance.”
“While that’s all well and good, those things can’t block a sword to your neck,” Malachi said, huffing loudly behind us.
“They did help me kill two Fallen,” I mentioned with a little bit of pride.
“That’s true, Malachi. I saw it with my own two eyes. She kicked some ass. I’ve never seen anyone move the way she does. It was like she had eyes in the back of her head, and predicted strikes before they even happened.” He squeezed my hand again.
“I missed one,” I sighed, “But the suit did keep me from being impaled.”
Kade’s eyes immediately found mine and he stopped me at the bottom of the stairs. “That’s right. You were in a lot of pain. Do you need Malachi to fix you?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said.
“Emma, it’s no problem. I can take a look.”
“You should let him. It sounded like you broke something,” Kade insisted.
“I did break a few ribs, but they’ve already been mended,” I said, dancing around the reason why.
“How? Even immortals need assistance putting broken bones back before they can heal properly.” Malachi wasn’t going to let this go.
I swallowed hard, not wanting to give an answer, but Malachi was pressing. I closed my eyes and debated, then decided to answer. At least it was one thing I could tell the truth about, even though I knew Kade wouldn’t want to hear it.
“Ethon fixed me,” I said softly, pulling Kade along, trying to avoid any more chatter.
“Wait… what?” Malachi snapped. “He’s a healer too?”
“Yep,” I answered quickly.
“That can’t be. All the Nephilim I heard of only have one gift. Look at Alaine. Hers is invisibility and nothing else. Are you sure he’s a Nephilim?”
“Well, he is related to the ruler of the Underworld. That should count for something more, right?” I added.
“I don’t know. Sounds kind of fishy to me. Frankly, I seriously don’t give a damn, unless he crosses me… then things could get ugly.”
“Yeah, that would be a real tragedy,” I acknowledged with an over exaggerated nod of my head.
“Damn right,” Malachi added. “I’ll knock that demon straight back to the depths of hell, in a hand basket.”
“Hand basket?”
“You’ve heard of the saying, ‘to hell in a handbasket’ haven’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, rolling my eyes.
I knew the conversation must have been killing Kade. Ethon could not only fly, fight, and protect me, but he could also heal me. Right now, he had the advantage and Kade knew it.
He looked over to me as we entered the kitchen, his eyes glimmering. “As long as you aren’t in any pain, I’m good with it.” His smile instantly brightened the room and my mood.
“Well, if it isn’t the lovebirds,” Miss Lily welcomed. “And hello, Malachi.”
“Hey, Miss Lily. So what you got cookin’ today?” he asked.
“I’m not really cooking. I’m just throwing together some deli sandwiches, chips, and potato salad.”
“Sounds good to me, and I must say, you’re looking very pretty today,” Kade added.
“Why, Mr. Anders. You really have a way of making this old lady feel nice inside.” Her face lit up with a large toothy grin. “Now, you all head into the dining room, and I’ll bring out the platters in just a bit.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Malachi said, scooting past us.
As soon as we entered, we were greeted with a boisterous voice. “Hey you beautiful people… except for the big, brawny, tanned guy in the front who looks somewhat akin to a pit bull.”
“Keep that mouth moving, Dom,” Malachi threatened.
“It’s early. I’m just getting started,” Dom stated, showing all his teeth in an exaggerated grin. He then turned to me and winked which made me blush.
Malachi walked past him, slapping him on the shoulder extra hard.
“Crap. Now I’ll have your huge paw print on my shoulder for the next few hours,” Dom huffed.
“Yep. I’ve marked you, bitch.”
“Dude, that makes me very uncomfortable. But I always knew deep down inside, you wanted to mark me as yours.”
“Don’t freaking flatter yourself.”
“Oh, but you’re the lucky one, broseph.”
Malachi turned to us, his eyes narrowed, the vein in the middle of his forehead protruding. “I seriously can’t wait until this assignment is done so I can be reassigned with someone normal.”
“Normal is boring. Which explains a lot about your personality.”
Malachi clenched his teeth and switched topics. “I heard Ephraim was ecstatic to see you.”
“Yeah, that guy loves me. He just can’t stand too much awesomeness in one room.”
“No, Dom. He just can’t stand you. Period.”
“Not true. He just doesn’t know how to handle all of this,” he said. His chair screeched back as he stood and started flexing. “I don’t blame him though. Not many do.”
“Sit down before you get a cramp,” Malachi barked.
“You’re the one cramping my style, dude. Chillax.”
“What the hell is chillax?”
“You know… chill out and relax. Dude, it’s a the mortal word that’s been around for ages, so you should obviously know it by now.”
“Hey guys,” Alex greeted, entering the room with Thomas behind him. “Did we miss anything?”
“Nope,” Kade said. “Just the normal blabbering banter between Dom and Malachi.”
“Ah, shucks,” he chuckled.
“Hey Emma,” Thomas chimed. “It seems like forever since I’ve seen you. How have you been?”
“Good,” I answered with a squeak, unsure of my word choice.
“Yeah, right. This chick is damn lucky to be alive. She seriously has like nine lives,” Dom blurted.
Miss Lily came into the room just in time with the first platter of sub sandwiches. I was glad she set the first tray in between the cluster of hungry Guardians. That would keep their minds and mouths occupied for a while.
I just hoped Dom would be able to talk to them soon and explain all the craziness, and without anyone from the outside finding out. I hoped Lucifer didn’t really have the threat of eyes and ears everywhere, like he threatened me with. I was afraid one of his goons would hear about my trip to Midway. All I could do was pray it would all blow over soon.
AFTER LUNCH, KADE WALKED ME back upstairs. “What are your plans? Not that there’s tons to do.”
“I actually promised to watch a movie with Courtney. Wanna come?” I asked, batting my eyes.
“No, thanks. I’ll pass,” he said, scrunching his nose and running his fingers through his hair. I didn’t blame him. “I’ll probably head over to the cabin and play some chess with the guys. It seems Samuel is the reigning King and needs to be dethroned.” He smiled, making my heart pitter-patter.
“Alright, Mr. Dethroner. I’ll see you later.”
I smiled at him, he smiled back, and the world seemed to pause around us. No one made a move; no one took a first step. We just stood there, frozen, staring at each other. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his. The color was like none I’d ever seen before. He was wearing black, which seemed to make them pop even more. Specks of yellow swirled within the blue and green. It was mesmerizing.
“Awkward,” Caleb exasperated, as he passed by us. We were so into each other we didn’t even notice him leave his room.
I laughed and blushed, then looked down to break the connection.
“Since we can’t leave the house, how about I show something you haven’t seen before? Alaine would want you to know anyway. It’s a secret tunnel that leads through the house. Maybe we can get lost for a bit,” he said softly, his fingers brushing lightly across my hand.
“I’d like that,” I said, not able to turn him down.
“Alright, after dinner,” he said with a crooked grin.
“Wait.” A thought of fear shot through me. “The Darkling can’t get into this secret tunnel, can they?”
“No. It’s completely Darkling and Fallen safe. You’ll see.” He winked, making my knees weak.
“Good to know.” I exhaled in relief. I knew I shouldn’t be putting myself in a position of getting any closer to him, but I couldn’t resist. There was no way for me to say no. Not to him.
Plus, we were prisoners here, housed under the same roof. How the hell were we supposed to stay away from each other when his room was less than a football field away from me?
Yeah. Impossible.
“Alright, dinner and a tour,” he said, turning and walking away.
“I’ll be there!” I said, on my way up to my room. As soon as I took the turn, Courtney’s head was peering at me from her room down the hall.
“Are you coming?” she asked.
“Aren’t you hungry? I didn’t see you at lunch.”
“That’s because I went down earlier and raided the kitchen. Miss Lily gave me food and snacks.”
“Sounds great. Let me go and change into something a little more comfortable and I’ll be right over.”
“Alright. You don’t have to knock. Just come in,” she said, disappearing into her room.
I ducked into my room and headed for my dresser. It was a little chilly inside, so I decided to put on some sweat pants and a sweatshirt. When I opened my drawer, I noticed there were a few new hoodies. They must have been from Alaine. I pulled the first one out. It was grey with Hidden Wings written in a fancy font with feathers falling around it. It was so cool, and totally true for the new world I was living in. All the angels and Fallen did have hidden wings. I wondered if it was a premonition. Would I have hidden wings one day? I guess I’d have to wait five months to find out.
I took in a deep breath and exhaled. The thought was ridiculous.
Slipping into my sweatpants and new hoodie, I headed toward Courtney’s room and pushed the door open. The floor was covered with pillows, popcorn, licorice, gummy bears, lemon heads, peppermints, and even an apple.
