“It’s a seraph, alright. I hate those motherfuckers. Make sure he stays dead,” another one yelled. They all began shouting. There was crude laughing followed by the sounds of a body being dragged across the forest floor.
I had tears running down my eyes as they dug my unconscious hero into the middle of a clearing just a few feet in front of me. The filthy bald creatures kicked and beat his unconscious body. Some of the other ones began pulling out his feathers. His beautiful golden feathers were everywhere as they roughly tore them from his limp wings. Blood pooled beneath his body and ran along the ground as they kicked and punched at him, maiming him with their vicious-looking talons. His body was being desecrated in ways I’d never forget. I wondered if he was still alive. I tried to look away, but I couldn’t seem to move as they continued their torturous acts against him.
I’d screamed several times, but they were making so much noise over Alexander that they didn’t even hear me. I wanted to kill each one of them for what they were doing to my now wingless angel.
I opened my mouth to scream again, when a particularly mean looking bastard landed a kick to the side of Alexander’s head. Before I was able to make a sound, a hand covered my mouth. I wondered what was happening now. I prayed they’d get tired of defiling what was now likely Alexander’s corpse. There was no way he could’ve survived that kind of a kick to his head.
I bit down on my attacker’s hand, I heard cursing and a voice whispered in my ear, “Emma, stop, it’s me, Raven. I’m getting you out of here now.”
“We can’t leave Alexander. They’re killing him.”
“Honey, we don’t have a choice. I’m here alone. I flew ahead of the others. They’ll be here soon. I have to get you out of here.”
“By the time they get here…”
“He’s stronger than you realize and my friend, too, but we must go, now. Would you want his sacrifice to be in vain?”
He pulled me around the large tree. I didn’t hesitate when he held out his hand. I instantly walked to the huge gargoyle standing before me. Raven sheltered me in his arms after he morphed. As we took off, he quickly flapped his huge bat-like wings to hasten our departure. We left the monsters yelling at us in the distance. They shot at us a few times, but the bullets bounced off the tough skin of my gargoyle.
Tears trickled down my face as I glanced down at what remained of Alexander’s wings and battered body. I cried, too, because honey is what Alexander always called me. I’d never hear that again from his beautiful lips. There were gold feathers and blood everywhere. Raven pulled me into him as he spoke, “Don’t look anymore. Our guys will be with him soon. I’m sorry, cara. Dark Hearts are everywhere. I couldn’t have fought off the number of them that are saturating the woods. Everything will be alright, I promise.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t miss the grimace as he glanced around one last time before we flew higher into a low cloud that blocked out everything below. I knew he was trying to get us high enough to avoid detection by the creatures below that continued to fire their weapons at us. I heard a few bullets as they whizzed by, but soon we were out of range of their bullets and weaponry.
“I have to get us to the ground, before humans see me.” He was right. There would be pandemonium at the sight of a huge gargoyle flying through the air in broad daylight. They might even think that he was kidnapping a human woman, which would really cause bedlam.
I tried to concentrate on looking at the gentle gargoyle that cradled me tenderly against him. He still looked like my Raven, but his features had turned sharper as if carved in stone. His hair was still black as night and his lavender eyes glowed in the light of day. His skin was no longer the beautiful olive color. It now had a deep gray pallor and rough texture. The hands that held me sported long, fierce looking talons at the end of each of his long fingers. His skin almost looked like a layer of stone armor that encased his body. His clothes had disappeared and he was naked as the kind of creature he now embodied.
His handsome chiseled features looked intense as he scouted the area for a place to land before we were discovered.
He landed a short while later in a clearing of an abandoned wooded area. It wasn’t as dense as the woods we’d left, but it would serve to hide us for a while. He didn’t immediately change back into his human form as he continued to carry me deeper into the forest.
“I’m sorry you have to see me like this, but if we’re attacked, I’m stronger in my gargoyle form. I hope I didn’t scare you, piccola dolce.”
In answer, I ran my hand down his flint-like cheek. His skin now felt stone cold to the touch, but there was nothing frightening about him. He was still my shield, my Raven. His gargoyle form had saved my life. My only regret was that we couldn’t save Alexander, as well.
I’m sorry, too, but it is going to be alright. So, you like my stone look.
You were listening to my thoughts again. I know I have to learn to focus more on my barriers around my distracting shields.
You find me distracting even now. I don’t frighten you at all.
No, you don’t. You’re still my Raven. The gargoyle Raven saved my life. I thank you for doing that for me…
I’m just glad you were ok. Those creatures that attacked you are some of the hybrid warriors from Pluto. William Dark must have brought some of them here to track you. They are some of the best trackers in the universe, but the damn creatures are ruthless and have little sense, as you saw. His wings will grow the feathers back, you know.
I hope so.
They will.
Those beasts stink, too, and their skin is as slimy as that black goop that comes out of their mouths.
Are you certain that my gargoyle doesn’t offend you?
No, you still smell of a damp stone mountain, kind of earthy, kind of Raven. I like it. It’s uniquely you.
I’m glad you like my gargoyle, because he is the fiercer side of me. I can protect you better like this, but unfortunately, I need to change back before we go inside the Ohio Caverns.
We’re going on a cave tour now?
I thought it might be a good way to get lost in the tour crowd. We’ll wander off when we get deeper into the cave. I know the place quite well. I played there as a child. We can hide in one of my secrets places.
Before you change back, can I kiss you? I blushed at my request, but I was so curious about his firm-looking lips. I wondered if they’d feel like stone. Besides, I owed the gargoyle a big thank you.
He smiled at me and in answer lowered his head until our lips met. His lips were now both firm and cool, but that is where any similarity to cold rock ended. His mouth was pliable as his warm tongue slid between my lips seeking entrance. Gone was the rather shy teenager, Raven. In his place was an adult male gargoyle who didn’t hesitate to explore my mouth with his tongue.
Raven wasn’t really shy, but he just wasn’t normally this bold either. He gently stood me on the ground without breaking the kiss. As soon as I was standing, he pulled me against his rock-hard body and enclosed me inside his protective wings. It was an intimate moment, as we stood inside the wooded area alone.
He deepened the kiss and ran his fingers through the tangles of my curls as he held me firmly against him. My hands had tentatively found their way up his bare chest to caress his stony façade. He pulled away first. From the expression on his face, I could tell that he was as affected by the kiss we’d shared as I’d been.
“I’ll be right back. I don’t think I’d be able to tour the caverns and blend in like this.”
He left me standing there for a few minutes while he went behind a tree to change back into his human form. When he returned, he was the Raven I knew. He was dressed in his normal tight jeans and a t-shirt. He also wore a wool sport coat that gave him his usual, almost preppy look.
“Piccola dolce, we have to go before they find us. If we don’t leave soon, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do so. My gargoyle doesn’t have the restraint I do around you, that is why I changed b
ack to my human self. We should go now. I think there’s a tour in the early afternoon. Hopefully, we didn’t miss it.”
“Where did you get the clothes?”
“That’s a gargoyle secret.” I quirked my eyebrow at him and he continued with a grin on his handsome face, “Really, there’s this old hollow tree over there. I keep a couple sets of clothes hidden in a trash bag deep within the tree.”
“Aren’t you afraid someone will steal them?”
“No, they’d have to find them first. Glad we started talking aloud again. It’s good to keep in practice around the mortals.”
“I’m a mortal you know.”
“Maybe, are you ready to go? Can you walk?”
“I’m not sure, but you can’t very well carry me to the tour.”
“Too true, but we’ll go slowly. Let me have a quick look at you before we go.”
“Your lip is busted on the side, which my gargoyle didn’t notice. I shouldn’t have kissed you, piccola dolce. I’m sorry. Where else are you sore?”
“All over, actually that big creep knocked me down and pinned my legs to the ground by landing on them. I don’t think anything is broken, but I’ll probably have quite a few bruises. I fared better than Alexander.”
“Don’t fret about Alexander. I’m sure our guys are already there. Besides, like I said he is a very powerful warrior with a few tricks up his sleeve.”
He had been running his hands up and down my body in an impersonal way like a doctor, checking for possible injuries. When he touched a particularly sore spot, I winced. He stopped and frowned deeply, “I will kill that bastard for hurting you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner, piccola dolce. I have a first aid kit hidden in the cave along with a few supplies. I’ll get you comfortable as soon as I can.”
“Do you have stuff hidden all over this area? That’s fine. Thanks Raven.”
He stopped his examination of a rather nasty-looking scratch that was under my torn sweatpants. He went back to his hollow tree and came back with a pair of sweatpants and another sweatshirt for me.
“Here since we’re going inside with other people, this might look better. You might feel a little more comfortable, too.”
I hid behind a big tree and came back out shortly, wearing the navy blue oversized sweats. At least they weren’t dirty, torn and covered with Alexander’s blood. My stomach twisted when I thought about that. We left for the cave entrance, walking slowly as Raven promised before my thoughts had a chance to turn my stomach.
We joined a tour and within another hour, we were finally nestled inside a hidden section of the Ohio Caverns that only Raven knew about.
The caverns provided a serene natural beauty, which I hardly noticed. I also hardly heard a word of what the tour guide was saying. My body was in agony from the rough treatment I’d received from the Plutonian assassins. I’d gotten off easy when I thought of what had happened to Alexander. I wasn’t even positive that the rest of my shields were all right. Just because Raven was here didn’t mean that the remainder of them had survived the first brutal attack. We hadn’t even had time to discuss them.
It seemed all I’d done was bring grief to the guys. If the facts in the letter were all true, we were damned either way. If I stayed with them, Dark Hearts would continually make them a target to get to me. If I left, the letter had mentioned mental and physical pain. I wonder if it would only affect me, or would all of them hurt, too.
Things had happened so fast that I hadn’t had much time to think about the others when I’d been with Alexander. I’d been so worn out after we’d climbed into the room below the mausoleum that I’d very nearly fainted. That was a fact I hadn’t shared with Alexander, who’d tried so hard to keep my mind off the things that could’ve been happening to the others. Now even he was in horrible trouble, because of me.
Chapter Sixteen
I sat on an oversized, flat rock formation that hung over a small underground stream running over the rocks a few feet below us. I didn’t lie back on the blanket the ever-resourceful Raven had provided. Now that I had a chance to get some rest, I couldn’t. My mind kept going back to Alexander’s lifeless body as the Dark Hearts warriors brutalized him. The bastards had even pulled the wings from his body after they’d plucked out his beautiful golden feathers.
My hand sought out my bracelet, which was still intact in spite of everything that had happened. I clutched the tiny golden wings in my hand and thought of my golden angel.
If I didn’t stop thinking about it, I was going to retch. My mind just kept replaying the scene until I bent my knees and pulled them to me. I tucked into myself, putting my head against my knees, and clutching that charm. I wrapped my arms around my calves and let the tears fall unchecked down my face. What kind of a man was this William Dark to hire creatures like the Plutonians? I knew he was someone I never wanted to meet. He was the worst kind of coward to hire others to do his dirty work.
Raven had gone to get a couple of bottles of water. I didn’t want him to see me crying when he got back. He had enough to worry about and he’d just suffered a gunshot wound not long ago. I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t afraid for myself as much as I was for the seven of them and my parents. What would happen if Dark Hearts found them? Would they suffer the same fate as Alexander had? I know Raven promised that everything would be ok, but how could he be positive. I still couldn’t believe that Alexander could have survived that ordeal.
I hadn’t reached out mentally for the others, because I’d been warned that some of the Dark Hearts also had telepathic gifts. Having our thoughts intercepted could be very dangerous for all of us. Raven and I had exchanged just a few thoughts in the woods before entering the caverns.
I heard rather than saw Raven return. I was just too weary to bother raising my head from my knees. My world had gone from blissful ignorance to one of utter terror.
I felt Raven’s light touch in my hair as he stroked, trying to soothe me.
His voice was soft when he spoke, “It’s ok, Emma. Alexander will be all right. I’m sure the others are ok, too. We’ve fought off Dark Hearts before.” What he didn’t say was that he’d never seen so many in one place before. He’d also noticed not only Plutonians, but also renegade Martians in the area, too, which he failed to mention.
I raised my head and looked into the depths of his lavender eyes looking for any possible deception in his attempt to comfort me. I saw none, but still didn’t understand how everything could be alright.
“They…they pulled out his beautiful golden feathers.” I started crying again and ducked my head to place it back on my knees.
I felt his gentle touch as he guided my head up to look at him as he spoke, “I know this is a lot for you, but believe me we have all been through worse than this. I need you to stop crying for a while, cara. I have to clean your wounds and you must get some rest, ok?”
“I don’t know why you even care. All I’ve brought you is trouble and pain. You were shot because of me…”
“No, cara, I was shot because of Dark Hearts. This trouble is from Dark Hearts and William Dark. You didn’t cause any of this and I never want you to say anything like that again. They did all this. They won’t stop either, which has nothing to do with you. If they weren’t after your father and you, it would be some other innocent person. They’ll do anything to annihilate the human race. Now come here and sit with me. I haven’t even had any alone time with you, yet, cara.”
His fingers continued caressing my scalp as he pulled me over onto his lap. I sat like that crying for a while longer until he reminded me that my wounds could get infected if they weren’t properly cleaned and dressed. I didn’t want to cause him any more problems. I knew that sometimes all the tears in the ocean won’t fix your problems. I’d cried over my mom and dad many times and it had changed nothing. I cried so much that my tears didn’t even make me feel better anymore. I leaned against Raven and listened quietly to the sound of his heartbeat as he held me.
; The stream must have been a hot spring for it warmed the cavern making it most comfortable. When Raven reached down and lifted my pant leg, baring my knee, I wasn’t cold.
When I tried to sit up straighter on his lap, he said, “Just stay here. I can work on your knee just fine. You look like you could use the rest. After I get this cleaned and bandaged, we’ll eat something and try to get some rest. I’ve got some water and food stashed away in one of these rooms. If you’re not too hungry I’d like to clean this wound first. I know it’s sore. I’ll do my best not to hurt you,” he said as he gently cleaned the deep gashes with some cleansing wipes that were inside the first aid kit he’d procured from somewhere.
He was mumbling something about Plutonian devils in his native Italian. I wasn’t sure what he was saying, but I had a feeling it wasn’t exactly complimentary to the species. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him as intense as he was that day. He was madder than hell, too. He didn’t want anyone hurting me and he made that very clear several times while he was bandaging my legs and scraped elbows where the brute had knocked me around. Unfortunately, my knees had also suffered earlier from the trek to safety with Alexander. It was shaping up to be a long few days.
When he finally finished examining every nick and bruise, he put me off his lap and laid me on the blanket. He then lay down beside me and rolled over on his side. He propped up on his elbow, looking down at me. He was paying particular attention to my lips.
“I forgot to fix that busted lip of yours.”
“It’s not too sore. I think my cheek took the worst of the blow. Just the side of my lip got sideswiped by his hand.”
His hand tenderly caressed the swollen cheek, which probably was black and blue.
“Mmm, so soft, I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you any sooner than I did. I think I should inspect your mouth for injuries I might have missed. Do you mind if I examine your lips, piccola?”
Dark Secrets (Dark Hearts Book 2) Page 18
