Echo (The Halo Series Book 2)

by Melody Robinette

  A small lump formed in her throat when she realized, even if her mom and brother were okay, she wouldn’t get to speak to them.

  Swallowing the hard knot that wouldn’t quite go away, Aurora pressed the gas even harder into the floor of the car. The emerald scenery flashed by her windows in a blur as she traveled at lightning speed into the city.

  The line of cars parked haphazardly in the streets forced her to slow down significantly, but, rather than frustrate her, it gave her time to breathe.

  Seeing Seattle as a ghost town was unnerving, and the prospect of what might be waiting for her at home made her wish she hadn’t eaten so many Doritos.

  The silence was deafening. She should be happy that the souls of Seattle-dwellers were locked and safe now. But the creeping sense of dread lay over her like a thick film that couldn’t be washed away.

  Pulling onto her street, Aurora removed her foot from the gas pedal, letting the car coast so she could give herself just a little bit of time to calm down. She stopped in the middle of the road in front of her apartment.

  Tall, red brick buildings towered around her, and she climbed out of what she’d affectionately dubbed the T-Swift-Mobile and stood before the apartments she’d lived in for most of her life.

  Taking a steadying breath, she marched forward.

  Thirty-Nine

  CHORD

  Chord already wanted a day off from demon fighting.

  The absence of the two Stellars was becoming evident as the five remaining Power Halos fought against the demons and beasts surrounding the angel fountain.

  Their fighting skills were solid, true, and they were protecting the little Virtues, who had climbed inside of the fountain, wading backward in the water. But, had Aurora and Gray been there, they wouldn’t even be fighting demons anymore.

  He realized then that their group of Power Halos may or may not have been leaning on the Stellars as a crutch, expecting them to take care of the brunt of the work while the others just fought until the demons were wiped out.

  You know what? Screw that, he thought. We don’t need Stellars to take care of us all the damned time. We are fighters for the Light’s sake.

  A surge of empowerment and drive shot through him, and he sliced the heads off of a line of nasty snake demons. Sev shot Chord a mildly impressed look.

  “Don’t look so surprised, Sevastion.” Chord spoke through heavy breaths. “I’ve saved your British ass a time or two.”

  Sev ran two beasts through with his long sword. “I’m not surprised. Impressed, perhaps…but not surprised.”

  “Well, I’m surprised you’re even speaking to me.” The bitterness in his own voice annoyed even Chord. Don’t be pathetic, he scolded himself.

  Sev said nothing as they traveled sideways, slashing and stabbing and dismembering as if it were nothing but a video game they were playing together. Chord tripped over a fallen beast, and Sev reached out a steady hand, pulling him to his feet. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” the Brit said finally. “I believe I’ve gone about everything with us all wrong. Perhaps, after we’ve locked the city, we could discuss maybe…starting over?”

  These words shocked Chord into stillness, his fighting arm dropping to his side. He looked up at Sev, whose eyes were now on his, their gazes truly locking for the first time in too long. Sev’s colorless irises were nearly covered by his pupils in the darkness of the early morning.

  Chord admitted to himself that, if the other Halos and innocent baby Virtues weren’t around, he’d surely tackle the handsome man before him with little regard for the swarming demons and beasts.

  As it was, they were in the middle of a battle, and the other Halos would likely think such things were inappropriate—except maybe Logan. So, Chord lifted his chin and held out a hand for him to take.

  Sev looked down at his outstretched hand with raised eyebrows before finally closing his long fingers around Chord’s.

  Neither of them said anything. The pressure and warmth from their palms were words enough. A silent agreement.

  The connection was soon broken as a surge of light washed over the area, causing the beasts and demons to cower away.

  Blinking in the brightness, Chord put a hand to his brow, squinting up at the source of the light.

  Towering figures had entered the area around the fountain, holding their blinding staffs in one hand, and their swords in the other.

  The Dominions had arrived.

  AURORA

  The front door of her apartment was locked. Rather than frustrate her, this made the tension in Aurora's gut lessen slightly. If David had come to harm her family, the door likely would have been left open, or at the very least, unlocked.

  This only slowed Aurora down by a few seconds as she rose on tiptoe, reaching her hand up, feeling around the top of the dusty lamp where her mom kept the spare key. Aurora had told her more than once this was a stupid idea—that anyone with a criminal mind would be able to find it. Her mother had retorted: “Anyone with a criminal mind wouldn’t need a key to get in.”

  Impaling the key in the lock and turning with shaking hands, Aurora pushed the door open. It creaked slightly, but she wasn’t worried about waking anyone. If they were okay, nothing could wake them from their deep sleep.

  Everything was cloaked in shadow, and she reached out to flick on the light switch, half expecting something to jump out at her. Nothing did. But everything was as it should be. Just like in her dream.

  She resisted the urge to speak to the empty room, resisted the need to call out for her mom. Instead, she drifted like a ghost through the living room and into the narrow hallway that held their three rooms.

  All of the doors were closed. Passing by her own room, she walked to Daniel’s.

  Her heart pounded against her chest, hard and fast.

  Turning the knob, she let the door swing open. Her heart, which had been pumping gallons of blood with its quickness, suddenly stopped altogether.

  Daniel’s bed was empty.

  Panic set in as she stumbled back into the hall, clutching at her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of all the horrible scenarios, moving like a drunk to the end of the hallway where her mom’s room sat like a nightmare waiting to pull her under.

  She didn’t want to open the door. She didn’t want to have her greatest fears realized. She wasn’t sure she could handle it.

  Strength had been her crutch. Others admired her for it. They were impressed by it. But it was all an illusion. Aurora’s strength was something she wore like clothing. And it was times like this—like this moment—that reminded her it could just as easily be ripped away, leaving her naked and vulnerable.

  But the thought of not knowing what lay behind her mother’s bedroom door was more terrifying than the thought of what was.

  So, Aurora summoned up the courage to reach out and turn the knob, letting the door swing inwards without taking a step forward.

  The thick curtains in the window let almost no light in. The bedspread wasn’t flat, but a mound. It was clear something was in the bed, but it wasn’t clear who...or what.

  Walking on the balls of her feet, Aurora moved to the bedside, reaching her hand under the lacy lamp and pulling at the hanging string.

  Soft light filtered through the dark gray lampshade and lit the two sleepers in the bed.

  Aurora felt a sob rise in her throat as she took in the forms of her mom and brother. Both of them were on their backs, which was strange because Aurora knew neither of them slept that way.

  They looked like characters from a fairy tale, their hands clasped on their stomachs. Her mom’s red hair was splayed out like a crown on the pillow and Danny’s usually furrowed brow was soft and smooth.

  Relief at the sight of them engulfed her. But, at the same time, the thought of how long they might be in this state crushed her. She hadn’t gotten to say goodbye. She hadn’t gotten to show her mom that she’d actually become something in her life. Not that she would have
been able to tell her, or that her mom would have believed her if she did.

  For the first time in she didn’t know how long, Aurora sank down to her knees beside her mom, laid her head on the cool bedspread, and cried.

  She had always been of the mind that crying was a sign of weakness. She hated to cry in front of other people. Hated it more than anything else. She’d rather be naked.

  But now, in the quiet of her mother’s room, beside the two people she loved more than anything else, she let herself break. Not just because she hadn't said goodbye, but because of everything.

  Because she felt overwhelmed with the heavenly duty she’d signed up for.

  Because she wished she could be with Gray—ached for it—but couldn’t be.

  Because of all the people she’d seen die.

  Because of the ugliness of the world.

  The thickness of the curtains kept the time of day a secret, and Aurora wasn’t sure how long she cried at her mom’s bedside. She just knew, when she stopped, her eyes were scratchy and sore, and her tears soaked the bedspread.

  Standing up on legs that were stronger than she’d expected, Aurora leaned over to kiss the cheeks of her mom and brother.

  "I'm doing this for you," she whispered, though she knew they couldn't hear. "All of this."

  Perhaps it had been foolish to come here because of a dream, but she didn’t regret it.

  She’d needed to see they were alive.

  She’d needed to see they weren’t hurting or sick or scared or trapped.

  She needed to be in their presence, if only for just a moment…because she wasn’t sure if she would ever get the chance again.

  It took more energy than it should to turn off the bedside table light, walk backward out of her mother’s room, and shut the door behind her. Aurora took a deep breath and left down the hallway.

  It was going to be a long drive back to New York. She hoped the others were all okay and her leaving hadn’t hurt their chances of fighting too much. But they were strong. Stronger than they knew.

  The familiar walk down the hall felt strange—different—and she realized it was because she was different now.

  Before, this would have bothered her. She hadn’t wanted to change. She hadn’t wanted to be anything but independent and strong and maybe even a little bit bitchy.

  Now, she’d opened up enough to let the other Halos in—not a lot, but just enough. This was a miracle in and of itself. The fact that she had somehow allowed herself to fall for Gray, and was even admitting it to herself, showed she had changed.

  Maybe even for the better.

  But, as she walked into her living room, she realized maybe she hadn’t changed.

  Not at all.

  Because the dark silhouette standing in the doorway was still her biggest nightmare, still the thing that made her sit bolt upright in the middle of the night, shaking and sweating.

  Aurora fumbled inside her jacket for a weapon, but she wasn’t quick enough.

  The shadow man had already made it to her, binding her arms to her sides and covering her mouth with his hand.

  Warm, sickening breath hit her ear as the shadow man’s lips whispered four words that sent a violent shiver down her spine.

  “Welcome home, little lamb."

  Forty

  GRAY

  JFK Airport was full.

  And then—within a blink or two—it was empty.

  Gray was waiting in the longest of long security lines when everyone around him suddenly snapped into a rigid, straight-backed position and began to move in a steady stream out of the airport.

  Revolving in a slow circle, Gray tried to figure out what had happened, but then he realized he already knew. The Dominions had arrived in the city, triggering the chain reaction that took place when the people needed to prepare their souls to be locked.

  With a sinking feeling, Gray watched as all of the airport workers—security, pilots, flight attendants—joined the mob now moving as one entity out of the airport, their bodies in search of the last place they had slept.

  A locked city would mean no air traffic.

  No way to get out.

  Feeling for the first time in a long time like a helpless little pup, Gray meandered through the winding rope now void of people, through the unmanned security scanners, and into the open airport filled with stores that held I Love New York t-shirts and overpriced everything.

  He walked like a revenant past the food courts and lines of chairs now emptier than they’d likely ever been. He walked until he made it to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the runway where the planes were now waiting in a perpetual line.

  Resting his forehead against the glass and closing his eyes, Gray tried to think of what to do next.

  It was entirely possible Aurora didn’t even want him to go after her. In fact, she’d just as good as said so in the note Luna had thrown away.

  But when had Gray ever done what Aurora wanted him to do in regard to her?

  She wanted him to give her space.

  He didn’t.

  She wanted him to be with someone else, to stop wanting her.

  He tried but was wildly unsuccessful.

  Now she wanted him to stay away while she went off to do the Light only knew what.

  He wondered what it was that made her leave in the first place. Had it just been an obsessive thought or a dream? Had she felt guilt about the whole Luna thing?

  Now that he thought about it, the last time he’d seen her was after they’d kissed, when she’d urged him to go after Luna. It was terrible, but he’d refused at first, not wanting to leave Aurora. He didn’t want her to think he was ashamed or regretted what they’d done…because, as horrible as it was, he didn’t—and, quite frankly, didn’t care how horrible that may be. Aurora was and always would be his Stellar, and no matter who he was with—whether it was her or not—she’d always be his number one person.

  Always.

  This realization hit him hard. The next time he was around Luna, he’d have to break it off. Because it wasn’t fair to her that she’d always be second. Not by any fault of her own. But because that was just how it was.

  And even though he was livid with her for destroying Aurora’s notes…he almost didn’t blame her. Luna knew she was second behind Aurora. She knew. And that really sucked.

  Jesus, he thought, my life is such a wreck.

  “Hey, man. You an angel?”

  Gray lifted his head from the glass and looked wildly around, surprised he was no longer alone in the gargantuan airport.

  His gaze landed on a guy with the mixed stature of an NBA and NFL player wearing the trademarked, red Power Halo armor. His skin and hair were only a few shades lighter than the charcoal stripes on his leathery vest. And, like all the rest of the Power Halos, he appeared to be in his mid to late twenties.

  Gray turned so the man could see he was wearing the same armor—albeit in a much smaller size—beneath his overcoat. “A Halo,” Gray said. “Power Halo. Same as you, it would seem.”

  The guy nodded stiffly. He seemed distracted, stuck in his own thoughts. The Halo’s voice wasn’t quite as deep as Gray would’ve expected it to be, judging by his stature. “Figured you must be one of us, since you ain’t walking like a zombie out the front doors and all.” He approached Gray, holding out a hand. “Name’s Jaxon Jones. Jax for short.”

  They shook hands, Jaxon's engulfing Gray’s.

  “Grayson Cross. Gray for short.”

  Jax chuckled and nodded again. “I was in the city cause my family was attacked by a gang of Horns. None of them made it. Glad they got the funeral in before the city was locked. At least, I guess that’s what’s happening. I’ve only locked one city—Chicago.”

  Gray shook his head sympathetically. “I’m sorry about your family, man.”

  Jax nodded and shrugged. “Comes with the job, I guess. Still kinda feels like my fault somehow.”

  Knowing from experience that distracti
ons helped in times of grief, Gray changed the subject. “Where are the other Halos in your group?”

  This didn’t seem to get Jax’s mind off of negative things. If anything, he appeared even more downcast. “They’re in Philly, locking the city.” He shrugged—a gesture Gray was beginning to think of as Jax’s signature move. “I wasn’t going to leave them after word came about my family, but they insisted. They’re good people. Little dramatic sometimes, but good.”

  Gray laughed. “Same here.”

  “Yeah?” Jax looked around in expectation, searching for the rest of Gray’s group.

  Feeling his head hang slightly, Gray’s gaze moved to look out the windows again. “They’re not here. They are out locking New York, well five of them are anyway. I’m looking for my, uh—” He wasn’t sure Jax would know what a Stellar was and couldn’t really come up with a better title for her, so he just went with: “my friend—another member of our group; I have a feeling she’s in trouble. I think she’s in Seattle, but—”

  Jax interrupted, wearing an amused smile. “She’s your girl, huh?”

  This brought Gray up short. He faltered, trying to deny it before he mimicked Jax’s trademarked move and shrugged. “Guess you could say that… Anyway, I was going to go after her, but, given that I don’t know how to fly a plane, I’m going to have to come up with a new plan.”

  “I know how to fly a plane.”

  Gray laughed, but when he realized Jax wasn’t joking, his eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Really?”

  Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jax ducked his head in a nod. “Before all this angel stuff, I was training to be a fighter pilot in the air force.”

  “Can you fly one of these planes?” Gray pointed a finger out the towering glass windows, toward the row of passenger jetliners.

  Jax turned his head to look in the direction in which Gray was pointing and then threw it back with a loud, bellowing laugh. “Come on, man. Let’s go save your girl.”

  AURORA