He just knew he had to make things right with his woman.
“Get your head in the game,” Axel muttered.
Koldo blinked into focus—and realized he was about to slam into Charlotte and her girls, who stood atop a cloud, discussing...Nicola.
“—need the redhead to make me another omelet. So good!”
“I know! Think Koldo would let me borrow her for a few years?”
He angled up and over, avoiding contact. Heard a shouted, “Hey!”
As the wind whipped against him, he looked to Axel. “I must go. I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll continue this.”
“Uh-oh. I recognize that look. Papa Bear’s gonna do some groveling, isn’t he?” The warrior laughed with smirking amusement. “Much as I’d like to see that, I’ve got some people to do. See ya.”
They branched off in opposite directions. Koldo flashed as he flew, traveling from state to state and across an ocean in the blink of an eye, until finally arriving at the ranch.
The sight that greeted him nearly stopped his heart.
A dark cloud surrounded the entire ranch, rather than the white one he’d left behind.
Through the darkness, he saw multiple demons crawling over the walls. And that’s when he knew. His cloud had been pumped full of demon toxin, sickening it. He’d heard of this happening only once, and had thought it a rumor. False.
He palmed his sword of fire and flashed to the top of the cloud, where he hacked through the gloom. The edges curled backward, sizzling, creating an opening. He jumped through and landed on the home’s roof, keeping his wings tucked as close to his sides as possible. He’d never fought with them, and wasn’t trained to do so. But that wouldn’t stop him from fighting now.
The demons scrambled to move away from him, but he turned and swung the sword, turned and swung, slicing one after the other in half. Black blood sprayed in every direction. Bodies thumped against the grass.
Finally the roof was cleansed and he was able to drop into the house. Demons, demons, all around, each one bigger and stronger than the last, and all the more determined to wreak havoc.
Two leaped on him from behind, ripping handfuls of feathers from his wings. Koldo gritted his teeth and released his sword, then pulled the creatures off, broke their necks and threw them down like the garbage they were.
Where was Nicola? Laila?
He palmed his sword and worked his way down the hall, his wrist in constant motion. Demons dropped like flies. There were more inside Laila’s room, but no sign of the girl herself. There was no sign of human injury, either, though the furniture was overturned, clothes strewn across the floor. If she’d been taken...
A demon spotted him and attacked, diving low, locking on to Koldo’s ankles, tripping him. His balance was off, and he couldn’t catch himself. The sword of fire disappeared as he crashed. He lost his breath, and the rest of the demons attacked, swarming him.
More feathers were pulled. His skin was bitten, scratched. Someone was attempting to chew through his Achilles tendon. Koldo grabbed the two creatures hanging on to his leg, ripped their spines from their throats and tossed them into the far wall. He grabbed two more and did the same, then two more, until he was able to jump up. The rest of the demons fell to the floor. He kicked them, the razor in his boot neatly slicing through intestines.
When he finished, he stomped down the hall. Nicola’s door was shut. He burst inside, wood shards spraying in every direction. In the center he found Lefty and Righty grating their claws against a puff of white fog.
Nicola was inside that fog, kneeling, her body draping Laila’s. She was staring at the tattoos on her arm. Tattoos that had come to life, forming a protective barrier around her.
The girls were here. They were alive. They were safe.
A potent flood of relief sent him marching forward. Lefty spotted him and backed away, dragging Righty with him. The pair picked up speed and careened through the wall, disappearing.
Koldo followed them, determined to end them once and for all, but they proved wily and slipped into the skies, hiding in the clouds.
Resigned, he returned to Nicola’s side and dropped to his knees. He patted, felt the hard shell around her, and knew it was thinning, softening. Finally, nothing was left but air.
“Nicola,” he said.
The sound of his voice jolted her, and she straightened in a snap. Wide, stormy eyes found him, and a mewl escaped her lips.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. Her little body was trembling.
Laila remained curled in a ball, her eyes closed, her breathing even. She’d passed out, he realized.
He leaned back, palmed Nicola’s tearstained cheeks. “What happened?”
“I convinced Laila to come into my room so that I could read to her. All was well one second, and demons were swarming the next. I don’t think Laila could see them, but she could feel them, and she screamed. They wanted to kill us, not just infect us with more toxin. They wanted you to find our bloody bodies. All I could do was throw myself at Laila, skid us both across the room and look at the tattoos, just like you told me.”
A new flood of relief had him shaking. “You did the exact right thing.”
She sagged against him. “I was so scared.”
“But you cast that fear aside and acted.” He ran his hands over her back, the ridges of her spine. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Sorry I wanted you to hurt another living being. Sorry I tried to bring you down to my level, my pain. Sorry I left you. Sorry I wasn’t here to help.”
Warm tears wet his skin. “I forgive you.”
That easily, he thought. Just that easily, and the knowledge caused tears to bead in his eyes. She could have thrown his words in his face. She could have sought some sort of revenge, and he would have deserved it. Yet, she embraced him.
“And I’m sorry I ignored you these past few days,” she said. “I was trying to give you time to work through your problems without any pressure from me, when all I really wanted to do was kiss you. Or strangle you. I wasn’t sure which.”
And now she apologized to him.
He loved this woman, he realized. He loved her with all of his heart, all of his soul.
The knowledge hit him with the force of a jackhammer, leaving a big hole that finally allowed light to flood inside him, revealing thousands of creepy crawlers, evil things he’d stored. The crawlers hissed and scrambled to avoid contact with the brightness and warmth.
He loved Nicola Lane.
But he wasn’t yet worthy of her.
Her heart was pure, unsullied. His was tainted. Her hopes and dreams were so sweet. His had always been dark, violent. She had seen a way past similar urges.
She wanted to travel the world, she’d once told him. Wanted to jump from an airplane, pet an elephant and dance on a skyscraper. And he could give her those things. Right now, that was his one saving grace. A saving grace he would take. He would earn her love—deserve it—one way or another.
And then, when he was worthy, he would wed her in the way of his people and permanently join her life to his, twining their life spans. He couldn’t bear to be without her.
I have to let my mother go.
Every muscle he possessed tensed, and his mind instantly rebelled. No, no. He couldn’t. He couldn’t abandon his need for vengeance. But it was either the vengeance, or Nicola. He couldn’t have both. His mother would always stand between them, a wall he could never hope to breach.
So, yes, he had to let his mother go. He couldn’t look back anymore. He could only look forward.
As the thoughts formed, the hole widened, widened still more, allowing the light to brighten and spread, eliminating the darkness altogether.
Koldo kissed Nicola softly, gently, and she welcomed him. But he knew now wasn’t the time to reveal his plans. Their emotions were too high. And he hadn’t yet romanced her as was proper.
“Let’s get out of here,�
� he said.
“Please.”
He helped her to her feet before crouching beside Laila and scooping her into his arms. Her slight weight barely registered. “Tuck yourself into my side,” he told Nicola, “and wrap your arms around me.”
She obeyed, and he flashed to Zacharel’s home in the heavens. The mist swirled at their sides as he called, “Zacharel? Annabelle?”
“I’m back here,” Annabelle replied.
The mist parted, creating a dreamlike walkway as he surged forward.
Nicola gasped, reached out. “What is this place?” Several tendrils of mist twined around her fingers, but he knew she also encountered a solid wall.
“The usual home for a Sent One,” he said.
Annabelle was in the living room, once again perched in front of the coffee table, with books covering the entire surface. She glanced up, golden eyes soon catching and staying on Nicola.
“And who do we have here?”
“My female,” he said, with a bloom of pride in his chest. “The one in my arms is her sister. They need a place to stay for a bit.”
A grinning Annabelle spread her arms. “Well, welcome to the home of Zachy the Delightful.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. No questions. No scrambling for answers.
“We’re not interrupting anything, I hope,” Nicola said hesitantly.
“Not at all. I’m studying the ways of the Sent Ones, and could use someone to bounce around a few ideas. I mean, I’m the wife of an army leader, and I need to know their laws, their strengths and weaknesses.”
“I’ve been studying, too,” Nicola said, and eased beside the Asian beauty. Her gaze remained on her sister. “I’m Nicola, by the way.”
“I would say nice to meet you, but that would fail to convey my happiness. You’re the first human female to enter this cloud in...ever. I’ve been starved for decent conversation. And besides that, anyone who can take on Koldo and live, well, I like her already.”
Koldo placed Laila on the couch. A slight moan parted her lips, and she shifted to her side, but other than that, she remained in her sleeping state. He straightened.
“She’ll be all right, yes?” Nicola asked.
Rather than answer, and spoil her mood, he said, “There’s something I must do.”
“What?”
“You’ll be safe here,” he said, sidestepping this question, as well. “Annabelle is just as much a warrior as Zacharel.”
With that, he flashed to the cavern in South Africa. Though Cornelia was chained to the far wall, the thick sheet of moisture in the air had left her drenched. The dirty, human-made robe was plastered to her skin.
Her head lolled to the side in an attempt to rest on her shoulder. There were bruises under her eyes, her cheeks were gaunt and her skin wrinkled. Her lips were chapped.
He stepped in front of her. Despite the still-churning anger he had for her, he suddenly felt sympathy for her state—and remorse for being the one who put her in it.
She blinked open her eyes. The moment his presence registered, she spit at him.
He wiped the spittle from his cheek.
“All my hard work destroyed,” she said, still fuming about his wings. “You’ve been given a gift you’ll never deserve.”
How right she was, though they weren’t talking about the same thing. “I know.”
“I’ll pray every day that someone takes them from you.”
And I’ll pray every day you find a way to forgive me for whatever wrong you think I’ve committed. “I’m going to start a new life, Mother.”
Her nostrils flared as she drew in a sharp breath. “Oh, well, good for you. I hope it kills you.”
“You’re not included in that life.”
Her lips curved into a vile grin. “Finally decided to end me, have you? Well, well. It’s about time. You’ll be kicked from the heavens. You’ll be disgraced, humiliated, forgotten. You’ll be hunted by demons the rest of your life, but you’ll be powerless to stop them. You’ll suffer, and eventually, you’ll die. You’ll spend eternity in hell—where you belong.”
All that hate, he thought. It lived inside her. Traveled with her, ate with her. Probably conversed with her. She was never without the faithless companion. And she never would be, as long as she nursed it at her breast. It hurt her, not him, just as his hatred had hurt him and not her.
Nicola was right. He’d been a prisoner.
But now he would be free.
He drew a dagger from the air pocket beside him and reached out. She raised her chin, stoic, waiting, ready. Rather than slicing her neck, as she expected, he slammed the tip into one of the cuffs at her wrists.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“Seeing to your liberation. I threw the key to your chains in the farthest ocean.” He had to work at the metal, grinding the dagger through the cylinder, but finally the two sides split. He did the same to the other wrist, then her ankles.
“Why are you doing this?” she demanded.
“Does it matter?”
A tense pause, her confusion saturating the air as surely as the water. “This doesn’t change anything.”
“I know that, too,” he said.
The moment the metal fell away from her, she shoved him. She was too weak to put much power behind the move, so he stepped back on his own. Her gaze locked on him, as though she expected this to be a trick, and she hobbled to the ledge of the cave. She spread her wings.
The action must have pained her, because she grimaced. “When I’m stronger, I’ll come for you.”
“I’ll be ready. But if you try to hurt me by hurting the girl, I will end you. I won’t give you another opportunity to strike at her.”
“As if I would hurt an innocent.” With that, she leaped from the cave, falling down, down, down. He wasn’t sure she would have the strength to pull herself up, until, a second later, he caught a glimpse of her rising. Her glide was stiff, slow, but still she managed to stay in the air.
It was done, then. Over.
He waited for regret to overwhelm him. He experienced only...peace. Such sweet peace. He’d done the right thing. He’d taken the matter out of his hands. He’d turned away from the temptation.
Now, for his reward.
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE CHANGE IN KOLDO confused, delighted and electrified Nicola.
Only half an hour ago, he’d arrived at Annabelle’s to pick up Nicola for “a date.” He’d given her a pink angel robe and waited for her to change.
Before they left, Nicola had gone to check on Laila, who had awoken from her faint, thrown herself at Nicola and sobbed. Eventually she’d calmed and promised to listen to everything Nicola had to say about good and evil, joy and fear—in the morning. She’d wanted a night to herself, to relax. To forget, if only for a little while.
Grateful for the change, Nicola had agreed and allowed Koldo to gather her in his arms and take her away.
And so here she was, out on her date. Part one? Flying. Koldo held her as they soared through the sky, the wind in her hair, caressing her skin. The scent of the clouds, morning dew and sunshine inundated her very being.
He was behind her, holding her tightly. The air pressure kept her legs glued to his, rather than dangling below. And the world... The world was lush and alive and glorious. Vibrant greens and blues melded earth and sea. Mountains rose, and valleys dipped. Winter here, summer there. A veritable feast for her senses.
“Everything is so beautiful,” she said.
“There was a time I saw only the ugliness.” He kissed the back of her neck, and she shivered. “But not today. Today is a new day, a fresh start. I...I freed my mother.”
She tried to twist around and look at him, but couldn’t quite manage it. “Oh, Koldo.”
“You were right. I could keep her and worsen, or let her go and heal.”
She wished she could hug him. “It was difficult, wasn’t it?”
“The most difficult thing I’ve ever done, and
yet, somehow the easiest.”
She patted his hands, joined as they were over her middle. “I’m pleased,” she said, as he’d often said to her.
“You’re about to be more so.” He angled their bodies, and began to descend.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, breathless.
“You’ll see.”
Already she could make out...a jungle safari? A river wound through lush trees and patches of dirt. A lioness chased a pack of gazelles. Birds of every color scattered in the wind. Elephants drank at a pond.
He straightened just before landing and placed her feet gently on the ground. Familiar scents layered the air. Scents she’d encountered at the zoo, the few times her parents had taken her, but also things she hadn’t encountered. Exotic flowers and flourishing ivy. Damp vegetation, and a startling purity.
“You’re in the spirit realm with me. They can’t see you,” Koldo said. “Go on. Get close.”
“Really?”
In answer, he gave her the gentlest of pushes.
Nicola moved forward hesitantly. Despite what Koldo had said, she expected the magnificent creatures to bolt. Instead, they continued to suck water through their trunks and spray drops into their mouths. They even bathed themselves and splashed each other.
A laugh bubbled from her, but still the elephants remained in place.
Koldo stood off on the side, watching.
Finally she moved beside one of the few babies, an adorable thing that weighed more than she and Laila combined. His gaze lifted, seemed to lock on her. But...he couldn’t see her. Could he?
“Touch him,” Koldo said. “He won’t hurt you.”
“Will he feel me?”
“His spirit will, yes.”
So...some animals could sense what happened in the spirit realm just as some humans could. She reached out. Her hand met warm, soft flesh, and ghosted through. From behind, a trunk brushed over her arm. Startled, she turned. And found herself face-to-face with the momma.
Apparently, Nicola’s spirit could feel things, too!
The female wasn’t scared of her, but intrigued. Momma touched her and sniffed her, and then attempted to play with her hair. Nicola laughed, carefree and overjoyed.
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