by Ciana Stone
And she wasn't about to get her hopes set on more.
"Well, you might be right, but let's face it, he's … well, he is an Angel and I'm … I'm just a woman trying to keep juggling and hope I can keep all my balls in the air."
"How well I understand that. But I meant what I said. As soon as I get back to our suite I'm going to have Augustus make the arrangements to have the cost of your dad's care taken care of."
"I'm still in shock, Layla and I still want to do something to repay you. Please, there has to be something."
"If I think of something I'll let you know. Right now, I have to go. So you get some rest and just text me when you're functional again and we'll arrange to have the jet available to take you home."
"Thank you." They both rose, embraced and Layla hurried away.
Nevaeh watched her leave and then started for the pool house. Just as she did, she heard something. It sounded like a woman screaming. She whirled around and headed for the beach.
Sure enough, there was someone flailing around in the water. Nevaeh disregarded the fact she was in a formal dress that probably cost more than she made the entire year. She ran into the water and dove.
It took her only a minute to reach the woman who was beating at the water with her arms, coughing and screaming. Nevaeh tried to get behind the woman to get a hold on her but as soon as she did, the woman quit flailing, turned, and smiled.
"Well hello Nevaeh."
Nevaeh was shocked to see the woman from the ballroom, the one she and Augustus had tried to find. But not nearly as shocked as she was to see the woman's hand emerge from the water with a hypodermic needle. By the time she'd recovered from the surprise, the woman had stabbed the needle into the side of her neck.
Nevaeh kicked, trying to swim away but her body failed her. Her legs felt heavy and refused to move. A moment later, her peripheral vision went dark.
Then all light vanished.
Chapter Six
I will never figure out why we white-winged Angels are treated as if we're some pillar of morality. Even among The Seven, those among us whose wings are white are expected to "set an example" and be of such high moral fiber and honesty that we mimic the beings from the Christian tomes.
Not so for the black-winged Angels. That old tale of Lucifer still holds sway. Ironically, our leader Lucien, is black-winged and yet the most straight-laced, by-the-book, hold-you-to-a-canon-of-ethics Angel I've ever met. Seriously, I wonder if the man has ever let loose and had any fun.
But whatever, that's an old gripe and it serves little purpose to dwell on it. The Council meeting was long, with endless discussion on what happened last night. What was not said rang louder than what was. Everyone present knows that only two people had the means to pull off such a feat. Augustus or Asha.
No one is pointing a finger at Augustus. Physically or mentally. We all know him to be honorable. Of course, no fingers point at Asha, either. But that's primarily because we're all still just a bit scared of her.
Despite the combined power of the Council, no one wants to take on Asha. To say she's formidable is an understatement. Were we to try to remove her as head of the Council by force, she'd rain hell on every one of us, our people, and half of humanity.
That's one fact about Asha. She doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone other than herself. Augustus think that perhaps longevity such as hers strips away the humanity. Maybe he's right.
At least the Council elected a good representative to fill the empty seat left by Lucan. Eldric Whitehorse is an excellent choice. Not only does he seem fair-minded, intelligent, and wise, he has vast knowledge of the climate of our people on the Other Side.
I don’t even know what to call that place. Home? It's been so long since I was there that it's almost like a dream. I know many of our people would love to see the doorways reopen so we could travel back and forth, but I like it here. My friends, all of the people I care for are here.
Including one new person I think I could come to care for a great deal.
Gabriel rapped on the door of Augustus' suite. A few seconds passed before the door opened. Augustus wore a pair of worn jeans, was barefoot and his face wore an expression Gabriel recognized. Anger spawned by frustration.
"You look like I feel."
"Then you feel like you could rip off some heads." Augustus stepped back for Gabriel to enter. "Keep your voice down. Layla just went to bed."
"But she's not asleep." Layla's voice came from the door to the bedroom. "What's up Gabriel?"
"Lucien has recruited me for a special task."
"Obviously one you don't want to perform." Augustus gestured toward the seating area.
Gabriel flopped down into an oversized chair as Augustus and Layla took seats on the sofa.
"Lucien wants me to keep Nevaeh from getting cozy with any of the Wizards or Daemons until someone can determine the scope of her ability and her heritage."
"What makes him think she wants to get cozy with either faction?"
"Beats me."
"Besides, she's leaving today." Layla offered. "And unless they're planning on having one of their people in her area try and get chummy-"
"Don't put it past them." Gabriel straightened in his chair and propped his elbows on his knees. "Lucien wants me to get a blood sample from her so our people can have a DNA test done."
"Nevaeh Rockwell seems to have inserted herself into the thoughts of many." Augustus cut a look at Layla and she frowned.
"Look, Augustus, if you don't want to help Nev that's fine. I have plenty of money and I'll do it myself. All I asked is that you have someone in your financial network do the paperwork and get things set up. I'm not asking for your—"
"Uh, should I leave?" Gabriel disliked being in the middle of a private quarrel.
"No, I'm sorry." Layla blew out her breath. "I found out that Nev's dad is in a home in Florida. He's in an advanced stage of Alzheimer and she's footing the bills. It hasn't been easy for her and she works two and three jobs. I want to pay his medical expenses to make it easier for her."
"And I do not object." Augustus said. "I merely want to ascertain the scope of care he needs and whether the level of care he currently receives will be sufficient in the future."
"Oh, I thought… I'm sorry. Thank you. It means a lot to me."
"Then it means a lot to me. But back to you, Gabriel and Lucien's request. It does concern me that we have different factions interested in Neveah. At this point, we cannot afford tension between the races. If you can delay fulfilling that request it will give us time to decide the best course of action should her heritage prove to be Preterhuman."
"I can do that. Well, I can try. You know Lucien when he gets his briefs in a bunch."
"I predict he will have enough on his plate to allow this to take a back seat. After the Council meeting, I spoke privately with the Council leaders. While Asha claims to have had no involvement in what happened, I do not believe her, nor do they.
"However, they fear her wrath and rightly so. Because of that, no accusations will be leveled against her, but there will be efforts made to determine the truth. If evidence is found that proves her involvement, she will be removed."
"Then you better get ready for war, bro, cuz your mama's not going down without a fight."
"Yes, I know."
"Okay, what do you need from me?"
"Only that you delay Lucien's pursuit of Nevaeh and –" He cut a look at Layla. At a nod from her he continued. "And follow her to Florida to make sure she's not … coerced into anything by one of our people."
"You got it."
Layla smiled at him and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, you both think I'm smitten."
"Not the word I would have chosen, but yes."
He smiled. "Maybe I am. A little. Feels kinda strange to be honest. I literally have never met anyone that my … nature had no effect on."
"Except me, of course." Augustus said.
"Oh dude, do not even sta
rt that. When I met you, I know you were affected."
Augustus laughed. "You were a pretty thing."
Layla stood, holding up her hands to her ears. "I'm sure I don't want to hear this."
Both of the men laughed and Gabriel got to his feet. "Okay, I'll go check on Nevaeh. Oh, what time was she planning on leaving?"
"After she got some sleep." Layla walked with him to the door. "You might want to give her a few hours. It was a long night."
"That it was. Okay, I'll catch you later."
Layla closed the door behind him and turned to look at Augustus. "Aren't you in the least concerned?"
"About?"
"About Gabriel? You heard him. She isn't affected by him. Well, not the way everyone else is. That's dangerous for him. He could get hurt."
Augustus chuckled. "Gabriel knows how to guard his heart. And I do not think she would purposely hurt him."
"You say that because of your impression of her or your connection with her?"
"Both."
"Okay. I wonder if I should tell her about this? I mean it does affect her. Maybe I should call—"
"I believe she's asleep."
"You say that because you can sense her?"
"Yes."
"I'm not really sure I'm entirely comfortable with that, Augustus."
"Nor does it pose any threat to you. And perhaps it provides a measure of protection for her, should any of the races decide to press the matter of her abilities or heritage."
"Oh, you're right. Okay, fine. At least someone around here's getting some rest."
"I'm more than happy to take you to bed, Layla."
"Are you now?"
"Indeed."
"Well, what're you waiting for?"
With a smile, Augustus swept her up in his arms and headed for the bedroom.
*****
Gabriel headed outside. He loved the outdoors, the feel of the wind on his skin and the endless sky stretching out above him. A lot of people, Preternatural and Normal seemed to have lost their appreciation for the beauty of the Earth, but he was not among them. Not a day passed that he didn't admire and feel grateful for it.
He took a walk on the beach, taking his time. Nevaeh would have been exhausted and probably would sleep for several hours. While he walked, he considered his conversation with Lucien.
Gabriel understood that even though the divergent races of the Seven had united politically, there was still a lot of jockeying for power among them. No one wanted to be the low man on the totem pole of power. Well, aside from him. He didn’t care about power. He'd seen what power did, the corruption it incited and how it often stripped away what was best in people.
Nevertheless, he understood. Lucien feared that if Nevaeh's heritage were determined to be of the Wizard or Daemon tribe, they would try to exploit her ability for their own gain. He believed the same to be true of the Fae.
Gabriel didn't discount the notion. Powers such as Nevaeh's traditionally stemmed from one of those three races, so it was logical to assume that she did have the blood of one of them in her.
What seemed curious was that if that were true, why was no one aware of it. The Seven had an intelligence network superior to anything known by humans. Each of the tribes had entire divisions devoted to the gathering and analyzing of data, as well as special units assigned to tracking any being with Preternatural blood, however great or small.
Why had Nevaeh not been flagged by that network? How had someone managed to hide her all of these years and why?
Those were questions for which he had no answers. Heck, no one did. Which was what made her of such interest.
Satisfied that he'd given her ample time to rest, he returned to the estate and made his way to the pool house. He rapped on the door and waited. A full five minutes passed. He rapped again, louder this time and called out.
"Heaven spelled backwards? Are you awake?"
Still there was no answer. That was odd. Even if she'd been asleep, he felt sure she'd have risen to answer the door. He tried the door. It was unlocked. "Nev?"He entered and made his way through the pool house.
She was not there. Her belonging were, but not Nevaeh.
Gabriel pulled out his cell phone and dialed Layla. She answered on the second ring.
"What's up?"
"Have you spoken with Nevaeh?"
"No. She's probably still asleep."
"No, she's not. She's not even here."
"What do you mean she's not here?"
"Just that. Her belongings are in the pool house but there's no sign of her. Can you ask Augustus if he can sense her?"
"Sure. Hold on. Augustus?"
There was a moment of silence before Gabriel heard Layla speak again. "Gabriel can't find Nev. Can you sense her?"
Gabriel heard Augustus reply. "Yes. She's asleep."
"Layla put us on speaker. Augustus, can you determine where she is?"
"What's this about, Gabriel?"
"She's not here."
"She has to be."
"Well, she's not in the pool house."
"My link with her is not strong enough to determine location. All I can tell you is that my sense is she is sleeping. I will have security search the estate."
"Thanks. I'll start looking myself."
"Fine. I'll inform you as soon as I have a report."
Gabriel stuck his phone back into his pocket and left the pool house. It didn't make sense that Nevaeh would leave without her belongings. And since she had no transportation other than what Augustus provided, it made even less sense.
Thoughts of what Lucien had spoken with him about caused concern to rise. Surely, neither of the Wizard or Daemon tribes would have snatched her? With that thought in mind, he hurried off to find Severin. Daemon or Deity, one thing Gabriel knew for sure is the man was, if nothing else, honest.
Chapter Seven
Talk about real life being stranger than fiction. Five weeks ago I didn't even know the Preternaturals existed. Now, not only have I seen a lot of them, up close and personal, I've been bitten by a Vampire, kissed an Angel and witnessed an attack that was like something out of an action film.
I'm not sure I've mentally digested all of this. It still feels unreal. I keep expecting to wake up and realize that this was all some elaborate dream brought on by pizza that was a few days too old for safe consumption.
Nevaeh woke feeling disoriented. When her brain cleared enough to permit coherent thought, she shot up into a sitting position with her heart hammering in her chest and her body tensed.
Where was she? The last thing she remembered was … talking with Layla and then … oh my god, the woman in the water – the woman from the event that Augustus was seeking.
Nevaeh sprang up from the soft bed and looked around the room. It was bright and well appointed; the furnishings appeared expensive, as did the soft carpet and the tasteful art on the walls.
She walked over to the window and pulled back the blinds. "What…?" The view below could be nothing but New York. But how in the world did she get there?
As she pondered the question, a voice came from behind, causing her to whirl in its direction. The same lovely brunette stood in the doorway. "Ah, you're awake. Excellent."
"Who are you? What did you do to me and where am I? Why did you—"
"All questions will be answered." The woman raised one hand. "Please, you must be thirsty or hunger. I've had brunch prepared."
"I'm not either." It was a lie but Neveah wasn't inclined to eat or drink anything given to her by someone who had jabbed a needle in her neck and abducted her. "Answer my questions or get out of my way."
"I shall certainly do both, Nevaeh. I mean you no harm. In fact, I only acted to protect you."
"Oh yeah, right, how stupid of me. People who drug you and take you … wherever we are, are usually looking out for you."
"Sarcasm isn't necessary, although I completely understand your mistrust. If you will but give me ten minutes of your time I ca
n explain."
"Then get to it." Nevaeh folded her arms across her chest.
"Of course." The woman turned on her heel and walked away.
Nevaeh stared after her for a few moments and then a few more. Finally, she went to the door and looked out. The room beyond was spacious, a living area. She could see through sliding glass doors on the opposite side. A table laden with covered dishes sat on a terrace, overlooking a cityscape that seemed to stretch out for miles.
The woman was standing at the sliding glass door, waiting.
Nevaeh hesitated for a moment then crossed the room to the woman. The woman smiled and gestured for Neveah to precede her onto the terrace but Nevaeh shook her head. "Thanks all the same, but after you. If anyone's getting pushed off the terrace it's not going to be me."
The woman laughed and walked out onto the terrace. She took a seat with her back to the city, leaving the chair closest to the terrace door for Nevaeh.
"Juice?" She lifted a glass pitcher of what looked like orange juice.
"No, thanks."
"Bottled water perhaps?"
"Yes, thanks." Nevaeh accepted the sealed bottle of water, twisted off the top and chugged down half of it. "Okay, so time for answers."
"Ah, yes." The woman poured herself a glass of juice and took a sip. As she lifted lids from dishes, she spoke.
"My name is Elysia and I am of the Fae."
"And you drugged me and brought me here because?"
"To protect you."
Nevaeh snorted. "Yeah, right. From what?"
"From those who would seek to exploit what you can do for their own gain."
"Stage makeup? I doubt that's going to prove to be of enormous benefit to anyone."
Elysia laughed. "We both know that's not of what I speak but if it comforts you to hear me say it, I refer to you temporal abilities."
"My what?"
"Your ability to slow or stop time."
"Lady you're crazy."
"And you are naïve."
"Screw you."
Elysia waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "So, you can say to me, in honestly, that no one mentioned your abilities?"
