“Well, anyway.” Richmond turned to face Raven. “The hair replacement was an expensive and utterly disastrous choice. But I had to try it, or I’d have always wondered.”
And Raven understood. “Sometimes you have to give something a chance, even if it’s ultimately the wrong choice?”
Richmond nodded. “You put it behind you, and move on. And you take what you’ve learned.”
Raven stared at Jessica but saw Nikki. “It hurts, Doc.” He was only marginally surprised when Dr. Richmond’s arm came around his shoulder.
“I know, son.”
“How long will it hurt?”
“I wish I could say. All I know is that another journey awaits you.”
At that, Raven’s attention snapped, eyes shooting to Richmond.
The older man smiled. “Life is one journey after another. Don’t get trapped in yesterday’s when tomorrow’s is waiting for you.”
Okay, that weirded him out until he realized Richmond wasn’t talking about journeys — at least not the way Raven knew them.
Yet, there was something prophetic and profound in the words. It’s the same thing Raven told Nikki: he was heading in another direction. And somehow, Richmond was involved. He’d felt it from the beginning. He’d always wanted to protect Richmond — always felt there was a need. Not surprising, since Richmond spent years working for Omega Corporation before he learned the horrible truth about what his breakthroughs were really creating.
The scientist released Raven and headed back into the living room. Before Raven could stop himself, he reached out and grabbed the photo of Jessica, tucking it into his back pocket. For a few seconds kept his hand over the photo. The photo that wasn’t Nikki.
Nikki and Mace rose above snow-dusted mountains. She’d been in the air for a couple hours and her wings weren’t even tired.
“You’re getting the hang of it.” Mace tilted, his gray-white wings angling just enough for her to tuck in closer.
“It’s like I’ve had them forever.” Even though he hovered nearby, she knew how much she could pump her wings to keep from bumping into him.
“You have. Are you tired?”
“We could take a break. I’m getting hungry.”
“Follow me.” He stretched to tilt one wing downward. There wasn’t much below, just a lot of trees and the occasional curved road snaking around the mountain. A smattering of houses had smoky chimneys. Nikki wondered why there were never paintings done from this viewpoint. Maybe one day she’d do that — paint from the sky. Let the world see what it looks like from above, where all the dirtiness melts into a picturesque landscape.
They touched down in a small town somewhere in the mountain range. Nikki didn’t know where they were and really didn’t care. It felt so good, so free to just be without the immediate threat of a seeker or a madman or a hell hound at her back. She’d purposely forced everything from her mind except enjoying Mace, the day, and her new wings. Even if it was only for a day.
He took her by the shoulders and pointed to one mountain. “Do you recognize that?”
The rocky plateau did look familiar. Then she remembered. “That’s the mountain where we watched the eagles — I mean, the Halflings.”
He nodded, and before she knew what was happening he pulled her to him, hugging her so hard she wondered if her ribs might crack. When he released her, there was an unusual light in his eyes, an illumination born of excitement or maybe expectancy. “Come, on,” he said, and took her hand, leading her away from that particular view.
They entered a restaurant that looked like it was converted from an old train car. Nikki slid into the booth by the curved glass window and expected Mace to sit across from her. Instead, he slipped in beside her, nudging her over to make room. She accommodated him, relishing the feel of his warm body and the smell of wind and winter on his skin.
He nodded to the snow-capped peaks beyond the window. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
She noticed a winding path led up one mountainside. “Gorgeous.”
“I bet you’d love to draw it, wouldn’t you?”
Her gaze fell to the table. “I can draw things now if I’m careful. Will helped me learn, but he also warned me to be careful. Vigilant, I think he called it. It could open a door to the other realm.”
“And let hounds through?”
She nodded. “So, no drawing for me. It’s not worth the risk.”
“I’m sorry, Nikki.” He looked away for a long time, but his sudden change in posture held her attention. Nervous, maybe a little uncertain. Rather than look at the beautiful landscape beyond the window, she examined Mace.
He reached for her hand. “What if there was a way you could draw without worrying about opening a doorway for hounds?”
His hand was sweaty in hers. Very unnatural, and she could feel his pulse increase as he spoke. “If there was a way, would you do it?”
“What do you mean?”
He angled on the seat to look at her fully. “Nikki, we could leave the battle. We’ve found each other.”
She shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re a Halfling. When Halflings find their match, they’re able to leave the war if they choose.”
Now her heart pounded, matching the beat of his. “And what?” Was there actually a way out of this nightmare?
“We’d have to seek an audience with the Throne. If you’re truly my match, he’ll give us the option to leave the fighting behind.”
“Where do we go?”
“We’d live on the earth as a married couple. From what I understand, our angelic side sort of goes dormant. We even age like humans. That’s where a lot of Xians come from. They are Halflings who once found their match.”
“You told me Xians were just humans who are aware of the spiritual battle.”
“Some are. But some are Halflings … or were Halflings.”
A new kind of joy filled her, the spark of hope, of having a normal life again. “We’d leave all this bloodshed behind?”
He squeezed her hand. “Yes, Nikki. Leave it all behind.”
They could be married and live a normal life. Have friends and go on vacations. Buy a house and maybe even raise a family. “Could we one day have children?”
Mace’s face fell. “We could have one, but …”
He didn’t have to finish. “But it would be taken from us because we aren’t human. And our offspring would be a Halfling expected to fight a war we ran from.”
“Nikki, it’s not like that. A Halfling baby is taken for his or her own protection.”
“And we — the couple who created the child — walked away from the fight to let our child take our place?”
He brushed a hand through his hair. “We don’t need to have kids.”
She scooted toward the window, creating some space between them. “That’s not the point. We would have run away from the war.”
“No.” His eyes pleaded with her. “You’re looking at it all wrong. It’s more like a reward. You know, for our service.”
She worked to keep her breathing steady. “What service? What have I done? Nothing.” Her voice rose as she spoke. “All that talk about how important I was to the Throne, and you’re ready to just walk away? To let me walk away?”
“Nikki, I’m just trying —”
She held up a hand to silence him. “To protect me, I know.” Would he really have her run? “Mace, I love being with you. Today has been great, but there’s a war going on out there. We’re warriors, not runners. We can’t hide behind a human shell and spend the next sixty or seventy years pretending there’s no battle. It would destroy both of us.”
She could see the words drilling into his plan, cracking and shattering it. She had to make him understand. “You know why Raven left? He said you were my match, Mace. Do you know why?”
When his eyes came up to meet hers, the pain they held nearly stopped Nikki’s voice. But he had to understand this, because right now — f
resh from a victory and laden with wings — she was strong enough to face his hopes. But what about another day when she was weary and exhausted from the fight? On a bad day, he could easily convince her with a look much less wrenching. “Raven said you’d challenge me to be everything I can be. Instead, you’re asking me to run away from my destiny?”
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “That’s all I have left, Mace. I have the promise that my life — my actions — matter. That they’ll make a difference. I won’t walk away from that. Not even for you.”
She pushed against him until he let her out of the seat. Hands fisted, Nikki walked to the restaurant door. Once she was safely on the other side, she broke into a run until her wings lifted her back to freedom.
Mace touched down on the mountaintop and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Nikki tucked into the rock ledge. It was the same place they’d once sat and watched the elaborate ritual he’d hoped to share with Nikki.
Who was he kidding? She’d been right about everything. They were warriors, and warriors don’t willingly leave the battle. They win it. Or they die trying.
The rustle of his feathers caused her to look over. Her hands went to her face and smeared tears in a feeble attempt to make them disappear.
“I’m sorry I’m such an idiot.”
She sniffed. “You’re not an idiot.”
“Yes, I am.” He closed the distance between them and motioned to the rock. “Can I sit with you?”
She slid over.
A cluster of trees moved with the mountain wind. Clumps of snow drifted from their branches and landed in heaps on the ground. This would have been the perfect time to soar with her.
She angled to face him. “Could you really have done it?”
He drew in a long breath. But I had to make a mistake. “I wanted to think I could leave this war. But I don’t know. If it’s what you would have wanted, yes.”
“Leave Vine and Will?” Her eyes were red. “Leave Raven to his own devices? And what about Vessler? Just walk away from the chance to stop him? Vessler was planning to make wingcuffs. Thousands of them to take – our friends — as prisoners.”
And use Nikki’s DNA to build Halflings he could control. A detail she still didn’t know. And he wasn’t about to tell her. But to think she could be the catalyst able to bring about his insane plan … that was more of a burden than even he needed. In truth, he’d reasoned that leaving the battle, and undergoing the change accompanied with that decision, could protect her. No angelic side, no DNA to turn dark.
Her gaze narrowed. “What is it?”
Mace looked away. “Nothing.”
Beside him, he felt her angle closer, which normally he enjoyed. “Mace, tell me what’s going on. You know something, don’t you?”
“Contrary to what you might think, I know a lot of things,” he tried to joke.
“Don’t keep secrets from me. People have kept secrets from me my whole life.”
He’d be no better than the rest if he didn’t tell her the truth. But can I deal with what that truth will do?
“Mace.”
He turned to her and took her face in his hands. “Nothing, Nikki. Really. I was just expecting to spend the evening catching branches you dropped for me. Instead, I’m having to think about going back to the battle.”
“I’m sorry, Mace.”
“Me too.” Sorry he couldn’t tell her the truth about her godfather. Vessler didn’t just want to turn Nikki into a dark creature. He wanted to cut her open and use what was inside to spawn an impossible number of dark creatures. Nikki wasn’t just a warrior. She was an army.
Chapter 15
Are you ready to go inside?”
Nikki chewed her lip. For some reason, the Halfling’s house on Pine Boulevard looked different. It had been awhile since she’d been there, and well, a lot had changed. Mostly her. Being back in Missouri caused her to realize just how much had been altered in her life.
She tightened the muscles in her shoulder blades, felt her wings begin to respond, and smiled. Yes, quite a bit had changed.
She and Mace had left the mountain and the whole running-away conversation behind them. Neither had uttered a word until now. “Are you excited to show them your wings?”
She turned to face him. “No.”
His brows rose. “No?”
“Not yet. I kind of want to keep it to myself for a little while. Is that okay?” It seemed her very life had been a book laid bare for all to see. Having this one thing to call her own, even for a short time, meant more than she could admit.
She saw the questions skate across his face.
“Or will they be able to see them, even if I keep them closed?”
“No, I don’t think they’ll see your wings until you open them.” A frown now accompanied the questions.
“Then I’d like to keep it a secret. Just for a little while.”
He nodded, but his face remained stoic.
“Two days. I promise I’ll show everyone in two days.”
This satisfied him. “Okay, warrior girl. Two days it is.” There was a hint of a threat in his words. He may as well have said, “If you don’t tell them, I will.”
She tried to ignore the fact that he gauged her with untrusting eyes. “I’m not up to anything, Mace. I swear.” Of course, she couldn’t blame him for the suspicion. The last time she was at the house on Pine Boulevard, she’d escaped with the intention to hunt down and kill Damon Vessler.
Yeeaaaah. That’ll cause a lack of trust in a relationship.
“Two,” he repeated as if she needed to be reminded already.
“I promise.”
Nikki settled into her room, the same one she’d stayed in after discovering she was half angel. The few clothes she owned rested in the dresser drawers. She was smoothing the wrinkles out of a T-shirt when someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”
Winter and Vegan burst through the doorway and grabbed her in a tight hug, long arms clamping around her so quickly she barely had time to react. Winter stopped hugging first and her ice-cold skin left goose bumps on Nikki’s arms.
“Hi,” she said.
Winter stepped back a little more. “You’re different.” Her golden eyes narrowed, but the smile remained.
Vegan nodded. “There is something different about you, Nikki. What’s going on?”
Huh, she’d forgotten how sharp these girls were. She concentrated on the T-shirt and tried to smooth the new wrinkles the hugs had created. “Nothing,” she lied. “I’m just … happy to be back.”
Winter crossed her arms over her ribs, her wide gold-and-silver bracelet shining. “Uh huh.”
Nikki blinked. “Really. And there’s Mace.”
Vegan sighed, hand to her heart. “You and Mace make a great couple.”
Nikki bit her cheek. Don’t go there. “Now, you mean.” Oops.
Vegan tilted her head, confusion flickering in her eyes.
Nikki couldn’t stop the words. Fact was, it wasn’t that long ago that these two girls were agreeing with Glimmer that Nikki should go away. “We make a great couple now that I’m a Halfling.”
The girls shared a look.
“I heard you. When we were at Viennesse and Glimmer was going on about how I should just disappear.” Nikki pointed to Vegan. “I thought you’d come to my rescue, but you didn’t.”
Vegan’s face fell. “I should have, Nikki.”
Winter took Nikki’s hand and led her to the edge of the bed. Nikki’s other hand was fisted around the shirt that now had little hope of ever being wrinkle-free again. Winter sat and pulled Nikki down beside her. “We owe you an apology. We were all really scared for Mace, because of the penalty of falling for a human. It wasn’t you, Nikki. We didn’t dislike you.”
She squeezed Winter’s cold hand. “I know.” How could she possibly stay angry at these girls? They’d put themselves between her and harm over and over again. Running into battle to face hell hounds so Nikki could e
scape. Being angry at them, even for a few minutes, seemed one step beyond petty.
Winter and Vegan waited, as if hanging on her response. That was strange too, because she didn’t feel she’d done anything to warrant their loyalty or their friendship. Yet her feelings mattered to them. She didn’t quite know what to do with that, so Nikki fell back and let her shoulders press against the bed. Her shoulders. Where her wings were. A big part of her wanted to tell them. To show them, snap her wings open and watch their faces. But Vegan interrupted her thoughts.
“I have a present for you.”
Nikki leaned up, excited.
Vegan held out a necklace like the one she’d presented the day they all met.
Nikki’s eyes watered a little. Gah. “Vegan, I lost mine. I’d removed it at Vessler’s house and he must have taken it.”
Vegan smiled sweetly. “I know. I noticed you’d not been wearing it, and figured with all you’ve been through it must be gone. This works the same as the last one.”
Nikki put the shell-shaped amulet to her mouth and blew.
Vegan and Winter clamped their hands over their ears, but Nikki heard nothing. “Okay, okay,” Vegan said. “It works.”
“Why can’t I hear it?” Nikki blew it lightly again and listened close. Nothing.
“We’ve trained ourselves to hear it. We’ll teach you, Nikki.” When Vegan gave her the first necklace, she’d explained it would summon her, Winter, and Glimmer if Nikki ever needed their help.
Nikki nodded. Glimmer came screeching around the door, golden-polished fingernails clamped on the doorjamb. She stopped, a look of expectancy on her face.
The girls inside the room laughed.
Avenger Page 14
