"It's not normal, no." He scanned the pages.
"Why doesn't he want you to investigate then?"
Cole glanced at her, and a trace of pain lined the planes of his face. "Since the Araneum is the most heavily guarded Leyline site on the planet, its location is a secret, and because of that, the Daemoneum are always searching for it."
"Makes sense. Wouldn't they want extra eyes helping? Make sure it stays hidden?"
Cole released a breath. "There are only a few Primordial in the world who know its location, and they're the ones guarding it." He rubbed his forehead. "Three years ago there was an attack on the site. It was unsuccessful, thankfully, but a lot of people died." He paused. "My dad was one of them. And my mom disappeared during the attack. Principals have been searching, but there’s been no trace.” His gaze went toward the table top.
Kade let out a breath. "Cole...I’m, god, Cole I’m so sorry.” She squeezed his arm.
“Thanks.” He put his hand over hers. “Anyway, the Warden was convinced the attack was related to my parents being there, and now that it's come up again he's worried I have my own agenda, and I'm out to prove something, or take my revenge."
"Are you?"
He didn't answer the question. "I want you to look at something." Flipping to one of the pages, he turned the book to face her. "Have you ever seen this before?"
The egg with the serpent coiled around it looked back at her. "Et mortali spiram."
Cole stared at her, eyes darkening. "Say that again."
"Et mortali spiram."
He leaned in close to her mouth. "That is the sexiest thing I have ever heard."
She burst out laughing. "Latin or the Mortal Coil?"
"Latin, off your lips, definitely Latin.” He kissed her.
"You've heard that language all your life." She grinned against his lips.
"Not from your mouth." He kissed her again. "Maybe you need to stick to English."
"Anyway." She blushed. "This is the symbol of the Devil's Children. The snake coiled around the egg." Kade pointed to the picture. "I'm sure you know that."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've seen it. Dracon has a ring with that symbol on it, and I asked what it meant once."
"And?"
She shrugged. "The gift of life ends in death. From Shakespeare."
"The Daemoneum referencing Shakespeare," Cole chuckled. "That's new. I’ll have to up my game. What else?"
"He said something about a nexus and the beginning of a new world."
"The Nexus?"
"As opposed to some other nexus?" She lifted a brow.
He kissed her again. "I love your smart mouth. And yes, there is only one nexus that matters to us. Nexus is another word for Araneum, or spider's web. The entire Leyline network protecting the Mortal Plane. They're all the same."
"I guess that's probably what he meant then."
"Anything else?"
"He said something about the stars and moon aligning. He always said weird stuff like that, and honestly, I never knew what any of it meant. But, wait..." Kade stared at him. "That symbol, Et mortali spiram, it rests above the doors into Crystalline." She zoned out for a second. "Which makes sense because..."
"Because the Nefarius were there," Cole answered her thought. "Danny and I tracked them there from an abandoned church in Salt Lake City the night we met."
"Utah?"
"Utah. That's where we found the fusionem crystal. In the balcony of an abandoned church."
Kade's mouth fell open. "You mean...where I told you I used to play?"
"Not sure how many other fusionem crystals are in old church balconies in Salt Lake City. So, Crystalline? Looks like we found our first lead." Cole gathered the books. "We should get out of here before we have to explain why we're together to a house full of Primori." He stood up.
"But I'm a Primori," Kade pouted. "Somewhere inside of me."
"And whatever you do, don't ever forget that." He placed the books back into their appropriate places on the shelves. "No one will ever know we were here."
"You're kind of sneaky." She came up behind him.
"It's kind of my job to be." He turned to her.
"So, dating me undercover is no big deal to you."
"In regard to doing it without getting caught? No, it's not a big deal." He put his hand on her hip. "In regard to knowing that guys like Jake will continue to hit on you?" His other hand went to her waist. "In regard to not being able to shout to the world that I'm crazy about you, and that you're mine?"
She blushed.
"That part isn't easy at all." He pulled her toward him. "I hate that part."
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You know," he said. "I learned that an Anamolia was basically a demon. Beings who looked like angels but would rip your throat out the first second they got. But you." He kissed her forehead. "You may look like an angel, but the rest of it isn't you at all. Maybe some devil comes out when we're alone together,” he smirked, “but I kind of like that part."
She hit his arm lightly.
"What? It's true. Your whole body heats up like you're on fire, and—"
"Okay. I got it."
"I love that part." He kissed her softly.
"I'm glad you love that part," Kade whispered. "Because the next time I see Tiffany touch any part of you, the devil in me will make a real appearance."
Cole picked her up. "I never should have told you what you were," he said, walking them toward the door. "You're going to take full advantage now."
She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Isn't your bedroom somewhere in this building?"
Cole blushed that time.
***
Cole sent Danny a text to meet him downtown. Since Kade was now their official responsibility, no one would question why they were all together. And with Cole and Kade dating, Danny made the perfect shield.
The dark gray Toyota Tacoma sat parked in front of the The Brew as Cole and Kade pulled in. Danny smiled in a friendly way.
"Kade," he said as she exited Cole’s Jeep, and then directed his attention toward Cole. "What'd you find?" His eyes shifted between the two of them with a clear expression of disapproval.
"Let's go inside. Anyone could be out here." Cole glanced toward the trees lining the bricked walk, and he saw Kade's eyes come alive. He grinned. Birds were everywhere.
The coffee place was packed, so the three of them snagged the only table left near the window. Danny and Kade both ordered coffee, and Cole ordered orange juice.
"Orange juice?" Kade raised a brow.
"I told you, I don't like coffee." Sitting across from her, Cole gave her a “keep quiet and don't tease me in front of Danny” look.
Kade grinned.
"So?" Danny glanced between them. "What'd you find?"
"Kade's the Anamolia." Cole took a sip of juice.
Danny coughed into his hot coffee, and cursed, as it splashed him in the face. "Sorry?" He grabbed a napkin.
Cole nodded.
"Sorry?" Danny repeated.
Kade nodded, too, giving him a “who knew?” glance with a shrug.
"And you believe this because?"
"She showed me." Cole gave him a flat smile.
"She showed you what?" Danny gave him a suggestive grin.
"Jesus, I don't know who has a more perverted mind, you or Kade."
Kade was the one coughing into her coffee that time.
"Okay," Danny said. "Fess up. You guys have something going on."
"We do," Cole confirmed, drinking more juice.
"Good god, I know you're hot for her, but you know what the repercussions of dating her will be," he hissed.
"I do." Cole watched Kade's face bleed to red. He loved it when she blushed, and it made him want to switch seats with Danny so he could sit next to her.
"They'll kick you out of the Ward," Danny lowered his voice, staring across the table.
"I'm aware of that."
/>
"Cole—" Kade piped up.
He held a hand up. "Can we discuss our investigation now, and our love life later?"
"I want proof,” Danny said. “No offense, Kade, but this is a massive deal. If what Cole has told me about an Anamolia is true, we're going to have to hide you better than the Araneum."
She shrugged. "No offense taken."
"Okay, you can't show me here, so where to?"
"We could go to my house. My dad texted me that he'll be at the hospital late again."
"Why didn't you tell me that?" Cole complained. "I need to know that information the second you know it. It's not safe for you to be home alone."
Kade held her cell phone in her hand like a white flag. "He texted just a minute ago. You were talking."
"Oh. Sorry."
"So, Kade's, then?" Danny asked with an edge in his tone.
Cole scooted away from the table. "We'll meet you there."
***
Kade stood in the middle of her living room, white feathered wings hovering near the ceiling, red barbs and black spikes protruding from her face. Hands curved in on themselves into black talons, and feathers covered her torso. The rest of her body, and clothes, remained the same. Jeans, Converse, and long dark blond hair. So she was a strange combination of angel, human, and demon. Nothing good.
"Whoa." It was the fourth time Danny had said that. That had been the only word he'd said since she'd transformed into the Anamolia five minutes before.
It was like standing center stage in a play that she'd been forced to be in, and her only role was dressing up as the mute turnip, who did nothing, while her feet stuck out the bottom of the vegetable costume, and the audience stared, laughing.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Cole gazed at her from the couch, elbows resting on his knees, a possessive grin on his face.
Kade stared back. Beautiful? He hadn't said that the first time she'd turned into the Anamolia. He'd been sweet, said other sweet things, but he never said, beautiful, well, except the sparrow thing, but that didn't count.
She glanced down at herself, the weight of her heavy wings enclosing around the sides of her body, her facial protrusions showing in her periphery, unsure if maybe she'd slipped back into her human skin without realizing it. Nope. Still the monster.
"You are." Cole watched her, taking in her wings like she was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
She blushed. Hard.
"Well, beautiful isn't the word I'd use," Danny said. "But you're definitely something."
Something, Kade thought with a sigh. Like the turnip.
"So, what now?" Kade held her arms in air. "You see I'm what Cole said I am, what's the next step?"
Cole cleared his throat, but Danny spoke first. "Hiding you. Hiding you like we've never hidden anything before. The only positive here is that we have you, and the Daemoneum want you alive."
A chill rolled through Kade's body.
"Don't scare her, dumb ass." Cole crossed the room and stood beside Kade, wrapping a hand around her waist.
"I don't know where you're going to hide me," she said. "It's not like I can stop going to school. People will notice."
"There is a second positive, actually," Danny went on as if Kade hadn't said anything. "You're on our side. They're not going to like that."
"There's also a third," she said. "I don't want to disarm the Araneum, or whatever."
"There's no disarming it," Cole said. "They want you to dismantle it. Blow all the lines sky high. End life on Earth and the Celestial Plane. And you're more than capable." The awe in his voice was unmistakable. "So, my plan is going to sound completely insane, but this what we're going to do."
Danny sat on the couch.
Cole turned to Kade. "You're not safe here. At your house."
"You want her to live in one of the mines?" Danny laughed. "It's doable. I mean we could set her up—"
"Shut up, Dan. What I want, what we need to do, is going to be stupid risky, but we have to do it, and we have to convince a certain someone to go along with it, because if the Ward finds out about Kade it won't be good."
"What do you mean?" she asked. "They've been protecting me, having you and Danny and Giselle keep guard over me. I don't understand. Shouldn't the Ward be the first people we tell?"
"Until today, Anamolia were believed a myth. The Ward will want to run tests. I don't think you'd like it."
"Oh."
"Yeah. For now, I think it's best we keep you under wraps."
"So, who do we need to convince?" Danny's brow crunched.
"I know someone who's been dying to meet you since the day she realized I'd met you." Cole squeezed Kade's hand.
She glanced at him curiously.
"I need you to pack some clothes, whatever stuff you need to get by for a while." He headed toward the staircase.
"You've got to be kidding?" Danny's tone was flat.
"Not in the least." Cole was already halfway up the stairs.
Kade followed him. "What do you mean, pack some stuff to get by? I can't just leave my dad."
He turned, facing her, and cupped his hands under her jaw, fingers touching barbs. "How you've managed to stay here for this long has me completely baffled, but I promise you, your dad will not be any kind of shield to protect you when Dracon comes knocking, and he'll come." He stared into her eyes. "As much as I'd like to sit outside your window all night to make sure you're safe, and as strong as I am, what Dracon can bring, I can't defend on my own." He glanced down the stairs, and Danny popped up off the couch like he had springs attached to his feet.
"Let's get packing," he said.
Most of Kade's clothes were scattered everywhere, some in her closet, some in various unpacked boxes.
"Seriously?" Cole eyed her. "I've got to teach you the meaning of the word organized."
"I'm organized," she argued. "I know where everything is." She snatched clothes from various places around her room and bathroom, shoving them into half empty boxes. “I need to change.” She turned toward the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
"How much stuff do you need?" Danny complained from her bedroom.
"That depends," she snapped, opening the bedroom door, fully dressed in her human form. "Are you hiding me in some cave?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"No." Cole wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her close. "We're hiding you somewhere no one will ever think you are. The Brotherhood."
25
KADE STARED UP at the massive mountain house, and the lady, who she assumed was Plumb, standing on the front porch underneath the house light.
Cole nudged Kade's thigh. "Come on."
"I'm not even allowed to be here." She groaned.
"You were born a Primori. No one is going to be able to argue against that, so you belong here before you belong anywhere."
"But Tiffany's here. That's weird."
Cole gave a smug smile. "That's what you're worried about?"
She shrugged, staring at her lap. "Sort of. Where am I going to sleep? In the girl’s wing with a bunch of strangers and a girl who hates me?"
"You're jealous." His grin widened, the edge of his lip lifting into his cocky smile.
"Shut up."
"I kind of like that." He leaned over and kissed her neck. “I miss all the spikes,” he said with a roughness to his voice.
She ignored the comment. ”I'd rather stay at the Kinship," she pouted.
Cole backed up. "The Kinship? You'd rather stay at the Kinship? With Jake."
Kade burst out laughing. "Look who's jealous now."
He didn't crack a smile. Not even a hint.
She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth. "You are so sexy when you're jealous." His face flushed, but he didn't kiss her back. She laughed harder. "I meant I would rather stay with Giselle." She kissed him again.
"Mm hm." His mouth remained in a tight, straight line. Kade kissed under his jaw, down his neck, and felt his breath catch.
"I only want you. I thought we established that," she whispered.
Cole guided her mouth to his and kissed her, a deep, yearning kiss that made her blood speed. She moaned, and he smirked, pulling back. "Now, try to keep your hands to yourself when we jump out. It's gonna be an interesting night."
"But the sleeping arrangements? Didn't you hear me?"
"I always hear you." He hopped out of the Jeep and opened the trunk, lugging her stuff out.
"Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Plumb yelled from the porch. "You know I hate getting texts. Especially texts that include no pertinent information." She was dressed in a long kimono, with too-bright large flowers all over it.
With a deep breath, Kade opened her door.
Danny helped to haul the boxes out of the trunk.
"Is anyone going to answer me?" Plumb walked down the steps wearing Birkenstocks with white socks. "Or am I supposed to guess? And what's with all the boxes? You know I have nowhere to put—"
Kade came out from behind the Jeep and stood next to Cole. Plumb stopped talking.
"Oh." Her eyes widened, and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She glanced at Cole. "What...are you...is she? Kadence?"
"Yep." Cole stacked boxes on top of one another and balanced them on his shoulder. His jacket rode up exposing his bare stomach, and Kade couldn't take her eyes off of him. So inappropriate with Plumb staring at her as if she was some prized flower that showed up on her front lawn.
"Well, what...?" She rushed toward them, her Birkenstocks sinking into the slush. Her feet had to be frozen solid. “Kadence?" She smiled as she came closer.
"Hi." She wasn't sure what to say. This woman would likely be looking at her through very different eyes soon.
"I'm so excited to meet you!” Plumb threw her arms around Kade like she was the woman's long lost cousin. Kade hugged her back, stunned. She'd never known what it was to have a family. An aunt, or a mother, or a grandmother, and the way Plumb was squeezing her brought an unexpected sting to her eyes.
"Oh, my goodness. I'm Ms. Plumb, Penelope Plumb, but you can call me Plumb, everyone does. Who names their child Penelope?” She shook her head and stood back, eyeing Kade. "Look how gorgeous you are!” She hugged her again.
"Plumb," Cole yelled. "You're suffocating her."
CRYSTALLUM (The Primordial Principles Book 1) Page 29
