Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1)

by Melanie Nilles

  Outside, the cold air chilled away the tears. She ran across the icy lawns to her door.

  * * *

  How he ever made it back without being seen, Pallin could only count his luck. And his back ached. And his wrist. And his chest. The Keeper had used his powers for attack, something his superiors had warned could happen in a tight situation. He should have been better prepared. Next time he would be.

  But now, he needed to rest and heal. His wings were bruised. A number of feathers had to be pulled for regrowth.

  He should never have underestimated the Keepers. The girl he managed without trouble, but Elis was another matter.

  [Elis...It couldn't be the missing child.] Was that it? Was that how Saffir had hidden Sarilov Naolis's and Jasheir Menara's second child? They had never found him after Naolis sacrificed his crystal shard to Heffin's Gate. The son had disappeared without a trace. [Very clever.]

  What better justice could Pallin have asked than to finish the job from two years ago? All but one of the family of Keepers had been captured. Under his commander's orders, Captain Montran Pallin had tortured the women to convince Naolis to cooperate. They had killed them all in the end. Now he had the chance to clean up the last detail, and he had snarled it.

  Not again. Elis would not escape. As part of Pallin's mission, he would clean up the job from two years ago.

  Someone pounded on the door. Not again. Couldn't that woman leave him alone? "Go away."

  "Pallin?"

  Any other time he might welcome her intrusion. He needed the touch of a female, just as any man did. At least with humans, he didn't have to worry about bonding. That only happened between two Inari, although the occasional single nights with his own kind weren't a problem.

  But these human women—or was it just this one?—could be tenacious. Nina Russet could make herself a pest.

  "Pallin. I want to talk about last night. What happened with you and Elis? And those two girls, Pallin. What were you doing with them? Please. Open the door so we can talk?"

  Crystal fire. Maybe he should have stayed at the house. But that would have looked more suspicious. He had tried to trap Elis to kill him but failed. Had he succeeded, he could have let Raea go until the portal opened. Taking her back would have been no problem with Elis out of the way, especially when she would have no memory of what happened. Now, he still had to figure out how to take the Keeper out of the picture, or at least keep him from interfering.

  Maybe Nina could help. She was there to learn about her "Dark Angel". Maybe the truth could work to his advantage.

  If not, one more death before he left would be one less problem for Prime Commander Loran and the others on that world.

  He rolled out of bed, tucking his yellow wings close to him. He still wore the black flight suit and coat but no gloves. He stood behind the door and opened it, peering around. Good. Nina was alone. "Come in."

  "I'm so glad you're okay."

  He closed the door immediately after she stepped in.

  "But— What the hell?" She stumbled back.

  Pallin stepped away from the wall and opened his wings.

  "What are you? You're one of them! Why didn't you— I mean, why are you here? Why now? What's going on?"

  With a light hand, he guided her to the bed and sat her down. "I am here, a soldier of Inar'Ahben, to capture...criminals. Raea and Elis."

  "What? I knew something was going on. They were the angels I saw. But how did you hide those wings? I mean, we were both naked. How do they hide?"

  "It is special ability. They...have crystal I need. Padina stole from our world and gave to Raea." He pulled the wings tight behind him, making them all but invisible from the front. That brought her attention to his face. "Crystal is power. Keepers have all power." All the power they didn't deserve. They hadn't earned it. They were born with it and the crystal keepers hoarded it amongst themselves rather than let Heffin's Gate manage it to the benefit of all Inari.

  "Do you mean that crystal Raea wears?"

  "Yes. It is Starfire. It is danger to destroy many worlds."

  "So...you're not angels? You're aliens, like real extraterrestrial aliens?"

  "Yes."

  "This is incredible! Tell me everything."

  Pallin didn't hold back his grin. He explained how Keepers had been coming to Earth and interfering with human lives. He told her about his empress and her desire to unite their world and to one day expose their kind to the governments of Earth, when humans were ready. As he expected, Nina asked for details on everything. Some he couldn't give. Others were mundane topics about his world.

  Then she returned to the matter. "Elis is this Dark Angel figure. But if he's dangerous, why did he help people?"

  "Keepers make humans believe in angels. It is lie. He has powers to kill."

  "Yeah. I've seen it." For a few seconds, she stared into her own thoughts. "But where was he going last night?"

  "I take Raea to trap him. He tried to kill me, but I lived."

  "I'm glad you survived. Now, tell me from start to finish what happened last night?"

  He told her what he had done, after discovering the effects of alcohol on their systems, and how he had disabled Raea's friend to keep her safe while he lured Elis out to an abandoned house in the country. When he described the fight, she never blinked but listened with undivided attention to his every word. He showed her the burned wrist, which she studied in detail.

  "Unbelievable. He seems so calm."

  "You say nothing to anyone? This is mission I must finish. They know now I am Shirukan. I have two days and difficult. Must heal first."

  "I suppose. Maybe I can help."

  Her enthusiasm matched his expectations. Now, to pull her in with a plan.

  Where Angels Live

  "Raea. Come downstairs, please."

  Now what? She'd barely showered and dressed. The boys weren't even awake to get ready for church. Raea hoped for more time alone. Too many ideas floated around her head. Mostly, she had to figure out what to do about Elis.

  "What is it?" Raea shuffled to the stairs, where she could look out over the whole main floor. Debbie stood at the door with a police officer.

  "Deputy Sandaman would like to get a statement from you."

  The cops. This had to be about last night. What could she tell them? Nothing, really. She'd been unconscious.

  "Coming." Better to get this over with so she could get on with her life. She stopped in the entry with Debbie.

  "Miss Dahlrich?"

  "Yes?"

  "I need some information from you. I'd like your statement about what happened last night."

  "Okay. But I was unconscious most of the time."

  "Most of the time? What do you remember, Miss Dahlrich?"

  He flipped a sheet on his pad and stood ready with a pen. She told him what she knew.

  "That's it? You don't remember anything after the drink? Nothing at all?"

  "No. Not until I woke up at a friend's."

  "How did you get there?"

  "I was unconscious. How would I know?"

  "Who is this friend and where is their residence?" He waited with pen in hand.

  "Elis Jasheir. He lives in the yellow house next door. Why?"

  "Did this Pallin do anything to you?"

  "I don't know."

  "Would you be willing to submit to medical testing?"

  "Why?" She didn't like the sound of that. What was he getting at? She looked at her aunt, who shrugged.

  "Ma'am, not to be insensitive, but in these cases, we like to be sure we're not also dealing with rape. If, while you were unconscious, he committed any sexual misconduct, we would like to have physical evidence. Have you showered today?"

  "Yes."

  He made a note on his pad. "That makes things more difficult."

  The thought of being raped while unconscious left Raea with a dirty feeling. What if Pallin had done something? A few hours had passed before Elis rescued her.

&n
bsp; No. She didn't want to think about it. She hated the suggestion. "I don't want to know." She wanted to forget the officer even suggested it. Pallin wouldn't do anything like that. He just wanted the Starfire crystal.

  "You're sure? If there's anything, we can put this guy away. If not, I don't have much to hold him. It's your choice, but without trying, you give that up. Do you want that?"

  Debbie's arm around her pulled her close. Raea buried her face in her aunt's shoulder. Pallin couldn't have touched her like that. Could he? Oh, God. She didn't want to think about it. She needed another shower now. The very idea made her sick.

  The thought of him getting let off on a lesser charge scared her, but she didn't want to know if he did anything. "No. I won't. I can't."

  "Are you sure, Raea?" Debbie's quiet voice did nothing to calm her. "If he molested you, this is your chance for justice, and to put him away where he can't hurt you."

  "No. I don't want to know." And she didn't want anyone to figure out she wasn't human.

  Deputy Sandaman closed his pad. "All right. I can't force you. I'm sorry for what happened. Thank you for your time, Miss Dahlrich. Mrs. Logan." He tipped his head to Debbie and let himself out.

  "You all right?" Debbie hugged her tightly.

  "Yeah, but...what if that Deputy Sandaman was right? What if Pallin did something like…rape me? I wouldn't even know." She shuddered to say it.

  "Don't think about it."

  How could she not think about it? Not until Pallin and all his Shirukan were gone and left her alone could she forget.

  More than ever, Raea needed Elis. She hadn't been raped. Pallin couldn't have.

  Raea wanted to forget the last ten days. Had it only been ten? It seemed like a lifetime had passed. She had changed so much in that time that a lifetime could have passed. She felt like she lived another life, someone else's. This wasn't her life.

  That life was so much easier. Thinking Elis was creepy and avoiding him. Believing without a doubt she was human. Having no secrets to hide, or nosy reporters to avoid. Never meeting Pallin.

  She hurried to her room and shoved her face into her pillow. This was Pallin's fault. And the Starfire's. She wished she'd never met him, that her mother had never passed the crystal to her. That she'd never been born.

  Everything had gone to hell. She'd take Chad's teasing just to live her old life again.

  What about Elis? She hoped he felt better. He suffered because of her. Why did he risk so much for her? She could call him. In fact, she wanted to see him, to know if he had feelings for her. She needed him now more than ever. What would she say, though? What could she do?

  She was afraid to find out he didn't. Just do it. Elis was wounded rescuing her, but his job was to protect and train her. That's all. Or was it? He said Pallin drugged her and knocked out Linds. But why hadn't he brought her home?

  His wings.

  Right. He couldn't expose his wings. He had done nothing to hurt her in the last week. Elis had been a gentleman. He was a friend and a teacher.

  Dammitall! She wouldn't have any peace of mind until she talked to him, until she found out. She wished that officer had never suggested the possibility of rape. It made her need Elis more than any other time, for the comfort and peace he brought to her. But he might not want to give her that comfort.

  Raea picked up the phone in her room and dialed. Here went everything.

  After a few rings, Evelyn answered. "Hello?"

  "Yeah. How's Elis?"

  "Is this Raea?"

  "Yes."

  "Let me check, dear."

  Raea bit her lip and listened. Over the phone she heard Evelyn's muffled call to him. Hurry up, before I lose my nerve.

  After what seemed an eternity, Evelyn's cheerful voice came back. "He's coming, dear. Hold on."

  "Thanks." She waited, her nerves snapping like live wires.

  "Hello?" His voice was coarse, like he'd just waken up.

  "Elis? How are you doing?" She swallowed her heart back down.

  "Better. Still sore. How are you?"

  "Fine."

  "Good, then the healing is complete. I forgot to ask earlier, but you ran out so fast."

  "Healing? What healing?" Had she been injured?

  "Pallin had you hanging by your wrists from the floor supports in the basement of the Lake house."

  "He did?"

  "He didn't care how beat up you were, by the looks of things."

  "Um...yeah. I was wondering about that. Do you think he might have...um..." She cleared her throat to free the words that stuck there. "Like...raped me while I was unconscious." The last words rushed out before she could stop herself.

  Silence hung on the phone, broken only by a heavy breath. "There's one way to know." He sounded bitter. ["Find the resonance and use it to contact the Starfire. Think back to last night and let it fill in the gaps after you were unconscious. And let me know."]

  The Starfire? Could it show her what happened? It had shown her scenes of her mother's life. Did she want to know the truth?

  Yes. Maybe. If Pallin had done anything to her, she should know. But part of her didn't want to think of him raping her, or see it happen. If she saw it, she would always remember. She didn't want to remember anything like that.

  ["I'll try."]

  ["Do it!"]

  Yikes. She'd never heard him so upset before. "Okay. I'll work on it."

  "I'm sorry; I'm not mad at you. It's Pallin and his kind."

  "I understand." The Shirukan had killed his family. Finding one of them here and not being able to do much about it without bringing attention on himself must have really hurt.

  "I'll let you go to work on it."

  So much for asking about how he felt. But he cared enough to be mad about Pallin possibly doing worse to her. He cared. "Thanks, Elis."

  "You're welcome."

  She clicked off the phone. What had Pallin done? Had he really hung her by her wrists?

  Raea examined her wrists but saw nothing. Elis had healed her, at least physically.

  What if Pallin had raped her? No. He couldn't have. Could he?

  Raea sat back against the head of her bed and stuffed a pillow in her lap. The Starfire could show her what happened. If Pallin had done nothing, they could reassure her. But if he had, she didn't want to know.

  She had to try. If nothing else, it might bring her closer to understanding the Starfire entities.

  Raea took a deep breath and sat up. The resonance came with little effort. Her whole body vibrated with a faint pitch, or so it felt like. She closed her eyes and let it rise with the heat.

  Voices formed in unison from the perfect harmony: WE HEAR YOU.

  Raea gasped and lost the resonance. The words came as a feeling rather than as spoken words, but with a meaning. She had never heard them like that. The times they had risen up had always been in discord.

  She had to try again. This time she found the resonance and thought of what she wanted—last night. A part of her resisted, but she pushed through it.

  Pallin knelt over her, dressed completely in black, a smirk on his face. ["You're all mine, Keeper. Once we dispose of the other, you'll come back to Naviketan and face the machine. But we have some time."]

  The images blurred and jumped to him carrying her through the air. They landed at the Lake farmhouse. He opened the door and threw her over his shoulder. In the dark house, he found his way to the basement and flicked on a light switch. They descended into an unfinished area piled with boxes and miscellaneous items. A white chest freezer stood out at the bottom of the stairs.

  ["Now to set the trap."] Pallin set her down and tied her wrists with a rope, tossed the loose end over a beam of the floor supports for the main level above and hoisted her up. ["The bait is ready."]

  He prepared an area and waited, using the freezer as a chair.

  Soon Elis appeared, or it had to be him. The black wings lifting from the shadow at the top of the stairs could only belong to him. He
stepped into the light, they exchanged words and fought.

  When it ended, Elis untied her and lowered her to the ground. Tears trickled down his cheeks. ["You're safe now."] He kissed her cheek and held her close. ["I'm sorry."]

  He cradled her in his arms and carried her out, pausing frequently, his breathing heavy. Outside, he lifted into the night and flew her to Evelyn's back yard. Rather than taking her to her own home, he carried her inside and up the stairs, where he laid her in his bed and covered her. Seconds later, he crashed on the other side of the bed, blood crusting over a rip in his coat.

  Raea woke up from the vision and hugged her pillow close. Elis cared for her. The way he held her, and kissed her—he kissed her cheek—said more than his words. Why didn't he tell her? Or was this something other than the romantic feelings she had for him? But why would he kiss her cheek and hold her tight like in the vision if he didn't feel that way?

  But the skip. Why had the vision jumped from the early moments after her collapse to later? Was there something the Starfire didn't want her to see? Maybe she should leave it alone. If Pallin did something to her, it might be better not to know.

  No. She had to try again.

  The vision still skipped. Why?

  What did it mean? Did the Starfire fail her?

  Elis might know. And now she wanted to see him more than ever. Did he like her as more than a friend? Why had he kissed her?

  She wouldn't rest until she knew. Her feelings for him pushed her to the hope inspired by the vision. She rushed from her room through an empty house. Everyone had left for church.

  Like earlier that morning, she slipped her shoes on, and without tying them, stepped out into the chilly air. A quick race down the steps and across the lawn brought her to the front door of the yellow house.

  Raea knocked once and paused. If Debbie was at church, Evelyn would be too. They attended the same church. It was one of the reasons Raea rarely went—Elis always joined Evelyn, and Raea had always hoped to avoid him.

  Until now.