My fingers curled into fists. Only Calder’s cool hand on my arm held me back.
“You can’t. They’re watching,” he whispered, gesturing to the SUV.
Blaze stood by the vehicle, his disappointed frown louder than a thousand voices. The message was clear. I was crossing a line angels were never meant to cross, especially with the Nephilim. I knew I shouldn’t care for Karenna as much as I did. And yet, as I listened to Karenna’s soft laughter as she made her way to her seat, I knew it would be impossible for me to stop.
3
Tristan
“Howdy! Nice to meet you, sir.”
“May I say that’s a lovely blouse, ma’am. Brings out the color in your pretty eyes.”
“Here, let me help you lift that box, ma’am.”
I clutched the seatback as I listened to Hunter making his way to the back of the bus. Threads stretched and strained under the pressure, ripping apart the cheap vinyl covering each seat. Each greeting that came from the smooth cowboy’s mouth clawed at my nerves like a fork scraping across a plate. He shook everyone’s hand and made a point to give a compliment to everyone he met. Hunter was respectful, kind, polite. He was…perfect. He reminded me of Dorian.
Wisely, Calder had taken the first empty seat on the bus. He had insisted I take the window seat, thereby blocking me in. I might have been insulted, except the seat happened to be directly across from Dorian and Jo. Dorian’s annoyed expression was comical. He’d even switched places with Jo, despite selfishly having kept the window seat for himself the entire journey thus far.
“Hey there, cutie. Aren’t you as pretty as a peach?” Hunter said, patting the top of Gracie’s head.
Gracie giggled, her eyes lighting up as she pressed up against her mother, making space. “You can sit here with us, right Mom?”
“Ain’t that sweet. How neighborly of you. My compliments to you sir, ma’am, for raising such a fine child.” He tipped the front edge of his cowboy hat to Gracie’s parents. “Maybe you can help me sing some songs later. Would you like that?”
“Ooh, yes! I love singing.”
“Good. I’ll see you in a bit. I’ve got some business to take care of first.” His voice dropped into his chest, sounding husky, as he gazed at the back of the bus, watching Karenna.
Karenna pulled up her hair into a ponytail and tossed off her jacket. The heat inside of the bus caused her t-shirt to mold to her slender body. Loose tendrils of hair fell across dewy cheeks. She dug through the boxes of supplies and luggage, sitting in the back of the bus, oblivious to Hunter’s gaze.
He took in her every move—the way she rolled her shoulders, her chest lifting when she pulled them back, the gentle curve of her neck as she rolled her head, stretching. When she bent down to lift a box, she inhaled sharply. She jerked up, wincing as she reached behind her to rub the muscles at the back of her shoulder.
Hunter made a beeline for her, tossing his bag and guitar case on an empty seat. He drew up close behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Here, let me.”
Karenna gasped. “What are you doing?”
A red haze fell over my eyes. The steel frame of the seat I shared with Calder groaned under the pressure of my tightening fingers. Calder’s calm voice seemed to call out to me from a distance. All I could focus on was Karenna.
“Let me help you. Some say I have magic fingers if you know what I mean,” Hunter drawled, waggling his eyebrows.
“Thanks, but I’m…uh…oh…oh my god.” Karenna dropped her head, letting out a moan. The intimate sound tore through me, creating a fissure in my chest.
“You like that, don’t you?”
“Yes, it feels so good.”
“Tristan? Are you okay?” Calder asked.
I tore my eyes away from Karenna, who now sat on the edge of her seat, as Hunter massaged her shoulders. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not. I hear them too. Here. Go back there.”
“How did…?” I stared at the tube of superglue in the palm of his hand.
“I had a feeling something was up.” He smiled.
“I can’t step over the line. Blaze—”
“You’re trying to be helpful. That’s our job, isn’t it? To help humans?”
“Right, helpful. That’s all.” I snatched the tube out of his hand and made my way to Hunter before reason resurfaced. I was helping a person in need. It had nothing to do with the way the suave cowboy was touching Karenna.
“Were you looking for this?” I tossed the tube to her.
She caught it and beamed. “I was looking everywhere for that. Thank you.”
Karenna was too busy placing herself on the seat across from Hunter to notice the scowl flashing across his face.
“Lucky for us you found it,” he said.
“Yes, it was.” My eyes locked with his as I sat. I wasn’t falling for his Mr. Nice Guy act. He was up to something.
“Okay, Hunter, hand over your boot. Might as well take off both of them. From the looks of the other one, it could use some repairing too,” Karenna said.
“So, Tristan, tell me about the Revelationz,” Hunter drawled as he took off his boots and handed them to Karenna. “I bet the show was a chick magnet.”
The air grew still as Hunter looked me straight in the eye. I stiffened. Red heat flowed from the pit of my stomach to my fists. I fought the urge to flick out my wings and use them to knock the smirk off his face.
Karenna’s forehead wrinkled with intense concentration as she carefully spread the quick-drying liquid, unaware of our face-off.
Warring voices competed in my head. A small voice pleaded with me to go back and sit with Calder. I was crossing a line. I shouldn’t be jealous. Hunter was Gibbor and so was she.
No, this wasn’t jealousy. I was being cautious. He was a stranger. I would’ve protected any of the other girls on the bus just the same.
Wouldn’t I?
“Hunter, dear, come join us. I’m sure the children would love to hear some music.” Marmie’s strained voice broke the tension.
I blinked suddenly, noticing I was on the edge of the seat in a semi-crouch with arms spread. I had positioned myself into a power move I’d learned in combat training in the academy without even realizing it.
“Sure thing, Marmie. I’m ready and rarin’ to go,” Hunter replied, grinning wide. “And maybe Tristan could do some of his card tricks.”
“You little—” Before I could pounce, Hunter was padding down the aisle, guitar case in hand.
“Ankle socks. I don’t know any self-respecting cowboy who’d wear ankle socks.” Karenna chuckled, watching him. “Did you say something, Tristan?”
Yeah, Hunter’s a smooth-talking jackass.
Marmie caught my attention, her eyes drifted down to my fists. I let out a breath, flexing my fingers out.
Stupid. Careless fool.
I was supposed to be helping Karenna. I wasn’t Dorian staking a claim on my woman. It didn’t matter if Karenna was Gibbor. We could never be together. And here I was, acting like a jealous boyfriend when I had no right to. If Marmie had noticed, who else had?
I scanned the bus. Everyone’s attention seemed to be on Hunter. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned. He’d been on the bus for only a few minutes and, already, he had them eating out of the palm of his hand, Gibbor and human alike.
“I, uh…do you need any help?” I finally asked.
“I thought I saw some binder clips. Would you look for it? It’s probably in the box with Aunt Marmie’s name on it. Right there.”
“Sure.” I lifted the box and sifted through its contents. Anything to keep myself distracted from the oohs and ahhs Hunter was getting as he flashed his smile and took out his guitar.
Hunter strummed the guitar for a few moments before playing an upbeat country song I’d heard played frequently along the Vegas strip by sidewalk musicians.
The gloom that weighed on the bus over the last few days lifted. Voices, young and ol
d, joined with Hunter’s. Javi and Neto clapped off beat, making Jo laugh. Even Dorian appeared to be having fun as he tapped his fingers on the seatback.
Hunter swayed, leaning into each person, as he crooned about cloudy skies not breaking him and being given a fresh new start. Then the music shifted, and his tenor voice drifted above the others, singing about a boy spreading his wings and having to kiss a girl goodbye. My head jerked up and met his gaze. Each word cascaded from his mouth as if meant for me.
The wings beneath my shoulder blades vibrated angrily, demanding release.
With every ounce of strength, I turned away and dove into Marmie’s box with gusto. It was a hodgepodge of items—spatula, calculator, rotary phone, tongs, pasta maker. Pretty soon I was going to find a full-service tea set for eight.
“He’s very talented,” Karenna said, as she tapped her feet to the song.
My eye twitched. “I guess…ah, here we go. Binder clips.”
“Hand me one, please. So, you don’t like country music?”
“It’s okay.”
“You prefer rock music.”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“The entire Revelationz show had rock music. There!” She clipped the toe of the boot to its dilapidated sole and held it up, looking proud. “Not bad, huh.”
I chuckled. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Aunt Marmie, of course.” She picked up the other boot, examining it. “I was wondering if…” her cheeks grew pink, “Never mind.”
“What?”
“It’s not important.”
“Okay, now I have to know.” I sank on to the seat, positioning myself so no one could see her. I could feel Hunter’s eyes boring into my back. “We’re friends, remember? You can ask me anything.”
Slowly her lashes lifted, and soulful eyes gazed into mine. “Why did you start the Revelationz? I mean, the Watchers have been down here for a long time doing other types of jobs, preparing for war. It was like they were almost hiding, but you...and the social media…never mind. It’s none of my business.”
She turned her attention back to the boot, carefully dotting glue into the crevice.
My jaw clenched. In under ten minutes, Hunter had opened the door I thought I’d closed forever.
“It’s not what you think. I’m not a coward,” I said.
Her eyes flashed up to mine. “I didn’t say that! You are the bravest person I know. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, you should know.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“You’re right. I don’t have to tell you. I need to.” Nothing scared me more than having her think I was weak. “When I left home…no scratch that. I ran from there. My life had fallen apart. My mom, she…left. And Father, he…well, you know that story. I was empty, lost. When I came down and worked for Remi, I didn’t think I’d ever get back to my old self again. All the attention I got for simply walking down the street. It was an amazing feeling. I wanted more.”
“The girls…I get it. You don’t need to tell me more.” A hurt expression flashed over her face.
“There were no girls.”
She blinked. “I thought…everyone said…”
“We had lots of groupies come in and out of the greenroom. But I never…let’s just say rumors made for good publicity, but that was all it was, rumors.”
“Oh….” she gazed at me, bewildered.
“Even with all the attention, it was short lived. But when the applause died and I left the stage, I was empty again. At least with the Revelationz, I could pretend. Pretend that I mattered to someone.”
“You matter…to me.”
With those words, everyone around us disappeared and we were alone, only the woman I adored and me. I reached out, cupping her warm cheek.
“Since meeting you, I don’t feel empty anymore.”
She placed her hand over mine, holding my gaze. My heart thrummed against my chest, counting out the minutes her simple touch was keeping me captive.
A murmuring of male voices pierced the bubble encasing us, bringing me back to reality.
“It’s Erga.”
“She’s using Erga.”
“Yep, she’s definitely an Eljo.”
“But Aunt Marmie vouched for her.”
“Don’t care what she said. No angel would dare touch a Nephilim like that.”
Gracie’s father and two other Gibbor men glared in our direction.
4
Karenna
The bus jolted, waking me up for the dozenth time.
“Close the window, Lucy,” I muttered, reaching for the blanket I’d tossed off sometime in the night. The weather was chaotic. One day it was blazing and I could barely breathe in the stifling bus. The next it was so cold, I couldn’t stop shivering.
“Lucy?”
I listened out, waiting for her grumbling. There was nothing.
My eyes flashed open, and I jolted up. I scanned the dimly lit bus. Hunter slept a couple of seats away, his cowboy hat covering his face. His arms folded across his chest, hands underneath his armpits. His long legs stretched out to the middle of the aisle.
Then I remembered. Lucy was with Blaze. God help him. The handsome, brooding angel was no match for Lucy. She had him wrapped around her little finger.
I let out a breath and settled back into my seat. I pulled out an old mechanical clock I’d found in Aunt Marmie’s things. It didn’t look like it was ten in the morning. There was barely any light out. Would we ever see the sun again?
I gazed out into a sea of depressing gray. It was like we were actors in a black and white disaster movie. The cars along the highway, deserted buildings, even the small patches of grass looked gray.
We were desperate to catch a glimpse of the sun, and everyone was on edge. Thank goodness for Hunter. With a wink and a smile, he set everyone at ease, playing his guitar, making sure everyone on the bus sang along with him. The only person who refused was Tristan.
I sighed. Tristan had been acting strange since the moment we picked up Hunter. I knew I shouldn’t have asked him why he started the Revelationz. I thought he’d be okay with that. But since that day, he and Calder had stayed at the front of the bus, helping Nacho with the driving.
Tossing the blanket aside, I grabbed a few energy drinks and made my way to the front.
“Here, I brought you breakfast.” I tossed a can to Calder and passed the others to Tristan and Nacho.
Tristan waved his hand, his eyes continuing to scan the blanketed sky.
Nacho snatched his drink, taking a quick swig. He grimaced. “Uh, this stuff tastes like piss. Man, what I wouldn’t give for a chorizo and egg breakfast taco.”
My stomach grumbled in agreement. “Where are we?”
“We passed the Los Angeles city limits a while ago,” Tristan said.
My heart sank. With every town we had passed through, hope had thrummed in my chest that it had escaped the wrath of the angels. And each time, I had been wrong.
I swallowed down the sorrow threatening to spill over. The once vibrant metropolis was unrecognizable. Half-demolished buildings filled the skyline. Debris scattered the empty streets. It was like the other countless places we’d passed. Even the City of Angels hadn’t escaped.
“We’re almost there. Thank god.” I couldn’t bear to see it anymore.
Tristan snorted. “Yeah, thank god.” He slumped back into his seat and gazed out the window.
“What’s wrong?” I asked sitting next to him.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie. You’ve barely said a word to me in two days.”
“I’m not lying.” He turned to me, his face softening when our eyes met. “We need to talk.”
I sucked in a breath at the ominous tone of his voice. It felt like the other shoe was about to drop. Despite the chaos around us, I was having fun being with Tristan. Now it was changing. I sensed it. He was slipping away.
He reached out, his hand h
overing an inch over mine. Then he bit his lip and shoved his hands into his pockets. He closed his eyes, chest lifting as he took a shaky breath.
“Tristan?”
His dark lashes slowly lifted, revealing pained blue eyes.
“It’s been a wild ride, huh?” There was a forced lightness to his voice as he flashed one of his lopsided smiles.
“Yes, it has,” I said, not sure where he was going with this.
“Nacho said that Blaze told him to drive the bus to the port.”
“Why? What’s going to happen there?”
“I’m pretty sure we’re taking a ship to the safe haven. Look.” He pointed to a Los Angeles Cruise terminal sign.
“Wow.”
“When we get there, we might not see each other as much. It’s nothing you did,” he added quickly before I could question him. “Knowing Remi, he’ll put me straight to work. As if I know anything about ships.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he blinked several times. There was something he wasn’t telling me, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to.
“You’re going back with the angels?”
He paused, his eyes drifting down. “Yes.”
“Okay, you’ll be busy. I get it. But what about breaks? You promised to teach me Texas hold ’em. You’ll get breaks, right?”
He was silent for a moment. His head tilted slightly, listening, waiting for something. “Maybe.”
“Oh my, look at that. It’s the USS Iowa.” Tristan looked up, appearing relieved at the sound of Aunt Marmie’s voice.
Excitement filled the bus as everyone woke up and looked out. Nacho slowed the bus as he drove down a road lined with palm trees. In the distance, cranes jutted out into the sky. The majestic battleship sat in the harbor, a reminder of a time when the enemy could be defeated with the might of our military. It sat untouched amid all the destruction as if the warrior angels were taunting us. Our military’s might was no threat to them.
“Javi! Neto! Sit down! It’s not safe to be up when the bus is moving,” Jo cried out.
“Look, Nacho! Look at all the buses!” I took hold of Javi and Neto as they ran to the front. They jumped up and down, pointing out the window.
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