A Caress of Wings (7 page)

Chapter 9

Siobhán couldn’t believe she’d forgotten how impressive Gadara Tower was. Located on Harbor Boulevard south of Katella, the gleaming glass skyscraper was the headquarters of the archangel whose territory encompassed all of North America.

As she stepped out of the elevator car that had brought her up from the subterranean garage, Siobhán noted the gold-veined marble floors and the congestion of the lobby, which proved the health of Raguel Gadara’s many business interests. The hum of conversation and the industrious whirring of the glass tube elevators lent an energy to the sun-drenched space.

Fifty floors above her, a massive skylight invited the warmth of the sun into the lush atrium and kept spirits high. Raguel had become a master at manipulating human emotion over time, a skill that ensured that his real estate, hospitality, and entertainment empire was always newsworthy.

She went straight to the reception desk, offering a smile to the young man who greeted her enthusiastically. During the drive over, she’d decided it would be best not to see Trevor at all. He was on a good path, one that would ensure he was kept safe and comfortable. There was nothing to be gained by seeing each other again, except pain and regret for her.

“I have a package for Trevor Descansos.” She pulled the envelope out from where she’d tucked it into her waistband at the small of her back. “If you could see that he gets it . . .”

“Of course.” Jansen—as his badge read—searched for Trevor’s name in the computer and typed a quick note into the system. “Would you like to leave your name?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m just a courier.” She signed where he indicated on a clipboard, then stepped back.

She was halfway to the elevators when she heard Trevor’s laugh. The rich, deep sound rolled over her senses with such vibrancy it made the thrum of noise in the atrium fade to insignificance.

Her head turned without volition, her gaze seeking and finding him walking beside a pretty, smiling blonde. He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a wheeled carryon rolling behind him. He’d filled out, his body once again big and lean, his face breathtaking in its beauty. He looked fit and as happy as she’d hoped he would be.

Her chest ached unbearably at the sight of him, constricting her breathing. He was grinning down at the woman beside him, his eyes bright and his charm evident. The blonde was riveted, her attention focused solely on him.

Gasping for a deep breath, Siobhán forced herself to look away and continue toward the elevator, fighting an unknown stinging in her eyes that made her feel terribly exposed. She hated the pretty woman who could enjoy Trevor without restriction, and she hated herself for feeling that way. If the blonde made him happy, Siobhán wanted to be happy, too. She
should
be, if she hadn’t fallen so far from grace.

Stabbing her finger into the call button for the elevator, she willed the car to hurry so she could retreat into privacy. As the doors slid open, she rushed inside, affording herself one last look at him.

He’d stopped and was staring directly at her.

Her breath caught and her heart ceased beating for an endless moment.
No,
she thought.
Please don’t remember me.

“Hold the elevator!” he shouted across the distance between them, lunging into motion.

Spurred by the need for flight, she pushed the button to close the doors, seeing his jaw set with determination as the two halves slid together and shut him out. Siobhán sagged heavily into the brass handrail of the moving car, her chest heaving. It had been a mistake to come. He’d been fine. She’d been fine. Coming here had only stirred things up again.

When the elevator arrived on the garage level, she stepped out into the cool, dark space and headed toward her vehicle, her blood rushing through her ears. The outrageously powerful response of her body to emotions she shouldn’t be capable of feeling rattled the very foundations of who she’d been created to be. Because of
him
. Because being around Trevor did something to her she couldn’t fight or control.

“Hey! Hold up.”

She stumbled, startled to hear Trevor calling out behind her. The pounding of his booted feet grew louder as he drew closer at a dead run. She faced him, feeling almost dizzy with delight that he’d come after her . . . followed swiftly by fear of what the consequences could be.

He was dressed in navy cargo pants and matching T-shirt, looking very much like the EMT he was. His hair had grown long enough to touch his collar in the back and drape over his forehead in the front. Her hands clenched against the desire to touch it again, to see how it felt with its new length. He’d ditched his luggage somewhere. And the pretty blonde.

He skidded to a halt in front of her and grinned. “Hi.”

She looked up at him, unable to resist smiling back. His eyes were bright and his mood boisterous. “Hi.”

He held his hand out to her. “Trevor Descansos.”

“Siobhán.” She shook his hand, feeling a tingle race up her arm from his touch. She abruptly remembered the taste of him and the power of his kiss.

“Shiv-awn,” he repeated, caressing her name with his voice. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.” She loosened her grip on him, but he wouldn’t let go.

“I know this is abrupt, but do you have time for coffee? Or lunch? Or anything?”

Something fluttered in her stomach. “I’m sorry. Have we met before?”

“No,” he said emphatically. “Trust me, I’d remember. I saw you and you hit me like a two-by-four between the eyes. I know that sounds like a line, but I’m serious. So take pity on me and give me a few minutes of your time. Or a few hours. Could I talk you into a few days? Maybe a week or few?”

She laughed, couldn’t help it. “Don’t you have plans?”

His brows rose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You had luggage.”

“So you did see me.” Trevor pulled their joined hands up to rest over his heart. “I’m crushed. You ditched me.”

“You had someone with you.” She didn’t mean to sound piqued.

“Don’t be jealous. I was waiting for you. My whole life, I think. So . . . coffee? A meal?”

“Your plans . . . ?” Her fingers flexed against his chest, feeling the hardness of his pectoral muscle and the warmth of his skin. He smelled wonderful and looked even better. His angel blue eyes were so deep and inviting she could drown in them if she wasn’t careful.

Dear God, she’d missed him so much more than she could make excuses for.

“Plans. Yes,” he murmured, stepping closer. “I have some. I’ll have to change them. I can’t go there when you’re here.”

“Go where?”

“Anywhere you’re not. I might sound crazy, but you’re about to walk away and I don’t know who you are or where to find you, and if I can’t find you again I’m pretty sure I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Siobhán sucked in a deep, shaky breath. “I’m sorry, but I have to decline.”

He caught up her left hand and looked at it. “No ring. Not married, right? I knew you couldn’t be. Whoever he is, Siobhán, he’s not the right one for you.”

“You’re awfully sure of yourself,” she said softly, enjoying him. And yet she knew it was wrong. Trevor didn’t know anything about her or what she was.
She
had to be the responsible one and walk away.

It had never been so hard to be responsible.

“As a rule, yes,” he agreed. “But this is different. Give me a chance and I’ll prove it.”

“I really can’t . . . It wouldn’t work out.”

“Siobhán.” He looked into her eyes, his voice fervent and earnest. “I believe everything happens for a reason. There’s a reason we found each other today, a reason why we’re throwing sparks off of each other. We can’t just walk away from that because it’s inconvenient. If you do, you’re going to look back on this someday and you’re going to be sorry.”

What if he’s right?
a little voice in her head wondered. Before she’d wiped his memory he’d said he would be attracted to her even without the connection they’d forged when she rescued him. It seemed that was true.

Just to be certain, she reached into his mind and felt the piercing rush of feeling he’d experienced when he saw her in the lobby. It had been a sudden kick of primal recognition that had nothing to do with memory, which meant it would be impossible to prevent him from being drawn to her no matter what she did. Moreover, Adrian and Lindsay proved that it didn’t matter what stood in the way—if two souls were meant to find each other, they would.

Running from Trevor wasn’t the answer. She had to make sure he didn’t want to hunt her down.

“I can’t go with you right now,” she heard herself saying. “I have work this afternoon. People are waiting for me.”

“Dinner, then.”

“I’ll be in Ontario.”

“Ontario, California?”

She nodded.

“That’s fine. I’ll come to you. Tell me where. Seven o’clock okay?”

“Okay,” she breathed, feeling as if she was about to step off a cliff without her wings. “The Elephant Bar in Montclair.”

“I’ll find it.” His gaze darted over her face. “Promise me you’ll be there.”

Siobhán felt her lips curling into a smile. “You don’t trust me.”

“You look scared. You don’t have to be. I’d never hurt you, and I won’t let anyone else hurt you, either.”

Despite her turmoil and weakness for him, it was so good to see him whole and strong and confident. He was so powerfully vital, a potent force of nature.

“Trevor. You have to understand. You and me . . . It can’t happen. My job won’t allow it. Ever.”

“Jobs can change.”

“Not mine. I was born to do it. There’s no other choice for me.”

He smiled and pulled out his cell phone. “Let’s just start with dinner, okay? What’s your number?”

She gave it to him and he texted her, watching as she pulled her cell out of her pocket to read,
7 at the Elephant Bar w/Trevor.

“Now you’ve got my number, too,” he said. “Promise me you’ll be there.”

“I promise.”

He backed away, looking boyishly anticipatory and darkly handsome. “Seven o’clock, Siobhán. But I won’t mind if you show up early. You can show up late, too, and I’ll still be waiting, but I’d rather you didn’t. It’s going to be hard enough waiting the next four hours.”

“Bye, Trevor.”

“Try ‘see you soon’ instead. That sounds better.”

She found herself blowing him a kiss, a completely spontaneous gesture that shocked her as much as it seemed to shock him.

“Can I talk you into a real one of those?” he asked, his voice husky.

“Seven. I’ll see you then.” She was smiling when she got to her car. She smiled all the way back to the Point. It was only when she passed through the gate that reality hit her hard enough to somber her mood.

She was falling for a mortal. She was falling, period.

*  *  *

“This is harder than I thought it would be,” Siobhán murmured, looking through the viewing window at the three vamps being held in cages. Two males and one female. All young—only a couple decades past the fledgling stage. “I have to infect them and watch the illness take them over, and I can’t put them to sleep like the others because I need to monitor how long they retain higher brain function. I can only pray the progression of the illness isn’t too painful.”

Carriden set his big hand on her shoulder. “We’ll heal them with our blood when the time comes.”

“If we don’t lose them first.” She set her hand over his, feeling guilty that she’d be leaving soon to see Trevor. Her one comfort was the knowledge that once she infected the vampires, she would be confined to the infirmary and lab indefinitely. There would be no chance for Trevor to see her again.

“These three were part of a cabal in Anaheim,” she said softly, referring to a family-type unit of vampires. “They’d traveled away for fun and returned to find all their friends slaughtered. Damien’s investigating.”

“Someone else took them out? It wasn’t us?”

“It’s not an order either Adrian or Damien gave.” She mulled her emotional response—the emotions she shouldn’t be feeling—to the plight of the three vamps. They were clearly distressed and that affected her. “Everything’s falling apart. The lycans are in the wind, the vampires are ravaged by this disease, and presently we’re the only cure. There are times when I wonder if the end is nigh. If this delicate balance between the three factions has finally crumbled.”

“If it has, we’ll go down in a blaze of glory.”

She faced him, shaking her head with a smile. “That simple, cowboy?”

“Sure.”

“Since I’m going to be trapped in the lab for a while, I’m heading out to shop and pick up some things to keep me occupied and comfortable. Probably buy some bath stuff, maybe some hair dye. Books and fashion magazines, too.” Siobhán deliberately elaborated on her purchases to keep him from volunteering to come with her. “Need anything?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Okay. When I get back, we’ll get things going.”

His head tilted to one side. “You seem better today. More upbeat.”