Avenger (2 page)

“He pulled me down when I reached to help him up.”

Mace chuckled. “And you said
his
move was a sucker punch? Seriously, Nikki, you fell for that?”

Her mouth cocked in a sheepish grin. “I should have known.”

“Yeah.” Mace ran a hand through his hair. He’d rather be running his fingers through hers, smoothing the messed-up strands, but that would only distract him. Though he itched to remove the blade of grass stuck in her hairline. “As soon as you felt him pull, you should have dove, caught him off guard. He wouldn’t expect it, and it may have given you a few seconds to get away. At the least it would have —”

“Given me the upper hand,” she said. Her brows dipped.

Thinking. Ah, he loved her when she was thinking. Beyond the glass door, another fight ensued. Deux and Vine this time. From what Mace could tell, the two looked pretty evenly matched. Go,
Vine
.

“Watch how Vine fights, always thinking ahead — always.” He laced his arm around her waist and pulled her close while she studied the two combatants.

She smiled. “Thanks for helping me. I think your judgment may finally be clearing.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Don’t be offended, Mace. It’s just that your opinions haven’t been the most sound where I’m concerned.”

“You mean trying to leap into an airplane filled with titanium, and then letting Vessler get away?”

“You were with me when the airplane landed. You couldn’t have known Vessler would make it out.”

The whole scene entered his mind like it did every night when he fell asleep. He could hear gunshots, knew Nikki was in the plane, but the titanium zapped his strength, making him unable to leap inside. The kryptonite-like metal had caused his wings to feel like giant anchors; the closer he got, the worse it was. Finally, he’d moved to the other side of the plane and spotted the open cargo door. He got Nikki to safety while Raven — his rival and brother-in-arms — followed the plane. Will had contacted the other Halflings, who’d met the plane when it landed outside of St. Louis.
Sorry, Vessler, no titanium wingcuffs for you
.

Nikki’s voice drew him out of the memory. “I really didn’t think I’d make it out alive. Vessler actually told me to leap to safety at one point. Like I have wings.”

“You’ll have wings, Nikki. You’ve tapped into your angelic power, so it’s just a matter of time now.”

He could see she didn’t believe it. “At least the titanium was intercepted. And thanks to you, Vessler was so wounded he’ll be out of commission for a while.”

When her body posture changed, he knew she’d gone back there in her mind as well. Tiny frowns appeared and disappeared on her face, each attached to a fact she’d not yet been able to accept. She’d shot Damon Vessler. Twice.

“You could have died, Nikki.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking, going after Vessler alone.” Ever since getting her back, Mace had watched closely, trying unsuccessfully to understand her actions. Her darker side had been shocking, and the confusion over what she’d briefly become was taking a toll on Nikki as well.

He tilted back to look at her. “I know I asked you this before, but do you think Vessler may have been putting something in your drinks?”

She stiffened. “Mace, I know you want to believe that. And I do too — more than you can imagine. But I’d been away from Vessler and his influence — potentially spiked beverages included — when I decided to go after him.”

“But Nikki —” Her fingers rose and rested against his lips.

She leaned in and placed her head against his heart. “I remember wondering if there might be something wrong with the water. He’d always fill my bottles for me. And once when I was finishing a cup of coffee, there was this little bubble of something in the bottom. I figured it had been dirty, but when I handed it to the housekeeper, she got really nervous.”

Against his chest, he felt Nikki squeeze her eyes shut. “I don’t know what he was doing to me. What I do know is, I have to be responsible for my actions. And I almost murdered Damon without a second thought.”

“It wasn’t you, Nikki. It had to be a product of whatever he was giving you. Your mood would change almost instantly. Remember when I found you at the beach house?”

She nodded, but he felt an unsettling distance between them, an invisible wall she raised whenever this subject came up. But that wouldn’t stop him this time.

“It was like a veil came over you. Like you weren’t in control anymore. And I think that’s why you went after Vessler.”

“And
I
think that’s what you need to believe.” She laced her fingers together at his back and held on to him, but he pushed from her.

“What are you saying?”

The gold in her eyes lost its shimmer. “Exactly what I said. You need to believe I was just a robot under someone else’s control. If you don’t, you have to consider the possibility that I have become the monster Vessler worked so hard to create.”

“Nikki, that’s crazy. You’re not a monster.”

“Aren’t I? I shot him — twice — and I wanted to do a lot more.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not who I used to be. And I’ll never be that carefree, innocent girl again.”

Mace chose to hold her close rather than argue, despite the cold feeling that swept through him. Fact was, Nikki had changed. They’d all changed. And he wasn’t sure how to navigate that new mountain before them.

He looked over her head to the door facing the courtyard. “Based on how Vine’s fight is going, I don’t know if we’ll be welcome here much longer. We can only beat up our host so many times.” Nikki gave a small laugh. “Come on, let’s get the others and head back to Viennesse.” Their ancestral home in Germany and across the Rhine Valley from Deux’s compound. These days, Viennesse felt like the only safe place. And even that surety was slipping.

It was a short trip from the ruins to Viennesse, but Raven couldn’t get there fast enough. Nikki was in more danger than he’d ever imagined, and if he hadn’t questioned the heavenly angel who’d appeared as he’d petitioned the Throne, maybe it would already be too late to save her.

After Nikki’s standoff with Vessler, and after she’d left with Mace, he’d prayed for some assurance that she would be okay. Instead, he discovered the exact opposite. The cold reality of what awaited her now fueled his speed. Night had fallen, but he could see perfectly as he sailed through a puff of low clouds and descended on the Viennesse castle. Built on a mountaintop, it has been chosen as a formidable foe for all human invaders, though what was coming after Nikki was neither human nor demon. And it had come for one reason: to destroy Nikki, the woman Raven loved and would never have.

But one thing he could do was protect her. Right? Why else would the angel have warned him about what was coming after Nikki? He’d find her, then he’d make a plan. Until he had visual confirmation she was still alive, his only focus would be getting to her side. True, he knew next to nothing about the evil being sent to destroy Nikki, and he honestly had no clue how to defeat it. But he did know that if Nikki could be saved, he was the one to do it.

Raven began running the moment he touched down and headed for the front door, shoving both doors open and rushing inside as his wings — sore from the long flight — tucked behind him.

Winter and Nikki sat in the library just off the main hall. He should have known where to find her. Nikki had a weakness for quiet spots.

They both stood when he barged inside. Normally, he was confident and self-possessed, almost cool in his demeanor. Doing the hair toss thing and planting his thumbs in his pockets as if to impart information only he possessed. But not this time.

Both females noticed.

“What’s going on? Where have you been?” Winter took a cautious step toward him.

“Where are the others?” He shot a glance out the side door that led to a private patio.

Nikki is safe. For the moment
.

Winter shook her head, a blanket of silky, dark hair falling from her shoulders. “Scattered throughout the castle. Raven, what’s happening?”

He stopped only long enough to meet her gaze. “A seeker’s been released from the pit.”

Winter dropped into a nearby chair, the blood in her face draining, leaving her even paler than usual.

Nikki split her glances between the two of them. “Wha — what’s a seeker?” He tried to hide the fear, and pain, from his eyes as he watched her. He soon had no choice but to look away.

Winter’s eyes slowly drifted up to meet Raven’s. “Sent here?”

There was no denying the terror in her voice. If Raven had thought meeting up with the other Halflings would somehow reassure him, he’d been dead wrong.

“Why? And how do you know?” Winter said.

“He’s hunting Nikki.”

Mace came in, sailing around the doorjamb, his narrowed gaze landing on Raven. “I thought I saw you.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he dropped to silence, sparing a moment to take in the looks on everyone’s faces. “What’s going on?”

Raven nodded toward the door. “We have to get Nikki out of here. A seeker’s coming.”

“What?” Mace crossed the room and pulled Nikki to his side. “What are you talking about, Raven? Will hasn’t sensed anything —”

“Will doesn’t know everything. The thing’s on the way. And he’s after Nikki.”

And
,
while you have her in your arms, I’m the only one who can protect her
.

Mace’s grip tightened, and though Nikki had no idea what a seeker could be, it was something terrible enough to strike fear in Winter, Mace, and even Raven. Four hours ago, she was sparring with a Frenchman in a mock fight. Was she really about to have to run for her life … again? Nausea wove through her and Nikki placed a hand on her stomach as if mere touch could keep the contents settled. She was supposed to be safe here. Vessler and his horrible plan for her were a half a world away. Like that mattered: Mace had once told her the enemy, the
real
enemy, wanted her.

Mace shook his head. “If a seeker had been released, Will would know.”

“Well, you can go on telling yourself that, but you might be wasting the last minutes we have to get Nikki out of danger. I got my information directly from the source.”

Mace fisted his hands and took a step toward Raven, leaving Nikki behind. “If a seeker is coming, there isn’t anywhere safe to go.”

Raven threw his hands in the air. “So go find him. Ask All-Mighty Will what we need to do.”

Mace reached back and grasped her hand. “Come on, Nikki.”

Her palm was sweaty; she hadn’t realized until he gripped it. “I don’t feel well.”

Winter stood and dragged her chair a few feet to where Nikki stood, and along with Mace lowered her into the seat. “I’ll stay here with her. Go find Will.”

Mace dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right back. Don’t worry, because everything will be fine.”

Fine?
She wanted to scream, but her mind couldn’t get the sound to travel to her mouth.

Raven dropped onto his haunches at her feet, the midnight blue of his eyes so intense it jolted sanity back into her system. “Listen to me, Nikki.” He closed his warm hands over hers, so softly she felt her breath catch. “We have to go. We have to run. It’s the only way.”

Thoughts, jumbled thoughts, bounced around in her head. “Safe, here,” she managed.

“I know it’s hard to understand, but a seeker’s like a tsunami. He’ll rush through this castle and destroy everything. And he’ll take you when he’s done, even if I and every Halfling here tries to stop him. As long as you’re here, no one is safe.”

Her eyes trailed up to Winter.

“I don’t know, Nikki. Seeker’s are …” But her words dropped and she looked at Raven. “Maybe you’re right.”

Raven squeezed Nikki’s hands just enough to pull her from the chair. “We can be a thousand miles away from here in two hours. But we can’t waste any more time.”

Winter dropped a hand on Raven’s shoulder. “You may be right, but perhaps she
should
stay. Will is here, and at least ten Halflings. What can you do on your own that we cannot do here?”

Raven traced the lines of Nikki’s face as if she held the answer. His only concern seemed to be keeping her safe, and his promise to protect her was imprinted in every inch of his
being. She thought he might concede, decide it was best to be here at Viennesse.
How many times have the Halflings bragged about how fortified the castle is?
Raven opened his mouth. He was going to agree.

That’s when they heard the scream.

Chapter 2

G
limmer and Vegan ran through the front door, screaming Will’s name. Raven rushed forward and caught them in the hall, barreling into Glimmer and stopping her forward momentum. Instead of pushing him off, she clung to him like a small child; even from the library Nikki saw the visible quake that started in her arms and worked its way down until her whole body shook. She’d never seen Glimmer so … helpless before.

In the rush of words, Nikki heard, “Deux, Paix, and Tronc. All dead. We found them in the courtyard at their home.”

Nikki’s mind went numb. The Frenchman she’d fought earlier in the day? Dead?

“Something … something
shredded
them,” Glimmer said.

“Where is it now?” Raven yelled.

Vegan now leaned on the wall for support. Her golden brown hair scattered over her arms, her usually peaceful face streaked with worry. “We didn’t see it. It was gone when we
got there.” Tears rolled down her face. “We only went back to France to get my jacket. I left it there earlier today.”

Keeping Glimmer tucked beneath his arm, he stepped toward Vegan. “Can you think of any reason why it would have gone there instead of coming here?”

Vegan’s eyes were terror stricken. “Why would it come
anywhere?
What do you know, Raven? What did that? No human or demon could do what we saw.”

“A seeker.”

Her knees gave out and she slid to the floor. “I don’t even think they had a chance to fight.”