Darkness Clashes (5 page)

Once we did find it, it took another five minutes traveling along a bumpy road until the compound came into sight. A high chain-link fence surrounded the place with concertina wire coiled across the top. The gate was wide open with a broken padlock hanging from the side.

We drove past it and pulled up to the main building. Corrugated metal lined the walls and it was about the size of a small warehouse. It sat in quiet darkness. I grabbed the flashlight I’d picked up when we’d stopped by the hotel to change clothes along the way. Switching it on, I followed Lucas and Kerbasi inside.

Several long, buffet-style tables sat on one side of the room with metal folding chairs alongside them. On the other end was an open kitchen with stainless steel appliances large enough to cook for a small army.

I searched through the cabinets and drawers, finding plenty of cooking utensils and pots and pans but no sign of food. The freezers were empty and unplugged as well. If the trace of dust was anything to go by, no one had been here for a while. We headed back outside.

“I’ll search these,” Lucas said, pointing at a grouping of buildings. “You can check those two.”

His selection was several small homes with white siding and untended flower beds out front. Mine were more like wooden bunkhouses.

“What shall I search?” Kerbasi asked. He wasn’t invisible anymore.

Lucas grunted and walked away.

“Search for inner peace and stay out of my way,” I said, brushing past him.

“Your humor eludes me.”

Ignoring him, I went into the first bunkhouse and climbed a short set of steps to enter. It was set up a lot like military barracks with bunk beds and wall lockers in neat rows across each side of the room. No personal items had been left behind. Even the mattresses had been stripped of their covers.

I headed across the room and passed through a doorway into a latrine. Urinals, toilets, and sinks were on the left and a large open shower on the right. Other than the same light layer of dust I’d seen in the previous building, it was totally bare.

Kerbasi was poking around the other bunkhouse when I entered it. The layout for this one was very different. There were four separate rooms with two beds in each. They had the same wall lockers as the other building, but they also had vanity tables with mirrors. One room had a baby crib.

I cringed at the sight of it. Jerome—my father—had kidnapped me last year and threatened to bring me to his compound. He’d insisted it was my duty to help propagate the sensor race.

We’d only just met and he’d already begun planning how to use me for his own ambitions. I was to be handed over to his men and impregnated as soon as they could confirm Lucas hadn’t already done the job. Nephilim were cursed to never have children, but they could circumvent that with sensors.

That was what galled Jerome the most. I’d chosen a supernatural over my own kind. It didn’t matter that he had allied with a female nephilim since he wasn’t sleeping with her. I, on the other hand, had chosen to defile myself with the enemy. If Lucas hadn’t rescued me I would have ended up in this place and might have already had a baby against my will, with a man of Jerome’s choosing.

My chest tightened at the memories of that brief time with my “father”. He’d kept me tied to a bed and drugged for days. I’d lain there helpless and incoherent for most of it except when he wanted to tell me about the horrible things he had planned for me. All my dreams of finding a loving and regretful father were lost. I’d never expected him to be cruel and sadistic—or to find out he’d killed my mother for hiding me from him.

I clutched at the rails of the baby crib and saw a rattle had been left in the corner. It symbolized so many worries in my mind I was afraid to touch it. Turning my flashlight, I caught sight of a rocking chair in the corner. My stomach lurched. Could I have been born in this place? Had my mother stood in this very room twenty-eight years ago, holding me close and plotting how to get me far away? What would she think of me now?

I rushed out of the bunk house, brushing past Kerbasi in the hallway, and leaped down the steps to get outside. My lungs seized up. It took several tries before I could get air into them again. This place—it represented every dark thought I’d ever had since meeting my father.

The night sky twinkled down at me. If I just kept my gaze directed at it for a few minutes then maybe I could get through this. I hadn’t thought visiting the compound would bother me so much, but now that I was here I just wanted to leave.

Warm arms enveloped me and a hard chest pressed against my back.

“He can’t hurt you anymore,” Lucas said softly in my ear.

He’d known just the thing to say.

“I know.”

He turned me in his arms and kissed me gently on my forehead. I tilted my chin up and our gazes met. It was during times like these that I found it hard to believe we’d once hated each other. Already I could feel my anxiety melting away and he’d barely said a word.

It was through our suffering that we most often found common ground. Some people think love is a weakness, but if it’s returned in equal measure it can make you twice as strong.

“Find anything?” I asked.

“No. There are several outbuildings as well.” He turned me so I could see where he pointed. “But it appears they are just for storage.”

“This is where they kept the women.” I nodded at the bunkhouse behind him. “But there’s nothing other than furniture left in there now. The other building was empty too.”

“I called one of my contacts. Ownership of the land hasn’t changed in almost fifty years and it isn’t for sale now. It’s still theirs.”

I pulled away from him. “They plan to come back once things calm down.”

“Perhaps.”

“When I find my father…” I began.

“I’ll hold him down for you,” Lucas finished.

***

We barely made it to the airport on time. Between driving back from the compound and stopping by the hotel to grab our stuff we’d cut it close. Lucas had also insisted on buying me breakfast along the way. He’d only wanted a cup of coffee for himself, but I suspected the real point was to give us a few more minutes together. Not that he’d ever come out and say it.

Now I was holding the plane tickets in my hand, looking up at Lucas’ stoic face. Whatever emotions he was feeling, he’d hidden them somewhere even my empathic abilities couldn’t reach. He had to continue searching for his brother and I had to resume my life in Fairbanks. We both had responsibilities and no way to make them mesh together yet.

“There is something you should know before you go.”

I lifted my brow. “What?”

“Nik is having trouble with Derrick. I’m aware you consider the werewolf a friend—though I know not why—but you need to look at him objectively.”

“He’s just angry at us for not letting him see Zoe.” I crossed my arms. “He’ll get over it eventually.”

Derrick, the alpha werewolf for Fairbanks, was justifiably upset. Zoe had orchestrated the murder of his family and he wanted revenge. But she was too powerful for him to fight and she had secrets that could hurt him if he found out. Ones I’d only told a few people. We were keeping him away from her for his own protection, but it was hard to convince him of that.

“It’s worse than you think.” Lucas gave me a stern look. “Talk to Nik when you return and listen to what he has to say.”

How much trouble had Derrick been causing? I hadn’t heard anything since he’d stopped talking to me, but if there’d been something serious I would have caught it.

“Fine. I will,” I reassured him.

His shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Good. I’d prefer you resolve this situation before we leave for New Orleans on Friday.”

Right. The ball. It was looming over my head like an executioner’s blade and not something I looked forward to. Lucas thought it was important we go and let all the significant people in the supernatural world see us together. They say relationships are all about compromise, but they didn’t have to attend a ball filled with their enemies. All the assurances in the world weren’t going to make me feel any better about it.

“I’ve got my dress ready and I’ll handle the Derrick situation,” I promised, giving him my best fake smile.

Lucas pulled me close and held me tight. “Take care of yourself, Melena.”

After one last lingering look, he walked away. He’d probably flash back to Chicago as soon as he was out of sight. I hated to watch him go again, but Micah came first. He had to find his brother or we’d never rest.

“Ready for another plane ride?” I asked Kerbasi.

The fearful expression on his face said it all.

***

The guardian managed to make the hour-long flight to Seattle without losing his breakfast, but we still had the longer trip up to Anchorage and the final one to Fairbanks. Those would be the real test. The guardian was already looking green and it was still an hour before we would board the plane.

I handed him my iPad. “Finish watching Ghost. I’m going to the restroom.”

He gave me an irritated look before taking the tablet from me. I grabbed the headphones and shoved them into his ears.

“Don’t mute the volume or turn it down, either. You’re writing a report on this tonight and if it isn’t good I’ll make you watch the movie again.”

It wouldn’t be the first time I’d caught him zoning out and not listening. It was my job to teach him humanity, but for someone who wouldn’t be free of me until he became a better person, he sure didn’t try all that hard. I suspected he was still in the denial stage about the whole situation.

“Very well, but I don’t understand that man.” Kerbasi frowned. “His sacrifice would have allowed him to go straight to heaven. Why linger on earth for some silly woman?”

He honestly didn’t get it. I had a really long way to go before I ever got rid of him.

“Just watch the rest of the movie. You can tell me all your thoughts about it when you write your report.”

I made my way over to the restrooms. Not many women were in there, allowing me to get into a stall right away. After finishing, I came back out and headed toward the sinks. A brilliant flash of light lit up the room, bringing me to a halt. This one was much brighter than what any nephilim could produce, but not unfamiliar.

Was she really going to show up here? Now?

Two elderly ladies standing at the counter continued checking over their make-up. They showed no sign that a beautiful brunette emerging behind them might be odd. It was just as well. It probably would have given them heart attacks if they’d known an archangel stood that close to them. The first time she’d flashed in front of me I’d felt my heart climb into my throat and was fairly certain it would have run away if I’d let it.

“Leave now,” my visitor ordered the two ladies.

Another woman came out of a stall and didn’t even get the command, just a look. All three of them walked woodenly as they exited the bathroom. A spell went up after the door shut, ensuring anyone else who wanted to come inside would change their minds.

No one else was left except me. I was trying really hard to feel special about that, but the archangel’s arrival left my stomach feeling queasy. I didn’t like being caught off-guard like this.

“Ariel.” I cocked my head. “Is there some sort of plumbing problem in heaven I should know about?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We don’t need…” She waved a hand at the stalls. “Toilets.”

Of course they didn’t. I studied the slender archangel. She wore her usual flowing white robe and her hair hung loosely to her waist. Though she kept her face expressionless, I could sense tenseness in her mood. Could she actually be nervous?

“So what are you doing here?” I asked.

She clasped her hands together. “I’ve come to speak with you about something urgent.”

“I gathered as much.” If only she could get to the point.

“I admit the location is less than ideal.” She sighed. “But it is difficult to catch you away from the others and the news I have must be told in private.”

I supposed it could have been worse—she could have waited until I was home alone in the shower.

“Okay, what is it?”

“There is someone who needs to speak with you, but first you must give me your word that you will tell no one you’ve met with him—especially not Lucas.”

“Who is it?” I asked.

“I cannot tell you until you give me your oath.” She held her arm out toward me. “And you must take my hand when you say it.”

I stared at her open palm. “Why do I have to do that?”

“It will seal your oath and prevent you from breaking it. Only those authorized to know of this visit will be able to bypass it.”

“Another one of those tricks you’re able to use on me because you’re my guardian angel?” I asked. She was the only one of her kind who could circumvent my immunity to magic.

She nodded. “It is necessary.”

“Whoever you want me to meet isn’t going to make Lucas happy, are they?”

“Lucas is only out of Purgatory because I helped you,” she pointed out. “Now I must ask for your assistance in return.”