Few Are Angels (25 page)

“I know you want to protect me, and I have agreed to that, but if that’s his job too, then I think we can at least take off the gag and talk to him,” I said, trying to rectify the situation.

“He thinks I want to hurt you. If you untie him, I will have to fight him in order to stop him from delivering you to the Council.”

Jace had quieted down to listen to Kale and I talk. His eyes searched mine. When he saw no answer to some unknown question, he began to struggle again to get free. Kale looked at him with hatred and mumbled something in a language I was unfamiliar with, causing Jace to thrash even harder. Without thought, I moved to Jace, pulled the gag out of his mouth, and quietly sat cross-legged in front of him. I waited for him to stop struggling.

“Let me go—now,” Jace grated in a thick accent at Kale as he continued to thrash against the ropes.

I could see where Kale had tied him to the base of the coffin. Kale growled something back at Jace which caused him to fight even harder and annoy me even more.

“Stop!” I yelled at the both of them. “Just stop now! We have to work together. If you two can’t do that, then I want you both to leave me alone and I will protect myself.” I didn't know enough about what was going on to protect myself, let alone make sure the Carltons were safe, but I didn't care.

Kale shuffled behind me. I turned to see the scowl on his face, but I didn't let it stop me. Jace was looking intently at me.

“Jace, can you help us?” I ignored the disgusted look he directed at Kale. “Please.” I knew they wouldn’t trust each other, but maybe this could be a stepping stone leading to it.

Jace continued to stare as Kale paced the room. He never once took his eyes off Jace. Both men seemed to be at a standstill; they both wanted to attack the other, but I was the one reason they didn't. If things were different, I would have taken the time to enjoy that power, but if my plan to unite us as a team didn't work, we were all in trouble.

“As you wish,” Jace whispered. He stopped struggling and sat with his back against the wall, face forward, awaiting my next command.

I looked back at Kale, surprised by Jace’s immediate compliance. Kale shrugged his shoulders and muttered something under his breath causing Jace to roll his eyes.

“I want to untie you, but I don’t want to regret doing so. Can we agree that everyone will behave?” I looked at Kale, but all I received was a shrug and another grumble.

Jace’s blue eyes were glued to Kale. “Ella, when I am untied, I will do whatever I can to take you back to the Council. I won’t have this creature infect you.”

Kale straightened up and moved closer to us. “Over my dead body.”

Jace’s slow, chilling smile revealed his white teeth. Though it was beautiful, it freaked me out.

“Then it should be easy, Nosferat, seeing as how your heart no longer beats.” Jace looked at Kale as if he would attack the first chance he got.

At this rate, I would never be able to get Kale and Jace to work together. Maybe Kale was right. We might be better off fending for ourselves against Laurent.

“You mistake the fact you are still alive for weakness on my part, but I warn you that as soon she sees you are not a necessary factor for her survival, I will finish what we started years ago, Vesco,” Kale spat, with such malice that halfway through his words I turned around to face him, not at all liking what I saw. His face was now plagued by hard lines, and his eyes, though they were always dark, were darkened with loathing. I hardly recognized him. I didn't want to believe Kale would truly kill Jace or anyone for that matter.

“Stop, Kale, you wouldn’t,” I whispered. I searched his face for the Kale I knew. I understood the Council and vampires were enemies, but I couldn't see Kale killing Jace. It was probably my naivety that pushed the idea that Kale was harmless.

“Yes, he would, Ella,” Jace said, pulling my attention back to his Icelandic blue eyes. “It’s what he is—a murderer fashioned only to steal what humans cannot live without and to spread his disease. He was created by the Dark Prince. No matter how long he tries to deny his nature by drinking from rats and squirrels, he will always be a threat to you and all others. Even more so because he can walk in the light.”

My plan to unite them to help me went right out the window. My body went cold, and I sat there wondering why I’d even tried in the first place. Anger started to boil inside me, and I gave in to it.

“Bullshit!” I yelled. “This is pure and utter bullshit.” I stood so fast that I almost lost my footing.

Kale reached out to me, catching my arm and righting me quickly. I snatched my arm from him and ignored his questioning eyes. I turned back to Jace. I looked him directly in his eyes to get his full attention.

“You both say you want to protect me, and that’s fine. Even though I have no clue of what’s going on in the full scheme of things, I am willing to let you both protect me, but understand this. If you two cannot figure out how to get along long enough for us to make a plan—other than taking me to the Council—I will do this without either of you!” I shouted, as my anger reached a crescendo. “Also, I want to know everything, not just what you two think I should know.” I gave Kale a pointed look.

He looked back at me with emotionless eyes. I hated when he blocked his feelings from me. I gave mine so freely to him. That fueled my anger further, but Jace’s calm voice slowly brought me down.

“What is it you propose we do?” Jace asked. “I can only assume from your tirade that he has told you a few things about your past. The fact that you are only upset about that also tells me he hasn’t told you why the Dark Prince has yet to find you.”

We both looked at Kale waiting for him to speak.

“Your silence, Nosferat, confirms that you have not told her the fire at the Ocean Trace facility was your doing.”

I looked at Kale, confused. I had told him about my time in a facility, but I hadn’t told him where it was.

“I told you I was here to protect you, Ella. I just never told you when that protection started,” Kale explained and reached for me.

I was tempted to take his hand because it wasn’t often that he offered his touch, but I ignored it. “Wait, are you saying you knew me before that first night we met?”

“Yes, I knew you in your last past life.”

Jace scoffed. “That is not what she meant, vampire.”

I couldn't understand why Kale was dancing around my question.

“Let’s go outside,” Kale said, turning toward the door before I could answer.

“She will freeze out there. I am sure she is already cold, especially seeing how the cold sadness of lies and betrayals has found her here tonight.”

Though Jace’s clever remark didn't seem to affect Kale, it stung me. The words lies and betrayals slapped me in the face, waking me from the stupid dream state I had allowed myself to slip into.

“Ella, I have watched you for as long as the Council has believed you are the next Arc—before your parents’ death until now,” Kale said sadly, as the trust that we had developed between us started to fade.

I had been nothing but honest with him. I’d snuck around to see him, which put a strain on Alex’s faith in me. But I couldn't truly blame Kale. Trusting a stranger with my secrets when I had promised myself I would never do that again was my fault. With that in mind, I walked over to Jace and untied his knots.

“Do not make me regret this. I have enough of those; I don’t need any more,” I said, looking at them both. We needed to make a plan of action, but we couldn't do that until I was told everything.

Chapter 25

Kale held his hand out to me, and his eyes all but demanded I go outside with him. I looked back at Jace, unsure of what to do. Jace quirked his brow, telling me the choice was mine. I turned back to Kale and his outstretched hand, feeling stressed under his avid stare.

“What else haven’t you told me, Kale?” I asked.

Jace mumbled something in a foreign language.

I turned to him, confusion etched on my brow. “What?” I moved to the corner so I wouldn’t break my neck looking between the two of them.

Kale shifted and dropped his hand to his side once he realized I wasn’t taking it.

“I was only saying there is so much I could teach you about who you are and where the Council could take you.” Jace was standing.

I couldn't help but notice the muscles that strained against his tanned skin as he resisted the urge to make a move toward the door.

“If you touch her, I will make sure you regret it,” Kale growled.

Jace laughed and moved closer to me. It dawned on me that untying Jace was probably going to be another one of my regrets. I moved closer to Kale, hoping the night would end without bloodshed.

“I do not take orders from you, Nosferat,” Jace said, full of hate and malice.

Kale tensed and readied for action by taking a stance that placed him at eye level with Jace. With his widened stance offering him more stability, Kale placed his hand on my shoulder and lightly pulled me toward him, then shifted his grasp so I was placed flush against the wall, no longer between the two of them. This was heading down a path I wouldn’t be able to remedy, but I stood quietly, my brain sending bits and pieces of information to me as I tried to figure out something to do or say to fix this.

“She will come with me, and you will allow this,” Jace said imperiously.

I snapped to attention with a jolt. Who did he think he was? “Jace, don’t make the mistake of thinking you have any control over where I will or won’t be going.”

Kale hadn’t let up from his warrior stance and Jace, though he seemed at ease, showed signs of restraint. Why wasn’t he attacking Kale?

I eyed him with wariness. “So just stand down!” I demanded, looking back at Kale, silently pleading with him to do the same.

Neither of the two showed signs of easing, and I was growing more impatient by the second.

Jace’s ice blue eyes drilled holes through Kale and then he looked at me. “He has lied to you, kept you isolated and from the Council’s reach, yet you still defend him? You can’t be that blind,” he added, rubbing salt in the wound.

I rolled my eyes and stepped forward, pushing softly past Kale. His skin was cold, and he didn't seem to register my touch. His spite cast a dense fog around us, and I aimed to end it.

“Listen, we can fix this. First off, I want to know everything: the good, bad, and ugly about my past and Laurent, and then we come up with a plan to protect me.” I looked at Kale, and for the first time since Jace and he threatened to face off against each other, he acknowledged me with a nod. “What is it you are asking us to do, Ella?”

I thought I was very clear on what I wanted.

As I started to explain, Kale cut me off. “Are you asking us to hand you to Laurent by hand feeding you memories? The stress of all you learn may force more memories to the surface and lead him directly to you and the people you reside with now.”

“She only needs to be worried if the people around her can’t protect her,” Jace said.

“Meaning?” I asked.

Jace smiled. “With the Council, you could live without the chronic burden of fear that

Laurent summons in the vampire.”

I sighed and suddenly felt very tired. There was too much going on in my life right now: Jace and Kale were pulling me in two different directions, Alex needed me, and I was emotionally tapped out. Not to mention the fact I was an Arc being hunted by a man willing to sacrifice his daughter to nomadic immortals. My head started to ache and my vision wavered. I felt Kale’s hand brace my shoulder. Soon after, his voice floated through the air, warm and concerned. He helped me to a sitting position on the ground.

“This is why I have been taking things slow with her,” Kale explained to Jace.

Jace grunted in response, but I worried he’d acquiesced to the idea of keeping me in the dark. I opened my eyes to see Kale’s face marred by concern, and I tried to push him away. I didn't want to be babied, and most of all, I didn't want to be lied to.

“I’m fine,” I said, and Kale reluctantly let me go and moved away. “I think I just need some air.”

Jace went to the door, earning a suspicious glare from Kale before he moved to me and helped me up. I wanted to move on my own, but I knew better than to send Kale away. My legs trembled, and though my vision was clearer, it wasn’t one hundred percent just yet. We moved outside, and the frigid air assaulted me on all fronts, clearing my head and burning my skin. Jace walked the perimeter of the graveyard while Kale and I stood silently awaiting his return.

I wanted to confront Kale about his lies, and I wanted him to apologize, but I didn't think he would. People don’t often apologize when they think the ends justify the means. Kale thought his actions would protect me, but I wondered if he’d even once thought about what lying to me would do to the trust we’d built. I looked everywhere but at him. I glanced at the crystal clear ice that had formed miniature spears on the edge of the mausoleum and the branches as they swayed with the unsympathetic freezing wind that chafed my face and threatened to crack my lips. I pulled my hand to my lips remembering Kale’s soft touch, and the betrayal burned deeper. How could he keep so many secrets from me? What else was he keeping from me? I bit the bullet and turned to comfort him. I could see the remorse plastered on his face, but he would get no absolution from me—at least not tonight. I opened my mouth to speak, but realized in my haste to yell at him, I hadn’t thought of exactly what to say. Kale released a sigh and waited for the bombardment of words to be unleashed. I remained silent. I rammed my fingers through my hair, completely destroying the ponytail I’d perfected earlier. I pulled the elastic band off and allowed my hair to fall in layers down my back and around my face. Kale’s body stiffened, and his eyes morphed into burnished black pools of liquid. The muscles in his jaw clenched and released as he sniffed the air. He literally
sniffed the air
. I looked around, but I knew we were alone except for Jace, and he was doing a perimeter check. Did Kale smell me, or was there something else out there? Kale drifted closer to me. His face was washed in the light the moon reflected off the snow. Harsh lines tainted his face as I watched him battle the urge to close the space between us. Using my better judgment for once in my life, I calmly started to move backward, earning me a sly smirk from Kale.