Gilded Wings (17 page)

He leaned in closer. “I know the bond won’t allow you to hate Ethon, and I can see how torn you are between him and the other who loves you unconditionally.”

Tears burned and pooled in my eyes then cascaded down my cheeks.

“You do know me,” I breathed. I fell into his arms, and he secured them around me.

“Of course I do. You started off as my assignment, but stole my heart. You’ve been so strong these past months, trying to hold everything and everyone together, but I can see your internal struggle. You don’t always have to be strong. If you ever feel like you’re falling, just tell me, and I’ll be there to catch you.”

“You have always been here for me, and I can’t imagine my future without you in it,” I said, truthfully.

Kade sighed and hugged me tighter. “I wish things were different. Every day I awake to deal with the reality that it was my decision which put us in this position. I cannot express to you how truly sorry I am.”

I pulled back from him and wiped my face dry, then noticed his eyes were filled with sadness. “Kade, you don’t ever have to apologize, or regret your decisions. We can make our own choices and choose our own paths, but our fate is already sealed. There is nothing we can do or say to change it.”

His eyes softened. “You are wise beyond your years, Emma Wise.”

“I’m not wise. I’m just living and learning, trying to survive. One thing I have learned is, right when you think you have life all figured out, it will throw a curve, and you either have to bend and adjust to it, or break.”

“You’ve done an amazing job of adjusting,” he said softly.

I sighed and shook my head. “I haven’t adjusted. I’m still in the process of bending.”

“I think we all are,” he admitted.

The house shook, so Kade turned his head to glance back the monitors.

“Oh shit!” he cursed, standing up off the floor and heading toward the screens.

“What?” I asked, pushing off the bed. I stood next to him.

A surge of fear had every hair on my body standing on end. I began to hyperventilate as one of the spotlights landed on a large horrifying creature, with unforgettable white pasty eyes, just outside the barrier.

I grabbed Kade’s hand and held it tight.

“What the hell is that?” he asked. Its white eyes illuminated like a cats once the light hit them.

“A Grimlock,” I exhaled. “Those are the creatures that almost killed me and Samuel.”

Kade’s head turned toward me. “I won’t let them touch you. Not while you’re with me,” he said.

I nodded, and our eyes fixed back on the monitors. I watched in terror as the Grimlock began to swirl its deadly weapon round and round. I held my breath, hoping and praying the barrier would hold. Faster and faster the Grimlock swung its weapon until it was nearly invisible, and then it set it free.

I gasped and squeezed Kade’s hand as the morning star flew forward at an unbelievable speed, then stopped dead in mid-air, crashing into the barrier. As soon as it hit, it bounced back, sending sparks from the impact raining down below, illuminating the Hellhounds who were frantically trying to find a way in.

The barrier held, but a small glowing crack slowly appeared and took a while to mend.

Could the barrier be broken?

“Did you see that?” I gasped.

“Yes,” Kade answered.

“Do you think they can break through the barrier?”

“I don’t know but it seems likely,” he answered, his eyes still locked on the monitors.

Another Grimlock came charging forward from the left side, swinging his deadly morning star. When the beast released its weapon, it again crashed into the barrier. The foundation of the house shook, and even more sparks rained down. It looked like a firework show, but this show was far from entertaining as it lit the horrors below.

The barrier held, but again, there was an even longer crack which extended upward toward the center with another two cracks branching off to the sides, making it look like a fork. My heart sunk until it slowly began to mend and disappear.

“They’re checking the integrity of the barrier,” Kade said.

“But the Grimlocks are blind,” I noted.

“Oh, believe me, there are others watching and directing. The Grimlocks and Hellhounds are merely pawns, but somewhere in the darkness, Lucian is watching.”

“Do you think the strength of their hits is weakening the barrier?”

“I don’t know, but it looks like if it sustains too many all at once, it could weaken it enough for them to break through.”

His words confirmed what I was feeling. “I wish this would all be over soon,” I sighed.

He turned to me. “Me too,” he said softly.

I yawned and felt drained.

“You need sleep,” he said, turning toward me.

“So do you. Will you stay with me?” I asked.

“Of course.”

He walked me over to the bed and yanked the blanket down. I crawled in and as he pulled it back up back up, I grabbed his hand.

“Wait,” I begged. “I need you right now. I don’t know how much time we have left, but I want to make every second count. Having you close, holding me, helps everything around me melt away.”

He paused and a grin formed on his face. “I told you, whatever I have to give is yours.”

I patted the empty spot on the bed, and instead of lying on top of the blanket like he usually did, he crawled in next to me. I rolled toward him and he wrapped me in his arms, our bodies pressed tightly together.

“This is exactly what I needed,” I whispered, enclosed within his arms. And as always, every stress beyond his arms dwindled away, like dust in the wind.

I felt his warm lips rest on my forehead. “I wish I could seal the bond, and make this whole thing go away,” he whispered.

“I do too,” I breathed. “We have hope.”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “And until the end, I will hold tightly to that hope.”

“So will I.”

Encased in his arms with the rising and falling of his chest with each breath, it was as if he had put the sleeper on me. In no time I faded into a deep slumber.

WHEN I WOKE, KADE WASN’T next to me, and the room was empty. I sat up and noticed a small note on his pillow.

His handwriting was so elegant. A smile rose on my lips as I picked up the small piece of paper. I glanced at the monitors and they were empty. As I was about to turn away, one of the Fallen, with black wings stopped directly in front of one of them. He stopped hovering beyond the barrier, but looking directly at the camera.

My heart sank.

“Ethon,” I whispered, glad to see he was still alive. His crimson eyes looked sad, and then he did something unexpected. He placed his hand over his heart and extended it toward the camera… toward me… like he knew I was watching.

How could he know? Maybe he was guessing.

His head snapped back like he heard something. He turned back to the camera, threw a quick kiss, then shot off over the forest, so fast it was like he’d vanished. My heart ached for him, and I couldn’t make it stop.

I needed to get out of this room. I felt like I was suffocating.

I took my duffle and left the room, running down the twisted hallway until I reached the hidden door we’d come through. Breaching the door I heard voices.

Before I reached the stairs I quickly threw my duffle in my bedroom, then spotted the group standing in the foyer.

“Hey, Emma!” Alex shouted

“Hey! I thought you guys would be sleeping.” I walked down the stairs into Kade’s awaiting arms.

“We were about to get something to eat first.”

Dom walked in with an apron over his fighting clothes, looking absolutely ridiculous.

“Wow, this room smells very sweet,” he said joining the group with his usual large smile.

I narrowed my eyes at him. What was he talking about? I sniffed the air and could only smell, wait… was that breakfast I was smelling?

James jumped in to explain. “Emma’s transformation is near, and her immortal scent is becoming stronger.”

“Well, it’s no wonder they’re coming after her. Her scent is very appealing. Nothing like I’ve smelled before,” Dom noted.

“Hey,” Kade barked, giving him an eye, while pulling me in close. “Watch it.”

“He’s telling the truth, dude,” Thomas added. “Her scent is very alluring.”

“Alright guys, remember it’s my daughter you’re all talking about,” Alaine said, stepping into the room.

I was glad for her sudden appearance because it took the attention off of me.

“Let’s go get something to eat, then you all need to get some rest,” she instructed.

Dom led the group toward the kitchen, where we found Malachi in an apron as well.

“That smells good,” I chimed. “And those aprons suit you both.”

“Yeah, Miss Lily’s got nothin’ on me,” Malachi grinned, flipping a pancake up in the air and catching it perfectly in the pan.

“And, she’s got nothin’ on me either,” Dom added, walking up to the stove to flip an omelet. Half the egg stuck in the pan, and the other half went flying sideways, hitting Malachi in the chest.

“What the hell, man?” Malachi growled. A mixture of cooked and raw egg dripped down his apron; his brows instantly furrowed and his lips pursed.

“Hey Mal, looks like I got somethin’ on you,” Dom said, pointing to his apron. He looked at us with a sly grin.

“You’re lucky that crap didn’t get on my shirt,” he snapped.

I totally thought Malachi was going to smack Dom, but he didn’t. He grit his teeth together, walked to the sink, and began wiping the egg from the apron.

“I don’t want
that
egg,” Kade said.

“Oh come on. It’s perfectly scrambled now,” Dom replied, wiggling his brow.

“Let’s go, Emma,” Kade said, grabbing my hand. “I think I feel like pancakes today. What about you?”

“Yep. Pancakes sound good to me,” I laughed.

“Ha!” Malachi snarked.

“Traitors,” Dom huffed, under his breath.

We all grabbed platters of food and brought them into the dining room with us. Sitting around the table, Dom and Malachi brought up the rear with pitchers of juice and coffee. When we were all seated and dug in,

Alex started the group conversation.

“Did you see how close they came to breaking the barrier?”

“There’s still a lot of hold in her,” James answered, sipping on some coffee. “And it’ll take a lot more to bring her down.”

“Yeah, it looks like the barrier is mending itself,” Malachi added.

“Yes,” James continued. “But what we don’t know is if the areas which sustained the most damage are still integral. We all saw the large cracks across the barrier after it was hit. I’m hoping it will continue to hold, but we will know when it does not.”

“If it does come down, maybe Emma should be out there fighting with us,” Alex added.

Every eye in the room narrowed on him.

“Dude, she’s the reason why we’re here. We are supposed to
protect
her,” Thomas chided.

“But from what everyone keeps telling me, she seems like she’s just as good a warrior, or even better, than we are. She can be invisible
and
has a magical suit, amulet, and dagger which can penetrate almost anything. How can anyone or anything match that?” Alex explained.

“He does have a point,” Dom added. “But we all know the warrior princess cannot leave the safe room until her transformation is over. It’s way too risky. If she’s caught, then the whole reason we’re here is for nothing. Besides, she only has two days left.”

“Yeah, and we all know what that means. If she doesn’t you-know-what, with you-know-who, Lucifer will be able to collect her, no matter where she is because of the oath she made. And once they do you-know-what, everything will change. She won’t care about us anymore,” Alex said, pointing out things I never realized before, which made me a bit frantic inside.

“What are you talking about? I will always care about all of you,” I stated, a bit offended by his statement.

“You don’t know the power of the bond,” Dom interjected. “Once it’s been sealed, your life will not be your own. Your whole outlook on life and love will completely change. The bond will bind and seal your hearts and minds together, each wanting, craving, and yearning to spend the rest of eternity, perusing the happiness and fulfillment of the other. Everyone and everything else will become secondary.”

“Damn, that was a mouthful coming from you,” Malachi sneered.

“Well, I’m sorry you’ve never discovered true love, Mal. Sometimes the bond isn’t for everyone,” Dom simpered.

Malachi growled at him with narrowed eyes.

“Dude,” Alex interjected, his eyes darting to Kade. “I’m so sorry. That really freaking sucks.”

Thomas smacked Alex on the shoulder and shook his head.

“What? I
am
sorry. Kade and Emma should have been together,” Alex reasoned.

“Yes, we should have. I know it’s my fault,” Kade said sadly. “It’s something I have to deal with for the rest of my life.”

“Well at least you’re mortal now, so it won’t be too long.” Alex spoke without thinking.

Thomas and Malachi, on either side of Alex, turned and glared at him. Thomas whacked his arm, and Malachi smacked him in the head.

“Ouch! What was that for? I was just saying it would have been much worse if he were an immortal and had to live with the guilt for all eternity.”

“You should have kept it to yourself instead of blurting it out,” Thomas scolded. “You’re just making everything worse.”

Alex turned to Kade. “I’m really sorry. I never meant to hurt you more.”

“I know,” Kade replied. “And you are right. An eternity of hurt and regret is much too long.”

“Have you found out anything yet, Alaine?” James asked.

Alaine’s eyes landed on mine. Her expression made my stomach turn. “I haven’t yet, but we are still searching.” The tone in her voice told me that even her hope was diminishing. If there was no way out of the oath, I would have to seal the bond with Ethon.

Kade’s hand found mine. “Hey, we still have a couple days. Don’t give up just yet,” he whispered.

I nodded and when I looked into his eyes, I saw hope renewed. He had enough of it for all of us, knowing full well, time was fighting against us.

“Do you think if they continue like they have, they’ll be able to break through tonight?” I asked him.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “It’s hard to tell.”

“We just need to make sure everyone is rested up. We need you all on top of your game, alert and prepared,” Alaine added.

“I’m going to bed right after breakfast,” Alex said, stretching.

“I am too,” Thomas agreed.

“So, Emma. Tomorrow night is your transformation,” James said. “We haven’t heard of or seen Ethon in a few days. Maybe there is hope,” he stated.

“I hope so,” I exhaled.

“Have you found anything, Alaine?” Thomas asked.

Her eyes saddened. “I haven’t, but I won’t give up.”

“We’re all here for you, Emma,” James said.

“I know. Thank you.” I looked at Alaine. “Any word from Samuel?”

“No. But I’m sure he’s fine and we will see him very soon,” she answered.

I nodded. “That’s good. I can’t wait to see him again.”

She looked up at me with love and sadness in her eyes. “Me too.”

Everyone helped clean and clear the breakfast table.

“So are you guys headed back to the safe room?” Dom asked.

“I don’t know. There’s still a lot of daylight left,” I noted.

“Why don’t we all go to Kade’s room and play some cards.”

“Sounds good to me.” I shrugged, glancing at Kade with pleading eyes.

“She’ll be surrounded by all of us. It’ll be the safest room for her.” Dom said. “James, Alaine, wanna join us?”

“No thanks, but thank you for the offer.” Alaine said, with a smile. “I need to check on a few more things in my office.”

“No, thank you. I am going to get some shut eye,” James said.

“That sounds so boring. You can sleep when you’re dead,” Dom chuckled.

“You all have fun,” James smiled, then exited the room.

We headed toward Kade’s room, and after an hour of cards, we all ended up falling asleep. Kade and I were on the bed, and the rest of them were sprawled out on the ground. The transformation was really draining me because I slept through their horrible symphony of snoring.