Nolan's Evolution (14 page)

"I'm not sure what you mean by that."

“I’ve been in your shoes sweet Raina,” Melinda said gently. She passed Raina her wine. “Here, you may need a few more sips of this.”

Raina obeyed.

“I once had to learn all you did. I was told all of the rules. I feared them as you do.” She reached for Raina’s hand. “I have learned a lot from Arabella. She helped me learn about my own gifts even as a mortal. I have been in your shoes, Raina.”

“How?”

Melinda smiled. “Did I not introduce Arabella as my husbands sister?”

The blue eyes opened wider when a sudden thought came to her. "Arabella is Michael's sister? But that would mean that Michael is…"

Melinda nodded.

Raina shook her head. "How can that be?"

"It can be Raina. There's so much you don't know."

Raina blinked. "You are married to an immortal? I'm not quite sure how that would work."

Melinda laughed softly. "If you give me time, I'll explain."

Raina gave a nod. "Yes, please tell me."

The lights, the music, everything else faded for Raina now. She leaned closer to her friend and squeezed her hand.

“So eager,” Melinda laughed. “Believe me…I understand!”

“This is why I felt so close to you,” Raina laughed.

“We are more similar than you would ever believe! I am bursting at the seams to tell you everything!”

Raina tugged on her hand. “Then tell me!”

Melinda suddenly looked serious. "I feel that there's something you should know. I probably shouldn't be the one telling you. It should be Thanatos." She squeezed Raina's hand harder.

“What is it? Why hasn’t he told me?”

"He probably feels it should come from Nolan." She let the words sink in.

“Is it serious?”

Melinda shook her head. “Well, sort of.”

Raina’s brow furrowed.

"When Thanatos came in that day at school? I knew it right then and there. So of course I had to call Michael and let him know.  I knew what he was doing was important but he needed to know this. Another immortal in our area? That was strange that we never knew. Before I ended the call, I mentioned your name.” She tilted her head. “I was shocked when Michael said he knew who you were."

              “Me?” Raina squeaked. "How would Michael know me?" She reached for her glass of wine needing some liquid courage.

Melinda’s countenance softened, knowing Raina would like her answer. "Because he knows Nolan. And all Nolan ever talks about is you."

Raina definitely felt the shock flowing through her system. "How does he know Nolan? I don't understand."

"That is what you need to know, Raina. Michael and Nolan share more than immortality. They share a gift too."

"Michael? He's a… Healer?"

Melinda nodded. "They are together Raina…right now. That business that Michael is attending to? Nolan is attending to the same business. He’s Nolan’s tutor.”

Raina blinked. “Tutor? Why does Nolan need a tutor?”

Melinda hesitated.

Frustration filled Raina’s eyes. “In all honesty…I am lost!” She pushed her glass of wine away, not wanting any more fuzziness in her brain. "I know nothing of what's going on," she sighed. "Nolan and Thanatos have hidden everything from me. What could be the necessity of two healers to be together? Why would Nolan need to be taught anything?"

Melinda lowered her eyes. "You really don't know anything do you?” She shook her head.

Raina chewed her bottom lip and shook her head back in response.

“They are being tested Raina."

Raina again felt the blood drain from her face. "Tested?" She fixed her glare on Thanatos hoping she had said the word loud enough and he knew that she was ticked off. The word tested had not been thrown Melinda's way but directly in the ear of Thanatos."

He froze. He had heard. He shook his head and quickly made his way back toward Raina, muttering an apology to Arabella.

"Don't! Don't you dare," Raina's voice was glacial when he finally stood before them. "Don't make excuses for yourself. And don't make excuses from Nolan. You both lied to me. Why did you feel that you could keep this from me?"

He first looked to Melinda unsure of how much he should say in front of her. But obviously she knew too much already. The word tested had come from Raina and he knew exactly what the implication of that word was. Raina now knew what Nolan was up to.

"You did not need to know Raina. There's nothing you could do to help him or to stop him. You can’t make it any different than it already is.” He ran a hand through his mane of hair. “You don’t understand our ways as much as you would like to think! He was summoned and he will do what he is asked. You know Nolan. You know his convictions. There was no stopping him.”

“You could have told me,” she growled.

The green eyes flared. “He didn't want you to know. He wanted you to think he was doing an important thing, which he is! But he didn't want you worrying over him." He glared at Melinda.

“Don’t give me that look,” Melinda warned him.

"I had my feelings about you. Why would you tell her?" He leaned both hands on the table and stared Melinda down.

"I'm in the same boat as she is, Thanatos.” She didn’t back away from the intimidating eyes. She had faced much worse!  “I would be dying inside right now if I didn't know where Michael was. Plus, you and I both know that she could be called…that I can be called at any moment. Michael has not kept anything from me and I know Our Sovereignty feel that we as mortals give them strength as healers. They will want to eventually test this."

Thanatos growled. "They don't need to test it! It's something that's true I've seen it with my own eyes. To include her would be nonsense."

"Nonsense? Nonsense? Seriously, Thanatos, did you just hear the words that came out of your mouth? You said you have witnessed it. You know what that it’s true…they do not. They want to see it firsthand."

Thanatos slid into the seat next to Raina his head in his hands. "And you, Melinda? What do you have to do with this?"

"Melinda's husband Michael is with Nolan. Thanatos, he's the other healer." Raina's eyes held misery. "Where are they Thanatos? Please, I want to see him. I want to be with him. Who knows what they'll do to him!"

Thanatos head shot up. The green eyes snapped in anger. "You're kidding me right now, aren’t you? You seriously think I will take you anywhere near that place? I'm torn enough that Nolan is there and he's an indestructible immortal.”

“You could take me there. You would protect me…”

“He would kill me. Well, not kill me but he certainly would make my life hell. Besides that, I can't bear to see any harm come to you."

"They're at Joseph's," Melinda said softly. "Michael said you know Joseph. You have favor with Joseph. You would be safe there."

Thanatos mouth dropped open in shock. He looked murderously mad. "Why? Why would you tell her?"

"She deserves to know. So long Michael kept me in the dark and I paid for that. The curiosity can drive you to do crazy things. Now that she knows, she can be rational. She can decide which way to go at it…not just run wherever and do whatever to find him. She is safer knowing where he is."

Raina touched Thanatos hand to calm him. "She's right. Now that I know I don't feel so lost. I can see Joseph's place since I've been there. I can imagine him being safe there. It helps. It also makes me want to buy a ticket to Florida," she teased.

Thanatos rolled his eyes. "That's one thing I fear. If you were to show up there now, Raina, it would not be a good thing. Trust me."

"I won't interfere," she argued. "I just need to make sure he is safe. What kind of testing are they doing on him?"

"They aren’t hurting him," Thanatos assured her.

"I would still like to see this with my own eyes." She turned to Melinda. "And you, I have so many questions for you. Firstly how are you married to an immortal? I'm not sure how that works."

"You tell me Raina. How do you think it works between an immortal and mortal?"

Raina tripped over her words. "It doesn't work, Melinda. Not many are willingly to give away life. I mean the act of love. I certainly would be willing to…sacrifice for him. Nolan…not so much! And in any case, I don't understand how your husband could…abstain from his wife. That's why Nolan ran."

Melinda smiled warmly, enjoying Raina tripping about on her own words. "You've seen the things Nolan can do. You know the things he's capable of. Have you ever considered him hurting you as one of those capabilities?"

Raina shook her head emphatically. "No never!"

"And why do you feel this?"

"I've witnessed his gift. Both emotionally and physically Nolan can heal me with a touch or a word. I never understood how someone who can so readily heal could cause harm by loving someone. It just didn't seem possible. But that's the law that's the way."

Melinda leaned closer. "I have a secret for you… secret for you and Thanatos only. I don't want that other hearing and by the other. I am not talking about Arabella.”

Thanatos nodded. “You saw Elenora?”

“Yes, I saw her too. Michael told me there was a woman who was set on having Nolan. She's over by the bar," Melinda's voice dipped lower. She leaned even closer to Raina.

“What do you need to tell us?” Raina asked softly.

Melinda glanced from Raina to Thanatos. She knew that the immortal beside her would be able to hear them but it was very unlikely the immortal across the room would hear them over the loud music. ”You ask how I can abstain from my husband? How he abstains from me?”

The small audience now waited.

Melinda smiled. “I don’t!”

Raina frowned.

"Making love to Michael has never brought me harm and never will bring me harm. Healers are the only one of their kind that can love a human freely and not hurt them. It's not possible."

"What?" Thanatos sat up. "You've got to be kidding me," he snapped. "Does Nolan know this?"

"If he ran away from Raina because he thought he would hurt her I'm thinking no." She shook her head at Thanatos as if he were an idiot. "But if he doesn't know… being with Michael… he will know soon."

Raina was still trying to gather her wits about her after the confession. She felt her cheeks tinge pink. The revelation gave her more pleasure than it should have. She had to hide a goofy smile by ducking her head. She wanted very much to talk to Nolan right now.

Thanatos nudged her. “Ok dirty bird get your mind out of the gutter!”

Raina pushed him back. “This is unbelievable,” she said softly.

"Okay, so if I had a tiny bit of jealousy before, this is my excuse for having an enormous amount of jealousy for that man." Thanatos shook his head. "Seriously? How lucky can one man get?"

Melinda hushed him when she saw the she devil approaching.

Thanatos growled.

“It’s okay, “Raina assured him. “Let her come.”

“I’d rather throw her out the door,” he said through gritted teeth.

Raina gave him a look, and turned to greet Elenora. She pasted a smile on her face and lifted her brows. "Well hello. Why are you gracing us with your presence, Elenora?"

Elenora rolled her eyes. "Obviously I didn't come over here for pleasantries. Seeing you is just as horrifying, I'm sure, as you seeing me is. I simply want one word with you. I know my promise doesn't mean much to you, but, no harm will come to you."

"You think I would actually let you sit down with her alone?" Thanatos' green eyes looked at her warily. "Anything you need to say to Raina you can say right here and right now."

Elenora shook her head. "What I have to say is for Raina’s ears only." She lifted her dark brow. "I know how the protection thing goes. I wouldn't get far with her. I just want to talk to her… alone."

Raina took a moment to think. She then looked at Thanatos and gave a nod. "I'll be okay," she promised.

Thanatos shook his head. "Ain't no way in hell!" He stood up ready to escort Elenora away.

"Thanatos! Trust me," Raina said harshly. "I swear you're as bad as Nolan sometimes. And you're supposed to be the open-minded one."

His mouth dropped open but no words came out. His brow wrinkled and he shook his head. "I do trust you, beautiful. I don't trust her."

"Well I trust you," Raina said as she stood to her feet. She squeezed his hand tightly. "I won't be far. I'll stay in your line of sight." She lifted her eyes to Elenora. "Five minutes." She held up her hand displaying all five fingers. "That's it."

Elenora nodded. She waved her hand toward an empty table not far away.

Raina followed her. Despite the trepidation she felt earlier, this felt like it was meant to be. She sat down and glared across the way at the she devil. Her blue eyes turned a bit sinister

“What is it sweet Raina?” Elenora smiled.

"So I hear you’ve been visiting Nolan."

"Our paths cross now and then. You know I love that man. I’d do anything to have him. But for some reason he's all wrapped up in you. I don't know what he sees and I really don't care.”