Sparks of Blue (Dark Light Book 2) (13 page)

Ben gawked at them. “Gwen mentioned you were trying to heal her, and I rolled with it because yesterday you seemed to help, but do you honestly expect me to believe that? Don’t you think, if there were a way, we’d have found it by now?”

“Obviously not,” Kai said.

Belle reached out and curled her fingers over Kai’s shoulder, reminding him with her touch to let her speak. “I’m a
healer
,” Belle said pointedly. “I work a little differently than any spell you may find online. I
can
save her. But I need time.”

“Then schedule an appointment,” Ben returned. “I still want you out.”

“Ben!” Gwen interrupted.

He shot a firm look to his sister. “No, Gwen. I don’t trust these people. I’m not picking them over the woman I love.”

Gwen stepped half a foot back and smacked her brother across the face. “You’re an idiot sometimes, Ben. You’re not choosing
them
. You’re choosing a woman who’s
lied
to you over your own sister. Belle and Kai have saved my life multiple times in the last few days. The
leader
of the armada brought us here. If they say your girlfriend’s not what you think she is, you should shut up and listen.”

Belle cringed, suspecting this would lead to an argument between the siblings that she didn’t want to be responsible for.

“Pray for her,” Kai said calmly.

All eyes turned to him, but he kept his stare on Ben.

“Pray for Jaelyn. When Jennifer appears, you’ll have your answer.”

“Kai,” Belle began carefully, “would Isabella even allow her to answer that prayer?”

“I’ll clear it.”

Gwen propped her hands on her hips and turned her attention back to her brother. “Well? How’s that for a suggestion?”

Ben looked between them, released a long-suffering groan, and pressed the heels of his palms to his forehead. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.” He moved and sank into the armchair. “This can’t be happening.” The last was said distantly as if he was thinking aloud.

Belle’s heart went out to him. She understood all too well the heartache of betrayal. And watching Ben’s grief as he finally began to accept the possibility of what they said made her realize that, no matter Kai’s words or the motivation he’d had in the past, she wasn’t actually sure she’d forgiven him. Perhaps he’d had good reasons. Perhaps she could accept that he couldn’t see the future to know how much she’d need him. But she needed time now; time to try and forgive him.

She wasn’t sure she could.

Chapter Thirteen

Creed whistled long and low at the sight that greeted him as the heavy door slid shut behind them. The room Uriah had taken him to was obviously a torture room. An entire wall of dangerous toys was off to the immediate left, an interior door led off the short wall to Creed’s right, and chained to the far wall was a woman.

She was unconscious and half-dead, but Creed could tell she’d been a looker once upon a time. Long blonde hair, dirty with caked blood and something that smelled suspiciously like vomit, fell around a classically pretty face. She was too thin, likely from not being fed properly, but had a natural hourglass shape and mile-long legs. A torn green sheet of a shirt hung off her chest, barely obscuring her breasts, and a matching strip covered her waist.

Dried and drying blood trailed down her legs, over her abdomen, and dripped from her stretched out arms. She had scars on every surface of her body. It was obvious to Creed that Uriah had this woman for a while.

“Who’s the dame?” Creed asked after a stretch of silence, turning a curious grin to the man standing beside the wall of fun.

Uriah moved forward and brushed some sticky strands of hair from her face. She didn’t react at all. “This woman,” he said slowly, “is actually a Nephilim. She’s my favorite pet. I’ve had her for quite some time.”

“You’ve got a Nephy in your torture chamber? How’s she still alive?” Creed asked.

Running a finger over her arm and catching a viscous drop of blood, Uriah replied, “Oh, we feed her intravenously. I don’t play with her every day, of course. And I’m careful not to inflict any wounds I cannot mend in time to preserve her life.”

“Why go to all the trouble?”

Uriah smirked and licked the blood from his finger as he turned back to Creed. “To study her, of course. Though Nephilim have always been rejected, not even the Archangels have bothered to study them while they live. From her, I’ve already learned so much.”

Creed raked his gaze over the woman one more time. “I never knew you were so handsy,” he joked. “But why show me any of this?”

Tucking his hands behind his back and stepping aside, offering Creed an unobscured view of her once more, Uriah said, “Because she is relevant. This Nephilim’s name is Madelyne. And she is your Belle’s precious younger sister.”

****

Ben had excused himself instead of enforcing his original choice to kick Kai and Belle out completely. No one had tried to stop him, understanding that he needed time to absorb everything he’d learned that morning.

“I’m sorry,” Gwen offered quietly after the door to Ben’s room was solidly shut. “He’ll calm down eventually.”

Belle offered Gwen a smile and said, “Don’t worry about it. He’s under a lot of stress very suddenly. I can’t imagine learning that someone I’d been with so long wasn’t even the same
species
as I thought they were.”

“Heh,” Gwen muttered, “me, either.” She paused, glanced toward Kai, and looked back at Belle. “I have to be honest. I’m so confused with you two. First you’re obviously pretending you don’t like each other, then all of a sudden you’re sexing it up every night.” She leaned in close and winked, adding, “Not that I wouldn’t tap that if I were you.”

Belle’s eyes widened, and she fought down a flush. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kai pinch the bridge of his nose, and she couldn’t help but grin a little. Clearing her throat as she looked back to Gwen, she said, “That’s … complicated.”

“And secret, I take it?” Gwen asked.

“Very,” Belle said with a nod.

“Okay, but, I have to know why,” Gwen declared. “And don’t say ‘it’s forbidden.’ I heard that. I want to know
why
.” She gestured up toward her brother’s room and added, “Like, why can’t angels fraternize with humans if it’s all consensual? What’s the big deal?”

Belle swallowed. She hadn’t honestly ever had a good answer to those questions.

Gwen gestured now toward Belle, apparently not done, and added, “I mean,
you
exist. So obviously ‘forbidden’ doesn’t stop it really.”

Before Belle could figure out a response to any of Gwen’s comments, Kai was speaking.

“Angel and human relations are forbidden because Nephilim are considered inferior,” he said plainly. “It’s an old grudge. Angels are supposed to guard humanity, to guide, but never to interfere. Nephilim are living proof that not all angels are able to distinguish their job from their desires. It’s viewed as weakness.”

“Wow,” Gwen said. “That’s the most I think I’ve ever heard you say at once.”

Belle looked away and bit her lip. She knew, or at least she’d once thought she knew, Kai didn’t hold steadfastly to those traditional feelings. She had to assume he still didn’t if he was still in any way attracted to her. But that was his
culture
. Surely some of those opinions were in him somewhere.

“So do you subscribe to any of that?” Gwen asked, holding Kai’s stare fearlessly. “Do you see Nephilim as weak and inferior?”

Belle held her breath as if her world hinged on his answer.

“No.”

Chills raced down her spine and goose bumps broke out across her arms. He was looking at her. She knew it. She could feel his hot, firm gaze on her like a passionate caress. She knew if she turned and looked toward him she’d find him watching her. But to do that was dangerous right now. Belle couldn’t explain it, didn’t fully understand it, but she
knew
something was changing inside. And looking at Kai would accelerate that change. She wasn’t sure she was ready to do that.

“So Jen—or Jaelyn, I guess—hid her identity because she didn’t want to get in trouble?” Gwen asked as if she hadn’t asked all those other questions because of Kai and Belle’s relationship.

“Yes,” Kai replied.

“And you turned her in.” Not a question, but not an accusation.

Kai released a breath. “I ordered her to turn herself in. Coming clean herself will lessen her punishment.”

“I don’t get it,” Gwen pushed. “So she was doing something she shouldn’t. So are you.”

“Gwen,” Belle interrupted, her heart clenching.

“I had no choice,” Kai said.

“I guess I still don’t see the difference,” Gwen declared, slumping back against the sofa. “You could just all have kept quiet.”

“Eventually, we’d have both been caught,” Kai said. “Me for keeping her secret, her because she’s not strong enough to hide forever. She’d be fired, reprimanded. At worst, Ben’s memory would be cleansed of her.”

“And you’d be fired,” Gwen guessed. She glanced at Belle. “Could they wipe your memory? What with your healing and all.”

Belle shook her head. “No. But they wouldn’t try.” Gwen gave her a funny look, and she quietly said, “When a Nephilim is caught with an angel … they’re executed.”

Gwen’s eyes opened wide, but it was Kai’s voice that spoke next. He straightened and looked toward the sliding glass doors as he said, “We have company.”

****

Kai was almost glad for the intrusion as a demonic presence flickered just outside the house. A presence he recognized as that of the demon who’d now escaped him twice thanks to Creed’s distractions. And while he knew he shouldn’t be grateful to a demon for
anything
, he would rather have intruding demons hell-bent on killing an innocent human than have to think about the repercussions that awaited Belle if—or when—they were caught. That fear was the entire reason he’d left her before.

But he’d been a fool then in more ways than one.

To think he could really live without her was ludicrous, he realized that now. Perhaps he’d realized it that first sleepless night after leaving her. Either way, now that he’d held her again he doubted he would ever have the strength to walk away.

More importantly, though, it didn’t matter if they were actively sleeping together. Actively involved. If an angel
ever
found out about their history, ever reported it to any higher authority than himself, the punishment to Belle was death.

Never.
Law or not, he would never allow it. Not while he breathed.

“It’s that demon who grabbed me before!” Gwen exclaimed as she and Belle stood and faced the glass doors.

“He’s alone,” Kai said as he realized that, in fact, the demon didn’t have any companions in the area. But he knew perfectly well how fast that could change. “Stay back.” He drew his sword and summoned his fully restored power, letting it engulf the blade in its pure blue flame.

The demon stepped back and held his hands up at shoulder height, standing in complete sunlight. “I’m not here to fight,” he said as soon as the door was pulled open.

“Why the hell should that matter?” Kai returned. He was more than ready to kill the bastard.

“I have information. On Creed.”

“Kai,” Belle called. She didn’t say more because he heard it all in that one word. She wanted to hear him out.

Kai kept his sword raised but remained in the doorway. “Talk while you can.”

“Creed and I … had a falling out,” the demon said carefully. “He refused to tell me his plans for the girl, so I followed him earlier. He was meeting one of his Earthly contacts.”

“You’re saying you know where he is?”

The demon shook his head. “No, he’s probably not there now. But I learned something about the man he went to visit.” He paused, swallowed, and looked Kai straight in the eyes. “He’s an angel. More powerful than you, I think. I didn’t dare stick around long enough to draw attention to myself.”

More powerful than me?
That was a short list. There was no way in hell Isabella was working with the enemy … was there? The demon was sure that Creed’s associate was male, but Kai didn’t know if he trusted that assumption. And if it wasn’t Isabella, the next step up were the Archangels…

Lowering his sword, Kai said, “Demon. Tell me your name.”

Taking Kai’s cue, the demon lowered his arms. “Knox,” he said. “My name is Knox.”

“Knox. Continue your efforts to learn Creed’s secrets and report them to me. Do that and I’ll spare your life. Betray me…” He raised his sword again, holding it parallel to the ground, and let the flame flare brightly. “And die.”

Knox nodded sharply. “I can accept that arrangement.” He took a step back and pulled his shadow up, around his body. Then he was gone.

“Are we seriously going to work with that demon?” Gwen demanded as Kai stepped inside and sheathed his sword. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned with agitation. “The same demon who grabbed me and nearly kidnapped me yesterday?”

“Yes,” Kai replied, shutting the door. “Because demons are good at spying on each other, and it saves us the energy.”

“You can’t possibly trust him,” Gwen insisted.

“You’re right. I don’t.”

But that didn’t mean he was lying this time. He’d gone out of his way to draw Kai’s attention, never making a move to attack. The chances of that not being suicide, from the demon’s perspective, had to be near zero.

“Could he be telling the truth?” Belle asked, concern and a flicker of fear in her voice. The existence of that fear bothered him more than he was currently willing to let on.

Kai released a breath, resisting the urge to run his hands through his hair to release a little energy, and offered the best answer he had. “He believes he is. And I’ve long suspected Creed had a powerful ally in his back pocket.” He moved properly into the living room and claimed the armchair.

Gwen and Belle sat—heavily, in Gwen’s case—on the couch. Belle took the seat nearest the chair, leaning forward with a thoughtful frown. “What do you mean?”

“He always seems one step ahead,” Kai admitted, choosing his words carefully. “Before yesterday he’d never risked a direct battle with me, but more than that, even when I shield my presence, he seems to sense me coming.”

Belle was silent, her blue eyes dimmed with thought as she processed Kai’s words.

Gwen tucked her feet beneath her on the couch and asked the million-dollar question. “Okay, so how many angels are more powerful than you? How likely is that?”

Kai met her curious gaze. “One hundred and one. And not very.”

Gwen’s eyes widened. “I take it … there are more than one hundred and two angels? Or three, counting Jaelyn?”

“We number over ten thousand currently,” Kai replied.

Gwen’s mouth fell open and a distinct utterance of “Holy shit,” reached Kai’s ears, though the words were mumbled.

“Okay,” Belle interrupted after glancing at Gwen, “let’s shelve this conversation. Stressing over who may or may not be betraying the High Kingdom is not going to get us anywhere.” She leaned to the side and rested a hand on Gwen’s shoulder. “You’re due for a healing session.”

Kai glanced up as Gwen’s attention shifted. Who could Knox have meant? If the angel in question was stronger than him, Kai needed to tread carefully. And on the off-chance Isabella was involved, he had to refrain from reporting this information. His gut insisted she wasn’t to blame. But then he’d be blaming the Archangels. The One Percenters.
I need hard proof.
Proof that would be hard to obtain while he was helping protect a human woman.