Fall From Grace (22 page)

Pulses of bliss echoed their heartbeats,
surging through her body with each pump of energy. Her body floated
on a cloud of ecstasy, as if she had no bones or skin, yet she
could feel the whispered touches of his hand on her stomach.

“This is how you make me feel every time I’m
near you. But this is how I feel each time you move away.”

His palm raked down her belly and retreated
back to his side, with it, he took everything. Happiness drained
from her soul like a plug had been removed from a bathtub. Energy
retreated, leaving only heavy muscles that weighted her body to the
bed.

Loss…darkness…helplessness. She choked and
lifted her hand to touch his as the last glow of blue disappeared.
If she didn’t touch him, there would be no purpose to life. He
brushed his fingertips to hers and she pulled in a long breath. It
wasn’t the same, but the simple contact of their skin allowed her
to breathe, to move, to survive. Without it, nothing else in the
world mattered.

“Th-that’s how you feel?” Gaby brushed the
tears from her cheek with her left hand, never moving her right
from his.

“Yes. Now you know why I can never lose you.
Why I won’t risk your life.” Alexander panted into her ear.

Sweat rolled down her side, but she didn’t
care. Nothing would make her move from the heat of his body. She
laced her fingers through his, and he lowered to kiss her once
more.

“Gaby. Alexander. There’s trouble.” Bruce
called through the door.

Alexander bolted from the bed. His eyes
glazed over and his skin tinged blue.

Her soul ripped in half, and only part of
her remained. With the connection severed between them, she
shivered. Deep voices whispered doom and desperation, warning her
to run and never return. But she wouldn’t listen. Not this time.
The evil voices would not dictate her actions. She needed to find a
way for them to stay together. It wasn’t a matter of choice any
longer. They had to be together.

Gaby shoved from the bed and yanked the door
open. “What is it?”

“Got word. The hunters approach. We need to
leave Kemp.” Dad scrubbed his face. “This could get ugly. David has
a small loyal group willing to work with us to seal the gate.”

Dad shuffled down the stairs in front of
them.

“Wait.” Gaby grabbed her bag containing the
journal, the portfolio her mother gave her, and her cell phone,
then followed him down the stairs. Alex remained close by her side.
His stiff back and far off gaze indicated he sensed something, but
he wasn’t sharing. Boon appeared at the front door. “All is packed.
The main road is blocked. We’ll have to cut through the woods. I’ve
scouted a path. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Sunlight reflected off a dark
four-by-four.

“Guess we take to the trails.” Dad grabbed a
black gun bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Gonna rendezvous
with David two towns over. If the plan works, we’ll be close enough
to regroup and return before the gate rips Kemp apart.

Her body stung with fear. She could lose her
father, Alexander, everyone she cares about.
You can stop
it.
NO, she wouldn’t listen to the voice. She pinched the
bridge of her nose so tight she knew it left a mark.

“What is it?” Alexander wrapped his arm
around her shoulder.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” She pushed
straight and forced her eyes open despite the splitting headache
the voice drummed in her head.

“Remember, I won’t lose you. Promise
me—”

“I won’t do anything stupid.” Gaby smiled.
“Not now. We might not be Soulbonded like Sammy and Boon, but
something tells me neither of us could survive without the
other.”

Dad cleared his throat, “Gotta move.”

“Wait, where’s Sammy?” Gaby asked.

Boon stiffened. “She’s close. Couldn’t find
the principal, so she’s keeping an eye on the hunters.”

They all threw the bags in the back of the
truck and climbed in. She looked at the old shack sitting in front
of her and wondered if she’d ever return. Funny how she was
embarrassed and hated the house when they first moved there, but
now it had become a home full of memories. Granted, not all of them
good. But it was the first place she’d kissed Alexander, slept in
his arms, and fell in love with him. Her heart ached for that
simple life, but that wasn’t her future. She might have been born
human, but she was finally starting to realize a long life on Earth
was not her fate.

The wheels spun against the white rocks of
the driveway before the truck lurched, and they barreled down the
long road. Dad swung the vehicle onto the highway, sending Gaby
sliding across the back seat into Alexander’s side. His body was
tense with worry, and he held her close. Boon glanced back before
he scanned the trees.

“She’ll be okay. Sammy’s smart she won’t get
too close.” Alexander slapped Boon on his shoulder.

Gaby couldn’t imagine how it felt being
separated even for a few minutes from someone you were Soulbonded
to. Gaby’s body actually ached each time Alex stood only a few feet
away. Maybe that was just a human reaction, she wasn’t sure, but
Boon’s worried eyes and tight lips indicated he was suffering all
the same.

“There.” Boon directed Dad to turn right
down a narrow path through the woods. The truck bounced, but
Alexander kept a tight grip, securing her to his side.

Boon spun around and Alexander exchanged a
terrified glance before Boon jumped out the passenger side window
of the moving vehicle and disappeared.

“Main road’s blocked. Sammy is scouting the
woods ahead. A few hunters are blocking our path, but Sammy and
Boon should be able to handle it.”

“If not, you know what to do.” Dad gave a
quick glance over his shoulder before the truck soared into the air
and crashed into another mound of dirt and rock.

Terror zoomed through her faster than the
car sped between the trees. “What do you mean by that?” Gaby
shouted at her father.

“Listen G-Bear. Hunters want you, not me.
I’ll be fine.”

“To hell you will. I’m not leaving you. We
both know the Hunters will kill you to find me.”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

Trees crashed to the ground around them, and
she glanced out the window to see Sammy in pursuit of a vehicle
running parallel to them through the woods.

Boon swooped down in all his midnight glory
and rammed the side of the vehicle sending it rolling into several
trees.

“Dad, please. Promise…”

The truck came to a grinding halt.

Two vehicles blocked the path ahead. Five
men stood with guns pointed at them. Sammy and Boon were fighting
off two others across the way.

Alexander opened the door and scooped her
into his arms.

Gaby clutched the door. “No, Daddy. Don’t do
this!”

****

Alexander ripped Gaby from the car while
trying not to hurt her. “Gaby, listen.” He pressed his mouth to her
ear. “I need to get you to safety then come back for Bruce.”

Bullets whizzed by. He spun around and
shielded Gaby with his body.

“Let me go. I can fight.” She struggled
against his grip, but she didn’t have a chance to free herself. He
wouldn’t let go. A small bruise on her wrist would be nothing
compared to bullets ravaging her body.

He risked a quick glance. Bruce was
strategically positioned and raining his own bullets down at the
Hunters.

Thumps and grinding metal echoing through
the dense woods indicated Boon and Sammy were holding their own. He
clutched Gaby to his waist and bolted through the trees.

“Alex, please. Listen to me.” Gaby pleaded
but he refused to listen, nothing mattered but getting her to
safety. Didn’t she know how much he wanted to fight, but he
couldn’t, not while she was in danger.

“Dad needs a more strategic position to
fight. He’s outnumbered.” Gaby clutched his shirt, but he kept his
eyes forward and flew around several trees. “Leave me here, just
long enough to rescue Dad then I’ll go anywhere you want.”

He longed to give her what she wanted, but
the only thing that mattered was getting her out of Kemp.

“If it were Grace, would you leave her back
there?”

He clenched his jaw and fought the urge to
look into her eyes. If he did, he’d be lost forever to her demands.
She caressed the side of his face and kissed his chin. “Please
Alex. For me. Don’t let him die back there.”

The ocean came into view and he slowed.

“Please, Alex.” Her words were like weights
on his wings, and he floated down to the soft sand. He sucked in a
deep breath, the stench of gunpowder on his clothes warned of
Bruce’s fate.

Alexander glared at the ocean and knew by
the time he reached land at the other end and dropped Gaby at
safety, Bruce would be dead. Would she ever forgive him? She’d be
safe here for a few minutes. He could fly back, grab Bruce, and
take him to a better position. Then have Boon pick him up and fly
him out. They could regroup and try to return to seal the gate.

“You’re wasting time. Go!”

He brushed the hair from her face and
couldn’t refuse her desperate, wide-eyed plea.

“Stay in the cover of the trees.” Alexander
ordered before he inhaled her sweet scent. He pushed off the
ground, glancing back at Gaby still clutching a bag to her side
before he tore through the woods, leaving a graveyard of downed
trees in his wake. No need to worry about Hunter’s spotting him
now. The quicker he grabbed Bruce, the faster he could return to
Gaby.

With each passing mile a little of his
energy drained. They were connected somehow. Not bonded, but they
needed each other.

He approached and found Bruce pinned down
behind some rocks. More trucks sped toward the fight. Sammy wrapped
a rifle around one of the hunter’s wrists while Boon’s wing sent
two men a hundred feet into the air.

The apple scent of Gaby’s hair was replaced
by blood and sweat. So much hatred. If they’d just listen.

Sammy…Boon, I’m going to grab Bruce. Meet at
the beach near our old place. We’ve got to leave Kemp. We can
regroup and try again later.

The words didn’t enter his head, but the
cool tingle in his mind indicated their confirmation.

Alex circled around to figure out how many
men were fighting, but there were too many to count in one pass. He
looped back and found Bruce surrounded, a knife at his throat.

Two Hunters shouted at the man to end
Bruce’s life, but something caused him to hesitate. Alexander
rammed the guy in the gut before he had a chance to change his
mind. He flew several feet in the air before he landed behind the
other two men.

Bruce scrambled to his feet, and Alexander
grabbed one of the men by the back of the shirt and threw him on to
the hard, packed dirt, while Bruce grabbed the knife on the ground
and stabbed the other in the leg.

Got him.
Alex grasped both of Bruce’s
arms and raced back to Gaby.

“Why’d you come back? You should have Gaby
half-way across the ocean by now.” Bruce yelled.

Alex ignored him, knowing he’d calm down
once Bruce saw Gaby was safe.

Sammy and Boon caught up to them by the time
he reached the edge of the highway. It was awkward carrying someone
else besides Gaby, and it slowed him down.

They reached the beach and his body warmed
at the closer proximity to Gaby. He didn’t see her at first, but he
knew she was there. Something had happened between them back in her
room. His skin hummed with pleasure when she was near.

Bruce spun around, eyes blazing reminiscent
of his daughter’s angry stare. “Where is she?”

Alexander scanned the woods. Gaby’s golden
hair glistened in the sun, a stark contrast to the brown and green
woods. She ran to her father and Alexander’s heart soared at the
sight. The look on her face made the rescue worth the risk. At
least they were all safe, for the moment.

Boon took Sammy’s hand and kissed her
knuckles. Engines revved in the distance, warning them to flee. “I
think we need to head farther than a few towns over.”

Bruce rubbed his chin. “We have a safe house
in the Bahamas. We can go there for awhile. There aren’t any
Hunters on the islands.”

“What then?” Gaby stared each of them down.
“If we run, are we allowing the rift to open wider?”

“No choice.” Bruce squared his shoulders.
“Need to figure out how to close it. We won’t get that chance if we
stay here.”

“Regroup and return. Sounds like a plan.”
Boon nodded toward the highway. “I think it’s time we head out.
I’ll take Bruce.”

Boon blocked the sun with his wings. “Let’s
go.”

Alexander offered his hand to Gaby. She
hesitated, but let go of her father and jumped into his arms.

Instantly, everything felt right in the
world. They’d have some more time together before the inevitable
fight raged on. Maybe they could figure out a better way to seal
the gate, keeping Gaby far from Kemp.

He lifted into the air and headed to the
ocean.

“Ah!” Gaby grabbed her head and crunched her
stomach tight, constricting her into a ball. He repositioned his
hands before she fell.

“What is it?” Alexander hung mid-air.
“Gaby?”

“It burns!” Gaby yelled out.

Boon returned to his side holding Bruce,
Sammy appeared at his other side.

“What’s wrong with her?” Sammy asked.

“I-it hurts.” Gaby moaned. “My head.
Something’s out there.”

Alexander scanned the horizon, but all that
remained were miles of ocean, and the faint line of beach he’d left
behind.

“Start moving.” Bruce ordered.

Alexander flapped his wings and headed
farther out to sea, but Gaby flung back, screaming in his arms.
Blood surged from her eyes, nose, and mouth. His gut clenched tight
and he froze.

“Go back.” Her face scrunched tight and she
swiped blood from her eyes. “Hurts worse the further you go.
T-trapped.”