Veined (A Guardian of the Angels Novel) (14 page)

I opened my eyes. I
t looked like there was two of Attic. Even sitting down, I was unsteady.

“Whoa,” Attic said. “Don’t try to move just yet. It’ll take some getting used to, but after a while you won’t even be aware of it.”

I closed and reopened my eyes. This time, there were only one and a half Attics. I focused on the postcards behind him and slowly they became clearer. 

It took me over an hour and a lot of gentle coaxing from Attic before I managed to hold the shield around my mind and move around the room. It felt like my skull had grown numb and started softly humming.

“Now to my favorite part,” Attic grinned.

I wanted to poke my tongue at him, but I was too stiff concentrating on the shield. I didn’t want to lose grip.

“I’ll start easy on you. What do you think of your Vein?”

Thank God he hadn’t asked anything dirty. It wouldn’t have bothered me for Attic to know I liked my Vein, that I thought it was amazing, like art stamped onto my back.

“You’re a fast learner, little Lark. Well done. Didn’t hear even a twitter.”

I smiled. Now it was my turn. I wanted to ask about his gloves, they were a mystery to me and I yearned to know why he wore them all the time, but as I was about to ask my intuition warned me against it. I coughed and looked at his pendant. “Does it have any meaning?”

Attic unclasped the necklace and handed it over. He watched me with curiosity, and I flushed. As I brushed my fingers over the pendant, I felt something rough on the other side and turned it over to see a name engrained on it.
Derinyes
.

“It’s a part of a key and I’m protecting it,” Attic said. I raised my brow for him to continue. “It’s complicated.”

“We’re playing this the way you wanted,” I reminded him. “So answer the question.”

Attic re-clasped the pendant around his neck, tucking it under his shirt. “What do you know of Ache?”

“That it’s Hell.”

Attic hesitated as if unsure where to begin. “Thousands of years ago—”

I started to laugh. “You sound like a documentary.”

“You want to hear this or not, Lark?” I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Right. Thousands of years ago there didn’t used to be any distinction between Eirene and Ache, heaven and hell. After dying, everybody passed over into the Underworld—would you stop pacing about and sit down while I tell you?”

I went to grab his chair and drag it to him. “Lark, I’m not going to bite you. Get over here and sit on the bed.” His bed. Where . . . A sneaky smile escaped me. Ha. I could think whatever I wanted right now and he wouldn’t hear me.

He patted his bed. Hell no, there was no way I was going there, especially when he and Alyse had just
. . . “You know, I’d prefer the chair, thanks.”

“Suit yourself.”

I dragged it over as Attic continued, “This Underworld was ruled by ten Leons—sort of like kings if you like—but they disagreed on how the dead should be treated. Three of the Leons secretly planned to get rid of the other seven and claim the Underworld as their own. They started to call themselves the Derinyes.” Attic ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Anyway, they broke the laws and exited the Underworld where they would take hoards of people and give them power by letting them eat part of their skin.’

“Ugh,” I sa
id and waggled my tongue like I’d tasted something foul.

Attic gave me a sad smile. “Yes, disgusting. And worse, because of it the Derinyes created an Army strong enough to kill the other Leons.”

I shuffled to the edge of the seat. “Did they manage?”

“They killed all of them but one. Ramiel cried over the deaths of his six murdered brothers and sisters. He wanted to die, he was in so much pain, but he also had a lover. Olivia, a beautiful girl who had died before her time, and she was mourning with him when the Derinyes came to finish him off.”

Attic leaned forward as if my saddened expression worried him.

“Continue,” I said.

“Ramiel stood in front of her, prepared to do whatever he had to, to protect Olivia and all others in the Underworld like her who deserved better.” Attic went silent.

“But . . .
” I urged him on. It looked like telling the tale hurt.

“But his lover knew no matter how well and bravely he fought, he was no match for three other Leons. So Olivia did something to save him. She sacrificed herself. With her freely given blood she cursed the Derinyes to the dirt and blessed her lover to the sky. Ramiel was furious at the Derinyes, and before the mud completely sucked them up he had time to rip off the necklaces that had been forged to exit the Underworld. He didn’t want his lover’s sacrifice to be in vain. He tried to destroy them, but they are indestructible.”

“They are?” I said, nervous at his use of the present tense.

“Gold. Bronze.” Attic touched his necklace. “And Silver.”

I gasped and my flimsy shield fell. The golden woman’s voice echoed in my head.
Gold, Silver and Bronze will merge again.

CHAPTER 14

EERINESS SWEPT THROUGH ME.
Golden eyes and swirling hair flashed in my mind. The woman’s words were
not
a coincidence. They had something to do with the Derinyes necklaces. I looked at the bulge in Attic’s shirt, and shuddered.

Attic sat so unnaturally still he could have been mistaken for a wax sculpture. Not a muscle twitched. Was this Attic
shocked
? When he finally spoke he sounded different, no playfulness leaked in his voice, no sarcasm, there was only urgency. “I need to know who told you that.”

“The night in the steakhouse when I”—swallow—“relived my death. There was this woman—”

Attic grabbed my arm. “Would you share your Phoenix moment with me?”

I stiffened.
I had to experience that again? Can’t he just read my mind?

He shook his head. “I can only hear words. No pictures. If you imagine her, I can access the image by touching your Vein.”

“And couldn’t you read my mind when I had my Phoenix moment?”

“No. That’s private. No Guardian can hear your thoughts during that. You can choose whether to share it or not. Will you?”

I hesitated. “Okay, do it,” I said, standing up and turning round.

Attic got up while I twisted my hair out the way. “It will probably work with your shirt on, but to get the clearest image we’d have to touch skin on skin. I mean, only if that’s okay?”

Closing my eyes, I accessed my shield and with a strained effort managed to thinly veil my mind. I unbuttoned my shirt and let it drop to the floor. My Vein was exposed for him to see as well as my bra. My palms grew clammy, and I wiped them on my jeans.

Attic lightly traced my Vein. It took all my effort not to shudder with the electrical currents that rapped through my blood at his touch. When his skin caressed mine, I bit my tongue and strained to concentrate on my shield.

“Focus on the woman.” His breath tickled my spine and I knew it was his forehead against my Vein. Why didn’t he take those stupid gloves off?

I focused on the scene of my death, when I first saw the woman’s golden eyes and hair standing in the middle of the road. The part just before I swerved.

Attic jumped back. When I faced him, confused, he handed me my shirt, his arms shaking visibly. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

He looked at me, his face pale. “Get dressed. We’re going to see Albelin.”

I swung my shirt around my shoulders with Attic dragging me forward. I almost fell down the stairs trying to keep up with him. “Dammit, Attic.”

When we stopped running, I looked around. We were underground somewhere I hadn’t been before. Same plush carpet and chandeliers, though. Attic tapped at a large oak door, and Albelin promptly opened it. When he saw Attic’s face, his charming smile dropped. “What is it?” He ushered us in and closed the door behind us.

There were so many shelves, it seemed like the walls were made of books. As Albelin rounded his presidential desk he waved at me to sit on a chair, but I refused. “Don’t brush me to the side,” I said to him, then looked at Attic. “Now tell me what’s going on.”

Attic picked up Albelin’s hand and stuffed it under his shirt, onto his Vein. Soon, Albelin’s eyes widened and he stumbled into the chair he’d just offered to me. “Eirene. Do you know what this means?”

Would someone care to enlighten me?
I was far too dizzy to keep my shield up.

Attic stepped closer to me and I mirrored him by stepping back. I wasn’t going to let his closeness fog my mind. He sighed. “When Guardians Phoenix they relive their most humane moment. But it’s very, very rare for a Guardian to meet the Angel that transfuses them.”

My mouth fell open.
Does that mean—

“Yes, she’s an Angel,” Albelin said, pouring whiskey into a glass. I watched him take a sip. “And not just any Angel.
Bekay
is the last Moirae, the most feared of all Angels.”

Well, she certainly didn’t look scary. And aren’t Angels the good guys?

“She is not evil,” Attic said, “but that doesn’t make her any less terrifying.”

Albelin pulled out a thick book from his shelf, stamping fingerprints in the dust as he opened it. “The Moirae were the three Angels of fate and prophecy,” he said. “Together they could see all decisions Angels, Demons and Men alike would make within a hundred years, and the consequences they’d have. They could look at a child and be able to determine everything that would happen in their life.” Albelin pointed to three sketches of women and I identified the smallest one as the Golden Woman.

“She’s the last one,” Albelin said, running a thumb over the woman I had died to save. “Without her sisters, Bekay can only see parts of the future, so her prophecies are incomplete. But even partial prophecies and insights into someone’s future are, as Attic said, terrifying.”

There was a moment of silence. “Most likely what it means,” Attic said, drawing closer, “is if she’s singled you out, she’s seen a part of the future and you play a role in it. The fact she came to you in person only suggests”—he swallowed—“that whatever she saw you doing, it was important.”

He turned to Albelin. “Can you dig up anything you can on the last Moirae prophecies? See if there is anything that could be about Sylva.”

Albelin nodded. “Just in case, I think you should do even more training. Until we know more,” he said, looking at me. “That means no school. I’m sorry.” He raised a hand before I could protest. “It’s just for now, but that decision’s final.”

Attic looked like he more than agreed with Albelin, and for the second time that night I felt like kicking his butt. He laughed, some of the tension falling off him. “Good luck with that, Lark.” Swiping Albelin’s whiskey, he downed it. “Maybe we should let her go to the homecoming dance, and maybe even have one night off to spend with friends.”

By six am, Attic had dragged me out of bed and into a gymnasium, under the motel parking lot. Toby was there, lifting weights, and Cordelia was doing some type of meditation. It was ridiculous to whisper, since they could hear me, but I did it anyway. “What’re we doing first?”

Attic pulled off his black jersey, revealing a clingy black top that accentuated his well toned torso. I looked away before he could notice me staring.

He laughed. “That might have worked, if you’d shielded your mind first. Of course, for the record, I don’t mind you staring.”

Course you wouldn’t you cocky—

“I can still hear you.”

“Kind of the point.”

Attic looked at the two Guardians, but from where I stood, I couldn’t make out his facial expression. Whatever it was, though, it had been enough to send the others flying out of the room.

“First, we’re getting you warmed up,” he said with a carnivorous look, his eyes glowing like a lion’s on the hunt.

It should have been
warning enough. With a movement too fast to see, Attic thwacked against my chest. The force knocked me to the floor and confiscated my breath. “Lesson number one: always be prepared.” Attic extended his hand toward me. “And lesson number two, use any momentum thrust at you to your advantage.”

“Sparring’s your idea of a warm up, huh?” I took his hand and yanked. My feet met his middle and I flipped him over my head. Gymnastics trainings were paying off. I jumped up. Attic was already lunging. Just barely, I twisted to the side. The arm of my T ripped. 

Attic pushed me from behind. This time I went with it, turned, and kicked him behind the legs. He leaped and his laugh echoed around the gym.

“Much better, little Lark.”

Patronizing bas—

I heard a crunch as Attic sent me head first to the floor. Black splotches disrupted my vision. Pissed, I moved faster, swirling around him, hitting, kicking, lunging like I was some crazed snake.

Attic dodged them all.

Frustrated, I stopped my attack and went on
the defense. I blocked his hits and managed to keep upright, but I was getting tired.

And Attic knew it. “I’ll have you flat on your back in under ten seconds. You’re
still
no match for me.”

He’d used those words the time we’d fought at school. And he’d lived up to his promise.

It was exactly the motivation I needed. I shook my head. Not
this
time.

Using what energy I had left, I pulled up the shield around my mind. It was weak but it would have to do. With one swift jerk, I tore off my T, so I stood there in my bra. Attic paused, and it was all the time I needed.

One kick to his chest and he was on his back. I pinned him down, my legs locked around his thighs and my arms gripped at his shoulders. “Looks like you need to study that rule book of yours.” I mocked his tone as I spoke. “Lesson number one: always be prepared.”

Attic grinned, staring at my bra. “I always come prepared, check my pocket.”

I tightened my hold. “You think embarrassing me is going to get you out of this one? Think again.”

“Why would I want to do that?” Attic winked and I almost jumped off him.
Almost.

I pressed my body harder against his. I’d give him what he least expected. “I’m impressed you managed to keep your shield up,” he continued, his breath brushing a strand of my hair that had escaped my ponytail, “but so disappointed. I’d love to know what you’re thinking right now, with our bodies so close together.”

I loosened my grip. That was all
he
needed.

He whipped me around, and before I knew what was happening, he was looking down at me with the face of a satisfied predator.

Dammit.

I tried to buck him off, but it was in vain and I stopped when I noticed how he smiled. I changed my tactic. I’d kept my shield up during that question of his. Now it was my turn. And stuff intuition, I was going to ask. “Tell me what’s with the gloves.”

“Think you’re in a position to demand something of me?” Attic said, emphasizing it by squeezing my thighs between his knees.

I winked at him. “Just playing by your rules.”

“You know what they say about curiosity . . . Poor cat.”

“Yeah,” I said, sure my eyes sparkled every bit as much as his. “But satisfaction brought it back.”

Attic laughed while effortlessly propping me to my feet, making no effort to hide his wandering gaze. I clicked my fingers in front of my face and his eyes followed, a smug grin coming with it.

“
Guys
,” I muttered under my breath.  

Attic shrugged and moved away from me until we were buffered by a vault. “I told you once I can move faster than the wind. Well
. . .” He peeled off his gloves, but before I had time to admire his hands, Attic vanished.

Cloth hit the back of my neck. I grabbed at it and spun round. In my hands was a light blue T-shirt, the T I’d considered wearing that morning, and less than three feet away stood Attic. “How did you do that?” I said, pulling it on.

Attic disappeared. “It’s my power.” I followed his voice to the beam on the opposite side of the gym. “I’m a portal.”

My mouth gaped and something between a question and a gasp gurgled out of it. I cleared my throat and started again. “How does that work?”

Attic jumped to the ground, touched the beam and instantly both poofed. Less than a second later, the both of them were less than a hand’s distance in front of me.

Wow.

“Glad you think so,” Attic said.

“So, you just imagine a place and you can go there?”

“Pretty much.”

“Why do you run at all?”

“Portaling uses a lot of energy,” he said, slipping his hands into his gloves, “so I don’t use it all the time.”

“Could you portal me somewhere?” I was more curious than I was serious. Attic scowled, and I wished I’d never asked.

“No,” he said, growling.

I recoiled.

“I can’t.” The way Attic said it sounded like he actually could do it but didn’t want to. I searched his face, trying to understand why.

Perhaps it hurt too much to take people with him?