Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1) (22 page)

It didn't matter. He had to fly.

It hurt, but he worked through it. Carrying
Raea didn't help, although it was easier without her wings, which
would have made it awkward. But he would do anything for her.

He passed over where he had left the SUV.
From high up, he saw it in the moonlight still there, but didn't
know if anyone serviced it. The tires on one side would both be
burned out. They'd have to be replaced. The occupants—whether Nina
Russet or some other Dark Angel watcher—would have to find another
ride. That would keep them busy for a while. Hopefully long enough
for him to recover.

In the meantime, he just wanted to reach
Evelyn's. Luckily, or maybe not if Debbie had any influence, he saw
no sign of Linds or anyone else from high above.

Relief carried him down to the backyard,
where he nearly fell to his knees on landing but caught himself and
kept Raea from hitting the ground. Now to hide.

He hurried to the back door and squeezed
through with Raea. Once inside, he closed both doors and caught his
breath.

After a few seconds, he continued through
the kitchen and dining room to the stairs. Curse the pain. His
whole body ached from the fight and his stumble, and the cut. Soon
he could rest, though.

Upstairs, he laid Raea in bed and covered
her. In the light, he saw no signs of physical harm, except for the
bruising on her wrists, but that didn't mean Pallin hadn't done
something.

Although Elis needed strength to heal
himself, she came first. He wouldn't let her suffer. He
couldn't
let her suffer, and took her hands in his and
called on the resonance one last time. The healing power flowed
differently than a simple release of energy, tingling down his arms
like warm water. The crystal pendant glowed with their hands. Odd,
but welcome. The Starfire entities helped.

For a moment, he thought he heard the voices
of the Starfire. But only for a moment. It faded with his focus on
the resonance.

Raea was safe, for now. He couldn't guess
how long that would last. In the morning, he could call his cousin.
Maybe she could visit and help.

Yes. Nare. She hadn't responded the other
day. Hopefully she would this time.

Elis laid down on top of the blankets next
to Raea, the wound crusted with dried blood. He could wait until
morning. Inari healed fast.

* * *

["My little Raea. Momma's here."] Padina
gently lifted her to sit up.

Raea cried after crashing her bike and
hurting her leg. Blood pooled at her knee and ran down her bare leg
in a rivulet of red. It hurt so much.

Padina put her hands on Raea's leg and
straightened it. Raea sniffed and winced. ["It hurts. Ow!"]

["Easy. There."] The marks on Padina's hands
glowed briefly.

The pain faded, until Raea tried to stand.
"Ow."

["It doesn't heal all at once. It'll take a
little time, but this way is faster."]

Raea sniffed and reached up. Padina took her
in her arms and carried her into the house.

["Momma..."]

The sound of her voice stirred Raea from the
scene. She rolled over, aware of another body close to her. The
faint musky smell generated thoughts of Elis and warm feelings. She
snuggled closer to the warmth and relaxed. If only it was
real...

The Good, the Bad,
and the Wounded

Elis stretched, aware of something close to
him. Not something. Someone.

Raea. How he wanted to believe she would.
But she had rejected him. She always would. For a moment, he let
himself believe she knew what she did, that she had closed the gap
on purpose.

Only for a moment.

His hopes faded with further awakening, and
the aches and stinging of his wounds. He had to get up and clean
them.

Slowly, he rolled away, hoping not to
disturb her and biting his tongue on a groan. She needed her rest.
Who knew what Pallin had done or drugged her with. The wine might
have only been a start.

Pain, mostly in his side but aching through
his body. Movement hurt. Elis sat up and slid from the bed. Raea
made no move. He'd let her continue to sleep.

Wincing with each movement, he grabbed a
clean change of clothes from the closet and headed to the bathroom
next to his room to clean up. He'd have to cut off the shirt and
coat, though. He hadn't the strength to tolerate the transformation
of his wings. Besides, he needed his wings out to heal
properly.

But he could use some help. Hopefully Evelyn
would be up to get ready for her Sunday mass.

The floor boards creaked with each agonizing
step.

"Elis?"

Thank his timing, and her hearing. She was
up for the day.

He stepped out to the rail. "Up here."

"Lord have mercy." The tap of her cane
stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "I was afraid—" She gasped.
"Oh, Dear God! What happened?"

"Pallin." He ducked into the bathroom. She'd
be there soon enough. In the meantime, he had to pry off the
blood-crusted jacket and shirt. The wound had scabbed over, but it
would need cleaning and a bandage, as would his wing. The aches
would subside in time, and they weren't bad. These two bloody
wounds would be the worst of his troubles.

Not bad against a Shirukan. But this one was
an arrogant bastard. And there was only one. He'd been lucky in
that respect.

Evelyn stopped at the bathroom door. "The
First-Aid kit is under the sink. Let me, dear."

He stepped aside as she knelt down and
pulled out the plastic kit. Wincing, he helped her to her feet.

"Thanks, dear. Now, let's have a look."

He lowered the wing. Not a scrape, but a
burn. Pallin's weapon had gotten him, and he hadn't noticed. He'd
been too busy fighting.

But he had come out alive. That counted for
something.

* * *

Nina woke up after a restless sleep. Too
many questions had circled her head last night to sleep well and
she wanted answers
today
.

What the hell was going on? Why had the Dark
Angel attacked? Luckily, he had only disabled the SUV. But they had
to wait for a ride back to town and couldn't follow. The rental
company would be furious.

Screw them. She lost her opportunity.

Where had the angel gone? What about his
flight back? What had happened in between?

What did this have to do with Pallin?

That she could check on. Where had Pallin
gone last night?

After a shower and a fresh change of
clothes, she walked through the hotel to his room and knocked.
"Pallin. Are you there?"

"Go...away."

He was there. "I need to talk to you."

"No."

No need to lash at her. "Come on, Pallin.
Open up. It's me—Nina."

"I know you are. I need rest."

What was going on around here? Why wouldn't
anyone give her an answer?

Well, she could wait. Sooner or later Pallin
would have to come out. She would return for an explanation.

In the meantime, she wanted a quick
breakfast and some information. But first, she wanted to review
that tape. If the Dark Angel was Elis, she would know exactly where
to go for all her answers.

* * *

Raea shivered and buried her face in the
covers. Mmm...They smelled different but familiar, like Elis.

Didn't he ever leave her mind? No. She
wanted
to think of him.

Whatever reminded her she welcomed,
but...

Raea opened her eyes. This wasn't her room
but she recognized it. She laid on the bed in Elis's room.? How had
she gotten there? The last thing she remembered was Pallin and
seeing the hotel room blur around her. It had to be a dream.

No. This made no sense. What happened?

She lifted the covers. At least she wore her
clothes, but the same clothes she had worn yesterday.

What day was it? Where was Elis?

She sat up, and noticed a blood stain on the
comforter near her. Where had that come from?

Had she— A quick check reassured her she was
all right.

But who? One thought stopped her heart.

No! "Elis?" Raea threw off the covers and
sprinted for the door.
Please, please be all right
. "Elis!"
She hesitated at the rail over the stairs. Where had he gone?

"Elis. Oh—" She almost collided with him
when he emerged from the bathroom bare-chested and caught her.

"Easy."

A bandage across his ribs? No, the muscling
was all wrong, not like any human; but he wasn't human. Another on
his wing? "Are you all right?" She reached toward the gauze taped
to his side. "What happened to you?"

He pushed her hand away before she could
touch him. "Pallin."

"Pallin?" She didn't believe it and looked
up for confirmation. His cheek twitched. "What happened?"

"He made his move. He
is
Shirukan,
and he's after the Starfire."

Raea covered the crystal with her hand. It
still hung at her chest. "I don't understand."

"You were drugged unconscious the whole
time."

Raea thought back to yesterday's
events—leaving Josh's with Linds and arriving in Pallin's room,
where he offered her wine. After a few sips, nothing made sense.
"The wine."

A faint smile lifted the corners of his
mouth. "We don't tolerate alcohol. He used it against you."

"What about Linds?"

"She's okay. I found her awake, but he used
a neutralizer to jolt her unconscious. She should be home,
safe."

"Oh, thank God. But what about you? What
happened
to you?
" She followed his eyes down to the wound on
his side.

"We fought. I was lucky that's all he
did."

"And your wing?"

He stretched it around where he could see
it. "That too."

None of this would have happened if she
hadn't gone to see Pallin. She should have never let him charm her.
"It's all my fault."

"No. He came for you. He planned it like
this. One way or another, he would have come after you. It's him,
Raea. Not you. It's his mission."

"But if I hadn't asked Linds to take me to
see him, none of this would have happened." How could she have been
so stupid? Now, she couldn't even look Elis in the eye. "If I had
listened to you...I'm sorry." All along she had liked him but
resisted. If she had listened to the Starfire and let them guide
her, she would have been safe. They had known all along. More than
ever, she wished he would hold her, to make everything right the
way it should have been. She was such an idiot. She needed him more
than she could admit, but only because of her schoolmates—and
Chad's teasing—did she hold back. Josh had been right all
along.

"I'm sorry for everything." For saying
negative things. For not letting herself see the truth. For never
giving him a chance. Her eyes burned.
No tears. Not now.
"You saved my life from Pallin, and I don't deserve it." She'd been
rude and ignorant. He'd always been patient and giving. How could
he forgive her? She had ruined her chance. Forget her feelings and
the Starfire. He'd never accept her now.

She wiped her eyes and glanced down the
stairs. She couldn't do anything there but cause trouble. "I should
probably get home. I'm sure Debbie's worried."

"She knows."

"Oh. Okay. Then I'll quit bothering you, so
you can rest." And she could cry like she needed to, without anyone
watching. Raea pushed past him. Being close for that moment, his
bare chest, made her pulse race. Oh, man. She had developed a real
attraction for him. The desire to be close almost overwhelmed her.
Worse, it sent her emotions spinning out of control. If she didn't
hurry, she'd never get away without breaking down from the pain in
her heart.

"You're not a bother."

She halted at the top of the stairs. Was he
saying what she hoped he said without saying or was it just to make
her feel better? She so wanted him to mean he liked her and wanted
her to stay. But if he was only trying to make her feel better, it
wasn't fair. She couldn't face that option.

She gave him a brief smile and hurried down
the stairs. Her heart pounded. She couldn't take this.
Go home.
Clean up. Everything will look different with time away.
Yes.
That's what she needed. Time to think. Alone.

He said nothing more, but his eyes could
have burned a hole in her back. He watched her. She felt it. She
slipped on her shoes without tying them and grabbed her jacket and
rushed out.

Outside, the cold air chilled away the
tears. She ran across the icy lawns to her door.

* * *

How he ever made it back without being seen,
Pallin could only count his luck. And his back ached. And his
wrist. And his chest. The Keeper had used his powers for attack,
something his superiors had warned could happen in a tight
situation. He should have been better prepared. Next time he would
be.

But now, he needed to rest and heal. His
wings were bruised. A number of feathers had to be pulled for
regrowth.

He should never have underestimated the
Keepers. The girl he managed without trouble, but Elis was another
matter.

[Elis...It couldn't be the missing
child.]
Was that it? Was that how Saffir had hidden Sarilov
Naolis's and Jasheir Menara's second child? They had never found
him after Naolis sacrificed his crystal shard to Heffin's Gate. The
son had disappeared without a trace.
[Very clever.]

What better justice could Pallin have asked
than to finish the job from two years ago? All but one of the
family of Keepers had been captured. Under his commander's orders,
Captain Montran Pallin had tortured the women to convince Naolis to
cooperate. They had killed them all in the end. Now he had the
chance to clean up the last detail, and he had snarled it.

Not again. Elis would not escape. As part of
Pallin's mission, he would clean up the job from two years ago.