“Well, we were married in just ‘bout every lifetime we had together and I’ve heard that being a soul mate is pretty much irrevocable, too,” he replies softly.
A crack of thunder makes us both look over at the horizon as dark, rolling storm clouds gather offshore. I pale, seeing the azure sea darkening underneath them. “It’s supposed to rain today,” Russell assures me softly in my ear. I can’t stop the shiver of dread that courses through me, remembering how the sky had been even darker than that when Brennus had found me here. “Don’t worry…it’s not Brennus.”
I nod, trying to hide my fear. “What are the odds of us not training with Reed and Zephyr after lunch if it rains?” I ask, turning to look at him again and hoping desperately that he’ll let me change the subject.
“Vegas wouldn’t bet on it,” Russell replies, getting to his feet. He reaches down, extending his hand to me to help me up. “C’mon, we better go eat somethin’ before the angels start poundin’ on us and call it trainin’.”
“Thanks,” I say with relief, allowing him to steady me on my feet as we walk hand-in-hand to Zephyr’s huge plantation house on the hill for lunch.
When we arrive at the house, he leads me through the elegant, winding halls to the ornate dining room. The white, plantation shutters have been closed over the open windows, but they are open enough to allow the breeze in to cool the house. Walking with me to the table, Russell holds out a chair for me next to Reed. He then seats himself in the empty chair next to mine.
“Thanks, Russell,” I murmur as I attempt to look normal. I don’t want Reed to know that I’m still a little dizzy because he’ll want to examine me himself and I’d rather not go through a battery of tests now.
“We were just about to discuss security,” Buns says, directing her attention to Russell and me. She nudges a heaping basket of rolls in my direction, eyeing me closely. “You look tired, sweetie,” Buns comments with a frown.
“I’m fine,” I assure her hurriedly, taking a roll and putting it on my plate.
Selecting white fish from the myriad of entrées in the center of the table, I listen while Buns, Brownie, and Zephyr continue discussing recent intel from the Reaper angels stationed on the outlying islands. They haven’t seen any activity from the Gancanagh yet.
Feeling Reed’s eyes on me, I’m not very surprised when he says, “You look pale.” His strong fingers brush against mine as they rest on the table.
Smiling at him, I reply, “I’m a redhead, remember? We’re supposed to be pale, but I prefer the term ‘pigmently challenged.’”
Reed’s eyes soften at my comment and his perfect face makes my cheeks flood with color and my pulse quicken. “There…that’s better,” Reed breathes near my ear.
“She had another series of nose bleeds,” Russell says to Reed as he watches my face.
Reed’s eyes darken as his eyebrows pull together. “Evie, you’re working too hard. You need to find a balance—” he starts, but I interrupt him.
“I will—I just didn’t realize it until it was too late. I’ll work on toning it down,” I say in a placating tone, while stepping hard on Russell’s foot beneath the table for ratting me out to Reed. Russell ignores my feeble attempt to hurt him, smiling at me angelically.
“Maybe you shouldn’t train this afternoon,” Reed says seriously, setting his fork down near his plate.
“I’m fine, really,” I reply with indifference, because if I look too anxious, he’ll make sure I rest and I don’t want to rest. When I try to relax, all I can think about is Brennus and his promise to teach me all about pain when he gets me back.
I touch the onyx locket around my neck, feeling the smooth, opal moon affixed to the surface of it. It’s really a portal, a transport to another place far from here. I know exactly where it goes, and so does Reed. I plan to use it if I have to escape the Gancanagh. Our portals, Reed’s and mine, will go to the same place. Zephyr’s and Buns’s portal’s will arrive at a different location from ours. We’ll have to meet up with them, which we plan to do by using the Internet. Russell and Brownie are paired together again, which makes me extremely nervous, knowing that they had been captured and nearly killed the last time they were left alone to fend for themselves.
“You should prepare to get wet,” Reed says, looking out the open windows. Sheets of rain are falling on the tropical paradise of Zee’s island.
“Sweet,” I say sarcastically. “I better hurry up and eat before it becomes a monsoon.”
**
Standing in the heavy downpour on the beach, I let rivulets of water stream down my face, dripping in torrents from my bottom jaw. I angle my chin downward and slightly to the left so that I can see any movement Reed might make toward me.
Th-thump…th-thump…th-thump...my heart wants to increase its beat, but I’m trying to control it as I wait like a statue for him to make a move. The clang of swords being clashed together near me fades to the background because I know the lethal threat is the one just ahead of me. My fingers twitch on the long-handled dagger in my left hand while my hand tightens on the sword hilt in my right.
I take a deep breath, and as I begin to exhale Reed makes his move, instantly cutting in half the distance between us. I tense for a millisecond, waiting for him to get closer before I spring forward, running at him with all my speed. I jump up and over the swing of the sword in his right hand, planting one foot on his arm. I feel the whistle of air from the dagger in his left hand blow upward, inches from my cheek as my other foot steps on his shoulder. I launch into the air, using my planted foot to kick off from his shoulder, and hopefully, knock him off balance. Stretching my crimson wings out and gliding back to the sand, I spin around, facing my opponent again.
As I stare into Reed’s dark green eyes, a slow smile twitches on the corners of his lips, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. Then, I feel the severed left strap of my tank top slip from my shoulder. The fabric of my shirt slouches over, but still clings to my wet body. Looking at it, my eyes narrow more before I lift them to Reed’s face again. Both his eyebrows rise quickly before he lets them fall, making his face go blank.
I wait a half a second, and then, as if on cue, the front pocket of his t-shirt droops over and falls to the ground at his feet. Reed looks down at it and then over at me. I lift my eyebrows quickly before letting them both fall.
Reed’s charcoal-gray wings unfold from his back menacingly, as a frown touches his lips. Tensing, I wait for him to make another move toward me. In an instant, he shoots straight up in the air and seems to dematerialize. Turning in circles, my heartbeat kicks up as I try to see where he went, and more importantly, from which direction he’s going to pounce. Pulling energy to me rapidly, I whisper words quickly, erecting a transparent wall of energy around me as a shield, I feel safe for maybe a millisecond. Then, warm arms wrap around my waist, startling a scream from me as Reed comes from behind me, pulling me against his chest. Shifting in his arms, he grins down at me in triumph before leaning down and kissing my lips.
“How did you get through my shield?” I ask breathlessly, feeling my heartbeat increase as his warm lips trail lower.