Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1, page 19
Heath took my hand. The contact sent a thrill through me. Damn this war for stealing my honeymoon. The smile stretching his lips showed his dimple, which brought a big grin to my face. The man could make me melt from a single look. Add in touching, and I was a goner. His thumb traced my wrist. When his honey gaze landed on mine, my heartbeat thumped in my neck while my head floated on a cloud. His voice dipped low and seductive. “We could maybe stay here until tomorrow.”
It would be amazing to spend more time on my home turf. I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been before I left for college. I thought life was all about what I could accomplish, but what I didn’t get was that it wouldn’t matter what I did if I didn’t have my family to share it. Now that I had Heath, my priorities had shifted a lot. I still wanted to become a better painter, but he and I together would do much more for the world than I could do by making it a prettier place. Art would always be important to me, but never again would it come before those I loved.
I gave Heath my best smile. “What do the others think?”
His eyes darted to Cassie and Finn, then to Amy, who nursed a vanilla shake as if it were scotch. Her pale features had surprisingly pinked up. When I scanned to Cassie, she was the same. She laughed at something Finn said and slapped his hand before she turned animatedly toward her mother.
Hope spread through my chest. Maybe it wasn’t the bond so much as the fae realm that was hurting the Lambert women. With a start, I pushed the name of the man I hated out of my head. They weren’t Lamberts any longer. They were Campbells. “How about we stay until morning?” I asked the group with a smile.
Natalie was the first to speak up. “I thought you’d never ask. I’m dying to try the place by the river. I almost came here for a story once, and I was really looking forward to it. It would be a shame to lose the opportunity. We’ve got to sleep, right?”
Heath pumped his brows and gave me a sly grin. “Right,” he said, making me blush.
Seeing as how it was late fall, the likelihood the hotel was booked wasn’t really an issue. “How about you take Finn and Cassie to scope it out while we finish our food?”
She shrugged and made her way to the other two, who seemed more than eager to have some alone time. The night was shaping up to be a good one, so I was a little leery of following through with contacting Creed right now, but then again, he could have plenty of time to look the situation over and get back with me before we left for Liverpool. I’d pulled our next location from Heath pretty easily. It only made sense we would examine the suspicious Elemental activity in the area. With Cassie and Amy in our midst, if Heath were right about them somehow shielding Elemental power from fae detection, we’d be just fine.
Feeling a little shifty, I excused myself to the ladies room. Using as much control as I could manage, I called for Creed. He answered immediately. Yes, my lady, how may I be of service? I explained where we were and what I wanted him to do. He told me he’d get back to me by morning. More than a little relieved, I walked out the door to find Heath barring my way, arms folded and an ornery look on his handsome face. So much for controlling my thoughts.
His frown deepened. “You do not answer to me, Rayla, but I had hoped you would trust me more.”
A few of the customers were staring, so I pulled him out the door and away from prying eyes and perked up ears. “It’s a feeling I have. I’m sorry, but I can’t leave here without knowing we aren’t abandoning people who could use our help. Creed has it under control. Besides, I thought you wanted some alone time.”
He sighed. “I would hardly call it a want right now. What I wanted was to give you a special night. Now, we will have worries to contend with.”
My hands shot to my hips. “When don’t we have something to worry about?”
He shrugged. “Good point.” Without saying anything else, he swept me into his arms and started toward the hotel. Since the car was gone, hoofing it was our only way to get there, but being carried down a busy road was creating a spectacle. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to care. I put my head on Heath’s shoulder and enjoyed the rhythm of his heartbeat.
We hadn’t gotten more than two hundred feet before Creed stepped out of the shadows of a tall stucco wall. The grim look on his face brought a gasp out of me. Heath stumbled to a stop, letting my feet drop beside him. “What is it?” I asked.
“You must come, my lady. They are dying.”
Emily
THE HAZE OF COMPULSION FOGGED MY mind. I knew I needed to remember something—someone, but the details were beyond my grasp. Valen lay beside me, stroking the bare skin of my abdomen. His intense stare struck me as odd somehow. “What troubles you ... my ... my lord?” Although the name stuck in my throat, it came out nonetheless. No matter how hard I tried to shake his thrall, it remained glued to my every thought and action. I had a feeling only a piece of my true self remained intact.
His jaw clenched tightly as his hand flattened against my skin. “You have not adapted as I desired, Emily. I grow weary of your resistance.”
I lowered my gaze, the power of my name weaving another layer of command into my mind. “I’m sorry, my ... l-o-v-e.” I nearly gagged uttering the word.
Face contorted with anger, he hovered over me. “I do not have to keep you conscious at all! You have no idea what I’ve rearranged for you ... for your happiness, and you mock me.”
Fear crept through my veins, making my movements stiff. I forced myself to relax, needing to keep him happy. I had to for my — why couldn’t I remember the reason? I had to remember the reason.
Valen grabbed my jaw, holding it steady so I couldn’t look away. “It is your child. Blade. He is your world, when it should be me. He will grow old and wither, while I will be with you until you have no more power. Why can’t you see the difference? Why do you insist on keeping him between us?”
Blade — my son. My heart stuttered as a sense of peace washed over me. I closed my eyes, letting my mind recall his dark hair and black eyes, so like his father’s. An image floated in my memory, tangential and unobtainable. In a flash, it was gone. The thought of the man was stolen from me, but the loss remained. Tears came, and Valen cursed, calling for help upon a name so vile I could hardly believe what I heard.
His touch was gentle this time. “Humans have been fed a lie. The one they call dark merely seeks to free them from the tyranny of a controlling creator. Heylel is not the enemy they have imagined. If they wish to truly reach their potential, they need to rely on him.”
Dear God, the man was mad. I sent a silent prayer for help. He and I would never agree on where those prayers should go. A growl erupted from him as he leapt from the bed. The more he paced, the clearer my thoughts became. If he would stay in his own head, he wouldn’t have to know how much he repulsed me.
He whirled, coming at me with blinding speed. His hands came around my throat, but he didn’t squeeze. I couldn’t recall much from the past few days, but from what I had gathered, the man bonded with me. Perhaps it hadn’t worked completely because of my state as a mother.
I pulled at his hands, and he allowed me remove them. “Let me see him,” I pleaded. “Let me be his mother, and I will be a devoted bondmate to you.”
His glacial gaze found mine. “You are more trouble than you are worth.”
“Then, let me go. I’m sure you could gain more power from another Elemental.”
His fist pounded the mattress by my head. “I do not desire another! It is you I want, and you are what I shall have.”
A whimper wanted to shoot up my throat, but I remained still. He was trying to scare me. I only wished it wasn’t working. If he couldn’t compel me, he would do anything necessary to intimidate me. “Give me what I asked for. I promise I will be good to you ... if I have my son.”
He settled beside me, scooting me over on the bed. His voice came out as a whisper, yet hard as a stone. “He should not be the one to gift you with children.”
I swallowed, not wanting to think about what he implied. “I was told fae can’t ...”
His eyelids fluttered, then closed, and he rolled onto his back. All at once, he seemed tired. If I let myself connect with his thoughts, I would have known for sure what was going on inside him. The unknown was more of a comfort to me than the truth. I let myself study the man. For someone centuries old, he looked pretty good. Who was I kidding? He was the epitome of beauty and seduction. His body was perfection come to life. It was unnatural. I could hardly believe the truth of his life — one without end. My mind couldn’t wrap around the idea of immortality any more than I could hold onto a sunset. The hardest part of my ordeal with him was the realization he wasn’t completely evil. I’d seen softness in him. I’d witnessed his caring side, but his volatile nature couldn’t be suppressed for long.
After a while of silence, he rolled toward me. “I will compromise because I desire your happiness above all. You will see in time I am no different than any other man. I protect what is mine. I crave love and acceptance. I would do anything for you, if you’d only give in to me.”
My brows lifted, letting a teasing tone take my voice. “Doesn’t sound much like a compromise.” He chuckled, then pulled me into his chest. I snuggled close, trying to ignore the unsteady beat of my heart and the faint whisper of betrayal tingeing my thoughts. “So you’ll let me see him?”
His lips brushed the top of my head. “First thing in the morning. Now, rest. I need you at your full capabilities.”
I leaned away, frowning. “Why?”
His light eyes searched mine. “Our enemy is weak. Tomorrow night, we strike.”
19
Zach
ONCE WE FOUND A SAFE PLACE to talk, Jett let loose every detail of his battle. The dark fae attacked without provocation. In an attempt to fight them off, he’d caused an earthquake which took out a few small towns in remote China. Luckily for us, no one was killed. Only minor damage occurred in the closest city.
Jett stilled as he looked at the group of stragglers he brought with him. “We were ambushed. There is no other explanation. They knew exactly where we would be. Our only advantage was we arrived a half hour before them. If not so, more Elementals would have been taken.”
“How many did you lose?”
He shook his head. “A few dozen, at most.” Anger darkened his eyes. “They were terrified of us, until our brothers showed up. After the attacks began, we had full cooperation of the Elemental leaders. If they had been more compliant from the beginning, we wouldn’t have lost one.”
“You did all you could, mate. Take a breather. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Before I could get up, he clamped onto my forearm. “Who led them to us?”
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself for the upcoming conflict. “It appears Luke —”
Jett’s jaw shifted as his teeth gnashed. “Let me guess ... Luthais’ machines again?”
I nodded. It took the sum of one look from Jett to prod Luke our way. He held up his hands as he walked toward us. “It’s not what you think. I had no idea the machine still existed.”
Jett jumped to his feet. “Confound you, Luke! You will get us evicted from this planet yet.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “There’s no point in overreacting.”
If I stepped aside, I was sure Jett would pummel him. “People could have died. You know our laws as well as I do.” Jett leaned as if he would rush Luke, but he pivoted on his heel and spoke to me. “We need to find every last one of his machines and do away with them.”
As much as I agreed, we had more important things to deal with. “What of the Elementals?”
“Our advantage is lost. We should regroup.”
I shook my head. “There isn’t time. We must go to the others. They will need our help.”
He gave a loud sigh. “It may be foolhardy, but I agree.”
Faine joined us, her grave look punctuating the feel of our little camp. “What is this I hear about a mind-bending machine?”
Luke spoke up. I’d nearly forgotten he was with us. “It’s a device I created decades ago to help with the war effort.”
Instead of asking him what it did, she plunged into my mind for the information. Faine had mastered the art of camping in my thoughts when we’d been bonded. I wasn’t sure what we were now, or if she had any power to offer me.
She gave a secretive smile, then promptly ignored me. Her attentions were only for Luke. With the flirty way she walked to him, one might not know she slept with me every night. Frowning, I turned away. I’d already given her more of my heart than I could afford. She would leave again, and I would not go back to the depression which had kept me under the last time I lost her. Perhaps it was better to keep distance between us from the start. I hadn’t gotten used to her scent on the pillows or her perfume in the medicine cabinet. As much as I loved it on her, I did not intend to smell like vanilla.
Jett clapped me on the back. “She was always trouble. It is better for you to keep your distance.”
All I could do was nod. I nearly started a conversation with him, but something Faine said kept my atten-tion. I only caught a few of her words, but they were enough to turn my head toward her.
“... change the human receiver?”
Luke nodded. “It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
When she faced me, I was offered a smug smile. “Then, why don’t you connect in and link to this Lambert fellow? He’s the one who makes the orders where Elementals are concerned, isn’t he?”
Luke’s expression fizzled to one of utter awe, while I gritted my teeth, unable to believe I hadn’t thought of it first. We could recover more Elementals this way than we ever would have before. Faine sauntered to my side and leaned in to kiss my cheek. “You’re welcome, and don’t you dare try to keep me out of your heart.” Her hands framed my face. “I would stay with you for eternity if I had the choice.”
Luke cleared his throat. “I’m as eager to get started as any of you, but don’t you think we should have a plan?”
Jett looked at me and laughed. “As spoken by the mouths of babes.”
Luke sneered, but for the first time since we entered the human realm, I thought we might have a chance of succeeding.
Travis
NICCO’S DARK EYES SHONE WITH AN unholy light, as if he were proud of me. “Take your pick,” he said in answer to my question.
If I could choose who I addressed first, I would stick with Lambert. He would know where my girl was. Or I could ask my father, who seemed to know a lot. I let her image fill my mind, preparing to describe her to him.
He shook his head. “I have not seen her. Lambert is hidden in an underground facility in Ireland.”
“Wait. Did you bring me here because I was about to be captured?”
Nicco laughed. “No, son. I took you to talk. I couldn’t contact you while you were in Faeresia. I’m a wanted man there.”
“The place is probably not how you remember. Rayla kind of screwed it all up. No one is happy with her idea of utopia.”
A broad smile covered his face. “Good girl. I knew she was mine the moment I saw her.”
“Yeah.” I folded my arms. “How did she know how to rearrange an entire realm?”
“As you shall find out, such things are instinctual.”
Right. “Are you going to come with me to question Lambert?”
His expression turned serious. “I cannot. You must face your enemies alone. I am forbidden to interfere, but I can offer you information.”
What I needed was to know how to defeat Lambert without involving Valen. The last thing I wanted was a showdown with the king of evil.
Once again, he answered my unspoken question. “The man is a subordinate to the master of evil. He is no king. He will be deserted in the end. You don’t need to contend with him at all.”
“What about Rayla?”
“Before the end is decided, the two of you will have to work together. Fae and Angel purposes can be appeased, but it will take sacrifice from both of you.”
I frowned. “What kind of sacrifice?”
He closed his eyes. “I cannot say more at this time.”
“You didn’t say anything!”
His hand reached for my temple and my vision blurred. He was taking me back, but I didn’t know exactly where Lambert was yet. His voice penetrated my thoughts. “He will find you. I will be watching.”
Disoriented and clinging onto air, I hit the dirt hard. I gasped, pushing the pain back, trying to make sense of where I was. A man came into view, then a group of people behind him. I blinked to clear my vision and staggered to my feet.
Taylor stood staring not far away. Thunder clanged above us, followed by charges of lightning. Was it ever sunny in Ireland? I shook off the dizziness, assessing our surroundings. We were in the same field. Nothing had changed, even where everyone had been standing. “How long was I gone,” I asked.
With the tilt of one brow, Taylor said, “Perhaps two seconds.”
It had felt like days. My veins lit with a fire to find Lambert. If only Nicco had told me where the man was.
“Did the angel offer up anything useful?” asked Ainessa.
Her presence hit me like a hammer to the head, and I staggered back. She frowned and stopped her approach, apparently still hurt from my previous explosion. I made myself be nice because she didn’t deserve to be treated like the enemy — yet. “Lambert is in an underground facility. It’s all I know, but I did hear about a place north of Galway the man was working on when I was part of the Order. It could be the same locale, but I really have no idea.”
Taylor considered me for a moment before taking off in the opposite direction of the town we’d come from. “Where are you going?” I asked.
