Magic and Alphas: A Paranormal Romance Collection, page 143
I realized that even though Hannah and I had been in the same training group, I had never taken the time to get to know her. It wasn’t fair of me, but I wasn’t in the mood to fix it at the moment. Instead, I stood up and walked away from the campfire toward the woods, wanting to be alone with my thoughts.
The trees in the area were still a nice mix of hardwoods and evergreens since we weren’t very high into the mountains. I walked without a light, soaking up the darkness and the silence that surrounded me. Crickets chirped in the distance, calling to their mates, but there were no demons screaming for vengeance or dying humans wondering why someone would do such a thing to them.
I turned my face toward the stars, musing over the fact that humans used the gesture when they wanted to speak to someone in Heaven. It wasn’t quite accurate, but it was as close as they could get. I didn’t have anyone that I wanted to talk to, but I allowed myself to marvel at the starlight and how far it had come to reach me.
I felt the pressure of a hand on my arm and I pulled way, spinning around to see who had followed me out here. I summoned white light in one hand while drawing my sword with the other. I had taken Oriel’s words to heart, never abandoning my weapons or letting my guard down. Especially not out here in the darkness.
“Easy, now!” The light in my hand illuminated Jonah’s face and I saw the look of concern etched into his features. He was holding up his hands in surrender.
“Jonah? What are you doing?”
“I came to see what you were doing, stomping off into the woods by yourself.”
I turned my back to him and continued down the path in the direction I had been going before he found me, continuing to use Luminescence to guide my way. “I just needed to get away.” I heard the sound of his footsteps as he followed me.
“From me?”
“Just away. What happened back there, what we saw…it was heartbreaking.” The trees looked completely different now that my way was lit by the light in my hand. Their trunks and lower branches came to life as I passed them and then quickly turned back into shadows.
“We knew the missions wouldn’t be easy.” Jonah had no problem keeping up with me, his long strides more than matching mine. He was soon next to me, and I kept my face forward even though I knew he was looking at me. “I know it’s not easy, but we are here to stop it…and we will.”
I shook my head. “I wish we could have gotten there sooner…saved those people. Gregory, his family, and everyone else held captive… they never should have been there. High Command should’ve had some way of knowing about the Elders of Alabaster before they took the lives of so many.”
He was silent for a moment as we walked. “I know, but it doesn’t work that way. High Command couldn’t have known about this, until it was reported.”
“Are you trying to tell me they couldn’t have done something sooner?” I challenged. I knew I was taking his words out of context, pulling his sentences apart and using them to suit my mood.
“They did what they could as soon as they were made aware, Rumor. They sent us to defeat them.” He grabbed my arm once again and spun me around to face him. “We did what we could, and yes, it was too late. But it’s not too late to save others.”
The action startled me into straightening my fingers and letting go of the ball of light. We were plunged into darkness, but it only took a couple of seconds for my eyes to adjust, and I could still make out his features from the moonlight above.
He let go of my arm and smoothed his hand over my skin. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to give up on the Legion. You’re a strong, skilled warrior, and we need you.”
I shook my head, but it hurt slightly. “I’m not giving up. I’m just frustrated. It’s hard to sit around and wait for the next thing to happen.”
“What Oriel said made sense. The vampires are already stronger than we imagined. It’s best to find them after the sun comes up.”
“I know that. I just want to feel like I’m doing something.” If I had been back in Los Angeles, I could have patrolled the streets for demons until we were ready for the next phase of our mission. At least then I would feel like I was doing my part.
A gentle breeze hit my cheek as he unfurled his wings. “You need to take your mind off things for a bit. Come with me.”
I barely had a chance to spread my wings before he took off, making me chase him up out of the forest and toward the mountains. We flew off into the night, leaving the campfire and the other Angels further and further behind. For a moment, I almost called out to him to tell him that we should go back to camp, but instead, I pressed harder to catch up with him.
The air was much cooler over the mountains, and I spread my arms to let it wash over me, imagining that it was taking away all the horror I had seen back at the farmhouse. It was fresh and clean, and just what I needed to clear my mind.
Finally, Jonah descended. He spread his arms out alongside his wings and plunged to the ground with one foot extended and the other slightly bent. It was a beautiful landing technique.
“You’ll have to teach me that someday,” I said as I landed with a soft thump next to him.
“I’d love to,” he replied with a smile.
We were standing on the very top of a mountain, nothing else up here with us but the cool darkness of night. To either side, we could see the mountain range extending along through the countryside, as it dipped back down to level earth with foothills and sparkling small towns. The only thing above us was the twinkling stars, a milky stream of pinpoints so thick that they were barely distinguishable from each other.
“Remember that first night we met?” he asked softly as he sat down on a smooth rock and pulled my arm gently to bring me down next to him. “Remember when we sat on that rooftop together?”
“How could I forget?” He was doing just what he said he would, keeping my mind off the horrific scene from earlier in the day, and for the moment, I pushed it to the furthest corners of my mind. “It seems like a lifetime ago.”
His arm brushed against mine as he nodded. “It does. So many things have changed for us since then, even though it’s only been a few months.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Only a few months since I was perfectly content just slaying minor demons and thinking I was making a difference in the world.”
“You did make a difference,” he assured me. “We all did. And it prepared us for the work we do now.” His arm came around me, his body resting against mine, and his hand wrapping around my waist. “But we aren’t supposed to be talking about any of that right now.”
I tipped my head back, letting the weight of it rest against his shoulder, and closed my eyes. It was easy to forget that there were terrible things going on in the world when I had a handsome man at my side, breathtaking scenery around me, and fresh air in my lungs.
I leaned back to find him looking at me, his eyes shimmering in the starlight. There was no resisting him now, no matter how much I wanted to keep my focus on the task ahead.
He leaned over and kissed me, his lips warm and firm. The kiss was far from tentative, but was somehow still reserved. Like there was much more to the kiss, but he needed to hold something back. The kiss wasn’t rough, but it held the promise of fire. After a minute, he broke away, taking that kiss with him, before I’d had nearly enough. He looked at me with smoldering eyes.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you how beautiful you are.” He suddenly pushed up from the rock and took my hands into his, pulling me to my feet. His arms banded around me possessively, gradually tightening as he brought me to his chest. “The most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”
His words were lost against my lips, as I kissed him again. His hand moved over my back, resting briefly at my waist. I breathed a sigh against his mouth as he pulled my hips toward him, against the space between his hips. It was impossible not to wiggle against him, to feel the hardness beneath his jeans.
His kiss was all-consuming, a promise of what was to come once the madness of this mission was over. I felt giddy with desire, with the heady sensation of being in the arms of this gorgeous man, this magnificent Angel.
As hard as it was, I stepped away from him, from the strength of his arms, from the promise of another kiss. Something had changed between us, a knowing of what was to come once our battle was over, and we were back at High Command. For now, that knowledge was good enough.
A smile played on his lips, and he extended his hand. “Ready to head back?”
“Not really,” I replied. “But we probably should.”
Within seconds, he spread his wings, and rose off the ground. He leveled off, circling the mountainside, the moon at his back as he waited for me to join him in flight. I released my wings, and we flew side-by-side down the mountain, as the campsite came into view. Then with grace and ease he landed on the soft grass just outside of camp.
As we approached our team, I saw the serious look on Oriel’s face. I was prepared for him to growl at me, to tell me how dangerous it was to leave the group when we were on such a serious mission and that a soldier of my caliber should know better. But he waited for us to sit down, and when he spoke, his words held promise.
“I’ve spoken with Michael,” he said slowly, “and we’ve confirmed the location of the vampire coven. The Elders of Alabaster and their followers operate in cells, each one independent, but all under the same creed.”
“We can take them down at first light.” The words came out of my mouth without thought, eager to forge on.
Oriel shook his head. “This cell is much bigger than the one we found at the farmhouse. Michael is sending reinforcements. We are to attack, but this is not going to be easy. Now, let’s get a few hours of rest before we head out. We’ll sleep in shifts.”
We nodded in understanding. The farmhouse had been a challenge, but that was nothing compared to what we would face tomorrow. Jonah’s hand found mine, and squeezed.
Chapter Thirteen
We left the safety of our campfire the moment the sun broke through the horizon. The forest around us was still shadowed and quiet as the night creatures bedded down for the day and the day creatures had yet to awaken. It was a peaceful moment in the world of nature. I wished that I could truly enjoy it, but I knew what we were about to face, and I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything but hardened and angry.
“The Elders of Alabaster have a reigning cell deep within the mountains,” Oriel explained as we flew up over the treetops and down the mountain range. “Originally, I assumed they chose a position like that to keep them safe from the sun, but we’ve received conflicting reports on exactly what’s going on with their light sensitivity. They don’t seem to be as affected by the sunlight as they once were. That’s something we’ll have to keep in mind as we fight them.”
“If they’re hiding in caves, then the sunlight won’t matter as much anyway,” Jonah offered. “As long as they haven’t changed their sleeping patterns, then we’ll still have the advantage by striking during the day.”
“What I want to know is just how big this cell is?” Trinity asked loudly. Her lips were in a straight line for a change, and it was clear she was deep in thought about the coming mission. The morning sunlight brought out the red in her hair, making it just as fiery as mine. “It must be big if they’re sending backup.”
Oriel nodded grimly. “Yes. Ordinarily, it is our policy to take down smaller cells with groups of less than ten Angels. Too many, and it becomes a war. We aren’t ready for that yet, not without Michael down here.”
“But we’re a strong team,” I replied. I wanted to believe in our abilities, to know that we could do this on our own and that the reinforcements were only a formality.
“Yes, but this is different,” Oriel countered. “There are just too many of them, and once they know that we’re aware of their location, we’ll have no chance to split them up and take them out in smaller covens. We also have the disadvantage of not knowing the cave systems like they do.”
“We can map it out quickly enough, just like we’ve done before with buildings in the city.” Those were the first words Hannah had spoken in quite some time. “By the time we start fighting, we’ll know the place just as well as they do.”
Oriel shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Just having a map won’t be the same as understanding the depth of the mountains. Human structures always follow a pattern, and so we come to expect certain layouts. The caves are far more intricate.” His gaze was somber as he watched the mountain ridges slowly drift by.
“If we have enough Angels, we could attack at every entrance and work our way toward the heart of the cave systems,” I suggested. “It would keep the vampires from escaping, so even if they’re able to withstand sunlight, they wouldn’t get a chance to warn any other covens. That would give us an advantage.”
Our leader nodded. “Yes, that would be an excellent plan. But the problem is that the other Angels won’t be able to get there until we’ve already started fighting.”
We were silent for a while as we let that sink in. There were only five of us, and though we were all good warriors, we knew that we could only take down so many vampires at a time. Back at the farmhouse, I hadn’t battled more than a few at once. Jonah had taken on more than that by himself in the attic , but it had left him exhausted. The reigning coven in the mountains was guaranteed to be more of a challenge, and we couldn’t be sure just how many creatures we were dealing with.
“Should we wait?” I asked. I didn’t like hearing those words coming from my own lips, but it also wasn’t wise to dive into a situation that was likely to be a deadly one.
“No,” Oriel replied. “We don’t want to lose the advantage of ambushing them shortly after sunrise. We can catch them off guard then. The rest of the Angels should arrive shortly after we get there, but we’ll still have to fight on our own for a bit.”
Jonah turned his head to our leader. “Do we have a plan?”
“The best we can do is to make sure that no one is fighting alone. We can split up into two teams, and that will allow us to cover the front and back entrances. We’ll go slowly and carefully. If you encounter any kind of sentries, take them down as quietly as you can so we don’t alert the others. Hopefully, our backup will get here before we’ve gone into the heart of the mountain.”
That was it. There were no other questions to be asked and no more room for discussion. We would be stealthy, at least as much as possible when slaying these horrific beasts, and we would do our best until backup arrived.
* * *
The sun was making the shadows on the far side of the mountains shrivel up and disappear by the time Oriel told us we had arrived. Immediately, we scanned the monoliths for weaknesses within the rock that indicated caves. We slowly descended toward the Earth as we surveyed the area. One entrance was very clear, an open mouth yawning out over a small plateau. It was too obvious, so we searched for a better entryway.
“Over there,” Oriel said quietly, pointing one long finger toward a small cave set back behind several boulders. “Jonah, Trinity, the two of you take that entrance. It’s small, but hopefully that means it might not be as well guarded either. The rest of us will head down there.” He indicated an entrance that was much further down the mountain. The two openings were far enough apart that it looked like they might even span the entire system of caves.
“Sounds good,” Jonah said with a nod. His face was grim, and he cast a meaningful glance at me before he and Trinity descended. I knew that we were both thinking the same thing. If we weren’t careful, we might not see each other again.
Instead of watching his magnificently muscled body as he sank to the earth, I turned to follow Oriel and Hannah. The truth was that I resented not being paired up with either Jonah or Trinity. They were excellent fighters, and I enjoyed having them as my partners. Jonah brought out something inside me that I hadn’t been able to tap into when I fought on my own, or even with Ember. Trinity was a challenge, someone who I constantly wanted to best in combat, and yet someone who I knew would always have my back.
Fortunately, I knew that Oriel had to be an excellent fighter, or he never would have been put in charge of a mission group. I felt honored to be working with him, but there was still that distinct, invisible pull from Jonah. We had put up our psychic shields, at least for the moment, and so I had no communication with him once he was no longer in sight, and yet I still knew of his presence.
Oriel, Hannah, and I sped swiftly down toward the lower entrance. It was jagged and partially hidden in the rocks. As our feet touched the ground, I noticed that the early morning wind was brisk, whipping up the tops of the evergreens. The mouth of the cave emitted a fetid stench that bespoke of numerous filthy creatures, and I turned away for a moment to get one last breath of fresh air before we headed inside.
Oriel took the lead, and I brought up the rear. We hadn’t discussed this, but I believed that it made instinctual sense to both of us. Hannah was a good warrior, but she was not as fierce as the rest of us. Oriel could use his skills and his bravery to slaughter any sentries, and I would watch our backs. Hannah could fill in as needed. Not for the first time, I wondered why she had been put in our mission group. I assumed Michael must have had his reasons, but I had no time to try to figure out what they were.
The morning sunlight that had been painting pastel brushstrokes across the mountains was quickly snuffed out as we worked our way through the cave. Within a few meters, I was tempted to summon Luminescence, but I resisted. If Oriel could still see well enough to make progress, then I was better off watching the faint shimmer of Hannah’s hair while keeping my ears open.
The sudden crunch of broken bones and the reek of vampire brought my hand to my sword hilt, but I heard the body hit the ground and I knew that Oriel had dispatched the creature easily enough. “Let’s keep going,” he whispered.
