The lack of sleep was catching up to me, and Kade, being as perceptive as always, wrapped his arm around me. I laid my head on his shoulder and felt his warm lips on top of my head. He left them there, breathing in my scent. It wasn’t long before I fell fast asleep.
It felt like I’d just closed my eyes when I was nudged awake. I opened my eyes, and we were already at the airport.
“Whoa. I knocked out.”
“Yeah you did,” Kade whispered.
“What pretty boy here failed to mention is that you snored. A lot,” Dominic said loudly.
“No way. I don’t snore,” I huffed.
“Well, you kind of did, but it wasn’t loud,” Kade tried to assure me.
“Hell, yes it was,” Dom asserted, twisting his head back. “Damn Emma, you were snoring like a drunken sailor.”
“Shut up! I was not!” I blushed.
Malachi chuckled.
“Malachi, was I snoring?” I asked.
“Yes, but it was kinda cute,” he said.
“There is no such thing as a cute snore,” I mumbled from beneath the hands covering my face.
“Yeah, thank God for the music. It drowned out most of your horn blowing,” Dom added.
I gasped, hiding my face in Kade’s shoulder. “Kill me…just make it fast. If you loved me, you’d put me out of my misery.”
“Oh, come on now, you know I tell it like it is,” I hear from the front seat. I looked up in time to see Dom wiggling his eyebrows at me in the rear-view mirror.
Kade came to my rescue.
“We should start heading in. They land in about ten minutes.”
Three of us would be going inside, and Dominic would be staying.
As we started to head into the terminal, I noticed the other black Hummer parked across the lot. I knew Ethon was inside, watching. It made my insides twist, and made me feel a bit nervous. This was a completely new emotion. I’d never had the affection of two different boys.
Kade took hold of my hand and laced his fingers in mine. Perfect fit. As always.
Malachi quickly took his position on the other side of me.
As we walked into the airport I had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. It wasn't long ago I was here, with Kade and Malachi on either side of me, walking through this very place. I thought back and remembered how clueless and hopeless I was. I had been in pieces, damaged, weak, and vulnerable.
“You alright?” Kade whispered in my ear. The warmth of his breath caressed my cheek, soothing my growing anxieties.
“Yes, just having an unpleasant flashback,” I replied.
He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer. He never failed to comfort me.
“Well, I should warn you here and now – I’m not allowing you to use the bathrooms here."
“Don’t worry. I’m never, ever using another airport bathroom again," I promised.
He laughed, and his laughter made me laugh. I loved being around him. He brought out the best in me. I could completely be myself, and he still loved every part of me, including my snoring, unfortunate Hell-smell, or even my ugly cry face. Now that meant something.
There was no trouble as we made our way in. The air was clear of stench, except for a large woman who walked by, crop-dusted with her old lady perfume. It was so pungent and thick I felt like I was chewing it.
We made our way to the information board and confirmed their flight had just landed.
Kade and I made our way up the escalator to greet them, while Malachi stayed down near baggage claim.
It seemed forever before we started to see signs of arriving passengers making their way toward us. My stomach twisted with anticipation, I couldn’t keep still.
“I’m going to stand over there,” Kade said, pointing to a column a few feet behind us.
“You can stay here with me,” I smiled. “They won’t bite.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe Lia will, but it’s not her fault. Have you seen your ass?”
“Well, in that case, I’ll park it against the column,” he laughed.
God he was gorgeous. His hair was disheveled to perfection, and I just noticed how he was wearing nicely fitted blue jeans, and a light gray sweater. His hazel eyes seemed to mimic the gray, but were swirled with green, blue, and flecks of yellow.
“What?” he grinned.
I blushed, knowing I had been checking him out a little too long. “Oh nothing. You just look really – nice,” I said nodding my head in approval.
“Thanks,” he gleamed. Then he pivoted and walked toward the column dramatically swaying his hips back and forth drawing attention to his rear.
I laughed out loud, and my heart filled with warmth. He was something else.
As soon as I turned my head, a familiar face rounded the corner, followed by a high-piercing scream. Lia bounded down the hall with her arms spread out like an eagle. Her large, pink backpack bounced up and down on her back, making her run completely awkward.
“Emma!” she screamed.
“Lia,” I called back, and ran to meet her.
We almost fell as we crashed together and hugged, spinning in circles.
“Oh my God. You are alive. And you look…you look like you just woke up,” she said, as we stopped. I had to blink a couple of times because even though we had stopped, the world around us hadn’t.
I laughed. “You are correct. I slept the whole ride in.”
“Figures,” she answered with a huge smile.
Jeremy came up behind us with a bright orange shirt, matching knee high socks, and khaki shorts. His beady brown eyes smiled from behind his matching bright-orange rimmed glasses.
“Hey sunshine,” I said, holding my arms out to him.
“Hey Emma,” he said, pressing his glasses back on his face. “Looks like we came just in time. You look like you could use some sunshine.”
“Come here, you,” I said, wrapping him in a hug.
“I’m glad to see none of the wildlife has taken a bite out of you,” he noted.
I laughed, and then started crying. I didn’t plan on crying, it just happened. It was probably the fact that I finally saw their awesome faces. “You don’t know how good it is to see you both.”
“No tears, girl. We’re here for the next four days. Happy faces. Only happy faces allowed during this trip,” Lia scolded.
“You’ve got it,” I said, wiping my tears.
They each put an arm around me and we headed down the escalator toward baggage claim.
Kade stayed a distance behind giving us our privacy.
“So, Emma, why the hell didn’t you contact us for four damn months?” Jeremy questioned, walking toward the luggage carousel. “Lia thought you were dead. She wanted to call the Alaska State Troopers and the FBI.”
“It’s complicated, and I seriously don’t think either of you would believe the stories if I told you,” I huffed.
“Well, we’re here for four whole days. That’s ninety-six hours for you to spill,” Jeremy noted.
Lia looked over my shoulder. Her eyes widened, and she squeezed my arm tightly. “Holy hell, Emma. Is that Kade?” she rasped.
“Ouch,” I said flatly, trying to loosen her grip. “Yes, it is.”
“Sorry! But, oh my God! He’s even hotter than I remember. And, who is that mean looking guy next to him?”
“That would be Malachi. Don’t stare. He hates when people stare at him, and will not hesitate to come over and hit you.”
“Oh my God! Are you serious?” she whipped her head back to the front. Her hand flew up to her chest, and her eyes widened with fear.
I burst into laughter. “I’m just kidding, Lia. He’s harmless, and just a family friend.”
“Damn you, Emma,” she said slapping me. “I almost freaking peed myself.”
“Well, you better hold it,” I said.
“Why?” She questioned.
“Because the bathrooms here are deadly.”
Lia rolled her ey
es at me. “Right. So what is there to do here? I’ve heard there are tons of things.”
“Oh, I’ve been on quite the adventure since I’ve arrived.”
Lia eyed me. “Did Kade take you on this adventure?”
“Parts of it,” I smiled.
“Stop right now. I don’t want to hear any of this,” Jeremy said, glaring at us.
“I seriously missed you guys,” I laughed, throwing my arms around their necks again.
“We were really worried about you,” he admitted.
“There were a few bad things that did happen, but I’d rather not talk about any of that right now. Right now, I just want to spend some fun times, and make new, happy memories with my best friends.”
“Sounds good to me,” Lia chimed. “Sooo, does Kade have a brother? Like a twin? An identical, or slightly hotter twin?”
“Lia. Focus,” Jeremy huffed.
“I am, Jeremy, can’t you tell? Laser focus. Anyway, I’m on vacation and away from my parents. Let me be free.”
“Oh God. You two are going to give me a heart attack.”
“Whatever, Jeremy. Maybe Kade has a sister for you,” she teased.
“Yeah, and with my luck, she’s probably a slightly bigger, manlier version of Mr. Beefcake over there…No, I don’t need any of that. I just want a vacation.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Lia giggled and turned her focus back to me. “So…does he have any brothers?” She was dead serious.
“Actually, he does have a few. They aren’t blood brothers, but they are very close, and they are very handsome.”
“Are they sexy handsome? Like Kade? I mean, have you seen his ass?” Her eyebrows wiggled.
I giggled, hoping Kade heard that last comment. “Yes. Very sexy,” I confirmed
“Can we go now?” Jeremy sighed, collecting his luggage from the carousel. “Luggage, Lia. Focus. They won’t think you’re sexy when you’re wearing the same clothes for four days.”
“Oh, fine. It’s the turquoise zebra print coming around,” she said, pointing to her bag.
After we collected their luggage, we all headed back out to the parking garage.
“Whoa, check out that Hummer,” Jeremy said, gawking.
“That’s our ride,” I chimed.
“No way. Are you serious?” He questioned. A smile widened on his face.
“Dead serious,” I winked.
He exhaled hard, obviously impressed.
And that was a huge score.
As we neared the car, the doors unlocked. Malachi pulled open the rear passenger door, and I suddenly watched Lia freeze as she caught sight Dominic.
“Lia, are you okay?” I giggled.
She swallowed, and turned to me. “No wonder you didn’t call me. You were holding out. Don’t worry, I would have done the same,” she said softly.
Little did she know, they could hear her every word.
Dominic smiled and Malachi shook his head and jumped in the front. Jeremy and Lia took the middle seat, and Kade and I cozily squished in the back.
“Nice ride,” Jeremy noted.
“Yeah, it’s alright. Gets us from A to Z,” Dominic answered. “So you’re both friends of Emma?”
“For the past four years,” Jeremy said.
“And your names are?” Dominic asked.
I was glad he was making small talk. It would help kill some of the time.
“I’m Jeremy Needles and this is Lia Ling. We come from LA.”
“Los Angeles. The city of the Angels,” Dominic said, glancing at Malachi.
I didn’t realize the truth until Dom said it. I’d lived in the city of the Angels, not having a clue I was part of that world.
Dominic kept asking questions about their upbringing, school, and other random things. I was glad because it kept Jeremy’s mind busy. We were on a long, lonely highway headed back out to Delta Junction when Lia looked out the window.
“Wow, those are some huge birds. What are they? Ravens?”
I leaned over Kade and peeked out. “FALLEN!” I screamed.
“Fallen?” Lia turned back to me, her face twisted.
Dominic suddenly punched the gas. I glanced behind us and noticed the second Hummer did the same. Malachi grabbed a walkie.
“Samuel, can you hear me?” he said.
“Yes, I’m here,” he answered.
“Fallen at three o’clock.”
“How many?”
“Four.”
“Roger. You’ll have to pull over someplace safe.”
Lia twisted back to me. “Emma, what the hell is going on? What is a Fallen, and why are we speeding?” Her eyes narrowed. She and Jeremy focused their attention on me, waiting for an answer.
Suddenly the right side of the Hummer was hit hard. Dominic hit the brakes and we spun out. Lia screamed. Her eyes popped wide with horror as her tiny frame flew onto the floor. Jeremy grabbed the seat and held on, his eyes filled with terror.
“Emma. What the hell is going on?” Jeremy shrieked.
“Malachi!” I yelled. His head twisted back. “Sleeper!”
I didn’t want to do this to my friends, but I knew they wouldn’t understand or be able to handle this situation. It would be easier if they were asleep and not completely freaking out.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want any of this to happen,” I said. My heart was completely crushed.
Malachi whispered into Jeremy’s ear and he went limp. He then helped the badly shaken Lia off the floor. As soon as she saw Jeremy she began screaming uncontrollably.
“Lia, he’s fine. It’ll be okay. I promise.” I tried to comfort her.
I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. The one thing I was praying wouldn’t happen, did. And it started only a few hours after they arrived. How was I going to explain this? Their lives were in my hands.
As Malachi whispered into her ear I watched her eyes roll back and her body go limp.
“Emma. We need to get you out of here,” Kade urged.
“We all need to get out of here,” I corrected him.
Dominic pulled off onto a side road and into the trees. The second Hummer followed right behind. We all got out and pulled our weapons.
Chapter 11
Samuel came running to our car. “Are you all okay?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding to Lia and Jeremy. “We used the sleeper on my friends.”
“Smart thinking. It’s better this way,” he confirmed.
“Emma, you stay here with your friends. Kade, Malachi, and Dominic, you stay with them. I’ll take Ethon, Bane, and Azzah and catch them in the air.”
“I thought your wings weren’t ready yet?” I questioned.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. It’ll hurt a bit, but they are strong enough to carry me. It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Samuel smiled. I knew he would say anything to make me feel better. He was doing this to save me.
Ethon glanced at me, and then at Kade, who was by my side. Both sets of eyes steeled on one another, each filled with hate.
A dark shadow passed above, causing a whirlwind around us.
Everyone agreed to their duty, and all four Fallen bore their beautiful black wings. Ethon glanced at me one last time, and shot off into the sky. There was a large clearing just ahead. I ran forward, wanting to witness the battle.
“Emma,” Kade said, stopping me.
“I want to see. Please.” I pleaded. This was something I didn’t want to miss.
He nodded. “Then don’t leave my side.”
I grabbed his hand and we headed to the clearing. We watched as the four evil Fallen drew their swords, preparing to battle Samuel, Ethon, Bane, and Azzah.
Samuel’s wings did look just as strong as the others.
Ethon glanced down, and winked at me, making my stomach twist. I really hoped none of them would be hurt.
This was an unbelievable sight. Fallen fighting Fallen to protect us.
Suddenly, Lucian’s Fallen shot forward with
loud battle cries.
Ethon was the first to meet them. He effortlessly somersaulted in the air over the first, and then spread his wings. Spinning, he chopped off its head, using his wing as the weapon. It was so fast, the Fallen’s eyes were still wide open from shock as its head separated from the rest of its body, dropping to the earth in a sideways spiral.
Then, Ethon unsheathed his sword and spun in the opposite direction, lopping off the next Fallen’s head. He had just killed two of them in a matter of seconds, and with minimal effort. It was clear he could have handled all four Fallen by himself.
Damn, he was good.
Kade didn’t move, but I knew he was watching, and wishing he was able to fight. My heart ached for him, remembering how many times he saved my life in the heat of battle. I could only imagine the negative thoughts running through his mind. And it didn’t help matters that my other suitor – for lack of a better word – was the one inflicting all the damage.
I pushed closer to him, until my side molded against his. He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder.
Samuel clashed swords so hard with the third one, sparks showered down all around us. I gasped, and held my breath. I knew he was a warrior, but he’d been out of battle for a while. The thought of losing him after I’d just found him was unbearable.
The sheer power with which they connected sent shockwaves outward, shaking the ground and trees around us. The Fallen swung his sword at Samuel’s neck, but he ducked and the blade missed his head by fractions of an inch.
I screamed, and immediately threw my hands over my mouth.
Samuel briefly took his eyes off of his enemy to make sure I was okay. But in that split second, the Fallen raised his blade to slay him. My eyes widened, but before I could scream…Ethon flew at a lightning speed, knocking the Fallen away from Samuel.
I watched in complete awe and horror as Ethon took on the fight. But the Fallen was no match for him. Ethon gripped his sword and spun, effortlessly beheading his enemy.
I exhaled, not even realizing I was still holding my breath. That was way too close. Samuel could have been killed, but Ethon saved him.
Samuel turned to Ethon and gave him a nod of appreciation.
Bane and Azzah surrounded the last Fallen. Even he knew he didn’t have a chance, and defeat was written on his face. Dropping his sword, he put his hands up in surrender.