Born of Silence (Immortal Guardians) (34 page)

Walking out of the terminal and into the airport was a huge distraction. People were seated all over the place, taking up all of the seats and even the floor wherever they could.

“Wow,” she said. “All of these people are stranded here?”

“Looks like it. I wonder how long they’ve been here.”
Garrick
grabbed Dani’s elbow and led her to the desk for the terminal they’d just walked out of. “How long until we can get a f
light back to
Newark
?”

“Oh, I’m not sure
,
sir,” the attendant said. “There is a pretty bad storm across most of the
Eastern
Coast
. There aren’t any flights going that way until it gets cleared up.
With the way the weather reports have been flip-flopping, we’re not sure anyone will make it by Christmas.
”

He nodded and thanked the attendant.

“Well,” Dani said, following him through the line of people.
She made sure her hand was securely in his, not liking that there were so many strangers all around.
“Now what?”

“We find a hotel.”

“Do you think there’s any luck of that?”

“Not anywhere near the airport,” he replied with a twist of his lips.

The two of them meandered through the throng of people, winding their way toward the baggage claims and, eventually, the exit. Garrick let out an irritated sigh when he saw the line for taxis, which sadly enough, were few and far between compared to the line of people waiting.

Dani looked around,
recognizing some of the structures all around. “Hey. I’ve been here
. My grandpa used to fly in here and we’d come pick him up.
”
The drive had always seemed like forever when she was growing up, but in reality, it was only about a three
-
hour
trip each way
.

Garrick turned toward her
, his eyes widening for a second before he recovered his expression. “Dani.”

“I’ve got to,” she said. “I know my way home from here.
I remember.
”

He shook his head and stepped toward her. “I want you to see your parents just as much as you want to, but
we don’t know enough about your
situation yet. What if you hurt them?”

“I won’t. I could never hurt them.” Her gaze locked with his as he placed his warm hands on her chilled shoulders. “Will you come with me?”

Hi
s eyes held hers. There was only silence between them even as the angry hum of the airport sizzled all around. Cars honking, people yelling
and cussing at each other—all
of that disappeared as they stared at each other. Finally, he nodded and Dani released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “I’ll go with you.”

“Okay,” she said, stepping out of his
grasp. “L
et’s go. Should we fly or drive?”

“I thought you didn’t like to fly.”

“I don’t. Not in those things.
” She hiked her thumb at an airplane that was just landing.
“
I might feel differently with my own wings. And seeing how there aren’t any available taxis, I think we should just fly. Where should I shift?”

“Shhh. Away from all of these eyes. Here,” he said quickly. “If we go over here we’ll be out of everyone’s view.”

Garrick led her away from the mass of people that stood just outside the airport
’
s doorways. They had to walk a good distance before they were outside of the lights that lined the sidewalk.

“You should be good here,” he said. “Can you do it?”

“Not sure.” Dani fisted her hands, concentrating. She started to feel the warmth pass through her, the warmth she’d felt whenever the change was about to take place.

“Wait,” he said, grabbing one of her hands. “Don’t you think you should change first?”

She
smiled and popped open one eye, before opening the other
. “You thinker
,
you. Do you think we could just cut the back of
my
shirt so my wings can go through?”

He
shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.
How big do you think? And where?”
He stepped around her, running his fingers over her shoulder blades.

Dani pointed over one shoulder. “Straight down from here, I think, and go like six inches down.”

Garrick nodded and produced a knife with a snap of
his fingers. He gently cut the back of her shirt where she’d told him to and repeated it on the other side. “Okay, do we need to do anything with your pants?”

“I don’t think so. I’ll just be careful.”

Garrick stepped around her again and faced her. “Okay. Give it a shot.”

Dani grinned at him, only instead of closing her eyes as she’d done last time, she focused on the
passion in
his eyes and used their connection to make her change. The heat that had washed through her moments ago came back full force, building in intensity. Soon she felt the pressure in her back as what would soon be wings tried to force their way out. The transition still hurt, but not nearly as bad as it had the times before. She didn’t even feel the pain in her mouth or in her hands, only felt the pressure as the wings slid through slits in her back, scraping at the cloth of her shirt.

Garrick’s intake of breath brought her from her thoughts and she
glanced
down at herself, only to see the bright golden skin instead of th
e pallid dark coloring
of the other Harpies. She grinned up at him, catching his gaze as he looked at her in awe. Slowly, he released his breath and shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“Me either.
”
She stepped forward and gripped
his hand. “Now, should I carry you or how are we going to do this?”

Garrick laughed, squeezing her
fingers
gently. “No need, little one. I’m covered.”

Dani cocked an eyebrow at him
. No way was he going to make it
that
far by tracing over and over again. She’d seen the toll it took on him in his own realm when she’d flown with the Harpies.

He removed his jacket and folded it nicely before holding it out to her.
“Will you hold this for me?” She took it and he quickly unbuttoned the white starched shirt. He stood there, facing her in only his dress pants and shiny shoes, and it gave her chills just seeing him. Both from the sight of his beautiful
build
and because it was wintertime and he was standing outside shirtless. He gave her a wink and within an instant a
translucency covered Garrick from head to toe. A
pair of shimmery blue and green wings sprouted from his back, arching high above his shoulders.
The light covering his body dissipated, though she could still see a light sheen over his bare skin.

Dani’s mouth dropped wide open. “Wh
a
…
a
re those…
.
Wh
y didn’t you
tell
me you could do that?”

“
I figured you knew
,” he said
,
laugh
ing
. “I am a Fairy, you know.”

****

As far as trips went, Dani and Garrick had made it to
Marion
in
far
less time than it would have taken to drive. After she’d gotten over the fact that he, too, had wings, they’d taken to the sky and she’d been forced to get reacquainted with her wings in a hurry.

That had luckily been a snap. Dani actually found that she
liked
to fly. Feeling the wind, albeit cold,
soar
through and all around her was an incredible sensation, and she couldn’t help but revel in the feeling as they flew
We
st toward Ohio. Her quick lessen turned into a challenge, and she and Garrick raced toward
Marion
, trying to outfly the other in speed.

They’d tied.

Now they sat in the dark shadows of the trees that lined Dani’s parents’ front yard, catching their breath from the long flight.

“So this is it?” Garrick asked, looking at the dark house.

“Yeah. This is where I grew up.”

Silence stretched out between them, and only the sound of passing cars on the street
disturbed
the wintry night.

“Dani,” he said, breaking the silence. “You’ve been gone for a long time. You don’t even know if they live here anymore.”

She knew that was likely
. What with both of their children disappearing almost a decade ago, why would two people need a house this size? A house that would have reminded them of every aspect of their daughters? “I know. But I’ve got to try. If they don’t live here anymore, I’ll find them. I’ll track them down.”

She owed it to them. They had to know that she still lived, and they needed to know what happened to Karena.

“Stay here,” Dani said
. She took a few steps until she broke free of the bushes, and
checked
the mailbox
on the sidewalk. She ran
back over to Garrick. “My last name is still on the box.
”
She grinned. “They still live here.”

Garrick smiled at her and she focused on hiding her Ha
rpy. Slowly, her golden wings sa
nk into her skin and she shivered from the change. “Normal?”

“Yeah, normal.” His wings disappeared too and he quickly donned his shirt and jacket, which he’d carried during their flight.

Dani waited until he had buttoned up his shirt and jacket, the anticipation driving her mad. She
couldn’t wait any longer. She
had
to see them. “Let’s go.
”

They snuck over the snow-ridden lawn silently and reached the front door. She rang the doorbell and knocked
on the door in a rhythmic beat.
No sounds came from within.

“I don’t think anyone’s home,” Garrick said.

No. She wasn’t willing to give up so easily. She rang the doorbell again and pounded on the door more forcefully, again in that rhythmic tune.

Shave and a haircut, two bits.

Yeah, like that even made sense. S
he’d always done that growing up
though
, so hopefully her parents would recognize it and come to the door.

A faint whispering sound came from inside the house, loud enough that they both heard it. Garrick and Dani shared a look and he brought a finger to his lips. He
pulled her behind him and
reached down
, turning the knob.
It
turned freely, and
he
pushed open the door. Dani’s eyes immediately went to the two people slumped against the wall, their arms and legs tied, their mouths duct taped.

“Mom, Dad.” She rushed forward with Garrick by her side. He had produced two daggers and fisted them tightly in his hands as she dropped to her knees to work on untying her parents.

“Danielle, Danielle, Danielle,” a familiar voice mused from the shadows.

She whirled around, facing the darkness of the living room, seeing a single form barely lit by the moonlight that filtered in through the blinds.
A single, small flame danced up and down, no bigger than a gumball.

Pyro.

“I told Ekhart
you would show up here sooner or
later. He didn’t believe me,”
he
said, still sitting casually on the couch. “Of course, that’s why I’m here and he isn’t. He didn’t believe you could still have a connection with these humans. But I know you, don’t I, Danielle?”

Dani glanced over her shoulders at her parents before
facing
Pyro again. Ignoring Garrick’s warning to stay where she was, she took two quick steps forward and flipped the light switch, illuminating Pyro in the warm glow of the overhead light. She noted the familiar cream
-
colored carpets and floral couches that had been in this room all those years ago. Only a few things ha
d changed during her time away, and she had a few seconds of déjà vu.

“You’ve got me here,” she said. “Now what do you want with me?”

He looked her over approvingly, giving her a warm smile. “What do I want with you? I want you to come home.”

“I
am
home.”

“You aren’t,” he growled. “Your home is with me. At the Institute.” Pyro
fisted his hand, extinguishing the small flame, and stood
. “You know, while we’ve been waiting for you, I’ve filled your parents in on what you’ve been
doing
the last few years.”